Owen's Junior-Year English Blog

Do you ever feel dejected when you don't get the number of likes you want on your social media platforms? Well lucky for you, times are going to change. Starting next month, Instagram will stop showing the number of likes you will get to make the app less of a competition and to give people more space to express what they really love.         According to an article done by Fox News, ( HERE ), Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is following the footsteps of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter by eliminating the number of likes seen. He ultimately believes that it's all about the younger generation that uses the app. He feels that the app is too pressurized and kids should not be stressing out about something so little as this. Although this upcoming feature sounds like an amazing idea, some people are completely against it. Celebrities and influencers feel that Instagram is trying to stop them from charging brands from paid advertising, which is how must of these people make their money. B

When you reminisce about last summer, you most likely think about the great times you had, the memories you made, and the record-breaking heatwaves that spread all throughout our country. These heatwaves are not necessarily coming from the sun, it is coming from something we all know and love, trees. Due to natural disasters, disease, and especially human development, more and more trees are dying which is only making our planet polluted and unhealthy.         According to an article done by CNN, (HERE) , a US Forest Service scientist by the name of David Nowak is researching what we can do to prevent the declination of trees. He comes across the point that every time we are building a new road, house, etc. one tree to hundreds of trees will be cut. Once a tree is cut, it not only affects the building site but affects the region. This is important because trees have a huge role in air pollution removal and energy conservation. There are many ways that we can work together and limit th

The Monieson family originated in Russia dating back into the 1800s. Originally, my last name was Moniesov, a typical Russian last name at the time. As soon as my ancestors left Russia to have a better life in the United States, the last name gradually changed from Moniesov to Monieson. An interesting fun fact is -OV means -SON in Russian, meaning that my last name had the same meaning in both places. My ancestors had a very hateful relationship with Russia, so they made sure to keep living there in the past. No one in my family’s name is based upon religious affiliation and/or nationality. But, we do honor those who came before us. For example, my brother, Jonas, is named after my great-grandmother Josephine.  Between 1815 and 1915 around 30 million Europeans immigrated to the United States, including my great-great-great-grandparents and their children. In the 1870s, the Moniesov family took a steamboat from Russia to New York City. They left Russia in the first place because of r