The Super Bowl is one of the highest-rated shows on network television each year and has become a staple of American culture. Parties are thrown across the country celebrating the event that attracts millions of viewers regardless of whether they watch for the commercials, the halftime show, or the do-or-die game itself.

On Sunday, February 7, 2021, Super Bowl LV took place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, marking the first time that a team has played the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Due to Covid-19, the stadium’s seating capacity was limited to 25,000 in-person spectators but filled with cutouts of thousands of fans, making it the least-attended Super Bowl. The NFC champions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defeated the AFC champions and the defending Super Bowl LIV champions, Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9.

The Chiefs, led by quarterback and reigning Super Bowl LIV MVP Patrick Mahomes, entered the game projected to defeat the Buccaneers, led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady. However, they were set back by offensive struggles and costly penalties. Kansas City was unable to score a single touchdown and were penalized 11 times for 120 yards, including a record 8 penalties for 95 yards within the first half, most of which were called against the defense. The Buccaneers took advantage of these mistakes to take an overwhelming 21–6 lead at halftime and dominated the remainder of the game.

Tom Brady broke many of his own records, as Super Bowl LV marked his tenth Super Bowl appearance, seventh Super Bowl win, and fifth Super Bowl MVP award. This made him the first NFL player to receive the award with more than one franchise, and the oldest player to receive this honor and win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback. In addition, Bruce Arians became the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl at the age of 68. The last time Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl was in 2003.

A special pre-game concert for the healthcare workers invited to the game was performed by Miley Cyrus as well as Joan Jett and Billy Idol. Furthermore, a pre-game segment of the NFL's Inspire Change campaign addressed racial unrest in the United States and was accompanied by a pre-recorded performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Alicia Keys from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recited an original poem, “Chorus of the Captains,” recognizing the three frontline workers who were chosen to be the game's honorary captains participating in the coin toss ceremony: Los Angeles educator Trimaine Davis, Florida nurse manager Suzie Dorner, and Marine veteran James Martin. H.E.R. performed "America the Beautiful," and Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan performed "The Star-Spangled Banner." The halftime show was performed by the Weeknd. In addition, referee Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl.

Ultimately, Super Bowl LV was an extremely historic Super Bowl in many ways.

Until 1981, Black-footed ferrets were believed to be extinct after their food sources, prairie dogs, were wiped out due to poisoning, plague, and habitat loss. When a ranch dog named Shep brought home a dead black-footed ferret, scientists knew they must save the species. They gathered the remaining eighteen black-footed ferrets of their population and sheltered them for captive breeding. However, only seven were able to reproduce, causing the population to be very genetically similar. Lack of genetic diversity among the ferret population makes them susceptible to diseases, parasites, and health disorders. When one of the originally captured ferrets, named Willa, died in 1988, researchers sent her tissues to a “frozen zoo,” a worldwide collection of preserved samples of more than 1,100 animal tissues. Willa did not have any offspring and therefore was not one of the ancestors of the living ferrets. Her valuable genes could save the endangered species from complete extinction.

In 2018, Revive & Restore, the organization working with these ferrets, received the first-ever permit for cloning research on endangered species. Revive & Restore partnered with a pet cloning company, ViaGen Pets & Equine, to make a clone of Willa. They successfully created embryos containing copies of Willa’s genes and implanted these into a domestic ferret surrogate. On December 10, 2020, the first clone of a US endangered species was born. Her name is Elizabeth Ann. She will not be released into the wild but instead spend her days at the conservation center in Colorado, where she will soon be joined by her sisters and potential mates. Researchers continue to monitor her health and watch her grow and run around the tunnels of her cage. When she reaches maturity, researchers plan to breed her with other clones. Their offspring would be bred with wild black-footed ferrets. This process will be slow and methodical to ensure that the genetic lineage of the ferrets is not harmed by the introduction of the new individuals. The birth of Elizabeth Ann gave researchers the hope that they can use these cloning techniques to resurrect many other extinct species, such as the passenger pigeon and the woolly mammoth. In the Frozen Zoo, the cells of long-extinct creatures await their opportunity to arise from the dead through the process of cloning.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/science/black-footed-ferret-clone.html

After being elected for the United States senate, California Attorney General, and District Attorney of San Francisco, Kamala D. Harris made history by becoming the first woman Vice President. She spent a lifetime working for public service, and earned her role next to President Joe Biden. Harris’ role as VP is history making because not only is she the first woman to have that position, but she is half African-American and half South Asian. With all of the racial inequality in the country, she was able to work hard and earn her role. She has good morals which have led the people of our country to support her and believe she would do well as Vice President of the United States

Harris was born in Oakland, California, with parents who immigrated from India and Jamaica. Her parents were influential activists who brought her to civil rights rallies and introduced her to Court Justices, who influenced her to work towards the position she is in today. In 2017, Harris was sworn in to the United States Senate. The first speech she gave after being sworn into the Senate was about immigrants and refugees rights. She soon accomplished many deeds, including working with members of both parties to keep Americans safe from foreign threats. Harris also helped reform cash bails, provide rent relief, improve maternal health care, and address the climate crisis. Her bipartisan anti-lynching bill passed the senate in 2018. In August of 2020, Kamala Harris accepted President Joe Biden’s invitation to run with him for the POTUS and VP positions. When Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election, Harris made history by becoming the first woman and first African American Vice President of the United States. This event broke many barriers in the government system because some people didn’t believe a woman could earn a position that powerful. 

Looking back at Kamala Harris’ childhood, her inspirations and actions have all led up to where she is now. She’s broken multiple gender and race barriers by being elected Vice President next to President Joe Biden. Harris has also worked hard throughout her life by attending rallies and movements in order to to support others and make a statement. She can be looked up to as a role model by many people around the world and can influence them to make a difference, just like she did.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 yellow onion (chopped)

• 6 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)

• 1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)

• 1 yellow bell pepper (thinly sliced)

• 2 medium carrots (peeled and cut into smalls rounds)

• 1 ½ cup broccoli florets

• 1 cup cauliflower florets

• 2 1/1 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

• 16 oz coconut milk

• ½ cup water

• 2 ½ cup kale (thinly sliced)

• 2 roma tomatoes (diced)

• 2 teaspoons maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• Juice of 1 lime

• 4 cups white or brown rice (cooked)

Instructions:

1. Prepare all of the vegetables and have them close by before you heat the pan.

2. Cook your rice according to package instructions.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 

4. Once it's warm, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. 

5. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.

6. Add the bell peppers, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 2-3 minutes.

7. To the pan, add the red curry paste, coconut milk, and water. Stir well for a few minutes, until the curry paste is dissolved in the coconut milk/water.

8. Add the kale and stir it in. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook covered for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. 

9. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, pure maple syrup, soy sauce and fresh lime juice. Remove from heat.

10. Serve immediately with cooked rice. 

Enjoy!

Whether you know her from Dance Moms or her popular children’s music, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the name “Jojo Siwa.” In the past few months, Jojo Siwa has been in the spotlight even more after coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Although she has not specified a certain sexual orientation label that she identifies with, Siwa confirmed that she “always believed that [her] person was just going to be [her] person” -- whether they’re a boy or a girl. And, she currently has a girlfriend. In fact, her girlfriend encouraged her to come out. In recent years, public opinion on the LGBTQ+ community has drastically changed, and being a member of the LGBTQ+ community is often accepted and celebrated. Nevertheless, homophobia and transphobia persist, and members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to face hatred as well as mental health struggles as a result. According to NPR, a survey conducted by The Trevor Project in 2020 found that “[f]orty percent of young LGBTQ people have considered suicide in the last year; that rises to more than half for trans and non-binary youth.” At the same time, the CEO of The Trevor Project told NPR, "We saw that LGBTQ young people who have an accepting adult in their lives were 40% less likely to attempt suicide, which is is a huge impact from a public health perspective." 

I am hoping that Siwa’s coming-out will show the rising generation that it is okay to be who you are, however cliché that may sound. During my Disney-Channel-watching days back in the late 2000s to early 2010s (which I realize is actually quite recent), there was no children’s celebrity who openly identified as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I think it’s reasonable to assume that the current growing LGBTQ+ representation in children’s media is establishing a beautiful foundation of LGBTQ+ acceptance and normalization for today’s children. There could now be children who grow to discover that they identify as LGBTQ+ but who are comfortable with and proud of their identity because they grew up with icons like Jojo Siwa. As acceptance, representation, and normalization continue to grow, I hope the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth can come of age with significantly fewer struggles than the LGBTQ+ youth of today. Literal lives can be saved simply by spreading love. 

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/24/893869207/thoughts-of-suicide-other-mental-health-struggles-still-high-for-lgbtq-youth

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-jojo-siwa-comes-out-tt-soc-01252021-20210125-lzyb33bqm5getpmndpvsbpjz3a-story.html

 I sit

At the beach

Staring at the line of seashells

That she left

With every step she took

Leaving me 

With only the moon

And the tides

Making the sand 

Like my eyes

Filled

With salty water

That ebb and flow

Alone

At the beach