February 2021 by The Affair Magazine

CURRENT AFFAIRS IN A WAY YOU'LL LOVE

Sahithi Lingampalli

founder tech and artwork co-director

vice executive layout co-director

Kavya Gurunath

Shrawani Pradhan

vice executive science co-director

Alice Fan

art & media director

Inchara J

science and layout co-director

Vrinda Gandhi

vice executive communications director

Neve Walker

politics & world events director

Samita Pandit

lifestyle co-director

Taruni Manam

vice executive lifestyle co-director

Manushri Bapat

art & media director

Nivi Chozhan

tech co-director

Geethikaa Tarra

opinion co-director

Harvi Karatha

editing co-director

meet the directors Uday Lingampalli editing co-director

COVER PHOTO BY VRINDA GANDHI

Aathmika Radhachandran public relations co-director

Yaj Jhajhria

podcast co-director

Lauren Yi

marketing director

Evelyn Chen

artwork co-director

meet the staff

WRITERS: Alice Fan Archini Desai Arushi Patil Ashmita Annamalai Ashna Ahmed Emily York Jacob Ricketts Inchara J Kavya Gurunath Manushri Bapat Maya Krolik Neve Walker Nivi Chozhan Parker McElroy Sharon Pan Sierra Tan Vrinda Gandhi Yaj Jhajhria

EDITORS: Aarav Navani Alice Fan Anvitha Mattapalli Arushi Patil Geethikaa Tarra Harvi Karatha Jason Liu Jeet Parikh Jenny Tang Jessica Laws Inchara J Kavya Gurunath Mridula Divakar Myint Myat Theingi Neve Walker Nivi Chozhan Parker McElroy Sanjana Anand Samita Pandit Shoffana Sundaramoorthy Taruni Manam Uday Lingampalli

LAYOUT DESIGNERS:

Arushi Patil Inchara J Karen He Laya Vijay Leesha Pillai Nivi Chozhan Sahithi Lingampalli Sierra Tan Spandana Bansod Vrinda Gandhi PUBLIC RELATIONS: Aathmika Radhachandran Abigail Manuella Ashmita Annamalai Nivi Chozhan Sahithi Lingampalli ARTISTS: Cal Shin-Koh Evelyn Chen Nivi Chozhan Sahithi Lingampalli Sharon Pan

contents

ART & MEDIA

49 THE FIRST OPEN HEART SURGERY

PREJUDICES IN THE AMERICAN

51 THE BLACK HOLE PARADOX,

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY 11

17 20

LEADING THE WAY: AMANDA

55 LIFESTYLE

GORMAN

57 HOW THE COVID-19 QUARANTINE

TECHNOLOVE: THE MEDIA’S ROLE

AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH AND

IN ROMANCE

WAYS TO COPE

POLITICS TRUMP'S DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

XI-JINPING

BIDEN'S FIRST MONTH

HOW THE MYANMAR COUP D’ÉTAT HAPPENED & WHERE THINGS CAN GO FOR THEM FROM HERE

29 31

EXPLAINED

TECH & DESIGN JEFF BEZOS IS STEPPING DOWN AS AMAZON’S CEO

61 ASKING QUESTIONS 63 TIPS TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE 65 HOW TO MAKE RED VELVET CAKE + BAKING TIPS 69 OPINION 71 SHOULD MENTAL HEALTH BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL? 75 I GOT ONE LESS PROBLEM WITHOUT YOU: THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM 81 IS INCLUSIVE HISTORY EDUCATION

ASTRA: A STARTUP ROCKET

GENE EDITING 101

DAILY USES OF ARTIFICIAL

83 IS PRISON EFFECTIVE?

INTELLIGENCE

87 G4M3 P14N35

SCIENCE

89 MEMBER(S) OF THE MONTH

THE SCIENCE BEHIND LOVE

92 SPONSORS

IMPORTANT IN SCHOOLS?

HOW THE ARTEMIS MISSION CAN IMPROVE LIFE ON EARTH

art & media Chloé Zhao: First Asian Woman to Win Best Director Zhao won a Golden Globe for best motion picture director for Nomadland.

Trust in Media is Declining

Frick Madison set to open in 2021

It has been reported that only 27% of people are trusting social media: the all-time low.

Although the date of the opening is undecided, in New York,the building will open after 2 years due to relocation.

Brooklyn Museum’s New KAWS Exhibit

Xenophobic Comments Towards BTS, Again

The Brooklyn Museum recently opened a new exhibit, displaying a variety of KAWS’ work.

Matthias Matuschik compared BTS with COVID and said they should go to NK for their Fix You cover.

Tom and Jerry Released on February 26, 2021, the all-time favorite of young children has taken a new media form: a movie.

headlines we couldn't cover 5

prejudices in the american entertainment industry page 7-10

leading the way: amanda gordon page 11-12

technolove: the media's role in romance page 13-15

written by Alice Fan edited by Jenny Tang & Shoffana Sundaramoorthy Throughout the last year, conversations revolving around systemic racism in America arose from George Floyd’s death. One major industry that has shown that it will continue to be prejudiced is the American entertainment industry. From xenophobia against BTS to the higher standards by which music by African American artists are held to “foreign films” at the Golden Globes and consistent reinforcement of stereotypes in the film industry, one cannot escape the racial prejudices that are instilled in our entertainment and media. Racism and xenophobia are prominent occurrences in the music industry, with several artists, both American and non-American, being snubbed by the industry despite countless achievements. One example is BTS, the biggest band in the world right now. The septet has surpassed many Western artists’ achievements. Some of their most prominent accomplishments include becoming the fastest group to achieve both three and four number

PREJU IN THE A ENTERTA

INDU

one albums on the Billboard 200 chart since the Beatles as well as surpassing Adele’s Hello record of 102 iTunes #1’s, thus becoming the first artist in history to achieve number one’s on iTunes in 104 countries. Regardless of their achievements, however, the radio industry still refuses to budge from English songs. Indeed, BTS’s only radio hit has been their all-English song Dynamite (released on Aug. 20 last year) which received 905 radio spins on its first day. In comparison, their November release last year, Life Goes On, only received a mere 6 radio spins on its first day.

UDICES AMERICAN AINMENT

USTRY

bts

layout by Sahithi Lingampalli art by Nivi Chozhan

Indeed, the Grammys’ racial disparities have been prominent. “In their 61-year history, only 10 black artists have won the Album of the Year award, while many non-white artists are relegated to R&B or rap categories. Grammy nominees and winners throughout history reveal a voting bias within the Academy, as artists of color are repeatedly “othered” and mediocre works from legacy acts are awarded over critically and commercially successful efforts from contemporary artists” (Rolli, 2019). For example, in 2017, Drake won two Grammys for Hotline Bling, both in rap categories (Best Rap and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration). However, Hotline Bling does not have a single rap verse and was not intended to be a rap song. Drake voices his frustration on Britain’s DJ Semtex: “The only category that they [the Grammys] can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m black” (Weatherby, 2017).

PREJU IN THE A ENTERTA

INDU

The radio is not the only aspect where BTS are often snubbed. Although BTS were finally nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in the 2021 Grammys for their allEnglish Dynamite performance, they were completely shut out last year, despite them selling almost a million tickets for their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour, scoring a number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 with Boy with Luv, and being certified platinum by RIAA (Rolli, 2019). Indeed, the Grammys’ racial disparities have been prominent. “In their 61-year history, only 10 black artists have won the Album of the Year award, while many non-white artists are relegated to R&B or rap categories. Grammy nominees and winners throughout history reveal a voting bias within the Academy, as artists of color are repeatedly “othered” and mediocre works from legacy acts are awarded over critically and commercially successful efforts

from contemporary artists” (Rolli, 2019). For example, in 2017, Drake won two Grammys for Hotline Bling, both in rap categories (Best Rap and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration). However, Hotline Bling does not have a single rap verse and was not intended to be a rap song. Drake voices his frustration on Britain’s DJ Semtex: “The only category that they [the Grammys] can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m black” (Weatherby, 2017).

UDICES AMERICAN AINMENT

USTRY

In addition to the music industry compartmentalizing works by people of color, the film industry has also committed similar acts. When American-produced and Americandirected film Minari was classified as a foreign language film by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for the Golden Globes, directors, writers, and actors alike criticised the decision, including several prominent Asian-American actors like Daniel Dae Kim and Simu Liu. Kim describes the classification as “The film equivalent of being told to

go back to your country when that country is actually America” (Lee, 2020). Liu explains his frustration with the decision, saying, “Minari is an American movie written and directed by an American filmmaker set in America with an American lead actor and produced by an American production company” (Lee, 2020). Shum Jr. points out that the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds “[had an] English to French, German, & Italian ratio [of] 30:70” but did not receive the same treatment. The American entertainment industry has institutionalized and perpetualized racism and prejudice into our society, through compartmentalization and ignorance. As conversations about systemic racism increase regarding our criminal justice system and education system, and as media becomes more widespread with the help of technology, Americans should also direct more attention towards the racism and prejudice in our entertainment industry.

leading the way “That even as we grieved, we grew. That even as we hurt, we hoped. That even as we tired, we tried. Being American is being more than a pride we inherit. It’s the past we step into and how we repair it. We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it. Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.” On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman shared these powerful words from her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” with the world during Biden’s inauguration. These words reference the violence that occurred when Trump supporters protested in the U.S. Capitol building. The division and hostility that was created by the previous administration was also addressed in her poem, but she reiterated how the United States could still be peaceful. She says her poem was used to reconcile the nation together “in a way that is not erasing or neglecting the harsh truths [she thinks] America needs to reconcile with” (Gorman, 2021). Prior to speaking at the inauguration, she had earned many opportunities to present her work. She was asked to speak at the White House during Obama’s presidency, perform for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai and many others.

AMANDA

GORMAN

Born on March 7, 1998, in Los Angeles, Gorman began writing poetry from a young age. Her parents were extremely supportive of her and her passion for poetry. She received her education from New Roads School. The school encouraged students to go beyond their limits and push themselves to a greater extent. She graduated from Harvard in 2020, and the young woman had already gathered many impressive titles from her poems. One of the many remarkable things she had done was being the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. She was also the youth poet laureate in L.A. Gorman also started an organization, One Pen One Page, which allows underprivileged youth to take part in free writing programs (Gorman, 2021). She also read her poem at the 2021 Super Bowl, and was commended for its deepness and meaningfulness. The poem was a tribute to a nurse manager Suzie Dorner (who works in the COVID-19 ICU ward), Marine Veteran James Martin (who works with veterans to stay in touch while simultaneously social distancing), and Los Angeles Teacher Trimaine Davvis (who made sure that his students had access to the internet while maintaining social distancing).

With the last eight lines, she shares a powerful message thanking these individuals. Gorman recites:

“Let us walk with these warriors, Charge on with these champions, And carry forth the call of our captains.

Bringing poetry and sports together was an unimaginable blend, but Gorman managed to deliver her message with grace and elegance. All in all, Amanda Gorman has shocked the world with her impactful poems and continues to impress many Americans. She is a role model and will continue to thrive as her future has just started.

We celebrate them by acting, With courage and compassion, By doing what is right and just. For while we honor them today, It is they who every day honor us” (Whittaker, 2021).

written edited layout art

by by by by

Nivi Chozhan

Arushi Patil & Alice Fan

Inchara J.

Sahithi Lingampalli

THE MEDIA'S ROL It’s February! You know what that means - the time of romance is here. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and the media is slowly coming down from the high of the annual phase of cheesy rom-com. This year, as we go on socially-distanced dates or just stay home watching said rom-com, let’s think about how the media and pop culture has influenced us on romance, dating, and intimacy culture.

The Pressure of Finding "The One" Relationships and romance are, well, messy. Many movies and books push the idea of finding your “soulmate” or “the one” in your teen years, and never having a conflict. Edward or Jacob? John Ambrose or Peter Kavinsky? While people sometimes do meet their soulmates in high school or in their teens, many don’t - leading them to feel pressured into more dating, potentially leading to unhealthy relationships.

And what happens when you think someone is “the one”, but you don’t get a “happily ever after”? As sad as it can be, sometimes that’s just how life works. Love is uncertain. Just look at “500 Days of Summer”, or “La La Land”.

We don’t all find our “happily ever afters” in our teens. Some people meet their life partners in their 20s, 30s, or even 50s! Some people don’t find their partnerand that’s alright.

A screencap from “500 Days of Summer”. (From Meld Magazine¹)

love:

LE IN ROMANCE These movies also tend to push the idea of “love at first sight”. You walk into a room, and there she is, standing in a corner, looking beautiful and bright. And that’s when you know that this is the woman you’ll spend the rest of your life with. Unrealistic, right? I’ll say it again, love is messy. Most times, the process of romance is oversimplified. We always have to keep in mind, that love is something that grows and evolves over time. That’s the beauty of it.

Intimacy The coveted first kiss and the first time holding hands are portrayed by the media as the pinnacle of love: the action that solidifies a relationship. In reality, this is often not the case. Most people fantasize about their first kiss, and as a result, feel pressured to have it early on. Intimacy isn’t something needed or wanted in every relationship. Many people have been stuck in abusive relationships, by thinking that forced intimacy is a sign of love.

Representation This brings me to my next point representation. I’ve had many aro/ace people tell me that they crave aro/ace representation. Every time they’ve seen a character who doesn’t want a relationship, possibly meaning they’re asexual or aromantic, it ends up being that they were too “broken” or “afraid” of love, which could all be fixed by “the one”. Aro/Ace representation is desperately needed in the media. Being asexual or aromantic does not mean being loveless. It does not mean they need “fixing”: that is a common and harmful perspective. Whether someone who is aro/ace wants, enjoys, is neutral to, or dislikes intimacy, it is up to them. It is more important than ever to have more healthy aro/ace relationships in the media.

We also need more LGBTQ+ represented movies which don’t revolve around sexuality or the struggles it. As much as I adore “Love, Simon”, it’s marketed as a more mainstream teen rom-com, where the main arc is basically Simon’s struggle with coming out and being gay. It shows being gay as something strange or unordinary, which it shouldn’t be.

While “Love, Simon” is an amazing step towards LGBTQ+ inclusivity and representation by an actual LGBTQ+ author, we shouldn’t forget that it has flaws as well. The story arc should be more than just being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

A screencap from “Love, (From Beyond a Bookshelf²)

While love is an amazing and beautiful idea that is represented in the media, we should always check to make sure our views and perspectives are not influenced by the “perfect” romances we see. Also remember, you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team (thank you, Taylor). Whether you’re going on a date, cuddling, or watching Netflix alone at home, happy Valentine’s day from all of us here at The Affair Magazine!

Simon”.

written by Sierra Tan edited by Anvitha Mattapalli & Uday Lingampalli layout by Karen He art by Cal Shin-Koh

references

prejudices in the american entertainment industry

Byrne, B. P. (2020, April 3). Radio, Why Won't You Play BTS? Retrieved from https://nowthisnews.com/pop/radio-why-wont-you-play-bts Byrne, B. P. (2020, November 21). #LifeGoesOnWithBTS got 6 total spins on U.S. radio on Friday, per stations tracked by Mediabase. These stations were @1027kj103 (2 spins), @DC101 (1 spin), @1035KISSFM (1 spin), @997now (1 spin), and @alt1021rva (1 spin). #StreamLifeGoesOn. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/bybrianbyrne/status/1330119195649060868?s=19 Byrne, B. P. (2020, August 21). BREAKING #BTS_Dynamite is @BTS_twt's biggest-ever first-day debut on U.S. radio! The song has received 905 total spins across all formats as of Fri Aug 20 @ 2:24 PM ET, per Mediabase. This surpasses the previous recordholder, Boy With Luv, which got 900 first-day spins. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/bybrianbyrne/status/1296877125287448581?s=19 Lee, J. W. (2020, December 23). Hollywood Slams Golden Globes for Categorizing 'Minari' as Foreign Language Film: 'Enough of This Nonsense'. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2020/film/news/minari-foreign-language-film-golden-globes-1234874332/ Rolli, B. (2019, November 21). BTSs 2020 Grammys Shutout Reveals The Recording Academys Cultural Blindspot. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2019/11/20/btss-2020-grammys-shutout-reveals-the-recording-academys-culturalblindspot/?sh=510b6e6246cf Rolli, B. (2020, November 30). BTS Top The Billboard Hot 100 With 'Life Goes On,' Once Again Proving They're In A League Of Their Own. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2020/11/30/bts-top-the-billboard-hot-100-with-life-goes-on-once-again-provingtheyre-in-a-league-of-their-own/?sh=f62c56247af3 Weatherby, T. (2017, February 22). Drake Says His Grammy Wins For Hotline Bling Feel Weird Because Its Not a Rap Song. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7694499/drake-calls-grammy-wins-hotline-bling-weird-beats-1interview

leading the way: amanda gorman

Amanda Gorman. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.theamandagorman.com/ Olivia Harvey Jan 20, &amp; Harvey, O. (n.d.). 10 powerful lines FROM Amanda GORMAN'S Inauguration Poem. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://hellogiggles.com/news/amanda-gorman-inauguration-poem/ Poets.org. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://poets.org/poet/amanda-gorman Press, T. (2021, February 12). Amanda Gorman, in a First, BRINGS poetry to Super Bowl. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/lifestyles/amanda-gorman-in-a-first-brings-poetry-to-superbowl/article_e6a71d92-5606-5195-b189-05e53c589217.html Whittaker, A. (2021, February 08). Listen to 22-Year-Old INAUGURATION poet Amanda GORMAN'S Touching Super Bowl Poem. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a35441013/amanda-gorman-super-bowl-poem/

technolove: the media's role in romance MediaVSReality. (2019, March 1). How The Media Shaped Your Idea Of Love. Medium. https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/how-the-media-shaped-your-idea-of-love-74094cf4674b Ng, N. (2017, September 29). How has pop culture and the media influenced our perspectives of love and sex? Meld Magazine. https://www.meldmagazine.com.au/2017/09/love-sex-pop-culture-media/ Weinstein, R. How the Media Impacts Our Love Lives. Meet Mindful. https://www.meetmindful.com/how-the-media-messes-with-our-love-lives/

POLITICS Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Porfirjie

The Cruz Cruise

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala becomes the first female and African director of the World Trade Organization.

Porfirjie becomes the 46th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church

As Texas is brought to its knees with a snowstorm, Ted Cruz jets off to Cancun.

Zamfara kidnapping

Navalny Protests

Donald Trump Acquitted

317 teenage girls are kidnapped from a school in Zamfara, Nigeria by muslims.

Protests erupt throughout Russia after antt-Putin dissident returns after being poisoned and is arrested.

The 45th president of the United States was acquitted at his 2nd impeachment trial.

HEADLINES WE COULDN'T COVER 17

TRUMP'S DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

page 19-20

XI-JINPING

page 21-22

BIDEN'S FIRST MONTH

page 23-24

HOW THE MYANMAR COUP D’ÉTAT HAPPENED AND WHERE THINGS CAN GO FOR THEM FROM HERE

page 25-27

TRUMP'S DEVASTATING EFFECT Donald Trump, like all other presidents, accomplished a great deal during his time in office. The legislation that he passed had many effects, good and bad, on the United States at large. However, some of the most controversial things he did involved the LGBTQ+ community.

During his time in office, Donald Trump ordered many changes that negatively affected the LGBTQ+ community. In his first day in office, all mentions of LGBTQ+ issues were wiped from the White House website: making it that much harder for members of the community to educate themselves on the dangers they face and their rights in the United States. Two days later, information regarding the “Lavender Scare''—a period during the ‘50s and ‘60s when the prosecution of openly LGBTQ+ individuals was rampant under the guise of prosecuting communists—was also removed from the White House website, including an apology issued by the former Secretary of State.

In May 2018, the administration ordered the Bureau of Prisons to assign accommodations for transgender prisoners based on biological sex. Not only was this an act that infringed on the prisoners’ freedom of expression, but it also increases rates of abuse and sexual assault. 47% of transgender people are sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and 40 out of every 1,000 prisoners in the U.S reported being sexually assaulted during incarceration: assigning a transgender prisoner based on biological sex increases their chances of being assaulted. A survey conducted in 2015 saw that one in five trans people who have been incarcerated were sexually assaulted. Considering the disproportionate number of imprisoned trans people, this new order serves to endanger the community. The most horrendous issue during Trump’s term was how transgender children were treated in schools. In February and March of 2017, the Trump administration revoked discrimination protections for transgender students.

T ON THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY Later that year, the administration released an announcement stating that the Civil Rights Act of 1965- a law that outlaws segregation and was designed to combat discriminationdoes not apply to transgender people: allowing businesses to discriminate against people based on their gender identity. Additionally, in July 2017 a ban was placed to effectively discharge thousands of qualified transgender people in the military and end their careers. In February of 2018, the Department of Education refused to respond to complaints filed by transgender students about them not being able to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. The fore-mentioned legislative decisions introduced by the Trump administration are not even 1/4th of the attacks aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, and while the damage cannot be easily undone, there is hope for a better future since Trump has left office. Marginalized communities were disproportionately affected by the Trump administration: entire communities were living in fear as ignorant, racist individuals got brave with their words and bold with their actions. There is no doubt that all

of this damage will take time to heal, but the new administration has the power to pass new legislation to undo the effects of Donald Trump on these communities.

Biden has already passed an executive order to undo the transgender military ban, and it will only go uphill from here. The effects of a president who inspired hate among his followers will not go away easily: people will live in fear for a very long time to come. However, the damage is not irreversible, and it will eventually fade away. We just have to rise above it.

written by Parker McElroy edited by Harvi Karatha & Mridula Divakar layout by Inchara J.

Early Career Xi Jinping was born in 1953 and has been a part of Chinese politics since 1974. Just when he was 21, Xi served as a branch secretary of the Chinese Communist Party(CCP). After graduating from Beijing’s Tsinghua University in 1979, Xi became the secretary to Geng Biao, vice-premier and minister of national defense in the central Chinese government, for three years. From 1983-85 Xi worked as a deputy secretary for the CCP in Hebei province until he was appointed a party member and vice mayor of Xiamen in Fujian province. By 1995, he had been appointed the post of deputy provincial party secretary. In 1999 Xi became governor of Fujian. Xi acted as both the deputy secretarial and governing posts until 2002. After that, he was promoted to the Zhejiang province, where he served as the governor and party secretary. In early 2007, following a scandal of corruption involving the upper leadership of Shanghai, Xi was able to take over Shanghai secretary and was soon to be selected as one of nine to be standing members of CCP’s Political Bureau, the highest position in the CCP. In March of 2008, Xi Jinping was elected vice president of China. By focusing on conservation and improving international relations, Xi

Xi Jin continued to move up the ladder, and in October 2010, he was named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. On March 14, 2013, Xi was elected president of China.

One of the first things he did after he was elected was beginning to focus on getting rid of corruption. Xi led a nationwide anti-corruption campaign, which led to the removal of thousands of officials. Xi also emphasized the importance of the Chinese constitution and following it. During his rule, China became more assertive in international affairs and claimed sovereignty in nearly all of the South China Sea. Xi consolidated power at a rapid pace.

nping

written by Neve Walker edited by Inchara J. and Jessica Laws layout by Laya Vijayanand art by Sahithi Lingapalli

Achievements One of Xi’s major focuses' even before he became president was the environment. After he was elected Xi made environmental protection a priority. Numerous companies were punished for pollution. Beijing consistently reaffirmed the Paris Agreement and even ratified it last year, unlike the US who withdrew(since have rejoined). Xi also focused on poverty and doubled the budget on it. From 2013 to 2016, 55 million people were lifted from poverty. Xi also ended the one-child policy, a policy that allowed only one child per family. Xi also worked to improve the economy. In 2014, Xi introduced the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. This initiative will bolster trade routes and launch the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Xi also expanded the power of private banks and allowed foreign investors to trade shares directly on the Shanghai stock market.

Overall, Xi Jinping is an accomplished Chinese politician who leaves his mark on China for being anti-corruption and pro-conservation.

Jacob Ricketts

BIDEN’S F MONT

Kavya Gurunath, Shoffana Sundaramoorthy, & Neve Walker

Joe Biden assumed the role of the President of the United States on January 20th, 2021. During his first month, he laid down an ambitious yet controversial agenda for the United States of America. Biden’s priorities include getting COVID-19 under control, encouragement and ensuring a safe roll out of the vaccine, helping undocumented immigrants, and combatting racism and xenophobia. On inauguration day President Biden in his speech mentioned how democracy is fragile, and how it is a gift that lived on. He mentioned that despite the riots that had happened just a few days before, American democracy had survived, and a peaceful transfer of power had occurred, even without Former President Trump's cooperation with the transition process. Biden was sure to emphasize the triumph of American democracy, as he used it to show the world that American Democracy was

strong, even though the nation was clearly divided on ideological grounds and the incident at the capitol building. Biden also in his speech highlighted his belief that the United States is a country filled with good people, and that in past challenges the country had persevered through something he would want to emulate during his time in office for the next four or eight years. His speech was noted by many as a return to normalcy from his predecessor's controversial time at the White House.

FIRST TH

Leesha Pilla

Sharon Pan

President Biden, on his first day, made the United States rejoin the World Health Organization, which his predecessor, former President Donald Trump ordered the United States to leave. Biden’s statement regarding rejoining was that “Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening Global Health” (Biden, 2020) A statement which highlighted President Biden’s desire to make America rejoin many global organizations. Along with making the United States rejoin WHO on his first day, President Biden called Congress to pass another relief bill for the American people. Biden urged Congress to include 1,400 dollar checks in the stimulus bill. However, this upsetted more progressive and liberal democrats, such as representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, who believed 2,000 dollar checks would be the better option. President Biden has also issued executive orders to increase the rights of transgender people. He repealed

the transgender ban on military members put in place by the previous Trump administration. During the Texas storms, Biden declared a major disaster for Texas after the freezing winter storms hit the state. The move itself had the major impact of allowing federal funds to help Texas counties most majorly hit by the storm. The storm has just so happened to be the first natural disaster President Biden has overseen under his presidency. Texas's Republican Governor Greg Abbot released a statement thanking Biden for his declaration, which would help his state. The first month of Joe Biden’s presidency showcased progress and will soon look like an outline for the rest of his presidency. However, it is still clear that for some of President Biden’s goals, he may need to rely on Republican votes in the Senate which can be achieved through his calls for unity and bipartisanship.

HOW THE MYANMAR COUP D’ÉTAT HAPPENED & WHERE THINGS CAN GO FOR THEM FROM HERE

written written by by Yaj Yaj Jhajhria Jhajhria

edited edited by by Shoffana Shoffana

Sundaramoorthy, Sundaramoorthy, Mridula Mridula Divakar, Divakar,

& & Neve Neve Walker Walker

layout layout by by Karen Karen He He

art art by by Evelyn Evelyn Chen Chen

On February 16, 2021, in Myitkyina, a medium-sized town in northern Myanmar, armored vehicles moved into the city center, aimed at countless civilians. 1,1000 kilometers away in Yangon, the same scene unfolded, as well as in Sittwe, Naypyidaw, and several other urban areas across the nation. In all of these places, people have congregated in spite of a global pandemic to make their voices heard and to fight for democracy. But as tensions increased between protestors and soldiers deployed into the streets, gunfire was heard. It’s unclear whether the bullets fired were of rubber or live ammunition, but the forceful dispersion of crowds and the arrests of hundreds of protestors and journalists continues, silencing the voices of the people and blinding the eyes of the world. This massive uproar from the Burmese people comes after the military of Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, abruptly seized power on February 1 in a coup d’état orchestrated by Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Min Aung Hlaing, the new head of state for Myanmar. The former

leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was charged with the alleged illegal import of about ten walkie-talkies into the nation and detained for an indefinite period of time. This is not the first time that Suu Kyi, who has championed democracy holds strong anti-corruption principles, has been detained by those who seek power. Her total of fifteen years spent under house arrest during her political career has garnered significant media attention globally, especially with the curtain of secrecy surrounding her status all the while. This time, however, Myanmar has turned into a complete military state, with the Tatmadaw’s announcement of a one-year-long state of emergency, during which they will stay in power. No specifications have been given for who will control Myanmar after this year is over. However, this military junta is not unexpected or unprecedented, as the turbulent history of Burma can tell us.

The Tumultuous Past of Myanmar Like so many stories of civil conflict and power struggles around the world, the cause for today’s situation can be traced back to the British Empire. When the British East India Company colonized India by cheating local kings and people out of their land, this region of governance of British India was not only limited to the presentday boundaries of India, but also Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the areas of Southeast Asia where Myanmar lies today. As with the rest of British India, the Burmese response to the British was extremely negative, and during the Second World War, the ethnic Burmese people of Myanmar turned to the Japanese to seek liberation. This led the Japanese to conquer Myanmar during their Pacific conquest, at which point all of Myanmar realized just how much worse the Japanese were than the British. They had already committed

unspeakable war crimes and demonstrations of brutality throughout Asia and the Pacific Ocean, especially in the Chinese city of Nanjing, and they were no different in Burma. During Japanese rule, between 170,000 and a quarter million civilians died in Myanmar, which is why they immediately turned back to the British, who pushed the Japanese out as they were losing allies and strength. Not long after the end of the war, India, Pakistan, and soon after, Burma, declared their independence from the U.K.

How the Current Burmese Plight May Progress

The Tatmadaw’s power grab has not been met with outrage only within Myanmar. Global condemnation has broken out, with President Biden of the U.S. imposing sanctions on the new leaders and demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Jacinda Arden has severed all diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Myanmar, and even Switzerland has taken a side, condemning the coup and calling for an end to the Tatmadaw’s actions.

It is unclear where these circumstances may go on. Min Aung Hlaing’s junta has shown no signs of backing down or releasing any of the detained pro-democracy leaders, and there is very little that the people can do about it. However, by doing so they have lost the support of nearly all of Myanmar’s powerful allies, who unanimously agree on the unjustness of this situation. The new government has not put itself in the position to be able to sustain itself for very long, and the story most certainly does not end here. The future of Myanmar is currently unfolding, and all eyes are set on Southeast Asia.

REFERENCES TRUMP'S DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY Human Resources Coalition. Trump's Timeline of Hate. 2020, www.hrc.org/resources/trumps-timeline-of-hate. Lodge, Guy. “The Lavender Scare: the Shocking True Story of an Anti-LGBT Witch-Hunt.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/18/the-lavender-scare-the-shocking-true-story-of-an-anti-lgbt-witch-hunt.

XI-JINPING

Timmons, G. (2020, July 09). Xi Jinping. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.biography.com/political-figure/xi-jinping What has Xi Jinping done in his first term as China's leader? (2018, July 20). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115672/what-has-xi-jinping-achieved-his-first-five-years Xi Jinping. (2021, February 09). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Xi-Jinping

BIDEN'S FIRST MONTH Abramson, A., & Bennett, B. (2021, January 21). Inside Joe Biden’s Agenda for His First 100 Days. Time. Retrieved from: https://time.com/5931852/joe-biden-100-days/ Biden, J. (2020, July 07). Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening global health. On my first day as President, I will rejoin the @WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage. https://t.co/8uazVIgPZB. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/joebiden/status/1280603719831359489?lang=en Biden, J. (2021, January 21). Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. The White House. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-ordEr-preventing-and-combatingdiscrimination-on-basis-of-gender-identity-or-sexual-orientation/ Leonhardt, D. (2021, January 21). Biden’s First Day. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/briefing/executive-orders-biden-climate-proud-boys.html Aaron Blake, E. (2021, January 20). Analysis | Joe Biden's inauguration speech TRANSCRIPT, ANNOTATED. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/01/20/biden-inauguration-speech/ President Biden DECLARES major disaster for much of Texas following severe winter storm. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1258442

HOW THE MYANMAR COUP D’ÉTAT HAPPENED AND WHERE THINGS CAN GO FOR THEM FROM HERE Safi, M. (2021, February 14). Myanmar: armoured vehicles roll into cities as internet shut down. The Guardian. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/tanks-on-streets-of-myanmar-city-prompt-us-embassy-warning Kirby, J. (2021, February 8). Tens of thousands rise up against the coup in Myanmar. Vox. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.vox.com/2021/2/8/22272367/myanmar-protests-coup-democracy

TECH & DESIGN HEADLINES WE COULDN'T COVER

Boeing 777 Engine Failure

The Boeing 777 engine failed mid-flight, so the company is working on replacing its engine covers.

Common social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube will be monitored to ensure safety for all users.

Hayley Arceneaux

The worldwide web might end

The first ever group of citizens going to space, consisting of a cancer surviver, Hayley Arceneaux

India's rules on social media

The worldwide web might be ending, as companies decide to ban US Tech companies.

Jim Bell Resigns Jim Bell, a key role in the infamous company GameStop and the CFO, resigns.

Huawei Mate X The new phone, Huawei Mate X a foldable phone, has received mixed reviews from customers.

JEFF BEZOS IS STEPPING DOWN AS AMAZON'S CEO page 31-32

ASTRA: A STARTUP ROCKET page 33-34

GENE EDITING 101 page 35-38

DAILY USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE page 39-41

written by nivi chozhan

JEFF BEZOS IS STEPPING DOWN AS AMAZONS CEO 31

27 years ago, in Bellevue, Washington, the idea of creating a startup company as an international online bookstore was introduced. During this internet booming era, many were eager to grow a business and gain a larger income. One entrepreneur, Jeff Bezos, created Cadabra, Inc, an online store mainly for books, as they intended to later sell other products. When a lawyer misheard the name “cadabra” as “cadaver,” Bezos renamed the company to Amazon, the large company we know today. The company was launched in 1998 from Bezos’s garage. They sold music, videos, and other technological products. A couple of years later, in 2002, Bezos expanded his business and added Amazon Web Services: a site informing costumes with weather updates, channels, and website traffic. Only 5 years later, Bezos approached the idea of an online reading device, and thus the Kindle was born and open to the public.

Currently, Amazon flourishes as the second-largest company in the U.S. with a net worth of 1.7 trillion dollars. Bezos recently declared that he would like to focus on his other companies and that he will hand over the CEO title to Andy Jassy, a member of Amazon since 1998. Jassy has helped lead Amazon's cloud team since its creation.

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In an interview with NBC, Marty Baron commented on Bezos ethics, explaining that “It’s not just money, it’s not financial capital. It’s intellectual capital. He’s someone who understands consumer business and consumer behavior. That is really important to us” (Baron, 2021). There's no doubt how successful Bezos is as a businessman, and he truly understands how to play the “business game.”

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Bezos is the only multi-billionaire that hasn’t signed the Giving Pledge, an initiative created by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to give at least half of their wealth back to societyespecially those in need. However, in 2021 there will be 42 recipients from 24 states that will receive donations totaling over 106 million dollars. He also owns the Bezos Earth Fund, a company focused on limiting our carbon emissions and slowing down the rate of climate change. He has started this by donating 10 billion dollars to support scientists, activists, and other important personnel. He announced that almost 791 million dollars will be donated to 16 recipients to help tackle the climate crisis.

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written by Inchara J. & Nivi Chozhan

A Startup Rocket S T R A 33

Astra: a name that has been blowing up in the launching industry lately because of its startup rocket. This rocket is for commercial traveling purposes; not for space exploration or repairs to another device in space. The main reason being that it is now possible for normal, albeit rich, people to go to space without constraints limited to astronauts. In 2016, Chris Kemp, the CEO of Astra, officially established the company in Alameda, California. As of February 2021, Astra holds the record of being the quickest, privately funded company to launch a rocket. Craig McCaw, the founder of McCaw Cellular (now part of AT&T), is placing a multibillion-dollar bet to buy Astra. In addition to owning his cellular phone company, he owns ‘Holicity’, a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company). If shareholders agree with the augmentation of Holicity and Astra, the deal could be decided by the end of 2021. With the success of Holicity,

the company will deposit 300 million dollars into Astra’s fundings, with the addition of 200 million from BlackRock (attained from stocks). One of the most notable launches Astra has made is during the DARPA launch contest. Keeping their involvement a secret, Astra was referred to as a “stealth organization”. Soon enough, the two other competitors in the contest dropped out, leaving Astra to be the only contender left. When Astra attempted to launch their rocket, they had to abruptly stop because of their faulty sensor data. This was disappointing not only for Astra but for DARPA as well. With no winners, DARPA had to name the challenge closed and no one won. Currently, Astra is concentrating on launching a 40 feet tall, inexpensive rocket to haul satellites to space. These rockets are designed to be lightweight and will be a valuable asset to us in the future. The company’s most recent commercial launch was in December with Rocket 3.2. The rocket, however, was not successful and thus Astra has yet to conduct a successful test launch. Kemp plans on sending the first satellite in orbit by the summer of 2021. Sending a rocket takes an extreme amount of precision, skilled

professionals and dedication. Even if the fuel mixture is slightly off, that could easily deter a rocket’s mission. Sadly, this is exactly what happened to Astra’s rocket in December of 2021. The team plans on making monthly launches by the end of the year and increasing the rate of rocket launches as time passes. By 2025, Astra plans on daily launches. Astra has proven to possess impressive ambitions that have the potential to help our planet by sending satellites. But because of climate change and global warming, Astra, and other launch companies have to be cautious of the fuel exhaustion into our atmosphere. Disregarding the economic aspect of it, the chance to send an average human into space is an idea that should not be overlooked, and companies such as Astra have a true shot at doing so.

edited by Aarav Navani & Jason Liu layout by Arushi Patil art by Sharon Pan

gene editing 101 written by Emily York & Maya Krolik Through significant findings in the field of genetics, there have been multiple accomplishments and advancements in genetic engineering. However, despite the grand possibilities of gene modification, there are some controversial opinions regarding the ethics and the unpredictability of the possibilities. Initial discoveries of how genes physically work were crucial for genetic engineering accomplishments today. DNA ligation findings contributed to the understanding of DNA repair and replication. Findings of restriction enzymes and later research of type II restriction enzymes were important for understanding how DNA is cut, being able to cleave certain areas of DNA. Modification enzyme discoveries were important for understanding how DNA is protected, such as against restriction enzymes damaging the DNA when cutting. Experiments of gene splicing paved the way to creation of recombinant DNA. Mapping DNA research helped for better understanding locations in genes and was key for current gene editing. Through all these discoveries

and other research, recombinant DNA was finally accomplished, soon allowing many different medicines to be produced through gene editing, cloning of animals, synthetic life forms, and GMO crops and animals to be produced. While there are many notable advancements brought by the discoveries of genes, there is still controversy over the future of genome editing. The notion of finding what makes humans so unique led to the creation of The Human Genome Project in 1990. Early findings of DNA sparked an international flood of interest in the human genome. The fever for mapping the human genome ran so high, in fact, that the project was completed two years in advance of its deadline -a rarity in the scientific community (Synthego. (2021). History of Genetic Engineering and the Rise of Genome Editing Tools. Synthego). During the course of the project, they found that the human genome consists of nearly 3.1 billion base pairs, or combinations of organic chemicals: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine (The four bases - ACTG. Scitable by Nature

Education.). These studies have laid the foundation for new and exciting studies in gene therapy and gene editing. In order to understand this jump in technology, we must first understand what CRISPR is. CRISPR-Cas9, or CRISPR for short, stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. It provides technology that is used for locating and editing specific genes. CRISPR works by hacking into the biology of bacteria that captures and observes viruses and their internal DNA. CRISPR then collects the DNA that these bacteria have

observed and assembles it into a “CRISPR array”. This allows the bacteria to remember what virus it encountered and subsequently release the same DNA to combat the virus. The Cas9 aspect of CRISPR refers to an enzyme that will “cut” the DNA of the virus and replace it with the CRISPR array (5). This technique can be used in a lab to convince the bacteria to target a specific pattern of DNA in a cell, then “cutting” that section and “pasting” the desirable DNA in its place. These techniques have opened new doors for gene editing on nearly all types of cells.

cutting a gene artistic representation 36

While this technique is still being perfected, it is an exciting frontier in genetic engineering.

Even though gene editing has incredible potential to solve universal problems, there is still a large stigma and many opinions of whether genetic engineering is morally correct and how gene editing would unpredictably impact humanity. Plant geneticists could genetically engineer certain crops to be more resilient and abundant. Thus, could resolve the famine crisis as a possible candidate for gene editing in crops. However, others argue that such genetic engineering has unpredictable

impacts on the environment and human health. If those modified crops have undetected problems, delicate ecosystems could be disrupted and those who eat the crops could then have those undetected problems in their body, having unpredictable impacts on their health. Similarly, another controversial idea is genome editing in humans. This could possibly treat cancer and cure hereditary diseases that no scientist has successfully cured. There are many concerns of the outcomes, some of which include the uncertain resulting genes, side effects, mutations, accidently modifying the wrong genes, and possible “designer humans”. “Designer humans” is the idea of the modification of inherited genes that

would result in offspring of higher intelligence, stronger musculature, or other favorable traits. Gene editing is truly one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs. The possibility to cure all known diseases known to mankind seems like an obvious choice to some, while others question the ethics behind it. Are we ready to open this Pandora's Box? That is a question that the international community will face as gene editing gains popularity and efficiency. Until then, gene editing is a work in progress and food for our imagination.

edited by Anvitha Mattapalli, Parker McElroy, & Nivi Chozhan layout by Sahithi Lingampalli art by Nivi Chozhan

With smartphones just a fingertip’s length away, reaching over to check the time or taking a quick scroll through social media became a common occurrence. Many of us can appreciate the ease at which we check our phones, particularly due to the implementation of features like Face ID and fingerprint scanning. With a single glance, or our touch on our devices, we are able to unlock our own, customized world, filled to the brim with our most prized apps, photos, and personal information. It’s something that we take for granted, something that we seemingly neglect due to its simplicity. But, in all honesty, features seemingly effortless are far from simplistic. These developments require extensive research in the field of artificial intelligence, and only scratch the surface of the technology we use on a daily basis. As defined by IBM Cloud Education, “...artificial intelligence refers to the ability of a computer or machine to

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apps have been uniquely catered to our own interests based upon our past behaviors, which constantly change along with our preferences. Means of networking and communication, such as messaging and email services, take a similar approach by providing suggested words and spell-check systems that allow us to put our best foot forward in our daily interactions. Simply checking our emails will remind us of the sorting systems that categorize our mail into spam, primary, social, and promotions; effectively using artificial intelligence to make these decisions as humans would.

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Similarly, travel aids, smart home devices, and digital assistants are all easily accessible tools that utilize technological systems to provide accurate information and suggestions (European Parliament, 2020). Navigation services like Google Maps provide real-time data on travel times and potential delays en route, while

also providing suggestions for stops, catered to our needs, along the way that users may enjoy. Digital assistants like Siri, Google Home, and Amazon’s Alexa, have provided unique insights on how the use of artificial intelligence can be streamlined to give users the maximum benefit. With simple commands, users are able to immediately attain wanted information, or actions, such as turning on the lights or adjusting the temperature of a room. Our personal requests are intercepted by the device, because of the development of artificial intelligence, it is easily able to process these inputs and produce programmed responses based on the situation, just like humans would be able to. Acknowledging that these services are just a fraction of the innovation that is presented to us in the technological markets today, artificial intelligence has been integrated into almost every facet of our lives (West & Allen, 2018). This technology seems to be fairly simple on a surface level, and these contributions may seem small in the grand scheme of our day-to-day activities, but it is indeed these innovations that work to elevate and redesign our capabilities as humans. Artificial intelligence is much more complex than we, as average citizens, may ever imagine, but it’s undeniable that these smaller contributions provide us a glimpse into its true potential and benefit in the future.

REFERENCES JEFF BEZOS IS STEPPING DOWN AS AMAZON'S CEO

Fabiano, J. (2020, June 19). Life and Career biography of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-life-career-cars “Jeff Bezos to Step down as Amazon Chief Executive.” BBC News, BBC, Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55912878 Byers, Dylan, and Leticia Miranda. “Jeff Bezos Steps down as Amazon CEO.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 3 Feb. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/jeff-bezos-steps-down-amazon-ceo-n1256540 The Guardian. “What will Amazon founder Jeff Bezos do next?” thegaurdian.com, Wednesday 3 February 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/03/what-will-amazon-founder-jeff-bezos-do-next Accessed Saturday 13 February 2021.

GENE EDITING 101

Genome. (2020, December 22). The Human Genome Project. Genome. https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project Synthego. (2021). History of Genetic Engineering and the Rise of Genome Editing Tools. Synthego https://www.synthego.com/learn/genome-engineering-history The four bases - ACTG. Scitable by Nature Education. https://www.nature.com/scitable/content/the-four-bases-atcg6491969/#:~:text=Reason-,The%20four%20bases%2DATCG,four%20nucleotides%20found%20in%20DNA. The pros and cons of gene editing. Leopoldina. https://www.leopoldina.org/en/topics/genome-editing/genome-editing-pros-and-cons/ What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas 9? Medline Plus. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/

DAILY USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Capatina, A., Kachour, M., Lichy, J., Micu, A., Micu, A., & Codignola, F. (October 23, 2019). “Matching the future capabilities of an Artificial Intelligence-based platform for Social Media Marketing with potential users’ expectations.” ResearchGate. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333852350_Matching_the_future_capabilities_of_an_Artificial_Intelligencebased_platform_for_Social_Media_Marketing_with_potential_users'_expectations Diorio, S. (May 8, 2020). “Realizing the Growth Potential of AI.” Forbes. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2020/05/08/realizing-the-growth-potential-of-ai/?sh=4dbc2af133f3 European Parliament. (April 9, 2020). “What is artificial intelligence and how is it used?” News European Parliament. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20200827STO85804/what-is-artificial-intelligence-and-how-is-itused IBM Cloud Education. (2020). “Artificial Intelligence (AI).” IBM. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/what-is-artificial-intelligence West, D. M., & Allen, J. R. (April 24, 2018). How artificial intelligence is transforming the world. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-world/

ASTRA: A STARTUP ROCKET Wattles, J. (2021, February 02). Astra, rocket startup that has yet to conduct a successful launch, is going public. Retrieved February 26, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/02/tech/astra-rocket-startup-ipo/index.html Astra (aerospace). (2021, February 18). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astra_(aerospace) Ciaccia, C. (2021, February 11). Rocket launch startup ASTRA is the latest space company to go public. Retrieved February 26, 2021, from https://www.space.com/astra-rocket-maker-goes-public

science Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars NASA’s Perseverance Rover touched down on Mars on February 18th and recorded its own landing.

The United Kingdom Allows the First Human Challenge COVID-19 Trials This allows young, healthy people to be intentionally exposed to the virus to see how the virus works and test how effective vaccines are.

HEADLINES

Ingenuity, the First Flight on Another Planet Ingenuity, the first flight on another planet, Mars, is a breakthrough for imaging on other planets and research.

Texas’s Winter Storms The storms in Texas that have been causing massive power outages all across Texas could have been caused by climate change.

Cygnus X-1 has Given Physicists More Information

COVID-19 Patients Only Need One Dose of the Vaccine

The first black hole to be documented is much more heavier than physicists thought it was, revealing many questions to be answered about how black holes are formed.

Research shows that patients who have already recovered from COVID-19 will need one vaccine, opposed to the standard two doses.

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Love and science are usually seen as contradictory. Love is emotional and irrational, whereas science is about as rational as it gets, yet love is dictated by science. Science can explain why we love, whom we love, and why it hurts to lose love. There are many kinds of love. The most bizarre kind of love is love for something not human: love for a book, a TV show, or a movie. Why do we have such deep attachment for stories that might not even be real? The answer is that we have empathy for the characters. When we see a character struggling, our supramarginal gyrus—a region in our brain—activates, causing us to feel the same empathy that we would feel for a real person. As we go through a story, we develop a strong relationship with the characters, even though they are not real. This is why people cry when a long-running TV show comes to an end. The ending of a TV show means that you will no longer see your favorite characters, which is a form of loss that causes grief. TV shows, books, and movies may not depict real stories, but they unite people and help them form memories and even friendships.

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Another form of love is platonic love or friendship. Friends are often people with whom we have fun, but how do we choose our friends? Scientists conducted an experiment where close friends were made to watch the same videos, as their brains were monitored. Both of their brains reacted the same way to the videos: both were distracted in the same points of the video, engaged in the same points of the video, and so on. When you meet someone and you both process things the same way, interacting with each other is easy and fun, and you want to be friends with them. Spending time with friends activates the reward circuits of your brain and can prevent dementia. However, once you develop a relationship with them, it hurts when you lose them. When a friend is no longer in your life, your brain feels withdrawn; this causes stress and floods your body with cortisol, which can cause you to act irrationally. Familial love is another common form of love. According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, relationships with family have been said to have more of an effect

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chemicals are different from the chemicals for romantic love. Testosterone and estrogen (hormones that contribute to sexual development) are the chemicals released. Because of this, crushes can turn into attraction and attachment after some time, but they could also go away.

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In 1969, NASA launched Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the moon. People around the world watched in awe. Neil Armstrong said those famous words and stepped onto lunar soil for the first time, paving the way for the future of space exploration. Now, NASA has set out to give a whole new generation the same feeling that their grandparents felt watching the moon landing all those years ago.

The Artemis program is NASA’s next set of lunar landing operations, setting out to put the first woman on the moon and the first man since 1972 when Apollo 17 successfully landed back on Earth. Modern-day missions to the moon could be exactly what NASA needs to inspire the next generation of space explorers, but what exactly does the Artemis program set out to do? How will spending billions of dollars to send a few people into space help improve life on Earth?

A R T E M I

Improve Lif The original moon missions, the Apollo program, began out of spite. America and Russia both wanted to see who could develop the technology to get to the Moon first, and have superiority in the space exploration industry forever. The Apollo program aimed to see if we could do it and survive, and we did. In the case of the Artemis program, we can focus more on scientific advancements as a result of space exploration than if we can even explore space to begin with.

Many new technologies have been developed for the Artemis missions, including new spacesuits. These technologies will help with future deep-space exploration and help make space exploration more safe. The Artemis program is also the first large-scale commercial collaboration done by NASA. Working with commercial space companies such as SpaceX and Boeing will help provide private funding for future missions and help NASA work with even more great scientists.

M I S S I O N

fe on Earth

While this is great, the main goal of the Artemis program is a mission to Mars. That may sound odd, as the Artemis program consists of moon missions, but let me explain. The longterm goals of the Artemis program are to create a space station in lunar orbit and build a habitable moon base. The development of these technologies for the Artemis program would be instrumental in the development of technologies for colonizing Mars. If we manage to build a moon base that can sustain human life for extended periods, then we know that it’s possible to build a similar base, or even bases, on Mars.

Building a space station in lunar orbit would be where the Artemis program helps life on Earth. The International Space Station (ISS) is where space agencies all around the globe get most of their research done. The research done on the ISS has accomplished many things, such as forest fire prevention, and advancements in prosthetic limbs. If we manage to have a space station in lunar orbit, we will be able to do even more experiments in zero gravity and

C A N

even have a safespace to study the moon up close, which will help us in discovering things that will aid our understanding of life in space, such as the possibility of water on the moon and where it might be.

The aims of the Artemis program may not seem like they can do anything for those of us stuck on the ground, but with some time, they will. The sole purpose of NASA has never been to fix all the issues on Earth, but rather to feed our natural curiosity as humans. Space is massive, and the Artemis program sets out to explore our tiny little corner of the galaxy. If we can land on the moon by 2024 like NASA is saying, we will be able to inspire a whole generation to enter STEM fields, and that is the true way that this program will help Earth.

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kavya gurunath, uday lingampalli, sanjana anand

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written by N A young woman was presented to the emergency room dead. She was killed in a car accident and, subsequently, doctors chose her as a heart donor. On December 3, 1967, a man with intractable heart failure, a product of coronary artery disease (a disease caused by a build-up of cholesterol inside the arteries of the heart), would receive the young woman’s heart. After the patient underwent the successful heart surgery, he, unfortunately, died 18 days later from extensive bilateral pneumonia, an infection that inflames and scars your lungs. The success of the heart surgery was commemorated, besides the unfortunate outcome. Christiaan Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who successfully carried out one of the first heart transplant surgeries in 1967. Less than two weeks later, a second patient arrived, Philip Blaiberg needing a new heart. His donor, a young man, had suffered severe subarachnoid hemorrhage (a bleeding artery in the

brain), which if left untreated, can lead to permanent brain damage. The man was later pronounced “dead”, and was confirmed to be the suitable donor for Blaiberg. Raymond Hoffenberg, an endocrinologist, was hesitant to confirm that he was dead because there was still neurological activity. Everyone was waiting for Hoffenberg to declare the man dead so they could carry out the heart transplant surgery on Blaiberg. However, when they heard that he declined to pronounce the young man as dead, they were in shock and dismayed at his verdict. However, the next day, he stated that the reflexes in the brain would no longer be important, and the surgery should proceed. After yet another successful surgery, Blaiberg would live for another 18 months before he passed away. During those 18 months, he was left with a disability.

Open Heart

gery

Nivi Chozhan After the world heard about both heart transplants, 107 operations were carried out by 64 surgical practitioners in more than 24 countries. Most surgeries did not go well. As expected, they were carried out by untrained surgeons, without the proper materials, and failing to match the right donors and recipients. In addition to that, the media exaggerated and hyped successful heart transplants. Later, everyone learned how the fatal outcomes would leave many devastated, so they found properly trained surgeons with good support teams to assist. In September of the same year as the other two heart surgeries, it was reported that there was a “hopelessly unconscious patient” (Hoffenberg, 2001). Doctors decided to put him on life support, and his organs would be removed for transplantation. However, physicians were debating whether they should terminate life support or not. And thus the issue has been questioned for centuries.

When do you terminate life support? The United States determined that death would be declared when “the condition was either irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions or irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain” (Hoffenberg, 2001). Although the question still ponders doctors’ minds and ethics, surgeries must go on regardless of the ethical aspect of how someone is medically induced to death.

Edited By: Aarav Navani, Inchara J, Jeet Parikh, & Kavya Gurunath

Layout By: Spandana Bansod

the black hole paradox, In theoretical physics, a field of physics that uses abstraction and math to explain, predict and understand natural occurrences that others have trouble comprehending, a bamboozling element named a “black hole” has been confusing theoretical physicians for ages. Stephen Hawking, a respected theoretical physicist, brought up a paradox, saying that black holes cannot destroy information (the quantum definition, not books and the internet), since, in quantum physics, information has proved to be indestructible, also known as the information theorem. (For more information, check out this article: https://phys.org/news/201103-quantum-no-hiding-theoremexperimentally.html.) A direct contradiction to this theorem is the assumption that black holes destroy everything that enters them. Recently, however, the paradox has been “somewhat” solved.

NASA defines a black hole as “a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because the matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.” (Wild, 2018) At the center of all spiral galaxies, such as The Milky Way, lies a black hole, where one inevitable day, the galaxy will be “sucked into” it. A more abstract definition of a black hole is also what others call “tears in spacetime”. (If you’d like to learn about spacetime, read this: https://www.scientificamerican.com/a rticle/what-is-spacetime/.) To visualize that, just imagine the universe is a piece of spandex. A black hole would be when the spandex is stretched so far that it tears, causing a [black] hole. Reverting to NASA’s definition, nothing can escape a black hole. Not even information. This brings us to the paradox.

If information cannot be destroyed, how can it escape from a black hole? Or is the assumption about indestructible information false? If the latter is true, then some foundational facts of theoretical physics would shatter, leaving us with more questions than answers. Now that we’ve defined exactly what a black hole is, we can attempt to understand the paradox, and its solution, in further detail.

In Stephen Hawking’s black hole paradox, Hawking argued that, even if the information survived through the ordeal of passing through a black hole, it would be hopelessly scrambled, and not the way it initially was, which is still a violation of the information theorem. For a long time, physicists were puzzled about the solution to this paradox. If you’re asking why they’re approaching this from a theoretical aspect, it’s because this problem is impossible to tackle from a practical fact-based foundation. Since all ideas contradicted each other and there were not enough facts to base their solution on. However, a tentative solution soon appeared. Supposedly, the information that crosses the horizon of a black hole (the bright strips of light surrounding a black hole)

reflects information and allows it to pass at the same time. For some time, this was accepted as the solution to the paradox, but many overlooked a simple detail. How exactly does information escape a black hole? Thus, the chase to find a solution for the paradox started again. Simmered down, the paradox exists because of three postulates. One being Einstein’s general theory of relativity, two being that information is indestructible, and three is locality, which states that “events happening at a particular point in space can only influence nearby points. This means that the laws of physics should work as expected far away from a black hole, even if they break down at some point within the black hole — either at the singularity or the event horizon” (Oullete, 2018). If we want to find a solution to this paradox, we would have to give up one of these three postulates. Which brings up the question, which postulates? The easiest is to get rid of the theory of relativity, or at least the equivalence aspect of it. This way, it would be possible to escape the event horizon. (The last statement is not quite true, but for more information check this out: https://www.quantamagazine.org/step hen-hawkings-black-hole-paradoxkeeps-physicists-puzzled-20180314/.)

Finally, many physicists reached one possible solution. Thanks to hundreds of calculations, many physicists now know that, if the information is consumed by a black hole, it will be reconstructed. Currently, the most accepted solution is inspired by string theory (Refer here: https://www.space.com/17594-stringtheory.html#:~:text=String%20theory% 20turns%20the%20page,our%20persp ective%2C%20look%20like%20particle s.), saying that “information gets out through the workings of gravity itself — just ordinary gravity with a single layer of quantum effects” (Musser, 2020). The specifics are still very unclear; however, physicists everywhere are making this paradox near its end with the valuable information the late physicist Hawking gave them. With the new breakthrough discovery they made, determining that information would not be destroyed in a black hole, physicists are one step closer to finding the true solution to this paradox and answering many questions about black holes, and discovering more. While many plausible solutions exist, physicists will have to determine which one properly fulfills Hawking’s black hole paradox.

written by Inchara J. edited by Kavya Gurunath, Myint Myat Theingi, & Alice Fan layout by Inchara J. art by Evelyn Chen

references THE

love SCIENCE

BEHIND

American Psychological Association (2019, November 7). Bloodlines may matter more than love when it comes to health. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/11/bloodlines-love-health Angier, N. (2018, April 16). You share everything with your bestie. even brain waves. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/science/friendship-brain-health.html BetterHelp. (2018, July 28). The importance of family love for emotional well-being (1194745474 892719447 K. D. LPC, Ed.). Betterhelp. Retrieved from: https://www.regain.us/advice/love/the-importance-of-family-love-for-emotional-well-being/ Chatel, A. (2016, October 11). What happens to your brain when you break up with a friend. Bustle. Retrieved from: https://www.bustle.com/articles/184006-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-break-up-with-a-friend Gleichgerrcht, E., Salvarezza, F., & Manes, F. (2013, November 13). Our brain enjoys making friends. Frontiers for Young Minds. Retrieved from: https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2013.00005#:~:text=There%20is%20evidence%20showing%20that,feel%20good%20%E2%80%93 %20the%20reward%20circuits. Norman, A. (2015, August 19). Fandom psychology: Why we get attached to characters. The Mary Sue. Retrieved from: https://www.themarysue.com/the-psychology-of-fandom/ Pittman, T. (2019, May 20). This is why you grieve the ending of your favorite tv show. Huffpost. Retrieved from: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/grief-end-of-show-game-of-thrones_l_5cdae9c1e4b0f7ba48abbd14 Wonderopolis. (n.d.). What is the Science Behind Love? Wonderopolis. Retrieved from: https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-the-science-behind-love#:~:text=That's%20called%20attachment%2C%20and %20it's,love%20as%20family%20and%20friends.

Loff, S. (2019, June 4). Artemis Program. NASA. Retrieved from: https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram NASA. (n.d.). Artemis. NASA. Retrieved from: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/ Neilson, S. (2020, September 22). NASA just unveiled its step-by-step plan to land astronauts on the moon via the Artemis program - then build a lunar base. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-details-of-artemis-missions-astronauts-return-to-moon-2020-9 Royal Museums Greenwich. (2020, March 05). Artemis Program: What you need to know about NASA's Moon mission. Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved from: https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/space-stargazing/space-exploration/nasa-moon-mission-artemis-program-launchdate#:~:text=Artemis%20is%20an%20ongoing%20space,since%20Apollo%2017%20in%201972 The Planetary Society. (n.d.). Artemis. The Planetary Society. Retrieved from: https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/artemis#:~:text=Artemis%20is%20designed%20to%20land,and%20a%20lunar%20landing%20system HOW

THE

ARTEMIS

MISSION

earth IMPROVE

LIFE

CAN

surgery THE

FIRST

OPEN

HEART

explained THE

BLACK

HOLE

PARADOX,

Hoffenberg, R. (2001, December 23). Christiaan Barnard: His First transplants and their impact on concepts of death. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1121917/

Musser, G. (2020, October 20). The Black Hole Information Paradox Comes to an End. Quanta Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-black-hole-information-paradox-comes-toan-end-20201029/ Ouellette, J. (2018, March 14). Stephen Hawking’s Black Hole Paradox Keeps Physicists

Puzzled. Quanta Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.quantamagazine.org/stephen-hawkings-black-hole-paradox-keeps-physicists-puzzled-20180314/ Wild, F. (2018, August 22). What Is a Black Hole? NASA. Retrieved from: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html Musser, G. (2018, June 1). What Is Spacetime? Scientific American. Retrieved from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-spacetime/?error=cookies_not_supported&code=b29796c8-bd74-4e87-930c-fadf17103ce0 Wood, C. (2019, July 11). What Is String Theory? Space.com. Retrieved from: https://www.space.com/17594-string-theory.html#:%7E:text=String%20theory%20turns%20the%20page,our%20perspective%2C%20look%20like% 20particles. Zyga, L. (2011, March 7). Quantum no-hiding theorem experimentally confirmed for first time. Phys.org. Retrieved from: https://phys.org/news/2011-03-quantum-no-hiding-theorem-experimentally.html

style life

How the COVID-19 Quarantine Affects Mental Health and Ways to Cope Learn about the effect of COVID-19 on mental health and how to cope with it

Asking Questions Use this advice to overcome the fear of asking questions during class.

How To Make Red Velvet Cake + Baking Tips

A step-by-step procedure on making red velvet cake and icing with baking tips along the way!

Tips to Learn a New Language Use these tips to learn the basics of any language thoroughly and quickly.

articles in this section 55

how the covid-19 quarantine affects mental health and ways to cope

asking questions

tips to learn a new language

how to make red velvet cake + baking tips

page 57-60

page 61-62

page 63-64

page 65-67

how the covid-19 quarantine affec COVID-19 has unexpectedly impacted billions globally. While COVID-19 has given opportunities to grow, it has also taken away familiar lifestyles. It is important to understand how quarantining has affected mental health, and ways to cope with the aftermath. Social relationships are vital in maintaining good health and wellbeing, but limited social interactions, due to quarantine, have increased loneliness and emotional distress in many. Quarantine is still ongoing, and “preliminary surveys suggest that within the first month of COVID-19, loneliness increased by 20 to 30 percent, and emotional distress tripled” (Holt-Lunstad 2020). While those who are living among others are feeling isolated, it is more impacting to those living alone. Though most experience social interactions through technology and social media, they may not realize how technology usage affects their mental health. Excessive technology use can lead to depressive feelings, anxiety, and sleep disruption due to varying factors, such as reading inaccurate information, subconscious insecurities from comparing lives, and the bright lights of technology devices blocking the hormone that regulates sleeping. Overall, quarantining has

cts mental health and ways to cope drastically impacted social relationships, technology usage, and, therefore, mental health. COVID-19 has been ongoing for about a year, making it harder to remember the joys of life before it. Quarantining has meddled with our personal lives, as it continues to bring drastic changes to lifestyles, such as life at home, online school/work, social distancing and anxiety of when quarantine will end. Research shows that adults have insomnia, increased alcohol consumption/substance use and worsening chronic conditions, due to the fear of the virus. An online questionnaire in China during the pandemic assessed adolescents (ages 7-18), where 22.3% indicated clinical depressive symptoms, scoring almost two times the estimated prevalence of youth depression. People are facing mental health complications, interfering with their personal wellbeing. Youth are experiencing a variety of school lifestyle changes, as most are transitioning to virtual learning. School is important, not just educationally, but for student support. School provides students with an environment for them to interact with their peers and to develop a social life. Educators also

play a critical role in the identification and reporting of child abuse. Stay-athome orders have forced children to remain at home for remote learning, thus those who may be experiencing child abuse are now at home with their abusers for an extended period of time. As abuse increases, that abuse “can lead to immediate emotional and psychological problems and is also an adverse childhood experience (ACE) linked to possible mental illness and substance misuse later in life.” However, with school closures and stay-at-home orders, it is likely that many cases are going undetected'' (Panchal, Kamal, Cox, Garfield, 2021). In addition, students are generally struggling to learn virtually. As if school wasn’t stressful enough before the pandemic, students are now struggling even more without the help from teachers they would normally have access to onsite, causing their mental health to slowly deteriorate .

Adults are also experiencing a variety of mental health problems due to the professional lifestyle changes accompanying the pandemic. While some adults are transitioning and struggling to do remote working, others who remain working onsite may experience anxiety and stress of contracting COVID-19. Adults experiencing income or job loss could have increased anxiety, depression, substance use, insomnia, trouble eating, worsening chronic conditions, suicidal thoughts, and other mental health problems (Pahnchal, Kamal, Cox, Garfield, 2021). The professional lifestyle changes have had differing, but still impacting, effects on adults.

written by emily york & ashna ahmed

edited by jason liu, jessica laws, uday lingampalli, taruni manam

layout by vrinda gandhi

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Stay connected to family/friends virtually: Through these social connections and relationships, there could be major mental health improvements. Set limits for social media and technology usage: Excessive technology use can cause depression and insomnia. Exercise, stay hydrated, and eat nutritious food: Remaining physically healthy could have major mental health improvements. Stretch and take frequent breaks after long periods of being productive: Especially during online school/working, it’s important to keep our body active. Through simple stretching and breaks, mental health and mood could improve greatly.

important numbers

national suicide prevention lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (8255) call

911

national child abuse prevention hotline

1-800-4AChild (1-800-799-7233)

Get plenty of sleep: Sleep has been affected by the pandemic and virtual schooling/working, although sleep is a necessity when it comes to coping with mental health. Recognize your mental health problems and if you may need professional help, understand mental health problems are common and aren't embarrassing, and reach out to others!

Mental health is extremely important and must be prioritized during quarantine. Remember that, even if situations are tough now, it will get better, and don’t give up!

Asking Questions

We’ve all had that moment: our mouths become dry, our raised hand slowly lowers down, we pretend as if we understand simply because we’re too scared to ask questions. Knowledge, clarity, and advancement can only be found with answers, which is why it is more important than ever to ask questions: be that for a math test in school or political issues on the news. How can we start asking more questions? First, we need to understand why we are unable to. When we were young, we couldn’t stop asking questions. We constantly wanted to learn more about the world around us and understand who we are. However, at a certain point of curiosity, our parents start to get frustrated with our nagging and stop answering our questions. These negative emotions that are associated with asking questions from a young age make us believe that we shouldn’t ask questions when in reality, the opposite is true.

On the other hand, society often deems intelligence as the amount of knowledge you have. This is shown in a study by Amanda Waterman, a psychology professor at the University of Leeds, who asked participants questions related to a passage. When she asked a question that wasn’t answered in the passage, about 70% of participants replied with fake responses. In fear of appearing uneducated, they didn’t ask for the right answer. Instead, they pretended as if they knew it. So now that we understand more about the causes behind this inability to ask questions, let’s turn things around. Here are three ways you can begin asking more questions.

1) Step back

3) Be motivated!

Take time listening to what is being said so you can better understand the material and know what to ask. Instead of interrupting or talking too much, practice meditation to feel comfortable in silence and wait until somebody is done to start talking. This technique will help you learn all the perspectives, and when you know what you want to ask, you’ll have more courage to ask a question.

If you are determined to learn more, nobody can stop you from finding the answer to your question. So, the next time you want to ask why the teacher factored the equation, don’t be afraid to raise that hand and ask away. The answer will be worth the question.

2) Ignore other peoples’ reactions

In our society, we undermine the courage it takes to ask questions. In fact, many people may think poorly of you for not knowing the answer to something. It’s important for you to stop and reflect on your question. What’s more important: learning something new or what somebody thinks about you? With our changing world, opinions are subject to change, and more often than not, that person who’s judging you for asking a question? They were wondering the same thing.

written by Anvitha Mattapalli edited by Inchara J., Jessica Laws, & Taruni Manam layout by Arushi Patil art by Sharon Pan 62

Tips to learn a new language Written by Thejo Tattala & Sharon Pan

One of the most important forms of communication is the ability to speak to one another. Out of the 7,000 languages spoken around the globe, people choose to master the languages that will help them communicate with their peers in the most effective way. Learning a new language can be challenging as well as time-consuming. Nonetheless, with proper dedication, effort, and guidance, it doesn’t seem like a goal that’s too far-fetched but rather achievable.

The most effective way to learn about our surroundings, complex subjects, and complicated people is through listening. By focusing on what

others are saying, we can get enough context to gain a better understanding of any subject. Similarly, by listening to others speak (or explain) in a particular language, we can start to thoroughly understand it. Immersing ourselves in forms of entertainment of the chosen language is an enjoyable and helpful method of accomplishing this. For example, we can watch simple movies (such as Disney movies) with subtitles on and then rewatch them with subtitles off. This allows us to understand the demonstration of the movie, and revisit the language to understand the general way to speak it. Listening to songs is also a popular method of catching with frequently used words. When the tune and rhythm of the song are stuck in your head, the words will most likely be etched into your memory. The human brain is most active after a refreshing nap or a good night’s sleep. Listening to radio programs in the language while driving to work, walking to school, or making breakfast is a great way to absorb the information.

Another successful method of learning a language is to focus on fluency rather than accuracy. Being self-conscious of our speaking skill will only restrict our ability to freely hold a conversation with anyone. Being afraid of making mistakes and not talking will also only result in failing to learn the language. Making mistakes and learning proper grammar is preferable over being perfect and having no knowledge of the language’s grammar usage. While listening to ourselves, we can identify the mistakes we make in speaking a language as well as identify our strengths and weaknesses as well. Besides that, we should challenge ourselves, and try to stay consistent. After all, it does take motivation and effort to become proficient. One way to do this is to find a friend to learn the language with. When we have someone else learning the same thing with us, we can help the other person stay on track and vice versa. Therefore, it’s a win-win situation for both! Not only that, having a partner also makes learning a language so much more fun and memorable. As it is, these benefits are still available even while learning individually. For example, when we have a question about a word or grammar in a certain sentence, consulting and discussing with a partner is rather more convenient. For those of us who do not have that benefit, forums and websites such as italki or HiNative will act as a helping hand. Other users, either native speakers or people who have become fluent in the language, are available to answer any confusions that may pop up while learning a new language. Having people who actually know the

language can offer assistance which will assure that we are gaining correct information. We often hear other people say “practice makes perfect'': a cliche which is spoken too many times…. especially when trying something new. However, it is a cliche for a reason: it actually works! Practice is extremely important when it comes to mastering a new language. We should speak to ourselves and to others in the language whenever we can— even for something as trivial as dropping a pencil on the ground. Saying these phrases over and over again will make it sound more natural, and you will come to understand the circumstances in which to use those phrases. The internet, as usual, is useful for achieving our goal since there are plenty of other online resources to help you practice such as babbel or Duolingo. These websites usually have writing, pronunciation, and word recognition exercises to help us master in all aspects of the language. With all of these tips and tricks, we’ll be chattering away in another language in no time at all. So, au revoir, ciao, adios, sayōnara, tạm biệt, annyeong, and good luck on the learning journey. Edited by Harvi Karatha and Myint Myat Theingi Layout by Spandana Bansod Art by Evelyn Chen

How To Make Red Velvet Cake + Baking Tips Ingredients: (tbsp = tablespoon, tsp= teaspoon) MAKE SURE ALL THE INGREDIENTS ARE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. For the Red Velvet Cake: 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour (or cake flour if you would like) 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1 tsp vinegar 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk 2 ½ tsp red food coloring For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

16 oz plain cream cheese 1 cup unsalted butter 4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1-2 tbsp milk or heavy whipping cream (if needed)

Materials: Oven Stand/hand mixer 3 9-inch baking pans Sieve (to sift dry ingredients)

Procedure For the Red Velvet Cake: Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease or oil all the 9-inch pans for baking the cake. The number of pans depends on the number of layers you wish to have in your red velvet cake. For this recipe, we are using 3. Sift all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. Using a stand or hand mixer, add vegetable oil and granulated sugar into a large bowl and beat them together for two minutes at medium speed. Mix in eggs, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. (Adding food coloring is optional if you are attempting an informal cake, but to present a red velvet cake properly in its typical aesthetic, the cake must have a deep red color.) Make sure the mixture is smooth and light so the cake is velvety once baked. Mix in buttermilk and vinegar (preferably white vinegar) and slowly add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Ensure you mix in the ingredients thoroughly and just until combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. Check to make sure the mixture has no big lumps. Divide cake batter evenly between 3 9-inch pans and bake for 30

minutes. You can check that the cake is completely baked by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean without batter stuck to it, the cake is completely baked.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting: To a large bowl, add softened cream cheese and unsalted butter. Mix at medium-high speed for 2 minutes until soft and combined. Add in vanilla extract and salt. Mix again until combined. Slowly add in confectioners/powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat it well at medium speed until combined. Add in milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time if it looks too thick or heavy.* Once all the confectioners sugar has been thoroughly mixed in, beat the frosting at medium-high speed again for another 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Then decrease the speed to low and beat for 2 minutes. This helps prevent air bubbles and creates a smooth and silky frosting.

Assembly: Once the cake has cooled, cut off the tops of each layer to ensure a flat surface to frost and stack the cakes. Place the first layer on your cake stand or plate. Frost only the top with the cream cheese frosting so that it is covered with an even layer (the thickness varies based on your preference) and there are no lumps. Do the same for the rest of the cakes, placing frosting between each layer. Make sure the thickness of the frosting between layers is consistent. Once the last cake is placed on top and the cakes are stacked and secure, frost the top and sides. The layer of buttercream covering the cake should be even and smooth. You can use tools such as a bench scraper or offset spatula to even the frosting.** Optional: Finally, decorate the top of your cake. One easy and elegant way is to use the back of a spoon to create a wavy effect in the frosting. You can also choose to add chocolate-covered strawberries, a pattern of buttercream, or a sprinkling of cocoa powder. The choice is completely up to you! Enjoy!

Notes: *You can choose to add more or less confectioners sugar and salt. Adjust according to your taste and preference. **To prevent from overpowering the flavor of the cake, do not add excessive amounts of frosting but add as little or as much as you like!

For additional tips and tricks on baking a cake, check out the article “Five Tips and Tricks for Baking” in Issue 6 of Volume 1!

Written By Thejo Tattala & Samita Pandit

Edited By Anvitha Mattapalli, Shoffana Sundaramoorthy, & Jessica Laws

Layout By Leesha Pilla

Art By Nivi Chozhan

refe rences how the covid-19 quarantine affects mental health and ways to cope Piedmont Healthcare. (n.d.). How the Internet affects your mental health. Retrieved from: https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/how-the-internet-affects-your-mental-health Nasser, S. (2020, May 13). Mental Health Effects Since the Start of COVID-19. Pharmacy Times. Retrieved from: https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/mental-health-effects-since-the-start-of-covid-19 CDC. (2021, January 22). Coping with stress. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html Panchal, N., Kamal, R., Cox, C., & Garfield, R. (2021, February 10). The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use. KFF. Retrieved from: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/ Harvard Health Publishing. (2011, July). Music and Health. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/music-and-health#:~:text=Music%20and%20mood&text=A%202006 %20study%20of%2060,in%20patients%20with%20sleep%20disorders. Favaro, A., St. Philip, E., & Slaughter, G. 'COVIDsomnia': Why the pandemic is messing with people's sleep. CTV News. Retrieved from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/covidsomnia-why-the-pandemic-is-messing-with-people-s-sleep-1.5049266 Rakicevic, M. (2021, January 3). 27 Meditation Statistics for Your Well-Being in 2021. Disturbmenot. Retrieved from: https://disturbmenot.co/meditation-statistics/#:~:text=The%20Top%20Mind%2DBlowing%20Meditation,for%20coronary%20 disease%20by%2087%25 Wagner, K.D. (2020, October 7). New Findings About Children’s Mental Health During COVID-19. Psychiatric Times. Retrieved from: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/new-findings-children-mental-health-covid-19 Jones, C. (2020, May 13). Student anxiety, depression increasing during school closures, survey finds. EdSource. Retrieved from: https://edsource.org/2020/student-anxiety-depression-increasing-during-school-closures-survey-finds/631224 Richards, E. (2020, December 12). Students are falling behind in online school. Where's the COVID-19 'disaster plan' to catch them up? USA Today. Retrieved from: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/education/2020/12/13/covid-online-school-tutoring-plan/6334907002/

asking questions Brooks, A. W., & John, L. K. (2020, December 02). How to ask great questions. Retrieved 2021, from: https://hbr.org/2018/05/the-surprising-power-of-questions Vollebregt, M. (2020, November 09). A quick guide to asking better questions. Retrieved 2021, from: https://marcvollebregt.medium.com/a-quick-guide-to-asking-better-questions-6b0dd6a2501

tips to learn a new language Babbel.com, and Lesson Nine GmbH. “10 Tips To Learn Any Language From An Expert.” Babbel Magazine, www.babbel.com/en/magazine/10-tips-from-an-expert. Manson, Mark. “22 Tips For Learning A Foreign Language.” Mark Manson, Mark Manson, 17 Dec. 2020, markmanson.net/foreign-language.

how to make red velvet cake + baking tips (2019, February 11). Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Sally’s Baking Addiction. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/red-velvet-layer-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ (2020, April 4). Red Velvet Cake. Broma Bakery. https://bromabakery.com/red-velvet-cake/ Southern Red Velvet Cake. Food Network. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/southern-red-velvet-cake-recipe-2011892

should mental health be taught in schools?

i got one less problem without you: the american education system

is inclusive history education important in schools?

is prison effective?

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should mental health be taught in schools?

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i got one less problem without you: the american education system

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is inclusive history education important in schools?

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is prison effective?

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should mental health be taught in

YES by ashmita annamalai edited by jessica laws, arushi patil, & geethika tarra An individual’s most important commitment in life is to take care of their body and maintain good health, both physically and mentally. Just like how schools teach us to multiply numbers and write essays so that we can excel in the future, it would be highly appreciated by many students if they were to teach us about mental health as well, as pursuing our life

dreams is not possible without a wellfunctioning body. Yes, physical health is covered in school by way of Physical Education, however mental health is not. Many teens struggle with coping in stressful times, especially when the whole world is on lock down and learning online at home without any social interaction is the only option. If a mental health curriculum was incorporated into the everyday basic teachings of a school, many students would do better in classes and in their everyday lives. I, for one, have recently

experienced a time of deterioration in my mental health during the lock down. If it weren’t for my school dance teacher’s mental health sessions, I would most likely still be in a state of disinterestedness. The effectiveness of a single mental health session proves to be significant as my study habits improved and my spirited self has been restored. Without that class, I do not know where my mental state would be at this moment. Many students do not get the support they need to keep them going each day and instead resort to drugs, alcohol, and suicidal thoughts. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “individuals with severe, mild, or even sub-clinical mental disorders may use drugs as a form of self-medication.” To help teens and other people understand that succumbing to the effects of drugs only makes the situation worse, schools need to prioritize teaching their students about their mental health and how to keep it in good condition. If students are not taught how to control their body, it could lead to the formation and nurturing of dangerous thoughts in their minds. In order to prevent such possibilities, mental health sessions should be regularly administered in school and the teachings of mental and emotional stability should be regularly applied in the school curriculum.

The goal of every school is for their students to succeed. In order for this to happen, the students’ mental health must be in good form. Thus, as a step towards this goal, schools should take the teaching of mental health into their own hands and ensure that every student feels safe, secure, and positive in times of distress. This matter has never been more pressing than in this moment today, when the entire world is attempting to escape a myriad of problems that continue to pile on top of each other.

YES by emily york edited by jessica laws Mental health needs to be taught in schools due to the escalating mental health problems and chronic effects. Although adolescents are vulnerable to many extreme mental health problems, schools continue to ignore their potential of helping students with mental health. Schools are designed to prepare students for adulthood. According to the article “Adolescent Mental Health”, the World Health Organization reveals that “half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and

untreated” and that “the consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults” (World Health Organization 2020). Considering schools are meant to prepare adolescents for adulthood, but poor mental health hinders opportunities to thrive during adulthood, mental health should be taught by schools. Schools stress proper physical health as important for students’ entire lives, even giving the topic an entire class course. Even though proper physical health is important for students, good mental health is just as important and even more so. According to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, mental illness “increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly longlasting conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease” (Centers for Disease Control Prevention 2018), and “mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States […] more than 50% will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime” (Centers for Disease Control Prevention 2018). Considering mental health illnesses are considerably common and can have extreme effects on physical health, mental health should be just as stressed as physical health in schools everywhere. Schools are given an impacting platform to inform students on pressing subjects. Despite mental illnesses being common, “fear of treatment, shame, and embarrassment are keeping a large number of people from seeking the help they need. Experts estimate that one in four people have treatable

mental or emotional difficulties, but up to 75 percent of Americans and Europeans don’t seek the help they need” (Krans 2018). There are many who need mental health help but are not seeking the help due to stigma. However, millions of students attend school every day, giving schools the perfect opportunity to use their platform to inform those students, and possibly relatives of those students, of accurate information regarding mental health to help them better understand what they may be going through without being embarrassed since the information is a part of the schools curriculum, which would be better than if the students’ were to never reach out to get help they may need. Mental health is a pressing topic that definitely should be taught at school, especially now more than ever due to the increase in mental health problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is well known that the American education system has been praised for being one of the best in the world. It makes it on this exclusive list every year, but why is it that when looking at its impact on American students, the American education system does not seem to live up to its title? Why is it that students stay up all night studying for their tests? Why is it that students cry over failed exams? Why is it that students are more stressed than ever before? Why do students do it? Why are students still in school? What is stopping students from dropping out and carrying on with their lives?

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Let’s be honest: the only reason why students keep going to high school is that if they drop out, they will not get their diploma. This leads to a slippery slope of consequences in which students believe that without a high school diploma, they would be unsuccessful in life. With this in mind, school no longer revolves around learning, does it? All this time and effort is only for getting into a

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prestigious college, earning large sums of money in the future, and bringing a sense of pride to the family name. These achievements are not attained through actually learning in school, but through doing well in school, and there is a stark difference between the two. Instead of understanding and applying what they learn in school to real-life, students rely on cheating: whatever will get them the most amount of answers correct with the least amount of time and effort involved. According to Stanford Education, “Statistics show that cheating among high school students has risen dramatically during the past 50 years [...] today between 75 and 98 percent of college students surveyed each year report having cheated in high school” (Jaffe 2020). This means the majority of high school students are cheating. But why? To get good grades, of course! However, grades represent students’ understanding of the concepts they are learning in school. So by cheating, this representation is heavily skewed, and, frankly, pointless. In addition to that, at this point, students are not just cheating because they need to—so they will not fail—they are cheating to remain at the top of their class: to

exceed that typical B average and get that A, that 4.0 GPA, that blemish-free transcript. These students do not cheat to keep their head above the water; they cheat to walk on the water, undermining the fundamental essence of an American education. But why do students expect themselves to meet such high standards that they have to resort to cheating to attain them? Colleges are getting more and more selective each year. There are the Ivy League schools, which have now descended into single-digit acceptance rates, and several other top-tier universities are following this trend. In the eyes of a high school student, college is all that matters. The thought of not getting into their top choice school is gutwrenching, so they will act at all costs to ensure that they are accepted. And this means cheating. The evident course of action to take against this matter would be to find ways to prevent cheating. A potential solution could be encouraging creative group work: forming a setting in which students do not find themselves in a position where they have to cheat. Nevertheless, it is still important to see how students perform on their own. In this case, the education system could alleviate the stress that students feel and prevent cheating through

dampening the importance of grades. But then why would students even try in school if their grades did not matter? If students are actually interested in what they were learning in school, then it is more likely for them to put in effort, even with no tangible gain. In order to tackle this, the American education system should incorporate classes that encourage students to take courses that they are intrigued by. Not only does this discourage students from cheating, but it also allows students to have a basic idea of their chosen path career.

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So why does the American education system not practice this? It is because they value the requirements over the actual education. Schools around the United States have different curriculums with different requirements. While some students have to take three years of mathematics, other students have to take four years at a different school; if a certain student is not inclined towards math, he/she is still forced to take the classes just to fulfill the requirements. In fact, students have claimed they do not actually learn anything from their high school classes because they were told to focus more on the requirements. As stated in an

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article by Marni Bromberg and Christina Theokas, a “report finds that 47 percent, or almost half, of [A]merican high school graduates complete neither a college- nor career-ready course of study.” This indicates that many students, on an annual basis, apply to colleges but lack the skills needed to thrive because the American education system fails to provide students with courses related to the career path they are interested in.

Why do high schools only teach us what they think is necessary? Despite the fact that these types of curriculums aim to prepare students to tackle the assignments in college, they fail to teach students the actual skills needed to succeed in their careers. In a survey on educated Americans, “Researchers found the average educated American forgets about 40% of what they learned, and uses just 37% of the knowledge and skills in their every day lives on average.” This proves that American curriculum is heavily based on just knowledge, rather

been deeply drenched in a ho culture, allowing for both casual well-intended aggressions—so m so that they have been passed o mundane. In a dynamic where teac and administrators are given the p to allow their personal biases ag students, this leads to ha experiences in terms of education.

than the life-long skills required to actually succeed in life. This fails several students regardless of holding a degree from a highly prestigious college. No matter how knowledgeable an individual is, without having real world experience, the degree is of no use at all. The flaws of the American Education system don’t just revolve around the academic realm—there is a myriad of others. Regardless of questionable ethics in students and their expertise in the field of deception, the American education system masks an ancient system rooted in it. The typical American classroom desk has long

According to studies from minorities such as black children b to feel alienated as early on preschool, and are 3.6 times as like be suspended compared to their w counterparts. Additionally, schools a composition of students m being minorities tend to have abundance of “law enforcem officers” present on campus versu number of qualified guid counselors. This just goes to show different types of students rec different types of school condit and these biases also leak into quality of education they get.

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acknowledge it. But the fact that these prejudices are seeping into the school system is obscene, because inflicting these injustices upon the youth will only create a circular pattern that will repeat for generations. Perhaps schools could do a better job of monitoring their faculty or taking the grievances of their students more seriously. Either way, if the American education system keeps up these biases, it will lose its respect, as it should, and in doing so, lose its sparkling reputation of being one of the best.

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Of course, these necessary changes to the American education system will never be brought to life without [the] proper exposure. Only when people recognize both the situation itself and the dire nature of the situation will reform begin. No longer should students stay up all night studying for their tests. No longer should students cry over failed exams. No longer should students be more stressed than ever. The American society as a whole needs to completely alter its perception of education and for once, focus on the students instead of the prestige. This way, it will truly be worthy of its title as one of the best education systems in the world.

Is Inclusive History Educat written by ashmita annamalai YES: Where we are, as people, as a society, and as a world today is partially a direct result of past experiences and events. Yet, most of our actions and decisions are founded on the basis of education and what we learn. In school, we are taught various stories about past leaders and lifechanging occurrences and by cherrypicking those stories, society attempts to extract the positive habits and discard the negative ones. If that is the case, why is society so broken today? As problem after problem blocks our path to peace, we must evaluate what is causing our inability to control our path. The biggest factor blooms from the perspective of the stories taught in school. If students are only educated about one side of the story - usually the side of the supremacist - how can they understand multiple perspectives and make sure history doesn't repeat itself again in the future? They simply cannot. If students do not understand the sufferings of slaves but thoroughly learn about the slaveholders who abused them, society will only make the mistake again. If students do not understand the sufferings of all the

women who were forced to be housewives and were denied any rights but thoroughly learn about the white men who overpowered them, society will only repeat the mistake again. If students do not understand the oppressing of people who practice their religion but thoroughly learn about the countries that banish them, society will only repeat the mistake again. Especially today, as we face several protests and supremacies, we are repeating history. The sole driving factor of this repetitive nature is the obliviousness to the oppressed and the attentiveness to the powerful. If schools incorporated the perspectives of every individual into their history curriculums, our youth would contribute to society in a beneficial way instead of disregarding the pressing circumstances. Without one side of the story, the puzzle is incomplete, the buildings are unfinished, and the pathway to positivity and peace is cut off. Society is shaped by the minds of the individuals that make it up, and in order to overcome times of hatred and division like-mindedly, we must start by teaching those minds that there is a puzzle to complete. There is a building to finish. There is a pathway to restore.

tion Important In Schools? written by parker mcelroy YES: Throughout my time in school, history was always a constant class taken by students of most grade levels. In middle school, we learned about the Holocaust and the structure of the Canadian government. In high school we are learning about how Canada came to be. One thing I have noticed, however, is the complete lack of history regarding other groups of people (racially, ethnically - how are they different). Never have I learned about the devastating and lasting effects of residential schools on the Canadian indigenous population or a history of segregation in Canada. These events are part of our history as a country so why don't we learn about them? I feel that learning about the history of your community is incredibly important to a young person's sense of self identity. Learning where you came from and the journey behind it are both fundamental in appreciating what we have and aiming to do better. This is why we learn about how our countries were founded and wars that devastated the world. If we never learn about the brutal history of

segregation, the Japanese internment camps during World War II, or the decades long existence of residential schools, how are we ever going to know why indigenous land rights are such a big deal? How are we ever going to know why xenophobia and racism are still embedded in our culture and laws? We as a generation will never learn not to repeat the brutal wrongdoings of our ancestors if we are never taught what they did wrong to begin with. Learning about our shameful past helps build humility and empathy in the newer generations and if we don't do that, then we are dooming them to a future of dooming themselves.

edited by jessica laws, anvitha mattapalli, & geethikaa tarra layout by arushi patil art by cal shin-koh

Is Prison Effective?

written by Ashmita Annamalai

No Prison is simply a way to keep crime off the streets and ensure the safety of society. It is said to be a punishment for criminals in order to deter them from committing crimes again and keep would-be criminals from committing any crimes at all. However, if that is truly the case, why are so many crimes committed on a daily basis, causing crime rates across the world to continually soar? Before evaluating the effectiveness of prison, we must first understand the psychology of punishments. A punishment is “a process of presenting a consequence, delivered after a behavior, which serves to reduce the frequency or intensity with which the behavior occurs” (Henry 2007). There are two mechanisms that explain the function of punishment. First, the economic model of rational calculation: punishment is painful and thus, the cost must be avoided.

Assuming that punishment is closely tied with behavior, avoidance of pain is accomplished by the avoidance of behavior. Second, the psychological model of learning through conditioned responses: repeated associations made between a behavior and a disinclined stimulus or the removal of a positive stimulus can lead to an “automatic” learned response to stay away from the behavior (Henry 2007).

The extent to which punishment is effective depends on how forcefully it is applied. Mild punishment can be successful in correcting behavior, but a more severe application can produce several negative effects. In the same way, a teenager who receives constant resentment from their guardians becomes rebellious and reluctant, a prisoner will also develop ideas of avoidance or escape, alienation, aggressiveness, and reproduction of the punishment behavior (Henry 2007). Thus, if and when they are released from prison, their mental state will only cause them to offend the law time and time again instead of producing the opposite and desired result. Prison may succeed in a convincing society that their communities are safe, yet as time passes, the offenders will come back with a burning need to avenge their suffering. Therefore, prison is ineffective in reforming criminals. Changing the prisoner’s

inner virtue is the only way to rehabilitate them. “Rehabilitation doesn’t simply mean putting the criminal in prison and letting them learn their lesson. It’s about helping them become an enhanced person through accepting the mistakes they have made and improving their value system” (Bhandari 2018). Instead of locking up a criminal and nurturing their insanity for society’s temporary safety and satisfaction that the wrongdoer has received a punishment, they should instead be supported and taught to transform into the best version of themselves in order to reduce the number of prisoners that are conspiring their escape at this very moment.

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No A prison is essentially a detention camp for people who have committed a heinous crime resulting in serving time in a metal box with no connection to the outside world. It is neither effective nor is it ethically justifiable. More than 10 million people globally are locked up and serving time behind bars. Not only does society view them as inherently bad people, but they also see them as people who can not change. Prisoners are set up for failure. When a prisoner leaves jail, they are pushed into society with little to nothing and it’s almost impossible for them to get a job after having a criminal record. Most prisoners that are released are rearrested because they have not been taught anything, much like how you would discipline your children. Evidence has found that two in three people in the United States who are released from prison re-offend. No personnel in prison teaches inmates that their actions were unacceptable and their behavior needs to change in order for them to lead a crime-free life and get a job. Prisoners could also learn from other prisoners how to become better criminals, increasing the chance of more crimes after one leaves prison. Instead of treating inmates like humans, they are thrown into inhumane jails with the public paying for their expenses through taxes. Prison expenses take up a significant

portion of government spendings, tallying at around 81 billion dollars spent annually. In most countries with lower reoffending rates, prisoners are treated with the human decency they rightfully deserve. They are given their own rooms with private showers, they can cook their own meal, have access to the internet, access paid word, and receive conjugal visits (Aaron 2019). However, in countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, prisoners are locked up behind bars for 23 hours and are given poorly made meals. They are limited from education, their families, and employment. Thus, this ineffective way of rehabilitating criminals leads to an increase in overcrowding, drugs, gangs, and riots in traditional prisons around the world. Additionally, the harsh practices could exacerbate mental health problems, making people cynical, prone to aggression, and feeling a sense of distrust towards the legal system (Harding 2019). Isolating someone from their families for a prolonged period of time, especially those who will help them with life after prison will make them feel out of place and mentally ill.

written by Nivi Chozhan Edited by Parker McElroy & Geethikaa Tarra

references should mental health be taught in schools? National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, June 25). Why is there comorbidity between substance use disorders and mental illnesses? Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/common-comorbidities-substance-use-disorders/why-therecomorbidity-between-substance-use-disorders-mentalillnesses#:~:text=When%20an%20individual%20develops%20a,the%20side%20effects%20of%20the Centers, B. (2019, September 04). Why mental health should be taught in schools. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.brainforestcenters.com/resources/mental-health-taught-schools Adolescent mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health Data and statistics on children's mental health. (2020, June 15). Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html Learn about mental health - mental health - cdc. (2018, January 26). Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm Krans, B. (2018, October 20). Stigma still a major hurdle in getting people the mental health c. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-health-treatment-hindered-by-stigma-030214

i got one less problem without you: the american education system Budhia, Shreyansh. (2020, July 29). Racial prejudice in the American education system: Effects of racism on black students' lives and academic success. Open Americas. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://openamericas.org/2017/12/27/racial-prejudice-in-the-american-education-system-effects-of-racism-on-blackstudents-lives-and-academic-success/ Jaffe, D. (September 20, 2020). “Perspectives in Assistive Technology.” StanfordEdu. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from: https://web.stanford.edu/class/engr110/cheating.html#:~:text=Statistics%20show%20that%20cheating%20among,during%20the %20past%2050%20years.&text=Today%20it%20is%20also%20the,do%20cheat%20at%20some%20point.' Renner, B. (2019, January 26). “Survey: Average American Uses Just 37% Of Knowledge, Skills Learned In High School.” StudyFinds. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from: https://www.studyfinds.org/survey-americans-use-37-percent-knowledge-learned-high-school/ Learning Network. (2019, December 19). “What Students Are Saying About How To Improve American Education.” New York Times. Retrieved February 17 ,2021, from: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/learning/what-students-are-saying-about-how-to-improve-american-education.html Michael, J. & Pedro, E. (2020, March 24). “Yes, It Really Is Harder to Get into Highly Selective College Today.” Education Next. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from: https://www.educationnext.org/yes-it-really-is-harder-to-get-into-highly-selective-colleges-today-comparison-sat-scoresover-time/

is prison effective? Henry, S. (n.d.). On the Effectiveness of Prison as Punishment [Scholarly project]. http://www.behaviorworks.org/files/offshoots/Prison%20as%20Punishment.pdf Are prisons effective? (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://vocal.media/criminal/are-prisons-effective

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cr055w0rd Use the clues below to fill out the cr055w0rd puzzle! Answers for the puzzle can be found throughout the magazine in the corresponding article!

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1. A mission to the moon 2. Of the mental variety 3. An industry including movies and games 5. communication 7. A company and forest 9. Taking care of yourself 10. Myanmar 12. The process and system of becoming knowledgeable 13. Gene editing technology 15. A community advocating for gender rights for all 19. Inaugural poet last name 21. Joe _

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