The Family Spectrum

We are all part of some sort of family, normal or not. But what about the families outside blood. How similar are our different families? Although it can be argued that gaining respect in a school, work or any type of environment can be achieved by the skill and contribution you provide to the community, most of these communities work like families, where the longer you have been there, the higher you move up the family spectrum.

Let’s start with something most of us have been part of at some point in our lives, School. Generally, we start school from a very young age, and we start to make connections we keep for most of our lives. A study by the National institute of mental health, states that a child's brain is most absorbent at 3 main points in their lives. Two of which are during our school lives. The way we make connections to our family members is almost identical to how we make connections to school friends. “In a way, schools are like families. The principles act like the parents. The teachers represent Nanny’s or grandparents or in some cases, parents, and the children are well, the children.” (John Cleese) If you think about it, that is quite an accurate representation. Unless you were homeschooled, in which case, family and school for you would have been the same. It’s true that families and schools are not exactly the same thing. Family is something you stick with for the rest of your lives, and school is just a small portion of your life. But the connections you make in schools are almost like having a second family, and once we graduate school, we get welcomed to whole new types of family. Just like in our families, the longer we stay at a specific school, the higher we move up the spectrum.

This applies to most of the communities we take part in during our lifetime, not just schools. Once we grow up and get a job, we are part of a new community. This doesn’t mean we change families at every chapter of our lives. It just means we often take part in more than one or two. “Often adults aging 22-28 years old who are in their first big jobs in their lifetime, get treated as the children. In fact, whenever one joins a new job or community, they are generally the children, amongst the people on the same level.”(Robin Skynner) Here he is explaining how when you get a starting job in an office, you would be treated as the child in that office or section. Just like you get to parents or grandparents in families, in jobs you get promoted, or even of you don’t, when you are there for a longer time, you start to gain respect and move up the family spectrum. (Arun Rath, NY times) Retiring from a job is like dying. You retire when you are done with the spectrum. When you no longer have anything to contribute, and when you have learned everything that you can learn and gone as high as possible. Sometimes you leave the spectrum at an unexpected early stage, for instance if you get fired, or you get expelled from a  school. This is sort of like an unexpected death, and doesn’t happen that often. Another way you can leave the family is when you leave home, for new opportunities. This happens when you change jobs, or schools.

The family spectrum is essentially a big part of any community. It has been argued that sometimes people can join at a higher level from the start, such as CEO, or parent. But that applies to families too, as Step-Parents work the same way. Step Parents, essentially skip the lower levels of a certain family spectrum and join at the top. But they still need to gain the respect of the people below, above and at the same level as them. In schools “playground credit” is achieved not by being skilled and starting higher, it’s achieved by being loyal and there for a long time. (Mircea Agabrian) Step parents have also taken part in the lower levels of a different spectrum, essentially making them experienced but still new to their current position.

The family spectrum doesn’t always apply to how successful you are in a community, but to how much respect you are given in one. It applies to all of our various encounters during our lifetimes and will till our death. We will continue to climb up the spectrum until we can no longer climb higher.

Bibliography

• Skynner, A. C. Robin., and John Cleese. "Look Mummy, I'm Chairman of International Consolidated." Life and How to Survive It. New York: Norton, 1994. N. pag. Print.

• Rath, Arun. "How Jobs Are like Your Second Family." The New York Times. New York Times, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 June 2016.
• Agabrian, Mircea (2006). Relationships Between School and Family: The Adolescents' Perspective [83 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 8(1), Art. 20, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0701208.

- vir

What is in your food?

Fat, sugar and salt; three vital ingredients that make the food indulging. Constantly, consumers have to choose between eating healthy or eating junk food. The food industry has figured out the way to make a consumer vulnerable to eating more. The recipe calls for the perfect ratio balance of sugar to salt to fat. Salads have been known to be a healthy alternative to junk food. However, now our salads are betraying us. From the ranch dressing, the cheese chunks to the bacon bits, it is nothing but a pathway for unhealthy fat. The fast food industry tricks our brain to make us crave the junk food more.  

Before I talk about the methods and the solutions, I would like to start off by introducing the concept behind Obesity and Overweight. Overweight is when an individual's BMI is high, whereas, Obese people are very overweight. Obesity can potentially endanger an individual's organs as it can cause fatal disease: Heart diseases, Type 2 Diabetes, Cancer, High cholesterol and much more. In the United States of America, 1/3 of the adults are overweight, and another 1/3 are obese. According to WHO, 13% of the adults in the world were obese (2014). Also in 2013, 42 million children under the age of 5 were either obese or overweight. As expected the cause this was an increased consumption of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt. Since, this an immense issue, scientist and doctors have found solutions for it.  For instance, NPS MEDICINEWISE, suggests that we should cut down our high sugar drinks and start portioning our foods. I might not have mentioned it before, but the extra energy collected in an individual's body gets stored as fat.

Often people think that consuming sugar, fat and salt is bad for an individual's health, and try not to eat it. Carbohydrates (release energy from sugar) can be either good or bad. It depends on how it enters someone’s body. Pritikin (website on healthy living), says that good carbs are: “High in nutrients, and, low in saturated fat and sodium. However, carbs that are not good for your body would come from refined sugar, such as corn syrup or even honey.” The three vital ingredients can be found in anything, like Ketchup, Bread, Crackers and much more. How do these components make us eat more?  Based on the article about taste buds on Kidshealth.com, “Taste buds have very sensitive microscopic hairs called microvilli. Those tiny hairs send messages to the brain about how something tastes, so you know if it is sweet, sour, bitter, or salty.” The neurones in the human’s taste buds will start to fire when in contact with food. The stronger the stimuli or the taste, the more neurons fired. Most human beings and animals crave a variety of dishes, from sweet to savoury to bitter. However, high-sugar and high-fat food will channel our reward centre into thinking that this is the best food.  According to David. A Kessler, the neurons in our brains release opioids. That chemical makes us feel pleasure, thus making us indulging in the food more. As a whole, we should not avoid consuming sugar, fat or salt as it beneficial for our health. Instead, we should know what form of the sugar, fat and salt are good. For instance, Healthychildren.org, states that fat is essential to form of energy/calories which help us grow. However, nutritious fat is found in “Fish, Poultry and lean meat (broiled, baked, or roasted; not fried).” The meat found in fast foods is not nutritious as it has been fried many times. The same theory is applied for sugar.

Artificial ingredients are often found in many foods that we consume in our daily life. It can vary from cheese to chickens to eggs. Canthaxanthin is a chemical compound used to make the egg yolks have a golden/yellow colour. Once this has been inserted the egg is no longer natural, furthermore large amounts of this could damage the eye's retina. Where else, others like Kantha Shelke, a Ph.D. would say that most people follow the norm of not eating it unless it is pronounceable. She wants us to educate ourselves and learn about the ingredients. “Take riboflavin, cobalamin, and pyridoxamine. They are big words and sound like things you do not want in your food, but they are all forms of vitamin B, and skipping them can be detrimental to your health,” she mentioned.

As a conclusion, many factors can tame your brain into eating more. However, at the end, we are responsible for what we eat. Have you ever wondered what makes a burger, chocolates, or fries, so irresistible? The food companies would claim that it is the fresh ingredients, but it all lies in the hand of salt, sugar and fat.

The Voices Of Disabled Youth

Envision being turned away from school because you are unable to hear. Think about how it would feel to be excluded from a party due to cerebral palsy. These are not just arbitrary thoughts to stimulate discussion - this is reality. The melancholic discrimination that disabled youth go through is just like picturing a peacock without its feathers.

Let's take a step back. So what is a disability? A disability is a physical or mental deficit in an individual which affects his/her normal functioning. Consequently, the individual has trouble in undertaking normal activities or even comprehending issues.

All around the world, on a daily basis, numerous incidents take place that discriminate disabled youth from society. Most ordinary people don’t empathise with disabled youth and struggle to embrace the fact that the world is full of different people.

An extensive survey conducted by Scope ( an organisation set up to enable disabled people to have the same opportunities as others),in 2014 revealed that, 2 in every 3 children in Britain are afraid to include the disabled in society and hesitate to speak to them. Nevertheless, disabled youth are segregated from the outside world just like birds in a cage are.

Additionally, Nisha Farah, a local service officer in a prestigious school, UWCSEA East in Singapore, asserts that, “Disabled people are getting isolated from society just because they may be somewhat different compared to others.” She continued to share that they are perceived to be abnormal. Keeping them from being integrated into society. There are actually many gifted disabled people who shouldn’t be underestimated due to their disability- instead they should be able to have their voice heard in society. Ms. Farah also shared the mind- boggling anecdote of a young Myanmarese disabled girl without any arms, painting magnificent artworks by using her legs. This anecdote helps to illustrate that disabilities can’t hold anyone from exhibiting their talents.

Furthermore, research from Columbia University shows that both the worldwide public and disabled youth believe that more everyday interactions and greater awareness about disability will increase understanding and acceptance of disabled people. By minimizing negative notions , we can be one united society. When there is acceptance, people will find ways to include the interests and capabilities of friends with disabilities. The challenge is in acceptance and compassion.

Overall, it's critical to change our perceptions about disability. Disabled youth have competencies and potential which needs to be uncovered. They feel as if their wing is being clipped in their prime youth. In order to decipher the same, social awareness and a positive perception towards them could facilitate a better understanding and empathy for disabled children. Moreover, inculcating moral values among students necessitates their positive approach towards the disabled. If you see disabled youth feeling excluded -------- do your part ; be open-minded, introduce yourself, smile warmly and stand up for them.

Racism - Tanvi Singh

“How do you not celebrate Christmas?” one of them barked

“Um.. I am a Hindu, and I celebrate Diwali.” I replied with a soft and hurt voice.

Racism is still an immense issue that lingers all over the world. If we don’t fix this issue, it will continue to hurt people everyday. Many people in our community think of this, as an insignificant issue, probably because they have not experienced it. Being a victim of racism, I assure you it is an intense issue. Racism doesn’t benefit either the racist or the victim. Thus, leading to conflicts or fatal consequences. Also, it can politically destroy the country’s reputation if the leader discriminates the residents of the country .

We have all stumbled upon the outrageous idea. I am talking about Donald Trump’s idea. On BBC.com, there is a controversial article stating that Donald Trump urges Americans to ban Muslims from coming in to U.S. In his perspective, he believes that all muslims are terrorists. Fortuitously, the law has been disapproved. He was also denounced after he suggested an idea. He wanted to close some Mosques in addition to that, all muslims in the country, should be monitored.

I am a Hindu, therefore I don’t celebrate christmas. But nevertheless, I have not spoken bad about it. I was in my friends house, when the event took place.

“Tanvi, where is your Christmas tree” She wondered “ Because when I was at your house today, I didn’t see it.”

“ Oh, I don’t celebrate Christmas.” I assured, as I was fiddling with my phone.

As those words left my mouth, I simultaneously received a wave of glares and gasps. It was like they never knew that other religions existed.

“How do you not celebrate Christmas?” one of them barked

“Um.. I am a Hindu, and I celebrate Diwali.” I replied with a soft and hurt voice.

I immediately left that house, before anyone else could discriminate me because of my religion.

All over the world people are becoming a victim of racism. The issue is happening in Asia, America, Europe and all over the world. Here are a few examples. In USA, police in particular, have been held responsible for the death of a few innocent colored people, with minimal consequences. Similar to the previous fact, in India’s film industry, most of the fair female actress, get the leading role.

As, from the article on BBC.com, “ Why do US police keep killing unarmed black men?” Ms. Fridell is an Associate Professor of criminology at the University of South Florida, herself said “that she is more likely to see threat in African American, than in Caucasians”. The idea of racism was introduced to separate African Americans, from European American. The African Americans, ancestors have been involuntary enslaved and brought to U.S.

I was fortunate enough to be able to survey, an 8th grade English class. Around 55% of the class, said that they have been discriminated because of their religion/race. Most of the students have been discriminated because of their beliefs.

As, the articles come to a conclusion, I want to remind the readers that we are the reason why rasim started. We made the choice to create a racist community. Recently, racism has had a colossal comeback. Most of the educational sources, such as BBC or CNN, keep addressing this immense issue. It is awakening to see that the issue, being not touched and deteriorate day by day. Next time, before you blurt out an offensive statement, hold back for a second and think.

Singapore: How much nature have we actually lost? - Vivaan Khabya

Singapore has cut down almost all of its natural rainforests. All that remains now is a tiny 2 square kilometer area of rainforests in the center of Singapore. In the last few decades it has cut down trees and plants that were there in Urban areas and city areas as well. A UWCSEA student named Vivaan Khabya, who is aged 13 and has lived in Singapore for the past 9 years comments:

“I remember when I was younger, there was a lot of greenery around Singapore, but now a lot of greenery has been removed and replaced with buildings and roads.”

It isn’t just the rainforests that have been nearly completely eradicated. Most of Singapore’s natural sandy shores and coastal ecosystems have been lost thanks to land reclamation and land development. Another one of the ecosystems affected, are mangroves.

The percentage of the once plentiful mangroves of Singapore, have dropped faster than oil prices. An estimated 13% of Singapore used to be full of lush, beautiful mangroves, and that number has now been reduced to less than 0.5%.

Land reclamation has also caused damaged to the coral reefs of Singapore. In just the last three decades, Singapore has lost around an astonishing 65% of their live coral cover.

Most of the coastal ecosystems left in Singapore are now not complete ecosystems anymore, because they have been split apart and are now fragmented. You now might be wondering what effect this is having on the wildlife. Well, according to ww.wildsingapore.com, a new study shows that in the last two centuries Singapore has lost half of its animals species, and that a lot more a extremely likely to go extinct too. A study done by Singaporean and Australian researchers predicts that by the end of this century, south-east asia will have lost up to 42% of animal species. That is nearly another half!

The Banded Leaf Monkey and the Cream Coloured Giant Squirrel which are native to and found only in Singapore are an extreme example of animals being endangered, because they are at a point where there is no chance for their survival. Some people suspect that the cream coloured giant squirrel has already gone extinct, since in recent times there have been no sightings, so consider yourself very lucky if you ever see them in the wild because if they aren’t gone already, one day they will be.

The age of technology - Will Bruhn

For hundreds of years children have spent time playing with toys, going outside, and running around. These days kids still are playing with toys, just “different” toys. These new toys have access to the internet, social media, and thousands of games. Computers and phones have become the new normal toy for everyone.




The new generation of children have grown up with technology their whole life and think it is normal to use them constantly. A report done by Mary Meeker, an internet analyst, shows the daily time spent on technology per country. Indonesia, on top of the chart, spending on average 181 minutes on smartphones and 117 minutes on laptops, while the United States spends 151 minutes on phones and 103 minutes on laptops daily. That’s not even including time spent watching television. Aryan Goyanka, a student at UWCSEA in Singapore tells reporters he spend 2 hours every day on his phone. Imagine if this time has spent for studying, doing chores, or spending time with family. Overall, technology is a true time waster.




Many of the hours spent on technology is spent on social media. Social media allows you to connect to people all around the world without being face to face. Although it has upsides, it has quite a lot of negative effects on kids. According to the Houston Chronicle, Social networks create a false sense of connection, children think that talking online is the same as talking face to face. When in fact the connections you make online weaken your real relationships. Social media also decreases productivity. You are wasting time looking at other people’s life rather than living your own.




The next time you go on your phone or laptop, take a second to think of the other things you could be doing, the people you could be with, or think of this article. I’m not saying you can’t use technology, I’m just saying technology should be used responsibly and moderated. Now please excuse me, I’m going outside for a little bit to enjoy some fresh air.

Smartphones are distracting - Amrita Desmet

Picture this. An iphone-less student sits in a quiet circle with all her friends, who are separately on their iphones. After politely asking her friends to socialise, the iphone-less girls gets told: “Why don’t you just go on your own phone then?” She felt a disconnection bigger than the Roman Empire fall into her lap.





In recent years, studies have shown that smartphones have become an increasing distraction to teenagers. Although it is true, smartphones are a lingering distraction and teenagers may not notice this. Schools and social life are surrounded by smartphones and no teenager can escape the reality. 95% of students in my Grade 8 class have iphones, which is an example of how the world has changed so vigorously.





As a result, smartphones can be distracting in a great deal of ways. For example; Some seem to think multitasking is beneficial for completing work but it is quite the opposite. 34% of teens use their smartphones during mealtimes. Consequently, multitasking does not save time and in fact, it will probably take you longer to finish two tasks when you jump back and forth. A noticeable feature to multitasking is being on your smartphone. This all leads back to one main statement; smartphones are pulling us away from reality.





Indeed, teenagers of the most recent generation put their smartphones first in many situations. Common times that teens use their phones are on-the-go, at school, at home and during work. One young man had admitted to using his smartphone in the bathroom on multiple occasions. When recalling why, he said there was no urgent reason to bring his phone with him, he was ‘only’ on social media. Students and their devices have become virtually inseparable.





And even when we’re not on our smartphones, they are still distracting. New study shows that when your phone is in your pocket it is still a distraction. Imagine your phone beeps in the middle of class, wouldn’t you start to wonder what the beep was for? Thus, distracting you from what is more important. Just having your phone in eyesight while working can be disturbing towards your train of focus.





The most fascinating, intriguing part of this is that most teenagers and students are aware of their excessive phone usage but do nothing about it. In 2013 a survey was sent out to 145 respondents ranging in age and grades about smartphone usage. Despite these responses, 56 percent of them actually believed that they should use their smartphone less frequently.





“Smartphones have really encroached our lives, especially the recent generation. People cannot just cut off from the society and try to communicate online all the time. That is not the society we want, ” senior Yoon Lee said after seeing the responses. Yoon Lee had stated a very clear point. How can people cut off from their devices?


If you’re alarmed after reading this article, don’t be. It’s not an easy problem to solve. There are different ways you can cut down on smartphone usage. Such as, being more conscious of your surroundings and knowing when the right timings are to use your phone. And if you are like the iphone-less girl, you are on the right track to reducing device usage.