Robinhood, Reddit and Gamestop… what’s going on on Wall Street?

To properly talk about what is occuring, we must introduce the “antagonist party” first, hedge funds. A hedge fund is an investment fund that invests their wealthy clients’ money into different investments with the hopes of “beating the market” or getting more money with the lowest risks off of stocks they believe are going to fail. They accomplish both by short selling stocks. To clarify, a hedge fund is not a single company or organization, they are multiple companies that are pooled into what we know as a hedge fund. Hedge funds’ clientele consists of wealthy investors that have connections with the manager of the business, have the mandated amount of money to become a client or usually the manager themselves, who are known to frequently invest their own coin.

Hedge funds make vast profits using this risky technique of shorting a stock. The hedge funds will ‘borrow' a share from a shareholder of the business they believe will soon fail. They sell the borrowed stock hoping to buy it back later for less to return the stock to its original owner with interest. Since the stock was sold for more money than it was purchased back for, the company (hedge fund) makes a profit from the amount that is left over. There are two important rules to remember when shorting a stock: one, the stock that was borrowed must be returned to its original shareholder, and two, it must be returned with interest. The interest can be paid throughout the time the investors are waiting for the stock to start selling for less its value.

What happens when that stock sells for more than it was bought for? Hedge funds look at the statistics of a company and predict if that company is going to go bankrupt and then decide whether the short is going to be worth the risk. For example, many investors thought GameStop was going to go bankrupt and short selling their stocks would not be much of a risk based on the consistent decline in their sales. The use of GameStop has dwindled with the ability to buy and download games from one’s gamer chair. When the pandemic hit and lockdown occurred, GameStop's profits and shares declined at a consistent rate. Hedge funds saw their decline and began to bet on their downfall. As we have seen at the end of January, GameStop’s stocks increased with such efficiency that WallStreet had not seen in decades. So, what happens to those who shorted stocks that rose in value? They must buy back those stocks and return them making less than a profit and paying out of pocket. Depending on how long they waited with hopes the stocks would drop again, they would have had to pay more interest and cost of the share.

How is Reddit In The Mix?

The average retail investor typically buys a stock in hopes to see an increase so they could make a profit, but hedge funds make their profit using the short-selling technique to a broader scale. When hedge funds were short selling GameStop, they would borrow a share and then let another person borrow for a higher interest and the trend continued. Every investor in the chain at some point bought the share hoping to short it, but with every slight monetary movement within the share, this chain would have to pay interest to cover their short to the previous investor, which is known as a short squeeze. While this economic affair was playing out, a subreddit with the currently well-known username, “WallStreetBets” (WSB) picked up on how there were more investors short selling GameStop than those who actually owned shares. The Reddit users then posted forums telling other users to buy GameStop stocks to increase the value and send hedge funds into a short squeeze frenzy.

Many view hedge funds as an unfair concentrated amount of wealth. More famously known hedge funds like Melvin Capital have garnered a reputation of brutally acquiring wealth for its investors. For this reason, WSB took this opportunity to “eat the rich” and send a message. All was going well for GameStop when it peaked $345 per stock. Many of the Reddit users who contributed to sending this message agreed that they didn’t care if they eventually lost their money, it was more important that their message was delivered. Their message was sent when Melvin Capital lost an estimated amount of 2.75 billion dollars (subject to change) as a result of the short squeeze sparked by WSB.

Robinhood, Not The Folklore...

Numerous Reddit investors were using Robinhood, a free stock trading app. After several hedge funds lost extensive amounts of money by the caped Reddit investors, Robinhood decided to restrict its retail investors, which are considered ¨non-professional¨ investors, from purchasing more GameStop stocks.

Robinhood’s Co-founder, Vlad Tenev released this statement concerning the app restricting its trade, “Requirements exist to protect investors and the markets and we take our responsibilities to comply with them seriously.”

Users rushed to their app stores to leave their 1-star ratings under Robinhood, noting the irony of a financial app named after the English folk hero could do the exact opposite of its origin. Retail investors argue that restricting trade violates free market capitalism and further concentrates the wealth in a capitalist society. Robinhood defends their actions by claiming they were preventing market manipulation, but a majority of users would like to disagree. Since the restriction was placed, GameStop’s stocks resumed their decline. It is safe to say Robinhood has been reinvented in the stock world.

Talking Vaccines with a Physician

Ty H:To my understanding, this isn't the typical vaccine that usually carries the virus in a weakened or dead state. Would you be able to confirm this? If this is so, do you think people should be skeptical about receiving this vaccine?

Physician: Yes, some traditional vaccines use weakened viruses or inactivated toxins. The COVID-19 vaccine instead is an mRNA vaccine. This type of vaccine instructs our body to produce antibodies to the coronavirus spike protein. The actual coronavirus is not injected into the cells in our body. Many people are skeptical of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, because it is new. In fact, mRNA vaccine technology has been around for decades. Technology advancements along with significant research investment has enabled mRNA to become such a promising tool in various fields including vaccine development.

Ty H: Were you hesitant or did you feel a sense of relief when the covid vaccine became available?

Physician: I felt a sense of relief when the COVID-19 [vaccine] became available. Like anything “new”, I did my research to make an informed and educated decision. In the end, I decided it was best for me to get the vaccine.

Ty H: Do you feel comfortable disclosing which vaccine you received, and have you experienced side effects?

Physician: I received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The only side effect I experienced was soreness at the injection site, my arm. It was no different than what I felt after other vaccinations like the flu vaccine.

Ty H: Coming from a doctor's perspective, do you believe minorities, specifically black people, are more susceptible to the coronavirus as the media likes to push?

Physician: COVID-19 can affect any and everyone. Older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions are more at risk of becoming severely ill if they are infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, minorities are disproportionately affected by co-morbid and chronic medical conditions. Some of these conditions are high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, and autoimmune diseases, so some minority groups are at increased risk. Social economic inequities also put many racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting and/or becoming ill from COVID-19, these include: access to healthcare, housing, intergenerational living, occupational requirements, and income / wealth gaps.

Ty H: Do you believe we will ever return to some form of normalcy now that the vaccine is being distributed?

Physician: At this point, I believe we’re actually creating a new normal.

Ty H: What has kept you motivated throughout this pandemic?

Physician: Being a physician during these times has been very stressful. Each day, my physical, mental, and social well-being is at risk. Throughout it all, my family and community has been my motivation. During this time, I have also rediscovered the value of self-care to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t forget to vote on this week’s poll and tell us how you’re feeling about the new vaccine!

On September 3, 2020 Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education for the United States, issued a statement regarding standardized testing for the 2020-2021 school year. In her letter, she wrote to each state superintendent, stating that,

“My staff and I are prepared to work with you to help ensure every state can meaningfully assess student performance during [the] 2020-2021 [school year]”

The resulting contents of her letter point out that the DOE will mandate testing throughout the United States, without the possibility of state superintendents waiving testing. Last year, from 2019 to 2020, the US Department of Education allowed waivers in all 50 states because of the first wave of COVID-19. However, Secretary DeVos states that schools “... should not anticipate such waivers being granted again”.

The Georgia state superintendent, Richard Woods, disagrees with DeVos on testing during the pandemic. Leading Georgia’s education system to be one of the first to waive the tests last year, Superintendent Woods stated that,

“Given the unique environment we are in, [standardized tests] are neither valid nor reliable measures of academic progress or achievement”

Following up with action, Woods introduced a new weighting system for EOC testing on October 1st. The EOC weight is usually 20% of the total grade, but State Superintendent Woods recommended the weight be dropped to 0.01%, as close to zero as possible (because they require states to assign weight to standardized tests).

However, the state board of education clashed with Wood’s proposal in an 8-4 vote, and in October 2020, created another policy to reduce the EOC weight to 10%. However, after news of the Board’s rejection of Wood’s initial plan, Georgians bombarded them with criticism online. As a result, on November 17th they reconfigured an updated proposal to lower the weight back to 0.01%.

GA citizens may determine the weight of EOCs by voicing their opinions on the new 0.01% proposal. Around December 20th, after the public commenting on the proposal is closed, the SBOE will disclose if the new proposition becomes policy or not. Along with the smaller percentage of weight on the tests, the DOE is allowing districts to test students later in the year. This is to ensure that students will efficiently learn the course material before taking the exams. Moreover, the Georgia DOE distributed a new policy where schools could not retain students based solely on the results of the milestones/EOC exams.

When asking a sophomore student what she thought on the new EOC policy and testing dates, she expressed relief, saying, “I like [the EOCs] not weighing on my grade as much because I get pretty nervous [for testing day].”

Adding on to that, in a poll taken by over 200 people, a striking 83% of students voted “yes” to the question “Should EOC testing be optional this year?”, and 17% of students voted “no”.

One student who voted “no” on the poll, said that “... EOC testing should only count for the proposed 0.01% of your grade… Because of this year’s circumstances, students haven’t been able to master content areas as well. But… to a degree, EOC’s can measure a student’s knowledge of a topic fairly well…”

Jaylee Pace, a freshman at EC this year, voted “no” as well. Simply voicing that, “[students] just shouldn’t have [EOC testing].”

A junior at East Coweta had a similar opinion: “EOC testing should be optional every year… all the test does for students is add additional stress on top of finals and projects.”

Even with most students agreeing that testing should not happen for the 2020-2021 school year, the matter is unfortunately not in the student body’s hands. Because the U.S. Department of Education has declined waivers for standardized testing, all states must continue with testing (though not in a “normal” manner).

For East Coweta High School, testing is from December 7-10th. The fundamental difference between this year’s testing and the last couple of years is the time in which the schools will administer the exams. Instead of being during the school day for all students, they can give testing in the “after-hours” of the regular school day for online students.

East Coweta HS requires online students that are taking the EOC during the school day to:

• Have transportation to and from testing

• Report directly to their respective testing centers at 8:30 AM for 1st and 2nd block EOC classes, or 12:20 PM for 3rd and 4th block EOC classes.

• For morning test takers, (8:30 AM) they should expect testing to end at 10:15 AM, and they should have transportation ready to go then.

• For afternoon testing, students should have their ride ready by 1:50 PM.

For online students taking after-school EOCs, the times are a little different:

• ELA Sections 1, 2, and 3 - 12/7/2020 at 4:00 PM in the 9th grade cafeteria

• MATH Sections 1, 2 - 12/9/2020 at 4:00 PM in the 9th grade cafeteria

• SCIENCE / SOCIAL STUDIES Sections 1 & 2 - 12/10/2020 at 4:00 PM in the 9th grade cafeteria

Be sure to check with your teacher on whether you have testing for your class and remember that masks are mandatory.

Though testing may seem stressing, especially with all the current events happening around us, remember that they are not accurate measurements of scholastic performance nor knowledge. Though this tip-article talks about prep for the SAT, some of the recommendations can be applied for all test-taking. For a written guide on Tips for Test Taking, check out this article by the Khan Academy team.

Good luck to all, and stay safe!

Imagine yourself walking down the overpopulated streets in Tokyo, Japan, and you stop to take a rest. While you are feeling the sweat flowing down your face, you see a bright, typical wasp. You are attempting to stay perfectly normal in its sight, but you are begging for your life to be spared. Once you arrive at your destination, you frantically open Google and learn information about the giant beast you saw right next to your arm. The insect that you had witnessed was known as the Asian Giant Hornet!

What is this ‘Asian Giant Hornet’?

The Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia), commonly known in the United States as the “murder hornet”, is a specific type of wasp that is native to Eastern Asia. A common Japanese name for the fierce insect is “oo-suzumebachi” (Japanese: オオスズメバチ), which approximately translates to “giant sparrow bee.” Asian Giant Hornets have the title for being the world’s largest wasp as they grow to around 2 inches in length, which is roughly the size of a human’s thumb. A single hornet not only grows to 2 inches, but they also have a wingspan of around 3 inches.

Where are they commonly located?

These “muscular” hornets are commonly found throughout Eastern, Southern, and Southeast Asia in select countries such as: China, Japan, North & South Korea, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and even Thailand. If you were crazy and daring enough to scavenge for a large population of these insects, the best place to spot large clusters of these hornets would be in rural Japan. Some people might think they only surround a portion of Asia, however, they have moved westward since around the early 2010’s. Asian Giant Hornet sightings had been confirmed in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Bhutan, Eastern Russia (Siberia), and even far east Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The dangerous species had also made their way over to European countries such as Italy, France, Western Russia, Greece, and even the United Kingdom. The hornets had not landed a single leg on British soil until 2016, where the invasive species was first spotted in the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. Between 2016 and 2019, there were a total of 18 confirmed sightings of the insects.

Are they located in the United States?

The Asian Giant Hornets weren’t able to reach North American soil until late 2019. The first confirmed sighting of the hornets was in British Columbia, a province bordering on the Pacific coastline in Western Canada. It wasn’t until December 2019, when the hornets were first detected in the United States. So far, the hornets have only reached the state of Washington. One hornet was captured and taken for further research in July of 2020. Local entomologists are working extremely hard to decimate the population of this invasive species before it gets out of control.

How painful is its sting?

One sting from an Asian Giant Hornet can be mind-numbingly painful. Wasps and hornets have the ability to sting multiple times without dying and losing their stingers. The sting itself was scored with a 2 out of 4 on the Schmidt Insect Sting Pain Index. The sting itself is most commonly described as “a hot nail being driven into your leg,” or “being stabbed by a red-hot needle.” The sting also releases a potent venom that attracts more hornets to the targeted victim. Without immediate medical treatment, the sting can cause anaphylactic shock and renal failure.

What should I do if I’m stung by one?

If you are stung by an Asian Giant Hornet, you must seek medical attention immediately. If treated properly, you should be okay. If you still feel some variation of pain, that is just the area with a slight painful sensation. Swelling is also common on the sting area.

What other wasp & hornet species are confused with the Asian Giant Hornet?

Some people often get the Asian Giant Hornet confused with other species that are quite similar. One species that gets confused with the “murder hornet” would be the European Hornet (Vespa crabro). Just like the name implies, the European Hornet is commonly found in Eurasia (Europe and Asia). The nests historically ranged eastward from Japan to westward in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the European Hornets were introduced to North America in the mid-19^th century. In 2010, European Hornets were spotted in the Central American country of Guatemala. European Hornets are even in the United States in states such as Iowa, Illinois, and Louisiana.

Another species that gets often confused with the “murder hornet” is the Bald-Faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata). The Bald-Faced Hornet can be found throughout the continent of North America; however, they are mostly found in the Southeastern United States in states such as Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and possibly Virginia. The sting from a Bald-Faced hornet has a sense of something “crunchy,” similar to “getting your hand smashed in a revolving door.”

To say that she believed in the equality of the sexes would be an understatement. Her extensive work shows that she cared deeply for the rights of all American citizens. While she is known as a feminist icon, one must not forget that she sought to use her immense talents to make the world an equal place regardless of one's gender. Justice Ginsburg understood the unfairness of the gender caste system. She lived it. After graduating first in her class, Ruth Bader Ginsburg could not find a New York City law firm position. It is unknown whether her lack of employment opportunities was because she was a woman, a mother, or possibly because of her Jewish faith. She worked tirelessly to make sure no other woman or man would face discrimination because of their gender. After overcoming many professional obstacles, she knew that the fight for equality was far from over. While she battled cancer for 22 years, she worked tirelessly on behalf of all Americans. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was small in stature, but the legal legacy she leaves behind is gigantic.

Rest in power, RBG.