Gamut Issue 06 Part 1

Oxford Academy Vol. n 5 Issue N 6 May, 2009 o.

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Gamut

Gamut

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Oxford Academy Vol. no. 5 Issue No. 6 May 2009

pg 3 for love of the audience

club fiddlers perform from the heart

pg 5

who gets to be free?

band-aid solutions by the progressive left

pg 7

a most peculiar gang

the president has surrounded himself with to save the world (U.S.A.)

pg 9

garden of worlds

a photo-centric look at Huntington’s Gardens

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n a few months, every editor in The Gamut will graduate. Many of us on the editorial board started at this school in 2003, and since then a lot has changed: teachers and administrators have come and gone and the dress code has gotten a little more lax (no more tucking in those shirts and we get to wear black!?). Even the quad got a much needed face lift that removed almost all shade. Most importantly, however, The Gamut did not exist in 2003. Since then, this paper has been founded, shaped an identity of its own, and published over two dozen issues. More often than not we have managed to remain under the surface, but on certain occasions The Gamut has succeeded in provoking some kind of reaction in its readers. Last year’s special issue on academic dishonesty and the 2005 “Ask an Asian” column come especially to mind. However, despite all the activity of the last six years, the school has remained more or less the same in its most important respects. The students are still competitive, the seventh and eighth graders are still ridiculously tiny, and it is still quite possible to spend half of your lunch waiting to get your lunch. We say these things, though, not out of malice, but out of fondness and a pre-emptive feeling of nostalgia. Yes, we are desperate to graduate and leave high school, but one does not spend four to six years with a class of less than 200 people without forming some strong relationships, and not just with other people. For us, this issue is our last issue of The Gamut. With its publication, the relationship we have all had with this paper for at least two years (one of us for four) will come to a close. The next issue, the Summer issue, will be produced by those who still get to stay at the school for at least another year. We can only wish them the best of luck.



John Hogan, Opinion Editor

pg 14

learning the basics

jenica marilla in pole vault, triple and long jump

staff Allen Tran Alison Shawver Anh-Thu Tran Charlie Fierro Cory Hansen Diana Elazem Dominique Zamora Grace Yoo Guadalupe Ruelas Jessica Ayunani Jessica Lim John Hogan Julie Nguyen Katia Barron Mai-Anh Ha Medha Raj Min Lee Mousumi Shapna Islam Priya Chakrabarti Sarah Kim Thy Vo Vaibhav Birda William Trinidad

Adviser

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Hiba Taylor

positions Staff Writer IIllustrator / Layout Staff Writer Sports Editor Staff Writer News Editor Editor-in-Chief Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Opinion Editor Staff Writer A&E / Lifestyle Editor Special Features Editor Staff Writer Associate Editor Staff Writer Financial Manager Layout Editor Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

MAY

Monday - Wednesday, 4 - 6 — OA Instrumental Performance at Knotts Tuesday, 5 — AP Computer Science Exams Wednesday, 6 — AP Calculus Exams Thursday, 7 — AP English Literature Test Thursday, 7 — Juniors and Seniors Prom Fashion Show Friday, 8 — AP U.S. History, European History and Art Studio Exams Friday, 8 — Mother’s Day Friday, 8 — AUHSD Pops Festival/Choir Monday, 11 — AP Biology and Physics Exam Monday, 11 — OA Foundation Fundraiser Dinner/Silent Auction Monday - Friday, 11 - 15 — National Fitness Week Tuesday, 12 — AP Chemistry Test Wednesday, 13 — AP English Language and Composition Test Friday, 15 — AP Spanish Literature Test Friday, 15 — Class Activities: Junior High, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior Tuesday, 19 — Faculty vs Seniors Basketball Game Thursday, 21 — Senior Portfolio Presentation Friday, 22 — Band[Aid] Concert Monday, 25 — Memorial Day Tuesday - Friday, 26-29 — CEO De-stress Week Wednesday, 27 — 8th Grade Promotional Dance at Knotts Friday, 29 — Instrumental String Show Saturday, 30 — Prom

Front cover photo credit: “Venus and Cupid”— Sarah Kim

FBLA brings “Real Men of Genius” to campus news

Supplementing the classroom with professional partnerships Thy Vo

“We are hoping to get one or two more guest speakers by the end of this year,” Nguyen said. “Currently we are looking to people in the education or fashion [and] arts area.” Sponsored by the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) “Real Men of Genius” series, three representatives from Northrop Grumman visited the campus Apr. 7 promoting opportunities in engineering and the new Robotics Club to debut next year. Florence Lee, who has children currently attending Oxford, was one of three presenters from the international defense contracting company, and head of the community outreach committee that helped make the sponsorship possible. “Northrop Grumman was already seeking a partnership, to create a robotics club, with the Oxford Academy Foundation,” said current FBLA president James Li. “So we decided to step in a help generate campus interest with an event.” Robotics Club, funded in part by Northrop Grumman, will prepare for the multiple For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) competitions held year-round with smaller engineering side projects beforehand. “Even if we don’t know what… the competition challenge will be, we can work on refining components

Florence Lee presents on missile and satellite defense technologies at Northrop Grumman.

that will go into it,” Tran said. “Those side projects will hopefully make for good learning experiences.” Lauren Hom, a senior at Saddleback High School and captain of the Beach Cities Robotics Club 294, presented on her club’s involvement with FIRST competitions. “The first motion to get some

group of people on campus to do robotics was actually about a year ago, when Abraham [Ordanza] told me about the FIRST robotics competition,” junior David Tran said. Ordanza, who is also a junior, is involved in the robotics program at the Tiger Woods Learning Center. “We thought it would be cool to get

a team together and enter—then we looked at the price tag.” The ‘Real Men of Genius’ series began as an effort to “supplement learning in the classroom with realworld application and professional perspective,” according to Li. “John Moorlach was called in to support our learning in AP

Government and Economics with his current prognosis and tips for teenagers and Northrop Grumman was asked to support our learning in Physics,” Li said. “We love to provide students on campus, not just FBLA members, with a chance to explore different career paths, even if it’s not strictly ‘business.’” The series was introduced on Mar. 4 with Moorlach, the Republican member and chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Moorlach, who is often recognized for his prediction in 1994 of the largest municipal bond portfolio loss and bankruptcy in U.S. history, was scheduled to give students tips on surviving the current economic recession. While FBLA is still refining the details to its new project, they are ultimately hoping to provide a variety of speakers in different fields of study. “You probably won’t see guest speakers from the same field come twice in a year,” Li said. “We work our connections, and in most cases, as is with other organizations on campus, we are very privileged to have them say ‘yes.’” Junior Erik Nguyen, who will be the Southern Section President next year, says FBLA is hoping to continue the presentations throughout this year and into the next as well.

French teacher announces Ann Powell-Cordon says au revoir to lengthy retirement career after withdrawal of French Program Guadalupe Ruelas

Language teacher Ann PowellCordon has confirmed her plans to retire this June, bringing an end to her 41-year teaching career after budget cuts determined the French program lacked the student involvement necessary to continue. Powell-Cordon has been teaching at Oxford for 11 years, since its commencement. Although she has a mother in a senior home and a retired husband, she had not planned on retirement until the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) considered discontinuing French classes for the 2009-2010 school year. “This was the hardest decision of my life, but I’ve chosen retirement because it’s the best thing for me,”

Powell-Cordon said. Although Powell-Cordon declined to stay and teach Spanish I, she hopes to continue serving Oxford by substituting. “[Principal Kathy Scott] has asked me to substitute at Oxford, and I think I will,” Powell-Cordon said. Students in lower French classes must now choose between Mandarin and Spanish, while French III students, having fulfilled the University of California language requirement, are not obligated to continue taking language classes. “I was planning to take French next year,” freshman French II student Johnny Cao-Nguyen said. “I don’t want to feel that I have to

stay committed to another language after I’ve already put in three years of French.” However, International Club, which Powell-Cordon established ten years ago to represent students of all ethnicities, will continue regardless of her retirement, although it is uncertain which teacher will advise the club next year. “[Powell Cordon] has great experience with this club because she has been doing this for as long as I can remember, and I have been in this club since seventh grade,” International Club President Kaushik Shankar said. “She has seen all the things that have worked, and haven’t worked, and because of it, we know what we can do.”

In addition to teaching and advising International Club, PowellCordon has organized trips to France that allow French students to exercise their language skills. With her retirement, these trips will no longer be offered. Powell-Cordon, however, does not consider her retirement to be an end. “It’s another door opening and another closing,” she said. Besides caring for her mother, Powell-Cordon plans to travel extensively after her retirement. Among her destinations are Quebec, the Czech Republic, France, and Germany, which she has not visited since its reunification. “I want to see the world,” Powell-

Cordon said. “I have a curiosity of history, culture, music, art, and all things involved with language.” A self-described grandmother to her students, Powell-Cordon has devoted herself to various campus organizations; she serves as PTSA faculty and staff representative, and participated in last year’s sophomore class committee. Powell-Cordon ahs also received recognition from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was acknowledged last year as AUHSD Teacher of the Year. “Since I don’t have a family,” Powell-Cordon said, “Oxford is my family.”

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news

For love of the audience OA Fiddlers continue on toward their next gig

allen Tran Bow and violin in hand, the OA we enjoy it.” Fiddlers brought the Irish spirit to the To perform at these functions, the Cypress Senior Center on St. Patrick’s club relies mainly on invitations from Day as the audience danced and event coordinators, making club clapped to the rhythm. awareness key to their success. It is this type of enthusiastic “The Fiddlers do not have a set reception that motivates the members, schedule for events,” Chavez said. inspiring them to continue honing “[Usually], people who have heard their art. us call us and ask us to perform at “[The seniors’] faces light up [an] event. We also have a sponsor when they hear music [from their who recorded us and now has an childhood],” eighth grader Gerson OA Fiddler music CD available upon Galdamez said. “Being in [the] Fiddlers request.” has reminded me that music is not Once arrangements have been something to think of as a chore, but made, members commit time to as a fun hobby to enjoy with other perfect the pieces, with additional people.” practices if late notice was given or a The Fiddlers Club, whose music piece still needed work. “The time commitment is ranges from country to war songs, seldom performs on campus, placing manageable,” sophomore Katie Krebs said. “We meet once a week for an greater emphasis on community hour and a half on Mondays after performances as a mean to help members build awareness for their school, and most of the performances are on the weekend, so it’s not too community and to cement their foundations as a group. hard to [accommodate the club].” “Performing at community, state The extra practice has its perks as well, considering many members also and national events is another way of having fun,” Fiddlers President Ryan Fiddlers Alex Lee, David Le and Julie Ngo soulfully combine their respective sounds to the direction of adviser Steven. participate in the school ensembles. “Fiddling gives me a [faster] Chavez said. “[It] raises our awareness of the events in Orange County, and raises demonstrate their talents. the experience and positive, loyal reception bow speed and sight reading confidence the general public’s awareness of the Oxford “[Students] join because they enjoy the they receive when performing. for orchestra,” senior Chris Nguyen said. Academy Fiddlers Club.” music,” Adviser Bruce Stevens said. “I only “During our St. Patrick’s Day performance “Orchestra reminds me to stay on tempo As a result, the club tends to draw require that they have played the violin for at at the senior center, a lady said, ‘I came this and to keep the middle of my bow on the students already enrolled in the school least one year. They may not be able to play year because I knew you would be here,’” strings. It’s mutual learning and I get to apply instrumental programs who want change in the music at first, but they will at the end.” Stevens said. “And that’s why we [perform]. techniques from one side to the other.” their pace of music or a better opportunity to What the players value most, however, is We do it [not for] the publicity, [but because]

Administration prepares for WASC Accreditation Self-study reveals changes in Oxford curriculum

In preparation for the March Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) “Focus on Learning” accreditation visit, the campus WASC committee released a selfstudy document assessing curriculum, analyzing performance and outlining changes for the upcoming school year in light of new budget restrictions. Coordinated by counselor Jill Briquelet, the 149-page document, posted on the Oxford website, defines the school’s profile, suggests strengths and weaknesses and provides detailed assessments of individual and collective goals at Oxford. “From our self-study, three goals were established,” principal Kathy Scott said. “To effectively analyze data from various assessments,” meaning California Standardized, Advanced Placement and unit tests; “continue to improve collaboration within each curricular department and expand cross-curricular collaboration,” for example, English and History departments use of common

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terminology in writing; “[and] to continue to address support services for students at risk of leaving Oxford…due to [their] GPA.” Citing a “need to further support students who struggle academically and/or emotionally” and lower attrition rates among Hispanic students, Scott says the faculty will improve academic probation, the Oxford Academy Success in School (OASIS) program, and work to develop an “Oxford-specific program to support [the] current Latino population and to increase the number of Latino applicants.” The study also notes several deficiencies in staffing due to increasing restrictions in the budget. After the loss of two assistant principals, Dr. Tracy Brennan and Dr. George Triplett, administrative duties have been divided among two positions rather than three. And while identifying a need to make counseling more effective for students, Oxford has the highest counselor-to-student ratio in the district, and does not have the funding to hire more. “The American School Counselor

Association recommends an ideal counselorto-student ratio of 1 to 250,” head counselor April Hancock said. With a population of 1125 students, counselors each handle approximately 375 students. Yet despite limitations, the review indicates that course selections will be continually improved upon for variety and efficiency. A 100,000 dollar grant has enabled the medical pathway to expand Biotechnology courses and form a partnership with the University of California at Irvine (UCI) Medical Center. Other changes include tenth grade World History instructors teaching the novel Animal Farm to better support the English department. “The English department is the best example of collectively working together on lessons and assessments,” Scott said. Using vertical teaming and alignment between teachers of similar subjects aims “for students to receive the same quality educational experience regardless of the teacher.” The Schoolwide Action Plan included in

Thy Vo the study, outlining specific steps the school will take in the near future, indicates further investment in the school library, teacher training in programs like Data Director, peer tutor programs, and OASIS. “Teachers are recognizing that they give assessments, but are not analyzing the results to determine how effectively they taught the content,” Scott said, regarding the purpose of Data Director. “They give exams, look them over, record the grades, and assume low scores are attributed to the student’s lack of preparation or understanding, not to their role as the instructor. Our goal is [for] more reflective and responsive…instruction.” Vertical teaming, late start staff meetings, implementation of Zangle and email-based communication, increased monitoring during enrichment, ongoing bell schedule changes and further investment in the school library are all recent changes reflective of issues identified during the 2002-2003 accreditation process.

news

Instrumental Music takes San Students sweep the festival Diego by storm categories and top honors Allen Tran

Despite district-wide budget cuts, the instrumental music program attended its annual festival trip, featuring metropolitan San Diego this year from Mar. 19-21. In preparation for this tour, the department suffered slight financial setbacks, but ultimately rebounded through heavy fundraising efforts. “This trip was definitely impacted by the economy,” Instrumental Music Director Deanna Miner said. “OAIMBA, [however, helped] subsidize each trip by about $100 per person from their general funds. Students raised money by selling [tickets for] shows, movies, Taste of Chocolate and Taste of Ice Cream.” Even with these obstacles, the planning for San Diego was still a simpler task than the program’s trip to New York last year. “The trip was much easier to plan, [since] it was shorter and less students attended,” Miner

News-in-Brief

HOSA students explore the health industry Jessica Lim HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) members expanded their knowledge of the health industry by competing against other HOSA members from across California and taking part in workshops during the California HOSA State Leadership Conference held in Sacramento on Mar. 20-23. “The conference was a weekend for HOSA in Sacramento where a group of thirteen students from Oxford went to compete in a series of events from biomedical debate to CPR to a multiple-choice medical terminology test,” sophomore Michelle Kim said. “It is for students interested in the health careers pathway to study and experience something related to it that can help them in the future as well.” HOSA members experienced early success at the conference with sophomore Zachary Oh placing third in the medical math competition. In addition to Oh’s win, Region 4 Vice President junior Lily Fu, sophomore Vicky Yu, and sophomore Jessica Tran were recognized on the HOSA honor roll by having a 3.7 unweighted high school GPA, approval from their chapter adviser, and writing an essay to explain the importance of education in their future health care plans with HOSA. Despite their success, Oxford HOSA’s primary reason for attending their first conference was to gain experience and attain more knowledge. “The main thing this year was to just experience it all and have a lot of fun, which we did,” Fu said. “I’m just so thrilled to see that everybody came away from the conference with a new perspective on HOSA, Health Careers, and professionalism.”

said. “The cost was less than 20% of New York and only involved one performance at [a single] venue, [whereas] the New York trip involved three performances at three different venues.” During the three day event, students from the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Intermediate classes competed as two groups at the annual Heritage Festivals in San Diego, where they were assessed against a set standard for their level. “Similar to the local festivals we participate in, groups are placed into categories based on instrumentation and then in class based on level,” Miner said. “The skill level of the festival ranged from beginning to advanced, [and] groups from both junior high and high school, and as far away as Alaska, [attended].” In the weeks prior to the exhibition, they were required to rehearse weekly

during Enrichment to perfect their pieces. At the festival, students showcased the fruits of their labor. “I was very proud of all of our performers,” Miner said. “Our String Orchestra and Symphonic Band both received a gold rating. In addition to this, our Symphonic Band received first place in their section.” Outside of the competition, students toured renowned venues, such as the San Diego Symphony, experiencing the culture of the city and more importantly, strengthening their bonds as a group. “From shopping at Horton Plaza, jumping on the Merry-Go-Round, and [sightseeing] at the San Diego Zoo, I met people [I wouldn’t have otherwise],” junior Daniel Martin said. At the end of the day though, the performance remained the highlight of the trip and praise for the students’ artistry continues to chime and echo in.

“Both performances this year were outstanding,” chaperone and former Instrumental Music director Bill Erkenbrack said. “What came to mind during [their] performances was not just the beautiful music made, but what incredible capacities they each have at their age. All of them have taken the term ‘quality multi-tasking’ to a new level.” Coming off the momentum from San Diego, the instrumental music department says the plans for next year’s trip are already in the works. “We have sent the audition materials for a festival in Hawaii and [have started] to select the excursions we want to take,” Miner said. “Once accepted, we will start fundraising, and most [importantly] of all, preparing the music.”

Unconventional spring While many students spent their Spring breaks Breaks thumbing through AP prep books and squandering long hours before video games, others found novel ways to make the most out of their spring break.

Jessica Lim

Tara Millspaugh and the “unofficial” hiking club pose before an array of rocks.

Tara Millspaugh. 12th grade The hiking club group, which Millspaugh considers “the best unofficial thing that has ever happened to Oxford Academy,” consisted of Mary and Bruce Stevens, Christopher and Stephanie Ontiveros, and 14 seniors and one junior. Stevens started the club at the beginning of the year in response to popular demand. “I always tell my students about my hiking trips, and one day, I told them if they were interested, to show up,” Stevens said. “And they did.”

From Wednesday afternoon to Friday morning, the group embarked on a four-mile hike on the first day and an eight-mile hike the next day. In addition to hiking, the group explored Joshua Tree’s nature center and Barker Dam, a lake located in the desert, and clambered over rocks located throughout the park. “We hung around the bonfire all night laughing and looking up at the stars […] the trip was truly unforgettable,” Millspaugh said. “I was able to spend spring break with my closest friends and most admirable teachers.”

Jared Leeong, 8th grade Eighth grader Jared Leeong spent six days of his spring break canoeing and camping along the Colorado River with the Boy Scouts of America Troop 201. “When we got to Colorado, all of our gear went into the cars and trailers, which [were driven] down while we unloaded the canoes and began going down the river,” Leeong said. As Leeong and the Boy Scout troop stopped at sightseeing locations such as Rainbow Beach, Moabi Park, Castle Rock and London Bridge, they were able to see lesser known areas along the river while implementing their Boy Scouts expertise. “It’s a tradition for us to go on this trip,” Leeong said. “It puts all the skills that we learn in Boy Scouts into practice like putting up and taking down tents, making our own food and respecting nature.” Aside from canoeing, the trip provided Leeong a valuable opportunity to bond with his troop. “Sometimes we raced each other, played catch, or we brought out a huge tarp to make a sail for the canoe to ease our way down the Colorado,” Leeong said. “Along the river, there was a huge 60 foot rock and most of the boys, including me, went to the top and jumped into the water.”

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opinion

Who Gets to be Free? Cory Hansen

Since the inauguration of Democratic President Barack Obama in January, there have been numerous policies and funding initiatives geared toward advancing the liberal cause in the United States, and while the self-styled Democratic left tries to position itself as a paragon of civil liberties and progressive values, these ideals are often corrupted by attempts to correct problems without regard for their roots, leading the Left to become distracted by band-aid solutions. Problems for the left arise when individual freedoms and group freedoms don’t appear to align. The 1920’s prohibition movement was supported by both religious groups on the traditional right and first-wave feminists on the left. Susan B. Anthony, possibly the most recognizable 19th century women’s rights leader, began her crusade for equality in the temperance movement, citing the abuse felt by wives and children of alcoholic husbands as reason enough to outlaw alcohol. From her perspective, the choice was between the freedom to drink and saving women from their husband’s abuse. Instead of engaging the larger structural gender disparities and counseling their husbands on the abuse or attempting to legally restrain their husbands, women struck out against a symptom, or rather, the cause of a symptom, of their poor treatment. Because of their stance, the feminists slid across the ideological divide into the realm of totalitarian social

conservatism by becoming the moral watchwomen of the nation. Prohibition, for all the good it attempted to do, created

a foundation for organized crime and led to many dying from unsafe home-made alcohol. Conversely, liberal-democratic proponents of equality may become myopically focused upon what appears a symbol of freedom. While Obama’s election marked a victory for the Democratic Party, it has been called a step to destroy racism, as well. Will Smith, while not normally associated with social issues,

Barbie Image It was a long distance assault on the 50 year old, when Malibu Barbie got attacked by a state legislator in Charleston, West Virginia. Representative Jeff Eldridge launched the first strike when he read his symbolic bill on the House floor, proposing a nationwide ban on the sale of Mattel’s famous Barbie doll. Elridge, who has a background in counseling, contended that the plastic figurine “promotes or influences girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development.” Given that West Virginia has the second lowest household income of any state in the Union (only Mississippi is less wealthy), the representative’s infatuation with Barbie may seem a bit odd, but while Elridge’s bill is ridiculously misguided, he does have a point when it comes to Barbie. An estimated eight million people in the United States have an eating disorder of some kind, ranging

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from anorexia nervosa to binge-eating to bulimia nervosa and all of them are classified as a mental health problems, meaning their cause is not physical. Furthermore, of those eight million Americans with an eating disorder, nearly ninety percent are women. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, 45 percent of overweight girls feel they are at normal weight while 14 percent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight.This should not be surprising given the ubiquity of the thin ideal in the media. A girl can be subjected to an image of emaciated female perfection every time she flips though a magazine, spots a billboard or bus ad, flips through television channels or logs on to the Internet. However, despite the problems many girls across the country have with body image, government action is not an effective solution. The changes required need to be more

went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show immediately after the presidential election to celebrate the victory of the Democrats. His hurrah that, “all of [the] excuses have been removed,” for African-Americans, however, did not pertain only to the mid-left’s immediate political success, but claimed to destroy racism in America – after all, a black man is in office. Whether disparities between income, education level and incarceration decrease is yet to be seen, and to celebrate now is to give up any battle for equality. Electing a black man does not create egalitarianism; it’s simply an individual’s success and a gesture in the correct direction like the end of slavery or universal suffrage. The proper response to the election would be to note the election as a continuation of civil rights marches started long ago, but not its finish line. I n s t e a d of standing as a “liberal” against a “conservative” agenda (or vice versa), the handle should be one of radicalism. The point is to critically scrutinize and alter not just the policy choices such as prohibition or who lives in the White House, but the institutions and societal customs shaping the need for those policies in the first place. By adopting the radical mantle, politics as we know it will be pushed to its limits and flaws before unknown exposed.

M. Shapna Islam widespread than a simple top-down approach, the only kind of approach government can provide. A good start for this grassroots strategy can be seen in the fashion industry where the Council of Fashion Designers of America has sponsored health lectures to combat the overwhelming presence of rail-thin models on the catwalk. Some shows even bar models who are dangerously underweight. Magazines targeting teens, such as Seventeen, also help by carrying candid stories of girls with eating disorders and supplying prevention steps. These steps are all much better at helping teenage girls than banning Barbie from retail shelves. Skinny dolls do not create a need to be thin in girls, they merely reflect a desire that is already present. Besides if there were ever dolls that needed a blanket legislative ban, it would be Bratz. At least Barbie can spell.

opinion

The IranianOpportunity Vaibhav Birda On March 31, Ali Akbar Javanfeker, personal adviser to the president of Iran, offered his take on America’s new head of state in a special op-ed published by the Los Angeles Times. Although mostly giving a diplomatic account of recent dialogue between the United States and Iran, parts of Javanfekr’s letter communicate the difficulty in improving America’s relations with the Middle East. For example, while Javanfeker repeatedly stressed the importance of moving into a new era of bilateral cooperation, he also felt the need to mention that the “United States has a long history of interfering in Iran’s domestic affairs” and went on to lambast America for its “arrogant, bullying, and insulting” behavior. Not the strongest of assertions, to be sure, but that they were included at all, in what had to be a carefully crafted piece, indicates that Iran, despite its assertions to the contrary, is still fixated on the past. Bolstering this claim is the op-ed’s ludicrous assertion that the Obama administration is riddled with “Zionists.” Such stance is representative of a tendency among Islamic nations to let religious prejudice get in the way of effective foreign policy and diplomatic outreach efforts. Indeed, polls show that over twothirds of the people in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt (the four largest Muslim majority nations by population), believe the goal of American activity in the Middle East is to spread Christianity. Given the prevalence of such views, the influence of religion on policy making in the Middle East cannot be countered head on, but must instead be sidestepped and officially ignored. On the other hand, only aggressive action on the part of President Barack Obama will allow the United States to improve its position in the Middle East. This is not to suggest that more wars should launched in the name of freedom, but rather that more energetic and dynamic diplomacy is necessary. This means making important crises like the IsraeliPalestinian conflict a priority from the beginning of Obama’s term, unlike Bush who only got involved after the war in Iraq and Social Security reform had failed to provide him with

the accomplishment he wanted. It means being able to shift opinions and policy over time, rather than doggedly sticking to a single view. It means the United States must engage the Middle East based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have seriously weakened America’s bargaining stance in the region, but the Middle East is much too important to give up on. Luckily, simply taking a more aggressive diplomatic approach will not be enough; specificity is also required. This is a time for Obama the policy wonk as well as Obama the orator, an Obama who is as interested in specifics as he is in abstractions, to work together. Without an eye on concrete

accomplishment, like disarming Iran or forging a peace treaty that both Israel and Palestine are willing to adhere to, an increase in dialogue between the United States and the Middle East will amount to nothing. While Javanfeker’s op-ed featured harsh criticism, that the Iranian government is willing to start new dialogue gives the U.S. a chance to improve relations with that key nation, even if Iran has yet to follow through with substantive actions to boost U.S.-Iranian relations. How successful Obama is in exploiting this new opportunity with Iran will determine the near term success of U.S. policy throughout the entire Middle East.

The Ecologist vs. The Egoist John Hogan

With the popularization of the idea of global warming in the past few years, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on what we consume. Filmmaker Annie Leonard is emblematic of the environmental movement’s criticism of consumption. In her documentary, The Story of Stuff, she tells viewers that “80 percent of the planet’s original forests are gone” and “in the Amazon alone, we’re losing 2000 trees a minute” and blames these environmental ills on the amount of goods people, primarily Americans, consume. Consumerism, the tendency of people to buy new goods and throw out old goods at a fast pace to satisfy never ending wants, has come under attack with a ferocity not seen since the Puritans first landed at Plymouth. However, while consumerism may have an adverse effect on the environment, is it a moral problem? Is consumerism morally wrong? A key part of the critique of consumption and consumerism, according to Colin Campbell at the University of York, is that

the consumption of luxury goods, rather than of necessities, is attacked. What opponents of consumerism attack then is not the consumption of goods, but the consumption of items perceived as luxuries, as unnecessary. When one realizes that it is the consumption of necessary items (food, shelter, clothing, etc.) that makes up most resource use, the environmental position becomes ridiculous. Opponents of consumerism who claim that it hurts the planet, are really opposing the consumption of luxuries, those things that are not necessary for the sustainment of life, but add pleasure to life. Indeed, opponents of consumerism are really opposing pleasure. This raises the question of what opponents of consumerism are protecting. Some, no doubt, really do believe that man should impact the environment as little as possible and so protest consumption on that ground. Others believe that the constant acquirement of newer and more goods is morally debilitating, causing people to become greedy and envious.

Both groups, however, have a view in common. Both groups believe that people should only consume what is essential to life and remove that which makes life enjoyable. To anyone who actually wishes to enjoy life, the positions just described should seem ludicrous. Only a strange kind of selfhatred and misanthropy, a strange belief that man is inherently bad, can sustain the anti-consumerist view. Consumerism, is the ultimate expression of man using his intelligence to increase his own pleasure. It is striving for an ideal where one is happy. Whether the acquisition of more goods is conducive to that goal is debatable. Consumerism, however, should only be attacked on the basis that it does not increase happiness, and then an alternative should be proposed. The primitivism of environmentalists and the puritanism of moralists only does the first part, it does not provide an alternative for finding happiness, only an alternative which promises privation and destitution.

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