Written by Alyssa Thomas

As a firefighter battles a roaring fire, the real danger is not the flame – it’s the invisible cloud of forever chemicals contained in fire extinguisher foam that invades their bodies, causing irreparable, life changing damage. [1]

Written by ​Gabrielle Cohen
Gaby Cohen is a second-year student at the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences studying philosophy, politics and economics.

During the depths of the first nationwide COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, TikTok skyrocketed in popularity as housebound Americans of all ages found solace creating through social media. Beginning early 2021, TikTok users and artists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear started posting short musical clips they had written based on the Netflix series, Bridgerton. Abigail Barlow is a singer-songwriter, and her partner, Emily Bear, is a piano prodigy and composer. The pair synthesized plot elements, character arcs and direct quotes into lyrics and melodies for a hypothetical musical based on the series. Shonda Rhimes produced Bridgerton as a television series for Netflix based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels written in 2020 [1]. The series explores England’s Regency Era marriage market and follows characters' journeys through the social season, with select modern affectations, such as a racially diverse cast and classical versions of 21st century songs [2]. Barlow and Bear’s posts of their creative process on TikTok allowed them to receive live feedback from their followers and the Bridgerton fan base. This inspired them to workshop, write and revise further.

Written by Khlood Awan, Edited by Jameson Russell

Walking down the streets of Pakistan’s bazaars, it’s common to see signs saying “Ahamdis and dogs not allowed” or “Ahmadis should enter Islam before entering this shop.” [1] Discrimination, hate, and violence against Ahmadi Muslims — the only Muslim sect to recognize the coming of the Promised Messiah — is wholly normalized in Pakistan. Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan are facing a genocide perpetrated by Pakistan’s legal system, organized extremist groups, as well as Pakistan’s everyday citizens. Some may argue that the dire situations of Pakistan’s Ahmadi Muslims only constitute crimes against humanity, but through further analysis of the systematic destruction and targeting of the Ahmadiyya community, it becomes clear that the religious minority is facing a genocide. ​

Written by Ingrid Holmquist
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​When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, anti-abortion activists and legislators were quick to act. Before the ink dried on Justice Alito’s majority opinion, 13 states’ trigger laws went into effect, instituting near-total bans on abortion with limited exceptions for rape and incest, as well as to protect the health or life of the mother [1]. In emergency medical situations, however, these exceptions remain violently ambiguous and oftentimes prove to be deadly.

Written by Michael Merolla, Edited by Amanda Pohly

​On September 30th, Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hitting leader, passed away. Over the course of 24 seasons, the man renowned as Charlie Hustle amassed 4256 hits, 17 All-Star recognitions, and 3 World Series titles. [1] For all his undeniable excellence on the field, Rose’s career will forever be marred by controversy. In 1989, reports surfaced that Rose had gambled on major league games, including those involving his own team, the Cincinnati Reds. [2] Following an extensive investigation, the league corroborated the allegations against Rose and permanently banned him from baseball. As a result, he never received the highest honor bestowed by the national pastime: enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Rose was not the first ballplayer to cross this boundary. In 1919, eight Chicago White Sox players were accused of conspiring with professional gamblers to rig the World Series. Now known as the Black Sox Scandal, the ensuing fallout established gambling as the sport’s cardinal sin. [3] For instance, Rule 21, which explicitly bans all Major League Baseball employees from betting on games, hangs in each team’s locker room. [4] A similar regulation exists in just about every professional sports league; employees with direct impact or insider access to the competitions are prevented from wagering on the outcomes.

Written by Aaron Tsui, Edited by Lyan Casamalhuapa

Aaron Tsui is a junior studying computer engineering and robotics in the School of Engineering and Applied Science interested in technology law and intellectual property.

While it is more than likely that you have heard the term “AI” in the news or in conversations, have you ever asked yourself: “What is AI?” 

The obvious answer is “artificial intelligence.” From here, you can derive a simple definition that AI is computer-programmed intelligence that can perform actions or reasoning that would otherwise require human intelligence. Simple enough, right? Not quite. ​

​Written by Samantha Graines, Edited by Nicole Muravksy

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is an international court that enforces the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), serving as the primary judicial mechanism for protecting human rights across Europe. It receives applications from individuals, groups, or states alleging human rights violations by member states, orders remedies if violations are found, and puts out rulings that have led to important legal reforms. While the European system for protecting human rights may appear to be a model framework for protecting human rights, in reality, its decision-making processes and jurisprudence are fraught with ambiguity. This ambiguity undermines the consistency and fairness of its rulings, often leaving essential human rights vulnerable to subjective interpretations.