“Ayn Rand” is a name either avoided like the plague or tossed around in philosophy as a joke. She was introduced to me two years ago, hand in hand with the death throes of capitalism. Put off by her defense … Continue reading Review of “The Fountainhead” and “Anthem” by Ayn Rand
There is little question that the COVID-19 pandemic has made people more distrustful of one another. In a time when anyone and anything could be a disease carrier, it is difficult to not be suspicious. A visceral manifestation of this distrust is violent xenophobia, expressed in public acts of brutality against Asians: a Singaporean University College London (UCL) student in the streets of London, and even an Asian-American family and child in a Texas supermarket. Such distrust shows when people dub COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus.” It shows when people inside China call it “Wuhan pneumonia” and panic at the … Continue reading A Pandemic’s Crisis of Trust
A repeat of the deadly epidemic in Europe during the 14th century? The year of 2020 has been off to a rocky start. From the Australian forest fires to the volcanic eruption in the Philippines, a new crisis has emerged: … Continue reading Attitudes and Paranoia of Pandemic Life: A Historical Undertaking
Tara Westover had never stepped foot in a desk-and-chair classroom until she turned 17. Neither had she received her birth certificate until she turned nine. When other sick children are rushed by their parents to the hospital, Tara had never been sent to a government institution, not for broken arms or tuberculosis. When most kids her age wake up in the mornings to an eight-hour day at school, Tara spends her days in the junkyard, gathering scraps and metals and operating dangerous machines for her father. There are many famous groups of religious fundamentalists in the world, who isolate themselves … Continue reading The Sacrifices You Make to Become “Educated”
A student standing outside the recording room nervously taps her finger and hums the melody of Roman Carnival Overture. Inside the room, a student plays a similar tune. When the music inside subsides, she gathers her instrument—the cello—and gets ready. “Wish me luck!” she says, and enters. Getting in AMIS—the Association for Music in International Schools—is the highest honor a high school music student can achieve. The association gathers passionate students across Europe and Asia who excel in a particular musical instrument to play together as one group. Students in SAS PD have been active participants in AMIS for the … Continue reading A Melodious and Intense Selection: AMIS Selection Process
The Saturday of Oct. 12 was a busy day for Shanghai American School Pudong’s season one athletes. With volleyball heading to Concordia, baseball heading to Puxi, and tennis heading to Shanghai Racquet Club for a friendly day of competition against our neighbors across the river, it looked to be an eventful day. But for the varsity tennis team, the day started out on low spirits as 11 weary, unwilling children gathered outside Jingqiao Starbucks for an early morning at 7:30 a.m.. The long and delayed bus ride lacked the usual chatter and excitement that filled the air as everyone plugged … Continue reading Tennis-A Weekend of Triumphs over PX
To most people, Walter Isaacson is known for his dedicated book, “Steve Jobs.” Many, including The New York Times and The Guardian, have praised for his concise and coherent depiction of a superbly lived life. However, his most recent piece, “the Innovators,” is less known, but it deserves to be on the same level as his renowned masterpiece; the book praises collaborative endeavors of the technology entrepreneurs. On the book’s cover, “the Innovators” states that it is about “how a group of hackers, geniuses, and geeks created the digital revolution.” Inside the book, however, Walter Isaacson contains more than just the history of … Continue reading Review: Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators
Friday and Saturday were big moments in the SASPD rugby season: the first real tournament of the year. With schools coming from Beijing and Hong Kong nothing but the best performance was expected of all teams attending. Hosted at SAS Pudong, many grudges and rivalries were expected to be settled on the field. Friday morning the varsity team and junior varsity team arrived at the field in their uniforms, heads held high. The moral in the team was high. Jokes were cracked and pranks were pulled. It all became serious when warm up started. No more fun and games, no … Continue reading Sweat, Grit, and Determination
By Ryan Strong A family takes a vacation to their cottage in the United Kingdom. The youngest child requests that they sail to the lighthouse, but they are unable to. 10 years later, they return again to their cottage, this time completing their voyage to the lighthouse. From these fairly trite beginnings, Virginia Woolf manages to craft one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The aforementioned family is the Ramsay family. Mrs. Ramsay- the matriarch – is kind and caring, constantly comforting her rather ill-tempered husband who goes from being furious to fretting about his position in the … Continue reading Review of “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf
By Ryan Strong In one of the most stunning events in Hollywood history, the entire plot for Avengers: Endgame has leaked online, leading to enormous repercussions across the globe. Endgame is one of the most widely anticipated film releases in recent memory, culminating eleven years of films in the franchise. Disney, the parent company of Marvel, has always maintained the utmost security regarding plot details; yet, all those careful precautions have been torn asunder by what appears to be the work of a lone leaker at Marvel. Within hours of the plot being released, CEO of Disney, Robert Iger was … Continue reading A Litany of Lawsuits: Plot for Avengers: Endgame Released