Issue 1 ReviewTHE HORACE MANN The Alumni Issue: Media

Volume XXVIII - September 2018 THE HORACE MANN Letter From the Editor Review Table of Contents Pana Persianis Editor-in-Chief The State of our Unions 4 Social Media and Protest Movements 22FEATURES DOMESTIC Alexa Mark ‘20 page 4 Sean Koons Silvia Wang ‘19 page 22 Ryan Leung Executive Editors The California Wildfires Jacob Rosenzweig ‘20 page 6 The Rise of Partisanship in the Will Han Sajan Mehrotra Media Aaron Snyder Jeren Wei Noah Phillips ‘20 page 26 Managing Editors Your Primary Concern Ben Rosenzweig ‘20 page 8 Ari Moscona-Skolnik Trump and Fox vs. the Others Deputy Editor ello Horace Mann! I hope that everyone had a great start to the new Reha Mathur ‘20 page 28 school year. During the summer, writers and editors have been putting together the first issue of The Horace Mann Review volume XXVIII. The Nader Granmayeh “Serial Misdiagnosis”: Gender Hfirst issue of The Review for each volume is always the alumni issue, which is Senior Editor - Domestic Disparities and Bias in Healthcare unlike the other issues because the editorial board invites alumni to participate Solomon Katz Zoe Mavrides ‘18 page 10 Cleaning Up Social Media in the writing. It is clear evidence of the warm community spirit of Horace Mann Senior Editor - International Arman Kumar ‘20 page 30 that alumni return years after their graduation to contribute their perspective to Ethan Kim The Review. Senior Editor - Features Richard Hausman The Review continues to be a great way for students to voice their opinions on cur- Senior Editor - Economics rent events. For this issue, the editorial board chose media as the feature topic. Es- 12 Universal Basic Income Dana Jacoby, Silvia Wang INTERNATIONAL Why Immigration Won the pecially in light of the recent attention news outlets have received for partisanship, 32ECONOMICS Senior Editors - Science and Technology 2018 FIFA World Cup Lauren Futter ‘15 page 32 media is a timely topic in the sphere of global events. The topics of our articles Kyra Hill ‘18 page 12 range widely within the topic of media, from exploring the relationship between Aneesh Bafna Trump and Fox to looking at the ways governments could effectively “clean up” Arman Kumar Ben Doolan social media. I hope that our articles on media will lead to some interesting dis- Alexa J. Mark Pratham Gandhi MoviePass cussions. Reha Mathur Tommy Kagan Taimur Moolji The Rohingya Crisis Owen Karpf ‘20 page 34 Ishaan Kannan Beyond media, our writers covered many pertinent topics, both domestically and Noah Phillips Lexi Kanter ‘17 page 14 Owen Karpf Ben Rosenzweig internationally. Our other four sections are Domestic, International, Economics, Oliver Keimweiss and Sci-Tech. In this issue, writers commented on topics such as unions, gender Jacob Rosenzweig Helena Kopans-Johnson Are Big Businesses Bad? disparities in healthcare, and universal basic income. Junior Editors Russian Meddling in the US Oliver Keimweiss ‘20 page 36 I’m very grateful for the dedication of both alumni and students to the making Taimur Moolji ‘20 page 16 of this issue. I would like to thank everyone - sophomores, juniors, seniors, and Laura Weinstein alumni - for their insightful contributions to this issue. A special thank you to our Jonathan Kotchian The Legalization of 3-D Printed editorial board and junior editors for their valuable ideas and hard work. It is an Faculty Advisors 38 Guns honor for me to be trusted to continue the legacy of this award-winning publica- Kerala Flooding SCI-TECH David Puckowitz ‘21 page 38 tion. I would like to thank our dedicated faculty advisors, Dr. Kotchian and Dr. The Horace Mann Review is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the American Scholastic Press Ben Doolan ‘20 page 18 Weinstein, and last year’s Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editors, Zoe Mavrides, Association, and the National Scholastic Press Association. Opinions expressed in articles or illustrations are not necessar- Kyra Hill, and Ethan Finley, for their guidance and support throughout the transi- ily those of the Editorial Board or of the Horace Mann School. Polygenic Scores tion. While we welcome our new faculty advisors, we would also like to thank our Gloria Khafif ‘20 outgoing faculty advisor, Mr. Donadio, for his years of invaluable support. Fair Use Notice Google’s Censored Chinese page 40 This publication contains or may contain copyrighted material, the use of Search Engine I am looking forward to a great year! Enjoy the issue! which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding Ishaan Kannan ‘20 page 20 of issues of economic, political, scientific, and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provid- Public by Default, Pana Persianis ed for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 Venmo’s Data Vulnerability Editor-in-Chief U.S.C. Section 107, this publication is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this Pratham Gandhi ‘20 page 42 Volume XXVIII publication for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must ob- tain permission from the copyright owner. fff fff 2 3 Domestic Domestic ith unionization in the U.S. al- nus was not a free-rider, but rather “a per- to attract more members, and can do so by ready at a historic low of 10.7% son shanghaied for an unwanted voyage.” following the example of similarly affected in 2017, the Supreme Court has Though the decision doesn’t apply to and unions. In the Harris v. Quinn Supreme Wdealt a huge blow to unions in the recent is therefore unlikely to affect unions in the Court decision, the Court decided that re- Janus v. AFSCME decision. The 5-4 deci- private sector, the bulk of union members quiring home aid to pay agency fees violat- sion in favor of Mark Janus has effectively work in the public sector, making this de- ed their First Amendment rights. As such, put in place “right to work” laws nation- cision incredibly impactful. Currently, only home-care unions were affected in the wide by ruling that it is unconstitutional 6.7% of private sector employees are union- same way that public-sector unions are cur- to require public employees to pay agency ized, while 35.5% of public sector employ- rently being affected by the Janus decision. fees to unions under the First Amendment. ees are unionized. Those arguing on the The United Domestic Workers of America Under the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, “closed side of “right to work”legislation and the re- (UDW), one of the unions representing shops” were outlawed, meaning that em- cent Supreme Court decision have claimed home-care workers, was at first harmed af- ployees were no longer required to join a that unions will not suffer because unions ter the decision, with its membership drop- union in order to be eligible for hire. How- still exist in “right to work” states. However, ping from 68,000 workers to 48,000 work- ever, this act did not affect the existence of there has been a drop in union membership ers. However, the UDW is now thriving and “union shops,” where employees were not in all such places. One example is Wiscon- has 75,000 members. The UDW has been required to unionize in order to be hired, sin, which saw its union membership drop able to succeed after its initial setback by but were required to meet with union rep- from 16% in 2009 to 8.1% in 2016 and its me- providing services other than mere wage resentatives and pay agency fees (around dian salary for teachers drop 12.6%. Some bargaining. The union launched a service 78% of the cost of union dues) to the experts claim that Wisconsin is an extreme that matched members with potential cli- unions in return for services like represen- example, as there were laws passed other ents and provided free classes to members tation in collective bargaining after being than “right to work” that weakened unions. on topics such as CPR and dietary restric- hired. The Janus decision is in line with the Even so, reports have found that unioniza- tions to help members in their profession. “right to work” laws currently in place in tion has fallen 5-10% after the passage of By doing so, the union has provided valu- twenty-eight states, all of which ban agency right to work legislation alone, and studies able services to members for a lesser cost, fees, but still require unions to represent all estimate that unionization in the public attracting more members. Without agen- employees in collective bargaining. Because sector will decrease by 8.2 % points because cy fees, unions will have to attract more employees know that they will be repre- of the Janus decision. Economists explain members in order to increase their reve- sented whether or not they pay fees, it is not that over time workers will “bail out,” leav- nue, and will be able to do so if they pro- in their best interest to pay the fees, causing ing unions with less money and support. vide new services to entice workers to join. unions to lose both revenue and members. Unions are vital to the protection of qual- The Janus decision is by no means the The decision in Janus v. AFSCME over- ity of life for many workers throughout the end of unionization in the American pub- turned the precedent set in the 1977 Su- U.S. The recent increases in the minimum lic sector, nor should it be treated as such. preme Court case Abood v. Detroit Board wage have been due to lobbying by unions Unions are already taking steps to protect of Education. Louis Abood argued that be- for many years. Unions have helped workers themselves, and some states like California ing forced to pay agency fees to his union gain benefits like paid health care and pen- and New York have begun to pass legisla- was a form of compelled speech because sions, and have increased average wages for tion making it easier for unions to attract he disagreed with its political views. In that all workers (even those not belonging to a new members and prevent their current case, the Supreme Court ruled that agency union). Experts believe that one of the main members from leaving. However, regard- fees could not be used for political activities reasons why workers’ wages have not been ing the Janus decision, it is critical to rec- This image: nrlb.gov like lobbying, but that non-unionized em- increasing with their increased productiv- ognize the extensive role that unions play Cover image: nytimes.com ployees still had to pay agency fees for ser- ity is because of a decline in unionization in the lives of all workers, and for there to Page 2 image: activistpost.com vices that the union provided all employees and the power of unions. Before the 1980s, be an increase in pro-union reform across that weren’t political in order to prevent as productivity increased, so did wages. the nation. It is almost a guarantee that free-riding and promote “labor peace.” In However, from 1980 to 2008, productivi- the rate of unionization will drop in the the more recent case, Mark Janus sued the ty increased by 75%, while wages only in- near future. Unless unions are able to im- American Federation of State, County and creased by 22.6%. Because of this trend, the plement considerable change quickly, the Municipal Employees, arguing that because Center for American Progress found that negative effects of a drop in unionization, The State of our Unions he didn’t agree with the union’s political if workers had been rewarded for 100% of like decreases in wages and benefits for views, he shouldn’t be forced to support it. their productivity, average wages in 2008 workers, will follow close behind. HMR In contrast to its earlier ruling, the Supreme would have been 42.7% higher. Though Court decided in Janus that all required studies have come to conflicting conclu- payments to unions negotiating with the sions on the question of whether wages are government (public-sector unions) com- higher or lower in right to work states, it is Alexa Mark pelled workers to pay for political messages clear that unions are necessary to raise wag- that they didn’t believe, violating the First es, and that a decline in union membership Amendment. Justice Samuel Alito, writ- will most likely lead to decreased wages. ing for the majority, reasoned that there As Alana Semuels of The Atlantic argues, was no evidence that “labor peace” would in order to survive, unions will have to not hold without agency fees and that Ja- make drastic changes so that they are able

4 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 5 Domestic Domestic alifornia has had its share of tur- of Delaware. At least 46 people lost their cent years, a trend that drives the wildfires bulent weather patterns. On multi- lives from severe injuries caused by the to cause greater destruction. Just last year, ple occasions throughout the 20th fires, and the health defects that result from two successive hurricanes nearly obliterat- Ccentury (and certainly at times before that) excessive smoke inhalation might lead to ed the American territory of Puerto Rico the state has been afflicted with crippling further consequences for those exposed in and a multitude of other Caribbean islands. droughts, taking a severe toll on the re- the future. The wildfires appeared all over Hurricanes Maria and Irma left Puerto Ri- gion’s natural health. During the Great De- the state, affecting diverse climates from can residents without power for months pression era, the late 1980s, and the recent the mountainous north to the desert south. and led to the deaths of thousands of ci- 21st century, the dry conditions that befell Unfortunately, California’s brawl with atro- vilians. People’s suffering did not end with California have weakened the land, thus cious environmental conditions is far from the deprivation of electricity; rather, many reducing its resistance to natural disasters. over. homes were destroyed, and businesses were In addition to depleted water supplies, sub- In late spring of 2018 the state’s wildfires forced to suspend operations as well. Many sidence (decreased elevation), and damages resurfaced in spectacular (yet appalling) Caribbean islands rely heavily on tourism to the aquifer system that carries crucial fashion. At the end of last year, the Thomas for maintaining a sufficient GDP. Because water supplies to millions, California has Fire covered a huge swath of Santa Barbara many hotels and resorts have been afflicted been subjected to abundant wildfires, not and Ventura counties, becoming the state’s with heavy damage, tourists have hesitated only destroying the state’s natural beauty largest fire ever. Only eight months later to travel to the region. Therefore, in addi- and thriving ecosystems but engulfing in did the Mendocino Complex in the north tion to the heavy spending on restoration flames the homes of many residents. This surpass that record, burning over 290,000 and rebuilding, multiple island economies environmental tragedy has already caused acres alone as of early August. The 2018 have suffered a halted cash flow, yielding severe damage and immense suffering, and fires have taken lives, destroyed homes, and already impoverished countries greater fi- the particularly devastating season Califor- scarred the earth. Worst of all, the season nancial despair. The increase in large scale nians now face is a sign that the problem hasn’t even reached its peak, which is ex- hurricanes is often attributed to the increase accuweather.com is not dying down; rather, the situation is pected in October as was the case last year. in average ocean temperatures, which in being aggravated by a pattern of climate Fires are becoming increasingly common part results from the growing volume of change impacting the entire world. in a state that has already suffered tremen- “greenhouse gases” that are released by the Since California’s most recent drought dously, and there is no sign that the trend burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc.). These started in 2012, the state’s residents and will stop anytime soon. Fire season used molecules, naturally occurring but danger- businesses have been forced to comply to be more easily containable and gener- ous in excess, trap heat from the sun with- with strict environmental regulations, but ally less destructive, but it appears to have in the atmosphere, preventing its escape. the government’s efforts to control the sit- become an unpredictable year-round phe- Another event attributed to the climate’s uation have not saved the state from disas- nomenon. increasing average temperature include the ter. Throughout the 2010s Governor Jerry The toll of these fires on California has melting of polar ice caps, which causes sea The California Wildfires Brown has mandated that residents and extended far beyond the loss of life and levels to rise. Numerous Pacific nations like businesses conserve water with the hope property, egregious as those consequences the Marshall Islands are threatened by the of combatting rapidly dwindling supplies. are. Hazardous conditions have forced the rising ocean, for the water has the potential Californians have done an extraordinary National Park Service to close the Yosemi- to swallow inhabited islands. and the Underlying job enduring this challenge, saving over te Valley of Yosemite National Park for the California’s wildfires, the Caribbean’s 25% of their water supplies in February first time in 20 years, and this during peak hurricanes, and the rising sea levels have 2017 with responsible usage. Residents tourism season. The state has already spent already impacted millions of lives, but the have demonstrated a fighting spirit in the over $125 million, more than a quarter of problem does not appear to be going away. Issues that battle against unfriendly weather patterns its annual fire allowance, in the first month Twenty-eighteen is on track to be the fourth because they have suffered terrible conse- of the budget year, and there is no indica- hottest year on record, topped only by the quences in their presence. In late 2017, a tion that conditions will allow for a break previous three. If this trend continues, next series of wildfires devastated populations in massive spending. Thus, the state is not year’s wildfires might burn more land than Provoke Them and ravaged homes across the state. Wild- only losing money on tourism revenue, but they ever have. With the season upon us, fires can be started by both natural and increasing spending in a fight against na- 2018’s hurricanes might bring even great- human causes, examples being a lightning ture that is incredibly tough to win. Cali- er devastation to a region that has not fully strike and exhaust from a vehicle, and they fornia’s budget is being depleted, its forests healed. Lives in these places will become are carried long distances by dry winds. burned, its lakes dried up. Its ecosystems increasingly unpredictable and hazardous, Though fires are a naturally occurring phe- are falling victim to the same phenomenon and Earth might begin to change both phys- nomenon and can have a beneficial impact that countries around the world are begin- ically and demographically. Unfathomable Jacob Rosenzweig on ecosystems, the addition of man-made ning to face; the climate is rapidly evolving damage has already befallen the planet, but fires has been a negative development, and and becoming harmful to existing wildlife. whether we choose to act for earth’s pres- the flames that engulfed the state late last California has faced particularly rough ervation will determine if humanity shall year were catastrophic to the drought-rid- environmnetal challenges over these past continue to thrive in the future. HMR den region. In total, an astounding 9,000 few years, but its hardships are the result different fires tore through the vast Cali- of underlying issues affecting the entire fornia landscape. They scorched 1.2 million world. Natural disasters have become in- acres of land, a size comparable to the state creasingly frequent and devastating in re-

6 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 7 Domestic Domestic Whereas Balderson won with 50.1% of the moderates who don’t want overly liberal Democrats, but because he is not as radical vote this year, Tiberi managed to take the or conservative laws in place, and too few or polarized as many modern Democrats, seat with 66% of the vote by exerting less politicians are taking advantage. Senator he managed to fight an extremely tight effort, just a couple of years ago. The dis- Balderson, for one, promotes himself on race in a Republican-dominated district. trict also voted for Republican presidential his website as a staunch conservative who To make things even more interesting, nominee Donald Trump in 2016 by an elev- “believes in protecting all life, our Second Balderson and O’Connor will be facing en-point majority. The GOP should most Amendment rights, and in getting govern- eachother once again in less than three likely be pondering the question of why the ment out of the way so Ohio’s job creators months. With this substantial progress in election was so close rather than celebrat- can grow without the restraints of govern- Ohio’s 12th District, Democrats can sure- ing a temporary victory. The severe drop in ment red tape.” His additional efforts to ly take this seat, and with one down, there Republican turnout—about 150,000 vot- appeal to the right wing include his out- would be just 23 to go. I fully anticipate a ers—is surely a factor, as the Democrats spokenness against “Obamacare,” advoca- Democratic takeover of the House because lost only 10,000, but the Republicans don’t cy for tax cuts and religious involvement. in the middle of nearly every modern presi- have much more time to solve the problem. O’Connor, though clearly left-leaning, dent’s first term, the non-presidential party So why was the Republican voter turn- presents himself as a more moderate can- generally takes a high number of seats from out so disastrous? The first thing I must didate than Balderson to appeal to a more the other, with the exception being George mention is Trump’s aforementioned 41.4% politically diverse audience. He states on W. Bush. The Senate, however, is a differ- approval rating, which is abysmal and the his website that he strives to “help end the ent beast. Only eight Republican seats are lowest among American presidents since partisan dysfunction in Washington.” This up for re-election this November, and the George W. Bush in the wake of the real-es- is an unfortunately refreshing agenda in remaining 25 are currently held by either tate bubble bursting. As an increasing num- contrast to most modern Democratic can- Democrats or independents who caucus ber of Republicans turn against the party’s didates who instead focus their attention with Democrats. Not only is it unlikely, leader, fewer voters want to elect repre- on humiliating or potentially impeaching thus, that the Democrats will gain many sentatives who will support his controver- the president, rather than compromising. seats, but due to the sheer quantity of Dem- sial agenda. This is highly problematic for Justified or not, Democrats unanimously ocratic seats in jeopardy, Republicans may Balderson because Trump is the face of the voted against the 2017 tax bill and declined strengthen their majority. While the Sen- modern-day Republican Party, so his ac- the border wall/Dreamer compromise. ate seems nearly out of reach, there is no tions and reputation (to an extent) rub off I do not aim to mislead you and say that doubt that Democrats have excellent mo- newbrightonmn.gov on all Republican politicians. This has not they don’t want to compromise with Re- mentum entering the 2018 House of Rep- always been the case, but we are in a po- publicans, but most of them don’t seem to resentatives elections and will likely break litical climate with unusually high polariza- put much effort into doing so, as the pri- the Republican legislature monopoly. HMR tion. Many high-ranking Republicans are or examples show. This goal to work with deemed “Tea-Party,” and many high-rank- both parties earned O’Connor a fantastic ing Democrats are deemed “socialists” by and unexpected result on August 8. Yes, Your Primary Concern their enemies, regardless of the statements’ O’Connor strives to create universal health accuracy. This polarization scares off many care and marriage equality like most other Ben Rosenzweig

our primaries and an indicative spe- need 24 seats to gain a majority, a feat that fought between Danny O’Connor (D) cial election took place on August will prove very difficult. Only 23 Republi- and State Senator Troy Balderson (R), was 8, 2018 and continued to redefine can-controlled seats were elected in districts deemed too close to call until all votes were Fthe expected trends for this November’s that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, al- counted, though Balderson ultimately won upcoming congressional, senatorial and ready one short of the number required for by a margin of 0.8%. The election took gubernatorial elections. Democrats strive majority. To make things harder, another place due to the resignation of Represen- to take a majority of seats in the House 12 districts with Democrat-controlled seats tative Pat Tiberi (R), who decided to lead of Representatives for the first time since helped elect Donald Trump in the last gen- the Ohio Business Roundtable, on January 2008, which was the last time Democrats eral election. Democratic candidates aim to 15. President Trump said it was his influ- won both chambers and the White House. use the president’s 41.4% approval rating ence that enabled Balderson’s victory, but They lost the House soon after in 2010, the against him and the candidates who sup- that most certainly may be the case. This Senate in 2014, and finally the presidency port him. The results on August 8th might seat has been in the hands of the GOP since in the last general election on November 8, convince you that the anti-Trump senti- the early 1980s when John Kasich defeat- 2016. Some anticipate a 2018 Democratic ment is not quite enough to get the Dem- ed Bob Shamansky (D). If you disregard comeback like that of Republicans—who ocrats ahead, but looks can be deceiving. Shamansky’s two-year stint in Congress, gained 62 House seats—in 2010. Democrats The Ohio special election, which was Republicans controlled the seat since 1939. cnn.com

8 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 9 Domestic Domestic of time until the diagnosis is established.” equately approached but is additionally was more likely to exacerbate the dis- Faulty healthcare is quite literally per- treated as unconventional. Heart attacks are ease than their male counterparts. They petuating the issues these women face. seen in the public eye in the way they man- were additionally monitored at lesser The poor treatment of female-exclusive ifest themselves in men. Female symptoms rates and received fewer visits to a gener- diseases also extends to chronic conditions are not those of the “Hollywood” heart at- al care provider overall. Yet again, stig- and medical ailments that disproportion- tack - and yet, textbooks and talk shows ma and treatment work together to bar ately affect the female body. Let’s explore, alike display the condition this way. Female women from receiving appropriate care. for example, the treatment of heart attacks heart attacks are perceived as diverting away This divide is further extended by the in women today. A Yale University School from the “textbook” heart attack when in massive gap in access to appropriate health of Medicine study found that young wom- reality, they should be approached and as- care for non-white women. For women of en have double the likelihood of their male sessed as an entirely separate event. When color, racial bias in hospitals contributes counterparts of dying from a heart attack. more than 50% of all heart attacks occur to a lack of accessibility. While doctors A later study by the Yale School of Public in female patients, the medical communi- may provide the same diagnosis and treat- Health delved into the potential causes of ty really ought to reassess this perception. ment plan for minorities and their white this discrepancy. Two main factors were When it comes to dementia, female counterparts, the University of Pittsburgh healthcare providers’ dismissal of women’s treatment is similarly disproportionate- School of Medicine found that non-verbal complaints and women’s quite justified fear ly lacking. Women are consistently given cues during patient-doctor conversations of being labeled as hysterical or display- inadequate care for the illness. A study were often influenced by bias. Doctors were ing hypochondriac tendencies. The female at University College London found that found to display more distant characteris- heart attack is not only consistently inad- women were often given medication that tics, such as closed body language or even

“When it comes to dementia, fe-

glamour.com male treatment is similarly disproportionately lacking. “Serial Misdiagnosis”: Gender Women are consistently Disparities and Bias in Healthcare given inadequate care for the illness.” Zoe Mavrides

amantha Bee, the only female late- metriosis, medical professionals do not have While a patient awaits diagnosis, she must stepping away from a patient’s bed, when health issues. In an attempt to make endo- oric doctors use today. We consistently treat night show host, recently aired a skit extensive knowledge on the subject. It is en- deal with both the extreme pain she is ex- working with people of color. The discrim- metriosis diagnosis and treatment a more women’s views as if they are inferior, as if concerning the deficit in women’s tirely unknown what causes the illness, and periencing and the frustration of being re- ination seen in these results fosters an en- seamless process for all parties involved, they lack the validity of male suffering. We, Shealth resources throughout history. The there is no cure or even temporary solution. peatedly dismissed. The lack of knowledge vironment of distrust, where, even if bias is the National Institute for Health and Care as women, are treated as if our complaints idea Full Frontal With Samantha Bee in- Contraceptives and Advil tend to be the and appropriate treatment for this illness not influencing the treatment plan (which Excellence (NICE) released new regula- are a sign of fragility, not a sign of the troduced is one that is all too familiar for two generic treatments for women’s pain may be one of the main factors as to why it often does), patients do not feel as if they tions. The Guardian explains that these reg- strength to fight. This must change. Until women. The treatment of endometriosis, at or below the belt. The same percentage so many women with endometriosis also are being respected or cared for. Beyond ulations call for healthcare providers to “lis- those in positions of power in both govern- fibroids, and other female medical issues is of adults today have diabetes as those that suffer from mental health issues. A 2017 creating a harsh environment of treatment, ten to women.” It is sad that our standard ment and the health care system as a whole often brushed aside as unimportant. Classi- have endometriosis, and yet 100 times the Femedic article cites London Women’s US News and World Report explains that for improved treatment regulations in 2018 recognize and account for this dilemma, fying female health as an afterthought is part amount of funding goes towards research Centre doctor Pandelis Athanasias, ex- discrimination in daily life can exacerbate is to encourage professionals to give women all women will continue to suffer.HMR of a larger issue facing women: a nationwide for the improvement of diabetic healthcare. plaining that “women with endometriosis other serious health issues. This often re- a voice in their own treatment. This should reality where 50% of the United States pop- The difficult journey of being treated are [not only] at risk of developing anxiety sults in increased high blood pressure and not be something we need to tell people. ulation are treated as second-class citizens. for endometriosis starts out with a typical or depression caused by the symptoms of insomnia in those who have faced bias. Samantha Bee’s skit went all the way While 10% of women today have endo- diagnosis period of seven to eight years. the disease but also because of the length Some steps have been taken by organi- back to the Stone Age. In this process, her zations that have become aware of women’s reporting pointed out a key flaw in the rhet-

10 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 11 International International athleticism: diversity and immigration. Europe struggle with legislation on im- certainty within Europe is caused by the For the first time ever, there was a re- migration and have remained in a dead- disagreements between the countries and cord number of first and second genera- lock for over two years due to continuous the willingness each country has to accept tion immigrants on all World Cup teams disagreement between political parties their share of immigrants and refugees. It- combined. When the teams the tour- and their leaders. Many immigrants and aly and Greece are currently accepting the nament were finally narrowed down to refugees from parts of the Middle East largest amounts of immigrants due to their its semifinalists and the four teams left and Africa travel to Europe in search of geographical location, with political parties were exclusively from Europe (Belgium, economic opportunity and often in or- urging for increased border control. With France, Croatia, and England), many der to escape political hardship at home. the rise of Matteo Salvini, Italy’s interior fans began to wonder of the true con- Despite the display of diversity at the minister, came the rise of the populist party tinental identity of each of the teams. World Cup, leaders such as President Don- and his refusal to accept 629 migrants on a As stated by Ishaan Tharoor in the ald Trump continue to claim that immi- boat that arrived in Sicily on June 11. Spain Washington Post, “Seventeen of France’s 23 grants coming across the Mediterranean stepped in and accepted the migrants, but players are the children of first-generation are putting a strain on Europe’s resources this solution is only temporary. Poland and immigrants. Half of the French and Bel- by stating that crime rates have gone up in Hungary have denied the entry of immi- gian squads’ players trace their ancestry to countries such as Germany following the grants altogether, while Germany’s Angela Africa, a much higher percentage than the migrant crisis. False claims like those made Merkel contrasts with her open-door poli- ratio of immigrants in either country.” Even by Trump create a sense of xenophobia cy. In order for Europe to gain a consistent England’s team features stars of Jamaican within locals, who have become just as vig- lead on the migration crisis before numbers birth and Nigerian descent, among others. ilant on matters pertaining to immigration. dramatically peak again, they must agree While France may have won the World With a European population that is wary on legislation that appeals to each country Cup, so did immigrants all over the world. and unsure of an influx of migrant arriv- while efficiently maintaining the crisis and The display at the World Cup serves to als, politicians and lawmakers have consis- providing immigrants with the opportuni- prove of the importance and massive effect tently found it difficult to make progress. ty to create new lives in European nations. immigration has on today’s societies – with Following the migration crisis in 2015, The diversity of the World Cup rep- 50% of players from all four teams com- numbers of immigrants are currently low- resents a region that is heavily reliant on the bined coming from African backgrounds/ er compared to the peak that the region presence of immigrants. Like all countries descent, it is impossible to ignore the signif- experienced. Because of several forms of around the world, European countries must icant impact of immigration on the mod- legislation such as the agreement between find a consistent balance between denying getuperica.com ern world. It is also equally important to Italy and Libya and the EU’s immigration and accepting entry of the many immigrants note that each of these European countries deal with Turkey, immigrant numbers that escape their lawless homes in search of would have had a significantly slimmer are lowest they have been in three years, economic prosperity in an effort to create chance at getting closer to the grand tro- but they are beginning to slowly increase a more unified and strong region. HMR Why Immigration Won the 2018 phy if it weren’t for the role of immigration. as immigration laws in the United States Like in the United States, countries in tighten under President Trump. The un- FIFA World Cup Kyra Hill

his summer, I was surrounded by disease. Fat tears rolled down their cheeks The connection is also personal for many Brazilian campers hailing from São and their sobs were heavy. I remember one nations; Doug Sibor of Complex Maga- Paulo and other small cities sur- camper telling me, “Brazil doesn’t have good zine explains that for countries that strug- Trounding it. Their young, infectious energy schools, government, or even people. But gle through political or financial hardship, was channeled through soccer (football, to we have good soccer. This is why we cry.” soccer serves as a beacon of hope and unity them), as the FIFA World Cup was pro- For most countries, excluding the United for a community. While the U.S. has many gressing nicely in their favor. I had never States, soccer is the most popular sport in sports competing for entertainment dol- seen such enthusiasm directed through a their country, especially in South America, lars, soccer serves as the primary national sport in such a young crowd – on the day of Central America, and Europe. While sports sport for most nations around the world. matches they sported bright yellow jerseys fans in the U.S. tend to lean towards sports The pinnacle of all soccer is the FIFA and ran around the field dawning huge Bra- such as American football, baseball, and World Cup, a quadrennial tournament that zilian flags. They wasted hours of their data basketball, the connection to soccer dif- pits the best against the best in passionate by trying to stream matches on their phones fers slightly for sports fans in other coun- matches over the course of several weeks. during excursion time, their cheers loud tries. Soccer, which simply requires a flat This year, the tournament took place in and deafening as a goal was scored. When surface and a ball, does not require extra Russia and was ultimately won by France Brazil lost to Belgium, the loss was crush- training, money, or equipment, making it – however, World Cup news was domi- ing, sadness spreading like an infectious the most popular sport played by children. nated largely by another theme besides cnn.com

12 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 13 International International have other forms of less privileged citizen- Burma Buddhists will often speak of the maintain her position if there is any hope ship. For example, one can be an “associ- Rohingya as Bengali invaders who don’t for sustaining democracy in Myanmar, but ate” citizen who had citizenship under the belong in their country. They claim that a democracy that commits ethnic cleansing previous citizenship law, or a “naturalized” the Rohingya are the ones who are acting with few consequences is not a democracy citizen, if you one can prove your family violently, not the Burmans or the military. the world should want; a leader who does has lived in Myanmar for more than three When asked about photos of the Rohing- not condemn ethnic cleansing is not a lead- generations. These types of citizenship do ya villages burning, a common response is er fit to lead any government, let alone a not allow for participation in government that the Rohingya are burning their own supposed democracy. offices or in the military. In the case of the villages to frame the military. Unfortunately, now it is mostly too late. Rohingya, however, the government has Witnessing, from within Myanmar, the Over 700,000 of the 1 million Rohingya left them out completely, deeming them il- inability and unwillingness of the interna- reported to live in the Rakhine State have legal migrants and conflating them with the tional community to react to the crisis in fled and are now refugees in Bangladesh, Indian and Bangladeshi migrants that came any substantial way was beyond frustrat- where conditions are dire, especially as the over during colonialism. The Rohingya do ing. The unwillingness of Aung San Suu Kyi camps face a fierce monsoon season. There not have any form of citizenship; they are to take a strong stand against the violence is little hope of the Rohingya returning to essentially a nationless people. was appalling. Many will argue that she was Myanmar; without any form of documen- Discrimination against the Rohingya is unable to say anything because her power tation, they cannot prove they lived there in extensive. They are denied access to health- is still very limited and fragile, and that if the first place. Further, they have nothing care and to hospitals, each person must she took a stand against her supporters, to return to but trauma and ashes. It is true register his presence and all their posses- who are largely the Buddhist Burman ma- that it is more difficult to understand the sions with government officials every three jority, the military might retake the govern- urgency and the necessity of a response to a months, intermarriage between Rohing- ment. crisis when it is happening so far away. This ya and other ethnic groups is against the First and foremost, almost no one who conflict, then, if nothing else, should renew law, they are subject to travel bans and free lives within the country believes the mili- a commitment in each and every person movement restrictions; the list goes on. Of tary will retake the government. That threat to building empathy and understanding. course, this is just normal procedure in rel- has been used as an excuse for Aung San Society’s tendency is to indulge in fear, elespanol.com atively peaceful times. During the conflict Suu Kyi’s and other leaders’ inaction. The and hatred of those who are different from that erupted in August 2017, hundreds of military officials and their families, who are ourselves and whom we have not made an villages were burned and thousands of ci- often powerful and wealthy, have benefited effort to understand has led us to deny our vilians were killed just in one month after immensely, if not more than anyone else in common humanity time and time again. The Rohingya Crisis the initial violence broke out. Women and the country, from opening up Myanmar to Being complacent in even small instances girls were also raped and abused, according trade with the international community; of prejudice and discrimination is to under- to Amnesty International, Human Rights they have no incentive to return the nation estimate the human capacity for evil. For, Watch and Doctors Without Borders to an economically destitute situation. Sec- this time, the tragedy happened to be far Lexi Kanter (MSF). ond, regardless of whether she might lose away, but next time it may be surprisingly As a result of government propaganda, her base supporters, maintaining one’s own close to home, and when that time comes t has now been over a year since the ple have suffered periodic bouts of severe ma as essentially part of the British Raj. All highly censored media, limited access to political power or ensuring one’s own polit- you will hope that people, no matter how tensions in the Rakhine State of Myan- repression for decades, at the hands of the of this severely minimized the power of the the outside world, and an undereducated ical progress is never an excuse for ignor- far away they are, will care enough to take mar erupted into violence that rose to military government as well as nationalist majority Buddhist Burman ethnic group. general public, there is pervasive racism ing ethnic cleansing and genocide. People a stand. HMR Iinternational attention. Myanmar, formerly Buddhists with whom they share the Ra- The country officially gained independence and anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. may argue that Aung San Suu Kyi needs to Burma, is a country hidden away in South- khine state. Deep-seated tensions between in 1948. The Buddhist Burmans have been east Asia, nestled between Thailand, India, them and the majority Buddhist population in power since independence, and their burmatimes.net Bhutan, China, Bangladesh and Laos. It in Rakhine have often been exploited by the persecuting of the Rohingya, and other eth- is a nation largely untouched by tourists, military and have led to deadly communal nic minorities as well, is often considered to and, with the exception of these bouts of violence. Many still do not understand the be a reaction against the disempowerment violence, seemingly left out of the West- context of the violence, the history of the they suffered during colonial times. ern consciousness of the world; few know country, or the current political climate, At the core of the persecution of the Ro- where it is; some don’t even know that it which are critical to understanding the hingya is the unique and complicated 1982 exists. Myanmar has a complicated history conflict. citizenship law in the country that has been and an even more complicated demograph- Myanmar is a majority Buddhist coun- designed to subjugate the Rohingya and ic makeup, making it one of the most in- try that was taken under British imperi- other ethnic minorities. The Burmese mil- teresting and dynamic places in the world. al rule in 1886. The British, as they did in itary has promoted its Burman Buddhist Unfortunately, this has also resulted in di- many other colonial territories, emphasized nationalism by insisting that citizenship vision and tensions that the country has and fostered ethnic divisions in order to may be given only to individuals in ethnic struggled with and will continue to strug- strengthen their control. They attempted to groups deemed to exist before colonialism. gle to overcome. Ever since Myanmar be- convert minority tribes to Christianity and This list of ethnic groups who are consid- came independent in 1948, the Rohingya, in some cases favored groups who had al- ered taing yin thar is much smaller than a minority Muslim ethnic group living in ready been converted to Christianity. They the actual number of ethnic groups that ex- the Rakhine province in Western Myan- also brought in workers from their border ists. The many individuals with ethnicities mar, have been persecuted. Rohingya peo- territory, Colonial India, as they saw Bur- outside those recognized as taing yin thar

14 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 15 International International

sian involvement in the 2016 election. The should attempt to befriend Russia. Mean- is simple. As long as we stop Russia from two are also suspected of funneling large while, Russia and America are fighting a expanding their reaches, the threat will die amounts of Russian money into the Trump modern day proxy war in Syria involving out. Right now, Russia as a whole is suffering campaign through the NRA. Though brutal drone strikes and thousands of ci- massively, but still they continue to support there is currently little definitive evidence vilian casualties. It’s taken countless tiny their current leaders. Despite rampant and of their violating campaign finance laws, actions to completely shift our perception increasing poverty, massive wealth inequal- documents have come forth showing that of Russia, without their altering their geo- ity, three quarters of the Russian people still Russian sources contributed $25,000 to political strategy whatsoever. Each move, voted to re-elect President Putin. This is the NRA during Trump’s campaign. Be- whether it be Butina’s meetings, or factually because he brilliantly distracts from the do- cause the courts deemed her a flight risk, incorrect news articles, pushes them a few mestic problems with the promise of restor- Butina was jailed in July until her trial. inches closer to their goal. Russia is display- ing Russia to its Cold-War glory through Whether or not every single one of the ing the same Cold-War tactics employed 50 military successes. For example, in 2015, meetings Butina set up successfully in- years ago. The only difference is that now when oil prices crashed, and Russia experi- creased Russian influence in American pol- our president wants to be friends with them. enced its two worst quarters since 2008, Pu- itics is insignificant. In the grand scheme of In order to stop the expansion of Rus- tin launched the first Russian airstrikes in things, one meeting will not shift the public sian influence over American politics, the Syria. If the United States can prevent Putin perception of Russia in the United States. US should employ two tactics. The first is from succeeding in his displays of military It’s the long game that matters. Go back fair and honest media coverage. As long as might, then we can end the rally around to the 1960s, and Russian-American ten- the people of America are informed about the flag effect, that Putin has preyed on for sions were the highest they have ever been. the state of Russian affairs, they can vote on years to keep Russia politically stagnant. If Fast forward five decades and the tensions meaningful policy that can stabilize the sit- no one supports the government anymore, theduran.com have barely diminished in reality. Howev- uation, and can vote for representatives that then Putin will be too busy trying to regain er, it certainly doesn’t seem that way after will best combat the Russian threat. The control of his people to meddle in Ameri- listening to some of our most powerful second way to stop Russia from increasing can political affairs. Only then can we suc- politicians. From our President to promi- their geopolitical strength is to revert to our cessfully safeguard our nation from Russian nent Congressmen and Congresswomen, own Cold War strategy, specifically George influence, and open up Russia to the polit- Russian Meddling in the US the current consensus seems to be that we F. Kennan’s tactic of containment. The idea ical change it so drastically needs. HMR Taimur Moolji

his summer has been rife with reve- ment official, and a prominent member of sages with Torshin from that year demon- lations regarding President Trump’s the NRA. He also has strong ties to Russian strate her clear support for Donald Trump alleged collusion with high ranking President Vladimir Putin, and is currently in the 2016 presidential election, and the TRussian officials during his 2016 campaign. being investigated by the Spanish govern- belief that the success of the Republican Along with these has come a deeper un- ment for suspected involvement with the party would lead to increased diplomacy derstanding of just how much direct in- Russian and Spanish mobs. Torshin intro- between the US and Russia. Communica- fluence Russia has over American politics. duced Butina to the leaders of the NRA, tions between Butina and Torshin show Perhaps most striking, however, is that and for three years, Butina and Torshin that just three days after President Trump’s this plan has been in the making for de- worked together to find allies and build victory the two were already formulating cades. The most recent example of this is relationships with influential American plans for a pro-Russia-Conference, in- the curious case of Maria Butina, a secret figures. She attended the NRA convention volving various American Congressmen. Russian operative who infiltrated the NRA. all three of those years, and the two set up Though the Russian government shut down Born in Barnaul, Russia, Butina was en- meetings with powerful politicians and do- the conference before it came to fruition, couraged from a young age to oppose gun nors, which Butina’s emails later revealed Butina had a backup plan. She and Torsh- control. She often went on hunting trips were sanctioned by an unnamed aide of in selected the members of the Russian with her father growing up and in 2011, Vladimir Putin. Ultimately, hundreds of Delegation for the Nation Prayer Break- she founded the Right to Bear Arms, a Russians were introduced into the Amer- fast, with the sole intention of “[establish- Russian gun lobbying group similar to the ican political sphere. Butina even went so ing] a back channel of communication.” National Rifle Association. The group suc- far as to attempt to set up meetings between In July of 2018, Butina was arrested cessfully lobbied for years to increase cit- both Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. for violating the Foreign Agents Regis- izens’ access to guns, and eventually grew and Russian senators on a number of occa- tration Act since she did not register as a to over 10,000 members. In 2013, Butina sions. She did all of this while still in Russia. foreign operative upon entering the coun- came into contact with Alexander Torsh- In mid-2016, Butina finally arrived in try. Meanwhile, Alexander Torshin is still in for the first time, through her lobbying America on a student visa and began study- under investigation by Special Counsel, group. Torshin is a former Russian govern- ing at American University. Her text mes- Robert Mueller, for his part in the Rus- vanityfair.com

16 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 17 International International toward the construction of renewable en- popularized energy consuming household on the country as it attempts to swim and ergy sources and away from fossil fuels, appliances such as dishwashers, refrigera- starts to drown. The world asked India to such as coal, that emit dangerous levels tors, and televisions that became symbol- assume an unfair burden in order to mit- of carbon pollution, poisoning the Earth, ic of Western lifestyle and culture. World igate the effects of global warming, al- a planet battling against rising tempera- War II, a global conflict between European, though this request may be justified. An tures to sustain human life as we know it. American, and Asian powers, prompted increase in global temperatures coupled A significant transition towards solar ener- yet another wave of industrialization and with rising sea levels, ocean acidification, gy would have both short- and long-term a corresponding increase in atmospheric more frequent and intense extreme weath- political, social, and economic benefits for carbon dioxide concentration. American er events such as monsoons and flooding, India, so now is the time for Prime Minister suburbanization in the 1960s reinforced and sustained intense droughts will impact Modi to make the leap of faith and commit the value of appliances and tools as status the world on an unimaginable scale. These to renewable sources of energy in order to symbols in society, leading to yet another devastating effects will further destabilize ensure the nation’s longevity and prosper- spike in energy consumption. In the 1970s, fragile regions across the globe, such as ity for years to come. India must act now, electronic technology began to dominate the surrounds of the warring Kashmir re- and it must act swiftly in order to prevent Western economies, as computers became gion in India. Therefore, the world’s sec- its current predicament from worsening. an essential tool in many types of industry. ond largest country by population and Before the advent of the Anthropocene Finally, the 2000s saw a boom in consum- sixth largest economy must make a choice. era, carbon dioxide had always existed in erism and production, due to technolog- On the one hand, India could continue the Earth’s atmosphere. However, at the ical advancements such as the invention to build coal power plants in order to pro- beginning of the nineteenth century, the of the smartphone and the popularization duce the energy necessary for a swiftly in- economies of Western Europe and North of the personal computer. However, these dustrializing nation for the next ten years, America shifted towards mechanized labor two hundred years of rapid industrializa- while watching society begin to crumble. and production in an era widely known as tion have almost exclusively benefited the On the other hand, policymakers could the Industrial Revolution. Although this fully developed and modernized nations of listen to the scientists, engineers, and econ- period provided novel advancements in the the Western world. omists by moving towards a world pow- efficiency of the production process, it also It is now 2018, and developing nations, ered by renewable energy sources. There required a need for energy. Western soci- such as India, are entering their industrial may be bumps in the road with the latter ety decided that the development of power heyday, in an age of extensive and com- choice; however, in perspective, those costs plants, where an industrialized economy prehensive economic growth, while they are merely speeding tickets in the long run. globalhopeindia.com could burn fossil fuels at an exorbitant rate strive to modernize just as Western society The choice is clear; unlike Western nations while releasing an immense amount of car- did several decades ago. However, many during their age of industrialization, India bon dioxide into the atmosphere, was the Indians believe that the global community must take its unfair share, a heavy burden, best way to deal with these energy needs. has put a gag on the nation’s development. in preventing the intensification of global The invention of the Model T by Henry Ford Indian citizens view signing treaties such warming through enacting swift and com- Kerala Flooding, in 1908 kicked off the automobile industry, as the 2015 Paris Climate Accords, which prehensive solar energy policies. HMR introducing yet another carbon polluter limit India’s energy production from fossil Climate Change, into Western society. The “Roaring ‘20s” fuels, as the West pushing their foot down and the Indian Economy Ben Doolan

eports by the ​BBC​ and ​The New mary cause: climate change. past 30 years. The droughts have generat- York Times indicate​ that nearly 400 When global temperatures rise, near- ed unusually dry soil that has introduced people have died and over 800,000 ly eight hundred million lives will be at significant crop cultivation issues, provok- Rhave been displaced by mass flooding that risk in South Asia. The Republic of India, ing farmers to commit suicide because the has devastated the Kerala State in South- housing 1.4 billion people, will sustain the farmers are unable to pay off their debts ern India. Residents of the region are not most damaging impacts of global tempera- and support their respective families. Al- strangers to this kind of extreme weather, ture rise, with intense droughts disrupting though India has begun to feel the dam- as the monsoon season brings heavy down- both the national economy and the liveli- aging effects of global climate change, the pours and flooding annually. However, hood of millions of individuals throughout nation can, and must, take all the preven- these catastrophic surges are the worst In- the country. A Washington Post article by tative measures possible to prevent the fur- dia has experienced in over 100 years, and Vidhi Doshi reported that these droughts, ther intensification of the crisis. Legislators, many scientists have begun to attribute the caused by global warming, have led to near- innovators, and community organizers intensification of these storms to one pri- ly 60,000 farmer suicides in India over the must all come together and lead the charge therahnuma.com

18 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 19 International International the belief that the benefits of increased ac- gle is not developing Dragonfly because of Google employees “don’t know what we’re cess to information for people in China and improvements in China; instead, changes building,” and “do not have the informa- a more open Internet outweighed our dis- in Silicon Valley are motivating the proj- tion to make ethically-informed decisions comfort in agreeing to censor some results.” ect. Most large tech firms have by now ex- about our work, our project, and our em- Google acted in a self-detrimental manner panded their reach through north America, ployment.” The employees called for a Code in order to protect free speech, the ideology Europe, and much of Asia, meaning that Yellow on Dragonfly, a process used in which Communist leaders find threaten- Google no longer has a headstart over its engineering development to assess a prob- ing, and which Google promised to stand competitors. Its lack of participation in the lem that affects multiple teams. Although by at its inception. This was eight years ago. world’s largest consumer market makes it employee protests have had significant Google recently announced the develop- weak against this competition and cuts back effects in the past (just recently, employ- ment of project Dragonfly, a search engine its earnings growth. It’s also likely that AI ee complaints about Google’s tie-ups with for use in China which will be censored technology plays a part in the decision, as the Pentagon to use AI for military defense in accordance with Chinese governmental Google CEO Sundar Pichai has commend- led the company to pull out of the deal and regulations. So what’s changed since 2010? ed China’s AI scientists and going back lay out ethical plans for AI development), In terms of China’s political climate, not into China is the way to recruit this force. it is unlikely that Google rolls back on much. If anything, things are worse with Xi While Google’s return to China might Dragonfly due to the intense pressure it is Jinping recently becoming president for life have been inevitable under this competi- likely facing to release products in China. and the strongest leader since Mao. Upon tion, employees and users are not pleased. China’s leadership has kept a safe dis- reentering China, Google will be expected Roughly 1400 employees upset with the tance from American tech firms such as to help Mr. Xi maintain absolute control by project signed a letter in protest, argu- Facebook and Google, preferring domes- propagandizing his regime.Therefore, Goo- ing that due to the secrecy of Dragonfly, tic giants such as Baidu instead, since the

“China’s leadership has kept a safe distance from American tech firms such as Facebook news.bitcoin.com and Google, preferring domestic giants such as Baidu instead, since the government has Google’s Censored Chinese hands-on access to influence these companies.” Search Engine government has hands-on access to influ- Baidu, a search engine app which incorpo- in much of the world, and so regardless of ence these companies. Therefore, those rates “mini-programs,” or apps within the whether it overtakes Baidu or not, its com- Ishaan Kannan who support Google’s involvement in app. This allows users to do virtually any- pliance with the “evil” that the Chinese gov- China have made the argument that the thing one needs a phone for, such as order- ernment imposes on its people is a striking oogle’s prospectus, 2004: “Don’t be if newscasters described him as an equita- ing responsibility both on a wide political company’s withdrawal in 2010 did nothing ing food, messaging, playing games, and message for the world. If a government can evil. We believe strongly that in the ble and accepting individual, Americans scale and on an individual consumer basis, to change Chinese policy due to Google’s many others, without ever leaving Baidu’s control the entity whose job it is to decide long term, we will be better served— would support him accordingly. The media Google has to be viewed as more than a backseat role in China, only taking away app. It also has the government’s favor and how the people view that very government, Gas shareholders and in all other ways—by a decides what the country sees and knows. company, and its actions hold a significance revenue from the tech giant. If Google ac- abides closely to any censorship restrictions then the crucial power of the media is un- company that does good things for the world This is why broadcasters have been given that is unique in the corporate and politi- cedes to the CCP’s demands and becomes allowed. When Google left China in 2010, dermined. And for every other country even if we forgo some short term gains. spectrum worth billions of dollars for free cal worlds. The company seemed to under- widely used in China, then it would have Baidu had nearly caught up to it in usership using Google’s service, the understanding This is an important aspect of our culture by governments around the world, and why stand this at its inception with its “Don’t be an upper hand on its competitors which and many people said that the very reason that the media will act as a fourth branch of and is broadly shared within the company.” media businesses have a fiduciary respon- evil” motto. Today Google is redrawing the are frustrated by governmental restrictions. they preferred the American search engine government and provide stability is based The media industry acts as a conduit of sibility to society as a whole. Today, this line of what is a “good thing for the world.” Unfortunately this attitude only lends le- was for the freedom that came with it. Now on hypocrisy. Google cannot have it both power within countries because it defines power has been magnified manifold in the In 2010, Google withdrew its services gitimacy to China’s censorship decisions. Google is playing the catch-up game, and ways; it must either choose to take a gamble what the masses see and listen to. Imagine, hands of aggregators such as Google, which from China when it suspected the Chinese Even once Google is back in China, it depending on whether the Chinese govern- in China for the profits and leave behind for example, that every piece of news creat- curates legacy media not only though its government of hacking into the Gmail ac- will take time and enormous effort be- ment backs it, the odds are stacked against it. its noble cause from 2004, or it must pull ed about Donald Trump was never released. search algorithm but also through emails, counts of Chinese human rights activists. fore the search engine is widely used. The Nevertheless, Google has its name going back from China and send the message that Would any given person have a perspective traffic data and phone use (through An- The company claimed subsequently that majority of Chinese citizens currently use for it and is synonymous with the internet the world is better off without evil.HMR of what kind of person or leader he was? Or, droid, which Google owns). And so, bear- “We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in

20 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 21 Features Features

zzt. Bzzt! Technology is constant- papers, social media, data leaks, and the sites address the social and political issues ly interrupting our stream of con- online presence of organizations generate of a movement, capturing international at- sciousness, flooding our daily lives publicity and mobilize supporters, prompt- tention and garnering support for a cause. Bwith notifications, advertisements, and in- ing the emergence of protest movements. Technology has given us the ability to not formation. The sound alerts and bright il- In the past, activists have always used only spread information, but also to access luminating screens surround us, borrowing the most efficient communication tech- it with ease: as newspapers become digi- our attention and creating a subconscious nologies to disseminate information, raise tal—providing easier access and more ac- impulse to check an email or the amount of awareness, and organize collective action. curate updates online— the need for print- likes on a Facebook post. This era of tech- Communication is essential to the success ed newspapers is declining. According to a nology has created platforms for commu- of a movement, increasing its numbers and study done by the Pew Research Center, as nication that were once unimaginable, but building a network of support. During the of August 2017, 43% of Americans receive has also come with benefit and backlash. American Revolution, the printing press their news online while only 18% received New digital technologies have advanced multiplied the number of local newspapers it from a printed newspaper. Now anyone protests by disseminating information, and pamphlets, spreading the ideas that can download newspaper apps on their connecting like-minded individuals, and eventually led to a war for independence. phone that send notifications through- reducing the cost and time it takes for a Similarly, in 1930 Mohandas Gandhi pub- out the day on news around the world. movement to grow. However, they have licized footage of the salt march, where Social media has allowed members with also increased the spread of misinforma- images of British soldiers brutally beating similar beliefs and interests to connect in tion, the power of terrorist groups, and nonviolent protesters with clubs sharply productive and effective ways. Websites government surveillance on Internet us- captured the oppression by the Raj. This like MeetUp, Doodle, and the Facebook ers. To claim that the digital revolution generated a wave of public support, which event function are used as tools to assemble has either positively or negatively affected helped India gain independence. Improved and mobilize people for action. Prominent protest movements is reductive and overly relations with the public strengthen and en- forms of cyber-activism include online pe- simplistic. Doing this personifies social me- ergize a movement, as seen throughout his- titions, fundraisers, campaigns, and vol- dia instead of acknowledging that human tory. With the advent of camera-equipped unteer pages. For example, a group called actions determine its effects. Thus, tech- mobile phones and portable laptops, users Colorlines.com led a three-year campaign nology is only a tool that can either spur can now access the digital world at all times, to end the mainstream news outlets’ us- social change or reverse progress, depend- with the power to instantaneously share any age of the word “illegal” to describe im- ing on the intentions of the user. By pro- event or opinion to millions of others. On- migrants in the United States without re- viding easy access to information, E-news- line news sources, social media, and web- quired documentation. Persistent in their ibtimes.co.uk

“According to a study Social Media and done by the Pew Research Protest Movements Center, as of August 2017, 43% of Americans received Silvia Wang their news online while only 18% received it from a printed newspaper.”

pewresearch.org

22 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 23 Features Features

convictions that the term was degrading crash the website of a church accused of In- lic knowledge of the war and prompting pro- and racially charged, the group finally suc- ternet censorship with DDoS attacks. These test against it. WikiLeaks played a key role ceeded when the Associated Press agreed attacks made the site unavailable by flood- in nationally distributing information that to its demand. This event was significant ing it with traffic caused by different sourc- other news sources refused to. It secured a and empowering because the Associated es. However, afterwards Chanology re- check on government, therefore fulfilling Press was the largest news gathering or- ceived DDoS on their own online services, the press’s duty of speaking truth to power. ganization, providing to hundreds of lo- inhibiting their ability to disseminate infor- Though in some cases new technologies cal television networks and newspapers. mation. This further supports the claim that have provided greater transparency of gov- Online activism has proven to be effec- technology is a tool whose effects are deter- ernment and private organizations, they tive in social and political struggles with- mined by the user. Tactics like hacktivism can also circulate misinformation. Accord- in the United States and across the world. can target protesters just as easily as they ing to journalist Franklin Foer, sixty-two Digital whistle blowing and hacktivism can be used to attack corrupt organizations. percent of Americans read news through aim to expose corruption by leaking pri- WikiLeaks is an organization that pub- social media, mostly Facebook. This new vate information to the public and attack- lishes classified information and news leaks trend has transformed the style and values ing websites as a form of protest. In general, to advocate for greater transparency in gov- of journalists, encouraging them to write whistleblowers are dissenters who decide to ernment. According to Associate Professor articles that will attract the most attention go public with their complaints within an of Sociology Victoria Carty, “WikiLeaks online. This priority has arisen as a result organization, such as an employee who ex- has ultimately redefined whistle-blowing by of digitized news and dependence on tech poses private practices in their workplace. gathering secrets and then releasing them companies. Foer writes, “Even journalists One example of this is infiltrators of food instantly and globally.” In 2007, a US offi- of the highest integrity have internalized processing facilities who film the cruel cer released a classified video of US soldiers a new mind-set; they worry about how to treatment of animals. Hacktivism involves killing civilians in Iraq and then celebrat- successfully pander to Google’s and Face- obtaining private information by hacking ing. US officer Chelsea Manning initially book’s algorithms. In pursuit of clicks, online systems and threatening to attack tried to submit related leaked government some of our nation’s most important pur- an individual or organization’s network as documents to news outlets, but when they veyors of news have embraced sensation- a strategy to force them into furthering a declined, Manning sent them to WikiLeaks. alism; they have published dubious stories; social or political interest. For example, an She hoped to publicize the US troops’ cruel they have heaped attention on propagan- online group called Chanology managed to treatment of civilians, thus improving pub- dists and conspiracists, one of whom was

silicon.co.uk bigthink.com

elected president of the United States.” He to track Internet, cell-phone activity, and they can also be used by terrorist groups to mentions Trump’s presidency as a result of personal emails, and even store biometric publicize their acts and recruit new mem- this change in journalism, explaining that data, authorities can pinpoint the loca- bers.” Technology can be used to organize this new obsession with attention has led tion of participants in protests. They can a peaceful protest, but is just as likely to be to the large amount of media coverage that also target organizers by attacking their used to plan out violence. In addition, con- Trump’s campaign received compared to public image and reputation through false stant engagement with the online world can those of other candidates. New technolo- information and propaganda. New dan- distract from the real one. Emotional com- gies have reduced journalism by flipping its gerous tactics like these became more ac- mitments to online communities create a values: the most captivating, instead of most cessible and effective through technology. separation from the offline one, allowing important or accurate content will be pur- Technology is a neutral tool, an idea re- people to leave differences with members sued in order to gain clicks on social media. inforced by its capacity to be used for both of their local community unresolved. So- The rise of new technologies and social progressive causes and conservative ones. cial media is a catalyst, not the product of media has transformed protest movements, While social media and websites are able to reactants, used by the world to disseminate offering a new form of communication, create communities of people with shared information and provide platforms of com- visibility, and connection. While in some beliefs, they also widen the divide between munication to reach the user’s goals. HMR cases, digital technologies have been a cat- groups with opposing views. Multiple dif- alyst to social change, they also exacerbate ferent sides form, each with their own indi- privacy risks and further reactionary caus- vidual opinion. Conflicting ideas coexist on es. Government can more conveniently the Internet just as opposite motives do. Vic- spread propaganda, surveil internet users, toria Carty claims, “Mobile video recording and monitor protesters. With the abilities devices can keep police abuse in check, but

24 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 25 Features Features

t is tremendously unfortunate that bias is exacerbated by the physical loca- ers. A notable exception to this trend is the the news institutions tasked with tions of newsrooms around the country. Wall Street Journal, which seems to have re- supplying objectivity to informed Statistically, journalists are likely to reside mained on par with its right-of-center prin- Icitizens—by inception intended to be in staunchly Democratic pockets of the ciples even in the wake of the 2016 election. harbingers of fact and honesty—have nation, inevitably fostering lopsided re- Another interesting theory as to the morphed and become slanted and bla- porting in favor of the left wing. Accord- increase in media bias tracks back to the tantly partisan. In effect, the harbingers ing to Politico, in 2016 over 72% of jour- education of budding journalists, even at of information in our democratic society, nalists lived in Clinton-voting areas—and the collegiate level. Nowadays, it’s increas- are now frequently the news themselves. 71% of them lived in areas where Clinton ingly uncommon for professional jour- Various realities drive this novel age in won by 30% votes or more. This large-scale nalists to have majored in journalism or media reporting. First and foremost is a Democratic control of the media creates communications. Rather, journalists are dramatic increase in sensationalism in news a form of journalistic groupthink, where- expected to carry a niche that sets them organizations, and similarly a business-first in journalists band together in favor of apart, whether it be economics, political model employed by these organizations. Democratic principles in their reporting, science, theology, or more. As a result, the Sensationalism, while not new, has clear- failing to recognize the error. And this value of objectivity in reporting is never ly proliferated in recent years as journalists groupthink leads to institutional change imprinted upon these students who will are more and more desperate to generate to the point where whole news outlets are one day be tasked with carrying out ob- clicks for increased exposure and to a wid- shifting with this left-wing political per- jective reporting as professionals, allow- er audience. Because of this, journalists spective. Examples of this phenomenon in- ing for reporters to more readily utilize have a tendency to craft headlines in such clude the Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, their own implicit bias in their writing. a manner that they can accomplish this Slate, National Public Radio, and more. And while a multitude of factors com- goal, which can lead to news bordering on Yet this is not to say that there hasn’t been bine to create the partisan divide evident the slanderous, misleading, or inaccurate. a rise in media bias towards the right as in media today, the effect is clear and tre- But the rise in sensationalism dual- well, just manifested in a different manner. mendously damaging. A functioning press ly fuels a partisan divide in the media, On the right-side of the political spec- is integral to a functioning democracy and as certain outlets attack certain politi- trum, there has been a tremendous in- can have a large impact on governmental cians to acquire viewership. Journal- crease in policy hard-liners—staunch decisions and operations. Just as the media ists end up replacing what should be conservatives (or even further to the right has seen great divide, so too has Congress, npr.org objective reporting with bold—and in some cases), effectively creating a need where a spirit of bipartisan collaboration sometimes unwarranted—rhetoric. for political sites of the same beliefs to is antiquated. John McCain was celebrated And this sensationalism and by exten- satisfy the right while dually combatting on both sides of the aisle and in just about sion, partisanship in media is propelled by the left-wing majority of the populace. every reputable news outlet, but there are the monetarily-oriented times in which we Per a Columbia Journalism Review no more John McCains in elected office The Rise of Partisanship live. News outlets view themselves as mon- study, “Donald Trump supporters clustered today who command across the board re- ey makers and businesses, before unbiased around Breitbart — headed until recently by spect. And I don’t believe the divide in fact-bearers. This gives reporters significant Stephen Bannon, the hard-right nationalist Congress to be unrelated to the divide in leeway in terms of objective reporting, as now ensconced in the White House — and a media. With politicians so reliant on their in the Media executives seek stories that generate greater few like-minded websites such as The Daily constituents, and their constituents reli- click-revenue, not further public discourse. Caller, Alex Jones’ Infowars, and The Gate- ant on various news outlets for accurate “The press is sometimes called the way Pundit. Even Fox News was dropped reporting, all of these institutions are sa- fourth branch of government, but in the from the favored circle back when it was cred, and as one slips away into partisan- U.S., it’s also very much a business – one attacking Trump during the primaries, and ship, the others will follow suit. In effect, Noah Phillips whose ability to serve the public is de- only re-entered the fold once it had made the Fourth Estate has been compromised, pendent on its ability to attract eyeballs its peace with the future president.” What and to restore it requires joint cooperation and dollars,” said a recent Pew study. this entails is a dramatic shift to rightwards and zero tolerance for unfair reporting by Beyond sensationalism and the manic by originally conservative news sources to consumers and journalists alike. HMR attempts to garner ‘eyeballs,’ journalistic pander to the newfound far-right consum-

26 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 27 Features Features President Obama’s administration tried to Fox News needs to step up and continue him look good. This animosity towards the prevent Fox News from conducting inter- to defend their other press colleagues like media could have serious consequences. views with the members of the adminis- during the Rose Garden incident. Specifical- The publisher of the New York Times stated tration. In addition, Obama’s chief of staff ly, they need to clarify that they are not the that Trump’s words are being used to crack had stated that Fox News is not a news or- only “Real News” outlet. Trust in the media down on journalists overseas. In late June, ganization. The other news organizations is reaching dangerously low levels as only a gunman killed 5 employees and injured however swiftly issued statements that 32% of responders in a Gallup poll stated two others at the Capital Gazette for report- they would not attend the interviews un- that they trust the media in 2016 compared ing unfavorable information about him. less Fox was included and condemned and to 74% in 1976 during the post-Watergate Reporters from news organizations he has questioned the White House over those re- Era. Yet, the media is critical to providing labeled as “fake news” have also received marks. We need to see similar actions from an independent assessment of our govern- death threats because they are the “Enemy Fox News now during this administration. ment and holding it accountable for their of the People,” and have reported unfavor- The most recent example of the Trump mistakes. As Trump increases his attacks able information about President Trump. Administration trying to undermine the on the media, he is preventing others from As stories about accusations of fake news free press is when CNN journalist Kait- assessing his administration fairly. He even stories proliferate, citizens need to be able lan Collins was prevented from attending stated that people should not believe any- to trust major news organizations to pro- a Rose Garden ceremony after she asked thing in the papers and to only believe what vide reliable and credible stories. President about the tapes between Michael Cohen he says which is incredibly dangerous as it Trump’s continuing attacks on the media and Donald Trump and Putin’s postponed allows him to outright lie to his constituents that he disagrees with lessens that vital visit to the White House. Those questions without any responsibility to tell the truth. trust in the media and helps him control were deemed inappropriate by deputy chief Fox News and other traditionally conserva- the narrative to his advantage. Ultimately, of staff Bill Shine and press secretary Sar- tive organizations need to stop being com- the objective of the media is to inform cit- ah Sanders, and Collins was barred from placent with these attacks against the press izens and investigate issues, but they can’t attending an event that is usually open to and defend their colleagues. If this trend do their job without the trust of their read- all of the media. Fox News and other me- continues, the Trump administration will ers. Fox News and other conservative or- trendolizer.com dia organizations issued strong statements lose almost all accountability as the only ganizations have an obligation to not only condemning the president and affirming “real” news organization would only report defend their press colleagues when they their solidarity with CNN. But while it favorable news. Opposition and account- are prevented from access to the admin- was commendable that Fox News issued ability are vital for democracy and also to istration, but when they are labeled “Fake Trump and Fox vs. the Others such strong condemnations of the White allow our government to become aware of News” and the “Enemy of the People” as House, once again, this needs to extend their mistakes and fix them. Trump’s ac- it is destructive for our democracy. HMR to the repeated labeling of CNN and oth- tions with the media are almost dictatorial Reha Mathur er news organizations as “Fake News.” as he only acknowledges media that makes

n July 13th, during a joint press unite together in order to preserve an in- revoke credentials to those organizations conference with the UK Prime tegral check on our democracy and to pre- or deny them access to other events. The Minister Theresa May, Don- serve the trust that our citizens have in it. White House in February barred news out- Oald Trump refused to answer a question The attack on July 13th was not the first lets like CNN, the New York Times, Politico from a CNN reporter, stating “CNN’s fake time President Trump insulted CNN and and the Los Angeles Times from attending news, I don’t take questions from CNN,” other news organizations such as the New an off-camera press briefing. This time, Fox and then proceeded to address a question York Times and the Washington Post. He News did issue a statement condemning from John Roberts from Fox News. While has labeled them as “Fake News” and the the move, but still took part in the brief- the president’s attack on CNN was con- “Enemy of the People.” At his rallies, sup- ing. Once again, Fox News only stood up cerning, what is more worrying is that the porters eagerly chant “CNN sucks” and for their colleagues after the event, rather Fox News reporter John Roberts didn’t Trump frequently touts his close relation- than taking direct action against the ad- make any comment refuting the president’s ship with Fox’s Sean Hannity frequently. He ministration, allowing this behavior to con- claim that CNN does not display real news. told his supporters to “Stick with us. Don’t tinue. Fox News and other organizations He later did post on social media that he believe the crap you see from these people, that Trump deems to be legitimate need to stood by the journalist who was ignored, the fake news,” demonstrating his desire to show more solidarity with their press col- but action should have been taken direct- control the media. He even last year posted leagues when Trump repeatedly demoniz- ly with the president where it would have a video of him beating up a man with a CNN es them, rather than just condemning the made a difference. These insults from the logo superimposed on his face. Not only has president after the event has happened. president are in line with a worrying trend he verbally attacked many major news or- Their silence only exacerbates the divide from the administration of restricting ac- ganizations (except his beloved Fox News), between “real news” and “fake news.” cess to news networks whom they view his administration has taken steps towards While past presidents have not had such as “enemies of the people,” and attempt- preventing these networks from doing their an adversarial relationship with the me- ing to control the news narrative for their jobs. Privately, Trump has been reported to dia, they too have tried to restrict possibly youtube.com own benefit. Therefore, in order to com- have vented about encounters with “fake unfriendly news organizations from ac- bat that dangerous pattern, the press must news” organizations and has asked aides to curately reporting on the administration.

28 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 29 Features Features

“The simple truth is selling data to third parties is both profitable and useful to companies.”

go unnoticed, especially in an age where model built on privacy is a revolutionary parties for lucrative contracts. Users of everyone in tech is willing to cash out. site called Steemit. Steemit is a forum based the popular online payment service found This leads to the question, can a social site where users post and answer questions using it outside the country was impossi- media company maintain and sustain a and can upvote or downvote others’ posts. ble, and that PayPal will not let users log business model that is totally secure for Users can use Steemit to engage in de- in with a VPN, which allows users to use users? The evidence seems to point to no. bates or find answers to questions, or they the internet with privacy. People also ob- visibilita.net Facebook was undoubtedly punished when can try to receive cryptocurrency tokens. served that while there are various privacy they announced changes to user security. Steemit crypto tokens are rewarded to us- settings on PayPal, there is no way not to The simple truth is selling data to third par- ers who have upvoted answers and can be allow PayPal to sell or use a person’s data ties is both profitable and useful to compa- used in order to receive cryptocurrency. except for deleting the entire account. Be- nies. It allows for advertisers to be able to Steem was recently ranked the 32nd most cause PayPal is so established today, many Cleaning Up Social Media know their consumer base and for social used cryptocurrency. Many use Steemit for must submit their data and lose their pri- media companies like Facebook and Twit- financial compensation as well. Steemit also vacy. What is so twisted about this system ter to be able to profit and have a value from works with a video service called d.tube today is that the normal regular human the billions of users on these sites. Howev- which utilizes the InterPlanetary File Sys- being must now choose between being er, it also violates the very essence of social tem (IPFS) protocol to allow users to watch able to access and utilize the wonderful Arman Kumar media. By forcing users to have to choose videos without being tracked and without benefits of digitalization at the price of se- between the countless benefits and inter- advertisements. Right now Steemit has curity, and keeping their information safe. actions on social media or privacy, social around 10 million views a month, which is Social media and the internet, in gener- he age of social media is in full force interfaces (APIs), a software that acts as next few months. This slowdown is meant media sites and applications are proving small when compared to similar sites like al, have opened doors to connect the world and with it comes a multitude of an intermediary for information. Those to enhance user security from a new aspect, themselves to be untrustworthy. Our lives Reddit, Quora, and Facebook, but it is on and make life easier for the everyday citi- concerns, from the potential for cy- companies that receive this data use it to and to compensate for the loss of revenue are slowly being transferred online, and the the rise. Finally, while not a social media zen. However, this comes at a terrible cost, Tberbullying to the threat to privacy. Recent enhance customer experiences, target spe- that this new change will cause. Advertis- fact that the general population of users platform, DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008, privacy. Already, our information is online, scandals with Facebook sharing data with cific audiences, and to judge consumers’ ing is essentially the largest component of does not even know what their data is being is a revolutionary search engine that decen- credit card numbers, social security num- third parties such as Cambridge Analyt- reaction to products. The list of companies Facebook’s revenue, and that will be jeop- used for has dire and daunting implications. tralizes data not to track the search history bers, addresses, names and so much more. ica and AggregateIQ are just examples of that share, sell and collect data on users ardized to prioritize user security. The cost However, social media sites are trying of users. While search engines like Google If the everyday user is not even aware of how everyday social media users are not goes on, Facebook, Twitter, Verizon, AT&T, of “cleaning up” for major companies is to allow users to interact with one another and Yahoo make it mandatory for users to what these companies are doing with this aware of the little privacy they have. The Comcast, Whatsapp, Yahoo, and Amazon. truly detrimental. When investors viewed with security. One example is a new social submit to virtually zero privacy when us- data, for all they know it can end in the list of companies that sell users’ data ex- Every action has an equal and opposite this giant deceleration in Facebook’s value, media platform called Ello. Ello in recent ing those platforms, DuckDuckGo is a legal wrong hands, or even worse be used against pands beyond Facebook. Social media gi- reaction. Thursday, July 28, 2018, saw the they started selling. Therefore Facebook got years has capitalized on the anti-Facebook and efficient way to keep information pri- the original user. Because these giant media ant Twitter also sold data to a Cambridge worst one-day drop in market value of any hit from both sides. Their value fell due to backlash and is an alternative for users who vate while still having access to the internet. companies control such a large percentage Analytica affiliate called GSR or Global company in history, with Facebook’s mar- scandals about user security, then when the prioritize the security of their information. What happened to Facebook provides a of the market share, people have no choice Science Research. The founder of GSR, ket value dropping by 120 billion dollars, company revamped the security measures It is marketed as a “Facebook killer social perfect example of the cost of being more but to submit to this loss of their priva- Aleksandr Kogan, was given access to pri- and Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth falling it scared investors, thus continuing to the network,” and the company does not sell secure extending beyond social media. cy. These companies need to be held ac- vate posts for about four months in 2015. by a jaw-dropping 12 billion dollars. This already plunging value of the company. Es- user’s data and does not contain constant Companies like PayPal, which handle vital countable for keeping information private, While Cambridge Analytica and GSR may drop came after Facebook’s CFO, David sentially, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook advertisements. As of now, Ello is the first data like credit card numbers and check- which is only possible if everyone is aware not be clients of Twitter anymore, the com- Wehner, announced that the company’s chose to lose money and not go the route choice for the creative population, such ing accounts, don’t inform users that they of what is happening and if a majority of pany has sold data to developers and adver- revenue growth has and will continue to of short-term compensation to prioritize as artists, designers, and writers. Another use their data. However, PayPal sells and users advocate for more security. HMR tisers though its application programming drop as they undergo a “slowdown” in the the everyday user. This thought should not growing service that has found a business shares most of users’ data to various third

30 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 31 Economics Economics source industry begins to falter, economic amendment and long legal negotiations, ting a misuse of excess funds. In a paper disarray can ensue. With underdeveloped the legislature approved the creation of the for the International Monetary Fund, non-natural-resource-related industries, Permanent Fund and Permanent Fund Di- Sanjeev Gupta and Alex Segura-Ubier- these countries fail. As Mauricio Drelich- vidend. Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska go both note that a primary cause of the man notes, Dutch Disease can result in an State Constitution states that at least twen- resource curse is the mismanagement of increase in the price of non-traded goods ty-five percent of rents and royalties from rents by governments. Distributing divi- relative to traded goods, meaning that con- mineral extraction must be placed in the dends from resource investment would sumers in economies suffering from Dutch permanent fund. The permanent fund is prevent the government from taking on Disease will pay more for electricity and then invested in an array of diverse assets excessive capital projects while also giving housing. While this may not initially be a including real estate, infrastructure, and the population a stake in revenue earned problem when incomes are high from oil public equities. Depending on how well from natural resources. As Alaska is cur- revenues, if oil prices drop and people begin investments do, every Alaskan resident rently suffering from a budget crisis, le- to earn less, this can become problematic. receives a portion of the dividends from gislators have discussed cutting the PFD. An over-reliance on natural resources those investments. These dividends usually Because Alaskan residents are faced with can also lead to political corruption. James range between $1,000 to $2,000 per year. the prospect of having their yearly $1,000 Robinson, Ragnar Torvik, and Thierry While Alaska’s dividend payments are to $2,000 taken away, they have become Verdier note that the extraction of natural not enough to live on, they assist Alas- more engaged with Alaska’s fiscal troubles. resources in a country or state often leads kans in making purchases and serve as the Although instituting a permanent fund to political incentives that can corrupt a basis for many Alaskans’ college funds. dividend program provides numerous be- government by increasing the value of Accumulated over time, the permanent nefits, this type of program would be dif- being in power through giving politicians fund dividends could smooth consumer ficult to implement nationwide because more resources they can use to influence consumption in the event of an economic the US lacks an ubiquitous resource that political outcomes. As a result, politicians downturn due to lower oil prices. In a 2015 provides rents large enough that investing have a tendency to over-extract natural paper, Northwestern professor of finance in some of those rents would provide signi- resources because they discount the ear- the Kellogg school of management Lorenz ficant dividends to be distributed. For this nings they can gain from extracting in the Kueng writes that the household spending reason, advocates for a UBI should not future. Corrupt institutions only exacer- on non-durables is responsive to receiving advocate for a national UBI but state-level bate the effects of an over-reliance on na- Permanent Fund checks. This result sug- programs. Supporters of a national UBI, tural resource extraction. While Robinson, gests that Permanent Fund checks influen- such as Andrew Yang, often argue that medium.com Torvik, and Verdier note that countries ce the way Alaskans spend and could be vi- a UBI would protect workers against an with institutions that promote accounta- tal in a period of high unemployment such Artificial Intelligence boom by providing bility, such as Indonesia, can benefit from as might occur if oil prices fall. them with a minimum income to live on. resource extraction, the tendency of coun- In addition to smoothing consumption However, because a national UBI is not sus- tries and states to put too much pressure in the event of economic downturn, re- tainable, politicians should instead focus Universal Basic Income on their natural resource extraction often cent research has shown that the existence on encouraging states that already have results in severe ramifications for the eco- of the PFD does not disincentivize work workers who have lost jobs to technologi- nomy and those who live in these countries. as might be expected on the basis of eco- cal advances to invest what few rents they While Alaska’s Permanent Fund (APF) nomic theory. In their paper, “The Labor can earn through taxing these industries in did not begin as a means of ameliorating Market Impacts of Universal and Perma- permanent fund programs. States such as Lauren Futter the effects of resource extraction but rather nent Cash Transfers: Evidence from the West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michi- as a means of preventing government Alaska Permanent Fund,” Professors Da- gan may then be able to smooth workers’ over-spending of rents from oil extracti- mon Jones and Ioana Marinescu find that transitions to a new economy. Through the ith the 2018 midterm elections While some cities such as Oakland and dustrialization in a Small Open Economy” on, its success suggests a means by which 10% increase in unearned income, such use of a UBI, the US can focus on ensuring still in swing, only a few people Ontario have run UBI pilot programs, the as the negative consequences of natural countries and states can solve the econo- as a PFD check, is only correlated with a a smooth transition to a new economy. have declared their intention to program has not been widely adopted due resource discovery. The primary symptom mic problems that occur when they can no one-percent decrease in earned income de- The success of Andrew Yang and his Wrun for president in 2020. While the field to the difficulties associated with funding it. of Dutch Disease is an increase in the “real longer rely on a particular resource. These spite the fact that theory suggests that cash plan for a national UBI may be a long shot. currently includes a conspiracy theorist, Despite these difficulties, if provided with a exchange rate.” This increase is the result of unreliable resources could range from oil to transfers such as the PFD might decrease However, for several states whose econo- a former football coach, and a journalist, suitable funding source, such as rents from the influx of foreign currency that results the manufacturing sector. The idea of de- the labor supply. Furthermore, certain wel- mic success has faltered in recent decades, one is a former CEO and advocate for an a natural resource, a UBI could be a via- from a country selling its commodity (such veloping a form of UBI in Alaska, known fare programs such as Temporary Assistan- it may be a necessary step in smoothing overhaul of the United States’ welfare sy- ble option. One state, Alaska, has a model as oil) abroad. As foreign currency is con- as the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), ce for Needy Families (TANF) have work the transition to an economy based not in stem that has long eluded not only the US that may not be replicable nationally but verted to local currency, an increase in the began in 1969 after oil was discovered in requirements that may offer incentives so manufacturing and resource extraction but but the United Kingdom and Canada, as could be possible on a state by state basis. money supply increases prices. Alternative- Prudhoe Bay. Through leasing the land to that workers have to work in fields that fit in technological innovation. If countries well. Andrew Yang, the founder of Venture Alaska, as well as countries such as Iran ly, an influx of new currency could increase oil companies such as BP, the state earned those particular requirements. A UBI is and states hope to take advantage of such for America, stated his intention to run on and Norway, adopted permanent funds to the demand for local currency, also leading over $900 million in revenue. While this re- unlikely to disincentivize work or distort a system, it will be necessary to begin in- the basis of establishing a Universal Basic manage a phenomenon economists descri- to an appreciation in the exchange rate. As venue was initially spent on projects such incentives to work in particular fields. vesting in such programs now. Otherwise, Income. Although the concept of a Univer- be as “Dutch Disease.” Without programs this occurs, the local economy shifts its as the Alaska Student Loan and Alaska While funding for a traditional UBI it may be too late to extract any remai- sal Basic Income (UBI) has existed in many such as the permanent fund, “Dutch Disea- focus to the natural resource industry (usu- Longevity programs, an effort soon began may come from a Value Added Tax, which ning benefit these industries have. HMR forms, at its simplest, a UBI is a regular, un- se” can run rampant. W. Max Corden and J. ally oil), while other industries are neglec- to encourage the state to save the revenue does not currently exist in the United Sta- conditional cash transfer from the govern- Peter Neary first described Dutch Disease ted. While these shifts can lead to short-run and prevent overspending on capital pro- tes, a UBI derived from a permanent fund ment to citizens of a city, state, or country. in their paper “Booming Sector and Dein- prosperity for the country, if the natural re- jects. After passing a state constitution would have the added benefit of preven-

32 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 33 Economics Economics petermorscheck.xyz make up the bulk of American theatres. movie theatres and movie studios” recently tion to Cinemark’s Movie Club ($8.99 per With MoviePass finding only minor suc- introduced its own service, one that is quite month) allows subscribers to see a single cesses in its three ventures to ensure profit, similar to the old MoviePass. The subscrip- 2D movie (with the ability to upgrade for few were surprised when the company was tion program, named AMC Stubs A List, a price), along with a 20% discount on con- unable to pay for subscribers to see films for grants members the ability to see three cession prices. Yet another subscription ser- an entire day in late July, requiring the com- movies a week, or about twelve movies a vice, this one promising the ability to truly pany to take out an emergency loan just to month for $20 each month. Although not see unlimited movies for a fixed monthly continue with the service the next day. Ever truly an unlimited program, AMC’s A List price, is in the process of being created at since then, MoviePass has tried all sorts of grants benefits that MoviePass had lacked Alamo Drafthouse, another American the- things in order to stay alive, including pre- in the past, such as the ability to see movies atre chain. venting users from seeing blockbusters al- in 3D and the ability to reserve seats. For consumers, whether or not Movie- together, which they did initially for “The Having only launched in late June, Stubs Pass is able to survive the effects of its old Meg” and “Christopher Robin,” preventing A List has already exceeded 260,000 mem- subscription plan and its stock falling more repeat viewings of the same movie, and bers and already makes up more than 4% than 99 percent in less than a month, some- raising the price from $10 to $15. However, of AMC’s US theatre attendance. Despite thing highly improbable, is of little impor- even that wasn’t enough, with MoviePass fi- these large numbers, and a growth similar tance. Instead, moviegoers, and likely the- nally capitulating on August 6th, announc- to MoviePass’ own after it had switched aters as well, with their boosted concession ing that on August 15th, the company to its original $10 plan, AMC is likely to sales, will thrive in this new landscape of would switch to a plan that allowed sub- be able to jump over the very hurdles that subscription based movie going, where the scribers to see only three movies a month MoviePass had tripped over. This is be- subscription itself could be equivalent to for the price of $10, alleviating the compa- cause with moviegoers constrained to see- the price of a single ticket, if the landscape ny of its largest financial burden as Helios ing only 12 movies a month at most, AMC is able to survive. However, although the and Matheson believed that “only 15 per- won’t have to deal with customers who see new, non-MoviePass movie subscription cent of the subscriber base has been stress- movies every day. Also, movie theatres like services look quite sturdy right now, with ing the [MoviePass] system.” With this new AMCs garner the majority of their profits industry titans such as AMC hopping on plan, MoviePass altogether abandoned the through concession sales and more movie- board, the future of these services is un- theverge.com idea of becoming the Netflix of the movie goers will drive up concession sales, and, by known. After all, these services have em- industry. Although MoviePass themselves extension, likely increase profits. ulated MoviePass in almost all manners as failed in becoming a new titan in the movie AMC isn’t the only theatre chain inspired of now, with their growth being fast and going industry, the after effects of their -at by MoviePass to launch a subscription ser- seemingly endless. Due to this, it waits to tempt can still be seen in the film industry. vice as in December of last year Cinemark, be seen whether or not MoviePass has truly MoviePass Indeed, AMC, which had originally stated another US based movie chain, released its refashioned the American movie going ex- that MoviePass’ $10, one film a day plan own, albeit much more limited, program perience, or if instead it, and its ideas, are was “not in the best interest of moviegoers, called Movie Club. A monthly subscrip- just a fad, soon fading away. HMR Owen Karpf

n August 15th of last year, Helios gaining over two million subscribers and for a company such as MoviePass as Mitch and Matheson Analytics, a big becoming around 3% of the domestic box Lowe, the CEO of MoviePass, stated that data company focused on gather- office for films, just seven months after- be the contracts were “in the six-figures-type Oing social data and then selling it, bought ing acquired. However, due to the low sub- range.” MoviePass also implemented surge MoviePass, an American company selling scription price of $10, which alone is often pricing, which was meant to add fees when monthly subscriptions that in turn allowed cheaper than a single movie ticket, Movie- the movies that subscribers went to were customers to see a movie a day. Prior to Pass could not solely rely on subscriptions highly trafficked. It was ridiculed by sub- being acquired by Helios and Matheson to make profit or even break even as each scribers for occurring even when theatres Analytics, MoviePass had a monthly sub- new subscriber was equivalent to a drain on were empty, yet even still it did not bring in scription price of $50, causing the company the subscription service’s financial resourc- a large enough amount of revenue to turn to have a relatively small subscriber base of es. a profit, as evidenced by MoviePass even- 20,000 subscribers as only the most dedi- As a result, MoviePass was forced to look tually abandoning the plan that Helios and cated of moviegoers shelled out such large towards other avenues of profit, primarily Matheson had originally put into place due sums of money each month. However, through advertising small films that had to financial losses. Thus, in order to ensure directly after being acquired, Helios and relatively low budgets, gaining a portion of that they would have monthly profits, Mov- Matheson significantly lowered MoviePass’ concession sales at theatres and implement- iePass also needed to succeed in their third price to $10 in a gambit to become the head ing surge pricing. MoviePass quickly suc- venture of gaining a percent of concession of a new industry instead of a niche sub- ceeded in the first venture using their sub- sales from theatres. Although MoviePass scription seller. scriber base as leverage, with the company was able to leverage their user base in or- At first it looked as if Helios and Mathe- stating that when MoviePass advertises a der to convince small, independent theatres son’s bet on MoviePass and the new sub- film, MoviePass contributed to 10% of that into giving them a portion of concession scription plan they had implemented films box office. However, these contracts sales, MoviePass was unable to do so with would pay off as MoviePass quickly grew, for advertising films were relatively small large theatre chains such as AMC, which gizmodo.com 34 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 35 Economics countries including Häagen-Dazs, DiGior- Serco isn’t the only lesser known but ex- world, and they have delivered. Since 2000, no, Poland Spring, and Nespresso. Simi- tremely powerful company. Other compa- Nestlé has cut sugar, salt, and fat from thou- larly, Kraft-Heinz and Mondelez, which nies, like McKesson, which supplies around sands of their products worldwide and has were one company until 2012, own many one third of all prescription drugs in the filled their products with nutrients specifi- popular brands including Cadbury, A1, United States, are equally as unknown cally important to the communities where Ritz, and Oreo. The entertainment indus- and control important aspects of everyday they are being sold. They base their efforts try is also dominated by a handful of giants life. As scary as it is to think that the same on extensive research and are constant- looming. Disney already owns ABC, ESPN, company that gives you a ticket for a me- ly adding new products that can help the and an extensive theme park network, and ter violation in Chicago maintains Britain’s markets that they are being sent to. In parts once they complete their acquisition of 21st nuclear warheads and research facilities, it’s of Africa for example, Nestlé is helping the Century Fox, they will control 27% of the important to remember that just because a fight against anemia by selling soup cubes film industry, not to mention an enormous company is large and intimidating doesn’t enhanced with iron. Other companies like amount of television channels and viewer- mean that it has bad intentions. Nike, whose environmentally friendly ac- ship, 60% of Hulu, and the rights to popular Corporate philanthropy, like individual tivities have led to more than 70% of their franchises and studios such as the Simp- philanthropy, is when a corporation do- products being made of recycled materi- sons, Family Guy, Avatar, and Fox Search- nates a portion of their resources/profits to al, are also changing the world with their light. Other industries have similarly terri- a charitable cause. Bill Gates is well known products. While both Nestlé and Nike have fying companies. Thomas Edison’s General to be one of the most charitable people on seen their brands tarnished by child-labor Electric (GE) operates in every sector from the planet, and his company Microsoft is lawsuits, these companies are also making a aviation to healthcare. ExxonMobil owns no different. Microsoft donates around $2 positive difference. 14.6 million acres of US soil and has de- million per day to philanthropic causes. Steve Jobs was not wrong, the prod- veloped more than four times as much While $2 million is only one thirtieth of ucts that large corporations make must be land in Russia, not to mention elsewhere. Microsoft’s daily profits, it is still a substan- groundbreaking in order for those corpo- Warren Buffet’s investment company Berk- tial amount of money. Microsoft isn’t the rations to make money, so most corporate shire Hathaway owns 100% of well-known only large corporation to consistently do- giants are making the world a better place companies such as Benjamin Moore, Dairy nate millions of dollars to charitable causes. just by the nature of their company. Where Queen, and GEICO as well as large shares Another great example is Merck and Co, a would the world be without Facebook, Dis- of American Express (16%), IBM (8%), healthcare company worth $177 billion. The ney, or Google? While these companies are dotchunion.com Coca Cola(10%), Delta Airlines (8%), healthcare giant, which first developed the not the largest philanthropic donors and Wells Fargo (10%), and the aforementioned mumps vaccine, gave $1.7 billion in 2015 don’t tailor their products to specifically Kraft-Heinz (27%). Additionally, Berkshire alone, or one twenty-third of their yearly help the world, their impact on the world Hathaway also owns smaller shares in many profits. Not all companies are as charitable. as a whole is still overwhelmingly positive. companies such as American Airlines (4%) Apple’s Steve Jobs for example was opposed Facebook has connected the world like no- and the most valuable company in the to any kind of charity and argued that Ap- body has before, Disney inspires and enter- world, Apple (3%). ple products changed the world. Since Jobs’ tains millions, and Google has made infor- While the big names are frightening, passing, Apple’s outlook on philanthropy mation easily accessible to the majority of Are Big Businesses Bad? what is arguably scarier are the companies has gradually changed. The company’s em- the world. Even companies like Amazon that you might have never heard of. A great ployee matching program hit $50 million that have been detrimental to other compa- example of a lesser known but as powerful in 2017. Apple also donated large sums of nies in their fields are successful for a rea- company is British public service company money to Anti-Hate organizations after the son, they offered a better alternative to what Serco. Founded in 1929 as a cinema-related events in Charlottesville and gave gener- was already in place. The end of the old and Oliver Keimweiss section of RCA, it broke off and changed its ously to relief efforts for Hurricanes Harvey introduction of the new is not always a bad name to Serco when GE bought RCA in the and Maria. Corporate philanthropy is an thing. Even though Amazon is killing small mid 1980s. Today, Serco manages and op- important way for companies to give back, retail businesses, as jobs and companies are n August 2nd, 2018, Apple reached valuable company, other enormous corpo- well known brands that are owned by these erates public service programs on govern- but it is not the only way. lost, new jobs and companies are created in a market value of more than rations are not far behind. As of early sum- corporate giants. Take Amazon for exam- ment contracts. In the UK alone, Serco runs Many large companies are making major the online sector. Apple may be worth $1 $1,000,000,000,000. While that mer, Amazon had the second highest val- ple, everyone knows that Whole Foods was parts of border security, two immigration changes to their products themselves that trillion, but that doesn’t mean the world is Onumber may seem terrifying, it seems more uation at around $800 billion, followed by bought by Amazon, but did you know that detainment centers, four prisons, four hos- both profit the company and have a positive going to end, it just means that the world tame compared to historically successful Alphabet (Google) and Microsoft each at they bought Zappos in 2009 and Twitch pitals, four naval bases, four Air Force Bas- impact on the world. In 2005, GE started is changing, and probably for the better. companies. According to Business Insid- around $750 billion. Facebook rounds out in 2014? Some of the most intimidating es, the UK’s ballistic Missile defense system, a renewable energy strategy called Eco- HMR er, in 1637, the Dutch East India Compa- the top five at around $500 billion. While of these are in the food industry. PepsiCo a portion of the UK’s nuclear warheads, magination. Through the next decade, GE ny reached a market value of $7.9 trillion these numbers change constantly, it is in- is well known for their soda, but they also and more. In the US, Serco does everything invested around $17 billion in Ecomagina- when adjusted for inflation, which is about teresting to note that all of the five largest pull in tons of revenue through Frito-Lay, from air traffic control in some airports to tion, creating $232 billion in revenue from the combined GDP of modern day Japan companies in the world are tech companies the manufacturer of Fritos, Lays, Doritos, parking meters in Chicago. In Australia those products and in the process spread- and Germany. What is market value? Mar- based out of the west coast. Cheetos, Tostitos and other popular snacks. and New Zealand, Serco runs more than ing environmentally friendly products ket value is the price that a certain prod- These massive corporations are not alone Additionally, PepsiCo owns popular brands 5 prisons and maintains operations for a all over the world. Nestlé operates world- uct would fetch on the open market. That in their financial dominance. Greater than such as Aquafina, Sabra Hummus, Naked, significant amount of justice department wide and in communities of all economic means if Tim Cook decided to sell Apple in 80% of all profits are earned by less than Gatorade, and Quaker Foods. PepsiCo is activities. In the UAE, Serco operates and and social standing, which puts them in full, it would cost the buyer more than $1 10% of the world’s publicly traded compa- not the only massive food company. Nestlé manages air traffic control as well as a large a unique position to address some of the trillion. While Apple may be today’s most nies. What is even scarier is the amount of owns over 2000 brands in around 150 portion of Dubai’s public transportation. largest nutritional problems around the 36 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 37 Science and Technology Science and Technology may not function as well as a standard 3D-printed plastic guns can violate the $1700, making them obtainable to a large firearm, the implications associated with a Undetectable Firearms Act. The Unde- majority, and this accessibility is only going plastic gun are scary. 3D-printed guns have tectable Firearms Act is a law stating that to get greater. There is also the possibili- no serial number, and as such are almost all weapons must be detectable by met- ty of semi-automatic or automatic assault impossible to track. This is why they are al detectors. To make the 3D-printed gun rifles making their way to 3D printers, as commonly given the term “Ghost Guns.” legal however, a block of metal is applied right now the only thing holding them back These non-identifiable firearms are -dan so that it can be identified. There is also a is time and technological advancements. gerous as someone with malicious intent metal firing pin. However, the metal block 3D-printed guns are potentially cata- could obtain them before the government is non functional and removable, meaning strophically dangerous for American ev- knows such and cause harm. Looking at the gun could be used without it and still eryday life. Censorship of these blueprints the properties of plastic, the melting point function. The gun could also use a ceram- presents issues as it contradicts the First and of 3D-printed guns is also of concern, as ic firing pin instead of metal, meaning that possibly the Second Amendment, the right it is lower than that of normal metal guns the plastic guns could be unidentifiable to free speech and possibly the right to bear (212°F for plastic versus 2750°F for iron and to metal detectors. The horrible result: arms. Outside the United States there are 2500°F for steel). This is a problem because it easily provides people with the ability similar concerns with the danger presented it gives criminals an easier way to dispose of to get an undetectable firearm/weapon. by 3D-printed guns. In countries where cit- firearms. Instead of throwing it away, with Probably one of the most dangerous parts izens have especially limited access to guns, the possibility that it can be found, they can of 3D printed guns is that they continuous- such as Britain, Australia, and Japan, the im- heat the gun they were using into complete- ly improve with technology, while at the pact of 3D-printed guns suddenly flooding ly indistinguishable melted plastic. Finally, same time becoming less expensive. These the market could be even worse. Congress obtaining a 3D printer is easy. You just have fast-paced improvements include lower and governments around the world need to to buy one, there are no background checks. prices of 3D printers and the blueprints find solutions to the dangers of 3D-print- That means someone who could previously available to make each gun. 3D-printers ed guns, and what actions to take and how not get a gun (because of age, criminal his- could soon be a household item for the to go about them is up for debate. HMR tory, sanity, etc.) suddenly can have access majority, making the printing and posses- dezeen.com to a powerful weapon, whether or not it is sion of these plastic guns even more com- as functional as its standard counterpart. mon and accessible. Currently, 3D-printers Another important conversation is that capable of making plastic guns cost only The Legalization of 3-D Printed Guns David Puckowitz

n July 2012, Cody Wilson founded expected that his ideas would be further of $100,000, making their availability very Texas Defense Distributed, a non-prof- crushed when Hillary Clinton came into of- limited. The only plastic gun currently it organization determined to bring fice, as her plan was to further crack down available is the Liberator, and from police I3D-printed guns to the masses. It was only on firearms. However, the polls were mis- testing it does not look promising. When a matter of time before they succeeded in leading, and Trump ended up winning the the Australian police printed the Liberator, their first blueprint, and thus, the Liber- presidency. Trump released the Obama Ad- it exploded upon being fired. While this ator, a single shot pistol, and the first ever ministration’s previously tight grip, which could be propaganda to reduce the fear of 3D-printed gun, was successfully created is the first reason that the discussion of 3D-printed guns and deter anyone interest- and shot on May 5, 2013. Texas Defense 3D-printed guns is running rampant right ed in trying to print one of these guns, or Distributed, which has as its core tenet now. The other reason is the progression of improper instructions or use of plastic, it is making wiki for 3D-printed gun blue- technology and its price, the fact that the most likely due to the flimsy nature of plas- prints, posted their findings online, only printers that make the guns are constant- tic, and that using a flimsy gun barrel can- for the Obama administration to step in. ly becoming more affordable to the public. not withstand the explosion when fired. On The Obama administration claimed that That means more people buy the printers, top of the Liberator’s already questionable Wilson and his company were exporting more people own the printers, and more performance, currently there is only one weapons without a license. Wilson claimed people are using the printers to make guns. blueprint. This may change in the future, that barring him from posting his findings Now, the first question that may be en- but as of now the only available option is an was a violation of his First Amendment tering your mind is: “well, do they work?” apparently lackluster pistol. Thankfully this right of free speech. This alleged violation Well, technically plastic guns do work, but gives time for Congress to debate and de- led Mr. Wilson to attempt to sue the Obama not nearly to the standard of metal, and cide the limitations that need to be placed Administration for their actions, however while metal printers are available and could on the distribution of 3D-printed guns. most court rulings were against him. It was be used to make guns, they cost upwards While the only working 3D-printed gun gazzettinonline.it

38 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 39 Science and Technology Science and Technology clear target. The reality, which now wide- as nature or nurture. For social scientists, data is present for these genetic scores to ly understood, is that about 400 genes are this possibility is promising, as it can be be calculated for a variety of outcomes. involved in diabetes. Though this makes used to isolate the impact of different life People can use their own data, and even it more difficult to isolate a gene and gear events on a person’s development, as the ge- if a disease to which they are vulnerable treatment to target it directly, the amount netic code is known. Someone in the 10th is untreatable, they can make plans and of data is making it easier to predict. percentile for intelligence or educational know more about themselves. It would By comparing the genetic makeup of a reception could be predicted to graduate be a push to care more about health than broad set of people, they can determine how high school and not continue, while some- about treatment. The more accurate the a variation in genetic codes affects some- one in the 90th percentile could continue scores get, the more people will know about one’s likelihood of disease. Based on large- onto additional schooling. The scores have themselves and how to manage their habits. scale studies, scientists can identify the dif- the potential to be used to determine the Though the scores can be positive - they ferent locations in human DNA associated impact of factors such as different learning help people know more about themselves with specific conditions, and the variants in styles, good versus bad teachers, and qual- and their genetics - there is some danger each location are studied to find what ge- ity of schools. In this case, intelligence or to the vast amount of knowledge peo- netic code is likely to express that illness. By academic advancement is known to be ple can derive from them. What has con- compiling all the data, an algorithm based based on genetics, as they determine brain cerned some scientists is that the use of IVF on what scientists have concluded about development and central nervous system could lead to people being able to pick and the genes can process one individual’s DNA function, but it is equally possible that the choose their embryos. Parents who can af- to find the risk score that indicates how way genes affect the same trait is because ford to can not only screen their embryos likely it is that the person has that illness. of how others treat a person based on for diseases like Huntington’s or Tay-Sachs, Even if each position has a small impact on physical features. If a student was bullied, but also for their predicted IQ, height, or the overall trait, they contribute a piece to discriminated against, or judged by others athletic ability. This artificial selection is a larger picture, so once scientists combine during school because of their appearance, dangerous and can change the world in the minute effects of different changes in this could cause psychological changes that future generations as the effects ripple out positions, the sum translates to the polygen- would affect their performance in school, over time. Testing newborns or toddlers ic score, a unique number that represents and this could be further examined in- could also be a reality of the future. The the person’s genetic potential for that trait. dependently of genetic predispositions. results could be overinterpreted to pre- People who are at a much higher risk for Genetic tracing through ancestry and sumptively make school plans or manipu- discovermagazine.com a particular illness can be picked out from family roots is becoming more available late an environment around the prediction. these large studies and treated accordingly. with services like 23andme, which has Whether potentially productive or With standard metrics, this is not possible. about 5 million users. The service charges possibly dangerous, the studies com- Polygenic Scores The compiled genetic picture also helps around $100 to analyze customers’ sali- ing about from polygenic risk scores and scientists be able to isolate environmental va samples to interpret their ancestry and the effects they may have are something factors and finally determine whether a giv- genetic health risks. With interest in these to watch in the years to come. HMR Gloria Khafif en trait is hereditary or adopted, also known kinds of genetic studies increasing, the

A recent scientific breakthrough means eases, diagnoses for other disorders based Their primary goal is to be able to provide that humans can now receive an individ- on genetic testing are harder to come by. the resources necessary to further research ualized predictive genetic assessment that That is why these polygenic - “poly” mean- and give tons of opportunities to find treat- can indicate a predisposition for a disease ing based on thousands of genes, rather ment for a range of illnesses. Scientists can or even a possible IQ range. The evalu- than just one - scores can be useful to pre- register to access the bank and use it to help ation yields a polygenic score, and new dict a person’s chance of developing a much promote their studies. The latest research availability of information and research more full range of common disorders. The to isolate the genetic pattern that causes means that these scores are becoming in- compilation of every single component that insomnia involves 1,310,010 people. Using creasingly accurate. A polygenic score is contributes to a trait allows scientists to these broad sets of data for analysis, scien- an algorithm that combines every single come up with the likelihood that the trait tists can study genetic patterns as it applies piece of your unique DNA, namely the will be expressed, which can open many to a much more extensive range of people. ones that contribute to a given trait, be- doors when it comes to preventative medi- These patterns were unable to be detected havior, or disease, and adds up the weight cine and proper treatment. Each polygenic before, when the number of people lim- of each to determine the probability of a score can provide a lot to the understand- ited the breadth of any study conducted. specific genetic expression. This could in- ing of a patient’s health and increase a doc- In 2006, the current head of the National clude common conditions such as diabetes tor’s ability to find possible issues outside Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, pre- or heart irregularities, behaviors such as of the typical check-up information, which dicted that there were about 12 genes in- smoking or drinking, and physical traits would include age, weight, and habits. volved in common diseases such as diabe- such as height. Other tests for rare genetic There have never been more data and tes. This was a common hope of scientists ailments, such as that for the BRCA breast samples at the disposal of genetic scientists all throughout the research community, cancer gene or the mutation that causes before. For example, large databases such as it would have made isolating those 12 sickle-cell anemia, are only valid for genes as the UK Biobank have over 500,000 up- genes much simpler. It would have meant that can be singled out, but because more dated medical records and DNA samples that any drug designed to treat a disease, than one identifiable gene causes other dis- from volunteer participants across Britain. whether common or not, would have a nfcr.org

40 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 41 Science and Technology Science and Technology any ordinary person can easily dig into the details are available through means of pub- el, though, often results in identity theft, company’s public application program in- licly accessible APIs, meaning anyone call which, by some estimates, costs American terface (API), a tool which companies often pull data from the system, which could be consumers more than $16 billion every year. build to allow people to easily query and fixed with a simple restructure of the API It is evident that there is a growing gap understand their data and understand what and additional credibility authentication in American legislation concerning na- they’re up to. That includes usernames, when attempting to access the data. Finally, tionwide data protection, and the need to comments on transactions, and the date and even if Venmo has purposely allowed all of fill it is growing constantly. If no national time of the transaction. All of this is possi- their customers’ data to be publicly accessi- legislation concerning the matter is creat- ble due to the default setting in which Ven- ble, they exhibit no control of the usage of ed, America runs the risk of having several mo enables sharing the transactions and the the data, in that anyone can customize their overlapping, conflicting, and inconclusive following specific transaction details and query in order to retrieve large data sets different state laws, which potentially just user details with the public: payment ID, targeting a specific user and understand create more loopholes for individuals with sender ID, sender first and last name, send- that single customer’s usage pattern, posing malicious intent to exploit. The European er Facebook/Venmo profile picture, receiv- large security threats to individual users. Union swiftly took action following the er first and last name, receiver Facebook/ Now that Venmo’s functionality as a breaking of the news about Facebook’s Venmo profile picture, date, and memo. platform has been defined and its secu- data scandal, creating rules to harmonize All of this data allows outsiders to very rity flaws discussed, their significance to data-protection laws, in an effort to allow easily paint pictures of Venmo users. In consumers around the globe and in the firms to conduct business across Europe fact, Do Thi Duc was able to piece togeth- context of other internet and data security more easily, and protect the private in- er very intricate details about people’s lives. events and legislation concerning it can be formation and data of citizens. America, For example, she was able to tell that a mar- effectively discussed. Financial data such however, is moving in the opposite direc- ried couple, whose names and addresses as that which Venmo exposes, poses large tion, splitting opinions between states and she found but redacted in her study, living security threats to many individuals in our creating varying laws across the country. in Orange County, CA, owned a dog, took country. For example, the data could be States which already have noticed a great- it to a specific vet consistently, did grocery used to track the geographical movements er need for privacy legislation have be- trips to a specific Walmart, ordered takeout of individuals, sold to advertising firms, or gun drafting their own laws. For example, dinners from the same Asian and German used by political campaigns to target cer- California has pending legislation which theverge.com food establishments, and even when they tain demographics of individuals unfairly. would establish a data-protection authori- took Ubers and Lyfts to and from LAX air- Apart from Venmo restructuring its data ty to regulate how the growing technology port. Additionally, Do Thi Duc was able to handling approach, legislative corrections firms based in California use Californians’ track the movements and transactions of a by the government can also be taken in or- personal data. If the United States fails to Public by Default, Venmo’s Data Vulnerability cannabis retailer in Santa Barbara, Califor- der to decrease the chances of such faults enact stricter and more unifying legisla- nia, an extremely successful Mexican food happening in the first place. As a country, tion regarding the collection, sale, and use cart at the University of California Santa America has enacted strong privacy regu- of digital data, not only the privacy of its Pratham Gandhi Barbara, an arguing couple in Las Vegas, lations in various areas such as health care citizens but also the long-term health of Nevada, a seemingly happy couple in Hous- and banking; however, no widespread da- its firms will rapidly decline, resulting in his past July, a project conducted by to follow your friends’ activities with their prompted to enter the amount being sent, ton, Texas, and a fresh-out-of-college young ta-protection law has been passed. Sizeable the decline of its increasingly digital-cen- a Berlin-based researcher brought to public funds. Venmo is currently the third the person the money is to go to, the rea- adult near Mexico City. All of this easily ac- chunks of today’s online economy are fu- tered economy. America’s data economy light news about how private data largest service of its kind, trailing behind its son for which the money is being sent, and cessible data creates three main issues. The eled by data which consumers have let go has thus far thrived independently of other Tabout users’ money transfers within Ven- parent company PayPal, which facilitated immediately a receipt of the transaction is first is that the default option is to make of without thought or knowledge of doing industries and organizations with hardly mo is exposed and readily available. The the movement of approximately $33 billion generated. The reason which was entered all the transaction details public. Venmo so. For example, earlier this year, it was any rules, and caused problems across the news trails right on the heels of the Face- in the second quarter of 2018, and Zelle, a is shared with everyone in a given user’s could and should have easily switched this revealed that data on around 87 million board, and this must be stopped. HMR book-Cambridge Analytica debacle, and, consortium of 7 major banks, which moved social feed, regardless of whether the user setting in favor of user security if they were Facebook users has been passed to politi- as such, brings forth important questions $28 billion in the same quarter. Venmo has was the sender or recipient of the money. concerned with it. Secondly, all transaction cal-campaigning firms. This business mod- about security and identity in this increas- moved an estimated $14 billion in the same As mentioned earlier, a core component ingly digital age. While there has been much quarter. Venmo currently controls around of the Venmo flywheel is the sharing of analysis and opinions surrounding Face- 18% of the peer-to-peer payments market. payments information with all members of book’s story and Mark Zuckerberg’s testimo- New users can sign up for Venmo using a social feed, friends, and family. This, how- ny in Congress, awareness about this “scan- only email or Facebook accounts, bypass- ever, brings forth certain privacy implica- dal” concerning Venmo is fairly limited. ing the need for a bank account entirely, tions as well. A Berlin-based coder, priva- Before diving deeper into this fiasco, it is and control their currency transfers via an cy researcher, and Mozilla Fellow named important to first understand what exactly iOS or Android app. Venmo uses the email Hang Do Thi Duc has recently completed Venmo is, how it functions, and what types or Facebook account to suggest people to a project called Public by Default. In 2017, of data the service handles. Venmo, a subsid- invite to use Venmo with the user. Once ev- according to Do Thi Duc, Venmo users sent iary of popular publicly traded online-pay- erything is set up, the user is able to collect and obtained 207,984,218 public trans- ments company PayPal, is a peer-to-peer money directly into their Venmo account, actions. By visiting a public URL, she was service which enables the transfer of money and not their bank account, and to make able to see every name, date, and message between individuals. An important compo- payments to others by connecting their most recently sent through Venmo. Unless medium.com nent of the service is the social feed, baked bank account. When making a payment a user manually changes the settings, all of right into the application, which allows you or creating a payment request, the user is that user’s activity is publicly visible, and 42 The Horace Mann Review | Vol. XXVIII September 2018 43