EPSOM
GEOGRAPHIC Covid-19 Edition
ISSUE NO.6
JUNE 2020
Editor’s note.
THE COVER
It is an honour to be able to take over as Editor of Epsom Geographic, from my predecessor, Chanel Ng, whose passion for Geography has always been an inspiration to me. I fell in love with Geography as it is a subject which studies the relationship between our environment and ourselves. I have always been intrigued by the way Geography helps us understand the connections between places; allowing us to connect the dots and understand the impacts of certain events on our lives. This subject has enriched my life and fascinated me. I hope that this issue will enlighten you on the range of topics discussed in the articles and may the picturesque images from all over the world offer some form of momentary escapism when needed.
Cyn Thea Yu, Rosebery
This new role has been challenging for me. However, seeing how much effort THE EDITORIAL everyone has put in to produce it amidst this new normal and having the beautiful images adorn our pages, the experience has been most rewarding. Editors: Chanel Ng
TEAM
Rie Loh
A huge thanks to those who have contributed to this edition and to Chanel whose guidance has eased me into this role. We would like to rebuild from here, so please keep your submissions coming in, however closely or loosely they are related to Geography. Rie Loh
Contents
Rovaniemi, Finland Alea Yang
Hallstatt, Austria Chanel Ng
4 6
Survival of the Cutest? Tia Siddle
Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia Jordan Lok
Kyoto, Japan Joie Koh
The Met, New York, USA Cyn Thea Yu
Yosemite, USA Rie Loh
Toledo, Spain Timothy Chung
A Commercial Covid-19 Survival Kit Venesse Cheng
Yellowstone National Park Jon Barker
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this magazine are the authors’ own and do not reflect the view of Epsom Geographic or Epsom College in Malaysia
Hong Kong Venesse Cheng
Sapa, Vietnam Anisa Mohajir
30 31
Lessons Learnt from Ebola 8 10
12
Space, Place & Covid-19 Chanel Ng
Production Manager: Jon Barker
Rie Loh
Macau You Cong Lim
Busan, South Korea Syakirah Awang Daud
32 34
35
San Francisco, USA 14
Drexel Loh
20
Are films in de-Nile about actual history? 38 You Cong Lim
21 22 24 28
36
Singapore Robert Hopkin
Time for Korea Min Gyung Suh
Geography Puns Bibliography
40 42 46 47
Rovaniemi, Finland Alea Yang, Crawfurd
Hallstatt, Austria Chanel Ng, Crawfurd
Survival of the Cutest? Tia Siddle, Rosebery
For all of us who are avid biologists or even just very
the natural environment. Of course, do not get me
interested in evolution, what comes to mind when we
wrong, the fact that conservation is anti-darwinian, is
hear of ‘darwinian’ would, of course, be Charles
in no way a criticism. Yes, conservation is not
Darwin; his theory of evolution; and maybe even those
darwinian, and it does not follow the natural order of
Galapagos Finches that appeared in our IGCSE past
things, however, it is necessary.
paper questions. We have all come to accept the fact that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural
First, we must understand that every living thing on
selection is “the process by which organisms change
this Earth is linked. We have all learnt about symbiosis
over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or
and food webs as we have grown up: the idea that
behavioural traits”1. To simplify that, natural selection
there is a link and a balance. Now, let us bring humans
is simply the survival of the fittest: the individuals with
into the equation. By overbreeding certain animals, we
the best and most suitable traits to survive, will live
reduce the natural number of their prey; by animal
long enough to reproduce and pass on said
trafficking or hunting for pleasure, we reduce the
advantaged traits.
number of those species, thus also reducing the
To answer the question of whether conservation is anti-Darwinian, we must also understand what conservation is. As stated by National Geographic2, it is “...maintaining [the] diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems…”. Is it anti-darwinian if humans are prioritising the protection of certain species? In my opinion, yes. The involvement of humans in protecting
number
of
their
predators.
Unsustainable
deforestation also affects the welfare of those plants and animals living there. This is evident in the shocking average of 137 species of lifeforms that are driven into extinction everyday, just in the world’s tropical rainforests due to forms of destruction such as logging and cattle ranching3.
and breeding certain animals ignores the processes of
We have heavily influenced the natural equilibrium
natural selection that would otherwise be present in
that used to be Earth. In the past, any form of
8
evolution usually happened slowly and therefore
conservation allows the cuter animals to reap the
allowed the rest of the environment to adapt and
benefits due to humans wanting to donate more
change with it, thus maintaining the balance.
money to them. This became so evident that Ogilvy
However, with the discovery of fire4, humans managed
Paris and his design team decided to put out these
to evolve faster than the rate at which the surrounding
posters.
environment was able to keep up, therefore tilting the Earth out of equilibrium. Conservation is simply
They also released two other similar posters of a
humans trying to rectify the damage that they have
gorilla and a rhino. This clearly shows how biased
caused in the past: a very necessary action.
conservation can be, especially when animals such as the Bluefin Tuna do not get enough awareness even
However, conservation is a flawed process. In the past,
though they are heavily endangered due to overfishing
we used to kill and take the cuter animals for
(which is another human cause).
ourselves. This is seen in the thousands of primates and monkeys that are traded illegally every year; and the parrots and macaws that are being sold for around $10,000 each on the international market3. However, as ironic as it may sound, the mass killing of animals such as tigers and elephants is one of the main reasons why people are so fond of them now. It is no longer survival of the fittest, conservation has turned it into the survival of the cutest, of the precious, and of the rarest - even though they are only rare as a consequence of our own actions.
After reading that paragraph, you may ask yourself -does it not have to be biased if some animals are more endangered than others? Well, yes. However, it is unfair when the ‘cuteness’ of the animal weighs in on the decision to donate money, but maybe we have to be biased to some extent now, because we started off biased. When we started off excessively killing specific animals, we unnaturally set them behind the rest of the environment and that is, therefore, the reason why we must pay more attention to them now. We must compensate for our previous damages. We ca not be expected to start treating all animals equally now, if we did not originally. In conclusion, yes, conservation is anti-darwinian but it is a necessity that us, as humans, must do in order to try to make up for our past mistakes. As well as that, no concept is flawless and therefore conservation is
“Would you care more if I was a panda?”. This is evident in the WWF design scheme5 from 2011
biased, but we must try our best to make sure it is positive discrimination, instead of simply supporting the animals with the cutest facial expressions.
that tried to bring awareness to the endangered Bluefin Tuna due to overfishing. As I mentioned above,
9
Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia Jordan Lok, Granville
Kyoto, Japan Joie Koh, Rosebery
Space, Place & Covid-19 Chanel Ng, Crawfurd
The concept of space and place remains one of the
In an increasingly interconnected world as a result of
most fundamental components of human geography.
globalisation, the concept of space and place
A place defined in the simplest terms is ‘a space with
continues to play a crucial role in our everyday life,
meaning’, which is often influenced by culture, history,
particularly as I am writing this when the Covid-19
politics, economics and the environment. However,
global pandemic is escalating significantly. Philosopher
Geographer Edward Relph emphasises that there can
Henri Lefebvre believes that space changes over time,
only be a ‘sense of place’ when the connection
and so does our use and representations of them3 and
between people and place is ‘deep rooted’.1
this reflects on what is happening today. With globalisation and the advancement of technology,
Yi-Fu Tuan believes that one’s sense of place is often
real-world proximity has been retreating bit by bit
positive or negative depending on how an individual or
from our consciousness. This pandemic has perhaps
community responds to the place’s elements of
given us a wake-up call, reminding us once again of the
culture.2 Having a strong emotional attachment and
importance of space. The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing
physical interaction to a specific location creates a
us to reconsider our perception of space and place, as
stronger sense of place and hence, the stronger it is,
stringent measurements are put in place in many
the more valuable the place becomes. If a place is
countries. Our views on proximity, distance and even
more valued, it is usually more protected. On the
the concepts of our homes are changing ever so
other hand, space is seen as something abstract,
rapidly and the impact of this will have a long lasting
without any substantial meaning. Compared to places,
effect for generations to come.
space lacks the structure of places as it holds no significant value to us humans until we identify with it
Social distancing has been imposed globally as
in some way. However, we may move through space
attempts are being made to ‘flatten the curve’ whilst
in order to arrive at a place.
reducing the spread of the virus. It has essentially
14
become the new normal, and potentially for a long
may continue for a long time, even when it is
time as well. The majority of the population have
supposedly over.
begun to incorporate it into everyday life, from the way that we navigate the supermarket aisle or just
The passage of time seemed to grind to a halt as
simply how we communicate with one another. In
people started to lose their sense of time. The
addition to that, a third of the world’s population is
population of Wuhan were the first to experience this
currently under some form of Covid-19 lockdown4,
as Wuhan was the first city in the world to go into a
meaning their movements are being actively restricted
lockdown as a result of the pandemic and seventy six
and
government.
days later, the lockdown was officially lifted.5 People
Therefore, old habits and daily routines are forced to
are now allowed to leave their homes under the
change in order to adapt to a completely new
condition that they download a smartphone software
lifestyle.
for authorities to monitor citizens’ health and
regulated
by
the
respective
movements.6 However, sickness and death have In many ways, social distancing and being in
touched hundreds of thousands of lives, leaving the
quarantine has shrunk everyone’s world into an
population with psychological trauma and fear that
extremely local space and, during this period, we are
could linger for decades.
subconsciously changing our perception of the idea of home. Places within our homes will not have the same
Whilst the lockdown has officially been lifted, the
functions as before. With some spatial organisation,
return to ‘normality’ remains elusive in Wuhan. The
employees would have successfully converted what
majority of places now either have a different function
used to be their living room into a serviceable office
or are being used less, with the exception of parks
space. However more importantly, our perception of
along the Yangtze River where growing numbers of
the outside world is changing. As a result of
families
technological advancement, it is rather easy to
transportation, specifically public buses and subway
stumble across vast amounts of ‘Covid-19 updates’ or
systems have restarted. However, they often seem to
maps depicting the severity of the spread on the
have few passengers.7
are
spending
time
there.
Public
internet. For the first time in a while, life now feels much more fragile than it once did as we gradually start to establish everything outside of our homes as ‘dangerous’. It can then be argued that psychological distance is the mirror of physical proximity. The uncertainty of the pandemic taps into our personal feelings, of which fear is the strongest emotion; you fear the virus, hence you keep your distance. Many parents wonder when they can once again encourage their children to play outside and expand their sense of comfortable space. However, the fear of the virus
15
Similarly, restaurant owners are struggling to keep
social interaction, it is likely that there will also be a
their businesses afloat as they face the same issue of
decline in the sense of community, which is vital for
less customers. Despite that nearly 94% of businesses,
the elements of culture of places. However, as Wuhan
almost 11,000 in total, have resumed operation8, but
is the only real-life example as of now, it is difficult to
many have decided to close their stores after
deduce whether or not these places will eventually be
reopening. Restaurant owner Zhu Ping expressed how
abandoned.
she only received two or three orders from the online delivery platform and that the cost of opening was
At the same time, grocery shopping in supermarkets
much more than her daily earnings, hence, her choice
has become a different experience from the past.
of reclosing her restaurant.9 Other stores and
Consumers now navigate the aisles with more caution
restaurants have changed their business tactics in an
as we become wearier of our proximity with other
attempt to attract customers. Majors chains such as
people. However, the biggest change is to our
Starbucks and McDonald’s are preventing customers
shopping behaviour. We are now moving towards a
from entering the physical space and instead, tables
new culture even more focused on online purchasing
are set-up at the store fronts and staff hand over the
instead of physically purchasing items. Instacart, a
orders.10 Likewise, some shops have also decided to
retail company that delivers groceries, has seen a
set up street-front counters so that customers can
150% increase in the volumes of order since mid-
purchase goods, such as vegetables and alcohol,
March whilst its daily app downloads on Apple’s app
without entering the shop itself.7
store have multiplied sevenfold in the past week.12 Almost every major supermarket chain such as Amazon Fresh and Walmart Grocery now offers online ordering, some with a focus on store pickup whilst some offer delivery. Even general online shopping has become more popular than ever; JD Logistics data suggests that delivery orders in Wuhan tripled in March compared with February.
However, the reason behind these new business strategies is due to fear. Li Qun from Wuhan says that people live in fear that a second wave of the virus will come, and this means that many are too afraid to leave their homes.11 As a result, street-front counters may be the future of business marketing whilst the
Once again, it raises the question over whether this
actual store itself no longer has any function. With less
marks the end of physical stores. Online shopping
16
could potentially lead to the death of the highstreets
As people begin to fear the outside world, we start to
and hence, if physical stores are to survive, they will
feel more vulnerable towards others and this has led
need to give consumers new reasons to visit them.
to a surge in discrimination cases against Asians
However, if the fear lives on, these places will no
around the world. In the West, Asian minorities face a
longer hold any meaning to humans and eventually
double threat; not only are they trying their best to
end up as a space.
avoid the virus like everyone else, but they are also contending with growing racism within the country.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a harsh light on the
Acts of physical violence and verbal intimidation
inequality that exists in our global society. Those in the
against the Asian community are occurring at alarming
upper/middle class might worry about how the
rates in many areas around the world today. With
enforcement of lockdowns have ‘violated their rights
President
to freedom’ or how they have had to cancel their
labelling Covid-19 “the Chinese Virus”15, this has
vacations. However, distance is a privilege which many
fuelled xenophobia, specifically Sinophobia (the fear or
cannot afford. For the social underclass, like those who
dislike of China, or Chinese people, their language or
live in the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai, one of the
culture). Despite the fact that he stopped using the
most densely populated places in the world, social
expression after China promised to send medical
distancing is, at best, an irony. Therefore, their
supplies, the damage had already been done. Chinese
perception of space and place might not have changed
Americans and other Asian descents have already
at all given their living circumstances.
become the targets for racist attacks. In San Francisco,
Trump
deliberately
and
continuously
a Chinese woman crossing the street was harassed and spat on by a stranger yelling “F*** China” and “run them over”.16 This encounter is only 1 of 650 racist incidents that have been reported in one week.17 Increasing racism is changing the nature of places and people’s reactions towards them. For example, Chinatowns across the USA are experiencing huge economic losses due to the fear of “the Chinese Virus”.18 As people are more reluctant to go to places that they once did, such as Chinatown, the emotional attachment will no longer exist. Eventually, these On the other side of the world, parking lots are being
places may transform into ghost towns and end up as
converted into homeless shelters with spaces drawn
a space.
following the federal social distancing guidelines.13 To the rest of the world, this may hold no significant
Even in Asia, similar attitudes have resurfaced
personal meaning. However, to them, they perceive
amongst the population. In Singapore and Malaysia,
these shelters as “home, for now”, an area where they
hundreds and thousands have signed online petitions
feel safe and secure in14, creating a sense of place.
calling for a total ban on Chinese tourists; the
17
Malaysian petition exceeded 149,125 signatures in
However, rituals for all religions will be greatly
one day since the (start) of the petition.19 However,
disrupted which is something technology cannot help
unlike the West, there is potentially a deeper meaning
replace. On the 23rd of April, Muslims entered the
behind the Sinophobic tone. The detention of Uighur
holy month of Ramadan where it is normally a sociable
Muslims in Xinjiang has sparked anger and fury
time as Muslims feast with family and friends at dusk.
particularly in South East Asia, which is home to some
Breaking fast now becomes a more solitary affair
of the Muslim population. Surprisingly, there seems to
within the confines of their homes. For the first time in
be discrimination even amongst the Chinese in China.
modern history, holy sites in both the Sunni and Shia
A Wuhan native expressed how everyone in China is
Muslim world such as the Great Mosque of Mecca and
vigilant against Wuhan residents, fearing that they are
the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem have been closed to
virus carriers.20 However, Sinophobia will have a long-
worshippers.23 Following the suspension of mass
lasting impact on Wuhan’s reputation as Wuhan may
prayers and the closure of mosques across the world,
forever be perceived as the “epicenter of Covid-19”.
muezzins had to replace the familiar summons “come
Therefore, on an international scale, Wuhan and
to pray” with “pray at home”.24 Without the sacred
China’s tourism industry may suffer in the near future
ambience offered by rituals and holy sites, the very
as tourists become more reluctant to visit.
meaning of religion is in danger. Covid-19 may perhaps cause a religious recession, especially in areas where
As social distancing protocols continue from weeks to
technology is limited to the general population. Hence,
months, the very essence of religion is threatened. In
the places of worship in these areas may then no
some countries such as South Korea and Malaysia,
longer hold any personal meaning to them, and would
religious gatherings and pilgrimage sites have been the
then transform into space. On the other hand, we may
key drivers of the spread of the virus; services by a
see a surge in people turning to religion in order to
Christian group, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, in Daegu
find solace and comfort during this pandemic. Some
formed the epicentre of the outbreak there 21 while a
churches around the world are already finding
four-day mass pilgrimage at a Malaysian mosque was
alternatives in order to adapt to such unprecedented
the source for hundreds of Covid-19 infections across
times. For example, a church in Ohio is offering drive-
Southeast Asia22. Mosques, churches, temples and
in church services every Sunday and instead of hearing
other places of worship were immediately closed and
a chorus of “amen”, we hear a blast of honks.25
religious services have then all quickly moved online.
18
As a result of this, drive-thru culture may potentially
However, the main question remains: how will people
emerge in the near future as social interactions
respond to places when the Covid-19 pandemic ends?
become more undesirable, due to fear. However, one
One potential outcome is that society gradually
thing for sure is that the pandemic will leave a lasting
descents into barbarism. If the fear of the outside
impact on religious practices and ceremonies. Even
world continues and people continue to self-isolate at
after the end of this outbreak, future gatherings such
home, places will be abandoned and in time will turn
as Thaipusam for Hindus and Hajj for Sunni Muslims
into space. However, society can only transform into
will be conducted with great prudence.
complete barbarism when there is a complete absence of culture, which is unlikely for now. We are beginning
Technological advancement in today’s world has
to see an emergence of drive-thru culture and new
played an important role in shaping our world. At the
adaptations to this fear. Hence, society may only be
same time, the way we identify with our physical
moving towards barbarism. On the other hand, virtual
space is changing rapidly. The Covid-19 pandemic has
places may become the new normal while tech
increased our dependence on technology and the
companies emerge to be the next superpower,
hostility towards Silicon Valley will soon be forgotten,
meaning that cyber security will matter more than
at least in the short run. Since a part of the world’s
ever. However, the other, and more ideal, potential
population went into lockdown, the total internet hits
outcome is that society is reminded of the importance
have surged by between 50% and 70% while
of nature. As social distancing protocols and lockdown
streaming has increased by at least 12%.26 Technology
enforcements are put in place across the globe, this
companies such as Google, Zoom and Amazon will
has resulted in less activities, hence less pollution. As a
become even more powerful in the future. Virtual
result, the world has seen peacocks on Mumbai
spaces are transforming into virtual places as the virus
streets; the recovery of bees and rare wildflowers in
pushes us to our devices for work, entertainment and
the UK; and a remarkable improvement in the water
connecting with our loved ones. Despite travel
quality of the Venice canals, giving the next generation
restrictions, internet users can still virtually travel. For
the hope that with proper management of our future
example, the company Sólfar has created ‘Everest
activities, nature and wildlife can revive once again.
Virtual Reality’, which allows players to experience
Society might come out of this pandemic valuing and
what it feels like to climb Mount Everest.27 As we
appreciating places and spaces more, using them as an
begin to create a strong emotional attachment to
opportunity to be connected with one another, just
these virtual places, it raises the question on the
like how families in Wuhan are spending time together
future of the tourism industry. At the end of the
in parks along the Yangtze River. There is undoubtedly
pandemic, consumers may continue to choose the
a sense of uncertainty on the exact impact that the
alternative of virtual travel if fear lingers on.
Covid-19 pandemic will have on our perception of
Therefore, the existence of tourist attractions could
place and space. However, whichever outcome that
eventually hold no meaning and may turn into space.
will take place is dependent on the severity of our fear and ultimately, our choices.
19
The Met, New York, USA Cyn Thea Yu, Rosebery
Yosemite, USA Rie Loh, Crawfurd
Toledo, Spain Timothy Chung, Granville
A Commercial Covid-19 Survival Kit Venesse Cheng, Rosebery The Covid-19 pandemic has created lots of disruption
constantly do short-term planning and continuously
to the operation of different industries and in many
forecast the change in both the market and demand,
different ways, causing some businesses to fail and
so that the business will be more prepared, hence
some struggling to just about survive. However, some
lowering the risk of a business facing a crisis and
companies have almost organically benefited from this
negatively affecting the business along the way.
pandemic and become corporate winners, due to the nature of the business and the fact that what the
Businesses will need to consider the impacts of Covid-
business has to offer has put them in the right position
19 when planning and deciding new strategies to
at the right time. For example, Zoom, a platform for
survive during this time. They will need to adapt their
video and audio conferencing, has seen its shares rise
services to the current situation, identify the challenge
by 50% since February1 due to the Covid-19 pandemic
of the business and the change in demand. For
as the number of people remotely working from home
example, Epsom College in the UK is just two miles
has increased. However, for many businesses, it is the
from the Epsom General Hospital, they have offered
adaptations that they have made that have allowed
up 117 rooms free of charge at the college for NHS
them to either survive or even thrive during this crisis.
nurses, doctors and carers who needed them and also donated supplies of goggles and other protective gear
There are a variety of ways that businesses have
to NHS hospitals who need them2. This will benefit
already adapted to the current situation. However,
Epsom College in the UK as this can be a good
there are many other factors that businesses will need
marketing strategy which will have a positive
to consider in order to thrive or even survive. These
reflection on the college and will benefit them in the
businesses will also need to identify the challenges and
future. Some businesses have successfully identified
come up with strategies and solutions to overcome the
the needs of new demand like Brewer Anheuser-Busch
problems. These businesses will also need to
InBev,3 a company that produces beer. They decided
24
to change their operation by turning their alcohol
survive this pandemic, they will need to be able to
production to the production of hygiene products:
flexibly adapt their workforce according to the law set
working with companies to both package and
by the government to stop the ongoing spread of the
transform the disinfectant alcohol into hand sanitiser,
virus.
contributing to increment in their sales. When they donate the hand sanitisers, they can use this as a
In order for some businesses to survive, they will need
marketing tool on social media to improve the long
to temporarily cut their employee’s wages to
term image of the business. Also, businesses in the
minimum wage during this difficult time. For example,
service sector will need to find new ways to still be
Adland needed to do a 40% pay cut to survive the
able to reach customers such as fitness businesses like
impact of the pandemic as they predicted that the
Beachbody, which has experienced a 200% growth in
business client spending could drop by 40% minimum
subscribers (approximately 1.5 million subscribers)
within 4 weeks.6 Furthermore, many businesses will
since shifting to online classes.4 They will need to
need to implement technology to upgrade their
adapt their service to online fitness classes and adapt
communication flow while everyone is working
the workout so that customers will still be able to have
remotely from home. Using apps like Google Meet and
workout sessions with an instructor, without the need
Zoom has allowed them to continue their operation. A
for lots of equipment.
report by Gartner on March 30 survey of 317 CFOs and business finance leaders, asked them what percentage
The Dresner Advisory Services is currently working on
of employees they expect to work from home after
its 2020 User Survey. From it, there are questions
the pandemic.7 The results were:
about the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in its survey of
% of future workforce thought to work from home in future:
% of those surveyed:
5
74
10
25
has impacted business plans dramatically. If a business
20
17
wants to survive, they will need to rewrite their
50
4
>50
2
business leaders. From the surveys, 61% of the respondents said that pandemic has impacted budgets and projects.5 Also, from the Gartner survey of 317 CFOs and finance leaders, 62% are planning some cuts to selling, general and administrative budgets in their organisations this year.5 This shows that the pandemic
budget and find ways to reduce the budget for the business to survive during this time. Many countries are under lockdown and people are all
I think that using remote working is a good way for
quarantined at home, businesses will need to try to
businesses to manage costs and it is a positive cost-
change the dynamic of their workforce, reduce their
benefit way forward for the business. Also, due to the
costs and continue the operation of the business in
lockdown in many countries, meetings have taken
order to survive during this time. For a business to
place on platforms meant for conference meetings
25
I think that many businesses will adapt more by using
customers in the workplace to prevent germs from
online platforms after the pandemic as it saves lots of
spreading. Secondly, the business will need to change
time and costs of travelling to places for meetings. A
its working hours for employees that cannot work
quote from Gray Leff, a travel industry expert and
from home. This could be done by incorporating a
author of the blog View from the Wing, stated: “I don’t
rotating system. For example, the Huntsville Sports
think business travel is ever going to be exactly the
Commission has a rotating schedule which allows
same.�8 Additionally, Leff expects that during this
employees to rotate who comes into the office on
time, companies will learn that some business travel is
different days.10 This allows employees to work in the
unnecessary and can be done via video meeting. He
office one day per week while preventing everyone
also points out as organisations attempt to recoup
from working together and minimising the contact
their pandemic-related losses, travel budgets will be
between people. Therefore, businesses are still able to
cut. However, I think this will bring benefits to
function but they are more careful and aware of the
businesses such as increased flexibility and quicker
safety of their employees. Furthermore, implementing
decision making.
new rules involving social distancing in the workplace would be another safety precaution. For example,
In
some
industries
such
as
restaurants
and
employees and customers will need to avoid contact
manufacturing, workers are not able to work remotely
such as handshakes, hugs and all close social contact.
from home. This will require businesses to come up
Instead, they will need to use other kinds of greeting,
with new strategies and policies to protect both their
like waves and small bows between employees and
customers and employees from the virus. Firstly,
customers.
businesses will need to enforce sanitary health practices in the workplace. An example would be
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, lots of people are working
Publix, a major grocery chain that decided to close the
remotely from home and the use of in-home media
grocery store early every day at 8 p.m. to be able to
consumption has increased worldwide such as an
conduct additional preventive sanitation8. They also
increase of 44% spending longer on social media like
offer hand sanitisers, face masks, gloves and
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.11 Therefore, using e-
conducting temperature checks on employees and
commerce will create new sales channels for businesses to reach customers. For example, for food industries, a lot of restaurants have to create ways to reach customers by joining food delivery platforms with call-in order with apps like UberEats, creating drive-through services and doing takeaways. For example, llaollao, a frozen yoghurt franchise in Malaysia, has expanded rapidly during this lockdown from having 10 stores on April 16, then by early May added another 27 stores for a total of 37 stores nationwide.12 They have used delivery platforms for
26
takeaway and expanded WhatsApp delivery to cover
billion13 announced previously to soften the impact of
wider areas. Alongside this, they have also allowed
the lockdown and help SMEs that are being affected
their staff to participate in the delivery teams by acting
by Covid-19.
as agents in taking bulk pre-orders from their areas and delivering it personally to the customers. This has
In the US, the government provided US$367 billion in
allowed them to continue operating, increase sales
loans for small businesses with less than 500
revenue and might benefit them in the future as using
employees to help with payroll cost.14 In the UK, 80%
delivery platforms will increase brand awareness.
of monthly wages is to be paid by the government for
However, the businesses will need to ensure to use
those earning up £2500: a move expected to cover
social media to market the business to increase their
most of the self-employed.14 Also in Thailand, the
online awareness to attract more new customers and
government has provided low-interest loans (at 2%
also let their loyal customers know that they are still
interest for a period of 2 years, not over 20 million
open during this difficult time. This will benefit the
Baht/customers) in the total amount of 150 billion
business in the long-term, as some businesses might
Baht15 to companies and businesses affected by the
realise that using e-commerce is a better option for
Covid-19 and reduction in tax rates for businesses
the business as they can reach more international
from 3% to 1.5%.15 Therefore, by using the support
customers and may not need a physical store in the
provided by the government, businesses will have a
high street, which will lead to a decrease in the
stronger chance to survive during this Covid-19
business’ fixed cost in the long-term. Even though
pandemic.
some businesses might not want to continue using ecommerce to sell their product after the pandemic, they will still have gained brand awareness and this might lead to an increase in loyalty of the customers. The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is having a significant
impact
on
the
world’s
economic
development. For businesses to survive during this pandemic, different countries' governments have each created their own stimulus package offered to strengthen their country’s economy and support
Overall, I think that each business is different so there
businesses. In Malaysia, according to a survey by an
is no silver bullet to help them all. However, while a lot
online home services platform Recommend.my, 68.9%
of what is happening is out of businesses’ hands, there
of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia
are various options that businesses can try to use to
suffered a more than 50% drop in business within 1
help themselves, in the hope that they can survive,
week
and in the very best circumstances, thrive.
after
the
MCO
started13 so
Malaysia’s
government has provided an additional RM10 billion13 set aside to help SMEss on top of the total RM250
27
Yellowstone National Park Jon Barker
Hong Kong Venesse Cheng, Rosebery
Sapa, Vietnam Anisa Mohajir, Crawfurd
Rie Loh, Crawfurd
Lessons Learnt from Ebola The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa resulted
relatively quickly to early reports of Covid-19 cases in
in the death of 11,310 people amongst the 28,616
China and they are now the leading organisation
cases reported.1 Compared to Covid-19, which has a
involved in the global coordination and mitigation of
death rate of 3-4%, the average Ebola virus death rate
the Covid-19 pandemic.
is approximately 50%. Ebola is highly contagious and direct contact with a small amount of the virus can
In many areas of West Africa, there was a lack of trust
lead to infection. The virus was extremely difficult to
in foreign and official health workers. This was the
stop due to the fact that healthcare services in West
main
Africa had both inadequate equipment and staff to
Misinformation and rumours spread very quickly -
tackle the disease. Along with highlighting the need to
people even thought that health workers were
strengthen healthcare systems in West Africa,2 this
deliberately infecting people.5 Building community
destructive outbreak has led to changes in the way
trust is imperative in tackling an epidemic. Due to the
that the world responds to these infectious viruses
sociocultural dimensions of epidemics 4, engagement
such as the current Covid-19 pandemic.
had to be shaped to spread awareness in each of West
Slow international response and poor leadership were blamed for the severity of the
virus.3
The World Health
Organisation (WHO) was criticised for their failure to meet responsibilities for responding to the Ebola outbreak. In response to the criticism, the WHO promised to make fundamental changes to the organisation which led the establishment of the Health Emergencies Programme: a programme designed to improve preparedness and response to future health emergencies.4 In comparison to before, the structural changes in the WHO allowed them to respond
32
issue
that
exacerbated
the
epidemic.
Africa’s communities which all have different cultural and social values. More than 2,000 influential leaders including religious clerics and traditional faith healers were trained to help spread vital health information on prevention and awareness of Ebola. World Vision also organised huge awareness, prevention and education campaigns through radio and house-tohouse information sharing to educate parents to protect their children from the virus.6 Trust took a while to be built and the virus finally came under control when community engagement was used to reach out to local people.
Another lesson that was learnt was: Prevention first.
Fund for Emergencies (CFE) as part of the Health
Our first line of defence against viruses is to maintain
Emergencies programme so that money became
good cleanliness by washing hands and sanitising is
accessible for an immediate response to an outbreak.
critical in reducing the spread of germs. Many areas in
The funds have been used to respond to many events
West Africa have a lack of access to clean water and
such as the Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic
antibacterial soap. Therefore, aid agencies such as the
Republic of the Congo (DRC). 4
International
Organisation
for
Migration
(IOM)
conducted programmes including establishing water, sanitation and hygiene surveillance systems and community engagement on hygiene practices to break the chain of transmission.7
When these measures
were put into place, a drastic reduction in new Ebola cases was seen. In the current situation, we are doing this more than ever through constantly washing our hands, the increased availability of hand sanitiser, social distancing and avoiding public places.
In Sierra Leone, a lockdown was imposed in September 2014 with the intention to reduce transmission rates.8 Unfortunately, it was too late and Ebola had already spread across the country. This taught the world that containment is essential right from the beginning in order to reduce the spread of a virus. In Wuhan, China, a strict lockdown was imposed to quarantine the epicenter of the outbreak of Covid19 and this helped flatten the curve significantly, and was the response from many governments once it had
The Ebola epidemic brought rise to the fact that underfunded and poor health systems cannot contain an epidemic.5 The countries that were hit were amongst the poorest countries in the world and local health workers did not have the resources and training to handle the outbreak. As international response arrived late, it led to the deaths of many health workers which weakened the health system during a critical time. A lesson learnt was that dysfunctional health systems needed more assistance as diseases spread extremely rapidly. The WHO set up a rapid
reached other countries.. With every outbreak, whether regional or global, the way we lead our life changes, particularly in terms of hygiene levels and social interaction. The Ebola epidemic of 2014-16 has allowed us to learn many lessons of which we have applied to the recent 20182020 Kivu Ebola epidemic in the DRC
9
as well as
Covid-19. Likewise, hopefully we can learn more lessons from Covid-19 which will help us manage the spread of viruses in the near future.
response funding mechanism called the Contingency
33
Macau You Cong Lim, Propert
Busan, South Korea Syakirah Awang Daud, Crawfurd
San Francisco, USA Drexel Loh, Granville
You Cong Lim, Propert
Are films in de-Nile about actual history? People have always been fascinated with the
can be found in the southwester of the city, but it is
spellbinding history of Ancient Egypt, which is the
the rest of the city that is missed. While films set in
reason why it has been portrayed multiple times in the
Washington DC, often show the obelisk that is the
cinematic universe. Whether it be from movies like
Washington Monument, which was built during a time
The Mummy, Transformers and X-men, to video
of “Egyptomania”2, the obelisks of Cairo are rarely
games like Black Ops III and The Ark; people have
seen. Indeed, one of its most famous, at the site of
conceived of Egypt as a land of mystique and dark
Heliopolis, marks the seat of worship to the Sun God,
magic. In spite of that, how truthful is the cinema’s
Re3, and where Plato once studied. These are in
portrayal of it? Is it really just pyramids and deserts?
contrast to the tall hotels and apartment blocks that
Or is there something more?
sit on the banks of the River Nile, like the Grand Nile Hotel and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which
Films play a predominant role in how we envision
sit third and first in Cairo’s tallest buildings, standing
different places and their culture from the images
142 and 143 metres tall respectively.4 In between
that they project on the screen and the different
these ancient and the modern buildings, Roman, Arab
beliefs emphasised. In the majority of the films, we
and Turkish architecture can be found. “In addition to
only get to see its desert ecosystem, the famous
department stores, cinemas, hotels, and townhouses,
Pyramid of Giza and rarely other parts. In reality, Egypt
Cairo contains a large functioning bazaar and an
is more than just sand, especially in the city of Cairo,
extensive, semi-walled medieval city endowed with
the capital.
more than 400
historic monuments—including
mosques, mausoleums, and massive stone gates— It is one of the largest cities in the continent of Africa
dating to 130CE.1 In fact, unlike the stereotypical
and sits by the banks of the River Nile. However, for a
shanty towns that are taught at GCSE Geography,
city that embraces both its history and modern
migrants into Cairo, typically end up living in the City
developments found in typical Western cities, this is
of the Dead, an area of necropolises and cemeteries,
rarely seen. The city that juxtaposes ancient and new
stretching out over 8 kilometres, although the area is
is often omitted.1 The often shown Pyramids of Giza
very different to what we typically think of for
38
cemeteries.5
In films, we often see those with fairer skin tones
cover the river's valleys, leaving sediments needed for
representing the ideals and being worshipped by those
trees, plants, and crops to grow. This is such an
with darker skin tones. This was typically the way in
amazing feature of nature and yet it is never
which Egyptians were represented 50 years ago.
showcased in films.
However, it is still happening today.6 The truth is that from ancient portraits and art we can identify that the people were depicted with red, olive and yellow skin tones. In fact, it is clear that Egypt’s geography has had a dramatic impact on race and genetics, leading to an ethnically mixed people, which is rarely, if ever portrayed and certainly not celebrated within films today.
In movies like X-men: Apocalypse, we see the country as an underdeveloped, poor country with unpleasant
In some films we see the practice of voodoo tricks performed by the locals but questions arise over the history behind this, its authenticity and how accurately it is portrayed in films. What we might consider to be spells can be found in medical texts of Ancient Egypt, alongside treatments for disease and was
considered
to
be
injury.7
supernatural
in
Disease origin
throughout Egypt's history even though medical treatises nowadays explain that diseases could occur naturally and were not necessarily a punishment sent by the gods. However, while we can now recognise the science behind medicine, C.S.Lewis said that it is important that we do not dismiss these ancient treatments, simply because society and our cultural beliefs have changed. The River Nile is the longest river in the world, and is known as the father of African rivers. Rising south of the Equator, it flows over 6650km northwards through north-eastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile plays a fundamental role for Egypt, as without it, all of Egypt would be desert. Across Egypt, only 0.5 to 15cm of precipitation falls each year.8 However, every summer, the river rises because it rains at its source far to the south in Ethiopia. Floods
environmental qualities. This, however, is not quite so true. In reality, Egypt's geography, population, history and military strength has made Egypt highly influential in the region. Along with oil and gas exports, Egypt's tourism industry remains a key part of its economy, being the second most visited country in Africa with over 11 million tourists in 2018.9 Visitors flock to the country to see ancient monuments like the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. However, this is clearly because it is these elements of Egypt that are portrayed so frequently in the films. Films have used the Egyptian culture to their advantage by using their fascinating myths and legends as a way to provide entertainment. Even though some of the movies seem highly unrealistic, the Egyptian culture is enough to keep an individual interested. There is a fragment of truth to the world of ancient Egypt that films such as The Mummy have created, but there is so much more to learn and know. Hopefully, some of these films might spark a deeper interest in Egypt meaning that people want to do more than scratch on the surface and are inspired to take a further look and explore the truth behind the screens.
39
Singapore Robert Hopkin
Time for Korea Min Gyung Suh, Propert
Generally, power means the ability to do something or
First of all, national service can be beneficial for a
act in a particular way. In terms of geopolitics,
country’s military power. Typically, national service
possession of power refers to international political
enlarges the size of the military as it becomes
actors being able to exert their force and influence in
mandatory to join the army for those who are rightly
relation to their interests within an area or space. The
aged. North Korea with mandatory military service has
‘force’ or ‘influence’ could mean hard power, soft
the fourth-largest armies in the world with 1.2 active
power or a combination of the two - smart power.
military personnel when it only has a population of 25
With my plans for next year, I wanted to ask to what
million. In contrast, the USA without mandatory
extent national service benefits a country’s power.
military service is ranked third with 1.3 million active military personnel and it has a population of 328
In many respects, mandatory national service can be
million. This clearly demonstrates the power and
beneficial for both a country’s hard and soft power.
benefit of mandatory national service in terms of
Conscription can gather a large number of service
reinforcing one’s military by size; this enabled a
people, which will strengthen the military power; the
country that is economically weak and isolated from
gathering can form new social networks for new skills,
the international community to compete with a
such as the leadership, and foster public identity by
superpower in the military aspect. Furthermore, this
creating shared experiences that would strengthen
large military, not only enhances the country’s
national and cultural unity. Nevertheless, it is not to
national prestige as a military power, but it also holds
say that national service inevitably leads to the
a great strategic significance in terms of hard power
consolidation of a country’s power. Clear downsides
because it actually means that the country has a
do exist, in terms of the quality of the military, the
‘power’ to exert real and physical influence across the
productivity of the economy and unjustified violation
region, or perhaps the world, in a similar manner to
of people’s freedom. In this sense, national service can
what the superpowers like the USA typically do. In
be also deemed to be disadvantageous for a country’s
addition to this, a large military can be significant in
consolidation of power.
terms of a country’s security and defence, as a country
42
will be better stocked with human resources that are
difference. Therefore, it can be also argued that
more experienced and trained compared to ordinary
national service is not as beneficial to a country’s
people. In this sense, national service can improve but
power, but it can actually downgrade it.
also secure a country’s physical power geopolitically.
However, national service can actually lower the
National service can be beneficial for a country’s
quality of the military. This is because mandatory
power because it can stimulate the economy. First of
national service equally targets everyone including
all, the military provides a job that requires
those who do not want to be soldiers. Sometimes, it
professional skills. According to a professor at the
even includes people who can be unfit for the military
University of Texas who studied the social effects of
due to physical, mental and spiritual reasons. This
conscription in Israel, ‘it cultivates new skills, new
often causes a serious demoralisation. The American
social networks and new social norms and codes of
armies during the Vietnam War in the 20th Century
behaviour’. Indeed, some argue that the reason for
were conscripted soldiers, which had very low morale
Israel’s rapid economic development in the early 21st
and were overwhelmed by the Vietnamese veterans.
Century has been a national service because it brings
To some people, the draft even seemed like a ‘death
about national pride and develops practical skills,
sentence'. Moreover, a large military does not
problem-solving skills, leadership, interaction with a
necessarily mean that a country will become a
broad range of people and an invaluable network.
powerful military power as the quality of weapons and
Considering that service people are a young
the development of technologies are more important
population, they argue that this is why the youth
in modern warfare. For instance, possession of nuclear
unemployment is extremely low but a number of
weapons can change the country’s military might: the
successful start-up companies are high in Israel.
recognised nuclear-weapon states are all ranked in the
Between 2003 and 2019, the youth unemployment
top 10 in terms of military strength. In this sense,
rate in Israel had decreased from 22.34 percent to
despite the fact that North Korea has a similar size of
6.86 percent by 2019 when the world average was
the military with the USA, the actual military strength
15.389 percent in 2019. Hence, national service can
differs significantly - the USA is ranked first whereas
make the economy stronger and more dynamic by
North Korea is the 25th5 - due to technological
producing higher economic potential. As a result, this
43
means that a country will possess a greater Soldiers are required to learn and train together as a geopolitical soft power based on the strong economy team and create shared experiences which also means because it allows the state to have more influence greater cultural unity because there will be a sense of within the international community and organisations common identity that everyone can share. People will such as the UN. A strong economy can also attract be able to better understand and develop an more businesses, foreign direct investments, tourists appreciation for the sacrifices that the military make and immigrants which enhances a country’s political for national security. According to a study by the and economic value globally. Therefore, national Institute of Policy Studies published in 2013, service is beneficial for a country’s power. Nevertheless, in some aspects, national service actually deteriorates a country’s economy. Generally, national service targets young people who are aged between eighteen and thirty - the working population. In this sense, national service is taking away the valuable and effective workforce from society and forcibly mobilising it somewhere else - the military where it can be very ineffective because the conscripts
‘Singaporeans viewed national service as fulfilling a social mission - instilling discipline and values in the young - than as serving a defence mandate’. Consequently, the society will generally be more loyal and respectful of the nation but also other people as an individual which is a precious sense that can be valuable for a country in case of national crisis especially war. Thus, national service improves a country’s power.
typically have low morale. Therefore, it can be argued that a huge potential workforce is being wasted as it does not benefit anything and therefore there will be a decline in productivity. During WW1, large numbers of women were mobilised for jobs vacated by men due to conscription and this well demonstrates that conscription for large military could create a vacuum in economic sectors. Furthermore, in the worst case, conscription may lead to a loss of workforce as we are putting young people’s lives at risk by making them join the military which is particularly worse with national service because it mobilises more human resources and imperils more people’s life during war, and even training. Thus, national service is actually harmful for a country’s economic soft power. As explained above, national service can promote national unity by creating strong social networks.
44
One of the biggest counter arguments against mandatory military service is that it violates people’s rights to exercise free will. This may, though hypothetical, lead to a degradation of the country's democratic status as the state makes decisions for its citizens’ lives. In the modern world, countries without democratic status are often attacked by other countries and become isolated, such as North Korea. In the globalised world, isolation means geopolitically,
diplomatically and economically falling behind others
can be a powerful element of soft power, but also
because it will be difficult to trade, sign any treaty and
hard power as people will become more loyal to a
join international organisations. Since 2006, the UN
country. As a result, a country will be able to better
and the world powers have imposed sanctions on
exert its influence within an area or space -
North Korea for denuclearisation which led to a
geopolitical power. Although there are some clear
decrease in foreign direct investment in North Korea;
downsides, I argue that national service would bring
the average value for North Korea between 2006 and
more benefits than disadvantages for a country’s
2018 was only $0.06 billion when the world average
power. The size of the military can be an alternative
approached $5796476094.55 billion. Hence, isolation
for many countries that are not as developed as those
means a country losing its geopolitical power and
superpowers; if they cannot have a high-quality
influence in which it will not be able to achieve any of
military anyway, it is almost inevitable to cover the
its national interests within the area or space.
technological difference with numbers for national
Therefore, national service actually weakens a
security. The productivity of the economy may be
country’s power geopolitically.
affected adversely in the short term, however, in the long
term,
providing
accumulating
different
experience and skills in the armies would be more beneficial
for
the
economy.
Furthermore,
the
argument that the idea of free will being violated could be a problem within a country, is not likely to have any impact externally because the fundamental and primary purpose of the national service is essentially about the national security and defence, not to infringe one’s freedom. Thus, arguably, its violation of free will is justifiable. Therefore, I believe that national service does definitely bring more Overall, however, I believe that national service does
benefits than penalties for a country’s power.
benefit a country’s power. In terms of hard power, it generally
strengthens
the
military
power
and
therefore reinforces national security and defence which ideally means that
a country would gain
regional military power. In terms of soft power, national service can stimulate the economy by providing new opportunities for the youth to cultivate their skills and social networks. Equally, development of public identity will encourage national unity which
45
GEOGRAPHY PUNS What country isn’t fake?
How did you get so many students to sign up for your geology class?
Israel
How did 2 volcanoes fall in love? It was lava at first sight
I called it the ‘School of Rock’
You’re a geology major? That’s Gneiss
What happens when you mess around in West Africa You’re Ghana have a bad time! What should you eat for breakfast on Earth Day?
Pangeacakes ! Mountains aren’t just funny… They are HILL AREAS! 46
Which country is always in a hurry Russia
Why does the Norway Navy have barcodes on the side of their ships? So when they come back to port they can Scandanavian
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A Commercial Covid-19 Survival Kit, Venesse Cheng 1
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Lessons Learnt from Ebola, Rie Loh 1
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