Week #52 {August 10 '22}
- The Bulletin Buzz
- Aug 9, 2022
- 15 min read
Articles by Ananya Nayar, Mahin Puri & Misaki Tomiyama
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Articles:
Overview of current Russia Ukraine situation
By Mahin Puri
While not many people are still talking about the Russia-Ukraine war anymore, the situation is still transpiring, there are still innocent people who are taking the brunt of the war on their shoulders, there are still soldiers that are out fighting and there are still those who are affected by the circumstances of the war. So what is happening, and what does the state of the war look like?
Ukraine has used western missile technology to damage three bridges around strategic positions close to Kherson.
The Ukrainian forces are attempting to retake the southern city of Kherson, and have taken action so that they can hold the city. The Ukrainian military struck a key bridge that led to the city with long-range rockets to prevent the arrival of Russian troops into the city. The city has an important strategic location, which is west of the Dnipro river, and while it was the first city to fall to the Russian military, it has been regained by Ukraine, and military sources have mentioned that Kherson’s loss “would severely undermine Russia’s attempts to paint the occupation of Ukraine as a success.”
Alongside this, the bombing of the bridge into Kherson and the bombing of another bridge over the Inhulets river, located north-east of Kherson, is said to undermine the ability of Moscow to supply the troops that are stationed to the west of the river and leaves them isolated from the rest of the occupying Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Russia has captured many strategic positions in Ukraine, including the important cities Severodonesk and Lysychansk in recent weeks and is now focusing most of its efforts on the eastern region, towards the cities of Siversk and Bakhmut.
Furthermore, they have also seized control of the country’s second-largest power station located in Svitlodarsk, meaning that they can cut off a large chunk of the country’s power supply. In addition to this, should they be able to take the Soviet-era coal-fired Vuhlehirsk plant, it would be the first strategic gain for Russian forces in more than three weeks.
However, in terms of the tasks in the area, only offensive operations seem to be taken by the Russian military, as their resources are falling with the Ukrainiancounter-offensive attack in Kherson.
Monkeypox: What is it?
Article by Ananya Nayar
Just as things seemed to be getting to pre-pandemic days, Monkeypox struck. This disease is a rare infection caused by the same virus that causes smallpox, however, it’s less fatal.
In 1958, when it was discovered, the source was tracked down to rodents and monkeys harbouring this disease and was linked to imported animals in Africa especially.
Even before the recent outbreak we’ve been seeing, there had been a few cases in East Africa from the 1970s. Just a few days ago, the Biden Administration declared the outbreak in the US to be a national emergency.
Monkeypox has been seen to be attacking the genital area and can be detected by the symptoms of swelling of lymph nodes, fatigue and muscle ache. Moreover, within five days of contraction, patients tend to get blister-like rashes that tend to swell.
This disease is contagious and known to spread through close contact like respiratory secretions but mostly through same-surface indirect transmission.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, no particular group is at risk of monkeypox, but anybody who has had skin-to-skin contact with those in the social network of monkeypox activity is at risk.
So far, there isn’t any specific treatment, but considering it’s similar to smallpox, prescriptions follow similar medication. Vaccines are currently being developed but they aren’t fully open to the public yet. However, the alternative vaccine is the smallpox vaccine ACAM2000, but it is problematic for people with certain health conditions.
India’s New President: Droupadi Murmu
Article by Ananya Nayar
On the 25th of July, 64-year-old Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as India’s new president.
Originally from the state of Odisha, she is the first tribal leader and head of state. After taking an oath, she declared "my elevation as president is not just my achievement but that of everyone in the country, that they can dream of reaching this level.”
She is currently replacing the outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind and won the election comfortably. Although originally sceptical about nominating herself considering her remote roots and being a woman in a fairly patriarchal country, she was greeted and encouraged as a “daughter of the soil” by many political leaders.
Ms Murmu, born in 1958 in the Mayurbhanj district belongs to the Santhal community, which is one of the largest tribal groups. She was formerly a teacher in a poor government school but was eager to be of public service. Later in 2017, gained popularity as the BJP began considering her name for the presidential election that year. At the time, she was the state governor of Jharkhand. However, her political career began 20 years previously in 1997 when she oversaw and supervised sanitation work in the town of Rairangpur.
Praised and encouraged by many other politicians too, the appointment of Droupadi Murmu seems to be a good step in a progressive direction for India.
Abortion Laws in the US
Article by Ananya Nayar
In late June, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Roe V. Wade which removed the right to abortion.
Roe V. Wade is a 1937 legal case named after Jane Roe, an unmarried Texan lady, who challenged and filed a suit on behalf of other unmarried pregnant women. In this case, the Supreme Court decided that the US Constitution provides a fundamental ‘right to privacy’ which protects a persons right to choose whether or not to have an abortion, and second that the abortion right is not absolute- and must be balanced against the government’s interests in protecting the health and prenatal life.
The main debate in court follows two opposing arguments. In defence of the abortion statute, it was said:
States have an interest in safeguarding health, maintaining medical standards, and protecting prenatal life.
A foetus is a "person" protected by the 14th Amendment.
Protecting prenatal life from the time of conception is a compelling state interest.
On the other hand, Jane Roe and others argued
The Texas law invaded an individual's right to "liberty" under the 14th Amendment.
The Texas law infringed on rights to marital, familial, and sexual privacy guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
The right to an abortion is absolute - a person is entitled to end a pregnancy at any time, for any reason, in any way they choose.
The “survey of history ranged from the constitutionally irrelevant to the plainly incorrect,” with “damaging consequences” and “exceptionally weak” reasoning- as per the draft ruling. Judges said, “the inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions.”
Before this, in 2018, the law which banned abortion if the “probable gestational age of the unborn human: was 15< weeks, except in medical emergencies or fetal abnormality, reached the court, it was suggestive even in late 2021 that the bench would uphold it. It’s conspired that after conservative leaders like Justices Gorsuch, and Barrett during the Trump presidency, there rose a conservative majority in the Supreme Court and more indictments around the issue which ultimately helped overturn Roe v. Wade, even though just a few years earlier, challenges to this may not have succeeded.
What does this mean? Well, it’s certainly a morale and ethics twister. Doctors recognise abortion rights as a means of healthcare and are put in the situation of deciding whether to comply with the law or abiding by medical ethics. This can put them in danger to patients and the law. The United Nations, too, publicly stated how the decision is an “attack on gender equality and broader struggles for democracy.” Even more, countries like Poland, Nicaragua and Iran said that “today is a profound setback for the rule of law and gender equality. The excessive use of the legislative process, executive power, and judicial authority over the years to restrict and criminalise abortion rather than to expand it and ensure equitable access to safe abortion services, signals a deeply troubling erosion of democratic values and process.”
Zhou Guanyu’s Devastating Crash
By Mahin Puri
The British Grand Prix was destined for a lively start, and Silverstone did not disappoint when it came to the drama, with the race being highlighted by a horrifying start on Sunday.
Alfa Romeo’s driver Zhou Guanyu was recently involved in a frightening crash during the opening days of the British Grand Prix. The prestigious British Grand Prix always brings shocks and is reputable for its lively races, especially on the famous Silverstone tracks. However Alfa Romeo driver Zhou’s crash was not one to forget, and one more addition to the drama of the sudden collision at the beginning of the race that led to the horrifying events unfolding.
Zhou Guanyu’s car was struck from the left side by George Russell, a Mercedes driver, who had already made contact with Pierre Gasly’s car on the right, leading to him losing control and flying directly into Zhou’s car. The force of the crash caused Zhou’s car to overturn and spin upside down while skidding down the track and crashing with speed into the wall after hurtling through the gravel and across the tire barriers on the racetrack. Furthermore, the car was trapped in a small gap in front of the catch fencing and the spectators which is why it took longer to extract Zhou from the car after the red flag was raised.
While the crash looked extremely dangerous, and many would argue it could cause death, the halo is what saved Zhou from an untimely accident that could have left him injured badly or worse. Alex Albon, another racer involved in the wreck, was also taken from his car along with Zhou and both were treated closeby for any injuries in the Coventry hospital.
What is Inflation?
By Misaki Tomiyama
It is a fact that prices for things all around us keep increasing. Take a cup of coffee for example- as of 1970, a single cup of coffee was around $0.25. Now, the average price of a cup of coffee is $1.85. Another interesting example is the income in England. Although this is a fictional book, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Mr Darcy, a male character who is one of the wealthiest men in Britain, had an income of 10,000 pounds a year, in around 1813. However, 10,000 pounds a year in current Britain is only equivalent to less than half of the income of a primary school teacher.
So why does this price increase happen? Is it good for our world or for us? Well, in order to understand this, we must know the concept of inflation.
In simple terms, inflation is a general price rise. Governments all around the world track this, and most governments have entry and keep it low. There are three reasons why this phenomenon occurs.
First, we have something called cost-push inflation. Costs for producers, which is the total cost incurred by businesses to produce a product, may increase, and producers may pass this to consumers in the form of increased prices. For instance, prices of raw materials needed for production such as oil may increase in price. Workers may demand more money in exchange for the work they do. This process can occur by trade unions, or simply because the supply of skilled workers is less compared to the demands (since demand and supply are in an inverse relationship). Because of these, and other factors, costs incurred by businesses increased, and this is passed on to us- the consumers. Raising prices is a difficult decision to make, but if they don’t do so, businesses will fail.
Next, we have demand inflation. This happens when the number of people who want something is higher than the supply. In other words, the supply cannot keep up with the demand. Demand inflation can happen when people become rich, and have money to spend, so their demand for goods and services may increase. Governments can target this inflation by lowering taxes, raising disposable income (amount of money one has after income taxes have been deducted), and allowing consumers to have more money on their hands. However, when looking at this in the longer run, raising demands in excessive amounts will increase prices. Similarly, decreasing interest rates (which tells us how high or low the cost of borrowing is) might induce long-term inflationary pressure. As consumers have more money on their hands, they might make many expensive purchases, increasing demands for such goods, which in return increases the price of these goods.
Governments decided to print out more money can also induce inflation. To stimulate the economy, governments can increase the money supply within their country either by printing out more notes, increasing government debt or by allowing banks to make bigger loans. By increasing the money circulating within the economy, the worth of every single note starts to fall because the purchasing power of money falls.
The problem with inflation is not inflation itself, but how everything doesn’t inflate at the same rate. For instance, if prices and income both stably rose by 20%, it wouldn’t cause much harm. Since prices and wages, for example, do not increase at the same rate, the prices may increase drastically, but your wages might not, which poses a problem.
Inflation is very bad for savings- this is because the same amount of money you put into your savings cannot buy you the same goods and services in the future.
Therefore, it would be ideal to keep inflation under control, but in reality, keeping inflation to a minimum is extremely difficult, because so many factors affect it.
Person of the Week: Frida Kahlo
By Ananya Nayar
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was a Mexican Artist, born in 1907, celebrated and known for her self-portraits and paintings created with bold and vivid colours. She’s honoured for celebrating and including her complex Mexican heritage in her work in the form of nature or artefacts and also by feminists for her bold depiction of the female form.
Throughout her life, she painted a total of 200 vivid paintings, 55 of which were self-portraits and others that detailed incidents in her life such as a major accident she was involved in as a child, as well as the emotions she felt during some bitter relationships. Along with this, she suffered disabilities like polio when she was just 6 years old too, her fragmented body from the accident caused a broken pelvis and spine but even that didn’t hold her back from inspiring bisexual women, feminists, people with disabilities and artists.
Many of her works were influenced by the European Renaissance, and reflect Surrealist qualities. In her tricky life, it was rumoured that she may have ended it herself, and her last words in her diary read “I hope the exit is joyful and I hope never to come back.”
Why Do We.. Cry?
By Misaki Tomiyama
You probably have cried before, well you must have: either when you got hurt, bid your friend goodbye, saw a sad movie, read a letter you received from someone you loved or more.
When asking ourselves why we cry, it is important to know what an iris is. An iris is a part of the eye, which is a coloured tissue containing the pupil in the centre. It is something that regulates how much light gets into our eyes and controls the pupil so we see things better.
Our iris has something called ‘lacrimal glands’ which makes tears, and tubes called ‘lacrimal puncta’ to drain tears. We have three different types of tears- Basal tears, reflex tears and emotional tears.
Basal tears are tears which are in our eyes at all times to protect and lubricate our cornea, which is the transparent part of the eye covering our iris. These tears have three layers which form a thin coating in our eyes to keep dirt and debris away from our eyes. Around our iris, we have a layer of mucus, then an aqueous layer to keep our iris hydrated and protect it from bacteria, and a lipid layer which keeps the surface of our eye smooth so we can see things.
Next, we have the reflex tears. These are the tears which come out of your eye when you cut onions. The reason this happens is simple: when we cut the onions, the onion releases a special gas, which reacts with enzymes producing a type of gas called sulphur gas. When sulphur gas reaches our eyes, a mild acid is created, irritating our eyes. To protect our eyes, tears are produced to wash away harmful substances. Reflex tears’ aqueous tears have more antibodies to stop microorganisms from getting in.
Finally, we have emotional tears, which probably sounds the most familiar. When we are too happy or sad, our body becomes overwhelmed with emotion and feels like a loss of control which is not a good sign. So, we cry emotional tears to stabilise our mood. Emotional tears contain higher levels of stress hormones according to research. However, research is still being done to determine the exact scientific understanding relating tears to emotion.
Information from TedEd.
Book & Movie Reviews
Book of the Week: ‘Everything I Never Told You’ by Celeste Ng
By Ananya Nayar
Age Recommendation: 13+
Rating out of 5 Stars: 4.5/5
This moving book captivated me thoroughly, it carefully illustrated the themes and importance of family, and kept it thrilling and a page-turner, exciting and sad throughout.
Primary themes include loneliness, coming-of-age and prejudice, and the author manages to perfectly include all. Everything about the writing, from the symbolism in the lakes to the well-developed, unique characters was so fascinating.
The story follows Lydia, and also her parent's inter-caste and frowned upon marriage. As it turns out, living in a mixed household is harder, because when trying to please both her parents and achieve the dreams they gave up on, there’s tremendous pressure. The novel, however, mostly goes through how the family was built and how it copes when Lydia is found drowned in a lake and carries on from there. It’s the perfect book to get out of a reading block.
Movie of the Week: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’
By Mahin Puri
The latest addition to the world of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series was the movie titled ‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’, which was a prequel to the current series that is airing. The anime film adaptation was done by MAPPA studios and premiered in Japan in December 2021. Directed by Sunghoo Park, it is considered one of the best movies that have aired recently and were received with widespread positivity by the anime community and Jujutsu Kaisen fanbase.
The film is set in the city of Tokyo, where Yuta Okkutsu, a student meets Goju Satoru, a jujutsu sorcerer, and under his advice joins the Tokyo prefectural jujutsu high school. This is so he can learn how to control the spirit he has been cursed with, Rika. He is haunted by Rika who was once his childhood friend but passed away in a traffic accident.
No longer appearing as a young girl she manifests as a monstrous and terrifying entity who protects Yuta against his will.
At the school, Yuta is introduced to the sorcerers studying at the school, Panda, Maki Zenin and Toge Inumaki, who upon meeting him immediately feel the presence of Rika and try exorcising her but are left in vain as Rika easily stops them and tries story continues further from here, with Sugar Geto’s plans interrupting life at the jujutsu high school.
MAPPA as a studio does a really good job with the animation, and as expected the movie is visually stunning. The battle scenes during the second half of the movie are brilliant. Alongside this, the character development during the movie is exceptional with each character being well written and almost all being relevant to the plot. Yuta Okkutsu is immediately liked by the audience, and his bonding with the characters is impressive, be it his classmates or his teacher Gojo. Suguru Geto also provides a complex character as a villain, with a calm, passive and disciplined composure, all the while displaying violent and disturbing cruelty.
The main highlight of the animation is the action, in which scenes are extremely well choreographed, exquisitely colour set and remarkably drawn scenes that all come together in a perfect balance of appealing and engaging visuals. The sound is no less, with the audio matching the tone and theme of the film consistently. Emotion is also portrayed very well, including humour with many funny moments being present. For a two-hour-long movie, the way information and ideas are presented is very well organised and appealing, the movie is truly something that people should try and watch!
‘Spy x Family’ Season 1 Review
Article by Misaki Tomiyama
The newest collaboration between Studio Wit and Cloverworks (Japanese anime studios producing Attack on Titan and Horimiya respectively), Spy x Family, has been a production that has become a hot topic all over the world this season. Its astonishing hype has questioned so many anime watchers: how can a newcomer anime series gain so much popularity in just a matter of months? Well, the answer to all of this lies in the storyline of this beautiful animation.
The setting of the story is the eastern country (Ostania) and the western country (Westeris), where the Cold War has brought a wave of temporary peace. Spy x Family revolves around notorious yet suave spy agent, Twilight, who has been given a mission to attend a get-together at the prestigious Eden School. Seems like an easy task? Well, it's not. This mission is needed to create contact between politician Donovan Desmond, who poses a threat to the East and West’s peace. To do so, Twilight must make a fake family to make his child attend the school.
By putting on the mask of a psychiatrist called Lloyd Forger, Twilight visits an orphanage to adopt an orphan Anya, but she isn’t an ordinary child. Turns out, she is a psychic who can read people’s minds. What’s more, Lloyd’s ‘fake’ wife, Yor Forger, turns out to be an assassin, with the code name ‘Thorn Princess’. Thus began a fake family life between three people whose interests were aligned.
For the first time, Twilight, who knows no failures, feels an uphill battle as he goes about ‘Operation Strix’. By reading this review, Spy x Family may seem to be a thriller anime, with a lot of action and thinking to do, but that’s not the case. In fact, it's more of a wholesome anime, revolving around the daily life of a ‘fake’ family. The main attraction is the unique characters: a spy father, an assassin mother and a psychic daughter. Their hand-to-hand battles and laugh-out-loud comedic drama are the reasons for the popularity of the series. Spy x Family, a ridiculously fun, wholesome yet thrilling anime series, is something you should watch if you want to take a break from the conventional animations out there. Spy x Family season 1 part 1 is available to stream on Netflix and Disney+.
Visit the music & episodes of Spy X Family on Spotify here!
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