Meat production has a significant impact on the environment: According to a study conducted by the University of California, Davis, livestock are responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. By replacing beef burgers with plant-based burgers, greenhouse gas emissions would decrease by 89%, water use by 87% and land use by 96%, according to the Good Food Institute. Even without a large-scale overhaul of animal meat, the individual choice to consume plant- based meat can still make a noteworthy difference in reducing agricultural expansion and environmental damage. Thus, meat alternatives are more sustainable and environmentally friendly because they require fewer resources and generate substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to the environmental impacts, ethical concerns surrounding meat consumption are helping plant-based meat gain traction. According to the World Animal Foundation, 99% of farm animals in the U.S. live on factory farms, which practice intensive agriculture designed to maximize production while minimizing costs. These farms raise animals in confined spaces such as cages where their movement is extremely inhibited. To keep up with the growing global demand for meat, many farms also forcefully feed or inject hormones into their livestock. For those who are uncomfortable with the ethics of modern factory farming, plant-based meat substitutes provide the taste and texture of meat without contributing to animal suffering.

Still, though plant-based meat is a more sustainable option, it is also often a more expensive one. Meat processing companies are larger and can produce higher quantities of meat at lower cost, while plant-based meat— though growing in popularity—is still a relatively niche industry that has not yet developed economies of scale. Thus, there are many who simply do not have access to sustainable meat alternatives because of their location or income. Nevertheless, for those who do have the ability to choose, plant-based meat is the more ethical, environmentally friendly choice.

“Les Misérables,” a French novel written by Victor Hugo in 1862, is a perfect read for winter break. When it was published, the novel instantly became a smashing success. To this day, it is still considered a chef d’oeuvre.
In the novel, Hugo covers the idea of social injustice during the French Revolution while delicately interweaving them with themes of love, solicitude and patriotism. The story follows the protagonist Jean Valjean, a victim of 19th century Parisian society, who was incarcerated for 19 years for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread. After his long awaited release, he is chased by an implacable police officer—Javert—who vows to bring Valjean back to prison no matter the price.
Over the course of the story, Valjean attempts to ameliorate his own wellbeing: a tortuous task with many obstacles. I recommend the 1862 translation of this book by Charles E. Wilbour, as it is an amusing blend of flavor and accuracy. Additionally, other mediums to digest this content exist, like the 1980 musical or the 2012 movie. Les Misérables the musical was a smash hit on Broadway, winning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Arcane

Animated by Fortiche, a French studio (co-producer of the Nickelodeon-Netflix show, Rabbids Invasion), the series Arcane alluringly blends 2D and 3D visuals, effectively making every scene a bewitching blossom of artistic craftsmanship.
Arcane starts by following two characters—Violet (Vi) and Powder—as they bring unrest to the ashen underground city of Zaun after an attempted heist in the posh and debonair city of Piltover. After the first episode, the show introduces countless other intricate characters who’s storylines are intertwined with Vi’s and Powders, all leading to a grand finale where an ultimatum between Zaun and Piltover changes both of the cities forever.
The show was originally based off of the massively successful multiplayer online battle arena game “League of Legends” with more than 120 million active players every month. This brought attention to the release of the series. However, it is important to note that Arcane can be enjoyed without any knowledge of the game or its lore. The first season of the show, released in November 2021, set a long kept record for being Netflix’s highest rated show within a week of its premiere. In addition to breaking Netflix records, the show also ranked first on Netflix charts in 52 countries, ranking at a peak of second in the United States.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners

Many consider winter as a time for thought and reflection. Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a series that provides differing perspectives on what we see as beneficial and virtuous today: capitalism and the pursuit of power. Animated by Studio Trigger, this series has an incredibly wide color palette and clean animations. This dystopian future explores the theme of true capitalism—corporatocracy—and the devastating effects it has on society. 

Cyberpunk Edgerunners follows the story of an ambitious protagonist David Martinez. Martinez experiences inequality from the beginning of the show: all of his peers are cybernetically enhanced with superlative cyberware provided by their wealthy families. These advancements essentially make them faster, stronger and smarter than the non-augmented human. However, after a tragedy rocked his life, Martinez joined the Edgerunners, a gang of inner-city fighters who steal from the major corporations. These events start his unquenchable desire for more strength and power, leading his gang to face off against the biggest megacorporations in the world. The series brings something for everyone—comedy, romance and fast-paced, seamlessly animated action.

The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit is a TV show about the game of chess and the life of orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon. Though the character is fictionalized, many of the events in the series are based on reality. It tells the story of Beth Harmon combating emotional distress and dependence on drugs, while conquering a male-dominated industry. 

After being hooked on drugs by her orphanage, the drug Harmon consumes gives her the ability to invision chess plays in her head, giving her what she believes to be an incredible advantage. Because of it, Harmon goes from learning chess in the basement of her orphanage to the chess world championships in Moscow. Traveling with the mother of her adopted family, Harmon also has to tackle her issues interacting with people and making friends, which proves especially hard for a woman in a sport full of men. Harmon is constantly mocked by her competitors. 

The story mainly features Harmon’s struggle with the doubt of her ability off the drug. Winter is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby, and this series is a perfect gateway into the world of chess. In fact, the release of this series in 2020 led to a meteoric rise in popularity of chess in the industry.

The implementation of the holistic system varies tremendously from school to school, but the general consensus is that all of them are immensely different from the traditional application system used by almost every other country in the world. That’s right—the U.S., aside from some countries such as Denmark and Israel (for certain non-selective schools), is one of the only countries that uses the holistic system. There are many driving factors that led the U.S. to embrace this system, including student creativity, anxiety, stratification and informal private tutoring, also known as shadow education. However, the holistic approach that colleges use to combat these issues is often unclear and nontransparent. This has led to complications such as antisemitism, most notably shown in landmark studies on Ivy League admissions in the 1980s. One such study by Oliver B. Pollack, as part of the Indiana University Press, has shown prejudice against Jewish people in the college admissions process.

Another question comes up when comparing the U.S. to other countries: If the holistic system is good, why hasn’t any other country implemented it? The simple answer is that many countries don’t see the fairness in this ambiguous system. Let’s take a few examples. The most famous counterexample is the system that China and India utilize. Chinese students take a national exam known as the gaokao, are sorted into categories and are ranked every summer. Indian students also take standardized tests such as the IELTS, TOEFL, GRE and JEE, just to name a few. Societal and racial inequities are accounted for by providing extra points for students in less developed areas. South Korea has the same system using the CSAT. Overall, these systems are all quite clear in giving information on what students must prepare for.

A common argument supporting the holistic system is that it judges the student as a whole, rather than as a set of numerical values. However, this just seems like a way for schools to not have to explain the decisions that are made, as a few essays, questions and activities do not begin to display the student “as a whole.” The truth is—even admitted by most admissions facilities—students are going to be judged on the basis of some indefinable quality that transcends the materials provided, with each school weighing distinct aspects differently.

Overall, a more transparent admissions system should be implemented to give applicants a clearer goal to aim toward while eliminating factors such as personal bias. Social and racial equity should also be incorporated into this system, not unlike the structures in many other developed countries. A non- holistic admissions system is the key to making higher education truly more equitable in the United States.

Because of this increase, many businesses in foreign countries are once again closing down, leading to a subpar traveling experience for tourists. Additionally, a study by the government of Wales found that tourism has detrimental effects on local ecosystems. Tourism puts immense strain on local land and water usage as it increases the amount of people in a given area. This strain may cause soil erosion and can lead to the destruction of a highly touristic area’s natural habitat.

Tourism not only has a pernicious effect on the local habitat, but also has extensive effects on the global ecosystem as a whole. One specific contributor to the destruction of the global ecosystem relates to one’s carbon footprint. Simply put, a carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by an individual or a group of individuals. Traveling increases one’s carbon footprint drastically as it is often a wasteful use of natural resources. Flying, driving or even leaving the air conditioning on in a hotel room all contribute to one’s carbon footprint. According to the website Carbonindependent.org, a Boeing 737-400 model plane emits 90 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions every hour. Overall, aviation leads to 3% of the global carbon emissions, but less than 5% of the population accounts for more than 70% of those emissions. Not only that, but according to the website Skift Research, tourism contributed to more than 11% of the total global carbon emissions in 2019.
Thus, the most effective way to solve this problem would be to travel less.

In terms of the economics of tourism, many argue that tourists help local economies, but most of the time they actually hinder it. This argument is based on the premise that the money from tourists goes directly to local businesses. In reality, however, many tourists reside in big hotel corporations that actually pull money out of the local economy. In this case, the money from tourists helps these large businesses headquartered elsewhere. As the number of visitors increase, the prices for goods and services for both tourists and local residents increase. Tourism also leads to a decline in traditional employment in a local community as workers move from “traditional” industries, such as farming, mining, and fishing, to the tourism industry. Because of rising COVID-19 cases and tourism being detrimental to both the environment and the economy of touristic areas, one should think twice before planning a trip this summer.

This zodiac system is based on the Great Race: a mythical race of all animals held by the Jade Emperor, ruler of heaven and Earth. The Jade Emperor declared that the first 12 animals to cross the finish line would forever be immortalized as Chinese Zodiac symbols. The tiger came in third place out of the twelve animals, narrowly beaten by the Rat and the Ox, therefore earning a spot in the zodiac. In Chinese culture, the tiger symbolizes fear, aggression, power, versatility and courage. 

Lunar New Year has been celebrated for over 5000 years in China and spread to the Bay Area in the 1850s. During the Gold Rush, an influx of Chinese immigrants arrived looking for work. The earliest recorded celebration of Lunar New Year in San Francisco—called “The Great Feast”—took place in 1851, according to opensfhistory.com. This event was all-inclusive, and many residents of other races found themselves involved in the celestial parade and hospitality—even those that supported the Chinese Exclusion Act and the “Chinese must go” movement.. These parades also existed in Palo Alto, with records dating back to as early as the 1980s when the Asian race accounted for 6.1% of the population, according to the Bay Area Census of Palo Alto. 

In modern times, Lunar New Year is celebrated by spending time with family and friends. Before dinner, many families light fireworks. The act of lighting fireworks before dinner stems from a Chinese legend about a monster named Nian who would  wreak havoc on villagers on Lunar New Year. In order to ward off Nian, people light fireworks. 

  Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Korean culture, where  it is known as Seollal. Traditionally, Seollal is a time to pay respect to their ancestors and to assemble with their families. Usually, people return to their hometowns, perform ancestral rites, play folk games, and make and eat traditional food like “tteokguk”, a traditional rice-cake soup.

Junior Joseph Xu plans to celebrate the Lunar New Year with his extended family. “For our Lunar New Year celebration, we will have a large dinner,” Xu said. “Our grandparents will also be coming over, and all our family members are going to play a part in making dinner. I myself will focus on making the noodles.” 

Xu will also follow many of the traditions that have been in place for centuries. “We will also wear red, as it symbolizes fortune, and hang red signs of ‘fu’ upside down around the house,” he said.“It’s upside down as it is a play on the Chinese word ‘dao,’ meaning ‘fortune is here.’” These signs are a common sight: they are usually red, diamond-shaped paper with an upside down Chinese character of fortune. 

The festivities, however, do not end after dinner. “Our family will gather, watch a recording of the festival in China on TV, and  exchange red envelopes [full] of money,” Xu said. These red envelopes are a tradition in most houses, though many families now send them online through social media such as WeChat. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, however, some families are unable to celebrate Lunar New Year together. This situation occurred to Claire Kim,  a senior at Gunn. “Usually our family would reconvene in a big reunion type of thing and eat traditional Korean food,” she said.  “However, I’ve been quite busy this year [and there are] COVID-19 restrictions, so we are all stuck in our respective countries.” 

Despite being around for thousands of years, Lunar New Year is still celebrated by millions of people around the world. The holiday serves as a time to enjoy being around family and celebrate one’s culture. 

Though thousands of years old, Lunar New Year is still celebrated by millions of people today. By celebrating the holiday, people are able to embrace their culture and spend cherished time with loved ones. The holiday also allows people to start over and put the past behind them. “The Lunar New Year grants an opportunity to try new things, and put the past behind you,” Xu said. 

The extra hour of light comes in the narrow window of time when most people return home after work and school and finish a meal. This hour might double the time available for an after dinner walk – maybe to a local store. Such exercise serves to decrease cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in the United States. And the local economies would appreciate the additional after-diner patronage.

That precious hour should also decrease our global warming crisis by reducing the time lights are burning in the homes in the evenings. Less lights would entail less use of electricity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, most of the electricity in the United States is produced from natural gas and coal. Burning less of these fossil fuels would mean less greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide released during combustion), which would trap less heat in the atmosphere, leading to reduced global warming.

There are also safety benefits to Daylight Saving Time (DST). Studies have shown the rather obvious correlation to lower accident rates in daylight compared to those in the dark. This is likely because people generally stay home when it’s dark outside. According to Jennifer L. Doleac and Nicholas J. Sanders, fighting crime with Daylight Saving Time will result in an overall 7% lower crime rate compared to standard time.   

While the time changes could be an inconvenience, the human body is capable of adapting and becoming stronger as a result – as it does through exercise,  But to eliminate even this minor tribulation, we could imagine DST might be made permanent – all year round. 

  If DST were made permanent, then in the middle of winter, the sunset would be moved from  about 5:30PM to 6:30PM. And in February, the sunlight would be extended to 7PM for some invigorating early spring exercise. In addition, a study by Rutgers University professors Douglas Coate and Sara Markowitz concludes that pedestrian fatalities would be reduced by 171 per year, while motor vehicle occupant fatalities would be reduced by 195 per year if year-round DST was implemented.

 In summary, while the biannual time change ritual can cause some inconvenience, the benefits of better health, lowered energy cost, and improved safety, would more than compensate. And there is an appealing alternative – to just make DST permanent.