"Alexa, play my Lake Days playlist."
Whether you're fishing at the lake, floating in your pink flamingo float, or just cruisin' on the boat, these are songs that you have to have on your summer lake playlist.
The United Nations (UN) has been in existence since June of 1945. Since then, the world has come together to work on and solve some of the harshest problems that face the Human Race. Be it children in societal ills like Human Trafficking, natural issues like Deforestation, or issues of extreme poverty, the UN has worked together in an attempt to make it a better place for us all. It's the only organization in the history of the world to bring people together in a willing, peaceful way; a feat that not even the League of Nations could do in the Post- WWI era. Why was it that one organization failed, and the other one is still going strong, 72 years later?
Well, one could argue that it was and is United States involvement that has kept it afloat for so long. The League was created in the Paris Peace Conference following WWI at the urging of President Woodrow Willson as the first Intergovernmental organization who's sole purpose was to maintain world peace. However, when the charter was presented to the US senate for ratification, it was shot down due to extreme isolationism. Because of this, the LON was never able to gain the political traction that it needed to be an effective force in the world and ultimately led to WWII.
Through the horrors of WWII, it was revealed that the world needed to unite more than ever. Towards the end of the war effort, 51 nations signed the charter of the UN, though, it did not come into power until after the ratification of the charter by the P5 (Russia, China, France, UK, and the USA), as well as a majority of the remaining countries.
Since that time, the UN has done incredible things to make the world a better place. They created the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which affirms the basic rights of each and every individual on the planet, the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which went into effect in 1970, banning the manufacture of nuclear weapons technology, countless Peacekeeping missions (we can debate the effectiveness of the peacekeepers at a later date), UNICEF, and lots of other things.
So, this brings me to the reason why I am writing this. In recent weeks, President-elect Donald Trump has been less-than-friendly to the Intergovernmental organization. Calling it a club for people to go to and "have a good time" and calling it a "waste of time and money." If the President-elect continues with this dangerous rhetoric, the dangers would be astronomical. The risk with this rhetoric is the possibility of the U.S. drawing out of the UN, which would have domino effects. It would effectively remove us from all the UN treaties that we are a part of, like the NPT, which would put us in the same league of North Korea as the only two nations to withdraw from it. Our support of peacekeeping ops, various UN programs, and risk the stability of the entire nation.
Now, I am far from biased in writing this. I have participated in Model UN for the past 2 years, this year will mark my third conference, and I have fallen in love with what the UN stands for. It brings people together, from throughout the world, to fight common problems. Yes, it may not be effective, or the best organized, or well oiled like smaller organizations, but neither is our government. Why would we not support something that has kept the world from full scale war for the past 70 years?
Quick-witted and insanely smart, Rory Gilmore has a track record for memorable, relevant quotes that have become a part of fans’ repertoires. With it being finals season, many of Rory’s words can be conveniently interpreted to reflect life during the last weeks of the semester. Here are some of Rory’s wisest words that explain your life during finals season.
Gone are the days of actually trying to look decent when going out in public. Now you’re heading to the library in workout shorts and an old t-shirt with your hair in a messy bun. School first, fashion second.
Yes, all of your textbooks will look very depressed…if you don’t open them. Crack those books and get studying! You wouldn’t want your books to be sad now, would you?
Actually, it is. Emphasis on the sleep-deprived.
And you’ve probably used it about your final term paper or your ability to stay focused on studying for more than five minutes at a time.
It’s okay, we all turn into needy children during finals season.
You’re basically accepting that there is a class or two in which you might just get a grade that comes after the letter ‘F’. You tried.
A nervous breakdown doubles as an excellent study break!
Your response when your friends start daydreaming aloud about the imminent summer. Or your friends’ response to you when you procrastinate studying by rambling on about who knows what.
It may seem like you can’t finish, but trust me. You can. And you will. Every difficult task eventually gets completed. And even if you’re seriously lacking some sleep, you have an entire summer ahead of you to make up for it.
As difficult as finals season is, and as much as these Rory quotes can relate to your life at this time, it’s important to stay motivated and focused on finishing the semester. Remember that summer is right around the corner. Besides, if you’re ever feeling in need of some motivation as you push through finals season, just ask yourself: WWRGD. (What would Rory Gilmore do?) I think you know the answer.
Well, the fall season is finally upon us. It’s time for pumpkin spice coffee, apple cider and lots of candy.
It’s also time for some holidays, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. For myself and others in the Jewish community, it’s time for the high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This past weekend was Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish new year. Besides it being the time for apples, honey and challah bread, it’s a time when we think about all that’s happened in the past year. It’s also when we think of the changes we want to see in the new one.
This was the second year that I was away from my family for the holiday. I go to school about three and a half hours from where I live, but this being one of the most important holidays, I made sure that I could get home. I packed up my heels, my clothes for temple and headed home. When I walked through the front door, I immediately saw how much has changed.
I walked into a house that was full of new furniture and everything had been moved around. People had moved bedrooms, some stuff had been painted and there were different cars in the driveway. And then I thought about how in just a few months things had changed so much. What about this whole year? I have so much to be grateful for.
I thought about my family and how lucky I am that everyone is still here and still healthy. I thought about my little siblings, who have grown and matured. I thought about myself, and how I’ve learned to be comfortable being away from home.
Before I knew it, it was time to have Rosh Hashanah dinner. I got a little emotional on the inside. My entire family always gets together for this holiday, which doesn’t happen often. My grandparents lead the dinner, we catch up and we talk about what’s happening in everyone’s lives. Everyone always has a new story to tell each year. Everyone is interested in the growth that’s happened around the table.
The very next day, I woke up early in the morning to go to temple with my grandparents. I used to hate going to temple when I was little, but now as an adult, I’m starting to see why my mother used to always make me go. It’s about family and growing closer to one another as Jewish people. I’m grateful that I still have the privilege of going to temple with my siblings and grandparents. I’m grateful I can be home to celebrate with them.
Not everyone can do this. Not everyone is able to be home for the holidays with everyone that they love. So, this Rosh Hashanah, I’m recognizing the blessings that I have. A lot has changed since the last Jewish new year. This year has been full of laughter, tears, heartbreak, growth and new experiences.
And I can’t wait to see what this next year brings.
Shanah Tovah!
It's officially fall, which means I am happy, so very happy. Fall is hands down the best season on the planet. Below, I will go over reasons as to why fall is the best and should be loved by everyone.
Do you remember when you were little and raked all the leaves into a large pile and jumped into them? Wasn't that fun? Do you remember hearing the satisfying "crunch" of the leaves under your boots as you walk down the street or on your way to class? Not to mention the colors of the leaves are spectacular and gorgeous. The leaves are perhaps the best part.
Halloween falls in fall, which means pumpkin that you can carve out and decorate. Not to mention eat. I'm not huge on pumpkin spice much, but I will say that the pumpkin scones at Starbucks are pretty awesome. Go try one? Or just enjoy your pumpkin spice everything that is sold these days.
The great thing about fall is that you can wear your cute boyfriend beanie, your large knit sweater, your warm stylish leggings and comfy boots and feel and look 100 percent. And you don't have to shave everyday, which is such a pain in the summer.
Fall is the time that includes the best temperatures and weather patterns. It's not too hot, nor too cold to be outside. Sweaty, gross "swamp ass" does not exist in fall. Also, perfect bonfire weather with s'mores.
Nothing is better than homemade pumpkin pie. Nothing.
Summer is just a bit too hot to have tea, coffee and hot chocolate almost every night. Fall is the perfect time to enjoy these lovely and wonderful drinks. Although I'd argue that coffee is an anytime, any situation type of drink. Nonetheless, fall is the season of hot chocolate, tea and pumpkin spice drinks.
Fall is the perfect time for two things: Blankets and cuddling. Who doesn't like blankets and cuddling? Also, add in Netflix there. Blankets + Cuddling + Netflix = life goals and the ultimate happiness. Yes, you can cuddle your pets if you don't have a S.O. Plus, pets won't usually try to steal the blankets, or change the show you're watching.
Holidays are great. Holidays are fun. Who doesn't like getting dressed up as a "slutty nurse" or as Superman and eating a lot of candy and food?
Even better, who doesn't like home-cooked turkey with stuffing and gravy? I'm literally almost drooling thinking about it? Also, pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving, ftw.
The freshness and crispness of the air is intoxicating and wonderful. Learn it, live it, love it.
I don't understand much about football, besides the fact that guys go onto a field and tackle each other over a weirdly shaped ball. Either way, I always love watching it with my dad and mom while we eat our awesome chip dip. The hype of football is fun and it's always reminded me of my special family time. So, kudos to football for that only reason.
When I was in high school, I was the occasional coffee drinker, if you could call it that. I would drink Starbucks frappuccinos and iced mocha drinks, which were more like snacks than coffee, BUT they had coffee in them, so I said I drank coffee. I progressed from my love of “snack drinks" to a more general appreciation of coffee, and would have a cup of coffee once a week or so. My “cup of coffee" would consist of a little coffee and a lot of cream and sugar, but it was coffee nonetheless. Then I started college.
I bought a coffee maker and scheduled 8 a.m. classes (what was I thinking?), and then coffee became a regular part of my every day routine. I ended up drinking about five cups a day but never paid attention to how much caffeine I was having. Until one day it hit me -- during a Physics quiz, unfortunately. I hadn't realized but it was two o'clock and I hadn't had any coffee that day and all of a sudden my head was pounding, I couldn't think straight, and the classroom lights hurt like no other.
That's when I came to the unhappy conclusion that I had become addicted to caffeine. This had never happened to me before! I had no idea what to do or how to handle it. So I came up with a few ideas on how to fix it and decided to try them out.
1. Don't drink anything caffeinated after 3:30 p.m. This way it won't affect your sleep.
2. Start by gradually decreasing the number of cups of coffee you drink a day. Don't fret; just because you can't have caffeinated coffee, doesn't mean you can't have decaf if you really want coffee.
3. Work your way down to only one cup of caffeinated coffee a day, and if you're feeling adventurous, try not having any! You might have a minor headache in the afternoon, but it's nothing in comparison to a massive caffeine headache.
4. You could also try alternating days of caffeinated coffee and decaf, so this way your body won't become addicted, and you won't have to suffer the consequences.
5. Now that you're no longer addicted to caffeine, you could have your coffee on mornings when you need an extra little pick-me-up and you will actually feel the effects of the coffee.
I'm fairly certain I will perpetually be stuck on a loop of caffeine addictions, but at least now I know that I can break my bad habit, even if I start it back up again during finals or because of an early job.
Songs About Being 17
Grey's Anatomy Quotes
Vine Quotes
4 Leaf Clover
Self Respect
1. Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society
2. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook
3. Kristen Haddox, Penn State University
4. Jennifer Kustanovich, SUNY Stony Brook
5. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
