Xiao Hua Issue 26

Xiao Hua

Issue 26

Into the Unknown

May 2022

Grade Inflation:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

˘ Space Exploration:

From Carbon Footprint to Space Junk

#Ł +*˚fl

y‹

Prestige, privilege, and pompous entitlement:

Welcome to the debased world of college applications

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Deep Insight Into College Admissions So you know you are making the best informed decisions

“[...] Thank you so much for dealing with me for the past year in particular, as I know your schedule became increasingly packed toward Christmas, and I hope my essays were intriguing enough to keep you awake at 3am.

Once again thank you so much and I know this letter doesn’t do you justice for the love and care you poured toward my applications!”

- C.C., CIS, Class of 2019, University of Chicago

“Under her guidance, I managed to get into my first-choice college that I firstly would not have applied to had I not consulted with Antonia, and secondly would never have dreamed of getting into. The college process was by no means an easy one, but having an admissions counsellor definitely streamlined the journey and I cannot imagine having gone through it successfully without Antonia’s direction.”

- S. Ma, CIS, Class of 2018, Barnard College, Columbia University

“[...] It was with her help that I managed to not only get into an Ivy League school but also properly understand what I wanted to get out of my college experience well in advance of my peers. If I were to go through the entire application process again I’d definitely choose to work with Ally!”

- J. Cheng, CIS, Class of 2013, Cornell University

“Antonia could not have made me feel better prepared and confident in my college application process. Using both an extensive knowledge of the industry and an instinct for what I wanted in an essay, she structured a one of a kind admission journey for me. [...] Thanks to Antonia, I’m in my dream school.”

- E.M., HKIS, Class of 2020, Oxford University (Wadham College)

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XIAO HUA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Myriam Lynch

CHINESE FEATURES EDITOR Michelle Min Writers Emily Ma, Grace Ma, Joyce Sze, Sherry Wong, Lucas Wu, Meghan Yue DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION Charlie Yeung Jade Chen, Darin Lee, Helen Song DIRECTOR OF ILLUSTRATIONS Michelle Qiu Illustrators Trini Chan, Lea Cheng, Miah Cheung, Angela Guo, Meagan Hsu, Sherry Liu, Kaylee Zhang, Isabelle Zee DIRECTOR OF LAYOUT Ningjing Huang Layout Designers Jocelyn Ho, Lilly Larard, Amelia Oram, Sonia Shum, Maegan Wang, Shuwen Wen, Nathan Wu DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Evelyn Kwan Photographers Jake Chan, Claire Fang, Ashley Gatt, Erin Lau, Tallie Lin, Tony Shu, Bridget Tang, Ashley Wong, Jake Wu, Han Juby Xie, Hannah Yuen DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Natalie Kam Shirley Deng, Candice Hui ENGLISH FEATURES EDITOR Alexander Arnold Writers Kian Chan, Colin Chau, Thomas Cheung, Katherine Law, Tanya Wan, Aviva Wang, Elliot Yuen NEWS EDITOR Conrad Cheng Writers Tiffany Cheng, Benjamin Coulter, Chloe Huen, Nathan Wu SPORTS EDITOR Querida Lai Writers Sofia Finnemore, Bella Lent, Nicole Wu

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EDITORIAL BOARD

MICHELLE MIN

Chinese Features Editor

起初提出“步入未知”这一主题，部分是因为我 自身对未来的忧虑与恐惧，很高兴看到大家并 未受限于我的小小私心，而是从社会话题，个 人经历，以及影视等多角度地对这一主题抒发 了自己的看法，实在让人欣喜。经过一年的相 处，我发觉校话笔者们身上所蕴含的最大宝 藏，莫过于他们对于社会的密切关注，深刻洞 察，以及对这些引人深思的体悟毫不吝啬的分 享。希望作为读者的你，也能感受到这文字背 后的真情实感，与铿锵有力。

CHARLIE YEUNG

Director of Business and Administration

“Into the Unknown” is a really cool issue, so I hope all of you enjoy reading it and maybe even learn something from it. I am glad that we could end this academic year off with issue 26 and I’m looking forward to the future issues as well. Thank you to everyone

MICHELLE QIU

Director of Illustrations

Thank you to all of the artists who participated in this issue! It’s great to see everyone’s artworks improving and evolving throughout the year. It was great collaborating with so many artists, writers and creatives. I look forward to seeing even more works in the future. I hope everyone will enjoy this issue!

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NINGJING HUANG

NATALIE KAM

Director of Layout

Director of Social Media

Why did the template and guidelines folder get deleted </3

Hope everyone enjoys this new issue of Xiao Hua! It is amazing to see everyone’s hardwork and their own interpretations of the theme “Into the Unknown”. It was a pleasure to work on this issue with so many talented people and share it with the community.

Thank you to all the designers on the Layout team!

EVELYN KWAN

Director of Photography

In this time of uncertainty, it was a pleasure to still be able to work with a dedicated and incredible team. I hope everyone enjoys the different perspectives and interpretations on this year’s theme ‘Into the Unknown’!

Thank you to all the photographers and everyone on the Xiaohua team for working so hard to finish this year off with such an amazing issue 26!

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CONRAD CHENG

News Editor

Support student journalism.

ALEXANDER ARNOLD

QUERIDA LAI

English Features Editor

Sports Editor

Would you let “I dare not” wait upon “I would”, like the poor cat i’ the adage? Be brave: join Xiaohua, and create with us.

It was an absolute honor to be able to collaborate with such an amazing and dedicated team. Hope Issue 26 will not only be an insightful read, but also a medium for our readers to cope and navigate through the unknown in these unprecedented times.

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EDITOR'S LETTER

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Dear CIS,

W

hen Xiao Hua’s editorial team chose the theme for this 26th edition, Into the Unknown, in February, the city’s fifth wave of Covid-19 was assuming ominous dimensions and school had moved to online learning again. Omicron had finally arrived and with it the uncertainties of what might happen when this highly contagious variant met Hong Kong’s zero-Covid policy.

As I write in April, Hong Kong is opening up again but perhaps the only thing we know for sure about Covid is that we have no idea where the pandemic is headed or where it will hit next. Meanwhile, the climate crisis, which has continued during these pandemic years even while it was pushed out of the headlines, lurks as perhaps the truest “unknown” we will ever face.

Like Odysseus on his 10 year voyage from Troy to Ithaca, where every day promised an encounter with previously unimagined dangers, we cannot, it seems, in 2022, escape a permanent condition of living on the edge of this great and frightening unknown.

Faced with these issues, our Xiao Hua team does not shrink away, but instead eases into this discomfort. The unknown presents us with opportunities to face new problems and find new solutions. The unknown prompts discoveries.

Covid-19 accelerated the development of mRNA vaccines and their production at a global scale.

The climate crisis is finally driving major car makers like Ford to invest massively in electric cars (even if their batteries come at a price for the environment). Necessity may be the mother of invention but necessity is often the need to find solutions to previously unknown problems.

One of the most fascinating bits of news to drop during the fifth wave was the discovery of the explorer Sir Edmund Shackleton’s ship, HMS

Endurance, which was crushed by Antarctic ice in 1915 and sent to the bottom of the remote Weddell Sea, where a team of scientists located it in March using state-of-the-art underwater robots. Shackleton and his crew of 27 men had set out from England in 1914 to make the first land crossing of Antarctica but after eight months at sea, the ship became locked in pack-ice only a day’s sail from their destination and was slowly pushed away from land. Stranded on an ice floe, captain and crew then worked for nearly a year to free the ship. When the ice finally crushed it and Endurance sank, Shackleton had no choice but to start a new voyage into the unknown: another 6 weeks in Antarctic seas in a small life boat in the hope of reaching a whaling station over 800 miles away. It took another 3 months to rescue all the crew, some of whom had to wait behind on ice-covered islands for Shackleton to be successful and return.

Shackleton and all 27 of his men survived that journey into unexplored waters and the previously unfathomed reserves of their strength and resilience. Their story, symbolized by the surprisingly intact Endurance, sitting some 3,000 meters underwater, and that of the scientists and explorers who searched for it in extreme conditions (with a 10% chance of success by some estimates) are reminders that the unknown should not inspire fear but rather courage and, yes, endurance, to fight to help each other through even the most uncertain times.

Our writer’s followed their lead. Nathan Wu (‘26) explored topics like the carbon footprint of space exploration, and Tanya Wan dove into one of the biggest unknowns for students: college, an inescapable obsession.

We hope you enjoy this 26th edition of Xiao Hua!

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MYRIAM LYNCH 校話

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FACULTY LETTER

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Dear CIS, It is always an honor to be invited to address the readers of Xiao Hua, even more so now that faceto-face interactions have become a rarity and unscheduled conversations between friends and colleagues are few and far between.

the foundation of quantum mechanics, supports decision-making in ethics, and allows us to model the spread of viral infections, making the unknown familiar, understandable and much less threatening.

Given our recent experiences, it is little surprise that the editors have decided to dedicate this issue to the “unknown” and, in the words of editorin-chief Myriam Lynch, to the “uncertainties we are currently facing and overcoming in Hong Kong”. Mainstream and social media alike have been flooded with an endless stream of reports, interviews and images. Some make futile attempts to predict what the future may bring, while others share snippets of their lives to show how the unpredictable and often chaotic circumstances have impacted them personally, professionally and financially.

We must recognize though that science and wealth alone can’t equip us with the skills and tools to face the unknown with confidence. History has taught us that society needs an environment where creative thought can flourish, and nothing represents this better than 16th and 17th-century Spain. Despite caravels laden with gold and silver returning from the New World, the Spanish Empire never became a powerhouse of thought, science and inventions. It was in the lands north of the Alps and the Pyrenees where the greatest minds of the era from Copernicus to Leeuwenhoek and Leibniz to Newton made their names by challenging the unknowns. Their counterparts further south often found themselves in the crosshairs of the Inquisition for disputing commonly accepted views and traditions.

The unknown is frequently associated with fear, causing anxiety, a sense of loss, and a desire to seek comfort in the sanctuary of traditions. Yet we must not forget that it is our ability and willingness to leap into the unknown that has made us who we are. Our earliest attempts to explain and predict the unknown gave rise to taboos, beliefs and religions, and it was the lure of the unknown that resulted in the development of scientific thought. When confronted by the unknown, some are immobilized by fear, yet many are inspired to cross oceans, explore the universe, and develop new thoughts. An entire field of mathematics has evolved through attempts to quantify the unknown and predict the likelihood of future outcomes. From Pascal to Kolmogoroff, generations contributed to the development of probability that today forms

Although only very few of us have the opportunity to be the first to sail across the ocean, land on a different planet, or venture into some other unknown, we all have our own walls to break down.

We understand that only by leaving the comfort of the home can we experience new places and we all accept that we can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps. Getting to the other side requires a leap of faith, and the uncertainties we are currently facing are no different. What should give us confidence for the future is the knowledge that the knowns of today used to be the unknowns of yesterday.

DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

LASZLO VARRO 校話

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TABLE OF SCHOOLYARD

18| An Interview with Ms. Jang 21| 《望》

VOICES

22| CCA Feature: GSA

16

44| HK Athletes on the

30| Under the mask of MF Doom

48| 步入未知 — 转学的奇幻之旅

32| 抗争还是服从：《洛基》观后感

49| The Universality of the

24

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Bad and the Ugly

integrate into Hong Kong families

entitlement: welcome to the debased world of college applications

ISSUE 26

40| Grade Inflation: The Good, the

26| How migrant domestic workers

34| Prestige, privilege, and pompous

14

HAPPENINGS

International Stage

Olympics

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CONTENTS CURRENT EVENTS

66| Space Exploration: From Carbon Footprint to Space Junk

70| Doping in Sports and in the

LIFESTYLE

52| Dawn FM: (another) review of one of The Weekend's albums

58| The Battle of Hong Kong’s Delivery Services

60| How does digital card payment work?

50

Olympics

64

EDITORIALS

74| The ethics of human cloning 76| Hong Kong Zero Covid: An analysis

78| 人們是怎麼一步步因為貪欲的進 化而自取滅亡的

79| 眼前的一片迷茫

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Schoolyard Illustration by Meagan Hsu

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SCHOOLYARD

An Interview with Ms. Jang Layout by Ningjing Huang

Interviewer: Evelyn Kwan and Myriam Lynch Interviewee: Ms. Jang Location: Zoom XH: Could yourself?

you

please

introduce

SJ: I teach MYP math this year, Years 7 and 8. And I'm also a Year 7 advisor.

This is my fourth year of teaching and I started my teaching career at CIS four years ago. I left to another school in Hong Kong, and then came back.

XH: Did you always want to be a teacher like growing up? Or did you have other aspirations?

SJ: No, I've always wanted to be an engineer. So I actually pursued engineering first. So that was my first I guess, career before I became a teacher.

But looking back, I think teaching has been part of my life for a while now, because I actually got into helping and tutoring as part of my service learning, actually, in my high school years. So what I did was I volunteered at a nearby elementary school when I was in high school. And I did that three times a week, every morning before my classes started, for almost three years. And I knew from that experience, how much I really enjoyed helping others learn. And I felt very, I thought that the experience was very rewarding.

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SCHOOLYARD

XH: Where did you grow up?

SJ: I grew up in Canada. But I was born in Korea. I moved when I was, I think turning 11 to Nova Scotia, eastern Canada. So I grew up there. I finished my high school there. And then I went to school in Montreal. Yeah. I would say it's similar in a way I guess to CIS, in a sense that there is a strong sense of community. But also different because it wasn't an international school.

XH: How would you describe the culture at CIS in your opinion?

SJ: I would say friendly and welcoming.

XH: Growing up in Canada, what were the main influences that affected you?

SJ: I just think that having lived abroad for so many years since I was younger I was able to adapt to changes very quickly. So for me, whether that's changing careers or changing countries to work or live in isn't something that is foreign to me.

It's something that I am very used to since I'm young. So yeah, definitely those experiences led me to going into engineering and then changing to teaching and discovering different passions.

XH: Could you share a bit about what it was like to shift from an engineering background to teaching?

SJ: For me, it was really exciting, because I've just always been a very curious person. And having that ability to switch from one like world to a different world has been really fascinating. It's completely different. As an engineer, I actually had a lot of responsibility, you know, you have to deal with money and sometimes, like, people's safety, etc.

Whereas teaching, although is completely different, you get to really work in the environment with students and teachers. And you do have another different but strong sense of responsibility as well. So a lot of skills are transferable actually. I’m just really grateful, because I've always been really lucky to be in an environment where people will be very supportive. Whether I'm transitioning from one career to the next or, you know, moving countries.

XH:When you were growing up in high school, were you involved in activities that were maths related and engineering related?

SJ: I've never been in a maths club, or competitions like that at all.I was not interested 校話

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SCHOOLYARD in the beginning. So, I've always wanted to solve problems, like just in general, not just specifically maths problems. But when I hear someone saying, Oh, I have a problem, I need to fix this. I’m just always there trying to help. And it was actually my chemistry teacher who thought that I would be really good in engineering. So he recommended that I look into it. Once I got into university, I think from hands-on experience of just going through university, I realised how maths is really useful in life, even if you're not doing a maths major, or if you're not in finance. So I started to really like maths in university.

XH: You mentioned your chemistry teacher, do you think he had an impact on you? And if so, what about him and his teaching style allowed you to connect?

SJ: Yeah, I think he always tried to relate the concepts and topics to real life. And he himself actually wanted to be an engineer. So he would talk about what was inspiring to him and why he studied chemistry, etc. I was just always really drawn to his personal stories that were always related to what we were learning.

XH: What brought you to HK? SJ: I got my first job after college in HK, as an engineer in a consulting firm.

XH: What differences did you find between living in Hong Kong and living in Canada?

SJ: I think one of the main shocks was how easy it was for us to pack our things and leave to a neighbouring country with very minimal planning. Because Canada, you do need to plan far in advance in order to get to somewhere. So having that ability has always been very nice.

XH: What do you think is the biggest difference from precovid times to now in HK? SJ: I think a lot of students and teachers are feeling very isolated. I think having that sense of strong community in CIS, its quite hard to connect. I haven't talked to my colleagues, and that’s been really tough.

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XH: How was the transition of moving from Korea to Canada?

SJ: At the time, I think I was fearless. I was just excited, but of course I can’t say everything was good, of course there was good and bad. But I think the whole journey has really shaped who I am today, from facing challenges, being resilient, making new friends (I changed high schools twice), getting used to new curriculum and difficulty. But I think I always try my best and I have always been really lucky to have someone around whether that’s friends or teachers.

XH: Where do you call home?

SJ: I think it’s really where my family is and they’re in different places. I think what I really miss is seeing family.

Not being able to attend family events in the last few years has been really difficult.

XH: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

SJ: I would go home and make sure everyone can come to where I am. Other than that, I really want to go to South Africa and Australia. South Africa because I want to go on a Safari.

XH: Have you picked up any hobbies during the pandemic?

SJ: I've been really interested in graphic design. So I started to teach myself Adobe Illustrator. If you know me, I'm not the best drawer in the world.

But I think with Illustrator at least I can, you know, put things together, put different colours. And you know, the computer does all the work.

XH: Are there any, like words of encouragement you have for students?

SJ: I personally think that experiences really shape us one way or another. And even good and bad. There is no such thing as failed experiences, you will always learn from it, and it will be a part of you later, so just cherish every experience. And enjoy it.

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SCHOOLYARD

《望》

By Megan Yue | Illustration by Trini Chan | Layout by Ningjing Huang

踏上熟悉無比的車廂 坐在軟軟的沙發椅上 夕陽映射在身上 卻照不進心房 窗外景色片片 連不成線 我們的回憶亦如此 一年記憶在打轉 一輪又一圈 如影像般 在這三十分鐘 不願相信眼前的事實 但機場字母燈牌 的刺鼻離別氣味 真實了 我的欲哭無淚 點了食物 填飽本也不餓的肚子 看著旁邊的眼睛 很久—— 你眼角淚痣怎麼起霧了—— 趕快擦掉 趕緊看清 這可能永別的面孔 擁擠在離港的機閘 我在夢魘裡渾噩 只因多看了一眼 堤壩崩塌 洩露出 沈積的洶湧 你張開雙臂 讓我在懷裡哭了 很久很久 我用盡全力地感受 試圖將 每度身體餘溫 每聲心跳呼吸 銘刻於心 ——全因對未來未知的恐懼 我立足 你向前 揮手 沒回頭 熟悉無比的車廂 軟軟的沙發椅 窗外漆黑無比 變得越來越模糊 景象是 聲音也是 閃過的不再是回憶 是未來 心裡萬千疑問 只待時間回答

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CCA Feature

GSA

T

he Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is a branch of the Student Alliance for Inclusivity and Diversity, led by students with the aim of raising awareness on issues facing the LGTQ+ community, by hosting events and celebrating LGBTQ+ culture and history.

According to Avani Kalsi and Grace Xiao, who are GSA’s [Title], GSA’s mission is to “celebrate diversity and make sure that all students feel comfortable on campus” which they do by “creating and starting conversations around topics affecting sexuality and gender, and aim[ing] to educate and spread awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.” What those issues are and why they should matter to the whole CIS community are not so often discussed, so Xiao Hua caught up with Avani and Grace, as well as Roisin Knight, a Year 9 GSA member, to get their take on what the “unknown” means for GSA. They responded to Xiao Hua’s questions by email.

Xiao Hua: Could you share with us your favorite memory from GSA? Avani and Grace: Although there’s been a lot of enjoyable memories in GSA, one in particular that stands out are the pride pin sales that we organised last year! Not only were we able to raise money for LGBT+ charities in Hong Kong, it was really fulfilling to see students showcase their support for the queer community and encourage their friends to buy pins as well. The experience of making the pins was also memorable, as the GSA members got to work together towards a common goal and bonded over the struggles of operating the pin-making machine.

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from the GSA are amazing! We've built a safe space for LGBTQ+ students at CIS. If I really had to choose, the Coming Out day party in the early part of this school year was amazing! We got to see students coming together to celebrate themselves and others, in a super supportive environment! Anyone could come hang out and enjoy the music, and it really proved to CIS what support and respect could do for those students who feel lost and disregarded.

XH: What are the most important issues that GSA is trying to tackle?

A&G: We are trying to tackle in-classroom discrimination that happens to especially our younger students. We need

teachers to be aware of the signs of homophobic or transphobic bullying, and for them to take a stand against it. We need students to stand up against these misinformed students, and educate them on the impact of their actions. We are trying to build a safer, and more accepting community throughout all of Secondary, which will hopefully carry into the lives of our students after CIS. XH: Why do you think GSA’s work is important to the CIS community?

A&G: The GSA does not only serve as a safe space and community for our LGBTQ+ students, but also we advocate for the equality of all groups - we are against

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SCHOOLYARD

discrimination of any kind.

Our group’s aim is for CIS to become a more diverse and inclusive community, and we intend to create more informed discussions on how these societal factors affect students as individuals, the CIS community, and society as a whole.

RK: I think the GSA's work is important to CIS because we're both educating and supporting people. We work with students and teachers in many different environments, helping them broaden their mindsets and learn to respect XH: Are you happy with the support GSA has received from the CIS community?

A&G: The GSA leadership team and group are delighted by the extremely positive repsonse we have garnered from the CIS community, from both faculty to students.

What we need now, is more members of the community to become allies, and to stick up for students who may be targeted, or stand up against bigotry.

“celebrate diversity and make sure that all students feel comfortable on

XH: Our next theme is “Into the Unknown”: what would you like the CIS community to know about LGBTQ+ issues in Hong Kong.

A&G: In regards to LGBTQ+ issues in Hong Kong, discrimination motivated by erasure and ignorance is more present in our lives; rather than flat-out maliciousness or aggression.

However, even if the intention behind mistreating or dismissing queer experiences might not be entirely out of ill will, it doesn’t mean that the consequences are any less severe.

Stereotypes

and ignorance can quickly snowball, and create a harmful environment for LGBT+ kids to grow up in. So, even if you don’t think you know anyone who is part of the LGBT+ community(you probably do) or you don’t think that words have the same effect as actions, regardless, you’re still contributing to a culture of toxicity. By taking a ‘neutral’ perspective in situations where harm is being done, you’re indirectly taking the side of the perpetrator. So, be mindful of your words and take the time to educate yourself and understand why certain things are harmful, instead of dismissing others’ concerns. 校話

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Voices

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VOICES

How migrant domestic workers integrate into Hong Kong families

By Evan Yip | Photography by Jake Chan | Layout by Maegan Wang

Many families in Hong Kong employ migrant domestic workers, also known as “helper”, “maid”, or “auntie”. While they may go by different names, domestic workers in Hong Kong serve the same important purpose. They take care of the house, and assist with domestic responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and serving. Domestic workers also care for the children and elderly of families, naturally forming strong bonds through their selfless work. However, most in Hong Kong take their work for granted, and few are aware of the history of migrant domestic workers and the role they play in Hong Kong society, as an integral part of its social, economic and cultural identity.

Often disregarded and overlooked, migrant domestic workers serve as the backbone of Hong Kong’s economy. These domestic workers allow Hong Kong families to earn dual streams of income, as they convert the typical stay-at-home parent to one that can work full time. They do this by alleviating the pressures of household duties that typically require a family member to devote full time towards. This is significantly beneficial towards women, who are commonly restricted by childcaring duties. According to a study by the NGO Enrich, only 49 percent of mothers aged 25 to 52 choose to work without a migrant domestic worker. However, this number jumps dramatically to 78 percent when they do. In fact, migrant domestic workers are estimated to contribute HK$98.9 billion to Hong Kong’s economy, a staggering 3.9 percent of its GDP (Enrich).

This serves as a significant help to increase opportunities for women, benefiting gender diversity throughout Hong Kong. Furthermore, by increasing the opportunity for parents to take jobs, this unlocks further productivity while detracting minimally from the stability of families.

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Yet, in spite of domestic workers’ remarkable contribution to Hong Kong, there still is a stigma that domestic workers should not be considered “a part of Hong Kong”. Around Hong Kong, there still is a belief that the contributions of domestic workers are negligible, that they are providing a basic service that is expendable. There also is a belief that all money given to them would only go to the economies of countries they came from in the form of remittances. In reality, the contributions of domestic workers far outweigh the expenses they take, benefiting the economy in a selfless way.

Additionally, there is an undeniable level of discrimmination against domestic workers of all races, and this is a racial perception many people in Hong Kong are subject to. As ordered by employers, domestic workers are sometimes banned from continuing their religious practices. Cases have surfaced where Muslim women from Indonesia are threatened with an immediate termination of their contracts if ever caught praying or fasting within the home. There have also been reports of segregation and employers demanding that domestic workers use separate showers and wash their clothes in communal areas, under the excuse of costly water bills. Furthermore, the power dynamic between employer and employee makes it near impossible for domestic workers to revolt against these established “rules”. Some employers have even blocked employees from interacting with fellow domestic workers, when around the apartment complex, in some cases even switching or denying a rest day to go out.

Furthermore, there has been anecdotal evidence of overt discrimination from Hong Kong citizens.

Hong Kong politician Eunice Yung Hoi-yan stated

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VOICES domestic workers “interrupt the daily lives of the public’’ on their days off, even going as far as labeling them an “environmental hygiene” problem.

Indonesian domestic worker Hei Kocho recounts the labeling shopkeepers often have of domestic workers, where a shopkeeper forces her to empty her bags, claiming “Indonesian helpers are often thieves.” She continues to describe how shop staff treat Hong Kong people and Westerners far more kindly, driven by the belief that domestic workers have no money. It is indisputable the prejudice that foreign domestic workers endure at the hands of Hong Kong residents, and inexcusable to treat them differently from anyone else.

The recent surge in Covid cases has only accentuated the divide between Hong Kong citizens and migrant workers. Government ruling has proven to disregard the quarantine situation of domestic workers, if they happen to catch the virus. Domestic workers with covid would be turned away from hospitals, told to quarantine at home. Due to Hong Kong’s law stating domestic workers must share a place of residence with their employers, this would be made difficult.

Employers would often turn away domestic workers, citing worry of contagion, and the possible infection of “small children”. In severe cases, employers have even chosen to terminate the contracts of domestic workers. Employers would state that domestic workers “brought this virus to employers… because [they] go out and don’t take care of [themselves]”. Employers have even expressed fear of being around Filipino domestic workers. Cynthia Tellez, general manager at NGO Mission for Migrant Workers, estimates 80% of employers feel no obligation to house domestic workers with covid, and that hundreds of workers have had no choice but to spend nights on the streets, as they battle their sickness. This has led to many sleepless nights, and tears from abandonment, along with the uncertainty of where to go next. Luckily, NGOs such as HELP for Domestic Workers have set up shelters for domestic workers, along with helping them collect $200 USD the Philippines is distributing to women in distress. Ironically, the same employers putting domestic workers in homelessness, often choose to bring them back after a few days. In fact, firing domestic workers due to them being sick is subject to fines in Hong Kong, as Hong Kong’s labor secretary reminded employers. An even more significant factor is the relative shortage of domestic workers, where it may take employers months to find a replacement.

This has led to domestic workers who caught covid grudgingly returning to the same employer that fired them, solely driven by the dependence of their families on their salary.

The reason behind the abundance of migrant domestic workers can be traced back to 1974. Then President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marco implemented a labor code, exporting the country’s labor through oversea workers. This was done to relieve the poor economy, reduce unemployment rates, and boost the treasury through remittances.

The Philippines quickly became dependent on the labor export market, which brought polarizing results. On one hand, the Philippines’ labor export market became a successful model for developing countries, providing an opportunity for economic growth without needing too difficult skills. On the other hand, it came with its own set of humanitarian concerns, primarily on the conditions and regulations of these migrant workers.

The implementation of the labor code coincided with China’s economic reform, with Hong Kong as China’s biggest investor. Hong Kong’s explosion in economic growth prompted the movement of a lot of labor-intensive jobs towards the mainland.

The shift towards more profitable jobs resulted in a labor shortage, thus increasing women’s involvement in the workforce and creating dual income households. This became a suitable destination for migrant workers, 校話

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VOICES where their services were in demand to mobilize the female workforce.

After September 28th 2019, the minimum wage for domestic workers in Hong Kong became $4,630 per month. The average salary is barely above this number, at $5,144 per month, according to a survey by online agency HelpersChoice. This comes along with HK$1,121 of food allowance, or the employer must provide food. Still, nearly half of foreign domestic workers encounter food deprivation.

In terms of working hours and holidays, as of now there is alarmingly no legislation set up.

The majority of domestic workers work 13 to 16 hours a day, and 9 percent work even more than 16 hours. By law, the domestic workers are to stay in the employers residence, which leads to many devastating effects from isolation. Domestic workers have nobody to confide in when faced with abuse, with no escape from the employer’s potential mistreatment. Furthermore, the city of Hong Kong is infamous for packed living spaces, often leaving domestic workers to sleep in the kitchen, bathroom or living room.

Overall, the living conditions of domestic workers in Hong Kong are far substandard, some even go so far as to describe it as “modern slavery”. Domestic workers often are subject to mistreatment, including physical, verbal and sexual abuse. In fact, a reported one in six of these domestic workers are in situations constituting forced labor.

Due to the compromising position domestic workers are in, they are often vulnerable to legal exploitation by employers and agencies alike.

Because domestic workers are required to stay in their employers residence, they have no safe place to avoid any abuse they may face. Foreign domestic workers are also not eligible for residency, no matter how much time they work in Hong Kong.

This separates the rights of domestic workers from all other jobs in Hong Kong, denying workers access to public services and contributing to their social divide and discrimmination. Another consequence of this is after the termination of domestic worker contracts, they must find work within 14 days otherwise they are forced to leave Hong Kong. This rule is criticized for discouraging domestic workers to terminate their contract, despite the detrimental conditions they may be in, putting a lot of leverage in the hands of the employers. Additionally, foreign domestic workers are often deprived of the right to healthcare–while the standard Employment Contract requires the 28 XH26.indd 28

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providing of healthcare, such as public healthcare services, employers frequently bypass this by terminating their contract instead of paying these health services. The root of this problem comes from the fact that domestic workers are trapped by a perpetual fear of losing their jobs. This leads to an extreme reliance on employment agencies as the only means to put food on the table for themselves and family back home, resulting in large amounts of debt and agencies illegally overcharging for services. Domestic workers’ unease over getting fired and how they would pay their high amounts of debt, also leads to far fewer reports of employers for their abuse.

Foreign domestic workers are being placed in exceedingly compromising positions, as they are forced to balance their well-being with the need to remain employed and provide for their families.

This is only exacerbated by systemic and legal obstacles that exploit their desperation to save money and cover up for poor treatment.

In order to understand and motivate change towards the treatment of domestic workers in Hong Kong, one must understand the importance that domestic workers serve, above just caring for the home. One must appreciate and recognize the unique culture they infuse to Hong Kong’s present identity.

If one chooses to roam the streets of Hong Kong on Sundays, they will be met with an abundance of invigorating sights, sounds, and smells. These areas are infused with life and color in the typically stern urban district of Hong Kong, modeling after the Filipino capital city of Manila. As one moves from one area to another, an outflow of food and fashion, music and dance gives a truly dynamic sensory experience. Smaller groups and communities are formed, such as the pop fanclub “Jadine Lovers HK”. This group of domestic workers had formed through online meetings, choosing to spend their Sundays exploring Hong Kong as a collective of Jadine fans, a Filipino pop duo. Groups like these help foreign domestic workers find a supportive community away from home, forming close bonds through a mutual interest. While most domestic workers choose methods of expression through singing, dancing, and cooking, there are also those who flaunt their individuality in different ways. One

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VOICES domestic worker, Xyza Cruz Bacani, chooses to explore her passion in photography. At the age of 19, Bacani came to Hong Kong as a domestic worker to provide education for her siblings.

Aided by her employer, Bacani purchased her first single-lens reflex camera, gradually working her way into a full-time photographer. Bacani takes particular interest in documenting migration and the intersections of labor and human rights, using the visual medium to express her concerns over this issue. Bacani has earned many prestigious awards for her work, recognized by the BBC’s 100 Women of the World 2015, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2016, working alongside

Magnum Foundation and Fujifilm.

Hong Kong prides itself on cultural diversity, and must extend it to the lively and broad community of migrant domestic workers. As we are privileged to be in the care of domestic workers, we must understand their tremendous contributions to Hong Kong, and accept them as a part of the social, economic and cultural identity. Our acceptance of migrant domestic workers must expand on just the employer to employee dynamic, becoming a citywide embracing of the migrant domestic worker community.

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Under the Mask of MF Doom

By Elliot Yuen | Illustration by Sherry Liu | Layout by Sonia Shum

The album also has the appearance of King Geedorah, another alter-ego of Dumile, a character based on the three-headed dragon, King Ghidorah, from Toho Studios. 4 Years after Operation Doomsday, DOOM released another project called ‘Take Me to Your Leader’ under the name King Geedorah. On the standout track, AntiMatter, the album would feature the mysterious, silky-smooth Mr Fantastik, whose identity is still heavily disputed amongst DOOM fans to this day.

Following ‘Take Me to Your Leader’, DOOM would release another project, ‘Vaudeville Villain’, under the moniker Viktor Vaughn, a young, powerhungry henchman who looks up to MF DOOM. The name Viktor Vaughn was influenced by the real name of Marvel character Doctor Doom, Victor von Doom.

After DOOM’s projects that centred on his other characters, he would then return to his main alter-ego, collaborating with legendary producer Madlib to create his magnum opus: ‘Madvillainy’.

‘Madvillainy’ was a critical success, famously receiving a rare 10/10 score from internet critic Anthony Fantano. Beyond Madlib’s outstanding usage of samples from incredibly obscure records and DOOM’s buttery smooth rhymes, the project also contained some of MF DOOM’s most iconic songs. On the internet, it would be rather common to find a rabid DOOM fan type the phrase ‘all caps when you spell the man name’ in response to someone referring to DOOM as mf doom or MF Doom. This phrase originated from the 20th track of the album: ‘All Caps’, a song that is also famous for being one of the rare DOOM songs to have a music video.

Afterwards, MF DOOM would continue with his work, releasing ‘MM..FOOD’, a concept album based on the theme of food, a testament to the eccentric nature of his music. Following this, he would collaborate with Wu-Tang rapper Ghostface Killer before dropping his final solo album: Born Like This. However, after he completed a tour in Europe, he was denied re-entry into the United States, forcing him to stay in England. He would continue to release collaborative projects with other rappers and producers, until December 31, 2020, when his wife announced his death the previous month on Halloween.

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Although MF DOOM’s passing solidified him as a legend, his death has only magnified the mysterious air that has always surrounded him.

Unlike his mainstream contemporaries, DOOM would rarely make public appearances, and even so, would only appear wearing his signature Gladiator mask in the MF DOOM persona. Furthermore, his mysteriousness extended beyond public appearances. Not only did he utilise multiple personas beyond MF DOOM, but he would also refer to himself in the third person. On top of that, he would rarely use social media, famously tweeting ‘MF DOOM IS NOT ON TWITTER’ on his twitter account. But DOOM’s secrecy wasn’t merely because he didn’t want the public to know about his personal life, rather, it was a major part of his persona. To the disappointment of his fans, he would even send ‘DOOMbots’ to perform in his shows, imposter rappers disguising themselves as the masked MC, performing in his stead.

MF DOOM was never a very public man, even longtime collaborators knew next to nothing about his personal life. The producer Madlib, whom he collaborated with for his album: Madvillainy, even revealed that they would only ever meet once or twice every year, and even when they met, the conversation never drifted to his personal life. MF DOOM is a man surrounded by myth and mystery, but with reason. Beyond it being because of his villain persona, DOOM’s lack of transparency is likely a result of his distrust of authority. All throughout his life, DOOM has always been a victim of authority. These instances include when Elektra Records dropped him from their label following his brother’s death and when the US government barred him from returning to the US. Combined with the premature death of his brother, whom DOOM was very close to, DOOM would consequently harbour a cynical, lone-wolf mentality throughout his life, with lyrics proclaiming that you are ‘born alone’ and you ‘die alone, no matter who your man is’. Thus, at the core of DOOM’s story, although filled with myth and legend, is the story of a man who has channelled his frustration from the injustices he’s faced and turned it into art.

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VOICES The supervillain of hip hop: MF DOOM. Any rap fan worth their salt knows his name (and to spell it in all caps). MF DOOM, the alterego of the late Daniel Dumille, is famous for his incredible lyricism, dropping multisyllabic rhymes and internal rhymes left and right as he simultaneously crafts a vivid, surreal story that he delivers with his signature laid-back flow.

Even beyond his lyricism, DOOM’s production skills are also outstanding, sampling from old films, commercials, and cartoons to create eccentric beats that were both nostalgic and rough-around-the-edges. MF DOOM’s persona was built from the campy comic book villains that appeared in superhero cartoons, namely Doctor Doom, a supervillain from Marvel comics. MF DOOM’s music reflects the origins of his persona, with both his lyrics and production drawing allusions to the classic comic book cartoons that he consumed in his youth.

Even though MF DOOM is no household name, having stayed in the underground of rap all throughout his career, this hasn’t stopped him from heavily influencing current mainstream hip hop. Most notably, Grammy award-winning rapper Tyler the Creator has referred to MF DOOM as one of his biggest inspirations. Beyond that, DOOM’s fanbase also includes fellow rappers Earl Sweatshirt, Mos Def, Ghostface Killah, Danny Brown, and much more. Thanks to this, DOOM is often referred to as ‘your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper’. Furthermore, MF DOOM’s influence has even reached artists with completely dissimilar musical styles. One such artist is Playboi Carti, who references DOOM in the track ‘Stop Breathing’ with the line: ‘I just hit a lick in a mask, MF DOOM’.

However, even with MF DOOM’s incredible influence, he’s known as one of the most mysterious artists in music, with Variety magazine describing DOOM as ‘one of the most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures in independent hip-hop’.

The legend of MF DOOM begins with the hip hop group KMD under the moniker of Zev Love X. The core of KMD consisted of DOOM and his brother, Dingilizwe Dumile, who was known as DJ Subroc.

They released their first project, ‘Mr Hood’, in 1991 under the label, Elektra Records. However, DJ Subroc would later die from a tragic car accident.

Following his death, Zev Love X would complete their sophomore project alone, ‘Black Bastards’.

The content of KMD took a darker turn with Zev Love X as its only member. The darker content of KMD after DJ Subroc’s death was best showcased by the cover for ‘Black Bastards’, which depicted a blackface caricature being lynched. Due to the controversiality of the album cover and allegations of racism, Elektra Records would drop KMD and shelve the album. Following this, Zev Love X would disappear completely from public view for 3 years.

In this time period, not much is known about his whereabouts or actions, with him only revealing that he had been homeless for some time during the 3-year hiatus. However, Zev Love X would return from his disappearance with a new alterego: MF DOOM. DOOM’s return was solidified by his full-length debut album, ‘Operation Doomsday’. Compared with his work in KMD, ‘Operation Doomsday’ was much rawer and idiosyncratic, containing samples from the 1967 Fantastic Four and even the theme song of The New Scooby-Doo Movies. Furthermore, ‘Operation Doomsday’ is one of MF DOOM’s most personal projects, even to this day. In the song ‘Doomsday’, the chorus has DOOM proclaiming: ‘On Doomsday! Ever since the womb//‘Til I’m back where my brother went, that’s what my tomb will say//Right above my government; Dumile//Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who’s to say?’.

Here, DOOM ponders his death, wondering if anyone will remember him after his passing and simultaneously reflecting upon the death of his brother. Furthermore, DOOM refers to his real name, Dumile, a rare occurrence throughout his entire discography and public appearances. DOOM uses his name as a double entendre, wondering if his tomb will be engraved with the name Dumile or if ‘DOOM it’ll say’. 校話

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Prestige, privilege and pompous entitlement: The debased world of college applications

By Tanya Wan | Photography by Hannah Yuen | Layout by Ningjing Huang and Nathan Wu

A

t 3:42pm, your cell phone buzzes with notifications: from friends, classmates, even in the year-wide group chat.

Your hands go clammy, your breathing hitches, and the icy fingers of dread skitter their way down your spine. DUDE THE MATH TEST IS OUT. You swallow, compose yourself. check schoology lmao [insert the name of a teacher] posted them. The nape of your neck sticky with sweat. And, worst of all––how did u do?

It doesn’t matter what happens next in this story, really. Because the phenomenon that precedes it is rooted in something much more significant––and pervasive––than we give it credit for, and one that is particularly familiar to absurdly privileged students from affluent families. Evidence of how deeply it has embedded its claws in society range from a minor rush of nerves (as depicted above) to shocking rates of extremely poor mental health amongst students that, in some cases, may even culminate in suicide.

Academic pressure.

Of course, there exist a myriad of reasons why students may experience stress or poor mental health, and plenty more that factor into the umbrella topic of academic pressure; none of this aims to negate that. For the sake of this article, however, I will be exploring one more specific to the CIS community that infiltrates the lives of its high school students: college applications.

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As the prospect of undertaking the International Baccalaureate looms near, it has become starkly apparent that students––myself included–– are ravenous for admission to prestigious universities in the US and the UK. Given the choice of lopping off a finger in exchange for an unconditional offer to Harvard, I feel fairly certain that some of us would take it. And, really, the sheer amount of extracurriculars, service organisations, and internships that students willingly take on in pursuit of the prestige promised by these universities may well be worth the equivalent of an amputated finger.

But why, exactly, do students feel compelled to work so hard for their college applications?

Maybe it’s because we want to satisfy our parents, who have long nurtured the fever dream of toting the name-brand universities their children attend like designer bags: “Oh, Cambridge, your daughter too? Yeah, I was going to send little Jeff off to Berkeley, but I much preferred the varsity lacrosse programme over at Stanford.” In 2018, a survey conducted by a local NGO, the Hok Yau Club, discovered that 40% of pupils reported experiencing pressure from their parents over their academic performance. (And surely that is a conservative estimate.)

Or maybe it’s the toxic, meritocratic culture of competition that has been nurtured in us over the years; the deferential respect we often see shining in the eyes of respected adults at

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VOICES the rare sighting of an Oxbridge specimen; the notion that going to a ‘good’, or renowned, university carries inherent advantages spanning a lifetime. Studies, however, demonstrate that the presumed benefits of attending prestigious universities (e.g. higher wages) are exaggerated.

It depends on your major: going to an elite university is useful to students going into business, but plays little to no difference for students going into science.

The idea that ‘top-tier uni = better wages, better life’ also fails to account for the fact that students attending elite universities likely have more access to social networks (and therefore employment) and unpaid internships (generally easier to undertake when you’re living on daddy’s trust fund). For the majority of people, actually going to college matters more than which college you go to. The illusion of upward social mobility thanks to prestigious universities is counteracted by the fact that such prestigious universities admit very few poor students to start off with. Less than 2 percent of students studying at Harvard and Princeton manage to ascend from the bottom of the income ladder to the top.

Top universities such as Yale and UPenn carry bloated endowments (US$30 billion and US$14.5 billion, respectively) that could easily accommodate a larger student body and subsidise education to prevent the growing rate of student debt. But they don’t. In fact, they simultaneously manufacture and perpetuate their fragrant brand of elitism while aspiring students watch on in horror as acceptance rates plummet. Yale Daily News columnist Caleb Dunson went as far as to advocate for the outright abolishment of Yale––the institution, the business, the brand––because of its deliberate exclusivity, capitulation to affluent legacy families, and practice of “parad[ing] [women and people of colour] around for diversity photos and social justice brownie points”.

When even a student of your own critiques the entire belief system on which the educational institution is built, there’s gotta be something wrong with it. Similarly, American philosopher Michael Sanders makes the argument in The Tyranny of Merit that “in practice, most colleges and universities do less to expand opportunity than to consolidate privilege”. And the more

you ponder the rampant exclusivity and starknaked elitism attached to these prestigious universities, the truer his words ring.

Once, a college counsellor told me something along the lines of: “It’s not always easy, you know. I had this brilliant student once, really exceptionally bright, and she applied to Cambridge for medicine.” I leaned in, anxiously anticipating the punchline—she didn’t get into any university at all? She had to take a gap year?

A pause, presumably for dramatic effect. Then: “She got into King’s College London instead.”

King’s College London, as in Russell Group University King’s College London, as in one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the UK King’s College London, as in ranked 17th overall for medicine worldwide King’s College London, as in horrifically mediocre notCambridge King’s College London.

When social expectation and an individual sense of entitlement have reached a level where anything that is not Harvard, Stanford, Oxbridge, or equivalent is considered subpar, what is left for students to do but strive, blindly?

To assume positions in a diverse array of clubs and societies for the sake of the title, the extra line of words in a resumé? To slog away at personal statements containing overwrought humble-bragging littered with buzzwords and, frankly, BS? Of course, there are worse things in life—such as not having access to an education at all, for one—but if this is the pedagogical utopia that so-called developed countries have come to, replete with empty childhoods and “holidays” replaced with internships, we need to seriously rethink our definition of “utopia”.

The competitive nature of Chinese/Asian culture is also partially to blame for this phenomenon.

As Tan Eng Chye, deputy president at the National University of Singapore, explained to USA Today: “Education is an established path toward success.” By extension, admission to a good university is perceived as an investment in a child’s future. And as Taiwanese eighthgrader Hung Kuo put it: “​​People in Asia have a thinking about I can’t lose, I have to fight with other people or something, I have to get a very good grade.” It’s a lonely path to walk, paved by the irrational and degenerate hurry to fill in the blank spaces on our CVs; in extreme cases, students may even feel inclined to discard some of their ethics, reason, and even humanity along 校話

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VOICES the way thanks to the toxic, vindictive nature of overblown academic competition.

Of late, the umbrella term of “at-risk youth” has grown to include adolescents from affluent families despite––or perhaps also because of––their obvious socioeconomic advantages, which add to the expectation that they continue performing, achieving, and exceeding.

Psychologist Madeleine Levine referred to this phenomenon as a “mental health epidemic of privileged youth”; looking around myself, it’s evident that this most certainly applies to wealthy students at international schools.

We go to community service and take photos.

We sign up for things and bite off far more than we can chew. We partake in superficial activities and describe, in vivid detail, how ‘humbled’ it made us feel. In a way, elite education is a brutal priming for the corporate workforce. New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni articulated it best, describing students manic in the pursuit of admission to revered universities as “emotional wrecks or slavish adherents to soulless scripts that forbid the exploration of genuine passions”.

The ‘game’ often seems to dictate that you either play or get played––win or lose––thereby coercing students into this unhealthy, insidious paradigm.

Similarly, Dublin Times guest writer Sally Rooney once wrote that “[with] academic life…I thought about things only as hard and as thoroughly as my grades required. Maybe I stopped debating to see if I could still think of things to say when there weren’t any prizes.” If service hours were not logged, would you still participate? If your university applications weren’t at stake, would you still try so hard? Probably not––at least not as much as we do now. It’s hubris, it’s hypocrisy, and we don’t talk about it nearly enough.

Universities seem to expect students to become fully-fledged human beings with talents, hobbies, and a Nobel prize or two when they apply. The leaders of tomorrow, I suppose, shouldn’t need to catch a break. “Just be who you are,” as the common catchphrase goes.

But this assertion of universities’ expectations is patently untrue. It’s not be who you are; it’s be the version of yourself that most fulfils expectations. Be the version of yourself that sacrifices the best part of your teenage years in exchange for––what? The delusion of prestige?

The perpetuation of privilege? What really makes a worthy contender at a top university, as such? Is it the perfunctory social involvement, or the fraudulent SAT scores (à la the college admissions scandal)?

Many academics and institutions have proposed remedies to this mania. One brilliant example: Many application officers have admitted that it is exceedingly difficult to identify amongst candidates who, exactly, is more “talented” or “full of potential”. In the 1960s, a Yale admissions officer noted that “You sometimes have the nasty feeling that you could take all the thousands of [applications]…throw them down the stairs, pick up any thousand, and produce as good a class as the one that will come out of the committee meeting.” And if this should be possible in theory, why not implement it in practice? In the process of admitting students, take the applications, remove those that do not fulfil a broad academic threshold, and award the remaining applicants through a lottery system.

(Let’s not kid ourselves; meritocracy is a joke.)

Eliminate the SATs from all applications–– what’s the point of standardised testing when expensive private tutoring exists?––and set a cap on the number of courses and activities students can participate in, or at least the number that universities will consider. Get rid of legacy and donor students, or at least be transparent about it and disclose the amount of cash being thrown at the university in exchange for a slot. Also put that money towards something other than furthering the reek of elitism. Tax the universities properly and enforce punitive measures on those who do not accept a certain number of students (at least 40%) from low-income households, AKA income-based affirmative action.

The most terrifying thing is the knowledge that, in less than a year’s time, I will be curating college applications of my own, rotting away at my desk, planning out my next move in this ineluctable game of chess. Forgive the melodrama; my dread is great, and all-consuming. There will be blue skies out there, and the sun will shine as the wind carries the music of children’s laughter and birds’ chirping into my room. And there I’ll be, playing the game that is all we have ever known in this vast and echoing prison of our own making.

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ISSUE 26

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Happenings Photography by Evelyn Kwan 校話 XH26.indd 39

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THE GOOD, GRADE THE BAD INFLATION: AND THE UGLY

HAPPENINGS

By: Aviva Wang | Illustrated by: Angela Guo | Layout by: Jocelyn Ho Grade inflation has been an ever increasing issue in the American education system within the last few decades. It refers to an increase in a grade or grade point average (GPA), within a high school or a university, with no evidence that it has been earned. For instance, at Princeton University, A’s rose from 31% of course grades in the 1970s, to 47% in 2003. “Grades are not like temperature or weights,” Wayne Camara, former vice president of R&D at the College Board, says. “What constitutes an A or a B has changed, both in high school and in college.” Teachers are aware of the much fiercer competition within the world and try to help students by giving better grades.

Moreover, the use of student ratings of teachers also inflates grades, as there now exists a culture where the studentconsumer is at the centre. Grade inflation is important because if high marks are easier to get than before, it could completely change the underlying value of degree attainment, or getting through school in general. While the causes of grade inflation are much debated, the impacts are equally important, if not more.

This gives rise to the question: in what ways has the increased rate of grade inflation within the last thirty years affected the American education system?

There are more and more experts arguing that the American school system has seen a positive

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influence from grade inflation.

This is due to the fact that it can support students to stick with their preferred majors, as well as the theory that universities would be more incentivised to make investments to improve the quality of their education.

First of all, grade inflation can encourage students to stick with their preferred majors, often a better choice economically, rather than allowing them to be hindered by lower grades and any restrictions that may follow.

For example, STEM courses tend to give lower grades than other fields of study, and at the same time, women are statistically more likely to switch their major if they receive lower introductory grades. With grade inflation, there may be a higher percentage of women motivated to enter these courses and earn STEM degrees, thus narrowing the concerning gender gap in such disciplines. In fact, a recent study by the University of Kentucky concludes that equalising grades among male and female students in STEM courses would shrink the STEM gender gap by over 10%.

This demonstrates that grade inflation can positively impact students by allowing them to stick with their education despite its hurdles.

Another example is the required grade boundary for taking an Economics course at the University of California, Santa

Cruz. At UCSC, students are only allowed to major in Economics if they have a minimum GPA of 2.8, or a B minus/B letter grade. While students who have not met this requirement are allowed to appeal to the school, most of them turn to the other social sciences for a major. The students who received GPAs not far from the 2.8 threshold were studied.

Those who had GPAs lower than 2.8 were turned away, however, those who had GPAs slightly higher than 2.8 were accepted, despite the fact that these two groups of students had similarly low grades and skill levels.

Although the students who turned to other majors were awarded higher average grades in those courses, the probability that they could have received an Economics major was neither higher or lower; they could have been successful in earning an Economics major after the four-year-long course. After all, an inflexible grade boundary does not and should not gauge the likelihood of an individual’s success after a four-year university course. However, not reaching the grade boundary, and thus not being able to take the course, had a significant impact on the students’ career prospects. Economics majors tend to earn more than majors from the other social sciences, and not being able to earn that major reduced early career wages by almost a third. In fact, those who had lower GPAs may have even been able to receive

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HAPPENINGS higher wage values than those with accepted GPAs. Lower introductory grades were not a sign that they could not take the Economics course; they were more a sign that they had a lot to learn from the Economics course. If their grades were slightly higher, they could have reaped longterm benefits from their education. Hence, grade inflation can positively impact students in helping them break grade boundaries and stick with their favoured majors, often the better choice economically.

Additionally, since the students with lower grades tend to be from more disadvantaged backgrounds, and since the courses with high GPA requirements tend to lead to more lucrative careers, grade inflation could support such students into courses despite their lower introductory grades, thus diminishing equity gaps. Not only that, grade requirements also determine the receivers of financial aid, and student debt is a significant barrier to tertiary education for disadvantaged students. Hence, grade inflation has a positive impact on such students by allowing and encouraging them to pursue and persist in an education that can open up to more successful vocations.

There also appears to be a connection between grade inflation and universities’ investment in the quality of their education. Schools invest less when grade inflation is prevented, and more when grade inflation is allowed to occur. When hiring, employers consider a student’s transcript as well as the reputation of their school. However, with the increasing rate of grade inflation,

This is due to the fact that grade inflation is an issue of practical ethics embedded in contemporary social practice.

In order to determine the harms of grade

employers have looked less at grades and more at the school of which the student has graduated from. Thus, there is a greater incentive for schools to make costly investments in the quality of education that they provide, consequently enhancing the average capability of their students and their school’s reputation.

So although the rising rate of grade inflation in the last thirty years has made the job harder for some employers to identify capable graduates, the resulting investment in the quality of education by schools may prove to be more important in the long run.

Hence, through incentivising universities to invest more in the quality of their education, as well as allowing students to pursue their preferred majors, it can be argued that the increased rate of grade inflation in the last three decades has impacted the American school system in a positive way.

To consider the opposing perspective, other experts assert that the increased rate of grade inflation in the last thirty years has negatively impacted the American education system.

inf lation, t h r e e types of grade inflation must first be categorised and defined: longitudinal, compressed and comparative. Longitudinal grade inflation can be explained as the grade average being significantly higher in this point of time than an earlier point of time. This is what grade inflation is usually described as, and it is the most common case: American high school grades inflated by 12.5% from 1991 to 2003, and university grades inflated by the fact that A minuses and A’s account for 43% of all grades in 2015, which increased from 15% in 1960 and 31% in 1988. Strikingly, standardised grades, which 校話

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HAPPENINGS are also thought to indicate (to a certain extent) a student’s knowledge and skills, have not increased in the same respect.

A second way to describe grade inflation is grade compression.

This is because the bell curve of grade distribution has not only shifted to the right, such that the most common grade is not a C but a B and A’s are becoming more common, but the range of grades has also reduced drastically. This category of grade inflation may have a longitudinal element, or it may not have a longitudinal element.

The floor for grading has risen — teachers may hand out B’s instead of C’s to fairly average, or even poor work. That being so, teachers would distribute A minuses and A’s to any work that is above average, considering that they have no other grade available to give.

The third way to categorise grade inflation is not as a comparison between different time periods or a comparison with normal distribution, but as a comparison between different institutions. It is a widely observed phenomenon that private high schools and universities see a higher rate of grade inflation than public institutions. This occurrence is particularly seen in the United States. In 1992, the average student in a public college received a B minus GPA, whereas the average student in a private college got a B GPA. In 2007, the average private college student got a B plus GPA, whereas the average public college student was still catching up with a B GPA. Some may argue that this is owing to the fact that students at more selective and highranking schools are academically stronger; while this may be 42 XH26.indd 42

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true, there is a more compelling reason — entitlement. Or, as a professor put it: “(parents believe that) they are paying and they deserve for their kids to get A’s.” There is even evidence that this phenomenon where more privileged students receive more heavily inflated grades occurs within a single school. A study looking into the most highranking public high schools, with predominantly middle class to upper class students, found that they took on a somewhat “winner takes it all” style: they gave harsher grades to highachieving, but not exceptionally affluent students, in order to differentiate between the top echelon and everyone else.

These three categories of grade inflation can help identify three potential victims of grade inflation. The first, longitudinal grade inflation, harms students, as it makes them overestimate their academic capabilities.

For instance, if receiving an A has been interpreted the same way over time, then a student getting an inflated A now would be of the opinion that they were academically skilled and competent, when that is not the case. Furthermore, they may believe that they have an aptitude for a certain career path which they have neither the knowledge nor the skill.

Another way longitudinal grade inflation can harm students is by discouraging them from working hard or from pushing themselves to be the best that they can be, since they think themselves to be high-achieving already.

The second, grade compression, harms institutions as well as employers. Schools distribute grades to inform students, universities and employers how

much a student knows and has the skills for, and how that information compares with other students of the same class.

They should present the absolute and relative achievement of the student. If university admissions officers are presented with compressed grades, for instance a range of B plus to A, then it makes it very hard for them to adequately assess applicants, and institutions have not done a good job at presenting the absolute and comparative attainment of the student.

Similarly, employers cannot distinguish between applicants when hiring, and they are not truly informed whether or not the applicant has the sufficient knowledge and skill for the job.

Moreover, this would lead to employers focusing more on the reputation of an applicant’s school, leaning heavily in favour of more privileged students, and not making a fair and accurate evaluation of all applicants.

The third, comparative grade inflation, harms society by establishing and even intensifying the social inequality and injustice so prevalent in society today. Private school students already possess much privilege over their public school counterparts. When comparative grade inflation occurs, these students receive yet another unfair advantage in the college admissions process.

It must be noted that it is not necessarily these students’ culpability. Nevertheless, these differences add to the already significant inequalities in the distribution of life opportunities to people.

It must be noted that these victims of grade inflation do not and should not correspond one-to-one with each individual

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HAPPENINGS category of grade inflation. Grade compression, like longitudinal grade inflation, can also harm students and lead to students overestimating their academic competence, as the bell curve of grade distribution has shifted to the right; comparative grade inflation can harm students and institutions alongside the broader society.

But what solutions are there to this conundrum? First, there is contextualised grading. This means not only putting the student’s grade on a transcript, but also stating whether they are above, below, or at the class average. This can assist admissions officers in better interpreting a student’s performance. However, this is not a perfect solution. It doesn’t make a grade an absolute value of learning; rather, it fosters a highly competitive environment where everyone is aiming for a positional edge instead of cooperation. Indeed, the evidence shows that there is greater learning and less stress levels in a cooperative environment than a competitive one. The second solution is to standardise assessments. But this is not an ideal solution either. Standardised test scores, like those from the AP or SAT exams, are highly correlative with socio-economic factors.

In this regard, the grading practice itself is not unjust, but rather society as a whole is injust in being unsuccessful in distributing opportunities to everyone equally. For this reason, whether standardised or teacher-evaluated, grades will always be, to a certain extent, unfair. The third solution is to abandon grades altogether.

Narrative evaluation, instead, would replace grades. A few selective colleges, for example

Alverno, Hampshire, and Yale Law School, use this method of assessment. However, this relies on a relatively small class size in order for teachers to provide informative reports.

The University of Southern California, for example, switched from narrative assessment to grades due to increasing class sizes, rising demands on teachers’ working time, and declining confidence in the originality of narrative evaluation as a result of “copy and paste” habits.

In this way, no solution is perfect; the future of grade inflation is uncertain. But one thing is sure — grade inflation is negatively impacting the American school system and something needs to be done about it.

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HAPPENINGS

HK Athletes Taking Up International Stage

By Nicole Wu | Illustrations by Lea Cheng | Layout

by Shuwen Wen

For

many generations, Hong Kong has been one of the leading international financial centers in the world, renowned for its extensive networks and trading opportunities.

Unfortunately, its sporting community has not garnered much attention in recent years, and is typically viewed as a pastime more than a career. Famously quoted for “Hong Kong athletes are not rubbish”, windsurfer Lee Lai Shan brought home the firstever gold medal for Hong Kong at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Since then her success not only has gained Hong Kong the recognition it deserves in the sporting world, but also encouraged many youth in Hong Kong to participate in sports.

Hong Kong athletes have worked hard competing in local, regional, and cross pacific sporting events, giving all that they have to represent their sport and their beloved city.

Regrettably, the sports industry isn’t nearly as lucrative and promising as the commercial sector. At one point, discussions were made to dismantle Wanchai Sports Ground to make room for conventions and exhibition

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space. However, after 25 years, Hong Kong finally saw her second Olympic gold medal when Cheung Ka Long defeated his last opponent in men’s foil (fencing). In addition to the Gold medal, Hong Kong also received two silver and three bronze medals. Conclusively, Tokyo Olympics 2020 was a success for Hong Kong. After witnessing such positive results, the Hong Kong government pledged a $500M funding for sporting events and $32B to open Kai Tak Sports Park, and $6B in developing elite sports respectively.

The excitement carried on with the Winter Olympics 2022 taking place just a year later and in the nation’s capital, Beijing, much closer in proximity to many in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was sending in a team of three, the largest ever, to t h e Winter Games.

The team members include two men and one female: Sidney Chu, Adrian Yung, and CIS’ very own alumna, Audrey King,

Class of 2021. Interestingly, the first time Hong Kong had ever sent an athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics was in 2002 Salt Lake City. Ever since then, only one to two athletes had qualified for subsequent Games.

Although the trio did not bring home any medals, their debut in the Games was already an achievement. Unlike athletes in other elite sports, winter sports athletes receive little funding and unfortunately have to rely on their own efforts to search for training ground and most importantly coaching.

Xiao Hua is fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to Audrey about her journey to becoming our Olympian and shed more light on what her sport, ski racing, will look like in the future.

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Interview

HAPPENINGS

Xiao Hua:

When and how did you first fall in love with skiing?

Audrey:

I first fell in love with skiing when I was four years old. Since then, I’ve always loved it. Skiing was always something I did for fun with my brother. My parents were always worried about our safety, so we always had an instructor with us. From a young age, I really liked working on my technique, and I think my background in gymnastics had corresponded well. I remember I used to always race my brother when we were in the middle of the slope and I would challenge him, “Alright, let’s see who makes it down faster”. That was when I felt most alive and exhilarated. I didn’t know back then, but that was my first taste of racing. When I finally got into racing at the age of 14, I fell even more in love with skiing, because I found something new in the sport every time: a new way to turn, a new way to move my body so that I could get more energy and force out of my skis in order to go faster. I just love the feeling of progressing and the feeling that I got when I finally got something right.

Xiao Hua:

Who/what inspires you to come this far?

Audrey:

The primary inspiration for me and a lot of athletes was just the love for the sport. If you don’t love the sport, you can give up easily especially when we have to travel for the majority of the year and be away from our families. In terms of how I feel supported, I have the most amazing support system. My parents are my main source of support. My dad has always told me that I can do whatever I want to do and can be whoever I want to be; that’s a mindset I’ve had when growing up.

So, for skiing, I am not afraid to set big goals and tell people around me about these goals.

Even though my goals may have sounded really crazy, I know in my heart that if I work really hard, they can become possible. The most important thing is to have confidence which is something I am thankful that my parents have instilled in me. My mom has been travelling with me to many races all these years, and I really appreciate her for doing this because a lot of my races were in the middle of nowhere. Having her there has been super comforting. My friends have also kept me grounded all this time. They would always send me their work and notes, because they knew I was missing a lot of classes and needed to stay on track. I cannot thank them enough. I’m often so wrapped up in the world of ski racing, so having friends outside prevents me from getting burnt out. I know many kids get burnt out because they start training and travelling at 8 years old, and by the time they’re 16, they don’t want to do the sport anymore. With supporting friends, I can feel exhilarated and refreshed every time I return to the snow.

In terms of the CIS community, they have helped me so much because ever since Year 10, they have let me off skiing from January to March. They would send and keep me up to date with work from all my classes, so that I could smoothly integrate with the curriculum when I came back. If I wasn’t able to do that, I wouldn’t be the athlete I am today. I thank CIS for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream while still not losing out on my education.

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HAPPENINGS Xiao Hua:

Currently, funding from the Hong Kong government is dedicated to ‘Elite Sports’. As an athlete of a developing sport, how were you able to make your journey to the Olympics successfully?

Audrey:

Ski racing is definitely a developing sport, so we don’t get the same amount of funding as let’s say rugby or any of the top sports in Hong Kong do. Even though not a lot of people in Hong Kong are involved in ski racing, I feel the sport has definitely received much more recognition throughout the years. In the beginning, we would fund all of our trips, but throughout the years the situation has definitely progressed a lot. So, this year, actually, I have taken a gap year before college and most of my training fees have actually been funded by the government. I’ve also felt an added sense of responsibility to try my best every day which has led me to finally achieve my goals and ultimately getting to the Olympics.

I have been super privileged that my family is able to support me financially with my travels and race fees. I know there are many people who do not receive the same opportunities as I do, so I think this new drive towards more funding for ski racing from the government will encourage the future generation of kids to try winter sports.

One of my teammates was accepted into The University of Hong Kong’s athletic scholarship program in which the curriculum worked around his training schedule. With the government showing interest and making sure that athletes receive an education that they desire and still be able to pursue their sport is very special. I hope many more opportunities like this will come up for the future generations of winter sports athletes.

Xiao Hua:

What were some challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them?

Audrey:

One of the challenges would for sure be the traveling and the time you spend away from home. As a top athlete, we constantly have to travel to different competitions and venues to train. I haven’t been home since June of 2021, and it’s currently the end of March 2022. Ten months will have passed by the time I get back to Hong Kong. Giving up time spent with my family, and friends is tough but a sacrifice I’ve been willing to make, because I know what my goals are and I know what I need to do to achieve them.

Another challenge was finding a balance to pursue the things I loved to do. When I was still a full time student at CIS, I knew quickly that I had to prioritise my goals and passions over things that I could maybe save to do later. I used to be a huge procrastinator but I realized really quickly that in order to be able to achieve my goals, I had to follow a set regimen and be disciplined about my training schedule everyday and be totally committed to whatever I was doing at the moment.

I am really happy because I was able to overcome these two challenges because I learned a lot through the process.

Xiao Hua:

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It’s hard to build a mountain with snow in Hong Kong, so what support from the HK government has been helpful and what support do you hope they can provide more of?

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HAPPENINGS Audrey:

Yes it is, but I think the fact that the Olympics was in Beijing was very helpful in bringing many projects and snow resorts to China. I think these mountains will allow people in Hong Kong to get a feel for what it’s like to get on snow and actually try racing. There is also a ski dome in Guangzhou, close enough for people in Hong Kong to learn skiing and try ski racing. Because of the consistent conditions all year round, there could be a higher volume of visits. Ski Association Hong Kong also holds these all-paid-for trips every year called “Bring Children to Snow”, so that kids from Hong Kong can actually work with my current race coach and see if they like to race or not. I think that all of these plans currently in place are really helpful in generating interest. At the end of the day, in order to grow a sport, people need to become interested and want to participate. Something that the government could do to help even more would be to fund more of these trips to bring kids on the snow which can help with developing their interest and with their progression in the future. The government could also provide funding for training fees for the First Team (Hong Kong’s first ski team that Audrey is part of) which many families can benefit from.

Xiao Hua:

With more Hong Kong athletes like yourself taking up the international stage, what do you think the future holds for winter sports athletes?

Audrey:

I think the future is looking really bright for winter sports athletes. Right now, I’m training with a group of around five people in the First Team who have all developed so much in the last couple years. These kids seem to have real potential in being competitive in the FIS Circuit which is something you enter when you are 16 years old. Many people in Hong Kong go on ski trips and they just ski for fun, and if this demographic can try ski racing, more talent can come through our team.

Xiao Hua:

What message do you have for the younger aspiring winter sports athletes or developing sports?

Audrey:

I think that the most important thing is to keep pushing, and there is no set path because winter sports are unconventional and not a lot of people pursue them. Part of the fun comes from finding your own path and navigating through different challenges yourself and advocating for things that you really care about. For all athletes in general, setting goals and just telling people about your goals are very important to helping you achieve your goals. Many people are actually scared to voice their goals because they’re scared of being judged, seeming like they’re trying too hard or they’re aiming too far, but honestly if you put your mind to something, you’ll be able to achieve it and the process is really what matters. At the start of this season, I was actually pretty far from the qualification mark and had no idea if I would actually be able to get to the Olympics.

When I made the decision to commit myself, I didn’t really have enough evidence to show that I would be able to reach the Olympics. However, as long as you have trust in yourself, you know that you’ll put in 110 percent to achieving this goal. The result doesn’t matter, because you’ll know that you’ve done everything. Through this process, you will learn so much. This is the message that I really want to pass onto younger athletes, especially those doing winter sports.

With general awareness, growing support from the government, and commitment from sports associations, winter sports have gained more traction among the sports community both in Hong Kong and China. Already, Sydney Chu has plans to open Hong Kong Speed Skating Academy to offer affordable classes to people of all ages and experience, possibly in Discovery Bay and Lohas Park. As Audrey has shared, the neighboring city, Guangzhou, has the world’s second-largest indoor ski resort, the Guangzhou Sunac Snow Park, where skiing has been made accessible all year round.

The future of winter sports indeed looks promising.

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HAPPENINGS

步入未知

转学的奇幻之旅

By Grace Ma | Illustration by Meagan Hsu | Layout by Sonia Shum

听到转学此话题，你会有什 么感觉？是感到好奇，还是感到恐 惧呢？也许是离开旧同学的不舍、 也许是进入新校园的陌生，这些不 能避免的现实变成了新生在新学校 面前退缩的理由。我自己是在2021 年的八月开始在汉基上学。回想起 刚来学校的疑惑，比起现在在学校 的舒适和快乐，我决定要把我自己 转学的经历讲给大家听，希望新生 能从此得到鼓励，老生也能增长见 闻。 我们直入话题：转学为什 么会被某些人看成个“可怕”的经历 呢？本质上，转学是一个离开之前 熟悉的环境又步入未知的环境的过 程。 一个常见的困惑是新生刚 来学校时会经常迷路。这个问题是 每一位新生都要面对且征服的，也 比较正常。我自己认为最好的方法 就是观察一些学校里的地方，再看 看附近周围的环境，找到一个标志 物。比如说，我之前找不到数学教 室，但我发现教室楼上有一个咖啡 馆/花园。这个花园可以从学校最底 层看到，我要去上课就会去找到这 个地方。除此之外，也不要羞于找 身边的同学问路，一来二去，说不 定就结下了深厚的友谊。 除了环境，每一个学校的课 程以及 学习要求都不一样。在我旧 的学校，学习的要求不是那么高， 作业量也较少。刚来到汉基，我发 现要求明显地高了很多。交作业的 截止日期早了，作业量也多了。当 初，这件事给我带来了很多压力， 特别是语文这一科。在我旧的学 校，语文极为简单，因此我能够轻 而易举地拿到高分；但在汉基的第

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一次语文考试就给我破了碰冷水。 如果你也碰到过这种情况，或遇到 比你能力更强的人，请在完全失去 信心之前提醒自己，这些同学已经 在学校待了几年，早以熟悉了学校 的要求。新生需要做的，就是把疑 惑跟老师分享，与老生交流经验， 自己努力复习。 其实，转学中的最令人恐惧 的未知，是与人交往。根据我的经 验，汉基的大部分同学都很友好， 且乐于沟通。但这不能说明所有的 同学都会成为你的朋友，你甚至会 碰到一些霸道的同学。作为新生， 若想避免收到不公正的对待，刚来 学校就需要细心的观察，根据其他 同学之间的交流去判断你值得交往 的对象，当然，也不能因为他人的 一面之词就带着有色眼镜去评判同 学。如果同学之间有出现霸凌，不 要直接参与，而去安静地告诉老 师。当然，如果霸凌发生在自己的 身上，要反击及告诉老师，你永远 有权利这么做。 种种未知固然让人恐惧，但 作为新生的你要保持主动探索的精 神，遇到问题不要泄气，因为这是 打败恐惧的最佳途径；我们要相信 时间的力量，总有一天，你会在学 校里找到自己的位置。老生，在有 新同学加入的时候，请多关照一下 他们，因为曾经作为新生的我能够 对那种无措与迷茫感同身受，你的 一句主动关心或是指引，都将为新 生带来莫大帮助。希望在每一个学 生和教师的合作下，转学不再是可 怕的噩梦，而是步入未知增长见闻 的奇妙旅程。

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THE UNIVERSALITY

HAPPENINGS

OF THE OLYMPICS

By Bella Lent Illustration by Miah Cheung Layout by Amelia Oram and Ningjing Huang

A

ccording to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, “Sport contributes to peace by unifying people.” The widely known Olympic games is a series of international sporting events featuring both summer and winter sports where leading athletes from around the world compete. Many watch the Olympics for its exciting competitive events, while others watch the games to cheer on their own countries. However, one thing you may not have considered is that the Olympics also has a unifying effect to bring the world together through peaceful competition.

The Olympic games has not only achieved global recognition but also gender equality. For instance, the recent Olympic Games has featured 49% female participation, exemplified by the prominent example of Eileen Gu, who recently won a Gold Medal in Olympic freestyle skiing. Her success has sparked the sporting interest of many in mainland China and Hong Kong. The social media platform ‘Weibo’ actually crashed as a result of so many people wanting to watch Eileen Gu’s performance in the Olympics. Through hard work and working many years to achieve her dream, Eileen Gu won a gold medal and is now known worldwide, which inspires other youth to pursue sport.

peace between nations, and proves that sports can give everyone, particularly young people everywhere, hope for a better and more peaceful future for all nations of the world..

The Olympic Games contribute to the worldwide economy, providing jobs for people in supporting the Games. Every Olympic games brings an increase in tourism and hospitality services.

Increased trade from the Olympics also leads to an increase in foreign investment.

There are approximately 10,000 Olympic Athletes, but they live peacefully together under “a roof in the Olympic Village” according to Bach. In light of the current fragility of peace across the planet, the need for the Olympics to be a unifying force is more important than ever. We need friendly competition in order to foster international friendship and understanding between nations, and the Olympics is a good starting point for that.

Moreover, the Olympic games have featured everincreasing diversity among competitors. In 2021, more than 196 countries participated in an array of sporting events, with athletes representing a multitude of cities, religions, cultural beliefs and traditions. The Olympics is an example of who we want to be- members of a thriving, harmonious society. This illustrates how sport can play a role in society today. “Athletes come to the Olympic Games respecting the same rules, all being equal, without any discrimination” asserts Bach. The Olympics fosters international cooperation and 校話 XH26.indd 49

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Lifestyle Illustration by Michelle Qiu

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LIFESTYLE

Dawn FM:

A Leap Into The Unknown

By Kian Chan, Thomas Cheung and Katherine Law | Illustration by Isabelle Zee | Layout by Ningjing Huang

Image credits: Brain Ziff

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D

eath, an inevitable part of life. Side by side these two words seem like oil and water with an unwillingness to coexist, yet they are speckled so intimately throughout each other. Truth is, they are the only two things that we are guaranteed to experience. What happens before, in between, or afterlife and death cannot be promised.

Dawn FM is the fifth studio album released by Abel Tesfaye, professionally known as The Weeknd. The album is conceptual, a purgatorial meditation that manifests the feeling of love and lust, introducing the themes of reflection and acceptance. Just like the other works of Abel, Dawn FM is not only a musical masterpiece, but an experience.

Written during the pandemic, the album is a reflection on Abel’s expedition into “th[e] scary, unknown territory” of the current world, trying to reach the new normal in a postpandemic society.

The glitz and glamour-filled After Hours ended with the death of the album’s persona.

Dawn FM is a continuation of that journey, taking place in the uncharted territory of “after death”. This journey takes place in a “purgatory state”, guided by a Twilight Zone-like radio host as the listeners, along with Abel’s “transition to the other side.”

Just like a venture into the “befores”, “in-betweens”, and “afters” of life and death, Dawn FM is an odyssey Into The Unknown.

LIFESTYLE Themes and Aesthetics Fulfilling real-life Abel’s wishes of being a cinephile, he had the chance to express his feelings not only through music but also in the form of filmography. A snapshot of his works includes the “Take My Breath” music video, a disco-themed act that encapsulates the feelings of temptation and asphyxiation, followed by the religious, demonic, and symbolic music video for “Sacrifice.” The narratives carry on in the Amazon Prime live performance “The Weeknd x DAWN FM Experience,” as Abel sings live while dressed up as the persona of his older self. Finally, Abel launched more music videos for “Gasoline” and “Out of Time,” pushing forth the visual aspect of his narrative, further capturing the darkness of purgatory. He is recognized for his bloodfilled and gory imagery from his previous After Hours era, now taking a step forward with this creativity in Dawn FM, merging music and film to create his ultimate narrative.

The aesthetics of the album cover is distinct and unique.

Casting a dark background around the foreground of Abel, portrayed as old with gray hair and deep wrinkles, another callback to one of the themes of acceptance, as age is something that cannot be defied. In his previous album “After Hours” Abel was identified as the victim, bandaged up, outpouring with blood. Similarly, in Dawn FM, the narrative focuses on an older version of Abel, victimized by a younger version of himself in the story, acting as a reflection of his mistakes.

This can be seen in the music video for “Gasoline”, where

old Abel is being physically assaulted by his younger self at a dance club. The young Abel is still stuck in the cycle of love, partying, and drugs, while the old Abel is currently seeking light in the purgatory state. This points towards the theme of acceptance, a theme explored in the lyricism and symbolism of his music. While the younger version of Abel is struggling in his enclosed reality of partying, the older Abel has learned to accept and forgive, as he is forced to power through the pain, moving towards acceptance, as age represents wisdom, forgiveness, and growth in his character.

The co-existence of the two characters symbolizes that the younger version of Abel is the physical presence while the older Abel is the soul, since he has always been trying to work towards self-improvement, but it is only down to a matter of self-consciousness and time before he makes this change.

The radio announcer, Jim Carrey explains that this transition is a meditative change, suggesting that “you gotta unwind your mind, train your soul to align, and dance 'til you find that divine boogaloo” (Phantom Regret By Jim).

Another theme of growth is explored in his next music video.

Abel features Korean model HoYeon Jung and Jim Carrey in the music video for “Out Of Time.”

The scene is a direct result of the previous events in “Gasoline,” depicting the loneliness and misery of young Abel. While he searches to cure his loneliness by hosting karaoke sessions with HoYeon, old Abel catches up and brings himself back into his “old Abel” state, suggesting that the whole scene was a simulation of memories. Although many fans still lack a clear explanation of 校話

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LIFESTYLE the story, many speculate that the video narrates old Abel in his purgatory journey, reflecting on all the regretful moments of his life. Jim ends the scene by putting a mask on Abel, making a callback to Jim's 1994 film “The Mask.” Old Abel has no choice but to conform to the mask, symbolizing his acceptance to move on from this memory that will grow with his age.

Concept

narrative aspect of the album as a whole.

The album, which incorporates many seamless transitions from one song to the next makes this album a perfect storyline that tells the story of his journey to find and accept himself for who they are through the hardships and phases of purgatory.

and Los Vegas’ theme to the dark purgatory state. The transition from the end of the night to the rise of the dawn is reflected through the opening sounds of bird-chirping sounds, as Abel questions, “After the light, is it dark? Is it dark all alone?”

(Dawn FM) The track ends with the voice of Jim Carrey as the radio announcer, comforting the listeners: “We’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you through this painless transition,” also acting as a guidance that the current Abel is giving to his younger self, setting acceptance as one of the themes for the rest of the album.

“Did you know you’re Tracklist: experiencing a new trilogy?” Abel stated in Dawn FM a Twitter post, alluding Gasoline to the possibility of the How Do I Make You Love Me? albums “After Hours” Take My Breath and “Dawn FM” being Sacrifice Abel revisits his toxic and the first two installments A Tale by Quincy sinful character in the of his ultimate “trilogy.”

Out of Time following track “Gasoline,” While “After Hours” is Here We Go… Again (feat.

Tyler the set in a futuristic and a reflection of the toxic Creator) groovy electropop genre. and death aspect of his Best Friends His vocals are modulated relationship, “Dawn FM” Is There Someone Else? to a lower register, is the post phase, acting Starry Eyes alluding to the narrator as the transition between Every Angel is Terrifying being an older version death and the “exotic, Don’t Break My Heart of Abel reflecting on his bizarre and beautiful I Heard You’re Married (feat.

Lil current state of being world of ‘After Life’” Wayne) lost and lonely, recalling (Every Angel is Terrifying).

Less Than Zero a toxic relationship in his Unable to carry on with Phantom Regret by Jim past. Understanding that the dark and melancholic he always uses his lovers emotions of his previous as the crutch to his drug album “After Hours,” Abel addiction only serves uses “Dawn FM” as a way to degrade his attitude to escape from all of this towards the meaning pain. The concept of the of life. “Just wrap my body in imaginary radio station “103.5 these sheets, and pour out the Breakdown of “Dawn FM” Dawn FM” encapsulates the gasolinе,” he states, “it don’t feeling of a purgatory state, as the listener would feel as if they The experience opens with the mean much to me,” reflecting are listening to a radio station track “Dawn FM,” the album's his lost faith in life, even in in traffic gridlock, waiting to title. The ethereal harmonies the current purgatory journey euphoric synthesizers towards the afterlife. Attempting “reach the light at the end of and give the listeners a sense of a to search for a meaning in the tunnel” while having a radio host that guides this transition new beginning as if they are life, he suggests how “in this between life and death. transcending into a new reality. game called life, we are not Featuring Canadian actor Jim The track is a direct result free” (Gasoline), leading to Abel Carrey as the radio announcer, of his previous album “After reflecting on the flaws of his he guides the listeners through Hours,” creating a juxtaposition relationship in “How Do I Make the experience, promoting the between the flashy Los Angeles You Love Me?” The propelling 54 XH26.indd 54

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LIFESTYLE synthesizers throughout the track create an 80s dance-pop mood, having Abel questioning how his relationships could last longer. This thought is then interrupted as Abel fantasizes about a new lover in “Take My Breath.”

Being the only single of the album, the track encapsulates the retro feeling of a disco party, reiterating one of the themes from “After Hours,” infidelity.

Accompanied with filtered vocals and the sinister synthesizers, the track evokes a feeling of darkness, further sinking Abel into the demonic and purgatorial state. The term “take my breath” refers to the ecstatic and thrilling feelings Abel feels with this mysterious woman, though figuratively meaning to end one’s life by taking their breath away. Abel states, “take my breath away, nobody does it better, babe, bring me close to heaven” (Take My Breath). This leads to a dilemma of whether he should sacrifice his freedom for his new lover in “Sacrifice.”

The pulsing and gritty guitar rift is similar to Michael Jackson's infectious beat from "Beat It," sustaining the disco vibe from his previous track, further descending the listeners into the darkness of purgatory.

However, Abel is trying to push his new lover away from him, acting as a huge contrast to his character in “After Hours.” He now can accept the reality of being alone, attempting to move on, and does not want to be fully committed to loving. He explains how “I sacrificed, your love for more of the night” (Sacrifice), as Abel would give up on love and devote more towards the fun and fame of his life, with “the night” also being a metaphor for his career.

The following track “A Tale

By Quincy” is a monologue by producer Quincy Jones, reflecting on his agitated childhood influenced by the absence of his mother. He explains that his upbringing has left a scar on his emotions, causing him to break off relationships with women who got too close to him, as it was “​​ vindictive and partially based on fear” (A Tale By Quincy).

This story draws a parallel to Abel’s childhood as his father left his family after a breakup, influencing his toxic behavior to neglect and lie to his lovers, causing him to destroy his relationships. Abel’s traumatic childhood is also a key to all the darkness of his songs, using music to express the pain and melancholic emotions that have shaped who he is.

After seeking some advice and sharing a different perspective from Quincy, the next track is a realization that Abel’s distant and cold behavior is the cause of his disrupted relationships, begging his past lover for a second chance. The R&B opulent pop song “Out of Time” is a sincere and truth-hearted track that acts as the antithesis of “Sacrifice,” sampling the soft and romantic ballad from Tomoko Aran’s “Midnight Pretenders,” a recurring theme amongst many of Abel’s songs. Understanding that Abel is the one who abandons his progressing relationship with lovers, he explains: “You begged me with your drowning eyes to stay,” though Abel never fully commits, and later after rethinking and understanding what he truly wants, he is now regretful and is “too late to make you mine, out of time.” The track ends with a short interlude from radio host Jim Carrey,

comforting and encouraging Abel to not give up on hope as he is approaching the afterlife, stating that he will be “​​healed, forgiven, and refreshed, free from all trauma, pain, guilt, and shame,” and that Abel “may even forget your own name” (Out of Time), hinting towards the death of “The Weeknd’s” persona after this trilogy.

However, just as Abel is working towards self-improvement, he fails to hold on to his emotions in “Here We Go... Again.”

Featuring American rapper Tyler, the Creator, the track reflects how Abel finds himself in a new relationship. “Told myself that I'd never fall, but here we go again,” says Abel, landing on the same love cycle as before. The track begins with Abel bragging about all the success and fame his career has brought him, with events such as the Superbowl performance being significant to his life. The second half of the song explains the bitterness of his love life, as his fear and hesitation to start relationships are caused by his past, symbolized in the ellipses of the track's title. This time Abel is aware of his behavior, warning the girl about the commitment of their relationship. Tyler supports the idea of how “forever is too long to me” (Here We Go… Again), as Abel is not seeking a long-lasting relationship with this new lover. This is justified in the next track “Best Friends,” with Abel warning this girl to keep their relationship at a more surface level. The gritty and punchy rhythm suggests an ironic twist of character, as Abel is usually the one who croons about the relationship but is now pushing it away.

Due to his past experiences, he is well aware that he will "get

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LIFESTYLE clumsy and tear it apart" (Best Friends), not wanting them to catch feelings for one another.

However, while Abel is trying to protect their relationship as friends, he begins to grow doubts about his lover, questioning in the following track “Is There Someone Else?” While Abel is improving to be a better person, he does not want to be deceived and hurt by this woman. Abel can see another man with this woman as he "know[s] that look" through her eyes, knowing Abel used to be the one who always lies. He explains, “I don't want to be a prisoner to who I used to be,” also making a callback to the song "Prisoner" from his third album “Starboy.” His old lifestyle involved the fights against the various love and drug decisions that shaped his life, now coming back to haunt him in this relationship. Due to his experience, he does not want to re-experience his past, understanding that he does not “deservе someone loyal” (Is There Someone Else?), attempting to keep this relationship at a more friendship level in the previous track. However, the hidden unloyal truths from this woman have left him truly heartbroken and alone.

This emotion leads to a reflection of his dream girl in “Starry Eyes,” as being “starry-eyed” refers to someone who is overly optimistic, in this case being Abel who has been desiring a lover for so long. With the lack of instrumentation compared to the first half of the album, Abel is passionate and true-hearted in this track, hoping to start a new relationship. He explains, “Let me be there, let me be there

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for your heart” (Starry Eyes).

Abel's previous experiences with relationships have helped him improve, believing that he is now capable of loving and caring for a woman. The notions of love, hate, and the idea of duality are explored in the following track “Every Angel Is Terrifying.” Featuring a spoken monologue by Abel, he recites a paragraph from Rilke Duino’s First Elegy, suggesting that all things have juxtaposing sides and that his lover's beauty can be “terrifying.” The following is a two-minute-long interlude, taken in the place of a radio advertisement, introducing the context of the afterlife through science fiction. The interlude hints at the third album of the trilogy being named “After Life,” where the listeners will have the judgment to put Abel in heaven or hell.

The narrative shifts back to Abel’s love rollercoaster, featuring Oneohtrix Point Never on the beat for “Don’t Break My Heart.”

He describes how this lover has made him feel “crucified,” “paralyzed,” and “mesmerized,” all terms that callback to tracks in his previous albums. The dark, shallow electric beat carries the song's tone, with Abel telling this woman: “Don't you break my heart, I don't know if I can take it anymore.” Abel appears to be very sensitive and almost suicidal when he experiences heartbreaks, suggesting that he “almost died” (Don't Break My Heart) in a previous breakup.

However, the truth is finally unveiled in the next track “I Heard You’re Married.” Featuring Lil Wayne, the two artists share their feelings about being in

a relationship with someone already taken. Realizing that his lover has been concealing this truth, the suspicion from “Is There Someone Else” is finally confirmed, giving Abel a reason to end his relationship with this girl. He ends the track with a chant: “I can't be with you, you're too deceiving, girl” (I Heard You're Married). As a result, Abel is alone again, expressing this feeling in “Less Than Zero.”

With an acoustic guitar in the instrumentation, the track is a soft and slow groove that unpacks Abel's sincerity and pain. Whether it is “less than zero” on the temperature scale or in any weighing system, Abel implies that his heart is always cold, and does not deserve any significance for the man he is.

He alludes to his “darkest truth of all,” hinting at his infidelity in previous relationships.

Understanding that his past will forever shape his future and that many women have “tried your best with me” (Less Than Zero), Abel is again trapped in this perpetual cycle of pain, guilt, and shame.

The whole experience and journey conclude in the final track “Phantom Regret By Jim,” a monologue in the style of a poem that acts as a lesson for Abel, once again narrated by radio host Jim Carrey. As Dawn FM reflects the state of purgatory, Jim relates many of Abel's experiences to the listeners.

“Were you high or just stoned?”

Jim questions whether a person has enjoyed the peaks and climaxes of their life, or if it was only illusions cast by fantasies such as drugs, drawing a parallel to Abel's career. Jim explains

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LIFESTYLE that “Heaven's for those who let go of regret,” suggesting that his interpretation of “Heaven” is not a place, but is a state of mindset for those who forgive and forget, something that Abel has never accomplished. Jim concludes the monologue, stating that “you gotta be Heaven to see Heaven” (Phantom Regret By Jim), implying that Dawn FM, this state of purgatory, is for those who still hold back to their past, while "Heaven" is for those who have learned to move on, finding true inner peace.

While Abel’s previous works have touched on a whirlwind of emotions from extreme ecstasy to heartbreak, Dawn FM is also a meditative state for individuals to heal and move on. It is a more sophisticated reflection of Abel’s life, one that listeners can relate to and learn from. Having displayed his vulnerable side, an intense cycle of pain and loss influenced by his lack of a father figure, and failed relationships, Abel can reflect on this grief and look forward, and encourage

listeners to do the same.

As the album draws to a close, so does the state of purgatory.

Both the listeners and Abel are cleansed by their reflection and acceptance of life, and they near “the light at the end of the tunnel.” Even though it is unknown what lies beyond this point, Abel walks away from the scars of his past and into this new chapter of his life, taking a leap of faith into the unknown.

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LIFESTYLE

The Battle of Hong Kong’s

Delivery Services

By Ben Coulter | Photography by Tallie Lin | Layout by Maegan Wang

If you have been to an MTR station in the past year, you have probably seen one of the fluorescent pink Foodpanda ads shining in your face, claiming to be the fastest and most convenient way to get food. Walking along the streets of the city, you have probably spotted the green HKTV Mall stores perched on street corners, while the packages you order zip through the streets in DHL, Fedex or SF Express vans.

Hong Kong is filled with a variety of logistics companies who are engaged in a fierce battle of costs and competition, as they try to conquer the deceptive delivery market of the city. Being a global cosmopolitan environment, it may be expected that Hong Kong would boast the same lightning fast delivery times that are seen in Mainland China or the United States, however, the unique geographical and demographic situation of Hong Kong has made it much more challenging to roll out such programs than in other countries.

To understand the Hong Kong delivery market, we must understand how the delivery industry actually started. One key form of delivery that has been prevalent for centuries is the shipping of letters and parcels. Prior to the modern world we live in today, messengers would ride horses for hundreds of miles and then pass their item over to another colleague in a vast network of horseback messengers.

In 1889 however, a new type of delivery surfaced, with King Umberto and Queen Margherita getting pizza delivered to their palace, generally regarded as the first official food delivery. A few years later, an evolution of this idea caught on in India, in the form of Dabbawalas (literally translated as “one who carries a box”). These delivery men would sometimes hang an incredible fifty metal lunch cans on the sides of their bicycles and take them through the bustling city centers of India 58 XH26.indd 58

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to deliver hot lunches to workers. In fact, this method has been so successful that Dabbawalas are still prominent today, with the trusty meal delivery service even operating without the use of modern technology.

Through these two examples, we could see the formation of two delivery types. Infrastructural delivery with horseback messengers and integrated network delivery with Dabbawalas.

Up until the 2000s, there was not much that could be done to improve infrastructure based delivery, as there was no way to manage orders and people simply went to their district shopping malls and stores to buy all their products, however, the internet changed everything. With the rise of the web, one could simply go onto a webpage and order whatever they wanted, without even having to stand up (which of course at the time was revolutionary). To complement this, there was a new challenge for delivery services, as they had to figure out a way to get orders placed online for products located across the globe to individual homes in totally different countries, all in an accurate and convenient manner. A key player which shaped the evolution of infrastructural delivery is a company named Amazon, with their founder Jeff Bezos originally starting out by running an online bookstore. As his business grew and the market adapted, he began to sell different items, slowly but surely growing into a respected platform for online shopping, however, to become the world’s largest ecommerce platform, they had to nail delivery. With this goal in mind, Bezos fully focused Amazon’s efforts on achieving this, and slowly but For Amazon to become what it is today, they had to spend billions of dollars, purchasing thousands of delivery vans, a fleet of cargo aircraft, constructing mammoth fulfillment centers, working with

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LIFESTYLE legacy delivery services and creating one of a kind digital platforms to manage online orders.

To help grasp this, in the United States, Amazon has 110 mammoth warehouses (which go up to 1 million square feet in size), along with hundreds of sortation centers, receiving stations, specialty locations and delivery hubs, employing a total of 1.1 million people.

The cost of building this infrastructure was so significant, that Amazon lost money for years before even turning a slight profit, which only came down to scale. As Amazon takes a cut of 8% - 15% on each purchase, this will only pay off the operating costs for such facilities if every day, hundreds of thousands of packages stream through their doors, which is in turn only possible with good business strategy, time and a massive market like the United States.

As such, even if consumers in Hong Kong want luxuries like same day delivery, it would simply be unfeasible given the amount of infrastructure and astronomical rent that would have to be dished out for a market of only 7 million. Given this, Amazon has not even tried to build a single facility in Hong Kong. Instead, the infrastructural delivery in the city is being managed by UPS, Fedex and SF Express, who generally deliver within a few days, a number that is not at the speed of Amazon or expected to improve.

There are however instances where waiting a few days is not feasible, like with food, which is where platforms like Foodpanda come in. In an effort to solve the issues with holding massive inventory and getting it to users, Foodpanda’s economical model relies on using the inventory of businesses on their platform (ie. their restaurants), with their sole responsibility being last mile delivery.

To further reduce costs, Foodpanda doesn’t even own any delivery vehicles, as their couriers drive their own motorbikes and cars, simultaneously accepting deliveries through their phones. This has essentially turned their participating stores into mini fulfillment centers, while their army of drivers are all private volunteers, turning Foodpanda into a decentralized network delivery service, much like the Dabbawalas one would see in India.

Given the success of this model with food delivery, the Singapore based startup decided to launch Pandamart in early 2021, identical to the food delivery side of Foodpanda, with the difference

being the ability to order household items and groceries from retailers, essentially turning them into a mini ecommerce site with near instant delivery. Although their venture is still in its early stages, it is clear that they have pinpointed an potentially highly successful delivery model for Hong Kong, overcoming challenges with costly infrastructure and inventory storage.

Nevertheless, there is only so much Foodpanda can ship, with their selection being largely limited to typical groceries and household items, with little optionality with brands and retailers like with Amazon. This is where the final delivery model for Hong Kong’s market comes in, with it being the hybrid model between infrastructural and decentralized delivery, used by HKTV Mall.

HKTVMall falls into this hybrid category due to their unique fusion of delivery solutions, largely tailored to Hong Kong. Although next day delivery is an option for select products, the delivery company has refrained from investing much into the costly infrastructure for last mile delivery, and have instead focused on creating mini pickup hubs in each district, located in high traffic areas such as MTR stations or on important street corners.

With this, users can pick up their packages from a local HKTVMall center, however due to their smart placement and the urban density of Hong Kong, such a journey tends to be no longer than a pleasant ten minute walk. While it did take a few years of losses, HKTVMall has now turned a profit with the pandemic, as it catalyzed a surge in online shopping across the city. In an extension to their already multifaceted delivery offering, the Hong Kong based company has also launched HKTVmall Express, their own instant grocery delivery service implemented in partnership with the logistics startup Zeek. In an effort to build on existing infrastructure, HKTVmall’s pickup hubs have now even become a “service point for express delivery,” where Zeek’s motorbike couriers can also pick up deliveries, after which they drive them to customers in a 2km radius.

All in all, due to Hong Kong’s unique position and market size, shipping models that may have worked elsewhere have been rendered simply unfeasible, yet as seen with Foodpanda and HKTVMall, it is clear that cutting out expensive, complex infrastructure and opting for more decentralized and integrated delivery solutions is the key to winning the battle, proving to be profitable, while reducing delivery times.

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How does online payment work?

BY TIFFANY CHENG PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY WONG LAYOUT BY NINGJING HUANG AND AMELIA ORAM

W

e are all familiar with the process of online transactions: we are asked to insert our credit or debit card information, after clicking “pay now”, we may be prompted to verify our purchase by inserting a confirmation code that is sent to your phone. Finally, a confirmation message pops up on screen – “Purchase Complete!” But have you ever wondered: how are digital transactions actually made?

What parties are involved to construct such convenient and quick operations? How do they interact with each other

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to ensure that transactions are completed in a timely, secure and efficient manner?

Online transactions allow businesses to accept credit or debit card payments online from customers. It involves numerous parties and many steps, all taking place in just a few seconds.

There are seven main parties involved in a transaction: the customer, the merchant, the issuing bank (customer’s bank), the acquiring bank (merchant’s bank), the card network of both the issuing and acquiring bank, and the

payment “gateway”.

First, the consumer is the person who makes the payment to purchase a good or service, while the merchant – the provider of the good or service – receives the payment from the consumers usually through a website or mobile application.

Second, the issuing bank, or the customer’s bank, is the financial institution that provides the customer with the payment card, for example HSBC or BOC in Hong Kong. It is also responsible for approving or

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declining purchase requests.

Third, the acquiring bank, or the merchant’s bank, is the financial institution that allows the merchant to accept the payment from the issuing bank. Some issuing banks can also act as the acquiring bank, such as HSBC and BOC. Fourth, the card network is the financial institution which facilitates the transfer of messages and payments between the issuing bank and the acquiring bank.

The leading card networks at the moment are Visa and Mastercard. Fifth, the payment “gateway”, provided by banks, or payment service providers such as PayPal and Stripe, acts as the messenger which transfers information between the parties.

The whole online payment ecosystem integrates all the parties mentioned above to facilitate a transaction.

Take Liam buying a pair of sneakers from Nike’s online store as an example. This

example will be made under the premise that Liam, the consumer, uses a credit card issued by HSBC, with visa as its payment network.

Nike, the merchant, uses a bank account under BOC, meaning BOC is the acquiring bank. Mastercard will be its payment network. Firstly, in the checkout page of Nike’s website, Liam types in the details of his HSBC credit card. After he clicks “pay now”, Nike’s website sends his transaction and his card information to the payment gateway. On the other side of the gateway is the BOC, who relays the information to Visa. Visa then transfers the card details he inputted to HSBC, verifying that Liam typed in the correct card details, and checking whether he has enough credit in his account to buy the sneakers. If he does, HSBC proceeds to send its approval to the payment gateway.

The approval is received by Nike, which then prompts its website to produce an acceptance message. Nike also stores Liam’s purchase as an authorised transaction. In the case where Liam mistyped his credit card information, HSBC will disapprove his payment. The disapproving message will inform Nike to inform Liam that his payment has been rejected. At the end of the day, Nike sends all its authorised transactions, including Liam’s transaction to BOC, which relays these transactions to mastercard.

BOC then deposits the total transaction amount into Nike’s account under the

bank. Mastercard will debit the money from the issuing banks of the customers from the transactions and send the money to BOC. Customers who used debit cards will have their money debited, whereas customers who used credit cards, like Liam, will be sent a statement requesting the credit to be paid. Since customers are only actually paying at the end of the business day, online customers often have to be sent a separate email about a day later to have their purchase confirmed or declined. The customers who are sent a declined email at this stage are different from those who have received a disapproving message when they were in the checkout page. These customers are likely to have their payment blocked if their payment is considered fraudulent even though they entered the correct card details.

It may seem unsafe to enter your bank card details online, and have them sent to unspecified places on the internet. According to the Hong Financial Services Development Council, reported incidents of cyber crime rose from about two thousand cases in 2011 to about thirteen thousand cases in 2020 in Hong Kong.

To battle such crimes, your browser and card network have been implementing new methods, while improving existing ones over the years to ensure a secure online payment environment. First, tokenization. Tokenization is a payment security to

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LIFESTYLE decrease the vulnerability of payment details from being stolen and used.

During the whole payment process, tokens, which are random characters, replace sensitive information such as credit card details. These tokens will be used as the language of communication between different parties in an online payment system. Tokenization reduces the chances of a data breach as these tokens can’t be deciphered and are worthless to fraudsters.

Secondly, website encryption. This method allows customers’ payment information to be encrypted before being sent off to the payment gateway.

It promises that such information is kept only between the merchant and the customer. Encryption is achieved through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS).

TLS is the evolved counterpart of SSL, making it more secure and efficient.

Merchants like Nike, who have an e-commerce website, have to obtain a SSL or TLS certificate from a trusted hosting provider. A verification process called “SSL Handshake” enables Liam’s browser to verify that Nike’s website is secure and using encryption. It is like a conversation between Liam’s brower and the server of the Nike website. Liam provides his cipher suites (algorithms that help secure network connection through SSL/TLS layer), which are verified by the server of Nike’s website.

Liam’s brower in return, verifies Nike’s SSL/TLS certificate. Liam’s browser then generates a shared key using Nike’s public key. Nike decrypts Liam’s information with its private key. If Nike is able to decrypt the information, verification will be completed. All information sent between the two parties will be secured using the shared key. Aside from tokenization and encryption that run in the background, a further layer of security directly involving users can be added through two-factor authentication.

An extra step will be added to Liam’s online payment to Nike, where HSBC will direct Liam to its verification page 62 XH26.indd 62

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LIFESTYLE after examining the card details he inputted and going over his available credit.

When the verification page is prompted, Liam will have to enter the verification code sent from HSBC through text message. After HSBC verifies that the code entered is correct, the payment will be approved and Liam will be directed back to Nike’s website for the acceptance message.

This process verifies if the payment is actually initiated by the cardholder, and prevents any payment from being made by unintended users, such as embezzlers or hackers.

After all the talk about the payment ecosystem and security technologies, what future does online payment carry? According to Bloomberg Intelligence, e-commerce sales accounted for 24% of total U.S. retail sales in 2020, increasing from 18% in 2019 and 15% in 2018.

The data suggests that the pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce, and has forever changed

consumer lifestyles and buying patterns. Businesses which previously only had a physical presence have been incentivized to open up online presence to reach consumers who are spending more time at home. This has also forced businesses to receive cashless payments.

According to a survey conducted by visa in August 2020, the online expenses of Hong Kong consumers increased from 40% to 52% during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.

What’s more, in 2021, the percentage of those who used cash dropped by 13% to 78%, and was taken over by credit/debit card usage which increased by 4% to 84%. To top it off, in 2020, 77% of the respondents preferred non-cash payment methods.

With all this data indicating an escalation of online expenses and use of cashless payments, more businesses will start to modernise their payments to adopt cashless payments, both online and offline. What’s

more, the proliferation of digital wallets such as Payme, Alipay, Tap&Go and Apple Pay have also contributed to the use of cashless payments.

More merchants are adding digital wallets as a method of payment for making purchases on their websites.

Previously, only bank cards were accepted.

With the surge of online purchases due to the pandemic and rise of digital wallets, the use of online payments are predicted to continue its elevation.

Speaking from personal experience, as someone who doesn’t own bank cards, digital wallets have definitely increased my number of online purchases.

Some digital wallets like Alipay accept top up with cash in convenient stores, so I often use this method to make personal purchases online. As it stands, the future of Hong Kong’s payment landscape looks to be digital.

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urrent events Photography by Evelyn Kwan

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SPACE

CURRENT EVENTS

EXPLORATION:

From Carbon Footprint to Space Junk By: Nathan Wu | Illustrations by: Angela Guo | Layout by: Nathan Wu

In this ever-changing, fast-paced world, human beings are constantly coming up with new ideas that introduce breakthroughs in technology.

We have even decided to employ our ingenuity in space exploration. The unofficial but apparent “Space Race” involving the world’s most powerful countries, most brilliant minds and richest has made the unthinkable become a reality.

In 2020, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) landed its latest rover, Perseverance, on Mars, while CNSA (China National Space Administration) sent Zhurong in a different region of the red planet to assess its habitability. While NASA is working to put the first woman and colored person on the moon by 2025 through its Artemis missions, CNSA has been dispatching a whole series of Chang’e spacecrafts in lunar orbit with a goal of developing a full research base on the moon. Closer to earth and more relatable to us are the recent activities of commercial companies.

Twenty years after US tycoon Dennis Tito’s tour of the ISS (International Space Station) in 2001 via a Russian Soyuz rocket, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have put themselves and other notable individuals in space through Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin respectively. Besides bringing tourists into space, SpaceX is relentlessly shooting stacks of its Starlink satellites to provide internet coverage even for the most remote parts of the world.

Evidently, human beings are reaching milestones after milestones as more rockets are blasted off into space. However, these advancements do not just come with monetary losses that can be reearned but costs that can harm our planet and above.

Space exploration leaves a considerable carbon footprint that contaminates the earth. Every time a rocket is launched, a large amount of rocket fuel is expended to overcome the Earth’s gravitation66 26 to XIAO al pull. ISSUE According EloiseHUA Marais, an associate XH26.indd 66

professor of physical geography at University College London, a rocket launch is estimated to emit 200-300 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Mike Berners-Lee, professor at the Environment Center at Lancaster University puts these numbers in perspective, explaining that around ten tonnes of carbon emission are spat into the earth’s atmosphere for every minute a spacecraft spends in orbit.

A ten minute trip just above the earth’s atmosphere emits the same amount of carbon dioxide flying from Hong Kong to London 30 times! In some rocket launches, alumina and black soot are released and can potentially damage the stratosphere, residence of our ozone layer responsible for filtering out some of the radiation caused by the sun’s UV rays. Martin Ross, a senior project engineer at the non-profit Aerospace Corporation explains that the ozone layer wears out when alumina and black soot accumulate and create an umbrella that traps heat and subsequently triggers chemical reactions. This can contribute to higher temperatures and climate change. While the environmental impact that space exploration continues to be a concern, another seemingly distant problem is looming right above us in space.

“Space junk” or space debris is becoming a concern as more spacecraft, satellites and space stations are sent into space. Generally, when these space machines have reached the end of their lives, they use up the remaining fuel to make their way back down to the earth’s atmosphere where they completely incinerate or are tracked to fall safely into the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. Other machines that are higher in orbit will be sent up even higher to get blasted. The reality is, however, there are those that do not have enough energy to make it anywhere but to remain in orbit without a destination, essentially junk that we have put up and have left behind in space.

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Sadly, space junk is not limited to big machines that are easily traceable. They can be as big as a satellite to as small as a phone or even a fleck of paint that has fallen off a larger object. ESA (European Space Agency) has tracked about 36,000 pieces of space junk that are over 10cm, which is equivalent to about 7500 tons of garbage. The data only reflects junk that is identified. Scientists estimate that the actual number can be staggering; up to as many as 128 million pieces of junk ranging in all sizes.

The amount of space junk will only increase as long as the space industry keeps sending things to space. Jonathan Amos, science correspondent of BBC News comments, “They’ve been littering a field in which they operate just above the earth, which is gonna cause them problems if they don’t address it.”

r

The biggest threat that space junk poses is collision. These debris traveling at a velocity of as high as 15,000 miles per hour in Earth’s orbit are highly capable of colliding into other operating space

missions. Scientists fear the Kessler Syndrome, named after its founder, NASA scientist Donald J Kessler, which suggests that multiple collisions can trigger a domino effect that creates an exponential increase in space junk with each collision forming more fragments that can damage satellites, space stations, telescopes and even put space crew members at risk. Holes in solar panels and chips in windows created by space debris have been discovered in the past on the ISS (International Space Station).

o

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CURRENT EVENTS or larger is large enough to completely obliterate a whole satellite. ESA has a defunct observation satellite Envisat weighing about 8 tons, the size of an elephant, that has been orbiting only 800km above earth since 2012 and can remain a threat for the next 150 years. Repercussions such as loss of the Internet, GPS or any communication systems can be felt on earth. Experts say that at least three to five of these unwanted giants must be cleaned up to ensure stability in the space environment.

Currently, there are no enforcements in place.

The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee with members from most space agencies in the world have set a standard to end and bring missions back to the earth’s atmosphere after 25 years. However, only 20-30% of missions have actually followed.

Scientists have urged the space industry to slow down a bit to avoid crowding, which increases the probability of collisions with space junk or among satellites. There are 6000 satellites in space and only half are functioning. Countries have reported complaints about close collision encounters. Tianhe, the Chinese Space Station, has reported that it had to dodge Starlink satellites twice.

In fact, Starlink satellites are allegedly responsible for 90% of close encounters.

Not to our surprise, Elon Musk, who plans to send 42,000 satellites to space by 2027 responds, “A couple of thousand satellites is nothing. It’s like, hey, here’s a couple of thousand cards on Earth, it’s nothing.”

Space X’s rival, OneWeb is also building its own mega constellation of satellites in space. Rockets are still being launched every few weeks.

There are no regulations formally targeted toward carbon footprint or space junk caused by rocket launches, but the space industry is recognizing that it needs to be more sustainable.

To reduce carbon emissions, launches can rely less on traditional fuel like kerosene. UK rocket manufacturer, Orbex, is using bio-propane. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is choosing hydrogen 校話 liquid 期刊26 67 27/5/2022 7:23 AM

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fuel. ArianeGroup, Europe’s largest launcher, is using methane produced from biomass.

As for handling space debris, we are seeing some positive changes. Tracking of debris has been performed by astronauts who volunteer to predict orbits and exchange information, while the US Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) tracks debris greater than 10cm.

The ESA plans to take one step further by sending up telescopes to trace debris that are as small as a few millimeters.

In fact, it is teaming up with a private Swiss start-up to launch the Clear Space-1 Mission to remove the Vega payload adapter, debris leftover from an earlier launch.

Companies like Astroscale in the US and Airbus’ RemoveDEBRIS program in the UK are building satellites that will actually catch space junk with a net or a harpoon. The debris is then removed from space and brought down to the Earth’s atmosphere to burn. Although SpaceX takes pride in the collision avoidance systems installed in its satellites, Elon Musk has tweeted “We can fly Starship around space and chomp up debris with the moving fairing door.”

There is no sign that space exploration is slowing down, but awareness on the impact that it can bring to the environment both on earth and in space is also growing. Agencies and companies are now taking it upon themselves to make space exploration more sustainable. By cleaning up the mess that they have created, they are also coming up with innovations. We say “sky’s the limit”, but when it comes to space exploration, there really doesn’t seem to be a limit.

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By Emerson Blais

The IBDP. I know. I know. It’s tough. You’ve got to juggle the assessments, mocks, and all the rest - nevermind a social life.

But, how? As an IBDP Examiner and Tutorial Center Principal, I’ve worked with countless IB students over the years. Some good. Some great. All searching for ways to improve. And, I’ve helped more than a few reach the fabled 45. You know - those people who get their names in the newspaper. Believe it or not: They’re just like you, and you’re just like them.

WIth this in mind, I’d like to share the strategies common among all of my very best IBDP students from schools across Hong Kong.

It starts with an attitude.

Nobody ever changed the world by si�ng around and complaining about it.

Take control of your world. Sure - the IB is one of the most challenging curriculums in the known-universe. That doesn’t mean you cannot ac�vely choose how you respond to its challenges. The best IB students choose to figura�vely! - slap themselves in the face, get in the water, and dive into the waves. Have that a�tude. Ride those waves.

Build a team.

Behind every success story is a network of support. Whether you’re preparing to enter the IBDP or already a year-and-a-half deep, it’s never too late to gather people who can help you improve. They may be classmates, friends, family, or tutors. What ma�ers is that you have people who care about your success along the way. Brainstorm with them. Ask them ques�ons. Seek advice.

Post-It Notes and timelines.

Planning is half of everything. If you haven’t already, choose your HLs wisely.

They should align with your university ambi�ons. Afraid one is too difficult? It’s far easier to drop down to SL than move up to HL. Take the risk.

Then, read the syllabus / guide for all your subjects. Using Post-It Notes, mark key topics, assessments, marking criteria, etc. You can even color-code them. If you think there’s no way you’ll be tested on something, think again. Once you’ve finished this, create a ‘master �meline’ of all your subjects. You’ll no�ce that there are o�en huge gaps between assessments. For example, the First Year of English A requires nothing but a Mock IO. Though you should be following your teacher’s assigned texts and homework, consider what else you might do with all that �me. Prepare for Paper 1, the Extended Essay, the TOK, or shi� your focus to a subject with a more immediate assessment. Do you need to take the SAT, LNAT. etc. or apply for universi�es? Plan prepara�on between the ‘lulls’ of subject �melines.

The best IB students know when to be stressed and when to chill out or do something else. Timelines are the key to this.

Google Drive: Your new best friend.

The other half of everything? Organiza�on. Create an IBDP ‘master folder’ on Google Drive, as soon as possible. Then, create a folder for all six of your subjects, plus the EE and the TOK, which makes eight. In them, you’re adding every syllabus, guide, and �meline; you’re typing class notes, homework, and assessment dra�s; you’re dropping past papers; you’re making spreadsheets of helpful websites and YouTube links; you’re crea�ng summaries; you’re uploading photos of mind-maps. Everything - all of it - with clear and consistent �tles. And, don’t forget to share your folders with the people on your team, especially any tutors. Those who score a 45 on the IBDP can find whatever they’re looking for almost instantly. That’s because they’re organized.

Raise your hand, and take the mocks seriously.

Your teachers need to jus�fy the all-important Predicted Grades. They don’t just give away 7s. That’s too risky. Parents and administrators will want answers, should a student not get that score. So, you’ll need to put in an effort to help them give you the PG you want. Do yourself a favor by raising your hand to say something - anything! - once a class. A li�le par�cipa�on goes a long way. Your level of engagement can make the difference at a grade boundary.

Otherwise, the mocks are audi�ons. Prepare for them. Too o�en do new students walk into my office and say they have a mock tomorrow but haven’t started preparing. These are the same people who are shocked and confused about receiving a 5. You can do be�er than that. Teachers use mocks as indicators of poten�al ‘real scores’ for Internal Assessments and PGs.

A steady diet of past paper practice.

Let’s be honest: There’s no subs�tute for the real thing. If you’re floa�ng through the IB without any past paper prac�ce, you’re invi�ng disappointment and regret. Sit down with a tutor or member of your team and break down the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of every subject’s past papers. Prac�ce. Revise your prac�ces.

Do more prac�ce. That’s that. When you get to the real ones in May, those bu�erflies in your stomach will be much less bu�erfly-y, placing you closer to a top score. That’s it!

Listen - everyone’s different. My belief is that proper planning and skills-based prepara�on make for success. And, that’s what we do at Causeway Educa�on.

So, if you have any ques�ons or concerns about your own progress, let us know. Otherwise, follow the strategies above, and you’ll be that much closer to your goals - whatever they may be!

Emerson Blais is the Co-Founder & Principal of Causeway Educa�on. He could’ve used this space for adver�sing, but he just wanted to help make life a li�le bit easier for anyone who reads this.

Feel free to call or message him at 3906-9766 or emerson@causewayeduca�on.com for advice on everything from the IBDP or US/UK Boarding or University Admissions to the best pizza places in Hong Kong.

Contact Us! 30-minute

personalized coansulta�on session

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CURRENT EVENTS

Doping in Sports and in the Olympics

By Sofia Finnemore | Photography by Jake Chan | Layout by Ningjing Huang

What is it, why is it done and when did it a risk to the athlete’s health, it is contrary to the spirit of the sport” (ACMT, 4). Furthermore, start?

According to the American College of Medical Toxicology, "doping" refers to the usage of banned drugs, treatments or medicines by athletes in order to enhance their own performance (ACMT, 1). Especially over the past few years, doping has received more attention not only because of its growing forms but also because of the popular cases where the news of an elite athlete having doped spreads like wildfire (ACMT, 1). Prior to the existence of performance enhancement drugs, athletes often followed strict diets to maximise their sporting performance; however, these days athletes prefer to opt for drugs given the quick short term performance benefits (ACMT, 2). Doping in sports was first found during the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis when an American marathon runner named Tom Hicks was given a bit of strychnine by his coach. At the end of the race, he collapsed and had to be revived by four doctors and his coach admitted to doping him. However, even after the admission, his medal was not taken away and he showed no remorse (Kremenik, 2).

depending on the degree of doping that an athlete participates in, they can suffer punishments as severe as never being allowed to participate in any sporting competitions ever again (ACMT, 5).

WADA and the Punishments for Doping

Drug tests can be done either via urine or blood samples; the difference being that some treatments such as growth hormones can only be detected in the blood (Wade, 4). How the tests actually work is that each athlete has a biological passport (ABP) which monitors select biological variables (like blood proteins) in their samples over time so as to catch any spikes should they occur (Wade, 2). These tests are done by the athletes national anti-doping agency (Wade, 5).

If WADA thinks that the country’s tests aren’t vigorous enough then they will inform the IOC for immediate correction (Wade, 5). There are not only scheduled in-competition tests but there are also out-of-competition unscheduled tests so that athlete’s can’t time their doping to make sure it is

Following the ban on doping by the International Association of Athletics Federation in 1928 which relied solely upon the athlete’s conscience and morals, once the technological world caught up with the need to test for banned substances, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999 (ACMT, 3). WADA was made to educate people on the long term risks of doping, further the research into the effects of doping, test different methods for the highest success in doping detection as well as actually carry out drug tests (ACMT, 3).

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What different doping methods do athlete’s use?

There are four main types of drugs each with an aim of their own including: Anabolic Steroids: these are derivatives of testosterone and help to increase one’s muscle mass (ACMT, 7).

Stimulants: these help to increase the athlete’s stamina, reduce the feeling of fatigue and/or pain and also improve their mental function (ACMT, 8).

Hormones: these help to stimulate their body’s natural protein production, thereby increasing their muscle mass (ACMT, 9).

Oxygen Transport: this method aims to increase the athlete’s blood volume thereby also increasing the amount of oxygen in their blood via blood transfusion (AMCT, 10).

How does drug testing work?

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CURRENT EVENTS untraceable by the time of the testing (Wade, 6). However, over the past few years, it has been said that more outof-competition blood tests should be done as they only take up reportedly 5.2% of all the tests completed and just 10% of all the blood tests completed (meaning that most of the athletes were aware of the upcoming tests) (Wade, 4).

Athletes can get selected for out-ofcompetition testing by their national anti-doping organisation or the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) following extreme sudden improvement, confidential doping intelligence, the athlete’s country’s lack of national testing or other situations (Wade, 9).

Biggest Doping Olympic History

Scandals

in

These are some of the most well known doping scandals in the history of the Olympics:

Lance Armstrong (2000): An American cyclist and cancer survivor who became extremely popular as a model of resilience (Uyeno, 1). However, once he was exposed of doping in 2012, his seven Tour de France titles and bronze Olympic medal got revoked (Uyeno, 1).

Russian Team1 (2012-2016): During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia made a “sample swapping system to protect cheating athletes” in order to maximise their number of medals (Uyeno, 4). Once exposed, 30% of Russia’s athletes where sanctioned from competing along with all of the Russian paralympic athletes (Uyeno, 4).

Tyson Gay (2012): An American sprinter who got a silver Olympic medal from the 100 metre relay team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London; however, in 2013 he failed three consecutive drug tests which led to the revocation of his and his teammate’s medals (Uyeno, 8).

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Doping Scandal

The story of 15 year old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, the first woman ever to land a quad jump and who led the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to win gold, was the root of much controversy during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics once it was revealed that she had tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine in December (Church, 3). Despite WADA, the IOC and International Skating Union (ISU) appealing for sanction from the Olympics to remain, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) backed the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA’s) decision that the ban would be lifted due to her young age and by extension, her welfare (Church, 4). Valieva then went on to compete in the individual event where she gained empathy as she was met with yells from her coach Eteri Tutberidze after she fell multiple times and left the ice in tears (Church, 3).

1 If you are interested in learning more about Russia’s doping scandal in the Sochi Olympics then you can find an informative documentary on Netflix called “Icarus”. 校話 XH26.indd 71

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Editorial Photography by Tony Shu

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The

EDITORIALS

The Ethics of Human Cloning

By Chloe Huen | Illustration by Isabelle Zee | Layout by Shuwen Wen

It was six years before Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, passed away- but what if it had been a human? Cloning is the process that produces an identical copy of an organism which has the exact genetic material of the original. However, although cloning is viewed by the public as something unnatural and apocalyptic, cloning is not limited to laboratory based research, as natural cloning can often occur in plants or single celled organisms. For instance, many bacteria that reproduce asexually, create genetically idential daughter cells from the parent organism.

In fact, monozygotic twins are an example of natural cloning, where the two embryos contain almost perfectly identical DNA. Artificial cloning is split into three parts: gene cloning, therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning.

Gene cloning is controlled very rigorously in laboratory environments, where copies of genes in bacteria, viruses or yeast cells are created

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for further study. On the other hand, the use of therapeutic cloning has increased in the field of medicine in order to create genetically identical stem cells to replace injured, diseased or dead tissue in humans. By creating stem cells or tissue that match the patient, this match reduces the risk of rejection which can happen if the immune system attacks donor stem cells.

showed that her telomeres were half the size of a regular sheep of her age because the DNA was copied from an adult sheep, providing a potential reason for her premature death as Dolly’s DNA was double her actual age.

Telomeres protect DNA from damage, and as the individual ages, the telomeres shorten and their protective properties begin to deteriorate.

Instead of producing copies of single cells or simple organisms, reproductive cloning is able to produce genetically identical copies of whole animals. To do this, scientists take the DNA from an original organism’s somatic cell and insert it into an egg cell which has had its DNA removedthis can be done by using electrical current or injection. A historical event of the scientific world, was when The Roslin Institute successfully produced Dolly by cloning an adult sheep.

Scientists were ecstatic because this opened a door for producing genetically modified livestock, or bringing back extinct species.

Nevertheless, there proved to be many negative consequences to this process as Dolly only survived for six and a half years (half the lifespan of normal sheep) before being euthanized due to a variety of complications, such as Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus, arthritis and a lung tumour. Analysis of Dolly’s DNA

The creation of Dolly sparked a lot of debate regarding reproductive cloning, and whether this should be investigated due to ethical issues and physical effects on the clone. The public were divided between whether human cloning would ever occur, arguing about the prospect of bringing back extinct species, and the scientific community saw the cloning of Dolly as a catalyst for numerous developments in medicine and biology, creating more personalised treatments for patients through the cloning of entire organs. While the advantages cloning could provide were very clear, cloning was still not encouraged and even banned in certain countries due to arguments in regards to the ethical concerns of the process if it were to be utilised on humans.

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EDITORIALS Ethics in scientific research are of the utmost importance because science should be aimed towards discovering truthful findings and helping to improve the quality of life for humans.

Following ethical guidelines in scientific investigations will help to ensure that the knowledge gained is reliable and was safely produced adhering to basic moral and social principles.

Furthermore, with ethical scientific research, the general public would be more accepting of the findings and willing to participate in scientific research such as clinical trials.

Recently, German scientists from the Ludwig-Maximilians University have planned to clone and breed genetically modified pigs to use during human heart transplant surgeries.

After performing this surgery on a terminally ill man, it was found that the patient responded well to receiving the heart which demonstrates how valuable cloning could be to the human race and organ transplantation.

There are many people on the organ transplant list which unfortunately do not survive the wait, and cloning animal organs would help to reduce the patients on this list. However, this research received criticism from a German pressure group called “Doctors Against Animal Experiments” who claimed this process was unethical as “Animals should not serve as spare parts for humans”.

Cloning is neutral in terms of ethics, which can be seen from its natural occurrences, but due to the rapidly developing technology of humans and scientific discoveries, cloning has been placed in the hands of humans rather than the natural world. This means the ethics

behind how and what cloning is used for now predominantly depends on us. One of the major ethical considerations as to why human cloning is not supported by majority of the world population, is because it removes the natural and “human” aspects of the reproduction process while also presenting a large risk of premature death.

Through the use of cloning, parents would be able to cherry pick characteristics, visual traits or skills which they would want their child to have which is morally troubling as this leads to the issue of “designer children”.

Being able to choose eye colour, sex, abilities and so on with the ease of picking out accessories in a shop would lead humans to see children as possessions or “projects” and would eventually result in creating children only of a certain kind. This would distort the relationship between the parent and the child, as asexual reproduction does not have the same intimacy as natural reproduction.

Furthermore, an advertisement for a couple seeing an egg donor appeared in the Harvard university newspaper, and it was found that they had very specific specifications for the donor in terms of height, appearance and athletic abilities, which supports the idea that humans have ideals of a perfect child and cloning would give them the opportunity to pursue this.

Moreover, it needs to be considered whether seeking human egg cells and the use of embryos is justifiable for scientific research regarding cloning.

Exploiting women to obtain a large quantity of egg cells for research is a complicated process, as in addition to the few mature egg cells produced during a

monthly cycle, stimulation medication must also be given to increase the number of produced egg cells. According to an article from Scientific American, there have been studies which correlate these stimulation medications with a higher risk for ovarian cancer and complications such as bleeding that can arise from the surgeries done to retrieve the eggs. Similarly to how children would be seen as commodities, paying women for their eggs would also result in the same conclusion, as this would cause the scientific community to objectify women into purely their reproductive material.

During the embryo stage of early development, critical organs begin to form which provides a sign of human life.n terms of cloning research done using embryos, this will inevitably result in the destruction of the embryo, which many people view as equivalent to killing a living baby.

It is our responsibility to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of cloning, acknowledging factors such as its influence on the natural order of reproduction or commodification of human beings, instead of having tunnel vision in regards to developing technology and science as rapidly as possible. The effects and principles behind human cloning can have dire consequences- and cloning, akin to many aspects of technology and science, is now entirely in the hands of humans. 校話

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HONG KONG ZERO COVID: By: Colin Chau Photography by: Tallie Lin Layout by: Jocelyn Ho As residents of Hong Kong, we have all experienced the effects of Hong Kong’s Zero Covid policy, whether that be positive or negative. Until 2022, the HKSAR government mostly prevented the spread of Covid-19 in our city. Of course, this all ended in January 2022, which begs the question: In Hong Kong, has Zero Covid been an overall positive or negative?

As a health policy, the most obvious way to analyze Zero Covid is through the lens of healthcare, its intended beneficiary. The initial benefits of Zero Covid were undeniably high - in both China and Hong Kong, cases and deaths were minimized. In the first and second waves, the government held cases under 5000, a remarkably low number, especially given Hong Kong’s extreme density, which could potentially have allowed for easy transmission amongst the population.

Through the responsible hygiene habits of the populace (such as mask-wearing) as well as strict government social distancing policies (ie. dining bans, 2 persons to a table etc.), Hong Kong was able to prevent the mass spread of Covid-19.

This same idea was mirrored in China - their Zero-Covid policy prevented hundreds of thousands of deaths, especially from their large elderly population. This was contrasted on the world scale by the events occuring in the US and Europe,

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where cases were exploding into the tens of thousands a day, ultimately resulting in thousands of deaths in hospitals and where conservatives and liberals alike were unwilling to comply with social distancing and mask wearing orders. Seeing this from Hong Kong was truly a sight - at the time, I thought that the sheer stupidity of not locking down was ridiculous. It can clearly be seen that tens of thousands of Hong Kong lives were saved by this policy, especially taking into the account the large elderly population of Hong Kong. This Zero Covid policy was ultimately able to defeat Covid in Hong Kong for 4 waves, a feat only achieved elsewhere by China and Taiwan.

In the spring of 2021, the vaccines were rolled out. In Hong Kong, two jabs were made available to the public: the Chinesemade CoronaVac (Sinovac) and the German Comirnaty (Pfizer-Biontech). Both of these vaccines proved effective in the early stages, being able to reduce deaths significantly, and had a high chance of preventing infections too.

People in Western countries vaccinated in droves after seeing the horrors of Covid. Of course, there were massive

exceptions to this in the US, but overall the rate of vaccination grew quickly: 50% of the eligible US population was vaccinated by the end of the summer, drastically reducing the number of deaths.

Yet, in Hong Kong, the situation was completely different. By the end of August 2021, only 36% of the city was fully vaccinated, a very low figure compared to other Asian countries. For example, Singapore was 64% fully vaccinated at this time.

Likely, all the safety provided

by Zero Covid resulted in people not getting vaccinated; they reasoned that there was no need to get vaccinated when there was no risk of infection. Many others were scared off the vaccines by their possible side effects which were hyped up by media such as HK01. Hence, Zero Covid was a ticking time bomb; if a deadlier or more infectious variant were to spread in Hong Kong, it would be a disaster due to the low vaccination rate.

It was only a matter of time before the disaster hit, in the form of Omicron.

Omicron, though less likely to lead to severe illness,was an extremely infectious variant, and it rapidly made its way into Hong Kong through infected air crew and transmission at a designated

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quarantine hotel.

However, the government still tried its old policy of contact tracing - which was impossible.

Too many had caught the virus and come in contact with others. Soon, the number of cases per day broke records, and an entire public housing estate in Kwai Chung was locked down.

Unfortunately, we had yet to see the worst. The government again tried to use their old playbook, banning dining after 6pm and reducing diners to 2 per table. Omicron was simply too infectious however; experts estimate that each case of Omicron results in 7 other cases and thus the policy was ineffective. Ultimately, Omicron ravaged Hong Kong, killing thousands, particularly those in residential care homes: a tragedy that could have been avoided by vaccinating the elderly. The government continued its policy of sending infected persons to Penny’s Bay or other isolation facilities, which resulted in massive public distrust, and, while the exact numbers cannot be confirmed, many infected persons chose not to report themselves and stayed home, probably resulting in more cases. The Zero Covid strategy was woefully ineffective against the power of Omicron.

Arguably, the most severe side effects of the Zero Covid policy are its social and economic repercussions. At the beginning, these issues were fairly miniscule compared to the potential death and suffering at the hands of

a novel virus.

However, the latest wave brought businesses in Hong Kong to their knees. Countless gyms and restaurants have been forced to shut their doors, due to their businesses being completely unprofitable under the social distancing guidelines.

Hong Kong’s once proud status as a financial hub has dissipated, thanks to the travel restrictions put in place. The social costs are also immeasurable; the mental issues arising from online learning are clear, and are even worse for the poor and the young. Zero Covid has brought too much economic and social harm to our city to be sustainable in the long term.

The final straw seems to be the confusing nature of Zero Covid and the “Dynamic Zero Covid” policy. Much of the Covid policy was based on unsupported science and overzealous advisors. For example, a 21 day quarantine was enacted in December 2020, when Covid cases were ramping up again worldwide. The issue here is that Covid simply does not have an incubation period of 21 days.

The average incubation period of most Covid variants lies between 3 days and 7 days, and 21 days is 3 times the realistic maximum.

While a 7 day quarantine might have allowed for extra infections, a 10-14 day quarantine would have sufficed to detect all Covid cases. It is unclear why this was then put in place, whether this was for political reasons, but it was a clearly unscientific policy.

Most frustrating of all were the

extra infections that resulted from this. Due to the ventilation systems in quarantine hotels, Covid particles were able to travel from one room to another.

This led to Covid-negative individuals being infected in the hotel, and subjected to isolation for another 21 days in the hospital. Of course, this risk would not have been eliminated with a shorter quarantine, but at least the risk would have been reduced and the opportunities for infection would have been lessened. This is, of course, not even considering the mental health impacts of 21 day quarantine. Another example of the unscientific nature of Zero Covid were the dining bans after 6 pm,which many argued did not make sense as Covid-19 can spread just as easily during the day.

In the long term, there are certain provisions that the government could enact, so that Hong Kong does not completely lose its relevance. Of course, it would be imprudent for the government to immediately relax all restrictions. One idea would be to gradually open up Hong Kong, and resume international travel during the summer, with the caveat that all travelers must quarantine at either a hotel or their home for 7 days. This would likely be sufficient to catch imported cases, and would not create a massive health threat for Hong Kong. Ultimately, if new policies are not enacted, it is unclear how Hong Kong can face subsequent waves in ways that will not continue to impact society, education and the economy, not to mention people’s health and well-being.

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人們是怎麼一步步因為貪 欲的進化而自取滅亡的 By: Sherry Wong | Photography by: Ashley Gatt | Layout by: Jocelyn Ho 「他的守和進都是矛盾的。想保有清高又想出人頭 地，想忠貞愛情卻又追逐名利，想脫離困境卻又深陷 泥淵，最末只余一顆人頭倚在情人的懷里，死相難看 又是唯一退路。耗盡所有貞潔和情操，都無法企及這 世間的權勢，生來如此，奈何欲求掙脫。他太髒了， 但又不死不休，你卻未並有他分毫。」 兩名默默無聞的科學家在經過繁瑣精密的計算之後， 發現有一顆足以毀滅地球的隕石正勻速向地球而來。 誰知總統聽完匯報後不以為然，深信眼前這兩個吊兒 郎當的人又是諸多沽名釣譽的「科研人員」之一，只 是以玩笑口吻詢問了一句需要多少錢，便草草打發了 他們。二人苦尋不同的方式告訴民眾隕石的存在，便 上了一個娛樂節目做嘉賓，哪知自己的嚴肅和焦灼竟 被當成全國民眾的笑柄。日子一天天過去，越發多的 權威人士證實了隕石即將毀滅地球一事絕非杜撰，全 球各地陷入恐慌，爆發了前所未有的大規模遊行示 威，要求在位者付諸行動。總統為贏得選舉，只得召 回科學家們，短暫配合——各國決議在隕石登陸之前 便將其分裂瓦解。誰知這個項目的最大投資者檢索到 這顆隕石上有大量自然資源，可以為人類帶來數之不 盡的利益。在位者經過一番商議後毅然決然放棄了原 先的計劃， 改而採取較為「溫和」的方式，並將利 與益置於萬民安危之前。顯然，這個計劃的失敗是毋 庸置疑的，地球上的一切都成了太空垃圾。總統和投 資者躲進了早前準備好的「諾亞方舟」中，生死不 知。 倘若完全相同的情節在現實生活中上演，我絕不會有 絲毫驚詫。近百年來人類在學識和科技上的進步無可 厚非，我們自以為我們所知道的遠遠多於我們不知道 的，因此我們心安理得地去破壞，去剝削。可是億萬 年來一粒塵埃細小的動靜都可以卷起百丈塵埃，我們 又何以認為一切盡在我們掌握中呢？你將非我族類皆 視作螻蟻，無非是因為當今世上未有他物足以与人類 匹敵。可許多領域對我們來說是未知的，混沌的，我 們不能強行侵犯，或者要求萬事萬物都遵循人類的法 則。食物鏈的存在只是為了保障世間萬物運行之恆 常，而非尊卑。否則後果就是，你被你藐視的事物踩 在腳底。設想在雨林或是沙漠等人類沒有足夠認知的 自然環境中，我們成為了被狩獵掠奪的那一方，被完 全壓制至毫無還手之力，你爆發畢生最大的聲量去乞 求憐憫，或是用血和淚抵抗，但皆是徒勞無功，你可 否感同身受那種絕望？在電影中，即使有了一次救萬 民於水火的機會，人們卻沒有抓住，而是自大地認為 凡事都有萬全之策。那麼在現實中我們還會有從頭來 過的機會麼？天地融化，星辰吞沒之際，還當真會有 78 XH26.indd 78

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一艘可以仰仗的諾亞方舟保證我們大難不死麼？ 電影結尾鏡頭轉換也讓我記憶猶新。山崩海嘯之間魚 群遊往兩萬里海底，北極熊自處逃竄，花要用盡力氣 再綻放一次。萬事萬物彷彿回歸混沌初期最為原始的 模樣，花草樹木所為讓你看清生命如何美得攝人心 魄，如何可歌可泣。可人類呢？人類在嘶吼，在拿著 武器破壞，耳邊是什麼你聽不真切。當生命肉眼可見 地在消逝，你可以預見全人類的骸骨在浩瀚宇宙中漂 浮，你從未如此真切地意識到或許下一秒星辰會將天 地吞沒，你會做什麼？你要在愛人懷中將他眉目一筆 筆鐫刻，還是歇斯底里感嘆生命為何短暫如斯？ 從 沒有哪一個種族的存在是該被詬病或徹底從自然中驅 逐的，只是繁殖和衍生提供了太多的可能性和變數。 我們在這個星球上佔據了太多的位置，便理所當然以 己為先。或許，真正應該被趕盡殺絕的不是「人類」 ，而是「人性」。 我始終認為，未知是可敬可畏的。 Image credits: Netflix

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By Joyce Sze | Photography by Erin Lau |Layout by Shuwen Wen 所謂「吃得苦中苦，方為人上人」 鼓勵人們要肯吃苦才會成功。但是 這種說法在現今社會裡早被帶偏， 從原本激勵他人向上的話語扭轉成 了採用極端方法達成目標。當代人 們逐漸扭曲的追求，在不切實際的 美容標準及互相攀比經濟實力兩個 方面得以體現。社會裡的“規則”也 一下子變得模糊，大 家追求的，

也漸漸有所逆轉。人們在對自 身缺乏足夠了解的情況下，以 超越他人而非實現自我為目 標，盲目地與他人攀比，從而 陷入更深的迷茫。而在社會裡 最常見的兩個例子便是女生之 間身材的比較，以及學生之間 的經濟實力攀比。 最顯而易見的便是人們使用極 端方式達到“白瘦幼”的身材， 但這種可引起飲食失調疾病的 行為恐怕已被社會正常化。從 小時候人手一個芭比娃娃，到 長大後看著時裝秀上的人間芭 比，“白瘦幼”的審美觀對我們並 不陌生——這種不現實的美容 標準也廣泛在社交媒體上。對 於大部分的社交媒體使用者， 使用這些平台也只不過是想在 網上消磨下時間。但是，近年 具有廣大粉絲量的當紅明星、 網紅一個個都擁有者非常苗 條的身材比例，有些甚至似 乎超出了人類健康身體的極

限。對於無知的旁觀者，見到 這現象的普遍性也會影響自己 的體象，不知不覺的便也認為 這些身材才是漂亮的。而作為 天生骨架大一點的，體質稍微 不一樣的眾人來說，身材焦慮 會帶來對自己的自卑感。 在小 紅書或其他平台上，評論區更 是常常有人會評論擁 “好”的身 材必定要先“自律”。自律是個 好素養，但“自律” 這個概念也 很輕易被群眾誤解。為了得到 理想中的身材，很多人便會使 用如絕食、催吐等的方法。這 些行為不單單極端，更可能導 致飲食失調類的疾病。請大家 仔細思考，這種不以自身情況 為準，為身體帶來不可逆的傷 害的行為，到底是自虐，還是

自律？從這便可見人們在盲目 追求這些不現實的身材時忘卻 了常識，只會用缺乏邏輯，脫 離現實的思維方式衡量事物。 人們不去思考，是否網絡上看 似逼真的圖片參雜了修圖的成 分，或者圖中的人是否也是通 過不健康的方法來達到這種身 材的，單單為了“美”， 就把健 康快樂的生活拋之腦後了。 除此之外，在學生之間，經濟 條件的攀比也日漸嚴重，使校 園內的不良風氣愈發濃烈。這 樣的攀比背後，一方面是源於 家長的虛榮心——從孩子上學 坐學什麼車，到書包用什麼牌 子，這些都是家長之間茶餘飯 後的談資。耳濡目染下，孩子 便會習得這種行為，也與同學

之間互相攀比，互相嫌棄。但 到底這些都是為了什麼呢？真 正受過教育以及擁有財產的人 需要他人的認可嗎？家裡是否 有經濟實力為孩子買名牌，和 孩子在學校的表現不因掛鉤， 因為這樣的現象只會將他們對 學習的熱情抹滅，並傳遞利益 為先的錯誤價值觀。再說，對 一些家裡並不是很富有的學 生，難免會感到自卑，被同學 孤立。由此可見，學生之間經 濟上的攀比，無論對那類人 群，都只會有負面的影響。 其實，生活最重要的與自己的 身材或財富無關。如果太注重 別人對自己的看法或太輕易受 別人影響，便會非常容易陷入 一種模糊的狀態，對自己生活 裏真正想得到的事物完全無 知。因此，我們還是做好自 己，努力向上吧。 校話

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