The Montly Check-UP
Alcohol and Cancer
Skyler Dunphy
When you think of alcohol, you most likely don’t think about cancer. This is because alcohol and cancer are not seen as having any relation to each other. That is until now. According to the STAT “On Friday, Murthy recommended an update to a decades-old surgeon general warning printed on all alcohol containers in the United States. He proposed that the labels have a more eye-catching look and warn users that drinking increases cancer risks.” Murthy has stated that consuming alcohol will increase your risk of many types of cancer, but women's breast cancer is the biggest one. As most high school students have never had alcohol and have never bought a bottle of alcohol, they most likely wouldn't know that on the label of a bottle of wine, beer, etc, there is a warning label. However, this warning label only states the dangers of drinking while pregnant. Murthy would like to see these warning labels also have a warning of cancer. While it has not fully been proven that alcoholic drinks can cause cancer, there have been studies done by Murthy to show that it does bring up the likelihood of you getting cancer.
Sources
Cueto, Isabella. “The Surgeon General Wants the U.S. To Know that Alcohol Causes Cancer. Plenty Stands in His Way.” STAT, 4 Jan. 2025, www.statnews.com/2025/01/04/alcohol-cancer-risks-surgeon-general-hurdles/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Brain Transplant
Skyler Dunphy
This month, a different angle will be looked at for the monthly check-up. What would happen if doctors could do a brain transplant? At the same time, a brain transplant is not possible as of right now. According to life science, a brain transplant is not likely to happen anytime soon, if ever. Life Science stated, “The answer to that is maybe — but it's a long, long way from happening. And it's unclear whether it would be ethical, even if possible. After all, a brain transplant is a body transplant, raising the question: Is it right to save one person's life with a full donor body, or should that donor's organs go to multiple people, potentially saving many lives at once?” This shows that if a brain transplant were ever to occur, the patient would have a whole new body. Essential for two people to swap bodies. Life Science also stated that “Ethics aside, the brain is a delicate organ, and the spinal cord, which connects to the brain, does not recover well after being cut. While there have been animal experiments involving transplanted heads, most animals that have been subjected to these experiments died within hours or days. The longest-lived have made it only a few months.” Even though there have been some animals where a brain transplant worked temporarily, it doesn’t seem like there will be any long-term transplants scheduled, as this project has been given up by most doctors due to its complexity.
Sources
FARHUD, Dariush D. “Ethical, Social & Psychological Challenges of Head Transplantation in Human.” Iranian Journal of Public Health, vol. 47, no. 9, Sept. 2018, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6174037/. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Update Stephanie Pappas last. “Will Brain Transplants Ever Be Possible?” Livescience.com, 19 Oct. 2022, www.livescience.com/brain-transplants. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Editorials
The Color Purple
Zoe Collins
The Color Purple follows the story of Celie and the struggles of living in the Deep Sleep South with her abusive husband, Harpo. She shows the misfortune of being a black woman of the 1900s by weaving her own story. Celie searches for her newly lost sister, discovers herself through womanhood, and finds her place in the world. This new rendition, based on the Broadway musical and 1985 film, brings the audience back to the past with a modern theatrical twist. The diverse characters set each other apart with their respective actors’ voices, who bring them to life again. They all have different backgrounds while intertwining their stories together through the fellowship of friendships and the pains of discrimination. The musical brings forth many vocal powerhouses to the screen with stars: Hailey Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, and Danielle Brooks. Each actor transports the audience to the scene and showcases their expressive talent with the intense emotion that correlates to such a heavy feature. This film flawlessly executes the harsh realities of the 1900s period while also bringing the heat with a passionate, showstopping musical number to make you get up out of your seat. This movie sticks close to its source material while also opening new ideas and visuals within the narrative. The musical, although dark at times, shows the strength of women and their sisters and never losing the loving bond created through their tribulations.
Matilda Movie Review
Zoe Collins
The 2022 film Matilda is based on the award-winning musical of the same name, yet it brings a fresh take from the source material. This film has a unique story shown through the eyes of young prodigy, Matilda Wormwood. Matilda lives with her sleazy and inattentive parents, who detest her love for reading and learning. One day her parents are forced to send her to a real school, due to their neglect, where she can finally learn how she had always dreamt. Once she arrives, she is faced with a challenging force, such as her new headmistress: The Trunchbull. Her new teacher Ms.Honey is the complete opposite, loves Matilda, and wants to help her exceptional mind in any way she can; even if that means confronting Ms. Trunchbull about... the rules of her school. Matilda already tries to revolt in any way she can from Trunchbull's strict rules, and she finally starts a revolution, giving hope to her peers. She breaks down Trunchbull through her perseverance and wins back the former whimsy school for her classmates and Ms. Honey. The settings help bring out the personalities of the characters and show the deep contrast between Matilda's chaotic life at home versus the one at school. The wide range of characters both encourages her, and others challenge her to develop her character and awaken her confidence. The movie, despite taking place in a dreary and miserable school, also has a stunning color pallet that is ever-changing and keeps the viewer engaged. The scenes are quick, yet not too hard to follow when paying attention, and help to continue the story in a meaningful way. Every song has a purpose and lively visuals to accompany the story while displaying the huge range of vocal talents of adolescents, to richer voices. Choreography also went hand in hand with Matilda, it only adds and highlights the rhythm and overall energy of the songs while not taking away from them either, however quiet at times. Overall, Matilda is an exciting movie that teaches growing minds to push and even break boundaries
and expectations, while still carrying Matilda’s youthful energy and love.