It’s Liberals vs. Liberals in San Francisco After Schools Erase Contested Names

 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/us/san-francisco-school-name-debate.html

The conversation over which historical figures should be honored has been an ongoing one, and the San Fransisco's school board's decision to rename one third of the schools has been one extreme position. Some schools include Mission High School, Abraham Lincoln High School, George Washington High School,  Roosevelt Middle School, Paul Revere K-8, Diane Feinstein Elementary, and John Muir Elementary (a full list of schools, and reasons for renaming can be found at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16cre1vbJzE44JWmto_Ll7J06q9ZblQoBC-Eas3Qwf2c/edit#gid=0). The criteria used by the school  board was to remove names of anyone “who engaged in the subjugation and enslavement of human beings; or who oppressed women, inhibiting societal progress; or whose actions led to genocide; or who otherwise significantly diminished the opportunities of those among us to the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

While I do believe that there needs to be discussion over renaming schools, I feel like the current actions by the school board have been poorly thought out.  I would agree with Mayor London Breed, who criticized the timing of such a decision (“Let’s bring the same urgency and focus on getting our kids back in the classroom, and then we can have that longer conversation about the future of school names”) and the San Fransisco Chronicle editorial board, who criticized how it seemed like the work of "amateur historians" (it seems that the school board did not know whether Roosevelt High School was named after Teddy Roosevelt or FDR). I am, however, unsure where I would draw the line for names. I can see an argument for replacing some of the names, even perhaps Washington, but am conflicted over some others.

1. Do you agree with the criteria the school board presented? If not, what criteria would you use?

2. Do you believe schools should be named after Lincoln, Washington, etc. 

3. Should the school continue through on this policy? What method should be used when determining which schools should be renamed?

A huge piece of California's Highway 1 near Big Sur collapsed into the ocean

 Article Link

A storm came this weekend, bringing lots of rain and snow. As a result, lots of debris came loose, which essentially overwhelmed drainage infrastructure and eroded the road. All the erosion then fell into the ocean. This happened at Rat Creek, approximately 15 miles south of Big Sur. This is very surprising as many California residents have likely driven along this highway themselves because it is known for its scenic views and how its spans across the coast. One would expect there to be measures taken to prevent this sort of thing from happening, especially since lives could have been taken in an accident like this. While they have closed off the road while they are assessing the damage and working to fix it, it definitely raises concerns about how safe it is to drive on highway 1 now. Personally, it does not feel very comforting to know that it could have been me on the highway when it suddenly fell off. With this being said, there seems to be a trend: Approximately 25 structures in Northern California have been damaged because of mudslides and debris flow. Most of these areas are where burn scars exist from wildfires.

1. Do you think better measures should have been taken to prevent this from happening, especially if it a trend for mudslides and debris to cause damage to structures?

2. What do you think the correlation between burn areas and mudslides/debris flow in storms is?

3. Does it make you more scared to drive on highway 1 knowing something like this happened?

Reddit Account Crushes Wall Street Investors

This past week, Gamestop stock (GME) surged to 325 USD per share, bringing its total gain to 1625% this year. With today’s advanced technology, the presence of online purchasing has become increasingly more popular; rather than going in store, many consumers opt to order through services such as Amazon. Consequently, many retail stores have started to sink, prompting many hedge funds to short retail stocks such as GME. 

Essentially, if someone shorts a stock they are betting that the value of a stock will go down. When shorting, investors will borrow a stock from a broker and sell it back when ideally, it reaches a lower price. If the stock is sold back at a lower price, the investor may keep the leftover money from the original borrow. Shorting stock is a high risk-high reward. Alternatively, if a stock price goes against a short-investor's prediction by rising, the investor will be forced to sell back the stock to the lender at a higher price, resulting in one losing money. Since stock prices can continue to rise, one can see that shorting stocks can result in extreme losses. However, if the stock continues to rise, short investors may also choose to purchase stock in order to mitigate losses (one of the reasons Gamestop stock surged so much).

This past month, one Redditt account, WallStreetBets (WSB), discovered that Melvin Capital Management, a hedge fund, had shorted millions of dollars into Gamestop’s stock. WSB decided to utilize their online platform to persuade users to purchase Gamestop’s stock (≈17 USD), in hopes of increasing stock price which would ultimately hurt these high level investors and help the average man. 

With many new investing apps such as Robinhood, an interest free stock trading platform, users from anywhere in the world can purchase stocks rather than limiting it to the wealthiest elite. This movement has become more symbolic, representing democratization of the financial markets. Of course, this recent news has cost some of these hedge funds. In hopes to cut losses, Robinhood has limited stock purchasing of specific stocks (GME, AMC, etc) to one share per account. 

Personally, I think this decision from Robinhood is a bit uncalled for. Given that these are public stocks, anyone should be able to invest in however much of the company they desire. In addition, stock investing is always a risk, and these hedge funds should not be able to reap only the benefits, especially at the cost of normal people. Although short stocking can have high reward, I think long-term investing is much safer while also having high benefits if proper approaches are taken. In addition, I think mutual funds such as ETFs are a great way to invest money, while mitigating risk. 

What are your thoughts on Robinhood’s decision to restrict/limit public stock purchases? Should it be allowed? 

Do you think shorting stocks is worth the risk of losing exponentially more than your initial investment?

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/31/962479849/reddit-wallstreetbets-founder-calls-gamestop-stock-frenzy-a-symbolic-movement

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/29/robinhood-is-still-severely-limiting-trading-gamestop-holders-can-only-buy-one-additional-share.html

What Students Are Saying About ‘Impostor Syndrome,’ Beloved Places and Finding Balance in 2021

 

    Self doubt, believing you are not worthy or good enough. This feeling is called imposter syndrome, and has become a regular is many students' lives. With the pandemic greatly affecting how our society works and develops, imposter syndrome seems be an issue that results from such a situation. A student in the article says that he feels uncomfortable and out of place when in crowds. The pandemic has shifted our views on what is comfortable and what is a large risk. With family and close friends being the only people we feel safe around can be attributed to who we know doesn't have the virus. People that we spend time with often seem to be crossed off as suspects making being around random people uncomfortable. Another students states that when he looks at the mirror the person staring back at him is not him. With quarantine restricting much of what we used to do, our characters may have shifted in order to conform to these restrictions. In the article, the question: "Is there upsides to imposter syndrome?" was asked. A student replied that impostor syndrome has no positives because even though someone may have had success, they feel that they do not deserve it or that they themselves haven't actually made that achievement.

    I believe that impostor syndrome has grown in its number largely because of COVID and how the pandemic has shifted our norms. COVID has made many people uncomfortable when leaving their home because of the inherit risk of going outside.

Article

Do you believe COVID-19 has been a large cause for many students to feel 'impostor syndrome?'

Do you believe there are any positives to 'impostor syndrome?'

Do you think this lack of trust in strangers should be normal?

Wuhan Returns To "Normal" Life

    A year has passed since Wuhan, the first city in the world to be overrun by the virus, was placed under a 76-day lockdown in response to COVID-19 on January 23rd. Citizens are now able to conduct their lives without the threat of the virus looming over them. The city is bustling with people visiting restaurants, daily transportation, karaoke rooms, reunions, and more activities previously taken for granted with unmasked faces. Wuhan was able to spend their New Year's Eve outside on the streets while millions of others remained in lockdown. However, the joyous celebrations and return to daily life threaten to bury the emotional pain that lurks in the population. At least 3,869 of its residents have died from the virus, which has claimed over 2 million lives worldwide. Many grievers who lost family or friends have turned to blame their government for their mistakes in early attempts to regulate the virus. Yang Min believes that if the severity of the outbreak had been announced earlier, her daughter might still be alive. Her daughter had gone to the hospital on January 16th to receive treatment for her breast cancer where she had presumably caught the virus. She died on February 6th, after being transferred to Jinyintan Hospital, a place designated for coronavirus patients. Yang has since gone to multiple local officials to demand accountability but was told that the government had released an online notice on December 31st. 

    While the virus continues to rage on in multiple other cities, I believe the recovery of Wuhan can give hope to others that the pandemic will come to an end. Although the days where I could safely walk around without a mask feel like a distant memory, hearing about the city functioning like it had before the pandemic does help me feel like our current state won't last forever. However, I do also agree that the pain and harmful effects of the pandemic that affected Wuhan shouldn't be swept under the rug in favor of focusing on only its recovery. We should honor the lives that have been lost while we celebrate the success of Wuhan.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/24/asia/wuhan-one-year-on-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/world/asia/wuhan-china-coronavirus.html

How does the news about Wuhan make you feel?

Do you believe that the virus will come to an end soon?

How can we celebrate the end of COVID-19 without forgetting its traumatic effects?

Biden Reinstates Travel Restrictions as New COVID Variants Spread Worldwide

 

Today, President Biden announced that he will ban travel by non-US citizens from several countries, including Ireland, the UK, Brazil, and over 20 other countries in Europe. Just one week ago, President Trump had signed an order to remove those bans, which have been in place since Spring 2020. The Biden Administration criticized Trump's decision, saying that now is "not the time to be lifting restrictions" and suggesting that they plan to increase travel-related restrictions, not loosen them. Biden also introduced a new ban, this time on travelers from South Africa (where a new variant of COVID-19 has been spreading over the last few weeks). The primary factor behind the decision was the fact that new coronavirus variants have been circulating in other countries, several of which are thought to be more contagious - and perhaps even more deadly - than the original strain. 

The prospect of travel restrictions is interesting because of how closely it ties into the constant struggle between the ideals of freedom and security. Personally, I think that in this situation the travel bans are a good idea and should help to limit the influx of new COVID strains into the US. After all, the primary responsibility of the US President is to protect Americans, not necessarily to protect the freedoms of people from other nations. At the same time, I recognize that for people currently outside the US who want or need to enter the country for whatever reason, the restrictions may seem annoying and unfair. Still, I believe that the science points towards travel bans being an at least partially effective way to stem the rise in cases, so I support them. 

1. Do you think the expanded travel restrictions are necessary to protect Americans, or are they unfairly discriminatory to people from certain countries?

2. How concerned are you about the possibility of new COVID strains circulating in the US?

3. What do you think of President Biden's approach so far to combating the pandemic?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/24/politics/biden-coronavirus-travel-trump/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/24/biden-ban-travel-south-africa-461983

To Save the Corpse Flower, Horticulturalists Are Playing the Role of Matchmakers

 

    A plant species known as the Corpse Flower, or scientifically as Amorphophallus titanium, only blooms once every decade or even longer when conditions are perfect. This means that the Corpse Flower has a very shallow and delicate gene pool threatening it's extinction. With less than 1,000 individuals in the wild and less than 500 in collections, it means the plant has very limited genetic diversity meaning some flowers are too closely related. However, scientists have borrow a strategy to deal with this with the help of "studbooks", which are typically used by animal breeders. These help horticulturalists (experts of garden cultivation and management) get the best matches to breed these plants so they are the most genetically diverse and healthy. 

    Personally, articles like this interest me a lot and I think what this article consists of is going to be huge for preservation of more plant species in the future. With the borrowing of this technique from breeders in zoos, this will hopefully increase pollution of species of plants that are in the similar situation to the Corpse Flower. I feel like strides like this in science will hopefully allow plants similar to the Corpse Flower survive longer than their expected time of extinction. 

1. Do you think this new technique will help horticulturalists in the future to prevent other species of plants going extinct?

2. How does biodiversity of plants in the ecosystem help the earth?

3. How could this new technique benefit humans in the future? (Maybe oranges are almost going extinct)

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-horticulturalists-save-corpse-flower-180976816/

Biden Signs 30+ Executive Orders Within The First 3 Days In Office

 

    On January 20, Joe Biden was inaugurated as President of the United States, and he vows to "unite our nation". Within hours of his inauguration, Biden had already signed many executive orders to help with the pandemic, economy, environment and immigration. No president in the United States has ever signed this large amount of orders within such a small time frame. Some of the most notable orders that Biden signed include the increase in federal food assistance as well as the streamline delivery of stimulus checks. Through this executive order, he hopes that it will stabilize the economy, as well as providing food for those who need it. Biden also has proposed to pass another relief plan for $1.9 trillion, but Republicans may not be in favor of it. He says "we need more action, and we need to move fast, we're in a national emergency". Not only did Biden sign bills to help unify our nation, he also reversed some of Trump's actions, such as rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, and removing restrictions on US entry from Muslim countries. By doing so, Biden opens up many new opportunities for the US to reconnect with ally countries as well establish new connections with others.

    Personally, I believe that these new orders will help unify the nation, which would achieve Biden's goal of doing so. Another one of Biden's goals is to reverse more of Trump's damaging actions, such as the withdrawal from WHO, which would have devastating effects on the US without the scientific expertise. During the pandemic, I think it's important that we help one another, and put aside grudges we may have for one another. A recent study found that black and Latino adults were "likely to report that their families did not get enough to eat than white families. Addressing issues like these are a key factor in maintaining democracy.

1.Do you believe that these actions/orders are beneficial in rebuilding the US?

2. What actions/orders do you hope to see get passed by Biden?

3. Do you think that the US will become more unified under the Biden administration?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-stimulus-check-food-stamps-minimum-wage-executive-orders/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/22/politics/joe-biden-executive-orders-first-week/index.html

Los Angeles County Facing New Variant of COVID-19

 

    Los Angeles County is already one of the hardest hit counties in America with its worst week ever coming very recently. They have a coronavirus-related death roughly every seven minutes which is quite astonishing and horrifying. In fact, they are the only county to have over one million coronavirus infections. California as a whole has recorded more than three million cases with over 528 daily deaths. Unfortunately for LA county and California, this isn't the end of the bad news. New variants of the virus are going around California and they're reportedly more contagious then before. It has been believed that one of the variants is 50% more transmissible than the previous version. Luckily, it appears that this new variant doesn't cause more severe illness. The main problem seems to be the amount of people catching this new variant as this puts a strain on the health care system which is already struggling to provide for everybody. Another variant (L452R) has also been spreading rapidly within California and there are signs that it is also more transmissible. Charles Chiu of UCSF is currently performing further studies on this variant as there is a possibility that these variants could make the vaccine less effective. 

    Although this may seem terrifying, the same rules are still applied: stay home, wear a mask, and physically distance. This will dramatically decrease your chances of getting COVID even with these new variants coming around. It is always important to follow the leaders and the people who actually know what they're doing. These new variants are a little alarming as they may delay us getting back to school and doing sports even further. Another hot topic is sports and whether they should be played At the moment, sports are still being planned and scheduled but COVID cases are still increasing. Personally, I really want to play but it'll definitely be hard to do so especially with the dangers of new strains. Vaccinations also don't seem to be coming to us anytime soon with only people 65 years or older eligible at the moment. California is struggling to vaccinate everyone with its decentralized public health system which makes it hard for us to play sports, especially those with contact, safely. 

1. Are you guys afraid of these new variants?

2. Are you willing to start playing sports even when COVID cases seem to be increasing?

3. What is the safest way to play sports?

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/17/world/covid-19-coronavirus

  

Strict Security Measures In Place Across The Nation Ahead Of Inauguration Day

Article Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/15/957149001/strict-security-measures-in-place-across-the-nation-ahead-of-inauguration-day

    

    After the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, law enforcement, as well as the federal government, have implemented strict security measures to avoid a similar attack happening on President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration day. So far, many efforts have been placed to eliminate security breaches. The US Secret Service is the lead agency covering this security plan. Joe Biden has already canceled his rehearsal for the inauguration as well as his Amtrak trip from Wilmington to Washington as a result of these threats. In addition, the FBI has announced that they will be closely monitoring planned protests around all 50 state capitols as well as in Washington DC. The National Guard Bureau has stated that they will deploy 25,000 service members in Washington DC for the event. In addition to this, all 50 state capitols will have National Guard men and women present. Washington DC has put in place travel restrictions citywide as well as street closures and road blockades.

    It is clear that during this political climate, this level of security has never been seen before on any inauguration days previously. I believe personally that these steps being taken will be enough to deter any possible threats. I think it is very important to keep people safe, and by putting in these measures we are doing so. After the horrific events at the capitol, America must heal and I believe that this is a good first step.

2. Do you think that this level of security will be needed on future inauguration days?

1. Do you think that this level of security will eliminate possible threats? If not, what else can be done?

Heading 'into a buzzsaw': Why extremism experts fear the Capitol attack is just the beginning

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/16/us/capitol-riots-extremism-threat-soh/index.html

On January 6, Trump supporters attacked the United States Capitol building in hopes of disrupting the certification of President Elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. This attack led to the death of one policeman and 4 others, as well as raised concerns over the security of the Nation’s capital. With the upcoming inauguration on Wednesday, barricades are being put up and armed forces are being brought in to prevent potential violence or insurrection. Much online chatter has shown signs of boycotts or protest, both in Washington D.C. and at each Capitol building in every state. 

But experts claim that the attacks on January 6th bring up a bigger issue than potential attacks in the coming days. They fear that it was just the start of a long term growth of violence and extremism. They claim the spread of these messages and hate is largely due to the algorithms on social media, which bring people with similar ideas together based on cues in their words. Though reinforcements can protect the capital on Wednesday, when forces pack up and leave, the growing threat of violence will remain, and the sense of security will be lost. As social sites help spread messages, there will be more support of extremist ideas.  

I believe the attack of the Capitol building opened our eyes to many issues that may pose a threat in the future. It’s obvious that social media has great ability to spread messages and gather like people together. The amount of people at the Capitol building on January 6th attempting to disrupt a democratic process shows just that. The ease at which they vandalized and broke into a federal building with threats and violence also raises issues of security and the power to which a cause has. I think this oncoming growth of ideas will happen. Misinformation spreads because people only see one side of things and don’t think of it any other way. These extremists will grow angrier and become more ardent with their cause, attempting to bring in more supporters and spread these extreme ideas and violence. The Capitol attack was just the beginning, and as time goes on, with a new president, changes to policy will be made. There will be strong opposition and conflict from many groups and the divide will widen, posing big threats for the future. 

1. What do you believe should be done about the spread of extreme and potentially dangerous messages on social media and the web?

2. After the events at the Capitol building on January 6th, how do you feel about security and the future of our nation and the different groups within it?

3. Do you believe the extreme ideas and their supporters will grow?

4 Ways President Trump's 2nd Impeachment Will Change Washington

Original Article

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds the signed article of impeachment

One week after the attack on the Capitol, the House of Representatives has impeached Trump for "incitement of insurrection" in a 232-197 vote that included 10 Republicans. The article will now go to the Senate, which is expected to reconvene next week. Trump has made history for being the first president to be impeached twice and for having the most members of his own party vote to impeach him. Congressional Republicans are split on the future of the party as a Senate vote to bar Trump from running for future office looms. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not ruled out voting to convict Trump, and although they may face isolation, other Republicans are considering it as well. Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said he thinks "There's a pretty significant chance that the Senate does vote to remove President Trump" because "every day that goes by, there's going to be people regretting their 'no' vote as more information comes out." Because the trial probably won't begin until President-elect Biden is in office, impeachment will also complicate Biden's agenda as he attempts to confirm his Cabinet nominees and press for coronavirus relief. Biden has said he will try to simultaneously advance the trial and hold the Cabinet hearings. Lastly, January 6th has changed the US Capitol forever—now, there are new security measures, like magnetometers and the National Guard, as well as heightened partisan tensions. Several Democrats have accused Republicans of playing a role in the attack, and in the future, bipartisanship will be even more difficult due to the increasing lack of trust in and isolation from members of the opposite party. 

I am definitely glad that Trump has been impeached again. As Representative Cori Bush of Missouri said, “The 117th Congress must understand that we have a mandate to legislate in defense of Black lives. The first step in that process is to root out white supremacy, starting with impeaching the white supremacist-in-chief.” Trump must be held accountable for his actions on January 6th and everything he has done before then to support white supremacy. By impeaching Trump, America has shown the world that we do not tolerate the hate, violence, and domestic terrorism that occurred. Because of this, although I understand that it will impact Biden's agenda, I think impeachment was much too important to pass up. I sincerely hope that Senate Republicans can understand this and will decide to lead their party away from Trumpism by voting to prevent him from running in 2024. I also hope that his supporters will now realize the threat Trump poses to our country and that because of this, America will not see "Make America Great Again Again" next election. 

1. What are your thoughts on Trump's second impeachment?

2. What do you think will happen next in the impeachment process, and will Trump be allowed to run again?

3. How do you think Trump's 2nd impeachment will impact the GOP? What about his supporters?

4. Do you blame GOP Congress members for the attack on the Capitol? To what degree?