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Fun Times

Where Did Rickrolling Come From?

By Sebastian S.

We’ve all been there at some point. It’s inevitable. Your friend sends you a link and assures you that it leads to the latest Instagram trend, the cutest cat pictures, or maybe the craziest basketball game.

You’re desperate to see it. You get excited. You hype yourself up for a few minutes. You click the link.

Instantly, regret and rage wash over you as you get treated to the familiar drum percussion intro, the robust side-to-side dance moves, and the bright ginger hair of Rick Astley as he belts out Never Gonna Give You Up.

Yep - you’ve been rickrolled.

As you sit there, helpless to stop the cheesy lyrics and low-quality resolution, you ponder why rickrolling even exists. It’s just a random song, right? Why send it to someone saying it’s something else?

Get ready, because there’s a huge history behind rickrolling that you never knew about.

According to Rick himself, in 1985 he was the lead singer of a small band named “FBI”. They had little success and only sang at small restaurants. Luckily for Rick, the famous producer Stock Waterman just so happened to be eating at one of those restaurants while Rick was singing. He was intrigued by Rick’s unique, deep voice. After his meal, he approached Rick and took him under his wing.

Rick Astley dancing in the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up

In 1987, Rick and the team recorded and released one of the most famous songs of all time, Never Gonna Give You Up. They filmed the music video at a church, using only 4 people in the video (including Rick). It was a worldwide number-one hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It also topped the charts in 25 other countries.

However, Rick did nothing more than make sandwiches and tea for the production team for a while, as some of Waterman’s bigger stars were pushing Rick’s potential to the backburner. He only managed to release a few songs that the team hadn’t worked too hard on. Finally, after 2 years, he got his big break.

So, now you know where the song came from. How about the actual concept of rickrolling?

In 2006, Christopher Poole, the creator of 4chan (an anonymous message board and one of the earliest social media platforms) wrote a quick little prank code that changed the word “egg” into “duck” in posts. Some users tried posting the word “eggroll”, only to have it change into “duckroll”. Eventually, a user photoshopped a picture of a duck with wheels, and the image became a common bait-and-switch prank - users would link the image saying it was something else. This was the ancestor of the rickroll.

The “duckroll” bait-and-switch prank image

Eventually, a 19 year old named Shawn Cotter created the first rickroll. In 2007, the trailer for the extremely popular video game Grand Theft Auto IV was released, but the millions of people who tried to watch it would have their computers crash because of too much traffic. Shawn posted a link to his own uploaded file of the music video (it can still be seen on Youtube as “RickRoll’D”, a combination of Astley’s first name and the duckroll) and claimed it was another version of the trailer with less lag, thinking it would only catch a few people.

In less than a week, over a million people had fallen for the prank. The Rickroll had been born.

Rickrolling spread like wildfire in 2008, as so many people had never heard of the concept and were therefore easy targets. Once they had been ‘rolled, they had the concept explained to them by their friends or family, leading them to rickroll another newbie in return.

The music video playing on the main screen of the stadium

It grew so big during that year that Rick himself staged a live-action rickroll. During the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of 2008, the song playing suddenly screeched to a stop and was replaced by Rick’s famous tune as the man himself came out from inside a float and started singing and dancing to the music.

Although the popularity of rickrolling has faded a bit since then, many of us can never let our guards down anymore. Just look at what happened to almost 40 thousand people at Petco Park (the home stadium of the MLB’s San Diego Padres) in 2019. The visiting Red Sox’s theme song, Sweet Caroline, began to play. Right before it reached the iconic chorus of the song, it switched over to Rick’s famous hit, causing the crowd to erupt in a variety of emotions.

On July 29, 2021, the official music video hit a billion views on YouTube. Rick posted his reaction on Twitter, saying it was “Amazing, crazy, wonderful!” This massive milestone has led many people to believe that Rick’s song is only famous as a joke, and nothing more, but I believe there may be a deeper meaning behind the popularity of the rickroll.

In today’s world, where the kids are always on gadgets and drifting away from their parents, the rickroll is something both sides can understand. Adults who grew up listening to the song are amused by the way it’s used nowadays, while the kids who have only ever known the song as a prank are fascinated by what seems like ancient history standing before them. It creates a way for the short attention span of Gen Z to coexist with the independence of their parents, and I think that sort of connection between generations is something that we need more of in our world.

Plus, the tune is an absolute banger.

The art of fondue

By Mimi C.

If you happen to be a cheese lover, fondue is the dish for you! Even if you are a chocolate or meat lover, there's a fondue for you too. But what is fondue?

Fondue?

Fondue was created in eighteenth-century Switzerland as a strategy for rural households to stretch their limited winter resources. The word "fondue" comes from the French word "fondre," which means "to melt." Gather the family around the fireplace with some leftover cheese, old bread, and a splash of wine.

Fondue is a dish made with melted cheeses and with wine, cognac, or brandy, though there are many variations. It's eaten by dipping pieces of bread into the cheese with the ends of long forks and then eating it. It's served in a ceramic pot, with the cheese heated beneath it to keep it melting.

Cheese fondue isn't the only option, as you might imagine. Fondue bourguignonne is a fondue variation that substitutes heated oil for cheese and meat chunks for bread. Before being dipped into the hot oil and fried, the meat is skewered on a long fork. Béarnaise, aioli, and horseradish sauce are among the dipping sauces offered with it. Vegetables and seafood are sometimes served with hot oil fondue.

Fondue au chocolat, or chocolate fondue, is a popular type of fondue that consists of a pot of melted chocolate into which fruit, pastry, or anything else can be dipped. Dippers for chocolate fondue include pretzels, marshmallows, vanilla wafers, Oreos, strawberries, bananas, apples, rice crispy snacks, and even cake cubes. The options are virtually endless here.

Chocolate Fondue

Hot oil Fondue with meat

Hot pot, which originated in China and predates fondue by more than 2,000 years, is found in many Asian cuisines. The foundation, though, remains the same: meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, and noodles are cooked in a communal pot of boiling soup before being served. Meats must be thinly sliced when cooking in broth, as opposed to portions that can be fried in hot oil.

The history of Fondue?

Fondue originated in Switzerland as a way to use solidified cheese and stale bread during the winter months, and it is made with Swiss cheeses such as Emmental and Gruyère.

Vacherin, Appenzeller, and Sbrinz are used in different parts of Switzerland, France, and alpine Italy; Comté, Beaufort, and Reblochon are used in France; while Fontina is used in Italy.

The first written fondue recipes are in 18th-century French and Belgian cookbooks, but they call for Gruyère, a cheese that is undeniably Swiss, therefore the Swiss are rightfully credited as the founders of fondue. Despite its rustic origins, fondue's popularity at the Swiss table was not limited to the farmhouse or the poor; rather, it was favored by the wealthy. The Swiss Cheese Union's (Schweizerische Käseunion) drive in the 1930s to boost cheese consumption in Switzerland resulted in fondue's widespread appeal.

It’s a swiss icon! In Switzerland, a spectacular fondue experience is never far away, especially during ski season. It's hard to beat a thick, rich fondue served late at night in a snow-covered alpine community. Another example is a smooth fondue served on a Zurich terrace, where guests wrapped in cozy blankets dip potatoes into hot pots. In Ticino, the country's Italian region, instead of pizza, try a fondue with fontina cheese or truffles. Because Switzerland is so small, and fondue is such a popular meal, the bottom of another fondue pot is constantly close by.

Modern Tastes

My friends and I have all tried fondue and we are here to tell you our opinions on fondue. Do we like it, why? Do we not like it, why?

I am a very picky person when it comes to cheese. So the only type of cheese fondue I think I'll eat is fontina cheese. My home has made it before with herbs and garlic. It really does melt into your mouth. I don’t like cheese fondue but I can try chocolate or meat fondue. In my opinion fondue is gross but you never know, moving to Switzerland, the birthplace of fondue might change my opinion.

“It's so good, I feel like u can have it anywhere anytime. It can be fancy or casual and it can be savory or sweet. Love it.” Rhobi said

“I like chocolate fondue the most just because I find that I prefer sweet to salty and because, like emme said, it tastes really good with fruits like strawberries and bananas.” Is what Liesl says

Emme says “I don’t really like cheese fondue because it develops a skin on top. But I love chocolate fondue with fruit, especially strawberries, And the cheese is too strong.”

Now y'all go try every fondue there is out there and make your own opinion on this melty dish!

Cheese Fondue

How to Build an Effective Egg Holder for the Egg Drop Contest

By Sean N.

Do you like to build scientific systems? Do you like science competitions? Then, the Egg Drop Contest is for you. The Egg Drop Contest is a well-known contest hosted in different schools, towns, and even cities. The task is simple - Create a design that can allow an egg to not crack when fallen from a high height. Points are judged based on the cracks on the egg as well as the design itself, and sometimes other factors can influence your final score.

The Egg Drop Contest can come in many different forms, such as Recycled Egg Drop Contest, a version where you must build the system in recycled materials, Exposed Egg Drop Contest, a version where the egg must be exposed to air, meaning the egg has to be able to be seen from outside and not fully enclosed, and the Egg Drop Contest comes in many other unique and varying forms.

Many people will be satisfied with the idea of the contest and join, and immediately struggle on how the egg holder design should look like, so that it could gain high points and let the egg survive. There are three designs I would like to explain, and these designs are also famous on the internet so you can check out the internet for more detailed information.

The first design is the “Triangle Design”, and it is probably one of the most stable and popular designs of the egg holder in the contest. The best part of the design is that it requires very few materials. It is made with several chopsticks/straws, some glue and tape, and that is it for the standard design. Of course, an extra parachute is recommended for more stability, but even without it, the design works well and the egg rarely cracks. To build it, first you want to make the egg frame that will keep the egg in place. To do this, cut some straws in 3 in pieces. You want 6 of these in total. Now, make a pyramid structure with the straw pieces, and this will be a perfect size to just fit a normal chicken egg in. If the frame is too loose that the egg falls through the gaps or too tight so the egg can’t fit, you may adjust the lengths of the straws. Then, grab 6 extra straws or chopsticks and tape them on each straw piece in the frame you created. If your straws are not long enough, you can tape two straws together and use it as one. Then, there should be four spots where the straws/chopsticks meet together. Glue the spots using a glue gun and your Triangle Design is done. You may also add a parachute for extra suststainability, but this design already secures the egg well without the need of parachutes.

Two more designs you can try are the “Handbag Design” and the “Egg in Tape” design. First, the “Handbag Design” requires more materials than the “Triangle Design”, but it is certainly very effective in protecting the egg. First, you make a small box out of any material, such as cardboard, paper, or even string. Then in the box, fill it with cotton or any other soft material and leave a small hole for the egg to sit in. The top of the egg should be exposed. Finally, attach string to opposite sides of the box, and make a parachute out of paper or bubble wrap. For this design, the parachute is necessary as the egg is not protected from its top. If there is no parachute, the egg may fall off to the side. The “Egg in Tape” design is more unique than the others and can score you high points in design. First, a base is needed. Cardboard and sponge are good choices for the base as it is recyclable, light, and can support the rolls and the egg well. Then, we need the paper towel rolls. Four is recommended to form a small square in the center. Make sure the rolls are standing up, not lying down; like four rockets

about to launch. Then, stuff some cotton in the bottom of the “small square” created by the four rolls, and this will help support the egg. Then, place the egg on top of the cotton, and tape it to the rolls. It will require a large amount of tape to hold the egg tightly in place. Then, again, as this design is a very open design, a parachute is highly recommended.

These three designs all work very well and have various techniques that makes them a good design.

A classic Triangle Design for the Egg Drop Contest.

Social Issues

Ancient Japanese ‘killing stone’ cracks open, releasing superstitions and speculations

By Nomi Z.

The sealed Sessho-seki or ‘killing stone’ before the crack

As if the world doesn’t have enough problems, people are worrying that an evil demon who’s been sealed in a rock for over 1,000 years is now free and on the loose.

According to ancient Japanese mythology, a piece of volcanic rock, named the Sessho-seki, contains the spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman who was later exposed as a nine-tailed fox working for an evil daimyō plotting to kill Emperor Toba and take his throne. The stone is located in the volcanic mountains of Nasu, an area in the Tochigi Prefecture, Japan famous for its sulphorous hot springs.

The separation of the stone into two equal parts, have spooked many online users as well as the locals of Japan who also note the stone is said to emit poisonous gases–hence its name.

It was reported the cracking had started a while ago, at least for a couple months, though nothing too severe until just a couple days ago. Media outlets speculated that the cracks are most likely a product of water entering the cracks over time and weathering down the stone.

"I came alone to Sesshoseki, where the legend of the nine-tailed fox remains," a Twitter user wrote. "The big rock in the middle wrapped around with a rope is that... It was supposed to be, but the rock was split in half and the rope was also detached... I feel like I've seen something that shouldn't be seen."

Another online user feared the release of an evil demon was just the latest horror of 2022, while one user joked that the spirit would want to spend another millennium stuck inside the rock after looking at the current state of the world. Whether this spirit is really out in the world or not, things surely couldn’t get worse than 2021, right?

Twitter user @Lily0727K talking about their experience with the stone

Gun Control in the United States: A Liability or Asset?

By Masanobu N.

Firearms have both their positives and negatives for people in the United States. Regardless of its effects, it’s clear that the current system of gun regulations is not working with the staggering 417 mass shootings that occurred in the US in 2019 (interestingly enough, the number of mass shootings that took place in 2020 jumped to 611 most likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic)

Gun control (restrictions) refers to any legal act that intends to prevent or further restrict the possession and usage of guns. It has always been a controversial topic in the United States where possessing a gun is somewhat protected by the second amendment (A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed) but while the US suffers high rates of homicide committed with a firearm, compared to other developed nations.

Firearm homicide rates in developed nations, note the United States’s substantially high firearm homicide rate and high gun ownership

An example of split public opinion on gun laws would be the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting where the troubled shooter Adam Lanza got his hands on an AR-15 and several other guns which he used to shoot 20 kindergarteners and 6 adults dead. After the shooting, supporters of tighter gun laws pushed for more criminal background checks while those who opposed together laws called for more armed security in schools.

This was not the first clash between those who support and oppose tighter gun control. People who support tighter laws have always had the same stance that by reducing the amount of guns on the street less crime will occur while their opposition claim that tighter gun laws will only make it harder for law abiding citizens to obtain arms (for self defense or other purposes) while criminals will simply resort to illegal practices to obtain them.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has always played a big part in politicians' stance on mass shootings and gun control ever since it was founded in 1871. Because of the NRA’s vast influence with their alleged 5 million members, many politicians simply sympathize with those affected by shootings without making a bold stance on gun law in order to not lose voters.

It’s because of such big influential figures like the NRA that it is so hard for major gun laws to be passed and that no major reforms have been made in the 21st century. Many laws such as the 2015 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act only protected manufactures, distributors, and dealers from being named in civil suits of victims of crime involving guns made by the company, as long as the firearm properly functioned as designed.

People are paying thousands upon millions of dollars for NFTs. Why is everyone going crazy about them?

By Cyrus W.

Examples of various NFTs

At this point in time, you’ve probably heard of NFTs in one way or another, whether it was someone's profile photo or a meme about how dumb they can be. Though if people are really “memeing” this topic, then there’s a reason why they are. What even are NFT’s, and are they really that dumb…

Anyway, the actual acronym of NFT stands for non-fungible token, fungible meaning that it can be traded for another type of currency, like money, which in this case you can’t do that. Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, are fungible, and are also sometimes used to buy NFTs themselves.

However, the one thing that really catches people’s attention is how much people are willing to pay for NFTs. All NFTs are unique, so for the people that sell them it makes sense to charge a lot, and I mean A LOT. A digital artist named Beeple sold a giant collage of pictures as an NFT for an eye watering, head shaking $69 million.

So non-fungible tokens are a multi-billion dollar blockchain (digital records) consisting of pictures of memes and kittens and apes being sold. NFTs sure are strange, aren’t they?

The big question still stands though, “Why are people paying soooooooo much for NFTs?” Well it could be that some people like to support small businesses, or just the idea of ownership along with the copyright of the certain NFT they bought. Christies’ CEO Mike Steib said that “The recent headline price records for NFTs seem to have been largely driven by newly minted crypto millionaires and billionaires looking to diversify their bitcoin holdings and more interest in the crypto ecosystem."

It could also be something that rich people do who want to get richer. The former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, made an NFT of the first tweet he published, “just setting up my twttr,” which sold for $2.9 million. Though all of that money earned or spent can seem pointless, when you can make your very own copy infinite times without paying anything, by just double clicking and saving the NFT image/video to your device.

A lot of weird things have been sold as NFTs, such as early 2010’s meme Nyan Cat, Logan Paul Pokémon cards, and even a picture of a pet rock. Yep. It’s all very silly, really. Yet if you yourself are interested in buying or selling NFTs, there’s absolutely no problem with it, apart from the fact that someone could still just copy it for free.

How Does Music Affect The Effectiveness Of Your Studying?

By Kate S.

When studying for an important exam or finishing up a homework assignment, we tend to plug in our headphones and start listening to music. It puts us in a good mood, keeps us motivated and makes us enjoy even the hardest of assignments. However, should you continue listening to music whilst studying? How does it affect your reading comprehension? What’s the Mozart Effect?

Studies have shown that some of the positive effects of listening to music whilst studying are that it has the ability to promote a healthier mindset while studying and boost memorization abilities. Listening to music is something that most people turn to when bored, in times of crisis, to lift up our moods, and of course studying. USA Today claims, “one study found that music’s effect on anxiety levels is similar to the effect of getting a massage”. This indicates the positive results of listening to music whilst studying. Nonetheless, when working and there’s music in the background - especially with vocals - the working memory gets worse. Which shows that even if music has its positive outcomes, it also has its negative effects.

When listening to music with vocals, it can deteriorate your reading comprehension, it also appears to be more distracting for people who are introverts than for people who are extroverts, perhaps because introverts are more easily overstimulated. Music affects the cognitive abilities of the brain, making it very difficult to remember what you read. Changing words and swaying melodies can get you off course and hinder your learning when trying to remember things. It can be distracting to listen to a few songs while studying. The fact that it takes some of your attention off of studying means that it reduces your productivity. Some studies have shown that listening to music while studying can reduce productivity by at least 10%.

The Mozart Effect refers to the theory that music by the composer, Mozart, can temporarily increase spatial reasoning skills and even general intelligence. It was first reported in 1993 by scientists at the University of California, who asked students to listen to Mozart’s sonata for two pianos for 10 minutes, while others listened to either silence or relaxation audio designed to lower blood pressure.

Music whilst studying has proven to have both positive and negative effects, especially on the memorization aspect of it. Some studies have found that students reported that listening to music helped them with their memorization and that certain types of music can help to boost memorization abilities and other cognitive functions. Although this information was reported, other studies have suggested otherwise. One study by researchgate.net concluded that music affects the memory negatively. They talked about how the results showed that students who didn't listen to music were able to remember and recollect more things. These pieces of information have been able to showcase that music has different effects on different people. If the music puts you in a good mood, it's not too fast nor too loud and it’s not a wordy song, it can help improve your study habits. In the end, it all depends on what type of person you are, and the study habits that you’ve developed. As thepsychmind.com has said before, “listening to music is one of the few activities that utilizes the entire brain.

Singapore's Gardens By The Bay: An Escape From the City

By Bee P.

In 2012, on the quest to make the city greener, Gardens By The Bay was created. A bubble of serenity in the middle of the busy city, overflowing with greenery and life. These gardens easily take your breath away, with vibrant colors and light everywhere.

“The next phase from being a “Garden City” is to make ourselves into a “City in a Garden”. It is a play on words, but it means something different, because it means connecting our communities and our places and spaces through parks, gardens, streetscapes and skyrise greenery,” said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, when asked to comment on the newest project of transforming densely populated Singapore into a “City in a Garden”.

In August of 2005, the Prime Minister declared the first idea towards the building of Gardens By the Bay. The goal of this was to create more green (and open!) spaces, to have more tranquil oases in the middle of the expressways and crowds of people.

In 2006, a master plan design competition was held, and Grant Associates were selected to design the Bay South and Gustafson Porter for the Bay East.

In September of 2006, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, an exhibition was held for the public. An overwhelming 97 percent (and over!) said they would visit the Gardens. There was an overwhelming amount of support and happiness from the crowd.

Building of the Bay South Garden started in November 2007, and was soon followed by the Bay East Garden.

Mid-construction of Gardens By The Bay, July 2011

The Cloud Forest mountain looms over the ground

After a lot of hard work and planning, the attraction was finally open to the public on June 29, 2012, and ever since then, it has attracted an overwhelming 12 million visitors per year.

And as Singapore’s national flower is an orchid, the layout of the Bay South Garden resembles that. The links and footpaths come together to form the stem of the flower, the buildings resemble the root, and the main garden represents the leaves and the orchid flower itself.

Gardens By The Bay is not unlike a wonderland, pulled straight from pages of a fairy tale. There are three main gardens, with a few domed conservatories scattered around the area.

For example, the Cloud Forest mimics a mountain teeming with life and diverse vegetation.

Floral Fantasy is centered around 4 different concepts (Dance, Waltz, Float, Drift) with blooming flowers, soft lighting and a soothing atmosphere.

The Floral Dome is the largest glass greenhouse in the world, giving you some idea as to the proportions of the spaces. The Supertree Grove contains 18 Supertrees, which are futuristic looking structures that display different kinds of plants (sort of like a vertical garden!), with the “trees” coming alive at night. “At night it's spectacular,'' Khaloula Del Prado, a fellow journalism student, states.

“Gardens by the Bay Singapore is the ideal getaway from the traffic and crowds of the main city. It’s a totally unique way of seeing plant-life and will inspire you to be that bit kinder towards the amazing planet we live on and love to travel around,” Jordan Adkins, a journalist, states.

And it really does. It mimics the beauty of the nature surrounding our cities. It inspires us to take that extra step, and be even kinder towards the environment.

Global Issues

COVID-19 in South Korea: High Records and Suffering

By June K.

Lines at Coronavirus testing sites are extremely long. Not everyone can get tested by the end of the day. (Credit : Heo Ran / Reuters)

COVID-19 has been around for over two years. After first being reported on the 17th of November, 2019, South Korea was one of the first countries to experience their first spike. After the first spike though, Korea seemed to have complete control over the virus, the number of daily cases never reaching 10,000 even up to the beginning of this year. However, as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus came along, Korea was hit hard with daily cases.

The citizens of South Korea have been going through the harshest times ever since the pandemic started. Students continue their full face-to-face classes despite the large rise in cases. PCR or Rapid Antigen Tests for COVID are required twice every week to go to school. If the results are positive, the student is expected to stay at home without much support coming from the teachers or the local health centre.

The lines waiting for tests at each testing site around the country are too long, with the overload of cases every day, not every individual can get their test results. The positivity rate of tests are over 10%, almost up to 20%, meaning that there are way more people out there carrying the virus, but not testing themselves. Citizens complain that the government’s “thoughtless” choices about the quarantine policies have created the strongest wave of coronavirus cases that no other country has seen.

There were a total of 621,317 cases on the 16th of March. The number of daily cases is highest in South Korea out of any country in the world. The numbers are greater than the UK which had its peak in late December, the US which had its peak in mid-January, and even Japan which had its peak in early February. The peak of cases in South Korea was expected in mid-March, with around 280,000 cases. However, looking at the current situation, Korea’s number of actual cases is greater than the estimates. The number of active cases is not revealed anymore, but it is estimated that millions of people still have the virus.

Since then, the number of cases has seen a slight decrease, but even so, there are almost 10 million total cases, which makes up a fifth of the nation’s population. It has even come to a point where people say “those who haven’t got the coronavirus yet have no friends.”

The positivity rate of testing went all the way up to 20% at one point. (Credit : Jung Yeon-Je / Agence France-Presse)

The vaccination rate in South Korea is one of the highest out of all countries. Almost 45 million people got their first dose, which is around 87.5% of the entire population. About 44 million people even got their second dose, which is around 86.5% of the population. Citizens believe that the government overly relying on the high vaccination rate of the population was the biggest flaw in the quarantine policies. Anti-vaccination movements are rising here and there. The “Vaccine Pass” system had to be removed to the huge opposition of it.

Despite the high rate of the infection going on, the quarantining measures have become loose over the past few weeks. Many citizens and government officials think that it is inevitable to experience a huge spike of cases like most other countries already did. In addition, the government seems to have lifted quarantine regulations as the hardships of small business owners were getting worse day by day.

With these measures came a large increase in deaths; over 300 people pass away from the virus daily. These high numbers have strained hospitals and crematories. An official at the Seoul National University Hospital, Oh Seong-Hyeon, stated that “Even when there’s a [crematory] hall open, it gets reserved within an hour.”

"We see this could be the last major crisis in our COVID responses, and if we overcome this crisis, it would bring us nearer to normal lives," Son Young-rae, Ministry of Health official, said in a briefing. As of now, the situation is seeming to get a bit better, all we can do is hope for the better.

Why Does ISM Focus On United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

By Nargiz A.

In my (almost) 4 years at ISM I have noticed that in middle school and at the end of elementary school, the learning program has at least included one unit or a project that involves United Nations Sustainable Goals. I got interested in why ISM includes something that we can not act on until we are older. However, while looking through the program I have learned a couple of things.

In middle school, each year there is a mention or a project that is connected or based on Sustainable Development Goals. For example, in the last quarter of 8th grade, there is a major project including SGDs for English, Social Studies, Math, and Science, where students have to select an SDG and write a 5 or 6 page essay on the SDG for each subject.

However, in other grades, (5, 6, 7) there isn't as big of a project as in 8th grade; however there are still units that are based on SDGs. The SDG might be brought up as an assessment in either English or Social Studies. Though, there are still a lot of connections to SDG in other units.

In 4th grade (which is the last grade of elementary school) there is a minor project where you have to come up with a solution to an SDG. It is a minor project because it lasts about a week though, in my opinion, it is like an introduction to the SDGs which will be a focus in middle school.

Teachers Opinions

I have interviewed Ms.V, the guidance counselor for grade 7, and Ms.Harrington, the Principal for Middle school asked them if they knew why the middle school curriculum has units and projects including SDGs.

There were 3 questions overall:

Do you have an idea of what an SDG is?
Who made/created the curriculum?
Do you know why ISM focuses on the United Nations SDG?

Ms.V has answered the 3 questions however with the last question, she has put a lot of information and her own opinion in it.

Ms.V said that she knew the general idea of sustainable goals however she can not name the 17 goals. She has also mentioned that the curriculum was planned mostly by Social Studies teachers and by teachers over 102 years of the school's opening. When I asked her the main question, which was “Why do you think ISM’s curriculum focuses on UN SDGs?” her answer was;

ISM wants to introduce and make the students adapt and know the idea of SDGs, we (the teachers) know that when people grow up it will be harder for them to recognize and learn about the sustainable goals so we introduce the idea while children are young.

When students grow up and become CEOs of companies, or have their own businesses they will take the knowledge they have about Sustainable Development Goals and put them to work.

In my opinion, it is also important to teach the students how to resolve problems so in the future they can use their problem-solving skills to help to achieve the United Nations Goals.

Ms. Harrington has said some similar things. Her answer to the first question was similar to Ms.Vs however Ms. Harrington knows exactly what the SDGs are, when they were created, and the point of them. For the curriculum, she said that ISM uses external organizations like United Nations that they try to combine with the original curriculum. The SDGs go all the way from preschool to 12th grade, so ISM completely focuses on the goals.

Ms.Harrington said that the reason ISM focuses on UN SDGs is that, “if we have got these goals that the whole world is supposed to be working on, then we can do our part by integrating them into our curriculum.” She thinks that because the world is doing its best to accomplish the goals, ISM should also do its part to make sure when children/students grow up they will know all about how to solve the worldwide problems.

What does ISM do?

ISM does not only focus on the curriculum and teaching. They also create councils and products like calendars to give to students for free.

There were 3 councils who focused on the SDGs, ECO Council, Service Council and GIN (Global Issues Network) Council which was only about the SDGs, however when the councils were looked over, and the children who participated in the other councils were already doing/talking over the SDGs in Service and ECO councils. Therefore the teachers decided to close down the GIN council.

Then, there is the calendar and the student planner. The calendars are created by the Elementary School, Middle School and High School Principals to make sure they are organized. While the calendar was in the making, the Principals decided to add an SDG to each month. Therefore, in the calendar as well as the student planner, there is a specific SDG for each month.

For the student planner, each year students volunteer to join a group that will make the planner better and better each year. The group of students meet about once or twice a month to talk about things they need to add or to take away from the planner. This school year, however, students were barely in school so there werent any groups of students. Therefore the vice principal of middle school had to organize surveys and other things to get ideas on how to improve the planner. Thus, the school decided to also add SDGs into the planner where the monthly page is.

What is the human impact from the war in Ukraine?

By Ethan C.

Ukrainian special forces take position at an abandoned roadblock in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk on April 24th, 2014.

It was night, most were asleep comfortably in their beds not knowing what was to come. When suddenly Russian forces started crossing over the border into Ukraine doing what was called a “special military operation” by the Kremlin. Starting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion began on February 24th, 2022 after months of tensions in the region after Russia began building troop’s along the border with Ukraine. The war has dragged on for over 2 weeks now and with war comes human suffering, so today I ask the question “What is the human impact from the war in Ukraine?”.

So far throughout the fighting over 400 Ukrainian civilians have been killed so far according to the UN with between 3000 and 6000 Russian soldiers being killed and about 4000 Ukrainian soldiers killed as of March 10th, 2022 though keep in mind these figures may not be accurate. “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,.” is what the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said when he was offered a safe exit from Ukraine by US officials.

The toll on the people that are involved in the conflict has been immense with countless civilians and children as well as soldiers being killed in the fighting. An example of this is how on March 9th a Russian airstrike hit a Ukrainian maternity hospital which wounded approximately 17 people and trapped children and others inside of the rubble of the building. Ukraine has called this a “a war crime without justification”. This brutal fighting has caused many to flee Ukraine.

The heavy fighting has caused over 2 million civilians to flee the country with this figure growing by the day. At this time most of them have gone to Poland though many have gone to other eastern european countries such as Romania. Those who choose to stay however have to live in very bad conditions.

Most who choose to stay are forced to live in bomb shelters or old subways to hide away from the bombs and fighting that takes place overhead, with those who de cide to stay in their home often being killed or injured in the fighting. Most have had their homes destroyed from the heavy fighting that has occurred. A lot of civilians also choose to stay and fight the Russians using weapons provided by the Ukrainian government. Many of them have no military experience but still choose to fight for their country even if it means risking their lives.

The horrible conditions in the country are not limited to the civilians however, the soldiers within the fighting have experienced not only heavy fighting but in the case of the Russian military, logistics problems. These logistics problems have led to things like soldiers needing to take food from local stores, tanks running out of fuel on the side of the road, subpar living conditions, and much more. These conditions have made life hard for soldiers as this, combined with the near daily fighting in some areas has had a major toll on the morale of soldiers on both sides. This has not stopped foreigners from wanting to fight in the war however.

Some foreigners have even decided to join in on the fighting, a lot of them being from the UK or US along with a multitude of other countries. These people go to Ukraine often through Poland where they meet with people who give them weapons and take them to where they need to go. Many of them leave their families behind not knowing if they will ever see them again.

The fighting continues to rage within Ukraine and the death toll is on the rise with no end to the conflict in sight.

Sports

How to train SMARTER, not HARDER

By Harald S.

Image of someone lacking motivation.

“NO WAYYYYY! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT, HOW DID I LOSE?! I TRAINED SO HARD!” I cried out as I lost my tennis semi-final. The dam holding back my tears finally broke as it took blood, sweat, and tears to train for that tournament. The feeling of hopelessness spread all over my body, thinking my sports dream is ONLY in my dreams.

This is a common reaction after losing a match that you had trained tremendously hard for. Losing a match is something we all detest. However, when you have lost a match that you had trained extremely hard for, it triples your emotions. It’s a feeling like no matter how hard or intense you train, becoming the best will be something you’ll never achieve. You lack motivation.

My question to you: Did you just work hard, or did you also work smart?

Working hard and working smart are very dissimilar. Working hard is good. But working smart is on a whole different level, like the comparison of a goldfish and a shark. When you are working hard, you are just working with high effort. When you are working smart on the other hand, you are working hard on the right and specific things, for specific results.

It doesn’t matter what sport you play, or what level you are at, one of those results is preventing injuries.

Heaps of adolescents and younger kids have dreams of becoming a professional sports athlete. They push themselves exceedingly hard without the proper type of training or adequate recovery time, causing them to burn themselves out before they reach adulthood. In many cases, at the time where they become professionals, injury is predictable or even unavoidable. “To be the best, you have to put in a lot of work. But is there a way to do it where it’s sustainable, where you don’t burn out, where you can last?”

To answer that question, I made a list of ways YOU can train smarter, not harder.

Image of working smarter, not harder.

Foundation

Build a solid foundation. A plan for you to do that is by being kind to your body. For instance, don't bench a whole school with a sore shoulder, or don’t lunge to London with bad knees. In other words, don’t train hard or intensely when you aren’t at your best. Pushing past the limits of what your body can handle can lead to injuries, preventing you from playing sports and also preventing you to be at your peak performance.

Slow and Steady

Have slow progress. A Lamborghini can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. However, you can’t! Everyone desires to become outstanding at their sport overnight. It is essential to find your pace instead of treating fitness like a race. You shouldn’t rush into lifting heavy weights or speeding through a workout without a proper technique or base, since that can open the gate to your journey of getting injuries, more simply, causing you to get injured more often. That is a major concern because getting injuries can affect your ability to reach your training goals.

Technique

Focus on perfecting your technique. Let’s say a tennis player’s swing is off-balance or a weight lifter is doing his/her squats with an improper form. As athletes repeat these mistakes and develop bad habits, eventually, they will also join the journey of injuries. Therefore, you would want to perfect your technique. Having a perfect technique doesn’t only support injury prevention, but also gives you an advantage when you are out on the field/court/rink as it boosts athletic performance. Study the technique, be patient, and just get out there and practice!

Rest

Don’t kill yourself when working out. High intensity training is awesome and gives fantastic results, however, it really isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Too high intensity can lead to injuries, especially without warming up. “To get growth and adaptation, whether physical or mental, you have to have rest.”. To sum up, as said in the first tip, progress slowly, be patient, and results will come, guaranteed!

Burn Out Avoidance

Avoid burn out. As said on tip 1, 2, and 4, moderation is key when working out. You shouldn’t pass your body’s maximum capability as that can cause injuries. Energy is required for your body to get through a workout and also to continue working out at the pace that you usually train in. After your workout, it is crucial that you stretch, foam roll, and even take the hated ice bath or cold shower to boost your recovery after a workout. For your information: Foam rolling has been found to be an effective tool before a workout.

Foam rolling appears to have a positive effect on flexibility before exercise and decreases soreness and fatigue following exercise. These findings suggest that foam rolling affects performance in a positive way. Foam rolling before basic performance testing (such as jumping, agility drills, and heavy weightlifting) increased performance. The best results were found among participants who foam rolled followed by stretching that mimicked the workout (also referred to as dynamic stretching).”

Image of a man using a foam roller.

Image of a sports athlete drinking water and hydrating.

Hydration

Ensure that you hydrate and fuel up for your workouts. A car is a great example for this. A car needs fuel to run, otherwise, it won’t continue going. This goes the same for you. You need energy and fuel to continue your workout, otherwise, exhaustion will take over you. Give your body what it needs, for instance, giving it proper hydration and nutrition when it needs it. “Fascia is aqueous and largely comprised of water, so if an athlete lets himself get dehydrated, it can have huge implications on his performance.” “When we are dehydrated, the sliding surfaces between the fascia and other structures become glued down.”

Train for Performance

Let’s use baseball as an example. For a pitcher, if you are spending most of your time working on the skill of throwing a ball, with less time spent on developing and training the physical strength to support that skill, you aren’t working smart. However, working on your form, technique and strategy is terrific! So, if you are not willing to put in the hard work on the specific things for performance, you’re a Rolls Royce with a Yugo engine. All style, no performance.

If training hard for looks is your main focus, then forget becoming a pro athlete in the future. However, when you train for performance, you’re training smart, meaning that the chance of you becoming a pro athlete is a lot greater. "Everyone wants to work on the glamor muscles that get the credit for throwing a ball: shoulders, biceps, triceps,” says Dr. Andy Masis, Director of Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation for ATTACK Athletics. “But if you ignore the surrounding muscles that support the arm—the scapula behind the shoulder blade, the back, the entire core, all the muscles that take the stress off the shoulder itself, you have no stability. And without stability, you cannot have mobility." So really, it is very overlooked that someone who looks strong with big muscles is an amazing athlete. However, if you do have big muscles that you had trained for, building up performance skills won’t be much harder, the only difference now is that you are training smart.

Ask for Help!

The art of training smarter, not harder may be difficult and challenging to achieve on your own. Asking a sports performance coach or a personal trainer for help may be beneficial as coaches and trainers have specific knowledge and understanding of fitness, which can help you get into a healthy, helpful regime.

Tigers: The best team in KBO History?

By Baekjin K.

Kia Tigers wins the 2017 Korean Series Championship and players celebrate their victory (via Yeonhap, Korea Times)

높게 떴습니다! 이 타구가 오늘 경기의 마지막! 아웃카운트! KIA 타이거즈가 8년만에 챔피언이 됩니다. 8년간의 긴 기다림이 오늘에서야! 끝이 났습니다! 이 순간을 얼마나 기다리셨습니까! 2017년 챔피언, KIA 타이거즈입니다! 퍼펙트 일레븐, 열한 번째 도전, 완벽하게 우승으로 장식합니다!

MBC 한명재 캐스터의 2017년 우승콜

Soared high! This bat is the last out of today's game! The KIA Tigers became the champions for the first time in 8 years. The long wait of 8 years is today! It's over! How long have you been waiting for this moment! This is the 2017 champion, the KIA Tigers! Perfect Eleven, the eleventh challenge, perfectly decorates the championship!)

MBC caster Han Myung Jae’s 2017 championship call.

It was the championship call for the 2017 Korean Series for Baseball. The season was perfect. The starting pitchers, batters, were all perfect. After 8 years of darkness, Kia Tigers finally saw the brightness and met the happiness of victory. Until the third dark age has struck….

Kia Tigers is one of the leading pro-baseball teams in the Korea Baseball Organization, also known as KBO. Kia Tigers in Korean baseball have won the national championship, the Korean Series, eleven times, with a perfect 11-0 series record and a 40-12-2 game record. (40 Wins, 12 losses, 2 ties)

To begin with, If we look at their history, it wasn’t always Kia Tigers. Before, when KBO was first introduced to the public, it was “Haitai Tigers”. The Haitai Tigers were one of the best teams in history. They made record-breaking histories, where they held 9 trophies in Korean Series (The most in KBO history, 1983, 1986~1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997) and they have won the Korean Series 4 times in a row for the first time. It was unbreakable. Baseball made the citizens in Gwangju happy, where they had a sad history before KBO started, which was the Gwangju Uprising. The citizens were eager and always cheering with all their efforts.

Players didn’t disappoint their fans. They also knew the tragedy of Gwangju, so they tried their best to win. Unfortunately, Haitai was not a good main sponsor for the players. They had lesser annual salaries than any other teams. However, they tried and tried, with their hungry passion. They didn’t have good wealth, as most of the Koreans weren't in as good living conditions as today. This was the method for the Tigers. They were passionate about baseball, and they worked hard to achieve their goals.

Haitai Tigers winning the 1983 Korean Series, their first trophy was held up to the sky. (Source Kia Tigers Official Website)

“If the policy of baseball changes, we will also win according to the changed policy. “

Kim Eung Ryong, Former Haitai Tigers manager who led 9 victories in the Korean Series

However, as time went on, the players became older, and the Tigers Kingdom started to fall apart. Players were being traded to other teams and started to announce their retirements. The FA system was also announced, which led to losing some major players in the team. Simultaneously, Haitai didn’t have money anymore to make the teamwork. They started to prepare for disorganization. Luckily, Kia motors decided to take over the Tigers. The Haitai Tigers disappeared into history, and Kia Tigers were born. They took over the history of Haitai and it was officially changed in 2001.

Citizens were excited as Kia Tigers came in, but it didn’t last long. Their performance was the worst in the Tigers' history. Their darkness went on till 2009 when they finally won the Korean Series in 12 years. They finally achieved their 10th victory. Na Ji Wan hit a walk-off home run in the 9th bottom inning at the 7th match of the Korean Series against Sk Wyverns, which was the moment when they finally declared their victory. Despite the victory, the team faced their 2nd darkness. Some major players went to the military, and the team was falling to the bottom of the leaderboard. On the contrary, when Kim Ki Tae came as a manager, Tigers started to prepare for V11. They bought FA players from other teams, traded players and brought better players, signed contracts with better foreign players. The Kia Tigers brought Choi Hyung Woo, who was a home run batter. They also traded 4:4, where 4 came and 4 left. The team also brought Roger Bernadina, a 5 tool player who can hit, run fast, and who can defend the outfield. Also, the start pitchers were perfect. Yang Hyeon Jong, Kia Tigers ace, stayed in Kia and didn’t leave the team. It was perfect preparation for the victory…

열 한번의 도전! 열 한번의 우승. 이것이 타이거즈의 혈통! 우승의 DNA! 8년만에 다시 외쳐드립니다. 2017 프로야구 챔피언, 우승의 혈통을 이어가는 KIA 타이거즈!

SBS 정우영 캐스터의 2017년 우승콜

Eleven challenges! eleven wins. This is the lineage of the Tigers! Winning DNA! I cry again after 8 years. The 2017 professional baseball champions, the KIA Tigers continue their winning lineage!

Jeong Woo Yeong SBS Sports Caster’s 2017 championship end call.

Fans of Kia Tigers during the 2017 Koean Series (source: OSEN)

Finally, it was the 11th victory. It was the perfect win. Everyone cheered. It was the best moment for the fans. Kia Tigers has always been famous for its fandoms. There’s one quote, where it says “Baseball works in Korea when the Tigers perform well.” It was finally identified in every stadium around South Korea. Everywhere, people hold yellow cheering sticks. It was phenomenal.

At the same time, the quote “History repeats itself” has been applied to the Tigers. They started to face their third darkness age. The retirements, trades that weren’t that successful. It was repeatedly happening. Even worse, they refused to buy FAs that were on the market, and they had no passion for operating the baseball team. And in 2021, they were in 9th place, where the fans gave up their hope. Fortunately, the owner of the club, Jeong Hee Seon, has decided to fire the CEO, General Manager, and head coach. The club also decided to buy Na Sung Bum as FA, who is from Gwangju and was in NC Dinos. They also brought Yang back, where he came back from Texas Rangers in the US. This meant that it could be the unification of the team again. The synergy effect could happen when all the “ifs” come true.

The ifs are that when all the rookie players succeed, they get into their positions, and they also add the synergy effect.

People’s attention is all forwarded to the 2022 Kia Tigers. The Tigers currently have the most victory titles in KBO. It is clearly said in history that the Tigers was once the best team in KBO, but that has become unclear these days. People wonder if they can bring back the title of the best team in KBO in 2022, and bring back the happiness of all the fans of Kia Tigers.

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