Speak and Shine

  Starship: SpaceX's Record-Breaking Spacecraft SpaceX has achieved a major milestone with its fifth test flight of Starship, the largest and most powerful spacecraft ever developed. For the first time, the first-stage booster, named "Super Heavy," was successfully recovered after reaching an altitude of 70 km. Weighing 275 tons (excluding fuel), the booster precisely returned to the launch pad. Starship is being developed to realize Elon Musk's dream of establishing a settlement on Mars. The spacecraft is designed to carry up to 100 people and 100 tons of cargo. Both the first-stage booster and the second-stage spacecraft are fully reusable, aiming to drastically reduce launch costs. Previous test flights failed due to explosions or crashes, making this recovery a historic breakthrough. Reusability is expected to halve the current launch cost of $100 million, sparking rapid growth in space exploration, development, and tourism industries. On December 13 a...

  On October 11, Dr. Eun-Jin Yang from the Korea Polar Research Institute's Marine and Atmospheric Research Division announced the discovery of two baby squids in the Arctic Ocean. Dr. Yang's team explained, "In August, while studying the Arctic marine ecosystem aboard the icebreaker research vessel Araon, we captured footage of the squids using a deep-sea camera." A closer inspection with the camera also revealed one fully-grown adult squid. The team believes that the discovery of both baby and adult squids indicates that squids are beginning to establish themselves in the Arctic marine ecosystem. Squids typically prefer warm waters with temperatures of 15–20°C. The Arctic Ocean, however, is an extremely cold habitat with an average surface temperature of -1.8°C. The appearance of squids in the Arctic, where they have not previously been found, suggests that rising sea temperatures caused by global warming are altering the ecosystem. Since 2020, new species l...

  Article: Fu Bao's Condition Raises Concerns In April of this year, the giant panda "Fu Bao," who left South Korea for China, has reportedly been showing unusual symptoms. Chinese authorities are currently conducting a comprehensive medical examination to determine the cause. On December 3 (local time), the Shenshuping Base of the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve in Sichuan Province, China, announced on its official Weibo account that Fu Bao's condition was found to be abnormal that morning. They stated, "We are closely monitoring Fu Bao's condition and plan to conduct a thorough examination to identify the cause of these abnormalities." The exact nature of Fu Bao's symptoms has not been disclosed. However, posts and videos of Fu Bao allegedly experiencing seizures have circulated on social media and online forums. One Chinese netizen posted a video on Weibo with the caption, "What happened?" The video, purportedly taken that day, shows Fu B...

Supercell’s “Brawl Stars” Sustains Upward Trend with Updates Supercell’s “Brawl Stars” has achieved a ranking increase for three consecutive weeks. According to mobile revenue rankings for the second week of November (data collected from November 11 to November 17), “Brawl Stars” climbed four places from last week’s 10th position to rank 6th. This follows a three-place jump in the last week of October and a five-place rise last week, demonstrating continued momentum. The latest surge is attributed to an update released on November 7. The update introduced a new season pass, "Angels VS Demons," and a new Brawler character, “Juju.” With Juju’s balanced performance gaining popularity and a double-rate event for Star Drops (random item drops), users were motivated to make more purchases. Additionally, on November 14, Supercell worked to improve Brawler balance and fix bugs, striving for stable service to sustain the positive trend. Attention is now on whether “Brawl Stars” can ...

Protests in South Korea Call for Impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol Amid Martial Law Announcement K-pop artists are showing solidarity with fans during protests calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol after his announcement of martial law for the first time in 45 years. On December 7, K-pop group NMIXX member Kyujin reached out to fans via the communication app Bubble, posting: “Are you dressed warmly? Hot packs and gloves are a must.” She added comforting words, including, “Take care of yourself. Stay safe.” B1A4’s Gongchan also expressed his concern on the From app, saying: “It’s so cold these days. Are you staying warm? Thank you for your effort despite the weekend’s chill. Make sure to go home safely, drink something warm, and rest well. My heart aches for all of you.” Groupmate Sandeul encouraged fans to stay hopeful, stating: “To our BANAs (B1A4’s fandom), make sure you get home safely. For now, we have to keep doing what we can and watching over eve...

  English Text This year, as in the previous year, elementary school students most aspire to become athletes, while middle and high school students rank teaching as their top career choice. Overall, the rankings of students' career preferences remain similar to last year, but "soldier" has risen from 11th to 3rd place among high school students. On December 4, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training released the results of the "2024 Career Education Survey for Elementary and Secondary Schools," conducted between May and June with students from 1,200 elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide. According to the survey, becoming an athlete has been the top choice for elementary school students (12.9%) for seven consecutive years since 2018. Teaching also remains the most desired career for middle (6.8%) and high school students (6.9%), holding the top spot for 18 years. However, among middle school st...

  Fixed Gear Bikes: Popular Yet Controversial Among Youth Recently, fixed gear bikes, also known as "fixies," have become a trend among upper elementary and middle school students. Despite their popularity, concerns about their high price and lack of safety features have sparked debates among parents and experts. What Makes Fixies Unique? Fixed gear bikes are characterized by their simplicity. They have no gear-shifting system or brakes, which sets them apart from standard bicycles. To stop the bike, riders must pedal in the opposite direction of movement. This design allows the bike to move backward and makes it lightweight due to fewer parts. Fixies have long been favored by adults for their sleek design, high speed, and minimalist appeal. Concerns Among Parents For parents like Mr. A, whose children are in the third and fifth grades, the demand for a fixie has been a source of stress. "My kids are obsessed with getting one, but when we looked, the price was ov...