the bird on fire

What If . . . you are so vital to history, time travelers have been doing everything they can to keep you alive?

January 29, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

In a “Writing Prompts” compilation, Ms. Zachik found the following:

Prompt: “You have narrowly avoided death dozens of times by sheer coincidence. Later, you learn it wasn’t a coincidence; you are so vital to history, time travelers have been doing everything they can to keep you alive.”

Ms. Zachik asked thebirdonfire.org bloggers to contemplate what their time-traveling life would look like. Here are their responses. The excerpts were curated by Editor Quintus Ni.

I came to this world 19 years ago~

I entered primary school when I was 7 years old..

Then I joined middle school when I was 12 years old.

The years go by so fast. When I was 14 years old, that was my first time coming to the United States as an international student..

From 2014 to 2019, my personal life was just like an adventure. I lost lots of happy time with my family; I said lots of “Good Bye’s” to lots of people. Some of them, after I said “good bye,” we never met again…like my grandfather. I missed lots of festivals…I already forgot when it was my first time celebrating the spring festival alone…. Countless nights, I was dreaming of back home, staying with my mom, and hearing her personal stories. So cozy and wonderful….

Sometimes, I regret why I chose to go abroad….I probably should stay at my lovely home, enjoy every day with my family…. If I was a time traveler, I would go back to that summer in 2014. Probably after my mom asked, “Do you want to go to the outside to study?” I would say, “ NO, Mom, I want to stay with you forever..”
If you could be a time traveler, would you want to go back in your history, or keep moving to your next chapter in your life…? —Wednesday Writing Prompt and Time Traveler, Quintus Ni

Bloggers responded:

Renée

Time is a set course. If you go back, whatever you do is what always happened. But what if you could go sideways in time, and save someone else’s world?

Anonymous

I was the only person in this town born from light, not darkness.

. . . .

I step up and shake his hand, agreeing that I will help.

“Sounds like a death wish.”

Doreen

My name is regret medicine. My task is to go through different times and space and create different possibilities.

Chelsea

I am the only person that has a superpower. My ability is to read others’ minds, but the negative side is that if I use my ability too much my brain will explode. As the only person who has a superpower, the government officials have put me on a tight watch and plan on capturing me for human experiment. But I’d rather die than be an experiment, so I used up my ability until my head exploded. I was dead for a while, until they brought me back using a time machine. I am too useful to the human cause, of course. Eventually I am sent to Area 51 where I meet all the aliens and become friends with them.

Luke

Do I even need to write anything about how VITAL I am to history? I am THE™ Luke Langlois. In the year 2525, THE™ Grand General Intergalactic Chief President Supreme Luke Langlois saves the sun people from the invaders of the U.A Inc. (UNITED ALIENS INCORPORATED). In 2327, Earth blew up. Luckily, everyone evacuated to the sun before it blew up. Yeah, we figure out how to live on the sun. No biggie. Also, I am still alive because of cybernetic enhancements. Beep boop beep. I saved humanity. Thanks to the time travelers, the U.A Inc. can’t CATCH ME!!!!!

James

An unknown virus has spread all over to each continent. Scientists claim that this virus can not penetrate into human biological systems. We are told that we are secure. But, after a few days the first wave of victims die. . . . I know the way to cure this virus.

Hypochondriacs BEWARE!

January 27, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Luke Langlois

If you live in constant fear of germs, diseases, amoeba, bacteria, viruses, or various disorders that can transform your internal organs into abstract artwork, this post may not be for you. We are extraordinarily lucky to have an immune system that can effectively ward off the literal gazillions of microscopic villains floating around the rock we call home. Furthermore, the researchers that have developed vaccines and other treatments galore have saved countless lives. But, there are some ailments that (for now) have quite simply stumped the human body. Here are a few of the diseases that have a greater than 99% case fatality rate (CFR), meaning that >99% of people diagnosed with a disease ultimately pass away during the disease.

~99% Case Fatality Rate – Balamuthia mandrillaris: First discovered in the brain of a mandrill in the San Diego Wild Animal Park (frighteningly close), the Balamuthia mandrillaris is a free-living amoeba that causes the lethal neurological condition known as granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. This infection causes necrosis (the injury and subsequent early death) in nervous system cells. While the disease can be difficult to diagnose due to its rare nature, symptoms include severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, irritability, and fever. As the disease progresses, seizures, loss of nerve function, and complete personality changes are common. Existing treatments are often experimental. The only two survivors of this disease suffer from permanent brain damage. In most instances of this disease, the victim had some sort of immunodeficiency.
~99% Case Fatality Rate – Naegleria fowleri: Typically found in natural (or poorly chlorinated) warm freshwater bodies, Naegleria fowleri is a eukaryote straight from your nightmares. Naegleria fowleri is colloquially known as the “brain-eating amoeba” because it travels up your nose and into your brain (by attaching itself to the olfactory nerve). There, it will travel through your brain as it pleases to feed on nerve tissue and rapidly reproduce. The overall condition is known as naegleriasis, or primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Given its rarity, it is a difficult disease to diagnose, but symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, confusion, hallucination, ataxia (lack of voluntary muscle control), and seizures. Out of 450 documented naegleriasis cases, only seven people have survived. In general, it is a good idea to avoid submerging your head in untreated freshwater bodies. Also, chlorinate your pool!
100% Case Fatality Rate – Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP): This disorder is not a result of a microscopic horror. Rather, FOP is an incredibly rare genetic disorder of the body’s connective tissue. A mutation in the connective tissue’s repair and creation mechanism causes a body’s fibrous tissue to ossify, or turn into bone. Minor injuries can, for example, cause joints to become permanently frozen in place as bone comes into place of muscle tissue. Victims of this disorder are ultimately frozen as the “secondary skeleton” that forms becomes progressively restrictive. There is no cure or approved treatment for FOP, but research is underway. Affected people can live to be 40 years old if properly managed. As it is a genetic disorder, FOP is not contagious, but children of an FOP patient have a 50% chance of manifesting the disorder.
100% Case Fatality Rate – Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies: Rather than being one disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are a group of 100% fatal diseases associated with prions, the most common being Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Prions are misfolded (thus ineffective) proteins in the brain that have the ability to project this shape onto other proteins in the brain, causing an exponentially growing infection. Unlike viruses or bacteria, prions are virtually indestructible. Symptoms include dementia, personality changes, hallucinations, psychosis, and myoclonus (abrupt or jerky muscle movements). Variants of prion diseases can be genetic, but the primary disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, is contagious if one were to come in contact with an infected brain. Transmission is not yet understood completely, but know that prion diseases are extraordinarily rare, and universally fatal.

In conclusion, we are fragile mortals. Appreciate your life!

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/prions/index.html

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/fibrodysplasia-ossificans-progressiva

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/balamuthia/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html

Health and Disease Editor: James Zheng

A Decade in Review

January 24, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Luke Langlois

In this era of a 24-hour news cycle, we have a constant amount of information being pushed at us from everywhere we look. Whether it’s our phones, TVs, radios, computers, etc., we are always moving on to the next big story and forgetting about what we read two days ago. As such, I thought I would compile some of the most gripping stories of the decade to remind us of what we may have forgotten over the past years. Please note that this compilation is not all-encompassing.

January 12th, 2010: The island nation of Haiti was struck by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, ravaging the nation and inspiring a global support effort.
January 2010: Steve Jobs unveils the first Apple iPad. Now, Apple devices are pretty much commonplace in the United States. In 2011, Jobs passed away from neuroendocrine cancer.

April 20th, 2010: The largest marine oil spill in history occurs as the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. On the sixth anniversary of the explosion, a movie adaptation was released, creatively named Deepwater Horizon.
June 27nd, 2010: The FBI arrested ten Russian spies who were caught living undercover in the United States.
October 13th, 2010: Thirty-three miners are rescued after spending nearly seventy days trapped in a Chilean copper mine. In 2015, a movie adaptation of this event was released named The 33.
February 11th, 2011: The Egyptian President who had held the position for three decades, Hosni Mubarak resigned due to increasing pressure from revolutionaries.
March 2011: The Syrian Civil War erupted after a group of military defectors formed the Free Syrian Army to combat President Bashar al-Assad.
March 11th, 2011: An earthquake in Japan caused a massive tsunami, damaging generators at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This plant went into nuclear meltdown, prompting the evacuation of about 50,000 residents.
May 1st, 2011: President Barack Obama addresses the nation to announce a successful Navy SEAL raid on a compound in Pakistan, the location of Osama Bin Laden.

Image result for obama announces bin laden

October 20th, 2011: Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan leader of forty-two years, is captured and killed by revolutionaries.
September 11th, 2012: Four United States citizens are killed, including U.S Ambassador Christopher Stevens, after a mob storms the U.S facility in Benghazi, Libya.
October 22nd, 2012: Lance Armstrong is accused of conducting an elaborate doping scheme, prompting his immediate ban from cycling competitions for life.
November 6th, 2012: Speaking of “doping,” Colorado and Washington become the first states who vote to legalize recreational marijuana.
February 28th, 2013: Eccentric millionaire and former NBA star Dennis Rodman travels to North Korea to meet Kim Jong Un, who assumed office in 2011, becoming the first American to do so.

Image result for dennis rodman and kim jong un

March 13th, 2013: Jorge Mario Bergoglio becomes the first South American to lead the Roman Catholic Church as Pope. He assumes the name Pope Francis.
April 15th, 2013: Modified pressure cookers explode at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, injuring more than 250 people and killing three.
June 6th, 2013: Government contractor Edward Snowden leaks highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA). Snowden fled the country and was given political asylum in Russia.
December 5th, 2013: Apartheid-shattering Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, dies at the age of 95.
March 2014: Russia invades Ukraine and annexes Crimea following the removal of pro-Russian president, Victor Yanukovych, by revolutionaries.
March 8th, 2014: Airline Flight 370 of Malaysia mysteriously disappears on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 crew members and passengers on board.
March 23rd, 2014: The World Health Organization (WHO) announces that Ebola has had its largest outbreak in history in the nation of Guinea.
April 2014: The city of Flint shifts to the Flint River as its primary source of water in an effort to save money, leading to the Flint water crisis.
August 11th, 2014: Globally-renowned comic actor Robin Williams was found dead at his home in California at the age of 63.
November 24th, 2014: Sony Pictures Entertainment is hacked by North Korea and has embarrassing company information breached. According to Sony, the hackers intended to push Sony into canceling their movie The Interview in which North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, is assassinated.
May 2015: An outbreak of the Zika virus spreads in Brazil, eventually moving up into Central America and the Caribbean. The virus was infamous for causing the microcephaly birth defect.
June 6th, 2015: Joyce Mitchell of the Clinton Correctional Facility helps two convicted murderers escape from prison. Both inmates were found shortly thereafter, with one dying in a police shootout.
June 16th, 2015: Donald J. Trump, New York City real estate mogul and reality star, announces his plan to run for President of the United States with a speech at Trump Tower.
June 26th, 2015: The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that gay marriage is legal, legalizing same-sex union nationwide.

July 20th, 2015: The United States and Cuba restore diplomatic ties decades after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution with a new embassy in Havana.
December 15th, 2015: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney’s first film from their newly purchased franchise releases and earns more than two billion dollars at the box office.
April 21st, 2016: Music legend, Prince, is found dead in an elevator of his Minnesota estate due to an overdose in the fentanyl opioid.
June 24th, 2016: The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union (E.U.).
August 5th-22nd, 2016: After controversies over facility quality and possible sanitation issues, the 2016 Summer Olympics are held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

August 26th, 2016: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sits on the bench during the national anthem.
November 3rd, 2016: The Chicago Cubs break the “Billy Goat Curse” and win their first World Series in 108 years.
November 8th, 2016: Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton in a landmark presidential upset.
January 20th, 2017: Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States

Image result for trump inauguration as president

January 21st, 2017: Hundreds upon thousands of people in Washington D.C and cities around the world take part in the Women’s March to protest President Trump’s election.
July-October 2017: The “#MeToo” movement gains traction as allegations of sexual misconduct emerge against prominent figures in Hollywood.
October 1st, 2017: Fifty-eight people were killed and over 850 injured after a gunman opens fire on a Las Vegas music festival from the Mandalay Bay casino.
October 12th, 2017: President Trump announces that the Pakistani military rescued Canadian-American couple Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman, as well as their children, from the Haqqani network (an Afghan insurgent group), about five years after their capture.
November 15th, 2017: The San Juan, an Argentine navy submarine, sinks to the bottom of the ocean with forty-four crew members due to an explosion inside the vessel.
January 14th, 2018: A teenage girl escapes from her Southern California home, revealing the abuse of her parents to her and her twelve siblings. Both parents were sentenced to life in prison.
February 9th-25th, 2018: The Winter Olympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in which North and South Korea march under a united flag and compete as one nation.
March 24th, 2018: Hundreds of thousands of Americans take part in the “March For Our Lives” in Washington D.C. as a response to the Parkland, Florida, shooting.
April 13th, 2018: As the Syrian Civil War rages on, the United States, Britain, and France conduct airstrikes against Syria in response to President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against citizens.
June 24th, 2018: Saudia Arabia lifts a law that prohibits women from driving.
July 10th, 2018, Twelve Thai soccer players and their coach are rescued from a flooded cavern after two weeks of being trapped.
September 27th, 2018: More than 20 million people tune in to watch the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
October 2nd, 2018: Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, is murdered inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.
March 2019: The Boeing 737 Max aircrafts are banned from airspaces around the world after two crashes in 5 months kill 346 people.
March 12th, 2019: Federal prosecutors in Boston charge at least fifty people in “Operation Varsity Blues,” accusing many wealthy parents of using bribes to get their children into college.

Image result for operation varsity blues

July 7th, 2019: The women’s national soccer team of the United States wins the World Cup for the fourth time in a row.
August 10th, 2019: Jeffrey Epstein, sex-offender, is found dead in his Manhattan jail cell where he was awaiting trial over his sex-trafficking charges.
October 31st, 2019: The House formalizes its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s communications with Ukraine.
December 18th, 2019: In a partisan 229-198 vote, President Donald Trump becomes the third president in United States history to be impeached.

End-of-Year Editor: Katelin Mei

~New HeartBeats

January 23, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Quintus

When Editor Katelin said, “Write about New Beginnings,” Quintus went right away to new beginnings of the heart . . . .

Maybe you’ve seen too many tragedies

And had too many grievances

You feared the past and are unwilling to look back

But life is real when it’s full of twists and turns

People get persistent after experiencing pains

And the story hasn’t come to an end

Let’s forget how sad the past was

Open the wounded wings

Put on the fallen crown for yourself

No matter how crazy the world is

We are phoenixes rising in fire

We have new heartbeats after burning

Love becomes vigorous after the hurt

And real after sacrifice

And time hasn’t stopped

Mourn with a smile; death is a precursor to resurrection

Listen to the call of the future; bury the pain and sorrow

Old things don’t matter anymore; everything has come to

A forever full stop

We rose from the dead

We lost and recovered

Old things have passed and all become new

New heartbeats

New Beginning Editor: Katelin

My Tom & Jerry

January 22, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Quintus’s contribution to Editor Chelsea’s directive–”Write about animation!–involves a look back at a favorite cartoon, Tom & Jerry.

By Quintus Ni

I guess most of us have watched Tom and Jerry, which is a great cartoon. Today I’m going to write a story about a cat and a mouse. I know that life is all about running and chasing; we are all ceaselessly chasing somebody and running from somebody, always searching for an opportunity.

I think you won’t be happy if I compare you to a mouse, so I’ll be the mouse and you’ll be the cat. I’m a mouse who likes to make people laugh. I enjoyed hanging out at night and talking to random strangers. But not so much now, I don’t have the passion like I used to; maybe it’s because I’ve entered a different mental state. But the meeting of you and I would never happen if the story is about now, nor would there be the tale about how a cat is played by a mouse.

I met you – a naughty kitty – one morning when I didn’t have to go to work but stayed in my house. I wandered on the internet since I had nothing to do; that’s how I met you. It seemed like you were coming back from a friend’s house and had squeezed in some time in the running car to have this little chat with me. I remembered this because it was the first time I knew that people can chat online while driving. Back then you were such a curious cat you liked to look around you, while I was just a mouse being scared that I might get eaten by you. I was afraid that you might quit this chat with me, but then you appeared to be talkative and you raised many fantastic and bizarre topics. They say that when a mouse meets a cat, there is no escape…is there?

Life could be dramatic sometimes. The cat and the mouse were slowly getting to know each other better; they spent time chatting when they were not busy. Actually the cat was quite cute and the mouse kinda enjoyed teasing her. He went to her whenever he got the time; he liked to listen to her talking about the little things in life. Sometimes the mouse called the cat “big sis,” and she responded with a smile. However, the mouse was the only one who knew that he was the older one between them, but he simply didn’t want her to know, because to him, watching his cat care about him thoughtfully and always forgive him for his childish tricks like a big sister was such a joyful thing. Anyway, the days went by in laughter. But then one day, the cat found out about the truth – the mouse was lying all the time. She became furious, but the mouse didn’t realize how serious things were, and he just laughed, carelessly. Finally, the mouse was kicked out for what he had done.

But, cat, do you know that in the heart of the mouse, it does not make any difference how you were called, all he ever cared about was the time you two spent together with love and joy, and happiness. Time goes faster when you’re happy. Now years have gone by; cat, on the other side of the internet, how I wish you remembered our days. My wish for you is that you could be happy. It doesn’t matter if we are to meet again; I just want you to live a happy and healthy life. The path you’re on may be difficult, but I believe that happiness is waiting for you.

My biggest wish now is for you to be happy…

I love the music in your zone

Love the way it makes me feel

Love the romance between the tunes

Love to come by when I’m alone

To visit you and to close my eyes and feel the mood

Time runs so fast

And for you, here I am again

Composing this letter just to make a memorial of the days of us~

Animation Editor: Chelsea

Which Mythological Beast Are You?

January 22, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Chelsea curates our Wednesday Writing Prompt that asked: “Which mythological beast are you?” Below is the prompt and blog staff responses.

Prompt: Two hundred years ago an eccentric sorcerer turned all mythical creatures into humans to try and prevent them from being hunted to extinction. Now that the spell is starting to wear off, the descendants of the original beasts are slowly beginning to morph back into their true forms. What happens as you morph back?

Our fellow responders:

Katelin

I lie in bed. I cannot sleep. My head hurts as well, but this time it seems to be a similar pain to the one my friend described to me. However, it seems to be a different kind of pain; it is not the coolness my friend has described, but it burns. I get up in the night, and look at my mirror. Everything seems fine, so I turn around to go back to sleep. When I turn around, I see it in the mirror, angry red lines on my back. I run my hand across them; they sting and burn underneath my touch. I lie back down, but the discomfort in my back is too much. I don’t sleep the rest of the night. In the morning, I get up and go to school. The pain is too much for that, so I leave after the first class. My mother has taken me to the doctor, and now there are reporters asking me questions……

Quintus

Once upon a time, I saw birds speaking lots of languages with different people from different countries. They were charming and elegant, and dressed in luxurious clothes with diamonds. The peacock was the queen of the thousand variety of birds. She was elegant and fancy. Every year, the whole world experienced Celebrating Peaceful Day, which is working for the relationship between the birds and humans…..

Chelsea

First, I realize there are mythical forces surrounding everybody. Of course, I’m not the only one noticing this; some students start to question what’s going on while the others are just playing along. Secondly, around noon the day darkens, but there are no clouds covering the sun. Many students panic as their mythical forces become stronger while the others are shouting, “THIS IS SO COOL!” (I would totally do that). Things are just going to get more interesting, and who knows what magical secrets we might discover; guess we’ll just wait and see as the day goes by…..

Editor: Chelsea Xu

How Colors Represent Emotions

January 22, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Chelsea, who’s feeling “blue” today–her favorite color (along with black)

Hey guys, I’m back with the newest post. Editor Luke’s theme is “introspection,” so the topic that I’m going to discuss is how colors represent our emotions inside or the emotions you are trying to express. But, please, keep in mind that not everything is accurate since this post is based on the public’s opinion.

Black: Black usually represents the darkness inside of you. It can represent the bad or evil side of a person. It can also represent death.

White: White is usually the color of heaven or angels, so it represents your innocence, purity, or goodness. But in some cultures, white can also represent death.

Pink: Pink is the color of love. It’s the color that you usually use on Valentine’s Day. Thus, it represents the romantic feelings toward a certain person. It also represents anything sweet, playful, or feminine.

Red: Red is the color that usually represents fire. It shows determination, strength, power, and can sometimes be used for love (the red string that connects soulmates).

Purple: Purple was the color used for royalty and nobility back in the days. It can also represent your own feelings of pride, mystery, peace, and dignity.

Blue: Blue is the color of the sea. It usually represents the trust, loyalty, wisdom, or intelligence of a person. It’s also the color of calm and cool.

Green: Green is the color that usually represents life, nature, and energy. In a person, on the other hand, green can represent one’s ambition, greed, or jealousy.

Yellow: Yellow usually represents the energy, happiness, optimism, enlightenment, honor, or joy in a person.

Orange: Orange is the color that represents enthusiasm, fascination, and encouragement. It symbolizes strength and endurance in a person.

Introspection Editor: Luke Langlois

Sources Referenced:

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Light Boom and Superluminality, from Impossible to Plausible

January 17, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

When Editor Renée told us to write about “light,” James went superluminous.

By James Zheng

Light has a really miraculous existence within the realm of physics. We understand light’s form to be more a ray than a physical entity, and, generally, we describe it as both particles and waves due to its property of spreading easily and still bouncing off of objects. Scientists have discovered plenty of other marvelous phenomena about the nature of light. The phenomenon I like the most is the light boom.

What is a light boom? We’ll get there. First, I want to introduce you to the idea of a similar phenomenon called a sonic boom. A sonic boom occurs when the speed of an object exceeds the speed of sound. There will be strong air resistance, which causes strong oscillation and speed decay. When breaking through the sound barrier, the compression of the air caused by the speeding object doesn’t allow the air to spread easily. The air gradually accumulates in the windward area of the object and finally forms a shock wave, on which the kinetic energy is highly concentrated. These energies are transmitted to people’s ears in the form of a strong explosion, and this is what is typically called a sonic boom. Simply put into layman’s terms, a sonic boom is just a situation in which the speed of the object goes beyond the speed of sound.

The light boom, similarly, is the effect of particles’ speed exceeding the speed of light. When the speed of moving charged particles exceeds the speed of light, a special phenomenon of light emission occurs.

However, the conditions to create a light boom are extremely difficult and cannot be achieved in a vacuum. When the phase velocity (Electromagnetic wave’s propulsion speed on a single-phase point), and group velocity (Electromagnetic wave’s propulsion speed on any phase points through spaces) of light in the medium decreases, it is possible for the moving charged particles to surpass the phase velocity of light. This phenomenon, generally, would only appear in the cooling water of nuclear reactors and would produce a very subtle blue light that can be seen with the naked eye. That blue light is a light boom.

Light booms were originally called Cherenkov Radiation. This radiation was discovered in 1934 by former Soviet Union physicist Pavel Alexeyevich Cherenkov; it was named after him.

Why is there such a huge difference between a sonic boom and the concept of a light boom? Since I found out the preexisting factors to trigger the sonic boom are way simpler than the light boom. If let’s say that a sonic boom is a phenomenon resulting from a speed faster than the speed of sound, then the light boom should have the same principle. But, when I discovered that there is no way of proving there could be a speed faster than the speed of light, my mind went to . . . superluminality–a speed that’s faster than light.

So, I went on researching any circumstances that could give proof to a superluminality, and all I found is the expansion of universes and black holes as the standard example of superluminality. All of those can only be seen in space; the technology we have so far cannot generate an artificial speed that goes faster than light.

Although there is not a “pure” or authentic man-made example of a light boom, we have discovered the expansion of universes and the existence of black holes to confirm the hypothesis of superluminality to at least recognize the existence of it. Once we have the ability to create superluminality by ourselves, we will witness the true light boom.

Light Editor: Renée Vazquez

Source Referenced:

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%8B%AD%E4%B9%89%E7%9B%B8%E5%AF%B9%E8%AE%BA/473499?fr=aladdin#reference-[2]-24944-wrap

The Lantern Festival: Let There Be Light

January 16, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By James Zheng

The Lantern Festival is on February 8th. By just seeing the name, you might understand it as a day focusing on “Lanterns.” But that is only how the foreign countries view this festival; it is not only about lanterns.

During the Han Dynasty, when the culture of Buddhism was spreading over the eastern part of the nation, the emperor formally established a day for people to light up lanterns in the city as a way to express their faith to the Buddha. This convention has been kept for centuries. When it underwent adaptation in several dynasty changes, peoples’ customs and habits tended to alter the tradition.

Here are some interesting entertainments you could do during the Lantern Festival:

Admiring Lanterns. Just like the name, viewing lanterns is the most exciting part of the day! By just walking on the streets, you could see the lanterns hanging on the side of each roof. Each lantern is designed in a different style. The shapes change, and people “carve” on the lantern surfaces animals or flowers. When you walk on the street, you see scenes brilliantly illuminated with splendid lights and feel the authentic atmosphere of being in the Lantern Festival.
Solving Lantern Puzzles. For some special lanterns, there will be a paper or a wooden token hanging by the lantern; these are called the Lantern Puzzles. To make people not only enjoy viewing the lantern physically, the puzzles are the parts that are more interesting and inspiring. Usually the puzzle will give you an abstract description of something and let you guess a Chinese idiom, word, slang, or proverb.
Eating the round glutinous dumpling. This is my favorite part of the whole lantern festival. The dumpling actually looks like a rice ball, and it is stuffed with different flavors inside. The classic style is the flavor with sugar mixed red bean paste, or the sugar mixed with sesame. Now people prefer the sweeter taste more, and they have invented fruit flavors for it. This dessert which we call “Tang Yuan” in Chinese has a symbol. We see the “Tang Yuan” as a thing that bonds itself tightly together, which also is a sign of reunion for us.

汤圆

Just like the Chinese New Year known by the majority of foreigners, the Lantern Festival’s cultural connotation and value are far superior to other festivals; the essence of it is more like a carnival that everyone could participate in while enjoying the extraordinary significance of our history.

Seasonal Holidays Editor: Katelin Slosky

Positivity

January 15, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Editor Luke assigned the Blog Staffers the topic “Introspection”–to write on anything introspective. Katelin takes stock as one year rolls into the next. As she ages, as she matures, she considers how she wants to live her life.

By Katelin Mei

One of my New Year Resolutions is to become more positive. I will try to make the most out of what I have and try to enjoy life. I feel that I have been quite negative in the past years. I always thought that things were getting worse and worse and that I would not be able to go back to feeling happiness like I did before when I was younger. The years seemed to go by quicker, and holidays meant less and less to me. This year has felt like it has gone by slower than my entire time in middle school, simply because I try to make the most out of everything that comes my way. I try to enjoy life now, and instead of letting each day drift by, I try to enjoy each and every day.

Introspection Editor: Luke Langlois