1
The
Brewster Browser
November 16, 2021 Wolfeboro, NH
Brewster Seniors Apply to College! by Julia Golden ’22
which combines many aspects of a good college life. As important as a good feeling and a good academic environment is, having your extracurricular activities supported is important as well. One student decided to only apply to one school. They explained, “I committed for basketball and am interested in the Prehealth program. It offers rigorous academics, that is close to home and a small student to professor ratio.” This is the next step for seniors in their future. A college is a place where you should be happy and learn many important things that can help you prepare for a successful future. As stressful as it seems right now, many seniors have applied, and many juniors are thinking about college. It’s important to remember that college should be a place that you feel is the right fit for you. Luckily we have three great professionals by our side to help with this stressful process. If you are a senior who has applied to college, don’t forget to stop by the college office to add your name to the “I applied” wall.
Aimee Jin ’22 dresses up for her vocal performance of the year.
Brewster Arts Stage “Coffee House” Tradition
John Northrop ’24 collects some laughs during a comedy skit. by Elisha-Grace King ’23
A campus-favorite event returned to Brewster at Anderson Hall on an early October weekend night. Excited groups of students bustled in the theatre awaiting the opening of this year’s first Coffee House. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, a full house crowd was able to enjoy the talents of their peers as they performed songs, comedy, and dance. For those still unsure, a Coffee House is essentially an open-mic night for any Brewster community member to perform a style of art. Usually, the lineup is packed with singers, instrumentalists, and dancers. However, anyone with something to perform is welcome! Some of the most memorable moments of Coffee Houses come from acts you wouldn’t expect to see. When students shock the crowd with roof-blasting vocals or niche hidden talents, they are supported by thunderous cheers from their friends. Coffee Houses are by far one the best places to experience the close-knit energy of the Brewster community. When and how did Coffee Houses start? “Long before my time!” said Arts Department director Guinevere Hilton. “Mr. Campbell (Brewster ’s music director) thinks it was the mid-90s. It was an opportunity for a more casual performance time. They were only a few
a year, and have grown in enthusiasm and popularity since then.” Ms. Hilton recounts magic shows and poetry readings to be among her favorite Coffee House highlights. Over the past decade or so, the Coffee House has been held in the old black box theatre in the basement of Rogers. Last year, during the COVID pandemic and an unusual school year in which most all school gatherings were not held, the Coffee House remained a tradition, and was held in the fall and the spring outside, on the front steps of the Academic Building. In the planning of this year’s first Coffee House, Ms. Hilton was concerned that the Anderson Hall setting wouldn’t feel as intimate as holding the concert in the Blackbox Theatre. However, she was more than pleased with how the concert, despite being in a new environment had the “same vibe and enthusiasm”. This can be attested to the Brewster community’s love of Coffee Houses, no matter where they take place. If students would like a chance to display their artistic talents as former performers such as singer-songwriter Gregory Douglass and emerging artist Tai Verdes (known for his songs “A-O-K” and “Stuck in the Middle”), they can sign up for the next Coffee House which will take place as this cont. on pg. 3
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For most Seniors here at Brewster, this is one of the most stressful times of the year. Trying to keep their grades up, and meeting all the deadlines for college is hard work. As many seniors have applied to early decisions or early action, they are now playing the waiting game which can be stressful. All they can do now is sit back, wait, and keep maintaining a hard work ethic while hoping for the best. In a recent survey sent out to Brewster seniors, they were asked to report what their top choices for colleges they hope to attend were and the reasons for liking that college. With a variety of different options throughout the country, many people are confident they found the right college for them that will both challenge them and set them up for success. With college names like the University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Princeton, Boston University, John Hopkins, and many more, many students are very excited to hear back regarding acceptances. One Brewster student explained how one of their top choices makes them feel “welcomed and happy,” which is an important quality when searching for a college. In addition to how a college makes you feel, you also want to make sure that the academics are challenging. Another student explained that John Hopkins “is a perfect fit for me in terms of rigor, diversity, and location,”
Volume 44 Issue 2
2 Page 2
News Analysis
November 16, 2021
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell dies of COVID by John Northrop ’24
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As Secretary of State, Four Star General, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell’s career was an impressive one. And like any career, it had its ups and downs, brilliant successes and utter failures. His time spent in the military should be viewed from many angles. Powell, who was 84, recently passed due to complications from Covid-19. In this piece, I will cover his career in military matters, and I will attempt to convey my opinions as thoroughly as possible. His influence on modern American politics is broad. Colin Powell was born in Brooklyn, NY in the year 1937. While in college, he joined the Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC), a college-based training program for educating commissioned officers in the United States Armed Forces. He would graduate with the rank of Army second lieutenant. Eventually he would take a tour in Vietnam as a South Vietnamese Army Advisor, during which he was wounded by a punji stake (or a “booby trap”). While in Vietnam he was charged with investigating the Mỹ Lai massacre, an American war crime that saw hundreds of civilians killed via draconian methods, along with gang rapes and torture. Said investigation was less than thorough, and assisted in whitewashing U.S. war crimes. Powell would continue his military career, eventually rising to the rank of four-star general. He would serve as the 12th Joint Chief of Staff, and see the country through multiple crises, including the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War. During this time period, he developed what is known as the Powell Doctrine of warfare. This doctrine was heavily influenced by his realist attitude and his general attitude towards securing American interests.
Eventually, he was selected as the first African American to perform the role of Secretary of State. During his time holding this office he gave a speech to the UN Security Council, famously putting forward evidence of Iraqi weapons programs, prompting the 2003 invasion. So, let us analyze his military accomplishments. Foremost is the Powell Doctrine, as coined by journalists. The doctrine puts forward eight questions that must be answered before war is declared. 1. Is national security threatened? 2. Is there a clear attainable goal? 3. Have risks and costs been properly analyzed? 4. Have non-violent options been exhausted? 5. Is there a plausible exit strategy? 6. Have all consequences been properly considered? 7. Does the action have public support? 8. And is there International Support? This approach to warfare involved playing off America’s strengths, such as overwhelming force and numbers, and avoiding Vietnamstyle conflicts, making wars fought quick and decisive. The Powell Doctrine was orchestrated in Operation Desert Storm, where the United States and an International Coalition ousted Iraq from Kuwait. The operation was an overwhelming American success, with popular support from the international community. Meanwhile the Invasion of Panama, despite being a success, and though carried out under Powell, it failed to meet his standards. Many countries considered the invasion a breach of international law, with the UN General Assembly voting 75-20 to condemn US intervention. One shadow lingered over Powell since 2003 when he gave testimony to the UN Security Council, explaining
Adele's New Album Release cont. from pg. 8
release with approximately 40.1 million views, beating the 2015 music video for “Hello” to 27.7 million views in its first 24 hours. “Easy On Me” is Adele’s fifth song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the first being “Rolling in the Deep” (2011) at 7 weeks, followed by “Someone Like You” (2011) at 5 weeks, “Set Fire To The Rain” (2012) at 2 weeks and “Hello” (2015) at 10 weeks long. Her other two songs that were in the Top 10 on the charts are Skyfall and Send My Love (To Your New Lover) which both rose to the top at 8th place. Another story that will excite Adele’s fans around the world was that she told the UK’s Hits Radio Breakfast Show in an interview that she’s interested in returning to the world tour with the album 30 or having a long-
term show in Las Vegas.he said this time will not be as long as the previous tour, ‘Adele Live 2016’, where she played over 120 shows around the world because now the regulations of each country regarding the concerts are all different because of the Covid situation. By the way, it was gratifying for Adele to say that she would definitely return to playing live concerts, and made many people feel relieved because at the end of the last tour, she said that she might not tour again in her life because she felt uncomfortable with the travel schedule and felt that it was not suitable for her. On November 19th, Adele’s album, which fans around the world have been waiting for 6 years, will be released. We’ll have to wait and see how this album breaks her previous records, and how much the songs will catch the ears of fans around the world.
In 1991, Gen. Colin Powell was awarded the National Medal of Freedon by former President George H.W. Bush. Here, former First Lady Barbara Bush pins the medal on Powell.
that American intelligence had gathered evidence that Saddam Hussein’s government was harbouring chemical weapons. This was the justification for an intervention to remove Hussein from power and confiscate said weapons. But it turned out the information supplied by American intelligence was false, and Powell had stood in front of the Security Council to form an International Coalition on false information. This led to a grueling war in Iraq that ended in 2011 after over 100,000 civilian deaths. In later years, Powell made it clear that this was a mistake, and displayed regret for helping to legitimize the conflict. It should be made clear, though, that he followed through and carried out his duty despite being skeptical of the information provided. He said himself in an interview with CNN, “..and when the president made the decision, I supported that decision. And I’ve never blinked from that. I’ve never said I didn’t support a decision to go to war.” The Powell doctrine plays off America’s strengths and relies on public support. Yet these kinds of wars are rarely fought in post-Cold War periods, and tend to end up being all or nothing scenarios. The Doctrine is more suited towards conventional warfare, and clearly favors battlegrounds on which it can obliterate opposing armed forces. This balance has shifted in the modern era, with most foreign entanglements being against guerilla forces, preventing prominent displays of force. However in situations like Eastern Europe postYugoslavia it proved effective, allowing America to utilize conventional might. In summary, Colin Powell has had a career of quite a few magnitudes, especially being the first Afro-Caribbean American to hold the positions of Chief of Staff and Secretary of State.
His honor and duty to his country are quite impressive, and his military successes are nothing to laugh at. His development of US doctrine helped wage wars quickly and decisively, and like any strategy, it had its flaws, such as its inability to counteract unconventional threats as well as a distinct American prioritization, which I argue should not be a driving point behind interventionism. Nonetheless, his life has changed the geopolitical landscape and ushered in a new age of American military action.
The Brewster Browser Brewster Academy Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Editor in Chief: Julia Golden ’22 Managing Editor: Kate Zdunczyk ’22 News Editor: Elisha-Grace King ’23 Nameplate art: Shemar Joseph ’19 Staff members: Liam Fahey ’24 Mitch McQuillan ’22 John Northrop ’24 Pat Phoompuang ’22 Pree Simphlipham ’22 Sun Tanomkiatttikun ’22 Ice Thaewanarumitkul ’22 Faculty Advisonr: Jennifer Metcalfe Dumont From the Editors: The Browser is a student publication, written, edited and proofread by the students under the direction of the faculty advisor. The authors and editors take full responsibility for any errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar that may occur. THE BROWSER IS UNDERWRITTEN IN PART BY THE JON KONHEIM JOURNALISM AWARD.
3 November 16, 2021
News
page 3
Americans Are Quitting Their Jobs at a Record Rate
by Sun Tanomkiattikun ’22
everything, dictating and scrutinizing every move of their employees. “We have a choice, and so do you?”—this is basically their message. “Quit my job last night, it was nice to be home to make the kids breakfast and take them to school today! Off to hunt for a new opportunity, wish me luck :)” This is the title of the highest upvoted post in subreddit r/antiwork from last month. According to the screenshot attached on the post, the original poster worked for 12 full hours, and accomplished the highest work output among employees—but was still reprimanded just because he was sitting on the stool while working. What’s more, he had to sit while working because of two broken bones in his leg. While “chain of command” may be essential in an organizational structure, it is not an excuse for the lack of compassion and mutual respect. Workers may sell their labors to their employees, but certainly not dignity as equal human beings. As sad as some employer-employee relationships seem, employers are not all powerful beings either. The reality is they have to depend on each other, and the best way to maintain a positive relationship is to build trust and respect for each other. Otherwise the power balance can tip in the form of striking or straight-up “Great Resignation” like the one happening lately. Chain restaurants like McDonald’s and Chickfil-A have been facing the fallout since the pandemic started to die down. A Chick-fil-A location just decided to temporarily close its dining room and mobile order option as there were not enough workers. In one worse case, an employee working at a drive-thru had to turn down customers because they were the only one working at the restaurant at that moment. So, the people are winning, right? How can managers/owners operate their business without workers? In the end, they will have to increase workers’ pay or at least include more benefits. This is true in some cases, but the sweet victory may not last that long. Unless every worker in the industry forms one union and all succeed in negotiating for higher pay, the workers who win the battle for higher wage will ultimately lose the war themselves. With an increased cost to run a business, higher prices in goods and service inevitably follow. In a lesser degree, wage increase will just damage the business’s competitiveness and drive them to reduce its input cost in other ways, but if large enough, the business may not be able to function at all. To prevent this dead end, employers may choose to employ fewer workers and assign existing employees to work for longer, further exacerbating already
Image courtesy of Leremy Stick Figures from https://iconscout.com/illustration/businessman-flyingaway-with-a-jet-pack-from-his-colleague-1841746
long working hours. Whether the end result makes the employees’ lives better or worse, just having the choice to quit or strike against employers is already a fortunate gift—since some people don’t even dare to consider the unemployment option at all. This type of voluntary unemployment called “frictional unemployment” exists in every economy, but will be limited if workers do not have financial security to fall back to during their job-seeking period. With huge responsibilities like family expenses, child care, steep rent, health insurance, and student loan payment, working under depressing conditions is still far better than being unemployed. One way that the government can give people more freedom to find jobs is by issuing unemployment benefits covering daily expenses for a reasonable period of time during which people are expected to find not only a tolerable but suitable and desirable job. Current unemployment benefits in the US include COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits (depending on state plans), Continuation of Health Coverage: C O B R A , S h o r t - Te r m a n d L o n g Term Disability Insurance, Workers' Compensation for Illness or Injury on the Job, and Welfare or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Nevertheless, some economists are still reserved about the effect of high unemployment benefits, fearing it can lead to lower productivity of the society as a whole. They argue that worker’s incentive to find and keep their job is lower because they can still make do with unemployment benefits during occasional jobless periods. Moreover, it shouldn’t only be the government sector that supports workers in this circumstance but also the businesses. Sometimes, the employees have to stop working due to personal
or family issues which can leave them without pay and possibly lose their job. Without adequate paid leave from their companies, workers will have to quickly find work and accept positions they are overqualified for. “I do believe that the government could have enforced mandatory paid leave, which was recently shot down, which would have helped workers during this time,” Ms. Melissa Oliva said. As the global economy recovers, the “Great Resignation” may lose its traction, but its effect—especially on workplace culture—will likely last for a long time. Compromise and respectful communication between workers and their employers will need to be one of the most urgent agenda in businesses from now on.
Coffee House
cont. from pg. 1
Browser goes to press, on Saturday, November 13, in Anderson Hall. After the completion of “phase one” in the Rogers Building, Coffee Houses will return to the newly-renovated Blackbox Theatre. Keep your eyes open for the Coffee House-opening of the Rogers this winter!
Megan Ward ‘22 performs acoustically with her guitar during the October Coffee House.
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As Thanksgiving break is around the corner, we all dream of days with no responsibilities and wish that exhausting school days could be over already. This is the new perspective that millions of Americans were facing during the pandemic starting in early 2020, but they were not just lazy. Long working hours with lacking pay, poor treatment, subpar benefits, and a complete absence of a social safety net have become apparent when Americans sit back on their couch and reflect upon their soul-sucking jobs. Some started to turn down unfair employer’s requests, while others, a record of 4.3 million workers in August this year alone, chose to quit the job entirely . Despite the record job quitting, whether this collective movement can be regarded as the “Great Resignation” is still a controversial topic among economists. “According to many economists, the Great Resignation is false. I believe that the Great Resignation is only true for certain sectors, such as middle to upper income, rather than lower-wage workers. Right now, the economy has become a worker's market, meaning workers are willing to demand higher salaries, and suppliers (businesses) are willing to pay higher wages,” said Ms. Melissa Oliva, a Brewster economics teacher and someone who had just left her old job. Like many people, her transition to a new workplace was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ms. Oliva, she decided to leave her last school because she wanted to grow as an educator. As Ms. Oliva started looking for a new job in 2020, the teacher hiring process which takes place between January and April became full of unknowns due to the pandemic. At the time, she was not comfortable with the uncertainty and had to turn offers down and stopped the search. By March of 2021 with an increase in vaccination rates, she had become more comfortable and reopened the applications due to the same reasons as before the pandemic. Whether the mass job quitting is going to continue or not, listening to people’s voices could gives everyone involved a more complete picture. First, let’s take a quick look at one recently viral subreddit with an intriguing name: “Antiwork.” In contrast to what outsiders may think, this subreddit is not just a place for people who are bored or lazy with their work. They have no less passion in what they are doing than any of us, and of course they want to work hard to support their own family—but they still quit their job. What they choose not to endure is an egocentric boss who micromanages
4 Page 4
Sports
Outdoor Skills Program
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People enjoy their time in the climbing barn during weekends at Brewster Academy. Photo taken from Brewster Outdoor Programs's Instagram. by Pree Simphliphan ’22
A small white building located behind the Estabrook captures the interest of walkers who pass by. It is the climbing barn where the students in the Outdoor Skill Climbing afternoon activity always spend their time practicing their skills in the different climbing paths that increase strengths and develop technique. “Keep your hips as near the wall as possible, it would help lessen the workload for your muscle,” said Mr.Jonathan Browher, history faculty and the director of Brewster Outdoor Skills Programs, while one beginner student struggled with first-time climbing. “It’s about the balance of the body.” Students are able to learn the skills and equipment needed in a climbing barn which is essential for outdoor climbing as well. They need climbing shoes to help their feet step on the rock, rope for high climbing, a harness, a belay device for falling down, carabiners to attach your rope, a crash mat to reduce the force when you fall down accidentally, chalk in the chalk bag to increase grip and friction on your hand to make the climber catch the rock more easily, and a climbing helmet. Climbing tape is optional for strengthening muscles and supporting the tensions. Mr. Browher explained that in the climbing barn, the ABCD or pre-climb check is used for checking equipment to ensure climbers’ security: A, check the harness to fit to you, B, check if you tied your rope properly, C, your climbing partner checks the carabiner to attach the rope properly, and lastly D, the helper check if the belay device is used properly.
During the first few weeks, they learned the mechanisms of the equipment in the gym and practiced climbing to strengthen their expertise. “Once everybody has experience and expertise in climbing and using the equipment enough, they can trust each other to hold the rope by themselves,” said Mr. Browher. After a few weeks in the barn, it’s time for Outdoor Skills Climbing to take it outside. Students learned the difference of equipment and gear between indoor and outdoor climbs, and tried to get used to climbing with the real rock. In the barn, there are paddles the climber can look to catch while climbing, but when outdoors, the climbers need to find the most suitable spot to catch and the natural rocks are definitely different from the paddles in the gym. “This is my first year at Brewster and I joined climbing to try something new, and I'm scared of heights and it's been really impressive for me to see students pushing themselves past those fears,” said Ms. Inman. After the Fall trimester ends, the Outdoor Skills afternoon activity will be open for students again in Spring Trimester which will teach mostly the same lesson for the beginners as Fall trimester but more interesting places to climb for all climbers. Even though there will be no Outdoor Skills Climbing activity for winter trimester, Wild Winter Waterscapes in Interim Studies will open opportunities for students who are curious about ice climbing in snow. It will include Ice Climbing, instead of Rock Climbing,
Mountaineering, Backcountry Skiing/ Riding. Moreover, the indoor climbing barn will open occasionally, usually on the weekends but also in the evening, for students who want to practice for Spring trimester or want to step out of their comfort zone and try Climbing as a new activity. “Interim studies is going to offer ice climbing. Ice climbing is something that Mr. Jonathan Fouser has a good deal of experience with, and I enjoy, but I have less expertise in,” said Mr. Browher. “So, we're going to hire some professional ice climbing instructors, and I'm going to assist with that. And they're going to offer the experience of ice climbing. So, a lot of Brewster students can try ice climbing for the first time. “Additionally, there are some things I have some experience with, hiking and winter camping,” he continued. “We're going to do a winter ascent of Mount Washington, hopefully if the weather is good. Where we would stay overnight is halfway up the mountain and climb the rest of the way. There's also skiing which I have some experience with. “And, students will also be introduced to the behavior of water in the winter. How snow can potentially be dangerous to form avalanches, how to avoid that depending on the terrain and the weather, how you travel on different types of snow and ice with crampons; we're going to learn about a lot of things with some really cool experiences,” said Mr. Browher. Also, Brewster Outdoor Skills Programs sometimes holds Outdoor trips during the weekends. “I'm hoping to offer outside climbing at least once to twice as a weekend trip. In the fall and spring, that's my hope. In cocurricular activities, we try to go outside at least once a week, hopefully two times. I would love to look at a weekend trip for ice climbing someday, but we're not doing that yet. It depends on the faculty interest and the student interest. I think we're seeing more students interested in open climbing barn and in outdoor trips,” said Mr. Browher. But before 2018-19, there was a different story about the Outdoor Skills Program in Brewster Academy. Mr. Browher provided some history and perspective. “I've been in Brewster here for ten years,” said Mr. Browher. “Mr. Jonathan Fouser headed summer programs. He used to be the outdoor skills director. He is a rock climber and a hockey coach. And when I joined, he was in charge of that program. We were on the same teaching team and I tried rock climbing a few times, just as a guest of the programs. “I actually got introduced to rock climbing outdoor skills, and went out a few times, but nothing really serious. And then, an opportunity came. That was the 2018-19 years. The first year that we did outdoor skills as a program again. Mr. Fouser went to Jordan to teach at the
November 16, 2021 King's academy. For a while, there was no outdoor skills program. The barn sat empty in the summer. I was given the opportunity to take over the program. And, the first year we didn't really do rock climbing. We did more community and hiking, but I was working really hard to bring the program back to its original glory,” said Mr. Browher. The Outdoor Skills Program has plans to expand the program. “The more student interest there is, the more we can look at expanding,” said Mr. Browher. “Maybe we can have a quad cup [competition]. Where each quad sends a few students and we come up with a point system. Maybe there's the best climbers from each to compete, and then also we have points for students who are new to climbing, to challenge themselves and see how well they can do. That would be a lot of fun. “ I've been talking to other schools at some point. I would love to have a competition between schools. There are some other schools like Holderness school and Proctor that have climbing teams. And I would love to see them compete.We can host it in our climbing barn for sure. There's also some local climbing gyms that hopefully someday we'll be able to visit in a very good condition for competing,” said Mr. Browher. Brewster Outdoor skills Programs opens the wooden door of the climbing barn for every student and faculty who are interested in climbing, always. Final Message from Mr.Jonathan Browher, History Faculties and Director of Outdoor Skills Program: “I liked that rock climbing is a personal challenge where you always promote a growth oriented mindset and it also promotes trust in yourself and others. There's no one answer at rock climbing as a teacher. It's never like you just reach your personal goals and then you're done. You can always be a better rounded climber. You can always be more educated, but you can always climb more difficult.The hardest path in the world. one person has done the hardest in the world and the second hardest, only around three people have done. So, you can always improve yourself. “It’s a risky sport,” Mr. Browher continued. “It isn’t about who makes mistakes but it's about how you create a culture of safety and a system of safety. So you have checks that everyone must do you have, ways you do things that you always do the same, right? But regardless of that, every day is different. I always appreciate that. Final Message from Ms. Sarah Inman, History Faculty and assistant outdoor skills instructor: “Sometimes I see the fears as other students. Sometimes they get nervous or frightened. Every day they work hard to push past that. And, I'm really impressed by their effort and it's really great to see them accomplish that,” said Ms. Inman.
5 November 16, 2021
Sports
page 5
2021 MLB World Series: Atlanta Braves vs Houston Astros
by Mitchell McQuillan ’22
Braves IF Freddie Freeman celebrating after catching the series-winning throw. Credit: Jerome Miron USA Today Sports
Double and a ground ball RBI out from first baseman Yuli Gurriel. This would provide an offensive spark for the rest of the game, and they would not lose it. A Freddie Freeman HR in the third gave the Braves a brief lead before a basesloaded BB set up PH Marwin Gonzales to record a double RBI single. A future RBI single from Martin Maldonado and Carlos Correa would win them the game and cut the series deficit to one. Game Six was again a do or die situation for the Houston Astros. Max Fried was back on the mound for Atlanta, looking for revenge after his Game Two performance, where he allowed seven hits and six runs through five innings. In Game Six, the Braves scored first in the third inning from a three-run HR from Jorge Soler. The Braves hit the gas, and would never let up. A Dansby Swanson solo shot and a Freddie Freeman RBI double gave the Braves two more runs in the fifth. At this point, Braves pitcher Max Fried lasted six innings, gave up four hits and zero ER. Freddie Freeman would hit a
Outdoor Skills Program
(left) Group of students went to Longstack on October 24 for the first outdoor climbing trip for fall trimester 2021. Photo by Alex Acker '23 (right) Mr. Jonathan Browher taught Mason Dawkins ’25 at Longstack as a part of Outdoor Skills Program. Photo by Mrs. Kristy Kerin
solo shot in the fifth, to put the Braves up 7-0. Unfortunately, Houston would not come back from this deficit as they only recorded two hits in the last three innings. After Dansby Swanson threw the ball to Freddie Freeman to record the final out, Freeman pocketed the ball as a memory he is going to cherish forever, knowing that the Atlanta Braves are cemented in history as the 2021 World Series champions. Jorge Soler was named the World Series MVP after he hit for .300 and three HR in six games. This was Atlanta’s first MLB title since 1995, during their pitching glory days of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, all of whom became Hall of Famers. After blowing a 3-1 lead last year in the NLCS, the Braves can finally rest. Without a generational talent and MVP candidate on the roster with an injury, Acuña Jr will be back without a doubt as the Braves championship window has not closed yet. Expect to see them next October with just as strong as a unit.
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The air has become crisp and the ground has started to frost slightly, meaning that October baseball is occurring! This year ’s World Series was between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros, and it was a series that had momentum being tossed and turned like a bad night’s sleep. The Astros were fresh off a momentum swinging pennant title over the Boston Red Sox, winning 4-2. The Braves also won their pennant title over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2. It is also important to note that NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. sustained a torn ACL early in the season, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. To start off the series, the Braves got off to a hot start. A leadoff HR by Jorge Soler and an RBI double by Austin Riley had Atlanta up 2-0 after two innings and 3 to 0 after the third. Outfielder Adam Duvall hit a two-run HR to extend the lead once again. The Astros would squeak a run in the fourth. Longtime veteran Freddie Freeman recorded an RBI in the eighth and so did Carlos Correa of Houston. However, it was not enough as Atlanta’s combined pitching performance in Game One is what they need to win the World Series. The next night the script would completely flip. Astros legend Alex Bregman would record an RBI in the first before Adam Duvall tied it with a solo shot in the second. The Astros would bring the attack in the coming innings. Three different RBI singles drove in four runs to give them a 5 to 1 lead. Freddie Freeman would hit an RBI single in the fifth but from then on out, Houston would comfortably win Game Two, capped off by a Jose Altuve seventh inning solo shot to win 7 to 2. Heading back to Atlanta, the Braves believed they were completely locked in, and ready for Game Three following the travel day. Pitcher Ian Anderson was
certainly ready, and he pitched very well on the mound. He only lasted five innings but gave up zero ER and zero hits. The game was quite offensively, the silence finally broke in the third courtesy of an RBI double from Austin Riley. It remained a one-run game until the eighth when Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud doubled their lead in one swing. The exceptional Braves combined pitching performance gave them a shutout win and 2 to 1 series lead. The next night, Astros started veteran pitcher Zack Grienke, a 2002 first round pick (sixth overall), and he lasted only four innings but only allowed four hits to keep the Braves scoreless through four. On the other hand, Houston was up 2 to 0 through four innings capped off by a Jose Altuve solo HR. Red hot Braves infielder Austin Riley recorded another RBI, this time with a single in the sixth. The next inning, the Astros would forfeit the lead by giving up two consecutive solo HRs to shortstop Dansby Swanson and outfielder Jorge Soler. The Braves would hold off the Astros in the late innings to take a 3-1 series lead, putting them in a position that they were in last year’s NLCS, where the Braves blew a 3 to 1 series lead as the Dodgers would go on to win the World Series. However, Houston would not go down without a fight. The Astros would eventually prove in Game Five that they still had life. It certainly didn’t seem like that when Adam Duvall single handedly put the Braves up four to zero from a first inning grand slam. It was the fourth grand slam the Astros had seen in the past two series combined. The Astros would claw back with an Alex Bregman RBI double and a sacrificial fly from their catcher Martin Maldonado in the second to cut the lead in half. They would notch two more runs in the fourth from a Carlos Correa RBI
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Features
Page 6
Taylor Swift Re-Records First Six Albums by Liam Fahey ’24
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For years now, Taylor Swift’s management has been running her music career; now it’s her turn. As a fresh face in Nashville, Tennessee, she signed quickly with Big Machine Records in 2005. Since then, she has sold millions of records and sold out several stadium tours. In 2018 Swift decided to leave her record label with Big Machine; she then signed with Republic Records. With this change, she lost the master recordings to all of her songs. However, she still owns the lyrics and melodies. Shortly after Taylor broke off from Big Machine, the record label which included her recordings was sold to Scooter Braun for an astounding $300 million. Taylor considers Scooter an enemy because of his close ties with Kanye West, who ruined Taylor ’s VMA acceptance speech in 2009. When her recordings were sold, Taylor went to Tumblr and posted, “This is what happens when you sign a deal at 15 to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly
The cover of Taylor Swift's Red (Taylor's Version).
just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value,’ he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.” Taylor continued her rant by saying, “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it. For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead, I was given an opportunity to
sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.” In 2019 it was announced that Taylor would be honored as the Artist of the Decade at the AMA’s. Shortly after, Taylor said she planned to sing a medley of her greatest hits from the decade. Scooter told Taylor that she would not be allowed to sing anything she didn’t own, including all the songs from her first six albums. Taylor fighting this battle has shed light on a situation that has been plaguing the music industry for years. Artists have always had problems buying their rights. Even artists like Frank Ocean and Beyonce had to buy their master recordings with their own money. Singer Halsey said in a tweet, “It speaks volumes to how far we have to come in the music industry. The way writers are treated. How as an entertainer you are respected but as a writer you’re walked all over. Even when you are both in one single body.” Taylor’s fight to regain her masters will encourage many others to do the same.
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There’s something about having the biggest pop star ever fight for her music. In 2018 Taylor decided to rerecord those first six albums. The release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) on April 9, 2021, was a huge success. In the album, she added a few songs titled “The Vault Tracks,” which she wrote when she wrote the album but never released. Taylor says she wants the entire story to be seen; she sees no reason why her fans can’t hear all of those songs; she wants to create the complete visualization of the album. Taylor also mentioned that she wants to re-record to revisit the stories. “Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums,” said Swift. In November, Taylor ’s highly successful album Red is getting its rerecording with nine new vault tracks. Look forward to November 12th, where you’ll be hearing songs you remember “All Too Well.”
Synthetic Meat: A Better or Worse Alternative? by IceT Thaewanarumitkul ’22
Agriculture is a fundamental activity of humans. Since ancient times, the presence of agriculture provided humans an opportunity to get enough food throughout the year. Because humans have to eat food to keep their healthy lives and existence, by no means people cut off their yields. The intensive agriculture unfortunately led to the large amount of poisonous gas released over the years. The incident became worse when the demand for food sharply escalated due to the unbelievable increase in the number of population. Today, in a world where over seven billion people live, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that one-fourth of greenhouse gas emission, especially Methane and over 2,500 million metric tons of Carbon, comes from the agricultural sector. How to effectively lessen these gases emitted from farming and planting is a question people have awaited for an appropriate answer for a long time. Consuming insects is one futuristic way, but it cannot be applied to all people now because some still feel disgusted. Recently, Bill Gates offered a way to cut down greenhouse gases from the livestock sector. It is “rich countries should eat 100 % synthetic meat”. According to the website page Interesting Engineering, lab-grown meats are cultured in a laboratory using cells derived from live animals
as raw materials. The production of these meats uses fewer of the planet’s resources compared to that of real meat counterparts. Not to mention, the animals are clearly not to be ranched and slaughtered. Therefore, a great deal of methane and carbon dioxide will be cut off. Consequently, cultured meat clearly is one of the best ways for reducing greenhouse gas emission from arable land, and it is also the future food that can be produced with a few burdens on land carrying capacity. Environment will be restored, and the Climate Change problem will be ameliorated. This lab-grown meat will certainly contribute to environmental sustainability. However, many might feel weird to eat meat from a laboratory. Some questioned the ingredients and the liability, and the recent research still cannot suitably answer their questions. From an online article entitled “Myth of Cultured Meat”, there is no method developed to assert that the synthetic meat will consist of the same nutritions to farmed meats. In addition, there is no confirmation that meats generated in the laboratory cannot be fatal. Although the cultured meat has very low exposure to the bacteria such as E.Coli and Salmonella when compared to the conventional meat because there is no risk of contamination from the surrounding environment, errors can happen in every process of synthesizing method. Some experts express their
Lab-grown meat will become practical food in the market in a few years, and the technology for cultured meat will play a major role. Image taken from https://mytechdecisions.com/facility/automationlab-grown-meat/.
perspectives that all production processes cannot be perfectly controlled, so some unexpected biological mechanisms can occur. For instance, the overwhelming multiplications of cells might lead to dysregulation of cell lines. This incident is likely to affect other parts of muscles, and tend to have a negative impact on consumers’ health. With everything up in the air and unanswerable assumptions, cultured meat is still not popular in today’s world. The welfare and market issues are also raised by the arrival of synthetic meats. With high level technologies, cultured meat farming was not an affordable method for smallholders. The inequality gap will diverge, and then
the monopoly of the meat market will come soon. Finally, if almost all people agree to consume cultured meat, the colossal change will take place in the food market. Thinking in multifaceted views will induce you to answer the question. Although cultured meat has some downsides, it is still a potential option for humans to tackle our climate and environmental problem. Today, many studies about this type of meat are conducted to increase the efficiency and cut down the cost of cultured meat production. Nevertheless, what the future of synthetic meat will be relies on public perception. Whether it's a better or worse solution for the world will be known in the near future.
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Current Favorite Songs
-Secrets by The Weeknd -Dammit Doll by DBN Metro -Last Kiss by Taylor Swift -Barbie Tingz by Nicki Minajj -Habits by Tove Lo
Kate's Korner Updates on the Delegations Between The Republic of Greater Aubria and Katistan
Kateistan has now ended its dependency on outside parties to provide social and economic relief. The Republic of Greater Aubria has requested domestic interests in Kateistan’s natural resources and cash reparations. Kateistan follows with an investigation, but it is deemed unlawful under international regulations.
page 7 My only two pieces of advice that I use interchangeably
1. You can’t read other peoples’ minds and you can’t expect them to read yours. 2. Listen to listen, not to respond.
Answering the Most Unusual College Supplemental Questions Kermit the Frog famously lamented, ‘It’s not easy being green.’ Do you agree?
I think it would actually be really cool to be green, you could so easily blend into the trees in the woods. I would be the perfect contestant for the Hunger Games. I could be like that Peeta kid with the bread.
If your car could talk, how would it describe you? my friends, driving around and listening to 2010 Pop Hits. Going on the highway with the windows open and singing your heart out while being surrounded by your favorite people; that is the version of myself I love the most and Carol gets to see that.
August is my least favorite month. It’s the awkward transition month between summer vacation and going back to school. It’s when you have to start the summer work you have been putting off for the past two months. I also don’t like June so much either, and it is my least productive month. Since school is finally over, I would tell myself to take a few days to be lazy and then get right back on the bandwagon of reading and completing calc problems. I think we all know that that is rarely the case. The best thing about summer is the possibility; no commitments, no schedule, just nothingness. Then there is the pressure of making your time worth it. Summer vacation is only three months, and you have to make every day count. I make myself feel bad for just wanting to do nothing. I don’t get why parents are against kids doing nothing; they expect me to be productive all
Current Favorite Photos
the time. If I am already planning on doing something, and then my parents ask me to do it, I immediately think of it as a chore. My room would be so much cleaner if my mom had never asked me to clean it. My room here at Brewster is much neater than at home anyways. This is why I like July. It’s the month of completing goals, an in-between of laziness and productiveness. It is a smooth middle where all I have to do is worry about what outfit I’m going to wear to go for a drive with my friends or what roads I’m going to drive down in my small town. The only other exciting thing to do is go to Target, but that’s still an 18-minute drive. My favorite version of myself is July Kate.
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My car, which I have named “Carol the Jeep Compass,” would probably say that I am bursting with different emotions. Carol has seen everything, from me scream crying to Adele songs or “going to get ice cream” while blasting A$AP Rocky. Carol has a pink fuzzy steering wheel, so she knows she is better than all the other cars. Carol would say that I have good intentions, even though we’ve been to Hooters twice. She sees how I’m most myself when I’m with
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Three Movies Coming to Theaters That You Must See by Julia Golden ’22
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The holiday seasons are the perfect time to cuddle up on the couch with a warm blanket and watch a movie with family and friends. Since Covid, there have been many movies that have been released so far that are available to watch right from your home. Here are three movies that no matter how old you get, they will bring you back to the old days. On November 10th, everyone’s favorite dog, Clifford the Big Red Dog will be coming to the silver screen. This story starts as a little girl meets a magical animal rescuer who gives her a little red puppy, who is destined to become her best friend. The next morning in New York City, she wakes up to see a ten-foot dog in her little apartment. Originally this movie was set to be released in September, however, due to the Delta variant scare, it got pushed back to November. If you can’t make it to the theatre on November 10th, it will also be streaming on Paramount Plus. Also streaming on Paramount Plus, on Friday, November 26th, The Loud House will be coming to life. The kid’s favorite cartoon show starring Lincoln Loud and his ten sisters will be liveaction. This cartoon started in 2016 on
by Pat Phoompuang ’22
Adele, a powerful female vocal artist from England, has officially made a comeback in almost 6 years since her album 25 released at the end of 2015, with the first single from the album
Nickelodeon and quickly became one of the highest-rated children animated shows in the U.S. Currently a fiveseason show, in this new live-action premiere, Lincoln Loud will make an attempt to ensure that the entire Loud family will spend Christmas together. And of course with the help of Clyde. All ten of Lincoln’s sisters have plans to spend Christmas elsewhere, and Lincoln and Clyde are determined to have Christmas altogether as a family. A little before the new Loud House live-action movie, a new Disney movie will be coming out. The studio that
brought you movies like Moana and Zootopia has just made another great movie. On November 24th, the new Disney movie Encanto will be released. The story is based on a family who lives hidden in the mountains in Colombia in a magical home, in a place called Encanto. Encanto is a magical place that has blessed every child in the family with a special gift. Every child except for one, Meribel. Meribel soon learns that the magic in Encanto is in danger and so she decides that because she is the one without any powers, she’s her family’s “last hope.”
November 16, 2021
Hall Talk
Everything’s disposable these days! “I don’t want to know that. (I do actually.)” I thought I heard somebody say “Mr. Burgess is the best teacher.” Pretty sure. - Mr. Burgess I know a theme that’s really hard… SQUARES! Word finds? Wait is that what it’s called? Word search? Back when dinosaurs roamed the planet I called them word finds. Mr. Clinton called me his child the other day. Beep beep boo pew pew ratattata. Solitaire in class. I-pon is Pa Ya Nak. Over-graduate school? Monkey time is sacred. A Hall Talk story: “Look! It’s a toenail moon!” “What’s a toenail moon?” “It’s when it’s a crescent and it looks like when you cut your toenails.”
Encanto movie poster.
Lincoln Loud with his siblings and Clyde.
30, her 4th work. Adele released the song “Easy On Me” at 7 p.m. EST on 14 Oct, 2021 which means don’t be too harsh on me. This comeback made her fans very surprised after Adele announced on her personal Instagram
in October by posting an album’s photo with a caption, “30 November 19,” which means her new album 30 will be released on November 19th. Actually, Adele named her album related to her age, but this time she chose 30 even though her age is 33. Adele opened up on social media, sharing that she started working on the 30 album 3 years ago during the hardest time of her life. It was about the same time that she split from her exhusband, Simon Konecki. Fortunately, she still had friends who cared for her by taking her out to get some fresh air, do activities, and encouraging her to take care of making herself happy. Encouragement from friends that she had never contacted because she was overwhelmed with her own problems and sorrows. Finally, she found herself and the path that leads to happiness both physical and mental. This is all told in the album 30, which is scheduled to be released on November 19. On her Instagram post, likes have recently reached about 7 million, and her retweets, including #adele30, have also skyrocketed. This story was told by fans around the world, especially Daydreamers, the fandom of Adele. Live on instagram, she played a little bit of her single which was published around mid-October. The number of views right now is 124 million, which is a huge number in just a few weeks. Moreover, during an Instagram live session with
Adele's New Album Release: 30
“That’s dirty.”
her fans, Adele was asked about the subject matter of her upcoming project. She promptly replied, “Divorce babe, divorce.” This song doesn’t have any singers to collaborate with her, but the music video still has Xavier Dolan who directed the music video for “Hello” from the previous set. The music video of Hello has reached the 3 billion mark. As expected, Adele’s first new single in nearly six years, “Easy On Me”, can set records on multiple platforms, which reinforces her success once again even coming this time with the new album 30, she will fully enter the streaming music era. The music industry has changed in many directions since her pre-released album 25. The first record that “Easy On Me” set was the most streamed song in history for the first 24 hours on Spotify, although the platform hasn’t revealed exact numbers yet, but it’s already confirmed. Moreover, Adele broke BTS’s previous record of 20.9 million hits with “Butter” when it was first released in May. It was reported that in just the first hour “Easy On Me” was released, it had been listened to 888,000 times around the world on Spotify. Aside from Spotify, Amazon Music also set the record about Easy On Me on Youtube and the music video. Adele didn’t break the new record, but “Easy On Me” became her music video that has the most views in its first 24 hours of cont. on pg. 2