The Panther Post - March 2021

Panther Post The

YULA High Schools Merge: Rabbi Arye Sufrin Named Head of School

By Akiva Brookler (‘21), Editor-in-Chief YULA Boys and Girls High Schools will merge and create one YULA High School with a Boys and Girls division, beginning in the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. Current YULA Boys Head of School Rabbi Arye Sufrin has been chosen to lead YULA High School under one joint board. The joint board will be led by Seth Berkowitz as President, and Alan Gindi and David Nagel will serve as Co-Chairmen.

The boards of each school chose to merge high schools to curb the rise in tuition and to foster a united community. Since tuition at YULA has risen nearly $10,000 since 2013 and is now just shy of $40,000 annually, the merger will enable YULA to freeze the tuition for the 20212022 school year. “We have the opportunity to model for the YULA community, the Greater Los Angeles Jewish community, and the larger Jewish world, what can be achieved when people come together to pursue a common goal,” Mr. Berkowitz said. “For families, it means an extended tuition freeze––which could not come at a more welcome time. For students, it means ensuring that you get the best teachers and programming to help you achieve your aspirations for these critical developmental years. For the community, it means taking pride in one, united, flagship institution that represents the very best.”

The cost saving measures will come from sharing administrative and other non-educational costs, but they will not come from mass

layoffs or cutbacks in the curriculum. “What makes YULA special is that our teachers are here for the kids: they’re invested,” Rabbi Sufrin said.

“We’ll have more resources to invest into our curriculum and educational program while alleviating the burden of cost on our parents.”

Although the schools will merge under one head of school and one board, they will still operate as separate subdivisions. “I think that there is a difference between boys education and girls education, so I certainly expect that those differences will continue,” Boys General Studies Principal Mr. Rick St. Laurent said. “But certainly in terms of opportunities, it makes sense to align things so that there is not unnecessary confusion.”

The boards and administrations planned the merger so as not to impact either school negatively. “It was something that I thought a lot about, making sure that this merger did not come at the expense of the Boys school and our students,” Rabbi Sufrin said. “While I might be the face of the merger, I am confident that with the teams we have in place on both campuses, the students will be the ultimate winners.”

A united YULA will also send a clear message to the community. “Every so often if you look at the two schools, they’re not perfectly in sync, and their messaging to the parent body and, therefore, to the community is not always balanced,” Mr. Nagel said. “This

NBA Season Final Seeding Predictions

By Boaz Edidin (‘22), Executive Editor

The NBA season is back, but in a never-before-seen fashion. The NBA’s guidelines to ensure the health of both players and coaches during the pandemic are not as extreme as last season’s “bubble,” but many aspects of this season remain different from previous seasons. For example, because the season started late, only 72 games will be played by each team instead of the normal 82.

Teams are traveling as they do during normal seasons.

However, they stay in one city for an elongated period of time and play a mini-series of two or three games against one team.

Because of the shorter season, teams have less time to prove themselves and are more prone to the consequences of rough patches. The league was worried that if it kept the standard eight-team-per-conference playoff format, some deserving teams would miss out. Therefore, playoffs now include 10 teams per conference with a play-in tournament to determine the No. 8 seed. USA Today described the play-in tournament as follows: “The winner of a game between the teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages will land the No. 7 seed in the conference. The loser of that game will host the winner of a game between the teams featuring the ninth-highest and 10th-highest winning percentage.” The winner of that final game earns the No. 8 seed in the playoffs and will have a chance to play against the No. 1 seed.

With that said, considering every team’s performance last season, off-season additions, and performance this season up to this point, here are my predictions for this season’s NBA standings:

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The Reddit Rebellion

Will retail investors boycott trading platforms that restricted their access to stocks?

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Community

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The Reddit Rebellion

By Jeremy Wizenfeld (‘22) While Wall Street has taken massive financial hits in the past, whether from the 2008 financial crisis or more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, never did they think they would lose billions from the collective work of retail investors, dubbed “dumb money.” Over the past few years and increasingly more in the months of the pandemic, hedge funds, most notably Melvin Capital, placed short positions on brick-andmortar businesses as they believed that the shift to e-commerce, as well as the pandemic, would completely wipe out these businesses. Short positions involve borrowing and immediately selling stock with the intention of buying the shares back at a cheaper price.

However, if the stock price rises, short positions can generate huge losses.

Keith Gill, who worked in marketing for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co, noticed that Wall Street, the “smart money,” overplayed its hand with one of the short positions: they shorted more shares of Gamestop than were even available. So, he bought $53,000 worth of Gamestop shares back in 2019, and ever since has been trying to spread his discovery to the investing world. He posted on the Reddit group r/WallStreetBets and made YouTube videos to explain the technical reasons that Gamestop was a good investment: If enough people would buy the stock and drive the price of Gamestop higher, these hedge funds would be forced to close their short positions sending the stock price to insane highs.

Gill’s plan worked, and in January 2021, with the help of millions of people who joined the r/ WallStreetBets Reddit group, Gamestop’s shares surged from the midteens in the beginning of the month to as high as

For many retail investors, the volatility of the market became much more than a get-rich-quick scheme; their efforts turned into a rebellion in order to stop Wall Street’s manipulating the market.

$483.00, January 28th. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined Gill’s cause when he tweeted “Gamestonk,” promoting others to buy the stock. Not only did Gamestop’s shares surge, but other heavily shorted stocks, including AMC, Blackberry, Express, and Koss, also saw their share

prices increase by ridiculous percentages. Gill’s $53,000 life-changing bet turned him into a multi-millionaire in just a few short weeks, and he changed the lives of so many ordinary retail investors. Consequently, Melvin Capital reported a loss of 53% of its assets in January due to the Reddit induced market frenzy.

Throughout the craziness in the market, many brokerages eventually

imposed regulatory measures on buying shares of these specific stocks to stop the volatility of the market. These restrictions lasted for a few days and many brokerages, Robinhood in particular, faced much backlash and multiple class-action lawsuits for their decisions to restrict trading. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Senator Ted Cruz agreed via Twitter (that’s something you definitely won’t see every day) that Robinhood’s decisions were outrageous and limited America’s free market. For many retail investors, the volatility of the market became much more than a getrich-quick scheme. Their efforts turned into a rebellion in order to stop Wall Street’s manipulating the market.

As the price of these stocks settle back into more accurate evaluations, many uncertainties about the market’s future remain. Will the Securities and Exchange Commission pass laws to restrict large short positions? Will retail investors boycott trading platforms that restricted their access to stocks? Will we see a shift to decentralized financial markets to protect the American free market?

$GME STOCK PRICE $400.00

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Graph by Moshe Epstein (‘21)

The Panther Post • March 2021 • Community

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YULA High Schools Merge

Continued from front page

merger will stop that from happening going forward.

This merger will unify and confirm that our approach to our hashkafa (perspective) is the same.”

Both YULA High Schools were formerly part of the parent organization, Yeshiva of Los Angeles (YOLA).

Rabbi Marvin Hier created YOLA as non-profit institution with three subdivisions: an adult Jewish education program, a synagogue, and a boys and girls high school.

The Girls subdivision, under the leadership of Mr. Gindi decided to leave YOLA because it wanted to spearhead its own fundraiser for a new campus and ensure that the girls in our community had the best opportunities to succeed. Soon after the Girls left, YOLA realized it could not give the necessary attention to its three subdivisions, so it closed the adult education subdivision. Then, the Board of the Simon Wiesenthal Center began encouraging Rabbi Hier to leave YOLA, so he could focus entirely on the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Before Rabbi Hier left, he involved Mr. Nagel in the Boys high school, hoping that he would carry on Rabbi Hier’s mission. Mr. Nagel got involved and decided that he wanted the Boys high school to be independent of YOLA, so the Boys school also left the YOLA organization.

“Over time, people realized how crazy it is that there really are two different institutions, and that neither the Boys school or the Girls school is running very efficiently as two separate schools,” Mr. Nagel said.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a vocal group of parents expressed outrage that Jewish schools were not granting tuition discounts.

Though this merger does not offer a tuition cut, it is a move in the right direction to address those parents’ concerns about the rising cost of tuition. “Tuition is a failure of mine. I have raised the tuition on our parent body almost every single year that I’ve been a president, and that I am not proud of,” Mr. Nagel said. “I’ve had no other choice but to raise

the tuition… But suddenly because of COVID, when you realize, oh my G-d, I can’t raise tuition next year, you figure out something else.”

An additional reason for the merger was that YULA Girls needed to find a new head of school to replace Interim Head of School Rabbi Pinchos Hecht. “I think the Girls school realized they could search high and low throughout the entire United States, and no matter who they would find, in the end they would say, ‘Not bad, but ain’t a Rabbi Sufrin,’” Mr. Nagel said.

“And so that is what they wanted more than anything: They wanted a piece of Rabbi Sufrin. They saw him as the secret to their success, the secret to helping them with their enrollment.”

Since Rabbi Sufrin became the Boys head of school in 2017, enrollment has risen substantially.

“Rabbi Sufrin has transformed YULA Boys, culturally and physically, in less than a half decade. It is now the school of choice, bursting at the seams––given record enrollment. He has done this by being himself: charismatic, energetic, committed, inspired, and a person of remarkable integrity. Families and students alike are drawn to him, and administrators and faculty trust him and enjoy working with him,” Mr. Berkowitz said. “ YULA Girls has been well served by Rabbi Hecht on an interim basis. Rabbi Sufrin now has the opportunity to deploy his considerable skills to take YULA High School––as a merged entity––to a new level.” Students and faculty at the Girls School and the Greater Los

Angeles Jewish community have echoed Mr. Berkowitz’s sentiment.

In addition to managing his responsibilities as head of school, Rabbi Sufrin will continue to teach his 10th grade Advanced Gemara Track class at the Boys Division and will now also teach at the Girls Division.

“I left accounting to become a rebbe, not to become a head of school. Becoming a head of school has been an evolution in my career, but I will not be leaving the shiur (class) room. It’s my favorite part of the day every single day,” Rabbi Sufrin said. “When you’re in the classroom, that’s when you really get to know the students. It’s important for me to not just run the institution from 10,000 feet above. I want to be in the trenches. I want to be there with the students, and I want to be there for the students.”

The Board and Rabbi Sufrin both believe the merger will benefit the YULA community. “YULA is trying to develop young men and women who have absorbed Torah values, who model exemplary moral conduct, who have outstanding academic achievements, and who love Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, Mr. Berkowitz said. “YULA Boys and YULA Girls are best suited, financially and spiritually, to accomplish these sacred tasks together as one community. Combining resources will enable us to invest even more in our product and to serve you––the students––even better.” Rabbi Sufrin said, “I’ve always liked to say a strong YULA Boys makes for a stronger YULA Girls, and a strong YULA Girls makes for a stronger YULA Boys. But what I’ve realized going through this process is that one YULA High School is where YULA is at its strongest. I am excited for the opportunity to be part of this historic merger that will create one community, but at the same time, I’m also nervous and humbled. I recognize the responsibility ahead, but at the end of the day our goal is to impact and inspire future generations.”

From left: Rabbi Arye Sufrin, Mr. Alan Gindi, Mr. Seth Berkowitz, and Mr. David Nagel.

The Panther Post Editor-in-Chief: Akiva Brookler (‘21) Executive Editor: Boaz Edidin (‘22) Managing Editor: Aidan Stephen (‘22) Faculty Adviser: Ms. Pam Felcher Community Editor: Ethan Frankel (‘22) Academics Editor: Moshe Epstein (‘21) Sports Editor: Aidan Stephen (‘22) Features Editor: Aaron Silvera (‘23) Torah & Israel Editor: Ben Rubin (‘22) Opinion Editor: Yoni Merkin (‘21) Photo Editor:Benji Mansano (‘22) Layout & Graphics Editors: Arshia Kohanteb (‘22) & Daniel Sentchuck (‘22) Please be mindful that this publication contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect.

YULA Boys, 9760 Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

A vital part of The Panther Post is our extensive opinion section, which includes both the Editorial Board’s opinions as well as op-eds written by the student body. But these pieces should not be the end of the conversation; instead, they should catalyze a meaningful conversation within our community about important issues. So we want to hear your opinions.

Any article you read––whether you agree, disagree, or have a relevant comment––we want to hear how you feel. Letters to the Editor are an essential part of all newspapers, and ours should be no different.

We ask that you send your brief reactions (an edited 150 words) to letters@yula.org, so that we and all our readers can hear our community’s diverse opinions.

Academics

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Benjamin Rubin (‘22)

Model UN Wins Yeshiva University Conference

By Akiva Brookler (‘21), Editor-in-Chief

The YULA Model UN won first place at the annual Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) conference. Gavi Steinlauf (‘22), Leorah Teichman (‘22), Adiel Nourmand (‘22), and team co-captain Yoni Merkin (‘21) were awarded Best Delegate in their committees. Jake Stephen (‘23), Ariella Gershov (‘23), team co-captain Anat Rimmon (‘21), and Yaelle Shaye (‘22) received Honorable Mention awards. Since 2005 YULA has won first place eight times, coming in second place almost every year they did not win.

The conference usually takes place over several days at a hotel in Connecticut, but this year it was a

YULA’s Model UN team meets on Zoom to prepare for the annual conference.

From top left: Anat Rimmon (‘21), Benjamin Rubin (‘22), Yoni Merkin (‘21), Yasmine Torbati (‘22), Gavi Steinlauf (‘22), Noam Goldberg (‘23), Ariella Gershov (‘23), Avi Etshalom (‘21), Elisheva Ferszt (‘23), Jake Stephen (‘23), Adiel Nourmand (‘22), and Ms. Janice Frew.

virtual event over one long day. Participants met via Zoom as they gave speeches, wrote resolutions, and competed to win awards.

YULA delegates represented the countries of Brazil and Chile and tackled topics, ranging from the peaceful use of outer space to education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, delegates meet to write resolutions on their topics in chaotic networking sessions called caucuses. This year, however, delegates needed to make Zoom breakout rooms to form their coalitions, which made networking and strategizing more difficult.

Merkin was the first YULA delegate in years to

win Best Delegate on Security Council, the most prestigious committee in the conference. “I am humbled to have had the opportunity to lead such a talented team,” Merkin said. “I would have loved an in-person conference, but the challenges Zoom presented were never going to stop me from putting forth my best effort.”

“I am bursting with pride. The captains brought such enthusiasm and discipline and work ethic that it couldn’t help but inspire all of our delegates to do their best,” Faculty Adviser Ms. Janice Frew said. “For eight out of a team of 13 to be recognized... I can’t even think of a good word. Unbelievable. Awesome.”

Model Congress Update

By Ben Rubin (‘22), Torah & Israel Editor pare them to compete.

As we navigate the current

Each week these students pracpolitical climate, it is important to tice for their upcoming competitions. understand how democracy should This year, YULA competed in the work and how it eventually does Harvard Model Congress conference, work over long periods of time. Ennormally held in Boston, but this year ter, Model Congress. hosted on Zoom. Because part of the In its inaugural year, Captains conference was on Shabbat, students Benjamin Rubin (‘22) and Daniella Zisblatt (‘22) formed YULA could not join all of the sessions.

High school’s first Model Congress.

In a recent Model Congress practice, Zoe Mankowitz (‘22) said, “I Boasting an impressive 15 memthink it’s really good to be able to play bers, a quartet of advisors, two ala sport, and also do an academic team ternates, and one team manager, Model Congress is sure to succeed. such as Model Congress.”

With weekly practices on Zoom

In future years YULA plans to and in-person, students learn the send the Model Congress team to the conferences in-person. Unlike other arts of public speaking, negotiatclubs at YULA, Model Congress coming, and compromising. Topics petes multiple times each academic such as Banking and Commerce, Judiciary, Uses of Outer Space, Benjamin Rubin (‘22) year, giving the team more opportunities to succeed. and Armed Forces are discussed in

In a recent interview with the a moderated fashion that parallels Model Congress prepares for conference at the YULA Girls campus.

Post, Zisblatt said, “I enjoy learning and those discussions on Capitol Hill. Similar to the school’s other clubs––Model United Nations, Debate, and Mock Trial–– the then teaching to the other teammates congressional skills and the ability to propermission of Model Congress is not only to educate team members, but also to pre- ly present oneself with parliamentary procedure and skillful argument.”

The Panther Post • March 2021 • Academics

New Clubs at YULA

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By Israel Gootin (‘22)

Faculty

Focus

YULA’s club landscape is more lively than ever with dozens of clubs returning and many being introduced for the first time.

Usually, YULA holds a fair where club leaders advertise to recruit new members, but this year the fair was canceled because of the ongoing pandemic. However, this did not stop the formation of new clubs.

The newly founded YULA Psychology Club registered over 40 participants in its first week and already competes with YULA’s Israel Advocacy Club for the title of most populated club. “The club is aimed at discussing the concepts of modern psychology in an engaging format,” founding member Lev Sokol said. “This year’s virtual environment allows a larger number of students to engage in club activities.”

Another newcomer, YULA’s Charity Club, focuses on giving back to the community. “This club revolves around student

choice,” founder Daniel Saghizadeh (‘22) said. “If students want to support charity organizations through volunteering, we will do that.”

The YULA Stock Club holds weekly meetings where members discuss trends in the stock market and potential investments.

The club aims to teach members how to make wise, thoughtful financial choices. In addition, the Stock Club publishes a booklet with articles about their top stock picks.

“I’m so glad that the YULA Stock Club has the opportunity to come together with YULA students to discuss how to make intelligent decisions that can build life skills for the future,” club co-president Jeremy Wizenfled (‘22) said. “The skills learned in our club not only apply to the trading world, but to other life events that require thoughtful decision making.”

By Yehuda Holender (‘22) Over the summer, YULA welcomed Yossie Frankel as the new Director of Technology. Mr. Frankel, who has smicha (rabbinic ordination) but still prefers to be referred to as “Mr.,” teaches computer science, video editing, and STEAM classes. Mr Frankel also advises the new Panther Streaming Network, which broadcasts the YULA Panthers’ sporting events.

Mr. Frankel was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, and studied there at the University of Winnipeg. After university, Mr. Frankel moved to Calgary, Canada, where he worked as a computer systems analyst, paramedic trainer, and mashgiach (kashrut supervisor). Following his time in Calgary, Frankel moved to Morristown, New Jersey, where he became a middle school teacher and member of the kollel at the Rabbinical College of America. As a middle school teacher, he was twice nominated for the Disney Teacher of the Year Award.

Mr. Frankel then moved with Batsheva, his new wife, and Tuvia (‘23), who was one-year old at the time, to Los Angeles where he introduced computer systems to several schools for them to implement technology in their classrooms. He then partnered with the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education to help Jewish day schools around the world set up their computer systems.

After surviving cardiac arrest in June, 2017, Mr Frankel decided to take a job at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy.

Last year, Mr. Frankel was hired by YULA to work as an Educational Technology Specialist and to spearhead programs such as the Panther Streaming Network. Over the summer his responsibilities grew, and he became the new Director of Technology and head of the STEAM program, in addition to teaching classes.

Mr. Frankel uses his 30 years of teaching experience to create a student-led approach in his classrooms. In his freshman STEAM class, he instructs students to research on subjects relavent to their lives, such as Halacha, and then apply their research by creating projects. Yisrael Einhorn (‘21) actually teaches his video editing class with Mr. Frankel guiding him.

At home, Mr. Frankel loves to cook, using his experience working in kitchens as a mashgiach. He also enjoys singing, making DIY projects, and putting on a pre-Shabbat Zoom puppet show for his shul every week.

YULA Chess club competes in its first inter-club tournament, March 2.

Zach Goulson (’23) practices debating hot-button topics about Israel with YULA’s Israel Advocacy Club.

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The Panther Post • March 2021 • Sports

NBA Season Final S

Boaz Edi

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The Jazz are the hottest team right now, boasting a 27-8 record. They may not have made any big moves this off-season, but that doesn’t change the fact that they have been nothing but consistent over the past two years and have started the season looking like one of the scariest teams in the league. With one of the best starting-fives, featuring Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Bojan Bogdanovic, the Jazz are a lock for a Top 3 seed in the West, and are the favorites to finish atop the entire conference.

The new superstar trio, featuring Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, make the Nets the most star-studded team in the league. The only problems keeping this Nets team from being the best team of all time are its lack of depth and poor defense. The only servicable players the Nets have behind their Big 3 are three-point specialist Joe Harris, aging center DeAndre Jordan, young scorer Bruce Brown, and high-basketball-IQ wing Jeff Green.

If they acquire a few defensive minded players to add depth to their team, the Nets should earn the No. 1 seed and find themselves in the finals.

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The Lakeshow has a 24-12 record, which would be great for the average team. However, the Lakers had higher expectations. They are coming off a championship season in which they were the best team in the league, and over the off-season they only got better. They upgraded their center position by signing 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrel and veteran three-point-shooting big Marc Gasol, replacing Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, its two aging, non-shooting centers. In addition, they signed Dennis Schroeder, a 2020 Sixth Man of the Year candidate, who has functioned as the key third option alongside Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Based on their championship pedigree and offseason additions, they should be the No. 1 seed in the West, but ever since Davis got injured, the Lakers have gone on a losing streak. Hopefully, Davis will come back soon, because if he does, the Lakers can propel themselves back into the No. 1 seed.

The Bucks had the most wins in the league last year, and all signs point to them being close to the top again. Their off-season additions––star two-way guard Jrue Holiday, shooting specialist Bryn Forbes, court general D.J. Augustin, and backup big man Bobby Portis––have helped the team succeed with a 2114 record, which puts them at the third spot in the East.

They were the clear favorite to win the East before Harden was traded to the Nets, and while I now predict the Nets to represent the East in the finals, the Bucks should have a similar regular season record since they try their hardest to win every game––no matter its importance.

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The hype around the Clippers and their star duo, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, has died down; however, that doesn’t change the fact that they are both superstars who have bounced back this season under a new coaching staff, centered around Tyronn Lue, and a different style big man, shooting specialist Serge Ibaka. After these off-season adjustments, the Clippers are back to competing with the Lakers, and now the Jazz, for the No. 1 seed in the West.

Sticking with the Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid experiment might finally pay off if the Sixers current record of 23-12 atop the Eastern Conference standings is any indication of future success. The Sixers finally have shooters, Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey, and Danny Green, who are helping space the floor to give Embiid, Simmons, and Tobias Harris room to operate. On top of that, Doc Rivers provides the Sixers with elite coaching experience for the first time in years. Brett Brown might have been the right coach to help the Sixers tank in the early stages of “The Process” to gain higher draft picks, but he wasn’t able to lead this talented team to any meaningful runs in recent years. I expect this Sixers team to cool off a bit, but still maintain a Top 3 seed in the East.

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The Nuggets are a young, but experienced, team on the rise.

Nikola Jokić is a bonafide superstar center having an MVP-caliber season, Jamal Murray is vaulting into star status, and Michael Porter Jr. has been great when given the minutes. Despite a semi-disappointing record of 20-15 to start the season, we know that the Nuggets were No. 3 seed last year, and, since all of their players are only getting better, they should at least remain within the Top 6 seeds in the West.

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Devin Booker and the Suns went on a promising hot streak in “the bubble” last year, and this offseason they traded for All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Although the Suns’ two young stars, Booker and Deandre Ayton, are having statistically down seasons, they have learned to play winning basketball.

Mikal Bridges is also having a breakout season; some analysts even have him in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award. If this core stays healthy and can work together, the Suns can scrap together a deep playoff run this season.

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The Boston Celtics are in a horrible slump. They made an impressive playoff run to the semifinals last season, and their young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are finally reaching their potentials, each averaging over 25 points per game. All-Defensive guard Marcus Smart has also improved his offensive game, offering reliable three-point shooting and distributing skills. However, injuries, a lack of depth, and All-Star point guard Kemba Walker’s underwhelming play this season have kept the Celtics at 18-17 for now. I expect them to bounce back and finish fourth in the East.

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Although the Heat have had their fair share of struggles and injuries early this season, they made it to the championship last season, so it would be disrespectful to rank them any lower than No. 5. Jimmy Butler, despite being injured for most of this season, is a proven leader on and off the court; and Bam Adebayo, the Heat’s young, versatile center, has improved even more this year. However, what puts the Heat over the top is its plug-and-play shooting. Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Goran Dragić, and Kendrick Nunn can hit shots from everywhere on the floor. So despite the Heat’s current record, 1718, they can bounce back and finish as a Top 5 seed in the East.

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The Panther Post • March 2021 • Sports

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Seeding Predictions

idin (‘22)

The Trail Blazers are a polarizing team: After going on a run to the finals two seasons ago, they barede the playoffs last season. Then, ear, the backcourt led by Damien d and CJ McCollum looked betan ever until McCollum broke his McCollum’s and star center Jusuf ć’s injuries have put Carmelo Anin the position to provide some -needed scoring for this team. newly acquired wings, Derrick Jr. and Robert Covington, have d the Blazers improve drastically e defensive end of the court. If the rs get healthy sooner rather than I can see them maintaining their nt standing, No. 6, or even exceed. But it seems like the injuries to ć and McCollum will linger, and, I do believe in Lillard to carry the into the playoffs, I cannot wholeedly put the Blazers before any of ams ranked above them.

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Stephen Curry is a perennial MVP candidate and the best shooter of all time. He alone is enough to get a team to the championship, so he shouldn’t have much trouble making the playoffs with his old buddy Draymond Green and their young, talented supporting cast of Kelly Oubre, Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, and Eric Paschall.

Even without Klay Thompson, this team has the opportunity to vault into the Top 5 seeds and to surprise a lot of people this year once their centers, Wiseman and Kevon Looney, get healthy.

Nonetheless, they are No. 7 on my list because the Western Conference is too stacked for me to rank them any higher.

8

Putting a Greg Popovich team this low in the rankings makes me sick to my stomach. Popovich has only missed the playoffs once this century, and I think he’ll keep his near clean slate, thanks to this season’s expanded playoff bracket. Despite having blossoming defensive point guards Derrick White and Dejountae Murray, breakout forward Keldon Johnson, and veteran scorers LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozen, the Spurs don’t have nearly as much raw talent on their team as the seven teams I have ranked above them, or the Dallas Mavericks, who I have ranked below them.

However, Popovich will always find a way to end up in the playoffs.

ce Eastern Conference

rs are in an interesting situy outperformed all expectaseason to find themselves as eed. Fred VanVleet and Pascal erged as a young duo of stars, owry showed us that he’s still al, despite being 34 years old. by and Norman Powell also e world that they are valuable rs. However, since Canada ow them to play this season, been forced to abandon their d move to Tampa, Florida. despite the facts that threeting, shot-blocking big-man, her, broke out for this team way and Anunoby stepped up he Raptors have struggled to With a current record of 17ptors’ prospects for making a ff run this season don’t look However, talent and great sually win out, so I expect Coach of the Year Nick Nurse d this team back into conten-

• The Pacers can prove to be a sneaky team this year. With a 15-18 record, the Pacers are still hanging with the best of teams despite multiple brutal injuries and a tough schedule. Domantas Sabonis is playing at an AllStar level and Malcom Brogdon has officially broken out. They, and athletic shot blocker Myles Turner, are the only people keeping the team afloat while T.J. Warren and Caris LeVert are out. If the Pacers get healthy soon, they can go neck and neck with almost anyone.

7

The Knicks are by far the most surprising team on the list.

Julius Randle has improved drastically at shooting and distributing, which has put him in the conversation for an AllStar spot, and RJ Barret is finally looking like the player the Knicks thought they drafted.

Randle and Barrett, along with athletic center Mitchell Robinson and standout rookie Immanuel Quickley, have bought into new Coach Tom Thibodeau’s high-intensity style of play to help the team to a 108.1 defensive rating, No. 2 in the league.

8

9

The Mavericks have MVP candidate Luka Dončić, a great coaching staff, and droves of complementary pieces, so it’s hard to put them any lower than this, regardless of their slow start to the season with Kristaps Porziņģis out and limited. If Porziņģis stays healthy, Dončić continues to play at an MVP level, and Tim Hardaway Jr. keeps scoring at a high volume, the Mavericks should be a Top 8 seed come season’s end. However, the probability that each of the Top 8 teams stay healthy and keep winning is higher than that of the Mavericks.

While the Hornets had a horrible off-season logistically, their team did end up getting a lot better.

They signed Gordon Hayward to a four-year deal worth more money than Michael Jordan––the greatest player of all time––mustered in his entire career. They also drafted LaMelo Ball with the third pick in the draft. I understand that he was the most talented player on the board, but it didn’t make sense for the Hornets to draft a guy who plays the only position at which they don’t need help. Even though these moves seemed questionable at the time, they have paid off: Hayward has been earning his money, and Ball is looking like the clear Rookie of the Year. Charlotte’s young and talented guard core of Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham, PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, and LaMelo Ball– along with off-season addition Gordon Hayward–have led the team’s high octane offense. If the Hornets improve their defense, especially in the paint, they can push into the play-in game.

9

10

This season, I see the Grizzlies, who currently have a 16-15 record, as last year’s Orlando Magic: Neither made any big offseason changes, and both were playoff teams last year. However, the teams around them got better. Ja Morant has continued to improve while on the court this season, but Jaren Jackson Jr., the team’s second best player, still hasn’t returned from injury. Justise Winslow and Jonas Valančiūnas, two of the team’s key pieces, have also been out for extended periods. Nevertheless, they have stayed afloat. With all of their key pieces returning, the Grizzlies could win a surprising amount of games this season.

Although the Hawks’ 20-47 record last season was extremely disappointing, the team had one bright spot: Point guard Trae Young broke out. Late last season and this offseason, the Hawks surrounded their young star with many valuable role players by trading for Clint Capela, by drafting Onyeka Okongwu, and by signing Danillo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanović, Kris Dunn, and Rajon Rondo. While most of these additions have been delayed with injuries, Capela has been a revelation. To top off the best week of his career, in which he averaged upwards of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks, Capela went off against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a triple-double that included 10 blocks. More nights like this are expected from center Capela and power forward John Collins as Young continues to lob the ball up to them. The trio of Young, Collins, and Capela might surprise a lot of people and lead the Hawks to the play-in game if their role players can get healthy.

However, this spot is a wild card: The Bulls, the Cavaliers, and the Wizards can all sneak into the 10th seed.

10

Torah & Israel

8

Israel on the Verge of Fourth Election

By Yaakov Etshalom (‘23) In the past year, Israel has had three separate and was forced into a second lockdown in October. elections for its national government and is headed for Many Israelis were fed up with the way Mr. Netanyahu a fourth, March 23. Each Knesset has voted to dissolve had handled the lockdowns, and even Mr. Netanyahu itself and have Israelis head back to the polls. Israel admitted that he had made a mistake by opening the is a parliamentary system, meaning citizens vote for country too hastily. Nightly demonstrations and proparties––not candidates––and the percentage of the tests called for Mr. Netanyahu’s resignation.

Other opvote that a party gets corresponds to the number of mandates it receives. The One factor that may position came to party with the most votes then has to sway voters towards Li- Mr. Netanyahu from the right form a coalition to reach sixty-one mankud is the success of Is- when Naftadates, a majority in the government. rael’s vaccine rollout. li Bennett, his After two failed attempts and the former cabinet third election in a year, Likud Party Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu formed an emergen- member, vocalized opposition to Mr. Netanyahu for cy coalition with the opposition leader, Benny Gantz backing down on plans to annex the West Bank.

The Israeli government officially collapsed Deof the Blue and White party, to avoid another election during the COVID-19 crisis. The arrangement stipu- cember 22, 2020, after it failed to pass a budget for lated that Mr. Netanyahu would serve as prime min- the following year. Likud party member, Gidon Saar, ister until November 2021, while Mr. Gantz would be broke away from the Likud party and formed his own the minister of defense and then take over as prime party, New Hope. In a blow to Netanyahu, his longtime confidant, Zeev Elkin, joined New Hope, along minister.

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with six other members of Mr. Netanyahu’s conservaIsrael was forced into a lockdown, which resulted in tive bloc. Naftali Bennett also announced his candidalow infection rates. But then Israel quickly reopened cy for prime minister and is currently polling fourth.

In Channel 12 polls, Likud leads with 28 mandates; Yesh Atid- Telem, the largest opposition party, 19; New Hope, 14; and Yamina, 12.

One factor that may sway voters towards Likud is the success of Israel’s vaccine rollout.

Mr. Netanyahu, in an agreement with Pfizer to share data of Israelis vaccinated, has made Israel the world leader in vaccinations with over 50 percent of its population inoculated with at least the first dose.

Israelis are happy to return to normal, and most are crediting Mr. Netanyahu and Likud for the success of the new program. Mr. Netanyahu has also promised to have every citizen over the age of 16 vaccinated by March, swaying hopeful voters in his favor.

In the past year, Israel has had three separate elections for its national government and is headed for a fourth, March 23. Each Knesset has voted to dissolve itself and have Israelis head back to the polls. Israel is a parliamentary system, meaning citizens vote for parties––not candidates––and the percentage of the vote that a party gets corresponds to the number of mandates it receives. The party with the most votes then has to form a coalition to reach 61 mandates, a majority in the government.

Student Projects Combine Torah and STEAM

By Aidan Stephen (‘22), Managing & Sports Editor

In an unprecedented year when freshmen first experienced YULA remotely, STEAM Studio Instructor Yossie Frankel has adapted the freshmen STEAM curriculum to enable students to work from home.

During the first semester, students played around with JavaScript programs to get acquainted with a design mentality; they designed 3d models in a software called TinkerCad; and they culminated the semester by researching the halachot of mayim acharonim (water used to wash hands at the end of a meal) and designing their own mayim acharonim sets.

Students were paired up in groups of three for the mayim acharonim project and were instructed to talk to a rabbi about the halachot and minhagim (customs) of this Jewish ritual. Once students understood mayim acharonim, they designed their own mayim acharonim sets, consisting of a cup to pour water and a bowl to collect it.

“The goal of the STEAM initiative is to force students to understand that everything we do is interconnected,” Mr. Frankel said. “There is no such thing as just an English class or just a Gemara class. These ideas always cross pollinate.” The project spanned over a month and aimed to teach students to adopt the “designed-thinking” mentality.

“There were two groups that managed to blow me away with their respective presentations,” Mr. Frankel said. “The first group presented the material in a clear, concise, and fascinating way while the second group really got creative with the design of their physical set.”

Aharon Topp (‘24) and his team nailed the presentation schematics. With many visual aids and interactive slides, Topp’s group was able to capture the concept and laws mayim acharonim perfectly. “I think [Mr. Frankel] really enjoyed our unique perspectives on the diverse customs of the mayim acharonim tradition,” said Topp. “We analyzed the execution of the tradition from Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and Yeminite viewpoints.” Topp also attributed the presentation’s concise and simple nature as a factor in

his group’s success.

Ariel Mergi (‘24) and his group were able to drift out of the box and create a set that was wildly different from all the rest. Digging through the plethora of choices online, Mergi and his group decided to design the bowl in the shape of a skull and the pouring cup in the shape of a femur. “I was scrolling through Tinker Cad and found the skull template,” said Mergi. “I knew the rest of the class’s designs were going to be pretty traditional, and my group wanted to differentiate ourselves. I thought it fit my dark sense of creativity and humor very well.”

Mr. Frankel was determined to find a fun way to teach his class despite the difficulties of distanced learning. “Even in remote circumstances, we as a school can find a way to discover new parts of ourselves. In order to truly uncover the purpose of STEAM education, we need to look within ourselves and find our unique creative passion,” Mr. Frankel said. “This project really was about solving a real world problem.

Most people have no real concept of what mayim acharonim is, and I hoped that by assigning this style of project, students would come to that ultimate conclusion on their own.”

Mayim Acharonim set designed and 3d printed by freshmen STEAM students.

Yossie Frankel

The Panther Post • March 2021 • Torah & Israel

9

Halachot of Vaccine Distribution

By Moshe Feldman (‘23)

LBNCadmin As governments begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines, debates arise as to who should receive the vaccines first: Should we prioritize essential workers or treat all people equally? Should we prioritize the young or the elderly? Should we aim to save the most lives initially or in the long run? Halacha offers insight into Judaism’s approach for the rationing of scarce life-saving resources when many lives are at stake.

There are two relevant passages in the Babylonian Talmud. One passage (Horayot 13a) makes it clear that gender, religious scholarliness, and tribal lineage are key criteria in determining priorities: A man takes precedence over a woman in matters of saving life, a kohen takes precedence over an Israelite, and Israelite over a bastard. But if the bastard is a Torah scholar and the Kohen Gadol (high priest) is unlearned, the scholarly bastard takes precedence over an ignorant Kohen Gadol.

Though it is clear the Talmud has a system in place for how to prioritize saving lives, Rambam,

Rabbi Moshe Tendler, one of the Roshei Yeshiva of Yeshiva University and one of the foremost halachic experts in medical issues, explains that in order to preserve a functional society, certain individuals need to be saved even if their prioritization contradicts the aforementioned Talmudic hierarchy.

a 12th century scholar Rambam explains that this the whole dose, both the first and second, should be system is not absolute. Although a Torah scholar distributed to one person, rather than splitting the should receive precedence over a king based on the dose among multiple people. The Chazon Ish, a 20th Talmud, in practice a king is saved first because the century posek, comments on this passage that one people need him more. Rabbi Moshe Tendler, one must try to save complete life at all costs, even if othof the Roshei Yeshiva of Yeshiva University and one er lives will be lost more quickly. He rules that if one of the foremost halachic experts in medical issues, who is not in danger has water, and has two people explains that in order to preserve a functional so- before him who are in danger of dying of thirst, he must give the water to one person of ciety, certain individuals need to be saved even if their priorhis choice. The example of splitting According to Rabbi Shloitization contradicts the aforethe water seems analogous to the mo Zalman Auerbach, mentioned Talmudic hierartwo-dose vaccine in that one must the elderly and immunotake both doses, rather than taking chy. So, essential government, compromised, those most one dose for oneself and leaving the food supply, and healthcare susceptible to COVID-19, workers should be prioritized. other for another. However, this logshould get the first doses ic is applicable only as long as both Additionally, Rav Moshe Feinof the vaccine. In such a stein, one of the most followed case, age is not a mere fac- doses are necessary to ensure one’s poskim (halachic decisors) of tor but directly correlates survival.

Rabbinic responses also the 20th century, writes that with risk. directly address the questions of prithe system mentioned in the Talmud should not be applied to oritizing life-saving resources. For example, 20th century posek Rabbi Shlomo Zalman modern society.

Another applicable Talmudic passage (Bava Auerbach writes that age is not a factor that should Metzia 62a) discusses how to allocate scarce re- be considered when determining life-saving priorisources in the following dire scenario: Two people ties. Instead, he argues, one should examine the levare traveling and there is only one pitcher of wa- el of danger and whatever course of action can save ter for them to drink. If both drink, there will not the most people. According to Rabbi Auerbach, the be enough water, and they will both die, but if only elderly and immunocompromised, those most susone of them drinks, at least one will survive. Rabbi ceptible to COVID-19, should get the first doses of Akiva says that life takes precedence, so one should the vaccine. In such a case, age is not a mere factor but directly correlates with risk. drink all the water himself.

This logic can be applied to the vaccine where

Israel Basketball Makes History

By Yaakov Etshalom (‘23) When 19 year-old Deni Avdija was drafted ninth overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2020 NBA draft, he made history as the only Israeli player to ever be selected in the Top 10 players of the draft. Along with Avdija, Israeli-born Yam Madar was drafted 47th overall in the second round by the Boston Celtics.

Both of the budding young stars played in the FIBA league representing Israel and were crowned the champions in 2018 and 2019. ESPN described

Avdija as a future star with raw talent, who is tall enough to play power forward, but also crafty enough to handle the ball and make plays for his teammates.

Avdija and Madar are part of the small list of Israeli-born NBA players, including Gal Mekel, Omri Caspi, and T.J. Leaf who went undrafted, 18th, and 23rd in the draft, respectively.

In a video conference with reporters, Deni spoke about the significance of being an Israeli-born basketball play-

er and the responsibility he now holds in the league: “For me to represent my country and to make history, that’s a blessing. I have the whole nation behind me, I hope I am going to represent them well.” Avdija, a native of Herzliya, holds dual Israeli-Serbian citizenship.

His father Zufer is a Muslim Serbian-Israeli who played for Yugoslavia’s national team, as well several Israeli teams during the course of his career.

His mother, Sharon Artzi, is a Jewish Israeli and a former track and field star.

While Avdija was drafted in the early first round, most analysts did not expect him to fall out of the Top 5 picks.

One ESPN analyst called him “the steal of the draft.” While the 6’10”, 225 lbs. player’s future is uncertain, Deni Avdija and his former teammate Yam Madar are ready to represent their country on a worldwide stage.

Features

10

Comfort Food: Winter Pot Roast

By Yehuda Holender (‘22)

Yehuda Holender (‘22)

Ingredients: - 3 lbs. of beef chuck roast - 1 large onion - 3 stalks of celery, finely chopped - 1 cup of mushroom stems, chopped (optional) - 1 tsp. of cumin seeds - 2 tbsp. tomato paste - 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour - 1 cup good quality red wine - 1 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes - 2 cups chicken stock - 2-3 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme - 4-6 peeled carrots, chopped into 1 ½ inch pieces - 2 peeled parsnips, chopped into 1 ½ inch pieces (optional) - 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

A pot roast is the definition of an amazing winter meal. It’s a hearty, succulent dish that can warm you up in the cold. Just like all of my other dishes, it is highly flexible to your likes and needs. If you have a smaller pan or pot, you can use a smaller piece of meat and reduce the amount of every other ingredient proportionally. Ingredients can also be changed or experimented with to suit your idea of a great pot roast. The best part is that leftovers from this dish are still great after reheating.

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. In a large pot, on medium-high heat, add oil and meat. Cook meat until an even brown crust is formed, about 8 minutes per side.

3. While the meat is browning, cut onions into a half moon shape. This shape can be achieved by first slicing onion in half horizontally, including the root. Then place the onion halves on their flat side and slice thinly vertically, starting from the tip of the onion and slowly getting towards the root.

4. Continue to cut other vegetables: celery, mushroom stems, rosemary, and thyme.

5. Once a crust had formed on the meat, place aside.

6. Using the same pot, sauté the chopped vegetables with the cumin seeds until they are sweating(translucent) and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

7. Add in tomato paste and all-purpose flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stiring constantly.

8. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom of the pot with a spatula.

9. Add in crushed tomatoes and chicken stock.

10. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 2-3 hours.

11. Peel and chop carrots and parsnips.

12. Take out the pot from the oven, and add in the carrots and parsnips.

13. Continue cooking in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes - 1 hour 15 minutes, or until veggies are cooked and there is a nice brown top on the roast.* 14. Take the pan out of the oven, add the balsamic vinegar and mix.

15. Taste the meat, and season with salt to taste. *Special Instructions: I recommend that you take the meat out the oven when the meat feels fork tender, meaning you should be able to pull the meat apart with a fork. Don’t rely solely on time. Once you add the vegetables, cooking time will vary based on how well done you like the vegetables. Use the fork test every 10 minutes or so after half an hour in the oven to test the firmness of the carrots.

The Panther Post • March 2021 • Features

11

Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right

By Boaz Edidin (‘22), Executive Editor

Acknowledging that you are wrong is the first step towards doing the right thing. Both sides of the American political spectrum need to find the nerve to admit their wrongdoings if they really want the country to recover from the disaster that was 2020.

May 2020, the surfacing of a gruesome video that displayed police officer Derrick Chauvin, thrusting his knee into George Floyd’s neck and killing him, inspired many Americans, led by the Black Lives Matter movement, to take to the streets to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Most of these protests were peaceful and productive; however, some radical leftist groups incited mass rioting.

So they protested police brutality with more brutality? Smart.

Later that year, after President Donald Trump lost the presidential election, he seemed to encourage and support a radical faction of the far-right in its brutal insurrection against the government. The

insurrectionists stormed and ransacked our nation’s sacred Capitol, attacked nearly 140 police officers, killed one, and stole confidential documents and government electronic devices. So refusing to accept election results and attempting to undermine our nation’s democratic ideals is considered a sign of strength?

The Black Lives Matter riots began as peaceful protests in response to actual racial injustice, but they quickly became violent hazards to innocent Americans and their possessions. There are other outlets to go about achieving social justice, than violating the country’s system of criminal justice.

The storming of the Capitol began with a group of frustrated citizens exercising their First Amendment right of freedom of speech, but it became an unprecedented rebellion against the government in response to falsehoods.

The Capitol insurrection was just as appalling

as the Black Lives Matter riots, if not worse. The votes had been tallied, retallied, and approved by the courts. It couldn’t have been made clearer that the results were legitimate. All that remained was the ceremonial approval of the Senate. Nonetheless, Trump supporters at the Capitol refused to concede the election without a fight and caused senseless death and injury.

Those on the far right and on the far left of the American political spectrum just could not admit that they were wrong. Each side continues to refuse to be held accountable for its own violence and instead points fingers at the other. Both the right and the left need to own up to their violence.

Ignoring the flaws of one side and criticizing the other gets us nowhere. I firmly stand by the old adage “two wrongs don’t make a right,” but maybe acknowledging these two wrongs can help make America right.

Kelly Kline — Flickr Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons

Ivan Radic — Flickr

Review: Apple M1 Chip Macs

By Arshia Kohanteb (‘22), Layout & Graphics Editor

The Apple M1 Chip is the first Apple designed system on a chip (SoC), marking Apple’s transition away from the Intel chips that it has been using in its Mac lineup since 2006. The Apple M1 signifies Apple’s switch from outsourcing components to third parties to using first-party components. This strategic move gives Apple full control of manufacturing and better price margins. Additionally, when Apple manufactures everything from top to bottom, the software developers can highly optimize the software for the hardware to enable major performance boosts.

The M1 was interestingly based on the A14 SoC, Apple’s proprietary chip used in mobile devices. Since the A14 is so advanced, Apple adapted the mobile chip for use in laptops. Apple created the M1 with speed in mind, achieving boosts by integrating many different chips such as the CPU (central processing unit), I/O (input/output chip), and security chip into one PCB (printed circuit board). In case I lost you, simply speaking, Apple was able to combine different chips and optimize their ability to work together.

Apple claims that the M1 Macs are roughly three times as fast as the previous generation of Macs, but can the M1 hold up to that claim? And after all the integration and optimization, how much faster is the M1? First-party apps from Apple received the largest speed increases. For example, Final Cut Pro, Apple’s own professional video editing software, received highly noticeable speed upgrades. And although not as significant, the rest of the UI (User Interface) and many other apps gained significant speed.

In November 2020, Apple released the 2020 ‌MacBook Air‌, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and ‌Mac mini‌which all feature the M1 chips, replacing the Intel processor based machines in those lineups. The M1 ‌MacBook Air‌ is now the only ‌MacBook Air‌that Apple sells, but Apple still sells Intel ‌Mac mini‌and MacBook Pro models.

So should you buy an M1 Macbook? 100%. The

APPLE speed improvements are highly noticeable when comparing the M1 and Intel based laptops. Computers are an investment. You get what you pay for.

Opinion

12

Editorial

Should We Increase the Minimum Wage?

President Joe Biden plans to raise the federal minimum wage in the United States to $15 to help nurse the economy back from its recent crash during the pandemic. “Nobody working 40 hours a week should be living below the poverty line,” said Mr. Biden in a speech, January 8. In a presidential debate former President Donald Trump also said that if he were re-elected, he would consider raising the federal minimum wage to $15.

A federal minimum wage was instituted in 1933 to ensure workers would earn a living wage. But no longer does minimum wage support workers. Federal minimum wage pays full-time workers $15,080 a year, which is below the poverty line in some places and leaves workers no way out of the cycle of poverty. So, is minimum wage still a living wage or does it need reform?

Proponents of a wage hike believe that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 will increase the quality of life of the working class, which will in turn boost the economy. In fact, a study by economic analysts Doug Hall and David

Cooper estimated that a $2.55 increase in the minimum wage would increase the earnings of low-wage workers by $40 billion. Democrats on the Committee on Education and the Workforce claim that “a raise in the minimum wage predominantly benefits low-wage workers, precisely those most likely to put additional income directly back into the economy, kick starting a virtuous cycle of greater demand for goods and services, job growth, and increased productivity.”

Raising the minimum wage would also increase competition in the market and reduce the need for government stimulus, both of which would be good for the economy. In addition, according to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, job loss would be minimal if the federal government raised the minimum wage.

However, many economists warn against raising the minimum wage because it may cause a detrimental ripple effect. Dr. Michael Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies at Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy,

explained in an article for the American Enterprise Institute, “by mandating higher hourly pay, the minimum wage places the burden of fighting poverty on the employers of low-wage workers and the customers of low-wage businesses.”

According to a Congressional Budget Office report, while raising the minimum wage to $15 would give 17 mil-

be the spark that expedites the process of singularity, the moment when technology overtakes the need for human labor, resulting in the loss of countless jobs.

Moreover, studies have shown that in states that have raised the minimum wage, prices have proportionately followed. For example, an NBC News investigation found that the price Many economists warn of a cup of coffee rose by almost after the city’s minimum against raising the min- 20% wage spiked 36%. What does imum wage because it an increase in spending power may cause a detrimen- amount to if products just get more difficult to buy? tal ripple effect.

“First responders deserve a minimum wage of $15,” lion Americans a raise, it would lead said President Biden, and so do other to a projected 1.3 million people losing citizens that work for the minimum. their jobs. Since companies would have But as we see, economists disagree to pay more per hour to each minimum about whether raising it would benefit wage employee, profits would decline, or harm the economy. One thing is certain, something must be done to ensure and employees would lose their jobs.

Alternatively, businesses could stop every working American can live above relying on what they see as overpaid em- the poverty line. ployees and become fully automated. A raise in the minimum wage could even

YULA Publications Recognized By the Columbia Scholastic Press Association The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) has awarded The Panther Post its second Silver Medalist Award in its annual critique. CSPA has also awarded Polymatheus, YULA’s academic interdisciplinary journal, which features exceptional student work submitted by teachers, its fifth Gold Medalist Award in a separate critique.

The Sliver Medalist award is the second-highest ranking offered by the CSPA. The judge who critiqued The Panther Post said, “I definitely saw the quality of your paper increase as the year went on. You should all be very proud of the growth that you have made.”

A different judge, using a new critique with a category designed for

academic journals like YULA’s, gave Polymatheus a Gold Medalist award and All-Columbian Honors for the Essentials and Verbal Categories. The judge said, “Polymatheus continues to be an exceptional, creative and unusual academic magazine that provides such a special and often challenging experience for the readers. The talent of your writers combined with a strong emphasis on the concept of student inquiry and the critical thinking process results in publication content which readers may interpret in different ways… Polymatheus is an outstanding academic magazine.”

–The Panther Post Staff