Week #9 {January 11 '21}
- The Bulletin Buzz
- Jan 11, 2021
- 7 min read
Articles Written By Ananya Nayar and Misaki Tomiyama, Website edited by Misaki Tomiyama
Articles for this week-
Announcement!
World News-
Republican Protesters storm Capitol
Britain in Covid Crisis
India News
Covishield Distribution in India
Other Articles-
The Pomodoro Study Method
This Week in History
This day signifies
Word Searches
Republican Protesters storm Capitol
By Ananya Nayar
One of the most shocking events went down in history this week. Donald Trump has been attempting to reverse the results of the election for months, and on Wednesday they took a violent turn. An unmasked, angry, armed group of Republican protestors violently protested at the White House and Capitol, they broke in and set fire to parts of the buildings too. It’s now considered one of the worst security breaches, and arguments and fights with police officers at the area caused the fatal death of one woman, who was shot.
The chaos pursued and footage of policemen helpless and unwilling to put up a fight was circulated all over social media platforms as well as photos of windows being smashed, rioters angrily barging and breaking into the building too. The following day, the White House followed a strict lockdown.
However, Trump is being accused of encouraging the violence, and around noon, he allegedly met the screaming crowds to claim he had in fact won the Presidential Election.
When comparing the President’s response when he called overwhelmingly peaceful protesters for racial justice "thugs," "agitators" and "looters." He tweeted "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." He threatened protesters outside the White House with "vicious dogs" and "ominous weapons."
But when the Capitol was stormed Wednesday, Trump told the extremists and fanatics threatening "we love you, you're very special ... but you have to go home."Before the mob brutality at the Capitol, he'd told the rally of his supporters to "fight like hell."
The National Tragedy is holding Trump guilty of invigorating the violent protests, and earlier this week, social media platforms began to take down Donal Trump’s accounts in order to not condone violence. Mark Zuckerburg announces FaceBook is removing his account, and soon after, Twitter and Instagram did so too.
During 2020, many ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests were held after the death of George Flloyd who was choked to death by a white policeman for no apparent reason. The protests were held worldwide and were peaceful, there was no violence or fire. During these protests, Policemen had teargassed protesters, used force and the response by the police and that time had been extra and unrequired. Protesters in May 2020, were met with assault rifles, tear gas, shields, battle helmets and more unnecessary equipment. Now, people are comparing the police’s response to the BLM Protests to the response to the recent Capitol protests.
At the Capitol, footage and evidence clearly shows that policemen stood idly and did not show any resistance towards the provoked, violent Republican protesters. Tweets circulated quoted “BLM Protesters were peacefully protesting for their LIVES, and Republicans were brutally protesting because they LOST.” The protests were seen as an approved act of terrorism too.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network, one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people, described Wednesday's riots as a "coup."
The group said it was "one more example of the hypocrisy in our country's law enforcement response to the protest."
When Black people protest for our lives, we are all too often met by National Guard troops or police equipped with assault rifles, shields, tear gas and battle helmets," the group said in a statement. "Make no mistake, if the protesters were Black, we would have been tear-gassed, battered, and perhaps shot."
Britain in Covid Crisis
By Ananya Nayar
The second lockdown due to the Covid variant in the UK has led to a crisis. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new lockdown should last till March 31st, and regulations will be slightly relaxed over time. The public health disaster has been called ‘the darkest moment of this pandemic’ for many days in the past week have recorded more than 60,000 new cases. Mr Johnson announced they would attempt to vaccinate the most vulnerable now, which would require 28 million doses of immunity for the 14 million people. All schools were closed this week, and are not going to open anytime soon until February. However, International flights have reopened to citizens from different parts of the world are returning or going home.
Covishield Distribution in India
By Ananya Nayar
India received their doses of Covid-vaccines this week. Unlike the UK, the US, Canada and Singapore, India will be distributing the Oxford and AstraZeneca Vaccine- Covishield. The other countries had used the BioNTech Vaccine developed in Germany which was to be stored at -70 degrees celsius. The first shipment had arrived and was immediately transferred to Rajeev Gandhi Superspeciality Hospital. Indira Gandhi Airport is equipped with cold storage facilities which were used to store the Covishield before it was transported on Friday morning to the hospital in Chennai. The vaccine must be stored at a temperature from 2-8 degrees celsius.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the Government was on the stage of the vaccine roll-out plan, he said that the first set of immunity will go to 30 crore people, health care and frontline workers and critical patients.
“In a short time, India has done well by developing vaccines. In the next few days, shortly, we should be able to give these vaccines to our countrymen. It will be given to our healthcare professional followed by frontline workers,” Dr Harsh Vardhan told reporters.
The Pomodoro study method
By Misaki Tomiyama
Have you ever tried finishing your homework, but could not focus and get anything done? Well, the Pomodoro study method is the best method for you! It is a study method that will make you stay motivated, focused and productive. "Pomodoro" is the Italian word for tomatoes, and Francesco Cirillo is known for coming up with this technique in the 1980s.
So how does it work you may ask. This study technique is fairly simple. You pick a task you want to accomplish. (It can be finishing 20 math problems, or taking notes of a chapter of your textbook) You set a timer for 25 minutes and try to finish the task in just the 25 minutes. During the 25 minutes, you are not allowed to do anything else than the task, so no touching your phone or gazing outside the window. After the 25 minute session, you take a break for 5 minutes, and repeat this 3 more times. After you do 4 Pomodoros, you can take a 15-30 minute break, and start the same cycle again.
Steps for the Pomodoro study method
Write down the task you wish to finish (this can be in a form of to-do list)
Clean your desk or area you are planning to work so that there are no distractions (you should keep your phone on silent or keep it in another room so you won't get distracted when you get a notification)
Start a 25 minute timer, and focus on the single task during the 25 minutes
Once the 25 minute Pomodoro session is over, take a 5 minute break (a maximum of 10 minutes, but not longer)
After the break, start the 25 minute timer again, and take a 5-10 minute break.
Repeat this 4 times (so you repeat the 25-5 minute study session 4 times)
After repeating this for 4 times, you can take a 15-30 minute break
After the break, start the Pomodoro cycle again
Francesco Cirillo was a university student when he came up with this study method. He was overwhelmed by the amount of work he had to do and could not stay focused, and decided he will just focus on his work for 10 minutes. He found a tomato shaped timer in his kitchen, thus, the Pomodoro technique. He wrote a 130 page book explaining this technique.
This study method is a great way to tackle your procrastination. Remember to keep in mind that you should not go over the time limit. Stop working when the timer stops. Also if you finish before the timer rings, you shouldn't move on to another task, instead, just work more on the work you are currently doing. If you think one task cannot be done within the 25 minutes, break it down into 2 or 3 Pomodoros. In fact, I am working on this article in a 25 minute session. I use this method for almost every study session I do. This study method is a great way of getting things done and getting yourself to focus on one task.
You could also plan your Pomodoros in advance. For example, if you have a large project that is due next week and you think it will take a lot of time, you could divide it into 6 Pomodoros, and do 3 Pomodoros of your project a day. Also another tip is to not use too much of your phone during the 5-10 minute breaks. You could walk around your house for the 5 minutes, or read a chapter of a book. Get something productive done in your Pomodoro break! It is also important to take a break off screen if your tasks are on your computer.
There are apps such as PomoDoneApp, Focus To-Do that could help you use the Pomodoro study technique (These apps can be downloaded on your phone, but be careful of distractions!). Websites such as pomofocus or Tomato Timer can also keep track of the 25 minutes. Another option is utilising youtube "Study with me" Pomodoro videos. They are videos where students film themselves working/studying, and you could study while watching them study. There is usually a timer in the corner of the video, and indicates how long you have to study. Many YouTubers have Pomodoro study with me videos, so if you search them up on YouTube, you will find many results.
Distractions are the devil, and you have to conquer them. Hopefully, this Pomodoro study method will allow you to focus on your study/work and improve your concentration. Good luck with your tasks!
This Week In History
By Ananya Nayar
On the 5th of January 1933, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was excavated and born. The suspension bridge’s final cost was $25-30 million and had a span of 4,000 feet. On the 7th of January 1789, the first US Presidential election was held. In 1789, the United States used the Electoral College system, created by the U.S. Constitution, which allows all American citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote.
This day signifies
By Misaki Tomiyama
11th January is the death anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Indian Prime Minister between 1964 to 1966. Lal Bahadur Shastri was an influential freedom fighter and statesman. He is famous for the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan', which means "Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer." He dedicated 30 years to his country, and was a man of vision. He was a member of Mahatma Gandhi's non cooperation movement against the British during India's fight for freedom. he passed away on January 11th 1966 from a Heart Attack, but many people still inspire him, as he was a strong yet humble and soft-spoken leader of India, who greatly left a mark on the country.
Word Searches by Radha Nayar
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