Author: Student Merrimack

The Umbrella Academy, one of Netflix’s original hit television shows, is coming under fire as being antisemitic due to the language that the villain of the series speaks. By having “The Handler,” played by Kate Walsh, speak Yiddish, many people in the Jewish community feel attacked by the choice of language. Walsh has also starred as Dr. Addison Montgomery in both “Grey’s Anatomy” and the spin-off series “Private Practice,” where her character was the main focus during its run. Even though Walsh’s character also speaks Mandarin and Swedish, it is interesting that there is a big outcry when Yiddish is not the sole language spoken by Walsh.

Due to this dilemma and concerns of the viewers, The Umbrella Academy’s co-creator created a response to the situation. The response can be found here. The co-creator Steve Blackman is upset that viewers have been calling The Umbrella Academy antisemitic as it is hurtful and factually incorrect. Blackman, who is Jewish, wrote the episode where Walsh’s character spoke the Yiddish language and is backing up the claim that “The Handler” was not created as an antisemitic character and that viewers have misconstrued the intention of having her speak the language.

Many viewers see the organization “The Handler” works for as “evil,” and that was not the intention of the creators. “The Commission”, the name of the organization “The Handler” works for on the television show does not control the media or governments; it is their job to protect the timeline of the fictional universe.

After reading the response of Blackman and knowing that “The Handler” speaks all languages and not just one here and there, it seems that this outcry could be an overreaction to a fictional television series. It seems that Blackman, who is also Jewish, would not want to harm those that share his religion in any way. Once Blackman explained that “The Handler,” speaks all languages, not just Yiddish, Swedish, Mandarin, or English, I wonder if the public will see “The Handler” speaking all different languages in future episodes to put this problem to rest and appease the Jewish viewers of the show. Watching the show, I did not remember that the character was speaking Yiddish, and as for me, it was just a language that I knew I had to read the subtitles for, as I do for all foreign languages showcased, such as Swedish and Mandarin.

The error that was made in this scenario was using the language in the first place. People today seem to get offended by everything in every possible way. There are many things that cannot fly or get past sensors, which could have easily been played on shows in the past. Blackman is trying to ease the tensions that came up with this situation, and I think viewers will see a change when season 3 comes out in early 2022. In this case, the choice Blackman makes on how to respond and fix the issue can end up being a decision of having a duty to self, a duty to his company, and a duty to the community. By explaining his decision and the reasoning behind the character, I hope that the public will understand why the show made the choices it did when choosing languages to portray on screen.

Written by: Cara Cahill

By: Joseph Jorgenson

Throughout my life my family has always grown and tended to our family garden. Everyone in the family has always helped out and it is a activity we all enjoy doing. We grow tomatoes, basil, cilantro, red/green peppers, and many different kinds of flowers. My mom would always go pick vegetables from the garden and make a fresh salad or other delicious dishes with the freshest ingredients.

Our family’s garden means so much to our us and is so special to the family. Weather its enjoying a meal directly from Garden or spending Sunday’s planting or picking in the garden. Some of my best memories include picking fresh vegetables, after weeding and tending to the plants , and making a lunch made right from the garden.

Recipes from the garden:

• Caprese sticks
• Fresh tomato sauce
• Roasted butternut squash
• Egg plant-parm
• Fresh salsa
• zucchini bread
• Lavender tea

Family Garden effect on the community and neighborhood:

As we’ve ready many books in class we see a general theme in gardening. That is the sense of community and friendships it brings to everyone around out. My neighbors would come over and help plant vegetables and even take some flowers home. We would share everything we reaped from the garden and the neighbors would do the same. This sense of community built by the garden really strengthened and built a positive relationship Throughout the neighborhood. I believe every community should have a public garden where everyone can enjoy the beauty of it.

Effective planting strategies we use in the garden:

Some planting strategies we use in the garden is planting bright pollinating flowers right next to the vegetables. Another effective strategy we use is using fertilizer rich mulch on the flower beds to help them grow and retain as much water as they can. Having these certain flowers next to the vegetables for many reasons. Primarily it increases pollination from one bed to another, but also deters unwanted insects from the vegetables as well. In the future we are going to look to build raised beds to better protect the flowers and hold more water for them.

Wrap up:

My family’s garden provides much for than just a place to get vegetables or a pretty sight to look at as you walk by. Although it does provide those things, it also provides a sense of community and a sense of friendship that is carried on with every weed pulled and every delicious vegetable plucked. I believe everyone should start a garden to enjoy the multiple benefits and different ways it helps you and your community!

 Written by: Morgan Barker

Have you ever had a garden or something that you take care of regularly? Well my family does, and every year during the summer my stepdad makes the best salsa. He grows his own tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, cilantro, and other plants to make the best tasting salsa that I have ever had along with many other tasty dishes. My stepdad grows tomatoes towards the end of spring, beginning of the summer and they are usually ready around July or August. He is so engaged with his garden that every time a vegetable starts to sprout, he sends it to me and my family. I remember when his onion started to sprout, he was so excited, and I was excited too because I knew that salsa time was about to begin. My favorite part about his salsa is growing the vegetables with him, especially watching the jalapeños grow. It takes about three to four months for them to be ripe. Some of the jalapeños that he plants in our garden are not fully sprouted, however the ones that are we use for our amazing dip. To add a little flavor to our dip my stepdad usually puts a little bit of cilantro to give it that kick. Growing vegetables in my stepdad‘s garden makes me feel somewhat like a chef, because I am making salsa with the ingredients that I grew in our garden. Not many people can actually take the time to grow vegetables or different types of fruit to make something on their own. Usually people just go out and buy salsa or whatever they need to make the salsa and just make it themselves. I think it is more fun and enjoyable for me to grow the ingredients with my step dad and make the salsa from scratch. I think everyone should try to make this recipe from scratch even if you grab a little packet of seeds and watch the vegetables grow within three to four months. It is definitely worth the wait. I believe that everyone can actually do it but it takes time and patience. Try to make your own salsa and see how it comes out! Having a garden in our backyard has really brought my family together. Gardening can be a wonderful way to connect with your family, friends, and other members of your community.

By: Jillian Dunn

Lavender is a plant known by so many for its vibrant purple color, and it’s amazing smell. The plant is grown usually outdoors and is fairly easy for a gardener to maintain. However lavender can usually only be found in the hot summer months of June to August due to its strive for the hot dry weather. Lavender can also be grown indoors by anyone who decides to do so, however the plant must stay close to a window for sunlight and overwatering is never good. But how does this plant affect our sleep? For years I was told to use various lavender based products to fall asleep easier and to stay asleep longer, but is there scientific research behind this idea and if so how effective is it? Lavender has been proven to cure insomnia of many who struggle falling asleep. When inhaled the plant works to relax the muscles in the body. The lavender based essential oils include antidepressants and anti-inflammatories causing the person to feel less stressed and more relaxed. However this plant does not only cure insomnia but a variety of other stress disorders as well including depression, anxiety, and nausea. Personally I have used lavender based products for years including pillow mists, and hand lotion. I have seen a difference in not only my sleep cycle but in my stress level the following morning as well. I wake up with a lot more energy to start the morning. Overall lavender has seen to be effective but can affect everyone differently. If you would like to try growing lavender yourself I would definitely recommend it, but on the other hand if gardening is not for you I highly recommend pillow mists which can be found at any local drug store. 

Resources:

Wong, C. (2020, December 09). The health benefits of lavender essential oil. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/lavender-for-less-anxiety-3571767

Company, R. (2020, July 27). Can lavender really help you sleep better? Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://restonic.com/blog/can-lavender-help-sleep-better-3749

Garden Design Magazine. (2020, December 08). Growing lavender, Planting & caring – Buy LAVENDER plants – garden design. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.gardendesign.com/plants/lavender.html

Photographs:

Wong, C. (2020, December 09). The health benefits of lavender essential oil. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/lavender-for-less-anxiety-3571767

Lavender plant Pods. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.clickandgrow.com/products/grow-lavender-indoors

Written by: Eliza Whitfield

This semester, I’ve been taking a couple of food and agriculture-based classes; between that fact and my general love for the great outdoors, I decided that I wanted to grow my vegetables this summer. Feeling extra inspired, I decided to build two raised garden beds at my house in Upstate New York. I have always considered myself to be relatively handy, so I confidently drew up basic design plans for the beds and determined what supplies I would need. I figured I would build an eight-foot by the three-foot bed and a six-foot by the three-foot bed would provide sufficient space to grow a handful of vegetables.

I started my project with seven 2” x 6” x 12’ boards, six 2” x 6” x 8’ boards, and two 4” x 4” x 6’ boards. Using a circular saw I cut the 2” x 6” x 12’ boards; I cut three boards to 6’, three boards to 3’, and one board to 18” increments. I then cut the 4” x 4” x 6’ board into 18” increments.

I lined the boards up and using #9 x 3” outdoor screws,  I drilled two 18” boards against three 8’ boards — in the case of the 6’ bed, I only used one 18” board. I then attached the 4” x 4” ‘s to the ends of the lined boards.

I then added the 2” x 6” x 3’ boards to the other side of the 4” x 4” corner posts. Then repeated the process for the remaining sides of the garden bed.

The final step to completing these beds is: filling them with soil, compost, mulch, and seedling vegetables. I have not done this step yet, I will fill the beds in May once this semester is over and I am able to plant the vegetable seedlings.

I have made sure both beds are located in areas that recieve generous amounts of sunlight to allow the vegetables to grow big and healthy. These beds were very easy to build and through building them I was left feeling very accomplished and eager to produce my own food.

Written by Aleda Collins

Basil is said to improve the quality of neighboring herbs, as well as repel flies and mosquitos. Mint also repels mosquitos, aphids, and ants while attracting bees (Dyer, 2021)! The list of beneficial properties of herbs and other crops is endless, but the important thing to remember is to do your research before companion planting because some plants don’t like to leave near each other such as basil and sage. For that reason, they will be on the opposite sides of my herb garden.

Gardening comes in so many forms, and being creative with the space that you have can lead you to a successful harvest. I am eager to see how herbs grow alongside each other compared to in separate containers, and to see if I can get away with my secret garden.

My mom has always been interested in all things relating to flowers. Every year in the early days of April, she would drive down to our local gardening store and buy a couple bags of soil and an assortment of flowers to plant in our flower bed in front of our house. She loved to plant daffodils, roses, and tulips. She would pick a warm Saturday morning in April and she would spend the whole morning planting her flowers.

While she always loved planting roses, tulips, and daffodils, she always wanted to plant sunflowers. My mom would always run into problems growing sunflowers with squirrels eating them early on or having them blow over from the wind or a storm. The sunflowers never would last the whole season. But my mom has had enough and she was more determined than ever to grow sunflowers to their fullest potential and have them last the whole season.

Last April, my mom enlisted me to help her grow the sunflowers. With the Covid-19 pandemic at its worst, we both had nothing to do and we can put our full focus on the flower garden. We first worked to space the sunflower seeds about 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep in the bed. We then made sure to water them regularly and monitor their growth. To deter the squirrels from eating them, we found that if we planted thorny or sharp tipped plants around the base of the sunflowers, they will not be a problem. Sure enough, during the whole growing process, we did not see one squirrel attempt to eat our flowers. To keep the sunflowers from blowing over, we used stakes and tied the sunflowers loosely to the stakes which proved to be successful. 

In about 3 months, my mom and I were able to grow the sunflowers up to 10 feet and we were able to keep them around without them dying prematurely. This made my mom so happy and it proved to be a very good project during the pandemic.

Jeff Joslyn April 6, 2021

By Mike Patterson

Gardening is something that I never really thought that I would get into. Looking at flowers and planting have been something that have never really been prevalent in my life. However in taking this class I have started to gain an appreciation for nature and the beauty that plants have and all the different qualities they possess. A couple of years ago I would never even have considered going to visit a garden while on vacation. But this time around that is not the case. This summer I am going to be taking a two week long vacation traveling to different parts of the United States. One of the stops that we are going to is Virginia. I was looking at things to do in Virginia and one thing I stumbled on was the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia.

From the moment I saw the garden I was immediately impressed. It has a classic look but with a modern twist. The garden has a beautiful orchid collection along with a butterfly garden. The garden has a little bit for everyone including art exhibits, live music, and a variety of tours that you can go on. After reading the description of the garden and looking at different photos I was hooked. Visiting the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden became a must on our summer trip to do list. I never would have thought that going to a garden would actually be something that I would want to do on a vacation. Normally I want to go to amusement parks or stay on the beach. Visiting a garden never really crossed my mind. Throughout the past couple of months I have gained a deeper appreciation for the beauty of nature and gardening.

I am looking forward to my summer vacation and experiencing the beauty of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. It has a lot to offer people of all ages so I believe that it will be a great experience for our vacation. 

Cheers! Cheers! Spring is here!

By: Kyannah Hernandez

Rising under the avalanche of winter weathers, spring begins to sprout. 

Our community has several signs of spring, whether it be flowers blooming, animals leaving and arriving, or simple sunshine. 

According to Bird Watcher’s Digest, animals and flora to keep an eye out for are Woodcock, Peepers, Juncos, Ducks, Owls, and lastly, Tree and Flower Buds. One main sign would be that distinct spring smell, Bird Watcher’s Digest described the smell of spring as 

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”earthy spring smell that the land produces in late February and early March. It’s equal parts rain and soil, grass and ozone, creating a perfume that no amount of chemical wizardry can replicate.”

Bird Watcher’s Digest

Known for its gloomy, showered down days; April is the primary month that introduces warmth in our New England area.

Being born in spring has added a sense of peace in my life. As I walk out into the Merrimack campus, just after 4:00pm- you will witness the geese who do not clean after themselves. You can see them near Austin Hall, by McQuade Library or even spread out around the Sak. 

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Spring is a season of peace and tranquility, a truce against the harsh winter and the coming summer. A chance of blurred pasts and new beginnings; spring is beautiful. 

According to the Weather Channel, a common sign of spring would be the nature of:

“flowers start to bloom in parks, gardens and woods.”

Throughout the community, a flower is springing out of the soil; birds are flocking toward the north to take advantage of the increased insect populations. As birds follow food, when winter comes and food options decrease, birds travel back south until the chain commences again. 

Spring is all around us, it can be down the street or in your very own backyard. If you see it, take it in because when spring goes it’ll be a year before we’ll see these marvelous signs once more. 

Remember to Smile as bright as Earth’s Sun and Enjoy Spring!!