The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 10

October 13, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 10 Opinions Appreciating sunshowers South Florida is known for its unpredictable weather. If it’s raining in the morning, give it a couple of hours, and it’ll be hot, muggy and sunny again. While we sometimes associate the rainy days with gloominess, here in South Florida, we see a meteorological phenomenon that allows us to appreciate the rainy days in a different way. Sunshowers are a meteorological phenomenon where rain falls while the sun is shining because accompanying rainstorm winds, sometimes miles away, blow airborne raindrops into an area where there are no clouds. While they often occur more in the summer and spring months, given South Florida’s uncertain weather, we’ve been seeing a lot more sun showers -- even in the fall. Sunshowers are great because they give us a different outlook on rainy days. On regular rainy days, we may find ourselves more inclined to stay home and get less done. Perhaps, we may even find ourselves napping the day away. Yet, on sunny, rainy days, we can view the rain a bit less disruptive and intimidating and get outside. Perhaps, we may find ourselves dancing in the rain, or at least, running errands and getting stuff done. Some people don’t like the rain, regardless of their being clouds blocking the sun or not, but in some places, deserts, where there hasn’t been rain in days, a sunshower would most definitely be appreciated and wished for. It’s all a matter of perspective, but let‘s not forget to be grateful for what we have, including our spot-in-the-world’s weird weather. While in different cultures, sunshowers are signs of many different things, like foxes getting married in Asian cultures and monkeys having a wedding in South Africa cultures, to me, sunshowers are a sign to keep your head up and enjoy the day, even if there is a little rain. Distancing an artist from their work As a self-proclaimed bookworm, it is no secret that I have fallen in love with books that sometimes have been written by authors who share different beliefs than my own. Recently, many lovers of the Harry Potter franchise are unsettled because of remarks and beliefs J.K. Rowling, the author, has made to the general public in regards to transgenders. The hashtag “#JKRowlingIsATerf,” TERF meaning Trans Exclusive Radical Feminist, was even a top trending topic on Twitter. I am a person who has read and watched the Harry Potter series several times over, time that I would not trade for anything else. With that, the beliefs that one person holds evident should not overshadow something they have created. It is possible to distance an artist from their work; I find it can be easily done. Just as we have the right to our own opinions, so do those people who are well known. I am not a person to burn my copies of “Harry Potter” because the author thinks differently than I do. Just like Hogwarts is separate from the real world, the author’s thoughts and beliefs can be separate from the art itself. If we decided to pick apart everything we don’t agree with, there would be nothing left for us to discover, everything would be broken. I do not agree with J.K. Rowling’s beliefs, but I refuse to go back into my childhood and delete the memories of me thinking I could turn my brother into a toad with my wand if I had the proper spell. Cancel culture has become prevalent in the world we are living in now and I find much could be fixed if we, as a whole, came to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to think and believe the same things that we believe. Sure, I can see that many people believe that, if you support the work of someone who has beliefs that you do not believe in, it can be seen like you have the same thoughts as the person you support, but nothing is that black and white. We must learn to see the good in things because, even in the darkest places, there can be light. It is okay to love things by people you don’t necessarily like; a person is not their work. Art should not be discriminated against just because of who the maker is. “ With that, the beliefs that one person holds evident should not overshadow something they have created. It is possible to distance an artist from their work By: Niccy Shaker Contributing Writer By: Flor Ana Mireles Copy Editor Scorched earth When I say that this year has been crazy, I’m totally aware that what I’ve said is the understatement of the century. The western coast is still on fire, the last white rhino just died, it seems as if there is a hurricane every other week -- sometimes multiple at the same time -- the rainforests are getting destroyed, overfishing is drastically changing the PHOTO OBATAINED BY E. COWAN Nature trail through the everglades oceans’ ecosystems and just about a million other things that just scream“we are killing our planet.” We need to do something right now because we do not have as long as we thought we did to fix this. We have been talking about climate change for quite a while now, and despite the attention it gathers in the media, it is still an issue that is not being dealt with properly and realistically. The U.S. often makes an attempt to be at the forefront of issues like this, with many groups speaking on the subject trying to influence not just American policy, but make a global impact, but it seems like the more you hear about progressive efforts to, for instance, save the rainforest or the coralreefsorthewhales,or,atthispoint,humanity, the more it seems we are going backward instead. Whilst our current President, DonaldTrump, has been in office, our representatives have chosen to incentivize the economy over the environment bywithdrawing fromefforts to reduce humanity’s carbon footprint, like the ParisAccords. Lowering the carbon tax in order for large corporations to become more profitable by not having to abide by laws that make for reduced environmental impact frommass production is a travesty setting us back from creating a greener earth. We are noticing an actual change to the world we live right now and it’s scary. Melting polar ice caps, causing sea levels to rise all over the globe, will inevitably destroy some major coastal cities and islands. We already have damaged the oceans’ ecosystems by overfishing, but I guess trash island (The giant accumulation of plastic called theGreat PacificGarbage Patch containing at least 79,000 tons discarded plastic, covering an area of about 617,800 square miles) can replace our beaches as the new popular tropical getaway. High tide is not the only major result caused by human pollution. After years upon years of rising carbon emissions, the ozone layer of the atmosphere is depleting. Combine that with historic high temperatures and dry air and that results in, you guessed it, over four million acres of California burned, resulting in 26 deaths in 2020 so far, according to NPR. It may seem like the end is already here, but no. This is a wake-up call. New technology is emerging every day that is more efficient than the last and can help us make sure the next generation of humanity has a planet to call home because I don’t think most of us can afford a trip on Space X’s rocket to Mars. Let’s take the time to do the little things that can help our planet like reducing waste, stepping away from non-biodegradables and making sure our government keeps their word when they say they are going to do something about it. Let’s try to save this world before it’s too late. By: Gabriel J. Stone Contributing Writer “ it seems like the more you hear about progressive efforts to, for instance, save the rainforest or the coral reefs or the whales, or, at this point, humanity, the more it seems we are going backward instead.