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Electric v Gas Cars

By: Campbell Cromer

While electric cars are often said to be the future of transportation, there are several reasons why they may not be the best choice for everyone or even the environment. First, electric vehicles are often advertised as zero-emission, but this doesn’t tell everything. The electricity required to charge electric vehicles is still largely produced by fossil fuels, so while they may not emit pollutants directly, they still contribute to the carbon emissions indirectly. Also, the production of the high powered batteries, which power electric vehicles relies on mining rare metals like cobalt and lithium. Mining these resources is harmful to the environment and often raises issues around labor practices.

Electric vehicles are also greatly less convenient than their gas-powered parts. While the number of charging stations is expanding, it still falls in comparison to the accessibility of gas stations. Charging an electric vehicle takes significantly longer than filling up a gas car, even with the newest fast-charging stations . For people who drive long distances or don’t have access to home charging setups, this can be a major challenge to the owners of electric vehicles. There is something called range anxiety where people are scared to run out of charge while on the road. Range anxiety is real, and running out of charge is a larger problem to solve than running out of gas.

The upfront cost of an electric vehicle is often higher than the price of a traditional gas car. While people argue that electric vehicles save money on fuel and maintenance, these savings are generally seen over a long period of time, and not everyone drives enough to see the benefits.

Finally, gas cars have just a little over a century of engineering on them. They are efficient, reliable, and adaptable. Electric vehicles might be new and what everyone wants, but their effects, hidden environmental impact, and high cost make them a questionable option when buying a new car for the average driver today. Gas cars on the other hand, remain a practical and dependable option no matter what.

What is the Best Breakfast Food

By: Stirling Tindal

Breakfast is very important because it is at the start of your day and what you will be basing your day off of. If you have a bad breakfast that usually leads to a bad day so you need to know what you should be eating.

I’m only going to be comparing breakfasts that are quick and easy to make and what you would usually eat before school. The main options in the morning are cereal, eggs, grits, oatmeal, breakfast bowls, and muffins. All of these are great but there is one that takes the cake for best breakfast food.

The cereal is really good the first time you have it but if you have it for more than five days in a row it usually becomes pretty bland. The type of cereal is a big factor. My very hot take is that Cinnamon Toast Crunch is not very good. I may think that because I’ve had it so many times but I believe there are so many better options. Cereals like Captain Crunch or Fruity Pebbles I personally think is the best, however; they always end up with the same blended and sugary tastes.

Grits and oatmeal are in a similar category. I’m only going to talk about the easy to make ones that take about two minutes to microwave. Depending on the flavor they can be an amazing breakfast and with their super simple instructions they could be a perfect breakfast. The one factor holding them back is their small serving sizes. To fill you up most of the time it takes two packets.

The best breakfast food is a tie between muffins and breakfast bowls. Both of these options are delicious, can fill you up, and are simple to prepare. A good muffin is the perfect start to your day and preferably a blueberry muffin. If you’d rather have something meaty then you can have the breakfast bowl. The best bowls are the Jimmy John’s breakfast bowls. They only take about three minutes to make and have a good amount of protein, around 20 in each bowl. In my opinion, muffins and breakfast bowls will always be on top in the breakfast world

Top Five Shows

By: Lucy Buxton

Again, I will be making a “top three” list on my personal favorites but this time on my favorite shows but in no specific order.

Starting with “Gossip Girl”. Gossip Girls first season was released in two thousand and seven. This show is about “Upper East Side” teenagers and their family problems. Some actors that star in this show consist of Blake Lively, who plays Serena Van Der Woodsen. Lively stars in “It Ends With Us’, “A Simple Favor”, and “The Age of Adaline”. Lively’s co-star Leigh Meester plays Serena’s best friend. I love this show because it only consists of six seasons which means they don’t really drag on the plot. Every season is interesting and keep you on the edge of your seat.

One of my other favorites is “Watcher”. This show is pretty new, it came out in twenty- twenty- two. This show isn’t for everybody though, it is a horror/mystery show. This show is inspired by the events detailed in a New York Times magazine article by Reeves Wiedeman. This story is said to be mostly true and is about a real house the was stalked by the neighbors and more. This show was created by Ryan Murphy. Ryan Murphy also produced “Monsters” based on the Menedez brothers that has caused a lot of controversy in the last month. I like this show because it messed with your mind and constantly got viewers to pay close attention to every detail.

To add on to the horror/mystery shows, “Fool Me Once” has got to be in one of my top favorite shows. This show is about a newly single mom who is grieving her husband when in just two weeks she sees him alive. The lesson of this show is “People should learn from their mistakes”. I’m not going into too much depth about this show because if you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to spoil it.

Top 3 Fast Food Restaurants

By: Logan Mims

In this week’s blog, I will be writing about and rating my top three favorite fast food restaurants in Sumter, South Carolina. We don’t have that many options to choose from, but some of them are still pretty good.

Coming in at number 3 of my top 3 favorite fast food restaurants in Sumter is Mcdonald’s. I’ll start off with their ice cream. My go to ice cream dessert from there is an M&M mcFlurry. The ice cream is soft serve and it is so good with the M&Ms in it. Their cheeseburger is also pretty good. I usually like to get ketchup cheese and pickles on my burger from there and they are always pretty good. Some people don’t like their chicken nuggets but I honestly think they are good especially with ranch or sweet and sour sauce. Lastly, their fries, I would have to say Mcdonald’s has the best fries out of all the fast food restaurants. They are always hot and crispy and have the perfect amount of salt on them. Overall, I would rate Mcdonald’s a 6/10.

My second favorite fast food restaurant in Sumter is Zaxby’s. I love to get chicken fingers and fries from there along with a piece of their buttery, crispy bread. I personally think the best part about Zaxbys is their sauces. They 100% have the best ranch out of any fast food restaurant you could find and their Zax sauce is also really good. Overall, I would rate Zaxbys a 8/10.

Lastly, my favorite fast food restaurant in Sumter is Chick-fil-A. I feel like that is so basic but they have such a big variety of different things you can get. My favorite thing from Chick-fil-A is their mac & cheese. It is personally my favorite mac & cheese I’ve ever had. I also really love their chicken nuggets and they gave such a big variety of sauces to choose from. chick-fil-A‘s fries are also delicious. Overall, I would rate Chick-fil-A a 10/10.

Best Holiday of all time

By: Bryce Hanson

In honor of Holiday season, I will be writing about the best holiday of all time. Like always there is a certain criteria to be the best holiday, and that is: holiday originality, holiday participation, and holiday food.

To start with holiday originality, you must know what that means in my definition. What is the original purpose and meaning behind the holiday. The most commonly known Holidays for their origin is Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and for good reasons too. Easter with the rising of Jesus again, and Christmas with the birth of Jesus. Then Thanksgiving with the feast between natives and explorers. But the holiday with the best purpose in my opinion is Christmas not only because it’s a celebration of Jesus Christ, but also because it’s a holiday that brings everyone together. No matter what it’s almost impossible to be mad on Christmas. It’s a holiday where everyone takes a pause from the real world and gets together with friends and family.

Then we move on to the holidays with the most participation in the world. Of course we revert back to Christmas, Easter, and special holidays like Halloween. The participation in these holidays are massive, but not worldwide. The most celebrated holiday may come as a surprise for a few,but it is Mother’s Day. The reason I think it’s the most celebrated is because obviously everyone loves there mother, but it’s the most celebrated because there are more people with Moms than dads. Which is a sad fact but that’s why this holiday is so massive.

Lastly comes holiday food, which is not as important as the last two factors but it’s some peoples favorite thing about a holiday. There’s Easter with the signature candy, then Christmas with cookies and delicious meals. But the most signature holiday with overall best food is Thanksgiving. Even if turkey is not your thing thanksgiving has so many options to choose from to satisfy your needs. This Holiday is just above the rest with food and rightfully so since it started with a feast.

So this brings us down to the man question: “What is the best holiday of all time?” To answer that question you have to look back at my criteria and you will see that Christmas is the best. It has some of the best food, and second most participation, and the best origin story. It’s just the best option for a holiday.

Was This Even a Fight?

By: Tyler Jordan

This past weekend, the biggest Boxing fight happened with over 60 MIllion viewers watching on netflix. Jake Paul (10-1) vs one of the best ever Mike Tyson( 50-6) but was it worth watching and paying for it. In my opinion, it wasn’t because the fights before were 10 times better, but I’ll break it down round by round and tell you what i think.

Round 1- They both started off slow playing passive and werent really throwing many punches and wasting energy which i thought was smart especially when Mike tyson is almost 60 he needs to save energy.

Round 2- Jake Paul came out more aggressive landing some good punches and started wearing out Mike which is smart that he didn’t waste all his energy tho.

Round 3- They both came out with a little more energy, but Mike found out he doesn’t have it like he used to and wore out quickly allowing Paul to lay some hard hits.

Round 4- They both went back passive but Paul was still laying some punches down beating on Tyson.

Round 5- Tyson came out strong to start and guess what ran out of energy again allowing paul to beat up on him.

Round 6- They both played passive just trying to save energy.

Round 7- Tyson came out swinging and landed some nasty punches but it was too late.

Round 8- Paul came out passive aggressive and finally defeated the legend Tyson

The judges came to the unanimous decision that Jake Paul won.

Personally, I think it was a waste of time and money to watch it. It wasn’t near as good as anyone thought and was a cuddling match when not fighting. And Jake Paul may have won but there 40 years apart I hope he could have beaten him.

Is The NFL Biased?

After the NFL recently released its most recent MVP rankings list, I have decided there might be some credibility to the fans of the NFL that think it is scripted. The list has Josh Allen number one, Lamar Jackson number two, Jared Goff number three, Jalen Hurts number four, and Patrick Mahomes number five. Now I really don’t have a big problem with the first three. I think they are all interchangeable. The one thing that really makes me wonder if the NFL is scripted or not is the fact that Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes are the four and five. While I do think Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback we have seen in the past decade, this does not excuse the fact that for most of the year he has had more interceptions than touchdowns. He still barely has more touchdowns now and we are in week twelve. Also, do not even get me started on Jalen Hurts. I can not stand how corny he is and how he always tries to drop inspirational quotes after they lose , but when will they end. They went from being 11-0 at the start of the year last year to being 8-2 on a cupcake schedule. They are not a playoff team and the reason is Jalen Hurts. He is not even projected to have four thousand passing yards which is really the bare minimum at this point for an average quarterback. Another problem I have with the NFL is how they will never include Kyler Murray in any conversations. He is for sure a top 5 quarterback this year based on stats and since the MVP is a quarterback award they might as well include him. He does sit sixth in the MVP voting, but I think a top three finish for him will give him the fire he needs to have to carry the team to a Super Bowl next season.

WHY USC?

By: Carson Wilsey

The University of South Carolina (USC) is regarded as the best university in South Carolina for a variety of reasons, including its rich past, outstanding academic reputation, lively campus culture, and emphasis on student achievement. Being the state’s flagship university, USC is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a top-notch education. It has a lengthy history, founded in 1801, and has grown into a respected organization. USC, situated in Columbia, the state capital, students have access to internships and employment around a thriving city. Its excellent academic reputation and ranking as the top public university in the state, proves it the best for anyone looking to attend college in South Carolina.

USC provides a broad range of academic programs to accommodate the needs of a diverse student body. The institution offers more than 350 degree programs, including notable courses in public health, business, engineering, and education. For instance, the College of Engineering and Computing is well-known, while the Darla Moore School of Business is regarded as one of the best in the nation. Strong programs in the sciences and arts are also offered by USC, students can study pretty much any subject they are interested in because of this variety.

Along with its excellent academic reputation, USC offers an exciting campus with lots of extracurricular activities. Students can participate in activities that interest them due to the organizations, which include academic clubs, sports teams, and cultural associations. Additionally, there are leadership programs and a decent Greek life (Frat/Sororities) on campus that support students’ personal and professional development. The stunning campus of USC, full of modern and ancient buildings, offers an ideal environment for learning and relaxation. Students can enjoy their college experience and meet new people in this welcoming environment created by the joyful campus life.

Road Trip

By: Alexis Dawkins

This summer I went on a road trip with my aunt and her best friend. This trip included a week of driving and stopping at different places on the east of the United States. Starting in Sumter we drove to Virginia to pick up my aunt’s best friend. We spent the night there and left first thing the next morning to head to Tennessee to go to a zoo with one of the only spotless giraffes in the world. This was fun but the giraffe looked like a horse with a long neck, very anticlimactic.

We then left and drove to Kentucky to spend the night. The next day we went and did 2 tours in the Mammoth Caves. This is the longest cave system in the world. Even though it was a long day of walking, a lot of squeezing, and an insane amount of stairs, it was my favorite part of the trip. It was pretty and the history behind it was insane because this cave is over 420 miles long. The entire thing was dug by hand.

After this we got in the car and drove for a few hours and spent the night in utah. This was just halfway to New York which was our main reason for the road teip. We spent the night in Utah and drove to Buffalo, New York and went to the restaurant that inspired the road trip in the first place, Southern Junction. This was a place that my aunt saw on the news and had a big idea that we ended up doing. It was good but not my favorite food.

We spent two nights in Buffalo and went to Niagara Falls the next day which was another great part of the trip. We took a walk over to Canada and then went and had dinner. The next day we hopped back in the car and drove it to Pittsburgh to spend the night and then woke up to finish the drive to Virginia. We spent one last night there before heading home after a week-long road trip.

This trip was a great experience and a great way to spend part of the summer and I highly recommend everyone doing a road trip at least once in their lives.

My Next Step

By: Cooper Scott

The most important decision I have ever made happened just a few weeks ago. As a child, my parents raised me in church. However, as I have grown in age and maturity, I have realized my relationship with God was stagnant. On September 15, 2024, I decided I wanted to take the next step in my faith and get baptized. I believe a lot of different people and opportunities have influenced me to take the next step. My parents, siblings, friends, and girlfriend have made a huge impact on me as my journey to getting to know the Lord. Over the years, I have been a part of a youth group at Trinity United Methodist Church, and I have also been a part of a bible study group every Monday morning for the past 7 years. I have been attending my church more regularly, and as well as other churches in the community. Developing a strong foundation has been essential for me and this journey.

As I have become more involved in church, I have constantly been hearing the Lord speak to me and tugging on my heart to take the next step. One reason I knew I was ready was because I became so eager to know more about Jesus and the Bible. Since taking the next step, I have had a different outlook on life and feel relieved in knowing I can bring all my troubles to Him. I know I have a lot to learn and will make mistakes, but I know He has my back. Since taking the next step I have dedicated my life to Jesus and strive to be the best Christian that I can. I strive to be like Jesus and am eager to due my duty as a Christian and spread the word.