The history of presidential debates
Ron Aich and Bennie Chang
October 30, 2020
After repeated interruptions, vehement arguments and personal jabs, the first 2020 presidential debate on Sept. 29 between President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joe R. Biden was over. As the dust settled, many criticized the harsh tone of the event and questioned what purpose the debate served....
Exploring filial piety in Asian cultures
October 7, 2020
Commonly practiced in Asian families, filial piety consists of the virtues of respect, obedience and supportive care given to one’s ancestors and elder family members. It provides a basic structure for familial life and serves to build strong bonds within families. Even though this concept has been pr...
Young voters: How voices go unheard in politics
October 7, 2020
It’s not that they’re not opinionated — they are — and it’s not because they refuse to engage — they do. So why is it that young voters, an increasingly distinct coalition, suffer from disappointing turnouts election after election? From the 1960 election onward, average voter turnouts for Americ...
Testing, testing: A history of the SAT
October 7, 2020
School closures. Canceled SATs. Test-optional or test-blind college applications. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, standardized testing was ubiquitous to the high school experience — millions of students took the SAT and ACT, which were administered nearly monthly, each year. However, the pandemic hal...
COVID-19 updates: Unmasked
Mei Corricello and Crystal Qian
October 7, 2020
On Sept. 8, Santa Clara County moved from the Purple Tier to the Red Tier on California’s four-tier COVID-19 ranking system. Although counties in the Red Tier are still deemed areas with substantial COVID-19 spread, certain activities and indoor businesses are permitted to resume, as long as appropria...
Social isolation affects teen social development
Elizabeth Park and Sharlene Chen
August 24, 2020
Isolated, scared and unsure — just a few of the emotions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Humans are naturally social. With the COVID-19 crisis calling for social distancing, though, teens are getting fewer chances for face-to-face interactions with their friends. Teenagers are at a stage of ...
Zoomed in: exploring the effects of online learning
Anirudh Seshadri and Melissa Chen
August 24, 2020
In late February, 90,000 schools across 20 countries were using Zoom. In March 2020, the Zoom app saw 2.5 million downloads. Whether it’s for social gatherings, classes or work, more and more people are using Zoom to connect during quarantine. As online school begins for most local schools in August, many s...
Shelter-in-place leads to rise in domestic abuse cases
May 29, 2020
As countless Americans continue to shelter in place for extended periods of time amid the coronavirus pandemic, the restrictions aimed at keeping them safe have enabled more households to become grounds for domestic abuse. Domestic violence tends to increase whenever families spend extended amounts of...
Positivity behind the pandemic
May 27, 2020
A series of positive side effects has emerged from the menacing shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. Although people are understandably consumed by fear and uncertainty, it is important to take time to reflect on the good that has come of the situation. One such side effect observed during this cr...
Senators’ selling of stocks stirs controversy
May 25, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak has impacted billions of individuals around the globe and widened the disparity between the privileged and the disadvantaged. Before the pandemic’s effects had fully materialized in the U.S., two of the powerful decided to use their political offices to their benefits: Sena...
Astrology extends into social media
April 16, 2020
Typing “horoscope” in the Instagram search bar gives hundreds, even thousands of accounts — some with over a million followers — that are all dedicated to telling traits and predictions for every zodiac sign. These pages have become a common sight for social media users, and a well known group i...
Spilling the tea on caffeine
April 13, 2020
Whether it’s a morning fix of coffee, a relaxing pot of tea or a refreshing sports drink out on the field, caffeine provides limitless ways to spark and soothe the senses. While some experts cite evidence suggesting that regular consumption of the stimulant can lead to substantial long-term effect...
