OUR ECONOMIC CRISIS

When the meltdown happened in 2008, I was 11. Sixth grade. I didn't really understand what was happening at all. All I remember is that my parents were constantly stressed, and every family gathering seemed to consist of a lot of grown-up economic talk that I couldn't follow. 2008 was two years after my little brother was born and my grandparents were coming from China to live with us, and my family was trying to look for a new house to upgrade to because our small 2 room condo simply could not house all of us anymore. However, that's when the housing market was in shambles. Everyone trying to sell knew they couldn't get a good price for what their homes were worth, and no one was buying. My parents had to sell our condo in order to buy a new home, but after our home was on the list for weeks and had no offers, they had no choice but to continuously lower the selling price. Eventually, we decided we couldn't sell at the time, and decided to rent / lease the condo out. We only finally sold our old condo in 2012, when the market was slowly crawling back up onto its feet.

I'm not sure if the economic crisis (as well as the economic crises we struggle day-to-day now, and the ones that I know we must face in the future) was caused by the government or free markets or capitalism. To be completely honest, I don't think there is one factor we can completely put the blame on. I believe it is a strong combination of both the government and capitalism. Now throw in the natural element of human greed, and we have a dangerous mix that can easily spiral into a crisis. The award winning film Too Big to Fail focused on a short time period during the economic crisis in 2008, when the global market was falling apart. As the Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, General Electric, and other companies struggle in the midst of trying to arrange solutions to their problems, Wall Street begins to fall apart, and credit flow nearly stops. AIG begins to fail, and the Federal Reserve Bank attempts to remediate the problems fail. The government and Congress are too slow to act, which only accelerates the downwards spiral. Eventually, in the middle of the crisis, bank mergers continue and become so large that they are declared too big to fail. 

However, to this day, it's actually interesting, to think about whether "too big to fail" is good for our economic future or not. The name itself seems pretty dangerous - if they fail, pretty disastrous results could ensue. But at the same time, these larger banks might pose less threat of failure than the smaller, "weaker" banks. Perhaps we shouldn't be thinking about whether "too big" or smaller is better, but rather, how we can implement policies so that different sizes of companies and banks can have equal opportunity and competition.

CANNIBALISM // OUR POST HUMAN FUTURE

Animals are becoming extinct all over the world, but there's one major species that might just be being overlooked. Humans may or may not be the next extinct species. The pace of society and the progression of technology is moving so rapidly that in a few hundred years, humans might still exist but the core of what makes us human may well possibly be gone. When I was younger, I never liked reading science fiction novels or watching movies that referred to some mystical future world. I found them so silly and far-fetched. But little did I know how different the world would be by the time I was 18 and in college. All those silly science fiction novels no longer seem so far fetched. Movies like "Pixels" (which is meant for family and children) or "Interstellar" are exciting and mind-blowing, but the futuristic worlds they are set in don't seem so far away anymore. Video game characters coming alive? Traveling through wormholes to try to save humanity? Nothing is impossible anymore. 

As I was reading Kurzweil's essay, one scary question kept popping into my head. What on earth will we be in a few years? In my opinion, what makes humans unique is our ability to process information, absorb and connect an unlimited wealth of knowledge, and our capacity of feeling. Technology has already made it possible for robots and other engineered forms of technology to process information and possess knowledge. In a few years, perhaps these nanoengineered bodies will be able to "feel" things as well. When that day comes, what is the point of us anymore? We are destroying ourselves, and wiping our own species extinct by trying so hard to reach perfection. I believe we have crossed the line of trying to improve the quality of living, and now we are in a race towards a dystopian future that I used to think only existed in fictional books. 

LIVING IN A GLOBAL CULTURE

Just earlier today, I watched a video of Ingrid Nilsen, a lifestyle, fashion, and beauty Youtuber otherwise known as "missglamorazzi". It was a video on "4 Ways to Style Boots // Fall Fashion", filled with high quality, professional shots and impressive editing, seamless transitions between clips, and perfectly placed text overlays. Though the video was undeniably pleasing to the eyes and beautiful to watch, I couldn't help but think how I missed the "missglamorazzi" that I had watched in 10th grade. I know that what I feel isn't entirely uncommon; I call it a case of the "old Youtuber blues".

The "old Youtuber blues" typically manifests itself in the comments, with people saying that the videos aren't "real" anymore and that they miss the "old [insert Youtuber name here]". Don't get me wrong - it's amazing to see Youtubers grow over the years. Sometimes, I go back to my favorite Youtubers' first videos and watch them just for fun, smiling both nostalgically and proudly as I witness how far they've come. The first videos are often a straight clip of them talking to a low quality camera for ten minutes; fast forward a few years, and now many of these Youtubers' videos are quality, professional works of art. However, in my personal opinion, some (not all) Youtubers have become caught up in the commercial craze. Their videos have lost that genuine touch and I no longer feel as connected to them as I used to. 

I can't help but think about how Youtube is a prime example of how Mcdonaldization has permeated our society, even in the most unexpected aspects. Whereas Youtubers used to film and edit all their own videos, many Youtubers nowadays split up the tasks of making a video. They have a cameraman or crew who films them and someone else who helps edit the video. Yes, this maximizes efficiency and produces beautiful looking professional videos, but it causes videos to lose that raw, personal touch that viewers love. One of the reasons Youtube is so popular is because anyone can watch it. Youtubers feel more "real" than celebrities, because they're just like us, and that's why we love watching their videos. But now, many videos seem to "commercialized". For me personally, it's ironic that the more "professional" videos have actually caused me to lose interest. I love that many Youtubers are so successful, but I can't deny that I miss the days when they just spoke face to face to the camera and it felt like I was in the room with them. 

STOP THE MEDIA-BLAMING

It’s the week before finals, and upset about your subpar grades, your parents angrily take away all your technology, hoping the lack of so-called distractions will force you to concentrate and clutch a few last minute As.
But the question is, why is the technology always blamed? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the real perpetrator, the student? After all, all these “distractions” – Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the list is endless – are nothing without someone to put them to action. In my personal opinion, technology is an incredibly empowering force in learning in a digital age.

My high school chemistry class was a prime example of the power of virtual teaching. My teacher was an avid supporter of a non-traditional classroom setting, and was constantly exploring and bringing new methods of learning to the classroom. He was an avid supporter of the “flipped classroom” model, which meant we essentially “learned” at home and “applied” our knowledge in class, and had no homework. He uploaded PowerPoints, sent us links to chemistry videos, and even occasionally made his own videos on days he couldn’t be in class. He often emailed us research opportunities, camps/programs, and articles applying the concepts we were learning in real life situations. One of his techniques to implement the “flipped classroom” model was to bring in laptops for students, which enabled us to do practice problems online during class and receive instant feedback (just as practice, not for a grade). If we didn’t understand any concepts or why we missed something, we could go up to him, and he would explain the problem step by step. Class time was essentially a free period. After all, we were not required to complete the class problems or talk to him. Many students groaned and moaned about his methods, complaining that he was simply too lazy to “actually teach”, and that he was the reason they were failing the class. A phrase I often heard floating around was “Ugh, why can’t he just teach the normal way.” I was confused by this. What did everyone mean by “actually teach”? Was what he was doing not considered real teaching? Sure, perhaps it was not the most CONVENTIONAL way of teaching, but I, for one, definitely felt like I was still learning things. Half the class supported his venture into technology, others revolted. Some students even complained to administration, calling the laptops “a waste of time” and “useless”.

As the year went on, I began to realize the ones who complained about our teacher’s teaching methods were often the ones who didn’t listen in class and depended on homework assignments to inflate their grades. They put all the responsibility on the teacher.

The negative response of the students towards the “flipped classroom” model is exactly what I stand against. Don’t blame the teacher or the technology; the only person to blame is yourself, for not being a proactive learner and not taking responsibility into your hands. I believe the new media that is consistently popping up is one of the best resources for a student in today’s society. Sure, it can be distracting – but everything is what you make of it. Forming groups on Facebook for different classes and clubs, helping fellow students on online forums, watching videos, or even looking at answer solution guides have all proved beneficial in my personal journey as a student – they facilitate discussion between my classmates and I, encourage questions, and help me think about material in different ways. I believe new methods of teaching that incorporate technology put the power and responsibility of learning in the hands of the STUDENT, where it should be, instead of fully in the hands of the teacher. Learning in a digital age requires adaptability and defies conformity, and if that means laptops in flipped classrooms, or Facebook, or Twitter, or any other form of “digital learning”, then so be it.

TASH

JASON

KIKI // BIYONKA

we set out to recreate the look of one of the characters (kiki) from biyonka's favorite childhood movie! naturally, this called for a few hours of frolicking in the beautiful rolling green goodness of her new neighboorhood and some eye-ogling over the highly uncomfortable jurassic plant.