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Back to Artwork Lights On for Education Back to Sections Sarah Wilder - Lights On for Education By Sarah Wilder April 22, 2021 Marker Volume 1 Issue 7

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Inflation Crisis By Everton Prospere Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Image provided by AZ Central The COVID-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen crisis along with the deadly disease, inflation. Inflation, which is the increase in prices with a decrease in the purchasing value of money, has existed as a major problem in the United States (U.S.) since the formation of the country. However, economists have generally controlled the issue, predicting inflating prices and acting appropriately. With the pandemic though, the economy has spiraled out of control, with inflation reaching all-time highs. According to Investopedia , a financial website based in the U.S., inflation primarily occurs from “an increase in production costs or an increase in demand for products and services.” In economic terms, demand-pull inflation is the increase in demand by consumers and, in turn, the price of a specific product. Cost-push inflation is the smaller supply and higher price of a product because of an increase in the price of a key resource. These terms are important, as both demand and resources play a role in the history of inflation in the U.S. For example, in the 1970s, the U.S. experienced heavy inflation due to a limited amount of oil available in the U.S. As per the Federal Reserve, the low supply of oil is attributed to President Nixon’s and the U.S.’s support of Israel in the Fourth Arab-Israeli War. The Middle East supplies a high amount of oil to the world; therefore, these countries - such as Saudi Arabia and Libya - formed a group known as the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) to control and protect the economic oil activities of these nations as a united force. OAPEC then punished the U.S., along with several other supporters of Israel, by creating an oil embargo, which stopped oil exports to the nations targeted. The demand by consumers that followed stimulated high oil prices, as not enough of the resource was available to offer the growing vehicle industry in the U.S. In addition, due to the high oil prices and the other areas of the economy adversely affected, money also lost much of its value, as one could not pay the same amount for oil as paid for before the crisis. Evidently, inflation has shown its impact before in the U.S. While both demand and key resources played a role in the 1970s oil crisis, the current situation is largely attributed to demand. Jeanna Smialek of The New York Times reports that the pandemic has caused many supply chain issues, such as the clogging of shipping routes. However, the cause also lies in consumers; as she states, “consumers, who collectively built-up big savings thanks to months in lockdown and repeated government stimulus checks, are spending robustly and their demand is driving part of the inflation.” According to the Bureau of Labor and the consumer price index, inflation is currently at 6.8%, meaning prices increased by that percentage. This number, almost a 40 year high, is completely off course from the federal target of 2%. While this significant number continues to be monitored, it remains far from the 1970s, when the U.S. experienced inflation rates of over 10%. However, the current 6.8% shows a dangerous upward trend, inching closer and closer to record levels of inflation. Overall, the U.S. has continued to act as a world leader economically. Compared to Turkey - which, according to the BBC, has inflation rates of upwards of 36% - the U.S. has controlled the pandemic and its inflation rates successfully. However, until the pandemic’s negative effects end, Americans will continue to see high inflation rates. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Pop Art Back to Sections Raphael Benavides - Pop Art By Raphael Benavides January 14, 2022 Acrylic Volume 2 Issue 3

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Homemade Gravy and Cranberry Sauce: Is it Worth the Time? By Christina Ossa Volume 2 Issue 2 November 19, 2021 Original photography by Christina Ossa Thanksgiving is a time for sharing, reflecting on your gratitude, and enjoying fantastic food. However, the star of Thanksgiving is usually turkey, a delicious, juicy, and flavorful tradition of this time of the year. The sauce that pairs with turkey would usually be a tasty, savory gravy or a more bittersweet cranberry sauce to add to the quality of each slice of turkey. But, with many dishes already having time put into them, there’s usually no time left to make either of these delicious sauces from scratch. As a result, many households opt for store-bought versions of cranberry and gravy sauce. And for many of you, I’m sure this goes for your family as well. While I agree, yes, it is convenient and consumes less time, but it tastes bland and underwhelming. So, is making these sauces from scratch really worth your time? Here, I’ll try my best to convince you that once you switch from store-bought gravy and cranberry sauce, you’ll likely never turn back. Last year, out of pure curiosity from a recipe I saw on YouTube, I was inspired and tried making my own cranberry and gravy from scratch. Did it take more of my time during the holidays? Yes, it did. Was it worth that time? In my opinion, it was. When I made the cranberry sauce, all I needed were these ingredients: sugar, water, an orange, and cranberries; also, it only took 15 minutes. I added my ingredients to a medium saucepan and let it simmer on low for about 15 minutes (you could simmer it for longer if you feel like the cranberries are not reduced enough). On my first taste test, the cranberries were reduced to a beautiful jam-like color and tasted bittersweet and flavorful. The texture tasted like a more bittersweet version of raspberry jam. It did not have that artificial aftertaste that I’ve found store-bought cranberry sauce leaves. Next, I refrigerated my sauce in a glass container overnight and served it the next day. Once you refrigerate the sauce, it turns into a beautiful jello-type texture that melts onto the turkey once you place it onto your plate. This recipe is very low-maintenance, and it produces a mouth-watering result all in 15 minutes - and can be prepared the day before. If you’re not satisfied with the more artificial flavor of store-bought cranberry sauce and have just a mere 15 minutes to spare: I’d recommend you try this recipe. If you don’t bake or cook anything for Thanksgiving, this recipe would be an excellent addition to bring to someone who’s hosting. It also takes less time than almost any Thanksgiving recipe I’ve tried. The gravy sauce was also way better than any store-bought or even restaurant-style gravy I’ve tried before. It was rich, packed with flavor, and kept the integrity of the turkey. It only added to the taste of the turkey, and when paired with the bittersweet flavor of the cranberry sauce, created an impressive depth of flavor. This recipe does take a bit more work but is so worth the time it takes, in my opinion. This recipe also includes parts of the turkey many people aren’t sure how to use or cook, including the bones and other parts of a turkey not commonly included in a Thanksgiving meal. For this recipe, I used the neck/spine of the turkey to create my own turkey stock, along with a roughly chopped onion, roughly chopped celery, and some chopped carrots. Next, I used a medium-sized saucepan. I added my ingredients and the water I put on the stove on medium-high heat until it came to a boil. After this, I let it simmer on low for about three hours, then strained it through a sift to separate the liquid and ingredients I added for flavor-sake. Now, three hours may be a long time compared to the time it took for the cranberry sauce, but compared to the amount of time the turkey would bake in the oven, it isn’t much time at all. Also, don’t be scared of how this was only the first step for the gravy because I promise making the stock is the hardest part. Once you have your stock, take either the same or a different saucepan and add/melt your butter in it. After the butter has completely melted, put in the flour and stir generously. This part of the gravy process is probably the most crucial. You’re creating what’s called a roux in the culinary world: the base to making almost any thick, more creamy-based sauce. After you have a roux, which should look almost like light-colored caramel, add your turkey stock and whisk until it thickens to the point where it should lightly drizzle off a spoon. If you’d like to be fancier, you could also season it with salt and pepper and add herbs like thyme for extra flavor. While the process of creating gravy is a lot more time-consuming than cranberry sauce, it most definitely is worth it. In the end, it may be cheaper than buying store-bought gravy, and it tastes so much better than store-bought. The sauce is creamy, flavor-packed with that delicious broth created straight from the turkey. It’s almost like the turkey’s partner in crime since they were both made from the same source. Paired with the cranberry sauce, it’s a bittersweet-savory wonderland of flavor. So, in the end, was it worth the time to create these two sauces for scratch? In my opinion, it was. It usually is either way since store-bought sauces. And store-bought items, in general, are packed with artificial flavors and preservatives that muddy the overall flavors each item is attempting to achieve. Also, when making this recipe last year for Thanksgiving, it was more rewarding than anything. The feeling of showing your gratitude through adding to the family Thanksgiving meal was gratifying to me when my family tried my food last Thanksgiving. So you should try making one of these sauces for Thanksgiving if you’d like to add something to your family dinner. They’re both very straightforward and delicious recipes. No matter your skill level in cooking, your family would likely appreciate this small yet delightful addition to the Thanksgiving meal. Recipes: Gravy : Turkey Stock: -Replace for pre-made turkey stock OR -Turkey Spine -Turkey Neck -1 Onion, roughly chopped -1 Carrot, roughly chopped -1 Rib of Celery, roughly chopped -6 Cups of Water (enough to cover ingredients) Actual Gravy: -3 ½ tbsp Unsalted butter -3 ½ tbsp All-Purpose Flour -2 ½ cups Turkey Stock (either from premade or original) -Salt (to taste) -Pepper (to taste) -Fresh Chopped herbs (to taste) Directions: -Ask for the spine/neck of the turkey from whoever is cooking the turkey, or if you are yourself, remove the spine/neck (also, you could use both or either one, both would lead to more flavor) -Place the spine/neck into a medium saucepan along with your vegetables, then add your water -Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and check on it until it comes to a boil (roughly 10-15 minutes) -After it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 3 hours -Strain with a sifter or strainer, separating the liquid from the other ingredients (you could either dispose of the rest or find another purpose for the vegetables, the spine/neck is usually inedible, but there may be methods to use it that I’m unaware of) -Set aside broth to make gravy -Take a different or the same saucepan (make sure it’s empty, of course) and melt the butter over medium-low heat -Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk thoroughly until it forms a roux /a combined state (it should be a bit thick and gravy-grey colored once it reaches the right consistency) -To the roux, add your turkey stock and stir it occasionally until it reaches a thick consistency (should drizzle lightly off a spoon) -Optional: add your seasonings, whisking lightly for about 2 minutes just to ensure it has combined -Serve and Enjoy! Cranberry Sauce: Ingredients: -12 oz cranberries -1 Cup Granulated Sugar -Zest and Juice of 1 Orange/Lemon (orange would give a sweeter flavor) -½ Cup Water Directions: -Grab a medium saucepan and add your cranberries, sugar, and water -Zest 1 orange over the pan -Once zested, slice it in half and juice it into the rest of your ingredients -Allow your sauce to simmer over low or medium-low (depending on the size of your stoves, I’d recommend using one that will reach the entire length of the bottom of the pan) for 12-15 minutes -Once reduced and the juices are seemingly seeping and forming a jelly-like texture, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the sauce to a glass container (or plastic but first wait for it to cool if you use plastic) -Store in your refrigerator overnight (I’d recommend making this recipe the night before thanksgiving or a couple hours before you’re going to eat) -Serve and Enjoy! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Spotlight Back to Sections Avoiding the Unknown By Elaine Ching March 28, 2022 Watercolor Volume 2 Issue 5

Back to Articles Feature, Science & Technology Back to Sections NASA Got Its First Asteroid Sample Cody Sung Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by NASA/Keegan Barber On September 8, 2016, NASA launched a spacecraft to an asteroid to collect a sample of rocks and dust from its surface. Seven years later, on September 24, 2023, the craft landed on Earth, carrying the first NASA samples from an asteroid in its history. The spacecraft’s name is OSIRIS-REx, standing for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer. This name sounds complex, and it is, but it simply means that the craft’s goal was to fly to an asteroid, scan it, take a sample from it, and return to Earth. The asteroid used for the mission was called 101955 Bennu, considered a near-Earth asteroid. Bennu is only around one-third of a mile wide at its equator but is a time capsule from the Solar System’s early days – it gained its present composition only a little bit after the formation of the Solar System. NASA suspects that it may have organic molecules in its carbon-rich environment like those that helped start life on Earth. To find out more about Bennu, NASA began developing the mission with help from scientists at the University of Arizona and built the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. NASA equipped it with a camera suite, laser technology, light and heat scanners, an X-ray imaging device, and a sampling device. These pieces of equipment, along with the rest of the craft, weighed around 4,650 pounds. On September 8, 2016, the Atlas V rocket carrying the craft launched from Cape Canaveral and about 55 minutes after launch separated from the rocket and deployed its solar arrays to power it in space. Around a day after the launch, OSIRIS-REx crossed the Moon’s orbital path at roughly 240,200 miles away from Earth. Three days later, it began to orbit the Sun. About a week later, on September 19, 2016, the mission team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center began to activate the craft’s scientific instruments. To position it for a gravity assist from Earth, the craft fired its main engine on December 28, 2016. This assist came on September 22, 2017, when OSIRIS-REx passed Earth at roughly 10,710 miles above its surface, took high-resolution pictures of the planet and the Moon, and used the energy from Earth’s gravity to tilt its orbit to match Bennu’s. Nearly a year later, in August 2018, the spacecraft sent a grainy image of Bennu 1.4 million miles away from the asteroid. In early November, it took more detailed images of the asteroid’s shape and certain surface features. Its official arrival would not come until a month later, on December 3, 2018, when OSIRIS-REx completed its journey and arrived at Bennu. From there it mapped the asteroid in detail while NASA’s mission team searched for a safe sample site on the extremely rocky and hazardous surface. After a year of deliberation, the team selected a site named “Nightingale,” a young crater with freshly exposed rocks and dust. The team reckoned it would provide a pristine sample of the asteroid, and OSIRIS-REx collected the sample on October 20, 2020, with an extremely brief touchdown called a “Touch-And-Go" maneuver. Two days later, images confirmed it had collected more than enough material and on October 28, the mission team commanded the spacecraft to close the sample capsule. With the sampling complete, on April 7, 2021, the craft completed its last flyover over Bennu and took fresh images of the sampling site. After flying for two and a half years and orbiting the Sun twice, OSIRIS-REx returned to Earth on September 24, 2023, releasing the capsule with the sample from the rest of the craft. It landed at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range where scientists retrieved it. The spacecraft, however, did not land and went to explore another asteroid, Apophis, with the new name OSIRIS-APEX, standing for OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer. The sample is currently in a clean room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In the meantime, NASA has reported that the initial analysis revealed carbon and water in the sample and there was so much extra material that it slowed down the sample collection process. The analysis will continue for the next two years; after that, NASA will keep at least 70% of the sample at the Johnson Space Center for future research, the fruitful reward of a highly successful mission by NASA to study the cosmos. Sources https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex/ https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-bennu-asteroid-sample-contains-carbon-water/ https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex/in-depth/ https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/101955-bennu/ https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/ BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Stressful Minds Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Annie Diep in the labyrinth of the mind, stress creeps, a shadowed figure that never sleeps it twists and turns, a tangled vine, entwining thoughts in a complex design a silent storm, it rages within, a whirlwind of chaos, where to begin? each thought a puzzle, each feeling a knot, in this maze of stress, we find ourselves caught yet amidst the turmoil, there lies a key, to unlock the door, to set us free for within the chaos, there's a hidden calm, a sanctuary where we find our balm so let us navigate this maze of stress, with courage and grace, we'll find success for in the depths of chaos, we'll uncover, the strength within us, to rise and discover BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Perspective Back to Sections Victoria Scarpa - Perspective - 2 By Victoria Scarpa December 16, 2020 Digital Art Volume 1 Issue 3

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Esther By Isabella Somma March 28, 2022 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 5

Back to Artwork Back to Sections Olivia Muscatteli By Olivia Muscatteli Volume 3 Issue 1