FEBRUARY 2023

Letter from the Editor

Life is like navigating the ocean on a boat: sometimes life is peaceful and beautiful, and sometimes the waves threaten to pull you under Needless to say, life has ups and downs.

High school is often full of struggle, whether struggles come from slowly beginning to navigate the world or summative assignments. It is often easy to wish that those “downs” in life never came, but as Natasha Porter and Robin S. Sharma state: “the journey (of life is) worthwhile (if) you enjoy the good and learn from the bad.”

The first two months of 2023 have already brought surprises. In a short period, we have already experienced both the “positive” surprises, such as removing mandatory masks inside, and the “bad” surprises, such as the Turkey-Syrian earthquake.

But, even despite the ups and downs that we face, like the tossing of a wave, we continue to see humanity strive toward a better future.

It is my pleasure to present the Golden Dragon Newspaper’s second issue of the 2022-2023 school year. This issue will cover many revelations that are shaping the world today. You will be able to read about strong individuals providing unique perspectives on a variety of issues around the world, aspiring book and movie reviews, the TurkeySyrian earthquake, and so on. This issue will also incorporate articles written by the correspondents in February 2022. As you read each of these articles, I encourage you to read with an open mind and to learn through the innovative perception of each of these young writers. We challenge you to find the hidden message of perseverance and hope underneath the words and be inspired. Haneul

Jang

Secretary

Sue Kim

Staff

Editor Treasurer

Haneul Jang

Correspondents

Alex Chi

Chaemin Lee

David Yi

Elina Nam

Elle Youn

Gina Jeong

Hyonsan Kim

Sarah Pyeon

Shinju Kim

Toby Granger

Yaeeun Hwang

Yirae Chang

Yongsuk Kim

Cover Design

Gina Jeong

Yaeeun Hwang

Minhee Choi

Turkey-Syrian Earthquake

BY ELINA NAM

A level 4 emergency, and an international call for assistance. What happened?

On February 6th, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey, near the border of Syria In the hours that followed, multiple aftershocks would devastate the surrounding areas. As of February 9th, up to 1206 aftershocks have reportedly occurred.

This earthquake was one of the most severe natural disasters to ever affect Turkey and the most catastrophic one of this century. According to the USGS, there have been more than 30,000 deaths and casualties. This has led the Turkish Government to declare a 3month state of level 4 emergency, calling for international assistance But what makes this particular earthquake so devastating?

There are multiple elements in play that have increased the damage caused by this disaster. First, CNN states that the earthquake occurred in the morning, which meant that many people were still in their beds: people were later trapped under the remnants of their own homes. Those trapped beneath the rubble not only had to withstand being under the remnants but also had to withstand freezing temperatures, starvation, and dehydration while waiting to be rescued -another factor that contributed to the number of deaths in this incident (as noted by Professor Ilan Kelman). Secondly, deficiencies in the design and the poor construction of Turkish buildings, especially those older, have caused many homes to “pancake” collapse, crushing their residents and further adding to the casualties.

So what can we do to make a difference? As governments and global organizations scramble to provide all assistance necessary to help those struggling individuals, many may wonder how they could be of assistance. News channels and organizations alike agree that funding is one of the most crucial parts of continuing the help effort In fact, there are many places in which your small donation can make a difference. For instance, the IRC (International Rescue Committee), the CDP (Center for Disaster Philanthropy), and many other organization-based funding projects found on social media can use your donations to make great differences. Moreover, as a Christian, I also believe in the importance of praying for those in Turkey and Syria who face terrible hardship and challenges. Small differences can always make a great impact.

Life Without Masks

BY MINHEE CHOI

No Masks are Required in TCIS!! Are you enjoying your time looking at your peers’ smiles on their faces?

Life without masks It seems to have been something that almost everyone looked out for. However, there may be a difference between expectation and reality. While some people took their masks off straight away after the policy was advised, some were still wearing the masks. Why? Well… There seem to be three major reasons.

First of all, despite people not requiring masks to protect themselves in public spaces or areas, they are required to wear them on public transportation, in hospitals/pharmacies, and in other places where viruses can be easily transmitted across people. This means that people need to carry masks every day in case they need to go to different places and are required to wear masks Also, if they forgot to carry their masks and needed to ride public transport, they would experience different difficulties, unlike the time when they didn’t need to worry about not being able to get on transports with always having their mask on So with this, it can be seen that people are continuously wearing masks so that they wouldn’t need to experience those difficulties and don’t have to worry about the cases where they need to have masks.

Secondly, COVID-19 has been going on for some time and with this, the majority of people feel more secure and comfortable with masks on. For instance, according to the students in 10th grade, they heard that those who put makeup on, especially adults, use to put makeup on the upper half of their face. Other than this, if they have their masks on, they can usually hide their face when they have skin troubles or other skin troubles Also, when getting to meet different people, people usually find it hard to show their true emotions and thoughts, meaning that with masks on, it’s easier for them to hide their emotions and fake their voice tone This would be more applicable for introverted people, as they usually find talking to new people difficult and uncomfortable

Finally, people continue to wear masks due to air pollution and for general health. Because Covid-19 is still being spread all over the world, there is a high chance that people could get Covid-19 also because of the severe air pollution that is getting worse over time, masks would help prevent these viruses and other harmful air pollution or infections. Some people are more cautious about taking masks off because if one of the family members has Covid-19, it has a higher chance of spreading across family members and with this it would have a high impact on the family’s income, health, work, or school life.

Now, knowing that those three reasons are holding people back from taking their masks off, it seems to be relevant for people to continuously wear masks and also have them off. Considering these ideas, what do you think about the situation? Would you like your family or friends to take the masks off to see their bright smiles or would you like to respect their choice but have difficulty seeing their faces?

Interview on Traveling in COVID

BY ELLE YOUN

Questions

Interviewer: How did you like traveling abroad prior to covid taking place?

Interviewee #1: I liked traveling before COVID than after COVID. I think the reason I liked traveling before COVID was that there were fewer regulations and firm set-instone rules that I had to follow, which made the already chaotic traveling experience even more chaotic So personally, yeah I prefer traveling prior covid due to the more stable and peaceful environment.

Interviewer: Do you feel like there was a significant impact on you personally?

Interviewee #1: I think that due to COVID traveling was pretty challenging. I mean adding along to the equation of wanting to travel but not being able to… It was also challenging to meet relatives and family due to COVID traveling restrictions because I had to ensure the health and safety of not only myself but others.

Interviewer: How do you feel after traveling post-COVID-19 times?

Interviewee #1: After COVID, the security measures increased in order to maintain the health of all people, but this makes traveling more chaotic. I understand why the rules are set in place so that everyone is not at a risky disadvantage but at the same time, I wish that I could go back to normal where there weren’t as many firm regulations that we have to follow

After the interview with two interviewees, a common answer that I got among both of them was that times were definitely simpler back then prior to COVID-19 taking place. Having the COVID-19 pandemic around during vacation times or school breaks was especially challenging for a lot of people as people aren’t able to travel freely as they used to be able to (due to all of the restrictions set in place). “It was a more stable and peaceful environment before all the covid restrictions” One interviewee explained how traveling is already chaotic because of all the stops and check-ins that you have to do in the airports. Further explaining how having the COVID tests, QR codes, and all of the additional steps that further complicate and delay, the already hectic schedule was very tiring and annoying for a lot of people including the interviewees

Sadies

BY DAVID YI

On Feb 14, 2023, the annual Sadie Hawkins was held at the PAC Foyer With the event being held on Valentine’s Day, the event had a unique atmosphere with a pink valentine's theme, unlike the other Sadie Hawkins events that were held before With the Sadies promotion video showing diverse activities planned in the event, the event played out the planned activities.

There were a lot of activities set at the event, but the one that got the most attention was the music. With DJs in place, many famous and

exciting songs were played at the event, as students, mostly composed of girls danced to them. Some songs that took place included ones from BigBang, Conor Grey, and Jessie

The decoration also caught a lot of people’s eye, as pink lights covered the event which was newly introduced to the event. The photo booth that was decorated with shiny ornaments had a different atmosphere from the pink lights, with the lights being bright rather than a certain color

The event, despite being a bit different from the past Sadies event, still gathered a lot of satisfaction from the participants. One senior who attended every Sadies event reviewed that “this event was her best one yet, not just because of the structure, but the enthusiasm of the participants.” With the event increasing their participation compared to last year, some say that the recent increase in school spirit also did its job on the success

It is also significant to address a warm thankful message for the STUCO members for organizing the event, especially considering that this year Sadie was unique with its date and indoor setup, and the team did a great job from setting it up to implementing it.

On a personal note, I felt that the students' enthusiasm wasn’t as great as last year's event because the event was held inside the building due to the cold weather To have the dance on Valentine’s day, the event was forwarded two months, making the weather cold to hold it outside. Although the event was a great success that collected much satisfaction, it somewhat showed the limit of an event held indoors

The Power of ChatGPT

BY TOBY GRANGER AND CHAT GPT

Writing is tedious, and slow, and oftentimes you don’t really care what you're writing about Math homework takes just as long and is more important anyways What if there was something that could just.. write it for you? Well, ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, has become an indispensable tool in various fields. It has demonstrated its ability to perform a wide range of natural language processing (NLP) tasks with high accuracy and efficiency, including language translation, sentiment analysis, question-answering, and text generation. This article will explore the uses of ChatGPT and highlight its power as a tool for language processing

One of the most significant uses of ChatGPT is language translation With its ability to process vast amounts of data and analyze syntax and context, ChatGPT can translate text from one language to another with a high degree of accuracy. This makes it an essential tool for businesses and individuals that need to communicate across language barriers. ChatGPT has already been used in the development of numerous translation apps and software, making it easier for people to communicate across the globe.

Another area where ChatGPT has proven useful is sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis involves analyzing text to determine the emotional tone or sentiment of the writer. This is a valuable tool for businesses, as it can help them understand how their customers feel about their products or services. ChatGPT can analyze large amounts of customer feedback and reviews to provide businesses with valuable insights into how their customers perceive their brand. This can help businesses make informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, and customer service

Question-answering is another area where ChatGPT has demonstrated its power With its vast knowledge base, ChatGPT can answer questions with a high degree of accuracy. This has many applications, including customer service, education, and research ChatGPT can help customer service agents quickly provide answers to common questions, saving time and improving customer satisfaction. In education, ChatGPT can assist students in finding answers to homework questions and help them better understand complex concepts. In research, ChatGPT can help researchers quickly find answers to their questions and discover new insights

Another area is ChatGPT’s text generation ChatGPT can generate text that is indistinguishable from that written by a human. This has many applications, including content creation, chatbot development, and storytelling. ChatGPT can help content creators generate high-quality content quickly and efficiently. It can also help chatbot developers create conversational agents that can understand and respond to customer inquiries In storytelling, ChatGPT can help writers generate new ideas and even create entire storylines.

So, is ChatGPT undefeatable? No, not entirely. There are programs and websites that can detect AI-written pieces However, they are not impervious to sabotage If you add a few spelling and grammar errors, you can go from 80% written by AI to as low as 0% written by AI! These detectors are also not entirely accurate. People, such as one of our own article writers, have been mistakenly identified as AI Most of their papers scored from 10% to 60% written by AI. This is impossible of course because all the papers we tested were from before ChatGPT and other AI writing tools were released to the public. But, if you plan on using ChatGPT for your next English ATL Think twice, because any well-trained English teacher can immediately recognize the low-quality writing ChatGPT often produces. Don’t think that ChatGPT can handle your citations for you either, when asked to generate citations, every MLA Citation produced was fake links that didn’t exist!

In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool for natural language processing that has many applications across a wide range of fields. It is so powerful that it actually wrote this article! Its ability to translate languages, analyze sentiment, answer questions, and generate text has made it an indispensable tool for businesses, researchers, and individuals. But make no mistake, it has its flaws and is still in its development phase

Should Germany Really Be Dismantling its Nuclear Energy?

BY SHINJU KIM

Energy, especially electricity, is the main driving and sustaining force behind economies and societies today, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, but a significant drawback that has been a major topic of concern and discussion has been the environmental impact that energy production has had, especially in regard to climate change and carbon footprint. In fact, around 2 thirds of gross global carbon dioxide emissions attributed to human activity are created by human energy production methods, particularly the burning of fossil fuels that release large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Today, Germany is the leading producer of energy on the European continent, producing 571 terawatt-hours of electricity in the year 2020 as reported by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (Working group on energy balances). This number was even higher without the effects of the COVID pandemic on many industries, as in 2019, Germany produced a slightly greater 601 terawatt-hours of electricity, which can be derived from 3 major types of energy sources The first major type of energy source are fossil fuels. 43.3% of Germany’s total electricity was produced by fossil fuels, which mostly include lignite coal, hard coal and natural gas which Germany either mines directly or imports from the international market.

For hard coal, Germany is unable to mine and extract the material within their own borders at costs lower than international prices, so despite having major deposits, it actually saves money by purchasing the material from other nations such as Russia, the United States, and Australia The second major type of energy source that Germany utilizes is renewable energy sources, which generally encompass nonemitting and replenishable sources, which include wind power, hydropower, biomass, and photovoltaic, which together comprise 39.7% of total energy production in Germany. Finally, there is nuclear energy which contributed a far more modest 11 8% of the nation’s electricity supply in 2021.

However, that raises the question of how to have these energy sources change in importance over time Below is a graph that shows the share of electricity produced by each type since 1985 from Our World in Data.

While fossil fuels have clearly been on a slow decline as part of Germany’s goal to lessen their carbon emissions and overall footprint, and renewable energy increasing sharply in an attempt to fill the gap, it seems that the greatest change has actually been in the large removal of nuclear energy from Germany’s energy sector While at one point, Nuclear energy generated almost 30% of Germany’s total electricity, now, nuclear energy is a very small sliver of the total share

This sharp decline can be attributed directly to the actions of the German the coalition government formed after the 1998 federal elections, in which one of their main policies was the phasing out of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy had not always been controversial amongst the German public, in the 70s it was perceived as necessary diversification of the energy sector to relieve dependence on fossil fuels after the oil price shock of 1974 However, public perception of nuclear energy was vastly changed by the disaster of Chornobyl in 1986, and the construction of new nuclear plants was halted, with the Social Democratic Party resolving to abandon nuclear power within 10 years. All following governments have ensured to take a

tough stance against nuclear power, and although 17 nuclear power plants were being utilized in 2011, in 2023, just 3 are still in operation This raises the question: Is such a tough stance against nuclear energy really warranted?

Nuclear energy has a few environmental benefits and deficits Nuclear energy creates electricity using atomic fission with radioactive materials such as Uranium as the most common fuels. The uranium is stored in pellets which are stacked in metallic rods, which are bundled together and grouped with other bundles inside the main reactor core. The energy emitted from the fission reaction, the energy a radioactive atom releases upon breaking down into smaller atoms, is used to heat and boil water surrounding the core. The steam produced from the boiled water is used to spin a turbine connected to the generator, where the kinetic energy (the energy of the turbine in motion) is converted into electricity available for use in the national grid. Therefore, a major benefit of nuclear energy is that it uses nuclear fission (the process of atoms splitting to release energy) to generate heat instead of combustion as is used at many coal and fossil fuel power plants. Therefore, electricity can be produced by nuclear power plants without direct carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere

Uranium extraction processes differ in their impact on the environment, but usually, the impact on the surface tends to be significantly less than the processes used to extract many metals and especially for lignite mining in Germany. However, in modern times, Germany no longer mines uranium within its borders and prefers to import the fuel from other nations such as Canada, Australia, and Russia.

A major point of concern is that humans currently lack proper methods of safely dealing with radioactive nuclear waste, but the amount of unmanageable waste created by power plants tends to be far less significant than often presented to the product For example, a 1000 megawatt nuclear station, enough to supply the electrical needs of 1 million people, only typically generates around 3 cubic meters of high-level waste annually, which currently can easily be stored subterraneously.

Considering these points, should Germany really be prioritizing the removal of nuclear power? Is it time that the German government should begin to take a harder stance against more environmentally destructive energy production methods such as fossil fuels? It certainly seems plausible that nuclear power production is simply not as important to rid as previously portrayed, and instead may actually be an important tool to provide energy to Germany’s grid, while coal and lignite sources are reduced to help relieve the impending climate crisis.

Boeing 777

BY YONGSUK KIM

The Boeing 777 is a long-range wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing that first entered service in 1995 (Hayward) This article aims to provide a general overview of the Boeing 777 or the “Boeing triple-seven” in terms of its overall history

According to Simple Flying and Boeing, the first generation of 777s came in two main variants: the 777-200 and 777-300. The 777-200 was the initial version of the Boeing 777, unveiled in 1995 with United Airlines, though the order was finalized in 1990 The next version of the Boeing 777 was the 200ER version, with the ‘ER’ standing for an extended range. This new version had both an extended range and payload, starting operation with British Airways in 1997. In June of 1995, the same month that the Boeing 777 began operating with United, its first customer, Boeing decided to authorize a new variant of the 777: the Boeing 777-300. The -300 variant had its fuselage extended by 10 meters, adding around 50 seats to the type’s passenger capacity. It first flew with Cathay Pacific Airways in June 1998. Already in 1997 the Boeing 777 had 323 orders from around two dozen airlines Anticipating major success with this aircraft type, Boeing would expand and expedite development and production in the 2000s

Boeing 777-200 House Colors

Photo by Boeing Dreamscape

According to Simple Flying and Boeing, the second generation of 777s would be introduced in the 2000s. These second-generation 777s would have new GE 90 engines and increased wingspans of 4 meters while maintaining a similar fuselage to the original first-generation airframes. The first of these second-generation Boeing 777 would be the Boeing 777-300ER, which rolled out in 2002, entering service with Air France in 2004. This aircraft would be the culmination of the capabilities of the 777-300 and the 777-200ER by combining the -300’s capacity with the -200ER’s range To do this, the maximum takeoff weight of the airplane was increased, in conjunction with the strengthening of the type’s landing gear and fuselage. The 777300ER would prove to be a great success, with it becoming the most-sold 777 variants. In 2006, another variant of the 777, the 777-200LR, would be developed for Pakistan International Airlines The 777-200LR would include many of the upgrades the -300ER variant had, applying to the -200 variant’s airframe in order to include more fuel tanks on the aircraft, ballooning its range to 16,000 kilometers, making it the airplane with the longest range in the world at that point However, more fuel meant more fuel costs, which ultimately led to high operating costs, resulting in low sales numbers (only 60 delivered) The final new variant of the second generation was the Boeing 777F, the freighter (cargo) variant. This variant would have a high maximum payload capacity, only carrying 6 tonnes less than the Boeing 747-200F, which was aging in the 2000s, making this variant enticing to airlines that wished to replace their aging fleets.

Boeing 777-300(ER)s from China Airlines and Eva Airways

Photo by Tang Chia Hao

According to Simple Flying and Boeing, the third generation of 777s have yet to be operated by airlines, as of February 2023, as it has faced numerous delays. For now, this third generation will not be delivered to its customers until 2023 at the easiest and 2025 at the latest. The third generation, the 777X, has two confirmed variants: the Boeing 777-8 and 777-9 They will seat up to 384 and 426 passengers, respectively. The 777Xs feature folding wingtips: when taxing into the terminal, its wingtips will fold upwards, allowing the 777-8s and -9s to fit into pre-existing infrastructure. The 777-8s and -9s will also have new GE9X engines, made out of carbon fiber and less fan blades in order to reduce weight while making it the most powerful engine to date The Boeing 777-8 will compete with the Airbus A350-1000, while the 777-9 will be in a class of its own. There also exist rumors on more variants in the 777X series: an even longer passenger plane (777-10) and the freighter of this generation (777-8F) However, these rumors have yet to be confirmed (for more information regarding the 777X programme, check out simpleflying.com and Boeing’s official website).

I believe that the Boeing 777, through its three generations of aircraft, will remain as legends in the commercial aviation industry. Simple Flying states how in its 30 year long history, the 777 has managed 2,200 orders, making it the most successful widebody airplane in history. This aircraft has also continued to innovate with the 777X programme, despite the programme’s delays It will no doubt continue to fly with various airlines for decades to come, expanding to even more airlines than the 68

Boeing 777-9 House Colors

Photo by Getty Images

airlines it already serves with today I’ve flown with this type of aircraft a good number of times, and it has not let me down. It has grown to become my favorite civilian aircraft (yes, I have opinions on airplanes of both civilian and military uses), to the point that I light up when I see it either in the news, in youtube videos, or any images of it I even own four Boeing 777s model planes It has captured the hearts of many already, and likely even more in the years to come. An icon of modern commercial aviation, the Boeing 777 will perhaps rival even the likes of the famous Boeing 737 and Boeing 747

Tortoise Drawing

BY CHAEMIN LEE

It is common knowledge that many species of tortoises are in danger of extinction. With this drawing, I wanted to help raise awareness that these adorable creatures are suffering because of the greed of humans. Tortoises are threatened most by the loss of habitats from causes such as pollution, climate change, and so on. Please help save the environment to save these cuties

Forensics

BY SUE KIM

Do you enjoy reading? Are you very talkative? Well then, Forensics is definitely for you!

Forensics is a speech and debate sports team in TCIS for secondary school students

In the speech team, members work together and/or individually to give amazing speeches in various categories Just like how there are many types of sports such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, etc, there are lots of categories within Forensics speech for students to select from and compete in as well. In fact, the categories that currently exist under Forensics speech are Prose, Poetry, Original Oratory, Solo Acting, Duo Acting, Impromptu, and Extemporaneous. For each tournament or competition held, each student is allowed to enter in a maximum of two categories, although most of the time students specialize in one.

To give a brief explanation of what each category is about, Prose is where students take a pre-existing novel or any short story piece that other authors have written and read the piece out loud with lots of emotions. Once a student finds a book or a piece that they want to work with, they would take bits of text from any part within the story in order to shorten it to an appropriate length This ‘editing’ process is very essential as students are only given a maximum of 8 minutes to perform their piece, so the text should be at an appropriate length A similar category to Prose is Poetry. Poetry is actually the exact same as the Prose category, except that the students find poems rather than short stories. Based on the nature of poems being shorter than stories, the time limit is also shorter with a maximum of 6 minutes The key in both Prose and Poetry is reading the piece out loud full of dynamics and emotions to deliver the content vividly

Another type of category is Solo/Duo Acting. Rather than reading a piece out loud in their hands, the students actually use their body motions and memorize a play script to act out. The maximum time limit here is also 8 minutes. As it is selfexplanatory, for Solo the students act alone, whereas for Duo is where the students act together with a partner under specific regulations Here, the advantage is that the students actually get to move their bodies, unlike how Prose and Poetry restrict students in any hand or body movements

Another category is Original Oratory (O.O.), which is where the students actually write their own speech rather than taking a pre-existing piece by someone like in Prose, Poetry, and Acting. O.O. is basically like writing a persuasive speech about any topic of your choice and delivering it. In this category, the focus is less on the dynamics or emotions, but rather more on how strong and solid your speech was enough to convince the audience.

Last but not least are the categories of Impromptu and Extemporaneous In fact, these two categories are often viewed as one of the more advanced and challenging ones as it requires students to give a speech on the spot For impromptu and Extemporaneous, students are given an unknown topic or question that they have to answer by giving a speech of their own. Students don’t know what their topic will be until the tournament actually starts, and they are given a couple of minutes to prepare their speech right away. Although this might seem quite difficult, it is a good chance for students to improve their quick-thinking skills in a limited amount of time. All of these categories in Forensics speech are so different and have a variety of charms, so try out any or even all of them and find out what fits best for you!

So, when and how would students actually perform their speech under each of their categories? Well, a total of 4 KAIAC tournaments and 1 APAC event is held

annually. The students tend to focus more on the KAIAC tournaments as they happen more regularly and the APAC has been canceled in the recent years due to COVID-19. Normally, each KAIAC tournament happens during October, November, January, and March. For each tournament, there are a total of 3 rounds and a final additional round for the selected students who have made it to the finals In each round, the students deliver their speech in front of around 5 students and 1 judge The judge here would rank and score the students based on the criteria. This same process repeats for all 3 rounds. Then, around 8 students with the highest average rank throughout all 3 rounds, in each category, make it to the finals where they perform their piece one last time In the final rounds, there are 3 judges simultaneously scoring and other non-finalists can also watch as an audience. Lastly, the finalists have ranked again and the winner is announced! One of the best parts of Forensics speech tournaments is that all students from all schools get along with each other and socialize so well during breaks or dinners Rather than being competitive and aggressive against one another, all components are courageous and cheerful for each other.

Forensics is a great opportunity for students to not only learn and practice their literacy skills that are applicable to all academics but to also make more friends and be a part of a family-like team. I, myself as an introverted person, was also able to grow and learn how to speak up about my ideas in front of others confidently. If any of the information above fascinates or interests you, never hesitate to reach out to any of the current Forensics members and coaches in our school. Also, we have our weekly meetings every Tuesday O block in Room 405 so please feel free to come We would be more than happy to give you more information!

Damian, the Two Paintings by Sinclair

BY SARAH PYEON

"Demian" is a growth novel that shows the main character, Sinclair, meeting a friend named Demian and growing up in search of his inner self. Hermann Hesse published Demian in 1919 when he was just over 40. Hesse, who suffered from various shocks such as war, his father's death, his wife's nervous breakdown, and his youngest son's mental illness, was admitted to a nursing home for help, where he overcame the crisis by receiving psychotherapy from Dr. Carle Jung's student, Dr. Lang. Based on his experience Hesse became more trusting in his inner voice and wrote Demian. The novel includes many different allusions and concepts Among them, I will focus on the painting that Sinclair draws that I think is the most accessible because it implies the unconscious, that is, the inner voice In the novel, Sinclair draws a portrait of Beatrice(a girl that Sinclair fell in love with) and another of a sparrow hawk in his dream

First, I want to talk about the portrait of Beatrice. In fact, Beatrice was named after Sinclair One day, Sinclair, who was wandering, ran into a girl in the park and immediately fell in love. Sinclair named her Beatrice, and he worshiped her. The worship of her changed Sinclair's life, and he tried to clear up his bad lifestyle and keep every aspect of life tidy. Sinclair decided to start a painting of Beatrice, looking for ways to express his changed beliefs When he finally completed a satisfactory portrait of Beatrice, he noticed the face was not the face of Beatrice, the girl he fell in love with at the park. Instead, it was something unrealistic, not a girl or a boy, but intense and full of life I later realized the face in the portrait was the face of Demian, his friend and mentor, Frau Eva, a mother figure to Sinclair and Sinclair himself. This shows that what Sinclair worshiped and adored was not Beatrice but himself, his destiny, or his god within. After this realization, Sinclair encountered the girl he named Beatrice without any agitation.

Secondly, Sinclair's painting of the sparrow hawk. After the portrait of Beatrice, Sinclair realized that he was missing Demian and began to recall things with him It was the last part of the memory, the first meeting with Demian, and after hearing about Cain from him, the two talked about the old, faded sentences carved on the wedge stone of the porch arch of Sinclair's house. That night Sinclair dreamed of the sparrow hawk above his parent’s house and Demian. Demian held the sparrow hawk in his hand in his dream and told Sinclair to swallow it, saying it was always the

same. As he swallows it, Sinclair is seized with fear, and the sparrow hawk comes to life in it and wakes up in fear that it seems to swell and swallow itself Then Sinclair began to paint the bird in that sentence. The image of the bird that began to be drawn as it came to mind was completed, half of which was embedded in the dark earth and seemed to be struggling as if to wake up from a large egg. And Sinclair sends the new painting to Demian's old address without even writing down its name. After that, one day, after forgetting for a while, Sinclair finds a note between the bookmarks at school. And there was that famous saying. "The bird fights its way out of the egg The egg is the world Who would be born must destroy a world The bird flies to God. The God's name is Abraxas." Sinclair realizes this through the new painting. In order to grow, you have to break the world you have, break it, come out, and fly And in that soaring place is a place where two-sided worlds coexist, such as good and evil, love and hate, hope and despair, sanctity and shock, and in it, you have to listen to your inner voice and grow constantly.

In conclusion, Sinclair recognizes the existence of the "inner voice" through the portrait of Beatrice and realizes that we need to break the stereotype frame and move forward for growth through the painting of the sparrow hawk. Darkness and light, good and evil, coexist in this world Just as there is darkness to know that there is light, and only when there is evil can there be comparison with good and know the true meaning of good To know the existence of a two-sided world is to know yourself better, and only when this process exists can you hear inner sounds like Demian that truly exist within yourself As I read this, I thought of Marcel Duchamp, a contemporary artist. Duchamps' representative work, the Toilet “Fountain,” was criticized by many, but his work was a transformation of the time that gave a new perspective to the toilet that was viewed as a common and everyday thought. Hermann Hesse put a different perspective on the world's assessment of Cain's existence through the character Damian These were new perspectives It occurred to me that what Hesse calls growth is that throughout our lives, we need to live like birds that break eggs In other words, I think he meant that we must have open thoughts, a departure from stereotypes to grow. It was the content of a book with so many ideas that I read as a teenager, and I was looking forward to seeing Demian again in my 20s and 30s

Whiplash - Movie

BY HYONSAN KIM

*Spoilers up ahead*

Whiplash is one of the first movies I ever watched as well as the best both technically and narratively speaking In the movie, an aspiring jazz drummer, Andrew, wants to become the best drummer in the world, and he gets closer and closer to his dream after he meets the renowned conductor of Studio Band, Terence Fletcher I thought that the film was extremely engaging because of how the movie builds tension, and the way the characters further the plot in unexpected directions.

First, the movie does an amazing job of building tension. I think this is in part because of the unpredictable nature of Terence Fletcher Throughout the whole movie, Fletcher switches between being kind, encouraging music teacher to a stern, belligerent man who swears at his band and throws chairs and equipment at the wall

Since we are seeing everything from the point of view of naive and hopeful Andrew, and never really get into Fletcher’s perspective until near the end of the movie, Fletcher’s nature is left unpredictable and the audience is constantly on edge on how Fletcher might react to completely upset the situation for Andrew.

Furthermore, the factor that keeps the audience on edge is the structure of the plot. The story immediately begins with the inciting incident where we are introduced to both of the main characters and Fletcher puts Andrew up to the “test” to see if he would continue playing. After this scene, every time a certain element is emphasized in film, that element always plays out to affect the plot in a certain way (this structure is also known as Checkov’s gun), often by turning the circumstances and making it harder for Andrew to achieve his goals, thus, creating more tension since there is so much at stake. For example, Fletcher angrily tells his band that they better not leave their music sheets lying around or that they will be in big trouble A couple of scenes later, Andrew does exactly that, and we as the audience want to know what will happen to him, knowing Fletcher’s volatile attitude and ability to make or break careers

Lastly, the two main characters, particularly Fletcher are characterized in a way that they stand out as opposites personality-wise but compliment each other in their philosophy Fletcher is seen as cruel and abusive, but at the scene at the cafe, we learn that he does the things out of necessity in his mind, because to him it's this level of harsh training that crafts great musicians that produce great music. Andrew, on the other hand, slowly starts embracing Fletcher’s philosophy and changes many aspects of his life for Fletcher’s approval, he breaks off or distances himself in many of his relationships, dedicating more and more time to practice, even swearing at himself for not doing something right. Fletcher’s influence on him is similar to his relationship with the other pupils of Studio Band, but Andrew’s response is what makes their relationship different. Andrew doesn’t cower in face of Fletcher’s philosophy and reject it, but grows to implement it into his own life. Only at the end of the film does Andrew fully defy Fletcher’s orders, and even that can be called into question. Didn’t Fletcher get what he wanted in the end? Andrew gave his best performance and proved Fletcher’s methods to be effective So is this really a happy ending?

In my opinion, the ending is left rather open-ended and I think that was the director’s intention. After the cafe scene, the audience is left questioning whether or not Fletcher might be right: Does being harsh and giving little to no praise actually help people reach greatness? The ending asks this question again because, at the end of it, Andrew does give an amazing performance and receives a nod of approval from Fletcher, despite all the harsh methods he had to endure. In my opinion, Fletcher had a somewhat correct idea of being harsh in order to achieve great results However,

the belittling and physical violence felt unnecessary, as they don’t really have to do with anything music related and are mostly just curses or the fact that Andrew’s mother left him, and I feel like he could have been harsh without all of that and still achieved similar results.

In the end, I personally found this film really engaging and I don’t really watch a lot of movies, but this has been my favorite one, so far. I do think that it should come for a trigger warning for the homophobic insults, but overall it’s definitely worth the watch and I would rate it 9.5 stars out of 10.

Part 2: The Surface

BY TOBY GRANGER

While we were stranded we were able to see straight up to the surface. The murky gray clouds swirling around and the waves crashing into each other reminded me of the history lessons we were taught during training.

“The surface is a dangerous place, no organisms have been known to survive in the open air longer than 3 minutes With wind speeds as high as 300 kph and waves at least 12 meters tall, the surface is not survivable.” I remember Dr. Richardson said.

“Wait, then what good are the emergency escape pods?” I asked.

“Good question, while they do rocket up to the surface quickly, they shoot up above the waves then sink themselves back down to cruising depth.” Dr. Richardson explained

“Sounds terrifying…” Arnold said.

“It would be an interesting excursion ” Dr Richardson finished

The sub shook and I was jolted back into reality.

“Okay Dr Richardson is unconscious Now what?” I asked

“We’re going to die out here…”Skipper whimpered.

“We’re not going to die out here, not outside the base ” I said, not fully believing myself.

Arnold stayed silent

“Should we try and get back to the base or wait for rescue?” I asked.

“Well…” Arnold took a breath.

“Will they even see us?” Arnold asked

“I think so, we are facing directly upwards above the coral. We’re not exactly hard to spot ” I pointed out

“We can’t wait.” Skipper said quietly.

“Why not?” Arnold asked

“There’s no distress beacon on the training vessel. It’s only meant to be in shallow waters, they never prepare for the instructor to be injured. Not on a training mission ” Skipper explained

“So we have to get back, on our own, no stabilizers, with one engine?” Arnold asked.

“That’s about right ” I said

“Skipper, can you get us out of this?” I asked.

“I--. I don’t know. I’m not sure, I--. No. I can’t. No.” Skipper looked down, ashamed

“Move.” I ordered.

“What?” Skipper asked.

“Move, I’m getting us back ” I told him

“How?” Skipper asked.

“Stop asking questions and move, if you won’t do it I will ” I said confidently. On the inside I was breaking down, I couldn’t pilot this better than anyone else in here I was hoping my unearned confidence could get us home

Skipper slinked out of his seat and fell to the back of the sub. I lifted myself up into his seat and strapped in.

Alright, I just have to pitch down

I lightly tapped the sticks and we jolted forward.

I put my thumbs on the ignition and pressed them down Sptttppas-- thunk

The sub shook violently as the remaining parts of the broken engine flew off and burst.

As we started to speed up I noticed we kept pulling to the left. The right engine must be out, I thought to myself

“Hold on guys, this is going to be bumpy…” I said out loud. I was constantly jiggling the steering sticks to course correct Soon, the docking bay was in sight.

“Hey, Adam,” Arnold said “Yeah?” I asked.

“Try not to die,” he said.

“Good idea,” I responded

I pressed the glowing green button that Dr. Richardson had pressed.

“Hello? Hello? This is the training craft, our pilot has been compromised and we are on one engine. Hello?” I asked.

“Compromised? Who’s piloting it then?” The Controlman asked.

“Adam Scrunton, 2nd Apprentice to Dr. Richardson.” I sputtered out my memorized credentials.

“An apprentice? What the hell are you doing!?”

I pushed us forward and placed us under closed doors.

“We need help! Our instructor is unconscious, we are missing an engine, and--”

Clunkkakc

“What? What, boy?” the control man asked.

“We just lost our other engine ” I said defeated “Hold on.”

“What?” I asked

Suddenly, the submarine flung upwards and spun wildly.

The water pulled us up into the docking bay and the doors behind us slammed shut

The water started getting jettisoned back out and we began to go back to the floor.

“Legs, the legs, where are the legs!?” I asked everyone frantically.

“This one!” Arnold leaned forward and pressed a button.

Rrr Rrr

“Legs Compromised.” a computer voice said aloud.

We hit the floor and the submarine rolled on its side With a quick crash to the ground, the cockpit window cracked.

The rest of the water flowed out and we sat there for a brief moment in silence

“Alright, this one should open it up.” I said and pressed a small square button.

Sfff

The seal that kept the water out slowly opened

“See, we’re fine Skipper--” Arnold started.

The cockpit shattered violently as it swung open, its metal components clanged to the ground.

Suddenly, I heard voices Then the docking bay hallway door opened

There were several scientists, among them Dr. Cho. The leader of Domus Prime. They quickly made their way to the front of the sub and whisked Dr. Richardson away Skipper immediately went pale at the sight of the high ranking scientists

“You three, follow me.” She said coldly.

She walked briskly through the hallways, she remained dead quiet while we walked back through the hallway, the dining pod, and then finally the restricted corridor.

The restricted corridor is a term we coined for the mysterious high-ranking-scientistsonly rooms. The doors slid open and the hallway looked like any other on the base. We swung left and we entered a fancy, old looking, office. The room was full of surface relics A wooden desk, a few wooden chairs, pencils, pens, and lastly in an airtight jar, a fresh orange.

I couldn’t help but gasp

Dr. Cho didn’t even glance at it and instead sat down.

“Sit.” She commanded.

We sat straight with our backs stiff.

“How… DARE you!” She shouted.

My stomach dropped

“How dare you pilot a submarine as an apprentice! Do you know how many lives you risked? Do you!?” She yelled at me

“Well I--”

“Don’t interrupt me! There was a Senior Scientist on board and three apprentices, including yourself, and you have the audacity to pilot a submarine with NO experience?” She asked rhetorically.

“You know very well how few people are on this base, the last thing we need is four deaths!” She seethed.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes

“What do you have to say for yourself?” She said,

“Well, Doctor, I think my course of action was the best possible choice.” I said meekly.

“And why’s that?” She said condescendingly

“Our pilot was unconscious, the stabilizers and one engine were destroyed, and one of the three of us went into shock If we had stayed there, we would have been stranded. We couldn’t use communication because it is a training sub, and as per Schematics and Blueprints of Domus One Vol 2, ‘Training submarines do not have communication because they never go far away enough to need long distance antennas.’” I recited.

“Due to our increased speed, we flew well past the communication range So, in conclusion, Doctor, we had no other choice.”

I finished

“Your knowledge is impressive, I will grant you that. But nonetheless, you have injured a head scientist! Which one of you was operating the craft at the time of impact?” She demanded to know.

Me and Arnold both looked at Skipper.

“Me ” He said quietly

“I’m sure you understand the consequences of what you have done.” She said sharply

“I do.” He responded.

“Your apprenticeship will be taken from you, the four years you have spent getting here are now invalid. You have been marked ineligible for submarine operation, deep sea research, research in a lab capacity, as well as submarine maintenance, and lastly access to any research bases like this one Go back to your pod, gather your belongings and be at the docking bay in ten minutes. You are being sent back to Domus Centrum, the officials there will decide what to do with you ” She finished Skipper nodded, got up, and left.

Sfff

The door opened and closed.

“You two, you will continue your training, under heavy supervision.” She explained. We sighed with relief

“Make one mistake and you are sent to Domus Centrum with your friend. Understood?”

“Yes Ma'am.” We said in unison.

“Now leave.”

We practically fell out of our seats and left her office

Sfff

“We need to find Skipper ” Arnold Said hurriedly. We sprinted back through the hallway, up the stairs, and through the dining pod and got back to our sleeping pods

Sfff

“Skipper!” I exclaimed. He was still here

“I’ll be put on cleaning duty no doubt, or worse servitude.” He was muttering to himself

“We can get you out of this, come on, there has to be a way you’ve worked too hard for this,” I said, determined He noticed us and quietly said with sorrow.

“It’s too late, I killed Dr. Richardson..”

“You didn’t kill him, he was just knocked unconscious,” I reassured him

“If he dies, they’ll send me to Domus Carceris for the rest of my life..”

“No, they won’t because no one is going to die ” Arnold chimed in Sebastien Blanchet, come to the docking bay immediately, your transport is here. A voice from the announcement system said We followed him to the docking bay in silence.

When we arrived, there was a research transport headed for Domus Centrum that he was hitching a ride on

“All those not getting on a ship, please exit the docking bay.” The control man said over an announcing system

“Skipper, goodbye and good luck,” Arnold said solemnly.

Skipper gave a slight smile, then the door was sealed shut

Golden Retrievers Article

BY ALEX CHI

Here’s a hint: There are a lot of people who love this breed of dog. They make people feel comfortable and happy, and give their owner relief in the heart. They are one of the most social and nicest dog breeds. Do you know what I'm talking about? If you think of golden retrievers, you are correct

<What do Golden Retrievers Look Like?>

It might come to no surprise, but like their name, Golden Retrievers have gold fur. They have a long tail, and they have a little soggy nose, which means the nose is wet Fun fact! Did you know that when golden retrievers get old, their skin turns white? This is why ‘golden oldies’ have a white heart shape on their faces! Yes, they have a heart shape made of white fur in their faces

<The history of golden retrievers>

The history of this breed started way back in 1868. It all started when Lord Tweedmouth mated a yellow curly-haired dog and its name was Nous This breed, the golden retriever, was bred because of the purpose of bringing birds that were shot to death; they were literally retrievers!

<Types of Golden Retrievers>

Although Golden Retrievers may look similar, they are actually different! They are generally divided into English, Canadian, and American Golden Retrievers. But, surprisingly, they are also classified by the color of their fur: light, medium, and dark golden.

Despite their titled heritage, Golden Retrievers didn't win breed recognition until the 1920s.

Gerold R and the Frods enjoyed Golden Retrievers as pets while they were in the White House

Golden Retrievers are popular in movies due to their obedient nature. They were in movies such as Marley and me, the buddy franchise

Golden Retrievers also make great working dogs. As I said they do a job where they retrieve dead birds that their owner shot They are also good at mastering skills in a short time so they can do a lot of performances.

Golden Retrievers are recorded holders. There are several records such as holding 6 tennis balls in their mouth and living for 30 years when their average lifespan is 12 years old.