NOW magazine

NOWMinor DetailsFor

ConcussionsW/ AthletesBy Ishaan Golding

Chinese BusinessmanSpace For LeaseHow to RemoveMuffin Top

Bad Habits

Bad Workouts

Outer

Space

for

WHO?

Math Predicts Winners Events that will occur at the prime of your life

Politican Predicts Future

America

The Question

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Issue 1 || March 2011

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first issue of NOW Magazine. We are delighted that you have chosen to read our publication. Inside, you will find a wide variety of news, profiles, and editorials. From the complex world of Chinese entre-preneurship to professional advice for acquiring a killer beach body, you’ll experience a whole new perspective on the world around you.

Perhaps the reason why you opening this magazine is because you want to read a magazine that talks about relevant, groundbreaking news. Perhaps it’s because you want to think about something that you’ve never thought about before. Whatever the reason, we hope that you come away from this magazine more informed than you were when you began, and we hope enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it.

-Daniel C., Ishaan G., and Yahir B.

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1-2 INTRODUCTION

3-4 FAMILIZATION

5-10 OPINIONS

11-16 FEATUES

38-40 CONTINUED

17-38 ALTERNATE STORY FORMS •LetterfromtheEditors

•TableofContents •Biographies

•EmptySpace:TheCaseforSemi-PrivatizingSpace •RunningonNothing:TheTruthbehindUSDebt •Relax:YourKidswillbefinePlayingContactSports

C O N T E N T S

•Ryan’sRoadmap:ViableChangefortheUS’s future? •HowtoLoseyourMuffintopin30Days •TheWorldthatLiesAhead

•JourneyoftheTiger:Continued •OntheEdgic:Continued

•JourneyoftheTiger:TheExperianceofChinese entrepreneur •ALifetimeofAstronomy •OntheEdgic

41 TILL NEXT TIME

•Farewell

Issue 1 || June 2011

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Yahir B.Age: 14Clan: HispanicEducation: LASA High SchoolContributions: Empty Space, A Life of Astronomy, The World that Lies AheadInterests: Football, Future Iincentives, Watching European Football Favorite Quote: “We cling to our own point of view, as though ev-erything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away.” --Chuang Tzu

Daniel C.Age: 15Clan: AsianEducation: LASA High SchoolContributions: Debt, Chinese Entre- prenur, Ryan’s RoadmapInterests: Playing Tennis, Grades, TravelingFavorite Quote:“If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.” --Author Unknown

Ishaan G.Age: 14Clan: IndianContributions: Relax, How to Lose Your Muffintop in 30 Days, EdgicEducation: LASA High SchoolContributions: Reality TV Article; Helmet Safety Article, Fitness Personal Interests: Reality TV, RowingFavorite Quote:“Your Fired.” -- Donald Trump

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E m p t y S p a c eThe Case for Semi-Privatizing Space.

aveyoueverwantedtogouptospace?Howaboutsettingfootonanotherplanet?Wellit’snotgoingtohappen.Why,youmightask?TheansweristhattheUnitedStatesoweseverybodymoneyandsotheycan’tfundspaceexploration;privatecompaniessuchasSpaceXdonothavetheexpertiseofNASAwho justgot theirownspaceexplorationprogramcanceled.Eventhoughthere’snomoneytobemadeinspaceatthemoment;therewillbeanincomeaf-ter the collaboration produces the necessary tech-nologyfordeeperspaceexploration.NASAisn’tinapositiontodoawholelotmorespaceexploration

likeitusedbackinthe60sand70s.Insteaditshouldassisttheseprivatecom-paniesbecauseneitherNASAnortheprivatecompaniescandoitontheirown.The reason theUS can’t do it on their own is because there is nomoney leftIf youdon’t knowbynow, there’smore than 14 trilliondollars that the goodOl’USAowes.That’sa fourteenwith twelvezero’sbehind it and thatnumberis risingby themillions everyday. But there’s still apossibility that the gov-

H ernment could fund it but that is not themainconcernrightnow.Congresshastheireyes setuponreducing spending, so spaceexplorationisnotveryhighontheirprior-ity list.Thecurrentbudget should stay atits current level and themoney should gotowards thenew rockets that the coalitionwouldworkon.ThenewrocketsshouldbeanimageofthecanceledConstellationpro-gram.Theprogramwas created to replacetheagingspaceshuttleswithnewandmoreefficientrockets.TheGovernmentAccount-abilityOffice, the investigative armofU.S.Congress, said for certain that Constella-tionisestimatedtocostU.S.taxpayers$230billionover thecourseof thenext twode-

Yahir B.

NOW

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OPINIONS

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Issue 1 || June 2011Issue 1 || March 2011

cades.EarlierthisyearPresidentObamastatedthathiscutswouldreduce thedeficitbyabout1 trillion every decade. And well, 230 billionsoundslikealittlebittoomuchifthepresidentis really willing tomake those cuts. To comeupwiththatamountofmoneythegovernmentwouldhave toborrow it fromother countries;and that is exactly what it is trying to avoid.Now who doesn’t like free stuff? The projectwouldn’t be free of cost but would be greatlyreduced.AccordingtoJoelLevine,aseniorre-searchscientistatNASALangleyResearchCen-ter,privatefirmscouldraise$160billionforatripandaMarscolony.Youseeit’squiteeasytoworktogether.Companiescouldsellmerchandiseandbroadcastrightstopayfortheexpedition,whichcouldcreate500,000newjobsover10years.It’llbelikein1999,whenPizzaHutpaid$1milliontosponsorthelaunchofaprotonrocketthatde-liveredkey componentsof the then-tiny Inter-nationalSpaceStation.Thatwaythegovernmentwouldhavetospendlessandsaveupforflyingcarsandwhatnot,butthat’sawholeotherthing.Government-Private cooperation has broughtus things you and I interact with every day.Take for example satellites. Who thought ofitandwhoused itfirst?Thegovernment,be itRussiaortheUnitedStates.Thefirsttelevisionsatellitesameintoactionin1962.ItbelongedtoAT&T,butitwaspartofamulti-nationalagree-ment between AT&T, Bell Telephone Labora-tories, NASA, the British General Post Office,and theFrenchNationalPTT (Post,Telegraph&TelecomOffice)todevelopexperimentalsat-ellite communications. Without this coopera-tionthereprobablywouldn’thavebeensatelliteuntilmuch laterwhenAT&Tcould send theirown satellite with their own satellite technol-ogy; but thanks to NASA, 27 million peoplecurrentlyenjoysatelliteTV.Andthat’s justoneexample; there are many more things that weuse every day that came from collaboration.Nowyoumayaskyourself,sowhat?I’lltellyouwhat.You,yesyou,mightbeable to travel thecosmos if the governments of the world workwith the private companies on space explora-tion.ItwouldrelievetheUSfromthemoneyandencouragespacetourismatcheapercosts. If itthere’snoteamwork,thenyou’llprobablynevergettoseetheEarthfromspaceinyourlifetime.EMAIL [email protected]

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BURNING QUESTION

Why don’t we have flying cars yet?

Weweresupposedtohaveflyingcarsbynow.Andjetpacks.And—accordingtovintagescience-fic-tionTVshows—walltowallcomputerswithlarge,blinkinglights.

Q.Whydon’twehaveflyingcars,anyway?A.Itturnsoutthatifyouoptimizetheperformanceofacarandofanairplane,theyareveryfarawayintermsofmechanicalfeatures.Soyoucanmakeaflyingcar.Buttheyarenotverygoodplanes,andtheyarenotverygoodcars.Themilitarydevelopedone.Theyfoundoutitdidn’tperformwellineitherelement.

Q.Whataboutjetpacks?A.They’reOKforshortdistances.TheArmydevel-opedthose.They’reusedforassaults:youneedtogoupthesideofabuilding,asteeprise,youputthoseonandgoupquicklyandgetoutofthem.They’reofverylimiteduse.

Q.Anypredictionsfor50yearsfromnow?A.I’mworkingonsomepredictionsforthefuture.Thingslikegeo-engineering.Thissubjectwillpopintothemediaasourclimatesituationworsens—large-scalemodificationoftheclimateoftheEarthtopreventclimatechangeandwarming.

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Running on

nothingThe Truth Behind the US debt

Fact:EverycitizenoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica,includ-ingyou,hasabout$45,000worthofdebt.ThismeansthattheUShasatotalofaround$14.3trillionofdebt.How-ever,formostpeopleatrilliondollarsisaprettyabstract

concept.Afterall,it’sjustanumber.Butconsiderthis;Ifyouspent$1everysecond,itwouldtakeyouanastonishing31,000yearstospend$1 trillion.To spend$14.3 trillion, or payoff the equiva-lentoftheUSnationaldebt,itwouldtakeover437,100years.Atthis rate, theUS debt is spiraling out of control and somethingneeds to be done about it. Otherwise, we, the future genera-tionofAmerica,willsufferfromourparents’needlessspending. Currently, theUS-debt-to-GDP ratio is the 12th largestamongallnationsintheworld.Butdespitethis,ourgovernmentcontinues itsextravagantspending thatonlyputs theUS furtherinto the clutches of debt.According to theUSTreasury, theUShadonly$75millionworthofdebt in1791.ThiswasrightaftertheAmerican Revolution, when the new nation needed to bor-rowmoneytofinancethewar.Butnow,ourdebtincreasesbythatmuchinjustonehour.Fromthis,onecanseeamainconcernofdebt,whichisthatitincreasesveryrapidlyandcompoundsuponitself.ThiscontinualgrowthofdebtiswhatthefuturecitizensofAmericawillhavetodealwith,eitherbypayingforitoutoftheirownpocketsorbylosingsocialbenefits.Evennow,theUShasto

borrow41centsoutofeverydollarwespend.Withtherapidlyin-creasingdebt,thisnumberwillonlygrowworseuntileventually,wewilllikelybecompletelydependentonforeignnationstosupplyuswithmoney.Atthatpoint,theUSwillceasetobeasuperpowerasithasnomeanstoswayothernations.Infact,theveryoppo-sitecouldhappenwheretheUSwillhavetolistentothewhimsofothercreditornations.Inthe1956SuezCanalCrisistheUSdem-onstrated thepowerofbeinga creditornation. In the crisis, theUSthreatenedtoselloffitsdebtholdingsofBritainiftheBritishdidn’tpulloutof theSuezCanal.Assuch, theynochoicebut tocomplywiththeUSdemandsorfacecertaineconomicmeltdown. YettherearestillinfluentialpeoplesuchasTimHarfordandZacharyKarabellwhosaythatdebtdoesn’tmatter,citinghowJapanisstilltheworld’s3rdlargesteconomydespitehavingastag-gering198%publicdebttoGDPratio.ComparedtoAmerica’s91%publicdebttoGDPratio,weappeartobeprettywelloff.However,

theUSdebtcrisisdoeshaveveryrealconsequencesthatwillaffectallsocialclasses.Already,20centsoutofeverydollarisimmediatelyusedtopayofftheburgeoninginterestonthefederaldebt.Thatisatremendousamountofmoneythatcouldhavegonetowardjobcre-ationandentrepreneurialexpansion.Thedebtinterestalsodrainsmoneyoutofconsumers’pocketsthatcouldotherwisebeavailablefortheacquisitionofgoodsandservices.Alltheseeffectsleadtoaworseeconomy.WiththeUSbleedingmoneyouttopayinterest,ToddHaggerty,policyassociateattheNationalConferenceofStateLegislatures,thinksthatstatesare“comingtothatpointwheretheywillhavetomakeadditionalcuts.”Amongthecostsonthechop-pingblockiseducationspending.Asmoreandmoremoneyhastobedevotedtowardpayingoffinterestondebt,lessandlessofitcanbeusedtostimulatetheeconomy.Expertssaythatinall,thestimu-lus fundsprovidedbythegovernmenthelpedplugbetween30%and40%ofthe$291billioninbudgetgapsthatstateshavefaced.Mostofthatmoneywenttowardmaintainingeducationfunding.Withthestimuluspackagegone,manystateswillbeforcedtomake

“Even now, the US has to borrow 41 cents out of every

dollar we spend”

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By:DanielC.

TheUSTreasuryhasabout, 0 dollarsinreserve


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brutalbudgetcutsintheireducationsys-temtokeepabalancedbudget,resultinginthelossofmanyteachingpositionsandthe worsening of education in America.Already the effects of the budget short-fallcausedbythegrowinginterestonUSdebtcanbefelt.Inourveryownschool,6great teachershad tobe laidoff inor-

der tomaintainabalancedbudget.Nowimaginethatbutonamuchgranderscale.Thatiswhatwe,thestudents,willhavetodealwithandcomeupwithasolutionto. However, despite these devastatingeffects, debt has remained a fairly un-known issue, remaining inconspicuousandpushedundertherugbypoliticians.In his 2011 State of the Union address,

Obamacalledformassivenewamountsofspending.Inhisaddress,Obamapledgedto“redoubleeffortsinrepairingAmerica’saging road system”and investheavily inclean energyprojects.Buthemade littlementionofMedicareorMedicaidreformwhichwould save trillionsofdollars ev-ery year. ClearlyObama is not ready to

make serious entitlement reform that isneeded right now to rescue this nationoutofthedebtcrisis.EvenPaulRyan,themost outspoken politician about entitle-mentreform,madenomentionofSocialSecurity orMedicare in his response toObama’s State of Union Address. Ryan’sRoadmap,whichistheonlyseriousGOPproposal that addresses the long term

debtproblem,hasnotbeenendorsedbymanyRepublicansandtheleadershiphasnoticeablynotmadeitpartoftheoverallRepublicanplan.The lack of care is un-settling,showingthatpoliticiansinWash-ington aremore interested in their ownpoliticalpositionthanAmericaasawhole. Assuch,iftheUSdebtcrisiscontin-

uestobeignoredbypoliticians,thenthefuture generations ofAmerica,will havetodealwiththeconsequences.Wewillbeforced to deal with a sagging economy,contentwithreceivingaworseeducationandfindourselves inaweakenednationdependent on foreign countries to sur-vive.DowereallywantAmericatobere-ducedtosuchalowlevel?Topreventthis,

“The future generations of America, us, will have to deal with the consequences”

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Debthitsanall-timeasWWIIstartsintofullswing.Americatakesinhugeamountsofdebttofinacethewar.

WWIIdebtisquicklybroughtdownbythepurchasingofsavingbonds.

Reagomicstakeover,leadingtoamassiveexplosionoffederaldebt.

VeitnamWartakesitstollandMedi-care/Medicadisenacted.

Forthefirsttimeinageneration,Clintonreinsindebtandbalancesthebudget.

TaxcutsandwarsintheMiddleEastcausefederaldebttogrowsignificant-lyunderBush

1945 1950’s 1970’s 1980’s 1990’s 2000’s

Modern History of US Debt

Continued on Page: 38

1

RelaxYour kids will be fine playing contact sports.

art credits: Tim

Yates

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As a parent, you want the best for your child. Unlessyou have an irrational hatred of people under 18, or,like the dysfunctional Church of the Sun in Mon-treal, you believe your child is the Antichrist, your

goal is to ensure the well-being of your offspring above all else.Sowhen it comes to teamsports suchas football and icehockey,thebest thingyoucando foryourchildren is to let themjoin in.Of course, the accusations that contact sports can cause injuryfromconcernedparentsaren’tcompletelybaseless- it’spossibletoget injured, just likewith any sport or physical activity.However,the benefits of playing team sports far outweigh the drawbacks.

Oneoftheprimaryconcernsparentshaveaboutcontactsportsistheperceivedriskofgettingaconcussion.Inthepast,concussionswereabigproblem-theNFLevenhadanaverageconcussionrateof12perweekin1990-andmanyplayerssufferedbraininjuries.However,thisisincreasinglybecomingtheexceptionandnotthenorm.Con-cussionsfromfootballhavebeenonthedeclinesincetheearlypartofthelastdecade.In2002,Riddell,thelargesthelmetmanufacturerinthenationandprimarymanufacturerofyouthfootballhelmets,introducedanew,moreprotectiveversionoftheRiddellRevolutionhelmet.Thishelmetaddsthicknessonthesides,andaddsholesinthetoptoreleasebodyheatandlowerthecentreofgravity.Accord-ingtotheLiveStrongFoundation,whenthishelmetwasputintothemarket,itreducedconcussionsby23%amongyouthplayers.Inaddi-tion,accordingtotheUniversityofNorthCarolina,theconcussionrateisdown17%from20yearsago.Therisksofgettingaconcus-sionareessentiallyminimal,andtherisktoyourchildisnegligible.

Inaddition,manyparentsfailtoconsiderthatplayingcontactsportscangiveachildmanyhealthbenefits.AccordingtoWebMD,regularexercisehelpstoimprovebonestrength,skinquality,muscletone,andmore.Teamsportsareoneofthebestwaystogetexerciseand

theyareoftenfunandrewarding.Promotingthesehabitsviateamsportsiscriticalforensuringthatyourchildisyoung,fit,andhealthy.

Playing team sports canprovidemental benefits aswell as physi-cal benefits. According to Dr. Cadence Bradley, a leading childpsychologistwhohaswrittenmultiplebooksonself-esteem, teamsports have been proven to have a positive effect on children’smental health. Her research shows that team sports can buildself-esteem and positive body image, which are two of the mostimportant factors in a child’spsyche.Playing team sports cande-creasetheriskofsuicide,depression,anorexia,bulimia,andmanyothermental disorders- in some studies, such as a research studyby the Women’s Science Foundation, it is down by almost half.

Of course, there are risks to team sports, like a concussionorother injury, just as there are risks to almost anything in life.Butthe benefits of athleticism and high self-esteem that team sportsprovide are farmore important than theminimal risk of gettingaconcussion.Ifyoudon’tletyourchildplayteamsports,theyaremore likely to be weak, obese and psychologically unhealthy, ac-cording toDr. Bradley’s studies.On the other hand, if you allowthem to participate, they aremore likely to go to college (24,500athletic scholarships are awarded each year) and are more like-ly to be healthy, happy young adults.The choice should be easy.

“If you don’t let your child play team sports... they may never reach their

full potential in life.”

CONCUSSIONS BY THE NUMBERS

17%fewerconcussionsintheUnitedStatesthanintheyear1990.

23%fewerconcussionswhenyouthplayersusetheRiddellRevolutionhelmet.

90%higherchanceofgettingstruckbylightningthandyingfromaconcussion.

85%ofpeoplewithconcussionsrecoverwithintwotofivedays.

2.5% ofscholarshipsgivenoutbyAmericancollegesin2009wereathletic.

by Ishaan G.

10

11

A stack of pristine, untouchedpapers rest on his desk. Ajumble of half-chewed pen-cils, a couple of pens, and a

fewpillsof traditionalChinesemedicinelienext tohispapers.Aman leansbackinhissoft-leatherexecutivechair.He’sonthe phone with a potential investor, at-tempting to secure an investment to getthecompanybyforthenextfewmonths.Afewraysoflightpeekthroughthedrabwindow shades, casting long shadowsthroughout the room. Green vegetationdottheplace,slightlybrighteningupthegreyandbluebuilding.Theman,havingfinishedhiscall,stretchesandwalksovertohiswindow,peeringouttothebusycitybelowhim.

ThismanisInformationServicecompa-nyCEO,WeiXinZhao.Hisintenseblackeyes,grayinghairandweatheredfacetellhis storyofhardship,determinationandperseverance. The arduous journey thathehasexperiencedincreatingastart-upin China is an unforgettable experience.Hisstorybeginslikemostotherentrepre-neurs,with a spark that comes from themost unexpected and seemingly normalexperience. “I originallyworked for an Internettechniques or information managementcompany that was based in America.Frommyexperiencethere,Ifeltthatsincetheadventof theInternet, thegrowthofinformation has been increasing expo-nentially every day,” XinZhao said. “Al-

though the great growth of informationhas brought humanity many kinds ofbenefitssuchasfunandjoy,ithasalsoinrecentyearsresultedinanoverloadofin-formation,making itdifficult toseparatetheusefulfromtheuseless.”Itwasfromthisconcernthattheideafor his company was born. He realizedthatinthenearfuture,peoplewouldneedtohaveamethodtosortoutandfindrel-evant information among the masses ofuseless or irrelevant information that isavailable. “Mycompanyoffers traditionalman-agementsoftwareusedtomanagevariousprogramsaswell as customised softwaredependingonthecustomer’sdemandsininformationservices,”XinZhaosaid.“Itis

An Eastern Tiger

Workers at Wei XinZhao’s company

The experience of a Chinese Entrepreneur By:DanielC.

FEATURES


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aninformationservicecompany.”Sincetheformationofhisidea,heknewwhathiscompany’sgeneralgoalandba-siswouldbe,buttoactuallytakethatideaand turn it into a successful companytakesalotmoretimeandpatience.“Firstofall,youhavetorealizewhatisthepurposeofstartingupyourcompany”,XinZhao explained. “With this known,thenyouwillknowwheretolookforandfindthesuitableresourcestoaccomplishyour goal. This includes money, yourpartnerandtherightpeople.Throughoutthisprocess,youwillbringandsellyourideatovariouspeopleandsearchfortherightresourcestohelpfurtheryourgoal.”Themostimportantresource,hesays,iswithoutadoubtthepartner.Thepartnerofacompanyisoneofthemostimportantandcentralfiguresofit.Theyfunctionasthe cornerstoneof the company,provid-ingnecessarysupport.“Forapartner,youneedtofindsome-onewithsimilarideasandgoals”,XinZhaoexplained.“Yourpartnerneedstobedif-ferentthanyoubutatthesametimecom-plementyourweaknessandoverallmakethecompanystronger.”” Unfortunately, finding a partner is amonumentaltaskinitself. “Finding apartner isquitedependenton luck,” XinZhao recalled. “If you staydeterminedthechanceistherebutit’snotlike you can find itwhenever youwant.

Youneed to bring your ideas and idealsand look everywhere to sell your plans.Whetherornotyoucanfindyourpartnerisdependentonyourskillandluck.”Evenifapartnerisfoundandtheinfantcompany is created, the hardships andwork don’t stop there. However, know-ingwhereacompanywillbeinthefuturedoesn’tmatter if it can’t evenmake it tothat point. Once a start-up is founded,there isstilla longanddemanding jour-neyaheadthatisfilledwithmanyseem-ingly insurmountable obstacles. One oftheseisthekeyidentificationofthecom-

pany,orwhatmakesthecompanyuniqueanddifferentthanallthecompetitors. “Whenmy partner and I first cre-ated our company, we were certain thatwewantedtodosomethingabout infor-mation services,” XinZhao said,“but weweren’t too sure what specifically. Infor-mation services is a very broad field oftechnology.Ispentcloseto5yearsexper-imentingindifferentaspectsofinforma-tionservicesbeforeItrulyfoundoutwhatwewantedtodo.”Inthosefiveyearshefacedinnumer-able difficulties and persevered through

toughtimes.Thereweremonthswhenhiscompanyalmostwentunderdue toeverpressing expenses and not enough rev-enue. In fact, therewere timeswherehecouldn’tevenpayhisworkers’salaries.“Intheprocessofcreatingacompany,youareboundtofacelotofproblemsandhardships,” he explained. “You must al-ways bewilling to experimentwithnewideas and encroach into a new field re-gardless of what risks it may pose. Youmust have the will power and mentalstrength to do so; otherwise your com-panywilldie.”

However,XinZhaosays,notonlydoesanentrepreneurhavetobeboldandnotfear failure, but hemust also learn howtomanageandcontrolhisworkerswhichcanbeverytricky,especiallyinChina.“The biggest difference between Ameri-can companies and Chinese companiesare the employees’work ethic,”XinZhaosaid. “In China the employees are veryself-centered and greedy, they only careabouttheirownbenefits.Theyarehighlyuncooperativeandoftenrefuse to followclear-cut instructions.Managing them isatruetestofwillandpatience.”

“You must always be willing to experiment with new ideas and encrouch into a new field regardelss of what risks it may pose.”

Continued on page 38

The company thatXinZhao worked forgoesbankrupt,layinghimoff

Outofwork,he iviewsthisasanoppertunityanddecidestostarthisowncompany

He heads back toChina to start hiscompany

After seraching formanyyears,hefindsthesuitablepartnerforhiscompany

Withhispartner,hesetsupandhiresworkerstobeginhiscompany

Now,asoneofthelargestcom-panies in Sichuan, he looks toexpandintomorelocations

Numerous difficluties, in-cluding worker complaintsand competition, threatenthestabilityofhiscompany

A new government restric-tion causes his company toalmostbecomebankrupt.

Reform and change in hiscompanyallowshiscompanypullsthroughthehardtimes.

JourneyoftheTiger May, 2000

December, 2000

October, 2002

March, 2004

June,2004 January, 2008

November, 2004March2008

June2010

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A LifetimeOfAstronomy

Asheryoungstudentscontinuegazeattheendlessskyabove,AlisonEarnhartsitsandtakesabreak.It’sbeenfourhourssincethesundisappearedfromview,andstillmanyareanxioustopointouteachandeveryconstellationthattheycan.Earnhart,LiberalArtsandScienceAcademyastronomyteacher,hasbeenfascinatedwithastronomysinceshewasakid.Shenowgoesoutstargazingwithherownastronomyclassandclubstu-dentseverymonth-or-so.Likemanyofus,Earnharthadeverhadarealclassaboutastronomy.“Iwouldalwaysdigintostargazing,”Earnhartsaid.“Iknewsomeoftheconstellationsbutasidefromatinyunitin8thgradescience,IneverreallyhadanyexposuretoituntilIwasinhighschool.”Butitwasn’tuntilcollegethatshetookanactualastronomycourseinwhichherclasswouldgoouteveryweekandlearnaboutalloftheconstellations.Evenaftershecompletedthecourse,shedesiredtolearnmoreandsoshesignedupforanastrophysicscoursewhichwasamuchmoremathintensivepartofastronomy.

Yahir B.


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shelearnedbybeingabletolooktotheskyandrecognizethedif-ferentconstellationsaboutthegodsandgoddesses.“IreallylikeGreekMythologyandIlikebeingabletolookupandsay,‘IknowthestorybehindthatandalltheconstellationsandIknowwhythatgodisangryaboutthatgod.’”Hannahsaid.ThecoursewasactuallywrittenbyEarnhart,whomodeleditafterhercollegecourse.“Eventhoughthecourseisyear-round,”shesaid,“itismoreofasurveyclassbecauseastronomyissuchabroadtopic.”Earnhartalsoadded,“IwanttomakesureIexposemystudentstoallofthesedifferentsubjectssothenifthey’reinterestedinsomethingIhopethatthey’llbeinspiredtodiveintothatsubjectmoredeeplybecausewejustdon’thavetimeforeverythingindepth.”Herclubismoreofadiscussion-typepastimewherethestudentsandherdiscussaboutsomethingthey’reinterestedinorEarnhartherselfwillgooutofherwayandresearchatopicthatthestu-dentsareveryfamiliarwithandgivethemawholepresentationonit.Forexample,shegavealectureaboutsomethingeverybodyhasheardofbutnotmanyknowwhatitis.“Lastyear,IdidabigtwopartseriesonEinstein’stheoryofrelativitywhereIwentandresearcheditheavilyandmadeupapresentationandthengaveittotheguys,”saidEarnhart.“Thatwascool.”Mostpeoplehaveneverseenatruenightsky;thelightemittedbythecityinterferer’ssomuchthatyouwouldhavetogooutfarintonowheretoseethebeauty.Earnhartandherstudentscon-tinuetotaketripsandencourageseveryonetotakeaglimpse.“It’sactuallyabreathtakingview;mostpeoplehaveneverseentheskythatway.”

Althoughsheenjoyedeveryminuteofit,Earnhartalsoadmit-tedthatmuchofwhatshelearnedhasnorealvalueineverydaysituations.“Iwouldbethefirsttoadmitthat,[unlikemany]ofotherscientists,astronomyforthecommonmanreallyhasnopracticalapplication,”Earnhartsaid.“Otherthan[for],‘ohlookit’spretty’,here’stheconstellations.”Historically,humanshaveusedthestarsfornavigationbutnowthatpartofourwayoflifehasbeenphasedoutbyourtechnologi-caladvances,includingGPS.However,Earnhartbelievesitshouldstillbetaught.“Itmakesthinkaboutthingsoutsideofourselves[and]itmakesuslookbeyondthislittletinyspeckofdustthathumanitylives,”Earnhartsaid,“Itmakesushumbledwhenwelookatthevastexpanseofspace.”Astronomyoffersmorethanthemerescientificknowledge;itoffersinsightandawareness.“Astronomyisstudyingwherewecomefrom,theoriginsofrealityitself,soit’shelpingusgetabetterpictureofwhatrealityisreallylikeandastronomydoesbegintointersectwithothersciences,”Earnhartsaid.Hannah,oneofEarnhart’sastronomystudentswhohaslearnedagreatdealfromtheyear-roundastronomycoursetaughtbyEarnhart,experiencedthisherselfwhenshewasabletotakehertruepassion,Greekmythology,andincorporateitwithwhat

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On the Edgic by Ishaan G.


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It’seighto’clockP.M.,andtheCBShitTVshow“Survivor”hasjustended.Forthemostpart,itsthirteenmillionview-ersaremovingonwiththeirlives.Some

stickaroundtowatch“CriminalMinds”.Otherschangethechannel.StillothersturnofftheTVandfinishthedishes,orputtheirkidstobed.Butfortwenty-fivedie-hardfans,theworkhasjustbegun.

Thesetwenty-fivepeopleareabouttobegincalculatingthisweek’sEdgicratings.Edgic,whichisaportmanteauofeditinglogic,isanonlineprojectinwhichparticipantsusepastrawfootageeditingpatterns,mathandpsychologytodeterminewhothewinnerofSurvivorisbeforethefinalepisodesair.

“Wedevotethisthreadtotryandpickthewinnerbylookingattheediting,playerbyplayer,andapplyinglogicfrompasteditingpatterns[todeterminewhohasawinner’sedit],”saysOowantite,apsychologymajorfromAustraliaandtheleaderofthisseason’sEdgic.

Already,afiercedebateisragingonline,asitdoeseveryweekaftertheconclusionoftheepisode.Eachweek,inordertofigureoutwhocanstillviablywinSurvivor,edgicpar-ticipantsmustscoreeachcontestantforthreethings:personality,visibility,andtone.Eachratinghas5prospectiveoptionsfromwhich

tochoose.Personalitiescanbeoverthetop(OTT),middleoftheroad(MOR),undertheradar(UTR),complexpersonalities(CP),orinvisible(INV).Then,theirvisibility(1-5)iscalculatedusingaformulathattakesintoaccountsentencesspoken,howmuchotherpeoplediscussthem,andinterviews/confes-sionals.Theyarealsotoned,rangingfromNN(portrayedinaverynegativelight)toN,tonotone,toP,toPP(beingportrayedinaverypositivelight).

“Tonecanhelpyoudeterminetheeditors’intent,”saysLexxan,atwenty-somethingelementaryteacherlivinginCaliforniaandlongtimeedgiccontributor.“Thebasic,underlyingtheorybehindtoneisthattheeditorswanttheviewertolikethewinner,re-spectthewinner,orboth.However,theyalsowantthewinnertobesomewhatofasur-prise.Forexample,almostallthewinnersareeitherCP,whichmeanstheusersareshown

andledtounderstandthewinner’sstrategicalplaystylebytheeditors,orP,whichmeansthattheviewerscanrootforthatpersonandbesatisfiedthattheywon.”

However,edgicisn’tallratingsandnumbers.Edgicalsotriestoidentifystoryarcs,andwhentheywillcometoaclose.Predictingandidentifyingconclusionstostoryarcscanhelpidentifyhowsuccessfulacontestantwillbe-ongoingstoryarcsmeanthatthecontes-tantisstickingaround,butalackofongoingstorylinesmeanthecontestantcouldbeindanger.

“A[goodexampleofa]storyarcthisseasonistheconnectionbetween[contestants]MattandAndrea,”saysLexxan.“Inthisseason,playerswhoarevotedoutmustduelwiththeothercastawayswhoarevotedout,andthepersonwhoremainscomebackintothetribeafteracertainperiodoftime.SinceMattwasblindsidedandAndreakept[talking]abouthim,Edgicidentifiedthattheirstoryarcwasnotover,andthatMattwouldbereturning.However,onceMattreturned,AndreagaveaninterviewsayingthatshelikedMatt,butthathewaswishy-washyandthatshenolon-gerwantedhim.Therefore,EdgicpredictedthatMattwouldnotreturntothegameagainafterhewasvotedout,sincehenolongerhasanyactivestoryarcs.”

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“When you put so much effort into [guessing the winner] and end up being right, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Get more information about TV and entertainment at:

nowezine.blogspot.com

17

Ryan’s Roadmap:

Ryan’sRoadmapisaplancreatedbyUSCongressmanPaulRyanthatdetailswhattheUSgovernmentmustdotoavoidunsustainabledebtthatwouldthreatentodestroytheUSeconomy.Ithasstirredupgreatcontroversyforitsradicalproposedchanges.SomebelievethatonlythroughhisplancantheUSavoidbeingcrushedbyunsustainablegovernmentspendinganddebtwhileothersbelievethathisplanaffectstheveryfoundationsofUSnationalpolicyanditselfwillleadtheUStoeconomicruin.

What does his plan propose?

What is Ryan’s Roadmap?

Healthcare: Providesuniversalhealth-careaccesstoaffordablehealthinsurance,byshiftingtheownershipofhealthcoveragefromthegovernmentandemployerstoindividuals.Itprovidesarefundabletaxcredit–$2,500forindividualsand$5,000forfamilies–topurchasecoverage.

MedicaidandMedicare: ThebillmodernizesMedicaidbygivingstatesmaximumflexibil-itytotailortheirMedicaidprogramstothespecificneedsoftheirpopulations.ItalsocreatesaMedicarepaymentofaround$11,000ayearwithpaymentadjustedforinflationandpegsittoincome.Thismakesitpermenentlysolvent.

SocialSecurity. Workersunder55willhavetheoptionofinvestingoverone-thirdoftheircurrentSocialSecuritytaxesintopersonalretirementaccounts.Thesepersonalac-countsarelikelytogrowfasterthanthetraditionalbenefit.Theyarealsothepropertyoftheindividual,andarethusfullyinheritable.Thebillincludesaguaranteethatnoone’stotalSocialSecuritybenefitsfromthepersonalaccountswillbelessthanifhehadchosentosayinthecurrentsystem.

TaxReform: Thebillfirstofalloffersindividualsachoiceofhowtopaytheirtaxes–eitherthroughtheexistinglaw,orthroughasimplifiedcodewithataxreturnthatfitsonapostcard.Theratesinthesimplifiedcodeare10%onincomeupto$100,000forjointfilers($50,000forsinglefilers);and25%ontaxableincomeabovetheseamounts.Onthebusinessside,thebillgetsridofouruncompetitivecorporatetax–currentlythesecondhighestintheindustrial-

ViableChangeforAmerica’sFuture?

ASF

By: Daniel C.


18

Pros:

• Comprehensiveandisbackedupbynumbers

• ExpectedtocutUSdebtbyaround4trillionand lift the burden of debt from the futuregenerationsofAmerica

• Ensuresuniversalhealthcare

• Makes Social Security and Medicare/ Med-caidpermanentlysolvent

• Promotes US job creation and competitive-ness

Cons:

• BringsalongmassiveandradicalchangetotheveryfoundationoftheUS

• Althoughitmaycutthedeceit,itwilldosoonthebacksoftheseniors,thepoorandregularworkingcitizens

• Simplytransfersthehealthcarecostsfromthegov-ernmentontothepeople

• Doesnotfitwithprevailingviewoneconomicpoli-cyandeconomichistoryandisprobabletoleadtheUSbackintoarecession

• Doesnotmentionwhatkindof“discretionary”ordefensespendingshouldbecut

• There are better alternatives to the solutions pre-sentedbyPaulRyan

AlthoughIdoagreethattheUSdoeshaveatremendousproblemwithdebt,Ryan’sRoadmapisnotthewaytogo.Itdoeshave very good ideas that look good on paper, butwhen actu-allyimplemented,ititmaynotworkoutasplanned.Thebiggestproblemisthatthereisnoconsensusonit,therearefartoomanycriticsofhisplanforittotrulygainpublicsupport.Whatneedstohappenisabi-partisanplanmutuallyagreeduponbybothDemo-cratsandRepublicans.Ryan’sRoadmapisagoodstepintherightdirectionbutitselfisnotaviableplan.

Is it Viable?

izedworld–andreplacesitwithabusinessconsumptiontaxof8.5%,whichishalftheaverageindustrializedworldrate.

JobTraining: Transforms49jobtrainingprograms,scatteredacrosseightagencies,intoaflexible,dynamicprogramfocusedonresults,andaccompanied by clearmeasures of transparency. It allows statestoconsolidatefundingintooneprogramifresultsshowthatthismethodimprovestheoutcome.

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22

How to lose your Muffin Top in 30 days

23

How to Lose Your Muffin Top in 30 Days

DIETEveryone’s seen the ads for the faddiets-HealthyTrim,RevealExtreme,and countless others spend millionseach year advertising their products.Unfortunately, the hard truth is thatthere isno “magicpill” youcan taketo instantly get thinner. However,that doesn’t mean that you can’t eatbetter. Here are some steps you cantake to cut down that extra bulge:

1. Cut down on meatMeat is one of the heavy hit-ters that can really add someextrapoundage.AccordingtoaPETAresearchstudy,redmeat(such as beef) is particularlybadforyouand,inadditiontomaking you weigh more, canalsoleadtoheartproblemslat-erinlife.Obviously,thisarticleisn’t encouraging vegetarian-ism.However, ifyou’reseriousabout losingweight, try to cutout red meat entirely and eatwhitemeat(suchas)nomorethanonceor twice eachweek.The key here is moderation.

2. Watch Your Carbs

Carbohydrates,suchasbread,pasta,andrice,canalsoaddtosomebody’sweight.Mostpeopledon’t thinkofbreadasbe-ing unhealthy, but unfortunately, car-bohydrates can be as bad as fats. Sincebread is a staple food of the Americandiet, Iwon’t suggest thatyoucut itout.However,whatyoucandoiseathealth-ier. Whole grain alternatives are avail-able for bread, pasta, and many othercarbohydrates.According to theWholeGrains Council, these foods give youbetternutrientsandtendtobelowerincalories. In addition, they can reducethe risk of heart disease and stroke.

3. Don’t

Diet Too

Much!

Unfortunately, in modern society,manypeopleareundertheimpressionthat simply eating less (or in extremecases,noteatingatall)willcausethemto quickly lose weight. However, thisisnot a good idea.According toPBS,when you drastically cut your calorieintake, your body goes into “faminemode”,conservingasmanycaloriesasit can, and slowing your metabolismwaydown.Thiswillmakeitnearlyim-possible to lose weight, and besides,you’llbeabsolutelymiserable.Instead,try to cut between 10 and 15 percentof your daily calories. This will forceyour body to burn fat reserves, butit won’t send your body reeling andstruggling to hold on to each calorie.


24

Advice from personal trainer Ishaan G.

4. You Don’t Have to Give Up Good FoodJust because you are dieting, thatdoes notmean that you shouldn’tenjoy yourself once in a while.You should feel free to eat cake atabirthdayparty,ororderapizzaifyou’rereallytiredanddon’tfeellikecooking.Ionceknewawomanwhowastryingtoloseweightbycuttingoutall junkfood,buttheproblemwas,shefelloffthewagonandhada cookie binge every twomonths.Don’t worry about the occasion-al treat, just don’t go overboard!

5. Don’t Worry

If You Don’t See

Perfect Results

Right Away

Everyone’s body is different. Even ifyoudon’tseeresultsinthefirstcoupleweeks, don’t freak out. Depending onhow overweight you are, it may takeover a month to start seeing weightloss. Of course, don’t take it to theother extreme and assume you’re do-ing it right, either. If you can’t seemto lose anyweightwith yourdiet andexercise, see a nutritionist, especial-ly if you have special dietary needs.

EXERCISEOf course, no diet is complete without a correspond-ing exercise plan. You’ll need to make a good ef-fort to work out each and every day. In addition,you’ll need to make sure to exercise safely and fol-lowmy guidelines to loseweightwhile avoiding inju-ry andburnout.Using these simple tips, Iwas able tolose 10 percent ofmy bodyweight, and you can too!

1.Work Out! Every day!

Believeitornot,thisisoneofthesimplesttips,butpeoplereally struggle with stayingconsistent.It’sverytemptingto come home from a longday of work or school andjust collapse. During a re-centspringbreak,afriendofminedecidedtotakeaweek-long break from exercising.When school started backupagain,hewasshockedtolearn that he had gained 4pounds!Fallingoffthewag-onmakesitmuchhardertoget back on. Trust me: it’svery demoralizing to workfor a month to lose weightandfindoutthatyou’veputitrightbackonagaininjustafewdays.Youcanalsolosemuscle tone after just 72hours!Mostoftheothertipshavewiggleroom,butthisisveryimportant:ifatallpos-sible,workout.Therearesev

eralgoodexerciseprograms,suchasthe10-minutesolu-tionseries,thattrytosqueezeasmuchexerciseaspossibleintoashortamountoftime.

25

Find more tips at nowezine.blogspot.com

2. Switch It Up

When you’re trying to get ridof fat, the easiest thing youcan do is turn it intomuscle.Therefore, you should try todomanydifferenttypesofex-ercise.AccordingtotheCDC,a good formula to follow is:4 days of strength training,2 days of moderate to in-tense cardiovascular exercise,and 1 day of light flexibil-ity or, occasionally, a rest day.

3. Don’t Work

Too Hard

The key to effective exer-cise is: not too little, nottoo much! As I said in tipnumber 1, avoid skippingdays, but at the same time,working out for more thantwo hours per day is a badidea. If you exercise toomuch, you have a high riskof straining or injuring amuscle, and that would behorrible.Afterall,you’renotgoingjoggingwithcrutches!

4. Work

Out With A

Partner

Ifatallpossible, (hopefullyyouhaveat leastone friendorloved one who’s interested in doing this with you) try toworkoutwith someone else.This is a great safetynet andsomeonewhowill keep youmotivated can go a longwaytowards helping you keep working out. Many people arecompetitive,and ifyouaredoingbetter thanyourpartner,youenjoyworkingoutandshowingoffmore.Conversely,ifyourpartnerishavingmoresuccessthanyou,itmightmo-tivateyouandpropelyoutotryharder.Inaddition,havingsomeoneelse toshareanexperiencewith is justmorefun!

5. Have Fun

With It!

Exerciseshouldbefun,notachore.It’svery important to do something thatyou enjoy. Don’t do something youhate just because you think it’ll slimyoudown-you’lljustfalloffthewagonlater. If you enjoy the water, rowingor kayaking can be a great workout.Ifyoudon’twant to leaveyourhouse,therearea lotofgreatexercisevideosthatyoucanbuyorfindonNetflix.Ifyou enjoy having an instructor, a pi-lates or yoga class can be a great op-tion.Themorefunyouhave,themoremotivated you will be to lose weight!


26

TheWorld

That LiesAhead

By: Yahir B.

2020

Location: SwedenEvent: Becomes Oil FreeHow: Large-scale investments in renewable energy, massive tax incentives and grants for scientific research, and a detailed programme of energy conservation. You: Move to Sweden as it will prosper in the coming yearsExtra Info: The country is powered entirely by zero-carbon technologies, and has rid itself completely of gasoline cars and oil-heated homes. From this de-cade onwards, Sweden experiences massive prosperity and growth.


2021

Location: World-WideEvent: Global average temperatures have risen by 1°C ue to increasing CO2 levelsWhy: Due to increasing CO2 levelsYou: Chronic water Shortages SouthWest United States. Damage to agriculture rising food prices.Extra Info: This is merely the global average, Many in-land areas are subjected to larger fluctuations. Great Plains in the USA is one such region are now experi-encing “dustbowl” conditions. This is having a consider-able impact on agriculture and the economy, exacer-bating the damage caused by higher fuel prices. Some of the larger dust storms are alarming in their scale and severity.

Location: Qatar, a tiny Persian Gulf nation of just 1.7 mil-lion people.Event: FIFA World CupContraversy: Huge risk in terms of the scale of the new construction that is necessary. Of the 12 stadiums, nine do not exist and three need major renovation. Lu-sail, the city where the World Cup final will be staged, is still being built. Summers in Qatar can reach 50°C.Solutions: However, each stadium employs state-of-the-art cooling technology, capable of reducing tem-peratures by over 20 degrees celsius. You: Average American has no interest in soccer. Extra Info: It becomes the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup.

2022By:W

IllowSm

ith


EmirSim

sek

Location: TurkeyEvent: Entirely self-sufficient in energy production - with 10 billion barrels of oil reserves and over 1.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas uncovered in the Black Sea.Impact: These huge reserves have enabled the coun-try to completely end its dependence on foreign im-ports and meet its energy needs for at least the next 30 years. Turkey’s standing in the world is increased significantly as a result, boosted further by its recent entry into the EU.You: Will more cheaper oil or they will raise if the country decides to keep the energy to itself.

2023

2024

Location: BangledashEvent: The biggest refugee crisis in world historyReason: Torrential flooding in southeast Asia - brought on by a combination of rising sea levels, melting gla-ciers and extreme weather events Effect: Millions are drowned, while many others die in the subsequent looting and chaos that sweeps the nation, and a whole series of conflicts begins to erupt along the border with India.Extra Info: Salt in the ground means that fields up to 40km from the new coastline are rendered useless for growing crops. You: No direct impact..

By:JohnMay

2


2025

Location: ChinaEvent: China’s economy continues to boom Growth: There are now over 200 cities with more than a million inhabitants, compared with just 35 in the whole of Europe circa 2010.Effect: All of this has a considerable impact on the price of steel and other materials, which leads to cut-backs of many large-scale development projects in Europe, America and elsewhere.Extra Info: As China booms, its power requirements are soaring. By 2025 its nuclear power generating ca-pacity is nearly 150 billion kilowatthours (khwh), pass-ing that of Canada and Russia.You: Prices of goods will rise as chinese wages rise.

EmirSim

sek

By:JohnMay

1

Location: MaldivesEvent: Rising sea levels are wreaking havoc on the MaldivesReason: At an average of just 1.5m above sea level, the Maldives is the lowest lying country on the planet. Effect: Rising sea levels are now beginning to devas-tate its economy, one-third of which relies on tourism.Extra Info: The mere talk of a possible submersion, in recent years, had been damaging investor confidence. By this date, however, the tangible reality of global warming has led to the wholesale abandonment of many islands.You: No direct impact.. More evidence of climate change.

2026

2


Location: Many NationsEvent: Carbon sequestration is underway in many nationsReason: Following years of research and develop-ment, a number of geoengineering techniques are now being utilised for trapping and removing CO2. This is offering fresh hope for mitigating the effects of cli-mate change. Effect: Mitigating the effects of climate change.Extra Info: The most significant technology is “clean coal”, being fitted to power plants. This is seeing wide-spread adoption, since it now costs less than unse-questered coal-based power generation. The carbon dioxide is stored in geological formations deep under-ground (including some empty oil wells).

2027

1

Location: United StatesEvent: Manned fighter planes are being phased out and replaced with UAVsExample: By this date, the A-10 Thunderbolt II has been replaced completely by the F-35 Lightning II - which it-self becomes one of the last remaining manned fighter planes in the US military.Effect: Less loss of life as human incorporation is un-nessesaryExtra Info: The F-35 will remain in operation until the 2040s, eventually being replaced by a new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) controlled by ad-vanced AI. The F-35 was the latest manned aircraft the military aquired.

2028By:D

anielHu

2


2029

Location: United StatesEvent: Human-like AI is becoming a realityExample: A major milestone is reached in the field of AI research this year, as a computer passes the Turing Test for the very first time. In a virtual reality setting, a human judge is made to engage in a natural language conversation with one human and one machine, each of which tries to appear human. The participants are placed in isolated locations.Outcome: Graphics and voice effects have already progressed to the point that CGI characters are visu-ally indistinguishable from real people. However, com-puter intelligence and interaction have also grown ex-ponentially, such that the judge is now literally unable to tell the machine from the real human.

1

2030--Global Population is Reaching Crisis Point

Continuedpopulationgrowth-andtherapidindustrialisationofemergingeconomies-ishavingasubstantialimpactonfood,waterandenergysupplies.*Intheearly2000s,thereweresixbillionpeopleonEarth.By2030,thereareanadditionaltwobillion,mostofthemfrompoorcoun-tries.Humanity’secologicalfootprintissuchthatitnowrequirestheequivalentoftwowholeEarthstosustainitself.Farmland,freshwaterandnaturalresourcesarebecomingscarcerbytheday.Theextraone-thirdofhumanbeingsontheplanetmeansthatenergyrequirementshavesoared,atatimewhenfossilfuelsuppliesareinterminaldecline.AseriesofconflictshasbeenunfoldingintheMiddleEast,AsiaandAfrica,attimesthreateningtospilloverintoEurope.WithAmericainvolvedtoo,theworldisteeteringonthebrinkofamajorglobalwar.ThissituationhasbeenexasperatedbyrecentterroristattacksonWesterninterests.Thereistheaddedissueofclimatechange,withCO2levelsnowreaching450partspermillion.Therearesignsthatatippingpointhasbeenreached,whichismanifestingitselfintheformofrunawayenvironmentaldegradation.Nature’secosystemsarebeginningtocol-

2

Issue 1 || June 20112030--Global Population is Reaching Crisis Point

lapseonascalerarelywitnessedinEarth’shistory.Theacceleratingmagnitudeoftheseandotherproblemsisleadingtoarapidmigrationfromtraditionalfossilfuelstorenewableenergy.Advancesinnanotechnologyhaveresultedingreatlyimprovedsolarpower.Insomecountries,thishasenabledphotovoltaicmaterialstobeaddedtoalmosteverynewbuilding.Maglevwindpowerisbeginningtoreplacetraditionalwindturbines,allowingforgreatercapacityinasmallerfootprint.Energysuppliesingeneralarebecomingmorelocalisedandself-sufficient,whilepowerconservationisbeingtakenmoreseriously.Anotherissuewhichgovernmentshavetocontendwithduringthistimeistheageingpopulation,whichhasseenadoublingofretiredpersonssincetheyear2000.Peoplearelivinglonger,healthierlives.Hugebudgetincreaseshavebeenmadeforstatepensions,butthefundingisspreadoversuchalargenumberofpeoplethattheoveralleffectisadecreasedincomefortheaverageseniorcitizen.Retire-mentagesareincreasing:inAmerica,AsiaandmostEuropeancountries,manyemployeesareforcedtoworkintotheir70s.

38

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 His personal experiences with thosedifficulties times and extremelyuncoop-erativeworkershaveforeverchangedhisviewoncompaniesandcausedhimtore-alizeseveralaspectsofthemoderncom-panythatarehiddenawayfromtheviewofsociety. “Creating a company isn’t as greatand glorious asmost people think it is,”XinZhaosaid.“Inthemodernworld,thecompany doesn’t actually have a lot ofpower.Itcan’tdoanythingtoensurethequalityoftheworkcreatedbyitsworkers,[it can’t force them todoanything].Thecompanyispowerlessandweakunderthestrengthoftheworkers.” This lack of power and the employ-ees’ uncooperative attitude only furthercompound the difficulty and complexityof starting up a company he says. Eventhough he is now the CEO of a strongstart-up,XinZhaofinds that thebenefitsofastart-upmaynotbegreaterthanthestressandworrythatanentrepreneurhastoendure. “Manypeopleareeagerandexcitedtocreatetheirownbusinessduetothefree-

domandflexibility that it brings.But inreality,thebenefitsofcreatingacompanyaren’tthatstellar,”heexplained.“Variouslaws and overly high expectations fromsocietyhavecausedcompaniestotakeona lot of responsibilities that it shouldn’thave to do. [That] coupledwith the factthat companies have no power and itmakes surviving as a start-up to be ex-tremelydifficult.” Butwiththatsaid,thefewcompaniesthatdomanagetofindtheirownnicheinthebusinessworldandsurvivetheexcru-ciatingjourneygettoexperiencetheben-efits of success. XinZhao’s company wasoneofthose.Throughhis8yearsofsheerdetermination,boldexperimentationandabitofluck,hehasfinallyprevailed.Hiscompanyhashasgonethroughitallandnowitlookstogrowstrongerthaneverinthefuture. “After these recent years of experi-mentationandhardworkwehavefinallyfoundoutour customerbase andwherewe want to take our business,” he said.“Our success in the futurewillbedeter-minedonhow the economyacceptsourdecision. To just get to this point it has

takenmanyyearsofgroundworkandper-severance.Manystart-upsinthisprocesshavealreadydiedbeforetheyevenreachthisstage[ofselfrealization].” Back in his office, XinZhao peersthroughhiswindowandseesthebusycitybelowhimhecan’thelpbut thinkaboutthepastdifficultieshehashadtofaceandhowhiscompanyalmostdidn’tmakeitafewmonthsago.Butthepasthasalreadygonebyandtodayheknowshiscompanyhassurvivedthroughthehardestoftimesand is ready to face any new challengesthatmaypresentthemselvesinthefuture.“Initialsuccessisaprocessofdetermi-nation, experimentation and persever-ance, XinZhao said. “Continued successistoalwayspushtheboundariesofwhatpeoplethinkispossible.”

thedebtcrisisneedstoberecognizedandtheUShastotakeimmediateanddecisiveactions towardreducing it.Actions suchascurbinggovernmentexpenditures,en-titlement reform, raising taxes, and cut-ting current deficits would greatly helpremedy the debt crisis. Although these

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Issue 1 || March 2011

DespiteEdgic’sdrawbacks,however,itisstillanincrediblyaccuratesystemforpredictingthewinner.Outofthe11sea-sons of Survivor thatEdgic has record,Edgichassuccessfullypredictedthewin-nerseventimes,andhadthewinnerasthe second-most-likely possibility in 2

otherseasons.“It’soneofthecoolestthingsI’veeverbeenapartof,” saysOowantite. “Itwas

39

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 Of course, Edgic isn’t infallible.They’ve misidentified ratings, storyarcs,andevenguessedacompletelyincorrectwinnerseveraltimes.“WereallygotburnedinGuatemalaandGabon,”saysFatLittleFingers,anengineering student who resides inOntario.“Wejustfailedtotakeintoaccounthowtheeditingwouldpor-tray thewinners if theyhadaUTRplaystyle.Becauseofourinflexibil-ityandunwillingnesstochange,wewere completely wrong, and that’swhywebecamealittlebitmoreopentounconventionaledits.Infact,hadwe not changed the guidelines, wewouldhavefailedtopredictthewin-nerofSamoa.Edgicisascience,butit’saflexiblescience,kindoflikebiology.It’sal-wayschanging.”

ascienceexperimentthatactuallyendedupbeingasuccess.It’salotoffuntotryandguessthewinner,andwhenyouputsomucheffortintoitandendupbeingright, it’s an amazing feeling.” failed topredict thewinnerofSamoa.Edgic isascience,butit’saflexiblescience,kindof

likebiology.It’salwayschang-ing.” DespiteEdgic’sdrawbacks,however,itisstillanincrediblyaccurate system for predict-ingthewinner.Outof the11seasonsofSurvivorthatEdgichasrecord,Edgichassuccess-fully predicted the winnerseventimes,andhadthewin-ner as the second-most-likelypossibilityin2otherseasons. “It’s one of the coolestthingsI’veeverbeenapartof,”saysOowantite. “Itwas a sci-enceexperiment that actuallyendedupbeingasuccess.It’salotoffuntotryandguessthe

winner, andwhen youput somuch ef-fortintoitandendupbeingright,it’sanamazingfeeling.”

policies may not be popular now, the futuregenerations of America will thank us for notpushing the burden of debt onto them.Afterall,asthefamousAmericanphilosopherRalphWaldoEmersononcesaid,“Amanindebtissofaraslave.”

1

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