“At the present moment, given its rocky start, doubts remain high about the initiative’s capacity to create meaningful change for Charlotte’s citizens.”
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“Janice Robinson, the North Carolina director for Red, Wine, and Blue, an Ohio-based organization that supports local moms and seeks to prevent book bans, believes that the concerns about explicit material are ‘just a smokescreen for the anti-CRT.’ What book bans are actually doing, claims Ms. Robinson, is allowing the "right wing" to push "their political agenda at the expense of our kids," as they are unable to use literature to encounter uncomfortable experiences of those outside their community, which would prepare them for life beyond the classroom.”
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“Whether Florida’s politicians like it or not, they have LGBTQ+ youth too. These youth should know that there are others like them. History is filled with exceptional LGBTQ+ icons. These people are role models, heroes, and worthy to be taught in schools.”
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“Extinction of the animals these groups care for will lead to their cultural extinction as well. The struggles that tribes in Changthang face are unfortunately echoed globally as climate change drastically impacts indigenous groups…The loss of practice does not seem as grave as the loss of history and legacy-a connection to the people who came before-the past and future gone. Without a connection to the traditions and knowledge of past generations, the longevity of tradition remains insecure.”
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“While the political climate surrounding gun control legislation remains deeply divided, this settlement constitutes a historic utilization of existing law to hold gun manufacturers accountable. The families are hoping that this settlement will send a message to gun manufacturers’ banks and their insurers, illustrating that improper behavior is expensive; by placing pressure on banks and insurers the hope is that gun manufacturers will make their practices safer and correspondingly save lives.”
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“Traditionally, all levels of society, from political leaders to the general population, face some set of sacrifices or risks in fighting another country. Arms dealers have emerged as a noteworthy exception to this paradigm, though, as they only profit from violence or defense. They exist in a position removed from the government yet have the power and funds to push desired legislation. Whether one agrees with the predominance of the military-industrial complex or not, their growing influence will likely lead to increased militarism and armed defense both in the United States and the rest of the globe.”
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“Many states with Republican governors have already ended the mask mandates and now some states with Democrat governors are following suit. There is evidence supporting claims that masks are not effective for young children and therefore there is no need for them. Additionally, there is evidence that shows that masks have harmed children in both educational and social development. Due to this impact, states are having to reevaluate the cost of wearing masks and if the benefits of masks outweigh the educational and social development of children.”
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“As public health concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased attention on jail populations and the national racial reckoning after George Floyd’s death forced communities to reconsider the current criminal justice system, pretrial reform in North Carolina has become a prominent topic of interest.”
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“As midterms loom closer, President Biden is facing considerable pressure to relieve student debt, so Democrats can gain more political favor at the polls. Though the White House remains elusive on what the President will do to follow up on his campaign rhetoric, it is clear that the Biden Administration is coming up short on their promise to alleviate the Student Debt Crisis.”
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“More than a year after Donald Trump’s involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack elicited the condemnation of the Republican establishment and prompted his ouster from mainstream social media, the twice-impeached former president’s endorsement is still the most valuable political capital a Republican candidate can earn.”
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“Despite the similarities in the Russian-Ukrainian and Chinese-Taiwanese relationships, it is highly unlikely that China takes similarly militaristic actions in Taiwan.”
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“Derek Johnson asserted that Ahmaud Arbery’s story “shook the conscience of our nation and world.” Shake the world it did, as audiences watched in horror at the vicious confiscation of Arbery’s life by vigilantes disguised as neighbors. Buried within the pages of history are thousands of other Ahmaud Arberys; nameless victims of malicious assaults on humanity. Their deaths may not be digitized and ingrained in our minds like Ahamud’s, but their memories should nonetheless impel an upheaval of bigoted culture in America and the reconstruction of one less rooted in malevolency.”
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“Education will likely be a potent issue in the leadup to the midterm elections, but the recall in San Francisco was less concerned with alleged culture war items such as critical race theory. Instead, the election focused on government competence and fostering a better educational atmosphere for children.”
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“Presentism’s endemic presence in democracy is indeed a reflection of its inherent presence in human nature. For this reason, many will argue that it is impossible to overcome without sacrificing any form of self-governance, but this defeatist critique belies a lack of imagination and ignorance of presentism’s true threat given the civilizational challenges we face.”
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“With Great Britain's recent break from the European Union, the question remains: what's next?”
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The United States is the only country in the world that allows for those under the age of 18 to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP). Within the U.S., North Carolina is one of only 25 states that has not banned the punishment altogether. Since the practice was introduced in 1994, a series of legal battles nationally and within the state have slowly eroded the use of juvenile LWOP, and one case currently pending review before the state Supreme Court could effectively end the sentence for good.”
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“As climate change becomes an impending harbinger of chaos, calls for decarbonization compound throughout all generations of society. When activists push for progress, the fossil fuel industry lobbies in rebuttal. The underlying reason for this is simple: their livelihoods depend upon it. To fight the encompassing issue of climate change, society imperatively necessitates a coalition of disparate actors, including the coal and petrochemical industry.”
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“Despite desperate calls to protect Ukraine from Russian military forces, divisions between Democrats and Republicans meant the Senate adjourned for their week-long recess without passing any measures to deter an invasion.”
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“Carl Sagan wrote in his 1980 bestseller Cosmos, “The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.” Since then, and indeed well before, humans have been captivated by the allure of space. We learn about Galileo, Newton, Kepler, and Copernicus in school. We see this fascination nearly every day reflected in the news, movies, television shows, books, and games. With new advances in science and technology, the space programs of SpaceX and Blue Origin, and the advent of the U.S. Space Force, the perpetual allure of space in the minds of humans continues.”
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"Dubbed “The Genocide Olympics,” opponents cite China’s mass detention and re-education of Uygher muslims in Xinjiang as well as the country’s rampant censorship of dissidents as reasons to boycott the games. China has continued to push back, denying the existence of a genocide and limiting criticism within the country. As a result of this tension, some Olympic athletes are being pulled away from their sports and thrust into politics as they become the faces of an increasingly controversial Olympic Games.”
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