THE YELLOW PAGES THE YELLOW PAGES
BASIS Independent Fremont Journalism Club
HUMANS OF BASIS: STEPS TOWARDS PROGRESS
HUMANS OF BASIS: STEPS TOWARDS PROGRESS
By Esha B., Kevin W., and Shirley F.Katherine remembers her induction into Key Club, marking the start of her volunteering journey. Throughout her time in the club, Katherine has participated in a variety of activities, from bringing joy to children at the Trunk or Treat event, to writing letters to veterans. Anyone can volunteer — there are no skills or financial requirements,” she explains. “Even dedicating just a few hours of our time to assist struggling communities can make a significant impact. We’ve organized several card-making events for veterans and hospital workers, and we’ve seen firsthand how much these small gestures can brighten someone’s day.”
Key Club has been a cornerstone of her high school experience. In addition to volunteering, the club provides a sense of community and belonging that has had a profound impact on its members. Katherine is currently the executive assistant on the division level and the tech editor on the district level.
“Key Club holds a special place in my heart,” Katherine states. “It not only sparked my passion for volunteering, but also played a role in my personal growth. I climbed out of my shell and made lifelong friends through the various bonding events. To me, it’s so much more than just a club — it’s a community.”
What she didn’t expect then was how natural leading became — so she formed communities centered around her interests.
Computer science was something that felt magical from the moment she discovered the level of control she had over the animated sprites on Code.org, leading to her co-founding the Girls Who Code club at Basis.
“Starting Girls Who Code was definitely my most rewarding experience, as it was something I’ve wanted to do since middle school,” recollects Katherine. “In all my computer science classes, I was the only girl, and that was so discouraging. I wanted to encourage more girls to pursue STEM and see it as a viable career.”
In addition to empowering education, Katherine uses computer science as a means to better society. In the summer after sophomore year, she developed a molecular toxicity machine learning model, which tested the toxicity of a molecule without requiring live animal test subjects. If successful, the model would solve this obvious moral problem as well as greatly lessen the costs of toxin testing.
“I had to experiment with a lot of different
methods and models and got SO MANY ERRORS,” she reminisces. “It was really just a test of my patience.”
While Girls Who Code represented the manifestation of a childhood dream, Multicultural Club which she co-founded was more of a fun spin on her passion for culture. From making traditional Korean pellet drums and having fun eating new dishes to watching anime, the club offers a variety of cultural explorations.
“Multicultural club is just a really safe and fun space to learn about different cultures and share parts of our own,” she explains. “I learned a lot about working with kids and how to make the club engaging for them. It’s so rewarding when the kids are able to explain concepts back to me — it means they truly understand something. Also, just making sure everyone has fun is the whole spirit of the club, so we watch all types of cultural movies and play traditional music.”
Her fascination with learning more about the lives and cultures of others spans well beyond Multicultural Club. Hold a conversation with Katherine for 10 minutes, and you’ll quickly realize her love for manhwa and anime. Although many may assume such mediums to be a simple pastime, they can sometimes teach lessons.
“They provide a lot of insight into the lives of different people, and it showed me that no one’s life is easy. I stopped comparing myself to others, and became content with my own life,” she explains. “It’s just another form of literature, one where you directly visualize the story author’s purpose. In real life, you can’t see what’s going on underneath people, but an artist or author is able to really break it down.”
Simply consuming anime isn’t enough — Katherine is an avid artist, specializing in an anime-esque style. Though she initially found drawing to be tedious, a chance experience at the age of 4 sparked a love for art in her.
“I like how there are no creative restrictions or restraints; you can do whatever you want. It really allows me to express myself,” says Katherine. “It allows me to let my emotions out and calm down. Expression through art and anime has helped me understand so many different mindsets — it’s probably a part of why I care about volunteering so much.”
Learning more about life is essential, something she realized after a setback in middle school. As a child, she chased perfection in the form of grades. When she failed a test, she realized life was much more than her studies.
“I gained more insight into how I should live my life,” states Katherine. “In middle school, I didn’t hang out with friends and just studied, but now I am trying to make meaningful memories with my friends. I learned how to enjoy my life and realized what truly matters to me.”
FIRES, SMOKESCREENS, AND CHINA’S LOCKDOWN PROTESTS
FIRES, SMOKESCREENS, AND CHINA’S LOCKDOWN PROTESTS
By Ariana Yi
A single, blank sheet of paper. What seems like a mundane stationary tool has evolved into a recognized and powerful symbol of resistance. It’s the sheer simplicity of the symbol that speaks, as random and spontaneous as the unorganized protests taking place among the din of traffic. It’s the symbol clutched in the hands of thousands taking to the streets of China’s cities to boldly oppose stifling COVID-19 restrictions fuelled after a deadly fire in Xinjiang. China’s lockdown protests have followed the typical revolutionary-esque pattern; injustice, outcries, viva la revolucion. But far from just a response against mounting injustices, the protests are a piece of a much larger puzzle that has the power to permanently alter the political fabric of the nation. Protests of this sheer influence and mobilization are rare in authoritarian China. And the implications of outrage against the government pose questions of a political awakening and overturning an ingrained regime. What’s incredibly unique about these protests is its universal resonation with the citizens across the nation due to anger over lockdown restrictions; the tragic Xinjiang fire simply fanned the flames of growing unrest. The people were cracking under pressure. It’s more than just a fire that was bound to die out, it’s a threat towards the status quo one that China desperately wants to maintain.
And China is no stranger to dissent, reaching into its ever growing toolbox of propa -
FREMONT FLOODING FREMONT FLOODING
By Oriana DengAt the beginning of 2023, a powerful storm hit California, threatening to cause severe damage to the West Coast. January 4th and January 5th seemed to be the worst of the storm, with heavy, hurricane-like winds on the 4th and massive rainfall brought on by an “atmospheric river” on the 5th. Effects of this turbulent weather include flooding that killed at least fourteen people, severe property damage, and power outages. Although the storm is beginning to show signs of slowing down, the storm was at its strongest the first week of January and the beginning of the week of the 8th. Certain regions experienced 3 - 6 inches of rainfall, significantly damaging the soil. Regions near San Francisco also experienced flooding, sinkholes, and mudslides.
Additionally, California has been notified of a possible tornado threat. Despite the fact that tornadoes are extremely rare in coastal regions like California, this kind of abrupt natural disaster like this could be detrimental. The last time California Experienced a tornado threat was two years ago with a two percent risk percentage.
Due to the heavy rainfall, other natural disasters, like mudslides and sinkholes, have
ganda and repression. The government has tried to use the carrot-and-stick approach to ease an outraged populace. Rather than suppress protests by mobilizing macho tanks equipped with heavy artillery, the Chinese government will slowly chip away at backlash to achieve its agenda, suppressing outcries to whispers. While government officials speak of their policies as a “hands-on approach” and “the clean-up of the availability of products and apps and harmful content” are thinly veiled attempts to mask its mass censorship through circumventing websites and spouting recycled grievances through its heavily sanitized state media. It will be the same crackdowns done to neutralize the 2019 Hong Kong protests -- the same tactics that China uses to preserve its grip over an increasingly authoritarian regime. However influential these protests are, China has proven time after time its willingness to silence dissent through subtle strategies. But to disregard the frame that has been established by the lockdown protests would be a disservice it questions a status quo of human rights abuses and an ideologically extreme government. And those questions pose an open challenge. While the protests may not radically modify the political systems continuing to consolidate power, it signals a major change in the nation. Think of the blank sheet of paper, a sign of resistance and solidarity — a symbol of the unsung but untiring work to build a better future.
surfaced. This is because of the loosening of the already saturated soil — as the soil absorbs more water, it becomes heavier and proceeds to flow down inclines, causing mudslides. In other cases, excess rainfall seeps through the soil, leading to a large sinkhole being exposed after the thin, unstable layer of soil above the water collapses.
ChatGPT: YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
ChatGPT: YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
By Krish M., Ryan L., and Ariana Y.WHAT IS CHATGPT?
OpenAI’s website states, “ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue.” This statement aligns with ChatGPT’s capabilities to model human dialogue and human conversation. ChatGPT is an AI (artificial intelligence) chatbot service that can continue a conversation with you for hours on end and answer any question you have. ChatGPT is developed on a platform called GPT-3.5, developed by OpenAI. As an AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT provides a singular, detailed answer to any prompt. It is a “large language model,” AI-trained to comprehend what humans mean when asking or stating something. ChatGPT also includes Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF), allowing the algorithm to follow directions and generate satisfactory responses, such as learning from context clues. OpenAI also claims, “We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests,” which are all functional tasks ChatGPT uses to emulate a conversation with another human being. ChatGPT is one of the most interesting tools developed in and for the modern era despite still being in its beta-testing phase. However, what ChatGPT can grow into is undeniable.
WHAT CAN CHATGPT DO (NOW AND IN THE FUTURE)?
Given its incredible ability to carry a conversation with its user, ChatGPT can actually help users converse with other people by helping phrase messages and emails in different ways. In fact, it can even finish your tedious history homework! With a single input, the AI can respond with natural, fluent answers, and even in several different languages. On top of these preposterous feats the chatbot can already perform, it is expected to become even more technologically advanced and sophisticated, aiming to transform into a virtual assistant that can answer even more complicated questions with accurate, time-relevant responses. Eventually, it may take over the world by storm, finding its way into every electronic device on the globe.
Though ChatGPT may seem like it can do anything, there are some limitations of the AI conversation chatbot. AI has a lack of human common sense, as it does not have any sense of reason or judgment like a normal human has. Next, AI is notably hard to teach. AI only learns in specifically narrow situations and needs lots of practice to learn. Only with tons of experience can AI expand its capabilities. Lastly, AI does not have true human creativity. It can mimic the creativity of humans but cannot create its own.
Now, given the immense power of ChatGPT, a presumably sound question to ask is the following: Will ChatGPT replace Google? The short answer is, probably not. Although ChatGPT has a seemingly unlimited potential, Google is a notable search engine known for being the most utilized browser with over 80% of the search market share. Even the developers of ChatGPT recognized the unlikelihood of the chatbot replacing Google. Still,
that doesn’t take away from ChatGPT’s ability to summarize and compile information in a quick and conversational manner, allowing users to build on top of previously asked questions. Research is almost unnecessary when using ChatGPT, and that may be what allows ChatGPT to continue to rise in strength and vigor, possibly becoming the main means of communication and writing.
CHANGING THE FUTURE OF AI AND THE PERCEPTION OF HUMANITY
As of now, ChatGPT is nowhere close to becoming an “all-knowing bot.” However, its current abilities are still a large step in the world of AI. AI systems like ChatGPT are undeniably helpful. They save time when asked a question, and also quicken decision-making by providing information regarding both choices of the decision. For example, more than half of the top manufacturers in Europe have implemented some form of AI use in their work; the rise of AI’s capabilities will inevitably raise this statistic globally.
ChatGPT’s most noticeable feature is its broad spectrum of knowledge and ability to carry a “human-like” conversation in various different languages. ChatGPT and other AI systems either can already or have the potential of understanding language, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. Yet, despite the various benefits, the abilities of AI also worry some. In particular, the fear of AI potentially surpassing human intelligence is on the rise, resulting in the possible replacement of human work by AI systems and chatbots. As shown by ChatGPT, these systems can now easily carry an incredible conversation that sounds as if it were human. AI has already mastered communication, a key factor in human life, making many apprehensive about what other human-like traits AI can do in the future. On top of that, we now see that AI can mimic emotions such as sympathy and happiness. Next thing we know, we can turn around and see AI bawling right in front of our eyes with emotions it created by itself. Lastly, AI now has the ability to create its own art (with faux creativity). DALL-E is an AI bot that can create art based on any prompt you give them. The AI art-making bot shows us another step towards mimicking all aspects of humanity— allowing us to see the potential of AI creating human works.
These “simple” tasks that AI can now do, such as speaking different languages, making decisions, and recognizing patterns, are all considered to be human activities. Just like the complexity of coding in different languages, executing these “simple” tasks as an AI becomes complicated at an exponential level. AI tools like ChatGPT demonstrate the astonishing development of AI in the modern time period. In the coming future, we may see a world where AI becomes a truly beneficial tool for humans to perform everyday tasks.
QATAR 2022: WHAT THE HOSTS DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE
QATAR 2022: WHAT THE HOSTS DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE
By Sachit, Heeya,
Ryan, and
ThanishaEvery four years, the world gathers around its screens to watch the FIFA ™ World Cup. 32 teams, each with their home country’s pride on their backs, fly to a host country. More importantly, the whole world is watching with focus and anticipation. A staggering combined 3.572 billion viewers, more than half the world’s population, watched the 2018 World Cup. Each time around, the host country is able to garner a large amount of publicity, making competition for the spot quite tough. The selection of the host country for the World Cup is a convoluted and painful process, but numerous countries enter it nevertheless. Qatar put in a bid for hosting the World Cup in March 2009, and they eventually won. But why Qatar?
FIFA releases a report on all countries putting in a bid for hosting the World Cup, evaluating how suitable each country’s conditions are for hosting the event, in which Qatar was initially declared relatively unfit to hold the event. The prestige of being host country requires a majority of votes among 24 voters from football confederations all around the world.
Qatar has a population smaller than that of Puerto Rico, but is still one of the richest countries in the world due to its large reserves of oil and natural gas. At the time, Qatar had a massive deficit in infrastructure, unsuitable weather conditions, and low employment. New stadiums would have to be built, new workers hired, and the World Cup dates moved to the winter months – Qatar is too hot during
the summer. But, they had a lot of money. And who doesn’t like money? To solve all of these problems, Qatar spent an estimated 220 billion dollars on hosting the World Cup in 2022 - more than the last 8 hosts combined. Money might not be able to buy happiness, but it sure can buy you hosting rights to the World Cup, it seems.
14 voters out of 24 voted for Qatar in the final round, easily securing Qatar’s victory over the US. The US was definitely a more optimal host country (even FIFA said so!), so how did Qatar get these 14 votes? In some cases, the voters were paid off. Bribes ranged from five hundred thousand dollars to two million dollars. Some favors were more large-scale, impacting entire countries. The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy exchanged his country’s representative’s vote for economic favors from Qatar, such as the Qatari acquisition of Paris-Saint Germain and a large purchase of French fighter jets. In the end, Qatar got enough votes - by corrupt or legitimate means - to comfortably win the bid for the 2022 World Cup.
Once Qatar won the bid, they had to start building stadiums for the World Cup. Qatar’s existing stadiums were far too small for the World Cup - visiting fans could probably increase the population by ten percent! To build these stadiums, Qatar relied on more than a million migrant workers from South Asia, particularly Nepal. These workers worked long hours in the suffocating heat, causing many instances of heatstroke and heart attacks. They were not given breaks, and managers punished workers who took breaks by firing them. Thousands of workers died working on the 8 stadiums for the Cup. In some cases, workers were not paid their salaries until months after they finished working, and others were not paid at all.
GLASS ONION (2022): FANTASTIC OR FLOP-TASTIC?
GLASS ONION (2022): FANTASTIC OR FLOP-TASTIC?
By Katherine HeAs a sequel to Knives Out , one of the most popular “whodunit” movies in modern pop culture, Glass Onion’s rating has been heavily debated among fans of the franchise. The plotline follows the mastermind detective, Benoit Blanc (played by James Bond star Daniel Craig) as he uncovers the dark truths of a seemingly close-knit friend group.
The actors’ performances are all flawless but the characters have taken some backlash from the fans. Many viewers commented that nearly all the characters are all remarkably
similar, with their only true difference lying in their occupations. While this take is understandable from some aspects, the prominent similarity between the characters is simply that they each have possible motives for the murder at hand. Another popular observation made by viewers is that the movie uses various pop culture references, such as the Among Us game Benoit Blanc plays and celebrity cameos. To some viewers, adding these pop culture references will likely cause the movie to age badly and come off as outdated to future viewers.
Disregarding the critiques, the overall storyline of Glass Onion is enticing, with the action taking place from the very beginning. The story involves being told from the different viewpoints of each character and encourages the viewer to solve the mystery along with Benoit Blanc. The film had a high production cost of over 40 million dollars, but viewers can see the money well spent with the stunning settings and fine details that take the plot to another level. The film contains a star-studded and beloved cast, with the likes of Edward Norton and Madelyn Cline. Another upgrade of this movie from “Knives Out” is the soundtrack, which envelops the audience in suspense and tension before the final moment.
The ratings of this show are split between first-time watchers and fans who have long awaited this sequel. Some lauded the cinematography and direction, while others harshly criticized it. From this observation, I can conclude that as long as your expectations aren’t very high, this movie will definitely be enjoyable for any casual mystery fan.
UNEXPECTED WAYS TO FIND HAPPINESS
UNEXPECTED WAYS TO FIND HAPPINESS
By Joleen Pan and Amanda Wu2022 has been a year full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and of course, a year full of all sorts of memories. But no matter what happens with work or with school, it is always important to focus on one’s mental health andhappiness! As weird as it sounds, research has shown that being content is an essential aspect of everyone’s life. Contentment can lead to better relationships and moreappreciation for the small things in our lives. In this article, we will present methodsto make your day happier little by little.
1. KEEP A DIARY:
Keeping a diary and rereading what you wrote in previous entries has been proven to lift your’s mood instantaneously. Write about everything, even the mundane things, because this allows you to find gratitude and joy in your everyday life. Researchers who did several experimentsfound that “ordinary events came to be perceived as more extraordinary over time” since the participants learned more about their past selves through older writings. Personally, keeping a diary which I update about once a week has allowed me to learn more about myself and my passions. I especially enjoy reading what I wrote as a child because it brings back memories of all those small moments I had in elementary school. You never know when the activities you are describing could bring the joy you never expected!
2. INTERACT WITH A STRANGER:
Engaging in small talk with strangers can make both your day and their day a little bit brighter Researches suggest that any interactions with strangers – a smile, a brief moment of eye contact, a small conversation – have the effect of establishing a sense of belonging with someone.ustomers who have interactions with their baristas left Starbucks in a better mood. Sometimes, having deep conversations with strangers can help reduce stress and increase happiness too! By expressing yourself to strangers, you form a connection with them, and could potentially become friends in the future. But keep in mind: stranger danger.
3. LISTEN TO SAD SONGS:
Bottled-up emotions can greatly affect your mental state. One way to release those emotions is to, ironically, listen to sad music. “Listening to sad music can lead to beneficial emotional effects such as regulation of negative emotion and mood as well as consolation”, allowing you to connect with the feelings expressed in the music and release negative emotions. Sometimes people release their emotions through the act of crying, which can be a healthy way for someone to release bottled-up emotions to reduce stress and sadness. Although listening to sad
THE INTERN (2015) THE INTERN (2015)
By Aarna K.
Writer and director Nancy Meyers is well known for her many past successes, including The Parent Trap and Something’s Gotta Give. Her films seem to follow the same pattern — lauded by audiences and deprecated by critics. Meyers’ last movie, The Intern , released September 25, 2015, conforms to the same trend. While earning a 4.8/5 rating from the audience, it received 59% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 51% on Metacritic.
Starring Robert De Niro, who plays the 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker, and Anne Hathaway in the role of young, ambitious entrepreneur Jules Ostin, The Intern is a light-hearted, feel-good comedy drama. As it employs generic settings and a slow beginning, the movie doesn’t seem to stand out much at first. However, it is soon redeemed as the beautiful friendship between the two
songs is a way to improve one’s mood, depressing music can be overwhelming and can be detrimental to mental health. Thus, it’s important to find music that will bring you positive emotions
4. SPEND MONEY ON EXPERIENCES, NOT ITEMS:
Experiences provide opportunities for personal growth and lasting memories. Different experiences can allow you to step outside of your comfort zones, discover new things, and build new friendships, which can all lead to a sense of fulfillment and happiness. Not only will experiences bring a chance to improve ourselves in different environments, but it will also create lifelong memories, whereas material possessions might lose their value over time.
5. LOOK AT BEAUTIFUL THINGS:
Research done by the smartphone company HTC demonstrated that looking at beautiful objects can make someone feel happier. They found out that looking at objects that are well-designed and functional triggers positive emotions such as calmness and ease. You can always try visiting an art museum or a science museum that allows you to interact with different simulations. You can also visit places known for their beautiful scenery! I would recommend climbing Mission Peak while enjoying the stunning view and taking memorable pictures.
6. LUNCH ON THE BEACH:
According to a British study from the University of Sussex, if you eat at your desk, your happiness index score decreases significantly. This is because everything we do in our daily lives, such as doing homework or working, involves sitting at a table in a serious and boring manner. Imagine yourself eating your favorite meal while watching the waves of the ocean moving back and forth and breathing in the fresh air of the sea. Even better, go with your friends or family!
7. PLAY VIDEO GAMES:
Playing video games has been proven to lift p eople’s moods. When researchers polled casual gamers, 67 percent reported that video game playing decreased their depression, and increased their well-being and social functioning. I personally agree with this because whenever I used to play Super Mario Brothers and Minecraft as a child, I remember laughing and enjoying my time, especially when I played with my friends. Even though I was absolutely terribl e and never got first place once, I found joy in doing something that allowed me to relax and take life in a more carefree manner.
We hope that this article provided everybody with some ideas about ways to find joy in your life. No matter how hard life can be, fin ding happiness is always important. As students, we often sacrifice our happiness for exc essive studying. Try one of these ideas; you never know when you will find it helpful!
main characters blossoms.
Ben Whittaker is living a jaded life after retirement, longing for something to fill his time. Sweet, wise, and patient, the character is not only interesting but also endearing. When stumbling across a flyer requesting senior interns for About the Fit, a fashion e-commerce start-up, Ben decides to apply and is eventually selected for the program. He is assigned to work with Jules Ostin, the founder and CEO of the company.
Ben and Jules develop a close relationship throughout the duration of the movie. Their converse personalities help balance each other out. Jules is the epitome of a young, busy woman constantly attempting to catch up with her hectic schedule and endless tasks. Meanwhile, Ben is docile and slow, taking time to enjoy life. Despite the fact that Jules is his boss, Ben often acts as a mentor to her, offering advice and comfort when she finds herself overwhelmed by stress.
Though this movie may at first seem mundane, I truly believe it’s worth a watch. Modern movies and TV shows represent all kinds of relationships; romantic and familial relationships, however, are more commonly explored, while representations of pure friendships are usually cast aside. The unlikely and unique friendship formed between the two main characters of this movie is precisely what makes it unlike any other.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (2022) PERHAPS THERE WERE BETTER WAYS TO GO?
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (2022) PERHAPS THERE WERE BETTER WAYS TO GO?
By Thanisha ThambiduraiAfter 13 years of patience and excitement from viewers, came the highly anticipated film, Avatar: The Way of the Water , a continuation of the 2009 James Cameron-hit Avatar. Soon after the movie’s release in Chinese theaters, Avatar reclaimed its title in 2021 as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Making $2.922 billion at the box office, Avatar set expectations high — and I mean HIGH — for this sequel. Featured in this all-star cast is Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri Sully, Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch, Kate Winslet as Ronal, and many more. James Cameron returned to ensure that this movie continued under his expert direction. But was that the best way for this film to go?
The premise of the film was simple and repeated. The “sky people,” humans who came from Earth to conquer Pandora and exploit it for resources, return once more with their leader Colonel Quaritch. Instead of wanting an incredibly rare mineral like in the previous movie, the villains are after a valuable fluid found within the brain of the Tulkun, a native whale species. Again, the greedy men are back with money-making schemes that coincidently involve endangering an integral part of Pandoran life.
This time, the stakes are higher for Jake as he now has four children and is married to Neytiri. His older daughter, Kiri, was born from the avatar of the Na’vi-loving scientist Grace, who passed away in the first film. He has three biological children; Tuk, Neteyam, and Lo’ak; the latter is incredibly close with Spider, the estranged son of Colonel Quaritch. The family lives a peaceful life together where Jake and Neytiri lead the Na’vi. That is, before Quaritch destroys their lives again.
Quaritch dies at the end of the first film; however, the sequel reveals that he was prepared for his death. He made an avatar for himself with his mind and memories planted inside. He then continues with his plan for Pandora’s colonization. The family flees to a water reef tribe for protection, which becomes their new home and refuge from the treacherous ways of the Colonel.
SOUTHWEST SYSTEM CRASH SOUTHWEST SYSTEM CRASH
By Jay ThankiThe holidays are known for being a time of joy and cheer, but for travelers visiting family and friends, the recent winter break was nothing short of a nightmare. Almost everything went wrong for passengers of Southwest Airline flights all across the country — from winter storms to sudden flight cancellations and delays en masse. The number of Southwest flights canceled during this holiday disaster totaled to around 16,500 flights. So what went wrong, and what does the future look like for Southwest?
The week of December 18th introduced the United States to Winter Storm Elliott. The sheer amount of snow and ice began to slow air traffic in the United States, losing airlines thousands of dollars every day. Many Southwest passengers found themselves stranded in various airports, but the airline’s troubles had only started. Southwest flight cancellations increased soon after Christmas, with the airline accounting for nearly 99% of all canceled flights in the U.S. The most interesting part about this disaster was that the storm was only a small contributor to the cancellations. In a way, Southwest brought this tragedy upon itself.
Southwest Airlines operates differently than most of the prominent airlines in the US, such as Delta and United. Delta operates a hub and spoke model, with hubs in major cities like Atlanta and Detroit. They operate larger aircraft between hubs while keeping smaller planes for local flights around the hubs, known as “spokes.” This system allows Delta to swap aircraft if one has a technical problem, with all flights returning to the hubs at night. On the other hand, Southwest’s fleet is all the same size, and the airline gives each aircraft a specific route, with each plane starting and ending in different cities. For example, a Southwest aircraft could be given a route from New York to Detroit to Denver to Seattle to San Jose, with the aircraft spend -
Though the visuals of this film are undoubtedly stunning, the plot lacks change from the first one’s and remains somewhat dull. Endless action sequences add momentary bursts of thrill, but they can’t make up for a film that doesn’t have a new and fresh idea. It feels as though the movie showcases the massive budget, advanced technology, and the monetary support James Cameron was provided with. Yes, the film did feel nostalgic for those who had seen the first Avatar when it was released back in 2009, but a new plot and theme would have been more appealing to a wider range of audiences.
Regardless, the film maintained the commercial success of its predecessor. On a budget range of $350-$460 million, the film has grossed over $1.5 billion internationally, making it the highest-grossing film of 2022. In less than a month after its release, it has been nominated for two Golden Globes, six Critic’s Choice Awards, six Satellite Awards, and two AACTA Awards.
Avatar: The Way of the Water , although barely any different from its predecessor, was a visual beauty and definitely worth watching in 3D at theaters.
ing the night in San Jose. The next day, the aircraft would have another schedule. This schedule allows very small margins for error, with the slightest of setbacks snowballing into greater delays later in the day.
This very system was the fatal flaw of Southwest during the holiday season. Southwest operates a dated scheduling system, which tells pilots and flight attendants what plane they are assigned to. Crashing just after Christmas, the malfunctions wreaked havoc, leaving pilots and flight attendants with no clue where they were supposed to go. This chaos led to the cancellation of the first flights of the day, but as discussed earlier, the planes operate on a very busy schedule. If the first flight of the sequence is canceled, the aircraft can’t make it to the next destinations, resulting in the cancellation of multiple flights per airplane. These cancellations quickly added up, leaving millions of frustrated passengers waiting for a flight back home.
The mass cancellations attracted the attention of the US government. The US Committee of Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmed that Southwest would be facing hearings regarding their system breakdown. Southwest has been quick to try to provide comfort for its passengers, handing out food vouchers and reimbursements along with a heartfelt apology from Southwest CEO Bob Jordan.
Though Southwest has tried its best to alleviate the problems arising from their fiasco, what does this mean for the airline’s future? Well, the airline is confirmed to make a loss in Q4 of 2022, with the possibility of losing millions. The airline also expects to have low ticket sales in 2023 due to lowered trust in the airline.
Southwest has always been known as an airline that shows love to its passengers, and I hope that Southwest can mend the damages to its credibility as well as improve its technology to limit the risk of these incidents happening in the future.
PUT A SOCK IN IT PUT A SOCK IN IT
By Sheil Mody and Vincent YangSO LONG, LONG SOCKS!
Jimothy had been hiking for hours, and his feet were aching. Normally, this much physical exertion was nothing to him, but today was different. His face contorted in a pained and frustrated expression. He stopped for a moment to rest his feet, long socks scrunched around his ankles. Jimothy decided to wear long socks instead of his usual short socks today, expecting that they would help keep him warm. Instead, all they did was trap heat and moisture around his extremities, rendering his hiking experience awkward and uncomfortable. He mumbled under his breath, “Man, I really should have worn short socks.”
Short socks are indubitably worthier than long socks for a variety of reasons, the first being the fact that they are far more versatile. While long socks may be effective in cold weather, they become a hindrance in warmer weather. They simply aren’t afforded the convenience that short socks offer: short socks are adequate in both warm and cold weather even when worn in conjunction with pants. Proponents of long socks may argue that one can roll down the elongated cuffs to allow the legs to breathe. However, all this rolling down does is put unnecessary pressure on the ankles, making it difficult to maneuver while also impeding circulation and aeration. Therefore, short socks are more suitable to be worn year-round, while the use of long socks is confined to specific weather conditions. Moreover, short socks are easier to maintain and have a reduced risk of malforming while being washed.
In addition, short socks are more breathable and hygienic. The length of a long sock causes trapped heat and moisture to accumulate under its wooly lining. Continuous exposure of one’s feet to these conditions may cause them to develop a persistent stench and amplify the sock-wearer’s risk of being afflicted with maladies such as fungal or bacterial infections. Justin Ely (10) graciously chose to share with us his wisdom, saying, “Sweat and heat = malodorous feet.”
SOCKS? SHORT? ABORT!
Jimothy’s older brother, Meffrey, went on a similar hiking trip a few hours after Jimothy returned– around 8:30 in the night. Normally hiking through devious paths would be no sweat at all, but as a result of a mixup with his younger brother, Meffrey was stuck with the ankle-reaching short socks. Meffrey despised these socks for obvious reasons; they barely kept a portion of his legs warm, and they were little protection. Even with long pants on, Meffrey’s legs were always cold. And while normally the long socks would catch burrs scattered across the promenade, Jimothy’s short socks weren’t there to protect his legs from the little spiky menaces.
Long socks are superior to short socks for, well, one of the main purposes of socks is” I find them more comfortable “ (Sakthi Thayumanavan 10).” Although one may argue that long pants already fulfill the purpose of keeping your legs warmer, some pants that don’t fully compress near the bottom end up leaving air to rush through the excess space between the end of the pant. Long socks help with this issue, keeping the bottom of the leg warmer better than how short socks do. Diva Shah (9) has a similar view,”Cuz with short socks, half [yo]ur foot is touching your shoe and half of it isn’t, so it feels weird. With long socks, your entire foot is covered in fluffiness! So it’s comfy and not weird.”
For anyone who takes part in athletics or just any physical activity, longer socks would be more beneficial than shorter socks. Naturally, sweat will start to form and slide down one’s leg when exercising. If this sweat were to reach the sole of your foot, it would most likely cause long-term contamination or stench, whereas long socks can absorb more sweat. When more sweat is trapped in the sock, the sock will spread a pungent odor, but the socks are washable. A common habit everyone shares is wearing socks for around one day at a stretch, then disposing of those socks for cleaning. But with shoes, it isn’t really possible. Having multiple pairs of shoes is expensive, whereas numerous pairs of socks are quite cheap and normal. In conclusion, a lengthier sock would be preferable sock to a smaller sock due to warmer conditions and overall superior living conditions.
