11,500 film and TV writers belonging to the Writers Guild of America tried to negotiate with The AMPTP, which represents eight major film studios like Amazon, Disney, Apple, Warner Bros, Discovery, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount, and Sony. The WGA tried to come to terms with the AMPTP and create an agreement but were nowhere near coming to an agreement with one another, hence the strike. 

According to the WGA strike rules, writers are prohibited from proceeding to write or rewrite during the strike. They are also barred from attending meetings or conferences with the studios, like pitching new ideas, and projects, or even attending promotional events from their previous projects. Writers are also not allowed to accept payment from any projects that took place before the strike. Other people who work in the film industry like writer-actors, writer-directors, and writer-producers are banned from writing no matter how small, such as revising, or tweaking stage directions.  

Even though the strike has ended, the 5 months where there was a strike meant there would be changes in the film industry and acting, meaning;

• Your favorite show was most likely put on hold for these 5 months.

• Award shows were canceled, like the Emmys and Red Carpet premieres. 

• Many TV projects were put on hold because of the writer's strike. You might have noticed movies and shows like “Abbott Elementary,” “Andor,” “American Horror Story,” “The Chi,” “Cobra Kai,” “Daredevil: Born Again,” “Family Guy,” “Good Omens,” “Hacks,” “House of the Dragon,” “The Last of Us,” “The Old Man,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Severance,” “Stranger Things,” “The Penguin,” “Yellowjackets,” and the “Yellowstone” prequel “1923,” being put on pause. 

However, a few TV broadcasts were not put on hold, including news, soap operas, and sports were not impacted by this strike. 

If broadcast entertainment isn't your thing, then the shutdown didn't mean much to you. But you still might be interested in how the strike happened. 

Even though the strike has been resolved and everyone in the film industry has come to terms with one another, the biggest worry for the writers was the use of AI. In the agreement, one of the most important concepts was how writers did not want to rewrite any material generated by AI nor for AI to rewrite human-written scripts. The reason for this is that if AI could do this, film writing would no longer be seen as a visible survivable career. “We are fighting for nothing less than the survival of writing as a visible career,” comic and writer Adam Conover tweeted. 

What really happened? According to reliable sites like billboard, the reality is as simple as the fact that regular tickets were sold out, leaving the majority of her fans with “charity platinum tickets' ' which are typically priced 3 or 4 times the price of her original tickets (500-900$), since a portion of the profits are donated to charity. We are also aware that ticketmaster is counting on her rising popularity from the new album to raise sales.

“As a major fan, I feel that this is ridiculous as I was very excited to watch her show, now that her prices have increased I am unable to, and whoever is responsible for this should be punished. Now I am considering myself one of her haters, after staying in the queue for an hour or two just to be disappointed the way I was is unacceptable,” expressed Sam R.

As of now, fans scurry to reseller sites, to try and meet their dreams of seeing the superstar live after 2 years of waiting. Currently, Olivia’s nosebleed tickets are being resold for over 1,000 US dollars online, forcing the majority of fans to choose to celebrate the new album release at home, rather than spending loads of cash. 

After a long and unexpected break, middle school students and staff at International School Manila (ISM) are thrilled to return to Classroom Without Walls (CWW). This will happen around various school sites from Oct 4-6. At ISM, trips to CWW have been a cherished tradition. These trips have provided students with opportunities for hands-on learning, bonding with classmates, and reaching out a helping hand to our community. The excitement for CWW was building when COVID-19 struck and all excursions had been canceled. It was a disappointing moment for the entire school community.

Finally, after a long time, the school community patiently waited for the green light to resume CWW excursions. It was a period marked by a longing for a return to normalcy. As stability returned, ISM focused on planning a safe comeback. ISM began preparing for CWW since the month of May 2023.

In an interview with Mr Travis, I was able to get a more detailed view of how CWW was planned. “Planning for this very week started in May 2023. One of the main crucial factors would be that we had to ensure that the site was going to be thoroughly checked and that there were no security threats. Another crucial point would be the arranging of food and transportation. We had to ensure that there would be enough food for everyone and that we met the requirements for people’s allergies. For transportation, we had to make sure that the ride was not too long and that if there was a medical emergency, we could easily reach a hospital in time.” 

Through tireless perseverance and innovative solutions, ISM also faced a few challenges on the way but was able to overcome each obstacle. ISM Middle School Vice-Principal said, “A few challenges that we faced would be that we had to make sure that the students would have lots of fun in the sense that they would enjoy the activities prepared for them there. Another challenge would be that we had to make sure that the route to the facility was durable in 2 hours at max and that the route should not be very long.” 

As the day slowly approached, students, teachers, and staff eagerly gathered for the long-awaited trip to the MS courtyard. Buses were loaded and itineraries set.

Upon reaching their destination, grade 7 ISM students immediately got to work. They helped the other school build new bookshelves and gave them all a fresh coat of paint. It was a hands-on experience that allowed them to give back to their community. The work wasn't always easy, but everyone pitched in. Some students handled the tools, others handled the paint job and everyone played their part. 

As they worked side by side with members of the host community, students and staff connected with those they were helping, creating strong bonds. After fishing with the newly built bookshelves, and the fresh paint breathed new life into the environment. It was a visible representation of the positive change they were bringing about.

At the end of the day, as everyone gathered to admire their work, there was a sense of satisfaction that everyone felt. It was a moment of shared accomplishment and the realization that even seemingly small actions could make a significant difference. I was able to interview a few students to see what they felt after coming back from the trip. 

“ It was enjoyable and I really enjoyed helping the other school and I thought that this was a great experience!” said Daniela R. 

“I felt that it was really nice as we got to try new things and help out the other schools. I really also liked the fact that we were able to benefit the students who go there and I think that we were able to make a huge impact on them!” said Andie O.

As all the buses rolled back into the campus of ISM. Everyone felt very satisfied with the work they accomplished. This experience reminded everyone also of what the values that ISM stand for; Integrity, Service and Merit.