Taipei American School | 800 Chung Shan North Road, Section 6, Taipei, Taiwan | blueandgoldonline.org | VOLUME XXII, ISS. 04 | April 5, 2016
The Digni-fight for PTA speaker grant By Rebecca Tseng & Jocelyn Chen In early March, siblings Tatiana (11) and Oliver Feuerhahn (10) sat down in a meeting with the PTA to request funding for a guest speaker that would be brought into the school through their club. This was the first time a student club has ever presented to the PTA about monetary requests. Tatiana, president of FGM (female genital mutilation) awareness and prevention club “DigniFight,” alongside sponsor Ms. Lin (English Department), proposed to invite renowned FGM (female genital mutilation) victim and speaker, Waris Dirie, to speak in the upcoming school year. A week after this proposal, Dirie’s organization contacted DigniFight in apology that Dirie will not be able to travel to Taiwan to speak for at least 2 years. However, DigniFight is now in the process of brainstorming other speaker and presentation ideas. Bringing a speaker like Dirie to TAS would cost approximately 12,000 to 14,000 NTD, but Upper School Principal Dr. Hartzell has stated that if Dignifight can obtain half of the funding from the PTA, he will find the money elsewhere for their cause. During the meeting, PTA President Jessica Lim mentioned the rarity of PTA support for student-led guest speaker proposals, as the speaker approval process is usually considered and discussed by the school principals and teachers in accordance to an
The proposal: Ms. Lin (English Dept.) and Tatiana Feuerhahn (11) work closely to propose for a PTA grant for Waris Dirie.
aspect of the academic curriculum. In order to have scheduled this meeting, Tatiana sought approval from Upper School principals Dr. Hartzell and Mr. O’Rourke beforehand and emailed the PTA a formal proposal enlisting goals, background information, reasons for the speaker’s significance, and the potential impact of her speech on the school. Tatiana created DigniFight, a club that supports the Desert Flower Foundation, in her sophomore year. “The club is mainly based on fundraising, education, and raising awareness on FGM,” she said. “8000 girls are
mutilated a day and a third of those girls die.” In many cultures, female genitalia is considered unclean, therefore girls with non-mutilated genitalia are socially equivalent to prostitutes. Through the Desert Flower Foundation, DigniFight is currently sponsoring Fatmata Kamara, a 6-year-old girl who lives in Sierra Leone. Through sponsorships like these, girls receive access to medical care and monetary support for her family, as well as protection from FGM and arranged marriage. Tatiana hopes that bringing a powerful speaker to TAS will raise
awareness, not only on FGM, but also on the issue of gender inequality. “The topic of FGM is kind of controversial because it’s related to a very specific part of the body. We would have to look at the audience and see who would listen to her speak,” she said. While the Upper School will be able to discuss this topic freely, she hopes that the Lower and Middle Schools will be able to learn more about gender inequality and having the courage to stand up for yourself through hearing a story of someone who has gone through FGM firsthand. Dr. Hartzell shared his thoughts on
the sensitivity of the subject with us. He said, “I don’t ascribe to the idea that at some point you get old enough [to deal with mature topics]. Developmentally, common sense would dictate that you wouldn’t have Lower School learn about it per se, but I don’t know what we would be ‘protecting’ Upper School students from. Who are we protecting them from? The ideas? The reality of the world? It’s different and it’s for mature audiences but I don’t think it would be controversial. The thought of talking about sexual organs is taboo but if you think about it, why? We teach Sex-Ed in ninth grade. To me, it’s not controversial at all but I can understand if someone would be uncomfortable with the topic.” The PTA will be discussing all proposals received in accordance to their budget, as well as talking to the parent body about bringing someone in as a visiting speaker next school year. Currently, the World Literature curriculum already includes Desert Flower, an autobiography by Dirie. The film Desert Flower was also wellreceived in the past two years as part of the African American Film Festival. If the speaker can be approved, Ms. Lin hopes to further implement the topic of FGM into the English curriculum. “If the PTA says no, we’re moving to crowd fundraising and moving outside of TAS,” said Tatiana. “But I think it will be really beneficial to the community to have [someone so influencial speak].”
New summer sports opportunities By Andrew Lin Attention current and aspiring athletes: you may want to add this to your summer agenda. TAS is now introducing TAS Elite Summer Sports Camps for all Middle and Upper School students this coming summer. After beginning a new program for basketball last year, the Athletics Department now seeks to expand the program to other major sports in TAS, unveiling the Summer Sports Camp as a first step. This year, the Summer Sports Camps will only include volleyball, soccer, cross country and basketball as the Athletics Department intends to extend the new program to first season sports first. Volleyball, soccer and cross country camps will run from August 1st to August 5th while the basketball camp is only one day on August 6th. The camps will be taught by TAS varsity coaches, professional coaches, and
elite players such as members of the Taiwanese national team. Each camp will have 2 sessions, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, and the sessions will be divided by gender. The cross country camp will only have one session from early morning to noon. Beyond the basic given information of the camps, these camps also offer other advantages that may not immediately pop into mind. Getting instruction and training from various different coaches and players will be critical for athletes trying to improve their skills in their respective sport. Also, aside from the fundamentals that athletes will learn in the camps, the students also get to enjoy the social aspect of the camps. Each camp provides a platform for complex social interaction, allowing athletes to familiarize themselves with other athletes and build team rapport and chemistry for future competitive seasons, which will create synergy
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within the program. TAS will also look into expanding the summer camps to other sports in the future. However, due to renovations taking place within TAS and limited facility spaces available for use, the summer camps provided this year are only able to extend to four sports, including every sport in first season. As the years progress however, the Athletics Department hopes to include all the major sports in these summer camps with hopes of improving TAS’s athletic teams and making the teams more competitive in the future. This is an opportunity that athletes do not want to miss out on this summer, especially for volleyball, soccer or basketball players. Registration is already open and the camps are filled on the first-come, first-serve basis so if you are interested, register through the school website!
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
April Fools
Cat obesity [thankfully] on the rise By Bonna Yi
Cats are cute, fluffy adorable mammals put on this very earth by a divine force for human companionship. However, cats are also known to be occasionally possessed by a demonic force, leading to erratic behaviors from satanically worshipping by the litter box, nonchalantly knocking over your fragile belongings, and irresponsibly taking dumps wherever they please without a mandatory non-spoken consultation with you. Furthermore, cats often plan attempted homicides with an ambivalent poker face, making it extremely difficult for wary owners to know when impending doom is about to happen. Several cat owners have decided to solve this problem with an unprecedented,
innovative solution: creating overweight cats. According to a statistical reporting by Pet Obesity Prevention, 57.9% of cats in the United States are overweight or obese. Many cat owners are in a dilemma of trying to survive suicidal stunts by the cats while at the same time guaranteeing a non-lonely future with a feline companionship (should romance and family fail). Thus, by overfeeding, cats will physically be incapable of conducting their stealthy nightly attacks. But not to worry animal lovers (and PETA or other wannabe animal rights activists), there are restricted cat diets that tackle the rising cat obesity. An increasing demand for research on reducing cat obesity led to creations of diet pills, treadmills and liposuctions.
(This method is causing a lot of speculation about beauty standards around pets.) There are several positives to having an obese cat, such as the extra warmth the overstretched skin provides on cold nights and the cuddly appearance of “grumpy cat”. In addition, putting your pet on a strict, healthy diet is just another way for you to prepare for children (or lackthereof ). Cats are important four-limbed companionships for life. Cats embody the meaning of true love, so take care of your extended family member by ensuring it can’t harm you. Note that this can also apply to you non-feline friends.
Summer Laos course presents rare opportunity By Jocelyn Chen This summer, instead of spending a traditional four weeks of TAS Summer Academy sitting in an air-conditioned classroom and cramming in a year’s worth of curriculum, students have the option to take the unique opportunity in the “Laos Expository Writing and Service Learning” course. The new course is similar to the last year’s new course for National Palace Museum docent training, in that the courses take place both on and off campus. However, this course not only takes students off campus but out of the country to Laos in Southeast Asia. For the first time, the Summer Academy is combining an academic class with service learning. The course qualifies as an elective English class (not a core English class) and explores expository writing in a wide variety of forms, in partnership with the ECO Bungalow Project. Students will spend a school week on-campus to learn
expository writing skills and to study the history and culture of Laos before traveling to the country for 9 days.The writing section is both on-campus and in-country: students are introduced to journalistic note-taking that is used during the trip. Every evening students will write and discuss their writings, so the writing course continues while they are there. The trip is sponsored by Dr. Smith and Ms. Lin, both of the English department. Dr. Smith said that he likes the course because, “it’s a class where if you come in because you write for the newspaper, you probably want something different than if you come in because you are really interested in doing the best you can in service, versus if you’re a blogger and you want to write about ‘Life in Laos’ or something to that effect.” So while the program is an English course, it does not involve typical structured writing and is very flexible in terms of content. However, the main takeaway from
the course obviously is not the academic component. “I think students will walk away with a pretty solid addition to their toolkit for doing well in writingbased courses,” said Smith, “but the focus will be on the amazing experience at the same time.” In selecting organizations for service trips, the ECO Bungalow Project was a standout to Dr. Smith in its ability to provide a sustained commitment to the area and to a collaborative relationship with the service partners rather than a simple gifting of aid ordeal. He said, “I’m a natural skeptic when it comes to service work, so I like to look for longevity. The group leaders [of the project] having such a lifelong connection to Laos and commitment there has to do with why their project is such a good model.” Dr. Smith and Ms. Lin also are advisors of the Cambodia Service Initiative club, but Dr. Smith points out a difference between the two trips in that students will be able to experience more
depth in the Laos summer course. The program in Laos arranges for students to do homestays in the villages. He said, “In the CSI trip [we] only have four days. There is some meaningful contact with locals while we’re at the buildsite [for one day], but one day is one day. We can’t cross that bridge within one day.” In the Laos trip which is around a week longer, however, Dr. Smith said, “I think something much deeper will come in terms of people’s understanding of what it’s like to live with so much less. I think that’s an understanding that every student would benefit from, but it’s a really difficult thing to know. It’s very hard to get the chance to have an authentic relationship with folks living such a different life.” Working alongside and staying with the locals in Laos is what “sealed the deal” for Dr. Smith to invest in the program. “I think [relationships] can grow from an extended amount of quality time spent with people that you work with. It becomes harder to
look at them as pitiable if you spend time with them and have a peer-level conversation.” After coming back from Laos, students will spend a final school week writing a final formal piece of writing that reflects and evaluates the experience. Don’t let this scare you, though. The piece will depend on each student’s interests. Afterall, like Dr. Smith said, “Students will have a lot of liberty about what they write in the end.” He urges for students to recognize the rare opportunity this program represents. He said, “All I can say is that for me, I’ve been involved in service learning projects for about 15 years. There are lots of great things out there, but I think it’s kind of rare to run across an opportunity, even including what’s available in college, that is this substantial and is as well-thought out as this one. It’s a lot to expect in the summer, but I hope that students will find the time to give it a shot.”
Disappearances of Native American women
By Amanda Huang
In just the past year, three Native American women have been killed in northern Minnesota and two have gone missing. One woman has been found but the other remains missing. Another woman had been abducted but had managed to escape. It is suspected that they are being taken to the Bakken, an oil rich area in North Dakota, and being forced into commercial sex work. According to Chris Stark, a researcher focusing on sex trafficking in Duluth’s port, said. “There’s a connection between like the reservations and places like Bemidji and Duluth and the Twin Cities in terms of trafficking and prostitution routes that are run.” Federal data shows that native women are more vulnerable to exploitation. They are twice as likely to get sexually assaulted than women of other races. Nikki Crowe, a resident of the Fond du Lac, said, “We’re already
so vulnerable that perpetrators see that we’re so easy to victimize. So it might just be a man saying the things that we want to hear that lead us away.” The socioeconomic inequalities and discrimination Native women face is even more prevalent in Canada. It is believed that the number of victims exceeds 1,200 girls and women. “At the individual level, it takes collective action and awareness for men and women to respond. At a governmental level, it requires better understanding and representation of these minority groups. But on a societal level it challenges deepest biases of objectifying women and ignoring Native American rights, biases that we must work to overturn,” said Kavya Nayak (10). In early February, six United Nations experts met to design a national inquiry that would “fully address the root causes of the extreme violence and discrimination against
Is she next?: A Native American women shows her concern for the treatment of Native women. [COMMON DREAMS]
indigenous women and girls in the country.” The inquiry will be put into full swing this year. It is hoped that the families of victims will gain closure from the inquiry and people will
become more aware of the ever-present cloud of racism in Canada. “It’s important for all of us, when hearing about this news, to take initiative to engage with others in conversations pertaining to these
topics, and ultimately show that we as individuals care about the gross mistreatment of many women across the world, and wish that others feel the same,” said Janice Yang (10).
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
Zika virus scare for Summer Olympians in Rio By Jocelyn Chen
The presence of the Zika virus in Brazil has been a cause for concern for many expectant competing athletes in anticipation of the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio. Nobody blames them, either: the World Health Organization has declared the mosquitoborne virus a public health emergency of international concern. There is no current vaccine or medication for Zika. Sports fanatics worldwide are worried about top-ranking athletes withdrawing from the tournament due to the virus. US Women’s National Team goalie Hope Solo, a World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist and regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the world, has put out bold statements about her reluctance to participate in a region affected strongly by the virus. “If the Olympics were today, I would not go. I would never take the risk of having an unhealthy child,” Solo told Sports Illustrated. “I don’t know when that day will come for [husband] Jerramy and me, but I personally reserve my right to have a healthy baby. No athlete competing in Rio should be faced with this dilemma.” What Solo is referring to is the popular suspicion that the Zika virus
in pregnant women is related to the high rates of microcephaly in the Zikaaffected areas. According to Centers for Disease Control & Protection, microcephaly is a condition that causes babies to be born with abnormally smaller heads and brains. Results of recent epidemiologic and laboratory studies performed in Brazil, such as the MMWR on February 10, 2016, strongly support, but don’t yet prove, a link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and microcephaly. Where Solo may be wrong, however, is that for those who are not pregnant and not planning immediate pregnancy, there is no serious concern about the virus. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that Zika virus, after it is cleared from the blood, poses a risk of birth defects for future pregnancies. Similarly, affected men can carry the virus in their semen for up to two weeks and are advised not to have unprotected sex after traveling to an affected region. Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week. The most common symptoms of Zika (as listed on the CDC website) are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with
symptoms lasting for several days to a week. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. Maybe this is why Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal seemed unworried about all the commotion. In a press conference on February 15th, worldranked no. 5 Nadal, 29, said, “I’m not at all afraid. The reality is that we are here in Rio for an international tennis tournament, and I’m here and I can see that everything looks totally normal.” In most cases, athletes seem concerned but not too concerned to the point where they may pull out of the competition. There still is a lack of information regarding the virus and its threat to affected pregnancies, but the CDC is actively conducting research to better understand whether or not the link between Zika and microcephaly is real. Solo said, “Fortunately, the Olympics are six months away. So, I believe we have some time to get our doubts and questions answered.” Hopefully, everyone’s questions will be answered in time for the Summer Olympics and we’ll be able to cheer on our favorite athletes without fear for their health.
Rising concern : Facts about the Zika virus
[WOLRD HEALTH ORGANIZATION]
April Fools
Scalia causes drama by rudely dying too early
By Bonna Yi
The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia leaves the United States on the verge of a momentous change. As of now, there are discussions as to who the potential replacement will be. Mitch McConnell insists that the next president in 2017 should choose the next justice (which, incidentally, many
Donald Trump supporters also seem to give their unofficial approval.) Others prefer to see old faces and have Scalia’s eldest son rightfully replace his father. However, the tears of the recent death have not dried and many would rather put off the discussion until after the funeral.
State engagement : Supreme Court Justices pose for a photo. [DR. SOUBLET]
Wait, let’s backtrack—how exactly are supreme court justices chosen? Well, here’s the basic idea (seniors and lawabiding citizens of America who haven’t yet registered to vote on the future of your unborn child, listen up): First, there must be a vacancy in the Supreme Court after a retirement or supreme laziness by a justice who decided to take a prolonged vacation to an unknown destination. Second, the President reviews a list of potential names that have the following: Jr., Sr., last names that sound like first names (Stevens, Thomas, Roberts, uh, Trump), outstanding family history, and minority names to justify the hint of diversity seeping into the U.S. political arena. Third, there is a hidden, mandatory $70 application fee (which can be substituted with a $70,000 campaign
donation) and 4 supplemental essays answering why. Why do you want to live? Why do you want a job that will give you money to pay for all life expenses? Why are you a person? Why? Fourth, a background check just because...you know, ...better safe than sorry. This rule was added after justice Clarence Thomas faced sexual healing-no, hearing--after a female co-worker accused him of assault. Fifth, candidates are asked to a supposedly casual interview that later turns out to be an introspective look into how you behave under pressure and normalcy around you. Sixth, candidates are reassured that this is not a college application. Seventh, candidates are asked to produce a controversial dissent that can lead to public outrage, street protests, and repeated cursing on social media
(creative hashtags and subtweets are mandatory.) Eight, said controversial dissent must include a non-biased approach to the following opinionated subjects: birth control, abortion, same-sex marriage laws, and Donald Trump. Ninth, a candidate is chosen (the circumstances in which the candidate is chosen are not disclosed, yet a source reports that ropes and super-absorbent kleenexes are involved.) Tenth, yay! We have another old white man (er, woman) ruling the court! But in all honesty, this information is probably important to know but we won’t bother taking the time to understand it because we’re still naive and in high school. For those of you who did read this entire article, don’t be so gullible.
Guest artists Gill and Kwon to perform late April By Shereen Lee Conductor Richard Gill will spend two weeks in April working with over 100 students in our 50-person combined choir, and orchestra, and select band members during his third visit to TAS. Students are eager to see Gill, is a world-renowned Australian conductor and as well as the founding Music Director, Conductor Emeritus of the Victorian Opera, and Artistic Director of the Education Program for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Many Students are eager for his visit and the concerts he will conduct in Taiwan. Several students anticipate his revisitation. “During rehearsals, he seeks to connect with and inspire every
member of the orchestra—even in our case [last year], when we only had one week with him,” says Brian Kuo (10), a participant at Gill’s concert last year. “Mr. Gill’s encouragement and attention to detail was the reason that we were able to perform so well in the end.” This year, the orchestra, choir, and band members have already begun to prepare for the concert to anticipate more refined coaching by Gill later on when he arrives in Taiwan midApril. The choir and orchestra will be playing one piece together, Mozart’s “Requiem”, while the orchestra and part of the band will be playing Copland’s “Outdoor Overture”.
Although Gill will be performing other pieces with various middle and upper school ensembles, his final other major performance will be with a guest soloist, accomplished pianist and MIT lecturer Elaine Kwon. Kwon will be performing a movement of Rubinstein’s Piano Concerto with the TAS upper school orchestra as accompaniment under Gill’s baton. She has worked extensively on this particular piece, having recorded the concerto under the Artist’s Choice Recording label and performing it several times. She will also be playing in a collaboration with faculty member Ms. Pipkin on the same night. “The
audience will definitely enjoy this very fun and jazzy work for cello and piano,” Ms. Pipkin said when asked about her thoughts on her upcoming performance. This will be Kwon’s first visit as a pianist to Taiwan, another location to be added to her tours in concert halls around the US and internationally. Their primary performances will be during a concert on April 23rd beginning at 7:00, but they will also be playing at other events around TAS. Be sure to get a chance to see these fantastic musicians on stage when they visit!
Professional Pianist: Elaine Kwon will visit TAS to perform both with Richard Gill and Ms. Pipkin. [ELAINE KWON]
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
IASAs Track and field shizuka tei (12)
@TAS
4-YEAR IASAS / CAPTAIN
Events: 100m Dash, 200m Dash, 100m Hurdles, 4x100 Relay, 1600 Medley Relay What are you looking forward to the most for IASAS (a particular event, feeling, moment, etc.)? I’m looking forward to running with my new team for the 4x100m relay and hopefully breaking the school record too! I’m also looking forward to just having a good time with my team :-)
Jason dong (12) 4-YEAR IASAS / CAPTAIN
here in Taipei! I’ve been playing sports ever since I was a little girl and so being able to conclude my high school athletic career at home is such a bittersweet feeling. I’m excited to see the home crowd, my friends, and my family, cheering me on and supporting the Taipei track team. LETS GO TIGERS!
Events: 100m Dash, 200m Dash, Long Jump, Triple Jump, 4x100m Relay, 1600m Medley Relay How do you motivate yourself before/ during a race? Music helps a lot. But sometimes I just physically force myself to smile to make me feel less nervous. It looks really stupid when I’m just smiling like an idiot but it can really have an impact on my mood.
How do you motivate yourself before/ during a race? I usually listen to upbeat music and visualize myself performing at 100%.
What is the best thing about racing? Knowing that I don’t have to run as much as the distance runners. Thoughts, feelings on home IASAS: It’s a nice way to finish my career. Honestly, Track and Field is one of the toughest sports out there. You have to be a little bit crazy to put yourself through it. The season is mostly
What is the best thing about racing? It only lasts for at most 30 seconds. Thoughts, feelings on home IASAS: I am fortunate to have my last IASAS
doing the same thing over and over and expecting something to change. Track athletes need incredible mental toughness just to finish one workout, let alone finish a season. I just really respect anyone who’s made it through regardless of where they’ve ended up. Track can be incredibly disheartening and it’s really easy to quit and say “I’m done.” When you see someone finish their event, you’re witnessing courage in its purest form. Write me a haiku about Track & Field. “Long Jump” run, run, run, run, run run, run, run, run, run, run, run run, run, run run, jump
Photos courtesy Photography.
of
Dazdarren
Collapse and repair in shaken Tainan By Andrew Lin
An agonizing wait, followed by either great news or terrible news. This was what happened to many anxious relatives who waited for news of trapped family members in the Weiguan Jinlong building in Tainan, following the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Pingtung City on the early morning of February 6th. The earthquake struck at around 4:00 AM and the shock caused immense damage to Tainan City, which included the collapse of the Weiguan Jinlong residential building. The earthquake killed 116 people and injured another 550, but a majority of the casualties listed were caused by the fall of the building. The earthquake also damaged several other buildings around Tainan City, but on a lesser scale than that of the Weiguan Jinlong. Over 150,000 households experienced a power outage and 400,000 households also experienced damages to water supply. By February 13th, Tainan mayor William Lai announced that search and rescue operations around
the collapsed building were over, having uncovered 114 bodies and rescuing around 175 people from the rubble. “The building essentially collapsed onto itself,” Elise Hu, a National Public Radio correspondent, said. “When you see the aerial images around Tainan, the rest of the buildings are standing. But this particular apartment complex is as damaged as it is.” Controversy arose over the structural design of the collapsed building, which was the only skyscraper in the area that collapsed, and the company responsible for designing the building is currently under fire. Emergency aid workers discovered tin cans and polystyrene used as fillers in beams and the pictures of the tin cans also emerged on social media following the discovery. Closer investigation also revealed that the building had flaws in its structure due to an inadequate amount of steel bars used, all of which can be attributed to hasty construction plans laid by the company. The city government also launched an investigation into the developers of the Weiguan Jinlong building and the police have arrested building
developer Lin Ming-Hui and two other associates on suspicion of business misconduct leading to fatalities. Further investigation into Lin Ming-Hui’s history and background also revealed shocking information: Lin has a history of disappearing from public after failed business dealings and has changed his name legally on four separate occasions. As a result, the government froze the assets of 9 people, including Lin Ming-Hui and his 2 associates, which amounts to roughly $220 million in Taiwan dollars. The men are now facing charges for professional negligence and business misconduct. The government now plans to use $25 billion Taiwan dollars for reconstruction around the damaged area and give $3 million in compensation to families who have lost relatives in the earthquake. The Tainan government also plans to provide temporary households for those either left homeless by the earthquake or live in badly damaged buildings. It also promised to reevaluate the safety of older buildings across the island to avoid the same disaster from happening again.
Slack construction: Workers uncovered tin cans used to fill the pillars that held up Weiguan Jinlong, the skyscraper that collapsed. [GETTY IMAGES]
From history gradebooks to academic journals By Rebecca Tseng
History fanatic: Daniel likes history so much that he will be majoring in it. [THE BLUE & GOLD]
TAS student Daniel Wang’s (12) AP United States History paper titled “Missouri’s Civil War” was published in the Spring 2016 edition of The Concord Review, a prestigious quarterly history journal that publishes the academic work of high school students. Each year, US History teacher Mr. Arnold chooses a few papers to submit, and Daniel is the second student ever in the second year in a row to be selected for publication. During second semester each year, most juniors are faced with the challenge of writing a research paper about any US History related topic. While most students see this assignment as an obstacle, Daniel made
the most out of it. “I was thinking about essay topics and decided I wanted to research something I didn’t know anything about,” said Daniel. In the end, his paper was about the strategic significance of Missouri during the Civil War and the importance of Missouri not seceding alongside other larger souther states. To him, one of the most interesting aspects of writing the paper was doing primary source research, which he did by looking through archived congressional documents from the Union’s Congress and the Confederacy’s Conference. “I found a PDF file of a newspaper from early 1861 which was just really cool,” he said.
Another unexpected primary source finding was a couple of German newspapers. “Daniel was able to find German material because the people in St. Louis who were white were German beer brewers who didn’t want to leave the Union,” explained Mr. Arnold. Daniel plans to major in history in the London School of Economics and Political Science next year. “What I love about history is that there’s so much to learn and there are simply so many perspectives [that] can be analyzed. For example, when researching and writing this paper I saw sources which painted the Unionist intervention as a violation of states rights while others described it as a brilliant strategic move, and
still others portrayed it as a rebellion against the state government,” he said. “I think there’s much to be gained by understanding historical events from different perspectives and I think that this kind of an understanding is extremely important in an increasingly globalized, multicultural society.” Daniel has clearly done more than what was required of him in completing the assignment, and it has indeed paid off. “The research paper is the most important thing we do in my class,” said Mr. Arnold. “He’s done a lot of [research] and not just wanted to get a good grade in History. He had a passion.”
the blue & gold april 5, 2016
The N-word: It’s not for you
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By Neha Purswaney
DISCLAIMER: In the following article,
I am not using racial/ethnic slurs. I am referencing them and ways they are used. I also must say that I do not necessarily speak for all of or even a fraction of the black community; the piece below is an opinion piece, based on extensive research, as well as my personal opinion on the subject.
So I was browsing the snack bar and minding my own business one day, up to nothing productive (as usual), when I heard a group of boys casually use the N-word. I was so shocked my jaw unhinged and I stood frozen for a solid 30 seconds before I came to my senses and confronted them about it. Much to my surprise, they remarked that they “didn’t care what I thought” because “everyone uses it anyways” and “why are you offended, you’re not even black.” This incident and usage of the N-word (which is, sadly, not uncommon) is the single most jarring thing I have witnessed at my time at TAS. Today’s groundbreaking lesson from Neha: why it is not acceptable for people who are not black to use the N-word. As I am typing this, I feel so foolish, because this should be a common sense thing. You know, one of those things that everyone just knows and abides by, like the girl code, or the idea that you stand on the right side of the escalator and walk on the left. First, a brief history lesson. Where does the N-word come from? Well, the slang term that is so carelessly thrown around today originated from the word “negro”, which is what people of dark skin and African descent were originally referred to when they were first discovered by Portuguese sailors around 1442. The word “negro” means “black” in Spanish, and Portuguese, and was actually used until 1970’s as a more polite alternative to “coloured.” (Sidenote: “negroid” is still the technical scientific term for anyone of African descent.) However, around the mid-20th century, it gave rise to
the intentionally derogatory word “nigger.” “Nigger” was the word used every time a white plantation owner raped, beat, heckled, whipped, or otherwise humiliated a slave. “Nigger” was the word that was used every time a little black girl was told she couldn’t use the swings on the playground, or an elderly black man was denied medical service because of his skin colour. “Nigger” was the word used every time a white person forced their “supremacy” onto a black person. And after decades of legislation and campaigning, the word didn’t go away, even after blacks gained the right to vote and became citizens of the US. And that’s when the word “nigga” came about. Since the N-word wasn’t going away, the black community made it their own. This is an instance of cultural REappropriation or reclamation, which is defined as “the cultural process by which a group reclaims terms or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group.” (The reclamation of “queer” by the LGBTQ+ community is another good example of cultural reclamation.) Disparaging of THAT group. Not people who want to be black. Not people who enjoy rap. Not people who think that not being able to use the N-word is against their constitutional rights to freedom of speech. None of those. Even Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who pretended to be black and is a self proclaimed “trans-racial” woman doesn’t use the N-word. Some people who are half black don’t even feel “black enough” to use the N-word, so why do any non-blacks feel the right at all? The N-word is literally the only word that non-black people are not allowed to say. There are a billion and one other words to use instead. So why can’t we do all of humanity a solid and just stop? Now, I know that I’m going to get a lot of hate and stupid questions in response to this article, and I want to respond to both. To people who hate on this article and still insist on using the N-word: don’t come argue
with me about it, because it will just make both of us angry, and none of us are going to change our minds. Instead, I encourage you to go up to the nearest black person and use the N-word, to their face, and see what happens. To those who will have stupid questions in response to the article: I have gone to great lengths to dumb myself down to your level and anticipate the questions you will ask and have answered them in an infographic. If you have any other questions or concerns, please follow the suggestion above. As I notice the rise in the use of the N-word by non-blacks, I can’t help but feel like our society today is obsessed with black pop culture— the rap, the chain$, the dance crazes, the soul. We want in; we want to be blacker. But people don’t seem as interested in the pattern of police brutality against black men and women, or the blatant racism that African Americans and black people around the world still face in the 21st century. No matter how much you say the N-word, you cannot make yourself any more black, this I promise you. Instead, using the N-word will make you look like an insensitive prick, and you will be shunned by the people (black and otherwise) around you. Neal A. Lester, dean of humanities and former chair of the English department at Arizona State University stated that this issue “...is much bigger than a word. It starts with a word, but it becomes about other ideas and realities that go beyond words.” We are forgetting about the painful history of the black people, and using the N-word like its everyday slang is helping us do so. Deceased rapper Tupac Shakur sums up the entire issue in one concise sentence. “Everyone… if you’re not a nigga, then you don’t use that word; you don’t have to understand [why].” It’s as simple as that. It’s not for you, so stop using it.
American Law, defines it as follows: “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission.” It sounds simple, and something that you can easily avoid. But such cultural artifacts take many forms, from a culture’s dance, dress, and music, to its language, cuisine, religious symbols, and so on. Of course, I think we can all agree that simply enjoying some Japanese music or Italian pasta at a local restaurant does nobody any harm. In those cases, as long as you don’t happen to be an active oppressor of either culture, you’re probably good to go. Cultural appropriation matters because of who you are, what the culture you are borrowing is, and all the history that precedes that culture. According to Scafidi, cultural appropriation is “most likely to be harmful when the source community [of the cultural artifact] is a minority group that has been oppressed
or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.” In other words, you are culturally appropriating when you borrow from a culture your race has historically oppressed or exploited, or when you borrow an artifact that is sensitive to the culture. And in case you don’t yet understand why that isn’t okay, just think of it this way: would you want someone running around and flaunting false understanding of something you practically worship— say, Kanye’s newest album or your favorite NBA team? Would you not feel slightly uncomfortable, if not entirely enraged? Cultural appropriation causes just that feeling, but on a level that lights up warning signs within whole communities and histories. And it’s everywhere. From Katy Perry’s 2013 geisha-inspired performance, to Pharrell donning a Native American headdress on the
Q&A: Neha tackles five common questions that people ask regarding the use of the N-word. [NEHA PURSWANEY]
One-time costumes and a lifetime of stigma By Emily Yang
If you ask around, the most commonly cited fear among average Halloween goers is probably seeing any unwanted material, or rather the lack thereof. My number one fear, however, is having to watch clueless young adults waddle around, taking selfies in unconvincing “geisha” outfits or Native American headdresses, not giving a single thought to the significance of what they’re wearing. As harmless as these little outfits seem, they’re a cultural offense to some and, to me, a flat out display of mindless ignorance. They’re a prime example of what people call “cultural appropriation.” As the term has come more and more under the spotlight during recent years, and as we all head to more culturally diverse destinations in the future, we must properly define and understand just what cultural appropriation is. Susan Scafidi, author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in
cover of Elle, celebrities often end up borrowing and fusing cultures without much background research in the pursuit of a cool-looking performance or photo. Granted, some of these celebrities believe they are simply appreciating a culture by featuring it in their performances. Perry has repeatedly expressed her love for Japanese people, going as far to terrifyingly joke that she wants to “skin [them] and wear [them] like Versace.” Selena Gomez, regarding her wearing a Hindu bindi in a performance, gave this non-apology: “I’ve learned a lot about the culture, and I think it’s beautiful. I think it’s fun to incorporate that into the performance.” And maybe there isn’t anything wrong with a few clueless girls sporting cultural commodities because they think they’re beautiful—that is, if everyone just thought of them as clueless and didn’t take them seriously at all. But the danger that lies in cultural appropriation is the implicit influence of these
misrepresentations. Considering the millions of fans Perry and Gomez each have, the odds of a young girl growing up with these stereotypical and sexualized impressions as their only knowledge of valued cultural symbols are frighteningly high. As the saying goes: you wear the costume for one night. Cultures wear the stigma for life. So here I am, drawing the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation. It’s certainly a blurry one, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the effort to edge towards appreciation in your borrowing. If you must borrow a cultural form for your Halloweekend exploits, you might as well properly represent it by researching its significance and understanding the socio-historical context behind it. But really, let’s just save you all that trouble. If you find yourself wondering whether your costume will offend anybody, just opt for another one. I’m sure you’ll look just as good in it.
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Reclaim the F-word By Neha Purswaney
Aziz Ansari once said “If you believe that men and women have equal rights, if someone asks if you’re feminist, you have to say yes because that is how words work. You can’t be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m a doctor that primarily does diseases of the skin.’ ‘Oh, so you’re a dermatologist?’ ‘Oh no, that’s way too aggressive of a word! No, no, not at all, not at all!’” I really feel like this is all that needs to be said in response to a recent article on women and feminism in The Blue & Gold’s last issue. Because I am a feminist, in spite of disagreeing with pretty much everything in that article, I respect the author’s viewpoint. That being said, there were some hasty generalizations about feminists and the feminist movement that I want to clear up. Maybe it’s irrational and none of my business, but I like to think that I have a responsibility to my fellow women/feminists/humans to dispel these inaccurate notions and make sure that readers know what feminism is actually about. Let’s start with the accompanying picture. Rosie the Riveter, with her iconic tagline (“We Can Do It!”), along with an added tagline (“Without Being Feminists”). Having first appeared in 1942 in a song about energetic female assembly workers, Rosie the Riveter is the ultimate American symbol of female empowerment. She first emerged to cheer on women who replaced male workers who had gone to fight in the war, but has evolved to become symbolic of any endeavour by women to equalize themselves to men. The irony of attaching an additional tagline denouncing the feminist movement to an icon of the historical and modern
day feminist movement is a major flaw in the article’s argument. Next, let’s talk about this notion that comparing women to men is wrong or somehow unnecessary. I really don’t understand the argument that equality can be measured without comparing men and women. If we were to not compare men to women, who would we compare them to? Apes? Clownfish?? Yes, the entire basis of feminism depends on the comparison of women to men because that is where the inequality lies! How else would you compare? Who else would you compare women to? Feminism, as a whole movement, is doing great things for women worldwide. Feminism has given women the courage to bring about social trends such as #reclaimthebindi, which are empowering movements for women of colour. Worldwide feminism is advocating for the basic rights for little black girls, white girls, and all girls in between, as well as giving the more privileged women in the world an opportunity to speak out and support those who can’t support themselves. And feminism isn’t just about women either. Feminists (that includes men!) have been campaigning for men and boys to have the same rights as women and girls. You know that whole thing about abolishing gender norms and letting boys play with dolls and girls play with cars? Thanks, feminism. How about organizations that are campaigning for paternity to be as long as maternity leave. Yup, that’s feminism too. There’s a stereotype that feminists are man-hating women who love to campaign for the overthrowing of the patriarchy and the degradation of
Problematic image: This image originally accompanied Bonna Yi’s article “Why I’m not a feminist” [BONNA YI]
men. But feminism is about achieving equality by increasing the rights of women, without decreasing those of men. It is a common misconception that feminists hate men. That’s not feminism, it’s misandry. Sure, there are some misandrists who label themselves as feminists and create a bad name for the whole movement. The Westboro Baptist Church’s (which labels itself as a church, even though most churches recognize it as a hate group) radical Christian actions do not and should not represent all Baptist churches. Neither does it eradicate the positive effect Christian organizations are creating while doing humanitarian work rural villages and urban cities. This is almost exactly the case with misandrists who label themselves as feminists. They
don’t speak for us, we don’t condone their actions, and we do not want the positive effects of the movement to be eclipsed by the hate of misandrists. Feminism is a noble pursuit that has brought about incredible social change, for the better. Equal voting rights, equal rights to property, equal rights to take a spouse to court. But feminists are still fighting for other rights, such as equal dress codes (“oops, I see a shoulder!”), as well as equal views on male and female sexuality. The notion that feminists are “out to get” men, or that they are trying to rise higher by trampling on mens’ existing rights is only prolonging the fight for something that most people want, whether they label themselves as feminists or not. Does defending the feminist movement make me a “fem-Nazi” in
the eyes of some people? Probably. But you know what, I’m not one! Because I love men! I love women! I love equality! I love it when I am given an equal opportunity to challenge my male counterparts! Sometimes I love reverse chivalry because it makes me appreciate how far women and the entire human race have come! You can’t want equality and not be a feminist, because that’s literally what the word means. The word feminism was invented to describe the ideologies and social movements designed to achieve equality for both genders in all areas: social, political, economic, personal, etc. Disassociating yourself with the label doesn’t mean that it doesn’t apply to you. We can do it, so let’s do it right.
project or test date that happens to be the day right after the break. By literally setting the due date two days after the break, teachers pressure students into doing work during a time when they are supposedly supposed to be resting and spending time with family . “It shouldn’t happen,” said Mr. VandenBoom when asked about teachers assigning homework over the Chinese New Year and other excused absences. “I know that Mr. O’Rourke and I follow up on a lot of issues of similar nature when they’re brought to up.” However, the exact nature behind the issue is still a bit murky as not all details behind student complaints are brought to light. While the administration may certainly go and intercede for the student to make sure the teacher is aware of situation and rules, the student must be willing to come forward. The fact is that while the feeling of stress and tension behind due dates is rampant throughout TAS, the administration is handcuffed by the fact that they don’t know about it, and thus can’t do anything about it. “In most of the time, students will say ‘I don’t want the teacher to be mad at me,’ and I understand that 100% from a psychological point of view because there is a difference in power,” Mr. VandenBoom assured should a student be uncomfortable about reporting a complaint. “However, I feel 99.9% sure that that’s not the case; teachers don’t
take that out.” At the end of the day, students are still kids. And kids, whether they may be athletically or academically inclined, should have a healthy dose of freedom and rest that is not bombarded by unsolicited assignment in an inappropriate time. Yet looking at this entire issue as a whole, it is rather reassuring to see that most of TAS’ problems stem from mild academic issues of over-studying and working (which may seem like our parents’ wishes) rather than drug-abuses and after-school gang member conversions. But problems are still problems and thus must be addressed. More importantly, the problematic pressure behind TAS’ already notorious reputation of academic competitiveness and ferocity must be lifted. If a student does find he or she is at an unfair disadvantage, there can be something done. “I would encourage if it is something that affects the whole class, students to come forward and let [us] know,” said Mr. VandenBoom. So don’t bottle up your stress and become a passive-aggressive student giving your teacher the side-eye everyday. Before you whine and complain about the unfair nature of homework assignments during the break, make sure you take the initiative to make your complaint known. Students, in fact, do hold a fair amount of power and respect.
Breaktime, not worktime By Bonna Yi
From the first day of school, you were taught to respect your teachers no matter what. They were like the lesser gods of your 7-year-old world. There’s always been a feeling of intimidation whenever it comes to the power a teacher can yield—whether it is in the form of red-marked F on your paper or a finger pointing out the door. Admit it—you never want to get on a teacher’s bad side. But then comes the much awaited Chinese New Year break. You’ve been waiting for this week of pretend family bonding and napping ‘till 3 p.m. That is, until your teacher bombs you with the H word: Homework. It is moments like this you want to angrily push back your chair, get up, and preach about the unfairness of it all. Yet, the best you can do give a grudging side-eye and accept the inevitable homework. After all, you do need to pass the class. Isn’t it tiring, having to succumb to TAS’s cult of perpetual studying and learning? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a much deserved (and required) week of rest instead? According to TAS administrative policies, students can be exempted from homework (and other academic-related work) for the following reasons: approved academic activities (such as IASAS or Robotics trips), some appointed school breaks (Winter and Chinese New Year), and other special circumstances to be determined by administrators. That’s right—you read that correctly.
Break frustration: Students are still getting assigned homework over breaks. [GOOGLE IMAGES]
Teachers are not allowed to assign homeworks over the Chinese New Year. Of course, model students who want to stay one step ahead of the game will voluntarily spend their free time still working on the school wavelength. But come on, I’m sure most of us would rather spend time, for once, doing something not related to writing an APUSH paper on the effectiveness of Booker T. Washington or preparing for the IOP.
Yet, many TAS students are still stuck spending their “free” week stuck in a chair, studying. Why? Well, there’s a reason why teachers earned their college degrees: they’ve got tricks. Teachers, of course, know the rules. But more importantly, they know how to bend them (and much more discreetly than us students). Rather than formally assigning homework over the break, they “suggest” students to work over the week in order to prepare for a
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Beyoncé implores you to get in ‘Formation’ By Wesley Lewis Beyoncé’s message in her new song “Formation” attempts to uplift marginalized voices. She uses her platform to address topics such as the history of black power, the empowerment of people of color and women, and racial injustices. Beyoncé performed her new song “Formation” at the SuperBowl and I enjoyed the performance because she highlighted issues that are deeply rooted in American society. Although, criticizers such as Rudy Giulian (Fmr. NYC mayor) have condemned both the black community’s relationship with the police and Beyoncé’s supposed glorification of the Black Panthers. Beyoncé’s inclusion of the Black Panther and Black Power highlights the history of the African American community. Upon further analysis it is true that the black community has a strained relationship with the police; but the distrust in the criminal justice system is rooted in centuries of institutionalized oppression of enslavement, Jim Crow laws, mass incarceration, and police brutality orchestrated by authority that continues to this day. I’ve also noticed that people have misconceptions about the Black Panthers. Amid rampant police brutality in the 1960-1980’s the Black Panthers provided community support and saw the 2nd Amendment as a solution to unarmed black people getting shot by the police. They believed if they legally arm themselves, it would deter violence from being inflicted upon the community. The actions and legacy of the Black Panthers have been controversial in America but Beyoncé highlights the importance of the Black Panthers’ message, which was essentially
“stop shooting us” (a message that she also employs in her music video). Beyoncé highlights the voices of black women and shifts the narrative to the black female experience. The video contained a group of various Black women wearing natural afros, box braids, African threading, other
to Syreeta McFadden from The Guardian, “Beyoncé’s use of ‘slay’ is an additional embrace of the language of the black queer community and, in its repetition, it’s an incantation that can slay haters, slay patriarchy, to slay white supremacy.” She also says, “Formation as a work of popular art
“slay” as well. The song is not only a pro-black anthem but also empowers feminism, especially for women of color. Widespread racial injustices still exist today, and Beyoncé cleverly illuminates the problems in American society. African American culture, when
Information: Inclusive gender and racial messages in “Formation” bring controversey and community-building.
natural hairstyles, and weaves. The depiction of these women praises the beauty of black hairstyles, features, and fashion. Her praise also comes with a rejection of Eurocentric beauty standards historically ingrained into many communities of color. According
is clever in its acknowledgment of the labor of black women as soldiers and leaders in social justice movements, even though popular culture has been more interested in the role of men and of male performing artists.” Beyonce “slays” but also implores her sisters to
[TIMESLIVE]
it comes to the use of Ebonics, fashion, music (blues, soul, rock n’ roll, jazz, rap, and RnB), and dance has in many ways been made a commodity throughout American history. Black culture has been celebrated but it is evident that Black lives do not have the same
value. Beyoncé uses her music to focus on racial inequalities in America. In regards to Hurricane Katrina and police brutality, the Danziger Bridge Shooting encapsulates the racial biases in police activity. When patrolling floodstricken New Orleans neighborhoods police officers shot several unarmed black people. One highly publicized case happened on September 4, 2005 where several police officers spotted a group of two families on the Danziger Bridge and killed a 40 year old man, a 17 year old boy, and injured 4 civilians (including children). All victims were black and unarmed. The police officers were also caught attempting to coverup the incident. This example of police brutality and misconduct ties into the recent protests sparked by the deaths of unarmed black civilians such as Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, and many more. Cases like the Danziger Bridge Shooting and other incidents highlight the immense effects of police brutality on communities of color. Beyoncé and many public figures have refused to ignore a disturbing but constant trend of police brutality, mass incarceration, and other forms of injustices in America. Beyoncé steps out of the box of entertainment and attempts to elevate the status of marginalized communities. Many past and present musicians have lent their voices in the fight against racial inequality such as Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke, Nina Simone Kendrick Lamar, and John Legend. Beyoncé offers her powerful voice to an issue that affects her community, and she does not apologize for her message or her heritage; Swag.
#FreeKesha reveals music industry sexism By Amanda Huang When I first learned about Kesha’s legal battle, all I could think was that it’s 2016 and gender inequality is still apparent in the music industry. Kesha has always been seen as an amazing performer and has since become a beacon for those in the industry fighting sexism. With the amount of support coming from other female artists, it has become clear that gender bias is still widespread in the industry. The pop singer was denied a court injunction that would allow her to stop working with Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, a music producer under Sony Entertainment and Kesha’s alleged abuser. Kesha claimed that she has been “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused” by Dr. Luke for over a decade. Dr. Luke denies all charges and countersued for defamation. This fight has been going on since 2014 and Gottwald has been and still is denying all allegations and claims that Kesha is lying to leave a contract that is not favorable to herself. In fact, Gottwald even persuaded his lawyer to convey that “Kesha is already ‘free’ to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke as a producer if she doesn’t want to. Any claim that she isn’t ‘free’ is a myth.”
Sony Entertainment is expecting Kesha to continue to work under Dr. Luke and they are even insisting that Kesha is free. Its argument here is that if it were to demand Dr. Luke to let Kesha go, it might get sued for tortious interference with contract. With all the contracts tying them together, Dr. Luke essentially has control over all of Kesha’s decisions right now. What bothers me is that the majority of the people on the internet do not understand and are not addressing the root of the issue at hand. Simply tweeting “#FreeKesha” and talking about how much you miss her music is not what this movement is or should be about. This problem exists on a far larger scale and has everything to do with sexism in a male-driven industry. Big female stars like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Kelly Clarkson have all been stepping forward to defend their friend and fellow performer Kesha, what we should be pondering is the idea of empowering women and providing them with the courage they need to speak up. Lady Gaga herself had been sexually assaulted in the past and the emotional performance she delivered at the Oscar’s was exactly the kind of publicity needed to accompany the buzz surrounding the current situation Kesha and Dr. Luke.
Rape is not something that people “should have seen coming”. You can’t blame a girl for getting raped because she had one too many drinks. By that logic, rape is justified if alcohol is involved. It’s time for us to stop skirting around talk about sexual assault and rape. Being comfortable with talking about these topics will spread awareness and encourage victims to step forward and possibly prevent further attacks. That’s exactly what Kesha is doing right now, and as knowledgeable, reasonable people, we should all stand behind her as she fights to win her freedom. After reading that Kesha had to stay under Sony because of a contact, I could not stop thinking about male artists and how they would have been treated in a similar situation. It’s no surprise: sexism is ever so prevalent in the entertainment industry. Let’s talk about Chris Brown. He physically assaulted Rihanna and his career is still completely intact to this day. On a more domestic level, Zayn Malik left both his contract with One Direction and the band itself claiming that he wanted to “be a normal teenager” yet it is now known that he had really withdrawn from the band because he did not enjoy the music they produced. Both Chris Brown and Zayn Malik walked away from their struggles fairly easily and
are still releasing music regularly. Kesha had really been working hard to leave the contract she has with Dr. Luke and Sony and even after bravely speaking out about something as sensitive as rape, we still see only a few people truly advocating for women’s rights and raising awareness about rape victims. Growing up listening to Kesha’s lyrics about parties and booze, it was
hard for me to fathom that someone who had struck me as powerful and bold could become so vulnerable. Women both in the industry and not in the industry should learn to not take freedom for granted. In just a split second, someone else could have complete control over what you do and who you are.
Denied: The singer broke down in tears when the judgement was handed out in February to deny Dr. Luke injunction. [MIRROR.CO.UK]
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
What do you really think? By Hermes Agelopoulos (9)
PC. What is that? Well, PC means political correctness. To me, it is a silly notion. However, I can see how the intentions are good, but it can go overboard. For instance, whenever I talk to liberals, they always praise freedom of speech. I got nothing against freedom of speech. Actually, I love freedom of speech. However, whenever I voice my own opinion and it does not agree with them. They get very angry and call me awful names. Please, if you like freedom of speech, don’t tell me what I can say and cannot say.
By Alex Bookbinder (9)
Everyone seems to try to emphasize compassion, and it’s all shallow. The TAS motto is “The Bridge From an Island to The World,” but our world too often lacks kindness. And I’ve found that many feel strange pressures to interpret kindness as suppressing one’s negative opinions about others where real problems exist and require addressing. This might apply more outside school, but concerning true kindness between equals, unaddressed problems will only compound later, so solving or at least acknowledging issues now would be the greatest service possible.
TAS students rant in 100 words or less
By Anne Tan (9)
This world is so incredibly diverse. I don’t mean it conventionally that everyone has different opinions or come from different backgrounds. There’re people suffering, and yet there are people taking everything for granted. Constantly around this world that we are all living on there will always be someone getting harassed, murdered, and there are others having the time of their lives. There are people starving and there are people complaining. There’s nothing wrong with it all.
By Caroline Chou (11)
Dear future husband, what do you think about my pixie cut? “You’re never going to get married!”, I was told when I expressed interest in potentially maybe getting a pixie cut. And yet, nearly every married Taiwanese woman I know has short hair. This implies: 1) Long hair is more attractive and 2) Your attractiveness is solely for marriage, and once you’ve “achieved” marriage, it it no longer matters how you look! Is it so unbelievable that I think short hair looks good, or that I want to continue looking good even after I get married? Meghan Trainor, you do you.
From idealization to idolization By Rebecca Tseng “One white covers up one hundred flaws” (一白可以遮三醜) may be a short and commonly spouted phase, but it has given rise to a billion dollar industry. Walk into Watsons and you see row after row of skin whitening or lightening products. There is everything offered from whitening body lotion to eye cream and from toner to deodorant. I remember my mom lathering sunscreen on me when I was younger—the prime reason being not to “sai hei” (get tan). Long-sleeves, gloves, and umbrellas are pulled out in both rain and shine. For the more extreme, there are even pills, injections, and laser treatments available to whiten your skin. Synovate, a London-based market research firm, found that four out of
ten women in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan use skin whitening cream. This cultural phenomenon isn’t anything new, though. The idealization of pale unblemished skin has long been rooted in historical connections in countries such as China and Japan between lighter skin tone and higher economic status—poorer people worked on the fields, were exposed to more sunlight, and were thus darker. But this is history turned into a marketing strategy. “Brightening”, “dark-spot correcting”, “whitening”, “lightening”—call it what you will, but wherever we go, we are bombarded. Nowadays, lighter skin is associated with youth, vitality, and cuteness. While this industry mostly targets women, products for men have also started regularly appearing on the
market. “The most popular Indian skincare product you will find in any store is Fair and Lovely for women, and Fair and Handsome for men,” said Priyanka Budhrani (12). “It’s hard being a brown girl. My family actually says to me ‘you’re only beautiful because you’re fair’ and has long discussions about the color of people’s skin.” Research has shown that using lighteners increases your risk of skin cancer because they remove melanin in your skin that absorbs the sun’s rays. Many product ingredients also have dangerous and often permanent bleaching agents that will harm your skin. But this craze hurts more than our bodily health. While many Asians don’t outright declare we want lighter skin, we still associate it with beauty. It’s a subtle trend, but one that can quickly become unhealthy.
The cosmetics industry is also passively promoting stereotypes about race, social class, and gender. Last year, a Thai lightening product commercial showed actress Cris Horwang digitally altered to turn darker and darker. She then says, “If I was white, I would win.” While this ad was taken down, the real question is why it was even allowed in the first place. Interestingly enough, the “brightening” obsession can be compared to another unhealthy Western obsession--tanning. We want what we can’t have. Society follows trends, and nobody wants to be seen as undesirable. But while we we can’t change what the world values, we can face the beauty industry with skepticism about what we buy, and more importantly, what we believe.
Extra whitening: Asia has an unhealthy obsession with lightness, even for armpits. [THE BLUE & GOLD]
New SAT short for Stupid Archaic Test By Amanda Huang Standardized testing is one of the few constants in any TAS student’s life. We all have to take some standardized test, whether it be the SAT, ACT, or even TOEFL. With the amount of
Out with the old: A breakdown of the new SAT vs. the old SAT. [NEWSAT.ORG]
AP and IB exams students are loading their schedules with, TAS students still manage to squeeze in time for intense SAT and ACT prep. Hours are spent at test prep centers, taking mocks and memorizing vocabulary. I’m no exception; in fact, most of us are guilty of mindlessly ingesting hundreds of words we would probably never encounter in real-life situations. As much as I dislike the current SAT, I was definitely not impressed by the “improvements” College Board made to the SAT. College Board is an essential part of every student’s college search and they are great at what they do, yet their influence and prestige only fuel my feeling of unease. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate everything about the redesigned SAT. Many of the changes made were long-awaited and are bound to benefit students internationally. For example, making the test half-math and half-English definitely gives non-native English speakers a better shot at getting their desired score. Similarly, rather than being expected to know tons of archaic lexicon, students can expect words they have probably encountered before. The optional essay (which many people are already saying “isn’t actually
optional” in the eyes of prestigious colleges) comprises of analysis, logic, and rhetorical skills rather than the preorganized list of literature and historical events we previously had to memorize. That’s as far as my good graces are extending. College Board president David Coleman recently announced that the college admissions test was being redesigned because the test was not accurately assessing students’ aptitude. College Board believes that the content of the test has strayed too far from what we are taught in school and is no longer an accurate way to test students. Privileged students have access to tutors and learn more vocabulary words and different reading strategies. But the new SAT does not really take away this barrier between students with tutors and students without tutors taking the exam. Already throughout Taipei, test centers are all claiming to be the first to have the “FULL NEW SAT TEST”. Try convincing a TAS parent that “you can’t prep for the new SAT.” Even with the new design, families who want to prepare in advance will still do so. Rich people will not stop being rich and test centers will not stop advertising their “guaranteed score increase.” There is
an ongoing debate about whether or not tutors are even helpful but let’s just say they are. The SAT will never be fair and the redesigned test definitely does not level out the playing field. There are some improvements for students such as fewer answer choices, no penalty for guessing, and longer time but in the end, there shouldn’t be blind assumptions about “equal advantage”. “The new SAT will be easier to score higher on” is something I’ve heard more than a couple of times in the halls. Sure, this could be true but it’s not helping anyone. If it is indeed easier to score higher on the new SAT, colleges are undoubtedly going to be evaluating scores more harshly too. And if everyone starts getting amazing superscores, then what’s the point of a standardized test? “GPA can better determine how a person would do in college.” That’s a brainless statement. Of course GPA is a better determinant. But the SAT and ACT are the only things that are constant for each and every student. GPA varies depending on the rigor of your classes. There’s no way every college, especially colleges with a large pool of applicants, can go through every application and determine the
best candidates based on GPA. It would be impossible to give every application that kind of attention. With the new SAT supposedly easier and devoid of that previous edge in terms of being unpredictable, we will be left with an unreliable way to measure a person’s critical thinking. “The reading section is easier and the math section is harder.” I don’t like this statement and it has nothing to do with personal preference. Of course, this statement is subjective but in relation to the current SAT, it is pretty accurate. With both the reading and math sections becoming more Common Core-orientated, students will be facing problems that require logic and application of knowledge from all different areas. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however, if not administered carefully, we could be facing a test of logic rather than intellect. College Board has always prided itself in being the most innovative force in education but these changes do not level out the playing field and only serve to upset the way colleges will value the standardized exam. Hopefully, as more students take it, they will amend it and it will work its way towards becoming a test of intellect again.
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
Should America fire Trump? To take him seriously or to not take him seriously—that is the question that one guest writer answers in support of controversial 2016 Presidential hopeful, Donald Trump. By Connor Pacharis Presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has been a continuing news spectacle across America for the past few months, claiming to be America’s conservative savior in a time of liberal monarchy. Is Trump just a sideshow candidate with one-of-a-kind hair, or is his message something the public should take seriously when considering a candidate? Turn on the television to CNN or Fox News and watch as the crowds of people cheer for Trump at his events and rallies. One of the reasons so many people flock to see the charismatic speaker is because his speeches are so impromptu and seemingly unplanned. Spend even 10 minutes watching Trump speak and you see he refuses to use politically correct language, even going as far to say that he thinks, “...the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people, and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness.” A huge appeal of Trump is that his speeches do not need to be dissected because unlike many politicians today, he does not try to hide behind politically correct statements. This may come across as inconsiderate, but you do get the feeling he is telling the truth and not hiding behind his words. What else separates Trump from
Controversial Candidate: Donald Trump speaks at the 2016 American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
the other candidates? Many would say his billions of dollars. How could someone so rich represent an everyday American? Surprising to many, Trump’s money could be the solution to the lack of action in Congress and the White House. Anyone who takes an I.R. or US
He makes some sound, but tough arguments for what he believes needs to be done in order to fix the nation.
Twerking: vice or virtue? By Timothy Shu Standards of beauty for women are fluid across culture, time, and religion, among other things. I fully understand and respect this phenomenon. However, as I lay on my bed before sleep on a Tuesday night, compulsively scrolling through my Facebook feed, I cannot help but cringe at what I see. Twerking videos. For those of you who do not know what “twerking” is, you have missed nothing. Better yet, I encourage you to remain blissfully unaware of this particular passing vice. To the innocent few, please stop reading presently. For those who do want to know, here is its definition from Oxford Dictionary Online: “Dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.” For you more valiant ones, it will
also behoove you to search up “twerking videos” on Youtube. I was told to write an article about the standards of beauty from a man’s perspective. But as I mulled over the topic, I realized that any discussion about beauty in our age cannot stray away from the word “twerk,” as absurd as it is. Through social media, it has become an international phenomenon. Not only is it the runner-up to the Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year for 2013 and prevalent on Vine, celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Nicki Minaj have also heavily incorporated this style of dancing in their music videos and concerts. The principal problem of this fad, which hopefully is what it is, is that it encourages people to look at their bodies and each other’s bodies differently—more licentiously to be more exact. What do you think we are conveying to say 12 year old’s when the popular media is glutted with images of scantily dressed women flaunting their gigantic bottoms at the screen? Am I the only person to be infuriated by this specific popular culture? Just imagine, that in lieu of the giantbottomed twerker on
Tim twerks: Timothy Shu, the author of this article, demonstrates twerking.
TV, it is your own 12 year old daughter. Are you mad yet? If the trend continues to proliferate on the major media outlets, it is more than likely that your own daughter will try to twerk in front of her friends, on the pretext that it makes her more sexually appealing. Yes, the standards of beauty varies among different people. But it is also undeniable that media plays an immense role in shaping that standard. Maybe I am just old-fashioned. Maybe twerking
[DONALD TRUMP]
government class at TAS knows that in Washington, lobbyists are as important as the men and women representing our districts. Lobbyists donate to campaigns so the candidates get elected, at which point candidates vote on bills that benefit those specific companies
that lobbied them. The problem: the bills they vote for do not always reflect what their people want or need. Trump is immune to lobbyists because as mentioned earlier, the eccentric man is super rich with his net worth at about about 4 billion dollars according to Forbes. Trump has no need for lobbyists to pay for his campaign. “I am selffunding my campaign and therefore I will not be controlled by the donors, special interests and lobbyists who have corrupted our politics and politicians for far too long.” Despite the fact that his billions can be somewhat off putting, there is an appeal to a candidate whose only real ties are to the voters. Even though Trump has insulted certain people, races, and views through his campaign, his message does not seem as evil or self serving as most people would expect. Many voters agree that this wacky far right candidate might not just be shouting meaningless rhetoric from the top of his skyscraper. He makes some sound, but tough arguments for what he believes needs to be done in order to fix the nation. He may actually want to “Make America Great Again!” While this article does not represent the entire views of our staff, nor the views of TAS at large, The Blue and Gold actively encourages community dialogue. If you have an opinion on any of our articles, e-mail us at blueandgold@tas.tw.
Senior Timothy Shu tackles current beauty standards in society. is just a way for people to freely express themselves. And maybe twerking will even come to be accepted by all, become a norm, and a form of scientific art much like ballet. But all I see here is a massive backslide to the general discourse about the objectification of women or gender equality for that matter. At the end, however, I cannot change the inevitable flow of popular triviality. Neither can you. I guess the best course of action for me, and for
you my readers, is to maintain our own perceptions of humans, unswayed by the media or popular beliefs, and further sanctified by our own rationales, passions, and circumstances. Yes, it is hard. It might even be impossible. But I say give it a try! Perhaps you will discover something new, and dare I say, revolutionary, about yourself in the process.
2026
TAS’s time capsule tradition calls for students to pen down a letter of any length to their future (and as long as they still have the address). 10 years. To us, right now, that amounts to over half of our lives. In 10 years, we might just be holding a little piece of our past selves in our hands, trying to regain from it a few memories and a sense of This got us thinking--what will we look like in 10 years? More so, what will TAS and the world at large look like? Although our paths in life are somewhat predetermined by our pasts, we shouldn’t stop thinking of the future as something that we can shape. Here’s how we hope it will be shaped.
architecture of the 21st century By Rebecca Tseng
Waste reduction, and Health) in Taiwan. Several sustainability improvements included replacing building control systems systems, using LED lighting, improving the temperature sensor systems, and making sure purchases by the school are environmentally friendly. A wind turbine and PV solar cells on the D Block roof are also now hooked into the TAS electrical grid. Several high schools around the world have taken rebuilding the school to have a connection with the natural world a few steps further. Nanyang Technological University in building, harvests rainwater, serves as student meeting spots, and on hot days, even cools the air. helps cool the center space.
concentration. Classrooms no longer exist. Instead, the building is divided into four “study zones” Students sit on beanbags and can even study outside at the school’s waterfront. Learning at this curriculum and completely embrace it. Like many business spaces, a common trend of schools of the 21st century is encouraging class, most teachers will open a window. By 2026, perhaps TAS can open up the entire classroom. While our school may not be quite at the point of complete redesign, it will hopefully continue to expand on the green initiative. Perhaps in the future there will even be investment in glass shades that rotate with the sun, outdoor classrooms with seating, or even growing sustainable food in a school-wide gardening initiative that could be cooked in the cafeteria.
Photos courtesy of Nanyang Technological University and 3xn
implementing green energy] was more educational than replacing a lot of conventional sources of energy,” said Mr. Anderson, Upper School Science teacher. “But I do know they’re sensitive to the issue and I think if students or faculty have good ideas, they’re all ears.
The Future Face of the tas student
By Emily Yang
In 10 years, straight TAS boys will hopefully have stopped the ever-running joke of liking Facebook friendships between their friends and random girls and commenting “So this is the girl you’ve been talking about” or “Prom?”. In 10 years, maybe they will also realize that you need to talk to someone in real life and not just chat with them everyday if they seek a real relationship. Also, all of us might stop judging others for what they wear to school or for “trying hard” socially. Okay, enough shade-throwing. In all seriousness, I understand that high school is high who we are and who we wish to be. Ideally, by 2026, the student body will consist of kids trying directionlessly, but rather will try to take control of what they can, from their classes to their
I think a lot of us go to school everyday without really understanding or relating to why we do so. Our high school education has become an unnecessarily intense Minor League competition that we only work hard for in hopes of making the big leagues. We go to high school to get into a good college; we go to a good college to get a good job; we work a good job to have a good life. But in the midst of these incentive-based pursuits, we forget how to live well. Life
from time to time would be a great, a much-needed reminder in our busy lives. Perhaps the school might be worried about students becoming too self-absorbed if it emphasizes treasuring yourself too much, but I think that learning to value others inherently comes after learning to value yourself. In the classroom, humanities students need to focus on developing their own opinions before taking in information so as to foster more critical thinking on a regular basis. As for more empirical subjects such as science and math, students need to realize that they must actually process what given information means rather than copy notes blindly. Dr. Moran, Deputy Head of School, said that the school recognizes this problem. “We
Obviously, even in 10 years, not every student can and will be a “model student,” pursuing knowledge and genuinely enjoying every activity at school. But I hope that by 2026, school--a niche, so to speak, whether it be public speaking or art. And, ultimately, I hope to see a culture develop here at TAS where we go to school every day to leave no regrets behind.
something you can work towards at any given moment. Even as a mere high school student. In 10 years I hope the school will have worked at making students understand that they need to do things for their own sakes and, more importantly, save time for themselves. Likewise, I hope that by 2026, students will understand to not let school consume them entirely. To do this, the school would need to reorganize its points of emphasis. We spend most of our advisor group meetings and class meetings discussing character, ethics, and the management of academics. We’re often made to watch short videos of someone “doing the right thing” and then discuss what we would have done in their place, or we have periodic check-ups on our grades. Although these things are important, we always end up talking about the same values could spend time asking about a student’s extracurriculars or favorite classes, and make sure that everyone is getting enough sleep and has a life outside of school. Rather than shoving rights and wrongs down our throats, Flex meetings can be used to guide us in the exploration of our selves. [EMILY YANG]
inverting the classroom
By Rebecca Tseng
In most schools around the world, and at TAS, classes are indoor, closed-door, and scheduled. While many teachers have been implementing more project and discussion based activities such as Harkness Seminars into classes, it is still often hard to encourage kids to participate and really delve into the subject. Instead of simply adding a few aspects to the curriculum, a few schools around that world have completely turned the education system upside down.
[CRYSTAL TANG]
tas five-year plan talked to Dr. Catriona Moran, TAS Assistant Superintendent, about
not only need a strong foundation in reading, writing, math, and sciences, but they also need to situations, many classes that used to be interest-based are now required, such as public speaking and robotics and programming. “TAS hopes that every student will be able to not only have great ideas, but also be able to articulate them and convince others. You don’t have to be into robotics or engineering, but you have to understand the design process,” said Dr. Moran. “Academic content is not enough. It is not what you know that is important, it’s what you do with what you know.”
Clintondale High School, rated one of the worst schools in Michigan, had its failure rate dropped from 35% to 10% and college enrollment went up from 63% to 80% after inverting its education system, and this system soon rose to fame. Greg Green, principal of Clintondale, discovered that students who watch video sport tutorials at home process the information and apply the corrections the next day during practice. Applying this to the classroom, he asked students to watch online lectures at home, and do their “homework” in class with the guidance of material from Khan Academy, Youtube, TED Talks, and teacher-recorded videos. With this system, students came to school already prepared with knowledge they learned at home and could immediately ask teachers questions about the problems in class. No student to learn at his own pace in a collaborative, interactive environment. Students who are too shy to ask questions during class can also easily replay the videos. Ms. Peters, Upper School Science teacher, has been applying this system to her conference. “When I stand up in class and lecture, you students are so polite. You nod and smile at me, but when I do projects, I realize that they didn’t understand,” she said. Over the past six years, Ms. Peters has been integrating this new teaching method and attributes part of her student’s rise in success to this system.
After years of adjusting the her teaching style, however, she has formed a curriculum that is both to play to their own strengths,” she said.
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
Graduation gown to cadet uniform By Emily Yang “In the military, a Singaporean boy grows up to become a Singaporean man.” So goes the mantra Johann Wah (12) heard repeatedly from his father while growing up. Whenever Johann asks him what he means by that, he always receives a firm “You have to go to find out.” Trevor Shim (12), a South Korean, also grew up with the military in mind. “Growing up in Korea, I often saw soldiers walking around in their camouflage uniforms,” he said. “My mom used to say, ‘One day, you will become one of them too.’” For most seniors, what comes after graduation is straightforward: either a gap year or two, or college. For males of Singaporean and Korean nationality, however, envisioning their own postgraduation future necessarily involves serving their country’s military. Singaporean males are required to
serve 2 years in the army immediately after high school. Females cannot be conscripted but can serve voluntarily. “I’ve known that I would have to serve the military for as long as I can remember,” said Johann. “For Singaporeans, it’s the cultural norm or a life process that every male must go through.” South Korea, on the other hand, does not conscript men right out of high school. Instead, the law requires each male between ages 18 to 35 to serve varied lengths depending on branches: 21 months for the Army and Marine Corps, 23 months for the Navy, and 24 months for the Air Force. Another option they have instead of these active duty services is the nonactive duty service, such as civil or public service, which would require a length of service between 24 and 36 months. Recruits are posted to services after varied amounts of training. “I first found out that it was
April Fools
Locker room talk
The locker room. Home to smelly shoes, forgotten socks, and aggressive 10-minute intervals of Ariana Grande music before sports practices. Just what goes down inside the TAS locker rooms? Let’s find out!
“It was only the beginning of the second inning when I, along with my teammates, discovered that our third baseman had a tail. Or rather, it was an ‘extension of the spinal cord,’ according to the unfortunate beast. We were intrigued by this appendage, which basically classified him as an animal, and so we asked him to show us. Amidst the crowded locker room, he turned around and exposed his tail. It shone with a disgusting turquoise sheen, and was no more than three centimeters long. Still, most of us struggled to keep down our post-game snack.” - Paul Chang (12) “A funny story is when we all took off our uniforms and Austin Bao (11) was the only one without armpit hair.” - Bryan Koh (11) “I thought I found a skin-colored thong in the locker rooms. But turns out it was just a ballet toe sock.” - Happy Moo (9) “Once, while I was changing after basketball practice, I noticed that a cloth was stuck onto my flip flop. When I picked it up, I realized that it was a pink cotton underwear. Upon closer examination, I realized that it was a dirty pink cotton underwear, stained with a beautiful shade of light to medium yellow, garnished by spots of white. I screamed, threw it away, and it got stuck on my other flip flop.” - Joy Chiu (12) “My freshman year, there was an Honor Committee meeting and Philip Teng (‘15) told us how when you hear people say the N word and other derogatory terms you gotta stand up and not just sit there and let them joke about it. The next day, after swim practice in the lockers, someone made fun of someone for being a Jew, and nobody did anything about it. That was funny.” - Brian Cheang (12) “Sometime last year, there was a sale going on selling those sushi wraps that are a tube and kind of hard to take out. So we went into the guys’ locker room for PE class, and we go in and see in the first aisle in a bottom locker one of those sushis just lying in there, a week after the sale. We were like, ‘It must be really moldy,’ and a few guys pulled it out by the plastic wrap. Then, the whole sushi roll fell out and fell apart and was everywhere. We screamed and ran out. I think a janitor cleaned it for us; we felt really bad.” - Brendan Wong (11)
mandatory for me to go to the military when I was young, after hearing stories from my dad,” said Jimmy Choi (12). “However, I had my ‘Oh crap, so it’s real’ moment as I watched my brother go. Before then, it had been more of a distant obligation than an urgent responsibility.” For some who have graduated from TAS, this urgent responsibility is already more than real. Daryl Tong (‘15) recently graduated as a cadet in the Singapore Armed Forces and is now a third sergeant at the Guards Headquarters who does office work. “I think the first 2 weeks of BMT (Basic Military Training) was the toughest transition,” he said. “They shaved our heads to the point where almost everyone looks identical. No more casual walking—we now had to march in step with our arms at a 90 or 45 degree angle at all times. Things were tough, but I gradually adapted and got used to the army life.”
Although one anticipates things to get hard after joining the army, the conscription has already created some difficulties for Johann. Unlike Jimmy and Trevor, Johann had to push back his application process. “Because many universities in the U.S. do not accept 2-year deferments… I [will] apply to college with this year’s juniors and then apply for a 1-year deferment [to attend] college with this year’s sophomores,” said Johann. “If I don’t get into my top choices, I can apply again with this year’s sophomores, so I get 2 chances.” Despite everything, Johann remains optimistic about the impending experience. “I’ll be honest. I’m a little scared and it’s not something I want to go through. But I do believe that we encounter certain instances in life for a reason, so I’ve come to a gradual acceptance that it’s going to happen. I definitely hope that I [will] mature in abstract ways that would otherwise be difficult, so I can psychologically justify forfeiting 2 years of my life.” Though their immediate futures
seem quite different from others, these seniors experience similar feelings heading into “the real world.” As Jimmy puts it, “Knowing that I [will] have to serve in the military eventually, and also the knowledge that I will be going off to college gives me the nervous energy [everyone has] before a big change happens. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all turns out!
All smiles: Daryl Tong (‘15) poses with his parents at his cadet graduation. [DARYL TONG]
Gaming & health: an unlikely duo
By Andrew Lin
Make no mistake about it: video games, like many other objects, have their own advantages and disadvantages. Gaming, however, is often associated more with its negative consequences rather than the positive. Excessive play leads to addiction, isolation from reality, disruption of social development and skills and shaky relationships with family and friends... the list goes on. On the outside, video games certainly live up to the reputation of mere entertainment with obvious drawbacks, but hiding behind that image lies small and hidden advantages. “[Gaming can be] good because it stimulates mental health and helps you to relax and de-stress,” said Gerald Foo (11). “That’s always good for your health.” A fact well-known, video games can help one deal with stress and pain. Gaming stimulates the brain to relax through releasing a chemical known as endorphin which is associated with happiness. This chemical also deals with
pain and helps relieve pain in people who have suffered from mental and physical injuries. This has made video games a likely candidate for dealing with stress and relief and researchers are attempting to find out how games can be utilized by people to recover in the long run. A German research team discovered that playing certain games can help enhance your brain activity. Their studies found that some games, such as Nintendo’s Mario, can positively impact regions of the brain that are responsible for spatial navigation, memory formation and planning. A British study backed this up, finding that some games increase mind flexibility, allowing people to complete tasks with greater accuracy and speed. Such cognitive skills are crucial to a person’s functionality on a daily basis and studies have shown that video games are able to strengthen those skills. Video games are also capable of improving your eyesight and slowing down the aging process. Of course, staring at a screen for too long can
damage your eyesight, but recent findings have indicated that many shooting games, while they may not help your eyesight on a whole, may strengthen your eye sensitivity. Due to the nature of shooting games, where the players must find enemies to shoot at, players must quickly react to changes in the environment which is trains the eyes to recognize changes at a faster pace. Another study by the University of Iowa details an unlikely relationship between aging and video games, concluding that puzzle and problemsolving games hamper the process of aging by slowing down the mental decline associated with aging. The study conducted on over 600 elderly people pinpointed that the puzzle games were able to extend cognitive skills by several years. Simply put, video games can be bad but like everything in the world, when there is a bad, there is always a good, even if it’s not obvious. Just like with doing homework or eating, playing games can only be harmful if you do it too much.
Road trip college experiences By Christine Lin If you’re a junior at TAS, now is the time to begin easing into the scary college application process. Can’t decide where you want to spend your next 4 years? Don’t just limit yourself to one location. Eric Lin (12) and Takeshi Yamashita (12) are two graduating seniors who will be participating in unique travelling and studying experiences while in college. Eric will be attending Minerva Schools at KGI (Keck Graduate Institute), a school that allows students to live and learn in 7 different cities throughout their 4 years of college. After one year in San Francisco, students have the opportunity to travel to Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Bangalore, Istanbul, and London. Minerva, which was founded in 2012 in alliance with the KGI, offers 4-year undergraduate degrees in 5 majors: Arts & Humanities, Computational Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Business.
Stephen M. Kosslyn, the Founding Dean of Minerva Schools at KGI, has worked at both Stanford and Harvard University. Minerva’s classes are also unique: everything is held online, in discussionbased seminars of fewer than twenty students. Minerva uses a platform called the Active Learning Forum, where “professors conduct [sessions] via live video” and “students are active participants in discourse.” “Minerva is leading the charge to fix higher education,” said Eric. “It’s creating a school truly for the students and it was a very easy application process, so the more I learned about it, the more I began to like it.” Takeshi, another graduating senior, will be attending New York University’s Business and Political Economy (BPE) program, which allows students to study in both London and Shanghai. Upon completion of the program students will receive a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a major in Business and Political Economy. According to
NYU’s website, the point of traveling is to allow students to understand different political environments around the world and aid their ability to work professionally in cross-cultural environments. Mr. Emanuel, Upper School college counselor, said, “Virtually every college allows for students to study abroad during their sophomore or junior year. [It’s] important to gauge the relevance of the academics and the personal growth you will gain by studying in a different location. That being said, I’m an advocate of studying in more than one location during college.” As students of TAS, we’re likely all more comfortable in an international environment—a school where the people speak more than one language and come from a variety of countries and cultures—than in an all-white American population. Why not spend your college years seeing and experiencing the world, instead of limiting yourself to one country?
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
5 of the worst Taiwanese fashion trends By Amanda Huang and Nathan Chang
As someone who almost always wears sweatpants to school, I’m hardly eligible to critique TAS fashion. So I enlisted the help of a rising force in the fashion industry, Nathan Chang (11). Seeing local Taiwanese trends gradually surface in our community, we felt compelled to address some of the most cringe-worthy items.
Nas-Tee: Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch graphic tees were pretty hip about five years ago. Locally, Taiwanese people are still indulging in this trend and with the night markets distributing knockoff versions at insanely cheap prices, we probably won’t be seeing the end to this trend anytime soon.
Choose one, not both: We don’t care if you wear Crocs or Converse. Just please, don’t wear both. The Crocverse is both impractical and unappealing. Embellished with dozens of small holes, this knockoff plastic version of Converse has been showing up on the feet of local adults and children.
JorDON’TS: The most popular Jordans are the OG Colorways. Hypebeasts are convinced they know everything about the OG Colorway. However, when they’re quizzed, they know nothing. So please, if you want to buy Jordans, that’s fine, but either know what you’re buying or don’t buy it at all.
Birkenstocks: TAS students have been particularly eager to follow up on this trend. There is no problem with wearing these oh-so-comfortable shoes. However, when clothing items that were designed to benefit the soles of your feet turns into a huge fashion trend, that’s when there’s a problem.
That’ll be an additional 1 NT: One Taiwanese trend that has been gaining worldwide attention is cutting the bottoms of plastic bags and wearing it as a “white vest.” 7-eleven shopping bags are being advertised on people’s bodies and we can only hope this trend is a joke.
April Fools
The art of being a pretty boy By Emily Yang Doe-eyed, long lashes fluttering, the pretty boy strolls through the snack bar in a smart outfit and pretends not to see the longing gazes of passersby. At TAS, such a specimen stands on the brink of extinction, but he is certainly present. These select boys are lauded by all, flooded by stolen glances from distant admirers and deceptively purposeful greetings on Facebook messenger. Needless to say, being pretty is a privilege. It’s a biological stamp of some sort, marking your immediate superiority over others. Across several studies it has been found repeatedly that people considered attractive experience many advantages in life— for example, in a study of 300 Dutch advertising agencies, economists found that firms with executives considered to be better-looking had higher revenues. On top of these profits, a pretty boy simply exudes confidence. “It feels great
being able to walk around knowing you’re pretty,” said Derek Wang (12), a certified member of said species. Many boys who fall under the category of prettiness realize this quite early on. “The moment I realized that I was a pretty boy was when I first looked into a mirror,” said Jesse Kao (11). Brian Chiu (11), on the other hand, only realized this fact when he “received [the interview email for this article] on Tuesday.” Nevertheless, most pretty boys find out who they are within their teens. But fret not, for late bloomers still exist—take, for example, all the celebrity childhood picture slideshows that people claim will give you hope. Besides the part where you’re pretty, there are several benefits that come with being a pretty boy. “[As a pretty boy] I feel more confident when talking to girls, I guess,” said Brian. But on the flip side, Brian said that “girls tend to think that [he is] only
flirting or playing around even [when he’s] being serious.” Jesse agrees that it’s not all fun and games. “Sometimes people say I’d be a perfect girl, but I mean, I could also be a perfect guy too!” said Jesse. “This is just a general statement, but I think pretty boys have weak hearts. They’re softer because of their ‘cute’ image… [and] are often referred to as ‘cute,’ but I realized ‘hot’ guys get all the chicks.” On top of that, maintaining your prettiness can be rather timeconsuming. “I need to wake up earlier to do my hair and pick my clothes,” said Jesse. Because the pretty boy is victim to higher standards, a single pimple or a bad hair day is a safety hazard to him. As it turns out, the pretty boy is just like any other boy, except prettier on the outside. “To all the non-pretty boys out there: don’t worry because I know you’re all pretty at heart!” said Jesse encouragingly.
Pretty duties: Jesse Kao (11) forgot to fix his hair the morning of the photoshoot. Luckily, it’s never too late to fix a pretty boy’s do.
Why babies were so ugly during the Renaissance By Bonna Yi Renaissance art—it is the definition of elegant, classic, and everlasting beauty. See exhibit A: we’ve got the gorgeous Madonna in all her splendid details and overflowing emotions. And then we have little baby Conan O’Brien fondling her breast next to her. This isn’t the first time a Renaissance artwork displayed wrinkled, ugly old babies who seem to have better things to do than embody the image of spiritual enlightenment, as seen in exhibit B. Or exhibit C, and yes, the baby is on steroids. Some of these babies seem more arrogantly angered about life than anything else. Take a look at the smug, ungrateful face of the baby in exhibit D.
And some babies are just being unwillingly rolled into sausage balls whilst milk is force-fed into their mouths (Exhibit E). So the age-old question is: why are these babies so ugly? I’m sure Michelangelo and Mantegna were more than capable of painting at least one, perfectly proportional baby. The answer, it turns out, is simple— babies were just really ugly in the olden days. Artists were simply painting the babies in their pure, realistic form as a sign of innocence and honesty. Just like we filter our photos to increase the aesthetic beauty of our lives, artists use idealistic renditions of people in their work to make them more “enhanced” and “appealing”. However, many thought that babies should appear as they were when they
entered the world, and thus cute “baby filters” were not employed. Furthermore, fat, muscled babies were the style back then. It is known that pregnant women had an increase in appetite in order to create the cutest, chubbiest babes in town. In particular, when a mother gives birth to particularly funny-looking child with uneven fat distribution, a professional artist is immediately notified to make a sketch. In fact, many Renaissance artists were not considered to be competent in their careers until they were able to paint an ugly baby. So, the next time you see a Renaissance art baby and call it ugly, shame on you and your lack of historical context. These angels—they were the real babes back then.
Exhibit B
Exhibit A
Exhibit C Exhibit E
Exhibit D
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Stepping outside 4C20 By Rebecca Tseng and Amanda Huang Taking an art or music course is required at TAS, but some students take their love for the arts to the next level. Stephanie Chen (12) has been involved in art from a very young age and has competed in a variety of different competitions outside of school. She has competed in the Taipei Fine Arts Competition and the National Fine Arts Competition in watercolor, Chinese ink painting, graphic design, and Chinese calligraphy. She has also attended local art competitions where people sit outdoors, paint the scenery in a few hours, and submit their work right after finishing. “I love the freedom of playing with different materials. I
also take comfort in knowing that I can experiment with new techniques without worrying about the answers being right or wrong,” she said. To her, art is something she wants to pursue seriously in the future. Similarly, Rosalyn Wang (11) has been participating in art since second grade. She annually enters a national calligraphy competition where she is asked to write on the spot. With competitions comes hours of practice and anxiety but to Rosalyn, it’s worth it. “My favorite aspect of calligraphy is [forgetting] about all the stress,” said Rosalyn. “I have learned that hard work pays off.” Christine Chen (11) creates art as another outlet to express herself beyond
just her voice and words. For her, creating art captures her entire focus and she loses herself to the process. She said, “Even though life may seem to be the same everyday– you wake up, go to school, go back home, do homework, shower, and sleep, there are countless surprises around us that makes each day special. The emotions that these daily surprises give me inspire me to create art as I project the ideas out of my mind and onto mediums to create artworks.” While many students participate in art, Jubi Lin (12) has been performing piano onstage since she was four, when she played Joe Hisaishi's "Castle in the Sky.” “[Performing] made me realize my love of stage as it later became
Top 3 places to find inspiration By Christine Lin
Treasure Hill Artist Village Feeling stuck in an artist block? Visit the Treasure Hill Artist Village, a space consisting of 14 artist studios near Gongguan MRT station. According to the government website, the artist village is a place where “either Taiwanese or international artists can work and live.” The village also doubles as an exhibition space, and is the perfect place to spend an afternoon taking photos and exploring the various alleyways and buildings. There you can find installation artwork, workshops, an abundance of interesting graffiti, and outdoor sculptures. There are also a few cafes in the village where you can rest, relax, and grab a cup of tea.
Inspired by observations: A watercolor piece by Stephanie Chen (12).
April Fools
Lent for dummies By Bonna Yi
When is it? After you break up with your significant other right before Valentine’s day (February 10) until you decide to get your life back together again (March 24). What is the mood? Frustration (yet don’t curse in the name of the holy lord)
Nearest MRT station: Gongguan station
Describe Lent in 10 words or less. Lord, give me thy strength (in the form of food)
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11AM to 10PM [The Blue & Gold]
Taipei Fine Arts Museum If you’re still in need of inspiration, try visiting the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, which holds 4 floors of interesting, creative, and wacky artwork. From huge installations that fill entire rooms to traditional paintings, there’s always a variety of art on display. You’re bound to find something you enjoy— even if you don’t consider yourself an “artsy” person. The best part about the museum, besides being completely free of charge, is that there are almost always interactive pieces on display. This time you’ll find a room where anyone can write a quote on a slip of paper and place it on a wall covered with the scribbles of past visitors.
my "second home"– a place I feel comfortable sharing my feelings and personal stories to the world through music,” she said. Since then, she has participated in more than twenty piano competitions such as the National Music Competition of Vienna, National Music Competition of Baroque, and the Asia Cup International Piano Competition. Even though she no longer learns under the guidance of a teacher, her passion for piano helps her strive on. “Music comes along with a great depth of meaning, emotions, and memories– these feelings bond us all together, suggest that nobody is alone, and remind us that time is to be cherished and valued,” said Jubi.
Why do you celebrate it? By giving up processed sugary food for a few weeks, your spiritual relationship with God will be stronger. Or Christians prepare themselves through prayer, repentance of sins, almsgiving and self-denial to be better human beings. What is the best part? • Telling your friends that you’re giving them up for lent • Giving up homework for lent • Giving up your teachers • Giving up your overly idealistic careers plans for future • Pretending to give up your food
Nearest MRT station: Yuanshan station Hours: Tuesday to Friday, Sunday, 9:30AM to 5:30PM | Saturday, 9:30AM to 8:30PM
What are the important rituals? • Giving up luxuries of life as a form of penitence • Becoming an unsuccessful racoon (meaning you think you’re stealthy and attempt to steal food when no one is looking, but really, someone is always looking) • Appearing as a seemingly pious, good young lad with a bright future of redemption when really the ghouls are waiting • Going over to the dark side and binge-eating Krispy Kreme Donuts while being silently judged by the holy spirits around you • Screaming in agony when you realize the evil you’ve succumbed to, and you slowly feel your holy powers seeping out of you • But that’s okay because you know deep down you tried your hardest and your faith remains steadfast Where do you celebrate? You just lock yourself in a tightly enclosed space with minimal light penetration and pray to make it out alive (though you may allow friends and family to repent their sins with you).
[Expedia]
Eslite Spectrum Songyan The Eslite Spectrum is a unique mall that mixes art and shopping into a single experience. Besides traditional clothing stores, there are tons of creative activities in the building: you can visit the painting cafe, blow your own glass, make your own jewelry, or craft a leather wallet. The stores are filled with random knick knacks (think plants, stationery, home goods, and gadgets) that make Eslite the perfect place to window shop. There’s even a store that specializes in wacky sculptures made of candle wax! Right outside the mall is also the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, which often hosts exhibitions.
Nearest MRT station: Taipei City Hall station Hours: 11AM to 10PM [Google Images]
[Google Images]
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April Fools
Global dog trends By Rebecca Tseng, Local Pet Fashion Guru
When I was younger, my family and I would bond by watching Project Runway after dinner. While I remember very few episodes, I do remember that my favorite is the one where they had designers dress their models with matching costumes as their dogs. The point of this is, since the second grade, I have been a follower of pet trends. Call me your local pet fashion guru. I know everything there is to know about pet trends (I’m a good googler) except for the fact that I currently do not own any pets except in my imagination. That’s why I’m an expert. Lots of knowledge without any experience.
On the prowl
Weight Watchers
Kayaking with the bros
That’s so “fetch”
Chi-wow-wow
The ‘Gopet’ Pet Monitoring Device is handy device that includes a builtin camera, speaker, and microphone. With this technology, you can spy on your pet at all times. Also, bonus: if you think your boyfriend/girlfriend is cheating on you, use it to spy on his or her dawgs.
Research shows 54% of American dogs are overweight. Smart Food ProBowl is connected to a cellphone app, and turns bright red when extra servings are poured. I might just steal this from my dog and take it with me to college. Watch me bring this into the serving hall and not get Freshman 15.
What a time to be alive. There are two seats for your two dogs and you are sandwiched in between them. This is the only guaranteed way you’ll get me to exercise.
Fetch, created by Microsoft, scans and matches your face to a dog. “It’s a real struggle when people don’t respect you because you look like an afghan hound,” said Natalya Langford (11). “Ever since the app came out, I’ve been exposing my friends. They’re all dogs too. In the end, we’re all just the same.”
You know the meme that recently rose up in popularity: if dogs wore pants, would it look like this or this? Well, this question shouldn’t be taken lightly. Tiny sweatshirts, little boots and bowties, beanies and tiaras--some dogs dress better than all of us in our prepubescent years.
Photo is of a happy dog, a happy Rebecca, and a happy dog.
How to take a good DP By Amanda Huang and Pauline Chang (@paumandi.official)
You’re sitting at home and you’re stalking a cute boy (we will call him David Wang (12) here.) JEEZ LOUISE, he is hot! If I add him, what would he see on my profile? You click on your name and oh man, you are not looking good. You can’t slide into his DMs looking like this. You close your laptop and force it to sleep (even though the IT guy said it was bad to do so). You look into the mirror and you whisper to yourself, “it’s time for a new DP.”
Step 1: Pep talk and plan
Step 5: Filter
Talk to your friends. Let them hype you up and start brainstorming for a venue. Don’t post a bikini pic in December. Likewise, don’t post a parka pic in June. That’s not practical. Also, make sure you have a photographer on the ready.
Change the lighting if it’s too dark. Increase the contrast if you look like you are about to fade away (also consider getting a new photographer.) Even out the tones so you don’t look too sallow. Edit out your blemishes as you see fit. Don’t go overboard and make your entire face look like an incident with the blur tool.
Step 2: The three C’s Plan the date and outfit. This has to be perfect. Imagine #ootd on steroids. But don’t dress like you’re trying to get your photo taken. It has to look casual, cool, and convincing. Girls, make sure your eyebrows don’t look like tadpoles (it happens more than you think.) Boys, wear fitting clothes that show off your arms.
Step 3: Lights, camera, action It’s go-time. By this point, you should have already rehearsed your smile, pose, and thought of a potential caption. Make sure you head over to the location at the right time so you can get the perfect lighting. Have your photographer take multiple shots. Make sure your photographer is lowkey crushing on you so he/she will take cute candid shots of you.
Step 4: The Hunger Games Here is where you have to be honest with yourself. Be willing to eliminate photos. What are your priorities? You look friendly in this one but your hair looks better in the other. What vibe are you trying to give off? This is the step of self-reflection.
Step 6: Drop your mixtape Have your caption ready to go. If you have the picture on your phone, first post it under the privacy setting “Only Me”. After that, click “Make Profile Picture” on your laptop and make sure you skip the cropping step to make sure it won’t come out as a dumb square. Make sure you are doing all this at around 16:00 CST on weekdays. On Saturdays, you can post anytime you want but on Sundays, we would recommend 16:00 CST as well.
Step 7: Support team Tell your friends that you posted a picture on Facebook and it would be cool if they could check it out and maybe even hit that like button. (Don’t be too thirsty or else your friends will screenshot your chat telling them to like the DP and expose you.) Hopefully, having read these nifty tips, you should be ready to rack in some mad likes. But remember, likes and looks do not determine your person. Go on and slide into David’s DMs!!!!!!!!!!!
Photography 101: Vivian Teng (11) and Benita Wu (11) pretend to be Amanda’s friends for this article.
Bonus: Get your BFF to comment at Bonus Bonus: the time of the post so you look like you have wide fan base. But make sure they don’t like it until the next day so when they do, your picture will resurface on everyone’s News Feed and people who didn’t get the chance to like it earlier will do so.
Never ever reply to comments immediately. When your friend likes your photo the next day, that is when you should start replying to comments. If the likes are slowing down, make sure you slow down your reply speed.
[REBECCA TSENG]
Bonus Bonus Bonus:
Now that Facebook has implemented their new Reactions feature, you can ask your friends to react to your pictures a day after they liked it so your DP stays fresh in everyone’s mind.
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THE DANISH GIRL director: tom hooper release: November 27, 2015 starring: Eddie redmayne, Alicia vikander, amber heard RATING:
nominations:
Love knows no gender in The Danish Girl By Jocelyn Chen and Emily Yang When The Danish Girl came to theatres in Taipei in February, we made immediate plans to watch the movie upon its release. The appeal seemed obvious to us; well-reviewed and successful box office movies that feature transgender characters are hard to come by, even as transgender visibility slowly progresses in the media. The Danish Girl, a British biographical romantic drama film directed by Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) is based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same name by David Ebershoff. It is loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex change surgery. We were excited to see a popular and skilled actor, Redmayne (made famous by his roles in Les Miserables and The Theory of Everything), properly take on the part of a transgender woman. What makes The Danish Girl a little different is that it takes more than
just a one-dimensional approach of its topic. Instead of focusing solely on Lili’s (Redmayne) physical transition, it also highlights a beautiful story of unconditional love between Lili and her wife, Gerda (Alicia Vikander). Although we expected to walk out gushing about Redmayne’s performance, Vikander instead emerged as the standout performer. Of course, Redmayne was magnificent—he does Lili justice in portraying her pain and inner turmoil believably and profoundly. But Vikander moves us in just the right ways, partially due to how well-written her character is. In a natural and elegant fashion, she manages to flesh out the complex and charming Gerda, often conveying dimensions of emotion with just her eyes or a trembling voice. As a character, Gerda is raw and real; she deals with an unexpected and– at the time—unheard of self-discovery from the person she had thought of as her husband. Yet, she reacts with reasonable sentiment, and her unwavering love and acceptance for Lili is inspiring.
Gerda and Lili’s relationship, while beautiful and growing, is also important in its normalization of Lili’s gender change. In the film, we get to see two people who love each other regardless of how they identify themselves. We’re not huge experts on costume design and cinematography, but even we could tell that The Danish Girl hit home in both categories. Perhaps due to the fact that both main characters are artists, the film is aesthetically pleasing in almost every shot, from the backdrop to the camera frame to what Gerda is wearing. Every single element visually contributes to the vintage and romantic atmosphere; not a single shot is wasted. Equally beautiful is how the film does not impose its ideas and is not an attempt at shoving information about being transgender or acceptance into the audience’s faces. It simply humanizes Lili, showing you how deeply tormented someone can be by a mismatched identity and body, and how important it is to not take this torment lightly.
Best worst albums of 2015
We’ve all heard people raving over how sublime Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly was, or how Tame Impala magically managed to create a new sound through Currents without sacrificing its quality or identity. But perhaps what hasn’t been under the limelight enough are the several more problematic albums that have been released in the year 2015.
The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty by Tyga
Rating: 1.5 / 5
Singles: Spitfire, Shaka Zulu, God Talk
Title by Meghan Trainor
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Singles: All About That Bass, Dear Future Husband, Lips are Movin’
Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven by Kid Cudi
Rating: 2 / 5
Singles: Edge of the Earth, Man in the Night, Confused!
By Emily Yang Tyga makes me angry. I don’t know how else to put it. I know degradation of women, excessive profanity, and the “haters don’t bother me!” mumbojumbo aren’t anything new to the hiphop world. But Tyga, my friend, it’s 2015. Can’t we come up with some other offensive way to sell records? Even soundwise, Tyga is far from original, featuring at best a few humdrum beats along with knock-off, directionless lyrics. The album, as critic Meaghan Garvey puts it, gives us “12 microwave-nuked approximations of Drake circa 2013 and Kanye songs… with none of the wit, soul, or edge.”
I have a good laugh just imagining the production process of the album. Did Tyga, our romantic artist, at one point, scrawl the lyrics to “Pleazer” down after tossing several unusable drafts in the bin? Did he then hand the lyrics over to his producer, who proceeded to slam his (I’m assuming no woman would let these lyrics pass) hands on the table, and yelled, “This is it!”? Is that how he ingeniously came upon the rhyming of “dick” with “dick,” or the groundbreaking figurative language that likens certain bodily fluids to “orange juice in the morning”? I don’t know, but that sure is the only form of happiness I can derive from this
album. Yep: Tyga’s lyrics have no substance whatsoever. I say this with confidence, because I spent a good one minute of my life reading the lyrics of “Muh F*cka,” and yes– every single line has a swear word in it. He drops approximately 78 F bombs– I’d try to get some more statistics for you, but I’d rather not waste any more time on him. Maybe one day Tyga will grow up and realize that he can actually rap about things other than sex, his haters, “stealing” your girl, and whatever the heck else he blabs about in those 44 minutes. But I don’t think I’ll be around to see that.
Sure, Meghan Trainor racks up an enjoyable sound with an impressive voice and a seemingly positive overall message telling you to love your beautiful and average-sized self. But listen to more than one song off the album (A.K.A. either “All About That Bass” or “Lips Are Movin”) and you’ll find yourself, soundwise, confronted by Trainor going for the same happy Amy Winehouse vibe over and over again. Also, as nice as it is to be told that you are beautiful and that your big booty is just the right size every few songs, it gets kind of tiring. Mindlessly humming her tunes along with her is okay, but let the
lyrics get to you and we’d all be in trouble. “Dear Future Husband” is a terrifying song lyrically, accompanied by an infuriating video packed with scenes like Trainor, clad in apron and leather jacket, trying to scrub the floor and bake apple pie in between awkward dance moves. Not only does it perpetuate gender profiles, with lines like “I’ll be the perfect wife / Buying groceries / Buy-buying groceries,” but it also presents the (for the lack of a better word) stupid idea that men have to “tell [her she’s] beautiful each and every night” for them to get that “special lovin’” in
bed. In these lyrics thinly veiled by a catchy tune, Trainor’s supposedly empowering words turn women into marriage-oriented creatures that need constant validation from men to display any affection. Basically, Title sounds okay, but Trainor’s repetitiveness and phony body positivity has me concerned that the album hit several charts at number one. Considering how twisted Trainor’s idea of female empowerment seems to be, it appears we still have a long way to go in endorsing the right ideas in music. Also, the world would just be a better place if she just stopped trying to rap. Really.
I think one YouTube commenter put it the best: “What could drive a man to do something like this?” That’s the question that surfaces in your head as you listen to Kid Cudi screeching flat, dull tunes backed by clumsy guitar in his newest, Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven. Not to mention the Beavis and Butthead dialogues inserted randomly throughout the album– it hurts. Cudi, typically a hip-hop artist, takes quite the leap out of his comfort zone in this one.
Actually, he kind of takes his comfort zone and flushes it down the toilet. As with most first flights out of the nest, he falls way short. This album is, without a doubt, an experimental failure– and, as Pitchfork’s Matthew Ramirez put it, not even a noble one. Not only so, but it’s a 90-minute long failure. His usual genre aside, this music that Cudi is calling “alternative” often fades into something that I have a hard time calling music. The album drags on for way too long, and is all over the
place. Perhaps the only coherent connection between tracks is the candor of the lyrics: Cudi repeatedly references his struggles with drugs, noting in “Confused” that he “[hates] the drugs… but [loves] the numb.” Unfortunately, Cudi’s attempt to do something different is nothing new to us. It’s certainly noble in its intention to dig deeper, but I can’t deny what my ears are telling me as I force myself to sit through Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven: it’s bad.
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Me Before You: overrated and overhyped By Christine Lin If you’ve heard people gushing about Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, here’s my advice: don’t get your hopes up. With a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, it’s clearly a popular book. Reviews don’t just claim this book is good, but that it’s “heartbreakingly beautiful,” “life-altering,” and “mindblowing.” It’s supposed to drain you emotionally, make you cry happy tears, and sob uncontrollably. It doesn’t. Me Before You is yet another unremarkable, over-hyped love story that has been made into a movie (see: Paper Towns or The Fault in Our Stars). The novel surrounds Louisa Clark and Will Traynor, two people who live in completely different social spheres but end up changing each other’s lives and falling in love (yes, the plot is as cheesy as it sounds). Louisa, a 26-year-old woman with little ambition in life, is devastated after she’s fired from the only job she’s ever known, waitressing at the local cafe. Will Traynor, an upper class, wealthy
businessman who enjoys extreme outdoor activities, loses his desire to live after a car accident leaves him paralyzed in both arms and both legs. Louisa ends up working as his personal caretaker, and attempts to convince him that life is still worth living. The main focus of the book is Will’s desire to go to Dignitas, a Swiss organization that helps those with terminal illnesses or severe physical and mental disabilities die prematurely. To the book’s credit, assisted suicide is a controversial and rarely discussed topic, and the book does a great job of sparking thought-provoking conversations. Me Before You also highlights the unfriendly attitude our world holds towards disabled people. Many places that Will wants to visit are not wheelchair-friendly, and he’s often followed by side glances or rude stares in public. Even worse, his friends and family act like they know what’s best for him, even though his physical disability doesn’t make him any less capable of making decisions.
me before you
Unfortunately, the interesting topic is overshadowed by the book’s storyline, a cheesy love story with shallow and unrealistic characters. It was difficult for me to believe Louisa and Will were actually in love, and everything seemed to fall into place too perfectly. Louisa’s connection to Will is obviously forced– the two characters have nothing in common and experience few moments of true connection throughout the book. Will’s eventual death, which is supposed to bring the reader to tears, was not only overly predictable, but utterly unemotional. The entire time I was reading the novel I was waiting for that heartbreaking, tear-jerking moment, but then... the book just ended. I was left unmoved and severely disappointed. Ultimately, I wouldn’t recommend Me Before You to anybody, but if you liked A Fault in Our Stars you’ll probably find yourself gushing over this book. It’s basically a typical John Green story, minus the quirky names and teenage awkwardness.
author: jojo moyes published: 2012 369 pages rating:
nominations:
The fault lies in John Green, not the stars By Rebecca Tseng, Emily Yang, Jocelyn Chen If John Green were rain, he would be neither drizzle nor hurricane. He would just be some form of Taiwanese acid rain, irritatingly filling our ears with his sappy pitter-patter and, when experienced in large doses, producing a balding effect. Our generation’s most popular young adult fiction writer has long been the source of tears for many teenagers. You can often spot the sort sobbing dramatically on Tumblr and posting pretty typography of quotes on backdrops of clouds and infinity signs. He is a source of tears for us too: tears of regret that we trudged through his book with the hope that it would live up to the hype, and tears that his books are considered our generation’s literary masterpieces. If John Green remains to be our literary poster child in the years to come, we’ll be ashamed. Green’s writing has several recurring patterns. Each of his books has a few (pretentious) quotes that somehow make it big (appearing on pillows, posters, and Instagram captions). Now, we have to admit that some of these quotes are actually kind of inspirational
by themselves, but the books are no more than their one-liner. He probably thinks up these quotes in the shower, has a vague notion that they’ll go viral, and then writes the book after coming up with the zinger. The overabundance of quoteworthy lines actually culminated in Green himself not knowing what he wrote. A few years ago, the quote “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met” went viral, receiving more than 1,700 likes on Goodreads under John Green’s name. The quote was actually part of a poem a 13-year-old wrote on Tumblr, but Green misattributed it to himself because it sounded like something he would write. Though he did clear it up later on, it is quite telling regarding how meaningful his own words are to him. Although we won’t deny that Green is a skilled writer, his ideas are nothing new. It’s not impossible to string nicesounding words into nice-sounding sentences, but ideas are what set a writer apart. In Green’s case, his plotlines always revolve around the same, dreary formula. As Alexis Sears well states in
the The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, “For the most part, the novels are formulaic: a generic white boy and his two equally generic friends lust after a girl, only to learn that she is more ‘damaged’ (but charmingly so) than they had originally realized. Green then hits us over the head with the theme about how a girl can’t save you and how ‘treacherous’ it is to think that a person is more than a person.” Let’s be honest: the pretentious jabber his teenage characters spout aren’t exactly realistic. When your little teenage self is going through a breakup, you probably don’t want your alsoteenage friend Augustus to tell you ever-so-profoundly that “pain demands to be felt.” You probably just want him to cuss out your ex with you. Many put Green on a pedestal, saying that he writes about “real experiences of real people,” but that’s hardly the case. And don’t even get us started on how sorely misrepresented women are in his books. Like John Green if you will, but don’t act like his books are anything other than mediocre at best.
Face-off: The Blue and Gold staff debate over whether or not John Green’s fame as a novelist is deserved.
John Green: the man, the book, the legend By Bonna Yi Before you read a John Green book, you should get to know the man. Like the fact that he has a tumblr account called “fishingboatproceeds” and a dog named Fireball Wilson Roberts Roberts (a.k.a Bubbles the Nerdfighting Puppy). So yeah, you can say he’s a quirky middle-aged man who writes novels for young-adults. However, in spite of his seemingly uncouth (and often aggressive) nerdiness, he has managed to garner millions of views (and piles of money) over the past five years for his novels. His novels include the oh-so-popular tearjerkers (The Fault in our Stars, Paper Towns, and Looking for Alaska). Now I can go on a long rant talking about why his novels are brilliant, literary masterpieces that encompass all the pent
up emotions that a teenager feels. But I won’t, because this is not how I’m going defend John Green. To be honest, there are a lot of articles and people who can praise Green’s books better than me. Instead, I’d like to defend John and the entirety of the YA community who get criticized due to their “overrated” popularity. There’s a reason why John Green’s novels became popular– they are that good. His novels embody the human emotions—even the wacky metaphors and overused characters—so well that people are able to understand it. The praise John Green receives is well deserved, and I don’t think it’s right to try and take it away from him. In an analogous situation, that would be like trash-talking the boy who won the “best English student” award after the
ceremony. Most of the overrated-ness is perpetuated by the media that John Green’s books are worth so much more than the other books. However, no one’s books are worth more than another’s (something John Green had said himself in his video blogs on YouTube). The insinuation that there isn’t any value behind novels just because of its popularity is obviously wrong, yet I know it’s hard to separate the hate that comes after fame. I admit that I am also guilty of this practice, wanting to judge others with heavy criticisms after he or she is showered with attention. However, I try to remind myself that whatever award or praise someone gets is well deserved and we shouldn’t go out of our ways to prove otherwise.
YA is a beautiful category, and John Green is part of that. So are the novels by Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth, and these novels are often claimed to be overrated and literarily insignificant. But I urge you to take into consideration that these novels are YA– not philosophical novels meant to evoke an epiphany of life. They’re supposed to be for teenagers venturing out into the more complicated adultword with new emotions and awkward situations. These stories are allowed to be soppy, heartbreaking stuff that happens to ostensibly normal characters that don’t seem to understand what normal interactions are.They’re allowed to not make sense to some people and to be absolutely groundbreaking to others. Yes, I do have to say that John
Green’s novels have a common theme: boy meets girl (or vice versa) under unconventional settings where the love interest is way out of the main character’s league, teenage invincibility against an unfair world, angsty and sarcastic feelings that turn into rants about a premature existential crisis, and teenagers who use way too many SAT words. But you know what, it makes sense to me and to thousands of others who absolutely love the Nerdfighteria. It doesn’t mean that we have bad taste. It means that we have different tastes, and we’re unapologetically happy about it. At the end of the day, I want to believe that authors are extremely brave for publishing in the first place, and that’s what makes all novels equally wonderful.
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the blue & gold april 5, 2016
Got juice?
Taipei juice craze takes off By Charlotte Chou Taipei has seen a proliferation of juice bars in recent years. You can find fresh juice sold almost everywhere you turn from inside department stores to the ones lining the streets in night markets. Some receive a lot of hype while others are ones no one has ever heard of. There are so many juice bars that there seems to be a juice bar that can cater to anyone’s tastes. Unless, of course, you don’t like juice. But that’s another story. Here are some of the best juice bars that you should definitely check out.
LiveGreen From the US, LiveGreen sells coldpressed juices and yogurt. The store is in the Tianmu circle, so it’s really close to school. The store has pristine white walls and shelves that display the juice bottles. Their juice comes in bottle, but you can also choose to buy a set of juices for detoxifying your body. Cold pressed juices come from fresh fruits and vegetables and more vitamins,
minerals, and enzymes are preserved than in regular juices because of the special process. LiveGreen has many different flavors, and it really depends on the person. However, one of the more conventional flavors is the tropical juice, which has pineapples and citrus inside. Each bottle costs around 150 NT, but they give a lot of free samples and discounts.
Purple Hood Purple Hood is from Korea, though its famed Acai Bowls are made with acai berries from Brazil. It sells bottled cold press juice along with acai bowls, all of which are very refreshing and aesthetically pleasing. The store itself is
interesting, with chairs made of stacked crates, purple brick walls, and a huge neon sign featuring an octopus wearing a ski mask. Most of their juices are around 120 NT, but their most popular acai bottled juice costs more.
REVEL Eatery and Juice Bar This store sells food, such as tacos and loco moco, in addition to juice. The juice sold has artfully arranged toppings, and is definitely recommended if you like drinks that look nice. The decor of
the store is also quite nice, with jars filled with dried fruit, plants, and artwork on the walls. REVEL juice is around 120 NT. Healthy Alternatives: LiveGreen (left) and Purple Hood (right), two of the newest juice bars that opened in Taipei. [Charlotte Chou]
April Fools
Wacky world news By Amanda Huang
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1. Veteran race horse Morestead strutted through this year’s Cheltenham Festival finessing the world’s first Harris Tweed suit designed for a race horse. It took four weeks to make and used up more than 18 metres of tweed. Morestead wore it with as a set with a flat cap and tie. [COOLFM.
4. Look forward to seeing ninjas in Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics hosted in Japan. Six people will become full-time ninjas and eventually perform at Nagoya Castle, among other locations. They will be paid around $1600 a month. [TRAVELANDLEISURE]
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2. Seaworld says that they will end their orca breeding program and end the traditional killer whale shows. Seaworld had built its brand on the killer whales, named Shamu. The park will now have to find a new way to attract visitors. [THE ODYSSEY]
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3. Japan-based beverage maker Kimura Drink has decided to create a potato-chip flavored soda. Kimura Drink is going to team up with videogame maker Namco to produce the soda. It will be available exclusively as an arcade game prize and only for a limited time. [FORTUNE.COM]
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5. Apple released the iPhone SE on March 31. It will feature a 4-inch screen, like the iPhone 5 and 5S, and have better battery life than the iPhone 6 family, as well as the same camera quality as the 6s. It does not, however, have a pressure-sensitive display or 3D Touch. [ENGADGET. COM]
6. The first meat vending machine was recently installed in Paris. France already has five but this is the first in Paris. France also has a baguette dispenser. The idea is to be able to cater to people after hours. [LEPARISIEN.FR]
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