Volume 6 Issue 7

TO THE CyOMMUNITIES OF STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY s!!! a d i www.stuystandard.org l Ho y pp Ha

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

Volume VI, Issue 7

Free

Thursday, December 21, 2006 Corbis

An Oddity Overlooked

TSS/Jennifer Schlesinger

Corbis

Winter Poems

OPINIONS P/5

LITERARY P/11

PLUS

Bronx Zoo Spectacular A&E P/9

“Surf City Squeeze Review”, Meet the Teacher, Club Spotlight, and much more inside...

Harvard Education Can Be a Priceless Experience BY HESHAM SALEH STAFF WRITER

Almost every honor student dreams of walking through the hallways of Harvard College. But for most people, the problem is not talent, but money. For that reason, Lawrence H. Summers, the president of Harvard, announced that students whose families make less than $60,000 a year will not have to pay tuition. Also, Harvard offered reduced tuition for students whose family income ranges from $60,000$80,000. Summers supported his decision by saying that, “If there

Harvard's mission was to ‘promote equality of opportunity for all.’ Harvard has also expanded its financial aid, in general. Due to a series of reforms at Harvard, the amount of financial support given to undergraduate students has increased drastically. In fact, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and

ing, but we also want to reach out to these students in other ways.” This new policy is relatively new, starting in March 2004. Already, there has been a drastic change in the “status” of students attending Harvard. The number of

Laughter Yoga: It’s No Joke BY RAMMIYA NALLAINATHAN STAFF WRITER

Continued on Page 2

Holiday Gift Ideas WiFi for connectivity between Zunes FM tuner Sleek design Large screen for better viewing Comes in multiple colors, including black and brown

BY HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR

The holidays are getting close, which means that the holiday shopping season is now officially open. Here are a few gift ideas for you to put under the tree or as a stocking stuffer.

peaceful meditation. However, there is a new kind of yoga that is being offered: laughter yoga. Laughter yoga is a new type where people are able to laugh their way out of stress. As Gillian Flaccus puts it, laughter yoga is a “new fitness fad that’s part traditional yoga, part improv and all silliness.”

inthenews.co.uk/

It is not surprising to find that many people can get stressed out very easily. Fortunately, there have been many solutions offered for this commonplace problem. One solution is yoga. When people think of yoga, they think of

Sciences, William Kirby, said, “the financial aid budget . . . was projected at $90 million, a 6.2 percent increase over last year, and a 65 percent increase over the past six years.” Kirby also made a statement that summarizes the efforts of the policies. “Although many students and families might find this hard to believe, Harvard is actually more affordable for many students than public colleges or universities.” This affordability is what has opened the gates of such a prestigious college to nearly every student. Summers had plenty to say

students from low-income families (less than $60,000/year) rose by 24 percent for the first entering class after the initiation of the policy.

are thousands of highly qualified students not applying to Harvard, we need to find ways to address that problem. Middle-income relief is one of the steps we are tak-

Continued on Page 13

Cons: $249 price tag, which is more expensive than an iPod nano 4.4in x 2.4 in x .6 in is larger than the iPod nano Some compatibility issues with outdated windows software on a PC

The Microsoft Zune.

Microsoft Zune Digital Player: The next generation of digital players, this music and video player from Microsoft could give Apple a run for their money. Pros: 30 GB capacity 12-hour battery life; 3.5 hours for videos Video and picture capacity A group of people attending a Laughter Yoga session in Laguna Beach, California.

A man shows off his new Xbox 360. Continued on Page 8

Corbis

Reuters

MICROSOFT XBOX 360:

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 NEWS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD  Founded 2001

      “Your School, Your 

World—Your News” 

Executive Leadership Team FACULTY ADVISER EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER LAYOUT EDITOR COPY CHIEF NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR SCIENCE EDITOR BUSINESS EDITOR WEBMASTER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM FOUNDER EDITOR EMERITUS

Taco Bell: Source of E. coli Outbreak Taco Bell officials say they acted promptly to make sure there was no chance that green onions, the original suspected culprit, were eaten by anyone else. Taco Bell has removed green onions at all of its approximately 5,800 restaurants nationwide. However, these indications appeared to be wrong. Further testing showed that there were no traces of E. coli present in the onions. So far, none of the samples have tested positive for E. coli in the more sophisticated tests, except for chopped white onions from one of the Taco Bells in Long Island, which resulted in

BY JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR

On November 30, Taco Bell officials learned that several customers became sick with Escherichia coli after eating at one of their restaurants in New Jersey. On December 4, Taco Bell closed nine restaurants in New Jersey and New York as the outbreak spread. By December 12, there were at least 450 confirmed or suspected E. coli infections linked with Taco Bell, the vast majority of which were in New York and New Jersey. Preliminary tests by a private laboratory showed that the green onions were the probable cause.

Continued on Page 4 Corbis

DR. JOHN NIKOL JENNIFER SCHLESINGER DEREK WENG DIANE CHEN KHOI NGUYEN FANNY TANG DANNY ZHU JIMMY ZHANG PRISCILLA MELO EMMA RABINOVICH ERIC MAYO JOSEPH KRUTOV HANFORD CHIU JESSE ZHANG BENNETT HONG DANIEL EGERS (‘03) ERNEST BASKIN (‘04)

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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.

The Taco Bell restaurant along in South Plainfield. The restaurant was voluntarily closed after an outbreak of E. Coli in central New Jersey.

Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Contact Us

Continued from Page 1 Corbis

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

Harvard Education Can Be a Priceless Experience

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Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William Kirby said that “the financial aid budget…was projected at $90 million, a 6.2 percent increase over last year, and a 65 percent increase over the past six years.”

about his policy. He said that Harvard’s mission was to “promote equality of opportunity for all.” Also, the purpose of Harvard’s new policy was to motivate tal-

ented students who may have “stopped dreaming” because of financial problems. Summers said, “The message that Harvard is open to all talented students continues to . . . encourage students to consider colleges they had never imagined before.” Another purpose was “to inspire students from every economic background to consider the full range of our nation's colleges and universities,” Summers said. So far, that objective has been very successful and will most likely only improve in the future. Hopefully, other major universities will develop a similar program to encourage low-income and minority students to attend prestigious universities. This will definitely create a more talented and fair environment at most colleges. This type of policy might revolutionize higher education. ◙

LAST ISSUE’S CORRECTION • Hesham Saleh's name was misspelled.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

CLUB SPOTLIGHT

World Aids Day BY NEETA MALVIYA STAFF WRITER

creasing awareness on an international issue. The red ribbon is a worldwide symbol of AIDS awareness. It is the symbol that Corbis

40 million people in the world are currently living with HIV.

reminds people that AIDS is an imperative issue. The red ribbon is similar to the pink ribbon used to symbolize breast cancer. On World AIDS Day, people are encouraged to start campaigns and

activities that help to promote awareness and raise funds. The slogan for the day is, “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise.” The theme for World AIDS Day 2006 was accountability. The theme is decided by the World AIDS Campaign each year. This theme was chosen because “calls for accountability have consistently risen in civil society.” The year 2006 is also the 25th anniversary of the identification of AIDS. Over 25 million people have died of AIDS since the year 1981. Ninety-five percent of those with HIV and AIDS around the world are in developing countries, but the disease is still a threat to everyone around the world. No country in the Continued on Page 5

21st Annual Medical Ethics Symposium BY JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR

The 21st Annual Medical Ethics Symposium took place on December 6 in the Murray Kahn Theater. The subject of th symposium was adolescent autonomy in medicine. A main barrier for delivery of adequate healthcare is the ability to consent to care. In other words, the question to be answered was, “To what extent does an adolescent have control over his or her course of medical action?” The symposium was hosted by Roz Bierig and her medical ethics class. The first speaker was Angel Diaz, the keynote speaker

of the event. She talked of informed consent and confidentiality. Informed consent is the idea that the person giving consent should know and understand the risks involved in the decision. Confidentiality is the promise to never disclose any private information in a doctor-patient relationship. Adolescents most fear the disclosure of such information to their parents. In regards to adolescent autonomy, the main question is: “At what age should a person be considered old enough to understand the risks of decision making?” Other speakers included Alexander Okun, David L. Bell,

Monsignor Edmund Whalen, and Louise Melling. Okun is an associate professor of clinical pediatrics. Bell is an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics. Whalen spoke on medical ethics from the perspective of the religious community. Louise Melling spoke on medical ethics from a lawyer’s point of view. Between some panelists’ speaking, there were some skits performed by Bierig’s medical ethics class. There was a comedic skit about patient privacy in which a doctor goes against confidentiality and the patient’s dilemma ends up being revealed to Continued on Page 4

My Experience at the New Asian-Style Eatery BY GARY CHIEN STAFF WRITER

The moment I laid my eyes on Surf City Squeeze at Manhattan Mall at 34th Street, I fcll in love with its smoothies. To my delight, I A sample smoothie soon discovered at surf city that one of their squeeze. stores was going to be built near Stuyvesant. On the first day back to school after Thanksgiving break, I went to Surf City Squeeze straight away to try their smoothies. I ordered a medium strawberry-

banana smoothie. It tasted a little thicker on the ice, but nonetheless it was good. On the third day, I went back and tried out the sushi along with the smoothie. Surf City Squeeze is a line of restaurants that make smoothies, an alternative to Jamba Juice. Along with Surf City Squeeze, Samurai Sam’s, a teriyaki grill, will also be opening at the back. Supposedly, they will sell only foods that do not contain MSG and are not stir-fried. I will now return to the retelling of my experience. It turns out that both times when I had ordered a medium sized smoothie, they had given me a small. While I waited for my smoothie, I overheard another customer receiving

the wrong drink. Apparently, it seems the employees are not experienced, and are unable to fill orders correctly. However, they will probably improve within a few weeks. The sushi I received weren’t as good as another restaurant’s, but the prices were similar. In addition, their smoothies had less volume than those from the Manhattan Mall Surf City Squeeze. There were major differences between the two branches of the franchise. While the one on Chambers Street uses flat covers, the other uses round covers similar to those of Starbucks Frappuccinos. Those allow more content to be put in the cup. I was unable to compare the prices at the two locations. I have been dissatisfied with the customer service that the store has provided. But it should be judged lightly since it opened only recently, and I expect the service to be better in the near future. ◙

Pokémon Fan Club BY JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR Corbis

AIDS is one of the largest threats facing the world today. About 40 million people in the world are currently living with HIV. Of these, 2.3 million are children. These numbers are still growing daily. In 2006 alone, 4.3 million people were newly infected with HIV and another 2.9 million died of AIDS. December 1 was the 18th annual World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day was designed to increase AIDS awareness, to help raise money to find a cure and to stop the spread of HIV. World AIDS day was declared by the World Health Association in 1988. It is considered to be one of the most successful days for in-

Franchisegator.com

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 NEWS

Plushies of Pikachu, a character from the popular series and game, Pokemon.

It is definitely a bold move to create a club based on the nostalgia of childhood. Juniors Kenneth Lam and David Yin cofounded the Pokémon Fan Club for their love of the popular Japanese game. As presidents of the club, Lam and Yin both share an appreciation for the series. Lam liked Pokémon since its premiere in the United States when he was eight years old. As time passed, he became very interested in the Gameboy version of the game. As Lam put it, “Pokémon simply has a pull that draws you into it, and once you start the game, you find

The club serves as a means for people who like Pokémon to discuss and play the game. yourself immersed in the world that has been built for you.” He added that Pokémon gives a special “rush” at the completion of each task, which makes the game especially enjoyable. “The club serves as a means for people who like Pokémon to discuss and play the game and the many other aspects the franchise has grown,” says Lam. Lam wishes that “Pokémon fans that weren’t willing to show it” will show increased enthusiasm for that game. Recently, the Pokémon Fan Club has been concentrating on the trading card game; a tournament was even held recently where a prize was awarded to the winners. The club plans to branch out into the other aspects of the popular animation series as time allows. Yin hopes that, in five years, “The Pokémon [Fan Club] will be alive and very active with [many] Pokémon fans [who] will get together to discuss Pokémon talk and just have fun.” ◙

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 NEWS

Meet Ms. Shuman! BY SANGHEE CHUNG COLUMNIST

Classes Taught: H1G (Global History 1), H3G (Global History 3) Favorite Food: A really nice medium-well steak. What if the Renaissance never occurred? What if the polio vaccine were never invented? Lisa Shuman poses questions like these to her global history students in the classroom. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Shuman came to New York during her years in junior high school and received her degree in political science and international relations and her Juris Doctor (law degree)

from Hofstra University. After her studies, Ms. Shuman worked at a small personal firm in Chicago and then worked in New York as an account manager of pharmaceutical industries and legal services. Ms. Shuman’s first teaching experience was at the Math and Science Summer Institute held at Stuyvesant. She eventually became a substitute teacher and taught foreign policy. After developing her love of teaching, she became a full time teacher of global history. “The level at which I can teach was very appealing to me,” she said. “I really enjoy teaching

Taco Bell: Source of E. coli Outbreak Continued from Page 2

a strain that was not responsible for the outbreak. Authorities say that E. coli could be present in a variety of ingredients used by the chain. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes that those ingredients that are con-

R. Taylor, a former head of the Department of Agriculture’s food safety agency and a deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration. Yet, even with this breakthrough, there are still a few customers who are indifferent about the news. “It didn’t really bother

Further testing showed that there were no traces of E. coli present in the onions. sumed raw “are of particular interest.” Although the cause of the illness is unknown, health officials say that it remains certain that Taco Bell is the source of the outbreak. “You see a lot of action being taken when there is legitimate uncertainty,” said Michael

me,” said Randy McLain, a lone customer at lunchtime. “I figure it’s all safe, and they’ve taken care of it,” he said. Junior David Yin is in shock at the outbreak. “I used to love going to Taco Bell. But now, I’m not going to eat at Taco Bell anytime soon.” ◙

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here.” Inside the classroom, Ms. Shuman has an enthusiastic approach of teaching history to her students. She tries to spark their interests in history by pushing her students to think in various perspectives. One of the ways she accomplishes this is by posing “what-if” questions to her students. In fact, being in the classroom is what she favors most about Stuyvesant. Her only gripe is the commute, which takes around one hour for her. “I try to foster a sense of community and friendship,” she said. “The emphasis on grades and achievement is respectable,

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD but I like it when the focus isn’t primarily [on] grades. I like the fact that there are lots of opportunities that kids have for extracurricular activities, something that not all New York City schools have.” Ms. Shuman is also the faculty adviser of Model UN and the coach of the golf team. She spends her free time singing in performances and traveling. Having traveled across various nations in Europe and Asia, including China, Hungary, Germany and the Czech Republic, Ms. Shuman has developed a love for the Mediterranean. In addition, Ms. Shuman dedicates her time to cooking and eating, two of her favorite activities. ◙

21st Annual Medical Ethics Symposium Continued from Page 3

nearly everyone in the clinic. Junior Kenneth Lam said, “They were hilarious.” When all the panelists were done, a hypothetical scenario was presented to them. A girl with Hodgkin’s disease went through chemotherapy to no avail. The therapy drastically decreased her quality of life. When her cancer returned, her physicians and her parents agreed to another round of chemotherapy. She refused, preferring an alternative herbal treatment that she had researched. This scenario was presented to the panelists. They were doubtful that the herbal treatment would work. Melling said that not giving the girl chemotherapy could result in “medical neglect.” Okun suggested a solution where the girl applies to be an “emancipated

minor,” a solution that works out legally, if not medically. After this scenario, there was a short question and answer session between the audience and the panelists. In the end, there was a raffle with various prizes including gift baskets, overly small shirts and Bierig’s homemade brownies. Last, there were cookies, apples and juice cartons for those who attended the symposium. On the whole, most people thought that the symposium met and went beyond their expectations. Lam said, “It provided a variety of views on the idea of adolescent decision making, including one from a religious point of view.” Junior Eric Yang said, “It was intriguing to hear about what medical treatments we were allowed or denied to consent for.” ◙

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Stuy Voice:

World Aids Day Continued from Page 3

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nois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and Maryland. Treatment for AIDS has prevented 250,000 to 350,000 deaths worldwide from 2003-2005. The treatment, however, only reaches one in every five people who need it. Only one in 10 children who need the treatment receives it. Former president Bill Clinton has

made a deal to lower the cost of HIV/AIDS treatment for children. In the deal, two Indian drug companies, Cipla and Ranbaxy, will supply 19 HIV/AIDS drugs with their costs reduced by 45 percent. These drugs will be be available in 62 developing countries worldwide. One of the drugs produced by the Indian pharmaceutical companies will cost less that $60 per year per child. This program aims to increase the number of children in India using the treatment from a mere 2,000 to about 10,000 at the end of March. More than five million people in India have HIV, the most of any country in the world. There are many ways in which people were encouraged to contribute on World AIDS Day. These included gaining knowledge on HIV/AIDS and passing it on to others, getting tested for the disease, helping those coping with the disease, and increasing awareness. Things as small as posting fliers help spread knowledge about AIDS. One organization working to support the fight against AIDS is The Leadership Campaign on AIDS (TLCA), which reaches out to national organizations as well as local groups in order to improve education and increase awareness of and action against AIDS. ◙

An Inconvenient Truth BY HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR

You may wonder at times why we Stuyvesant students are subject to such heavy regulation of our behavior. We don’t seem to deserve these unreasonable restrictions of privileges, such as the cell phone and iPod ban, the security checkpoints at the library or the lockout of lunch students after 10 minutes into a period. After all, isn’t Stuyvesant a school of responsible students? Well, we aren’t. If we were so responsible and disciplined, we would not have to be shackled in this way. But Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein have an inescapable point: we cannot control ourselves. In my experience, a cell phone accidentally goes off every once in a while, but the sympathetic teachers simply slaps the student on the wrist. Furthermore, some students

send text messages, play cell phone games or take random photos under their teachers’ noses instead of paying attention and making use of taxpayer’s money for educational purposes. In other schools, phone abuses are even worse. Students may use phones to summon friends to a fight or to even call other classmates during a class. Regardless, many may still think that the benefits of having a cell phone may outweigh these obstacles to education. Well, carrying a gun would make one safer, but if criminals start shooting or threatening innocent people with them, then it would actually be safer to ban them altogether. My point is if Stuyvesant students have enough self-control to refrain from abusing their privileges, then there would be no need to regulate such behavior. Unfortunately, that is not the Continued on Page 6

An Oddity Overlooked BY AMNA AHMAD COLUMNIST

Surveys have indicated that more students like different types of music than the regular genres of rock and hip-hop.

Stuyvesant High School is a relatively distinctive environment in which to be educated, and after about one year in attendance, I think most students agree that they have all their classmates figured out. We come to recognize the social cliques, the obvious imbalance of ethnic representa-

Corbis

world is unaffected. The rate of AIDS is rising in developed countries as well. In the United States over one million people are HIV positive, and 300,000 of them don’t know that they are infected. About 40,000 new infections occur each year. The ten states with the highest number of AIDS diagnoses are New York, California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illi-

The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS.

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 NEWS/OPINIONS

tion, the posers, the groupies and the over-privileged and underappreciative snobs with which we are all too often associated by other schools. However, in the course of my most recently conducted survey, I’ve come to realize that I know far less about the Stuyvesant community than I was previously aware. You may ask: What is one of the best ways to justly categorize an individual? The answer to that question may be found in what used to be the filler for the back pockets of our jeans: our iPods. According to the survey, 58 percent of students agreed that one’s musical preference provides some significant insight into one’s personality or character. After conducting the poll, I came to the realization that our high school was even more bizarre and uncanny than it had seemed. When I asked which musical genre Stuyvesant students preferred, I acquired some unanticipated results. Rock wasn’t the group favorite, and neither was hip-hop. It seems that 45 percent Continued on Page 6

To Go Or Not To Go? BY HUI TING STAFF WRITER

From guidance meetings to the incessant joining of clubs, everything comes down to just one thing: college. It is the one thing that causes parents to frantically go to the bank and open an account from your birth. It is the one thing your parents incessantly tell you is your “future” and the road to a “good job.” Seniors are not the only ones fretting about

money in their college funds, tuition can also be a problem. As shown in studies conducted by The College Board, the average charge at a four-year public college is $5,836. This is an increase of $344 from last year. However, if a student chooses to attend a private college for four years, he or she would have to spend a hefty $22,218. This is a $1,238 increase from last year, triple the increase of public colleges.

While attending a community college will salvage what's left of your bank account, it might not do so well for your academic benefits. college either. Believe it or not, freshmen are also part of the club. Freshman Marta Krason worries about how she’ll do on her finals this week because “some people get so nervous during tests.” Many seniors may seem careless and full of life in school, but some admit to worrying about their college choice. “I don’t know about college . . . all my friends are split,” agonized senior Kenneth. That is not the only factor affecting college choices. If some students don’t have enough

These figures trigger questions in the minds of students. Should I go to my dream college like Harvard or a plain old community college? While attending a community college will salvage what’s left of your bank account, it might not do so well for your academic benefits. The HYP (Harvard, Yale, Princeton) are all the desired colleges for overachievers such as Stuyvesant students. These colleges are more Continued on Page 6

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 OPINIONS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Truth: Proven Fact or Matter of Opinion BY TASSO BOUNTOUVAS STAFF WRITER

Truth — it seems like such a small, meaningless word. However, it can have truly negative effects. But, what is truth? In The American Heritage Dictionary, truth has two definitions. One says that truth is something that is a fact and can be proven. The other definition is a statement that is proven and accepted. Does that mean if someone doesn’t accept something, it isn’t true? Even though the truth can help justice prevail, people shouldn’t always tell the truth because truth is often subjective. Throughout the years, truth has come to be known as something that is tenable, but to what extent? The Bible says that lying is a sin. We’re supposed to always tell the truth because it’s the “right” thing to do. For example, if you lie in court, the consequences could be sending an innocent person to jail or setting a guilty one free, not to mention perjury charges against you. Here, truth is quintessential to a

case and someone’s individual freedom. Also, people say that if you lie, the guilt will remain with you forever. An example of this is the haunting short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. In the story, a man kills an older man because he is driven by the latter’s eye. After he kills him, he hides the body and is filled with relief. But then he starts hearing the old man’s heart beating until he is driven mad and confesses.

Every person's opinion on certain things is the truth for them. You’re probably asking yourself how lying can be okay. It can be under certain circumstances. For example, you lie to a friend about his or her new haircut or you lie to a person who is hurt badly and has given up hope of surviving. In each of these instances, lying offers comfort and encouragement. You’re allowing people to believe what they want

To Go Or Not To Go? Continued from Page 5

prestigious, house respectable professors and have vast resources. It is like a flashback to eighth grade. Would you choose your zoned school or Stuyvesant? The obvious answer would be Stuyvesant. Attending this distinguished school, many students were prepared to be faced with obstacles. Obstacles like those that seniors face can be solved. The Col-

lege Board reported that student aid increased by 3.7 percent since 2005. This is a ray of hope to students who wish to attend a costly college. There are also scholarships for academics or athletics which could aid those who need it. In short, I think students should be able to pursue their own dreams. As cheesy as it might sound: Reach for the stars. ◙

An Inconvenient Truth Continued from Page 5

case. If people would control themselves and obey authority, then the regulations would become pointless and gradually disappear. Bringing cell phones in when they are illegal and disrupting classes with them is not going to repeal the regulations. If students want to be free, they should prove they are deserving of this freedom. If people didn’t cut class to go to the library, then the administration would not need to check IDs for a long time and lock the doors after 10 minutes. If people did not try to smuggle food into the building, then the administration would not need to lock people out after 10 minutes. If people didn’t leave their cell phones on or use them during school, and if they didn’t listen to

to believe in order to feel content. In each case, believing the lie is subjective. People choose to believe it as truth. However, this belief can also be misguided. In a murder case, for example, if loved ones know for sure that you committed a crime, they’ll lie for you. In this case, not telling the truth is more an act of loyalty rather than what is morally correct. After all, how can someone we love be guilty? We choose to believe that the obvious is a lie.

their iPods during class, then the objects would not be banned. If people didn’t gorge themselves to morbid obesity, then trans fats would not be banned. If people didn’t smoke themselves (and others by proxy) to death, then there would not be a high cigarette tax and ban in restaurants. If people didn’t congest bridges and tunnels, then there would be no tolls. If people drove in the right direction, then there wouldn’t be one-way streets. In short, while these measures in our school system might seem oppressive, and you may be tempted to break the rules, Mayor Bloomberg is only looking after your best interests, even if students cannot see that themselves. ◙

Despite the fact that telling the truth can help a person’s future, truth can sometimes be an opinion. Every person’s opinion on certain things is the truth for them. It’s the way they live their lives and what they believe is good for them. For example, in ancient religions, what are considered false thoughts now, were once considered true. The ancient

Greeks, for instance, believed there were twelve gods at the top of Mt. Olympus. For centuries this was a basis of their religion. Later, however, modern Greeks decided that there was only one God and chose to believe in Christianity. That doesn’t mean the religion of ancient Greeks was all a big lie. Different religions have different ideas about what is true. In religion, the truth is a very personal and subjective foundation on the way people live their lives. If the truth is something that should always be proven, then who’s telling the truth here? Who has the right to call other religions liars? So when you try to decide what the truth is or is not, think about how true it really is. There are many things in this world that can be proven by facts, but there are also many truths that are a matter of personal beliefs and that have come to be acceptable in society. In the end we all need to question whether the truth is necessarily true. ◙

An Oddity Overlooked Continued from Page 5

of students — more than for any other genre — preferred music that I had categorized as “other,” including the subgenres of anime music and techno. My original intention was to conduct a survey based on hiphop and rock, comparing the general behavior of the students representing the genre with the majority of votes with the behaviors that the first two have been shown to inflict upon adolescents from various psychological studies. Nevertheless, it is seemingly obvious that there were no studies conducted on the behavior of subjects of adolescent age who listened to techno or anime music, because frankly we don’t quite correlate such genres with having any influence on their listeners. Stuyvesant students are generally deemed as being wellbehaved and academically wellperforming. With our school witnessing a very limited number of arrests and suspensions, in addition to our above-average academic performance, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that it may indeed have something to do with the majority of our population listening to techno and anime as opposed to rock or hip-hop. As many psychological studies have suggested, there are numerous negative effects from listening to rock music and not

many specific advantages. One study discovered that after being exposed to rock music, lab rats had a far more difficult time finding their way through a maze than those who had listened to softer contemporary music. This is an undeniably attention-grabbing topic to explore, yet despite the setbacks of listening to certain types of music, I don’t think anyone would be wholly prepared to give it up. In this too is the suggestion that some forms of music must have been proven to be beneficial, and they have been in the past. Music therapy is often used to help patients with social or behavioral problems and is even used to cure procrastination as was suggested by one study. It is ironic how the music used in music therapy usually has a redundant melody and positive mood, just as the characteristics that define much of the most popular anime and techno music do. As an avid 90s’ alternative rock music fan, I’m not saying that if you listen to rock you deserve to be compared to lab rats or that if you listen to anime or techno you have an easier time around school. I’m simply suggesting that maybe there exists an entire correlation between academic performance and behavior in conjunction with music yet to be explored, a possibility we had

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Thursday, December 21, 2006 SCHEDULE

The Stuyvesant Standard wishes our readers a wonderful holiday beak! For your convenience, here is the schedule for the final examinations, taken from www.stuy.edu.

Page 7

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 BUSINESS/A&E

Holiday Gift Ideas inkino.co.uk

Continued from Page 1

One of the three nextgeneration gaming consoles, its early launch makes it more easily obtainable than the Nintendo Wii or the Playstation 3. Pros: Play games in high definition Built-in support for wireless controllers and Xbox Live Backwards compatibility for games Doubles as a media center and Windows Media extender More availability than the competition $399 premium bundle is an excellent price compared to the $500 + PS3

WIZCOM'S INFOSCAN ELECTRONIC PEN: This small electronic pen scans and transfers printed text with an infrared beam. You can scan, store and transfer up to 500 pages of printed data to a PC, laptop, or PDA. This pen would make note-taking from printed documents much simpler. Pros: Eases note taking and highlighting

Apple’s iPod will be receiving its first major rival, Microsoft’s Zune, just in time for the holidays. I’m sure many of you have seen the ads for the Zune, whether on television or on the subway. But just how much do you know about this new MP3 player? The Zune came out on Tuesday, November 14, available in the colors black, brown and white. It will bear many resemblances to the iPod, such as an online music store, similar size and weight, and the ability to play

Several different languages programmed in Recognizes many different sizes and fonts

Cons: $90 + price tag Usually only available online Does not read handwriting

Continued on Page 10

URBAN OUTFITTER’S SCROLLING LED BUCKLE: Walk around with a message scrolling on your belt! Be a walking billboard and advertise a club, or put in greetings for your friends. You can even put in political messages. Use your imagination. Pros: Only $15 Lightweight and portable, attaches to most belts Cons: Only available online Comes only in silver. ◙

Microsoft is releasing the Zune, which is supposed to pose a threat to the ipod but how it will fare this holiday season remains to be seen.

Economy Boosts in November Mean a Better Shopping Season BY HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR

number of jobs, unemployment is low and wage gains are strong. That is providing a lot of financial cheer as people make their ways Corbis

Employers boosted payrolls in November, but the unemployment rate edged up to 4.5 percent. The tally of new jobs added to the economy is an improvement from the 79,000 new positions in October and is the most since September, the Labor Department reported. It is a positive economic indicator as the holiday season starts gearing up. Although the unemployment rate increased from a five-year low of 4.4 percent in October, the labor market is in terrific shape despite the burst of the housing bubble and the declining automobile industry that seem to have the economy on edge. “The job market remains sturdy,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. “It is creating a good

videos. Given these similarities, you might be asking yourself what is so special about the Zune. Zune’s online music store, Zune Marketplace, will integrate with the Xbox marketplace. Users will be able to charge and use the same currency, Microsoft Points, on both marketplaces. Also, the Zune will have an FM tuner built in, while a separate external one is needed for the iPod. The Zune will have a larger screen than the iPod, and will be able to play videos in landscape mode. It will also have Wi-Fi capabilities, al-

Corbis

Cons: Limited selection of quality games Some design flaws, such as a lack of USB ports. Online gaming requires a subscription to Xbox Live.

iPod’s First Major Competitor BY GARY CHIEN STAFF WRITER

The WizCom InfoScan Electronic Pen.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently gave a mostly positive assessment of the economy's growth prospects and the job market, signaling that the housing slump and sagging automotive industry won't send the economy spiraling into recession.

to the malls for the holiday.” Thousands of people poured into

the labor market looking for work last month, due to more employment prospects and a strong economy. Analysts were anticipating a rise in the jobless rate, however. Overall job gains turned out to be slightly lower in October than first reported, while gains for September were higher. Furthermore, the job seeking period got shorter in November; the average time that unemployed people spent in their job searches was 16.4 weeks, down from 16.5 weeks in October. Workers’ wages, despite inflation, saw increases last month. Average hourly earnings rose 0.2 percent from October. Since January, wages grew by a strong 4.1 percent. Growth in wages should support consumer spending, especially important during the allimportant Christmas shopping

season. But such a growth of wages can raise inflation concerns, which in turn could eat up the money from the wage increases as the prices rise to keep up with the sudden influx of spending. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank is keeping a close watch on wages for any signs of inflation, though Wall Street is predicting that the Fed's next rate move in 2007 will be a rate cut. Still, Bernanke recently gave a mostly positive assessment of the economy's growth prospects and the job market, signaling that the housing slump and sagging automotive industry won’t send the economy spiraling into recession. Despite the stunning economic growth during Bush’s tenure, Americans are giving him low marks for his economic leadership. The president’s approval rating on the economy sant to 38 percent in December, down from 43 percent in November, according to an AP-Ipsos poll. ◙

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Thursday, December 21, 2006 A&E

Scenes Around the City:

Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo BY JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF

The holidays would not be the holidays without thousands of small glowing lights to brighten the night. At the Bronx Zoo, holiday lights are combined with animal exhibits to make a fun-filled walk through event. Along the pathways are lighted archways, trees and animal forms. Some of these animal lights move. Some of the more popular ones are a snake that wags its tail and moves its head, and a frog that leaps and lands on a lilypad. Some of the zoo’s more popular animal exhibits will be open, including Tiger Mountain, where visitors get a close look at zoo’s Siberian Tigers. Some of the indoor animal exhibits are also open, such as the Monkey House, allowing visitors to warm up on cold nights. The Zoo Center is open, and another place to warm up. Inside one can see camels and babirusas, as well as a pretty Christmas tree. From the outside, the building is decked with lights, illuminating its architectural details and lofty dome. Also outside are two large

rhinoceros statues with lighted wreaths around their necks, reminiscent of the lion statues near the main New York Public Library. The center of Holiday Lights, the Dancing Crane Plaza, offers many festive holiday activities. One can watch ice sculptures being carved, or warm up with a mug of hot chocolate. The Dancing Crane Plaza contains a store for some holiday shopping. There is a stand in the plaza where visitors can toast marshmallows over a fire for s’mores. Stilt walkers and costumed characters will be seen walking around the plaza. On different days there will be events at Holiday Lights, and shows and activities are planned. For example, from December 18 to 23 will be “Celebrations Around the World,” with storytelling, crafts and music. From December 26 to 30 is “Ice Wonders Week,” with ice sculpture displays. “Zoo Year’s Celebration” will be taking place on December 31 and January 1. There will be New Year’s-related craft and countdowns. “Community Weekend” will take place on January 5 Continued on Page 10

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 A&E/LITERARY

iPod’s First Major Competitor Continued from Page 7

lowing people to send songs to other users. The downside is that songs must be copyrighted, so if you’re trying to share a song you’ve recorded, forget about it. Not only must it be copyrighted, but it can only be played up to 3 times for 3 days. If the other person likes it, he or she will have to buy it. However, sharing songs will be easy if for those who purchase Zune subscriptions at $14.99 per month. Subscribes to the Zune service will be able to get as many songs as they desire. However if they cancel the subscription, the songs are no longer usable. On the other hand, Apple has released more of the iPod family this fall, such as the 80G iPod Video; new colors for the 2G, 4G and 8G iPod Nano; and a

smaller version of the iPod Shuffle. Furthermore, Apple has released iTunes Latino, a service much requested by customers. Sales for the iPod definitely won’t be hit too severely by the Zune. Currently, Apple controls more than a 75 percent share in the portable digital music player industry. Creative, SanDisk and Samsung control most of the remaining 25 percent. However, a recent study done by ABI Research shows that of the 1725 Americans surveyed, 58 percent owned an iPod and 59 percent said they would choose a Zune over an iPod. This survey shows that iPod owners aren’t as loyal to Apple as Mac owners are. Will the Zune be a success or will it be locked out by the major hold Apple has on the portable music player industry? ◙

Dreams of Beauty BY PENNY MALAMUD STAFF WRITER

I love to dream, but not when sleeping; When I’m awake, my dreams seem much more true. The laughing wind, the rain’s quiet weeping Bring greater joy than dreams can ever accrue I have to write, and beauty fuels writing. I need to feel that beauty has to last. The beauty lights my world; and my soul lighting, It makes my grip on life that much more fast. The sunrise and the clouds and windy morning Speed up my pen until my soul takes flight. I heed no cautious words; I heed no warning, And plunge into the foggy summer night. And I believe that what we all desire Is everything that beauty has to give. We need to seek it, need to feel its fire. If we do not, how can we truly live?

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Scenes Around the City: Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo Continued from Page 9

to 7 and will include live performances and giveaways. Holiday Lights is a festive activity for people of all ages. Visitors will do much walking outside, so be sure to bundle up. Holiday Lights is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every night from

December 18 to January 1. It is open from Friday to Sunday until January 7. It is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission costs $14 for adults, $10 for children and $12 for seniors. Parking costs $8. The Bronx Zoo is located at 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY. ◙

O’ Chrysanthemums BY NIAN ZHOU STAFF WRITER

O Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums, Did you see the caterpillar waiting? Waiting for tomorrow to come, Where the end is only the beginning. O Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums, Did you see the butterfly flying? Born anew from the caterpillar, But beautiful and free. O Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums, Did you see that road, Cherry Lane? When it ends, another starts. If yesterday comes no more, Tomorrow will only be brighter. O Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums, Do you see us? We are different from them, Only in how we see the world…

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Thursday, December 21, 2006 LITERARY

Page 11

Winter Poems

Let it Snow

BY STEPHANIE TAM STAFF WRITER

Drifting snowflakes in the night I’ll be waiting under the moonlight For the pieces to land on the trees In hopes that Christmas will soon break free The greatest time of the year Is finally going to be here So let it snow, let it snow Fill the trees with stockings and bows Gifts to buy, presents to wrap With barely no time to take a nap I’ll be waiting there for the snow And for Santa, like a long time ago ’Tis the season to lift up hearts Nothing to tear the joyfulness apart

Lonely Snowman BY LOREN OUMAROVA STAFF WRITER

The lopsided winter hat Rests on my icy hair, As the patterns on my woolen scarf Dance freely in the air. My bony wooden arms wriggle In the darkness of the night, As little fingers pat my round belly With a sense of great delight. And then with a final adjustment Of my silly carrot nose, The children run inside the house To warm their frozen toes. And then loneliness takes over, As their bedroom window fills with light, And their parents’ tender kisses Prepare them for a cozy night. For only I am left here standing, No one to tuck me in to bed, But the snowy blanket knows its job As the crystals fall upon my head.

Yet I’ll still be there, waiting for the snow And to hear Santa say, “Ho, ho, ho”

Winter Memories BY STEPHANIE TAM STAFF WRITER

Holiday Spirit by Robert Stevenson

Swishing and swooshing down the slope Twisting and turning through the trees Trying to maintain perfect balance While I’m on my skis And as I’m gliding on the snow I feel as if my spirit soars The holidays are approaching now All filled with sensational décor Snow covered, well lit trees In log cabins warmed with radiant fires Christmas and a new year so dear to me These holidays are ones to be desired But in the end, all will not last Until next year when, again, they may be Once more filling hearts with joys I’ll have my winter memories

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 SCIENCE Reuters

Scientists Discover Workings of Ancient Greek Calculator BY SANGHEE CHUNG COLUMNIST

This undated artist's rendition shows the armor-plated fish Dunkleosteus, a 33-footlong , four-ton monster that terrorized other marine life in the Devonian Period, which spanned 415 million to 360 million years ago.

BY KENNETH LAM STAFF WRITER

An enormous fish swims through the prehistoric sea, looking for its prey and dinner. It spots a shark in the midst of its hunt. Darting in for the kill, it opens its wide jaws in anticipation for the kill. Its mouth closes around the hapless shark, instantly powering through the shark’s skin and body. This ancient sea monster was the Dunkleosteus terrelli. Dunkleosteus terrelli, or Dunkleosteus, was a member of the placoderm group of fish. These fish were predatory, each with a sheath of bone armor covering the head and the neck. Dunkleosteus was one of the fish at the pinnacle of the group, with a length of up to 30 feet. In addi-

tion, its weight reached nearly four tons. Despite its large size, the main threat to organisms was not its enormous bulk, but rather its mouth. Dunkleosteus, like many other organisms, relied upon its mouth for feeding. However, it was no ordinary predatory fish. Its mouth had the power to exert over 8,000 pounds per square inch of force on any hapless prey that strayed into its path. This was not the only reason to fear the fish’s mouth. Although the Dunkleosteus was a toothless fish, it had two pieces of strong bone in its mouth to chew through its prey. Dunkleosteus’s jaw was also dangerous due to the extreme speed with which it could be opened and closed. A model of Continued on Page 13

One Asteroid: An Entire Annihilation BY OMAR AHMAD STAFF WRITER

Dinosaurs are very familiar to us even though they lived millions of years ago. However, there is much controversy over how and why the dinosaurs lost their reign over the world. The most accepted belief is that the dino-

the Earth, it is that one massive asteroid did. MacLeod thinks that the asteroid was six miles wide and struck the Earth in the Yucatan Peninsula causing the formation of the Chicxulub Crater, which is 110 miles across. When the asteroid impacted the earth, it destroyed all dino-

The asteroid affected not only the flora and fauna of the location, but also the physical environment. saurs were obliterated by a series of small comets impacting the Earth. New scientific evidence directly challenges that theory. Ken MacLeod of the Missouri-Columbia geology department believes that not only is it that small meteors did not impact

saurs, a large portion of flying organisms, and a majority of the marine animals at the time. Several warm-blooded mammals miraculously survived this crash, eventually leading to human dominance. Continued on Page 13

We have always known the ancient Greeks to have been extraordinary, but a recent discovery proves them to have been visionaries. Scientists recently shed new light upon the workings of a 2,000-year-old astronomical calculator known as the Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera Mechanism, which consists of 30 precise gears, was designed to calculate the positions of the heavenly bodies. It has proved to be one of the most advanced technological developments in its time, with the first other clockwork devices appearing more than a thousand years later in Europe around the Middle Ages. The machine was originally discovered in 1900 by sponge divers exploring the remains of a shipwreck off the island of Antikythera, a busy trade route between Greece and Crete. The ship is believed to have been carrying plunder from Greece to Rome and sank in the first century BCE. “This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind,” said Mike Edmunds from Cardiff University. “The design is beautiful, the astronomy is exactly right. In terms of historical and scarcity value, I have to regard this mechanism as being more valuable than the Mona Lisa.” A group of researchers used X-ray and light imaging tools to

digitally recreate the gears and read the inscriptions on its surface. The front dials had pointers of the Sun and moon, which were referred to as “golden little sphere” and “little sphere” respectively while the back dial was used to predict solar and lunar eclipses to a specific hour on a certain day. It reproduced irreguAP Photo

Jaws of Death

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

A reconstruction of Antikythera Mechanism on display at an exhibition of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens .

larities in the moon’s orbit by using two superimposed gears with one slightly off-center. The surviving fragments of the mechanism have been dated to approximately between 140 and 100 BCE. However, because several other parts were missing, scientists could not determine its exact Continued on Page 13

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

Come visit our website. THE STUYVESANT STANDARD WWW.STUYSTANDARD.ORG

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Page 13

Thursday, December 21, 2006 SCIENCE

Laughter Yoga: It’s No Joke www.laughteryoga.org

Continued from Page 1

Laughter yoga was developed in India. About 60 American instructors trained in India and brought what they learned back to the United States. Sebastian Gendry, the founder of the American School of Laughter Yoga in Pasadena, said that about one third of the laughter yoga clubs in America are in California. A typical day of laughter yoga starts with a warm-up exercise where people run around laughing, with their hands in the air, talking gibberish. This is followed by a group chant where people form a circle and clap along while singing. Afterward, the actual day begins. There is a 45-minute period of doing yoga poses. This is combined with new exercises that can include telling an imaginary joke in gibberish or running around with arms flapping like a seagull. To end the class, people lay on their backs

Indian women raise their arms above their heads during a laughing session in the central Indian city of Bhopal. The session was organized by the Laughter Yoga Center whose aim is to promote laughing as an antidote to the stresses of everyday life.

Some scientific studies have pointed to the fact that laughter yoga can help those who have depression, lower blood pressure and help the immune system. However, many experts say that too little research has been done

while talking gibberish, chuckling and beating their chests and stomachs. Briar, the instructor of this class, makes sure that people do not use any form of language other than gibberish because it is a part of laughter yoga itself.

Scientists Discover Workings of Ancient Greek Calculator

One Asteroid: An Entire Annihilation Continued from Page 12

Continued from Page 12

have also been findings of large rock deposits in the shape of a crater dating back to 65.5 million years ago. This was exactly the ti me p r e d ic t i o n ma de b y MacLeod and his colleagues. There is still further research to be done involving the asteroid that is said to have annihilated the dinosaurs and one other concept stands against MacLeod. Gerta Keller and her contemporaries believe that the impact could have predated the dinosaurs by 300,000 years, yet agrees with the fact that it was one or a small series of large asteroids that bombarded the Earth. One thing is irrevocably true: it was an unlucky day for the dinosaurs, some of Earth’s most magnificent creatures. ◙

AP Photo

The asteroid affected not only the flora and fauna of the location, but also the physical environment. Large portions of rock were sent flying into our atmosphere and across the globe. Also, several gases from the burning of the Earth were sent up into the atmosphere creating a blanketlike smog over the Earth. The impact also sent tsunamis at least 600 feet high in every direction. But what evidence do we have exactly? 26 years ago, a band of scientists was searching the Yucatan Peninsula for specific plants when they stumbled upon a large deposit of iridium. This is metal that is rare on earth but common in meteorites. There

A fragment of the 2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

use or purpose. “We will not yet be able to answer the question of what the mechanism was for, although now we know what the mechanism did,” Edmunds said. Scientists have been analyzing for decades how the pieces fit together and what it was used for. Currently, all the finds of the wreck are at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Soon this technological marvel’s secrets will be unlocked. ◙

Jaws of Death Continued from Page 12

Corbis

its jaw based upon the markings on a replica suggested that it was covered with muscles. These muscles allowed for the rapid opening and closing of the jaw. When the jaw was opened quickly, a suction force was created, which sucked nearby prey inside. When the jaw was closed again, anything inside was crushed and eaten. This extreme power coupled with the existence of the toothlike bones in the jaw lent credence to the assumption that Dunkleosteus may have been one of the first organisms to begin chewing its food to aid in digestion. Its diet included a wide variety of organisms, some of which had protective shells around them. Such organisms include mollusks of the time, such as ammonoids. Others

included the primitive sharks and other placoderms such as itself. The Dunkleosteus’s bite qualifies it as possibly the most powerful predator in the sea. The modern shark can only exert about half the force of DunkleoMichael Labarbera

A dinosaur display at the Museum of Natural History. Many believe that the dinosaurs were made extinct as a result of a series of asteroid collisions.

to actually come to a conclusion about laughter yoga. Roger Cole, a Ph.D. in health psychology, said although people may be forced to put a smile on their faces, the treatment can work. Briar said, “If you’re laughing with a group of other people, fake laughter very quickly becomes real.” Laughter yoga may seem pointless at first, but one’s impressions can change quickly with experience. One new member, Mercedes Cedillo, recently took her first class of laughter yoga. She said, “At the beginning I was like, ‘Oh my God. What am I doing? This is very silly.’” She then said that as the class continued, she felt herself being connected to her “inner child” and could laugh at it. More information about laughter yoga can be found on the I n t e r n e t a t www.laughteryoga.org. ◙

A reconsutrcted Dunkleosteus.

steus, and the only other organisms to match such bite power are the large crocodiles and the Tyrannosaurus rex, both of which are renowned as hunters. ◙

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 SPORTS

Money Happy? Continued from Page 15

reach the playoffs. The Cubs went on a huge spending spree this off-season, putting down $136 million for former Yankee Alfonso Soriano, $40 million for Ted Lilly, $73 million for Aramis Ramirez, $44 million for Juan Pierre, and $13 million for Mark DeRosa within two weeks. That adds up to $313 million dollars in all. While many people are criticizing the Yankees for their monster payroll, other teams are catching up to them. The Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, White Sox, and Cubs are already over the $100 million mark, and by the end of the off-season, ex-

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

The Good and Bad of Fantasy Sports BY ZAKHAR SHTULBERG SPORTS WRITER

Should you really be reading this right now? Don't you have a fantasy lineup to fill out? If you do, you better run because the game starts soon. If you don't, you're about to find out why fantasy football is ruining the professional sports experience for America.

What's even worse about fantasy sports is when the athletes actually play it themselves. Nothing

If you are loyal enough to your favorite team and are not affected by the evil of the game, then fantasy sports can be very exciting and entertaining. matches their salaries, of course, but there are prizes for some games. It may be a game to some, but it could be enough motive to throw a game. If you are on an opponent's team and you want to win in fantasy, and you play for the lowly Raiders, why would you perform? This is worse than fans because you, the athlete, are what

fans are watching, be it for being a favorite or being on a fantasy team. This is ultimate sports corruption, and it may have surpassed betting on sports in terms of fraud. But fantasy sports do have their benefits. They allow you to play a GM, which everyone wants to do. When you're sick of a GM in any sport (i.e. Matt Millen) you can be him. Some leagues online actually give you NFL teams and a season to turn it around, which is very realistic. Another upside is the fun factor. If you are loyal enough to your favorite team and are not affected by the evil of the game, then fantasy sports can be very exciting and entertaining. If the game stays clean on all levels, it's great. But there will always those people who get too far into this. Bill Winkenbach gave the world a blessing and a curse. As for now, go set your lineups and bench Tom Brady. ◙

THE SPORTS BEAT

Help a Knicks Fan Five-time All-Star outfielder Alfonso Soriano answers questions from the media as he is introduced as the Chicago Cubs newest team member at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Soriano recently signed an eight year deal with the Cubs worth $136 million.

pect to see the Astros, Cardinals, Giants, Braves, and even the Phillies to join. The grand total should be 12 teams over that milestone. MLB owners are taking advantage of the lack of salary cap and using all their money to beat down on small market teams. Unless the bargaining agreement reached in October involves a salary cap, this will go on for five years. Here’s hoping that it has one, because this monstrous monopolization is being taken further than ever, and the playing field is not even. Playing 182 allstar games isn’t the right way to go. Major League Baseball should take a page from the NHL and NFL, where all teams have a small cap, and an even playing field. ◙

Continued from Page 16

Eddy Curry, a center with no interior presence, got a deal for $60 million dollars. When these terrible contracts are set to expire, the Knicks decide that they would rather take an aging player who won’t do anything except make them pay more money. This year hasn’t gotten any better. Stephon Marbury is proving that the price of your shoes has a direct connection to the effectiveness of your game. Steve Francis, who was supposed to be the next Walt Frazier, has barely had any effect this season. Fans are booing the team constantly at home, and that’s their right. When you pay some of the exuberant prices that Knick tickets cost, you have a right to see basketball, which the Knicks seem to need a refresher course in. Therefore, this holiday season, talk to your fellow Knicks fan. Comfort them, and let them know you’ll always be there for them — even if the Knicks are not. ◙

Happy holidays from all of us at The Stuyvesant Standard.

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 – 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 Finacial 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.

Corbis

Fantasy sports came onto the internet in 1999, and since then, being a sports fan has changed dramatically. Before this, a fan was a fan of a team. With fantasy sports, the whole idea for rooting for every player on a team is completely thrown out. In fact, one of the strategies of fantasy sports is to limit the amount of players from one team. Fans are now becoming obsessed with the success of individual players or team defenses (that is a draftable position) and will cheer against their favorite team so that their fantasy team can

be successful. This is very corrupting and is taking down the integrity of being a fan.

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Page 15

Thursday, December 21, 2006 SPORTS

Sports Calendar THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

Boys Wrestling

Indoor Track: PSAL Holiday Games

December 31

January 1

January 2

January 3 Boys Basketball

Vs. Mckee/Staten Island Tech @ Mckee/Staten Island Tech 4:30 PM

@ The Armory

vs. High School of Health Professions/Human Services @ Chelsea Piers 4:00 PM

December 28

December 29

December 30

Vs. High School of Food and Finance @ Stuy 4:30 PM

Girls Gymnastics Vs. Christopher Columbus @ Stuy 4:30 PM

Pirates Looking to Sink Competition

Money Happy? BY ZAKHAR SHTULBERG STAFF WRITER

The salary cap in professional sports is a safeguard that prevents teams from overspending and monopolizing talent. What sport doesn’t have it? Major league baseball. The only restriction that may prevent owners and general mangers from spending is a luxury tax, and if one is committing millions of dollars to a player, tax is not a problem. This doesn’t really stop anyone from spending, and that is why teams spend so much in the MLB. The biggest example of senseless spending this off-season is the Boston Red Sox and their

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offer of $51 million to just negotiate with Japanese superstar pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. There is no guarantee of signing him, but just the exclusive rights to bid on him. The bid exceeded the next highest bid which was $32 million by the Yankees. In perspective, teams are bidding huge amounts of money to try to sign a player for huge amounts of money. What the Yankees offered to Matsuzaka is twice as much as the entire Florida Marlins payroll. Recently, more and more teams are deciding that spending is the only way to survive and

freshmen, who will hopefully develop and mature to become the future of Stuy swimming. With their new team, the Pirates wasted no time getting ready for their season’s first meet. Mr. Bologna, the team coach, took over from Ms. Choy last year, leading the team to a solid championship. He certainly knows how to train the swimmers, working

An Up and Down Season for the Giants Continued from Page 16

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Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka throws a pitch in early inning action against Cuba during the championship game of the World Baseball Classic at Petco Park in San Diego, California.

them after school, doing dry-land conditioning and swimming to 6 p.m. daily. The Pirates’ first meet of the season will be against James Monroe on December 8th. They will also go against rival Hunter in a much-hyped meet on January 10th. This year, the Pirates expect no less of themselves — perhaps even more. Their eyes are still set on that 12th championship. ◙

10 seconds of the fourth quarter. This is the first time the Giants have lost back-to-back games since 1974 because of points scored within the last 10 seconds of the fourth quarter. Further, Giants players performed extremely well during these games. Manning had two touchdown passes and no interceptions against the Cowboys in Week 13, one to Jeremy Shockey and another to Plaxico Burress. For the season, Manning has thrown 19 TD passes, putting him in fifth place in the NFC. Tiki Barber, running back, also played well against the Cowboys. He ran for 90 yards and had 53 receiving yards, for a total of 143 yards. Barber is fourth in the NFL for most yards from the scrimmage, with 1,564 yards. But the most astonishing feat of the Giants is that they have not allowed a single sack in their last two games.

The last time this happened was in 2002. It’s obvious that luck, not talent, has brought the Giants down to a record of .500 this season. However, the Giants could work on several areas, including their kickoff returns. Tom Coughlin, the Giants’ coach, was disappointed with the Giants kickoff coverage and kickoff returns. Coughlin said in a news conference, “I thought we could have done a better job with that. I thought we could have covered better than we did.” The Giants have definitely are not performing at the level they expected this season. But that does not mean that Giants fans should give up hope. Giants still have a fair chance at making the playoffs, but they most definitely have their work cut out for them in the remaining games of the season. ◙

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Thursday, December 21, 2006 SPORTS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Pirates Looking to Sink Competition the team last year have gone on to college. These seniors were part of a generation of some of the best swimmers to have been recruited, when Ms. Choy was the coach. This year, of course, the Pirates will have to continue on without them. As much as they were part of the team, it is time to look forward. The Pirates will find leadership in some of their strong returning players: Jonathon Joa and Daniel Chen, the new captains, and juniors Jack Duch and Andrew Wong. Of course, there are still gaps left to fill, and the search to find new talent proved to be difficult. About 60 boys tried out for the Pirates this year, hoping to become part of one of the most competitive swimming teams in the city. In the end, through a series of four rigorous cutoffs, 12 rookies were finally sifted from the rest. Among these, eight were

BY RICHARD MAI STAFF WRITER

The Stuyvesant boys’ swimming team, the Pirates, returns this year looking to continue its streak of 11 straight city championships in PSAL boys’ Swimming. The Pirates dominated their division last season, going undefeated for a record of 10-0. They beat rivals Hunter and Bronx Science in the playoffs, the only teams that actually posed a threat. The Pirates have always been one of the best teams in the city, and they have had many strong swimmers who hold records in the PSAL books. Led by captains Lawrence Chan, Nicholas Morgan and Jonas Altman Kuros, three of the strongest swimmers, the Pirates have glided to victory in recent years. This year, however, a significant number of seniors — 10 of them, or one third of the team — who were part of the core of

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THE SPORTS BEAT

Help a Knicks Fan BY ERIC MAYO SPORTS EDITOR Reuters

In the spirit of the holidays, I want to dedicate this column to some suffering people who could use our help. They’re average people like me and you. They could be your neighbors, your family and your friends. These are Knicks fans, and this holiday season they need your help. It all began in 2000. The Knicks were fresh off a championship run in 1998, having lost to the Spurs in the conference finals. Star center Patrick Ewing was in the last year of his contract, and his expiring contract was going to allow the Knicks to gain some cap relief. However, Scott Layden decided to start the suffering. He traded Ewing in a four-way deal.

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BY HESHAM SALEH STAFF WRITER Corbis

Washington Wizards Guard Gilbert Arenas looks to drive against Stephon Marbury in a game against the New York Knicks.

Glen Rice, the aging sharpshooter who couldn’t shoot. Luc Longley, a center far removed from his prime. All with huge contracts and no place to go. The Knicks continued to fruitlessly sign free agents to attempt to fix the problem. Shannon Anderson and Howard Eisley, both mediocre players, were signed to huge free agent deals. Yet the Knicks continued to suffer. John Van Gundy, the coach, quit. Allan Houston, a Knicks hero from the late 90s’, was at the end of an expensive contract and was left sitting on the bench for around $20 million a year. Yet there was still hope. The Knicks underwent a massive overhaul, bringing in Isaiah Thomas to become the new general manager. Things went relatively well for the first few months, and the Knicks were moving towards respectability. Then, well, you pretty much know the story. Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway came from Phoenix. Hardaway averaged $421,000 an appearance over three years. The Knicks tried to correct this with more expensive signings, and more money was wasted. Jerome James turned one decent playoff series into $30 million dollars.

An Up and Down Season for the Giants

Giants running back Tiki Barber tackled during a game against the Seahawks. After losing to his brother and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, Eli Manning led the Giants to a superb 6-2 record by Week 9. They defeated the Houston Texans that week, 14-10. However, that was the Giants’ last win. They have lost four straight games, and this horrendous turn of events has removed

the Giants from the number one spot in the NFC East division. Surprisingly, many people think that the Giants might not even make it to the playoffs. Although their opinion is justified by this four-game losing streak, there is still plenty of hope for the Giants to win a playoff berth. The Giants are competing with three other teams for the NFC Wild Card berths: the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Each of these teams has a 6-6 record, just like the Giants. Further, the Giants will be playing the Panthers in Week 14 and the Eagles in Week 15. If the Giants manage to win those two games, they will have secured their playoff berth. The Giants have already defeated the Eagles this season, in Philadelphia. This future game will be at Giants Stadium. So the odds are in favor of the Giants. Although the Giants have lost their last four games, that does not mean that their season has been a failure thus far. In the last two games, the Giants lost by 3 points due to field goals scored by the opposing team within the final Continued on Page 15