Another crazy year is coming to an end. It seems that each year has its own title (i.e. 2016 seemed to be the year of celebrity deaths), and, unfortunately, 2018 may be called "the year of natural disasters." In the end, however, 2018 has been a year that has a lot of positive value whether that would be from its spectacular movies, women having more power than before, and the movement the world is taking to preserve sea life.

Marvel has thrived for movies this year. It has released big films such as Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and a few others. Black Panther is said to be an important moment for "black America." The movie created a lot of attention back in 2017 as users on Twitter created hashtags and tweeted about it before it could even release. "'It's the first time in a very long time that we're seeing a film with centered black people, where we have a lot of agency,' says Jamie Broadnax, the founder of Black Girl Nerds, a pop-culture site focused on sci-fi and comic-book fandoms." The action-packed movie Avengers: Infinity War sparked a never-ending conversation that will continue into 2019 when the second part, Avengers: Endgame, is released.

From the past election in November, there are more women running in office than ever before. It is an important shift in history as women are more recognized for the power they were neglected of due to the standards that society created between men and women decades ago. Luckily, things have changed that allows women to be treated equally, but the moment we are living in now could continue to make that positive change and empowering women across the globe.

A big change happening throughout 2018 is the movement to eliminate plastic straws. This became more of an issue as researchers have found that plastic has infested the ocean, and plastic straws have affected sea life for turtles as it gets stuck in their nose. Many restaurants, cities, and cafes, including Starbucks, started to cut back on the use of single-use plastic straws. Starbucks has announced that the company will be switching to strawless lids worldwide by the time 2020 rolls around. Seattle is taking the issue very seriously as well: "Seattle even banned straws altogether and the city imposed a $250 fine on any establishment who doesn't follow the rules." Another solution that companies are coming across is the idea of using reusable straws.

There are always negatives to every year, but it is important to recognize the good things that are happening to remind ourselves that not everything is bad.