NOVEMBER 2022

Letter from the Editor

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” -Hal Borland

The year of 2022 has been filled with ups and downs. From the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and wars, there seems to be so many unexpected turns. But, despite all these challenges we faced, the world continues to strive toward a better future, such as biological development. As a global community, we always continue to respond the same way to any challenge: persevere, overcome and develop. Even in our TCIS community, we strive to continue making small changes to overcome challenges from the pandemic, such as the small action of having water events during SEW. This issue discusses a large variety of topics, some lighter or heavier than others. The correspondents for the newspaper have been putting a large amount of effort towards this publication. As you read these articles, I challenge you to find the common underlying theme of hope as we overcome the challenges that we face this year.

I am excited to present The Golden Dragon’s first issue of the 2022-2023 school year. Haneul Jang

Secretary

Sue Kim

Staff

Editor

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

Treasurer

Minhee Choi

*Due to the time constraints that arose, the following sports event have passed. Please continue to support the Dragon's Winter Sports as well!

By Yirae Chang

SEW Field Day

BY DAVID YI

On September 14, TCIS had its field day during SEW (Spiritual Emphasis Week). Unlike last year's SEW where water was not allowed due to Covid-19, this field day used water which brought more attention to the event. This in the end made the SEW much more entertaining and helped increase the school spirit

Various events were held during field day such as guessing celebrities through charades, throwing water balloons, sliding through the soap, and much more

TCIS Students Enjoying the Soap Sliding

The majority of the games were similar to the games held in last year's SEW field day, but events that involved water have been added thanks to the decline of Covid-19.

The field day raised great appreciation from students as it was a time when students could just forget about their studies and enjoy games with their homeroom.

“It was an absolute pleasure to be involved in such an event” one of the TCIS students who participated in the field day said. He said that it was his first time at a SEW field day, and the experience he had of playing games and interacting with his friends was a valuable experience for him.

The hype of field day has been decreasing due to Covid-19, as the pandemic restricted a lot of games that represented SEW. However, it’s been evaluated that this year's field day has been successful in raising back its attention and the school hopes that it was an opportunity for students to feel the school spirit that they might have forgotten.

Moreover, the reason behind the success of this year’s SEW field day needs to be credited somewhat to the STUCO members who sacrificed their time of enjoyment to provide services of hosting and managing these events.

On a personal note, as a TCIS student who has been involved in a lot of SEW field days, I am more than confident to say that this field day was not just an ordinary event, but a time when students proved that although a long time period of Covid-19, their school spirit is still in them, and that it will always be.

Queen Elizabeth II's Death

BY ELINA NAM

“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held” - Prince Charles the III, The Times

After serving 70 years as the United Kingdom's beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II took her last breath in Balmoral Castle on September 8th, 2022: the whole world was heartbroken.

Queen Elizabeth has always been a symbol of unity and tradition, for not only the UK but the whole world. She was a timeless figure, who remained stoic and unbothered among the great changes that were affecting the world. To many, Queen Elizabeth was the comforting head of the British monarchy, which she had developed from instability to prosperity.

Thousands of people queued for hours for a glimpse of her coffin, and global leaders and civilians alike took to social media to offer their condolences and express their great sorrow. The UK sank into a state of grief, and many recalled the Queen’s past reign with endearment

But while we mourn the loss of a dear ruler we must also ask ourselves these questions: What’s next? Who will lead us now? What will become of the monarchy?

Succeeding the queen is King Charles, her eldest son and the oldest monarch to ascend the throne. However, while the queen, who accepted the crown at 25, had a lifetime to prove herself, King Charles does not have the same benefit. Moreover, his vocal positions on political issues and his public split from Princess Diana can only serve to hurt him in the future. In fact, a British poll revealed that while 70% of the population supported Queen Elizabeth, only 50% lend the same support to King Charles

Another issue to address is the decline of the royal family’s relevance in modern society, as well as the scarcity of its working members. What was once 30 royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace has now been reduced to 10, consequently causing a decline in public appearances and event attendance. Additionally, the royal family is an aging workforce, with an estimated average age of 66 - a problem for the decades to come.

The Queen was, according to British Prime Minister Liz Truss, “the rock in which modern Britain was built” and without her presence and stability, along with the changes of the modern age, the future of the royal family is alarmingly uncertain.

The Korean Government Lites to Promote Carbon Neutrality?

BY WILLOW HWANG

The Korean Public Service Advertisment Council, also known as KOBACO, primarily run by the government, recently published an advertisement encouraging citizens to nurture environmentallyfriendly habits to promote their participation in meeting carbon neutrality. Considering how the threats of climate change have been very evident in recent natural disasters that hit Korea, and the country aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the advertisement deserves praise for breaking down the challenging goal into small steps and making its feasibility appear optimistic. Unfortunately, claiming those habits as ‘the most certain method of achieving carbon neutrality’ is a horrible exaggeration:

Digital technology use habits

Delete old email conversations to reduce 4g of carbon for each one

There is a widespread myth saying that the carbon footprint of an average email is equivalent to 4 grams of carbon which can even go up to 50 grams if the email contains large attachments; while this claim may be accurate, it is wrong to say deleting an email would reduce carbon of the equivalent amount. According to BBC’s article ‘Climate change: Can sending fewer emails really save the planet?’, the carbon footprint of sending an email includes absolutely all sources of carbon emitted in the process, such as the generation of electricity for wi-fi, personal devices, Internet connection, and the network infrastructure, and even the construction of data center buildings. While each of them are valid source of carbon emissions, their adverse impact is present regardless of emails. Furthermore, deleting an email is associated with even fewer carbon emissions as it leaves behind the emissions in the sending process; storing an average email (75KB) on your personal device is only responsible for 0 0000002 grams of carbon

Power off your phone when you’re not using it

Lower the brightness of the screen to save up to 20% of the energy consumed

Reduce the use of mobile data and use wi-fi

Though they are all good ways to reduce the total carbon footprint of a mobile phone, according to Mike Berners-Lee’s book ‘How bad are bananas?’, about 80% of the carbon emission happens in the manufacturing process, and carbon emissions from mobile phones is only 1% of the world’s total carbon emissions However, these ways will be more relevant in the future as more people gain access to personal devices; still the most important point is to replace devices less often.

According to an average citizen’s carbon footprint, major areas of carbon emissions to consider are household energy use, buying foods and drinks, and transportation A few of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions are to insulate your home, switch to renewables and energy-efficient appliances, eat less meat, cycle more, and use public transportation (FutureLearn).

The media has been transmitting all kinds of information in various forms to call people to action in response to the exponential increase in greenhouse gas emissions; some try to exaggerate the severity of the issue to invoke the action, while others may understate the commitment required for change to attract more people. There is tension between a good cause and the upholding of truth. For their mutual existence, it is important that we as citizens care about being aware of various issues and truly understand the impact and implications of our actions toward resolving them. Taking responsibility is the best way to combat social issues.

Bring Back to Life

BY SUE KIM

There are some things that people can only dream of doing such as flying, teleporting, or freezing time, which are referred to as super powers One of these 'super powers' that Biologists hope to have is bringing dead organisms back to life These activities may only seem like a fairytale for some people, but not for scientists. In 2019, a research team of scientists have become much closer in achieving goals for bringing humans back to life!

In 2019, a research team of YALE led by professor Nenad Sestan was successfully able to make a portion of a dead pig’s brain come back to life in their experiment However, his team did not stop here. They took their goal further beyond and continued on their study now with the entire body of a pig Finally, as of 2022 August, the team presented experimental research data in which they have succeeded in bringing the organs of a dead pig back to life, including its heart, liver, and more

In detail, after an hour since the pig died, the scientists injected a chemical called “OrganEX” into the pig’s blood vessels "OrganEx" is a synthetic chemical that was created to replicate the functions of regular blood. The medicine was created by combining nutrients (substances essential for growth), blood clotting agents (type of blood cells), etc This drug was the key to causing organs to come alive again, as it provided oxygen for the organs as it circulated around the body. In fact, “OrganEX” was a development originating from “BrainEX”, which was a chemical that was created for their first experiment in 2019. Some of the scientists in the team even said that the pig shook its head during the experiment, showing vital signs of life. Biologically, this was thought to be impossible because in just a few minutes after one’s heart stops beating, the enzymes (biological catalyst) start decomposing the cells and the organs start decaying. However, in the 21st century, scientists are turning the impossible to possible!

Unfortunately, it is true that there are still lots of limitations to this study since the research was not conducted on human beings. Also, there was no clear data that the pig actually started moving or breathing. We can see that there is still a lot to go for us to actually save the lives of humans. However, this successful experiment was still evidence that there’s hope for us to achieve further goals in the future.

Further References

www news-medical net/news/20191203/Doctors-bring-dead-donor-heart-back-to-life-in-USfirst.aspx

www.chosun.com/international/international_general/2022/08/04/UMFUIDQZA5G6RPEVDLYJ PS6Q2A/

Brain Insulin Sensitivity Can Be Restored - With Cardio!

BY CHAEMIN LEE

Obesity is a major health problem that many modern people face in the world today. Obesity is often simplified to just being fat or overweight but only part of that is true Obesity is a complex disease that occurs when one’s weight is over what is considered for their age and height. There are many factors that contribute to obesity, such as genetics and sleeping patterns, not just physical activity levels or eating habits. Taking certain medications can also be a cause of obesity.

Obesity can be a very serious disease, as they can cause many health complications. Obesity can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, strokes, and so on The next is a list of complications that can occur with obesity, according to the CDC.

All-causes of death (mortality).

High blood pressure (hypertension).

High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (dyslipidemia).

Type 2 diabetes.

Coronary heart disease.

Stroke

Gallbladder disease.

Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint).

Sleep apnea and breathing problems.

Many types of cancer

Low quality of life.

Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.

Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

(For further information: CDC. “Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity.”)

Another complication that can occur due to obesity is insulin resistance Insulin resistance is a phenomenon where your liver, fat, and muscles don’t respond well to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted from the pancreas, which gives signals to the liver to store glucose(sugar) for later use. This is the most crucial role of insulin in the human body because it is directly connected to regulating the glucose levels in the bloodstream Due to this fact, insulin resistance can raise glucose levels, and lead to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Since insulin resistance can be so damaging, it has been a mystery whether insulin resistance in the brain can be reversed back to normal However, a study that was conducted shows a suggestion that exercise might be the key to the solution. (For further information: JCI insight, “Exercise Restores Brain Insulin Sensitivity in Sedentary Adults Who Are Overweight and Obese ”)

This study was an experiment of 26 healthy, but sedentary individuals doing 8 weeks of aerobic training exercises and examining responsiveness to intranasal insulin(a method of delivering insulin using a spray device through the nasal cavity) after Showing results of improved brain insulin action, the study suggested that insulin resistance may not be a fixed trait but a treatable target that can be dealt with. This also suggests that one can ultimately avoid the more devastating effects of obesity with cardiac activity

Tourette's Syndrome

BY ALEX CHI

<What is Tourette’s Syndrome?>

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder which is from the nervous system People who have tourette’s syndrome have sudden movements or twitches and make these sounds which are called tics: tics are involuntary and are uncontrollable

<What is the Cause of Tourette’s Syndrome?>

The exact cause of this condition is not sharply found, but the cause may be an environmental cause such as stress or anxiety. Another cause could be the chemicals in the brain that controls muscles in a person’s body The chemical sends dysfunctional signals to our muscles and that is also why people with tourette’s twitch.

<Tic Attacks>

Tourette’s syndrome is bad enough, but this is not all about Tourette's. People with this condition have this thing called tic attacks A tic attack is when a person has unstoppable amounts of constant tics and can occur because of Tourette’s or other tic disorders.

<Tics

in Public>

Tics happen in any place the person is at, such as malls or playgrounds. It is embarrassing to be ticcing outside, but it is worse because of the stares of people who don't know or understand what Tourette’s syndrome is. When people stare, the person may feel anxiety, and then if they feel anxiety, the tics get worse It is just a big cycle of anxiety and tics

<Is

There a Cure for Tourette’s?>

There is no cure for this heartbreaking condition yet, but kids who have this condition do not need treatment since they might go away naturally when time passes by. But for people who still have Tourettes during adulthood, they may need a treatment for this tic.

<Surgery for Tourette’s Syndrome>

The operation for DBS involves implanting chips which control the signals that get sent and can control the tics It takes almost three hours to work on the surgery.

<How to React to Tourette’s Syndrome>

There are several ways to deal with a person that has Tourette’s syndrome. First, don't stare at the person that is ticcing. As I said, it is not good for people who get stares, since anxiety may hit Also, don't laugh at the person It is okay to laugh with the person but not okay to laugh at it. The best way to react to it though is to not react at all. Ignoring the tics may be very very helpful for the people with Tourette’s

Untitled

PHOTOGRAPHER: ELLE YOUN

Untitled

PHOTOGRAPHER: ELLE YOUN

A Review of Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life (1976)'

BY SHINJU KIM

Listen on Youtube: https://www youtube com/playlist?

list=OLAK5uy mcG CMFTptcsuZrsFVztPqlrZaLuaGnS

Who is Stevie Wonder?

Stevie Wonder is an African-American singer and songwriter, not to mention producer, composer, keyboard player, harmonica player, and drummer. Wonder was born with a condition that made him completely blind, but despite this it is clear that has done little to curb his undeniable talent and ambition He is an iconic name from the 60s, 70s and 80s, releasing his first single that would top the charts in 1963 at the age of 13, also making him the youngest artist to do so in the 20th century.

As well as this, he has also accomplished other astonishing feats: he won 25 grammy awards, won album of the year 3 times with 3 consecutive releases, and has sold 100 million records worldwide Wonder has greatly morphed and influenced the genres of R&B and soul, though admittedly, that statement may still sell short his importance to music as we know it today.

What is the Significance of “Songs in the Key of Life”?

This album, “Songs in the Key of Life” is part of a lineage of what many listeners today consider his run of ‘classics’ in the 70s, beginning with 1972’s “Music of my Mind’ and ‘Talking Book”, continuing with “Innervisions (1973)” and “Fulfillingness’ First Finale(1974)” and finally concluding with “Songs in the Key of Life”, all released under Motown Records Be warned, this album is colossal, containing 17 tracks over 2 separate discs, along with an extra EP that brings the total to 21 songs, and 104 minutes of run time Stevie Wonder is the leading voice of this show, supported by many other great talents: Nathan Watts on bass guitar for many of the tracks, Michael Sembello leading the guitar on a few songs; Shirley Brewer shares the leading vocals on the song Ordinary Pain.

However, it has been almost 5 decades since its release, which inevitably leads to the question, does the music still hold up? To my ear, it certainly does.

Track by Track Overview

The album’s catalogue opens with the song “Love’s in Need of Love Today” that begins with sweet, layered vocal harmonies, soon accompanied by soft jazzy keys which melt into a slow, creamy, soulful instrumental that provide the stage for Stevie’s lyrics. Throughout the album, Stevie’s lyrics contain poetry, wisdom, and passion, and what stands out the most about his pen to me, is his ability to provide power and upliftment without shying away in the slightest from discussing the serious, dark and tragic aspects of life

In this first song, the lyrics set the thesis for the experience that the whole album will soon delve into, Stevie Wonder singing about schemes of evil and hate that must and can only be stopped if we learn to embrace the power of love.

The intro to track 2, Have a talk with God, immediately plunges us into a completely different sound, with a lot more funk, a faster tempo, a harmonica that cuts through the soundscape and a pummeling electric bass, that almost seems as if it should sound discordant at first, but through some confounding mystery sounds just as perfectly smoothed and orchestrated as the previous track. Another thing that I instantly love about this album is that it never treads on the footprints laid by its previous songs, its sounds and hues evolve continuously throughout its runtime, yet at no point does a single song seem out of place aesthetically.

Village Ghetto Land, masterfully paints a landscape of his ‘dead-end street’, a place of crime, poverty, killing, desperation and misery. Intense lyrical imagery seemingly juxtaposes the track’s light-hearted instrumental orchestration, that is used to drive home the message, conveying the irony of public perception or attitude towards these ghettos and attempts to preach gratitude to those in suffering.

This record continues with the song Contusion, followed by Sir Duke, the former being a rapid fire, high energy, instrumental track, featuring fantastic drumming and a meld of synthetic instruments and live electric guitar and bass to provide as a frankly awesome musical interlude, and the latter opening with vibrant trumpets and percussion-work before becoming an upbeat, groovy song, where Stevie Wonder delivers his vocals with the energy to match. Here, Stevie Wonder depicts the wondrous power that is music and song, and how it affects the listener, while also paying homage to artists before him. The energy of this song, particularly in its pre-chorus and chorus, is infectious in almost every sense of the word.

I Wish keeps up the funk and groove of the previous tracks, touching on themes of childhood nostalgia, tomfoolery and longing to be able to experience those days once more. The passion in Stevie Wonder’s singing reaches its climax in the punchy chorus, accented by the chants of the bright brass.

The 7th song, Knocks me off my Feet, offers a sonic 180 more akin to the sound of the opening song, containing graceful piano-playing and Stevie Wonder performing smooth, love-filled lyrics on top about being in love Cute and charming, this song and melody, in particular, has been stuck in my head. If that wasn’t enough, each time Stevie Wonder sings the chorus, the key shifts up and Stevie Wonder sings with even more passion and love. Amazing.

Pastime Paradise goes on to lyrically criticise legislators and politicians who choose to live in the past instead of planning for the future, and modern listeners may realise that this song is actually the inspiration and predecessor to the song “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, released 1995. The following song, Summer Soft is an absolutely gorgeous song with some of Wonder’s most angelic singing throughout the entire album, illustrating the coming and passing of love through a poignant analogy with the yearly seasons, and a stunning, bombastic final chorus.

Ordinary Pain begins with a very mellow, cool mood with lyrics that talk about the pain and sense of loss after a fallout, that transitions midway to a more bass heavy and electric guitar heavy instrumental shift with a more harsh and emotive vocal performance by Shirley Brewer that expertly contrasts with Stevie’s verse, shedding light on the toxicity and harm caused by said relationship, and acts as a slight concession on the supposed beauty and power of love by revealing some of the dangers and turmoil that love can also cause in certain situations

Track 11, Isn’t She Lovely, marks the beginning of the album’s second disc with a sprite, bouncy instrumental that is all brought together by Stevie Wonder’s beautiful, jubilant and powerful singing that captures a deeply personal moment of his life, celebrating the birth of his daughter Aisha. The harmonica solo in between the verses is also great and is instrumental in creating a feeling of joy, innocence and new life, expanding on the contrast between this song and the two prior in the tracklist and developing a timeline of Stevie Wonder’s life experiences This song is fittingly continued by the slow, dramatic, overwhelming Joy Inside My Tears, and although it is not explicitly stated in spoken word whom Stevie praises with bringing him joy in the midst of grief, it can be reasonably theorised that he is referring to the daughter whom he celebrated in the previous song

The album continues with a zestful anthem about cross-racial unity and the celebration of different people’s contributions to the United States, regardless of their colour of skin in the song Black Man Beween its hardcore, upbeat-tempo sound to its empowering lyrics and chants of equality and standing against discrimination, every moment of its eight-minute runtime feels supremely vital to a message that needs to be heard by every ear. The themes of diversity in different cultures continues on the next song, Ngiculela/Es Una Historia/I am singing, during which Stevie sings different parts of the song in Zulu, Spanish and English in a promotion of unity and underscore that ultimately, love and kindness is the language of all people.

The 15th song, If it's magic, is a simple, but graceful ballad performed above the heavenly, gliding strums of a harp that evokes feelings of beauty intertwined with tragedy, and is concluded by the melody of a harmonica. Songs 16 and 17 are both huge closers to the album’s second disk, spanning 7 and 8 minutes respectively The former, As, is an epic, buttery, soulful, jazzy, latin-inspired, groovy amalgamation of different sonic ideas in which Stevie Wonder uses a completely different vocal style accented with a heavily growling, belting-out of lyrics preaching that, despite life’s hardships, there is or will be a reason for where you are The latter, Another Star, features just about every instrument employed earlier in the album, all collaborating to bring together an epic sense of finality and closure in this song; for me, this song synthesises a vivid image of a band on stage performing a final song on a theatre stage as the red velvet curtains begin to close A substantial final goodbye to top off a fantastic musical endeavour by Stevie Wonder and his team of musicians.

Appended with the rest of the project is a bonus EP entitled ‘A Something’s Extra EP’ , a collection of 4 extra songs for the purpose of feeding fans some of the extra products of the album’s spectacular creative process. It begins with song 18, Saturn, filled with theatric, melancholy, yet a sense of freedom or will for freedom, on which Stevie Wonder, supported by a grand orchestration, dreams of escaping from the pain, violence, and hatred of Earth for a paradise planet across the cosmos. This song is followed by Ebony Eyes, a western, pop-influenced, piano-heavy performance that stands out for its lighthearted, purely fun colour in comparison to much of the huge, worldaffecting problems that the rest of the album often strangles with

All Day Sucker, presents a hard-hitting groovy bass-heavy instrumental that incorporates abundant use of guitar performed by W G Snuffy Walden, Michael Sembello and Ben Bridges, as well as backing vocals by Carolyn Dennis Much like the previous song, it has a infectiously fun and catchy rhythm, and is a great addition to the album.

The album’s closing song Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call), is a dulcet instrumental, perhaps the only instrumental track if you disqualify Contusion for its incorporation of vocal harmonies. Of this song, there is something so strangely mysterious about the way Wonder’s harmonica floats above the rest of the instruments, but at the end of the day, it is certainly a soothing cooldown that concludes this album

In summary, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, is a theatrical, expertly conducted, epic and ambitious musical project that serves as a testament to the incredible talent that was Stevie Wonder, and as a hallmark of modern musical history as a whole. The work features brilliant singing and instrumental performance, tightly written, brilliant songs, one after the other, deeply interwoven themes and topics throughout the tracklist, still incredibly relevant today, that help tie 104 minutes of material into a single, awesome album.

My Top 5 Favourite Songs:

1 9 | Summer Soft

2. 13 | Black Man

3. 17 | Another Star

4 2 | Have a talk with God

5. 1 | Love’s in Need of Love Today

Overall Rating:

9 6/10, an absolutely awesome album from front to back, filled to the brim with overwhelming talent, skill, ambition and musical experimentation, not to mention all the songs being fantastically enjoyable and catchy as individual listening experiences. Perhaps the album may, very rarely, drag on a certain musical idea for a half-minute more than truly necessary, perhaps a song barely falls short of launching the listener to the stratosphere, but these are just about the only few criticisms you could feasibly make to an almost perfect music record.

Information Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs in the_Key_of_Life

https://en wikipedia org/wiki/Stevie Wonder

Frankenstein

BY SARAH PYEON

How should we view Frankenstein's tragic death, and what does it mean?

We must have encountered the appearance of a monster with a terrifying appearance and face at least once. As such, Frankenstein is well-known as a classic and is performed in many musicals. Before reading this book, I didn't pay much attention to it because it was just grotesque content Also, bizarre content like zombies was not my favorite to read However, Frankenstein has a deeper message than a malformed, distorted appearance. Especially, the death of Frankenstein brings us to think about the meaning of coexistence

The first chapter of this book comes to mind. Victor Frankenstein wants to tell his story to the navigator Wilton. Frankenstein wasn't the monster I thought it was. He was the creator of the monster. I thought the monster was the same person as Frankenstein, but it was different from what I thought on the first page. While looking at the second chapter, I was surprised at how all these studies were conducted in the 19th century, although it is a novel. It was astonishing that, two centuries ago, Mary Shelly wrote a novel with such imagination at the young age of 20 What is more surprising is that not only did she clone a human in the novel, but it also led to the end of life and confrontation between the monster and Frankenstein, making us think about the meaning of coexistence.

Victor Frankenstein, a young man, obsessed with science, devotes all his life to research and breathes life into an inanimate object, but in the end, he becomes angry, denies it, and turns away from it. Also, the monster wants affection and attention from the creator who created it, but as the request is rejected, the monster becomes angry and kills the creator's loved ones The content made me think a lot about various dimensions of the creation of life, the development of science, responsibility, and coexistence. Frankenstein, who confidently became the creator of the realm of God, met the tragic end of both the creature and the creator After all, can't humans be creators?

I investigated the tragic death of Frankenstein and the monster from the perspective of living together Humans are creatures that need to live together It is a social existence that does not feel the meaning of existence alone. However, Frankenstein used his abilities to create a creature called a monster. Still, he was not able to provide an environment for the monster to live with humans. It was more terrifying than Frankenstein thought It has been more than 200 years since the monster’s creation in the novel However, many situations in human history still make it difficult to live together both the creator and the creature. In the era of the metaverse, we will live in coexistence with robots and virtual reality. Robots, like humans but not exactly like us, bring fear and anticipation about how we can coexist with them.

Science is constantly evolving Even now, new things are being made in the corner of the earth However, if such technologies are not established in conditions where they can coexist harmoniously with our lives, they may end up as tragic as Frankenstein's monster. I believe that we should all exert ourselves to coexist graciously by considering not only new technology of human convenience but also the ethics of the creator

"Pretty Ugly", Can You Relate To IT?!

BY MINHEE CHOI

"Pretty Ugly", Can You Relate To IT?!

BY MINHEE CHOI

“Pretty Ugly”, written by Abdullah Shoaib which is written to address the topic of self-worth or self-esteem and people’s confidence in their image. The author approaches this topic in an unique way which can be seen through the descriptive vocabularies, unique structure of the poem and tone of the poem and due to this, the poem could be considered one of the most uniquely structured and clever poems. Through the way that the author structured the poem, the viewers begin to understand that beauty and self-worth depends on the perception in how you perceive beauty and have confidence within yourself. So, to tell a little about this poem, it is a poem that has two contrasting tones that can be noticed when reading the poem in the prescribed way. When the poem is read from top to bottom, it talks about a person feeling ugly as they underestimate and self-deprecate themselves On the other hand, when the poem is read the other way, it shows the person acknowledging the beauty that they have on the inside which can be seen through the confident and passionate tone. These contrasting tones have a strong relationship with the title, which leads the audience to better understand the message of the poem

To begin with, the poem has strong communication between the author and readers The poem leads the readers to think and interpret different parts of the poem in various ways. This can strongly be seen after reading the poem for the first time The title seemed to be very interesting and caused some curiosity inside me to wonder about the hidden meaning and intention it had. One interpretation of “Pretty Ugly” was with pretty acting as an adverb like very, and the other way was “Pretty Ugly” with two contrasting words, pretty and ugly, both describing the appearance. Another part that made the poem much more unique was the structure. When the poem was examined in more detail, there were different poetic devices used as well as its unique structure. The use of these poetic devices played a very big role in making the poem interesting, and these made me smile at the end, due to how clever and well-written this poem was Due to its uniqueness, it was one of the poem types that I haven’t seen, which made me more engaged and interested.

The negative tone can be seen when the poem is read from the top to the bottom. Some of the major lines where it exists are in line 1, “I’m very ugly” Despite this being the first line, it expresses the negative tone straightaway of how the author is looking at himself. Also, in lines 12 -13, it says, “Because no matter what / I am not good enough to be loved” which shows that the person in the poem is underestimating and self-deprecating. Because of this, it makes me wonder if love is something that can be only given to those that are good enough, something that all of us cannot get In addition to this, in lines 17-18, it says “I always think / am I as ugly as people say?” and this seemed to be a key part because there was a slight change in mood, being less negative. It is a very smooth and fluent transition of mood and tone, connecting two opposite tones without having any difficulties in understanding and reading them.

Unlike reading from top to bottom, when reading from bottom to top, the poem has a positive tone, making it more unique and interesting There’s more confidence and passion in this stanza, showing the person caring more about themselves than others. For instance, in lines 23 - 26, the author says, “And I am in no position to believe / that I am not good enough to be loved/ because no matter what / I still deserve love.” As can be seen, these lines show the opposite in meaning of their negative counterparts. The first meaning of love, as previously mentioned, is something that only good people deserve and the second one is something that everyone deserves and that can be given by anyone. Also, other than this part, in lines 34 - 36, it says, “I am a very beautiful person / so, don’t try to convince me that / I’m very ugly” These lines are very important because they state that beauty exists within everyone. With strong passion and confidence, these quoted lines show the clear difference between the first and second reading of the poem, despite using the same lines. The author’s word choices have made the theme and the mood of the poem visible, making it easier for the audience to recognize the difference between the mood of the first and the mood of the second

Throughout the poem, a variety of poetic devices can be found, but enjambment (the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break) plays the most crucial role. Enjambment makes the poem read smoothly in both directions. While each line of the poem does not make sense as one line, it does when read as a whole This shows how clever the author is because by using enjambment it would have taken a long time to figure out the layout and the structure of the poem so that it would make sense both ways By using enjambment, each line was well connected and the story was carried along fluently. For example, in line 2, it says, “so, don’t try to convince me that” and by ending with the word “that”, it makes the readers want to read the next verse Also, in line 6, “and I’m not going to lie to myself by saying”, it ends with a short phrase “by saying” causing curiosity in the readers’ minds. This makes the reader want to read continuously and attracts people with its unique style Other poetic devices such as rhyme and repetition also play a role in the poem. With rhyme, some lines end in rhyme, making the poem a little less solid and easier to read in a specific mood For instance, in lines 4 and 5, it ends with the word “Day” and “Way”, and in lines 12 and 14, it ends with “What” and “That”. However, with the poem being free verse, the rhyme seems to be less important than others With repetition, as each line is to be repeated from the bottom to top after reading it straight down, it could be considered a repetition. Each line is repeated one more time so that in total, they would have two of the same lines used in the poem This represents the cleverness of the author with how the same lines when reading in the opposite direction creates an opposite theme and mood.

To conclude, the author’s choice of using enjambment and other specific structures in writing a poem so that it can be read in two directions, to deliver two different messages, made the poem very unique and interesting. The poem was easy to understand and the communication between the author and the reader was very clear It made the reader think more deeply by creating different possibilities of interpretation for specific sections of the poem. It also attracts people with its writing style, encouraging them to read the poem multiple times and allowing them to make personal connections. Thus, this poem, with an unique structure, would be considered one of the most clever poems that a lot of people can relate to.

Part I: The Facility

BY TOBY GRANGER

I woke up to the regular sound of a pleasant ding and my sleep pod cracking open

“Please make your way to the dining pod ” the automated voice said on the intercom This was a regular routine for every member of the grand underwater research center

Its given name was Domus Prime, but we all called it The Facility.

It was a rather large structure, with varying sizes of cylindrical rooms. I was in the far corner of the facility in the bunks Being an apprentice, I was the lowest rank you could be on base

“Morning Boys, let’s get going, we’ve got a lot to do today!” Our Professor and Mentor Dr Richardson told us.

“Coming ” I grumbled

I noticed that Arnold had yet to leave his pod I walked over and opened his pod

“Arnold Arnold!” I opened his pod

“What..” He said flatly.

“It’s breakfast.” I told him.

“Ugh Do I have to get up?” He rolled over and put his pillow over his head

“You know the answer to that ” I sighed and shook him a little bit

“Yeah Yeah, alright…” He got out and we made our way to the meal pod.

Each part of the base was separated into pods. We were in the Sleeping Pods, a large 3 story pod that was on the shallow sea floor Being apprentices, we slept on the 3rd floor of this pod

The dining pod was One hallway away on an elevated bridge. The dining pod was connected to every other pod so it can be accessed easily for meal times.

As we crossed the elevated bridge next to the dining pod, I looked out the long thick glass window and admired the reef we were next to It looked the same every day, but it had a certain beauty to it

“I wish we didn’t eat nutrition-paste everyday.” Arnold complained.

“It’s not like there’s fresh food anymore.” I said.

“Aren’t they trying to synthesize it?” He asked

“Yeah, but they are having a hard time getting it right, besides, people who remember the taste of fresh food are getting too old to be a part of tests ” I sighed

“Oh yeah, did you hear about Skimford?” Arnold asked.

“As in Professor Michale Skimford? The one who designed Domus?” I asked.

“Yeah! He went missing in the deep sea yesterday They think he’s dead ” Arnold said

“Really? The deep sea? Aren’t there pirates out there?” I asked

“Yeah, I’ve heard stories about them They use rocks and bludgeoning tools to crack open the cockpits of exploration submarines, then they discard the corpse and loot the ship.” Arnold explained.

“Terrifying… I hope we never encounter them..” I said, fearfully.

“Well, our training for Deep Sea Survival starts today, hopefully they teach us how to fight ” Arnold grinned

Sfff

The doors opened into the dining pod.

We both grabbed a bag of Nutrition Paste B and a bottle of water to wash it down We sat down with the one other apprentice and sucked down the nutrition paste

“It may be the color of vomit, but it doesn’t taste like it.” Arnold said, slurping up the paste.

“It just has the texture of sand.. Blegh.” Skipper pointed out.

Skipper was the oldest amongst us

“How do you know what sand even tastes like?” I asked

“I’m guessing, obviously, no one can actually touch sand without going out of the ship It just looks grainy, if that makes sense.” Skipper said.

Ding.

“Good morning all, This is Chief Scientist Dr Cho Please finish your meals and head to your appropriate stations in 5 minutes That is all ”

Ding

“Five minutes?!” Arnold exclaimed.

I didn’t bother retorting, I quickly drank my paste, chugged my water, and went on my way.

From the dining pod, we went to the left hallway and down a set of stairs Then, we entered our classrooms Due to the lack of people in the facility, ‘classes’ were really just me, Arnold, and Skipper with Dr Richardson teaching us how to become proper scientists.

“Yes , Yes, good morning you three ” He started

“Today we will not be spending any time in the classroom Today, gentlemen, is your first day Off base!” Dr Richardson proclaimed “What?” I asked.

“Finally!” Arnold was excited.

“Oh boy ” Skipper was hesitant

“Come! Come! To the docking bay we go!” Dr Richardson seemed excited

We walked back up the stairs, through the hallway, and back through the dining pod. We then took the hallway opposite to us, the one designated for Scientists only.

“Now, in class, we have spent the last year going over every minute detail of the Shallow Class Mk 1 Exploration Submarine, otherwise known as the ‘Guppy’. We will be using a Mk1 Guppy that has been refitted to seat all four of us.” Dr. Richardson explained as we walked down a steep staircase and towards the docking bay.

We stopped for a moment and Dr Richardson put his code in Sfff

The doors opened and a blast of salty air hit us. The room was soaking wet, fresh from a recently departed Sub.

“This, boys, is the docking bay ” Dr Richardson said

“On the far wall is a conveyor belt with locking mechanisms This will deposit our submarine on a 4 legged stand We will get inside the submarine From there, we will do all required checks and signal Controlman Lancing that we are ready to depart. Controlman Lancing will begin opening the aqueducts. This will flood the docking bay. Once the submarine is fully submerged, I will retract the legs and the docking bay doors beneath the submarine will open I will then maneuver us out and we will begin our loop of the facility and the Domus Reef Are we clear?” Dr Richardson asked “Yes!” we all said back Rerrrrr.

The convereyer belt creaked and the submarine we were using appeared Just like he said, it was deposited on 4 extended legs

Dr Richardson opened the cockpit and we climbed in I sat up front, right next to Dr Richardson Arnold and Skipper sat behind us Dr Richardson held down a button

“Hello Controlman Lancing, this is a standard Trinocinium Operation, it is a go for departure to begin ”

“Opening aqueducts.” Controlman Lancing replied.

We heard a low rumble then water bursting in.

It shot up like geysers due to the pumps pulling it in, it quickly filled up to the cockpit window and it took even less time to submerge us

“Controlman Lancing, the legs are retracted, it is a go for bay door opening ” Dr Richardson said “Bay doors are being opened.” Controlman Lancing confirmed. Rerrrrrrrr.

Large doors beneath us opened up and Dr Richardson grabbed the steering columns

“Notice how careful I am while departing ” Dr Richardson explained The submarine tipped forward very slowly and he fired off the propeller engines very slightly to get us out of the docking bay. Once we exited, the docking bay doors slammed shut.

“Hold on, the process of dumping water back out is rather turbulent.” Dr. Richardson warned. We heard mechanical whirring and then felt liters of water rushing by It pushed the backend of our sub down and we were now pointing up

“Alright, here we go.” Dr. Richardson murmured.

He jerked the steering down and blasted the engines. We went flying out of the range of the return pumps and were now in common waters outside of the base.

The water was brilliantly clear, as usual, and we began to circle around the facility

All around the facility is the Domus Reef, named so after Domus Prime This reef used to hold a variety of flora and fauna but they disappeared after Domus was built.

“Well, let’s see what you remember from training, Adam.”

Dr Richardson stood up and gestured for me to get into the seat

“Uh what?” I was confused

“Go on, drive!” He was smiling

“I--” I tried to protest.

He pushed me into the driver's seat and I grabbed the steering sticks. There were two red buttons mounted on a Y shaped joystick These buttons controlled the throttle, pushing the joystick forward made the Sub go down and pulling them back pulled it up Moving it side to side made it roll left and right

I carefully settled my hands on the joystick and fired the engines. There was a low rumble from the propellers in the back whirring I took the controls with extreme caution, I didn’t want to flip the submarine and make us sink

“Adam! This is a training vessel, there are stabilizers! You don’t have to be so cautious, just give it a drive!” Dr. Richardson cheered me on.

“Okay..” I was hesitant.

I put my thumbs on the red buttons and pressed them down Verrr

The propellers behind us whirred quickly and we lurched forward It was an amazing feeling, I went up above the reef and circled the dining pod a few times.

“This is great!” I was grinning.

“Arnold Put your seatbelt on ” Dr Richardson commanded

“Fine ” Arnold said reluctantly

“How come yours isn’t on?” He asked

“If something goes wrong, I’ll intervene.” Dr. Richardson explained. He turned to me.

“Okay, slow down now and get back to where we were, we’ll do a swap ”

I nodded

As we were coming into the starting point, I tried to roll but the stabilizers made me stop.

“Alright. Skipper, you next.” Dr. Richardson said. We switched seats and Skipper immediately started

I quickly clicked my seatbelt on but Skipper wasn’t slowing down

“Woo!” He was excited

We whirred all around the facility and even passed a ship that was docking. Skipper was getting cocky, he tried to buzz the coral reef.

“Skipper!” Dr Richardson yelled

The engines, while pumping in water to push us, caught a huge chunk of coral and pushed it right back out Not only were the engines damaged, but we slammed into the coral forest in front of us In the commotion, Dr. Richardson flew out of his seat and smacked his head on the roof. The entire sub shook and we pitched up and spun out.

“Dr Richardson!?” I asked

He was knocked unconscious

“Skipper, grab hold of the controls!” Arnold yelled

“I can’t!” He was trying to stabilize us.

As we were spinning around wildly, I saw huge chunks of black shiny metal.

I couldn’t place what they were, then I realized

“The stabilizers broke off!” I said out loud

The sub slowly stopped spinning and we were now facing upwards

Skipper was petrified, Arnold was panicking, and I made the worst realization of all.

“We’ve just lost our only pilot…”

Webtoon Review: Surviving Romance

BY HYONSAN KIM

*Spoilers ahead*

I read this webtoon a while back during the summer break after hearing some really positive reviews about it on the @webtoonopinions instagram account I was not disappointed after reading it In this article I will briefly go over the themes and messages of the story that the author is trying to convey, as well as my personal opinions on the story overall.

The first season begins with our protagonist waking up in the body of the female lead, Eun Chaerin, of her favorite romance novel Initially, she believes that the story will go just as it had when she was reading it: she and the male lead fall in love with each other, but their relationship is interrupted by Chaerin’s bullies and the second male lead, before they can fully be with each other. A rather common plot for a lot of romance novels In this world, Chaerin realizes she only sees everybody except the other male character of the romance novel as black humanoid forms, and that a zombie apocalypse always starts at around lunchtime This added with the continuous time loop of the story starting itself again whenever she dies, takes a huge psychological toll on her and she soon spirals to the point where she just waits for death whenever the zombie apocalypse starts. That is until she is saved by an unknown extra character and she begins to hope for a new story for herself and becomes determined to find this girl who saved her

The story depicts the theme of how much friendship can grow even in times of pain and conflict, as Chaerin and her class struggle to survive the zombie apocalypse, and she attempts to find out why zombies are present on earth there are suddenly zombies in this very typical romance novel. I really enjoyed how much Chaerin learns to open up to the other characters and how they also open up to her, even though initially they are distant and don't trust her completely, because of her history of seemingly only caring about the male lead character, and nobody else The story itself is intense and engaging through the way the story slowly reveals what's really going on in this world, through the creative ways the characters learn to survive, and their bonding, as well as disagreements with one another. The story is quite fast-paced, but doesn’t feel rushed, and has room for peaceful, touching moments where the characters get to know more about each other, and can take a break from all the action and chaos The intriguing mystery of why a zombie apocalypse is happening in a very typical romance novel and the choices that Chaerin and her friends make, draws the reader in and makes them want to read even further to find what will happen next.

The author Lee Yone has been known to use her stories to criticize aspects of society and this webtoon is definitely one of them It’s more subtle than in her previous webtoon, The Makeup Remover, but everything from Chaerin’s backstory to why she fell into the story in the first place come together perfectly to show the stress and depression that Korean college students often face and the consequences that might come as a result. Intertwined in this social critique is also the theme of how free will also comes at the cost of responsibility Free will means you have to decide how to respond to life’s daily hardships no matter how difficult they get The novel explores Chaerin’ s conflict with this concept as in the first season finale, Chaerin is given a choice to give up her free will to the novel’s Cinderella-esque story where she will be able to effortlessly reach a “happy ending”.

The art style of this webtoon stands in stark contrast against the darker and more serious themes like suicide and the dark side of having a free will that the story explores through the characters' individual struggles. It's cute and full of vibrant pinks, violets, and greens. It provides a calm, fun atmosphere that misleads you into believing that this is a romance or slice of life webtoon I loved how the author uses patterns of darker, more saturated colors or glitches to express when something really bad is happening They provide a sense of confusion and you can tell that something isn’t right through a character’s static-filled figure

Overall, I think people who are fans of the hit TV show “All of Us are Dead” will enjoy this series a lot, as they both have a similar premise, but “``Surviving Romance” ``has a much lighter visual tone with the added mystery of what’s really going on added to it It’s a webtoon that I think students, especially highschool or college students, can really relate to and enjoy.

Mechanics Monthly: RGM

86R (Mobile Suit Gundam)

BY YONGSUK KIM

*Note: All facts (lore) and images regarding the GM III is from the article <RGM-86R GM III> from the Gundam Wikia.

Key Concepts:

Mecha - A armored robot, typically manned by a single pilot from the inside Earth Federation Space Force - The space combat arm of the Earth Federation, the oneworld government of the Universal Century timeline of Gundam.

Mobile Suit Gundam - An anime science fiction franchise which is considered to be the forerunner of the “real robot” genre of mecha (Features space racism against space people!)

Real Robot - A genre defined by mecha which are more realistic compared to the previous “Super Robot” genre of which examples are Mazinga Z, 태권 V, power rangers, and etc.

Universal Century (U.C.) - The main timeline in which Gundam takes place.

Gundam - A series of prototype mecha created by the Earth Federation, usually portrayed as a superweapon

The RGM-86R “GM III” is a mecha from Mobile Suit Gundam It was developed from the prototype Gundam Mk II for the Earth Federation Space Forces One of its main goals was anti-ship warfare As such, the GM III was armed with modular anti-ship missile launchers. The GM III was a huge success when it was first introduced in U.C. 0088. It remained the mainstay general-purpose mecha for Federation Forces well into the U C 0090s

This simple mecha from Gundam is a favorite of mine First of all, I like the use of green and red combined with white The blue visor also helps diversify the colour palette I also like the head design: the visor shape, antenna, and silhouette. The cameras peppered around the design make the design more lively and less monotonous. The many thrusters on the mecha reinforce the feeling of swiftness and power that the design emulates The extruded knee components effectively imply the weight of the mecha, adding to its “realism” and cool factor The backpack has a distinct design, especially with the protruding fins that house the mecha’s beam sabers (basically a lightsaber) Overall, I really like the design for the GM III: it irradiates heaviness and power while also being simple and mass-produced.

How to Embrace Your Senioritis, With Style

BY DANIEL PARK

(This article is pure satire, by reading this article, you release Golden Dragon Newspaper as liable for any and all actions you take while in existential dread And actually don’t do any of this, I might get in trouble ) After taking your mock exams, reality starts to hit hard Here are 10 steps on how to properly embrace your “Senioritis”.

Step 1: Start thinking of class as “optional” You’ve already received your acceptance letters from the colleges, and it’s not gonna be like they’ll look at your Senior grades too, right?

Step 2: Celebrate each success. “Woah I can’t actually believe I made it to my exam today!”

Step 3: Master the art of procrastination I was going to finish this step, but I’ll do it later

Step 4: Start thinking about your own life insurance Now that you’re getting old, you’re at a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, wearing really smelly clothes, over-styling your hair, and forgetting to shave.

Step 5: Start getting really emotional about really weird things “Oh my gosh, this is gonna be the last time I walk past that really funky-looking building *tears*”

Step 6: Think about your future. You have your whole life ahead of you! You’re going to college, which is significantly harder than what you thought was “hard” in high school! You’ll have a job! You’ll work nonstop for the next 50 years until you’re old and shriveled

Step 7: Think about taxes. Imagine all the paperwork you’ll have to do. Dang, that totally sucks.

Step 8: Think about retirement. Since you’re getting pretty old now, why not think about your retirement? You’ll be all creaky, won’t be able to lean slightly backward soon, and dependent on government assistance/pensions

Step 9: Start looking at rent prices near your college. You’ll actually be a full-time working adult soon, and you have to start worrying about whether you can pay this month’s rent on time For extra crippling depression, look for apartments you want to live in, but definitely can't afford

Step 10: Think about student debt. You'll probably be in a six-figure overwhelming debt for the first few decades of your career. Fun! I’m sure this step will really motivate you seniors to finish the year strong.