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An Ocean Full of Plastic
How Trash Islands are Polluting our Oceans
By Madison Schick
Trash islands are a problem commonly looked over by the government and companies. Most people don’t even know they exist. With six in total, the biggest one stands at 600,000 square miles and growing. It sits between the coast of Hawaii and California, growing bigger everyday.
It will take millions of years to dissolve on its own. Nearly 3 times the size of Texas and over 30 feet deep in some parts, it’s polluting the ocean, causing some serious issues.
Recently the concerns regarding the bleaching of coral reefs worldwide have come to light. Although proposed solutions like wearing less damaging sunscreen and avoiding touching the coral, the trash islands play a huge part in the pollution of oceans. To put this into perspective, half the Great Barrier Reef is dead due to bleaching, according to National Geographic. Bleaching occurs when coral gets too warm, gets surrounded by chemicals, or is cut down. Coral is very sensitive, so chemicals in the water from plastic waste make the coral sick.
In addition, the pollution is also killing sea life when trash is mistaken for food. Animals can’t digest plastic, often it gets stuck in the animal’s system, or the animal physically gets trapped in an area of plastic. Even when fish do survive after eating plastic and we can end up eating that plastic, if the fish is caught and sold.
According to the 2012 U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimate, it would cost the United States at least $122 million. They estimated it would take $489 million just to hire enough boats to clean the Pacific garbage patch. It’s clear the government won’t pay for it, therefore leading to no one addressing the problem.
All in all, this problem is becoming irreversible. We need to find a way to fix this problem before it reaches the point where we can’t.
Jhene, Megan, Uzi, and More
New Music from the Week of March 6th
By Ronak Dsouza
It’s finally March which means it is one month closer to summer and festival season. In anticipation, many artists are releasing new content to perform live. Here are some of the best and biggest picks from this past week.
Kicking off the list is the surprise release of Eternal Atake, Lil Uzi Vert’s long awaited album. The tape is full of Uzi’s signature autotune and techno-heavy production. The album consists of 18 songs with only one feature: “Urgency” featuring Syd, The Internet band member. The standout track is “P2,” acting as a sequel Uzi’s smash hit “XO Tour Llif3.”
Next is Chilombo by Jhené Aiko, the other highly-anticipated album of the week. Aiko has been building up the release of Chilombo since 2019 with the release of “Triggered (Freestyle).” The album does not disappoint with Aiko’s soulful vocals perfectly syncing with Chilombo’s minimalistic acoustic production. The standout track is “B.S.” featuring H.E.R. with the two R&B singers giving one of the best R&B duets of the year.
Finally, arrives Megan Thee Stallion’s latest mixtape, Suga. The tape had been the topic of discussion for many due to Megan’s label, 1501, attempting to block Megan from releasing any new music. This was in result to Megan trying to renegotiate her contract. Thankfully after Megan sued her label, a judge ruled in favor of Megan, allowing her to release Suga. The mixtape once again shows her rapping ability is unmatched. The standout track is “Captain Hook,” featuring numerous flows and her signature bragadocious lyrics.
Be sure to also check out Katy Perry’s new single “Never Worn White,” the remix to Brockhampton hit “SUGAR” featuring Dua Lipa, and Demi Lovato’s latest single “I Love Me.”
DECA Does It, Again!
Legend’s Performance at DECA state competition
By Ronak Dsouza
Business is booming for Legend’s DECA program. Over the past weekend, many fellow Titans competed in the annual DECA state competition. The event, held at the Broadmoor, happened over the span of three days.
The first day, Sunday, was the first round for all of the written events. The next day the individuals who performed the best were then selected to compete in the final round. Also on Sunday was the first round for the roleplay events with the finals round occuring on Tuesday. Awards were given to the top performers at the competition after the roleplay finals. These winners then subsequently qualified for the international conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
This year’s competition was record-breaking for Legend as there were more international qualifiers than in previous years.
“We had 15 people qualify to go to Nashville,” said senior Ashley Lawson.
Additionally, the time not competing was just as memorable for the DECA students.
“We were able to stay in the Broadmoor this year,” said senior Rachel Derose. “It was super exciting and we all had a lot of fun.”
In the end, the main highlight was the great memories and companionship created at the competition.
“It was really good to see Legend bring around 70 people to state,” said senior Rachel Derose. “As a DECA officer team, it felt good to see that the hard work of many members paid off.”
Here’s hoping Legend’s success will continue at the international conference in Nashville.