ZENITHQUARANTINE EDITION

ZENITH i 2 From the editors 4 A word from the presidents 22 Hebrouve - Joohee Lee

8 No one can clinch the presidency just 28 Stories from a - Tobias Poffley yet. Here’s why. - Mehar Singh 10 Politics: The good, the bad, and Trends during Covid - Jennifer Abraham the scandalous - Sarang Rim 30

34 Top 5 underrated artists - Santoshi Battula 14 How did Methuselah live for 969 years? - Caleb Lee 36 Agartha - Ashika Herald

Covid in - Abby Tsao 18 38 Question time with Tobs

20 Interview with Mr Twigger - Joshua Laemmle ZENITH42 Titan - Isaac Allan iii Obama is a muslim. Pluto doesn’t exist. English is a dead Plan of Action language. This year, we have built an editorial team consisting of If an idea or a discussion lacks information, relevance, Heads for different sections, to ease organizational mat- and truth, is it valid? Is it fully developed? When we, as ters, and to create a space for you, the student body, teach- the Zenith committee, applied for the Zenith editorial po- ers, and alumni, to participate and submit pieces to these sition, all of us shared a common vision: to develop the delegated heads: views and voices of our community. We hope that the Ze- nith magazine will mirror the views of the students while POLITICS - SaRang Rim also being a source of insight and learning. In doing so, DEBATE - Daniel Harri & Jeongin Choi we believe that the Hebron body will grow into an under- INTERVIEW- Bethany Ronalds ART - Joohee Lee standing and informed community. SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES- Jeongin Choi HISTORY/CULTURE - Tobias Poffley Obama was the best president ever. Pluto should not be ENTERTAINMENT - Santoshi Batula considered a planet. English is not a sustainable language. SPORTS - Pranav Bellan Once fully informed, we should use our awareness to de- STORIES - Isaac Allan velop valid opinions: opinions that are not based solely ADVICE COLUMN - Tobias Poffley on emotion but also on rational thinking. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be any different from a robot mindlessly storing Hebron has always prided itself on its accomplished information. Opinions are what make humans… humans! Zenith writers. William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, In fact, we encourage you to be a human. Be it pointless and Leonardo da Vinci can only dream of writing for arguments over hotdogs being a sandwich or not, or out- this prestigious publication. Alas! We can only accept cries at the world’s injustices, your voice matters. We hope the best writers: writers who are audacious, brazen, that through the Zenith, the Hebron community will be and most importantly, respectful. able to express their thoughts and opinions coherently. So if you are a thinker, a storyteller, or an artist, reach Obama destroyed America. Pluto should be considered out to us. Contact us, the editors, or the section heads a planet. English should be the language of communica- through social media. tion everywhere. Please please please please please write for the Zenith. Humans are snowflakes: no two people alike, no two [If you feel the urge to]. minds alike. You don’t have to agree with all the opinions But we would appreciate it.  you hear, but you do have to respect them. That said, the best way to reconcile, engage, and understand opposing We hope to give your voices a platform! perspectives is to expand our one dimensional opinions. We hope that Zenith will help you take into account mul- Regards, tiple positions before coming to a resolution. Knowledge is power, and when paired with understanding and re- spect, it breeds well-informed responses that are not just decorative but necessary in our world today. So all you, snowflakes, we encourage you to approach the diverse expressions in Zenith with an open mind and respectful manner. ZENITH 3

Aryan PintoDoRosario&Joy Lee Your presidents, Thank you, endure together! thistimeofuncertainty Please take care ofyourself andyour loved ones.Wecan in ourteamfor any suggestions orfeedback! dates through thismedium.Feel usoranyone free tocontact through socialmedia:we hopethat we canbringregular up- We are alsomakingefforts withallofyou toconnect that thisbringsasenseofnormality inavery abnormal time. ‘class of2021’era withthisonlineZenith edition.Wehope team, we have underthe decidedtolaunchourfirstproject Aftermanycircumstances. discussionswith staff andtheSC our firstSC event. However, we have adjustedtothecurrent ty together. Ifwe were we inschool, would have completed Our role astheSCistotryandbringHebron communi- ness, demotivation, anddiscouragement. oneanother toovercometimes, we feelings support ofloneli- have secondnature. become Itisessentialthat through these to moldapopulation ofHebronites where 3minuteshowers Multiple nations have jumpedintotheHebron melting pot our secondfamily. TheHebron community isauniqueone. Many, ifnotall,ofuswilllongfor socialinteraction with amomentousyear. hasbeen 2020 truly table Kerala fish. students ofMr. Dominic’srenowned cheesetoastsandrepu - while, Hebron classeshave moved been online,depriving riots have addedtothetumultuousstate ofaffairs. Allthe a few- passedaway. Devastated economiesanddestructive heroes- Kobe Bryant, Boseman,andRBGtoname Chadwick ravaged thegeography ofCalifornia andAustralia asreal life wide callsfor racial caughtthelimelight.Wildfires equality the Coronavirus lives, crept world intoourunsuspecting - etchedontothestonetablets2020 may be ofhistory. While Hebronites, fellow Dear Wooin Song Selborne Rep Caleb Lee Zenith Isaac Allan Zenith Serene Varghese Zenith Minjae Lee (Enock) Lounge Matthew Devaraj Lounge

Samuel Shanthosh Canteen Neena Swaminathan Canteen Joy Lee President Eunha Kim Canteen Abhishek Paul Treasurer

Dhakshayene Tamilvanan Treasurer Abraham Lee Events Aryan Pinto Do Rosario President Joohee Lee Events Arathi Mukkudakattil Fundraiser

Zenith Designer, Santoshi Battula Fundraiser William Pandian Fundraiser Mikhail Ram Media Chayut Naowaphongrat Secretary Ashika Herald Secretary

Student Council Class of 2021 OPINION!

Biden during her run for president during the for. Consequently, political commentators have 2020 race before dropping out in December experienced a bump in their following and have 2019- even calling Biden a racist at one point. the power to massively influence the American But as soon as she was announced as his run- election. ning mate, she belittled her derogatory com- Right-wing media like Fox news constantly ments. Her public image may have taken a hit praise Trump while leftist media such as the No one can clinch by this, but I’m not sure how far this will push Washington Post are almost always critical of “no opinions” voters to vote for Trump. Trump’s the president. Popular American news channels victory in 2016 was dependent on the ‘no opin- and commentators end up on the cliffs of the “ ion’ voters, but considering that Trump won’t political wings and usually promote propaganda the presidency just have Cambridge Analytica (https://www.you- rather than news. Personally, I disapprove of tube.com/watch?v=mrnXv-g4yKU) aiding him this system. News channels shouldn’t promote this year as it did in the 2016 elections, I highly their political agenda. Yet they do because public doubt that the Trump administration can influ- broadcasters in America receive funding from ence ‘no opinion’ voters in this election. influential individuals with their agendas. Most yet. Here’s why. news outlets inevitably advertise a biased view, The current economic situation, worsened by the glorifying whoever the funder wants them to pandemic, can also cause a change in votes. One glorify. of Biden’s most attractive policies to the majority As a result, the USA becomes increasingly For the past few months, the spotlight has voters, the changes in the economy, and the of the population is that he will not raise taxes polarized as voters are pushed into a particular remained on the 2020 American elections. media’s influence over voters. for those earning less than 400,000 USD a year- mindset. Usually, by this time in the race, political analysts 70 percent of Americans earn less than 50,000 a come up with a precise prediction of who is most The voter turnout in America is exceptionally year. This policy is appealing to both democrats From the Coronavirus and the BLM protests, likely to win the presidential race. However, this low. While the country has approximately 245.5 and republicans ravaged by the Coronavirus and 2020 has already proven to be momentous. This election, many analysts have released vague million eligible voters, in the 2016 election, only may be the key to flip republican voters to Biden. year’s presidential election will be equally sig- statements that indicate Biden’s victory but with 56 percent of them cast a vote: Asian and Latin During a pre-covid economy, Trump has added nificant. No one can be certain of who is going no certainty. American voter turnouts were especially low. approximately 6.7 million jobs during his presi- to the presidency, but whoever it is, we can be Amidst the novel corona, four factors will This is a problem for the democrats because dency; the African American and the Hispanic sure that the candidates won’t win with rhetoric influence the presidential elections and pos- their policies and beliefs favor such commu- American unemployment rate hit a record low alone. sibly overturn Biden’s predicted victory: the nities. According to the Gallup Poll conducted 5.5% and 3.9% respectively in September 2019 American voter turnout, between August 31st and September 13th, Trump according to the US Labor Department which the appeal was viewed favorably by 41% of adults, while started collecting these statistics in the 1970s. to ‘no Biden only led Trump by 5 percent as he was Many Americans enjoyed life under the opin- “viewed favorably by 46% of U.S. adults.” When Trump economy because it added a ion’ the polls are this close, Biden must secure the sense of purpose and motivation. votes of these minority communities to accede However, considering the record the presidency. high unemployment rates due to the pandemic, Biden’s plan may gain While Trump had a 41% favorability rate, he traction. also had a 57% unfavorability rating according to the Gallop Poll. The remaining 2% were “no Finally, given the importance of the opinion” votes. Biden included an unfavora- 2020 elections, people have become bility rating of 50% and 4% of “no opinion” increasingly engaged in the political votes. Recent events prove that ‘no opinion’ arena. Indeed, the consequences voters have a major impact on the final of this election are grave; are result. Biden decided to announce Kamala Americans ready to face another Harris, who was criticized for her inac- four years of an erratic Trump? Is tion in dealing with police brutality during Biden (77) a viable replacement given her tenure as district attorney, as his run- his old age? People have turned their ning mate amid a national crackdown on the attention to political commentators police: this could cost Biden young voters who and news channels to get an under- are increasingly vocal regarding police brutal- standing of whom they should vote ity. Kamala Harris has also fervently challenged ZENITH 9 Here’s the thing about politics: such reckless behavior from the acclaimed politi- cians, but as expected, not long after, he resigned You either hate it or love it. People tend to be from his cabinet position and joined Alcoholics either violently passionate-or dispassionate, or Anonymous, and stayed clear off the spotlight just nonchalant and could not care less. And if until his death in 1992. you are anything like me, politics did not even make a cameo on my ‘conversation topic’ list until maybe a year ago. Iran-Contra Affair Political scandals have been around as long as When the charismatic movie star Ronald Reagan politics itself. Greed and delusions of grandeur ran for president back in the 1970s, it was not sur- always go hand-in-hand with power, money and prising he won the support of nearly 60% of the status, so it is not surprising that more often than American population. However, his promise to the not, we see headlines that make the supporters American nation during his campaign, known as seethe, the comedians caricature and the politi- the ‘Reagan Doctrine’, would soon prove to be his cians blush. Many of them are purely personal, downfall. He promised to support anti-communist such as extramarital affairs, while others result in insurgencies globally, and if not for the political unwarranted deaths and absurd abuse of power. climate in the 1980s, maybe his years in office Looking at such states of affairs, it is hard to dis- could have been not only peaceful, but thriv- tinguish between real-life and soap operas. So ing. In Nicaragua, anti-communist Contras were here are five epitomes to help you get started. battling the communist government Sadinista. Reagan, staying true to his word, supported the cause of the Contras. The only problem? Most of the Contras’ funding was from the cocaine trade, The Wilbur Mills Scandal and Reagan would be determined to find a way to In 1974, congressman Wilbur Mills was justifiably help these drug dealers regardless of the cost-po- the most powerful politician in the . litical or not. His achievements in aiding the poor with gov- Further East, Iran and Iraq were engaged in a ernment-initiated programs to pay medical and bloody conflict, resulting in an Iranian-backed prescription drug bills (no mere feat) made him terrorist group to hold seven Americans hostage. a likely candidate for the next president of the Reagan, with good intentions, I’m sure, ordered United States, or possibly the next Justice of the to find a way to bring the hostages back. When Supreme Court. However, his glamorous 18-year Iran approached the United States about pur- career came crashing down one October evening, chasing weapons against their neighbor Iraq, blotting his name out completely from the Hall of Reagan, despite his promise to never trade with Fame of politicians. terrorists, secretly sold 1500 American missiles It all started when his swerving car was pulled for $30 million. Only later, when the investigation over by the police and they found not one, not was conducted, it was found that $18 million of two, but three drunk politicians with an exotic the $30 million were missing. Lieutenant Colonel Argentinian dancer, Fanne Foxe. Mills later Oliver North admitted to have claimed that the swerving, speeding vehicle was directed the money to fund because his friend,”was unfamiliar with my car the Contras in Nicaragua, and among other things in the glare of the lighted with the president’s streets, neglected to turn on the headlamps.” This permission. Reagan was supposedly an acceptable reason, and no was never charged and presses were charged. despite his missteps, he The public now grasped at any and every excuse exited the White House to explain for the unusual behavior of the fastid- as a popular president, ious congressman and the presence of the exotic claiming his,”instincts for dancer, who was claimed only to be a friend. But the country’s good were only a month later, Mills made a public appear- right”. ance at one of Foxe’s performances, drunk and even proceeded to kiss her on stage while his wife stood watching. It is still unclear what had sparked

ZENITH FBI’s investigation of the matter. This was by far a more serious crime than the break-in —this was an abuse of power and a calculated obstruction of justice. But conspirators under the pressure of the cov- er-up testified before the grand jury the crimes of the president, and finally in August of 1974, president Nixon gave up all the tapes he had of the recordings in Watergate, and became the first president of the United States to resign from office. Moshe Katsav Rape Scandal Although this scandal had minimalistic political consequences, I do believe that rash behavior of authoritative figures, however personal, will inev- itably lead to political unrest in a country. Much The Chen Shui-bian The Watergate Scandal like Chen Shui-bian, Moshe Katsav was a self- This is by far the most well-known political scandal built man, rising from the poorest of refugee tent in history. By the time president Nixon (Republican) camps in the outskirts of Israel to a position of Scandals was preparing for his re-election in 1972, the United immense political influence. He represented the Chen Shui-Bian, former president of Taiwan from States were thoroughly encompassed in the Middle-Eastern Jews and the hardships they faced 2000-2008, was to say the least, wildly popular. His war, dividing the country and leaving scars evident against the discriminations from the European anti-Beijing views together with his zeal to earn even today. Nixon’s advisors thought it best to have elites. as he himself was an Iranian Jew. Holding independence for Taiwan from mainland China, an aggressive approach towards the re-election multiple cabinet posts in the Conservative Likud gained him massive support. Rising from poverty with forceful campaigns- in other words, an ille- Party from the 1980s, Katsav proved himself to be to power, his political presence appealed to people gal espionage. Advocates of the Nixon’s Committee reliable and in his early days of the presidency. His globally. In 2006, charges were pressed against his to Re-elect the President (CREEP) broke into the notable zeal for the administration of justice was son-in-law for insider trading. That same year, it Democratic National Committee’s Watergate head- evident when he rejected many pleas to pardon was proven (yes, proven) that his wife, Wu Shu- quarters, stole copies of top-secret documents and convicted criminals. Chen had wired $21 million in campaign funds bugged the office’s phones. Fortunately or unfortu- But as the saying goes: “Pride before fall.” to banks in , Switzerland and Cayman nately, the wire-tapes failed to work, and a group of His problems started only in 2006, six years into Islands, while also being accused of accepting nearly five burglars returned to the Watergate building his presidency, and it was Katsav himself who 498 million Taiwanese dollars in bribes. to re-install a new microphone. Thanks to an set the stone rolling. After filing a complaint victims. Throughout the trials, Katsav continued Furthermore, such investigations led to the unrav- observant security guard, the burglars were to his attorney general claiming that he was to interrupt the judges while sobbing, “You are all eling of Chen’s carefully-constructed public image. caught red-handed. Although their con- being blackmailed by a former employee, wrong. It’s all lies … The women know they are He was charged with embezzlement of $18.5 mil- nection to the president was unclear and investigations were held and concluded that lying. They are laughing at this judgment.” lion, acceptance of bribes worth $6 million, money baseless in the beginning, things began these claims were true: Katsav had sexually However, Katsav only served five out of seven laundering, and illegal removal of classified doc- to unfold more clearly as the Re-election assaulted a former female employee, and years of his sentence, and to this day professes uments from the president’s office. When asked Committee’s White House phone num- was charged with two counts of rape. He his innocence. about these charges, he claimed they were “political bers were found among the burglars’ was also convicted of ‘indecent assault and Where there is a government, there always will donations.” Euphemism at its finest. Under the law, belongings. sexual harassment’ of two other employees be corruption.* Mistakes made by partisans, espe- Chen could not be prosecuted while in office, and However, Nixon pleaded innocent and the at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. cially those of great stature, will consequently so was only taken to court in 2009 after his res- majority of the American people believed This resulted in a trial that lasted shape the future of politics for a country, if not ignation, where he proceeded to plead innocent. him, landing him a landslide victory for longer than a year, and the world. There is far more to these scandals than After the initial sentence to life in prison, both he in the 1972 re-election. However, a finally with Katsav’s con- what meets the eye, and far greater ramifications and his wife’s sentence were reduced to 20 years, few days after the break-in, Nixon viction. He was sen- than what is stated in my brief compendium. Men making him the first Taiwanese president to face provided thousands of dol- tenced to seven years and women who have committed atrocities have criminal charges. An additional eleven other family lars to the burglars for in prison for the var- walked free without any penalty, but in the words members were also accused of suspicious financial their silence, and ious acts of inde- of George Washington, “Truth will ultimately pre- crimes in relation to Chen. And thus, the promis- even instructed cency and was to vail where there is pains to bring it to light.” ing career of the then-57-year-old Chen Shui-Bian the Central pay a total sum concluded. Intelligence of nearly Agency (CIA) $37,000 to to obstruct the the rape

ZENITH *Sa Rang is not encouraging or supporting anarchistic or communists views. 13 “ Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

ane Tanaka, at the ripe old age of 117, - 503 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his icon- is recognized as the oldest person ic ‘95 Theses’ onto the doors of the church to alive as of Octobetr 2020. In 1903, she mark the beginning of Protestantism. was born into a world where wom- - 814 years ago, the Mongol empire, led by Geng- en wore corsets and where child la- his Khan, became the largest, most expansive bour in coal mines was a common empire in human history. Ksight. Tanaka lived through both world wars and the cold war. She has witnessed the rise and fall of It is astounding how much humans have progressed many pop stars such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jack- throughout history. To imagine someone who lived son, and even Justin Bieber! Today, Tanaka lives in for that long is hard to comprehend and it brings to a world where man is on the verge of outer space my mind two questions: colonisation and where watching people dance on 1) Did Methuselah actually live for 969 years? Tik Tok has become a favourite pastime. The world 2) If so, how is it possible? has truly evolved before her eyes.

But Tanaka’s impressive achievement pales in com- Did Methuselah actually live for 969 parison to Methuselah, who lived for 969 years; liv- years? ing for that long would be the equivalent of around 13 lifetimes! To put that into perspective, here are When elderly people die of “old age” they die be- some of the major happenings of the last nine cen- cause of “chronic conditions such as heart disease, turies. cancer, stroke, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease” according to the CDC. Cells begin to lose their ef- - 31 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee invented the fectiveness. They can no longer heal themselves World Wide Web to connect millions around and fend off diseases. The elderly do not die simply the world. because their bodies decide to shut down and stop - 244 years ago, the founding fathers wrote the working. Declaration of Independence to establish the USA’s independence from Britain. Dr. Jan Vijg, an expert on aging at the Albert Ein- - 259 years ago, Benjamin Franklin discovered stein College of Medicine, has remarked that the electricity.

ZENITH 15 death of Jeanne Calment, the oldest person recorded the city of Eridung at one point, is recorded to have to ever live, in 1997 at the age of 122 marked the up- ruled for 28,000 years! One should not interpret per limits of human longevity1. “From now on, this this literally for obvious reasons. Rather, historians Decline in Ages at Death is it. Humans will never get older than 115.” Cells can have looked at ancient Mesopotamian numerology no longer function properly to maintain an effective (http:// leonsplanet.com/numerology.htm) to explain how 1000 immune system. the numbers could represent the kings and their dy- nasties. So how did Methuselah and his fellow antediluvi- 800 an2 patriarchs3 live for so long? If science has proven Similarly, some liberal scholars argue that the writer that it is biologically impossible for humans to live of Genesis also used his own scheme of numerology for more than 125 max, was the Bible exaggerating while writing the age of the early patriarchs. How- 600 Methuselah’s age? ever, if this were to be true, it is unknown what the numbers meant for the writer’s contemporary4 au- Instead of interpreting numbers as they are, perhaps dience. the numbers could be symbolic of something more Age In Years 400 meaningful; this is called numerology. Ancient cul- Other non-literal approaches to decipher the ages tures such as the Mesopotamians have used num- of Patriarchs include explanations that early trans- bers numerologically to attribute numbers to certain lators of the book of Genesis were mistaken when 200 meanings and symbols. For example, the Sumerian attributing the numbers to years instead of months. Kings List, an ancient document that recorded the This would mean that Methuselah only lived for 80 duration of a king’s reign over Sumeria, have re- years instead of 969 years. Another theory raised by 0 corded absurd numbers: Alulim, who was king over Vincent Goehlert is that the patriarchs “represented Reu Seth Eber Peleg Jared Noah Shem Serug Terah Adam Enosh Nahor Shelah Cainan Lamech Abraham Mahalalel Arphaxad Methuselah Patriarchs Over Time

epochs5 merely, to which were given the names Surprisingly, this dropoff is also seen in the of the personages6 especially prominent in such Sumerian Kings list, which also mentions a epochs.” Great Flood. The list shows numerical paral- lels between people living before and after the While all this may be valid approaches to in- flood; kings living before ruled for significant- terpret the numbers, this is purely speculation ly longer times. The average length of reign in based on the assumption that it is biologically the pre-flood era was 30,150 years- the average impossible for humans to live that long. Accept- duration of reign for the first dynasty of kings ing this approach would mean denying the pos- post-flood was 780 years, gradually reducing sibility of scientific alterations during the Great over time. While the historical accuracy of the Flood. Perhaps genetic changes or changes in list may be questionable, it is important to note the Earth’s environment could have allowed that both the Bible and the Sumerian Kings List people to live a very long life (these possibilities show a dip in the lifespan after the Great Flood. will be explained in the next issue). Therefore, something must have changed It is therefore plausible that the numbers are during the flood to shorten the human lifespan. indeed meant to be interpreted literally. When What changed? Find out in the next issue of the reading Genesis 5, all the early patriarchs (ex- Zenith! cluding Enoch) lived at least 700 years; Methu- selah was not an anomaly. Only after Noah Kane Tanaka, world’s oldest verified living person and the Great Flood do we see an exponential dropoff in the life span of people. (see fig.1)

1 Longevity: long life 5 Epoch: a period of time in history or a person’s life, typically one marked by notable events or 2 Antediluvian: of or belonging to the time before the flood. particular characteristics 3 Patriarch: any of those biblical figures regarded as fathers of the human race. 6 Personages: a person (often used to express their significance, importance, or elevated status) 4 Contemporary: living or occurring at the same time. ZENITH 17 streams. I realized that the finance industry is Hong Kong’s main industry and one of the few or only industries in Hong Kong that can stand A CHAT WITH TSAO to weather the storm. I decided that, during by Abby Tsao - class of 2016 these times, it was important for me to be open- minded and flexible, and change my career path. Although I didn’t major in finance, I did study Business Studies in A-Levels as well as a lot of business and entrepreneurship courses during university. I have also always kept up to date with current affairs, a result of my major in inter- national politics, which helped as global media and finance is tied to many international hap- penings. I decided that I wanted to expand my knowledge in finance because I realized that it is something fundamental not only to my own per- i I’m Abby Tsao! (Andrew and Alpha’s older situation. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube. sonal wellbeing, but also to everyone’s in society. sister). I graduated from Hebron in 2016 and com/watch?v=VyBCE9kCWdI&t=117s I started listening to finance news podcasts and now am in my final semester of university By April, I had settled into my new lifestyle and it really studied a lot about the different financial land- Hat CUHK. With regards to the coronavirus wasn’t so bad. In Hong Kong, people still went out to scapes in Hong Kong and the insurance industry. situation, since Hong Kong borders Mainland China, eat at restaurants and worked as normal, although we have been dealing with this situation for much gatherings of more than 4 people were banned. I actu- I got recruited by a major company in the indus- longer than most of the world- since the start of this ally became super busy with exams, assignments, my try and after a few months of intense study- year. The difference between how Hong Kong dealt capstone project and the podcast so I didn’t feel bored ing and training, I passed my exam and got my with the virus, and, say, the US or Europe is that Hong at all and I didn’t have time to do anything else. The license to be an Insurance Banker and a Wealth Kong, having experienced SARS before, prepared Hong podcast, called ‘This Hong Kong Life’ was broadcasted Kongers to maintain extremely high levels of hygiene by RTHK, a show covering a lot about this topic. You Management Manager. I’m fortunate to enjoy my as well as being very alert. can listen to my interview episode specifically or any job (or even to have one in this economic envi- of the other episodes with other people here on Spotify ronment) and at the same time picked up a side As soon as we heard about the Coronavirus in China or iTunes: hobby which is also thriving. I started a foodie making its way to Hong Kong, schools and universities Instagram account (@brokehkfoodie) which is get- shut down to prevent the virus from being spread. All ting quite popular and I’ve even gotten sponsored government public leisure facilities such as museums I did worry about my future especially since of the and received free food! While this seems like pretty and concert halls also shut down. Everyone started economic recession worldwide, companies closing and insignificant information to include, my point is wearing masks, and carrying around hand sanitizers people losing their jobs. It was really hard to find a that no matter how bad a situation is, there are and alcohol sprays, which led to a huge shortage in job after graduation even though my university was always opportunities, regardless of the catastrophe. such products and a hike in their prices. People started a high ranking one. However, with troubling times stockpiling tissue paper and rice (and yes, all of this comes opportunities too and I had been exploring the If I can give you an advice as an “older sister”, it happened by the end of January while the rest of the prospect of starting a business with some friends from would be that the most important thing to do when world was still mostly unaware). People also started to my university since the government was providing a you’re in a perceivably bleak and hopeless situation, self-isolate voluntarily and, in general, go out less, and lot of grants and subsidies for new businesses. is to be flexible and just keep trying everything, work from home when possible. For a city as densely even things you may scoff at or look down at, and populated as Hong Kong, we kept the virus well under I graduated during the coronavirus pandemic which you will eventually find something that works or control. is arguably one of the worst times in recent history some opportunity that you can explore. Hope you for fresh graduates to job hunt. A lot of students from guys are doing well and please remember, all this As for me, I have been attending lectures online and my university, no matter how smart, couldn’t and still shall pass! haven’t been on campus since January. It had been cannot find a job. Originally, I had wanted to do digital a bit stressful during the period of panic and short- marketing. I went through the whole process of trying Abby Tsao age of masks. It was also quite boring when people, to find jobs and going to interviews. However, even Alumnus, batch of 2016. including myself, decided to observe social distancing though I was told by the head of HR that I had one of and self-isolation in early February. During that time, the best resumes in the Social Science faculty, I still my university suspended classes for 2 weeks so it was couldn’t find a job as companies were constantly firing super boring, so I started trying out new things, like staff without thinking about recruitment. making a YouTube channel and producing a podcast series for an organization, to keep myself occupied. While it made me feel disheartened and disappointed I actually made a YouTube video back in February at the societal impact the covid situation had on the when I was in quarantine where I talked about the fresh graduates, I decided that it was time to switch ZENITH 19 INTERVIEW WITH side as well as the inside. Whom are you mendous facilities including a good gym. married to? Do you have any children? So I have made good use of that. Since get- Graham Twigger: I am still married to my ting back to the UK, I’ve worked on getting first wife, Zohary. This has been going on fat. This is easier than gym work. I also for over twenty three years now. Our son started working out all the football games David is 17 and our daughter Rebekah is 12 I’ve ever been to. I used this knowledge to Graham Twigger, – she has joined std 8 this year. start doing a bit of writing for a Sunderland football fanzine website. Even though only a history teacher at Hebron School, Joshua Lämmle: What are your hobbies, or about six people read it, and four of them what do you do in your free time? are abusive, I really enjoy this. Graham Twigger: I really like reading – I just finished Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Remote People’ Joshua Lämmle: That’s great, maybe you by Joshua Lämmle, a Zenith journalist: – a book about travels in Africa. Current- could write some sports articles for Zenith ly, I am reading Dalrymple’s history of the once in a while. What country would you East Company. I just bought a copy of really like to visit? Herodotus but that will take me some time Graham Twigger: My wife is from Mad- Joshua Lämmle: Hello Mr Twigger, I am glad to inspired me, in different ways, to become to get through. Should I also say I’m read- agascar so it is always good to go there, have the privilege of interviewing you for a teacher. I had two excellent English ing the Bible?! I probably should. Okay, I see family and use my random Malagasy Zenith. Sadly, due to the current sit- teachers in secondary school and am – Nehemiah. phrases in the market-place. uation, this is not possible in per- a very good (but scary) rugby son, but I am still looking for- coach. I enjoyed school Joshua Lämmle: That’s funny, I am reading Joshua Lämmle: Do you have a favourite ward to hearing from you. and am still friends Nehemiah too. What did you do before bible verse? with people I knew Hebron? Graham Twigger: Psalm 50:15 says ‘Call Joshua Lämmle: Would back then. Graham Twigger: I was teaching at a board- upon me in times of trouble; I will rescue you like to share a short ing school in called St Andrews. It you, and you shall glorify me.’ It is encour- summary of your life? Joshua Lämmle: was at a similar altitude to Hebron, lying on aging. You don’t have to have been good to Graham Twigger: I was Great, that is a pre- the edge of the Great Rift Valley. do this. Note the end bit though. born at a young age in cious life lesson, it Sunderland, England. is not just the posi- Joshua Lämmle: Great, so it hopefully will Joshua Lämmle: That is a great bible verse, As the years have gone tive experiences that not be too hard to adjust to the weather. and especially encouraging for times like on, I have made steady inspire us. Was histo- Why did you choose to become a teacher these, to remind us that our God is above progress getting older ry always your favou- at Hebron? all things and will make all things work in various other places rite subject, or were you Graham Twigger: I enjoyed my time there together for our good and his glory. Is including the South West interested in other things before and have always wanted to come there anything else you would like to tell of England, the middle bit too? back. This year, an opportunity arose. The our readers about yourself? of England, Oman, and Ken- Graham Twigger: I loved English good things about Hebron revolve around Graham Twigger: It will be great when we ya. I’ve been teaching for over at school. I still do. I enjoyed history, the hub of its Christian identity, and it is a can all get back to Hebron and as a family twenty years – roughly half that geography and PE too. I also liked Ger- special place. I am still in touch with some we can begin to build relationships with time in the UK and half abroad. man to the extent that when I go to , students I taught there twenty years ago. staff and students. even now, I think I can speak it. But I can’t. I was not Joshua Lämmle: What, and whom are you teaching so good at Maths or Science, Art or Music. As I’ve Joshua Lämmle: How has the Covid-19 Joshua Lämmle: Thank you very much for at school? Are you going to take on any other re- gotten older I’ve started to appreciate the subjects pandemic affected your life? Have there answering our questions. I too hope that sponsibilities besides teaching? which I didn’t enjoy then. been any positive experiences as a result? we will be able to meet each other in per- Graham Twigger: I am teaching history to years 9, 10 Graham Twigger: My last school had tre- son at school soon. and 12, with a little bit of Chinese history for Year 13 Joshua Lämmle: Have you ever been to Hebron currently. I am also helping a few people with uni- before, and what was your first impression of the versity applications. My wife and I were dorm par- school? ents when we served at Hebron previously. I’m sure Graham Twigger: My wife and I worked at Hebron we’ll be involved with a few different things when between 1999-2002. It was a school which didn’t we are back. look very grand on the outside but had lots of good things on the inside – the total reverse of so many Joshua Lämmle: So how was school for you as a other schools. child? Do you remember anything about your teachers? Joshua Lämmle: Wow, that is good to hear, I hope Graham Twigger: Both the good and bad teachers that, since then, we have improved both on the out- ZENITH 21 HEBROUVE Michelangelo- ‘Creation of Adam’ The Louvre of Hebron Tobias Poffley

The ‘Creation of Adam’, painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, is one of Michelangelo’s most iconic paintings. The painting illustrates God breathing life into Adam, although one begins to wonder whether God was indeed Johannes Vermeer- wearing a dress when he created Adam and whether Adam was created with a six-pack. ‘Girl with a Pearl Toby and Mr. Poffley’s ingenious revamp of the painting is certainly appropriate to 2020- a year defined by social Earring’ distancing and masks!

The focus of the candid-esque paint- ing, a pearl earring, is highlighted by Pablo Picasso- the black background. The shining earring is like an isolated star shining in an empty cosmos. Yeeun brilliantly “The Old Guitarist” introduces a modern twist: forget the earring! Apply hand sanitizer! One of Pablo Picasso’s most famous paintings, “The Old Guitarist” depicts a famished beggar holding onto his guitar. This painting holds deeper meaning which can only be appre- ciated once thoroughly examined. If the reader is interested please check the link: https://publicdelivery.org/ pablo-picasso-the-old-guitarist/ Stephen’s intricate artwork adds a new dynamic to an age old painting. Once again, the theme of Coronavirus (A.K.A ‘the virus that shall not be named’...oh wait…) is visited as the slightly younger guitarist is wearing a mask- a wise choice. Stephen Sundaram Yeeun Lee ZENITH 23 The red sky, the eerie couple, Pablo Picasso- the scream are all staples of a dystopia. Just another day during the end of the world. “The Absinthe Edvard’s free flowing artistic style adds to the otherworldly Drinker” atmosphere of the painting. William seems to be under a The Post Modernist style paints the similar dilemma. As he walks painting of a lonely woman drinking down the ports of Copenhagen, absinthe, a very strong alcohol. As he expresses horror; perhaps the wise Beyonce once said, “I’ve been he forgot his mask. drinking, I’ve been drinking I get filthy when that liquor get into me” One can only imagine how Bethany ended up in a bar. Surely, online classes aren’t that tough. Better not let Mr. Jacob catch you! Edvard Munch- “The scream”Edvard William Pandian

Van Gogh- “Self

Bethany Ronalds Portrait 1889”

Van Gogh’s pensive stare stops the viewer Frida Kahlo- ‘Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr on their track. What is he thinking about? Wait, is he star- ing at me? Is he angry? Did I do something Eloesser’ wrong? What did I do? Panic. This self portrait depicts a glar- Aryan’s adaptation of the self-portrait ing Frida. Her hawkish expres- reflects the same pensive stare, albeit less sion is juxtaposed alongside a intimidatingly. Perhaps he is thinking, bouquet of flowers. Frida is cer- “hmmm… I should probably shave.” tainly not in a cheerful mood. Yelin’s impressive adaptation of this self portrait achieves the same hostile stare and makes the viewer wonder what could have possibly provoked her. Aryan Pinto Do Rosario Yelin Lee ZENITH 25 Frida Kahlo- ‘Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird’

Frida, who shoulder’s her black animal companions, seems to be preoccupied by a different matter. What does her expres- sionless gaze tell the viewer? Why did Frida include black animals in her self-portrait? Serene skillfully shoulders the equally symbolic and perhaps more pleasant plushies. What effect do the two red teddy bears that replace the black monkey and cat have on the viewer?

Too cool not to share! Pablo Picasso’s full name is ‘Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cip- riano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.’

An X-ray revealed that “The Old Guitarist” was painted over another painting of a woman. No one really knows if Pablo finished his original painting of the woman be- cause only the face and leg can be seen clearly. ZENITH 27 Stories from a biscuit. /ˈbɪskɪt/

In 2016 a man named Simon Berry, which were renowned for their indestructibility. One wouldn’t have thought a biscuit can have such aged 24 from Britain, completed the can play a part within stories that can be an impact. From this we can really infer that he was “highest bungee dunk ever”, this being more sometimes surprising, and in this case thoroughly very moved. It is interesting to see how a biscuit can than 240 feet off the ground. He threw him- impact one of our characters. Ernest Shackleton find itself making its way into a story like this, and self off a platform and dunked his Hobnob was an born in 1874 and had a remarkable abil- maybe reminds us to savour our biscuits more than we into a teacup decorated with a British flag. ity to keeps people spirits up, which can be seen necessarily do. Despite these biscuits not exactly being This event marks the wondrous extent of the most in the Nimrod Antarctic expedition delicious, they have the ability to connect as seen here. British culture, while continuing to extend taking place between 1907-1909. The Nimrod the rich diverse history of the biscuit, Expedition (also known as the British Antarctic Ship’s biscuits, as seen in this story, were a vital source which holds many a story from its past. Expedition), led by Shackleton, had the intention of food and generally softened down with a pint of beer Looking of being the first to the South Pole. However, on expeditions. Instead of being twice baked, they were a more To begin it is necessary to grasp a basic despite perseverance, it unfortunately did not baked up to four times, making them ridiculously hard recent period, understanding of where the biscuit orig- manage to reach goal, although it did succeed in to consume. Similarly to ships biscuits, army biscuits I was curious as to inated and how it has developed since reaching the farthest south latitude of 88° 23’ S, were key to World War One, supporting the troops. the origins of the Marie Gold Biscuits that then. Drift your mind way back to the just 97.5 nautical miles (180.6 km; 112.2 mi) from These things were certainly far from popular as one we tend to eat after school each day. The Marie biscuit Neolithic period, as this is where the birth the pole. The exhibition gained Shackleton a lot soldier explains in his writing: “when this bloomin’ war has quite an interesting story to its name as well. The of the biscuit began. Although archaeolog- of honour, despite initial scepticism regarding is over and I reach my native land, I shall play the role of Marie biscuit, also known as María, Mariebon, Мария ical remains do not fully explain the form this privately funded trip, and it also gained him villain with a great revenge in hand, I may get hung for and Marietta, is made from wheat flour, , they took, it can generally be established a knighthood. Shackleton after making his way murder but just take my word I’ll risk it, For I’m going or , and unlike the rich biscuit, it is typ- that they were baked on stones. with his team rather far across the globe from to find the blinking’ man who made the army biscuit”. ically vanilla-flavoured. As one may have noticed if one The naming coming to English Britain made their way on the Southern Journey, These are the wonderful words of one Allick Ellis. The has sat and examined their after-school biscuit over the from the French biscuit (bis-qui) and over time the ponies they had brought with most common foods issued to British troops in World past years, the biscuit usually has a rather sophisticated originating from the Latin roots them to help carry equipment and belongings War One was the Huntly and Palmers Army No.4. The pattern along its outer walls. The biscuit was created of: panis biscotus can give some gradually started succumbing to the strain and character of this biscuit can be noted in the words of by the London bakery , in 1874, so is fairly clues as to the way these biscuits pressure of the freezing conditions and difficult the Imperial War Museum in London which states that ancient, and it was made to commemorate the marriage were baked, the Latin word refer- terrain. On top of this there began arising a short- the biscuit was so dense and hard that it challenged the of the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to ring to bread twice cooked. The twice age of food, and so Shackleton had to reduce the dental health of British Army personnel. Luckily, these the Duke of Edinburgh. On top of this tale of royal mar- cooked nature of the biscuit gives way daily rations. biscuits were not eaten on their own, as that is seem- riage, it is also seen as a symbol for Spanish economic to its endurance as a food- with the bis- ingly impossible- they possessed the magic of being recovery after the Spanish Civil War. Bakeries pro- cuit being twice cooked, it creates an object A key food at these times was ships biscuits, softened down (slightly, not immensely) causing them duced mass quantities to consume a surplus of wheat. which is effectively rock solid, removing all which are also known as hardtack. Increasing to be a bit more palatable for the mouth. Another soldier ’, the main producer of these bis- the moisture, and leaving it perfect for long pressure continued as the last pony (originally called Will Harvey notes “The army biscuits suit me. Of cuits in India, are the brand of biscuit we tend to eat. periods of storage. The biscuits back then having ten at the beginning of the entire expedi- course, they’re too hard for my poor teeth, but hot tea The company is one of India’s oldest companies, taking were very different to the form they take now tion) disappeared down a deep crevasse. As condi- and patience helps one past all”. Looking back on these second place after the Wadia Group. The Marie biscuit (although this depends who makes them). The tions worsened and food began to run out further, older records, it is quite astonishing to see how biscuits has a diverse history, and there is far more to it than uses for biscuits has developed considerably over Shackleton decided to not push forward with the have dramatically changed over the years and how first meets the eye. time and although we find them rather tasty as goal of reaching the South Pole, so they got as far much history a small baked good that we wolf down a snack now, originally they were not the most as they could, to within 100 geographical miles after school can contain. One of my favourite quotes As we sit and ponder the difficulties of the pandemic wonderous of foods, with a lack of sugar and of the pole. Here they placed a British flag, took from this period of dramatically hard biscuits is from a we are currently going through, biscuits can be a great niceness, and instead being used for Roman cen- a snapshot and began their return trip, toward member of the fifth Canadian Battalion, whose mascot comfort and joy to eat. Looking at its role in the military, turion’s on the go for example. They can be still what was called Hut Point. Shackleton was in a was a goat, he regards the biscuit in a poem called “Our and expeditions and its history, remember that when found in lifeboats to this day for similar reasons. rather bad physical condition and rations were Mascots Lament”, it goes like this: “I’ve chewed a deck you eat a biscuit, you are not merely eating a small soft made to be cut even further, however another of cards, I’ve dined off nails, if this was a sardine tin I treasure, but in a way helping evolve and contribute Now that the rough early history of the biscuit member of the team, Wild was ill with dysentery. might risk it; But this is where my goatish courage fails, your story to a small, but important piece of history. has been established, we can begin our first The food that they relied on here were biscuits, I simply can’t digest this H.T Biscuit”. There are certainly story, which has one particular and on the 31st of January Shackleton forced his some amusing stories from this period of biscuit eating. biscuit held in pivotal focus. own breakfast biscuit on Wild (a huge gesture). Probably the most interesting story of the army biscuit The earliest surviving This was an emotional move by Shackleton and was their other uses, besides being food. Many soldiers example of a biscuit that profoundly touched Wild causing him to write: used them as picture frames, and as postcards- now we have is from 1784, “BY GOD I shall never forget. Thousands of that’s saying something! and it’s a ships biscuit, pounds would not have bought that one biscuit”. ZENITH 29 nana bread. It only needed common, easy-to-find ingredients, and was both healthy and delicious. Quite a few celebrities joined in on this trend, so you may TRENDS remember seeing a couple pictures of homemade banana bread on your feed. That Emerged During The pandemic and the subse- quent quarantine has prompt- ed people to become more independent. They have stopped relying on physical shops for “CORONACATION” nonessential things. Halfway through quarantine, people took clothing into their own hands. Mak- ing your own clothes was quite the trend for a while. People posted how-to videos, the results, and extra tips on how to revamp old clothes. It was a fun hobby that didn’t take up too much space, and that uring could be left off and picked up at any time. Covid-19, most of It wasn’t too demanding, and at the end, us have been safely sequestered at home. you got a cute piece of clothing that you This encouraged people to take up hobbies. could show off. Whether it be cooking, art, or reading, these hobbies have helped time pass faster While some were making their own clothes, during lockdown. They kept us occupied others had come to rely on online shopping. enough that the last 7 months appear to Since the pandemic hit, teens have been have passed in the blink of an eye. Social buying almost everything online, because Dmedia has been a good outlet for many of the ease with which they could find people, allowing us to keep in touch with items, and its quick delivery. Almost every friends in different places. Social media has influencer went through a phase where also birthed a number of trends to keep us they went thrifting during lockdown. entertained while under lockdown. Online platforms like Instagram and Ebay were common places to find trendy clothes. About two weeks into quarantine, people started baking obsessively. First, it was A lot of people also took this lockdown sourdough. This tasty bread started mak- period as an opportunity to get fit and in ing its way into people’s homes near the shape. Workouts have been circulating, end of March. It required very little effort, with names like ‘easy exercises to do at just a mixture of flour and water, and in a home’. During early April, most people week, you had yourself a starter for your found themselves tagged in the ‘10 push- bread. After that, people moved on to ba- ups challenge’ on Instagram. In May, the

ZENITH 31 ‘Push-Up Challenge’ had people do- ing 3046 push-ups in 21 days. It came with ways to improve mental health, and also had a fundraiser running alongside. All the donations went to ‘headspace’, an organisation that spe- cialises in mental illnesses in teens. The ‘Handstand T-shirt Challenge’ was more lighthearted, where par- ticipants had to try and put a t-shirt on while doing a handstand against a wall. A lot of new apps offered workouts tailored to your body type, height, and weight. It was trends like these that had encouraged teens to stay fit while at home.

Being physically active is great, Haha you just got caked! but for some people, social media was the way to go. TikTok is an app that tone or a cool tone, depending on the colour setting. An- flourished during the other common theme in these rooms is a wall of pictures, lockdown. It is an app usually polaroids or motivational posters. Throw pillows where people can make are in abundance, and there is at least one fluffy rug. The short videos to different desk is neat, and has a display for either records, CD’s or sound clips. Many teen- books. Normally, there are some plants in hand-painted agers made entertaining pots. Altogether, it gives off a warm, welcoming vibe. videos on TikTok during Covid. Charli D’Amelio is a The latest trend that gained popularity very quickly was teenager that made a name for the ‘cake’ trend. This was an amusing trend, where people herself on TikTok. She makes dance made increasingly complicated cakes. They resembled and lip-sync videos, along with her everyday objects, and viewers had to guess if the item sister and their friends. Other for- shown was made of cake or not. The reveal happened mats of tik toks include minute long when the creator cut into the object, and people saw if skits or jokes about life in quaran- their assumptions were right or not. The phrase about tine. It is an app that always has new history repeating itself certainly appears to be true, as we content and an ever-refreshing feed. have come full circle from the beginning of quarantine. It is easy to use, and a never-ending Be it through one trend or another, people have found source of entertainment. ways to fill up their time, even just within the comfort of their homes. TikTok also gave rise to the stereo- typical “aesthetic bedroom”. One of its most recognisable features is the strip of LED lights on the ceiling. They give the room either a warm

ZENITH 33 Famous Last Words Top 5 Famous last words is an American metal-core/ post-hardcore band with an interesting style of mu- sic. It is classic 90s rock music who focus on using Underrated Artists storytelling as a way to convey the message behind their songs. Their album ‘Council of the Dead’, This year has been an unexpected journey for all of us. Since December of 2019, we have been advised to stay inside and entertain ourselves while the world outside is being plagued by Covid- 19. It is now focusses on 8 souls meeting in death, all being September 2020, 9 months after the outbreak started, and many of us have exhausted our sources intertwined. Listening to their music is definitely a of entertainment. Playing the same games, studying the same subject, watching the same shows on special experience you do not want to miss out on. repeat, life is slowly losing its spark. Here is an attempt to spice up your lockdown life a little by intro- ducing you to these underrated artists who are talented enough to become a part of your daily playlist. Easy Wanderlings They are a collective from India whose sound finds its way to the soul. Their genre is an amalgamation of soul, pop, and folk. They focus on instruments Mokita like flute, trumpet, and tambourine. Their lyrics Mokita is a Nashville based singer/songwriter and focus on life and its purpose, which might leave you producer who focuses on electronic/pop music. His in the middle of an existential crisis. Their harmo- voice is very pleasant to listen to with beautiful nies are very creatively constructed and well exe- piano chords playing in the background. The addi- cuted, and can put you to sleep if you’re not paying tion of electronic beats on instrumental beats gives attention too carefully. Their melodies hit the right his music a modern kick. He writes about dark and chord in your heart as you feel yourself getting lost sensitive subjects like isolation, depression, inse- in their sound. curities and self esteem issues and executes them without watering them down. The rawness of his lyrics can really resonate with the people who need to hear those words. Nakhane He is a singer/ songwriter and instrumentalist from . He stands out from the music crowd Thomas Headon with his unique look and hard hitting lyrics. His lyrics are like poems that develop more meaning Thomas is a 20 year old London-born Australian the more you listen to them. He sings about racial pop singer, best known for his song ‘grace’. He is an issues, violence, black history, and more. The lay- indie artist whose tunes are reminiscent of the aes- ers of harmonies and instruments in his music are thetic 90s. His music is mainly electronic with his sure to leave you with goosebumps. Even though vocals dominating his songs. His style resembles he was recognised by Madonna and was also stat- artists like Ed Sheeran and Yungblud. He writes ed as one of her two favourite artists, he is still not about adolescent issues like relationship struggles, well-known to the masses. With his perfect blend crushes, manipulation and loneliness. His style of of voice control, lyrics, and hypnotic instrumentals, music is rising in the charts nowadays with artists he is definitely an artist worth checking out. like Tyler the creator and Rex Orange County tak- ing over most people’s playlists By Santoshi Battula

ZENITH 35 and spoke in an unknown language. The boy is what he believes led to the immense vege- soon died but after many years of defama- tation in Agartha. There they met whom he tion, the surviving girl finally explained that called the ‘elder race’- friendly, intelligent, she and her brother had come from a sub- lanky 12-foot giants. The title of the book ‘ terranean land where the sun never shone The Smoky God’ refers to the inner worlds and explained that she and her brother had glowing and the smoky sun. Most interesting gotten lost following their cattle into a cave was his description of fast noiseless flying and eventually emerged into the bright land- objects which he rode in Agartha that had the scape. Fascinating, right? exact same characteristics of the UFOs in the videos that the US Department of Defense Another interesting source is the 1908 book, had released of “unexplained aerial phenom- ‘The Smoky God’ by Willis George Emerson, ena” this year, from the pentagon. I did not where he tells the story of Olaf Jenson and make that up. Absolutely mind-boggling. The Hidden Earth Civilisation his father’s incredible journey to Agartha for two years and eventual return home Concluding all of this craziness, do you think through the same opening. On the journey these are just petty myths and legends or home, however, his father lost his life when maybe, just maybe.…..a possible location an iceberg hit his boat. Jenson was later res- where the nazis went into hiding, which cued by some fishermen but when he shared explains why they went missing for years? this story they placed him in a madhouse Alright, I am done with conspiracy theories I know, I know; reading conspiracy the- Let us take a look at the past. Almost every where he remained for 28 years, he was able for today, you can take your tin foil hats off ories does not make you any different from ancient culture shares legends about inter- to tell Emerson his discoveries and experi- now. the tin foil hat man trying to avoid mind actions with subterranean races. No matter ences- Jenson described the inner world as control but bear with me and I promise which continent, these legends tell us two warm with density to the atmosphere, which you that the following theory has so many different descriptions of people from authentications, it would be hard to not Agartha; one where the beings from believe in it. Agartha are tall giants or another where they are depicted as a very Every continent has cavernous networks: advanced reptilian race. For example, So’n Đoòng cave in Vietnam with its jun- in the ancient poem ‘Mahabharata’, gles, rivers, and space to fit a 40 storey sky- the Hindus spoke of northern regions scraper, and Mammoth cave in Kentucky, said to be ruled by a supernal race the speculated to be even longer than the 400 ‘Nagas’ a half-human and half-reptil- miles of it that have been explored so far. ian species that had cutting edge tech- These caves have their own ecosystems, nology. It was also said they inhabited a water bodies, and plant life. Even the most region called Potala. Perhaps it’s no coin- hostile depths of the ocean have life forms cidence that there is a palace said to have and creatures that have adapted to its dark- Tibetan teachers guarding the entrance to ness. Wherever there is a void, nature seeks a mythical kingdom. What seals the deal? to fill it. So, if enormous caverns like those The palace’s name is ‘Potala Palace’. we already know of continue to reach far from our scope of discovery, what then In addition to that, in the 12th century, an could be residing miles beneath our feet? unusual story of underworld beings sprung Perhaps an ancient civilization adapted to up in Suffolk England and is still a part of the survive deep within the earth in a legendary town’s history today, often referred to as the kingdom called Agartha, concealed from the children of woolpit. It is said that one day, knowledge of the human race throughout farmers in the area discovered two small history? Absolutely. children who had skin with a pale green hue ZENITH 37 Dear Impulsive, Dear Toby, You should also pride yourself in storytell- I pride myself in many things. I am good Question ing. Dear lit students, spot the similes and at the violin. I am good at football. I am metaphors above. You certainly seem to be good at math. I am good at looking good. rather impulsive. Particularly when cooking But most importantly, I am perfect at eggs, it is necessary that you should restrain cracking an egg.... perfect. Time With the urge, don’t burst the yoke! It’s not worth it, instead celebrate its perfection and colour, I do it with care and affection. Cracking and domeness (try drawing it to stop your- an egg is like creating art. Its yolk should self from destroying it). Tobs remain a delicate dome as the white siz- zles underneath. One way to cook the perfect fried egg is to put your pan on a medium heat, add , But BOOM! Suddenly, I pierce the yolk’s crack the egg beautifully (practice makes skin. It oozes down the valley of albu- perfect), let it sit and watch the egg white - Dear Toby, Dear Tobias and team, men. I start to hurl the egg around the the heat mustn’t be too hot to have the egg I suck at sharpening pencils. They never reach I can’t seem to balance my work and my lei- frypan with my chopsticks as if there is burn and create weird colours. After a little that beautifully crisp edge like in advertise- sure. In Hebron, since prep time was compul- no tomorrow. while of cooking, add a tad bit of water, and ments because they always break before they sory, it formed the time frame in which I study. cover with a lid, this way there will be just do. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. I lack that in my daily life at home. Any tips? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA enough vapour to help cook the egg white Help me!! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! Yours truly, without a necessarily high heat. Resist the urge to scramble! Put your darling Sincerely, Unsteady study I end up with a decent scrambled egg. chopsticks in another room until needed Not-too-sharp But not once have I ever eaten a fried egg to restrain said urge. Leave the egg to cook Dear Unsteady study, with the yolk still intact. for a little while until the egg white is white Dear Not-too-sharp, This is certainly a difficult issue, one which through, and the egg yoke is just right. Voila I commend you on such a question, I too we must all tackle at these current incred- I have a problem. Help. you did it! I’m proud of you, so very proud. I have struggled for many years attempting ibly unsteadily steady times. At times our hope this actually works. to get the perfect ‘crisp edge’. After much work can feel quite pointless, however, we Sincerely,

thought and contemplation, I find it is more must keep focused, obtain our best and se- Impulsive Yours sincerely, kindly, and passionately, important what we do with such pencils, cure our future (unfortunately). Tobs however, as the question still holds sub- Unsteady study, I suggest you remove any stantial weight, it is my duty to express my distraction while fixing a time in the day methods for the perfect edge. where you are going to work and stay fo- cused. Roughly it takes 25 minutes to re- Step 1: Make sure your sharpener is brand focus after a distraction, so chuck, throw, new (or good quality), and your pencil is fling, thrust, and hurl that phone out the made out of quality wood, then it will sharp- room (with care), shut the door (if allowed) en well enough to not crumble that delicate and get into that focus mindset (music can graphite and wood. Step 2: Refine the edges help but can be a distraction). If you are hav- with a craft knife, this always works best, ing to work on a computer, find an app that and is a key tool, however it does require blocks certain sites that distract you for say adult supervision so make sure you are al- half an hour. lowed one. This will boost your overall productivi- All the best with your future of superb ty, and after about 10 minutes, you’ll find sharpening! to your surprise you are actually enjoying your luscious work. Best tip is to structure Yours expressively, your time carefully (and keep to it). Tobs Yours delicately, Tobs

ZENITH 39 Dear Tobs, materialistic capitalist attitudes. Being ob- I have kept this guilty secret for far too long. sessed with the finer things in life. Treat- It kills me to pretend that I don’t do it. I know ing oneself to the best life has to offer and it’s taboo but I can’t help it. loving it. (from the urban dictionary).”

You might have guessed. I fear society may Thank you for sharing on such a deeply never accept me again. Here goes nothing... personal level, dear Knife-in-hand. I hope Dear Mr T, I eat pizza with a fork and a knife. you are not forevermore thwarted. To the I had a dream that I could talk to trees and they utter disgust of others, we are on the same told me that they hated all of us humans for ru- Oof, it’s relieving to finally let it out. I nev- page in regards to this highly delicate mat- ining the perfection our planet once was. er liked the grease or the crumbs that pizza ter, I too eat my pizza with a fork and knife leaves on my fingertips so I skillfully use my (terribly British, I know), this was the case I wake up, haunted, traumatised, sweating pro- cutlery. until recently, when I succumbed to peer fusely. Then, I turn and there, outside my win- pressure. dow was a tree! People think I’m so bougie but I’m not! Would appreciate your take on this, Tobble. We must not succumb to outer pressures What does this mean, o wise Mr T? against our skilful use of cutlery, so do not Respectfully, hang thy head when you bring forth your In ernest, Knife-in-hand fork and knife, because we must stand Mother Treesa strong against all odds, and stand up to Dear Knife-in-hand, the haters of such objects. Let us use our Dear Mother Treesa, To my dismay I was ashamed to not know forks and knives for pizza! Let’s start a Firstly, I wish my dreams were as interest- the meaning of the word “bougie”, here is a revolution. ing as yours seem to be. That being said, I did definition for those like me: “New, trendy have a dream of a plane turning into a bush slang version of the French term, “bour- With gratitude, and then a goose, so maybe similar symbol- geois”, meaning middle class people with Tobs ism is found in yours. To be completely honest, I think your window is near a tree and there is nothing to it. How- ever if you wish desperately to find meaning, here is my take on your dream. This is a call to arms dear Mother Treesa. I feel that this dream is saying that it is your task to help save this planet from disaster and inspire others to love trees (as I hope you do), so take this on; tackle climate change. Fun fact, “our planet’s wildlife populations have plummeted by 68% since 1970, there are no signs this downward trend is slowing.” - WWF 2020 climate report (leading indepen- dent conservation organisation).

Yours truly in climatic desperation, Tobs

ZENITH 41 Space, in the year 2035, than at his old job, and the lack of govern- ment red tape and regulations was extremely somewhere past the aster- refreshing. As the head scientist, the honour oid belt had fallen to him to land the probe and pilot the rover. The mere thought made him shiver- The tiny probe flew alone through the void, to pilot a vehicle on that icy moon, masked looking like a slightly crumpled can dwarfed behind the thick orange clouds of nitrogen by its solar panelled wings. At its front, insofar which choked its surface, would have been as such an object can have a front, was a collec- thought nearly impossible ten years ago. Yet tion of thin antennae and other instruments. through the vast fortunes of ambitious men These were its lifeline, so to speak. Through such as Aiden Winter, science fiction was rap- these a steady stream of data was collected and idly becoming reality. transmitted hundreds of millions of kilometres The hours passed at a snail’s pace, but even- back to the blue marble that is the Earth. tually the time had come. On the vast screen The probes name was the “Adventurer One” at one end of the control room, Titan took up and it was bound for Titan, the freezing orange almost all of the space. At a signal from Winter, moon dwarfed by the planet that it orbited, Dennis got into the pilot’s chair and began to Saturn. Closer and closer the Adventurer ven- check the probes systems. Meanwhile, Winter tured. It had been launched seven years ago, stood up on a table, tapped his champagne glass and now was mere hours from its remote and and once the hubbub had settled down, began frigid goal. Still emitting the silent beep of radio to speak. waves back to Earth from within the silent “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank vacuum, the craft sped ever closer towards everyone here tonight. Without you, this proj- Titan. ect would have remained impossible. Special thanks to our head scientist, Dennis Jefferson, who will be our pilot for this evening.” Earth, at the same moment A slight chuckle spread through the tipsy crowd of researchers, engineers and exec- Dennis Jefferson had good reason to be ecstatic. utives. Winter smiled graciously and then In less than five hours, the probe he had helped continued. to design, launch and pilot to the reaches of “As you all know, we picked Titan as a target Saturn would be touching down. Within the due to the challenges it presented. It is the only main control room of the operation, scientists known body in space to have liquid oceans and executives alike cheered, danced and besides Earth. However, these oceans are not sang, practically able to taste that long awaited liquid water, but methane, as the unbeliev- payoff to their long mission. Even the normally ably cold temperatures of Titan allow this taciturn CEO of the company, Aiden Winter, normally gaseous substance to condense into allowed himself a slight smile, leaning back a liquid. The fact that we may need to land on in his pure black suit. This was, after all, the both oceans and solid ground, along with tem- moment that Winter Enterprises would be peratures of -180 degrees Celsius and a thick, proven as the best private space fairing com- choking orange atmosphere, is just a few of pany around. To not only land a probe, but to the reasons that Titan is a unique challenge to drive a rover on Titan, the coldest place in the overcome. However, it is a challenge you have Solar System at -180 degrees Celsius, would all risen to magnificently!” show the whole world that the company was A cheer echoed throughout the control room, Titan head and shoulders above the rest. lit dimly by the screens and control panels Such a task needed good scientists, and Dennis lining the walls. Only Dennis didn’t cheer, as was more than happy to oblige. The former he worked feverishly on readying the probe. It Part 1 NASA researcher now had better pay by far ZENITH 43 was odd, he thought absently, that even greatly by the parachute, entered into it on an occasion such as this, Winter still with barely a splash. managed to sound nearly as cold as Titan For a moment, there was pin drop silence- itself. then cheers of joy echoed around the “Previous to this mission,” continued cavernous control chamber, as Dennis Winter smoothly “the furthest that released a breath he didn’t know he had humanity had managed to operate been holding. An uncharacteristically a rover was Mars. What we hope to jubilant Winter hugged him, and then achieve today will make that look like turned towards the gleeful crowd. child’s play. Welcome, ladies and gentle- “We have done it!” he exclaimed, while men, to the future.” Dennis began checking that the probes At that, Winter nodded to Dennis, who systems and instruments. “They all said flicked a switch. And 1.4 billion kilome- it would be impossible, but we have done tres away, pressured jets began pushing it! Now, I know you are all very eager the tiny Adventurer One around until it to begin our exploration of Titan. So am directly faced Titan. Another short burst I, I assure you. But first, we must scout and it slowly began to travel towards the out our landing area through radar, in misty orange surface, with Titans own order to check our surroundings. We gravity pulling it faster and faster. will launch the rover tomorrow, but for On Earth, Dennis began to sweat. now, it’s close to 3 am, so go back to your Suppose he failed? Or misjudged? Or homes and get some sleep. It seems we his original calculations were wrong? have landed in one of Titans oceans or- “ Because of one mistake on his part bil- Winter became aware that the room lions of dollars and the efforts of dozens was uncharacteristically silent. They of people would be wasted. For a second all seemed to be looking in shock at the Dennis could see his future- disgraced, vast screen behind him. Turning around, sacked, unemployable, and forever Winter was greeted by a shaking Dennis, known as the man whose actions caused who wordlessly pointed to the screen. the failure of the Adventurer One. Then On the screen, the radar readout of the a flashing light indicated to him that the Adventurer One was being shown. probe was in the prime area to open the The green map showed what Winter parachute and, his resolve strengthened, assumed to be a normal ocean floor next he pressed the button. to a cliff. One aspect of it caught his eye, The screen was now entirely taken up by however. the mass of orange nitrogen. Then, like a “Mister Jefferson, what is that object whale looming up from the deep, a rocky in the right-hand corner of the radar mountain appeared, a mere ten meters screen?” from the craft. For a second the whole “I-I don’t know sir. But whatever it is, room froze, but Dennis, his reaction it’s big-around 20 meters long.” Dennis heightened by adrenaline, wrenched swallowed. “And it’s moving towards the the controls to the side and the probe Adventurer One. Fast.” responded with a speed one would not have thought possible. A few heart stop- ping seconds later, a weird orange lake came into view, and the probe, slowed Some things to look forward to

Aren’t you guys glad Zenith doesn’t look like this? We have our amazing Design Expert, William Pandian, to thank for that! His ded- ication to provide top notch design and aesthetic sense has played in the next is- a monumental role in the presentation of Zenith. We would also like to thank this issue’s writers for their valuable sue include: efforts and contributions and we can’t wait to include more of you in Zenith. The writers are the backbone of any publication and you guys were one heck of a back- bone. We hope you enjoyed writ- - A Sports section ing these as much as we enjoyed reading and editing them.

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ZENITH 47