Vol. III, No. 4

VOL . 3, NO. 4

DECEMBER 15, 2023

THE YELLOW PAGES BASIS Independent Fremont Journalism Club

HUMANS OF BASIS: AIRPOD PETER

By Alan Xiao

Unbeknownst to a majority of the student body, our school is haunted. On your way to school, you might see a surreal vehicle zoom past you at an unfathomably illegal speed. In the hallways, you might feel a multitude of eyes ominously fixated on you as you walk past the BASIS mural. At our school, Aidan J. Peter’s presence is uncannily pervasive. But he isn’t a ghost; in fact, Aidan turns out to be a mercilessly unique human being. In both his personal and school life, Aidan values challenging himself and working hard: “Struggle is just so important, but we avoid it,” says Aidan, “Confronting struggle is a core value.” This confrontation with struggle in order to improve himself, as Aidan phrases it, has informed many aspects of his life, from his passion for physical exercise to his drive for success in his school and work life. Outside of school, Aidan works parttime at Zero Emission Industries, a startup that develops hydrogen-powered maritime vehicles. As part of a project working on a hydrogen powered speedboat, Aidan designs the boat’s user interface and works on the construction by helping install the boat’s fiberglass. Aidan’s deep engagement with the design process in the workplace allows him to apply his artistic talent. Aidan has been cultivating these skills since a young age. At his after school program, he would draw over his daily math packets instead of actually doing the problems. Noticing this habit, his parents

put him in a drawing class. Since then, he has turned this hobby into a mode of vivid self-expression. Aidan recognizes the ability of art to overturn and progress the cultural landscape by developing new intellectual movements. As a result, he aims to convey a message through his own art. For instance, his yearly endangered species drawings draw attention to the mounting ecological crisis, an issue he cares deeply about. Some of his award winning works depict animals such as loggerhead sea turtles and polar bears. The NHS mural is one of his more well-known works here at BIFU, depicting a congregation of aliens on the moon centered around a single flower. Through it, he aims to spread a message of diversity and inclusion in the community. As someone always fascinated by aliens, Aidan aptly took advantage of the vagueness of the “alien” to open up his imaginative freedom: “[aliens] are like an avenue to express your creative freedom because we have no idea what they could look like.” Aidan called on the students of BASIS Fremont to contribute their own aliens to the mural. The result is a wall of unique aliens, each the product of a BASIS student’s creative power, all united by planting a flower on the moon — the impossible made possible. Aidan says it is poetic: the juxtaposition of distinctive individuality and collective power — a perfect symbol of diversity and inclusion. The power of the mural’s focal point is also reminiscent of the mural itself as an im-

HOSTILE ARCHITECTURE: ITS UNSEEN IMPACT By Olivia Ma

Bars dividing seats on public benches, spikes/bumps lining stairs and building entrances, and the disappearance of seating areas in metropolitan train and transportation settings are just a few examples of techniques that cities implement to ward off people from staying in one place for too long — also known as “hostile architecture.” Such architecture has grown at a rapid rate in America’s biggest cities. Supporters of these new innovations have argued that these designs are “necessary to help maintain order, ensure safety and curb unwanted behavior such as loitering, sleeping or skateboarding” (New York Times). Others have labeled hostile architecture as “anti-homeless spikes,” and argue that it disproportionately targets those who are unhoused and have nowhere else to go. The most common form of hostile architecture is one that may seem normal to most: bars on public benches. Such bars separate flat benches into individual seats, rendering them impractical for sleeping, laying down, or even just sitting comfortably. In 2017, New York

City chief financial officer audited that around half of the city’s available seats technically, through hostile architecture techniques, violated a 2007 mandate that banned any “devices that inhibit[ed] seating” (New York Times). While many continue to raise concerns that such “seating designs” fail to follow city codes and should be prohibited, there are currently no laws in place that explicitly ban the use of hostile architecture (TBR). Furthermore, the removal of benches themselves has become popular in metropolitan areas. In a 2023 YouTube video titled “NYC Is Building Anti-Homeless Streets” by Cash Jordan, viewers were given a tour of New York City’s train and subway stations, which were noticeably bare and lacked any seating areas. Beyond preventing unhoused people from finding warmer shelter in the freezing winter temperatures, “the elderly [and] people who are pregnant”(Jordan) were barred from finding places of needed rest. The few benches that were located were, once again, divided with bars, marking yet another piece of hostile ar-

pressive organizational feat, with Aidan literally drawing from the collective vision of the BASIS community in order to accomplish such a difficult undertaking. Similar to how he searches for meaning in art and poetry, literature allows Aidan to search for meaning in his own life. One of his favorite books is Meditations by Marcus Aurelius because of its intuitive construction of morality and abundance of practical advice. According to Aidan, reading Meditations helped him question the permissive hedonism of modern American culture. More than that, the book’s sensible and rational advice helped him organize his life into a more productive structure: “Meditations feels like a laundry list of things to check off in my life.” Another book that impacted him was The Road to Character, which enticed him with its argument for a moral culture centered around Judeo-Christian values. Aidan was interested in the book’s emphasis on Christian virtues and vices. In particular, two moral values that resonated deeply with him were those of gratitude and forgiveness: “Pop culture places a lot of emphasis on revenge and payback. But forgiveness and gratitude are so important; we don’t thank people enough.” The book reminded Aidan to be grateful for and forgiving towards his friends. Through learning to forgive, Aidan strengthens the bonds between himself and those around him by approaching them with an attitude of understanding. In the gym, Aidan continues to learn about himself by undergoing physical and mental struggle. prioritizes his health by balancing a diverse range of aspects of fitness such as flexibility, endurance, plyometrics, and cardio. For Aidan, however, the gym is more than just a place to stay healthy. Through sticking to a strict diet and exercise routine, Aidan learned to develop consistency and discipline in his life. Due to the satisfaction he derives from confronting physical as well as psychological struggles, going to the gym has improved every aspect of Aidan’s life, greatly boosting his mental state. Aidan’s emphasis on discipline in the gym aligns with values highlighted in his life-long involvement in Scouting, which provides a sense of camaraderie and teamwork on top of its focus on discipline. He enjoys the various outdoor activities that come with Scouting such as rifle shooting, kayaking, and archery. As Aidan recalls, his favorite memory of Scouting was when he won the year-

ly kayaking competition at Lake Elizabeth. According to Aidan, many of the activities teach important skills that schools often neglect, for instance outdoor survival and etiquette. The activities involve intense teamwork, fostering a sense of companionship among the Scouts. More than just the activities, however, he also has learned to appreciate the sense of responsibility and mentorship that Scouting fosters: “ When you’re in a Scouting environment, you’re always with people who are younger than you, and you’re always forced to be in a position where you mentor and help them.” Due to the appeal of the camaraderie and discipline he has experienced in Boy Scouts, Aidan sees joining the armed forces in the future as a bright possibility. In particular, he considers taking on a job where his engineering and design skills will be put to use, for instance a Navy engineer. In joining the armed forces, he hopes to develop disciplined routines and habits which he will put to use for the rest of his life. He hopes the strict sleeping (and waking) schedule and stringent rules for dress and behavior will strengthen his discipline and self-regulation. In addition, he looks forward to the fellowship in the armed forces, relating the teamwork to his experience as a Boy Scout: “ We win competitions together. We raise flags together. We wake up together. That’s the same experience that I’ll get in the Navy.” Aidan’s sense of responsibility extends far beyond his immediate peers and local community. When asked about the most pressing problems facing our world today, Aidan voiced his concern for the growing issue of AI ethics. With the rapidly expanding applications of artificial intelligence in both consumer products and professional software, Aidan argues that it is the responsibility of legislators to regulate the development and usage of AI technology. However, he also voices his dismay at the ignorance of our current legislators in regards to cutting-edge technology. Wherever he goes in the future, Aidan’s sure to make an impact with his bright personality, strong work ethic, and diverse intellect. Even in the present, Aidan is already a positive influence on many of his friends. As Christopher says: “Befriending Aidan is like making friends with a german shepherd, if german shepherds could speak, draw, go to church, and tie japanese square lashing knots.”

chitecture in one of the few warm and protective places in the large city. Implementing hostile architecture does not solve the issue of homelessness. Forcing unhoused people away from the shelter that they can find only pushes more of them onto the street without any other resources or support from the city. As U.S. cities grapple with creating

“cleaner and safer” public spaces, the consequences of hostile architecture on the unhoused and vulnerable population demand attention. It is time for a shift towards thought-out solutions that tackle the root causes of homelessness rather than merely displacing those who have nowhere else to go and forcing them to find their own solutions.

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DECEMBER 15, 2023

HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER: HONORING A HERO

By Nick Lin

On Wednesday, November 29, Henry Alfred Kissinger, arguably the most important figure in US foreign diplomacy, died at 100. Throughout his term as Secretary of State, he made many controversial decisions as well as decisions that still benefit us today. Kissinger, together with President Nixon, left an immense impact on US foreign diplomacy that still affects us to this day. Born on May 23, 1923, in Fürth, a small town in Bavaria, Germany, Henry Alfred Kissinger hailed from a German-Jewish family. Young Kissinger enjoyed playing soccer, but his dream was shattered at 15 years old when his family was forced to move to the United States to avoid further persecution. He spent his high school years in a Manhattan school before being drafted into the army. Kissinger underwent training in South Carolina before becoming a private in the Allied invasion of eNormandy. He played an important role in his infantry’s intelligence system because he was one of the only individuals who knew German. He later recalled the experience and said it made him feel like a true American. Post-war, he continued his studies at Harvard. Under President Nixon, Kissinger

served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. Kissinger and President Nixon were surprisingly close, and historians later stated that their personalities complemented each other perfectly, resulting in a beautiful collaboration between the two. During Kissinger’s tenure, the United States’ relationship with China and Taiwan was extremely complicated. Kissinger desired to balance the commitment to Taiwan while also maintaining good relations with China, which repeatedly claimed that Taiwan was legitimately theirs, so he proposed a “two Chinas” plan, in which Taiwan and China would be represented in the UN. However, the UN then voted to expel Taiwan and to make China an official member of the UN. These meetings were extremely important, as they paved the way for the 1972 summit, where Sino-American relationships were further reinforced. However, one decision Kissinger made stirred public controversy. During the Vietnam War, he wished to remove American troops from Vietnam, so he began “Vietnamization”, a process of transferring combat responsibilities back into the hands of the South Vietnamese people. However, in the process,

MUSICAL MEDICINE FOR PARKINSON’S DISEASE By Vera Lin

Parkinson’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder. Characterized by motor symptoms, including bradykinesia and postural instability, Parkinson’s disease primarily affects the

timing and size of common bodily functions. Addressing the complexities of this long-established disease requires a comprehensive approach involving ongoing research and careful medical management. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, many treatments have been made available to improve patients’ quality of life — a leading one being music therapy. Over the last decade, the pharmaceutical field has made the metaphor “music is good for the soul” a reality. Music therapy is defined as the use of sounds to support and develop physical, mental, and social-spiritual well-being. This recurring value of joy that music brings to human health has provided the basis for neurological disorders. In multiple studies, investigations have shown that music helps with lifestyle adjustment and the emotional toll Parkinson’s disease has on patients. This account sum-

A TUMULTUOUS YEAR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

By Angela Cao and Sarah Wu

The past 365 days have been interesting to say the least. Nowhere has chaos ensued as much as in the U.S. government. Senators, congressmen, and presidents alike have each faced shocking fates. Here is our recap of some of the key events in the U.S. government in the year of 2023:

JANUARY 3:

A newly elected 118th Congress was sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at noon. After four days of intense negotiations and 15 rounds of voting, the new House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy was officially sworn in.

JANUARY 9:

Following a discovery of classified documents in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate just a year before, the White House counsel’s office confirmed that several classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president were found at both his office at the Penn Biden Center and his residency in Delaware.

FEBRUARY 2:

A suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon was discovered on U.S. territory and was later shot down by a U.S. military fighter jet. The Pentagon revealed in a public statement that the balloon did not collect any U.S. intelligence when flying over the country.

MARCH 10:

Over the course of five days, several small to mid-size U.S. banks failed, most notably the Silicon Valley bank, a private

bank primarily dealing with tech companies and wealthy individuals which filed for bankruptcy on March 17. In response, major U.S. federal bank regulators announced that they would take additional measures to honor deposits.

APRIL 6:

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was reported to have received a series of luxury gifts and vacations from a GOP megadonor. Many other justices have similarly come under scrutiny for receiving similar gifts, which raised the question of the ethical rules that justices must follow. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, two democratic members of the Tennessee House of Representatives were expelled in an ousting by Republican lawmakers after staging a demonstration on the House floor that called for gun reform. Both were sworn back in less than a week later.

APRIL 25:

President Biden formally announced his bid for reelection, as he asked voters for help in “finishing the job”.

JUNE 29:

The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in the landmark case SFFA (Students for Fair Admissions) vs. Harvard and UNC (University of North Carolina). Though this action was celebrated by many, the decision was also condemned by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and several other polit-

he took part in the secret bombing of Cambodia. Although the bombing aimed to attack North Vietnamese forces, it resulted in heavy civilian casualties, thus leading to political unrest. This decision turned out to be one of Kissinger’s most controversial ones. Another major decision Kissinger made was during the Arab-Israeli conflict. Kissinger played a crucial role during and after the Yom-Kippur War, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. After the war, he was credited for using the United States’ influence to persuade both sides to make concessions, thus preventing a major escalation. However, some critics argue that his actions prevented a more peaceful situation in the Middle East. After President Nixon was forced to resign after the Scandalous Watergate Incident, Kissinger’s influence as National Security Advisor greatly diminished. With the rise of a Democratic president, Kissinger left his position as Secretary of State. Throughout his later years, Kissinger still maintained significant activity in global politics, and his advice was sought after by many people. In addition to this, Kissinger wrote several books about world order and his views on certain topics like AI. He also became a prominent speaker, sharing his opinions on global affairs. He received numerous awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize for his significant contributions in ending the Vietnam War.

Kissinger was a crucial member of the United States foreign diplomacy team, and his legacy still stands today in the form of peace around the war. Although many of his decisions led to uproars of controversy, his impact on US foreign policy is undeniable.

marizes prominent research and science that underscore the potential of music therapy in improving both physical and emotional aspects, offering holistic approaches to managing Parkinson’s disease symptoms and enhancing overall quality of life. Motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease is largely due to the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons (DAergic), resulting in tremors and rigidity. At the same time, listening and composing music produces neural oscillation patterns that increase activity in brain areas involved with the hypothalamus, or the “reward system.” Music is heavily rooted in vibration (hence, a subset of music therapy refining low-frequency audio sounds, “vibroacoustic therapy,” was developed). Music that is habitually heard and felt may lead to decreased body stiffness and longer strides. This correlation was confirmed by the Ghai Lab in 2018, in which rhythmic auditory cueing provided the framework that music replenishes the loss of neurons by naturally increasing dopamine levels. While adhering to PRISMA guidelines,

the laboratory analyzed the effects of RAS, or rhythmic auditory stimulations, on walking patterns, including stride length and gait velocity. Parkinsonian patients utilized dynamic metronome apps in their residences for thirty-five minutes per day for thirty days, allowing a 4.2 % increase in posture and gait score, a 5.5 % reduction in freezing instances, and a 4 cm increase in step length. Current efforts towards treating Parkinson’s disease with music therapy are mainly attributed to seeking to refine and improve existing approaches. Researchers are exploring the integration of music with technological advancements that can deliver personalized cues tailored to an individual’s needs. There have also been attempts to bridge the more conventional, pharmaceutical industry with music therapy to further aid the brain’s mechanisms. Neurologist Alexander Pantelyat of John Hopkins University reassures us, “ With a growing body of evidence, music may help bring harmony to the brain and life of patients with Parkinson’s disease.”

ical figures.

AUGUST 14:

Trump and eighteen others were indicted by a grand jury in Atlanta for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “Trump now faces a total of 91 charges in four criminal cases, in four different jurisdictions— two federal and two state.”

AUGUST 24:

Trump and eighteen others turned themselves in to Fulton County Jail. Trump only spent roughly twenty minutes in the jail before being released on a $200,000bond.

SEPTEMBER 14:

For the first time in U.S. history, the Justice Department charged the child of a sitting president as Hunter Biden was indicted by special counsel David Weiss in connection with a gun he purchased in 2018. The three charges include making false statements on a federal firearms form and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person.

SEPTEMBER 28:

California Senator Dianne Feinstein dies at the age of 90 after more than 30 years in office. Governor Newsome announced that her replacement would be Laphonza Butler, the President of Emily’s List, a well known Liberal political interest group. This was an incredibly controversial decision—many raised questions about Butler’s residency and previous work experience. Others argued that her background aligns her views with those of Californian voters.

OCTOBER 3:

In a motion led by Republican Con-

gressman Mike Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House Speaker after only ten months for collaborating with Democrats to reach a resolution, thus avoiding a government shutdown. Eight Republicans voted to remove him from office. Surprisingly, McCarthy is not the shortest-serving Speaker of the House; that record is held by Theodore Medad Pomeroy of New York, who lasted for a baffling one day in office.

OCTOBER 12:

Bob Menendez is charged with acting as an unregistered agent to Egypt. This indictment comes after months of controversy and scandal surrounding other bribes he took from several businessmen.

OCTOBER 25:

Mike Johnson, a relatively unknown Republican from Louisiana, was sworn into office to replace McCarthy as House Speaker.

NOVEMBER 15:

The threat of a government shutdown looms over Congress once again. After two periods of uncertainty surrounding potential government shutdowns, the Senate finally passed a resolution that provided funds for the federal government.

DECEMBER 1:

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’ Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, died from dementia at age 93. George Santos, a well known Republican congressman from Florida, was voted out of Congress after spending only eleven months in office.

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VOL . 3, NO. 4

TOP RANKING IVY LEAGUES By Thanisha Thambidurai When you think of the phrase “Ivy League,” your mind probably automatically jumps to some of the toughest, albeit the most prestigious, universities in the United States. All of them except for Cornell were established in colonial times prior to the American Revolution. Known for their superior academic distinction, promising futures for their attendees, and recent controversies (including Harvard and UPenn which are currently under fire by Congress for antisemitism), the Ivy Leagues received a total of 311,948 and 400,750 applications for their university classes of 2023 and 2025, respectively (Source: Crimson Education). As BASIS Fremont’s first senior class approaches graduation and college results, let’s take some time to rank the selectivity of the Ivy Leagues based on their acceptance rates.

8. CORNELL UNIVERSITY (1865) - 9.73% Recognized as one of the easier Ivy League schools to get into, Cornell has the highest acceptance rate compared to the other seven. It is located in Ithaca, New York. The most popular majors of the graduating classes are “Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services” (17%), “Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services” (13%), and “Engineering” (13%). Notable alumni include Barbara McClintock, Anthony Fauci, and Bill Nye.

7. DARTMOUTH COLLEGE (1769) - 6.23%

Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, and founded by Yale graduate Eleazer Wheelock, Dartmouth is often lauded as one of the best research universities due to its “robust research infrastructure” (Source: Dartmouth Undergraduate Admissions). It is one of the top-ranking liberal arts colleges (LACs), distinguishing itself from its Ivy League counterparts with its exceptional focus on its undergraduate student population—hence, naming itself a “college” and not university. Peculiarly, Dartmouth is not considered a pre-professional college, meaning that it does not offer a set track for students planning to go down the

“FOR ALL THE DOGS” ALBUM REVIEW By Krish Mangrolia

Drake’s 8th studio album was hyped up as a ‘classic Drake album.’ Let’s see how one of the most anticipated albums of 2023 fares.

MY TOP 10:

VIRGINIA BEACH: 8/10

pre-law, pre-pharmacy, pre-med, and other similar tracks. Remarkable graduates include Dr. Suess, Robert Frost, Mindy Kaling, and Daniel Webster.

6. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (1746) - 6%

3. YALE UNIVERSITY (1701) - 4.35% Established in Elizabeth, New Jersey,

by New Light Presbyterians intending to train ministers to remain dedicated to their views, Princeton University has been relocated multiple times before finding home in Princeton, New Jersey. As the fourth oldest college in the U.S. , it is a STEM-based university known for its contributions to the fields of physical sciences, economics, mathematics, and computer sciences. Coupled with first-rate academic resources (specialized libraries, advanced laboratories, and an art museum), Princeton has one of the best campuses, filled with stunning architecture and gardens. It’s no wonder that the word “campus” (meaning “field” in Latin) was first used at Princeton. Exceptional graduates include Jeff Bezos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Michelle Obama, and Alan Turing.

5. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (1740) - 5.8%

Perhaps the most famous part about the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) is its founder, Benjamin Franklin, who served as president on UPenn’s first board of trustees. The Philadelphia-based university is widely considered to have the best business school in the U.S. , the Wharton School. As the oldest collegiate business school in the U.S. , it is one of the top choices for someone hoping to launch a career in investment banking, private equity, investment management, or venture capital (Source: Investopedia). Examples of famous alumni range from John Legend and Tory Burch to Alice Paul and Sundar Pichai.

Initially founded in Saybrook, Connecticut (before being moved to its current city New Haven, Connecticut), Yale’s initial purpose was to tutor individuals for “public employment both in Church and Civil State.” On Niche, Yale ranks as #1 in Colleges with the Best Academics in America, Best Colleges in America, and Colleges with the Best Professors in America. Specifically, Yale is home to one of the most famous college a cappella groups: The Yale Wiffenpoofs. The most favored majors are Economics, History, and Political Science and Government. Notable alumni include Hilary Clinton, George W. Bush, and William Howard Taft.

2. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (1754) - 3.93% Established as the all-male King’s College in 1754, Columbia University was formed based on a royal charter issued by King George II, and its first graduating class was composed of merely five students. Most people graduate with either Computer Science, Economics, or Political Science and Government degrees, showing that Columbia can accommodate a large variety of academic interests. A unique

fact about Columbia is that it administers the Pulitzer Prize every year. Prominent graduates include people such as Barack Obama, Alexander Hamilton, Julia Stiles, and Timothée Chalamet.

1. HARVARD UNIVERSITY (1636) - 3.41%

Not surprisingly, Harvard University ended up as number #1 on our list of the ranked Ivy Leagues. Being the oldest American university, its reputation and standing as one of the best (if not the best) universities in the U.S. has remained unmatched for centuries. On Niche, Harvard ranks #1 for Best Colleges for Biology, Math, and Chemistry in America. In addition, the first printing press in British North America was inaugurated at Harvard in 1638 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Unsurprisingly, Harvard has extensive libraries of 92 kilometers of bookshelves. Renowned alumni include Mark Zuckerberg, Franklin Roosevelt, Natalie Portman, and John F. Kennedy. In conclusion, the Ivy League has remained an extremely selective set of universities, though acceptance rates have fluctuated slightly over the years. The general ranking stays the same each year. However, the easiest Ivy League is still far more difficult to get into than the majority of colleges in the United States. Since their establishment, the eight Ivy League universities remain almost entirely unrivaled in their prestige, academic excellence, well-educated professors, and competitive admissions process.

4. BROWN UNIVERSITY (1764) - 5.09% As the third college to be founded in New England, Brown University remains one of the few worthwhile attractions in Providence, Rhode Island. Interestingly, Brown was the first university to accept students regardless of their religious backgrounds, a groundbreaking move in the eighteenth century; to date, its openness and cultural acceptance positively differentiates it

DAYLIGHT: 8.5/10 “The fifth song features a dark monologue from Tony Montana, lyrical mastery from Drake, and Adonis’ debut in the rap world. The song starts with a sample from the 1983 film ‘Scarface’, which sets up the rest of the song and its dark underlying tone. This song could easily be a 10, but Adonis’s participation ruins the track. While the Adonis feature is cute and fun to see, it makes the song worse and wastes the slightly experimental track’s potential.” — Mihir D. (Grade 9).

FIRST PERSON SHOOTER (FEAT. J. The first song in Drake’s album is also one of the better ones. It evokes feelings COLE): 9.5/10 of nostalgia and introspection with lyrics that have powerful meanings. It’s also a diss to fellow rap artists Pusha T and Pharrell, which is indicated in the title. The beat switch and flow switch are a nice touch.

from the other Ivy Leagues. Some significant graduates from Brown University are Emma Watson, John Krasinski, John F. Kennedy Sr. , and John D. Rockefeller Jr.

This song featuring a collaboration between two legends of our generation definitely lived up to its hype. J. Cole and Drake complement each other quite well while tackling the “Big Three” debate (the best rappers of the decade). They each assert G.O.A.T status while showing respect to the other, and their bars are hard-hitting and well-thought-out. For me, this song is the highlight of the album.

IDGAF (FEAT. YEAT): 6.5/10 The one minute of intro before any vocals is probably overkill, and Yeat’s general style is very controversial. However, I think Drake and Yeat delivered a good performance (outside of Yeat’s repetitiveness and the weird ad-libs). Interestingly and unusually, Drake attempts to match Yeat’s style in the song. The second half of the song is average at best, though.

7969 SANTA: 6/10 “7969 Santa” is a solid song, and the

multiple surprise features add to the story overall. The depth of the song is also played out with the beat, which is very mellow. The Chief Keef ad-libs in the background add value to the song because of its unpredictability. Teezo Touchdown and Snoop Dogg close out the song well, referencing ‘BARK Radio.’” — Gabriel Gnanamani (Grade 9).

DREW A PICASSO: 8/10

where Drake tries to match his feature’s style. Personally, I didn’t particularly like or hate Lil Yachty’s feature here, though I can almost see the autotune. The chorus for this song was also pretty average and repetitive. Overall, nothing bad, but nothing unique or outstanding either.

If you’re looking for a Drake song with some real substance, this track is one of the best songs on the album. “Away From Home” provides lyrics (and clever disses), a nice flow, and some real Drake rapping–qualities that unfortunately were as clearly lacking in the rest of the album. If Drake had more rapping verses like these, the album would have been received better by fans.

I feel like this track is the Drake track that he was trying to replicate with all his other moody R&B tracks on this album. There’s a pretty good balance of rap and R&B singing with the chorus, and this seems like a very personal Drake track. I appreciate the lyricism regarding Drake’s personal history.

ANOTHER LATE NIGHT (FEAT. LIL YACHTY): AWAY FROM HOME: 4.5/10 Just another track from this album 8/10

WHAT WOULD PLUTO DO: 8/10

This song is an absolute mood. The beat, ad-libs by Lil Yachty, and Drake’s inflection all sum up to one of the best songs in the album. The lyrics are self-reflective (similar to many other songs from this album) and have decent meanings. Production quality was clearly prioritized; this song overall has a slight taste of the ‘old Drake’ style.

8AM IN CHARLOTTE: 9/10

Among the most compelling tracks on the album, this song has all the aspects of a classic Drake song — hard-hitting lyrics, an introspective, mood-setting beat, and a well-matched sample. No further explanation is needed; this track is definitely in the top three for this album overall.

OVERALL ALBUM THOUGHTS:

This album will unfortunately go down as one of Drake’s worse projects. It was hyped up to be a return to the old Drake, but it’s clear he took a new direction with “For All The Dogs.” There was little to no cohesiveness from top to bottom, likely due to Drake trying to match the style of all his features. Drake tried some moody R&B songs that felt too much like filler songs, and there was very little actual rapping and lyricism within the tracks. Overall, I could see myself revisiting around 5 songs, including Daylight, What Would Pluto Do, and First Person Shooter. Other than that, though, the project was pretty underwhelming for the expectations of a Drake album.

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THE 2023 MAMA AWARDS By Emma Ma

The 2023 MAMA Awards took place on November 28 and 29, 2023 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The MAMA Awards, formerly known as the Mnet Asian Music Awards, is a major annual music awards ceremony presented by entertainment company CJ E&M. In 1999, the ceremony was held for the first time in Seoul and aired on Mnet, a South Korean pay television music channel. Today, MAMA is held in various Asian countries outside of South Korea, airing internationally online. Numerous award categories are exhibited, with K-pop artists winning a majority of them. Though there are multiple categories, there are four grand prizes that are one step above the others—the Daesang awards. This quartet includes the Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Worldwide Icon of the Year awards. These highly coveted trophies show that an artist/artists has/have achieved the greatest level of popularity and respect. Additional awards include Best Male/Female Artist, Best Male/Female Group, and Best New Artist. The theme for this year’s MAMA Awards is titled “One I Born,” carrying the meaning of “‘I’ and ‘MAMA’, the only beings in the world with infinite possibilities, meeting and becoming a perfect ‘One’ through positive energy” as announced by CJ E&M. A long list of talented nominees attended throughout the span of 2 days, delivering phenomenal performances. The ceremony began with a bang, unveiling a magnificent opening performance featuring Lee Youngji, Hong Eunchae from Le Sserafim, Zhang Hao from Zerobaseone, and three members from the boy group Treasure. Youngji performed an explosive rap and choreography, Eunchae danced an intense routine with incredible visuals and stage presence, Zhang Hao played a stunning violin solo, and the Treasure members hyped up the audience with a fun, cheerful song.

DECEMBER 15, 2023 Zhang Hao’s solo was extremely emotional and well executed—the perfect opening to the ceremony. Another amazing performance was a collaboration of Huh Yunjin from Le Sserafim, Xiaoting from Kep1er, Bada Lee and Monika from the show Street Woman Fighter, and Minnie from (G)I-dle. This collaboration was titled “Goddess Awakened”, which suited it perfectly as each participant revealed their inner true “goddess”. Their charisma emanated through the screen and left a lasting impact on me. On the night of day 2, the Daesang awards were announced and presented. Starting off the ceremony, the world-famous K-pop group NewJeans won Artist of the Year—a monumental achievement considering their mere one-year presence in the industry. NewJeans is also the first girl group since Girl’s Generation in 2011 to win this Daesang, breaking BTS’ 7-year streak. Ever since their debut in 2022, NewJeans has taken the world by storm with hit song after hit song, and I’m ecstatic to see their hard work pay off. Following NewJeans, boy group Seventeen won their first ever daesang—Album of the Year. This accomplishment is another impressive one, as it marks their first monumental award since their debut 8 years ago. Their speech brought tears tofans’ eyes, showcasing the dedication and perseverance that they put in to reach this moment. Seventeen and NewJeans ended up winning the most awards over both nights, with the former securing five awards and the latter four. In addition to these two outstanding groups, artists such as boy group BTS, Jisoo, boy group Zerobaseone, and girl group Le Sserafim took home awards for spectacular dance performances, vocal performances, and so on. The 2023 MAMA Awards left us with countless memories and moments that are sure to stay for a long time to come. From the breathless performances to the tearful acceptance speeches, MAMA was an exhilarating ride, and I’m grateful to have witnessed it firsthand. As an iconic staple of any K-pop fan’s year, it definitely did not disappoint this time around and promises to unfold its magic again next year!

WRAPPED VS. REPLAY

By Christopher C. and Anjali P.

With 2023 coming to an end, we reflect on the experiences we’ ve had, the memories we’ ve made, and the ways we’ ve grown. For music lovers, there’s one more special thing that arrives with the holiday season — music app recaps. For some, it’s Spotify Wrapped. For others, it’s Apple Music Replay. It begs the question: which one’s better? We set out to compare the two across five main categories.

CONTENT:

AESTHETICS:

APPLE MUSIC

Aesthetics is a highly subjective category, but a judgment must be made. Spotify Wrapped sports a zingy, playful vibe with a vibrant color palette and abstract graphics. Conversely, as a component of the greater Apple ecosystem, the Apple Music Replay ’s aesthetics blend seamlessly into the Apple design scheme — soft, color-coordinated background graphics and the signature Apple font type. Ultimately, from a surface-level analysis, Replay ’s design seems to be more carefully selected and diligently implemented.

APPLE MUSIC

In terms of the amount of content and statistics provided by each app’s end-of-the-year recap, Apple Music comes out on top. Replay provides way more information than Wrapped, displaying the top 15 artists and albums and the top 5 genres and playlists. Compared to Spotify ’s top 5 artists and genres, Apple Music showcases a more comprehensive listening profile to the user. However, both apps do a great job detailing the basic characteristics of the listener, providing substantive statistics such as top genre, top songs, and total listening time. Both apps also provide unique statistics — Spotify includes a “Place that Listened Like You” and “ Your Peak Listening Month,” and Apple Music notes milestones like hitting 10,000 minutes or reaching 500 artists listened to.

SHAREABILITY: SPOTIFY

After learning about the characteristics of your musical activity (and, with it, maybe a bit more about yourself ), the next thrilling part of this recap adventure is to let all your friends know — after all, music is meant to connect people. And where better to share than social media? Both apps allow you to post the content as an Instagram story or download each part of the recap as photos. However, Spotify Wrapped gets the edge over Apple Music in this category by offering a unique recap summary card. The user can choose a card background from a variety of color schemes, making that Instagram story much more personalized and captivating.

PERSONALIZATION: PRICING:

SPOTIFY

jected to a fight to the death in an arena until one person is left alive. A long THE BALLAD OF ago, the 13 districts rebelled, and the Capitol of Panem defeated them. The SONGBIRDS AND time Hunger Games was created to punish the districts and keep them under control. SNAKES This film adaptation is a prequel, un-

By Selena Peng

The long-awaited movie, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has taken the internet by storm. The popular novels written by Suzanne Collins and film adaptations have been fan favorites ever since the 2000s. Starring Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was newly added to the famous Hunger Games trilogy in 2020, following Mockingjay in 2010. After a decade, Collins did not disappoint when publishing the new book in 2020. Fans have been anticipating this movie for a long time due to the beautifully written novel and sneak peeks of the soundtrack, including a track written and sung by pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo. The books are based in a dystopian society where annual games are played—in each Hunger Games, one boy and one girl each aged twelve to eighteen are randomly pulled from each district (except the uninhabitable District 13), adding up to 48 total ‘tributes’. They are then sub-

folding 64 years prior to the events that take place in the first book. It follows the character Coriolanus Snow, who later becomes the President of Panem. While living in the Capitol, Coriolanus is tasked with mentoring Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12, for the 10th Hunger Games. This film has many exciting, jaw-dropping scenes that captivate viewers. From the cinematography to the soundtrack to the raw emotional depth, this movie will not disappoint you!

For many, what makes Wrapped or Replay so special is the recaps highlighting and strengthening listeners’ personal connection with their music. While Apple Music does display personalized information, it seems too statistical and numbers-based. On the other hand, while Spotify doesn’t give as much information, Wrapped focuses more on describing your unique musical characteristics and helps reinforce the more personal aspects of music. For example, Spotify Wrapped’s “Hero Highlight” assigns each listener a listening persona — Vampires, Time Traveler, Luminary, Shapeshifter, and more (not unlike the houses of Hogwarts).

SPOTIFY

One of the strongest selling points of Spotify Wrapped is that it is available to all users, even those without a subscription. Apple Music Replay on the other hand, is only available to Apple Music subscribers, which can cost from $5.99 to $10.99 per month, depending on the plan. Spotify Wrapped is accessible to anyone who simply downloads and uses the app for free (with the minor inconvenience of ads), making it the winner for the pricing category.

A THOUGHT BEFORE THE VERDICT:

Though Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay may seem like small, insignificant components of the overall music-listening experience, these additional features play an important role in a customer’s decision to use one app or the other. In a world where a culture of instant gratification reigns supreme, it is no longer enough for a music streaming service simply to stream music. The gamification and Instagramification of music listening — displaying total listening hours, presenting information in an Instagram story-type format, and providing shareable postcards recapping listening stats — is necessary for music and media services to stay afloat in today ’s market.

FINAL VERDICT:

With our research we conclude that Spotify Wrapped is, for now, the better way to capture the best musical moments of your year. That being said, if you really value aesthetics as well as statistical content over shareability or pricing, Apple Music Replay may be the winner for you.

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VOL . 3, NO. 4

CHRISTMAS COLUMNS

COOKIES N’ CHRISTMAS

By Katherine He and Josh Peter

As Christmas starts rolling in, we all start cozying into the holiday mood. Christmas lights are hung, trees are placed, and festive foods such as cookies and other baked goods are prepared. Cookies are a well-received snack for all demographics, with a motley of cookies for everyone to suit different preferences and dietary restrictions. Although cookies can be eaten any time of year, they are quite popular during the holiday season due to the age-old tradition of leaving out cookies for Santa, and of course, the warm and tasty flavors they bring. ‘ Tis the season to be jolly and indulge in the sweet symphony of holiday flavors! As the winter breeze brings a festive chill, there’s nothing quite like the warm embrace of freshly baked cookies to spread the holiday joy. Picture this: the rich decadence of brownies meets the irresistible charm of cookies, sprinkled with the Christmas magic of peppermint and candy canes. What do you get? The absolute showstopper of holiday baking – Peppermint Brookies! It’s the utter culmination of holiday cheer. Now, here’s a word of warning: this recipe yields around 14 cookies. Yes, you read that right — a mere 14. So, if you’re planning to share these delights with family and friends (which is highly recommended for brownie points, or else they will be forcefully looted), you might want to consider whipping up a couple of batches. Trust us, once you start, no one will be able to resist from grabbing more. Peppermint Brookies are not just cookies; they are an experience, a celebration of all things festive. ‘ Tis the season to indulge, after all!

PEPPERMINT BROOKIES

Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional, but makes it so much better!) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals (optional, for richer chocolate flavor) 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes ½ - 1 cup white chocolate (optional, for melting and drizzling) Instructions: Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix until the sugars have set about dissolving and the mixture is fluffy. This may take a while, so a stand mixer is recommended.

a denser texture. Add a touch of crushed peppermint candy to the center of each cookie, then place them back in the oven for an extra 2 minutes. Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Optional Drizzle: For a festive touch, you can melt some white chocolate and drizzle it over the cooled cookies. Sprinkle leftover crushed peppermint candies on top.

COOKIE RUN: KINGDOM

Besides the conventional cookie recipes, another cookie-themed piece of content — Cookie Run: Kingdom — also deserves a shout-out during this holiday season. Cookie Run: Kingdom is a widely popular PC & mobile game centered around its unique theme and gacha system, which is a virtual lottery system that offers characters or in-game materials as prizes. Cookie Run: Kingdom rose to popularity amidst quarantine in mid2021, just months after its worldwide release in January 2021. What allured players were the adorable designs of the cookies featured in the game. One prime example is “Pure Vanilla Cookie,” a beloved playable character, or “cookie,” renowned for his healing abilities. . However, that’s beside the point. The reason

this game deserves a feature during this frosty time is due to its amazing update for the holiday season. As someone who has been playing Cookie Run: Kingdom for almost 2 years, I can confirm that the game consistently delivers great updates, but what makes this seasonal update special is its attention to the little things, that, for us players, unconsciously improves our holiday spirit while gaming. Some major updates include the usual: a new character released, new character skins, etc. However, what I truly enjoy in this update is the addition of all the new holiday music. I especially enjoy opening certain pages in the game and hearing the jolly tunes of Christmas spirit while admiring the stunning seasonal decorations added to the game. Apart from the music, this update also shows the developers’ commitments to their players. DEVSISTERS, the minds behind the game, showed their true dedication to the community by implementing lots of fan-favored changes into the game. What mattered most about this act of dedication for me was that it made me realize what a great community this game had. To have such a close relationship between the developers and the players is not easy, and this thoughtfulness fostered a sense of meaning in the game for everyone. . Cookie Run: Kingdom is a game that does a fantastic job of delivering the festive spirit of Christmas and the spirit of gift-giving, making it a fitting topic for the holiday season.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and instant coffee crystals (if using). Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies. Scoop and Bake: Drop approximately ¼ cup portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each cookie. You can also use a cookie scoop for uniform size. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove the sheets from the oven and drop them once on the counter to achieve a rugged and cracked surface along with

THE SORCERY OF SANTA: A CHRISTMAS CASE STUDY

MERRY CRISIS: A DIVE INTO THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS

Through our secret monitors, we watched a vivid night in the North Pole, the snowfall creating a picturesque scene while the elves toiled the night away. Inside a cozy building, Santa Claus sat on an antique chair, and a robust woman carrying cookies approached him.Suddenly, our secret spy cameras went black. Why did Santa do this happen? We must analyze through other discrete sources and expose Santa’s sorcery to the world.

“Huh, what’s the War on Christmas? Is that an actual war?” is a thought I’m sure many readers are thinking as they scan the title of this article. To sum it up in a simple sentence, the concept of the “War on Christmas” suggests an ongoing cultural clash in which traditional Christian holiday celebrations are competing with secular, pluralistic ideals—-the belief that in a society, people with different beliefs should be able to coexist peacefully, with the government remaining neutral on all religious matters. The history regarding the idea of the “War on Christmas” runs all the way back to the 1600s, when the Puritans prohibited holiday celebrations due to their belief that it did not align with their interpretation of the Bible. For 400 years, the concept of “forbidden holidays” remained relatively unappealing to the Puritan majority. Then, in 2005, Fox News thrust the concept into the national spotlight by promoting a book by radio host John Gibson that claimed liberals were hostile towards Christmas. Later, “Mr. Gibson said in an interview that he was ‘amazed’ by the uproar his book caused. He said it primarily focused on an issue that rarely happens anymore: educators and local officials banning nonreligious symbols like Santa Claus or Christmas trees out of a mistaken belief that displaying them violated the Constitution” (New York Times). Gibson attributed part of the uproar to the Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, stating that Bill’s continuous revisitation of the concept of the “War on Christmas” was what caused this concept to go mainstream. In 2012, O’Reilly informed his viewers that liberals were connecting Christmas with secular progressive politics to accomplish their aim of a new America,

By Abheek Batra

SO, WHY WOULD SANTA ENGAGE IN SUCH SECRECY? Santa’s mythical identity goes hand in hand with secrecy. His activities must remain unknown to the rest of the population. Furthermore, his covert activities are sometimes quite explicit, and Santa would be publicly humiliated if his affairs were known to the world (details of which you will discover later in this in-depth investigation).

WHAT EXACTLY IS SANTA UP TO?

Through our spy operation, we were able to collect footage using our state-of-the-art camera system. What seems to be magical — going down the chimneys of every single person’s house in one night — isn’t really magic at all. It’s simple science. The toys that the elves build

are actually molecular transporters in disguise, allowing Santa to duplicate and teleport himself from home to home. Furthermore, the elves are actually just AI-powered robots that generate new disguisal methods. Next, we will answer the question regarding Santa’s reindeer: what purpose do they serve? All the reindeer actually do is scan the world using a grid-based system, far faster and more efficient than any map service we humans use. The grid-based system allows Santa to use his toys/teleporters accurately. You might wonder why Santa takes milk from your house. The omnipotent, scientifically advanced Santa can’t combat climate change alone, but he can use renewable energy sources like milk to power everything instead of harmful fossil fuels. Furthermore, he uses the beloved cookies to track what each person wants. All his electronic cookies are on, whether you want them to be or not. But the main question here regarding his secrecy still needs to be answered.Why would he keep his identity as a noble gift-giver a secret? It might even boost Santa’s popularity if his identity as a scientific genius was discovered. The fact of the matter is that Santa, who was incorporated into mythology, would ruin his entire identity if it was found out that he was an environmentalist. All his traditions would be compromised and people would stop worshiping him. Santa, despite all his secrets, is a great person at heart, and aims to do what is needed at every moment for our planet.

By Julee Jiang

where traditional Christmas holds no place. Building on O’Reilly’s argument, Dan Cassino, a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, claimed that this argument became a gateway for conservatives to express their concerns. The culmination of all these ideas into the “War on Christmas” has elevated simple holiday decorations and greetings into politically divisive political statements. Those who still perceive Christmas as under attack today claim that phrases such as “Happy Holidays” are liberal insults to Christianity. However, despite all the protests that the “War on Christmas” exists, there is no evidence supporting the existence of an organized attack on Christmas in the United States. Rev. Barry W. Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and States, regards the yearly commotion as a mix of partially true and completely false stories. He believes that the issue is politically exaggerated, emphasizing that America’s diverse reality is what leads to avoidance of exclusive Christmas references. Although the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is frequently blamed by those who consider Christmas to be under attack, recent ACLU actions dedicated to preserving Christmas-related activities illustrate that Christmas celebrations thrive and remain constitutional, as long as the government does not promote religious doctrine. “It should be noted that Jews, Muslims and others who do not celebrate Christmas often say they are not offended by a hearty ‘Merry Christmas.’” Even amidst all the debates, perhaps we can all come to a shared understanding that holiday greetings, no matter the phrasing, serve as a gesture of warmth and inclusivity.

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DECEMBER 15, 2023

A REFLECTION ON THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN CONFLICT

By Krish Mangrolia

It has been almost ten years since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which originally began on February 20, 2014. Since that date, the entire globe has faced the repercussions of a war between two of the world’s leading resource distributors. The war, especially its recent episode beginning in February 2022, has represented the highly volatile state of geopolitics and the unexpected danger that can result from it. Revealing the origin of the conflict can help in determining the true end goal of the war while discussing the extent and cost of victory. The Russo-Ukrainian War originated during a period of turmoil for Ukraine. President Victor Yanukovych (at the time) didn’t sign an initiation step for entering the EU; subsequently, protests occurred on the streets of Kyiv. Following this event, a new government was installed by the Ukrainian parliament. Russia took this opportunity to annex the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. After that sequence, fighting intermittently occurred in the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. However, the fighting was not between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Instead, separatists (those who wanted Crimea to separate from Ukraine and join Russia) backed by Russians were fighting against Ukrainian forces. Fighting continued even after the signing of the Minsk Agreements in 2014/2015, which called for the withdrawal of all forces in those provinces. Towards the end of 2021, the United States reported unusual movement of Russian troops. Early in 2022, Russian troops arrived in Belarus under the pretense of “military exercises.” American President Joe Biden warned Putin about possible economic sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine. Just before the 2022 invasion, fighting escalated in Donetsk and Luhansk, and Putin announced Russian recognition of the regions. Suddenly, the next chapter of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict began. Putin announced a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine. Minutes later, Ukraine reported explosions in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and Donbas. This day and event marked the beginning of the

Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Russia took on a three-pronged attack, invading via Belarus from the north, via Donetsk from the center, and via Crimea from the south. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy broke off relations with Russia and proclaimed martial law. In the early months of the war, Russia often aimed at civilians via missiles; their actions in general were condemned across the world. After months of Russian progress in their initiative, Ukrainian forces began pushing Russian troops back on September 11, 2022. They pushed Russia’s front line back around a thousand square miles, reclaiming nearly all of the originally-Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. In response, Putin called for the mobilization of 300,000 more troops via conscription, another highly controversial decision. On October 5 of that same year, Putin signed papers to annex four Ukrainian regions, while the U.S. , Europe, and many others enacted sanctions on Russia. As fighting continues into the end of 2023, Ukraine’s allies have become increasingly supportive of the country. A majority of Ukraine’s military successes as of late can be chalked up to the invaluable aid provided by nations across the globe. Almost the entire world (except for Russia’s allies) has donated aid to Ukraine, and not just military aid. The humanitarian aid provided to Ukrainian citizens has been crucial to those affected by the conflict, who must face the fear of danger regularly. Additionally, the refugee aid donated to those displaced by the conflict has helped them begin new lives. As of December 3, 2023, it’s all but certain that the war will continue into 2024. Russia has taken a stubborn position with regard to peace talks; it’s clear the nation isn’t prioritizing peace as a solution to end the war. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s civilians continue to be bombarded and placed in harm’s way. The global community has collectively experienced the ramifications of the conflict, especially since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Despite no signs of slowing down, the Russo-Ukrainian War must cease as soon as possible to prevent the suffering of millions more in the world.

PERSONAL PROJECT: MY COOKBOOK

particularly from France and Italy. I started by learning how to cook dry pasta with sauces, such as tomato-basil, mushroom, ragus, and dishes with emulsions like cacio e pepe. Over time, I learned how to make fresh pasta and other Italian dishes such as eggplant parmigiana. However, I was dying to learn how to cook French cuisine because of its known symphony of flavors, texture, and butter! I had the opportunity to play a bit more with it than with Italian cuisine. I started learning French patisserie, making my own puff pastry, tarts, and cakes. Over time, however, I learned how to cook savory French applications such as cold starters, warm starters, mouth-watering meats, fantastic fish, shellfish, vegetables, sides, and sauces. Around the holidays, I always cook a classi-

By Ayush Swarnakar

Two years ago, I had no idea what coq au vin, flan, or tartine was. The only dishes I knew how to cook were grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, desserts, and pastries. Although patisserie is still my favorite to cook, my skills in the kitchen have progressed since then. I have grown up eating Indian food, but it always had a taste of leftover, pre-made food. I could never taste the love in it. I realized if I wanted to learn about cooking and be reasonably good at it, I needed to turn over a new leaf. I decided to try European cuisine,

WHAT’S NEXT FOR NEWPARK? COSTCO’S NEWEST LOCATION

By Pooja K . and Sachit P.

On November 18, 2023, warehouse retailer Costco opened its newest location in Newark, following years of planning and construction. Located on the southwestern side of NewPark Mall on the former locations of Burlington and JCPenney, the 152,000 square foot warehouse contains everything you’d expect from a Costco—a pharmacy, food court, tire center, and noticeably low prices. This location also boasts an optometry center as well as 32 gas pumps. Those who regularly visit the Fremont Costco will have little to no trouble navigating the NewPark Mall location, both having very similar layouts. A main factor that led to the selection of this location was the incredibly congested Fremont Costco located just a few miles southeast in the Pacific Commons area, which has suffered from long gas lines and a lack of parking space since its establishment. In 2021, Brookfield Properties, the owners of the NewPark mall and its surroundings, partnered with Costco in its NewPark revitalization plan, which included a Costco warehouse being built in its current location. Not long after, the Newark City Council unanimously approved the plan, citing a need for economic redevelopment of the once-bustling mall. For the next two years, seemingly nonstop construction consisted of tearing down of the old Burlington and JCPenney, releveling the building foundations, creating new parking spaces, and building the 32-pump gas station. The initial opening date of October 26 was postponed due to some delays in construction and was moved to November 18. The Newark location is part of the aforementioned NewPark Reimagined project, which will see the complete redevelopment of the area while retaining some parts of the original mall. The construction of the new Costco is the first step in this plan and serves as the first method to increase foot traffic in the area as well as increase tax revenue for Newark. Now that this Costco is complete, construction will soon begin “Phase A” of the project, which involves the building of new affordable apartments and housing units. Why did the Newark City Council approve for a new Costco to be built? According to the public Newark City Master Plans, the city and Brookfield properties, owner of NewPark mall, plan to “reinvent” NewPark Mall and its surroundings. This area includes the mall, Sun-

day Farmers Markets, and a picturesque entertainment area called The Grove. Previously, NewPark mall was generating very little foot traffic and little general commerce as popular brands such as JCPenney and Burlington left due to low sales and overall low turnout as an effect of the pandemic. Brookfield Properties hopes to upscale the mall and its surroundings through Costco’s arrival in the area. Since Costco uses a paid membership, its retailer’s customers are primarily middle-class and can afford to spend money. Costco’s middle-class customers allows for the NewPark Mall to reel in an ecosystem of known brands that targets the middle-class, and by extension, the affluent customers Costco attracts. Costco’s arrival in the NewPark area brings forth new opportunities, contributing to more business for local restaurants, shops, and service providers. The city of Newark is also hoping to create a plethora of new jobs with this Costco opening. These new jobs come from workers hired by Costco management, new brands and businesses that plan to open a location within the NewPark mall, and already existing businesses. Newark’s plan to reinvent the NewPark area not only includes upscaling the mall but also involves building new luxurious and affordable apartments and condos in the area. According to the Newark City Master Plans, the city is planning to build 319 dwelling units with an abundance of amenities such as a gym and co-work space. The proposed building will be six stories tall with amenities along Alpenrose Ct. The remaining portion of the building will be five stories with six and a half levels of enclosed parking for residents. As new jobs are created in the city of Newark from the arrival of the new Costco, the need for affordable housing would increase. So, what will happen to the Fremont Costco location? Nothing! Customers who live closer to that location can still comfortably shop the low prices items available in the Fremont warehouse, as well as enjoy the significantly reduced gas lines and available parking spaces. The opening of the new Costco location is a win-win situation for both Costco as a business and the crippling NewPark area. Costco gets to minimize its extremely busy foot traffic and reap the revenues generated from both Fremont and Newark locations, while the NewPark area gets to put its plan to upscale and fully renovate into action.

cal French menu. Although French cooking is more playful than Italian, there are still rules to follow. These rules cannot be told; one has to learn them by cooking one French dish at a time. What I did not realize until this year, however, is that French food is usually centered around a meat dish. Meanwhile, more and more people in this world are becoming vegetarian. That is why I decided to make a cookbook where I could make French food accessible to vegetarians without them having to substitute ingredients. I am not a vegetarian, but I do have a dietary restriction of my decision — I cannot eat veal! Because of this, I understand the difficulty of finding authentic dishes that one can consume without changing the recipe. This is where my cookbook comes

in: I want to introduce classic French recipes that allow vegetarians to experience elevated French cuisine. I encourage a unique, mezze-style presentation with several different vegetable dishes. It is in British English — but it is worth buying (I give American vocabulary as well). I cannot give any sneak peeks, but I am working hard to finish this book by 2026. I am learning much though my journey, and I am still working to get into an elite status in the culinary world. I can answer valid questions or work with the asker to find the answers about French or Italian cooking for anyone curious. Feel free to ask me any questions about the cookbook’s progress or about French or Italian cooking in general! I will publish another update about my progress in June. Thanks to everyone for reading!

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VOL . 3, NO. 4

SO YOU WANT TO FIRE SAM ALTMAN By Tycho Young On Friday, November 17th, Sam Altman was fired from OpenAI. On Thursday, November 30th, Sam Altman was rehired. As the face of ChatGPT and the company that leads the world into a new era of artificial intelligence, Sam Altman has a major influence in the tech world. His firing had major implications for AI and its future. The fallout was immediate, and leaders, companies, and users across the world were shocked by this sudden decision. However, to understand how and why Sam Altman was fired and reinstated, we have to look into the history of OpenAI.

THE RISE OF SAM ALTMAN AND OPENAI

In the winter of 2015, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others founded the non-profit OpenAI with the express goal of creating safe AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) to advance and serve humanity. OpenAI is the company that created ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot capable of creating text that is nearly indistinguishable from human writing. From writing emails to debugging code, and from describing images to creating them, ChatGPT is an extremely powerful tool. It took the world by storm from the date of its release, taking only five days to reach a user base of five million. According to Sam Altman, ChatGPT has over 100 million users every week. The application is massively popular, so much so that OpenAI has been forced to close sign-ups for its premium subscription, ChatGPT Plus, just to keep up with demand. After Elon Musk left OpenAI in 2018, Sam Altman was forced to figure out where the organization’s funding was

ICEBERG ON THE MOVE By Ailsa Wu

The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, has recently broken away from its decades-long home on the Weddell Sea floor in Antarctica and is currently moving through the Atlantic Ocean. The iceberg has an area of more than 1,500 square miles, which, for comparison, is almost 17 times the size of the entire city of Fremont. A23a was originally part of the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf, a large floating platform of ice on the Antarctica coastline, before it broke away from the ice shelf in 1986 and anchored itself on the nearby Weddell Sea floor, where it remained relatively stationary for the past 37 years. So, why would the iceberg start to move now? As remote sensing expert from the British Antarctica Survey Andrew Fleming told BBC, the iceberg was bound to eventually “decrease [in size] sufficiently to lose grip and start moving.” It’s important to note that scientists had first spotted movement in 2020 when the iceberg initially freed itself from the sea floor and started pivoting due to ocean currents and winds. The same factors are suspected to have caused the iceberg to pick up speed in recent months, though scientists can’t be exactly sure. However, they can predict where A23a is headed:

going to come from, as Musk had previously provided the majority of donations. To solve this problem, Sam Altman created and became the CEO of a for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit OpenAI. This for-profit gave investors a reason to invest, and Altman immediately raised one billion dollars from Microsoft. This structure deals with the fundamental dilemma of artificial intelligence and its progression. The structure of OpenAI is intended to allow the for-profit subsidiary to make money to develop AI. However, it is controlled by the non-profit, whose goal is to limit and ensure the safe development of AI. The board of the non-profit has a legal duty to fulfill the goal of the non-profit and cannot be influenced by any investors. Even Microsoft, which invested over 20 billion dollars in OpenAI, has no say in the board’s choices. These precautions are put in place because artificial intelligence is not like any other technology we’ve seen before. Many top AI researchers often share a fundamental fear of reaching a point in AI referred to as “AGI”, which OpenAI describes as AI that can outperform humans in most economically valuable tasks. Without proper precautions, AI more intelligent than humanity could pose an imminent danger to our society by displacing millions in the workforce. Sam Altman has always been on both sides of this debate, and though he focuses on the advancement of AI, Altman still acknowledges the dangers that advancement poses. As ChatGPT spread across the globe, so did Sam Altman. Sam Altman was the face of OpenAI, but more importantly, the face of ChatGPT, a novel technology that people had never seen before. Altman traveled the globe, making his way to AI safety talks in Australia, appearing before Congress, and more. Altman was on top of the world.

THE OUSTING

THE FALLOUT

Regardless of the board’s reasoning, the response was clear. Greg Brockman, the chairman of the OpenAI board at the time, was removed from the board and quit his position at OpenAI shortly after. The day after his dismissal, Sam Altman was back inside OpenAI, talking to people to try to get his job back. On Monday, November 20th, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, announced on X that Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and other top AI researchers would be leading a new AI research subsidiary of Microsoft. Shortly after, OpenAI employees drafted a letter to the OpenAI board expressing the incompetencies of the board and the frustration OpenAI employees felt. In this letter, they revealed that Microsoft offered all OpenAI employees a job. The letter stated, “Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI. We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees. We … may choose to resign from OpenAI and join the newly announced Microsoft subsidiary. . . Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees at this new subsidiary. . . We will take this step imminently, unless all current board members resign … and [reinstate] Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.” [image | Sam Altman holding a guest badge in OpenAI after he was fired]. Simultaneously, OpenAI employees spread messages on X in a coordinated effort, retweeting the “❤️” emoji and phrases like “OpenAI is nothing without its people.” The board stood firm by their decision, but it soon became abundantly clear that it wasn’t just close friends of Altman that shared this sentiment. Within 72 hours, the signings grew past 500. Within days, the figure grew to 723 out of the 770 OpenAI employees threatening to leave OpenAI and follow Sam Altman.

The board of OpenAI was now under immense pressure from investors, employees, and the public eye to reinstate Sam Altman. In an astounding turn of events, Ilya Sutskever, the one who cast the deciding vote to remove Altman, signed the letter. He betrayed Altman and then betrayed the board’s decision as soon as he saw the repercussions. He announced on X, “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.”

THE REHIRING

Eventually, the board cracked. On Tuesday, November 21st, OpenAI announced that they have agreed to reinstate Sam Altman as CEO, with others returning and the board resigning. Once again, Sam Altman was on top of the world. He had somehow managed to create a company culture that was so loyal to him that over 93% of employees agreed to quit their jobs, leave OpenAI, and follow him. Sam Altman has since been reinstated at OpenAI, and Adam D’Angelo is the only remaining member who was part of the board that fired Altman. Two new members are joining the OpenAI Board, including Larry Summers, former US secretary of the treasury, and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor. Microsoft, which owns a 49% stake in the company, will hold a non-voting spectator board position. Sam Altman has since been named “CEO of the Year 2023” by TIME. With a new board, the establishment of his permanence as CEO of OpenAI, and over 700 loyal employees, Sam Altman holds the power of OpenAI, and eventually AGI, in his palm. What does Sam Altman intend to do with this power? We have no idea. [image | Sam Altman entering the stage with Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft as they announce his return to OpenAI and the new board].

On Friday, November 17th, Sam Altman was fired from OpenAI by the non-profit board, and Mira Murati, previously the Chief Technical Officer (CTO), assumed the role of interim CEO. Major investors like Microsoft only received information a few minutes before the statement went public, and nobody knew why he was fired. The board wrote, “. . .he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.” This reason was strangely vague, and the sudden firing of Altman sparked wild speculations on various social media platforms, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). Many users speculated that Altman was lying by omission, or that OpenAI had “discovered AGI,” and this was a last-ditch effort by the board to retake control of the company and focus on alignment and safety. But nobody, not even Microsoft, knew why the board had done what they had done. down a path known as “iceberg alley” on the eastern coast of Newfoundland. Satellite images currently show the iceberg rounding the Antarctic Peninsula, and at its current pace of 5 miles a day, it is expected to soon reach iceberg alley via the Antarctic Circumpolar Current which flows clockwise around Antarctica. From there, A23a may ground itself once again near the island of South Georgia, where waters are shallower. A23a is expected to profoundly impact its new environment, both negatively and positively. Large icebergs like A23a tend to scrape the sea floor in shallow waters, causing seabed gouging, where the keel (vertical structure) of the iceberg makes contact with the seabed. Contact between A23a and the sea floor is expected to happen near South Georgia due to the iceberg’s 400-meter thickness, which will most likely crush whole ecosystems that inhabit the sea floor. As senior research scientist Ted Scambos told NPR, “ That’s it for the ecosystem that lives in that part of the ocean.” The iceberg may further disrupt wildlife in South Georgia by blocking normal foraging routes of animals such as seals and penguins that reside on the island. However, this iceberg isn’t all bad news. As it inevitably melts, A23a will start to release nutrient-rich mineral dust accumulated from Antarctica into the nutrient-poor waters of the Southern Ocean, where it is expected to be grounded. In addition to the positive impacts that A23a’s mineral dust will

have on the South Georgia ecosystem, this feature of the iceberg makes it a subject of interest for scientists looking to investigate the effects of “temperature, changes to salinity, released nutrients, etc.” of traveling icebergs, according to scientist Em Newton from the British Antarctic Survey. In regards to the implications of A23a’s movement on climate change, the iceberg comes from a part of Antarctica that is relatively stable in temperature, and its calving from the ice shelf was a natu-

ral part of an ice sheet’s life cycle. However, the same can’t be said about other parts of Antarctica and the Arctic North Pole, where rising sea levels and ice loss are occurring at alarming rates, contributing to the lowest levels of sea ice since 1979 recorded in 2023. As a whole, Antarctica and the Arctic are warming at concerningly higher rates than the rest of the world, underscoring the need for global attention and action to be directed towards preventing global warming at both of our poles.

8

THE NAGORNOKARABAKH CONFLICT By Shubh Bachkethi

January 1st signals the start of a new year and is widely known as a time for new beginnings. However, this year signals the end of independence for a group of people living in the Republic of Artsakh, also known as the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh—a region that was never recognized as independent during its brief period of independence and was internationally recognized as part of the country of Azerbaijan. Since the beginning of the Soviet era, the South Caucasus region has been a source of the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

DECEMBER 15, 2023 In the 1920s, Stalin turned Nagorno-Karabakh into an autonomous region, making it an administrative unit of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Despite its predominantly Christian population, compared to Azerbaijan’s predominantly Muslim population, the region didn’t face many issues until the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. Close to the end of the Soviet collapse, Nagorno-Karabakh voted to unify with Armenia, but Azerbaijan refused to accept Nagorno-Karabakh’s decision. After the Soviet Union dissolved and Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence, war occurred. These conflicts resulted in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988-1994), with Armenia and the newly formed Republic of Artsakh on one side and Azerbaijan on the other side, resulting in around 30,000 casualties. The war resulted in an Ar-

MASTERCLASS REVIEW: JOHN DOUGLAS’ “HOW TO THINK LIKE AN FBI PROFILER”

By Anjali Prabhu

The course opens with a story of John Douglas, a retired FBI profiler renowned for handling thousands of criminal cases, catching gamblers on one Super Bowl night. He describes a conversation with one of the arrested men, through which he realizes that if criminal behavior is repeated, it may also be predictable. Douglas took this experience and spearheaded the creation of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI, which provides behavioral investigative support to solving crime—for instance, through the development of criminal profiles. Post-retirement, Douglas’ best-selling book Mindhunter became adapted into the hit Netflix show of the same name. Through this course, Douglas gives us insight into his detective process as he recounts his experiences navigating some of the most challenging, violent, and high-profile cases. As he explores the balance of understanding whether criminals are born or made, he enlightens us on the foundations of the investigation process and gives us ways to apply them to our daily lives. Each lesson begins with a case study, delving into his experience catching a notorious serial killer. In some cases, tapes from his interviews with the killers are played. Through these case studies, Douglas describes some of the stressors and events that have caused many to become serial offenders—the loss of a job, marital problems, childhood trauma, displaced anger, and a twisted desire for manipulation, domination, and control of others. In his experiences catching killers and dissecting their behavior, Douglas shows us a myriad of indicators for criminal tendencies that have inextricably been linked to abuse, humiliation, and neglect at an early age. In fact, Douglas describes how for many of these men, their strained relationships with their mothers played a deep role in how they perceived women growing up. When investigating cults and cult leaders, Douglas found that people in a fragile mental state or those who crave community and affection were more likely to succumb to such influence. In the investigation process itself, Douglas will often show us the “pro-

file” he made of the killer—a list of qualities he believed the killer would possess after studying all the details of the crime, especially the method and manner of killing. He stressed how it was important for him to not let theories drive an investigation, as well as the need to take calculated risks in creating a profile, even when some listed qualities—such as race—may have appeared controversial. Douglas also gives us a glimpse into understanding “ victimology ”—who was the victim, and why were they the victim? Were they a victim of opportunity—simply at the wrong place and at the wrong time—or was the murder personal? To help determine the “ victimology,” Douglas describes needing to feel the “terror and agony ” of what the victim was going through, to understand what their final moments would have looked like and what the killer’s motive might have been—a process, he says, was extremely difficult for him, emotionally and psychologically. Most intriguing perhaps is Douglas’ recollection of conducting interviews with these criminals. He mentions having to be an actor in these situations, carefully controlling his body language when questioning, and especially when hearing upsetting details.

menian victory and a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the expulsion of about 686,000 Azerbaijani people from Nagorno-Karabakh. While there were the occasional clashes on the Line of Contact between Armenia and Azerbaijani troops, there was a period of peace until 2020, which is when the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began. This time, though, Azerbaijan secured the victory. In the ceasefire agreement, Armenia ceded several territories around Nagorno-Karabakh and even inside Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2022, a blockade cut off Artsakh from the outside world and resulted in shortages of necessities such as electricity and water. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was so strong that merely one day after the offensive began, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Artsakh. The terms stated that the present Armenian armed forces had to leave the area, the Artsakh De-

fence Army (Artsakh’s military) would be disbanded, and the Republic of Artsakh itself would be dissolved by January 1, 2024. Despite being offered Azerbaijani citizenship and thus the opportunity to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh, most residents of Artsakh—more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians—have fled to Armenia due to fear of mistreatment by the Azerbaijani government and as a result, are facing difficulties as they rebuild their lives in Armenia. The events in Nagorno-Karabakh have been compared to as a second Armenian genocide, due to thousands of Armenians having died as a result of the fighting and those who survived facing struggles to start new lives in Armenia. After more than thirty years of striving for freedom and international recognition, a country that fiercely fought for its existence is now no more. My heart goes out to former Artsakhi citizens as they start new lives in Armenia and overcome the obstacles on their path.

He reestablishes the danger of these investigations as he describes the intense nervousness he felt before one of the interviews, knowing he would be alone in the prison cell with the criminal with no protection. However, he says the interviews were instrumental for him to understand what created their criminal side—for instance, when interviewing Charles Manson, a notorious cult leader, Manson insisted on sitting on a high chair, so that the investigators would be looking up at him as he was interviewed. This move, Douglas describes, was a deliberate attempt for Manson to feel in control of the situation, in power, despite being a relatively small person. Douglas would sometimes bring an object from the crime scene to see the killer’s reaction to it as he entered the interrogation room. This strategy, he says, was a way to put the offender back at the location and time of the crime and a way to prove to them that investigators already knew they were responsible. Finally, each lesson ends with an “assignment”—what really is a space for personal reflection. Douglas gives us tips and tools for identifying dangerous traits and dealing with them in people. In addition, he asks us to do an inventory of ourselves—from reflecting on how our behavior represents our personality to understanding our weaknesses and how we might be

susceptible to manipulation. He also warns us to be careful of sharing information online with the rise of “internet killers” and to trust our intuition, as it is usually right. It’s not all about the crimes though. The lessons are laced with humorous and serious anecdotes from Douglas’ life. In one case, he shares how he and his wife would always be skeptical about who their daughter dated. His wife would offer soda to the guys that would come over, as she could later extract latent fingerprints from them, which could help quell doubts Douglas had about whether any of them had criminal activity. However, as a reminder of the strenuous, demanding nature of the job, Douglas shares how he fell into a coma for three days after an exhausting search for resources to help him solve his latest case. He became paralyzed, and it took months for him to recover and return to work. He brings this conversation up to discuss how the world of profiling is glorified on television, but in reality, it is full of working full days, a plethora of cases at once, with a need to be back in the office every morning. However, these experiences helped him become a better leader, as Douglas describes how he would encourage his employees (and how he encourages us) to seek balance, asking us to prioritize family, friends, and faith alongside professional pursuits.

STAFF MEMBERS: Editors-in-Chief: Christopher Chen, Julee Jiang and Olivia Ma Editors: Esha Bansiya, Vera Lin, Alicia Peng, Anjali Prabhu, and Alan Xiao Staff Writers: Aarna Kamath, Abheek Batra, Ailsa Wu, Angela Cao, Ayush Swarnakar, Emma Ma, Josh Peter, Katherine He, Kevin Weng, Krish Mangrolia, Pooja Kanthala, Pranesh Saran, Sachit Parekh, Sarah Wu, Selena Peng, Sheil Mody, Shirley Fan, Shreya Sadhwani, Shubh Bachkethi, Thanisha Thambidurai, Tycho Young, Vera Lin, Vincent Yang, Zuoyi Nick Lin Graphic Design: Ada Costiniano, Christopher Chen Thank you for reading the fourth issue of the third volume of The Yellow Pages! We hope you enjoyed reading the issue as much as we enjoyed the process of creating it! If you have any comments, suggestions, questions, or notice any mistakes in our newspaper, please contact bifyellowpages@gmail.com. We will include corrections for our errors and typos in the following issue.