Culture

F shion Sen¢e with Raigan Clay

What’s cool right now? This summer there hasn’t really been one specific thing that everyone is wearing or experimenting. I think there’s a little bit of beauty in that though because it challenges people to go out and play with pieces that they wouldn’t normally wear. This also allows for a little bit more originality, which is not something that this generation has been great practicing. The great thing about fashion is that it’s all in the eye of the beholder and is subjective. For example, I’ve noticed rap artists specifically are starting to add platform/combat boots to their wardrobes. It’s literally the middle of August, but for some reason that’s the new wave everyone is riding. Kanye West just released new glasses as a part of his Yeezy x Gap collab “YZYGAP.” They’re futuristic and kind of obnoxious…but in a good way. Another thing I’ve noticed this sum-

Kanye West makes waves in the athleisure sphere with a new Gap collaboration. Photo courtesy of gq.com. Vintage New Balances make a triumphant return in the sneaker community. Photo courtesy of Sneakernews.com.

mer is that designer name brands are not must-haves anymore. Honestly, it just doesn’t look very appealing anymore on pieces. Thrifting is huge right now, so finding cool things doesn’t have to break the bank. At the end of the day, who actually cares what brand you have on? If it’s a good fit, there’s no denying that. Something that will always be cool is jewelry. This can often either make or break your outfit. Men’s jewelry specifically is always fun to play with and experiment and has definitely become more mainstream in the past year. New Balances are lowkey making a comeback, and they have a lot of niche releases that are really fun. All in all, Summer 2022 was a time for experimentation, and hopefully by fall we all have more of a sense of what our style is.

ESTEFANIA LOPEZ-SALAS

Staff Writer

Conocemos a México por sus cielos soleados y sus hermosas playas, pero recientemente se ha formado una sequía por casi la mitad del país. La Comisión Nacional del Agua de México declaró una emergencia por la sequía, y el gobierno está tratando de tomar medidas para garantizar el suministro de agua. Se ha dicho que La Niña, un ciclo cuando el Océano Pacífico comienza a enfriarse cerca del ecuador, es la causa de esta sequía. México tiene múltiples embalses y muchas han quedado básicamente vacías. Uno de los embalses de Santiago, México que alimenta a la ciudad está menos de 1% lleno mientras que otro está 46% lleno. Por lo general, el 60% del agua de Santiago viene de estos embalses y el resto de unos pozos subterráneos. Si no llegan las lluvias habituales de agosto, se deberán imponer restricciones de agua en varias ciudades de México, lo que afectará el turismo y la producción industrial.

We know Mexico for its sunny skies and beautiful beaches, but recently a drought monitor has been placed in almost half the country. Mexico’s National Water Commission declared a drought emergency, and the government is attempting to take steps to guarantee water supply. La

Your Language Corner

Drought devastates Mexico’s water supply. Photo courtesy of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Niña, which is a cycle when the Pacific Ocean begins to cool near the equator, has been said to be the main cause of this drought. Mexico has multiple reservoirs, and many have been left basically empty. One of Santiago, Mexico’s reservoirs that feeds the city is only 1% full while another is only 46% full. Usually, 60% of the city’s water comes from these reservoirs and the rest from deep, underground wells. If the usual August rains don’t come, water restrictions will have to be placed on multiple cities in Mexico, affecting tourism and industrial production.

In this month’s rendition of The Lily Pad, I come to you with an issue close to home. Beginning this month, the EPA launched an investigation into the workings of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) after the Harris County Attorney, among others, issued complaints about environmental justice in our hometown. The complaints specifically regard concrete batch plants, plants that Lone Star Legal Aid say violate civil rights laws. According to the Texas Tribune, “the state environmental agency [allegedly] discriminated against racial and ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency” by “[failing] to provide information in Spanish” in the permitting process to build batch plants. Data from the EPA compiled by the Houston Chronicle tells us there are at least 188 concrete batch plants in Harris County alone, housed disproportionately in low-income communities. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a leader in the call for TCEQ’s accountability, argues that by failing to seek public comment during the permitting process, the agency did a great disservice to its citizens. Menefee went on to say, “You can’t go into a community that has 80% Spanish speakers and folks who are limited in English proficiency and only submit stuff in English,” and if “[TCEQ is] not willing to [do their duties], we’re looking for the

The Lily Pad

with Lily O’Gorman

EPA to make them… or cut their federal funding.” TCEQ has been historically known to flout environmental regulation, facing opposition from local government and the EPA in the past. For this reason TCEQ has been habitually referred to as “overly permissive.” The agency’s platform of deregulation means communities are facing severe health issues. Fern Uennatornwaranggoon, air quality police manager of the Environmental Defense fund (EDF) said “living near these facilities [means] you are exposed to higher levels of harmful pollution,” including particulate matter, black carbon, and nitrogen dioxide. This pollution often manifests in serious health conditions such as reduced lung development in children, increased rates of asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, and cancer.

To make it worse, according to Allyn West of the Rice University Kinder Institute, “Almost one-third of concrete batch plants in [Houston] are located a short walk from a school or day care.” The issue at hand is layered by systematic issues. According to West, “Because land has been cheapened by redlining, disinvestment, restrictive covenants and environmental racism, polluters concentrate unevenly across the region, often intentionally in communities of color and low wealth, compounding other issues and creating entrenched disparities”. Furthermore, underrepresented, economically-challenged communities often not only have to bear the brunt of pollution but also have to house projects aimed at fixing the disasters themselves. West highlights this fact, noting that “asthma rates [in Houston’s Fifth Ward] edge close to 11%, compared with 7% in River Oaks.” Looking forward, many Houston Representatives hope to change the system from the inside out, requiring from TCEQ more than the “bare minimum” and demanding holistic consideration of the plant’s impact prior to the building process. State Rep. Armando Walle said, “The issue is lax enforcement from the state,” and more power should be given to local health agencies since TCEQ consistently fails to prioritize the needs of Houstonians for monetary gain.

Raigan’s Radio

RAIGAN CLAY Features Editor

Summer 2022 releases - how do we feel about them? This summer, music fans were well fed and received new projects from a wide range of artists. The summer started strong with the long-awaited [1855 days to be exact] release of Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers from Kendrick Lamar. This album displayed a different side of Kendrick and fans were given a more vulnerable take from Kendrick. While there aren’t many “backseat freestyle” replicas on the project, fans still enjoyed this new era of Kendrick. Some of my favorites were “We Cry Together,” “Mirror,” “Purple Hearts,” and “Count Me Out.” Drake dropped his summer offering Honestly, Nevermind. This album received mixed reviews, and fans of Drake weren’t really vibing with the direction he took in this project. The album is in the category of dance/house. Drake has never produced an album of this genre. Many fans were confused as to why he would make an album like this. My hot take is that if you claim to be a Drake fan and have listened to projects like Views or More Life, you would see that Drake has been on this

wave for a minute. This project isn’t bad - it just shows Drake’s versatility. In July, Steve Lacy released his third studio album Gemini Rights. Fans of Lacy were anxiously awaiting what he was going to do for this project. With the successful release of singles “Mercury” and “Bad Habit,” Lacy created hype around the project. Many people would say Gemini Rights is the culmination of all the potential Lacy displayed on The Lo-Fis [my favorite Steve Lacy album] curated into a focused project. Last, music fans got the release of Renaissance: Vol.1 from the queen bee herself, Beyoncé. This album was definitely not what I was expecting. With the release of “Break My Soul,” I was worried that the whole album would share that same vibe and…it did. The genre of the album is pop, but Beyoncé played with a house and dance vibe. One thing that should be praised on this album is her vocals. Her range truly shows that she’s a seasoned artist. This album is completely different from The Carters and Lemonade and was really meant to just be a feel-good project. I didn’t absolutely love this album, but I also don’t think Beyoncé has it in her to make a bad one. My favorites from this project were “Plastic Off the Sofa” and “Virgo’s Groove.” Life lessons are many in Frankl’s memoir Man’s Search for Meaning

ISABEL O’GORMAN

Copy Editor

In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl recounts his time as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, reflecting on the strategies he employed to survive, and suggests the relevance of his experience in the world of psychiatry.

Man’s Search for Meaning explores the roots of happiness, offering evidence that happiness is not a result of external circumstances. Frankl’s experience in perhaps the worst imaginable situation - a Nazi concentration camp with literally everything taken from him - pushed him to find purpose and even moments of joy in the smallest details of mundane life. Ultimately, this practice allowed Frankl to survive without succumbing to his environment’s despair. As a psychiatrist, he used this deep insight in his medical practice treating depression. He found that encouraging his patients to similarly find meaning in their own lives, for example, tending to a plant, could draw them out of or lessen their illness. Ultimately, his and his patient’s experiences serve as inspiration that happiness can be found by anyone, no matter the situation. I discovered this novel upon asking my parents about their favorite books. When they independently responded with Man’s Search for Meaning, I knew I had to read it. I can now say that my parents were right, and I wholeheartedly believe everyone should read Man’s Search for Meaning.

Top 10 Fiction and Non-Fiction of 2022 (so far)

1. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

2. All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir 1. How You Get Famous: Ten Years of Drag Madness in Brooklyn by Nicole Pasulka

Clockwise, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Steve Lacy, and Drake. The popular artists released new albums this year to the mixed reactions of fans and music critics. Photo courtesy of vice.com, nytimes.com, the guardian.com, and facebook.com.

Fans flock to see new Elvis film

KYRIAKI POSTOLOS

Staff Writer

The musical/drama Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, follows the life of rock’n’roll icon Elvis Presley over 20 years. Before the film’s release this past June, lead Austin Butler was well-known for his performances in teen-drama series. The movie received lots of feedback from Elvis’ fanatics who felt it didn’t truly represent him in the way that they had hoped; novice Elvis fans loved the movie and its flashy colorful depiction of his story. Top Rotten Tomatoes critic Todd Gilchrist said, “Luhrmann’s fast-cutting super-montage style overpowers the subject matter, and the result is an impressionistic, jumbled highlight reel of Presley’s many accomplishments.” Many critics acknowledged that the movie was entertaining and fun to watch, but not accurate enough to call a biofilm. Go see for yourself, it’s still in theaters

In another good sign for movie theaters recovering from the pandemic, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis just became the director’s highest-grossing film in North America. It stars Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker and Austin Butler as the legendary singer. Photo courtesy of people.com.

Top 20 Grossing Films: Summer 2023

3. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

4. Violeta by Isabel Allende

5. True Biz by Sara Nović

6. House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

7. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

8. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

9. Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

10. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

2. The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach by Sarah Stodola

3. Hollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein and the Culture of Silence by Ken Auletta

4. The Last Days of Roger Federer by Geoff Dyer

5. The Gotti Wars by John Gleeson

6. Dress Code by Véronique Hyland

7. How Civil Wars Start by Barbara F. Walter

8. Lost & Found by Kathryn Schultz

Total Gross Release Date

1. Top Gun: Maverick $683,438,969 May 27 2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness $411,331,607 May 6 3. Jurassic World Dominion $373,907,070 June 10 4. Minions: The Rise of Gru $350,240,940 July 1 5. Thor: Love and Thunder $332,146,873 July 8 6. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 $190,872,904 Apr 8 7. Elvis $144,853,303 June 24 8. Lightyear $118,271,115 June 17 9. Nope $113,793,605 July 22 10. The Bad Guys $96,713,440 Apr 22 11. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore $95,850,844 Apr 15 12. The Black Phone $88,720,035 June 24 13. Where the Crawdads Sing $77,777,991 July 15 14. Everything Everywhere All at Once $69,768,936 Mar 25 15. Bullet Train $69,011,503 Aug 5 16. DC League of Super-Pets $67,393,474 July 29 17. Downton Abbey: A New Era $43,896,550 May 20 18. The Bob’s Burgers Movie $31,933,830 May 27 19. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero $20,100,000 Aug 19 20. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank $17,811,382 July 15