Summit Weekly Briefing of 10/24/22

Your Summit Weekly Briefing

By Jovani Contreras, Ethan Ignatovsky, Sean Quigley and Ashwath Vimal

Staff Editors

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.  

Content Warning: Mentions of explicit themes occur in the third section of “General News” and in “Actions”. 

Summit:

1. Seniors: The Early Action and Early Decision deadlines for college applications is coming up in just 2 days! All applications will be due on Nov. 1 by 11:59 p.m., consistent with your time zone. Remember to fine tune, polish, and complete your application before then. If possible, try not to submit it last minute, as the Common Application website may experience errors and such since everyone will be rushing to submit it right before the deadline, leading to a lot of traffic. Good luck, and we hope you all receive admission into the colleges you are applying early for! Make sure to hop on your UC applications as soon as you submit your Early Action/Decision ones, as those are due on Nov. 30!

General News:

1. After taking full ownership of Twitter less than a week ago, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk is already facing major pushback. After buying Twitter, it was reported that the use of profane language, most egregiously use of the n-word, surged by 500% on the site. Lakers forward Lebron James tweeted that the surge in the use of racial slurs on the social media site was “Scary AF” with many other celebrities following suit. Multiple public figures have condemned Musk for his ‘free speech absolutism’ policy and continue to leave the platform. 
2. In South Korea, authorities are investigating the crowd surge that left hundreds dead in the Seol area. Nearly all the victims have been identified – the toll included 56 men and 97 women. The cause of death for many of the Halloween party goers was overcrowding. Large crowds formed on the streets and began to “push and shove” according to multiple accounts. South Korea will be undergoing a mourning period in the coming weeks, in honor of all of the victims.

Health/Medicine: 

1. The World Health Organization published a 132-page report that found over 500 million people world wide will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other conditions if physical activity isn’t increased. The report found that the cost of illness will total $27 billion per year from 2020 to 2030. WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the report “We need more countries to scale up implementation of policies to be more active”. These policies could make it safer for biking and walking, or encourage more general physical activities. Physical activity also has an effect on the economy, so countries should be incentivized to do something about the issue. In short, the WHO says you need to get outside and get active.
2. Potentially deadly fungal infections are on the rise according to the WHO. Dr. Hannah Balkhy, the organizations assistant director-general of antimicrobial resistance said in a statement that fungal infections are on the rise and are “ever more resistant to treatments, becoming a public health concern worldwide”. These drug resistant infections directly and indirectly cause around 6 million deaths annually, and are most deadly to people with underlying health conditions or severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS/HIV, organ transplants, chronic respiratory disease and post-primary tuberculosis infections. There are few medicines to help combat the rise, and the WHO is prioritizing the issue. 

Politics:

1. Over 40 journalists have been arrested over ongoing protests in Iran. The protests in Iran were spearheaded last month by the death of Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police. Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested in September for improperly wearing her hijab. Amini died three days later in police custody, with her death spurring many protests throughout the country, most of which were violently suppressed by Iranian authorities. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that, as of Wednesday, 41 journalists have been detained by Iranian authorities. A few of these journalists have been released on bail and most were accused of taking part in the protests they were reporting on. Four journalists kept in Evin prison in Tehran are still unaccounted for following a fire at the prison this Saturday, according to accounts by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Obtaining information on and providing advice to those detained is difficult  in part due to internet blockage in Iran. The Coalition for Women in Journalism has stated that although legally allowed to do so, journalists have been unable to contact their lawyers or families. Additionally, lawyers and journalists seeking to contact incarcerated journalists have been given false information by authorities. U.N. human rights officials have criticized Iran’s use of violence in response to protests, and have called for the release of all arbitrarily detained protesters and journalists in the country.
2. British Prime minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to fix the mistakes made during Liz Truss’s tenure. Sunak, the first British-Asian prime minister, has stated that he will rebuild trust, confidence and lead the UK through a “profound economic crisis”. Sunak’s coronation on Monday marked the end of Liz Truss’s tenure as prime minister just six weeks after she took office. Truss’s government was destabilized by economic turmoil, intensified by her mini-budget, resulting in her unfunded tax cuts being ditched by the new government. . To combat this, Sunak has stated that he will put “economic componence and stability” as core aspects of his government. He is expected to reduce public spending to help mend a £40 billion hole in public finances.   Sunak’s cabinet currently consists of Dominic Raab, returning as deputy prime minister, Grant Shapps as business secretary, and Jermey Hunt, also returning as chancellor from Truss’s cabinet. Opposition parties repeatedly requested a general election be held and stated that Sunak had no mandate to lead from the public. As the Tories searched for a replacement for Truss, Boris Johnson insisted that Sunak was the only candidate who could unite the party and the next general election. The next general election is not slated to take place until January 2025, although Sunak can hold one earlier under the UK parliamentary system if he so chooses.

Sports:

MLB:

1. The 2022 World Series has begun. The fall classic iss being played between the American League representatives the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies representing the National League. The series is a best-of-seven, with the Astros getting home field advantage due to their better record. The Astros are looking for their second World Series championship in franchise history, however their previous win, in 2017, is disregarded by some fans due to the teams illegal sign stealing methods, which let the batter know which pitch was coming using electronics. Although the 2022 squad only has five members of the 2017 team still remaining, the team is trying to prove that they don’t need to break the rules to win it all. Their opponents, the Phillies, have two World Series Champions to their name, last winning in 2008. Both sides have great starting pitching, great lineups, and the hunger needed to win it all. The first pitch of game 1 will be 5:03 PM pacific time, and you can catch the action on Fox.  
2. The playoffs are indeed still going, but it’s already the offseason for some teams. Both the Texas Rangers and the Miami Marlins have signed new managers. The Rangers announced future hall of famer Bruce Bochy as their new skipper. Bochy spent 12 years from 1995 to 2006 as the Padres manager, clinching the National League pennant with them in 1998, two years after he won the 1996 NL manager of the year award. Bochy is most known for his time as the manager of the San Francisco Giants, however, from 2007 to 2019, and where he won three World Series championships. The Marlins announced Skip Schumacher as their new manager. This job will be Schumacher’s first managerial gig, but he has experience as the San Diego Padres bench coach from 2018-2021, and the St. Louis Cardinals bench coach in 2022. Both managers take on the tough task of guiding teams out of stretches of bad baseball as both teams finished 2022 with nearly identical below .500 records.

NFL:

1. Star running back Christian McCaffery made his debut for the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday after being traded to the team from the Carolina Panthers the Thursday prior. McCaffery, 26, is considered by many to be one of, if not the best, running backs in the NFL, and joined a 49ers offense that already has great weapons in Deebo Samual and George Kittle. Heading to Carolina in the deal is the 49ers second, third, and fourth round picks for 2023, and their 2024 fifth round pick. Seeing as he just joined the team and hadn’t had time to learn the playbook yet, McCaffery only had 8 carries and 2 receptions for a total of 62 yards. This Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams though, McCaffery will get the full playbook available to him, and is expected to see a normal amount of playing time. 
2. Tua Tagovailoa returned to the field last Sunday, nearly a month after his scary head injury against the Cincinnati Bengals that was so serious, it even led to the doctor who discovered CTE saying Tagovailoa should retire from the NFL. As previously stated though, Tagovailoa has returned, and in his return he led his Miami Dolphins to a 16-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tagovailoa threw for 261 yards, had a touchdown, and didn’t shy away from taking hits, as his team moved to a 4-3 record. 
3. The Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to a trade that sends 3 time Pro-Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn to the undefeated Eagles in exchange for a fourth round pick. Quinn, a 32-year-old, 12 year veteran of the sport, makes the 6-0 squad even better, as they add to their pass rushing core that has combined for 5.5 sacks on the year. Quinn himself only has 1 sack this season, but is coming off a 2021 campaign where he had 18.5. Quinn’s $7.1 million left in base salary this year is being paid by the Bears, but will be on the books for the Eagles the following two seasons. The draft pick the Bears received can help them out in the future, as they try to figure out the direction of the franchise after a 3-4 start to the year. 

NBA:

1. Lakers fans may want Russell Westbrook to be traded, but it probably won’t happen soon, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski joined ESPN Get Up, and explained that the only trades available are the same ones that the Lakers didn’t want to do in the offseason, and really, it’s too early in the season for a move to be made. In the meantime, Wojnarowski predicts that Westbrook will be moved to the bench until his play improves. Through 3 games to begin the season Westbrook is shooting just 28% from the field and an abysmal 8% from three, it’s a small sample size, but the former MVP needs to play better on the offensive side of the ball.
2. Paolo Banchero, the 19-year-old, first overall pick by the Orlando Magic in this past years NBA draft, has gotten his NBA career off to a very nice start. In his first game, Banchero dropped 27 points on the Detroit Pistons, going 11/18 from the field and 5/7 from the line, while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out five assist, becoming the first player to record a 25-5-5 in their NBA debut since LeBron James in 2003. In his next game, Banchero recorded his first career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks. Now, five games into his career Banchero joins the small and elite group of Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Grant Hill, Oscar Robertson, Dominique Wilkins, and John Williamson, as the only players in NBA history to record five straight 20 point games to start their career. It’s very early in his career, but Banchero is looking unfazed by NBA competition and seems like he could be a future star. 

Entertainment:

1. James Gunn and Peter Safran will be assuming the role of co-CEOs of DC’s film, TV, and animation production studio. The assignment marks the end of a search by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is set to replace former film boss Walter Hamada, who departed the studio last week. Gunn will allegedly focus on the creative endeavors of the studio, while Safran will manage business and production. Both are expected to continue to direct and produce projects and will answer to Zaslav directly. Sources have stated that the deal between the two producers and Warner Bros. have been in talks for years, with Gunn being exclusive to DC during this period. According to sources, the sequel to the movie Joker, co-written and directed by Todd Phillips, will not fall under Gunn and Safran’s purview. Instead it will fall under the watch of Warner film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. It is unclear under whose purview the projects of Matt Reeves, the creator of The Batman. For the last four years DC Films had been run by Walter Hamada, who departed amid friction with David Zaslav, who axed the DC film Batgirl this August and vowed to remake the studio to compete with Marvel.

Cooking: Caramel Apples

Total time: 1 hour 30 min     Yield: 6 apples

Equipment: 

• 6 candy apple sticks
• Candy thermometer 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• 6 medium crisp apples
• Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Add the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir a few times before the sugar begins to boil to combine the ingredients. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and bring the syrup to a boil. Cook until the syrup begins to turn an amber color, then swirl the syrup to even out the color. Continue to cook until the syrup is a deep amber and the thermometer reads between 375 and 380 degrees F, then remove from the heat. Carefully pour in the cream and gently whisk to combine. Stir in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt until smooth. Keep off the heat but keep the thermometer attached to the pan.
2. Pierce the apples through the stem ends about halfway through with candy apple sticks. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. When the temperature of the caramel reads around 190 degrees F, dip an apple, using the stick as a handle and swirling to coat completely. Allow excess caramel to drip off the bottom and use a spatula to help remove any large amount of caramel, as it will pool around the apple when you set it down to cool on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining apples, gently heating the caramel on the stovetop over low heat, stirring, if it gets too thick for dipping. Allow the caramel to set and cool completely before serving or wrapping apples, about 1 hour.

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.

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