Bye bye droughts, or not

severe drought, which is only one tier better than the previous. For California to leave the drought status, it will need far more water than what people have seen so far.

ILLUSTRATION BY ZUYUAN ZHOU

California entered the new year, with more water than the state could ever ask for. While some parts of California did not enjoy effects of the parading rain such as overwhelming flooding, others appreciated its potential to battle against California’s historic drought. Although California is getting plenty of water from the rain, this will not solve the California drought problem.

For one, it is highlighting a bigger problem in the world currently–global

ZUYUAN ZHOU LIFE AND ART EDITOR KELLY LY OPINIONS EDITOR

With the resurgence of AIs able to write coherent essays or generate vibrant art, many writers and artists have found themselves worrying over whether these AIs render their talents useless in the public eye. Despite the development of AIs tailored to write or blend the artistic styles of existing artists, their existence does not invalidate the talents of writers or artists. While some AI has proven competent enough to produce quality work, artists and writers can continue to work without fearing for their careers.

AI should not be seen as a replacement for artists and writers, instead being an accessible alternative for the public’s entertainment and personal use. Although many freelance writers and artists often take commissions from the public, providing quality services at a set price to fund their careers, several types of AI have been developed to assist people in their creative endeavors. AI has proven useful in the hands of the public for generating a piece of art or writing, often for free, though they do not entirely replace the niche of digital artists and writers online.

Though AI can construct an essay in minutes or “create” a piece of art, it does not take away from the fact that being able to write or design a simple layout is a crucial skill to possess. Writing is taught in American schools as a part of English or literature while design or art is often available as an elective. It is valuable and convenient to be able to write or design for yourself and not having to rely on a somewhat unpredictable AI which does not always meet expectations.

However, recent developments in warming–the cause of this season's rain. As temperatures continue to rise, the Earth would continue to get hotter. As a result, future hurricanes would be more severe than the previous hurricanes due to global warming’s effects on the atmosphere and ocean. Higher temperatures on the ocean's surface results in harsher weather conditions, contributing to rapid winds and wetter hurricanes. To complicate matters, heat waves would also become more severe.

Secondly, all this water falling from the sky did not remove California’s drought. Originally, California’s status was a state of extreme drought; now its status for the majority of the land is

Some might say that the recent rain has helped fill up depleted reservoirs and restock the mountains with plenty of snow that could help with the water supply. Contrary to popular belief, the rain has not filled up the reservoirs to a great extent. It is an improvement worth marking, but not one that could help California’s fight against its drought status. Additionally, most of the improvements are residing in northern California because these parts of the state are able to capture more stormwater. Parts of Southern California on the other hand, such as Los Angeles, could only capture 20% of the storm water with the rest making their way to the ocean.

The recent rain that made California one of the wettest places on Earth for a while should not be considered a blessing. Instead, it is a warning for what is to come. If California hopes to overcome its drought, it will need more than just rain; it needs both its residents and the government to take action. Officials should start investing into ways to capture stormwater and residents should make smarter decisions when it comes to water usage.

Looking at the world through art

ZUYUAN ZHOU LIFE AND ART EDITOR

Ihave always enjoyed art for its ability to help me escape reality. When I draw, all my mind is set on is to place down those carefree pencil strokes. Despite not being very good at it in the beginning, I enjoyed the feel of it.

In the beginning of my art journey, I filled papers with silly anime drawings, the occasional sketch of an eyeball, and flowers. That is what I declare the beginning of my journey as, but really, it started with a little boy watching Minecraft videos. One day he decided to trace Minecraft mobs by placing a white piece of paper on his Ipad. Out of all the tracings I did, my favorite one was the one I did in second grade of the king dragon from Crazy Craft.

GRAPHIC BY KELLY LY

AI have shown that their writing and artwork can rival the quality of those produced by professionals. Some say that with AI being able to replicate work in mere minutes when it would take people hours or even days of constant work, human artists and writers might not be necessary in the future. While that is reasonable to assume, AI can not perfectly answer subjective prompts without a definitive answer (often intentionally programmed into the AI) or develop unique styles like people can. In short, AI is still limited by the fact that it is an Artificial Intelligence that is unable to produce something like a human would, limited by its programming and creative restrictions.

AI is handy for certain situations and its ability to generate quality work cannot be denied. Their existence doesn’t invalidate artists or writers; they are accessible for the general public for quick and easy usage. There are things AI can not do like humans can, and they do not render the skill of writing or designing obsolete.

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Sarah Diaz

The Matador is published monthly online and bi-monthly on print by the journalism class of San Gabriel High School. 670 copies per issue are published at CA WEB PRINT Inc. The Matador is a public forum for student expression and highly encourages responses in reaction to issues discussed in the paper. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, not the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are the opinion of the entire staff. Submit comments as a letter to the editor, signed (anonymity is guaranteed if requested) to Ms. Diaz’s email.

In a way, drawing has taught me some life lessons. The first one being that, in order to get to the good, one must go through the bad. When doing a piece, the voice in my head would say it wasn’t good anymore because of some small or big change I made to the drawing. Sometimes I even felt discouraged to continue, but in the end I learned to trust the process and power through. Another thing I learned is to not be obsessed with perfection. Back then, I would try to fill a sketchbook with drawings that were like the ones people see on Instagram, but later on I learned from my art teacher to not do that because a sketchbook is really a drawing diary. There’s no need to make every drawing perfect to please others. The whole point of a sketchbook is to help oneself practice and develop a visual library for future use.

Looking back at my past drawings, I can’t help but be glad of how far I came with my skills. It went from sketches made from frail lines with no story, to bold strokes that set a foundation for the future.

I hope one day I am able to capture those still moments of life around me with only a pencil, eraser, and some paper.