Now that 2016 is officially over, we can look back on last year’s music releases and gush about our favorites. In this list of the top ten K-Pop releases of 2016, I’m judging by personal opinion, not the number of views each video got, and I don't list the same band twice or list a subgroup of the band if I’ve already used one of their songs. I’m a far cry from a music expert, but you might discover some amazing new artists or songs that you missed the first time! Currently sitting at 81,658, 4

Chocolate is an essential part of everyone’s Valentine’s Day experience, whether you’re single or taken. In fact, for many of us (especially as females) it is part of our everyday lives (Valentine’s Day or not). In the wake of post-Valentine’s Day sales, many of us will take the opportunity to stock up. There is a dark side to chocolate, though, that few of us know about: much of it is produced through slavery and child labor. Chocolate farmers are exploited and paid very little for their labor

Doctors, I realize that y’all have a hard job and I wouldn’t trade with you for the world. That being said, I have quite a lot of experience with chronic illnesses: my mom, sister, best friend, and myself, among others, all suffer from some form of chronic illness. So I know what I’m talking about when I say that I’ve noticed a pattern during the fight for diagnosis. Last week I walked into the doctor’s office with a resting heart rate of 112, some dizziness, nausea, unending fatigue, and ches

A new bill in Indiana, House Enrolled Act 1337, bans abortions that are being sought out solely because of the baby’s gender, race, or a possible disability such as Down Syndrome. This has resulted in a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood, but the reality is that the bill protects the lives of unborn babies. The bill is aimed at protecting disabled children like those born with Down Syndrome. As of 2009, ABC News reports that a shocking 92% of women who are given a “prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrom

This year, ABC started airing a new show called Speechless, which is quietly filling a much-needed spot in American broadcasting that has long been vacant. The show tells the story of a teenager and his family: his overprotective mother, his lazy yet supportive father and his younger brother and sister. This sounds like an average show so far, right? But there is one detail that makes all the difference -- this teenager has special needs. J.J. is wheelchair bound and is quite literally speechle

When we talk about rape, we often say how barbaric it is, how awful it is, how rapists deserve many, many years in jail, and yet these views do not seem to be represented in our country’s laws. We all know about the realities of the way rape victims are treated in the courtroom, like they are the criminals rather than the victims, and we all know about the light slap on the wrist that offenders such as Brock Turner often get. In fact, according to RAINN, 994 out of 1,000 rapists will not go to

Riots have become commonplace in America – so commonplace that some people no longer seem able to distinguish between a riot and a protest. If Americans feel wronged, we take to the streets. We loot stores or break the windows of cars; we throw things at police officers who are just doing their jobs, and then we have the gall to complain when “protestors” are arrested. A protest ceases to be a protest the instant people start getting violent – at that moment, the protest becomes a riot. And whi

F.T. Island is a lesser-known Korean band that recently performed at KCON Paris along with big names like BTS and Shine. People expected F.T. Island to be the weakest performance there. Instead, they blew up the Internet, trending in Paris until 4 a.m. So what makes them so awesome? F.T. Island is breaking barriers in South Korea where rock music is concerned. For years, they weren't able to write and perform rock because their label felt that it would be too much for Korean listeners. They gai

Anyone who thinks that Brock Turner's story ends here is lulling themselves into a sleepy, rose-colored fantasy land of denial.

Brock Turner was caught in the act of raping his unconscious victim behind a dumpster. Everyone knows he's guilty, and despite his lies in the courtroom claiming that he asked for permission at various stages (obviously contradicting his statements from the night after the rape), the jury found him unanimously guilty. Somehow, though, the Great American Justice System (i.e. Judge Aaron Persky) decided that prison "would have a severe impact on him" and sentenced him to only six months in a count

I spent my entire high school career trying to find classes that challenged me. I learned very quickly, however, that I was fighting a losing battle. While the No Child Left Behind Act was well intended, our education system is now geared specifically towards the kids who learn slower or the kids who simply don't care. There is no room to grow for those who learn quickly or care about their education; there is a glass ceiling in place that they are destined to slam into over and over again durin

Korean food is starting to get more and more recognition for being the delicious gift to the culinary world. Even in my small town, Korean restaurants and chains are popping up, and it's glorious. The food is often healthy and colorful, and many dishes are naturally gluten free (the only stumbling block to this is soy sauce, if you happen to be on a very strict gluten free diet). Whether you are new to this cuisine or you're simply searching for new dishes to try, I've compiled a list of mouthw

North Korea is a country ruled by fear; North Koreans face thousands of daily oppressions. Starvation is by no means rare, and people witness public executions regularly. If a North Korean is caught trying to escape, they will either be shot on the spot by border guards or sent to a concentration camp. Regardless, more and more North Koreans are defecting each year. Their troubles won't end with defecting, however; the border between North and South Korea is the world's most secure border, makin

Everyone's seen images from the Holocaust. Oftentimes they're blurry, low-quality photographs, but they don't need to be HD to catch the soul-crushing amount of pain, suffering and cruelty that the victims faced. I didn't know people could grow so thin, skin stretched like spandex over bones, until the first time I saw an image of Holocaust victims. I knew people could do bad things, but in my childish naïveté I didn't know that human beings could reach the level of hellish cruelty which I had,

North Korea -- it's a country everyone's familiar with, although usually only for its "hilariously" crazy leader, Kim Jong Un, and his threats of nuclear attacks. Kim Jong Un bombards media with assurances that North Korea and its citizens are more than surviving -- they are flourishing. The people of North Korea are often overlooked, at best labelled as brainwashed and simply tossed from our thoughts. Here's the truth: In the 1990s, North Korea experienced a famine that killed an estimated 3.5