By: Duncan Wallace

Date: Oct. 24, 2021

The decriminalization of drugs has become a trending topic within recent years due to the legalization of medical and recreational use marijuana in certain states. Decriminalization prevents the incarceration of a person for specific amounts of drugs, though punishments still typically exist.  Many vouch for the benefits of decriminalization with history, comparing countries that have upheld similar policies such as Portugal and Switzerland to the U.S.

The state of Oregon passed and put into place Measure 110 on February 1, which declared the decriminalization of all drugs in small amounts with a dismissible fine. Oregon is not only the first state to implement this, but the first state to decriminalize marijuana in 1973. 

Simultaneous to the increasing amounts of decriminalization happening all over the country, The War on Drugs, started by past president Richard Nixon in June 1971, still holds significance in politics and society.

American taxpayers funded up to 3.5 billion dollars for the Drug Enforcement Agency in 2021 alone, showing about a 13% increase when compared to 2020’s numbers.

The DEA’s results however, have not shown a significant decrease in trafficking within the United States, but instead a significant increase in drug seizures. The data collected compares the U.S, and two countries with decriminalization policies, Portugal, and Switzerland. Data for the years 2020, and 2021 are unavailable.

Cannabis-Type Drug Group	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015	2019
United States	172,249 kg	667,926 kg	636,550 kg	1,398,501 kg	2,291,364 kg	1,431,914 kg	451,842 kg
Portugal	9,616 kg	6,509 kg	30,922 kg	28,752 kg	35,394 kg	3,293 kg	4,950 kg
Switzerland	983 kg	38,623 kg	42,415 kg	43,711 kg	9,820 kg	8,251 kg	2,243 kg

Cocaine-Type Drug Group	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015	2019
United States	84,831 kg	110,842 kg	101,263 kg	196,321 kg	87,030 kg	185,109 kg	260,322 kg
Portugal	360 kg	2,116 kg	3,075 kg	18,084 kg	3,245 kg	6,029 kg	10,576 kg
Switzerland	339 kg	262 kg	207 kg	283 kg	368 kg	590 kg	857 kg

ATS Drug Group (Amphetamine Type Stimulants)	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015	2019
United Sates	12,431 kg	1,041 kg	5,089 kg	9,667 kb	17,963 kb	48,622 kb	124,733 kb
Portugal	0 kb	0 kb	8 kb	43 kb	14 kb	16 kb	9 kb
Switzerland	15 kg	2 kg	90 kb	68 kb	62 kb	92 kb	183 kb

The data shows the U.S. has significantly larger figures when compared to countries Portugal and Switzerland. This difference signifies a potential relation between the amount of drug trafficking in a country, and its drug policies. Other potential factors that may have affected the data include the population and geography of the country.

Drug seizures within the U.S. are at an all time high in both amphetamines, such as meth and ecstasy, while cannabis products are at a significant low. This signals a possible drug problem within the U.S., backed up by data from the CDC on reported drug overdoses since 2015.

	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Oregon	520	491	504	543	547	621	836
Colorado	923	913	977	1048	992	1120	1557
New York	1510	1840	2289	2449	2144	2158	2932
Florida	2755	3324	5179	5451	4921	5638	7651

This data may not be completely accurate within 2020 and 2021, as the data is incomplete and underreported. All states recorded, each with varying levels of drug decriminalization, show a significant high and general rise over time.

From 2015 to 2021, Oregon showed an increase of about 61% in overdose deaths. Florida however, showed a significant 178% increase over time. Florida’s drug policies don’t include decriminalization statewide. Furthermore, Colorado, which has decriminalized marijuana for recreational and medical use, showed a 69% increase, while New York, which has newly decriminalized marijuana for both uses as well, showed a 94%. The overall U.S. percent increase in overdose deaths since 2015, is about 99%.

The data indicates a potential strong relation between established decriminalization policy and overdose deaths. Drug use associates with and therefore relates with overdosing. It’s a statistical fact that countries such as Portugal and Switzerland, and states such as Oregon and Colorado have less overdose deaths, as well as significantly less drug seizures when compared to the U.S. as a whole. Assuming the efficiency of a country’s drug enforcement team remains the same over time, a low amount of seizures signifies less drug movement within the country.

To conclude, decriminalization of drugs can be a significant tool in decreasing drug use and overdoses, and decreasing drug traffic within a country. Significant positive effects aren’t seen right away, but over time the results show. The results also show that the U.S. in general, is fighting a new war against increasing death by overdose rates.

Sources:

Global:

https://dataunodc.un.org/data/drugs/Annual%20Drug%20Seizures

U.S.:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm

drugpolicy.org/decrim/laws

https://drugpolicy.org/issues/drug-war-statistics

https://drugpolicy.org/DEA

By Kyle Ross

10/23/21

America is one of few countries on Earth to allow its citizens to own firearms and, because of this, the country has run into many issues and controversies relating to it. Some believe it is an inalienable right, meaning, it cannot be infringed upon or changed. However, many look at this right liberally, believing that it must keep up with modern times and change as things have become more peaceful than they have in past ages. Many state governments have gone ahead and restricted gun ownership on the state level, in the hopes of curbing gun violence in their jurisdictions and hoping to get the ball rolling for the rest of the country.

One state of importance in the area of gun control would be California. Nationally, it is known as the state with the strictest gun laws, with some owning guns, but they’re highly regulated and hard to obtain. All the way back in the year 2000, the California department of Justice established new criteria for defining what an assault weapon is. This was all laid out in Senate Bill 23 Assault Weapon characteristics. On June 4^th 2021, U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez of the Southern District of California attempted to overturn a 1989 ban of assault weapons claiming it was an unconstitutional law to military-style rifles. The ruling was put at by the 9^th circuit and the overturn went nowhere. As of August 2^nd, 2021, there are at least 185,000 registered assault weapons in California. The question that many readers may be asking themselves is, how many firearms totally are related in homicides and deaths? The Educational Fund to stop Gun violence has reported many numbers all relating to deaths by gun or violent crimes related to guns. According to their most recent information, in total 2,945 people had died in 2019 by a firearm. 1,246 of these deaths were from homicide, while 1,586 were self-inflicted, from suicide. While many people across the nation hear or read about climbing gun death statistics, many may assume that this comes from homicides or even mass shootings. The reality of the issue is many people are taking their own lives with firearms.

If we look across the nation, we see the same statistics and story. New York is another state in the America that has strict gun laws and have passed laws prohibiting the purchases of certain firearms. A major example of these laws in New York would be the NY Safe Act, which put into effect restrictions on assault weapons, weapon modifications, and categories for firearms. In New York, it is unlawful to possess any assault weapon or large capacity ammunition feeding device. Assault weapons were also redefined in NY to some semiautomatic weaponry under specific conditions. These laws were to combat violent crimes that involved firearms. However, after looking at gun related deaths in NY in total there were 800, 326 of them were homicides, 457 of them were suicides, and 23 were related to other causes. The bulk of gun related deaths came back to suicides.

California and New York are the two states in America with the heaviest and strictest gun laws. Over the years, many legislators and lawmakers have battled in Congress, Senate and in court to limit the Second Amendment for the greater good and to keep the nation safe. However, after looking at the numbers, the restrictions seemed to miss the larger issue which is a mental health problem. Across the nation, firearms have been used in 23,941 suicides and the numbers appear to be growing yearly. Restrictions on firearms have not yet been seen to end this mental health epidemic.

By Samantha Marin

The recent return of theaters nationwide causes debate between going to the theaters and staying home to watch the films on a streaming service.

This past year and a half has certainly taken a toll on people’s lifestyles. A major part of that is finding ways to keep ourselves busy when quarantine felt never-ending. Some people picked up the art of baking bread, some took up knitting, some even became social media famous. One very popular solution to lockdown boredom is the age-old pass-time of watching films. The difference is the fact that the theaters were closed, and we had to stay inside. This made people turn to streaming services.  

Studies show that more people than ever were buying subscriptions to multiple services and starting free trials only to delete them then get them again using another email. In fact, the number of streaming service subscriptions reached 1.1 billion in 2020, according to the Motion Picture Association. On the other hand, since the theaters were closed for such an extended amount of time, box office sales severely decreased from $30 billion to $12 billion.  

As shown in the chart below the increase in subscriptions from 2019 to 2020 is rather impressive. Amazon Prime had the largest increase in subscriptions. This could be attributed to the fact that they are more than just a streaming service. They offer grocery delivery as well as same day shipping and next day delivery. Netflix, however, had the largest increase in subscriptions in terms of only offering video streaming. Disney+ launched in November of 2019 and they still had more subscribers than Hulu and HBO Max in that year. This all has to do with the trust and credibility Disney has with its consumers as well as the videos being provided on the service.  

Netflix  Hulu  HBO Max  Disney+  Amazon Prime 

The 2020 thriller movie Unhinged was the first movie to be shown in theaters after they opened again. It made $37 million at the box office, so people were willing to go back but not as much as they were before. Like Unhinged, other blockbuster movies were released both in theaters and on streaming services.  

A lot of people are still being drawn to the theaters due to its unique novelty nature. In fact, 87% of people believe that the classic ‘trip to the cinema’ aesthetic cannot be replicated at home.  

At the same time, streaming services make it easier to watch new movies and it is relatively free. For streaming services, you pay a monthly fee and are automatically able to watch practically whatever you want and any time. In order to watch a movie at a theater, you must buy a ticket for the average price of the monthly fee just to watch one movie.  

Recently the new sci-fi film Dune was released in theaters as well as on HBO Max. The film featuring big name stars such as Timothée Chalamet and Jason Momoa and Zendaya, made $17.5 million on its opening day. This is a rather disappointing number as it was expected to make around $35 million. It is believed to do well in the box office in general, but the fact that it was also released on HBO Max makes it difficult to project the numbers. This film will leave HBO Max on November 21, but the film company that produced Dune, WanerMedia, is ending the simultaneous release deal they have with HBO Max at the end of the year.  

Whether you miss the novelty of going to the theaters to watch a film or you are more interested in staying on your couch under your favorite blanket to see the latest films, the one constant is watching the film. People still love watching the silver screen even if it is on your 50 inch Sony flat screen television. That love will never go away it is just a matter of where you want to express it. 

Nov. 27,  2020, 5:45 PM EST

By: Tiffany Persaud 

New York, NY –  The rise of home bakers and cooks is on a steady incline since people around the world become reliant on themselves for nourishment, according to the Economist. 

Toilet paper and paper towels weren’t the only sold-out item in stores; Baking connoisseurs noticed that ingredients for their profession and or hobby became scarce, too.

According to Nielsen, a market-research company, sales in France of flour surged by 160% year-over-year in March, ranking it among emergency essentials such as rice (160%), pasta (200%) and soap (220%). 

During the strict lockdown months of March-early June, COVID-19’s effects diminished small businesses, like bakeries and restaurants. Contrary to the traditional value of eating  “home cooked” meals, many people rely on take-out food and ready-made goods for their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

However, as the death and infection rate reached new highs in early 2020, the uproar of COVID-19 created a global panic; People were hesitant to come in contact with people to pick up their food, let alone having an unknown chef — bake or cook it. This disease inflicted paranoia amongst the masses, even though strict safety precautions were taken by both providers and consumers. 

According to The Business Wire, U.S. sales of yeast grew 647% in March while there has also been a ballooned interest in alternative ingredients for allergen-free, vegan and gluten-free baking.

Maya Kosoff, a Manhattan-based freelance reporter and editor, was confined within her home during the quarantine, but she found baking and cooking as a therapeutic activity to cope with the stress levels brought onto her by this pandemic. Baking cookies, cakes, and cupcakes is also considered an activity to keep little ones preoccupied. 

“It’s gratifying to produce something tangible (a loaf of bread, a tray of cookies),” Kosoff said. “It’s also soothing and meditative,” she says. “I’ve been making recipes I’m very familiar and comfortable with, and I find it comforting to make and eat foods I’ve made and eaten a hundred times before. It provides a sense of normalcy, which I think many people are craving right now.”

Across the Atlantic Ocean from New York, is New Delhi where their Hershey Chocolate industry funneled in increased profits from the sales of cocoa powder, syrups and spreads. 

Pictured: Managing Director Herjit Bhalla… Photo Credit: Hershey India Pvt Ltd

According to Hershey India Managing Director Herjit Bhalla, since Hershey India saw a doubled income versus in June, corporate headquarters are attempting to re-strategize their marketing and promotional gigs. 

“We’ve looked at every spend pool across the value chain to challenge existing assumptions. This has helped us unlock savings and efficiencies in both cost and cash,” said Bhalla. “They [Indian consumers] are cautious when stepping outside at the same time they are looking for better value, so they are focusing on larger pack sizes.”

Since people couldn’t physically share their home baked treats with their friends and family, they posted them instead. This quarantine occurred within the era of social media, so another trend surged on apps like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, where users could use hashtags to expand their viewer audience. 

According to the graph below created by The Economist, Google searches for baking related ingredients grew as people were stuck at home coming across endless recipes and inspiration. 

People are already lined up at the grocery stores to buy their Thanksgiving dinner staples, like turkey and stuffing. But since political officials recently warned their citizens of a possible “Wave 2” of a COVID-19 outbreak, they’re also stocking up on a few weeks worth of frozen and canned foods, alongside delayed perishables, like baking mixes and yeast! 

Dan Abbate

            Jordan vs. Lebron: Difference Between the Greatest and the Best

Throughout the history of basketball, there has been a constant discussion about who is the greatest player in the game’s history. Audiences and analysts have been debating this topic for decades, with different players making their mark on the league and putting their names in contention for the greatest of all time list. Players in the NBA come and go, but two specific athletes have solidified themselves as the top two players in the league’s history: Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Jordan had his run of dominance from 1985 until 1998 with his astonishing displays of athleticism and superior scoring ability. In the modern era, James entered the league in 2003 and is still the best in the league at the age of 36. 

The main debate around James vs. Jordan is simple; Which of these players is the greatest of all time? Sports fans and journalists argue about this everyday on social media and on television. However, I believe that there is a better way to look at this problem. There are strong arguments that support the idea that Lebron James is the best player in the history of the NBA, but Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. That may sound puzzling, but it is actually quite simple.

The first thing that comes to mind when considering the greatness of an NBA player is accolades. In this aspect, Jordan has a clear edge over James. Some of Jordans notable accomplishments include: Defensive player of the year, six NBA championships, five MVP’s, nine time All-Defensive first team selection, 10 time scoring leader and three time steals leader. Additionally, Jordan has never lost an NBA finals series. Although James has played 17 seasons compared to Jordan’s 15, James has yet to accomplish most of the things that Jordan did in his career. This includes the defensive player of the year award, leading the league in steals, being the scoring leader multiple times, and significantly less All-Defensive team selections. Lebron’s finals record of 4-6 is another knock to James’ greatness. Jordan’s superior defense is another thing that sets him apart from James’, earning him more defensive awards and All Defensive team selections throughout his career.

In terms of being the better player out of the two, the advantage can be given to James. Throughout his career, Lebron has consistently showcased the ability to make his teammates better. This was on full display in 2007 when he led a mediocre Cavaliers team to the NBA finals, where they were promptly dismembered by a full powered Spurs dynasty. From 2011-2018, James appeared in the NBA finals every single season while being the best player on each of those teams. Throughout his career, Lebron has averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. In comparison, Jordan only had one season in his career where he matched those stats. While Jordan is the better scorer and has led the league in scoring 10 times, James’ eight assists per game would be equal to or greater than the total amount of points that Jordan was responsible for per game. 

In the playoffs, both players elevate their game and perform at their peak level. Jordan averaged a fantastic 33 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the playoffs, and Lebron turns his game to another level while averaging 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. It is hard to draw conclusions about the GOAT debate from playoff statistics in this case. While it is true that Jordan is a clean 6-0 in the NBA finals, James has consistently led any team he is on to the finals after dismantling the conference series. James’ losses in the finals may not be as damaging to his legacy as it seems because of the level of competition that he has faced. In 2016, James led the Cavaliers to beat the record breaking 73 win Golden State Warrior team in seven games, one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of sports. After that victory, the already historic Golden State team added the second best player in the league, Kevin Durant. James proceeded to lose the next two finals series to the Warriors. There are not many players in the history of the league that can defeat the team who set the record for most regular season wins in NBA history, and there is no player throughout the history of the league that would have been able to defeat the 2017 and 2018 Warriors teams. Playoff statistics between these two players equally show an increased level of focus and play when they are trying to win a championship.

It became clear while interviewing people for this article that individuals from different era’s and age groups will have different opinions on who the better or greater player is between James and Jordan. For example, my Uncle, Lou, was able to witness Jordan at the peak of his career. He stated that “If kids today could go back and live through what Jordan did, they wouldn’t think so highly of Lebron. Mike was different from any athlete I have ever watched.” In contrast, I asked my good friend Brian, who acts as head manager for Iona’s men’s basketball team, to tell me who he thought was better. He immediately said Lebron. When I asked him why, he said “Jordan was an incredible individual player, but the way Lebron can lead a team is unique. Nobody else can score 30 points while looking to pass most possessions. Jordan could never elevate his teammates like that.” I was not surprised by these different opinions. People who grew up watching Lebron dominate the league will likely say that he’s the best. Those who grew up watching Jordan take over the 90’s are more likely to say that he’s the best. It is hard to find an objective opinion on this debate from typical sports fans when asking about Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James.

My main point is that accolades and accomplishments have solidified Jordan’s place as the greatest basketball player of all time. However, James’ incredible statistics and overall impact on his teams have created a strong enough argument that James’ is the best player of all time. Regardless, there is no doubting the impact on the world that both of these individuals have had. In the post Bird-Magic era of the NBA, people needed a new superstar to rally around. Jordan came along and made the NBA a global phenomenon. Without him, basketball would not be as popular as it is today. James’ came along shortly after Jordan, and shocked the world with his skillset as soon as he entered the league at 18 years old. 17 seasons later, James’ has helped the NBA blow up on social media, spreading basketball to people in every part of the world. Opinions aside, every NBA fan and basketball player should be grateful for the contributions that the top two players in the history of the league have given us.

CITATION: BasketballReference.com

Date: November 20, 2020         by: Elvin Omeragic

It is no surprise that gang members are prone to committing crimes and engaging in illegal activities. Many of these gang affiliated individuals are considered criminals due to their antisocial behaviors and repeated criminal offenders.

However, statistics have shown that being part of a gang makes a person more prone to committing violent and severe criminal offenses. Annual averages have shown gang members commit 373,000 violent victimizations, such as rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.

Over the last five years, there has been a consistent percentage of Americans from the ages of 12 and older who have been victims of violent crimes.

Source: www.bjs.gov

There are many factors that influence gang violence, including gang member migration, intragang conflict, emergence of new gangs, return from confinement, intergang conflict, and drug-related factors.

Statistics and data that have been collected throughout the years also highlight specific criminal offenses as “gang related”, which are aggravated assault, firearms use, drug sales, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny.

Source: National Gang Center

Among gang members, 48.9% of crimes committed were violent crimes, 42% property crimes, and 39% drug sales. Agencies have collected data each year and reported intergang conflicts and drug-related factors as a direct impact on local levels of gang violence. There are many factors involved in the violence of gang members and gang-affiliated criminals.

These factors include gang member migration from outside of the United States, gang member migration from within the United States, intragang conflict, emergence of new gangs, returning from confinement, intergang conflict, and drug-related factors. Among the various criminal offenses by gang-affiliated members, aggravated assault and firearms use are the top offenses.

Source: National Gang Center

Gang violence has increased significantly over the years, and youth gangs are becoming more violent. 95% of America’s largest city police departments reported significant criminal activity by youth gangs or gang-like groups. These gang members include various types of members, such as leaders, associates, regulars, recruits, and wannabees.

In New York alone, the city has faced rising gang gun violence. Over this past fourth of July weekend, 53 people were shot and four fatally shot. By just the summer of 2020, New York had 634 shootings, a statistic that doubled from the year prior according to New York Times.               

There has been a 166% increase in shootings and violent crimes in New York. New York has seen a 50% increase in gang violence in 2020. Gang related violence has surged by 52% this year. The NYPD has reported rises in the murder rate due to city-wide gang violence increases.        Source: New York Times

It is a statistical fact that gang members engage in more serious criminal behavior. Over 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs are criminally active in the United States today. These gangs turn to violence to control neighborhoods and their territory, and use violence to boost their illegal money-making activities, such as robbery, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, prostitution, and fraud.

Compared to non-gang involved peers, gang members engage in a higher level of serious and violent crimes. Research studies have proven that gangs are intertwined with gun violence and drug crimes, and that there is a clear connection between gangs, guns, drugs, and violence.

Source: US Department of Justice

In a study, research showed that being part of a gang have an impact on affecting violent behaviors, but not on property crimes or drug use behavior, which illustrates a correlation between being in a gang and engaging in more violent activities and crimes.

Predicted rates of nonviolent and violent delinquency based on gang membership status shows that gang members are far higher to engage in violence than non-gang members.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3151646/

Shootings in New York have surged in 2020, and violent crimes squads in the region has attributed this surge to gang violence that is occurring throughout the state. Lt. Ryan Gillis of the 73^rd Precinct in Brooklyn has been battling the violence between two gangs for the last ten years.

Gillis stated that “the violence between these gangs and its impact is widespread throughout Brooklyn, spreading into Bedford-Stuyvesant, into Brooklyn South, into Crown Heights”.                                                                                     Source: CBS Local News

The reason for the increase in gang violence in New York can be due to the shooting of prominent gang members, which creates retaliatory efforts by gang followers.

When comparing the behaviors of gang members decades ago compared to today, Gillis stated “Back in the day, gang members used to mark their territory using graffiti. It doesn’t occur as much now. What we see if they’re using social media as their graffiti.” CBS Local News.

By: Xavier D. Negron

“I have more slaps than the Beatles” says Drake on his feature from Meek Mills single “Going Bad” For those who don’t understand the younger lingo, “slaps” are another word for hit songs or in this case for most songs simultaneously in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10. Drake had seven songs while at their best the Beatles only held five.  One might say that the Beatles and Drake are different, the Beatles were four musicians from England who played Rock, Drake is a Canadian actor turn rapper. What can the two possibly have in common. Both the Beatles and Drake have sold millions of records and have multi-platinum albums, they both have cult like fan groups that spread all over the world, and they both spent most of their careers on the Billboard Hot 100 and 200. One must have the upper hand in this battle, maybe in record sales, awards won, gross income and profit from their music, along with the musical impact they had on their culture in their time.  

When it comes to all-time record sales the Recording Industry Association of America is the company that keeps track of every artists sale. The RIAA does their tracking in both moneys earned as well as “units” a unit is a counting of each disc in a multi-disc set as one unit toward certification. According to RIAA Drake has sold a 142 million certified units which is the most by any solo artist ever. The RIAA began using units in the 1990’s but they were able to convert the all-time sales of the Beatles in units.   

The Beatles sold a staggering 500 million units according to RIAA, which is the most by any band ever. Both the Beatles and Drake stand at the top of RIAA certified units sold. Drake stands at the top for solo artist, while Beatles take the crown for group artist. At the end of the day the Beatles have sold more units giving them the advantage in record sales. That would put the official score to 1-0 Beatles.  

Drake and the Beatles have been giving countless amounts of awards during their tenures. The most important ones being Grammy’s, Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards because those are awards that have been around for both Drake and the Beatles. The Beatles have been nominated for 28 Grammy’s and have brought home 11. The Beatles also have 1 nomination and 1 win in the Billboards, as well as one nomination and one win in the American Music Awards. They also won an Oscar Award for best music score in their movie “Let it Be”. If we include all different award shows, the Beatles have a total of 111 nominations and 52 awards. Now while Drake has been nominated 44 times, he has only brought home 4 Grammy’s. Also, Drake has won 27 awards from 81 nominations on the Billboard Music Awards. For the American Awards Drake has been nominated for 38 awards and has won 5. For all time awards Drake has been nominated 639 times and has won 180. There are many more award shows now than when the Beatles were at their peak, it shows the impact Drake has on music today. Official score after awards 1-1. Tied Game between Beatles and Drake  

How much money an artist makes separates them from the good and from who are the greats. In Drakes 10 years of being in the music industry he has made the most out of any solo male artist. According to RIAA, Drake has made $218,280,000 in sales, surpassing Michael Jackson and Elvis. He is also the only solo artist to make over $200,000,000. In the Beatles 8 years together from 1962-1970 they made £17 million which would translate to $500,000,000 today. They had their best financial year in 1964 after the release of their albums “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Beatles For Sale”. According to Billboard, they made $25,000,000 which would translate to $180,000,000 today. Also, their lead-man Sir Paul McCartney is currently the richest musician of all time. McCartney is worth $1.2 Billion. Drake is still releasing music and has a chance to reach the career earnings achievement of $500 million, but as of right now the Beatles take this one.  2-1 Beatles  

There is no denying the cultural impacts from The Beatles or Drake. Both have had songs that will last a lifetime, and one can say their music changed the sounds of their decade. The Beatles were an unconventional artist. They used instruments and melodies people never thought could work together, but they did it. They were able to create beautiful art, that touched millions. They would mesh different genres with different artist and other musicians began to follow suit. Music is different because of the Beatles. The Beatles were the first musicians to start using intricate music videos. People gravitated to their music and their beliefs, their goal was to spread love and peace. They became activist and fought for social and political issues, fighting for women and gay liberation, along with environmentalism. The Beatles did a lot for the music of the 1960s and 70’s, but they will forever have a lasting effect on all aspects of music forever.

Now, Drakes impact on music and pop culture today. Drake has revolutionized hip hop music today. He proved that rapping and singing can create a perfect sound. He’s also been able to put genres that shouldn’t work, together and created some of the best songs of the decade, just like the Beatles. He also has a chance to become the first global star to go completely independent. Someone of Drakes stature going independent will change the music industry forever. The Impact for both Drake and the Beatles is undeniable. It’s hard to say which is the greatest, but one thing either side can agree on is that they are both Great.

Violence in Videogames and Aggression

By Katie Malling

For many years, there has been speculation that violent videogames can cause aggression and could further lead to violent acts.

Sometimes the use of violent videogames has been to blame for tragic events. As early as the 1990’s, President Bill Clinton required the federal agencies to investigate violent videogames. Additionally, the National Rifle Association CEO Wayne Lapierre said the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was possible because of exposure to violent videogames. Furthermore, President Trump suggested violent videogames were to blame for the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Highschool in Parkland, Florida. He followed it up by overseeing a roundtable discussion with executives of video game companies and conservative activists to discuss the relations between games adding to violence (Iszy, 2019).

Brad Bushman, psychologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, conducted more than 300 studies of video media effects, has found that regardless of what kids say, violent video games are harmful. According to Bushman, many scientific studies clearly show violent video games make kids more likely to yell, push, and punch(Sohn, 2007).

Because TV has been for a longer period of time than videogames, researchers have more data on the long-term effects of violent TV shows or movies versus violent videogames. In 1977, the University of Michigan recorded the TV-watching habits of first and third graders. After 15 years, the researchers looked at the development of these elementary schoolers.  According a literature review conducted by Sohn (2007), by the time they reached their early 20’s, women were four times as likely to have punched, choked, or beaten other people than the women who didn’t watch violent TV as children. For male participants, they grew up to be three times as likely to commit crimes than the men who didn’t watch violent TV as children (Sohn, 2007).

Moreover, violent playing is more powerful than violent watching, according to Bushman. Going through the videogame requires children to take action, identify with a character, and also respond to rewards after violent or inappropriate behavior. Getting involved in those types of activities aids to effective learning(Sohn, 2007).

Identifying with a character creates aggression, such as doing the same things a criminal or aggressive person would do. Examples of this include pulling the trigger, stabbing, kicking, and others. Additionally, many games have options to customize their character, sometimes people will make it look like themselves, further hammering in the notion of identifying with a character (Sohn, 2007).

Another of Bushman’s studies had to do with inflicting punishment. In the study, kids were randomly assigned to play either a violent videogame or a nonviolent game for about 20 minutes. After, each child competes with an invisible partner on a task that challenges them to push a button as quickly as possible. Whoever won got to punish the other with a blast of noise and could decide how long and how loud it would be on a scale from 1-10. The results found that kids who played the violent game first, delivered louder noises to the competitors. Some of the kids who played violent videogames and also had a strong connection to their characters delivered a blast of noise at level 8 or above, which was told to be enough to make their invisible partner suffer hearing loss or go deaf (Sohn, 2007)

Moreover, researches from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis assigned a similar study were 22 teenagers were to play a violent game for 30 minutes, and the other 22 to play a nonviolent game. What they found was that players in the violent game group, a part of the brain called the frontal lobe was way less active. The frontal lobe is what helps us stop ourselves from acting out aggressively such as hitting, kicking, and other acts (Sohn, 2007).

Age can determine access to a video game, for example if it is R rated, a 7-year-old would not be able to walk into a store and buy it alone. But age is not only a determination of accessibility, it is also related to aggression. Studies have shown that aggression peaks in early adolescence and the long-term relation between violent games and aggression may be different during adolescence and adults because of changes in the brain during these two different periods (Sohn, 2007).

Most violent videogames contain levels, and the progression through those levels requires one to engage in violent acts poses an additional risk of increasing levels of aggression. Two psychologists, Carnagey and Anderson found out that by rewarding violence in most of these games including rewards for killing other drivers and pedestrians in the race-car video game Carmageddon 2, it increased levels of hostile emotion, aggressive thinking and aggressive behavior Hollingdale, 2014). Other video games that show human violence were linked to increased levels of aggression, potentially due to higher rates of action, and subsequent heightened nonspecific arousal(Hollingdale, J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014).

Most violent videogames contain levels, and the progression through those levels requires one to engage in violent acts poses an additional risk of increasing levels of aggression. Two psychologists, Carnagey and Anderson found out that by rewarding violence in most of these games including rewards for killing other drivers and pedestrians in the race-car video game Carmageddon 2, it increased levels of hostile emotion, aggressive thinking and aggressive behavior Hollingdale, 2014). Other video games that show human violence were linked to increased levels of aggression, potentially due to higher rates of action, and subsequent heightened nonspecific arousal(Hollingdale, J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014).

First Person Shooter (FPS) is one of the most popular types of violent video games where the player sees the screen as though it is through the eyes of the main player. FPSs additionally have been recognized to significantly increase hostility and aggression. Reports indicate the popularity of FPS games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which made $550 million in the first five days it came out. Later, this was dwarfed by Call of Duty: Black Ops, which made $650 million and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which made $775 million in sales (Hollingdale, J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014).

A study was conducted as to whether playing violent video games offline versus online would increase aggression levels. At the end of the study, it was concluded that playing video games online increased the levels of aggression (Hollingdale, J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014).

Two different but widely popular video games, Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) and The Sims were used in a study to determine the short-term effects of violent video game exposure compared to non-violent games. The findings however stand against some experimental studies, where short-term effects of violent videogame exposure have been tested and where aggressive thoughts and decreases of helping behavior have been found. However, these effects of violent videogaming on level of aggression, if present at all, seem to be rather short-lived, potentially lasting less than 15 minutes(Kühn, S., Kugler, D. T., Schmalen, K., Weichenberger, M., Witt, C., & Gallinat, J. (2019).

References

Hollingdale, J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014). The effect of online violent video games on

levels of aggression. PLoS One, 9(11), 1-5. http://dx.doi.org.rocky.iona.edu:2048/10.1371/journal.pone.0111790

Iszy, H. L. (2019). Aggression and video games: Do violent video games induce

aggressive attitudes and behaviors? Chicago Policy Review (Online), Retrieved from http://rocky.iona.edu:2048/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.rocky.iona.edu/docview/2220771431?accountid=35757

Kühn, S., Kugler, D. T., Schmalen, K., Weichenberger, M., Witt, C., & Gallinat, J.

(2019). Does playing violent video games cause aggression? A longitudinal intervention study. Molecular Psychiatry, 24(8), 1220-1234.http://dx.doi.org.rocky.iona.edu:2048/10.1038/s41380-018-0031-7

Sohn, E. (2007, Jan 24). Video game violence ; playing violent video games may have

harmful effects on the brain. Science News for Kids, , n/a. Retrieved from http://rocky.iona.edu:2048/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.rocky.iona.edu/docview/198770019?accountid=35757