Next Generation Diplomacy

  Why is it Hard to Get a Good Education in the Philippines? Will Concepcion Introduction In 2015, a sample of 15-year-old Filipino students were tested and ranked last in reading comprehension out of 79 countries, while they were ranked second to last in math and science. As a third-world country, the Philippines has a hard time investing money into education because of the lack of basic necessities in the area already. In fact, many public schools do not have technology such as computers and other tools, despite the digital age. Therefore, education in the Philippines is hard for everyone in the country. Covid-19’s impact Covid-19 had also been a significant cause of concern for education struggles in the Philippines. Thanks to Covid, over 20% were expected to drop out of school, four million students could not enroll for the school year, and even the closing of schools thanks to the lack of enrolled students. The deadly virus had also forced schools to run digitally, which was a...

  QUOTH THE RAVEN, “NEVERMORE”: Open Access and the fight for free knowledge Griffin Hon For hundreds of thousands of researchers and students every day, the little red key and the black corvid that bears it are a comforting sight for sore eyes. With an ever-growing collection of 85,258,448 articles, shadow library Sci-Hub offers free access to 95% of all scientific journal literature. Sci-Hub spells out its goal on the front page of its infamous website, sci-hub.se: “ ... to remove all barriers in the way of science. ” To this extent, it’s been a crucial tool in the education of millions worldwide and an unsung part of the most important scientific discoveries of the last decade. Despite this, our passerine hero has been banned in 11 countries , including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Sweden. Sci-Hub’s creator, dubbed the “ Robin Hood of the academic publishing world ” and the “ Pirate Queen of Science ,” is being sued for $15 and $4.8 million in compensation from sev...

 By Robert Kelly                        Poverty is defined as the state of being inferior in quantity or insufficient amount. This often is equated to insufficiency in money. However, we often don't consider that poverty is far more complex than being financially poor. Often, we only place value on building economic wealth and rarely acknowledge the intricacies in our socioeconomic environment. Poverty is a system where fiscal and emotional needs intertwine with our society's views. The financial boxes we are "put in" ultimately determine our lives, making it difficult for poverty to be simply a deficit in money.  According to Urban Institute, in 2021, "one in seven Americans may have annual family resources below the poverty threshold" according to Urban Institute. In addition, it is estimated that over 1.3 billion people in 107 emerging countries, accounting f...

Nutrient pollution’s consequences float to the surface, dead By: Griffin Hon Crisis on the Sound The Long Island Sound - heralded for its unparalleled natural beauty, has served for centuries as the source of inspiration for many an Impressionist painter and provided a backdrop for beloved novels like The Great Gatsby. However, this very beauty is being beset by a crisis that may prove irreversible if immediate and thorough action is not taken. Throughout the 80s, a steady increase in population and poorly treated sewage led to harbors full of dying fish and shellfish, dirty beaches, and waters almost devoid of oxygen. Despite decades of government investment to improve the situation, in 2016, Long Islanders were still met with a dreadful sight at Shinnecock Canal - tens of thousands of dead fish blanketing the surface - so dense "you could've walked across the water," an eyewitness remarked. Fish aren't the only fauna being choked out - in 2015, hundreds of turtles ...

Extinction of Hidden Gems in The Ocean By: Yvonne Rennesia Gulo \ It's holiday time. Where should we go? Abroad country, or stay and explore them? Bali will be the first one when they decide to visit Indonesia as their destination. Why must Bali? Because Bali has beautiful beaches and a lot of kind marine biota. But, some spots were not taken care of, and the ecosystem underwater was broken and destroyed. We could not see any shimmering fish anymore. According to greeners.co, Every year's divers dive around the ocean in Indonesia until they finally realize that the sea is destroyed. One of the divers, Raty Ning, shared her experience and opinion about her favorite place. I have been diving through many oceans since the mid-90s. Back then, the water was so clean and beautiful to see. When it comes to the 20s, the dramatic difference starts to appear. Especially for the last five years, Indonesian seas have been very polluted and dirty. We can see the discrepancy between past and...

The Numbers Are In: This is the Best Time in Human History By: Jeremiah Cutright If you had the opportunity to choose one time period in all of human history up to today to be born into, what time would you choose? Would you grow up in Egypt to watch the Great Pyramids being built? Would you philosophize with Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle in ancient Greece? Maybe you would wish to sail the seas searching for new lands and trading routes. Or perhaps you would like nothing more than to have a seat at the table during the drafts of your country's constitution. Whatever your fantasy might be, there is only one correct answer: today. For some inexplicable reason, we seem to romanticize the past. It is well understood that we romanticize our childhoods because we look back on simpler times when we didn't have as many responsibilities. Life was comparably easy, but this doesn't explain why our societies as a whole romanticize times before we even lived. Although it can be excitin...

Clean Water Crisis in Indonesia By: Yvonne Rennesia Gulo According to the water.org website, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country globally and claims Southeast Asia’s largest economy. About 18 million Indonesians lack safe water, and 20 million lack access to improved sanitation facilities. Governments worldwide are trying to navigate and solve the COVID-19 Pandemic, but in Indonesia, they lack access to life’s most critical resource – water. One of 34 provinces - Java Island - has issues that they are still trying to solve. For many parts of Indonesia, one problem has become increasingly frequent: drought. Some of the worst water shortages are felt on Java – Indonesia’s most populous island, home to more than 60% of the population, many of its largest cities, and much of its agriculture. Java is one of the most populous counties where individuals decide to live. Millions of people living in Java have to face   the truth that they have struggled for years to access water d...