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The tragic crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 raises questions about safety, staffing shortages, and the future of aviation. On January 29th 2025, American Airlines Flight 5342 tragically collided with an Army helicopter just outside of Reagan National Airport. Resulting in the deaths of all 67 passengers aboard the aircrafts, the devastating crash is the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2001. The confusion surrounding the nature of the crash unavoidably raised the question: is it safe to fly? Before I can answer that, it is important to recognize the causes behind such a tragedy. Due to its close proximity to the Pentagon and military helicopter operations, the airspace surrounding Reagan National is heavily monitored by a team of flight control staff. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, there has been a “deterioration of federal hiring standards at the Federal Aviation Administration.”  This supposed reckless hiring would at least result in an ample amount of employees in the control tower, but reports indicate that this is far from the case. According to a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, the air traffic control staff was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic” on the day of the crash. Additionally, just one controller was in charge of communication with both helicopters and planes—a job intended for two people. The staffing shortage was not a one-time incident. As of September 2023, Reagan Airport was only reaching two thirds of their targeted staffing levels, forcing many employees to work up to six day weeks and ten hour days.  President Trump also cited poor hiring as the reason behind the crash, claiming that the FAA “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.” Despite using people with disabilities as a scapegoat, this claim still fails to address the issue of numbers. The reality is that airlines in America are experiencing a severe shortage of workers across the board, causing an inability to effectively monitor and ensure the safety of passengers. While the FAA does commit to equal employment opportunity including the appointment of persons with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities, it is unknown—and quite frankly, unrelated—if the control team that night was representative of that commitment.  After analyzing recent major aviation accidents, many have concluded that there is no clear pattern to be found. Guy Gratton, associate professor of aviation and the environment at Cranfield University and a commercial pilot in the U.K. and U.S., dubbed the incident “an aberration” and claimed that flying is still quite safe. In a separate study, it was found that the worldwide death risk per boarding from 2018 to 2022 was one in 13.7 million, an immense improvement from the one in 7.9 million of 2008 to 2017.  In the days following the tragedy above the Potomac, searches for the phrase “is it safe to fly” rose by over 800% in the United States. However, while awful, the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 is quite literally a one in a million occurrence and should not be used as an excuse to criticize individual workers or the implementation of DEI in the workforce.  Vincent Petti

Analyzing the underlying motivation for Trump’s support of digital “coins” From the dawn of Trump’s presidential campaign, numerous mandates and speeches have reignited a flame in cryptocurrency investors. With the overwhelming support of Elon Musk, well-known for championing cryptocurrency, major “coins” hit all-time highs. For instance, the price of a single Bitcoin soared to 105,000 dollars, a more than 98% increase compared to last year during the Biden-Harris administration.  While the topic of the rise in prices remains a focal point, the majority of the population is unfamiliar with the underlying causes of Trump’s support for cryptocurrency. Ultimately, this article aims to analyze the impact of Trump’s advocacy for cryptocurrency and argues that such an attitude is radical, yet necessary for innovation. Before listing Trump’s executive orders, the term “cryptocurrency” originated from the late Latin word crypticus , defined as "hidden, occult, mystical.” To elaborate, it is a form of digital asset that serves as an alternative entity to the government-centralized banking system. Most importantly, the digital assets are hidden on a computer network using encryption algorithms, thus not bound by central authorities during transactions. Described as a “Bitcoin President,” Trump has been lobbied by multiple crypto executives from digital asset industries, including Rippe, Coinbase, Kraken, and even Robinhood. Clearly, Trump returned the favor by defanging the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) and proposing issuing multiple executive orders to promote access and use of public blockchain (crypto) technology and uncensored transactions.  However Trump’s pursuit of cryptocurrency not only benefits special interests but also helps the American economy. By expanding the use of U.S dollar-backed “stablecoins,” a type of cryptocurrency where the value of the digital asset depends on dollars, this change indeed arms the United States to compete against China's central bank digital currency (CBDC).  As Trump declares, “the digital asset industry plays a crucial role in innovation and economic development in the United States, as well as our nation’s international leadership.” Trump’s support strengthens America’s position in international economic competition, especially since other nations’ crypto holdings are increasing exponentially.  Trump demonstrated his radical approach to the crypto market on January 17, 2025, when he launched a “memecoin” called “$Trump.” The term “Memecoin” refers to a digital currency created with little to no value and authenticity. Thus, the launch of the Inaugural “Memecoin” on his social media account on X is an exorbitant and aggressive foray into crypto that resembles a fraudulent scheme.  Through this announcement, sales of the cryptocurrency immediately spiked, reaching 14.5 billion dollars in market cap, adding billions of dollars to Mr. Trump’s net worth. Even more absurdly, Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, minted her own “memecoin,” too. This series of launches represents his inappropriate and unsuitable outlook as a president of a nation, as such official decisions seemed to be driven by a desire for personal profit and interests.  President Trump’s support for cryptocurrency casts controversy on his character and qualities as a president. While his governmental investment in cryptocurrency may be beneficial to the American economy, his exploitation of supporters, especially during the Meme-Coin Launch, should certainly be criticized.  Matthew Yoon ‘27

On November 13th, 2024, the future of Women’s Lacrosse improved with the advent of the Women’s Lacrosse League.  The brand new Women’s Lacrosse League, otherwise known as the WWL, will debut in February 2025 in Washington DC at the Lexus Championship Series. Four teams will be competing for the inaugural WLL Championship Series trophy: the California Palms, the New York Charging, the Maryland Charm, and the Boston Guard. Each team will have a captain–many of whom are some of the best women to have ever played the sport– who will lead the team through their training and games. Ally Mastroianni, the two-time unanimous first-team All-American, 2022 IWLCA National Midfielder of the Year, and ACC Midfielder of the Year for two consecutive years, will lead the California Palms. The New York Charging will be led by Izzy Scane who won the 2023 NCAA championship  with Northwestern and twice received the Tewaaraton Award  as the best player in the country; Scane has also broken the all-time NCAA Division I  goal record in 2024 with 376 goals and 438 points. Alex Aust Holman, a two-time All American, second in all-time in career assists with 132 and ninth all-time in career points with 275, as well as a Tewaaraton Finalist, will return to the state of her alma mater, the University of Maryland, to lead the Maryland Charm. Finally, the Boston Guard will be led by the two-time winner of the Tewaaraton Award, a consensus First-Team All-America pick during her final two seasons, the IWLCA Player of the Year and Attacker of the Year in 2021 and 2022, and a nominee for the 2022 ESPYs Best Collegiate Athlete in Women's Sports and for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, Charlotte North.  There have been several other professional opportunities for the best of women’s lacrosse players to exhibit their abilities together on a team as well as individually. In 2021, the Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse League was added to the list of available options for a post-collegiate lacrosse player. Unfortunately, Athletes Unlimited, also known as AU, was a much smaller scale version of play.  In NCAA lacrosse, all D1, D2, and D3 teams play 12 v. 12 on fields that range from 110-140 yards in length and 60-70 yards in width. In AU lacrosse, the weekly drafted teams play 10 v. 10 on A 90 x 60 yard field. The Athletes Unlimited League provided only 56 athletes with the chance to play post collegiately. When a brand and a franchise as big as the PLL decided to create a female equivalent with the WLL, Athletes Unlimited made the decision to shut down their women’s lacrosse program indefinitely and focus on their other sports: volleyball, softball, and basketball.  Even with the loss of other smaller professional leagues, the incredible leadership that each WLL team boasts will undoubtedly serve as inspiration for younger generations to pick up a stick and add themselves to the legacy of women’s lacrosse. The inaugural WLL game will be a battle between the Maryland Charm and the New York Charging at 7pm on Tuesday, February 11th in Springfield, VA.  Thea Salem

The Next NBA Superstar Leaves New England to Become a Blue Devil: The Journey of the Top Ranked High School Basketball Player’s Collegiate Commitment      Photograph by Celine Ding As the fall fades and football season concludes for teenagers across the country, high school basketball begins and aspiring athletes move from the grass to the courts. One of these rising athletes is a 6 '8 phenom from New England. Cooper Flagg, a 16-year-old kid from a small, rural town in Maine, has left scouts, college coaches, and celebrities in awe of his talents. As a freshman at the local Nokomis Regional High School, Flagg won Maine’s Gatorade Player of the year in 2021. In his remarkable 2021-2022 freshman season, he averaged 20.5 points per game and 10 rebounds, leading his team to a 21-1 record and later a state title (Gatorade). With Cooper Flagg becoming nationally recognized and making a name for himself, he became an easy pick for the Men’s U17 National Team, where he helped the team to a gold medal win over Spain. At the FIBA Men’s U17 World Cup, Flagg averaged 9.3 points and 10 rebounds per game and was later announced the USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year (USA Basketball). Flagg continued to display his talent at the most prestigious tournaments around the country while proving to be one of the best defensive players on the court.  With Cooper Flagg’s young and blossoming career ahead, Flagg made a critical decision to leave his hometown in order to pursue his collegiate dreams. He decided to transfer with his twin brother, Ace, to Montverde Academy in Florida, a basketball powerhouse that has produced talents like R.J. Barrett, D’Angelo Russell, and Ben Simmons. It is here where Flagg plays against the best competition in the country in hopes of developing his game for the next level. Additionally, he is able to showcase his talent on the national stage. As a sophomore at Montverde, Flagg averaged 9.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds, earning him the top spot in the 2025 high school recruiting class (MaxPreps). During the summer after his sophomore year, Flagg shocked the basketball community again. He decided to reclass up a grade into the 2024 class so that he could head to college sooner and one day to the NBA. Even after jumping up a grade, ESPN still ranks him as the number one recruit in the 2024 class, where he is a Five-star and touted as one of the best high school basketball players this decade (ESPN).  Cooper Flagg’s next decision was to decide the college where he would take his talents. After official visits to both Duke University and the University of Connecticut, he canceled his last scheduled visit to the University of Kansas. On October 30th, Cooper Flagg announced his commitment to play at Duke University under Jon Scheyer. With Duke acquiring Flagg, 247 Sports ranks the 2024 Duke basketball recruiting class as the number one class in the country. Duke has four Five-star 2024 commits, which is double the amount of Five-star recruits at the next best recruiting class, Kentucky (247Sports). During Duke’s annual Countdown to Craziness event, Flagg revisited Duke for a second time, experiencing the electric atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium, and further confirming his commitment to attend Duke. In Flagg’s interview with SLAM, Flagg explained that "after [he] got on campus, [he] really started to envision [himself] in Durham"  (SLAM).  It seems like Duke is the perfect fit for Flagg and his development into an NBA player. Duke, with its five NCAA basketball championships, is always in contention to win March Madness every year, but with Flagg, the other members of the 2024 recruiting class, and Duke’s stacked current roster, Duke has a more than favorable chance of bringing back a ring to the Blue Devils.  The future is bright for Cooper Flagg,  as he continues to shine on the basketball court. In his first high school game this 2023-2024 season, he scored 19 points for the nationally number one ranked Montverde Academy. Flagg is also projected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft after he completes his freshman year of college. Cooper Flagg is a standout generational talent, who has the capabilities of becoming a superstar in the future, but as of now, he is still just a young boy from a rural Maine town, playing high school basketball with his twin brother, and trying to make a name for himself on the court.  Ryan Wolff

El Clásico is a competition best known for its intensity, hostility, and tension. It is a battle between long time rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and often provides a stage for some of the world’s stars to shine. Generations of El Clásicos have seen the likes of FC Barcelona players like Ronaldhino, Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi, along with the likes of Real Madrid players like Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Kaka, Ramos, and Cristano Ronaldo. It is a spectacle that never fails to impress and has given both clubs intense glory and failure. The El Clásico is played a minimum of two times a year during La Liga match play, which is the Spanish soccer league. This year, Barcelona has commanded outstanding victories of 4-0 and 5-2, historically large margins of victory for the club. It has left fans wondering if El Clásico is no longer the competitive match that it once was, but rather a training ground for FC Barcelona. The rivalry began after the founding of the Spanish league, La Liga, in 1929, where clubs boasted some of the best players in the era like Kubala and Luis Suárez for Barca and Ferenc Puskas and Di Stefano for Real Madrid. Historically speaking, the competition has been relatively equal with Barcelona winning 101 times and Real Madrid winning 105 times, with a total of 52 draws. Barcelona has seen 63 home wins whereas Real Madrid has witnessed a total of 66 home wins. It may seem from the numbers that Real Madrid has the edge in total competitions but that does not take away from some of Barcelona’s incredible performances. In fact, Barcelona has scored five goals against Real Madrid so many times that they coined a term called “La Manita,” which means five goals. In 1974, Johan Cruyff helped Barca to a 5-0 victory against their eternal rivals, and again when Cruyff was a coach in 1994 did Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-0. The most well known victory, however, occurred in 2011 with a 5-0 victory over Real Madrid against a team with Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and Pepe.  This year is on pace to be a special one, however. Forget the classics because what we are witnessing now is the makings of history. During league play in October, Barcelona won 4-0 with goals from its attacking front three of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal. Real Madrid had little going offensively even with the likes of Mbappe and Vini Jr, as Barcelona’s implementation of a high defensive line to catch players offside worked to perfection. But what struck viewers most was Real Madrid’s atrocious defensive performance. It seemed they were one step behind Barcelona the entire game. So when Barcelona again beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the following months, no one was all that surprised. In fact, Madrid fans were even more horrified because the game, realistically, should have been Barcelona 10-1 if their starting keeper had not gotten a red card. Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid’s head coach, went under fire for his decision to start Tchuoameni, a defensive midfielder, in the back line, a decision that clearly did not pay off.  Of course it may be an overreaction to say Real Madrid needs a rehaul, but their inability to stop Lewndowski, Raphinha, and the 17-year old Lamine Yamal is serious cause for concern. To let a rival team score 9 goals in the span of two games is simply frightening. Should Ancelotti be sacked? Should Madrid pick up a few defenders in the transfer window? It is up for them to decide, but action is needed quickly if they hope to have any bragging rights over their rivals in the future. Will Frank

With the winter season now well on its way and campus accumulating yet another layer of ice, this time of year can often feel never ending. Spring cannot seem further from the present, and fall feels like a distant past. However, with only three weeks left until March Break and the end of winter sports, it is important to savor moments of joy and fun great and small throughout these coming weeks. Whether sledding, skating, or exploring the woods, take advantage of the cold to have some snowy fun and get outside. Push yourself to try to get involved in new clubs and activities on campus to cast away winter blues, like weekend activities, club meetings, or writing for the Anvil! Jack Elworth & Catherine Bain

Investigating roots of Mangione’s popularity On the morning of December 4th, Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO, was fatally shot by Luigi Mangione in Midtown NYC. After a days-long manhunt, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania with a charge of first-degree murder and terrorism. Surprisingly, Luigi Mangione’s case ignited a rally of support amidst the shame of murder. Although the case reflected many defects of the American healthcare system, violence should never be condoned as a means of change, despite Luigi Mangione’s grounded address against the lack of access to the American healthcare system. Despite the definitive immorality of murder, the message was striking enough to receive overwhelming support. During his arrest, Luigi Mangione was found with a handwritten manifesto that condemned the American healthcare system. The carrying of a manifesto reminded the public of his deep desire for change. The first few lines began with “a reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy.” Later, he goes on to describe the “corruption and greed” of the insurance companies.  In his record, Mangione claimed that historically, the “delay, deny, defend” attitude of the Insurance Company led to general healthcare mistreatments and overcharges, sprouting into the suffering of those who can’t simply afford it. In other words, he criticized strategies that insurance companies have been employing, an attitude that was centered around maximizing their profits at the expense of claimants.  Ironically, Luigi Mangione himself enjoyed a life of affluence. He graduated from a prestigious private school (Gilman School in Baltimore) and received a computer science degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. His perceived distance from the primary protesters against the healthcare system makes this case even more surprising. Now the question arises: how does an upper-class, Ivy-league graduate's message resonate with the victims of healthcare? According to an OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report in 2022, U.S. healthcare spending per capita is almost twice the average of other wealthy countries. Even with this spending, the insurance companies’ medicare advantage denial rate reached 15.7%, according to the American Hospital Association. In reference to the official United States Government census, with 27.5 million Americans living without health insurance, around 130 million Americans have medical debt. Thus, the cost of healthcare is considered as one of the leading causes of bankruptcy, and affording insurance itself stands as a burden within the lower-middle class population. Of course, it is worth noting to investigate the underlying reasons for such denials, yet it is safe to assume that Luigi Mangione’s message resonated with the population who had previously raised a voice for change in the healthcare system.  Despite the impact of the message, the majority of the media and general public appear to stand against the action of murder, stemming from moral absolutism. The cold-hearted parting of Brian Thompson’s family is cruel and striking enough to build empathy in the case. Furthermore, murder was simply unlawful and immoral in the face of moral principles and United States jurisdiction. Thus, the murder of Brian Thompson should not be tolerated, yet it is important to note the motivation of Luigi Mangione and his decision to commit such an extreme act of retaliation. In essence, Mangione’s murder set off alarms on moral decadence and epitomized a fatal threat in the pursuit of socio-political interest. Luigi Mangione’s murder and its resonance with his supporters suggest to the public an urgency for change. Mangione’s crime should be penalized under law and moral principles, yet it is important to forge a solution, such as finding a middle ground between centralized and privatized healthcare systems, to bring betterment to the people of the United States. Matthew Yoon

Exploring ways to assess learning without the stress and burnout of exams Finals week or our final  week? – This is the question that many Middlesex students, and most students in general, face during that stressful week filled with exams right before winter and summer break. At the end of the semester, all Middlesex students take the dreaded final exams worth 20% of their grade, causing many to scramble to remember information taught from the beginning of the year.  While exams are given to measure a student’s understanding of the course materials, they aren’t the only way to do so. Indeed, under the extreme pressure of performing well, some students underperform, bringing down their grades for a test performance unrepresentative of their knowledge. On top of that, it is seemingly impossible to memorize and remember all the information covered throughout the semester, making it especially difficult for students to study for classes such as history. Although many students try to start studying for their other exams earlier, it’s often proven difficult, and most of the studying ends up being done the day before the exam. During finals week, students also resort to unhealthy methods such as pulling all-nighters, ruining their sleep schedules, or skipping meals to have more study time.  I believe that we shouldn’t get rid of exams altogether as they help with our test-taking and on-the-spot thinking skills. Instead, we should replace a couple of them with projects on topics covered throughout the semester. Projects would reduce the amount of studying needed to be crammed into the day before the exam. For example, for one year, we could have three finals in Math, Chemistry, and English. Then, we could do a project for Spanish, History, and Computer Science. These projects could be completed leading up to exam week and due before exam week to reduce the amount of classes one needs to study for. They would also require a deeper understanding of the material and allow the student to apply their knowledge rather than solely memorizing information. Every year, the classes with projects would change, thus ensuring that students grasp the content of each class. While almost all schools have final exams, that doesn’t make them a complete necessity. I believe that although exams are important, they aren’t necessary for all classes. We as a school should try to reduce the total number of exams to lessen the already existing stress students face on a regular basis.  Allison Luo

Is it morally justified to push the responsibility of shouldering refugees to wealthy nations? Watch the future of the global migration crisis unfold as nationalism takes the lead.  According to humankind’s morals, the rich must assist the poor, and the strong must shield the weak, but we have never questioned the moral justification of this assumption on the side of the wealthy or the strong. Is it morally justified to place all responsibility of becoming a “world-redeemer” on the wealthy just because they have more money? There lies a tipping point on an inverted-U curve when shouldering excessive responsibility begets intractable outcomes. The United States, one of the world's largest economies by nominal GDP of 27.36 trillion, according to the World Bank, struggles with shouldering the responsibility of migrants as a wealthy nation. While it is important to have compassion for refugees “ anxiously waiting to begin their new lives ,” says former president Joe Biden, the post-pandemic pessimism in job markets, the bankruptcy of many insurance firms due to the massive California wildfire, and the polarization of politics already poses many challenges for the Federal government. Under the Biden-Harris administration’s policy, $81.7 million dollars originating from taxpayers were spent on the Safe Mobility Initiative to promote humane migration management, while in the larger picture, the net fiscal impact of refugees on the U.S. economy contributed a “ staggering $123.8 billion more than they have cost in government expenditures ,” as stated by the Administration for Children and Families. According to Mayor Adams of NYC, the potential 12 billion dollars to be spent on the migrant crisis is past “our breaking point.” According to Fox News, the total is more than the budget for the city’s fire, parks, and sanitation combined.  The abundance of refugees and migrants fleeing violence simply brought the virus of violence to America, exacerbating existing social insecurity. The recently-legislated Laken Riley Act is a result of the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student in Athens, Georgia, by a Venezuelan national living in the U.S. illegally. Chris Clem, a Border Patrol Chief argues, “ When you’re asking for billions of dollars for sanctuary cities and states, those are all buckets to help bail out water but they won’t fix the hole in the boat .” While one cannot deny the benefits of having international goodwill, governments simply do not have the resources or the ability to assist refugees and immigrants in addition to domestic concerns. Given each nation’s respective economic, environmental, and geo-political challenges, the crisis of migration nudges some countries to adopt more nationalistic policies. To ensure domestic stability, a reasonable option is to control the influx of migrants competing for the already-strained job market. Government representatives, elected by the people, have the responsibility to perform their best to represent the peoples’ interests and concerns, especially when the latter is shaped by a deteriorating economy and rising political instability. Earning an esteemed international reputation for providing ‘asylums’ for refugees and illegal immigrants is not meant to construct trust between individual and society. France under President Emmanual Macron, the second largest economy of the eurozone, is challenged by a rising national sentiment for populism. In its 2024 European election, according to ECPS statistics, Marine Le pen’s Rassemblement National emerged as the winner with 31.4 % of the vote, surpassing Macron’s Renaissance list by 16.8 %, and Luc Mélenchon’s left-wing populist La France Insoumise by 21.5%. The election outcome is a clear indication that housing refugees is not an effective method to alleviate the country’s cost-of-living crisis, national debts, and potential delays to pensions.  Instead of placing the responsibility of migrants on the wealthy nations, the UN has responsibility for coordinating its resources to raise funds to improve the living standards of those countries with low GDP. They could look for projects to involve those nations to create employment opportunities, thereby lowering the possibility of violence created. The collective dependence on wealthy nations is a form of moral abduction, and neglects the fact that even the most powerful have their breaking points.  The future of migration policies would do well to take on a more nationalistic and right-winged attitude. To balance between morality and the apathetic reality of change, the focus should not be finding out who is responsible, but rather alleviating the genesis of poverty and violence.  Lucy Wu

Does homework really contribute to meaningful learning at Middlesex? Middlesex prides itself over its three A’s: notable athletics, extraordinary arts, but most importantly, its incomparable academics. Standing among the top high schools in America, MX must maintain their top-tier academics to not only extend their prestige, but also to prepare all of their students for a successful future. Many might assume homework is a crucial and inevitable part of academics in any school, and yet there is always the looming question: is homework really beneficial for students’ learning, or is it simply another item on a to-do list that we must cross off? Trotting through the halls of LB, I asked a simple question. Do you finish your homework simply for completion, or genuine understanding and personal growth? Every single person that I asked answered the former. Many brought up that with the constant activities both on and off campus, with sports, arts, and extracurricular activities, homework only adds to the already overflowing load of commitments and stress. When prompted with the scenario of completely optional homework throughout all classes, surprisingly, many answered that they would still complete the work that is necessary to excel in the class. These results ultimately led to the bigger question: how much is homework really benefiting students’ learning and education? Ideally, students can manage their course loads, extracurriculars, and social lives with ease, but we all know this is not the case. When assigned a chemistry worksheet, history reading, or math problems, the sad reality is that most students, with such limited time and strained mental capacities from the long day, will simply speed through the assignment to earn the easy points without learning anything of substance. Within the 24 hours in a day, around one third of the time is spent sleeping, another third spent in classes, leaving merely 8 hours to finish all one’s homework from 6 to 7 courses, exercise/attend sports, eat, practice an instrument or rehearse for a play, and socialize. And at MX, we all understand how fast time can fly when you have too much to do. This current plan is ultimately setting students up for a plethora of unnecessary stress, and, dare I say, failure. In order to promote meaningful learning, teachers must assign less busy work for students to complete. With the amount of busy work lessened, when teachers do assign homework once in a while, students will have more time and will be much more willing to truly invest effort to learn that material. Every Middlesex student lives a complex and unique life, each investing time and effort on more than just academics. Assuming that we will all make time from our already busy lives to not only complete the homework, but also to gradually understand the material in depth, is simply a futile hope. In order to maximize both time and understanding, teachers must limit the amount of assigned busy work, and instead prioritize the sporadic assignments in which students will genuinely want to improve their learning development. Michelle Cai

In a world where every struggle is framed as a journey, have we lost the ability to simply live? At some point in the past decade, everything became a journey.  It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly this buzzword boomed in popularity, but somewhere between the rise of self-help culture and social media dominance, it became the go-to word for any process with a beginning and an end.  How did we get here? The word “journey” originates from the old French “jornee,” meaning “a day’s travel”-- itself derived from the Latin word “diurnata,” meaning “by day.” The concept was simple: a journey was a physical trip measured with tangible concepts of time and distance. According to Lisa Miller’s article “When did Everything Become a ‘Journey’,” the most common modifier for the word “journey” between 1990 and 2005 was “return,” with “train,” “night,” and “bus” following. It was not metaphorical in any sense. However, between 2006 and 2019, “return” is now closely followed by words like “faith,” cancer,” and “love.” Language shapes our narratives. This linguistic shift of the word “journey” is reflective of a broader trend of our increasingly narcissistic desires to yoke greater meaning from commonplace. From career trajectories to skincare routines, and from relationships to trying a new food, the overuse of the word “journey” has reached such saturation that even the most personal and mundane struggles are wrapped in the word’s glow. The word seems to have become a marketing tool to package hardships into something sellable.  Perhaps this is why the term thrives in spaces that market self-improvement–say for example, corporate branding, wellness, and fitness industries. Weight-loss is no longer merely dieting or exercise, but a “wellness journey.” Even grief is often framed as a “healing journey,” as if mourning is yet another linear process that ought to be documented. Calling something a journey implies that the process itself is meaningful, not just the outcome. The word suggests struggle, growth, and an almost preordained arc of self-discovery that appeals to many who desperately search for purpose in life.  But does slapping the brand of “journey” on something actually make it meaningful? Our “journey through Middlesex” is simply nowhere near the epic magnitude of Odysseus’ arduous “journey” back home in The Odyssey. Yet in today’s lexicon, these two drastically different experiences exist on the same plane. By elevating every experience to the status of a "journey," this inflation pressures us to extract profound meaning in everything we do.  Frankly, I have to admit that I fell into this mindset myself when I came to the US two years ago to attend my dream boarding school. Inspired by endless social media videos describing the life-changing experience that studying abroad brought them, I envisioned every moment I spent here a step towards a grand revelation of who I was meant to be. Reality was bitter, but it was in the midst of chaotic adjustment that I discovered that growth doesn’t always come from neatly packaged narratives. Sometimes, it emerges from the messy dregs of life. It's in these imperfect, chaotic moments that we truly find our humanity. There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with the perhaps overly inflated buzzword. Language is meant to evolve, and words take on new meanings as society shifts. But the ubiquity of “journey” is worth contemplation.  A journey does not necessitate a destination. Sometimes you move forward, and other other times you circle back. Sometimes, you stay still, and that’s okay. Perhaps, instead of forcing every change into the shape of a journey, we can allow life to be what it is——unruly, nonlinear, and in its own right, meaningful.  Jessica Wu

Will increasing global trends prioritizing nationalism threaten modern democratic structures?  From “America First” policies in the United States to Brexit in the UK, the growth of right-wing populism and fanatic nationalism have spurred conversations about the security of our democratic structures for ages. With recent turns in policy under the Trump administration–more extremist border control policy and the increased prioritization of sovereignty–nationalism has become a prominent contemporary tenet of our political landscape, raising pressing concerns about its impacts on democracy, social cohesion, and our most marginalized communities.  Significantly, nationalistic policies have come to heavily undermine minority rights across the globe. Nationalistic rhetoric in Myanmar, a largely Buddhist community, has led to mass systemic attacks against the Muslim minority of Rohingya, culminating in the displacement of over 700 000 Rohingya innocents to Bangladesh as religious threats to national security. Nationally, Trump’s presidency has heavily targeted immigrant communities–enacting the “Muslim Ban” Executive Order to bar Muslim-majority nations from entry to the States. Additionally, the administration has since increased US-Mexico border operations which seek to separate families and frame immigrants–people who Trump states are “poisoning the blood of the country.” Nationalism, an ideology originally built on shared identities, has become increasingly exclusionary and contradictory to its very core of inclusion and equal opportunity –particularly against the principles of our democracy and minority rights.  However, nationalistic rhetoric has also significantly altered the way the greater electorate engages with democratic structures. Often pushing unflinching commitment to a singular party, nationhood, and set of entrenched values, nationalism has exerted mass manipulative force on spaces for democratic engagement. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán has heavily restricted free press and pushed political agendas across multiple news sources nationwide–eroding what had been a credible and independent news landscape for the larger Hungarian electorate. Orbán’s campaign has even attempted to plant seeds of loyalists into the judiciary sector to dominate legislative influence. President Trump’s administration has also taken a hard stance against the press on seemingly threatening issues for his campaign, including, but not limited to, the delegitimization of the 2020 election. These structures are often the greatest tools for accountability and check-back against radical governments; with the increased dismantling of the press as “an enemy of the American people,” according to President Trump, our democracy and political stability may face serious security concerns.  Nationalism spans far greater than domestic challenges alone, as it can often be traced back to as the catalyst for international conflict and division. China, one of the most traditionally nationalistic nations, has deeply entrenched itself in historical atrocities through malicious foreign policy and military intervention into Taiwan, the South Sea, and even cyberspaces. Trump’s very recent series of executive orders perhaps also reflects a shift from international cooperation to a greater prioritization of sovereignty. From leaving the World Health Organization to the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, we’ve seen a concerning trend towards independence from international organizations. While these movements can heavily cut down on international expenses in the interests of domestic markets, it also stunts international efforts and collaborative action towards pressing issues including healthcare and climate change.  Despite its fundamental issues, nationalism does, however, have its own political and social merits. Often used in spaces for hope and pride, nationalism has come to unite people and communities in a shared appreciation for how far our nation has come. Moments like these are important for engagement, growth, and re-alignment to greater issues. In nations such as post-apartheid South Africa, nationalism was used to promote reconciliation and steps towards restorative justice for those in the “Rainbow Nation,” which has since given rise to a liberated nation. Importantly, even Trump’s campaign doesn’t go without inherent value–many of his efforts are in the interest of national security and the growth of domestic industries, even at the expense of global cooperation. While nationalism going unchecked is certainly a deleterious force, its potential to unify and spur common growth is notable.  All these inherently fragile risks push towards the need to strike balance between sovereign interests and global efforts, between unity and risking marginalized identities–facets of our modern democracy which often don’t receive enough accountability. The importance of checks and balances and addressing nationalistic passion is increasingly important. While nationalism in the heat of the moment may seem like acts of passion and national pride, it is imperative that we reconsider the recurring harms it has on international cooperation, marginalized communities, and the way in which we engage with our own democracy. By understanding the moral risks and potential for utility behind nationalism, our political climate can move forward towards a more sustainable and just future.  Bryan Dong