Picture by Circe Denyer via CC0 Public Domain

Your Summit Weekly Briefing

By Ashwath Vimal, Jovani Contreras and Angela Hwang

Staff Writers

Disclaimer: Though the Weekly Briefings are no longer tagged in the Opinions section of Summit News and we try to remain as unbiased as possible, our opinions may show through in this article, especially in the “Actions” section.

Summit:

With the recent news of the Astroworld tragedy, read this article from Prep Editor-in-chief Jovani Contreras, who breaks down the tragic events that occurred.
You can also read Jovani’s rundown on the movie “Run Hide Fight”, a project by Ben Shapiro’s (a political commentator) news website “The Daily Wire”.

General News:

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced that they will start placing restrictions on targeted advertising on their platforms. The company has been in controversy in the past about this subject, specifically allowing racist ads to be shown to users that expressed racist sentiments. While these new limitations may seem like a solution, it is possible that certain “non-sensitive” keywords that could be related to “sensitive” ones can be used to show offensive ads like in the past. These new changes will start being implemented on January 19, 2022, along with features that will give consumers more options to control what ads they see, so we will see how well Facebook has handled this issue then.

From exactly one year ago in last October, grocery shopping prices have increased by 5.4%, with overall prices increasing by 6.2%. Until the pandemic, grocery prices stayed around the same for the past five years, but COVID-19 changed everything. Prices for things like commodities, labor, and transportation have all increased for manufacturers, leading them to sell their products at a higher price to retailers and retailers doing the same thing with their customers. The increase does neet seem to be stopping, with many companies planning on raising prices for thighs like toiletries and meat in 2022. Not all is lost, however, as a combination of an increase in food stamp stipends, the child stimulus payment, and higher wages should alleviate the struggle for low-income citizens.

Covid-19:

The holiday season has caused a recent uptick in covid-19 cases, specifically in states with high vaccination rates. States with highly vaccinated populations like Vermont and New Hampshire are seeing covid-19 cases go up by more than 50% in the past two weeks. Health officials have pointed out several factors causing the spike in cases: cold weather forcing people indoors; the Delta variant which can cause breakthrough cases and; weakening protection against infection for those who got vaccinated early, especially seniors. \
A new study found that natural immunity does not guarantee protection. The study found that unvaccinated people who had a recent infection were five times more likely to be reinfected than those who were fully vaccinated. This new data has scientists pointing towards booster shots and childhood vaccinations in order to control the recent spike in cases. According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans over the age of 65 and others who consider themselves high risk are eligible for a third dose after receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that any adult who has received any of the three vaccines should get a booster shot if they live or work in settings that put them at increased risk. Health officials are increasingly encouraging all Califonia residents to consider getting a booster shot.

Politics:

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed very late Friday night. President Biden put additional pressure on House Democrats after his party’s loss in Virginia, a state the president won by 10 points in the last presidential election.
California has proposed a new guideline for math education. It has become yet another debate over socioeconomic and racial gaps as, according to the New York Times, it suggests math “should not be colorblind”. The draft of the nonbinding guideline “rejected the idea of naturally gifted children, recommended against shifting certain students into accelerated courses in middle school and tried to promote high-level math courses that could serve as alternatives to calculus, like data science or statistics”.
Snippet: Professors at the University of Florida have been barred from testifying against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Snippet: China’s history, rewritten in the Central Committee’s resolution, will likely hail Xi Jinping as “an epoch-making leader”.

Sports:

NBA: On Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Steph Curry became the first player to score 50 points in a game this season. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday making them 10-1, the best record in the league. Nikola Jokic is back from his one-game suspension after shoving Markeiff Morris to the floor on Tuesday. Fans of the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat have continued the debate over the NBA’s punishment on Twitter.
NFL: Odell Beckham Jr. has recently signed with the Los Angeles Rams in a one-year contract. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beckham’s deal is worth up to $4.25 million. Beckham will receive a $500K signing bonus, a $750K salary and up to $3 million in team-based incentives. The Rams are currently 7-2.
MLB: If the Major League Baseball Players Association does not reach an agreement on the current collective bargaining contract before it expires, the 2022 season could be delayed. If no agreement is reached by midnight on Dec. 1, Major League Baseball could invoke a lockout, stopping all trading activity, signings, and even shut down workout facilities.

Entertainment:

Last Friday a tragedy occurred at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, where eight people died and 25 were injured. The cause of the shocking events that transpired seems to be extreme overcrowding of the mosh pit, with people constantly pushing and pressing against others to try to get to the front. This caused some victims to get trampled, devastatingly resulting in injury and death. However, this may not have been the only thing that caused injuries and fatalities, as there may have been someone in the crowd injecting people with drugs. A security guard even had a prick in his neck, alluding to the fact, Furthermore, many people made attempts to stop the show, with their efforts ultimately being ignored. Some fans even blocked injured people from getting care from an ambulance and security guards. While it seems like Scott did stop the show at times where he noticed distress, many think he did not do enough to prepare for the concert and did not do enough during the concert to stop what was happening. The rapper will be paying for the victim’s funerals, however. We send our deepest condolences to their families, and may they rest in peace.
One of the most popular television series of all time, Squid Game, seems to be getting a season two as announced by director Hwang Dong-hyuk. During a red carpet celebration for the show this past Monday, he teased the fact that fan-favorite Gi-hun will be back and he will “do something for the world”. While Netflix has not officially renewed the show, it is safe to say that Squid Game will return for a season 2 with the overwhelming support and success that it has received.

Weather:

Atlas (West Seattle): Highs will drop slightly this week: 51°F on Thursday, 56°F on Friday, 53°F on Saturday, 52°F on Sunday, 50°F on Monday, 48°F on Tuesday and 47°F on Wednesday. Lows will also fall this week: 49°F on Thursday, 50°F on Friday, 48°F on Saturday, 47°F on Sunday, 44°F on Monday, 41°F on Tuesday and 40°F on Wednesday. It will rain all week.

Summary: Highs in the low 50’s, lows in the low 40’s, rain.

Olympus (Tacoma): Highs will drop slightly this week: 52°F on Thursday, 57°F on Friday, 54°F on Saturday, 53°F on Sunday, 50°F on Monday, 49°F on Tuesday and 48°F on Wednesday. Lows will also fall this week: 51°F on Thursday, 49°F on Friday, 47°F on Saturday, 46°F on Sunday, 44°F on Monday, 41°F on Tuesday and 40°F on Wednesday. It will also be raining all week.

Summary: Highs in the low 50’s, lows in the low 40’s, rain.

Sierra (Seattle): Highs will drop slightly this week: 51°F on Thursday, 56°F on Friday, 53°F on Saturday, 52°F on Sunday, 50°F on Monday, 48°F on Tuesday and 47°F on Wednesday. Lows will also fall this week: 49°F on Thursday, 50°F on Friday, 48°F on Saturday, 47°F on Sunday, 44°F on Monday, 41°F on Tuesday and 40°F on Wednesday. It will rain all week.

Summary: Highs in the low 50’s, lows in the low 40’s, rain.

Denali (Sunnyvale): Highs will fluctuate this week: 71°F on Thursday, 74°F on Friday, 76°F on Saturday, 74°F on Sunday, 71°F on Monday, 67°F on Tuesday and 64°F on Wednesday. Lows will hold pretty steady this week: 52°F on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 53°F on Sunday and Monday, 50°F on Tuesday and 49°F on Wednesday. It will be sunny up until Saturday, and the rest of the week will be cloudy.

Summary: Highs in the mid-to-low 70’s, lows in the low 50’s, sunny and cloudy.

Everest and Prep (Redwood City): Highs will hold pretty steady this week: 70°F on Thursday and Friday, 71°F on Saturday and Sunday, 68°F on Monday, 66°F on Tuesday and 64°F on Wednesday. Lows will also hold pretty steady this week: 53°F from Thursday to Saturday, 54°F on Sunday and Monday, 51°F on Tuesday and 50°F on Wednesday. It will be sunny up until Saturday, and the rest of the week will be cloudy.

Summary: Highs in the mid 60’s, lows in the low 50’s, sunny and cloudy.

K2 (El Cerrito): Highs will drop overall this week: 67°F on Thursday, 69°F on Friday, 70°F on Saturday, 69°F on Sunday, 65°F on Monday, 63°F on Tuesday and 61°F on Wednesday. 50°F from Thursday to Saturday, 51°F on Sunday and Monday, 48°F on Tuesday and 47°F on Wednesday. It will be partly cloudy all week.

Summary: Highs in the upper-to-low 60’s, lows in the low 50’s, partly cloudy.

Tam (Richmond): Highs will drop slightly this week: 69°F on Thursday, 70°F on Friday, 72°F on Saturday, 70°F on Sunday, 67°F on Monday, 65°F on Tuesday and 63°F on Wednesday. Lows will also drop a little this week: 53°F on Thursday, 52°F on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 53°F on Monday, 50°F on Tuesday and 49°F on Wednesday. It will be partly cloudy this week.

Summary: Highs in the low 70’s, lows in the low 50’s, partly cloudy.

Shasta (Daly City): Highs will drop slightly this week: 66°F on Thursday, 67°F on Friday and Saturday, 68°F on Sunday, 65°F on Monday, 63°F on Tuesday and 62°F on Wednesday. Lows will hold pretty steady this week: 53°F from Thursday until Sunday, 54°F on Monday, 51°F on Tuesday and 50°F on Wednesday. It will be partly cloudy all week.

Summary: Highs in the mid 60’s, lows in the low 50’s, partly cloudy.

Tahoma (San Jose): Highs will drop slightly this week: 74°F on Thursday, 76°F from Friday to Sunday, 73°F on Monday, 69°F on Tuesday and 66°F on Wednesday. Lows will also drop a little: 51°F on Thursday, 50°F on Friday, 51°F on Saturday, 50°F on Sunday and Monday, 49°F on Tuesday and 48°F on Wednesday. It will be partly cloudy all week.

Summary: Highs dropping from the mid 70’s to the mid 60’s, lows in the low 50’s, partly cloudy.

Cooking: Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup

By Elise Bauer on Simply Recipies

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 large red bell peppers
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic
1 quart chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
1/4 cup cream or milk
3 tablespoons butter
Cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Roast bell peppers until blackened all over:
Roast the red bell peppers by placing them over or under an open flame until they blacken on all sides. (You can use a grill, cooktop gas burner, or oven broiler.) Place the blackened peppers in a bowl, cover the bowl with a plate, and let the peppers steam for 5 minutes, or until the skins feel like they can easily be slipped off. Remove the peppers from the bowl, peel off the blackened skins, remove the seeds. Chop the peppers roughly.
Sauté onions in butter:
Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add potatoes, garlic:
Add the potatoes and cook another 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and the chopped roasted peppers. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
Add stock, simmer:
Add the stock, stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are soft, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Purée soup:
Purée the soup in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Fill the blender about halfway with the soup. Start the blender on low and keep your hand on the top, in case the lid wants to pop off from the rising steam. Once everything is well chopped, turn the blender to its highest setting and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. You might need to do this in batches.
Add cream, seasonings:
Return to a clean pot set over low heat. Add the cream, stir well and taste. Add some cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.

Actions:

Editor’s note: The “Actions” section includes petitions to sign, prompts and scripts to write officials with as well as other opportunities to engage in your local, national and global communities.

This week’s Actions section will be in honor of Veteran’s Day.

Go to this link to see the different ways you can help disabled veterans
Visit this official government link if you know a veteran who may need support and to learn more about Veteran’s Day
If you know a war veteran, thank them for their service, as they are people who deserve your appreciation!

And, as always:

Watch or listen or listen to this playlist. All advertisement revenue goes to Black Lives Matter. Do not skip the ads, the donations will not go through otherwise.

Watch or listen to this video. All advertisement revenue goes to various aid organizations easing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Please note it is blocked on school-issued Chromebooks due to being in the “Entertainment” category
- Learn more about the crisis at www.monareliefye.org/.