Global Magazine - March 2021

GLOBAL M A G A Z I N E

ADAPTABILITY

EDITOR'S NOTE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Non Contact to

Contact

Written By : Shona Hyun Park Edited By : Jeslyn Seojung Park

It has almost been a year since the COVID-19 inflated worldwide. Let’s face it, it is the reality that we are stuck in for an unprecedented time, and yet it’s hard to grasp that this became our reality.

Whether we like it or not, now it is our reality. And the more impressive part is that we, human beings are incredibly remarkable and complex, which have allowed us to adjust and adapt so well in such a short amount of time. Covid-19 has torn us apart from our normal lives and changed so many things in a matter of weeks. The things that we have taken for granted were soon re-defined as something so valuable to our daily lives.

Therefore, in an effort to get away from this appalling new life where human contact is forbidden we humans made it all possible, making noncontact into an absolute, utterly completed contact, a united world all fighting together to survive against Covid-19.

The very first thing that people had to get used to was a contactless society.

To be contactless physically, but connected, we find ourselves interacting more by using various technologies after the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus has changed the lifestyle of the entire society. In school, online lessons were the biggest part that students had to adapt to, and it is a fact that it was a definite huge change for all students, teachers and parents. However, let’s go deeper into how the government and entire community had to adapt to these harsh conditions, maintaining the global perspective at the same time. Well, there wasn’t very much choice for nations, other than to cooperate and sustain their global perspective. Since the first priority in this pandemic is to ensure everyone’s safety, we had to create base standards that can be followed by all the nations to minimize the spread of Covid-19.

To take actual action, it is vital for the leaders of both government and industries working together to devise a strategy in order to provide guidance, devise protocols, and protect people, today as well as in the aftermath of the crisis. Furthermore, as the nations are significantly influencing each other without borders, they are weighted by international responsibility. The quickest solution is to support each other with what each country is lacking such as supplies and technology in developing countries, which made international cooperation paramount for the resolution of this pandemic.

For the globe to cooperate, they needed to interact with others for achieving the same aim that they all took forward, the fastest recovery from the pandemic. At this point, technology comes in.

So far 2020 is reckoned as a digital initiative with an immense uprising in digital technologies. It plays a prominent role in shaping up and regulating the behaviors, performances, standards of societies, communities, organizations, and individuals. Contact-free interactions were desperately needed as Covid19 struck hard. All worldwide nations, communities in the society, and individuals started to seek ways to communicate with each other. Rapid digital transformation has enabled us to respond without delay during the pandemic.

Covid-19 has turned digitization from a “pleasant to have” to a “must-have” for many organizations, forcing them to adapt and modernize quickly in order to keep their operations running.

One main example of this is school. Education was to be continued, and therefore, digitalization overtook the whole system such as thousands of students’ usage of zoom calls, skype, and google classroom. Now, these days, we are already too familiar with this whole new system. We don’t feel weird to open up our laptops for registration, and video calling teachers instead of seeing them face to face.

We are so grown used to it already,and one of the biggest things that we will carry from this pandemic is the rapid growth of digitalization that is produced due to the desperate and necessary needs.

Shona Hyun Park Looking back at the past few months, it has definitely been abnormal, but this kind of daily life has become a “new normal” that we must have to get used to, and now what we got used to. It is surprisingly magnificent

that we were all able to maintain our daily life

in the

hardest time. And this hard time has changed our daily life into contact to non-contact also with the global perspectives which is an impressive development.

NLCS in a time of COVIDAMEENA RUSSEL SINGAPORE

Because of COVID-19 the NLCS Singapore building was not finished in time to start school in, so our school had to adapt and move to Suntec Convention Centre for the whole 1st term. This was a change that everyone had to make, teachers had to adapt the curriculum for COVID purposes and because Suntec would not let us do certain things, for example, the science department could not do all the experiments they intended to do because they did not have a lab, the P.E department could do all the sports they could’ve done because the ceilings were very low, we couldn’t go outside, and the floors were carpet. Students had to adapt because they couldn’t do all the things the teacher wanted them to do, which could affect how they process the unit, they were not in the building that the school had intended for them to go to. In my opinion, I feel like everyone in NLCS Singapore adapted so well to this change, and we have made Suntec our home for the past term, everyone took the change as if it was nothing and went on with school. That is why I love the NLCS Singapore community. On the bright side, NLCS Singapore is moving to our building in the 2nd term and all of us are super excited and ready.

Moving Away From Home INES KHAN, SINGAPORE

With the common aspect of being in an international school, comes the precariousness of having a stable place we regard as ‘home’. The term ‘home’ can be subjective: whether this is a school, a town, a country, the list can go on; regardless, a home is a place of comfort, wellbeing and love. We all face this sudden and unpredictable shift at least once in our lives, and sometimes it can take a substantial amount of time to readjust.To consider NLCS, we all come from backgrounds personalized to us as individuals that craft this sense of ‘home’. We have all had to enforce an identity among ourselves which enables us to spread a love of culture among our community. To be so different in a community we all deem a common ‘home’, influences the true meaning of a home - is there a true meaning of home?In a school environment, the end of a student journey comes with saying farewell to those we have spent the majority of our learning career with, and saying hello to new beginnings: university, a starting point to commence the rest of our ‘adult’ life; where we can take our passions to a new level of expertise and where we can strive to be the best version of ourselves.

Adaptation: Comfort Food at Home and at JULES LEK SINGAPORE University

When moving off to a university dorm, you may find yourself (not unexpectedly) rather far from the comforts of home cooking. Dauntingly enough, in an unfamiliar environment and busy with lectures and classes, the prospect of weeks of takeaways and sandwiches can be enough to dampen the start of the academic year. But, to perhaps offer a vestige of help and make the move somewhat less overwhelming, here is a godsend of a simple pasta recipe.

Ingredients (for one portion): 56g linguine 250g fresh cherry tomatoes 1 clove garlic 70ml extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Parmesan to taste Method (15-20 mins): Step 1: Cook the pasta in a large pan with boiling water and a pinch of salt until al dente Step 2: In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The garlic should just become opaque, not brown.

Step 3: Stir in the tomatoes, salt and pepper until fully emulsified: 5 - 10 mins. Reduce heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready.

Step 4: Drain the pasta and mix into the sauce with some pasta water to bring out the flavour, now add a generous amount of parmesan to melt.

Step 5: Mix the pasta and when ready, plate.

Hopefully, this recipe is the first in a long line of delicious university meals that has the ability to comfort one in a storm.

Bilingualism in Everyday Life

NLCS (Singapore) boasts a plethora of native languages, from Korean and Japanese to so much more. Listening to what students have to say about their experiences in an English speaking school has helped shed some light on the adaptations that millions of people have to make worldwide.

‘Since I have been in Singapore, I was thinking of some decisions in Korean, however, after 3 or 4 months, I unintentionally started to think in both English and Korean. For example, right after I came to Singapore, I would decide to eat pasta totally in Korean like “ ”, however, recently I think in English, like “I want to eat pizza today”.’

Hyunseo Choi Grade 8 ‘After I came to this school everything is going well and the teachers are helping me all the time. For example, if I don’t understand the lesson because they are in English as an additional language for me. Teachers always help me and prepare me a text to understand.

Sometimes I translate English into Japanese in my head when I do my work’ Ryusei Okuda These phenomena just begin to paint a picture of the constant change in life and the adaptations that we are capable of undergoing. This just scratches the surface of what it’s like to be bilingual, the hardships that can be overcome or rather, the utilisation of extraordinary talents.

SELFISH Well, the spread of coronavirus is not our fault, is it? So it takes no responsibility for us in any situation. Nevertheless, the unchanging fact is that this virus is extremely dangerous and easily transmitted, which means we all are potential victims of the disease. Although this may give us some responsibilities, serious problems on the other side of the globe still may seem distant. However, as a whole community and individual human beings, we all form this planet together. Especially in a reality where survival is prioritized, to adapt to the present status quo, the most important thing is to maintain our global perspectives.

Therefore, to get away from this appalling situation covered with cries of povertystricken children, the sick sufferings in agony, and families separated from their loved ones, we need to work as a team and advocate global perspectives around the world.

There are 3 main reasons why we need to maintain a global perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first reason is to create international standards and laws. The priority in this pandemic is to ensure the safety of everyone. We must create basic standards that all countries can follow to minimize the spread of coronavirus.

Leaders of governments and industries need to come up with strategies and protocols to provide guidance and protect people today as well as in the aftermath of the crisis. This could not be solved without a global engagement of governments and organizations; all nations need to work side by side for this pandemic to truly come to an end

The second reason is to advance international responsibility. Nations all around the world significantly influence each other. There isn’t a single country or continent to be held responsible for the virus. Now is the time to translate our words into actions instead of blaming one another. Countries like France, Spain, and Italy are nations that are heavily involved in tourism. Spain, for instance, through tourism, gains 13% of its total employment and earns 12% of the country’s total GDP. Therefore, this outbreak had a huge impact on financial matters for some countries. However, how is economics related to this? Does it really have much of an effect? Yes, it does: for example, Nike, a global company, makes its products in factories in China, get their raw materials from Turkey, and process them through many other countries before ending up in stores all around the world. This is one tiny example among many where what we eat, wear and buy as a daily routine is in fact very closely related to the influence of other countries. As an international obligation, we are to be responsible to defend each other and ourselves as we are all in this together.

Lastly, the need for international cooperation. The lack of supplies and technology in developing countries make international cooperations paramount for the resolution of this pandemic. The most effective solution would be to support each other with what each country is lacking. South Korea has supplied one million masks to war veterans in 22 different countries to applaud the Korean War. Furthermore, South Korea has shared some of its techniques with England, and other European countries and was used to prevent the spread of the virus.

As a desperate need of international cooperation, we should be able to look at the situation on a broader level, to consider the possible potential of alliance among the countries, in order to do that we need to maintain a global perspective as fighting alone is not a choice.

We do not need the cries of blames. We do not need any more agony in this world.

We do not need racist comments splashed across social media. We had enough of sadness and injustice. What we truly need is to embrace each other as human beings and aid others in need. Let us start with love instead of hatred. Let us win with hope instead of despair. Let us claim victory over this crisis by standing together.

The

Covid

19

Vaccine Ruben Gati, Grade 8

The Interview

NLCS London

From Deforestation to COVID-19 -Adaptability in the AmazonBy Avianashi Sahota In South American forests, area the size of football pitches is being lost every 5 seconds due to deforestation. (BBC Seven Worlds One Planet, 2019) Of all the forests at risk, The Amazon, the largest on Earth, lies in the very heart of the continent. Over two million species of plants and animals live here, more than anywhere else in the 7 continents.

In 1965, the Brazilian government created and passed its first “Forest Code”, a law that required Amazonian landowners to maintain 35 -80 % of their property under native vegetation. This allowed rural farmers to buy land in the Amazon, but limited them to farming only 20% of this (Independent, 2020). This kind of law is unique to the Amazon as it doesn’t exist globally. In a way, the Forest code was aimed to ensure that the rainforest was protected, however enforcement has clearly been difficult since then. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to regulate, which lead to a new rule processed in 2010. This stated that it was mandatory for all rural properties to be registered by the government. It is clear that these regulations were not as efficient as hoped, as deforestation has significantly increased since these rules.

Currently Manaus, a Brazilian city on the Amazon river, is “buckling” (BBC 2020) under the second Covid wave. Manaus is lacking a basic product, oxygen, due to the ongoing impacts of deforestation. Serious side effects have come out from this as many have died unnecessarily due to suffocation. As the largest city in the Amazon region, hospitals are already under pressure and spaces are running out in hospitals.

Although Brazil is slowly receiving supplies from Venezuela, inhabitants are forced to line up for cylinders of oxygen to save family members at home (BBC New, 2020).

30 Years of deforestation in the Amazon Forest

By 2064, research predicts the Amazon to reach tipping point. The collapse has been caused by radical alterations in the past 50 years causing temperatures to decrease, wildfires to spread and droughts to hit the Amazon (Nature 2020). If drought, fire, deforestation, or reduced rainfall continue to damage this significant number of trees, this might transform large Amazon regions into a savannah ecosystem. If this happens, not only will people and animals in the region will be affected, but the billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide that will be emitted can severely alter climate patterns globally. There is still hope, as education on this is being spread, and more people are taking action to undo some of the disastrous effects.

Sources used: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c77jz3mdq2pt/amazon-rainforest https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/amazon-tipping-point-deforestation-climate-change-b1782126.html https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/latin-america/brazil/stories-in-brazil/brazils-forest-code/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00508-4

COVID-19 has grown to an unprecedented pandemic with the rapid increase in the worldwide contagion, said the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Director general, Tedros Adhanom, on March 11. Such a declaration has brought the fear of a global recession, which has affected the economy- it has plummeted and fluctuated due to repeated surges and plunges. These deepening fluctuations are shown as the individual proprietors and self ownerships are collapsing due to the virus.

However, despite all the factors, people have been adapting the situation and transforming their businesses to restore the economy over the few months.

Eventually, they have found a solution to stabilize the economy in the short term.

One of the adaptations was the transition from services that require person-toperson contact to digital systems. It is considered as one of the significant solutions as this had not just prevented the blockage of the economy’s development, but also led to an expeditious increase of profit due to cloud computing and development in IT. Hence, the businesses that were previously suffering from huge losses were now struggling less by turning to online services.

For instance, people initiated the online exhibition to support the Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) as it became difficult to expand overseas. As a result, this support assisted the companies who are undergoing hardship and adapted companies from the outbreak.

Moreover, physical stores and shoppings adapted to the current situation by starting omnichannel retailers. According to a survey held in April 2020, the majority of shoppers prefer shopping online. As a response, top hiring firms such as Walmart, Lotte, Dickens and Canadian Tire started integrating their markets into both online and offline stores. This allowed customers to browse products, order, and pay online, which accelerated the retailers and also the customers to adapt in the current pandemic.

Secondly, the social interaction due to tourism is currently banned in most of the countries. This problem dramatically has affected Mediterranean economies, but they were able to adapt in a certain way. As the tourism industry halted due to the pandemic, most of the tourism companies started to form a huge group of accompanies and sustain their economy by encouraging domestic and interstate travels, despite the higher health service costs. Thus, there has been a change in the service pattern as they no longer can do tour services as usual, such as a city tour. Last but not least, there are investments for supporting customers’ health and keeping the social distance in the hotel industry. This led to repairing facilities and distanced seats in buildings to reduce the capacity, which increased the service charges. In addition, transportation companies such as aviation and cruise ships also have been striving to make sure the customers are aware of social distancing during the process. However, this brought positive results as this process was done by psychological marketing of people’s belief of safety.

In conclusion, although the COVID-19 has limited economic development and led to the creation of excessive chaos in the international community, companies have been adapting to the situation. This clearly shows the possibility of how people could overcome the COVID-19 in different ways, by accepting the situation and responding instead of simply reacting to the situation.

The effects of moving From

Boarding To

Day School Milly Robson, Grade 8

Change can come in all sorts of ways, in my case, it comes from moving from a boarding school to a day school.

Boarding was certainly an experience, and on the whole, a positive one; I recommend boarding, or living away from family at least for a few weeks before going to university, it gives you a bunch of helpful coping mechanisms for when you do have to be away from your guardians. Overall, boarding can be an extremely positive, productive and fun experience, but the people looking after you have to know what they're doing, and have some sort of experience, or the affair of boarding can turn sour really quickly. Moving from living in school and forming close bonds with teachers and and caretakers to being in an environment where you go home after 10 periods was for sure strange at first,

but I feel the break from the teachers, staff and fellow students leads to a much healthier mindset about school overall, because you aren't constantly surrounded with those you may not get along with all the time, or people that drain you socially all the time. In order to have healthy relationships with people, you need to take time away from them, which is where I find a huge flaw in the boarding system preventing friendships from blossoming to their full potential because of always being around them. Overall, I found the change quite strange at first, but moving to a day school has allowed me to adapt my schedule to my homework needs, and make better and healthier relationships with staff in which the student does not wholly rely on them as their teacher and their caretaker.

In the southern hemisphere of the world, there is a small country surrounded by ocean, my home country New Zealand, commonly known as Aotearoa! The naturally extreme landscape is beautiful in itself, ranging from snowy mountain ranges in the winter, to beautiful beach days in the summer. Come along with me on this journey to travel around the amazingly exquisite country of New Zealand and be immersed into the Maori culture it obtains within the land.

As we begin our journey at the tip of the North Island, we arrive at the beautiful location of Cape Reinga! Cape Reinga is the most North point of New Zealand, which is located at the end of the Aupouri peninsula and is a very popular tourist destination for all tourists.

Complete with stunning views and scenery, it is excellent for photo opportunities as you can observe the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean colliding head-on with each other to create a spectacular swirl of the mixing currents. Historically, Cape Reinga is considered to be one of the most sacred places for Maori culture in all of New Zealand. At the most northern tip is a Pohutukawa tree which is said to be over 800 years old. From this tree, it is a popular belief that the spirits of the deceased Maori descend into the ocean from this tree to be returned to their native homeland of Hawaiki. It is definitely worth the drive up North to experience this amazing landscape which is Cape Reinga.

New Zealand is also home to ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as the movie set for ‘The Shire’ is located in the small town of Matamata. Built into the rolling hills of Matamata, are many hobbit holes which were used in the filming of the movies and are a highlight for many viewers because of their iconic status and intricate detail. You can observe these famous movie sets and props during the tours that are available to book, as well as enjoying a nice complimentary beverage in the world-famous Green Dragon Inn.

As you wander around the breathtaking landscape of the Matamata farm-side, your guide will be supplying you with endless knowledge about how the movie magic was created and many fun facts that even the biggest fans wouldn’t know! As a New Zealander, I can say that this is my personal favourite trip I have been to while living in New Zealand and I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to visit our amazing country!

Moving into the southwestern corner of the South Island, you can observe the beautiful landscapes which engulf Fiordland National Park. Included in this area is the famous Milford Sounds, Doubtful Sounds and Mirror Lakes which never fail to amaze travellers because of their dramatic and beautiful scenery which surrounds it. In total there are 14 fiords in this area which is what makes it so astounding. The remarkable environment features stunning fiords and ancient rainforests which cling to the sides of mountains, complete with waterfalls which flow hundreds of meters down into the shimmering lakes below. Maori claimed the creation of these landforms to be part of the stonemason called Tutu Rakiwhanoa who is believed to have carved out the steep-sided valleys with adzes.

Aotearoa’s extreme landscape, filled with captivating scenery, is an amazing tourist destination with exciting adventures that will give you the thrill of a lifetime. Ranging from bungee jumping to skydiving of the Sky Tower in Auckland! New Zealand often makes even its native population feel like tourists because the land has so much to offer and there is so much to experience. So please! If you get the chance to explore this extraordinary country, be sure to get out some of the tourist hotspots available to you!

Ka Kite ano!

How do Coral Reefs adapt to Climate Change?

Written by: Sungmoon Chung Edited by: Jeslyn Park

Coral reefs are the most conservative sources in marine ecosystems, helping to have the highest biodiversity under the ocean. It acts to perform various functions: subsisting food, protecting from flooding, and sustaining the fishing.

However, due to the climate change of rising temperatures and higher carbon emissions, more coral reefs are bleaching white, indicating the death of its habitats.

The loss of coral reefs is a severe problem in aquaculture, unless the greenhouse gases are stabilized, coral reefs need to endure their strengths by adapting and reacting against their different conditions: Global warming is one of the biggest threats against the marine environment.

Temperature of the planet is rising continuously because the amount of carbon emissions that are exposed from the industrial factories is increasing.

When the temperature abruptly changes, corals are observed to expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, which are responsible for their colour. Its

scientific name is ‘symbiodinium’, which is a microscopic algae that harvests light and produces chemical energy in the form of carbon rich compounds. Just a small change in ocean temperatures (12°C) that is sustained over several weeks can lead to coral bleaching or turning corals white. If this continues over time , corals eventually die.

The recent study projected from the California State Universities, shows that coral reefs, through genetic adaptations, could reduce the rate of bleaching from 20 to 80 percent of levels expected by the year 2100 if there are large reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

The other research from the University of Miami (UM) observed the sensitivity of...

... two types of corals found in Florida and the Caribbean waters. Their adaptations were tested under the circumstances of high temperatures and acidity conditions.

The researchers placed a staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and the other mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata) to be exposed under elevated temperatures of 32°C and increased carbon dioxide levels for nine weeks. By the end of the nine weeks corals that were still surviving were recovered at the cool temperature and normal pH to determine its capacity. As a result, the staghorn coral was more sensitive to heat . It experienced 100% mortality after 25 days at the elevated temperature of 1.5°C above the mean temperature in Florida waters.

On the other side, the mountainous star coral survived 62 days in the same condition. So, how did the mountainous star coral endure much longer than the staghorn coral? It had a special type of algae, called ‘D symbionts’ that allowed the coral cells to be adapted more suitably. This is also known as the ‘Clade D Symbiodinium’, and it’s thermally tolerant coral endosymbionts that confer resistance to elevated sea surface temperature and bleaching to the host.

As the researches are showing, corals are very sensitive with a lot of various factors such as temperature, pH etc.

It is very important for corals to have an appropriate water temperature.

There are corals called cool-water corals that can adapt to a slightly warmer ocean. The study found that some corals in the normally cool waters of the Cook Islands carry genetic variants that predispose them to heat tolerance. In this work, the scientists identified genes that make some individual corals more heat tolerant than others. They ran computer simulations if coral could survive both in mild and moderate, and severe scenarios. Corals were able to survive in moderate temperature, but, in severe cases, it became even more clear that their future extinction due to climate change became much clearer.

Over the past few years, coral reefs have experienced the worst bleaching and mortality events in recorded history of the marine environment. Life on earth is becoming harder due to the warmer water and unsafe habitats. The earth is not only for human beings, but all of the living things on the planet. It is our greatest responsibility of the millennium to preserve nature.

The Tangled Pedigree of the English Language Chelsea Cresswell

NLCS London

Many lan ua es have words that seem amiliar to us because they are related to words in lan ua es we know. For example, the word “brother” in En lish sounds like the Greek “phrater,” Latin “ rater,” Sanskrit “Bhrater,” and Old Irish “brathir.” For the past three centuries historical lin uists have been studyin the similarities between words belon in to the so-called Indo-European lan ua es. There are more than seven hundred o these lan ua es i re ional dialects are included. Spannin the entire world, they are spoken by more than hal o the lobal population. The consensus amon lin uists is that these lan ua es can be traced back to one ancient ancestor: ProtoIndo-European. However, they cannot a ree when Proto-Indo-European ori inated (estimates vary between 9,800 and 5,000 years a o), where it ori inated (the Steppes area o eastern Europe or the Anatolian When Indo-Europeans mi rated many re ion o western Asia), how it spread centuries a o, native speakers o the Proto(throu h conquest or a riculture), and how it Indo-European lan ua e became separated split up into the ten key branches that exist rom each other. As they did so, the re ional today. dialects spoken by the various roups diver ed, each under oin chan es in vocabulary, rammar and pronunciation. Over time, these dialects evolved into the ancient Indo-European lan ua es, and then a ain into the modern Indo-European lan ua es, includin En lish, Spanish, Portu uese, Italian, Brathir French German, Russian, Albanian, Armenian, Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu), Ben ali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Persian.

Bhrater

Althou h there are no written records o Proto-Indo-European, lin uists have mana ed to recreate a number o words rom these modern-day descendants usin “co nates”, or words that have the same meanin and sound similar in di erent lan ua es. Like brother, the En lish word “ ather” is co nate with “padre” in Italian, “père” in French, “pater” in Latin, and “pitar” in Sanskrit.

So where did the Proto-Indo-European lan ua e ori inate rom and when?

While there are many schools o thou ht, the two commonly accepted theories are the Steppe theory and the Anatolian theory:

Steppe Theory By recreatin this ancient lan ua e, lin uists have ound several words which su est that the native Proto-Indo-European speakers were armers who kept sheep and horses and made use o primitive wheeled vehicles. For example, lin uists believe that the word or “wheel” in Proto-Indo-European was likely “kwekwlos”. This became “kuklos” in Ancient Greek and “kakra” in Old Indic. It then trans ormed into “hweohl” in Old En lish (the letter K became the letter H in Germanic lan ua es) and inally “wheel” in modern En lish. Accordin to archaeolo ists, wheeled vehicles were discovered circa 4000 B.C. This implies that speakers o Proto-Indo-European lived approximately 6,500 years a o in eastern

Europe, on the Steppe rasslands north o the Caspian and Black Seas. Over time, they spread their lan ua e to Europe, India and western China, either throu h conquest or throu h their a ricultural economy. Steppe theorists believe that the irst branch to break away rom the Proto-Indo-European lan ua e tree was Hittite, the lan ua e o Anatolia, now Turkey. Second was Tocharian, a lan ua e roup spoken in western China, and third were the Italic and Celtic lan ua e roups o Europe. Studies by archaeolo ists show that mi ration out o the Steppe re ion in these directions occurred in the ri ht order, ivin credence to this theory.

Anatolian Theory Other lin uists ar ue that Proto-Indo-European ori inated in Anatolia. While they a ree that the native speakers were armers, they believe that these armers started mi ratin to Europe much earlier, between 8,000 and 9,500 years a o, spreadin the Indo-European lan ua es as they went. Anatolian theorists concur that the irst lan ua e to separate rom Proto-Indo-European was Hittite, but believe that this was ollowed by Celtic, ancestor o Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton, and Italic, ancestor o Latin and the Romance lan ua es. Next to diver e were Armenian and Greek, and inally, the Indic and Iranian lan ua es. Anatolian theory is hi hly credible because the mi ration o a ricultural populations is an acknowled ed means by which lan ua e spreads, as evidenced by the mi ration o New Stone A e armers to Europe which has been meticulously documented by archaeolo ists.

So which o these two theories will prevail?

Proponents o Steppe theory dismiss Anatolian theory on the basis that the wheel had not been invented 8,000 to 9,500 years a o, and so the Proto-Indo-European lan ue tree could not have split at that time. Proponents o Anatolian theory counter this ar ument by claimin that many Indo-European lan ua es have similar words or wheel which must have ori inated rom the same ancestor. It is quite easible that these lan ua es could all have adopted the word or “wheel,” as well as the actual wheel itsel , many years a ter the mi ration o ProtoIndo-European speakers to Europe.

Indo-European wheel words

In recent years, researchers have turned to mathematics and science to try and solve this puzzle. Evidence rom statistical methods used by biolo ists to track the evolution o enes and proteins and the eo raphical spread o viruses support the Anatolian theory. However, evidence rom computer science methods used to study lan ua e ancestries show that the Proto-Indo-European lan ua e tree declined in a e to 6,500 years old, which supports the Steppe theory. Further support was iven to the Steppe theory when scientists undertook an extensive DNA study o people who lived in Europe between 3,000 and 8,000 years a o. This showed that the Yamnaya people, who had been livin in the Steppes, mi rated to Germany about 4,500 years a o. These people were the irst to develop an a ricultural economy usin sheep, horses and wheeled vehicles. So widespread was the mi ration that 75% o the people examined in Germany carried Yamnaya DNA. It is there ore quite likely that the mi rant lan ua e became dominant and that the mi ration represents an expansion o Indo-European speakers rom the Steppes.

So will we ever know which theory is correct or sure? Given that there are no direct records o proto-Indo-European in existence, it is likely that the debate will continue or many years to come.

SUSTAINABILITY: THE NEW MARKET DIFFERENTIATOR JANICE SEUNGMIN YOO JEJU

According to researchers, multinational corporations (MNCs) account for nearly a fifth of the global CO2 emission. They say that the global supply chains of MNCs such as Coca-Cola, Walmart, and BP have detrimental impacts on our environment.

Experts stated that for many large companies, emissions from their supply chains were larger than that of many countries. For example, Coca-Cola emitted the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with China's food sector which feeds 1.3 billion people, foreign affiliates of Walmart emitted more carbon dioxide than Germany’s retail sector, and Samsung’s carbon emission around the world was higher than all electronic manufacturers in India. Likewise, the carbon footprints of MNCs have massive environmental impacts.

One of the experts pointed out that such MNCs have a blind spot in judging the environmental impact of their suppliers’ operations, adding to corporate risks linked to climate change. According to the report by non-profit consultancies - CDP and BSR - only 49 percent of almost 8000 suppliers in Dell, Unilever and Wal-Mart responded when asked about their environmental footprint, which conveys their ignorance on the environment. Experts claimed that it is difficult for MNCs to gain these information about their supply chains since they operate on a large scale.

However, the trend is changing for MNCs. As the Millennials and Gen-Z are more conscious about the environment than the previous generations, consumers these days prefer and seek sustainable products and brands. Recent researches suggest that 77 percent of consumers are more willing to purchase from a company with corporate social responsibility (CSR) pledge. Therefore, leading global companies are using sustainability as a market differentiator. Apple, Dell, Amazon, Google, and other large tech companies have made pledges to reduce their carbon footprint and improve other sustainability initiatives. Last month, Amazon launched a $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund aimed at investing in companies that build products, services, and technology to decarbonize the Earth. Apple also committed to being 100 percent carbon neutral in its entire business including the supply chain and product life cycle by 2030.

As such, when a market is saturated with products, companies choose to appeal their social corporate responsibility to customers and increase their competitiveness by differentiating themselves from other companies.

Knowing that Amazon, arguably the largest company in the world, is making such a bold pledge and encouraging other companies to follow the suit puts them in positive a position in consumers’ minds. As consumers are loyal to brands that truly care about the things they care about, environmental issues and efforts towards sustainability are indeed acting as one of the marketing strategies for the MNCs. Thus, not only MNCs but also other companies should work towards heightening their sustainability and increasing awareness of the environmental impact of their supply chains. If such a trend continues in the market, there will be a notable reduction of carbon emissions as well as overall negative environmental impacts from companies. Therefore, we, as consumers, should aspire to purchase products that are environmentally friendly and contribute to the circular economy.

New World Order: The Process of Chinese Capital Encroaching on Companies Written by: Shingwan Mark Lee Edited by: Hyesun Bonnie Hyun

China has been making tremendous developments in terms of the economy.

This is significant as she made a start from the world's poorest country but now has become the second richest country in the world where its influence on other countries has also increased. However, China’s growth is affecting the firms in a fatal way, since China is a one-party state which can control its economy for its political purposes.

The basis of China’s influence originates from its huge economic scale and population. Due to its vast population, China has massive purchasing power thus allowing companies to easily earn money by targeting the Chinese market. Xi-regime, being aware of this fact, is forcing firms into submission by oppressing the corporations which are against the ideology of the Chinese government. In other words, China is using its economy as a political weapon. For instance, the Houston Rockets, one of the teams in the NBA(National Basketball Association) declared their support for Hongkong anti-extradition bill protests in 2019. The Chinese government after the declaration censured the NBA of disobeying the “One-China’ policy where they coerced all Chinese companies to cut the sponsors of the NBA, further forcing the dismissal of Daryl Morey, the head of Houston Rockets.

Consequently, the NBA had to reduce the salary cap of all players and Houston Rockets officially apologized to the Chinese government.

China’s foreign investment policy also hugely affects firms. When foreign companies enter the Chinese market, they must be cooperating with a Chinese company. However, cooperation with Chinese companies itself holds more than 51% of the business's share, which makes it critical to foreign firms as they have to give up more than half of their profit just to enter the Chinese market. For example, the local joint venture company of Disney that is established in China is holding 57% of the share which results in Disney losing 57% of its revenue to the joint venture company. Considering the extremely high tax rate on foreign firms in China, what Disney is earning is 20% of its total revenue which is totally a colossal loss for the company. Like this, China is abusing strong control over its economy to stimulate the growth of domestic firms through the elimination of foreign rival companies.

Despite the unreasonable strict foreign policy of China, companies are entering the Chinese market due to its immense leverage on the world economy.

Overall, China’s harsh foreign policies are forcing companies under the control of the Chinese government. However, they are remaining obedient to China’s absurdity as companies are addicted to China's money, reluctantly enduring and adapting to the new illogical economic order led by China.

Adaptations of the "shoe story": how two different damsels came to find true love

GEUMBEE CHANDLER AHN JEJU

Cinderella is the story of how a prince afflicted by a grave case of prosopagnosia and a beautiful but mistreated maiden manage to find each other with the aid of a pair of glass slippers that mysteriously refuse to vanish with the rest of the maiden’s abracadabra fineries. The maiden’s glass slippers, acting as both the catalyst and the ultimate link between the prince and the unfortunate damsel, play a central role in the fulfillment of the couple’s happy ending. The same can be said for Cinderella’s dedicated band of rodents who aid her in completing her endless pile of chores and free her from her imprisonment in the towers, allowing her to knock out her evil Stepmother and slide a dainty foot into her slipper as proof of her identity. As ingenious and inventive as this Disney-adapted classic may be, however, Cinderella is hardly the only shoe-redemption fairytale of its kind. South Korea’s centuries-old folktale Kongjwi Patjwi is an exact reflection of the sentiments and morals that Cinderella contains – it even has the step-sisterly rivalry down pat to an art form, with the ugly, jealous sibling meeting her untimely demise by being chopped up and delivered to her mother in a ceramic pot in some bloodier retellings of the legend.

Cinderella and Kongjwi Patjwi are both adaptations of the classic ‘beautiful-lady-loses-ashoe-and-meets-rich-husband’ trope, with over 500 separate retellings of the pictureperfect cliché available in print across the globe today. Rhodopis’ story about a slave girl in Greek who goes on to wed the king of Egypt when her shoe is stolen by a bird and dropped in the King’s lap is usually considered to be the earliest known variant. Cinderella and its Korean counterpart, however, are not completely identical to each other although both are thought to be descendants of Rhodopis’ Egyptian Cinderella. Certain features of the stock characters and plot differ in reflection of the virtues that the societies they were respectively situated in promoted at the time. The seemingly insignificant differences between the two stories telegraph volumes of information about Korea’s cultural idiosyncrasies and fundamental beliefs.

Cinderella’s lovable gang of rodents were indebted to her. She fed them, clothed them and dismantled the deadly jaws of the steel traps for their safe passage. The rodents, in turn, as a payment for the kindness and generosity that Cinderella had unfailingly directed towards them, aided her in her frequent moments of plight and later helped her snag the marriage opportunity of a lifetime. Kongjwi’s helpers, on the other hand, the cow, the toad and the merry band of grain-picking sparrows – were virtual strangers who appeared out of nowhere to rescue Kongjwi from her troubles. They had had no previous affiliation with Kongjwi but still made their choice to voluntarily contribute their services for her happy ending. This is an indicator of the virtue of service that the Korean society promotes, where assistance given out of the kindness of one’s heart rather than as simple reciprocity for a favor is identified to be noble and worthy of commendation. Individuals must unerringly invest their best efforts in extending a helping hand to others, even when no benefits can be returned from the other person’s end.

Another difference between Kongjwi Patjwi and Cinderella is the way that these two heroines capture the hearts of their future husbands. Cinderella attends a ball that was specifically held for the purpose of selecting a bride for the prince, and he initiates a nationwide search for the maiden that he fell in love with at first sight. Kongjwi’s link with her husband, however, can be found in a series of events that can only be described as fate.

Upon Kongjwi’s loss of her beautiful new slipper in the stream, the governor, passing by, orders the shoe to be fished out of the water. As he sees that the shoe is surrounded by a magical aura, he decides to search for its owner out of curiosity for the kind of person she may be. As opposed to Cinderella, therefore, Kongjwi Patjwi’s version of How I Met Your Mother has a lot more to do with providence and luck. Cinderella is clear on what she wants – she wants to attend the party, wants to marry the prince, and wants to escape a lifetime of pandering to the mercurial whims of her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Kongjwi, however, takes every single misfortune that befalls her in stride. She never complains nor wants for anything, and as reward for her contentment is gifted everything she could ever have dreamed of. This is a reflection of how the Korean society at the time believed greed and excessive ambition to be detrimental to one’s character, and how being constantly thankful despite the destitutions of one’s circumstance would ultimately lead the individual towards happiness – in Kongjwi’s case, through divine intervention and marriage.

The “Shoe Story” is one of the most popular folk tale adaptations in the world, and the way that Cinderella and Kongjwi Patjwi have each embodied their own virtues and morals to be learnt are fascinating in both their resemblances and variances. The Korean cultures and conventions in a staple bedtime story are truly breathtaking - something to keep in mind for the next time you come upon yet another of its spin-offs, concerning a maiden who loses her shoe and a crew of evil step-siblings who seize the opportunity to bully some humility into her. Try looking for the subtle details in a “Shoe Story” that can’t alternatively be found in either books, articles or scholastic journals. You might be pleasantly surprised.

NISHKA NANANI DUBAI

SYNECDOCHE, Synecdoche, New Yorkis a NEW YORK

2008 film written, directed, and produced by Charlie Kaufman, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener. Charlie Kaufman’s style goes on to becoming iconic and instantly recognizable, using film to exhibit and critique the ways in which we run our world and live our lives; by using contemporary ‘third way’ art in unique ways virtually nonexistent in the works that came before him.

His accomplishments aside however, Kaufman has been privy to a fair deal of criticism; it is why I’d suspect if ever (after reading this article) you decide to go ahead and watch Synecdoche, New York, you wholeheartedly love it, or completely despise it.

Synecdoche, New York follows the life of a theater director Caden Cotard, up until his death at the end of the film. The film starts as we see Caden’s life unravel when he starts to grow increasingly distant from his wife who later leaves him to pursue a career in Berlin. After the success of his previous productions, he now has the means to fund his own interests and aims to create an ‘artistic piece of brutal realism and honesty’, something to distract him from his own harsh realities. He does this by gathering a cast of actors in a large warehouse in Manhattan and directs them to live out their constructive lives in sets that are a replica of their outside world. By casting actors to play characters from his own life he essentially works to recreate the world that he had just lost. As the years swiftly pass on screen, we see the warehouse continue to expand in relation with the city outside and the lines of reality and the world of the play starts to blur. Towards the end of the film Caden lets an actress take over his role as the director and adopts her role of Ellen, he lives out the rest of his days in character until finally at the time of death the director gives his final cue, ‘die’.

The amount of symbolism, motif, and commentary in this film had left me puzzled and wondering for weeks after watching it, and whilst I’d imagine the room for interpretation in this film would leave some frustrated, I’m guessing many like me would be left intrigued.

Virtually every scene, prop, line of dialogue, imagery, and motif within this film has some sort of intrinsic meaning whether that be apparent instantly or uncovered later on. I won’t lie when I say when watching Synecdoche, New York for the first time I was more than a little confused; after a couple hours of browsing the internet as well as a weekend's worth of YouTube however, I was able to better understand the almost psychotic levels of symbols and meaning Kaufman incorporated in his film. He made sure that everything in the film had a reason to be there but criticism for the film have stemmed from the same reasonings, with some critics calling the movie ‘self-indulgent’ and ‘incomprehensible’. I however disagree with this sentiment; I believe that Synecdoche, New York was made to evoke an emotional reaction rather than one of understanding. While the film might not be the easiest to follow, the emotions it is able to express are unlike those I have seen in many other films. While you as the audience might not be able to find much meaning with the film as a whole, each scene holds emotive weight that can hold power with each person differently – the real genius of Synecdoche, New York. Opinions of this movie are still relatively split but I would say watch it anyways as there is something in there for everyone.

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 3