Volume 5 Issue 20

, 1 0 ts 12 es 8, 9 , Spor e. d n TO THE C a OMMUNITIES sid ag ay es 6 see p y Tod ght in g a M log ep otli s se ditors chno ub Sp n o e i bP lect st E s: T 6 E to Pa lumn r, Clu 0 0 e o n 2 h c SU icatio orite Teac Ded r fav et the u Yo t, Me Bea

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STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY

The Stuyvesant Standard “Your School, Your World—Your News” 

Volume V, Issue 20

Arista’s 97th Induction Ceremony BY JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR Arista, Stuyvesant’s Chapter of the National Honor Society, held its 97th induction ceremony on May 31. With over 250 inductees, some students were not even able to be seated regularly and were offered seats at the front. The induction was supposed to start at 6:30 PM, but the inductees did not even start filing in until much later. The inductees walked to their respective seats in rhythm to the James Bond theme, which

Free

June 13, 2006

Stuyvesant Students Inducted Into National Hebrew Honor Society

was meant to be a tribute to the 2007 inductees. After the national anthem, the welcome address was made by Emi Suzuki, now former president of Arista. Afterwards, the faculty advisor’s address was made by Dr. Olga Livanis, and the principal’s address was made by Principal Stanley Teitel, who ensured the parents that graduation will not start more than two hours late. After a pleasant interlude by the band, which included John

BY JOSEPH KRUTOV SCIENCE EDITOR

Continued on Page 11 TSS/Bennett Hong

The first Stuyvesant annual induction ceremony of the Hebrew National Honor Society was conducted on May 30. The National Hebrew Honor Society, or Eta Beta Rho, has a stated purpose of recognizing outstanding achievements in the study of the Hebrew language and literature, stimulating study and research in this field, and promoting an understanding and appreciation of Israel’s culture. Hebrew teacher Michael Waxman is the Eta Beta Rho faculty advisor.

Sixteen Stuyvesant students were inducted into Eta Beta Rho in a ceremony that included speeches by representatives of the Israeli Consulate, Orthodox Union, and the USCJ. Waxman and Ellen Lehman, President of the Stuyvesant Chapter, led the induction ceremony. Mr. Waxman, who started teaching Hebrew at Stuyvesant this year, spoke about the changes that are intended to invigorate the Hebrew program at the school. Establishment of the Eta Beta Rho chapter and combining lanContinued on Page 5

Awards Night 2006 BY JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF

Inductees at the Arista Induction Ceremony.

BY SANGHEE CHUNG STAFF WRITER While national science test scores reveal that fourth-graders have made improvements and eighth-graders have held steady, high school seniors have declined in the past decade. “It’s fairly well-recognized that students are not where we want them to be,” said Terri Clark, vice president of the Connecticut Academy for Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology. “The question comes down to: What do we do about it?” The National Assessment of Education Progress, which tests

students in earth, life, and physical science, is administered to approximately 300,000 students across the nation. While 60 percent of seniors were placed at or above basic level in 1996, 59 percent are currently at this level. Only 18 percent demonstrated proficiency, compared to the 21 percent in 1996. “Our fourth-graders are doing better — that’s the good news,” said Darvin Winick, chairman of the Department of Education. “But the twelfth-grade results are distressing; there’s no other way to slice it.” Many experts are concerned Continued on Page 4

TSS/Jennifer Schlesinger

Test Scores On the Move – For the Worst

Awards Night 2006 took place on June 7. It began with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senior Class President, Michael Kimlat. Then, the “Star Spangled Banner” was sung. After that, Stanley Teitel, the principal of Stuyvesant High School, gave his opening remarks. There were two new awards given out, the Dr. Robert Ira Lewy Award and the John Malfa Award. The first was pre-

sented by Dr. Robert Ira Lewy and the second by Umberto Malfa. After this, Megan Rodney Noah announced the recipient of the Robert Rodney Scholarship and Linda Chiu Rourke announced the Wen Cheng Liao Memorial Scholarship. Next, Eleanor Archie, Assistant Principal of Guidance took to the podium to announce more awards, such as perfect attendance and National Merit Finalist. Each of these award winners received a medal. ◙

A chorus performing at the Award Ceremony.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE -----——————————-

News...........................2-12 Business......................12-14 Opinions.....................14-15 Literary......................15

Puzzles..............................16 Science……………….......17-18 Arts & Entertainment......17-9 Sports................................19-20

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

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Iran Threatens To Use Oil As Bargaining Chip BY EMMA RABINOVICH ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR AP

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Publication THE STUYVESANT STANDARD is a nonprofit and nonpartisan publication produced by the students of Stuyvesant High School. THE STUYVESANT STANDARD distributes 2,000 free copies on a bi-weekly basis to the students and faculty of Stuyvesant High School and throughout the adjoining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City. THE STUYVESANT STANDARD welcomes letters from its readers. THE STUYVESANT STANDARD reserves the right to edit any published material. The viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Standard staff. Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd before his speech.

Iran, the world’s fourthlargest oil supplier, has recently announced that if the United States continues to infringe on its right to develop nuclear power, oil trade from the region may take a hit. The message came from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has defiantly defended Iran’s nuclear program and denied the United States' charges that the program is developing weapons and using the civilian nuclear power program as a cover.

The tensions have made oil consumers and investors even more apprehensive due to the current sky-high oil prices, now above $70 a barrel. Although the United States agreed to join forces with European nations and created a package of incentives to pacify Iran, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has openly labeled Iran as one of the leading terrorist nations in the world. While Washington has so far announced that it hopes to reach a diplomatic solution, it refuses to rule out the possibility of using military force. Washington has offered to join France, Britain, and Germany in talks with Iran, the first in over 25 years, but says Iran must first suspend uranium enrichment, a demand Iran has so far rejected, saying enrichment is a national right. Ayatollah Khamenei has continually pointed out that Iran has not threatened any of its Continued on Page 5

Wild Animals in NYC BY NEETA MALVIYA STAFF WRITER Deer, bears, seals, coyotes, turkeys, dolphins, and moose are in and around New York City causing chaos. Discussions on wild animals

entering the city began as numerous bears wandered into residential areas in New Jersey over the past few weeks. The three largest land mammals as well as others found in the eastern United States have been wandering into New Continued on Page 4 Robert Stolarik/The New York Times

Please direct all correspondence to: THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282-1000 [email protected] Find us on the web at www.stuystandard.org

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Hal the Coyote, who was caught in Central Park, is among the many wild animals running about in New York City.

LAST ISSUE’S CORRECTIONS • Credit for the chart comparing the SAT and the ACT was www.princetonreview.com

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

China’s Three Gorges Dam: Triumph or Tragedy? BY JONATHAN XIKIS STAFF WRITER

Continued on Page 4

The Three Gorges Dam have obvious adverse effects.

project to allow ships to travel over the dam, increasing river shipping by 500 percent. As an added bonus, the government claims it will stop the flooding which has plagued residents along the river for thousands of years.

Non-Nuclear ICBMs Spark Controversy

A diagram of ICBMs.

Thankfully, the Cold War did not turn hot, and, thanks to the premise of mutually assured destruction (MAD), the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) are rusting in their silos. The problem is, what should the United States do with these hugely powerful and costly nu-

clear missiles that are being used for absolutely nothing? Recently, the Pentagon has pressured Congress to recycle the military’s Trident II submarinelaunched missiles by removing their nuclear tips and replacing them with nonnuclear bombs. These bombs come in two types: the metal slug “building destroyer” and the flechette bomb, which would cover a larger radius. This would allow the United States to strike any potentially dangerous targets, such as terrorist hideouts, in a huge radius, within an hour, a concept nicknamed “Global Strike.” If approved, this would be the only nonnuclear weapon designed for fast and accurate strikes on targets thousands of miles away, preventing the hassle of air strikes, which can take days, or bombers, which can take hours. For example, if an enemy was about to launch a single missile, this type of warhead would be much more convenient than a nuclear bomb, which could lead to fallout and other complications. It would, says General James E. Continued on Page 5

number of problems that overshadow its benefits. For one, it will cause massive flooding behind it, drowning 13 towns, 4,500 villages and 162 archaeological sites. Some are being moved to higher ground, but there could be

Continued on Page 4

Possible Antimissile Shield in Europe BY IVAN TSE STAFF WRITER news.bbc.co.uk

military.cz

BY JONATHAN XIKIS STAFF WRITER

As the old saying goes, “if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.” Opponents of the dam argue that this is the case, and that the dam will cause a users.midwestmail.com

For millennia, the Chinese have dreamed of controlling the powerful Yangtze River, which, though it provides sustenance, is also the bringer of destruction with its repeated, massive floods. However, this dream never managed to manifest itself into a reality — until now. China has recently completed its Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam ever built. Although it will not be ready for operation until 2008, the Xinhua News Agency reports the completion of the wall as a “landmark in the construction of the project.” The Three Gorges Dam is made out of almost 16 million cubic meters of concrete. It is capable of containing about 40 million cubic meters of water, but has extra space for more than half of its normal amount during floods. The dam is expected to generate around 15 million megawatts yearly, or 1/30 of the nation’s total energy usage, when all other parts of the dam are com-

pleted in 2008. This will help end the power shortages of cities such as Shanghai without the use of polluting fossil fuels. Locks and a ship lift are included in the dam

other, undiscovered relics that, when covered by water, will stay that way forever. This will undoubtedly make many archaeologists — and residents of the many towns and villages about to be covered with water — very displeased. It will also destroy a sizable part of the cultural heritage of the area. The government has ignored these pleas, saying that it will provide the people made homeless by the flooding with residences elsewhere. However, that is not all that environmentalists are angry about. The dam could cause the extinction of the endangered Chinese river dolphin and Chinese paddlefish, and the destruction of almost all the wetlands in which the Siberian crane lives, a critically endangered species with only 3,000 to 4,000 members left in existence. Critics say that the dam will not even stop flooding, but make it worse in the flooded areas and leave it unchanged in the nonflooded areas. Finally, the cost of the dam is a factor — China reports that the dam stayed within its budget of $25 billion, but there are rumors that it actually cost $100 billion or more. Even with this massive budget, the dam was built so slipshod that part of it had to be de-

The US has already begun testing its anti-missile system.

President Reagan envisioned the United States missile defense program to have a space-based antimissile shield to counter potential dangers from nations like Iran and North Korea. Now, 20 years later, the Bush administration is proceeding with the antimissile system by proposing an establishment of new antimissile site in Europe. President Bush made this program a priority when he took office and he withdrew from the Antiballistic Mis-

sile Treaty to make his plans feasible. This plan is intended to create 10 antimissile interceptor sites in Europe by 2011. The Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has asked the Congress for $56 million to begin building the sites. The estimated overall price is $1.6 billion.

By building these interceptors in Europe, it is implied that the defense relationship between the two countries is tightened. Possible locations of the antimissile sites are in Poland and the Czech Republic. By building these interceptors in Europe, it is implied that the defense relationship between the two countries will be tightened. However, the negative feedback of this is from Russia as it charges the United States of sneaking an American presence in the former Warsaw Pact nations. In addition, a RusContinued on Page 4

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

Test Scores On the Move – For the Worst with the trend because the nation is striving for more scientists and engineers, after warnings of a shortage of scientists. In 2002, the National Research Council reported that United States students performed worst in math and science out of all industrialized nations. As a result, many leaders, including President Bush, wanted to increase the emphasis on science in schools. In Connecticut, schools will be re-examining the science curriculums and teacher programs to meet the state guidelines. Several reasons for this decline have been proposed. One is the shortage of fully qualified teachers, especially in areas of low income. “We lack enough teachers with content knowledge in math and science,” said Assistant Secretary of Education Tom

Possible Antimissile Shield in Europe Continued from Page 3 BBC

George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to hold talks for building a missile defense shield.

Continued from Page 3

molished in 1999 and a major crack appeared in it. Having poor quality construction materials will not work when the dam is near not one, but two major active fault lines. The government, however, boldly claims that the dam will stand up to all but the strongest earthquakes. Although the Three Gorges Dam will bring many benefits to

China, its criticism has been harsh, and shows that it could cause a number of environmental problems, as well as raises questions about the solidity of the dam itself. However, despite opposition, the construction of the dam will go forwards as planned. Only time will tell whether the dam will become a modern marvel or a mammoth mistake. ◙

The plan of the Three Gorges Dam.

Wild Animals in NYC Continued from Page 2

York City and around it causing concern. With the crime rates in New York City lower the police officers have a new task at hand, which is tracking animals around the city. The city pound in Harlem had to make space for a white-tailed deer that was captured on city streets. The reasons for these animals coming into the city are environmental. These animals are forced into the city due to the destruction of their natural habitats. The city seems ideal to these animals because of the mild winters and the urban greenways available to them. The coyotes, for example, are allowed an easy food supply from the city. Small animals such as squirrels and other rodents as well as garbage make it beneficial for the coyotes to remain in the city. On March 22, one coyote had police on a chase all through Central Park before it was finally captured and tranquillized. While on a boat scientists spotted about twenty seals off the coast of Staten Island near Swinburne Island. Shortly following this incident a wild turkey was spotted in Harlem. A few days later, one was spotted outside of the Museum of Natural History. A seven-foot female moose was found in Westchester County, which is only 27 miles from the city. This sparks a fear of it coming into the city. A frightened deer ran into and then drowned in the Eastchester Bay. There might

even be more animals than just those that have been spotted. The wildlife director at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Gerry Barnhart, said that the wild animals are being spotted in the city due to the large population increase among them. Experts advise people not to have activities which attract some of these animals. People are advised not to place meat scraps in the open. They are also warned not to feed wild animals. Last summer, seals at Coney Island were fed bananas, which can lead to more animal problems in the city. ◙ NY Times

sian general spoke in a Polish newspaper in hope of stirring some opposition to the plan. The Bush administration assures Russians that the system is not aimed at them by informing them of their visits to Warsaw. However, the Russians are still unhappy and see it as something that would destroy the ties between NATO and Russia. There are nine interceptors in Alaska and two in California. Each interceptor are a 155-pound rocket that collides with an enemy missile. Critics have said that the technology of interceptors are not functioning as well as they wanted. However, Henry A. Obering III, chief of the Missile Defense Agency, disagreed and said that the technical problems have not been showstoppers. He also says that there will be more tests in this year and early next year. Because of the technical problems, the House Armed Services Committee has refused to

approve of the initial engineering work for the sites and so the Pentagon is asking the Congress to fund the installment. The Pentagon is also seeking $9.3 billion for the defense work in 2007. $2.4 billion of this money will go for development of new sites and maintaining old ones while the rest of the money is for additional research and testing. Most of these planned interceptors are to protect the United States specifically from Iranian threat. Although the Missile Defense Agency knows that Iran is years from having technology of a missile that can target United States, Iran is still seen as a threat because of their recent uses of missiles and possible collaboration with North Korea. However, it is not too soon to build the sites, given the time it takes to install the systems. In addition, the Pentagon is upgrading a radar complex in a British air base to improve the coverage against a potential threat. The installment of the antimissiles will drastically change other nations’ view of the United States, some in positive ways and some in negative. To the Russians, Iranians, and North Koreans, this step reflects negatively on the European security system. But to Poland and Czech, the United States is protecting both them and itself from missile threats. ◙

China’s Three Gorges Dam:Triumph or Tragedy?

yahoo.com

Luce. “We have too few teachers with majors or minors in math and science. That clearly is a problem.” This lack of teachers may arise from having too few science majors or too few who chose to become classroom teachers. “What happens is that the system tends to beat them down,” said Michael Padilla, a professor at the University of Georgia. “Working conditions are poor, it’s a difficult job, and the pay isn’t that great.” Furthermore, according to high school science chairwoman Julia Sherman, science receives less emphasis because of greater stress on reading and math. “We need to do better and pay more attention to science education,” said Elizabeth Buttner of the Department of Education. “I’m optimistic we’ll see growth by 2009.” ◙

Continued from Page 1

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This seven feet tall adolescent female moose was spotted in the suburbs of New York.

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

Non-Nuclear ICBMs Spark Controversy Continued from Page 3

Iran Threatens To Use Oil As Bargaining Chip Continued from Page 2

neighbors and that the accusations by the United States are a “sheer lie.” He has also, however, questioned Israel’s right to exist and said that the Jewish state should be “wiped off the map.” The US has taken steps to gain allies in its stand on Iran’s nuclear program, but Russia and China recently allowed Iran to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional organization that includes Russia, China and Central Asian nations, which shows they may not be ready to pick sides. However, the United States

may find allies elsewhere. The Gulf Cooperation Council, a group of six Gulf Arab states including oil giant Saudi Arabia, said they were “deeply worried about the developments in Iran’s nuclear program,” after a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was only two months after Iran staged naval war games in the Gulf, a shipping route that accounts for about two-fifths of all globally traded oil, signaling that it may be ready to disrupt global oil trade in case of international conflict. With Iran’s refusal to back down, the future of oil prices looks uncertain. ◙

Stuy Students Inducted Into National Hebrew Honor Society Continued from Page 1

guage instruction with learning of the culture are some of these changes. Drawing from her personal experience as an immigrant from Cuba, Arlene Ubieta, Assistant Principal of Foreign Languages, spoke eloquently about the importance of learning foreign languages and the satisfaction of being able to not only read or speak a language, but also understand the culture. Junior Tal Akabas read the proclamation from congressman Gary Ackerman, congratulating the new members on their joining Eta Beta Rho and the establishing

anywhere in the world. Nonnuclear ICBM’s are both a blessing and a curse. Although they give the United States the ability to attack anywhere in the world extremely quickly, and could even be used to kill Osama Bin Laden, they have the potential to start World War III if countries mistake them for nuclear weapons. Also, if the United

States adopts widespread use of ICBM’s, then other countries will follow suit, increasing their offensive capabilities. Unless the military thinks up a foolproof plan to alert other countries, this program might prematurely detonate in the Pentagon’s face. ◙

Jonathan Xikis

Cartwright, let the United States “pre-empt conventionally and precisely” while reducing collateral damage. The program would cost $500 million over five years. There are problems with this plan, however, which are making lawmakers nervous. The problem with making a nuclear missile nonnuclear is how other countries will know it isn’t a nuclear warhead being launched at them? Both nuclear and nonnuclear variants of the same Trident II will be loaded onto the same submarines. Other nations could mistake the launch of a nonnuclear missile as a pre-emptive strike and fire their own nuclear weapons. For example, Russia, whose early warning system has not been updated since the Cold War, might face trouble identifying the missile. China, whose system is ineffective, could also misinterpret the missile. Ad-

vocates claim that warning the countries before launching a nonnuclear missile or letting them observe tests would mitigate this fear. Critics counter that gathering enough intelligence to confidently launch a ballistic missile in an hour would be very hard, and that America does not need this type of weapon, since the Air Force can already reach almost

of its chapter at Stuyvesant. Following was a musical interlude with vocal performances by the inductees and musical accompaniment by Max Newman and Sam Alperin. The inductees were joined by their parents and classmates, as well some teachers. It was a heart-warming event, and the festivity was only enhanced by the celebratory balloons, the handcrafted banner, and the ethnic foods, such as humus, pita and bagels. ◙

Sound Bites: Assessing Noise Pollution in NYC BY JINJI KIM GUEST WRITER

The writer, Jinji Kim.

It is every city dweller’s dream: a white, sandy beach next to an aquamarine sea, a swinging hammock, and the cooing sounds of the waves and the soft chirping of the birds, so blissful, so peaceful, so quiet… CRASH! BUZZ! BOOM! The happy dream bursts into nothingness as the person becomes aware of the omnipresent and constant sea of noise that surrounds him. He is irritated and cringes in stress, but reluctantly accepts noise as an elementary part of the urban atmosphere. Life goes on in full volume. Noise pollution, the constant emission of man-made noise in the populated settings, is con-

stantly growing in severity in New York City. However, as seen as in the case above, the populace is unaware of the effects of noise pollution in their lives and accepts as a consequential aspect of their urban lifestyle. “[Noise pollution] does not affect me much, I think. I know there is something like it, with cars and all, but if you do not listen out for it, it is really unnoticeable,” stated junior

Scientific findings indicate that the nature of noise pollution in the Big Apple is close to being excessively and openly flagrant. James Wu. Yet, in their unwillingness to embrace the issue, New Yorkers are revealing their lack of knowledge about the possible harms that can be brought about by the continuation of noise pollution. According to “Noise Effects Handbook: A Desk Reference to Health and Welfare Effects of Noise” by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, there are three major health defects that can be caused by noise pollution: hearing disabilities, Continued on Page 7

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

CLUB SPOTLIGHT Stuy Robin Hood Fund BY JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR Robin Hood, a famous fictitious character was said to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Since stealing is illegal, the Stuyvesant Robin Hood Fund plans instead to raise money to give to various foundations. “The Stuyvesant Robin Hood Fund was instituted to help organizations that we feel need the support of their community: organizations such as Boys and Girls Club and Red Cross,” saids sophomore Yan Slavinskiy, founder and president of the fund. When asked about other service clubs, Slavinskiy said that they are “awesome.” However, he believes that the fund will be different. “We raise money to directly sponsor foundations that don’t necessarily get enough resources. We give money. We volunteer to get the money. And then we give money,” Slavinskiy proudly stated. Unlike other some other service clubs, the Stuyvesant Robin Hood Fund will raise

money to donate to foundations, but not necessarily work directly for that foundation. Slavinskiy has a plan for a five-step system: candy, tutoring, raffles, special events and volunteering. Slavinskiy hopes that the Stuyvesant Robin Hood Fund will have reached a goal of $25,000 by the time he leaves Stuyvesant. His dream is for the fund to expand out of Stuyvesant and into the community. Sophomore Tamir Yewdaev, executive vice president, said, “Right now, we are just starting to get on our feet, but hopefully, through next year, we will be able to grow more and raise enough money to make a difference.” So far, the Stuyvesant Robin Hood Fund is planning to participate in the Night of a Thousand Dinners in November to raise money for land mine clearance. “Join our fund. It’s not a huge commitment and it’s really worthwhile,” Slavinskiy boldly said. His e-mail address is [email protected]. ◙

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Student Union Elections 2006 that allowed for a debate between George Zisiadis and Hannah Freiamn to take place. Zisizdis said, “I believe we were both certainly eloquent. I was impressed with Hannah’s eloquence. I felt the debate was a milestone,” of the debate. He continued to express the feeling that this debate was the first time Stuyvesant administrators went out of their way to help further the elections. The Stuyvesant Standard wishes to congratulate all the winners of the Student Union elections. The following is a series of interviews conducted with the candidates prior to the general election. We hope this provides greater clarity into what each group wants to accomplish in the following school year.

BY ERIC MAYO AND JENNIFER SCHLESINGER SPORTS EDITOR AND EDITOR IN CHIEF

On June 2, the 2006 Stuyvesant High School Student Unions (SU) held the primary elections for Junior Caucus, Senior Caucus, and SU President and Vice President. Each current sophomore and junior had two votes for their next class representatives and two for SU President and Vice President. Freshmen had two votes for SU President and Vice President. The two sets of candidates for each position with the most votes moved on to the general elections, which were held on June 12. The candidates were for Junior Caucus, Michelle Lee and Andrew Kim, and Amos Dai and Sara Yoon, for Senior Caucus, Mike Tsidulko and Lenny Frenkel, and George Tsivin and Alex Kitaygorodskiy, and for SU President and Vice President, George Zisiadis and Vanessa Charubhumi, as well as Hannah Freiman and Lauren Gonzalez. On Tuesday, June 6, a special bell schedule was arranged so that there was a 20 minute homeroom

George Zisiadis and Vanessa Charubhumi This team has five years of experience in the SU. Zisiadis has served as freshman president. Of his time as freshman president, he said, “[I] felt very comfortable [in Continued on Page 12

Meet Ms. Bulgaris! TSS/Tim Chnag

BY DAVID YIN STAFF WRITER While many teachers can be nice or friendly, few teachers are described as being “as sweet as a grandmother” as one student describes Ms. Bulgaris. Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, Bulgaris came to the United States in 1949, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated third in her high school class, and later came to Fordham University, where she got an M.S. degree in organic chemistry. Bulgaris got her credits for a PhD, but never finished her research, which concerned the study of certain inert yet carcinogenic organic compounds. She did not think it was interesting and she soon decided to become a teacher. With the knowledge and expertise of a PhD student, but without a degree in education, Bulgaris started out teaching at two private schools for five years. After she got her degree in education, she, with the coercion of her colleagues, decided to go into the more stable New York City public school system. Bulgaris started teaching at Brooklyn Tech as a substitute, until she was ap-

QUICK PROFILE

Name: Dalia Regina Bulgaris Place of Birth: Kaunas, Lithuania Subjects Taught: Chemistry (SC2, SC2H)

proved as a full-time teacher. In 1979, she was transferred to Bryant High School in Queens. One year later, she came to Stuyvesant, where she has been teaching

Favorite Food: Spicy Food, especially Indian, Chinese, and Mexican Favorite Color: Blue Zodiac Sign: Gemini since. Bulgaris is extremely passionate as a teacher, and truly enjoys what she does. “I organize material in the simplest possible

manner,” she says. Chemistry lessons are easy to understand that way, and her students agree. “Instead of dumping all the material on us at the same time like some teachers might, she takes it step by step,” says sophomore Celeste Ho, one of her former students. Bulgaris is currently at the age where she can retire; in fact, several of her friends her age have already done so. However, Bulgaris loves teaching kids so much that she cannot give up teaching just yet. Bulgaris loves going to the performing arts when she is not grading tests or homework. She especially enjoys opera, ballet and even some plays in the city. She also attends some of the various productions that the Stuyvesant community puts on. When asked how the shows at Stuyvesant compare to professional concerts and shows, she said, “They’re of a very high quality for the high school level… Some of the musicians are extremely talented.” ◙ If you know a teacher you would like to see profiled and read about, please contact us at [email protected] with the subject line “Teacher.” Thank you! Column by Tim Chang

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

Sound Bites: Assessing Noise Pollution in NYC Continued from Page 5

level that causes definite hearing damage; and subways at about 120 dBA, near the threshold of pain and permanent hearing loss. Unbeknownst to the public, noise pollution in New York City con-

giotti, in an article in the Gotham Gazette, points out that various government agencies such as the MTA have served as major impediments to the stopping of noise pollution. “The MTA is one of www.kestan.com

cardiovascular and psychophysiological system malfunctions, and loss of sleep coupled with social disorders. In the case of severe noise pollution, the handbook specifies, ramifications as severe as a permanent shift of the hearing threshold and acoustic neuroma (tumor in the cranial nerve that causes hearing loss) can occur. But how bad is the current noise pollution in New York? Often enough, New Yorkers have grown immune to the sudden outbursts of sound around them. “It is not really that bad. I do not feel continual discomfort. Of course there are the occasional sirens and alarms, but only from time to time,” said senior Namita Biala. However, scientific findings indicate that the nature of noise pollution in the Big Apple is close to being excessively and openly flagrant. Decibel (dBA) measurements by public agencies show readings of busy street corners at a staggering 80 dBA, close to the sound level of a male adult screaming at a person 6 ft away; large trucks at 90 dBA, a sound

The New York Subway system is a great contributor to noise pollution.

tinues on with full force. Nevertheless, the greater issue is that the problem of noise pollution in the city cannot be stopped at the time. Tom An-

those untouchable state authorities that seem to think first about satisfying its bondholders and keeping its hands in its customer’s pockets,” he said. Mean-

while, since the preventive measures for stopping noise pollution involve the use of advanced technology and renovation of old road and tracks, etc., the city has shown its lack of support for stopping noise pollution. The city government has a new noise code, which was enacted December 29, 2005, but enforcement has been turned out to be lukewarm, as indicated by a recent survey by eTownPanel research foundation, which found out that calls to the 311 helpline for noise have increased by nine percent in 2006). Conclusively, in addition to the general unawareness of the public, noise pollution is unrestrained and is allowed to exacerbate to the point where it harms New Yorkers. It is hard to imagine New York City without its constant ruckus of people, cars and planes all merging to give the city its uniqueness and metropolitan air. Still, it must be realized that such idiosyncrasy can come at the price of the general welfare of the populace. “I thought noise pollution simply came from young people listening to loud music. But it was not. Peace and quiet… Don’t we deserve it as well?” stated freshman Dan Paek. ◙

The End of Another Great Year for the Speech and Debate Team BY TAMIR YEWDAEV STAFF WRITER

Overall, this is one of the best years the Stuyvesant Speech and Debate Team has had and thus there was truly much to celebrate. On June 4, the Stuyvesant Speech and Debate Team celebrated the end of another fabulous year at the annual team dinner. The dinner is held at the end of every year and is meant to allow parents and students to celebrate their achievements. This year it was held at Stuyvesant beginning with an assortment of speeches and presentations provided by parents, students and teachers at the Murray Khan theater. The festivities then moved on to the dining hall for an early dinner. Many parents were present at the dinner. Much of the presentation was geared toward parents, allowing them to get a glimpse of what their children spend so much

time doing through the year. There were short introductions to Lincoln-Douglas as well as Policy Debate provided by the senior’s as well as a show of some of Stuyvesant’s finest speakers. Between these presentations there were speeches made by all summing up the school’s accomplishments for the 05-06 season and there were many. Among 572 schools present from throughout the country at the Catholic Forensic League’s national competition, Stuyvesant tied for first place overall. Stuyvesant also took victory at the JPMorgan Chase Lincoln-Douglas Debate and reclaimed its title at the Villager Tournament. In addition to this, Stuyvesant made a good showing at the New York State Championship getting high ranks including first place in many categories. Overall this is one of the best years the Stuyvesant Speech and Debate Team has had and thus there was truly much to celebrate. Many agreed that this year’s dinner was also one of the best in recent years. Junior and Administrative Captain of LincolnDouglas Claire Bulger explains, “I think this year's dinner was one

of the best I've been to, the performances and speeches were all really good but not overly long, and I think it was good that LD did a demonstration debate for the first time in a while.” The presentations were all very enjoyable and parents got a good sampling of the talents of Stuyvesant students; claps were heard throughout. The presentation ended with a goodbye to all of the seniors who spent their high school careers getting the team to where it is.

The day closed with a meal of tacos at the dining hall. Drinks and desert were also served. With time, people began to leave with smiles still on their faces. This dinner was a celebration of all the work put into the Team by the students, teachers and parents and its success represented the success of those involved. Thus, the forensic year closed on a good note and all can rest, until next year. ◙

Your School, Your World, Your News Are all just a short click away.

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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD WWW.STUYSTANDARD.ORG

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Standard At Five! A Letter from the Founder: When I along with a group of friends founded The Standard in March of 2001, we never imagined the paper would still be publishing five years later. We doubted we could even put together one issue. Printing a newspaper is a lot like the joke about making sausages. It’s not pretty, and it’s much harder than it looks. We started The Standard because we believed Stuyvesant would benefit from having another outlet through which students could be informed of the events and issues that matter to them, within and beyond the confines of 345 Chambers Street, while presenting divergent opinions on a wide range of subjects. While commonplace at colleges, a high school having two school papers is virtually unprecedented, and The Standard met with understandable scepticism. However, we had the essential support of faculty members who praised our “entrepreneurial initiative,” as one social studies teacher put it. I and the entire Standard family are immensely grateful for the trust, faith, and encouragement of, among others, Dr. John Nikol, Jennifer Suri, Ellen Schweitzer, Gary Jaye, Anthony Valentin, Eugene Blaufarb, and Dr. Lydia Shulman, who from the outset saw the value in our project. Their support was critical the first year The Standard published, which was exceedingly difficult, played out in the shadow of the events of 2001. Looking back with the benefit of perspective, maturity, and hindsight, many of us realize we could have handled things better that year, and we recognize and have learned from the mistakes that were made. The value of The Standard, like any high school extra-curricular organization, is that it provides an educational and social benefit to its members. High school is a learning experience, and over the last five years, hundreds of Stuyvesant students have worked on the paper and have gained valuable experience working with others, researching topics, handling administrative and financial issues, meeting deadlines, and gaining a better understanding of their school and their community. There is certainly room for improvement. However, The Standard has come a long way since 2001, when it was a monthly, eight to

twelve- page, black and white publication. Since then it has expanded to 16 pages and publishes bi-weekly, experimenting with color front pages, and has added sections on science, business, literature and games, to meet the interests of more and more students, while dealing with disadvantages such as the lack of an in-school office, a journalism class, and ninety years of institutional memory. In 2001 and 2002, we paid for the issues by selling donuts, and one memorable event was trudging through the snow in Ridgewood during a blizzard to pick up the papers from our printers. The paper never would have become a reality without the dedication and effort of a group of people, fuelled by youthful idealism, who believed in The Standard’s cause and truly wanted to be part of something they thought would make Stuyvesant a better place and a more enriching academic environment. Our work on the paper forged deep and long-lasting friendships. They all deserve a mention here: Alex Epstein, who had his account of 9/11 published in At Ground Zero, a book of young journalists’ reports on that tragic day. Rufino Mendoza, a certifiable business genius, who came up with the idea of distributing The Standard throughout TriBeCa. Alex Levin, valedictorian of the class of 2003. Will Frankenstein, Cindy Lee, Isaac Glovinksy, Conor Moran, Sophia Chan, Sunny Wong, Michael Bocchinfuso, and Mark Leff. A band of brothers and sisters. I am incredibly grateful to Ernest Baskin, who followed me as Editor-in-Chief, who made certain the paper would not die when the class of 2003 departed, and introduced a literary section and journalism workshops, open to all students, given by Dr. Nikol, Dr. Schulman, and Mr. Rolle. He has been followed by exceedingly competent editors Annie Deng and Winnie Lee, who left their own marks on the paper. They have said that The Standard is “in their blood.” Jennifer Schlesinger has done so much in her short time as editor, adding new features and unveiling a new design. Here’s to five more years of The Standard! - Daniel Egers, Founder of The Standard

A Look at the Previous Editors This is the final issue of The Stuyvesant Standard this year, our fifth year as a newspaper. Over these five years we have grown to include new ideas and changed to accommodate our readers both in Stuyvesant High School and the outside community. The Stuyvesant Standard would not be what it was today if its foundation had not been built by hard work off those who came before us. We are deeply grateful for all their previous deeds and for their continued support. We would like to take this opportunity to remember our past editors and staff. As the

scholastic year ends, many of the 2005-2006 Editors will graduate along with many staff members. We would like to thank them for all they have done and for all they help they have given in training us, the current editors. We also wish them the best in college and beyond. We would also like to give a special thank you to Winnie Lee, Editor in Chief ’06 for her continued guidance. Congratulations Stuyvesant High School Class of 2006! -The Stuyvesant Standard Executive Leadership Team

Ernest Baskin I was the EIC before Annie Deng and after Daniel Egers. I am now attending University of Pennsylvania majoring in Finance, Operations and Information Management and Anthropology. I love to ballroom dance and have put on two shows already. Although I do not work for the school newspaper at Penn, I still write actively since I am engaged in a lot of Anthropology research which I hope to get published in the Harvard Business Review.

Alex Epstein After Stuyvesant, Alex Epstein '03 (Opinions Editor, Executive Editor) became part of the second graduating class at the brand new Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering just outside of Boston. While pursuing an engineering degree with a materials science concentration at Olin, Alex has also regularly taken classes at nearby Babson College, Wellesley College, and Brandeis University. His connection to Wellesley college has earned him not only academic, but also email, ID card, parking permit, and girlfriend privileges. In the summer of 2005, Alex conducted nanobiomaterials research at Princeton University, and his resulting papers have now been published in the Journal of Materials Research and MSA Journal. He has since accepted an invitation to return to Princeton for another summer of research under a Microscopy Society of America scholarship, and he will be presenting new work at a conference in Chicago in the summer of 2006. On Olin's campus, Alex has taken the initiative to institutionalize two of his recreational passions--ping pong and social dance, especially Argentine tango-as vibrant clubs; and his role on the Wellesley-Olin Working Group has helped develop academic and social relations between the neighboring colleges.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

Clara Ng

Dmitry "Dima" Slavin

I'm currently attending Steinhardt School of Education at NYU and majoring in Communication Studies. Apparently there are a lot of Stuy kids at NYU. I realized this during the third week of school. I walked into the student lounge and there they were, about 20 Stuy kids, sitting in notso-cushy armchairs. It made me a bit sentimental. In other news, I found a job at a typesetting company and book publisher and have been working there for the past seven months. For the summer, I'm considering taking bartending lessons and maybe working as a bartender, because I despise my financial aid package and would prefer not to live in a ditch while paying off my college loans. I'm also hoping to study abroad in Florence or Shanghai in the spring. And that's pretty much it for my first year at college.

I was one of the first members of the Standard, having joined in October 2001. I wrote for the Standard for four years and served as the Standard's second ever, and so far longesttenured, sports editor, working over two years in that position. I had a strong and loyal readership and I want to thank any of my readers who are still at Stuy. Since graduating Stuyvesant in 2005, I have been attending Washington and Lee University, where I play ice hockey, serve as a tour guide, and occasionally write for the Ring-Tum Phi, a student newspaper. I was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma (Freshman Honor Society) in May. I am proud to say that I still read the Standard through my subscription and am proud of the progress it has made in the five years since its inception. It is truly a top-notch student newspaper that can hold its own against many college newspapers.

Rain Bian College life has been about programming for WKCR (FM 89.9, listen!), mentoring middle school students, work-studying, campaigning for Linda Rosenthal of the Upper West Side, catching random jobs in between, cramming, procrastinating (spending two hours each on lunch and dinner), and horrific on-campus food. I have yet to get back to the old hobby of news writing and interviewing, though I’ve been studying journalism on a macro level through a class called Media and Politics. Happy fifth birthday to The Stuyvesant Standard! I’ve seen tremendous improvements since my time and am confident of better years to come under the new leadership.

Rufino Mendoza Rufino Mendoza currently attends Georgetown University as a double major in Finance and International Business. Currently, Rufino works as a Member Service Representative with the Georgetown Alumni and Student Federal Credit Union, the largest student-run credit union in the United States. He is also the Executive Vice President of the Rufino Mendoza Group, LLC, a real estate company, where Rufino has input on major capital decisions, but is detached from the day-to-day operations of the company. He is a Founding Partner of Global Platinum Securities, LLC, an intercollegiate educational investment company, and is heavily involved in both the investment research and administrative aspects of the company. He is also the 209th member in the entire sixty year history of the Georgetown Chimes, Georgetown's oldest and only all-male a cappella group. He will be spending the summer of 2006 touring Europe while studying Comparative Strategic Management and International Finance at Oxford University.

David Wang Stuyvesant is like the 20th level of Super Smash Brothers as it came out on the N64. It churns out its grads by the boatload, and the more motivated of the bunch become the future lawyers, doctors, and pharmaceutical technicians of the world. But will what does that degree do for you, as a person? If you're graduating from one of the finest institutions this country has to offer, do you really think it matters whether you graduate as an English or a math major? Tack on that minor in finance, and you'll all be consultants in five years. But don't forget about that interest in music or photography you always wanted to pursue. College gives you enough time to do whatever it is that you want, and not taking advantage of it is like graduating from Stuy having taken less than five APs – it's a waste of everybody's time. Sure, my reference to the video game may be a bit little off, but the underlying message is clear. Now go out into the world of non-stop cutting, cramming, and pong, and show 'em what you're made of. And if you're an underclassman, well, at least you'll get to witness the next batch of freshmen squirm into those pearly second floor doors in the fall.

Osman Nemli Hello and goodbye to all. 'Twas really a bit of fun writing for this paper and being an editor. I hope to keep up this writing at Trinity College, and would like to thank all you readers and fans of mine. Keep of the good work, and make sure you check out my book in the future.

Karen Liu Karen Liu worked first in the layout department and later changed roles to become webmaster. She is pursuing a degree in computer science and will study at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science. She is part of a high school mentoring program at Morgan Stanley involving students from Stuyvesant’s computer department, and will take part in an internship at Morgan Stanley over the summer. She has no plans yet for specific careers, but hopes to explore studies in computer graphics.

Jacob Arluck Jacob Arluck joined the Standard in the spring of 2005 following encouragement from Sho Uemura, the copy chief at the time. He succeeded Sho, waging a heroic yet ultimately doomed struggle against bad grammar and slovenly writing. He also taught interested students about prose style and article structure. He will be attending Princeton University in September; he is unsure what he wants to major in, though he definitely wants to join the Daily Princetonian, the student newspaper there. His summer plans are indefinite; he is desperately searching for a job but, so far, to no avail.

Melissa Chan The past few months have been a roller coaster ride for me, but it has also been my best year at Stuy. Between college applications and prom and graduation planning, I've almost forgotten how long it was since I handed down the Business Section to Hanford. So let me catch you up on my life. This summer, I will be continuing my internship at Merrill Lynch. My family and I are also heading down to Disney for a little fun before I start school next year at The Johns Hopkins University. Words cannot express how much I will miss this school and everything that has come along with it, but at the same time, I am anxiously awaiting the next stage of our lives. I would like to wish The Standard Executive Leadership Team much luck in the coming year. When I first started the Business Section for The Standard, I never imagined the paper would become this successful. I know that when I come back to visit next year, the paper will become even greater than it is now. Congratulations to the Class of 2006, you worked hard for this moment, so enjoy it.

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June 13, 2006 NEWS

Daniel George Egers Daniel has just completed a year of studying at Oxford University’s Mansfield College as a visiting scholar. In September he will return to Georgetown University and will graduate in December, half a semester early, with a B.S. in Foreign Service. He plans on starting law school in the fall of 2007. A John Carroll Scholar at Georgetown, Daniel has studied under former Assistant-Secretary of State and Dean of the School of Foreign Service Robert Gallucci as a Peter Krogh Scholar, focusing on issues of arms control and nuclear proliferation. While at Georgetown, he has worked as a legislative intern for upstate Congressman John Sweeney (R-Clifton Park). At Oxford, Daniel served as a research assistant to Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, the Leone Ginzburg Research Fellow in Israel Studies, for his upcoming book on the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and its implications on European relations with Israel. Daniel is currently employed as a legislative aide for Queens State Senator Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose). Daniel is an elected member of the Queens County Republican Committee, has been appointed a delegate to the 11th District Judicial Nominating Convention by the Vice-Chairman of the Queens County Republican Party, and is secretary of the Whitestone Republican Club. Daniel is founder and president of Friends of Oakland Lake and Ravine, Inc., a tax-exempt not-for-profit corporation of volunteers dedicated to caring for Oakland Lake off of Northern Boulevard in Bayside, holding clean-up and planting events and raising funds to repair the pathway around the lake. Daniel is also a member of various community and civic organizations such as the 109th Precinct Community Council, the Beechhurst Property Owners Association, the Whitestone Village Revitalisation Committee, the Alley Pond Environmental Center, and the Bayside Historical Society.

Ting Lin My name is Ting Lin and I'll be going to Princeton University in the fall. I have been with the Stuyvesant Standard's Business Department for one year and a Financial Officer for four years. It's been a very dramatic and colorful four years at Stuyvesant. It's hard to imagine starting over again as a freshman, not knowing anything. My time with the Stuyvesant Standard has been fun in addition to meeting friends; learning about life, work and school. I would stalk the hallways with my candy box looking for potential customers. In class, passing candy and money back and forth while the teacher's back is turned. Unforgettable memories. They really taught me how to sell, candies, skills, personalities, college applications. Those skills will come in handy this summer while I work at Pacific Delight World Tours. Growing up is difficult, but I feel that the friends I made while at Stuyvesant Standard has made it a whole lot easier, and more enjoyable.

Winnie Lee Next year, I will be attending Georgetown UniversityMcDonough School of Business. Before I arrive at GU, I would like to be exposed to the real corporate world. Fortunately enough, I managed to get a internship at Allianz Global Investors Managed Accounting and will be directly under the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Business Analyst. My job would be updating and editing the procedural manual and other unannounced assignments. Hopefully, this would continue to spark my interest in a business major and allow me to decide whether I should double major in finance or accounting along with International Business and a minor in Chinese. My plan for the future can only go this far at the moment along with establishing a Winnie Lee Scholarship Foundation for Standard staff and editors. In the meanwhile, I am privately tutoring and working with several families, so if you are interested in an experienced tutor please contact me at [email protected]. As the Editor in Chief '06 and Chief Financial Officer '05, I wish Standard a Happy 5th Anniversary. You are in my blood and I look forward meeting future and current Standardites when I visit Stuy in the fall. Keep up the amazing work!

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Mike Bocchinfuso I graduated Stuyvesant in 2003 and went on to Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. I am pursuing a Bachelors of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and am in the 5-year co-op internship program. I've worked for a year at Datascope Corporation and one semester at Panasonic Corporation in the R&D labs of both companies. I'm a member of the radio station, WCPR (http://wcpr.org), where I served two years as Business Manager and am currently the Publicity Manager and Mobile Unit Manager. I have helped WCPR undergo changes both technically and organizationally and I interact with everyone who requires our Mobile DJing services. I'm also the Director of Operations for our campus TV station, SITtv6 (http://www.sittv.com). I organize the filming of events around campus and interact with various organizations and people that require our services. I also write scripts for various shows and short films. I am also a Senior Senator in the Student Government Association, a Peer Mentor for the Academic Service Center, member of the Console/Gaming Society, and occasional writer for our school paper The Stute. I spent a good deal of my free time participating in various short films in varying degrees (sound, script-writing, production, editing), DJing parties and other events, and of course, watching more Star Trek than is probably healthy.

Jessie Luk Standard staff members of the past, present, and future: You all may know me as the first puzzle columnist of The Stuyvesant Standard, if not, now you do. I started this page because I was a puzzle lover. I used to do crosswords all the time (including in class which is a trend some of you people follow too). I must admit I had fun writing up all those crosswords and getting various creative puzzles from staff writers. They made the paper more fun, not that it wasn’t already. Well, it’s hard to leave such a wonderful school such as Stuyvesant, but sadly, we must all move on at some point in our lives. As for me, I will be going to CIT of Carnegie Mellon University studying Biomedical Engineering. My path has always been in the life sciences. I plan to follow my life long goal of becoming a physician, though in what field, I’m not sure of. I wish you all the best of luck in the future of The Stuyvesant Standard and as students as well.

Sho Uemura Sho Uemura, the former managing editor and copy chief, is going to Caltech. There he plans to use his experience by joining the staff of the California Tech as a copy editor and working his way up the ranks as he did over two and a half memorable years at The Standard; he is looking forward to joining a publication where he will not have to build a copy desk from the ground up. His summer will be spent acclimatizing to the delightful climate and geography (viz. beaches) of southern California. He will also start on studying his planned core subjects, physics and linguistics, with a crash course (with any luck, not literally) in driving and reading road signs.

YanJie Hou YanJie Hou was the Opinions Editor for “The Standard” for the majority of the 2005-2006 school year. She is a graduating senior and will be attending college at NYU’s Stern School of Business this fall. Her summer plan for most of July is avoiding the sun at all possible cost by shutting herself inside her house and blinding herself with TVwatching marathons for the first two weeks after school ends. Then she will visit her friend in Charleston, WV for a few days in mid-July before she heads back to China for the rest of the summer where she will endure weeks of confused marveling from her family in China over how fat she has grown since the last time she visited them.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

June 13, 2006 NEWS

Continued from Page 1

Passaro, Sam Tepper, Aukosh Jagannath, Lu Yang, Adam Spencer and Daniel Jaffe, the newly elected officers were presented, who are: Connie Tao, webmaster; Ellen Liu, Herald editor in Chief; Hua Szu Yang, junior representative; Victor Won, vice president for tutoring; Megan Nesbeth, vice president for services and events; Cindy Huang, vice president for administration; Sonny Kung, executive vice president; and Johnathan Khusid, president. Afterwards, the candlelighting ceremony took place. The four pillars of Arista — leadership, scholarship, character and service — were represented by candles. As the former officers, accompanied by the new officers, lit the candles, all of the inductees watched in awe. “It was nice how they represented each candle as a different trait,” commented David Yin, a sophomore inductee. After Khusid delivered the new president’s address, the in-

ductees were to recite the induction pledge, led by Suzuki. Most inductees complained that it was long. This long pledge was conveniently printed on the backs of the yellow booklets, preventing any confusion. However long the pledge may have been, it was, of course, a pledge of a model Arista student, a student to whom others will look up for guidance. The inductees lined up by the stage to wait for their pins and certificates. After some confusion with absentees and name-calling, all of the inductees were awarded their shiny pins. The 12 members of the month were granted their well-earned awards. The inductees were especially awed at Mottaqui al-Karim, who was member of the month of May before he was even inducted. Last, the special faculty members were presented with appreciation gifts. At the recessional, everyone rushed out. Most headed straight for the cafeteria, where there was food served specially for the occasion. ◙

TSS/Bennett Hong

Arista’s 97th Induction Ceremony

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June 13, 2006 NEWS/BUSINESS

putting the college office behind the SU is equal to put administrators there and will lessen the freedom of the Senior Bar, and will eventually lead to its end as well as the end of other privileges. Hannah Freiman and Lauren Gonzalez This team never responded to efforts by The Standard to contact them, so any information is based on their platform and the candidate debate. Freiman has no previous SU experience, which she feels is an advantage because she brings new ideas to the table. She has been involved with other Stuy organizations, such as the Cheerleading team and theater productions. Gonzalez has been freshman and sophomore vice president. The team wants to keep the students informed of school events with a newsletter and of world events with a series of lectures from experts in their fields. They plan to be open to suggestions and to host some new events, such as a fashion show and a drive for Locks of Love.

TSS/Jennifer Schlesinger

the SU]. I realized through events I organized that I understood the SU and its importance. I felt this was my place…as a freshman, I aspired towards SU President.” Charubhumi has served as her class’s freshman and sophomore president. The team could not specifically say what they would do if they could only accomplish one thing because, as Charubhumi explained, “There are so many things George and I want to do.” The team’s main goals if elected are to fix the current budget and to clean up the SU. They plan to fix the budget by increasing it from the current amount of approximately $78,000 to $100,000. Part of it includes their Grand Candy plan, which is to buy candy for clubs to sell. They will sell they candy at cheaper than current prices to benefit the clubs while still benefiting the SU. They also want to increase the number of Stuy Advantage cards sold and try to get grants from performing arts groups to help with the costs of Sing! Furthermore, Zisiadis and Charubhumi will make secure investment with SU funds, such as certificates of deposit. They will give specific amounts of money to major Stuy groups, such as The Speech and Debate Team, Model United Nations, and Math Team. The team plans to clean up the SU by actually cleaning the SU office and making it more of a place students can come to. They also fix the SU website, www.stuysu.org, and post minutes from meeting there as well as on the SU bulletin. Moreover, the team is dedicated to making the current Club grid for reserving classroom more effective. They will work with the administrators and teachers to make sure rooms are available. Furthermore, the team is dedicated to protecting student rights as shown by Charubhumi’s response to the possible moving of the SU office. She explained that

TSS/Jennifer Schlesinger

how things were run. I chose Alex because he was a balance.” If they could only do one thing in office, it would be to arrange a stellar prom. Moreover, they did say that many of their plans are interconnected and would ultimately lead to a better prom. Their plans for prom include having a live band, holding it at the Waldorf, and having their class turn in photos of their times at Stuy and hanging the photos on the wall. The team plans to pay for prom by selling candy, holding events

Student Union Elections 2006 Continued from Page 6

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Michelle Lee and Andrew Kim.

Prom and will pay for it by fundraising events. Michelle Lee and Andrew Kim

George Tsivin and Alex Kitaygorodskiy.

such as Comedy Night. Of Comedy Night, Tsivin said, “[It was] very profitable, I worked on it.” They also will hold other events such as a faculty and student improv workshop and seasonal dances. Another main goal of Tsivin and Kitaygorodskiy is, if elected, all decisions will be by referendum. They will utilize their class website, www.stuy07.org, to do this. Kitaygorodskiy said, “We want to harness the class’s ideas.”

Mike Tsidulko and Lenny Frenkel This team never responded to efforts by The Standard to contact them, so any information is based on their platform. Their main goal is to allow the senior class to have fun bonding events and an exceptional prom. They will use and expand their class’s website, www.stuy07.org, and try to listen to what the majority of their class wants. Tsidulko is the current Junior Class President and Frenkel has been involved in SU affairs.

Amos Dai and Sara Yoon The Standard had trouble arranging an interview with this team because of conflicting schedules. Going by their platform, Dai and Yoon want to lower the amount of stress faced by the Junior class. They plan to do this by organizing social events. They also want to get input from their class, so they will extend the duties of the Junior Advisory Council, as well as making the application process for the council name-blind. They plan to have an amazing Junior

George Tsivin and Alex Kitaygorodskiy This team decided to run because as Tsivin said, “I was the IT coordinator [of the SU] and I saw

Lee and Kim decided to run for elections because, as Lee said, “We had a lot of ideas…We want to relax the class with college and have some fun.” The team’s main goal is to create a website for the Junior class to get the class involved and let students speak out. They plan to in all decisions, go with the majority. About Junior Prom, Kim said, “Junior Prom has been successful in the past two years, I’ve heard. We plan to keep what is working and make some improvements.” Lee and Kim plan to pay for prom by holding fundraising events, such as an International Desert Fair, which will involve cultural clubs and possibly the Foreign Language Department, and a raffle ticket event in which all students could get involved and but tickets for prizes. The team plans to always be accessible to their class by keeping a suggestion box in the SU, which they will check everyday. Lee and Kim have no previous experience in the SU, but plan to learn by working with both the current sophomore and junior class presidents and vice presidents. They also see this as an advantage because it allows them to bring new ideas. ◙

Yahoo: A Million in One Yahoo ranked as the most popular website on the Internet, has long been a one-stop shop for many computer users. According to Alexa Internet and Netcraft, companies that track web trends, it is the most-visited website today. One main reason for its success lies in its multitude of services and offerings such as email, finance, music, news, and search engine all on a single web-

Yahoo.com

BY KENNETH YU STAFF WRITER

Jerry Yang, the cofounder of Yahoo.

site, yahoo.com. Yahoo was founded by Stanford graduates David Filo and Jerry Yang in January 1994. Originally named “Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web,” it featured a directory of other sites organized in a hierarchy. The site was renamed Yahoo shortly after. A backcronym for the name was “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle,” since it was not the first directory of its kind, but it was the first one to become popu-

lar. As Yahoo’s popularity grew, its features expanded. Yahoo now offers an e-mail service, instant messaging client, group mailing lists, online games, online shopping, and various information portals. Many are based on independent services acquired by the company, such as Rocketmail, which was a major Hotmail competitor, but later turned into Yahoo Mail. The company has also Continued on Page 13

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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June 13, 2006 BUSINESS/BOOK SALES

Yahoo: A Million in One Continued from Page 12

formed partnerships with telecommunications and Internet providers such as Verizon in the United States and Rogers in Canada to create content-rich broadband services to rival those of AOL. Although Yahoo offers its products globally, it has drawn fire for aiding Chinese authorities in jailing Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist, in 2005 and Li Zhi, a political dissident, in 2003. Both have received jail sentences. These actions have led to condemnation of Yahoo by many human rights organizations. In February 2006, Yahoo and AOL allowed users the option to certify their outgoing mail by paying one cent for each email. The system is controversial because while spamming would be decreased, it has the potential to harm other businesses and other groups. The certification system would allow the email to avoid spam filters, but is seen as a tax on speech by opposing groups. Companies that implement the system would be tempted to broaden the types of mail classified as spam in order to encour-

age users to pay for its certification. Yahoo Mail was revealed to ban e-mail names with the word “allah” in them on February 20, 2006. According to Yahoo, it was an attempt to stop users from promoting hate, yet other religious and offensive words were not

banned. The ban was lifted on February 23, 2006 after widespread media attention. Yahoo is always expanding its services and has bought several businesses in its strategy to extend its product offerings. Yahoo dropped Google-powered search results in 2004 and began

using its own search engine developed from companies it had acquired, such as Overture Services, owner of Altavista. In 2005, Yahoo acquired several community sites such as Flickr, del.cio.us, and Webjay. It also bought VoIP provider Dialpad Communications and widget engine Kofabulator. In a quick rebranding, Yahoo bought media center software maker Meedio and released a renamed software called Yahoo Go in less than a week. Taking a page from Google’s playbook, Yahoo Next was introduced as a testing ground for future Yahoo technologies, similar to Google Labs. Although the products are in beta, users can discuss their problems or give suggestions in the forums for each new service of Yahoo Next. Beta services include search extensions and community-oriented sites such as Yahoo Audio Search and as Yahoo Answer. Yahoo has also recently introduced a new website design for easier navigation and aesthetically cleaner appearance. ◙

Yahoo.com

The Yahoo homepage.

BOOKS TO SELL • Barron’s Regents Exam and Answers: Math A (Red book) 2005 Edi• • • •

tion (Condition: Barely used, not written in, Original Price: $6.99) Price: $3.50 Barron’s Let’s Review Physics (Blue Book) Third Edition (Condition: Barely used, not written in, Original Price: $13.95) Price: $8.00 Barron’s Regents Exam and Answers: The Physical Setting Physics (Red Book) 2004 Edition (Condition: Never Used, Original Price: $14.95) Price: $9.00 Barron’s SAT II Physics 8th Edition (Condition: Never Used, Original Price: $14.95) Price: $9.00 Barron’s AP European History 3rd Edition (Condition: Used but not written in; Original Price: $16.95) Price: $9.00

Contact: Jennifer Schlesinger [email protected] Prices Negotiable • McGraw Hill: Chemistry Demystified—A Self Teaching Guide (Condition: New/Mint Condition; Original Price: $19.93) Price: $3.50 • REA AP European History w/ Software (Condition: One test written in but still new; Original Price: $29.95) Price: $25.00 • SparkNotes Just Tests! 5 More Practice Tests for the SAT II Biology (Condition: Slightly used, one test written in; Original Price: $14.95) Price: $5.00

Contact: Lauren White [email protected] Phone: (718) 465-7046 AIM: traslucida

Do you want to earn some money? Are you desperate to get rid of those review books that you will never open again?

There is a solution to your problem! The Stuyvesant Standard is now introducing new section– the Sell Your Review Books, at the affordable and cheap introductory rate of 3 percent of the selling price, you can advertise your review books to not only the student community at Stuyvesant High School, but also to parents, teachers, the surrounding Tribeca area. An email with your books listed will also be sent to The Standard’s web group. Interested? Email Khoi Nguyen, the Chief Financial Officer, at [email protected] with your Name, ID, contact info, and list of books with prices and conditions the books are in that you want to sell.

This is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

Page 14

June 13, 2006 BUSINESS/OPINIONS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Cheap Songs Through a Loophole the site, including some from Britain and the United States. Over 345,000 unique visitors from America were reported in April, though this is still just a small fraction of the 19 million that purveyed iTunes.

BY HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR Think 99 cents for a song is cheap? Move over, iTunes, because a new song service is offering albums for that price. AllofMP3.com is a new site based in Russia that offers a wide variety of artists and songs, including songs from the Beatles and Metallica, who have forbidden most other song services from offering their songs. The songs can also be copied without restrictions. This new offer is almost too good to be true. Well, it is true, but it may not be legal. Operating using supposed loopholes in Russia’s copyright law, AllofMP3.com is able to distribute these songs without permission from the artists or paying them royalties. Russian courts have so far allowed them to continue with this activity, despite the protests and assistance to prosecutors from record labels such as Warner and Universal. Many consumers are running to

Nevertheless, this issue is drawing heavy attention from many sources. AllofMp3.com has drawn massive criticism from record labels, artists, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, and even the United States govern-

BY PRISCILLA MELO OPINOINS EDITOR More than three billion people live on less than two dollars a day, and the majority of them are women. The 20th century was charged with women empowerment, giving rise to almost 50 female presidents and prime ministers. Yet this surge of female independence is basically limited to the Western world, with BRAC.net

of empowerment can be achieved by actual contact between the two parties, not just a useless poster on some unreachable city offering free reading lessons. The example of an efficient nongovernmental organization is the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), founded by Fazle Hasan Abed. BRAC began in the 1970’s and is considered the world’s most effective nongovernmental organization. By going door to door and teaching women how to make a simple oral rehydration solution (a mixture of salt, sugar and water), BRAC reduced infant mortality rates by 50 percent, a miraculous feat. The majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim, and Abed realized that within each community, women would be most effective in teaching other women, many of whom were not permitted to leave their courtyards. To actually teach women, one has to teach the men that women deserve the right for an education, and economic and political freedom. BRAC has helped to educate many men on the need for women to be educated and involved in health care and economic activities. Abed introduced programs and initiatives that have enabled 3.8 million women to establish village microfinance organizaContinued on Page 15

that they say this single web site may jeopardize Russia’s entrance into the World Trade Organization. How does AllofMP3.com defend its legality? By citing a license issued by a royalties collecting agency, called the Russian

Save the World Today! BY GUERGANA BORRISOVA STAFF WRITER As the world around us changes constantly, it seems as though our first instinct is to ignore it. Many of us rarely think about the depletion of the ozone layer or the melting polar caps because we’re too busy taking a nap on the train or studying for the SAT II’s. However, it is about time we did something about the dangers facing the future of our wonderful planet, even if it only means using the back of that piece of paper for scrap instead of throwing it out. The first step in accomplishing this arduous duty is appreciating Earth and all its worth. We are very lucky to have such a planet, and although scientists are

looking for life forms and new alternatives on different planets, they have been unsuccessful so far. Earth is such a unique place, fostering millions of species and natural wonders that cannot be returned or replaced once they become extinct or damaged. Everything exists in such a magnificent equilibrium, but humans are the leading cause of tipping the scales over to the “dark side,” where the environment is failing to meet the needs of its inhabitants. We are not concerned with this because we think that it does not pose a threat to humans directly, and this certainly supports the theory that it is in our nature to be selfish. There are many things that we can all do to make this a Continued on Page 15 cityhigh.org

women making up 66 percent of the world’s illiterate adults in Africa and the Middle East. This is not a good statistic, since social equality should be commonplace in modern times. This horrible pandemic can only be stopped by people, not governments or faceless organizations. Education and other forms

AllofMP3.com

The AllofMP3.com homepage.

Girl Power

BRAC seems to educate Bangladeshi women.

ment. With Russia’s reputation as a country rife with digital piracy and intellectual theft, the existence of this site further blurs the line of legality concerning intellectual property. United States trade negotiators are so concerned

Multimedia and Internet Society (ROMS). Because all that is needed for legality is the collection of royalties for the artist, all ROMS has to do is create contracts with the copyright holders and promise to pay them royalty. However, the loophole lays in Russia’s 1993 copyright law, in which collecting societies, such as ROMS, do need consent of the copyright owner to collect royalties for them. As such, ROMS has no need to give the royalties to the copyright owners, nor ask for permission to distribute their work for royalties, as there is no agreement with them. So, for now, this borderline pirated music is legal, but what is more important is the issue of intellectual protection. Surely, pirated music downloads are free and illegal from peer-to-peer networks that anyone has access to. However, more heat is drawn to this website because its very existence threatens the power of intellectual property law. If this site is allowed to exist, what is the next step but a loophole to allow websites to distribute pirated music for free? ◙

Students picking up trash at their local park.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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June 13, 2006 OPINIONS/LITERARY

Girl Power Continued from Page 14

tions.These loans have allowed women to create small businesses, such as poultry farming, cow rearing and dairy farming. Over the years, one of BRAC's most critical contributions has been keeping poor rural children in school, and the organization now runs 31,000 one-room, oneteacher schools. All of these initiatives have been essential to women empowerment. If more programs like BRAC were spread throughout

regions, like Western and SubSaharan Africa, that have such discriminative policies and cultural stigmas against women, the world would be a better place. It has been shown that when women are economically independent, more money will go to education and health, not alcohol or gambling. And everyone knows that the battle of the sexes is inherently unfair — girl power is much more potent than its male counterpart. ◙

Bird BY JENNIFER LEE STAFF WRITER Hidden behind a smoke-blue curtain, She sits there, lighting slim cigarettes between Her white fluttering fingers. And she has stacks of ancient books, All of their covers dust ridden. Pale lavender With little specks of gray in them. Behind that long, broad curtain, she Sits and sits in front Of a portrait sized window. Their panes are wide open. And in the early twilight, When the first signs of peach glazed clouds begin To appear again, She opens a book to the memorized page from Yesterday, and reads aloud to the Children of Dawn. She sits and sits, and Reads, and reads, on and on. Each lovely rose morning. Behind that Smoke-blue curtain, and in front Of that glass window, It would appear to outside pedestrians, She were only a mere shadow, Whose voice unfurls into plumes; [a {night}in gale].

Ice and Desire

Save the World Today! Continued from Page 14

greener and friendlier place for all. Take some time this summer to visit your local park and ask if you can volunteer for a few hours and plant some flowers. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Earth laughs in flowers.” Who wouldn’t want to see this planet happy? You can also bring your friends, making the experience much more fun and productive. It is important to wear a high SPF sunscreen while going anywhere this summer, especially the park, because the ultraviolet rays are stronger and more dangerous than ever, with only a thinning ozone layer to protect us from them. If plants do not really interest

Magical Raindrops BY STEPHANIE TAM STAFF WRITER

Little droplets falling down Dripping and dropping on the ground Tiny balls of crystal clear Encircling me it’s all I hear Precious jewels, from the sky Expressing feelings way up high The droplets before me start to dance Skipping around me, I’m in a trance This beautiful memory, I can recall I’m in the center of it all A picture perfect moment in time There is no other that’s so divine Raindrops, raindrops, so magical indeed There are just some things I try to seek Raindrops, raindrops, so vital to mankind A wondrous existence in my mind

BY PENNY MALAMUD STAFF WRITER

Times like these, I catch love napping It twists me over, murmuring desire. It says that nowtimes, life has lost its clamor, Has lost its agelong burning at the pyre. And if the world should end in hate and ice, It cannot end while love sleeps in its bed. Love needs to wake and live and perish; It needs a last performance ‘ere it’s dead. It needs to howl and raise a ghastly din; It needs to roar defiance at the cold; It needs to burn; a single shard of frost Must melt a little ‘ere the ice takes hold.

you, don’t worry. There are still plenty of things to do to contribute to the effort of saving the world. Even just raising awareness in your neighborhood (preferably without handing out fliers or posters, which require the chopping down of trees and the destruction of animal habitats) would be a good start. Asking your parents to recycle paper, plastic and aluminum cans, or to buy organic food (which is also healthier and does not have as many pesticides harming the environment) are also great ways to take part. The alarms are going off and Earth is crying for help. Aren’t you going to do something? ◙

Rain BY ROBERT STEVENSON STAFF WRITER

The sky looks dark, the wind picks up, and people start to rush, umbrellas open, doorways close, then suddenly, a hush. The wind just stops and all is quiet, tricking everyone, because just when the wind has stopped, the pouring rain’s begun. People run to find an awning, or an open store, while some just look into the sky from just inside their door. The lightning flashes light the sky and make it seem like day, and just behind, the thunder crashes take your breath away.

Page 16

June 13, 2006 PUZZLES

Video Game Word Search

Sudoku BY JEFFREY LIAW PUZZLE COLUMNIST

BY JONATHAN XIKIS STAFF WRITER

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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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1) ARCADE 2) ATARI 3) BEATEMUP 4) BLIZZARD 5) CAPCOM 6) ELECTRONICARTS 7) FPS 8) GAMECUBE 9) HACK 10) LEET 11) MICROSOFT

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12) MODIFICATION 13) NINTENDO 14) NOOB 15) PLAYSTATION 16) REVOLUTION 17) RPG 18) RTS 19) SEGA 20) WII 21) XBOX

Riddle

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E G I R O I S J E T C O U M J

BY JEFFREY LIAW PUZZLE COLUMNIST • • •

What does nobody want but nobody wants to lose? Where would you find a system of tunnels 60,000 miles long? Why are manhole covers so often wrong?

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Last Issue’s Solutions

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Junior-High teacher jury-rigged jungle gym for juveniles. Juggling, jump rope, jujitsu also offered.

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Riddle You would die. During the five seconds of your absence the earth would have traveled a considerable distance and you would be stranded in airless outer space.

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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Page 17

June 13, 2006 SCIENCE/A&E

TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Lasers: Revolutionizing Warfare BY MOTTAQUI AL-KARI COLUMNIST

and scatter. One type of laser, called the electrolaser, however, actually takes advantage of blooming and uses it to function. The electrolaser uses the plasma to run a current to the target. An extra laser beam or a powerful ground current may be used to complete the circuit. The electrolaser is between one thousand and one www.camdencc.edu

On March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan proposed “Star Wars,” a program for the use of lasers to destroy enemy missiles. Since then, scientists in government-sponsored facilities and private enterprises have sought to revolutionize warfare by banishing bullets and bombs altogether and replacing them with laser and plasma rays. Progress in this field has been made in leaps and the world shall soon

the excited atoms via the optical cavity, which consists of a series of mirrors that serve to amplify the photon waves. As the photons return to the excited atoms, they excite the atoms to even higher levels, which results in more photons. These photons are then ejected from the laser as a coherent beam. Most directed energy weap-

The U.S. military is considering equipping its next generation destroyers with these lasers for close range defense. see the rise of warplanes and warships equipped not with Gatling guns and heat-seeking torpedoes but with free electron lasers and electrolasers. Laser guns, formally known as directed energy weapons, are defined to be weapons that direct energy in a particular direction without the use of a projectile. All lasers contain a gain medium, which transfers outside energy into the laser and excites atoms so that they radiate photons. These photons are then reflected back to

Laser guns may be utilized for the purpose of war in the future.

ons cannot reach great energies due to blooming, a phenomenon which occurs to air molecules when high-energy beams travel through them. The air molecules absorb enough energy from the beam to lose some of their electrons, thus creating plasma. This causes the laser beam to defocus

billion volts in power. The Marines are currently contracting a company based in Indiana, called Xtreme Alternative Defense System, to build an electrolaser “rifle,” which is currently in its developmental stages. The electrolaser will probably be used to disable and incapacitate troops

A Hot North Pole BY SALLY CHEUG STAFF WRITER When we think of North Pole, we think of polar bears and penguins. We also think of the North Pole as a cold, chilling place with icebergs. However, new studies

Continued on Page 18

Soul Patrol: Taylor Hicks Becomes Fifth American Idol

now show that 55 million years ago, the North Pole was much warmer than scientists imagined — it was, in fact, as warm as a hot summer day in Florida, with a temperature of around 23°C! Through a detailed analysis

BY AMY QIU STAFF WRITER

Continued on Page 18

AP Photo/Richard Drew

crystalgoodies.com

The North Pole was once 23oC and looked like the everglades of Florida.

without killing them. Bob Yamamoto worked with defense contractor TRW during Reagan’s Star Wars program, but went to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory when the program was shut down. Now, fifteen years later, he is developing a solid-state laser which has the ability to generate about fortyfive kilowatts of power. Yamamoto’s laser uses light-emitting diodes (LED’s) to glow at high intensities toward the neodymium ceramics, the gain medium of the laser. The LED light excites the neodymium atoms and liberates the photons that are to be part of the laser beam. A beam diagnostic system makes sure that the laser beam is satisfactory. If the beam fails the diagnostics evaluation, adaptive optics on the laser make quick changes to the beam so that it maintains its coherence and intensity. There are both advantages and disadvantages with Yamamoto’s solid-state laser. The foremost advantage is that it can be fit into a space 30 feet long, which is considered to be small. A disadvantage to the laser is that it needs one minute to cool off for every 10 seconds it fires. However, this is compensated for by the fact that the laser never needs to refuel, since the neodymium gain medium will always generate photons when stimulated. The

'American Idol' runner-up Katharine McPhee appears on the NBC 'Today' television program, in New York's Rockefeller Center

As the year winds down, many of us will start by summer recounting our favorite moments from throughout the year. For Idol fans, the list of special moments wouldn’t be complete without the crowning of this year’s “American Idol,” Taylor Hicks. With his gray hair and energetic dancing, Taylor definitely stood out among the other contestants on the hit Fox TV show. During the season finale, it was hard to tell to if he would win against Katharine McPhee, after “McPheever” gripped a nation of people in love with her amazing voice. Nonetheless, Taylor’s upbeat personality and raw singing talent had millions of people rootContinued on Page 19

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June 13, 2006 SCIENCE/A&E

TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY TODAY

A Hot North Pole

Lasers: Revolutionizing Warfare Continued from Page 17

greatest disadvantage to the laser is that the beam begins to degrade due to blooming and temperature disparities which occur as more and more LED’s are used to fire the laser. This is probably the main reason that the United States military will discontinue funding-

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

the new findings that the North Pole was once a summer destination. These new findings are now forcing scientists to reassess their understanding of the regions because contrary to past theories that sea ice started to form 15 million years ago, the ice, in fact, began forming 30 million years earlier. In addition, the new findings show that much remains to be learned about climate change particularly in the Artic. This is just another example of disproved hypotheses that were formed based on inaccurate assumptions. ◙

Continued from Page 17

dium. Before traveling into the gain medium, the electrons go through an accelerator where microwaves increase their speed and energy. The beam then enters the wiggler, where alternating magnetic fields cause the electrons to eject photons. The electrons are then discarded into an “electron Xtremeads.com

of 57-million-year-old climatic, biological, and geographical records of the region, from the sediment core samples drilled from the sea bottom in 2004, it has been revealed that long before the Pole froze, it was covered with floating azolla ferns and the surface temperature of the Arctic Ocean was 23°C. Most azollas grow in freshwater ponds, canals, and rice fields in tropical and subtropical regions. Their presence near the North Pole suggests “a substantial rise in Arctic sea surface temperature to subtropical or tropical levels” and contributes to

The Inconvenient Truth BY TINA LIU STAFF WRITER nwprogressive.org

Xtreme Alternative Defense Systems (XADS) Ltd., a producer of less-than-lethal defense technologies, will aid the U.S. Navy in the development of the next generation of non-lethal, directed energy weapons, such as the laser and lightning guns.

for Yamamoto’s research. George Neil was a colleague of Yamamoto, but after Star Wars had fallen apart, he went to work at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia. There, he designed another type of laser that has since gained a lot of attention in the military. Neil’s free electron laser uses the injector, a superconductor, to interact with an outside laser to liberate electrons to flow into the gain me-

dump,” while the photons are amplified through several mirrors and finally released as a coherent beam. The greatest advantage of these lasers is that they can be modified to work in any wavelength desired. This means that they can be operated in rainy or foggy conditions. The U.S. military is considering equipping its next generation destroyers with these lasers for close-range defense. Be prepared. ◙

The terror of global warming reaches its climax in “An Inconvenient Truth,” a documentary starring Al Gore that intends to

warn the masses about the dangers facing the earth. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, the film is truthfully scary as it depicts the shocking consequences of our actions. The film documents Al Gore’s trip in educating the public about the encroaching effects of global warming, including the melting of glaciers and ice caps, the destruction of nature reserves, and the demise of countless animals. No longer is global warming hypothetical;; it is now evident everywhere. The ice caps are melting at a faster rate than ever before. With more ice caps melting, the ocean level will increase all over the world, submerging the islands of Manhattan, Shanghai and San Francisco. In addition, Al Gore shows Continued on Page 19

The Watching, by the Director of Photojournalism of The Standard, Bennett Hong, received the Silver Key Award in Scholastic's Art and Writing Competition earlier this year. He would like to thank Mr. Winston and Ms. Juracek for all the help and guidance they had given him to improve his photography.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Soul Patrol: Taylor Hicks Becomes Fifth American Idol Continued from Page 17

are singing to impress the people watching at home because they’re the decision makers. The show becomes more engaging because you can actually make a difference in what happens. This fact leads to another reason for Idol’s success: unpredictability. Though viewers may all have different guesses about who stays and goes, overall the show has its share of surprising eliminations. Then there are the judges: Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell. Though they don’t get to decide who the winner becomes, they are the ones who select the top 24 contestants. (It’s only at this point that viewers get to vote). Also, their thoughtprovoking comments help provide something extra to the show. Probably one of the main aspects of Idol is personality, and the contestants certainly have plenty of that. For people who enjoy the show, it’s not only about the singing but about the performers, whom you get to know as the show progresses. As for Taylor Hicks, his future holds much in store for him. Apparently, the same can be said for the show that made it all possible, American Idol. ◙

The Inconvenient Truth Continued from Page 18

the public he has a down-to-earth side. He likens the environment to his son and the agony he experienced when his son was injured in a car accident. He asks the public, “What would you do if something so precious to you was in danger?” Many critics, however, view this film with skepticism because of Gore’s possible 2008 campaign, but this is a moral issue rather than a political one. Anyone with a moral conscience should consider what industrialization has done to the environment, and how it will affect millions of people in the future. Despite what the antagonists

may say about the validity of global warming, the documentary is superb in terms of Gore’s clearcut explanations that transform diverse and complex scientific data into simple everyday language. The film’s frightening use of statistics does wonders as the film preys on the public’s fears and makes one realize that global warming will affect everyone. The film is by no means trying to convert anyone into a tree hugger, but is rather reaching out to the soft spot in everyone’s heart and begging for sympathy toward our dear old Mother Earth and her soon-to-be wretched children. ◙ ffmedia.ign.com

ing for the “Soul Patrol” from Alabama. After his victory was announced, he said, “It’s an exhilarating feeling. I’m flabbergasted. I can’t believe I’m the next American Idol.” Though this is the show’s fifth season, the ratings are stronger than ever. In fact, nearly 63.4 million people voted on the final episode when it came down to Katharine and Taylor. As Idol host Ryan Seacrest said, it was “more than any president in the history of our country has ever received”. Of course, one should take into account that voters don’t need to be at least 18, allowing for younger Idol fans to participate. Also, voting can be done by simply calling a number, which is convenient for the handicapped and others who have a harder time going outside. However, even taking this into account, the numbers show the show has had an effect on Americans. One of the show’s biggest draws is its group of talented hopefuls trying their best to achieve stardom. What makes it even better is that viewers get to vote. For most televised competitions, there are judges who choose the winner, while viewers only watch passively. However, on American Idol, the contestants

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June 13, 2006 A&E/SPORTS

Al Gore in “The Inconvenient Truth.”

JV Hitmen End A Decent Season Continued from Page 20

on, things did get better. The Hitmen vastly improved their defense through outfielders Michael Oh and Kevin Fertig as well as infielders Aaron Donato and Terrence Lee. On the mound, Richard Mai and Robert Chung pitched solid innings to support the bullpen. In the batter's box, the deadly 3-4-5 batters provided the drive to keep the Hitmen in the game: designated hitter Axel Jensen, third baseman Matt Buch, and first baseman Daniel Giansante all had batting averages

over .300. “It's been coming together the past few weeks. The practices are hard, yeah, not to mention all that equipment we have to carry around and the running coach makes us do, but it's for our own benefit. It feels good to win and know that you earned it,” said outfielder Jeremey Lau. The junior varsity Hitmen may have a large graduating class this year, and hopefully, new talented freshmen will come along and help boost the team next year. ◙

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Page 20

June 13, 2006 SPORTS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

THE SPORTS BEAT

ESPN: I Want My Sports ESPN.com

BY ERIC MAYO SPORTS EDITOR ESPN is one of sports fans’ favorite channels. Since I have digital cable, not only do I get ESPN, but ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and ESPN News, which are all dedicated to providing 24-hour coverage of your favorite sports. Well, at least that is what they are supposed to be doing. If you flipped to ESPN last week, you might have found yourself watching the National Spelling Bee instead of your usual shows. ESPN has been broadcasting the later rounds of the bee since 1994, and had been broadcasting the finals until this year, when ABC decided to make it a primetime event. Personally, I always found the National Spelling Bee odd for ESPN. For one, ESPN feels the need to employ commentators. The commentators always scare me. They approach each speller like they are great quarterbacks of the NFL. The commentators use the same whispering voices that they use during golf tournaments. I found myself almost waiting for them to say, “This kid is great

The ESPN website, shown above, covers stories such at the National Spelling Bee and Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments.

with words with Latin roots, but could use some more practice with 12-letter words with Greek roots.” This year, ESPN went too far. When I went on ESPN.com on the day of the spelling bee, I found Darren Rovell’s picks for the winner. To his credit, his list did include the actual winner Katherine Close. But for a guy who is ESPN’s Sports Business reporter, doesn’t he have better things to

BY RICHARD MAI STAFF WITER psal.org

The end of the junior varsity baseball season brings a subpar, but not entirely disappointing, conclusion to the Hitmen's games this year. The Hitmen, who had high hopes coming into the season, did not fare as well as they had hoped. From the beginning, it took a while for everyone to settle down and get into a rhythm. Hours upon hours were spent on practice drilling various techniques and plays. Not having a home field or any field close to school made it more difficult. The Hitmen came into the season facing very difficult teams

To make matters worse, ESPN included the spelling bee in its top headlines, mixed in with its NBA and NHL Conference Finals coverage. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only “sporting event” that ESPN gives too much coverage to. Sometimes, ESPN televises more poker tournaments than they do Sportscenter. Being good at poker is a skill, but let’s be realistic. I

Being good at poker is a skill, but lets be realistic. I don't see poker professionals throwing their chips at 100 miles per hour.

JV Hitmen End A Decent Season

The Stuyvesant Hitmen.

do?

early. They were crushed by Lehmann several times by double figures. The Hitmen received their first win over rival Bronx Science, a much-needed boost to the team. By late April, the Hitmen started to look better as the practices started to pay off. They were able to beat some of the teams, and in the games lost, they were close games that seemed to have just gotten away. In many of the games, poor defense and weak offense led to the costly losses. Pitchers Scott Kanner and Roan LaPlante, though decent pitchers, gave up many runs that let other teams think it was batting practice. Pitchers deliver the ball, and have one of the most important roles in the game, but some of the blame must be shared with the defense. Infield played solidly, but made costly errors. The outfield was a wreck, letting line drives get by and letting easy fly balls drop in front. Slowly, as the season went Continued on Page 19

don’t see poker professionals throwing their chips at 100 miles per hour. Another event which ESPN should stop covering is foodeating contests, or more specifically, the hot-dog-eating contest at Nathan’s, which is in about a month. It’s an American pastime won by Takeru Kobayashi every year. It isn’t a sport. It isn’t even worth a reality show. Food-eating contests are repulsive in nature due to the hunger and poverty around the world, and further glorifying it on television is in bad taste. I don’t want any spelling bees, Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments, or eating contests on my ESPN. I want my sports. ◙ Author’s Note: Here’s the link for those of you who thought I made the fantasy spelling bee up: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/ p a g e 2 / s t o r y ? page=shanoff/050601&num=1 Got a comment for the Sports Beat? Email us at [email protected]