By Hudson Stedman ’21 James Slimmon is the fourth in from the left, top row.  This Veterans Day, I was privileged to interview James Slimmon — an alumnus from the Class of 1945, a former trustee, a World War II veteran and parent to Jamie Slimmon Somes ’76. During the virtual spring term, one thing Head of School William V.N. Philip P’06, ’09 said in an address to the community truly resonated with me: Westminster has gone through global crises similar to this many times throughout history, and we will certainly persevere through the current one as well. So, given the global pandemic, divided nation and whatever else 2020 has decided to throw at us so far, I was curious to learn how Westminster had dealt with circumstances similar to these life-altering events in the past.
By Alex Shao ’22 Image Credit: Patar knight - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons (The League of Legends World Championship is an annual League of Legends tournament that rotates its venues around the world.)  Under COVID-19’s threats, nations are finding new ways to reopen and re-boost their economy, which often impose more problems on communities that lack health awareness. Therefore, more attention is paid to digital economics and the esports (electronic sports) industry is one of the newly-rising phenomenons. In 2019, the esports industry generated more than $1 billion and had 443 million viewers around the world — more than the total viewership of American football and rugby combined. It is estimated that the viewership will increase to 495 million in 2020 and continue growing to 646 million in 2023.
By Rhys Marschke ’24 Image Credit: Nkon21 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons (Times Square at night)  It is safe to say that ‘the city that never sleeps’ is not deserving of its nickname any longer. New York City is the largest city in the United States by a margin of nearly 5 million people and the world’s 10th-largest city. It is known to be the cultural, financial and media capital of the world, as well as a place where dreams become a reality for many people. Bias aside, there is a reason people oftentimes call New York City the best city in the world. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has maimed the Big Apple in ways that no one would have expected.
By Ral Reyes ’21 and Kieran Haug ’21 Image Credits: CGTN.com (top), Patriots QB Cam Newton; titansized.com (bottom), Corey Davis, Titans WR (one of the 13 players who tested positive)  The NFL has created a reserve list for athletes who have contracted the novel coronavirus. This list is called “Reserve/COVID-19.” Athletes who test positive, and those in close contact with positive cases, are put on this list. Athletes on this list are required to follow the return policy, which consists of a second negative test within 24 hours of the initial negative test, increased symptom monitoring, eight days of daily virus testing and a testing schedule following the initial eight days. With regards to team outbreaks of COVID-19, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated: “Going forward, if outbreaks on teams require that a game be postponed, the league will continue to move games to Monday or Tuesday, or later in the season by juggling by weeks.” Goodell is also implementing fines on teams that fail to adhere to their health protocols, such as wearing masks properly, physical distancing and limited access to locker rooms and other places of congregation.
By Edward Shin ’21 and Aleyna Baki ’21 Image Credit: South China Morning Post  Fifty-five years ago, readers all-around the world learned about love’s ability to transform age and time while reading “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel García Márquez. The famous classic tells the story of two lovers who can never be together because of a combination of unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances. Sound familiar? Just like cholera, the coronavirus is also changing how humans connect for better or worse.
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