1. How did Covid 19 increase racism towards Asians? 

• While there was always racism towards Asian Americans, it has significantly increased during covid 19; many blamed Asians for “spreading” the virus to the point of using violence towards towards them, this hate furthermore increased by the help of Donald Trump who has made the hate skyrocket by his infamous “chinese virus” tweet. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2023/11/30/asian-americans-and-discrimination-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

“ “I was walking in [the city where I live], and a White old woman was poking me in the face saying, ‘You are disgusting,’ and she was trying to hit me. I ran away crying. … At the time, I was with my boyfriend, but he also just came to the U.S., so we ran away together thinking that if we cause trouble, we could be deported.”

–Immigrant woman of Korean origin in late 20s (translated from Korean)”

This article about the increase of Asian violence shows great points and data to bring attention to this serious and ongoing stereotype of east asian looking people spreading the virus just by looking the way they do. 

2. How do “nepo-babies” affect the job market? 

• The well known term of “nepo-babies”, children of famous celebrities, businessmen, politicians, has spread around the world. There is an obvious way for nepo babies to gain recognition in any industry be it music, acting, or even business, but how is this phenomenon of nepotism negative on the job market? While it seems fair enough to use the environment nepo babies have been given to, it is unfair for the people who can’t afford to get themselves into an industry through someone who has the power to give them that, while at the same time having more knowledge and experience than their competitors. 

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2023/06/right-now-nepotism

This article is a great way to show how nepotism doesn’t only affect the artistic job market but also your typical 9-5 office jobs. Many children with parents who own a business have a higher chance of working in their parents business than a regular person who has the same level of education, and work experience as those children. 

“Such intergenerational shared interests fail to explain why so many Americans work for the same company as a parent.”

3. Why is dog breeding bad and should not be allowed? 

• Those who own dogs know that there’s a huge market of dogs being bred with each other to create the “perfect” one. It is mainly done to please the rich buyers who can afford to spend a couple of thousands to own the perfect aesthetical dog. Yet when considering buying a designer dog, they don’t consider the health risks the pet could have. Many bred dogs can’t properly breathe, for example pugs, who have a very short nose which doesn’t allow air to properly flow into the air pathways. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10930939

This article talks about the many risks a dog can have after being bred, not only it does not give any health benefits to the dog but also it is very unethical to crossbreed to different dogs in order to please the buyers. 

“In this scenario, commercial dog breeding, especially of fashionable breeds (those that become commercially most popular in a very short time), can lead to a breakdown in the human–dog bond, as dogs are treated as commodities rather than valued companions [16].” 

Ingridients (for around 8-10 pieces)

• 3 eggs
• a cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• a cup of flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 of melted butter
• a cup of warm water

Blini, the perfect food to start your mornings with, or end your nights. Couple of blini’s with sweet jam, sour cream, or even caviar a snack perfect for any time during the day. The russian version of pancakes that are way thinner and way more gentle. Every russian or russian speaking family knows the smell of someone in the kitchen early in the morning making a batch of the sweet and delicate pancakes. To make the blinis my mom has perfected the recipe, which i struggled with a lot, since you need to have a good mixture that is not too liquidy or not too thick, but also a way to keep these thin blinis in tact.

First we take the eggs, melted butter, and sugar. Once we have that done we add milk and the rest of the ingredients, but keep it steady. Cooking blinis shouldnt be rushed, that will only ruin the appetite and even the taste of them. After we have our not so liquidy and not so thick mixture, the most crucial step in getting the most soft blinis, as if youre biting clouds is to add a cup of hot water. Now that the first part of cooking blinis is over, we have to pour a 1/4th cup of the mixture into the warm pan( the pan needs to be flat, to get the perfect blin) and coat the pan evenly. As it cooks we’ll start to see small bubbles forming, thats when the real fun begins. By using a spatula we have to seperate all the edges from the pan and carefully flip the blin, I personally try to get the spatula under the blin so then i could pick it up with my fingers and flip it. The blin is very thin and could tear easily. Theres a saying in russian that describes this experience of flipping your first blin, “Первый блин комом” or in other words “worst is first” which is often true since you improve as you go no matter the context, if its cooking a pancake, or doing an assignment.

At the end we should have around 8-10 blini’s, that in general are served with jam and sour cream. However treat the blin as a base to your new ideas, it could be paired with meat, vegetables, chocolate, fruits, and even fish. Blini’s is a versitile pancake that could be eaten anywhere, anytime, and with anything that your heart desires.