VOLUME 1 ISSUE 8 June 8, 2021 "PERIASTRON" ARTICLES A Goodbye to North By Olivia Neuner Feature Read More A Year Around the World in Four Fairs By Kashmiraa Pandit Art & Culture Read More Ask Ala: Pride By Ala Paruch Advice Read More COVID-19 Crisis in India By Matteo Somma Science & Technology Read More Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan By Charis Hackman Art & Culture Read More Gender and Sex: The Misunderstandings and Differences By Rachel Ezeadichie Feature Read More Goodbye DeBlasio: How the 2021 NYC Mayoral Election is Turning Out By Logan Balsan News Read More Learning about Sikh and Indian Weddings By Elaine Ching Art & Culture Read More My Past, Not Relevant By G Heiss Polaris Read More North Spring Sports Recap By John McCarthy Sports Read More Proud By Eva Grace Martinez Editorial Read More Recent ISS Crew Dragon Mission By Elyas Layachi Science & Technology Read More Soldier By Nora Chery Polaris Read More The Importance of Intrinsic Motivation By Alain Deen Editorial Read More The Season of Summer By Carolina Grace Figueroa Editorial Read More The Wonders of Poop By Cody Sung Science & Technology Read More A Scholarly Quest in Statistics By Ala Paruch and Lucy Wu Science & Technology Read More April Showers Bring May Flowers By Manal Layachi Science & Technology Read More Being a Good Ally By Joseph Evola Advice Read More Desserts to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride By Christina Ossa Feature Read More Fun vs. Responsibility By Alanna Tieschmaker Polaris Read More Girl’s Badminton Celebrates the Senior Class By Garrick Neuner and Olivia Neuner Sports Read More How To: Self-Publish By Leah Tyme Feature Read More Letter from the Editor: End of Year Report By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Letter from the Editor Read More Nayib Bukele - Democratic Leader or Autocrat? By Everton Prospere News Read More North's Captivating Courtyard: Spotlight on North's Hardworking Clubs By Ericka Leus Feature Read More Ramadan and Eid in Islam By Nidha Dar and Mairaab Jahangir Art & Culture Read More Senior Interview with Shubhdip Kundlas By Shinedip Kundlas Advice Read More The Culture Society's "Just One Africa" Event By Cody Sung Art & Culture Read More The Presenter and the Friend By Navrosedip Kundlas Polaris Read More The Truth About Vaccination By Aleeza Dhillon News Read More CONTEMPLATION LOAD MORE

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections An Athletic Humanoid Robot Named “Atlas” By Carolina Grace Figueroa Volume 2 Issue 2 November 19, 2021 Image provided by I will Always Write Back Boston Dynamics, a robotics company in Massachusetts, developed a bipedal humanoid robot, meaning with two legs, named Atlas. Atlas is 5 feet tall, weighs 190 pounds, is very athletic, demonstrates human agility, and was unveiled to the public in July 2013. Since its reveal, Atlas has learned to run, walk, leap, jump over logs, and even haul 25 pounds. Atlas uses sensors to balance on one leg, can navigate rough and uneven terrain including grass and snow, can climb independently using its arms and legs, and can turn 180 degrees while jumping. In September 2019, Atlas demonstrated the ability to perform a fluid floor routine in gymnastics, including handstands, cartwheels, tumbles, and somersaults. In December 2020, Atlas exhibited agility and balance while performing a dance routine to the song “Do You Love Me” and showed it can even do “The Twist” dance move. And most recently, in August 2021, engineers have taught Atlas to do parkour, which is the art of moving from one place to another using obstacles. Atlas was taught to do many parkour tricks including backflips, jumps on slanted platforms, and routines on balance beams and vaults. You can catch sight of Atlas in action by watching videos of the robot’s routines on YouTube. Atlas is a research platform for whole-body robotic mobility. Its advanced control system and state-of-the-art hardware make Atlas the world’s most dynamic humanoid athlete robot. Lead engineer at Boston Dynamic Scott Kuindersma and his engineering team taught Atlas how to pick itself up from a fall and how to dance to a pop song. However, Kuindersma believes that Atlas is still at a disadvantage compared to a human, claiming “if you or I were to vault over a barrier, we would take advantage of certain properties of our bodies that would not translate to the robot. For example, the robot has no spine or shoulder blades, so it doesn’t have the same range of motion that you or I do.” Amazingly, this team has created robots with human-like 3D printed body parts whose movements mimic humans with a high degree of accuracy, grace, and agility. To teach Atlas its new tricks, a set of rules, called an algorithm, was created by the team for the robot’s onboard computers to follow. The algorithms reason through complex dynamic interactions involving the whole body and environment to plan movements. The team then watched how the robot performed and tweaked the algorithm as a result. There were many failed attempts before Atlas successfully completed the parkour course for the first time. According to Wikipedia, Atlas is “custom battery-powered and hydraulically activated with 20 degrees of freedom. It has RGB cameras and depth sensors [that] provide input to its control system. All the computation required for control perception and estimation [happens] in three onboard computers.” Atlas has an advanced control system that enables highly diverse and agile locomotion; however, the team has not yet found a suitable power source to fuel this robot. In the future, robots like Atlas could one day be used for search-and-rescue missions in places where parkour moves are useful for navigating obstacles. These robots will be intended to aid emergency services in search-and-rescue operations, performing tasks such as opening doors, shutting off valves, and operating powered equipment where humans could not survive. Atlas robots are evolving every year. It is fascinating, yet frightening, to know that robots can now dance like humans, climb into and drive a utility vehicle, connect a hose to a pipe, open a door, and climb a ladder. Who knows what Atlas robots will be able to do in 2030, but I am excited to see! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Prism Back to Sections Jodi Viason - Prism By Jodi Viason November 24, 2020 Volume 1 Issue 2

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections What is Climate Change? By Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 2 Issue 7 June 13, 2022 Image provided by The NOAA Have you ever found yourself wondering why the winters are getting colder and colder? Or why there are more storms and hurricanes, and oceans seem warmer every summer? Well, all these are the effects of climate change and global warming. Climate change is the long-term change in the temperature and weather on Earth. These changes to the Earth’s temperature are caused by the burning of fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide and methane. These gases get trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that reflects off the Earth’s surface. As the heat accumulates in the atmosphere, temperatures rise. And though climate change is naturally occurring, human actions have been accelerating the rate of the phenomenon, causing irreversible damage to the environment, ecosystems, and the Earth as a whole. Over the past century, the Earth’s temperature has increased by 2°F, which may not seem like much, but it has severely impacted the environment. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass through widespread melting; Greenland has lost about 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019. The global sea level has risen about 8 inches in the past 100 years, and the rate of sea level rising in last two decades has doubled and continues to increase. If it continues at this rate, coastal cities and towns will be flooded. Furthermore, the number of elevated temperature events in the U.S. are rising, as well as the number of intense rainfalls in the U.S. These are only a few of the effects of global warming and they will continue to become more severe over time. Though climate change will still affect our lives, we can still make efforts to reduce its effects on the Earth. Switching to LED lights bulbs and energy efficient electrical appliances can help conserve energy and fossil fuels. Walking or taking a bike to commute could also conserve energy. Just taking shorter showers and not throwing away as much food could help the environment. These may seem like small actions, but if enough people contribute, they will go a long way. So, see what you can do to help and save our planet! Sources: NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming Global Warming 101 - Definition, Facts, Causes and Effects of Global Warming | NRDC Burning of fossil fuels - Understanding Global Change (berkeley.edu) ClimateChange | United Nations BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Mr. Rampersaud By Sarah Velez Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by New Scientist Jobs Mr. Rampersaud is a new teacher working here at North High School who was previously working at Central High School. This new school year, it is important for North to provide a comforting atmosphere where teachers can feel welcomed. Broad question, how are you liking North so far? Mr. Rampersaud: “I love it here, it’s a great school district to be a part of. Kids are great, staff is great, it’s a great location for me. I like how tight my science department is.” Is North a welcoming environment? Mr. Rampersaud: “North is an extremely welcoming environment, the staff I’ve ran into have all said hello to me, all asked me for my name, and introduced themselves. And the students have all been very welcoming towards me.” Is there a difference between North and Central? Mr. Rampersaud: “The layout of the hallways, and also, Central is only grades 10-12, meanwhile here is 7-12. The 7 graders are mad tiny. But other than that, the staff is just as great in both places and in my experience, the students are kind in both locations.” Have you always wanted to be a teacher? If not, what did you originally want to be? Mr. Rampersaud: “I guess I wanted to be a doctor, but senior year of college I realized that I would not be taking the MCAT nor would I want to spend another 8 years or so in school--that’s when I decided to do what I originally wanted to do, which was be a teacher, although I wanted to teach art history originally. It is the perfect career for me right now. Why didn’t you become a social studies teacher since social studies is everyone’s favorite subject? -question by Ms. Dragos. Mr. Rampersaud: “Technically art history is social studies, but the reason I didn’t get my Master’s in social studies education is because social studies isn’t as marketable as science. Do you have a good relationship with the students? Mr. Rampersaud: “I would hope so, but I believe it’s not up to me to decide that, but the other party. I can think we have a good relationship, but in reality, it’s not, you know what I mean? But I do think I do have a good relationship with my students, yes. They’re all good people.” What’s your favorite thing about teaching science? Mr. Rampersaud: “My favorite thing about teaching science—well, science is the most applicable to the real world, as in I think students would use what they learned in science more than they would social studies or math. And also, I really like teaching the double period. And, like, it’s fun. We get to demonstrate cool demos and run lab experiments” If you could meet anybody dead or alive, who would it be? Mr. Rampersaud: “It’s got to be the first human. The very first human. Let me see where we came from.” BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Chemtrails Over the Country Club: Album Review By Lucy Wu Volume 1 Issue 7 April 22, 2021 Original album by Lana del Rey On March 19, 2021, Lana del Rey released her long-anticipated seventh studio album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club. After a Californian escapade of late-night musings and love rock ballads in her previous album, Norman F*cking Rockwell, we return to an appreciation of the simple things in life through traversing the American Midwest in this album. Co-producers Jack Antonoff and Rick Nowels bring this vision to life with acoustic instruments to envelop her soft vocals, creating an atmospheric album dedicated to the nostalgic charm of folk Americana. 1. “White Dress” Through her lyrics, Lana takes us back to her roots when she worked as a waitress playing her guitar before her fame as a songwriter and artist. Her raspy vocals, contrasted by her sweet tone throughout the song, make it engaging even beyond her lyrical storytelling. If you listen to any song on this album, listen to this one because it represents the takeaway of the entire album: nostalgia for a past life. Best Lyric: When she whisper-yells “down at the men in music business conference” in the middle of the chorus, I feel that my life is complete. Rating: 9.3/10 2. “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” In our “little red sports car,” we take a trip through 1950’s suburbia and reminisce about summers spent under the “white picket chemtrails.” At this stage in her life, Lana deeply longs for the stability and normalcy of living in a Levittown, presenting this through her soft “feminine” vocals, layered harmonies, and descriptive lyricism. We experience her dreams of domesticity through “doing the laundry” and lavish in the simplicity of wearing “jewels in the swimming pool.” However, her little riffs present in her music video are missing in the actual track, leaving a little more desired sonically. Still, her dreamy performance is alluring and makes the title track one of the best on the album. Best Lyric : “My moon’s in leo my cancer is sun” references her contrasting zodiacs and her unpredictable personality. Rating: 8.2/10 3. “Tulsa Jesus Freak” And now we try to find our way back to the ranch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, through a sultry yet divine song. Unlike the rest of the tracks in the album, this is much less folk and much more pop, closer in style to her previous works. Her purposeful use of autotune in the verse adds an interesting twist to an already memorable song before she seduces us and says to “stay close to Jesus.” Did I mention the beat, lyrics, and everything about this song is just catchy? She even nails the subtle Southern accent and adds an audio snippet of her laughing, which I find endearing. This track introduces the line “no more candle in the wind,” to show that she isn’t fragile, but stable instead. Best Lyric : “White hot forever and ever and ever, amen” is a catchy yet evocative line in the chorus. The original album was supposed to be named White Hot Forever before it was changed, but this lyric in the song is still a great tribute. Rating: 8.7/10 4. “Let Me Love You Like a Woman” While some of her tracks are enhanced by the minimalism in the lyrics, this one suffers from being overly simplistic. Rather than be enchanted by her voice and pleas for us to “talk about the good ol’ days,” I was distracted by the monotony of lyrics and the underwhelming instrumental production. Still, her tone quality and control in her voice perfectly complement the soft country vibe she exudes. Knowing what she is capable of, I expected more from her quality of songwriting, which is why this track proved to be particularly lackluster compared to the others. Best Lyric : “We could get high on some pink champagne” has such an excellent visual quality to it and stands out among the rest of the lyrics. Rating: 5.3/10 5. “Wild at Heart” Leaving Calabasas, California, we escape to the Midwest to abandon the “coffee pots and Insta’ thots” in search of limitless freedom instead. The backing track is the same as How to Disappear, a beloved song from her previous album, Norman F*cking Rockwell, making this song a continuation. In conjunction with the lyrics, this contributes to her growth from the last album to this one. The unexpected tempo and style change from the verse to the chorus is ambitious but welcome as it aids to advance the song. Similarly, her layered vocals in the chorus are resoundingly confident. Best Lyric : “The cameras have flashes, they cause the car crashes” alludes to Princess Diana’s tragic death as her car crashed because of the paparazzi flashes; it explains why she wants to get away from the fame. Throughout the track, we also see Diana’s influence in the line “no more candle in the wind.” Rating: 7.8/10 6. “Dark but Just a Game” To continue the theme of rejecting stardom, we venture into a darker side of the music industry. “The faces aren’t the same, but their stories all end tragically” references the media icons throughout history, including Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston, who suffered from drug abuse and depression. While the lyrics preach of denouncing fame and glory for constancy in life, the production with heavy bass and drums doesn’t match the innocent folk aura of the album in the slightest. Quite literally the black sheep of the album, though, it provides a taste of her old alternative rock style of music and is a refreshing change of tone, making it an edgy hit. Best Lyric : Her melancholic attitude makes a welcome comeback when she sings, “nothing came for either one but pain, but ____ it” Rating: 8.5/10 7. “Not All Who Wander are Lost” We journey back to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the skies are blue, and the sun is bright. Her voice is impossibly ethereal and gentle, like the warm breeze that brushes your arm as you walk through the countryside. Paired with the acoustic guitar in the background, her harmonies in the bridge are glorious to listen to. Like the girl next door, this song is simple, sweet, charming, and understated but naturally fades into the background and is slightly forgettable. Best Lyric: Circling back to the underlying theme of religion, “you talk to God like I do” pays homage to her past and current work, understanding her relationship with God. Rating: 6.7/10 8. “Yosemite” Again, we find ourselves in California, but this time we’re Yosemite on what I picture a misty and rainy evening. Her breathless and fragile falsetto serves as the backbone for this emotional piece. But just how she sings, “isn’t it cool how nothing here changes at all,” the song itself barely changes at all. The production is the same, and the chorus is frankly too repetitive. The guitar plucking keeps the song moving, but it still drags on and on and on. And while the bridge somewhat salvages the subpar performance, it leaves the aftertaste of untapped potential for this song to be breathtaking. Best Lyric: “Honey, you made me feel I’m invincible” is gratifying to hear since the whole album reflects on not becoming the “candle in the wind” that burns out. Rating: 3.8/10 9. “Breaking Up Slowly ft. Nikki Lane” After finding the joy in freedom and stability within ourselves, we’re left with a dilemma: breaking up slowly. While the emotional persuasion is there from their vocals, it doesn’t hide the overly simplistic lyrics or instrumentals. Personally, when other artists are featured on a track, the track inadvertently is not my favorite to listen to. Still, this track strikes a nice balance between Lana and Nikki as they lament about “breaking up slowly.” Best Lyric: “George got arrested out on the lawn, we might be breaking up right after this song” is actually quite funny to visualize, although I’m not certain if its intent was to be woeful. Rating: 5.5/10 10. “Dance till we Die” Before we finish the journey through Midwest America, we make a quick detour for a bar “that stays open just for us” to go “Afro-Caribbean two-step” dancing. While I feared this song would be lackluster like some of the other slower tracks, it has an optimistic sentiment and manages to build on itself. The production is minimal throughout the verse, but the subtle saxophone in the background makes it jazzy and weird in the best way possible. Ultimately, the upbeat bridge provides a meaningful contrast to the lull to the verse and chorus. We grow nostalgic for musical idols like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, who are now Lana’s friends. Best Lyric : “Clementine’s not just a fruit, it’s my daughter’s chosen name” catches us off guard since it’s an oddly personal declaration in the middle of a song about dancing, but I find it endearing that she included it. Rating: 7.2/10 11. “For Free ft. Zella Day and Weyes Blood” To end the experience, we reflect on the entire voyage through a gentle cover of Joni Mitchell’s folk classic, For Free. The subtleties in the song are conveyed through the meaning of the lyrics, which initially seem unassuming and quite literal. However, the fact that she sings only one of the three verses, not to mention that the original song is not even her own, bothers me as this song ends the album. But perhaps, she wants us to understand her growth as a person was made possible by other artists, so she pays tribute to that idea through her inclusion of other musicians to end the album. Best Lyric : “Now me I play for fortunes, and those velvet curtain calls” perfectly encapsulates everything Lana wishes to express through the album: she makes music for money and fame. Still, she longs for the time when she played for nothing. Rating: 4.6/10 Reflections: The album can be summarized as “no more candle in the wind.” She doesn’t want to be fragile and vulnerable as she was in her previous hit album, and we can clearly hear this in her choice of lyrics. Sonically, she celebrates newfound freedom and independence with minimal acoustic instrumentals and a nostalgic folk production in this album, which is distinctly different than anything else she has produced. We dream of past lives and simpler times, and she captures the feeling of longing for rural America perfectly. While some lyrics were undoubtedly less memorable than others, and some quite profane, her voice has matured, and her confidence as an artist is even more prominent than before. With each listen, the album only continues to grow on me as I, too, find myself daydreaming about chemtrails over the country club. Final Ranking: White Dress 9.3 Tulsa Jesus Freak 8.7 Dark but Just a Game 8.5 Chemtrails over the Country Club 8.2 Wild at Heart 7.8 Dance Till We Die 7.2 Not All Who Wander Are Lost 6.7 Breaking Up Slowly ft. Nikki Lane 5.5 Let Me Love You Like A Woman 5.3 For Free ft. Zella Day and Weyes Blood 4.6 Yosemite 3.8 BACK TO TOP

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Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Sweet Treats for Cold and Cozy Nights By Christina Ossa Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Original photo by Christina Ossa During the wintertime, I’m always cold, and I'd usually find myself snuggled up by the heater under a blanket. I would watch TV and try to keep warm, but it always feels like something is missing. I feel hungry, craving sweets, but I’m either too lazy or don’t want to put in much effort to prepare something. If you happen to be like me, a lazy person who often craves sweets, take a look at the recipes below because they don’t take much effort! “Elevated” Boxed-Brownies You’re probably wondering, why not just make brownies by what the instructions say on the back? Well, even if brands like Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker have been in the boxed baking business for a very long time, boxed brownies aren’t always the best. They never compare to a brownie from scratch and sometimes leave you still craving something sweeter or more chocolatey. I’ve figured out a way to elevate any brand of brownies, however, to make them taste almost as good as a brownie from scratch; you’ll only need a couple of extra ingredients, and I promise: if you put in just a little more effort than what the box says to do, you won’t regret it. Ingredients: *Prep according to box, except for water ½ stick butter (melted) ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 tsp vanilla extract *optional* ¼ tsp coffee extract/instant coffee *optional* ½ cup chocolate chips Directions: Prep according to the box you’re using, except don’t put in the water Substitute the butter for the water Add the other listed ingredients Stir until fully combined *optional* Add chocolate chips Follow pan and baking instructions based on the box you’re using Enjoy! Hot Cocoa Bombs: While making hot cocoa bombs isn’t the easiest or most low-maintenance recipe, pre-made ones throughout a school/work week always come as a treat after a hard day! I would recommend taking some time out of your day over a weekend to make these and trust me, you won’t regret it once you use them. They make delicious hot chocolate and if you add a dash of heavy cream to your milk, it’ll taste even richer than with just the milk. Also, keep in mind this recipe accounts for each hot cocoa bomb, so when you’re filling them, add all of these ingredients in each one. Peppermint is also another amazing addition to hot cocoa that amps the already sweet flavor of the chocolate by adding a minty flavor, so if you’re a fan of peppermint like me, then you should add this ingredient! Ingredients/Tools: 6-cavity semi-sphere mold 8 oz melting chocolate (melted) 1 tbsp cocoa powder ½ tbsp sugar *optional* ¼ tsp coffee extract ½ handful of marshmallows ½ candy cane/1 full small candy cane Directions: Do the regular process of filling your mold with the melted chocolate Spoon in the chocolate until you have one layer and once that one dries take a clean paintbrush or cooking brush to brush on another layer of chocolate Put the chocolate in the freezer to solidify for 10 mins Carefully take out the chocolate molds by pushing around the sides and once the sides come loose by peeling them off gently Add the ingredients to 3 of your chocolate semi-circles Put the top halves of the semi-circles onto a warmed plate to glue your semi-circles together Once melted SLIGHTLY place the top semi-circle onto the bottom one carefully Add decorations like chocolate drizzles, sprinkles, etc. onto the top Place in a mug with warmed milk and enjoy! Mug Chocolate Lava Cake: Another low maintenance recipe to try out on a lazy, cozy day would be a mug cake. It takes only a couple of minutes for a gooey chocolate cake. Whenever I’m too lazy to bake but want something sweet, I’d usually grab a mug and make this recipe. It’s great for a quick snack or an after-dinner treat while you’re watching TV, doing homework, catching up on work, or gaming. You’ll also get a sweet surprise in the middle since it’s filled with melted chocolate just like a real lava cake. Ingredients/Tools: 1 large mug, microwave-safe 1 tbsp butter (melted) 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tbsp milk (add ½ of tbsp later if too thick) 2 tbsp flour 1 chocolate truffle/2 pieces of a chocolate bar/6 chocolate chips ¼ tsp baking powder Directions: Grab your mug and put in the melted butter Add the sugar to the butter and stir until combined with a spoon Add the cocoa powder and stir Add the milk, gradually, then continue to stir Add your flour and baking powder If your mixture is too thick, add about ½ tbsp of milk or enough to loosen the batter Place your chocolate into the middle of your mixture and make sure it stays in the middle for the “lava-cake” result Microwave the mug for 1 minute to 1 minute and 15 seconds Carefully take out the mug and enjoy! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections The Price of Wealth By Sumaiya Ramsaroop Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Original image provided by Getty Images Visualizing $1 Billion The human brain, though highly advanced, cannot fully grasp the magnitude of one billion dollars, let alone one trillion dollars. Through the lens of time, however, we can better visualize these large sums of wealth. One million seconds equals about 11.5 days. One billion seconds equals about 32 years. One trillion seconds equals about 31,710 years. Our ability to comprehend the expanse of one billion (or one trillion) dollars has never been more relevant than it is today. Today’s Billionaire Climate In the wake of COVID-19 and its ravaging effects on the country, markets have continued to grow, garnering an additional $406 billion for American billionaires between March 18 and April 29––a period when 30 million Americans filed for unemployment (McKeever). By the end of November, U.S. billionaires’ gains since the beginning of the pandemic have surpassed $1 trillion, all while debates over a second stimulus check have droned on in Congress (Collins). While 2020 marks one of the worst global economic crises, wealth trends between the top 1% and the bottom 50% have diverged against each other, with billionaires growing exponentially more wealthy, as middle and lower-class families choose between their safety and returning to the workforce, amidst a worsening pandemic. “How the Other Half Lives,” starkly contrasts with how the other 1% lives. As the wealth gap continues to widen, the U.S. houses more billionaires today than ever before. These trends beg the question––how are billionaires making their money? Billionaires ultimately acquire their heaps of wealth by two means: inheritance and/or the exploitation of the working class. On a global scale, nearly 42% of billionaires have either inherited their wealth entirely, or to a degree (Imberg & Shaban 16). The other 58% of billionaires are labeled by WealthX’s 2020 Billionaire Census as “self-made;” however, in understanding the expansive nature of a billion dollars—or tens of billions of dollars—no amount of individual effort can possibly achieve that amount of wealth. A moral implication of billionaires, particularly those “self-made,” lies in how they obtain their wealth—through the direct exploitation of the domestic and foreign working class. Exploiter & Exploited Jeff Bezos, the world’s wealthiest individual, exploits his employees by the threat of termination for taking breaks and/or going to the bathroom while working. The salary of an Amazon employee reflects a $15 minimum wage which results in a median annual worker pay of about $28,466; in contrast, Bezos makes more than $8,961,187 in just one hour alone (Hoffower). While the employees who maintain Bezos’s wealth qualify for food stamps and receive punishment for protesting the cutting of their $2 COVID-19 hazard pay, Bezos has only grown more wealthy, and by the billions. Now spearheaded by billionaire Tim Cook, the case of Apple brings another facet of worker exploitation to the table, as the first company to achieve a market value of $1 trillion relies heavily on outsourcing for its wealth. China Labor Watch, a nonprofit group working to ensure the fair treatment of Chinese laborers, shed light upon the company's rollback of safety training, withholding of bonus payments, as well as the employment of more temporary workers than permitted by Chinese labor laws (Albergotti). The nonprofit labelled this exploitation as a political and economic move on the behalf of Apple and their manufacturer, Foxconn, to absorb the cost of tariffs by maximizing their worker’s output. This isn’t the first time the Chinese industrial park, Foxconn City, has made the news. Beginning in 2010, a chain of suicides arose amongst laborers at the factory. Exploitative and torturesome working conditions in the Apple factory catalyzed the tens of suicides attempted by these laborers. Foxconn CEO, billionaire Terry Gou, responded to the deaths and continued attempts by installing “suicide nets” outside of the factory’s buildings and forcing workers to sign pledges stating they would not attempt suicide (Merchant). Gou’s immediate response lacked any reform to the exploitative nature of working conditions in his factory. A System of Billionaires “Self-made” billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs have undoubtedly revolutionized society with their ideas, but there comes a point when their wealth overwhelmingly depends on the productivity of their workers. And at this point, a billion dollars does not come from being self-made, it comes from being exploitative. This is merely the system––a system that leaves poor, undocumented immigrants, foreign workers, and minorities at a disproportionate likelihood of being exploited and overlooked by the government, and at the mercy of businesses whose harmful capitalistic efforts remain supported by national policy. So why don’t billion-dollar companies give back to those who made them a billion-dollars? Critics will say it’s not that simple. I have no interest in blatantly arguing that every billionaire lives with the cruel intention to exploit; however, I do acknowledge and remain firm in the belief that the system in which billionaires arise and operate is inherently cruel and exploitative. No individual person will ever require a wealth so magnitudinous that the human brain cannot comprehend its expanse. But every individual person deserves basic human rights and a simple sense of security. How we get there? That is for you and me to decide. Here’s to constructing a new system founded upon compassion and armored with integrity––where giving back is that simple. Albergotti, Reed. "Apple accused of worker violations in Chinese factories." The Washington Post , Sept. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/09/apple-accused-worker-violations-chinese-factories-by-labor-rights-group/. Collins, Chuck. "US Billionaire Wealth Surges Past $1 Trillion Since Beginning of Pandemic." Inequality.org , 25 Nov. 2020, inequality.org/great-divide/u-s-billionaire-wealth-surges-past-1-trillion-since-beginning-of-pandemic/. Hoffower, Hillary. "We did the math to calculate how much money Jeff Bezos makes in a year, month, week, day, hour, minute, and second." Business Insider , 9 Jan. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/what-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-makes-every-day-hour-minute-2018-10. Imberg, Maya, and Maeen Shaban. Billionaire Census 2020 . WealthX, June 2020. WealthX , www.wealthx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Wealth-X_Billionaire-Census_2020.pdf. McKeever, Vicky. "US billionaires boost collective wealth by $406 billion as markets rebound in the coronavirus pandemic, report finds." CNBC , 1 May 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/05/01/us-billionaires-boost-wealth-by-406-billion-as-markets-rebound.html#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20now%20has,American%20households%2C%20the%20report%20highlighted. Merchant, Brian. "Life and Death in Apple's Forbidden City." The Guardian , 18 June 2017, www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/18/foxconn-life-death-forbidden-city-longhua-suicide-apple-iphone-brian-merchant-one-device-extract. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Suwaira By Isabella Somma March 28, 2022 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 5