Melissa Kravitz

Perhaps the most famous National Park in North America, the Grand Canyon attracts nearly six millions visitors from all over the world annually. At 277 miles wide — and up to a mile deep at its lowest point! — the canyon is an impressive natural…

On June 24, 2016, President Obama declared The Stonewall Inn a national monument, nearly five decades after the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969. In doing so, the famed New York City bar became the first LGBTQ-focused national landmark in America. "I…

Koalas: they're cute, not as cuddly as you'd hope, and, by the time Generation Alpha grows up, possibly will no longer exist. Recently, The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), a nonprofit organization working towards saving koalas and their habitats,…

What will the future taste like? Pretty different, according to a new report on the future of food. As grocery shopping becomes more of an online activity than a physical stroll through a store, and climate change threatens to all but deplete our…

On the evening of Tuesday, May 14, the Alabama State Senate — 25 white, male Republican lawmakers — voted to approve the nation's strictest anti-abortion legislation since the passing of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. Although it still has to be signed into…

From transit apps to casual cafes, more and more businesses are going cashless, banning paper money and only accepting plastic. Yet while avoiding the hassle of cash transactions might be convenient for owners, it can be problematic for patrons who…

Air travel is undeniably terrible for the environment, due to the amount of waste typically produced by flights. Some forward-thinking companies are looking to change that standard, however, including Qantas. On May 8, the Australian airline…

Restaurant work can be challenging, and not just in terms of the physical toll it takes on your body. The jobs are often stressful, tiring, and underpaid, and without support services like human resources departments, restaurant workers with mental…

English may not be the official language of the United States, but a significant facet of Americans aren't comfortable with even hearing other tongues, according to a new study. A new Pew survey of 6,637 U.S. adults found that 47% of white…

A human craving for pink fish flesh is putting several species of wild salmon at risk of extinction. A new documentary, Artifishal: The Fight to Save Wild Salmon, looks at the plight of the species and all fingers, or um, fins, point to human…

According to a recent study, the most racist people among us may also be the most ignorant to their biases. New research published in the academic journal Personality and Individual Differences concludes that the most prejudiced participants in a…

The more we learn about Styrofoam, the less there is to like about the popular disposable (but not biodegradable) material. The substance, also called Polystyrene, is made from chemicals that are known carcinogens, and like many single-use plastics,…

At the end of 2018, Tumblr announced that it would start banning so-called adult content, despite countless people visiting the site for exactly those kinds of R-rated posts. Upon hearing the news, many users expressed their frustration, with over…

Finding love at music festivals just got way easier, thanks to a new Tinder feature that lets you match with potential festival flings weeks before you even secure that plastic wristband. Launched on May 1 (just in time for festival season) and…

Zeba Rashid still remembers her first Instagram post in 2012: a blurry cell phone photo of a concert she attended in Manhattan. "I had no concept of filtering my picture for likes at that time. All I cared about was sharing fun picture of a cool…

As a whole, the tech world isn't exactly known for diversity or inclusivity. The sector employees a higher percentage of white people than any other private industry, about 83% of tech execs are white, and only about 20% of tech jobs are currently…

Hemp-derived CBD seems to be everywhere these days, from fast food burgers to Martha Stewart's anticipated line of holistic pet products. An abbreviation for cannabidiol, the hemp-derived substance does not get users high as it doesn't contain THC,…

At a supermarket near my home the workers are on strike. “Don’t shop Key Food,” they call out, as passersby look on, some taking the printed fliers the striking employees of said store are passing out. The paper one-sheets list the reasons the…

Ever see a Gucci or Longchamp or Burberry store at an airport and wonder who’s shopping at the terminal? Planners and savers, that’s who. If you’ve had your eye on a luxury item, or just want to splurge a little while out of the country, shopping…