TO THE COMMUNITIES OF STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY
The Stuyvesant Standard
Volume 6, Issue IV Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Peglegs
Split
Homecoming
Sports P/20
Students Forced to Eat
Healthy Lunches
BY SANGHEE CHUNG $1.75 to $3 for a hot lunch and
STAFF WRITER from $3.95 to $4.95 for a roast
Students will have to say beef sandwich.
goodbye to their favorite foods As a result, some students
and sugary drinks because of a have chosen to bring lunch from
new federal law requiring school home. Alex Magid, a senior at
districts to outline nutrition goals. John Jay, brings a bagged lunch
“It's a good idea because obe- daily consisting of a sandwich on
sity and all that is a serious prob- white bread, Oreos, pretzels and
lem,” said Max Gold-Landzberg, Snapple Iced Tea.
a senior at John Jay High School. “I have loved the French fries
Because of the new law, ever since my freshman year, and
schools are eliminating trans fats now they are gone for my senior
and reducing the sugar content in year,” he said.
their lunches while attempting to The law requires schools to
keep students satisfied. Not many outline nutrition and exercise
students, however, are very happy goals for this school year. Con-
with whole wheat pizza, herb- necticut has banned sugary drinks
roasted chicken, and stir fried and New Jersey has forbidden
vegetables. Many students are foods with sugar as the principal
also forced to pay higher prices ingredient. Although New York is
for lunch. At John Jay High slower to adopt the legislation,
School, prices have soared from
Continued on Page 3
Smoothie Wars
BY ALEX SCHNEIDER go to get one? The obvious pick
STAFF WRITER is Jamba Juice, but just across the
street is the underdog, Elixer.
http://www.aigner-pr.at
Here’s the skinny on the two
juice bars:
Elixer
Take a look around and you
know that this hip store is serious
about health. The walls are lined
with test tubes filled with herbal
nourishments like flax and gin-
seng, and above them an ailment
chart lists everything from mi-
graines to hangovers and their
A frap from Starbucks is good, but it drinkable remedies. Add to the
adds to your waistline. mix staff with a sincerely whole-
some vibe and the funky smell of
Juicy Fruits
wheat grass juice and you know
the doctor is in! The smoothies
When you want a quick fix at
lunchtime, do your waistline a are thick, creamy, and fresh, and
there’s no sugary sorbet or frozen
favor and skip the Frappuccinos
at Starbucks. A better choice is a yogurt to risk extra calories —
only healthy substitutes like or-
smoothie. But where should you
Continued on Page 11
“Your School, Your World—Your News” 
Free
More Photos PLUS
From the Fall 2006 Sports Calendar,
Club Spotlight, Meet
Club/Pub Fair
News P/3 Ms. Vollaro, and
much more inside.
Attention Stuyvesant Community:
The Stuyvesant Standard Website:
Your school, your world – your news, now even closer!
With the advent of the internet, the distances between places be-
gan to seemingly recede. Technology is always improving and enriching
our lives. To further this, The Stuyvesant Standard is improving our web-
site.
At the beginning of this school year, The Standard welcomed a
new webmaster, Jesse Zhang. Since September, he has re-done the entire
website, www.stuystandard.org.
On our front page, you will find notes on when our meetings are
as well as special event in Stuyvesant and the nearby community.
At the online site, you can find the pdf files for all our issues from
this and last year. Under each section’s page, you can access the text of
each article since May of 2005, as well as some pictures, comics, puzzles,
and literary works. At the bottom of each article readers and staff alike
have the ability to post comments. For security reasons, we do require you
to register in order to post comments. Registration is done online, and ac-
cording to Zhang it is, “Free, quick, and easy.”
Moreover, under each section, you will find notes on writing for
that section, which will help our staff and school students alike.
Zhang is currently working on a forum and has many other great
plans for The Standard’s website.
We urge everyone to check our website out! If you would like to
get involved with our website or have any questions, please contact Zhang
via e-mail at webmaster@stuystandard.org.
We are proud to be Stuyvesant’s only newspaper with a website
dedicated to better serving the community!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Schlesinger, Editor in Chief
eic@stuystandard.org
Fitness Magazine Ranks
Nation's Fittest Colleges
news.bostonherald.com
BY SANGHEE CHUNG
STAFF WRITER
The magazine “Men’s Fit-
ness” recently ranked the nation’s
fittest colleges that “have found
the way to balance academic ex-
cellence with athletic acumen.”
“It's a very important thing
for everyone to have their heart
healthy and your body in shape,”
said Cara Scaduto, a member of
Dickinson College’s volleyball
team.
Dickinson College, a 2300-
student liberal arts college in
southern Pennsylvania, has been
ranked the fittest for its commit- Dickinson College students, Sam
ment to a healthy college campus. Ashelman, left, and Lauren Dunn work
out in the Kilne fitness center on cam-
Continued on Page 5 pus.
Page 2 Tuesday, October 31, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD  Should We Arm

Founded 2001
 
 
Teachers?
  BY TIMOTHY TONG what I am saying is we need to
STAFF WRITER look at all the options at what will
“Your School, Your  World—Your News”  truly protect the students.” As
After a deadly shooting in an
Amish school, a Wisconsin state good of a solution this may seem
Executive Leadership Team lawmaker foresaw similar inci- to prevent or lessen school shoot-
dents and offered the question- ings, it comes with its cons. In-
DR. JOHN NIKOL FACULTY ADVISER able solution of arming teachers. evitably, arming teachers entails
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF This proposal is a conceiv- necessary training in handling the
DEREK WENG MANAGING EDITOR
able safety measure to Republi- firearms and determining the ap-
DIANE CHEN CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER propriate circumstances in using
KHOI NGUYEN CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER can Representative Frank Lasee,
who believes that “to make our them. Training, unfortunately,
FANNY TANG LAYOUT EDITOR costs money. Money is needed to
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF schools safe for our students to
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR learn, all options should be on the train and pay the teachers, to pur-
PRISCILLA MELO OPINIONS EDITOR table.” He goes on, saying “Israel chase weapons, and to adapt to
EMMA RABINOVICH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR and Thailand have well-trained the possible increase in insurance.
ERIC MAYO SPORTS EDITOR teachers carrying weapons and Aside from the financial is-
JOSEPH KRUTOV SCIENCE EDITOR keeping their children safe from sues, there is the possibility of
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR anxious parents, who may find a
LADA KUKUY
harm. It can work in Wisconsin."
LITERARY EDITOR
Sandra S. Froman, the first child under an armed teacher’s
JESSE ZHANG WEBMASTER care discomforting. The students
BENNETT HONG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM vice president of the National
Rifle Association, agreed with themselves will also be uneasy
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS Lasee, stating “I’m not saying approaching a teacher with a gun,
that that means every teacher who might use it for inhumane,
should have a gun or not, but inappropriate reasons.
Publication Continued on Page 5
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD is a nonprofit and nonpartisan publication pro-
duced 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 through-
Cory Lidle Plane Crash

Peter Foley/European Press Agency

out the adjoining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City. BY PAUL FISHER
STAFF WRITER
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD welcomes letters from its readers.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD reserves the right to edit any published mate- Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle,
rial. The viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of 34, was killed on October 11,
the Standard staff. when the small four-seater plane
he was piloting crashed into a 50-
Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD story apartment building on the
Upper East Side. Lidle’s flight
Contact Us instructor, Tyler Stanger, 26, was
Please direct all correspondence to: also killed in the crash.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Lidle’s Cirrus SR20 took off
345 Chambers Street from Teterboro airport in New
New York, NY 10282-1000 Jersey around 2:30 p.m., flying
readers@stuystandard.org south down the Hudson River.
Find us on the web at www.stuystandard.org Lidle and Stanger circled the
Statue of Liberty and flew up the
East River. Witnesses saw one
Advertising wing dip as the plane tried to A firefighter walks past the wreckage
If you would like to advertise in THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, please e-mail make a U-turn over the river, of the Lidle crash.
advertising@stuystandard.org to request an advertisement form. We offer quickly losing altitude before
a broad range of options including full color capability for your advertis- building at the time of the crash.
slamming directly into the 30th
ing needs. The explosion produced a
floor of the Belaire building at
fireball, and debris from the plane
524 East 72nd Street. “It was
fell to the street below. Nobody
Subscription coming right at us. The whole
in the building was killed, but
building shook,” said Luis Gon-
eighteen people, including four-
zalez, who was working in the
Continued on Page 4
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, October 31, 2006 NEWS Page 3

Students Forced to Eat Healthy Lunches 19th Annual

NyTimes.com
Continued from Page 1
some schools have already cho-
sen to change menus because of
Dr. Robert
pressure from parents.
“The federal policy date gave J. Kaiser
us a goal post,” said Mary Ann
Petrilena, a member of her school
district’s food committee. “The
Debate — A
feedback was overwhelmingly,
‘Yes, the community would like
to see healthier foods in the cafe-
Success for
teria,’ and ‘Yes, the community
would be willing to pay more for
healthier food.’”
Stuyvesant
Pear slices, apples, baked chicken nuggets and oven fries fill trays at Elwood Mid-
According to nationwide sta- dle School on Long Island, as school cafeterias in the region revamp menus to meet BY IVAN TSE
tistics, obesity rates have in- nutrition laws. STAFF WRITER
creased from 5 percent in 1970 to
“It's very positive, but to get from scratch and we need to pay On October 6 and 7, the 19th
15 percent in 2000. The rates of
to the next level we need sys- careful attention to our ingredi- Annual Dr. Robert J. Kaiser De-
high-risk disease, including high
temic change,” said Nancy ents and we need to model in our bate Invitational took place in
blood pressure and cholesterol,
Huehnergarth, a volunteer at the cafeteria what we are teaching the Monticello, N.Y. Stuyvesant
type 2 diabetes and heart disease,
American Cancer Society who is kids in the classroom.” ◙ High School sent seven Policy
have also soared.
trying to improve food and fit- Debate Teams, to compete in jun-
Many people, however, are
ness. “We need to start cooking ior varsity and varsity, and 10
still hoping for more in the future.
Lincoln-Douglas Debaters. The
Policy Debate teams debated the

Fall 2006 resolution, “The United States

federal government should estab-
lish a policy substantially increas-

Club Pub ing the number of persons serving

in one or more of the following
national service programs:

Fair AmeriCorps, Citizen Corps, Sen-

ior Corps, Peace Corps, Learn
and Serve America, Armed
BY DAVID YIN Forces,” explained Claire Bulger,
STAFF WRITER a senior and the Lincoln-Douglas
team captain. Lincoln-Douglas
The Club Pub Fair took place
debate is one-on-one, while the
on October 16 and 19. It was a
Policy Debate is two-on-two. The
chance for the many diverse clubs
Lincoln-Douglas debaters’ topic
of Stuyvesant to show off to po-
was “A just government should
tential club members and per-
provide health care to its citi-
suade them to join their clubs.
zens,” Bulger said. In both types
Students came rushing in at the
of debate, a debater must debate
end of tenth period to the cafete-
both sides of the resolution, af-
ria, where the Club Pub Fair was
firming and negating.
being held.
In the tournament, there were
The fair allowed students to
five preliminary rounds in which
learn about the different clubs
everyone debated. These lead to
that Stuyvesant offers. It gave
the elimination or “break”
them a chance to join clubs that
rounds. In these rounds, the los-
they would really enjoy. Many
ing debater is eliminated. Two of
freshmen and sophomores went to
Stuyvesant’s Lincoln-Douglas
the fair to find clubs that piqued
debaters “broke.” Junior Yan
their interests. With the incredible
Slavinskiy made it to the double-
variety that Stuyvesant has to
octofinal round and was the sev-
offer, it is very likely that there is
enth highest speaker for Lincoln-
a club for everyone. Linda, a
Douglas. Each round is judged by
sophomore who did not want to
at least one judge, who must de-
reveal her last name, said, “I
cide the winner and how well
joined GLASS again along with
each debater spoke. A debater can
the archery club.”
get up to 30 points for speaking..
The Club Pub Fair was a very
Bulger made it to octofinals, and
festive event. Students were
placed as the 11th place speaker.
shouting everywhere in the cafe-
In Policy Debate, two teams
teria, advocating their clubs.
made it to the quarterfinals: one
Linda mentioned how “it was
consisting of senior Zack Frankel,
really hard getting your way
the Policy captain, and Emma
around.” Club members who
Manson, and one of Pranai Tan-
were promoting their clubs also
don and Helen Ho. Zack Frankel
found it hard to move around and
was the first-place speaker of
persuade students to join their
varsity Policy Debate. ◙
club. Junior Allison Tran said the
environment was “really loud and
Photos of the Club/Pub Fair Taken
Continued on Page 4
by Bennett Hong and Elissa Tam
Page 4
Cory Lidle Plane Crash
Continued from Page 2
teen firefighters who responded
to the scene, were hospitalized.
The sound of fire engines
rushing to the scene of a plane
Monday, October 31, 2006 NEWS
period last winter, as to not inter-
fere with the baseball season.
Lidle loved to fly and took to it
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
was planning on flying back to teams, the Mets, where he started
his home in California, four days
after he pitched in the final game
his career in 1997, and the Oak-
land Athletics, where he pitched
of the Yankees’ season, when for two years, were scheduled to
they were eliminated by the De- play postseason games that night,
troit Tigers. and were in their locker rooms
when they heard the news.
He was known for being a

crash and people running for
safety brought back painful
memories to New Yorkers, five
years and one month after Sep-
tember 11.
Many who saw the crash
feared that this accident was a
terrorist attack. The military sent
up fighter jets over certain cities
as a precaution.
Terrorism was quickly ruled
out, but for a while it was still
unclear who was on the plane at
the time of the crash. It was first
released that Lidle was the owner
of the plane, but it was not re-
vealed until later that Lidle’s
passport was found at the scene,
and he had in fact been on the
plane.
Lidle learned to fly and
earned his pilot’s license, which
is normally a yearlong process,
during a four-and-a-half month
Several apartments in the Upper East Side were ignited by the Lidle crash.
quickly. “He learned very very
quickly . . . He had huge desire,”
said Stanger in a September inter-
view. Lidle had approximately 75
hours of flight experience, and
Reuters/Keith Bedford
hard-working pitcher and a good
teammate. He made many friends
around baseball, and was
mourned by the entire baseball
community. “Right now, I’m
really in a state of shock,” said
teammate Jason Giambi, who
played with Lidle in High School,
“We were excited to be reunited
in New York this year, and I am
just devastated to hear this news.”
Similar feelings were shared all
around the baseball community.
Lidle is not the first New York
Yankee to die while piloting a
personal plane. Yankee fans were
reminded of 1979, when Yankee
captain Thurmond Munson was
killed while practicing with his
The Yankees acquired Cory plane in Ohio.
Lidle in a midseason trade along Lidle leaves behind a wife
with Bobby Abreu. Lidle had a and a six-year-old son. ◙
ten-year playing career with eight
different teams. Two of those

The World Can’t Wait:

The Walkout Against Bush
BY DANNY SULLIVAN
STAFF WRITER
“The World Can’t Wait!
Drive Out the Bush Regime!”
Many posters with this slogan
covered school during the first
week of October. The posters
went on to instruct all students,
who were angry about the “War”
and “Torture” associated with the
Bush administration, to leave
school and join a protest at Dag
Hammerskjold Plaza despite
threats of punishment from teach-
ers and warnings that walking out
of school is illegal.
On October 11, those who
took part in the protest met up at
noon in Dag Hammerskjold
Plaza, near the United Nations
building, for an initial rally. Stu-
dents, who completed a permis-
sion slip that was to be signed by
a parent, were allowed to leave
school and participate in the rally.
They then made their way to Un-
ion Square at 4 p.m. There, those
who were willing to walk out of
school or work could join, and
this group stayed until late into
the night. Speeches were made,
musicians brought instruments
and sang protest songs, and vic-
tims of torture and veterans of the
Iraq War helped increase the
spirit of anger at Bush and the
want of change amongst the
crowd.
A similar protest was held
last year against the proposed
laws that would have been harsh Fall 2006 Club Pub Fair
on illegal immigrants. Although
Continued from Page 3 that he “got a lot of new members
that protest was somewhat suc-
crazy.” She also said that to join.” Clubs all agree that the
cessful, the “World Can’t Wait”
group chose not to zero in on a “nobody seemed to know what Club Pub Fair is a great way to
specific complaint for this one they were doing.” She was sup- attract new, energetic members.
porting the club Unite for Sight, Many thought that this Club
Continued on Page 5 as well as the Cheese Club. Jun- Pub Fair was very disorganized
ior Julia Wang, also an advocate and loud. Walker said, “I thought
worldcanwait.net

of Unite for Sight, said that “It
was very noisy and active. I had
to scream to explain stuff to the
potential members.”
The fall Club Pub Fair al-
lowed many clubs to recruit a lot
of new member. Junior Hua Szu
Yang, the president of Unite for
Sight, said that the club recruited
“quite a lot” of new members.
Junior Jay Walker, who was rep-
resenting three different clubs,
the Cheese Club, the Magic Club,
Protesters in the Walkout Against Bush. and the Board Games Club, said
it definitely could have been or-
ganized a lot better.” Still, this
neither stopped students from
packing the hall to attend nor
stopped club members from
shouting at the top of their lungs
to promote their club. The Club
Pub Fair was a cheerful and cha-
otic event. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
CLUB SPOTLIGHT
The Thinkers Club
BY YANA GONTCHAROVA
COLUMNIST
One of the lesser known
clubs of Stuyvesant, “The Think-
ers Club” meets on a weekly ba-
sis to discuss philosophical di-
lemmas, ideals in society and
moral issues. On any particular
day, members may watch a phi-
losophical movie and then ana-
lyze its relevance to everyday
life, or simply launch into debate.
Past movies have included
“The Matrix” and “Fight Club.”
After a movie, the presidents of
“Thinkers” prepare reports on the
film that the club later discusses.
Apart from movies, debate topics
range from the purpose of life, to
the control of government over its
citizens, to the importance of
happiness, to masculinity and to
The World Can’t Wait: The
Walkout Against Bush
Continued from Page 4
but rather to host a general, na-
tionwide gathering of people who
are against the Bush regime.
Their website explains that this
choice was made because the
protests being held for the indi-
vidual issues, such as the Iraq war
and Bush’s unsatisfactory han-
dling of the Hurricane Katrina
tragedy, were making little to no
progress, possibly because not all
people who are against Bush will
disagree with all of his policies.
worldcanwait.net
A protester holding up a sign.
Therefore, the thought was that a
general protest would attract all
of those against Bush.
The group also believes that
the only way to save society is to
take action. They say that for the
election of 2008 cannot wait be-
cause Bush will continue tortur-
ing and is reportedly moving to-
Monday, October 30, 2006 NEWS
many other topics.
A typical meeting starts out
with about 15 people, but eventu-
ally dwindles down to a more
intimate setting. The atmosphere
of the meetings is informal; mem-
bers can relax and enjoy them-
selves while expressing their
views on a variety of important
issues.
Future topics for discussion
will include existentialism and
the philosophy of Ayn Rand, who
believes that altruism is unpracti-
cal and society will function best
in a radical state where people
look out only for their own inter-
est and terminate completely all
acts of charity and kindness. For
more information on the club, e-
mail nygirl143xox@aol.com. ◙
wards declaring war on Iran.
Liberal Democrats cannot be re-
lied on to help, because the peo-
ple most likely to be the Democ-
ratic candidate for 2008, such as
Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama
support the proposed war on Iran.
The organization draws compari-
sons between our current situa-
tion and the civil rights move-
ment of the 1960s: those protest-
ers didn’t ask the Democrats to
give them civil rights but instead
went out and fought for it and got
what they wanted.
What difference will a peace-
ful protest make, though? After
all, it is not the first time people
have complained against Bush. It
was, however, one of the biggest
nationwide organized protests
against him, attracting over
100,000 people total in more than
230 different locations. The risk
was great for students who de-
cided to leave school, as many
were threatened with suspension
or even expulsion from school,
even though by law a walkout is
supposed to be treated like skip-
ping a day of school. Despite
these threats, many students left
school at noon anyway and joined
in the efforts.
It cannot be denied that a
gathering of this size commands
attention. The fact that students,
even from Stuyvesant, which is
stereotypically full of kids afraid
to break rules, were willing to
leave school to join shows how
passionate these people are, and
whether Bush takes notice re-
mains to be seen. ◙
Should We Arm Teachers?
Continued from Page 2
In addition, the teachers may
have ambivalent feelings about
being armed. They may feel un-
easy possessing a weapon of de-
struction or they may simply re-
fuse to undergo training and pos-
session of weaponry.
Lasee acknowledged these
points and the challenge of find-
ing a loophole in the federal law
banning guns from school prop-
erty, but he still advocates this
“politically incorrect, but effec-
tive” proposal. Pete Pochowski, a
safety director of Milwaukee
Public Schools disagreed, stating,
Fitness Magazine Ranks Nation's
Fittest Colleges
Continued from Page 1
Approximately 12,500 stu-
dents at 115 colleges and univer-
sities were surveyed. The maga-
zine ranked the 25 fittest schools,
which also include Colgate Uni-
versity, Boston College and the
University of Vermont. Brigham
The Fit List
2006 Ranking
1. Dickinson College (Penn.)
2. Colgate University (N.Y.)
3. Boston College
4. Wheaton College (Ill.)
5. University of Vermont
6. Gustavus Adolphus College
(Minn.)
7. Grove City College (Penn.)
8. Texas Christain University
9. Baylor University (Texas)
10. University of Richmond (Va.)
11. University of Virginia
12. University of Wisconsin - La
Crosse
13. University of California - Santa
Cruz
14. Washington & Jefferson Col-
lege (Penn.)
15. Albertson College of Idaho
16. Santa Clara University (Calif.)
17. Lafayette College (Penn.)
18. Georgetown University (D.C.)
19. Roanoke College (Va.)
20. California Instutute of Tech-
nology
21. Virginia Tech
22. University of Denver
23. Ithaca College (N.Y.)
24. University of Mary Washing-
ton (Va.)
25. Gonzaga University (Wash.)
Source: Men’s Fitness
Young University was declared
the fittest school last year. Stu-
dents were questioned about their
diet, exercise routines, and the
availability of fast food, nutri-
tionists and fitness trainers.
Page 5
“Statistically, the safest place for
a child to be is in school. We
have problems in our schools, but
not to the point where we need to
arm our teachers and principals.”
This issue poses much con-
troversy, but Lasee holds his
ground and plans to introduce the
bill in the beginning of the next
session. Arming teachers may
provide protection for children in
the future, but it should be an
measure that is only used as a last
resort. ◙
Dickinson was chosen for its
recreation center amenities,
physical education requirements
and the range of healthy choices
in its dining halls. In fact, “in
every category of this year's sur-
vey . . . Dickinson was the only
school to ace every exam,” ac-
cording to the magazine.
“It's a common-sense study,”
editor in chief Neal Boulton told
the Associated Press. “We take a
look at the kinds of foods offered
in college cafeterias . . . is there
information available to students
to encourage good eating and
nutrition, and perhaps fitness ad-
vice?”
The top schools, in fact, of-
fered a variety of nutrition and
exercise choices instead of creat-
ing a strict list of demands.
In addition, “Men’s Fitness”
has also chosen eight other
schools as underachievers on
“academic probation.” They in-
clude California State University-
Long Beach, Carnegie Mellon
University, Eastern Michigan
University, Flagler College,
Seton Hall University, University
of Michigan-Flint and University
of New Orleans.
“They provide a very bal-
anced lifestyle within which any-
one could exist, whether they're
kind of cheating a little or in a
fitness mode,” said Boulton.
April Vari, Dickinson’s dean
of students, explained that physi-
cal fitness and wellness for stu-
dents and faculty was as impor-
tant as maintaining a well-
rounded liberal arts education.
“One of the things that makes
Dickinson distinctive is how
broadly we interpret fitness and
wellness throughout the campus,”
she said. “I think there's some-
thing for everybody.” ◙
Page 6 Tuesday, October 31, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Senior Pajamas Day 2006

Photos by Bennett Hong

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
MEET THIS TEACHER
Meet Dawn Vollaro!
BY SANGHEE CHUNG
STAFF WRITER
Classes Taught: MQ3, ME81
Raised in Brooklyn, Dawn
Vollaro now shares the enthusi-
asm of mathematics she had as a
child with her students. “I was
always good at math when I was
young, although I did not always
like it,” she said. Vollaro attended
LaGuardia High School, majoring
in art. After graduating as vale-
dictorian from her elementary,
middle and high schools, she at-
tended New York University and
majored in math. She continued
her studies at NYU’s Graduate
School for Math Education.
Vollaro started teaching at
Stuyvesant as a student teacher
for Ms. Perlman 14 years ago. “I
had remembered my math teach-
ers who inspired me,” she said.
She decided to come to Stuyve-
sant because of her family ties
and its outstanding reputation. “I
liked math so much so I wanted
to teach students who appreciated
it.”
Students have also responded
positively to her teaching. “She
teaches everything very clearly,”
said Vikki Hon, a freshman in
Children’s Friends,
Parents’ Enemies
BY HUI TING JIANG
STAFF WRITER
Television has long been a
“babysitter” to children of all
ages. If there is nothing to do,
children will automatically grab
the remote control and watch an
anime cartoon. They are often
unaware of the violence portrayed
in popular cartoons such as
“Dragon Ball Z,” “Yu-Gi-Oh!,”
Parents are often unaware of the violence portrayed in popular cartoons, such as
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 OPINIONS/NEWS
Vollaro’s MQ3 class. “She ex-
plains everything step by step.”
Others thought of her as a source
of encouragement. “Vollaro is a
little bit strict in the classroom,
but it helps you to keep up in
shape,” said junior Lee Tsai.
Vollaro believes that Stuyve-
sant is a “very welcoming envi-
ronment.” Her favorite thing
about Stuyvesant is the great
number of talented students at
Stuyvesant she discovered work-
ing as a grade adviser. “There is a
really diverse and talented faculty
and student body, from music to
art,” she said. However, she gets
annoyed by students begging for
an extra point on a test. “They all
want to succeed and do well,” she
said. “Some are a little too con-
cerned though. There’s more to
life than that.”
Outside of school, Vollaro is
an art aficionado. “I take drawing
classes in the summer and submit
things now and then,” she said.
She also used her art experience
from high school and college to
teach two semesters of Art Ap-
preciation. “It’s amazing to see
the kinds of lives teachers lead
outside of the school,” said Hon.
◙ thy than the average prisoner?
and “Pokémon.” A child’s behav-
ior and attitude can be dramati-
cally changed by them. What can
be done to help the leaders of
tomorrow?
The first step to decreasing
the viewing of anime would be to
understand what it is. Anime is a
type of Japanese cartoon dealing
Continued on Page 8
yugioh.spynet.lv
Allowing Rape While
Condemning Torture
BY DAVID MANNES
STAFF WRITER
Currently, in both our pris-
oner of war camps and American
prisons, we are facing problems
concerning the treatment and wel-
fare of the prisoners in these fa-
cilities. In the POW prisons, the
issue lies in where to draw the
line between interrogation and
torture. In American prisons, the
primary issues are the brutality,
violence and rape that are com-
Corbis
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld approved four interrogation
methods that required him to be in-
formed prior to their use.
mon among large portions of new
and weaker inmates. On top of
this, prisoners are often afraid “to
rat” on the inmates who rape
them because of the repercus-
sions. The big differences be-
tween these two situations are
that in POW prisons, the concern
is on how officials treat prisoners;
in American prisons the major
problem is the mistreatment of
prisoners by each another.The
guards’ treatment of prisoners is
also looked at with a different
Delayed Action
BY PRISCILLA MELO
OPINIONS EDITOR
In the middle of 2006, Har-
vard decided to revoke its early
action policy. To many Harvard-
hopefuls in Stuyvesant, this was
quite a blow. But in reality, this
decision has made the admission
process fairer for all.
The early action program lets
seniors an application in Novem-
ber, with the results sent in De-
cember. This is great, especially
if you know your dream college.
You won’t have to wait until
April to know, and you’ll spend
less time worrying. With a look at
the college acceptance statistics,
one finds that the acceptance rate
for early applicants is almost al-
ways higher than for the pool of
regular applicants. If you know
exactly where you want to go, it
will definitely help your admis-
Page 7
standard than the treatment of
POW’s by their guards. In 2003,
Rumsfeld approved four interro-
gation methods, but required that
he be informed prior to their use.
One of these procedures was the
isolation of a prisoner. Yet, in
American prisons, solitary con-
finement is still a common form
of punishment. The second dif-
ference is the reason these inci-
dents are happening.
In the case of POW’s, their
mistreatment is the result of im-
moral means of interrogation,
resorted to in an attempt to gain
information, which, ideally, will
end up saving lives. In American
prisons the incidents that befall
prisoners are by no means carried
out with good intentions. More-
over, it is in this environment that
prisoners are meant to be reha-
bilitated, that those with less than
life sentences are supposed to
become better people in prepara-
tion for their reintroduction to
society. Instead these prisoners
in many cases experience more
violence than they did before they
went to prison. So why do the
POW’s get so much more sympa-
The first reason is politics.
The issue of torture has become a
springboard that many politicians
take advantage of to attack the
Iraq war. The second reason is
that what goes on in prisons has
become a generally accepted fact
that most people either shut out
Continued on Page 8
sions chances to apply early. Of
course, everybody wants to walk
on those ivory halls, but what of
those who can’t afford such pre-
mature action?
The primary reason Harvard
decided to repeal early action was
that it was unfair. Many critics
say that early admissions favor
students that are from more edu-
cated families and come from
well-funded high schools. This is
true. Children whose parents are
Harvard graduates themselves, or
at least know about the admission
process, will have the know-how
to get applications in early. They
have been surrounded by talk of
the Ivy Leagues, and have more
opportunities in their high
schools to actually get in. This
situation applies to Stuyvesant
High School. Even if many of our
Continued on Page 8
Page 8
Children’s Friends, Parents’
Enemies
Continued from Page 7
with acts of violence and some-
times sexual content. The cartoon
characters are marked by their big
eyes, which are “windows to the
soul.” In the popular cartoon
show “Dragon Ball Z,” the evil
villain, Cell, aggressively kicks a
man across the floor, and blood
gushes out of the man’s head.
Even worse, violence similar to
that is being shown for hours and
hours on television. Channel 11
(CW) even proudly advertises
this by playing these anime car-
toons on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to
noon. This sort of brutality can
also be found in Japanese comic
books called “mangas.” Mangas
are accessible through mail,
comic book stores and popular
trading posts such as eBay. It is
amazing how violence can be
Mangas and anime, such as Dragonballz, are oftentimes violent.
accessed so easily.
A growing child needs love,
support and a nutritious diet.
There is no need for a violent
cartoons to interfere — but they
do. Anime cartoons often contain
inappropriate use of language and
gestures. Studies have shown that
children who watch a lot of anime
cartoons often relate with the
character and are more prone to
be aggressive as an adult. The
characters in the anime cartoon
often use fists instead of words
when solving problems. In one
episode of “Digimon”, an evil
character uses a blast of energy to
make the heroes’ bodies break
into pieces. In the intense study,
children were “more likely to hit
their playmates, argue, disobey
class rules, leave tasks unfin-
ished, and were less willing to
wait for things than those who
watched the nonviolent pro-
grams.” The University of Illinois
tracked youngsters’ behavior un-
til they were 30 and found that
children who watched anime car-
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 OPINIONS
toons were more likely to be
prosecuted or arrested for com-
mitting a crime. Other negative
effects of watching anime include
being less sensitive towards the
feelings of others and having an
unreasonable fear of the sur-
rounding world.
If the leaders of tomorrow
are to be saved, parents must
quickly take action. First, parents
can encourage their children to
participate more in the household.
Simple activities such as baking
cookies together, playing board
games or sharing a nice quiet
family meal can help. Surveys
have shown children who take
part in their family are less likely
to commit a crime. Second, tele-
vision shows can be enjoyed by
both the adult and child. Parents
can see what kind of shows their
child is watching and comment
Corbis
on them. When they see violence,
parents can discuss what caused
the character to do it. A different
solution could be pointed out,
such as talking it over or compro-
mising. Third, parents can en-
courage their child to participate
in sports or take up a hobby to
build character and leadership
qualities. They can even make a
list of other activities for their
child to do instead of watching
television day after day.
Violence in anime cartoons is
hazardous to a child’s growth.
They alter a child’s view of the
world around and promote nega-
tive way of dealing with prob-
lems. To prevent this from hap-
pening, parents can try to get
their child to become more in-
volved in the family or to explore
athletic opportunities. They can
also limit their child’s television
viewing time. A little change in
life now can affect the outcome
of a whole life ahead. ◙
THE CRITICAL LENS
The Tolerant Republic
BY ALVIS YUEN
COLUMNIST
In the September 5 issue,
staff writer Amna Ahmad sug-
gested that America would bene-
fit if it followed the mild-
mannered ways of Canada. Per-
sonally, I find that to be an in-
triguing idea and a very plausible
suggestion. The Canadian Obliv-
ion prompted a reader to respond.
This reader, who is a member of
the Stuyvesant Republican Club,
brings up many interesting points
that I will address. An excerpt:
“Why should beliefs that
contradict western liberal values
be tolerated? How should a toler-
ant liberal democracy deal with
intolerance? Should intolerance
be tolerated, or should it be bat-
tled? Ms. Ahmad says that all
cultures should be tolerated in the
U.S. no matter what. Cultures and
religions are welcomed in this
country, as long as they’re toler-
ant themselves . . . What should
be done when people use liberal
western laws to their advantage,
and yet refuse to adopt western
culture? . . . The riots in France
last year, in which rioters from
Allowing Rape While
Condemning Torture
Continued from Page 7
or have become comfortable with.
Torture, on the other hand, is still
an issue people are still shocked
and outraged by. Finally, torture
occurs because of the actions cer-
tain interrogators choose to take.
It is easier to criticize torture, to
Delayed Action
Continued from Page 7
parents did not graduate college,
or even high school for that mat-
ter, our heads have been drilled
with the Ivy Leagues. That is in
fact why most of us are even in
this school — a great majority of
Stuyvesant graduates will be ac-
cepted to very renowned universi-
ties. Yet, what of those who don’t
go to a great public high school?
Students from poorer fami-
lies or whose parents did not go
to college have never even heard
of early action. And if they did,
their thoughts will be thwarted
with a glance at the $40,000
yearly tuition cost. They often
need to weigh several admissions
offers (if they even apply to col-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Muslim communities clashed
with police and torched thousands
of cars, violently illustrates Mus-
lim’s hostility and resentment
towards their liberal European
governments. For many decades
Western Europe has done what
Ms. Ahmad thinks our country
should do, and now they are pay-
ing the social price. Canada has
had the same ‘willful oblivious-
ness’ to the risks of Islamism as
has Europe.”
Beliefs that contradict West-
ern liberal values should be toler-
ated because there is more to this
world other than Western values.
This is the value in other belief
systems, something our Euro-
centered reader fails to acknowl-
edge. I agree with Amna Ahmad;
all cultures should be tolerated in
the United States. If other beliefs
were not tolerated, our tolerant
liberal democracy would simply
fail to be tolerant.
As for the comment about
taking advantage of Western law,
I like to pose my own question:
which western liberal law man-
Continued on Page 9
simply say “they shouldn’t be
allowed to use these methods,”
whereas the problem in our pris-
ons is one of inaction, on the part
of guards and judges, and also on
the part of the media and the
American people. ◙
lege) to see which one offers the
best financial aid. So they usually
skip the early admissions process
because they wouldn’t be able to
make those comparisons.
Yet this new policy is not
only beneficial to minorities or
financially-challenged students.
All of us get a break — even our
parents. Seniors will not have to
get stressed out so early in the
year, nor do parents. You might
even get to compare Harvard with
other schools, and aim for better
financial aid — which will defi-
nitely benefit your parents. But,
come on, who in their right mind
would turn down Harvard? ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Decline of Yahoo? Or the Internet Advertisement Market?
BY HANFORD CHIU
BUSINESS EDITOR
Yahoo posted its third-
quarter results in line with low-
ered forecasts, with its net in-
come dropping greatly from a
year ago on higher stock compen-
sation expenses and lower-than-
expected ad sales. The net income
was $159 million, or 11 cents a
share, compared with last year’s
figure of $254 million, or 17
cents a share. Yahoo had $80
million of stock-based compensa-
tion expense.
With Google, Yahoo’s main
rival, set to report soon, inves-
tors’ nerves are likely to remain
on edge until then as they try to
determine whether Yahoo’s woes
are unique or a sign of a broader
decline in the online advertising
market.
Terry Semel, chief executive
of Yahoo, pledged on Tuesday,
October 17 to “get back to ba-
sics” after increased competition
for online advertising and options
expenses led to a drop in profits
The Senior Sandwich
BY SI HONG HUANG
STAFF WRITER
There is a lot of buzz going
around about the “60-year-old
kid” (a phrase coined by Neal
Cutler, a financial gerontologist,
a person who studies the effect of
aging on finances). The phrase
refers to someone who has only a
short way to go until retirement,
The Tolerant Republic
Continued from Page 8
dates that everyone must adopt
Western culture? There is a dif-
ference between acceptance and
tolerance. Just because Muslims
tolerate Christians and Jews does
not necessarily imply that Mus-
lims accept Judaism and Christi-
anity as correct. These people are
members of our society and
should be justly treated with re-
spect and toleration.
I don’t like the example of
the French riots. The riots were a
result of decades of pent-up frus-
tration in the Muslim communi-
ties. This frustration was a result
of the Europeans’ refusal to as-
similate the Muslims into their
society. This discrimination pre-
vented young Muslims from find-
ing jobs and getting a better life.
The intolerance of the Europeans
was reflected by the riots of the
Muslims, not vice versa.
Our dear reader also com-
mented that Stuyvesant students
are oblivious to the events of the
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 OPINIONS/BUSINESS
Yahoo trimmed its outlook for the coming quarter, underlining concerns that new
advertising revenue could be bypassing simple search engines such as Google and
Yahoo in favor of more popular and “stickier” sites such as MySpace.
at the oft-visited website. Semel
said “I am not satisfied with our
performance, and we intend to
improve it; we are not exploiting
our strengths as we should be.”
His comments came as Yahoo
trimmed its outlook for the com-
yet still has at least one parent
who’s alive.
According to Neal Cutler, 4
to 7 percent of people in their
sixties had at least one parent
who was still alive at the begin-
ning of the twentieth century,
compared with the still rising 49
percent today. In addition, 50
Continued on Page 10
world. However, the Stuyvesant
population is not at fault. Stu-
dents mock politics because our
world is a mockery. The president
invaded Iraq because he believed
they had WMD’s, while North
Korea was implicitly allowed to
build nuclear weapons. Thou-
sands of people suffered horren-
dously in New Orleans after
Katrina since FEMA Director
Brown was supposedly clueless.
The Patriot Act allows people to
be detained without charges being
pressed against them. As a result,
hundreds and even thousands of
people have been wrongly de-
tained by the CIA. Many of these
victims are Muslims, whose im-
ages are suffering from extremists
who tried to destroy America.
Intolerant extremists don’t hate
democracy — they just hate
America. Because, quite frankly,
America is not the tolerant de-
mocracy it should be. ◙
Page 9
Corbis
jumped more than 4 percent after
the company said it had launched
a search advertising program to
try to make up for ground lost to
Google. Yahoo warned the mar-
ket last month that its profits
would be lower than expected,
citing weakness in the car adver-
tising market. This warning raises
concerns that the apparent slow-
down in the United States econ-
omy may affect online businesses
in a loss of vital advertising reve-
nue.
Yet there is also a chance
that Yahoo is simply slowing
down while the rest of the online
advertising market is still healthy.
Analysts have been questioning
Yahoo’s long-term strategy, be-
lieving that it is less nimble on its
feet than some of its rivals.
ing quarter, underlining concerns Google’s $1.65 billion acquisition
that new advertising revenue of YouTube has compounded the
could be bypassing simple search pressure on Yahoo, despite the
engines such as Google and Ya- latter’s remaining the market’s
hoo in favor of more popular and most visited website. ◙
“stickier” sites such as MySpace.
However, Yahoo’s shares
The Stuyvesant Standard would like to
cordially thank the Alumni Association
and the Student Union
for their generous support.
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
cfo@stuystandard.org 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 10
The Senior Sandwich
Continued from Page 9
percent of young adults between
the ages of 18 and 24 are living
with their parents now, as com-
pared with the 25 percent 10
years ago. The people who are
caught in between their parents
and children are known as the
“senior sandwich” generation.
Corbis
The senior sandwich generation con-
sists of people in their 60’s who are
facing a financial crisis.
This generation consists of
people in their sixties who are
facing a financial crisis, if not a
nightmare. The “sandwich-ers”
are paying college bills for their
kids, nursing-home fees for their
parents and coming up with re-
tirement plans for themselves.
Lee Eisenberg, author of “The
Number is 60,” is an example of a
person who is caught in the
“senior sandwich”: he has a 92-
year-old mother and two children
Controversial Fake Documentary on George
Bush is Boycotted
BY TASSO BOUNTUVAS
STAFF WRITER
On the eve of the fifth anni-
versary of 9/11, millions of view-
ers were watching ABC’s two-
part miniseries, “The Path to
9/11.” Meanwhile, in Canada,
hundreds of Canadians went to
watch the Toronto International
Film Festival (TIFF) world pre-
miere of Newmarket Film’s
“Death of a President.” “Death
of a President” is a fabricated
documentary that analyzes a hy-
pothetical situation where the
assassination of President George
W. Bush will be in Chicago on
October 19, 2007.
The film, acronymed in the
TIFF press material as D.O.A.P.
(pun intended), instantly became
the festival’s favorite and most
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 BUSINESS/A&E
in high school. He said, “A 60-
year-old kid is himself grappling
with aging and mortality while at
the same time watching a parent
aging in a much more extreme
way,” adding “You have a bird’s-
eye view of what you might be in
for financially and physically. It’s
not a bad thing, but it’s a worri-
some thing,” in order to express
his thoughts on the situation.
In an unscientific survey con-
ducted by Amanda Gengler of the
magazine “Money,” three survey-
ors were asked to find their big-
gest financial burden, whether it
was their own retirement, their
kids’ education or their parents’
care. Rosie Quintaba, from Eng-
land, said, “For me, I think the
biggest priority would be caring
for my parents.” J.R. Randall,
from New York City, said,
“Education. I don’t have kids yet,
so I’ll be worrying about that
later in life.” Keith Washco, from
Fremont, California, said, “If I
make it to my retirement age,
Social Security won’t be there for
me.”
Although the “senior sand-
wich” seems like a disastrous
financial dilemma for adults in
their sixties, there are certain op-
tions they can utilize in order to
stem the problem. According to
“Money” magazine, adults in
their sixties can plan on working
a little longer, living a little
leaner and encouraging their kids
to study harder and qualify for
merit aid. With a lighter load to
carry, the “sandwich-ers” will be
a step closer to financial freedom
by the time they retire. ◙
Yahoo! Movies
The poster of the controversial film,
“Death of a President.”
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
Company of Heroes
BY JESSE ZHANG
WEBMASTER
“Company of Heroes” be-
longs to the next generation of
World War II real time strategy
(WW2RTS) games. Setting the
standard for all upcoming games,
“Company of Heroes” introduces
a new level of gaming to the PC.
Receiving a stunning score of
9.0/10 from Gamespot, 9.4/10
from IGN, and an awesome score
of 9.7/10 from the press,
“Company of Heroes” has been
dubbed the “best RTS ever made”
and even the “best game in exis-
tence.”
What I look for in a game is
graphics, effects, physics, game-
play and concept. This game far
surpasses my expectations in
graphics, effects and physics.
With its immaculate graphics and
A scene from the game “Company of Heroes.”
watched film. There was a full
half-hour delay to the film be-
cause extra chairs had to be
brought to accompany the addi-
tional viewers. The theater was
even turning people away be-
cause it had reached maximum
capacity.
After doing so well in Can-
ada, the film had planned to open
in the United States on October
27, just in time for the November
7 election. However, the imple-
mentation of this plan is now be-
ing questioned.
Major chains, such as Regal
Entertainment Group, are refus-
ing to play the film. Regal Enter-
tainment Group CEO Mike
Campbell said: “We feel it is in-
appropriate to portray the future
assassination of a sitting presi-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
near real-life physics, it totally
blew me away. I have never seen
anything this perfect.
When it comes to graphics,
“Company of Heroes” deserves a
perfect 10. Even if you zoom in
all the way, the details stay in-
credibly precise. Nearly all of its
cut scenes are in-game graphics,
as opposed to movie files.
Graphics aren’t enough to
make a game, however. All great
games need effects, such as
smoke and explosions, and
“Company of Heroes” shines in
this category too.
But wait, there’s more. The
physics in this game are so realis-
tic that no RTS currently in exis-
tence matches them. Buildings
break, telephone poles fall, bod-
ies fly, and much, much more.
Not only do things break, but
Continued on Page 12
Corbis
dent, regardless of a political af-
filiation.” The co-founder of
Newmarket Films, Chris Ball
retaliates, “[‘Death of a Presi-
dent’] is quite a political thriller.
In many ways it is sympathetic to
George Bush. It talks about a rush
to judgment. In no way is it a call
for violence.” Gabriel Range, the
film’s director, co-writer and co-
producer, declared that his movie
meant to use the death of the
President as a catalyst to investi-
gate the changes that might occur
in domestic and international af-
fairs.
The first 25 minutes of the
film trace the events that lead to
the President’s assassination.
Some evidence suggests that the
sniper is a Syrian man, who pos-
Continued on Page 12
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Continued from Page 1
ange juice or soy milk are mixed
in with the fresh fruit, ice and
protein blends like “energy” or
“muscle.” Whether you create
your own or choose from the sug-
gested concoctions (try the Total
Bliss — banana, apple cider,
pineapple, strawberries and
“slim” protein mix), everything is
completely natural, without re-
fined sugar or saturated fat. Re-
member to pick up a snack with
your smoothie — wholesome
items like the curry tuna wrap or
the grilled chicken, tomato and
almond salad are delicious — and
you’ve got a meal fit for the
health nut deep inside you.
Jamba Juice
When you step inside this
brightly lit store, it feels like go-
ing outside on a sunny day. The
Returning Singers Top
the Charts
BY AMY QIU
STAFF WRITER
During the past few months,
many hit singers seem to have
come out of hiding by releasing
their new records. While it is said
that fame eventually fades, these
stars probably won’t be fading
from the music scene anytime
soon. Long-time favorite Justin
Timberlake brought “SexyBack”
this summer, eventually landing
Corbis
Justin Timberlake, above, brought
“Sexyback” this summer.
him in the #1 slot on Billboard’s
Hot 100 Singles for a good six
weeks. His album meanwhile is
#5 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Also released this summer
was Nelly Furtado’s
“Promiscuous,” which has held
high positions on the charts for a
full 23 weeks, dropping down to
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 A&E
Smoothie Wars
vibrant decor and a name that
vaguely references sunny African
plains all add to the illusion of
The entrance of a Jamba Juice store.
a decent #30 after all this time.
Adding to this is her "Maneater"
side, which has the 19th spot on
the same chart. The success of
these tracks helped make her al-
bum “Loose” her first #1 record.
Veteran singer Janet Jackson
made her own comeback with
“So Excited.” Though she’s had
multiple hits during her many
years as a singer, the title of the
song clearly shows how she still
feels about her career, not to
mention the fact that her album
“20 Y.O.” has reached #9 on the
Billboard 200.
Younger on the age spectrum
is JoJo, whose 2004 debut album
came out when she was only 13.
Proving that it’s not “Too Little,
Too Late,” this song is #8 on the
Hot 100 Singles and has been on
this chart for 8 weeks. The track
is part of her sophomore album,
“The High Road.” Though she is
quite a bit younger than many of
the other hit singers, her chance
of future success looks pretty
high. Besides music, JoJo has
also decided to pursue acting. She
has been cast in the movies
“Aquamarine” and “RV.”
Though these singers all have
hit albums, they have to make
way for “The Open Door” from
the music group Evanescence,
which currently has the prized #1
spot on the Billboard 200. Origi-
nally from Arkansas, the band’s
first album “Fallen” came out in
2003, bringing the singers 2
Grammy awards. The success of
Continued on Page 12
Page 11
well-being. Not a complete cover- The larger smoothies may contain
up, but eating or drinking at 600 calories or more. But simply
Jamba can be less than healthy. sip a smaller size and you won’t
be sorry — especially if you or-
der the Peach Pleasure (peach
readme.syntheticsociety.org
juice, orange sorbet, peaches and
bananas) or the Orange Berry
Blitz (orange juice, pineapple
sorbet, strawberries and blueber-
ries). If you don’t want extra in-
gredients like sorbet or yogurt,
order an All Fruit smoothie. Add
a boost, like the Burner or Immu-
nity, for some serious health
points. Baked goods like pizza
sticks and apple cinnamon pret-
zels aren’t ideal for fitness freaks,
but the blueberry cinnamon swirl
is delectable, especially when
warmed in the tiny oven at Jamba
Juice. I can’t say that the peanut
butter and chocolate smoothie is
not addictive, but if you get it,
bypass the nutritional booklet and
enjoy your drink without guilt. ◙
Robin Williams
Gets the Nod
BY ROBERT COLBOURN the greatest remarks on politics
STAFF WRITER that I’ve ever heard. The contro-
versial ethics involving political
Yahoo! Movies
campaigns, the representation of
the people, and the overall re-
quired integrity of the president
fill out the serious undertone that
rings throughout the movie, but
the political humor truly com-
pletes it. The actors complement
each other and provide the viewer
with a sense of irony when their
characters truly unfold. Judging
each character is crucial, because
it connects them together and
brings out their true light and
dark spots.
Throughout the movie there
is a sense of balance. The scenes
that are meant to show Wil-
liams’s shine will make anyone
die laughing. And luckily, all the
The poster of “Man of the Year,” star-
ring Robin Williams.
romance and drama tossed in do
not take away from that. To some
it may seem lopsided, yet it does
In “Man of the Year,” Robin
seem that the audience needs a
Williams plays a comedian who
break from the maniacal scenes
hosts a talk show, similar to Jon
where Robin Williams runs ram-
Stewart. An offhand remark dur-
pant on stage. All in all, the
ing a political discussion leads to
movie has a very well balanced
his announcing his candidacy for
tone, taking into account all the
presidency, being assisted by
ethical and moral issues behind
Lewis Black and Christopher
running for any public office,
Walken. A computing error in the
with a very comedic assortment
ballot leads to him being an-
of characters, which earns it a
nounced as president as the com-
great review. ◙
pany that created the voting soft-
ware tries to silence the one per-
son who knows about it.
During the first 45 minutes of
the movie, there is constant con-
versing between Christopher
Walken, Lewis Black and Robin
Williams, which leads to some of
Page 12
Controversial Fake Documentary
on George Bush is Boycotted
Continued from Page 10
sibly supported Al Qaeda and
who worked in the building from
which the fatal shot was fired.
Dick Cheney, now President,
calls for a Patriot Act III, which
suspends most civil liberties and
calls for military engagement
with Syria.
“Death of a President” is
clearly a controversial film which
instigates clashing opinions be-
tween people. Some insist that the
mere idea of “assassinating” the
Returning Singers Top the Charts
Continued from Page 11
their new record was propelled by
their emotional hit single “Call
Me when You’re Sober.”
Corbis
Amy Lee of Evanescence.
Of course, one cannot forget
about American Idol star Clay
Aiken, who has continued to
make use of his charming voice
in the album “A Thousand Differ-
Questions
BY STEPHANIE TAM
STAFF WRITER
Picking up the pieces
That were left behind
Drifting thoughts and memories
Was it worth the time?
Hostility and enmity
Were once some tiny specks
But nowadays it’s different
Why is the world a wreck?
It seems that all good things
Are bound to have an end
Why can’t we have a say in this?
Why can’t we make amends?
Spirit, faith, hope and courage
All reduced to rubble
Ruined pieces and waning strength
What caused all these troubles?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 A&E/LITERARY
current President is a completely
distasteful thought. They feel
that the film is encouraging the
notion and may even convince
someone to carrying it out. Oth-
ers argue that the film is only a
device to awaken people as to
what our world has become to-
day. In the end, however, the
best thing that the theater chains
can do is allow those who want to
see the film to get their chance. ◙
ent Ways.” He’s definitely not
“Invisible,” attaining #8 out of
200 albums in only the second
week of the record’s release. On a
side note, quite a few “American
Idol” singers are going to come
out with albums this fall. Fanta-
sia, Ruben Studdard, Kellie Pick-
ler, Taylor Hicks and Katharine
McPhee are all set to make debuts
soon.
With all these statistics being
thrown on the page, it begs the
question of where they exactly
came from. Billboard charts in-
corporate data from Nielson
SoundScan, which looks at sales
of about 90 percent of the coun-
try’s music merchants, including
stores and online sites. They also
look at radio stations to see how
often a song is played and how
many people listen to it at a time.
In other words, successful singers
need people to not only listen to
their voices, but buy them as
well. Fortunately, many of to-
day’s returning singers have
achieved just that. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
Company of Heroes
Continued from Page 10
they react with each other.
No game is complete without
great gameplay and an ingenious
concept, and “Company of He-
roes” rules here too. First off,
there are four styles of play: sin-
gle-player hands-on missions,
single-player skirmish, multi-
player skirmish, and multi-player
ranked matches. The single-
player hands-on missions are just
crazy. The scenarios are drawn
from real battles of World War II.
Also, every unit that survives one
game is saved for reuse in the
next one. In the multi-player ver-
sion, you can play with the com-
puter, but you also have the op-
tion of playing with other people.
Then, the best part of this is the
multi-player ranked matches. To
be fair, you cannot choose your
opponent. In this style of game-
play, however, your wins and
losses will be counted towards
your rank. The more wins you
have, the higher ranking you
have. Unfortunately, “Heroes”
just doesn’t have enough maps to
play on, and those that it does
have aren’t very dynamic.
The game contains a unique
style of gaining resources.
“Company of Heroes” requires
that you acquire special resource
points and keep those points to
continue gaining an income of
that particular resource. It may
seem pointless at first, but it re- cover behind things, like
quires a lot of strategy to both knocked-over telephone poles.
keep your points and to capture Also, you can garrison any army
new ones. The next unique aspect unit into any building in the city.
of the game’s concept is its Overall, “Company of He-
unique squad AI. All members of roes” receives a 9.9/10 in my
your army can think for them- book. I can’t wait to see an up-
selves. When faced with an en- coming game top this. ◙
emy, they automatically take
Leaving the Maze
BY MAGGIE HUANG
GUEST WRITER
I'm stopping here Shut off from the alternate
All possible outcomes I fear So my spirit falls to a pit
Where I feel so hopeless
Why can't there be an end to this? Anymore I can't stand it
Breaking out because nothing fit
Dead ends keep me Though I must start anew
I try but I can't flee The ambience is dark blue
You don't know my agony
Past my mask you can't see What I promised before
I did not do but hid more
No dream, no nightmare Repeat mistakes I will never
No way out so it seems Leaving this maze with you forever
Time has punctured its heart
But this life I scream to part I will find you at the end
Broken wounds I shall mend
Where I begun I follow No matter the length of this phase
Who cares for I am hollow I am leaving this maze.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, October 31, 2006 PUZZLES/SCIENCE Page 13

Sudoku Cryptogram
BY HEYU XIONG BY JEFFREY LIAW
STAFF PUZZLE CREATOR PUZZLE COLUMNIST
“TBLDIZ DT B TEIL EC OYBTT, PNZIZDR AZNEYUZIT UE OZRZIBYYQ
6 2 8 UDTGEJZI ZJZIQAEUQ’T CBGZ AXL LNZDI EPR.” – F. TPDCL

3 4 1 Last Week’s Solutions

Riddle
5 6 2 8 5 9 1 3 4 7
5 7 9 4 3 8 6 1 2 A man has 9 children born at perfect inter-
vals. He boasts that the sum of the squares
7 5 3 3 1 4 2 7 6 9 8 5 of each child’s age is the sum of his own.
8 4 1 9 2 3 5 7 6 How old is each?

7 1 2 2 3 7 6 5 4 8 9 1 Children= 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26

9 5 6 1 8 7 4 2 3 Father = 48

4 6 5 8 1 2 7 3 9 I have dropped a handball down a golf hole.

1 8 3 7 6 9 2 5 4 The hole fits the ball so that I cannot put my
fingers around it or lift it out with a stick/
2 6 7 9 2 3 4 5 1 6 8 wedge. All I have are heavy, unused text-
books , an unopened water bottle, two pens,
and five paperclips How would I save 1$
Cryptogram
9 4 7 and get the ball out?
Building tough cryptograms from familiar
words with conventional syntax presents Fill the hole with water so that the ball
7 5 vexatious obstacles. floats out.

BY VIVIAN CHAN
Halloween Word Search STAFF PUZZLE CREATOR

B L A C S O D B L A C K C A T Y U I O W Word Bank
S M R E E E T A L L U N X B L O O P T I
Black Cat
M O N S T E R S A K A L R S F G H O P T
Blood
D E M E A V P O N O S N M O W E T Y U C Candy Corn
O B V C L H F G E P P L T L C K D S F H Chocolate
Costumes
O E P A O J A K R E W K S E P Y P O A D Evil
L Z C J C K P U M P K I N H R M D A S W Ghost
Lanterns
B A W P O M O N S T E P S L A N C N P R Monsters
S T S O H G G H O P C A D N Y C S T A B Witches
C T E R C O S T U M E S M K L I V E H C

Breast Cancer Month Biotech Firm to Produce

BY DEVYN BUCKLEY
STAFF WRITER
You've done the walks, worn
the ribbons, or maybe you've seen
an infomercial, but you most
likely haven't really thought
tober is National Breast Cancer
awareness month and, consider-
ing that one fifth of the women in
Hypoallergenic Cats
America will develop breast can- BY PAUL ROZENBERG hypoallergenic.
cer at some point in their lives, it STAFF WRITER The company is working on
is hard to avoid being affected by producing cats with reduced lev-
Newsday

much about it. After all, it does-
n't impact your life directly. Oc-
it for long. els of FEL D 1, a protein found in
saliva and skin that triggers aller-
Continued on Page 15 gic reactions. In 2004, Allerca
attempted to use genetic engi-
Corbis

neering in order to stop produc-

A hypoallergenic cat.
Pet lovers who are allergic to
cats can now rejoice. Starting
2007, they will be able to buy
felines that will not cause an al-
lergic reaction. The San-Diego
based company Allerca has an-
nounced that it will sell kittens
Results of a digital mammography, with computer-aided diagnosis, seen in the com- for $3,950 that are completely
puter monitor.
tion of this protein by using
“gene silencing,” a technique that
would block production of the
chemical that causes allergies.
However, a lawsuit prompted the
firm to use more traditional meth-
ods.
A group of cats that they
were experimenting on had a
natural mutation that made them
allergy-free. By selectively
breeding cats, Allecra had a
group of kittens that did not pro-
duce the version of the allergic
FEL D 1 protein. “We tested the
protein they produced, and it ap-
peared that these cats produce it
Continued from Page
Page 14
Virtual World Gives People Unlimited Possibilities
BY SANGHEE CHUNG
STAFF WRITER
Philip Rosedale said, "Let
there be Second Life" and created
heaven and earth in his own vir-
tual world.
Second Life currently has
800,000 users who run a real full-
time life in this virtual world sell-
ing virtual land, clothes, and jew-
elry and offering virtual services
such as sex. People, in fact, actu-
ally pay real money to take part
in Rosedale's creation through the
Internet. Hundreds of thousands
of dollars are exchange daily and
it currently has an annual gross
domestic product of around $150
million. Rosedale forecasts that
the number of users will surpass
one million this year.
Rosedale also has his own
avatar, or character, in Second
Life. "I have to admit that I'm
vain, like all of us. Nowadays to
The Sony Reader is barely 5 inches by 7 inches by ½ an inch.
The E-book Platform:
An End to All Books?
BY MOTTAQUI AL-KARIM
STAFF WRITER
Everybody likes books. They
can be used as self-teaching
guides or as a form of enjoyment.
They warn us about the perils of
global warming and give us pro-
found insights into the human
nature. So why is Sony trying to
bring back the e-book? Well, the
“stuff” in books might be good,
but in general, books are incon-
venient. They are big and bulky,
do not fit into pockets, and cannot
be carried in mass numbers. Text-
books are heavy and often cannot
be carried in a backpack without
experiencing some sort of dis-
comfort. An e-book (and a plat-
form to carry these e-books)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SCIENCE
A headshot of Reuters correspondent Adam Pasick (left) as compared to an handout
image of Pasick’s Second Life avatar (right).
be Philip Linden (his online alter
ego) is to be a rock star," he told
the Associated Press.
Users can access a portal to
Second Life and can play it in
real time. The major difference
Engadget.com
would literally give the user a
digital library of books ranging
from textbooks to paperbacks. Of
course, such an elaborate contrap-
tion can be called wasteful and
unnecessary, but that argument
also applies to MP3 players,
which have amassed great popu-
larity over a short period of time.
Sony’s main reason for re-
turning to the already failed e-
book (Barnes & Noble and Palm
both got rid of their e-book sec-
tions in 2003) probably has to do
with what Apple did with MP3s.
Sony’s e-book platform, called
the Sony Reader, sells for $350
and comes with Sony Connect, an
iTunes for books. The prices of
Continued on Page 16
Reuters
between Second Life and World
of Warcraft and The Sims
Onlineis that the first is "not a
game." There are no goals or re-
strictions. Characters are free to
fly or breathe underwater and
The Nuclear Bomb: the
Biggest One of Them All
BY RICHARD SHYONG
STAFF WRITER
Archives.gov
The mushroom cloud of the atomic
bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945,
rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above
the hypocenter.
In light of recent reports that
North Korea has supposedly deto-
nated an atomic bomb, people are
often reminded of the fragile bal-
ance of life. All it would take,
theoretically, is for one country to
release an atomic bomb on an-
other country—then all hell
would break loose. It is the dom-
ino theory put into effect: one
country bombs another, and all
the other countries join in the
brouhaha. This is called MAD, or
Mutually Assured Destruction. It
is hard to believe that one small
bomb, weighing around four to
five tons, could eventually bring
the world to its knees. In times
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
never age or die. They can also
change their appearance to be as
appealing the graphics will allow
them to be.
"The generative idea was that
it was a place where you could
create things," Rosedale said.
However, to be able to have a
permanent place and build a vir-
tual home, users must pay $10 a
month to own 500 virtual square
meters. Users are allowed to cre-
ate their own designs and build-
ings that would be impossible in
the real world.
Many scholars and compa-
nies are using Second Life as a
means of modeling real world
problems and hypothetical situa-
tions, such as the distribution of
aid after a disaster and the effi-
ciency of a building layout.
Second Life has its flaws,
however. One of its servers was
Continued on Page 15
such as this, it wouldn’t hurt to
learn more about the atomic
bomb, the “godfather” of all
bombs.
The history of the atomic
bomb is rather short. Invented by
the Americans (Codename Man-
hattan Project) in 1945, it was
used only twice in all of history,
both times against Japan in 1945.
Shortly after, in 1949, the Soviets
developed their own atomic
bomb, causing the Cold War to
break out. Each side, wanting to
become the dominant world
power, continued to buildup its
own stockpile. By the mid-1950s,
both sides eventually created the
hydrogen bomb, a bomb a thou-
sand times more powerful than
the atomic bomb. As the century
progressed, four other countries,
United Kingdom, France, China,
and possibly India, had all devel-
oped their own atomic bombs.
Finally realizing the threat nu-
clear weapons would bring, the
Nuclear Proliferation Act was
passed to prevent the further
spread of nuclear technology.
This would be the first and only
attempt to slow down nuclear
growth and would prove rather
ineffective.
Nuclear technology is an
advanced science. There are two
types of nuclear weapons. The
first are types that explode
through nuclear fission alone.
Such bombs contain a mass of
fissile material, usually pluto-
Continued on Page 16
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Biotech Firm to Produce
Hypoallergenic Cats
Continued from Page 13
National Geographic
A hypoallergenic cat created by Alle-
cra, a biotechnology based in San
Diego, California.
at a different molecular weight,”
says Allerca founder Simon Bro-
die.
Many specialists are very
skeptical about the prospects of
this breed. Robert Wood, direc-
tor of Pediatric Allergy and Im-
munology at the John Hopkins
School of Medicine, said that
“individual sensitivity varies well
Continued from Page 13
Sabina Ellentuck provides a
firsthand experience of the fight
against breast cancer and what
happens when it takes a swan
dive into your life. Like many
other women, Sabina first noticed
the possibility of breast cancer
when she detected a lump in Au-
gust of last year. “By December I
noticed that it had grown larger. I
could feel the lump, but it didn't
show up in the mammogram, only
the sonogram. My doctor told me
not to worry because I did not
show the characteristics of breast
cancer. But I pushed for a biopsy
and a week later I got the call that
it is malignant cancer in the first
stage.”
Mammograms are a type of
imaging that use a low-dose X-
ray system, while sonograms use
high-frequency sound waves to
form images of tissues.
Sabina was lucky to have
caught the cancer in the first
stage and argues that the discov-
ery of her cancer was largely due
to her initiative and involvement
in the detection. For most
women, the discovery and eradi-
cation of the cancer in the early
stages is dependent on the self-
involvement and level of interest
of the individual.
Mammograms sometimes fail
to detect certain types of cancers.
Most often, cancer is first discov-
ered by a ph ysical self-
examination. Although it was
shocking and frightening for both
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SCIENCE
over a hundred-fold”, and breed-
ing “may not reduce FEL D 1
enough to protect the most sensi-
tive people.” A protein released
by cats, called albumin, can cause
reactions in ten percent of people
with cat allergies.
For those that are unwilling
to pay $3,950 for a cat, there is
another option. The Siberian
breed is available for around
$700 each. These cats, which
have been available in the U.S.
since the early 1990s, have natu-
rally low levels of chemicals that
cause allergies. Jay Collins, a
breeder of Siberians from Port-
land, says that his cats are not
completely foolproof either:
“There’s not as much allergic
reaction as it would be with a
regular cat, but some people still
react.” So while a huge advance-
ment in science has been made,
there is still a long way to go. ◙
A Story About Breast Cancer
Sabina and her family members,
they are relieved by the positive
result of the treatment. Sabina
had caught the cancer in an early
stage, as many women do, and
took an active role in ensuring
that the process of removing her
cancer was begun right away.
“They first gave me a lumpec-
tomy and removed the cancer by
(left) Dripping container of cancer chemical medication. (right) A woman with
head covered to keep her warm receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer
surgery. After the surgery, I be-
gan chemotherapy.”
Chemotherapy is a process in
which the patient is given an in-
travenous drip with chemicals to
fight the cancer. Sometimes nutri-
tional supplements to build lost
immunity are inserted into the
An in-game screenshot of Second Life is seen in an undated handout image from
Linden Lab.
Virtual World Gives People
Unlimited Possibilities
Continued from Page 14
recently hacked, which could
potentially expose users' private
information. There are also har-
assments occurring within the
game although disciplinary ac-
tions are taken against violaters.
For users under the age of 18,
drip, along with medicines to
relieve the effect of nausea
caused by chemotherapy. “I had a
great doctor who believed in free-
ing me from the nausea. I did not
experience it at all . . . It was very
comfortable and relaxed there.
They had Lazy Boy chairs you
could lie in and I was offered
green tea while they played soft
Corbis
music. It was like visiting some-
one’s house.”
An important aspect of can-
cer recovery is a positive attitude
and stress relief. Stress is known
to be a cancer promoter. Sabina
adds that it is important to have a
good doctor. She describes her
Page 15
Reuters
there is a Teen Second Life.
Teens in this world also have
essentially the same capabilities
of interaction and creation and
the same "tools and resources to
build your own vision of a better
world." ◙
doctor, Dr. Mitch Gaynor, as a
practitioner whose methods are a
“combination of Eastern and
Western medicine. He performs
procedures such as chemo and
radiation and prescribes pills for
me, as well as things such as
sound therapy, meditation and
yoga.” Before her chemotherapy,
her doctor used visual imagery
called the “Golden Fluid” to give
Sabina a positive and optimistic
attitude about chemotherapy.
Having a positive attitude is
known to be a crucial factor in
recovery.
After a long struggle, and
much help from family members,
Sabina has concluded her treat-
ments and freed herself of cancer.
For a lot of women, this is the
end result. But it is critical to
stay alert for lumps, and receive a
mammogram once a year after
age 40, as risk begins to increase
with age. Many studies are being
conducted on the cause and treat-
ment of breast cancer. It has been
discovered that certain products
such as lotions and deodorants
contain parabens, which promote
cancer cell development and
should be avoided. It is important
to eat healthy foods, and stay
alert for signs, to prevent and stop
the development of breast cancer.
You can aid the fight against
breast cancer by contributing to
charities. Your money saves
lives. Who knows — you may
end up saving the lives of people
you know. ◙
Page 16 Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SCIENCE THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Corbis
The E-book Platform: An End
to All Books?
Continued from Page 14 tic are millions of transparent
microscopic spheres of liquid.
Inside these spheres are tiny
black and white “particles.”
When certain electrical charges
are applied to this plastic-liquid
sphere complex, black or white
particles rise to the top of the
spheres (this depends on the
amount and nature of charge ap-
plied). This results in a crisp, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviewing an honor guard with South Korean
clear image which looks like ink Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon at Seoul International Airport. Abe is visiting Seoul
on light gray paper. In fact, the amid reports from North Korea that it conducted a nuclear bomb test earlier in the
black and white particles are so day.
close to the plastic, it looks as if
Comicon

the words are actually printed on

The Sony Reader is Manga friendly.
books vary in the way hard cover
and paperback books’ prices vary
in normal book stores, with hard-
covers being more expensive.
The Sony Reader is barely 5
inches by 7 inches (width and
length respectively, just about an
inch taller than the conventional
paperback), ½ an inch thick, and
bound in a leather casing, with a
flap that opens to the screen.
The pages can be turned one at a
time or skipped by 10% of the
book. There is also a book mark
function which allows the Reader
If the e-book industry survives to expand
and continue over the years, we could all
eventually witness an expansion in the
book industry, similar to what has been
going on in the MP3 industry.
to save certain pages. The
Reader supports 7500 “page-
turns” on one battery charge. The
battery can be recharged from a
computer’s U.S.B port or using
the AC adaptor.
Aside from books, the
Reader can also display black and
white images and play unpro-
tected MP3 or AAC files. The
Reader also supports PDF, JPEG,
and Word documents. Its stor-
age, which is a mere 64 mega-
bytes, can hold about 80 books.
It contains a microSD slot which
can be used to expand this mem-
ory. The microSD card is one of
the two ways to insert e-books,
photos, and music into the
Reader. Another way to transfer
media into the Reader is by using
the U.S.B port on a computer.
The real eye-opener in the
Reader, however, is the screen.
The 6 inch screen utilizes a tech-
nology called E ink. On the
screen, in between layers of plas-
the screen. Best of all, the
Reader does not consume energy
to keep the words printed on the
screen. Energy is used only to
facilitate “page-turns.” Thus, the
Reader never has to be turned off.
The Sony Reader, however,
is not the only e-book platform
out there. Amazon is rumored to
be starting up an e-book store and
platform, according to bloggers.
In addition, iRex Technologies
has an experimental e-book plat-
form, called iLiad, a “work in
progress,” which boasts a bigger
screen than the Reader, more disk
space, and an interactive touch
screen which allows the users to
take and save notes on it with a
stylus. The iRex iLiad goes for
$700, which is twice as much as
the Reader.
Thus, books still hold the
day, and they will continue to do
so, until the prices of these new
e-book book platforms are low-
ered. As of right now, these plat-
forms are too expensive for the
mainstream consumer. However,
they are a step closer to a future
that boasts more efficient ways to
access information, ways that are
not bulky or damaging to trees.
If the e-book industry survives to
expand and continue over the
years, we could all eventually
witness an expansion in the book
industry, similar to what has been
going on in the MP3 industry.
Till then, books will have to be
the way to go. ◙
The Nuclear Bomb: the Biggest
One of Them All
Continued from Page 14
nium of uranium, which are gath-
ered into a supercritical mass
(mass needed to achieve an expo-
nentially growing chain reaction).
When this happens, the neutrons
begin to interact, and a reaction
begins to occur. The second type,
fusion reaction, is the basis of all
hydrogen bombs. A small fission
bomb is detonated next to a com-
partment of fusion fuel, heating a
capsule of tritium, deuterium, or
lithium deuteride, which starts a
fusion chain reaction. The com-
ponents of the fusion bomb are
known as “stages.” Thus, the fis-
sion bomb starts out as the first
stage, and culminates in the last
stage of fusion reaction. By com-
bining numerous stages together
with increasing amounts of fusion
fuel, an extraordinary large yield
can be created. In fact, the largest
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
WWW.STUYSTANDARD.ORG
bomb explosion ever made, cre-
ated by the Soviets, was put at 50
million tons of TNT, compared to
the bomb that took out Hi-
roshima, which came in at only
16 thousand tons of TNT!
Fission and fusion technol-
ogy is a very closely guarded
secret. Even today, the outline of
an atomic bomb is speculation at
best. Judging by the amount of
damage a bomb of that size can
create, it is actually a necessity
for such secrecy. That is the rea-
son why today, many countries
are seeking sanctions against
North Korea. Even if the whole
world does not pitch in and start
launching atomic bombs left and
right, North Korea alone can
cause enough damage to put the
world on hold. Earth has at least a
few million years left, and let’s
make the most out of it. ◙
Your School,
Your World,
Your News
Are all just a
short click
away.
Come visit
Our new
website.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Peglegs Split Homecoming
Continued from Page 20
Stuyvesant great field position,
leading to another score. At the
half, the score was 14-0 in favor
of Stuyvesant. The Peglegs were
dominating so far, and it felt good
to be a Stuyvesant fan. The Stuy-
vesant Pep Band, led by Dr.
Gregory Winkel, played marches
and popular songs to help cele-
brate and keep the drive.
It was time for the cheerlead-
ers to take the field. They did
their repertoire, entertaining the
crowds and players with their
dance moves and high-flying
leaps. The sound system had
some problems, but that did not
stop the spirited cheerleaders
from putting on a good show.
After the cheerleaders, the Pep
Band went through their own
repertoire of songs, such as Cele-
brate A Celebration and Activity
march. There was, unfortunately,
some animosity shown towards
the band: three eggs and a water
bottle were thrown at them from
the direction of the apartment
buildings nearby. One egg hit a
stand, and some came danger-
The Yankees Off Season
Continued from Page 20
would be a huge mistake. There
will be so much media attention
when Rodriguez is closing in on
Hank Aaron’s home run record
(which he is on pace to break) as
well as setting records for hits,
RBI’s and runs. In addition to
the media attention, sell-outs in
the new Yankee Stadium will
generate a lot of money. Even
more, a New York Yankee will
be on top of the record books
again. The Yankees should treat
A-Rod like nothing is wrong,
because that will help his fragile
state of mind.
The player who must be
traded is Carl Pavano, who, after
being signed to a huge five-year,
$50 million contract two years
ago, has given the Yankees only
three wins, which comes out to
$7 million per win. His injury
problems are not acceptable, and
the Yankees need to trade him for
a role player or maybe even a
minor leaguer. There is no way
that he can help the team.
The tragic death of Cory
Lidle was a shock to the baseball
world, and a devastating blow to
the Yankees’ starting rotation.
Lidle and Jaret Wright split time
being the number 5 starter after
the trade deadline. Wright should
be put in the bullpen and used as
a set-up man because of his ten-
dency to pitch better in his first
few innings. The Yankees will
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SPORTS Page 17
ously close to hitting students.
Junior Major Yang, a trumpet
player, said that “The band didn't
sound too good, so maybe it was
us . . . but seriously, it was a dan-
gerous thing to do. Some people
even got hit by the eggs, and one
girl got it in her hair. We had to
move around after that.” Security
and Principal Teitel were noti-
fied, but the culprits were not
caught.
Half-time ended, and the
game resumed. This time, Steven-
son seemed to be the one doing
well. They managed to score a
touchdown on a long pass over
the middle, and the score soon
became 14-8. With under two
minutes remaining, Stevenson
was able to get the ball back and
try for the tying score. They
drove to the Stuyvesant 30, when
a key sack and fumble recovery
by Khrisendat Persaud finished
the game. Stuyvesant moved to 3-
3 with the win, closing in on their
first winning season in a long
time. ◙
have to look in the free agent
market for pitchers, and three
people who are sure to be offered
contracts are Barry Zito, Jason
Schmidt and maybe even Jeff
Suppan. Acquiring Zito or
Schmidt would make Randy
Johnson the fourth starter. The
fifth spot could be taken by Jeff
Karstens or maybe even Phillip
Hughes, who has been in the
Yankees farm system for 3 years
now and has electric stuff. Either
of these two would make the rota-
tion as dominant as the Yankees
offense of last year.
The Yankees’ bullpen does-
n’t need much work, especially if
Wright is added. Injured pitchers
Octavio Dotel and Tanyon
Strutze are coming back, and with
the emergence of Brain Bruney,
the consistency of Scott Procter,
the specialty of Mike Myers, the
overpowering stuff of Kyle
Farnsworth, and the amazing
Mariano Rivera, that bullpen is
arguably the best in the majors.
The Yankees won’t have an
easy task this off-season, but with
the signing of a big name starter
and not trading away their run-
scoring machines, they can make
their team even better, and show
the world what two hundred mil-
lion dollars can do. ◙
Photos of Homecoming Courtesy of Yana
Genem, Eric Mayo, and Richard Mai.
Page 18
2006 - 2007 NBA Preview
Continued from Page 20
involved in an incident outside of
a strip club along with three other
Pacers and was charged with fel-
ony, criminal recklessness and
two counts of misdemeanor bat-
tery and disorderly conduct.
However, despite the question-
able status of Jackson, the Pacers
will still look good this season,
All-Star forward Jermaine O’Neal
got some much-needed support
with the reacquisition of former
Pacer Al Harrington. Harrington
should pitch in close to 20 points
and 8 rebounds a game. The last
of the teams that make up this
tough division is the Chicago
Bulls. The Bulls should expect a
better result than their first-round
playoff loss last year, with the
acquirement of Ben Wallace, the
former Piston. Along with Wal-
lace, young guns Kirk Hinrich,
Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni
should lead the Bulls to a very
strong season.
The Southeast division, just
like the Atlantic, should be an-
other no-brainer. The 2006 NBA
champion Miami Heat will once
again win the division, and are
probably a good bet to win the
whole conference. Unless either
Dwyane Wade or Shaquille
O’Neal suffers from injuries, look
for the Heat to cruise through the
regular season. The only other
decent team in the division is the
THE SPORTS BEAT
A-Rod is What?
Continued from Page 19
the article, their definition of
worth becomes vastly different
from my own. Stephen Walters,
of Loyola College in Maryland, is
a leading researcher in baseball
economics. He’s published nu-
merous studies on baseball eco-
nomics, and his latest study con-
cludes A-Rod is indeed under-
Simply put, "A-Rod
is certainly gener-
ating more than
$25 million in an-
nual revenues to
the Yankees.
paid.
Simply put, “A-Rod is cer-
tainly generating more than $25
million in annual revenues to the
Yankees,” said Walters. If you
think about it, it makes sense. A-
Rod jerseys. A-Rod bobble-head
dolls. A-Rod life-size cardboard
cutouts, one of which I do own.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SPORTS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
drei Kirilenko, the Jazz will be sell and Cuttino Mobley. Their
struggling to even make it into
the playoffs.
crosstown rival, the Lakers,
should be one of the lower three
Washington Wizards. They will
The Pacific division will seeds in the playoffs and will
definitely make the playoffs, but
have at least three out its five probably get knocked out in the
don’t look for them to go far.
teams making the playoffs again, first round again. No matter how
Now, let’s swing over to the
but only one of them will really many 81-point games Kobe Bry-
overall stronger of the two con-
have a chance at a championship ant has, his team won’t be going
ferences, the Western Confer-
— the Phoenix Suns. Two-time anywhere unless he gets more
ence. In the Northwest division,
reigning MVP Steve Nash along- assistance from his teammates.
the Denver Nuggets will win an-
Last, but absolutely not least,
comes the Southwest division.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson
The top two teams in the division,
the 2005 NBA Champion San
Antonio Spurs and the 2006
Western Conference champs, the
Dallas Mavericks, will both be
looking for the championship
they missed out on last year. The
Mavericks, who were one game
away from winning the champi-
onship, will have another great
season. With young players Josh
Howard and Devin Harris im-
proving their game, they should
give much more help to Jason
Terry, Erick Dampier and super-
star Dirk Nowitzki. The Spurs
should have a better season than
last year, given that all three of
Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. their stars can stay healthy. A
team that is looking to bounce
other division championship back this year is the Houston
side MVP candidate Shawn
fairly easily. If they can keep Rockets. With star players Tracy
Marion should get a huge boost
Carmelo Anthony, Andre Miller, McGrady and Yao Ming both
from the return of all-star Amare
Kenyon Martin and Marcus suffering from injuries last year,
Stoudemire, who played only
Camby healthy, they should win the Rockets placed last in the
three games last season while
at least one round in the playoffs, division. If T-Mac and Yao don’t
being plagued by knee injuries.
maybe more. The other team get hurt, look for them to return
The Los Angeles Clippers should
worth mentioning is the Utah to the playoffs. ◙
put in another strong season, be-
Jazz. With no other players to
ing led by Elton Brand, Sam Cas-
really support Mr. Do-It-All An-
His merchandising power is in-
credible. So incredible, in fact,
that when negotiating this mon-
strous contract, A-Rod wanted a
merchandising tent solely dedi-
cated to him.
Which athletes, then, are the
moneymakers? In the NBA, the
honor belongs to Lebron James
and Dwayne Wade. Both sell
shoes, jerseys, and put people in
their respective arenas. In the
NFL, Peyton Manning and Mi-
chael Vick are probably the most
marketable athletes. Finally, in
baseball, Albert Pujols and David
Ortiz are making the most money
for their clubs.
So is A-Rod underpaid? It’s
hard to say that you’re underpaid
when you’re the most expensive
athlete in professional sports and
you go missing when it counts.
A-Rod deserves one more chance
as a Yankee, because his trade
value would be far below what he
could be worth if he gets a grip
on his mental state. What he does
with that chance is up to him. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SPORTS Page 19
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
OCTOBER 30 OCTOBER 31 NOVEMBER 1 NOVEMBER 2 NOVEMBER 3 NOVEMBER 4 NOVEMBER 5
Fencing Boys Boys Bowling Girls Bowling Girls Bowling Cross-Country
Vs. Laguardia vs. Chelsea vs. Murry Bergtraum vs. University Neighbor- PSAL
@ Laguardia @ Leisure Time Recrea- @ Leisure Time Recrea- hood Soph-Frosh Champion-
4:00 PM tion 4 tion 2 @ Leisure Time Recrea- ship
4:00 PM 4:00 PM tion 10 @ Van Cortlandt Park
JV 4:00 PM
Fencing Boys Boys Fencing vs. Automotive
Vs. Hunter vs. HS of Art and Design @Brooklyn Tech Field
@ Stuy @HS of Art and Design 2:00 PM
4:00 PM 4:00 PM

vs. Murry Bergtraum JV

@HS for Humanities vs. Murry Bergtraum
4:30 PM @Murry Bergtraum
5:30 PM

JV vs Dewitt Clinton
vs. Washington Irving
@Dewitt Clinton
@Stuy
4:30 PM
5:30 PM

vs. John F. Kennedy

@ Brooklyn Tech Field
12:00 PM

NOVEMBER 6 NOVEMBER 7 NOVEMBER 8 NOVEMBER 9 NOVEMBER 10 NOVEMBER 11 NOVEMBER 12

Boys Fencing JV Cross-Country Girls Bowling
vs. Millenium HS Varsity and Junior Varsity
JV
@Stuy Championships
4:30 PM @ Van Cortlandt Park

vs. Murry Bergtraum

@Murry Bergtraum
5:30 PM

vs. Flushing
vs. Alfred E. Smith @ Flushing Memorial
@Alfred E Smith HS Field Field
11:00 AM 11:00 AM

THE SPORTS BEAT

Another Losing Season
for the Yankees A-Rod is What?
BY ERIC MAYO blamed. Four World Series rings
STAFF WRITER usually take you off the hook. No,
BY HESHAM SALEH Tigers started it early, with Mag- the blame must be placed solely
epochtimes.com

STAFF WRITER glio Ordonez homering in the on the shoulders of A-Rod.

With the Yankees and the
Mets in the playoffs, New York-
ers expected that there would be
another Subway Series. However,
the Mets went farther then the
Yankees did. In fact, it has been
six years since the Bronx Bomb-
ers won the World Series. It
seems that the Yankees are inca-
pable of winning, although they
have made the playoffs every
year. This year, they lost to the
Detroit Tigers in the American
League Division Series.
In the five-game series, the
Yankees lost 3-1. Though they
started the playoffs in the right
way, with an 8-4 win in Game 1,
that was their only win. Game 2
was close, but the Tigers man-
aged to win it, 4-3. The Tigers
blew out the Yankees in Game 3,
with a score of 6-0.
Game 4 was held on October
7 in Detroit. This was a crucial
game for the Yankees. If they
lost, they would be eliminated,
and if they won, they would go
on to a deciding Game 5. The
second inning. By the seventh
inning, the game looked as if it
were already over, with the Ti-
gers leading 8-0. In the seventh
inning, however, Derek Jeter
scored off Hideki Matsui’s RBI
ground out. In the ninth inning,
Jorge Posada had a two-run home
run, to make the score 8-3. Unfor-
tunately, the Yankees’ effort
came up short. Although they
were unsuccessful in the playoffs,
the Yankees’ season was not a
complete failure. They managed
to finish first in the AL East Divi-
sion, with a record of 97-65. Fur-
thermore, the Yankees’ young
players stepped up big throughout
the season. Chien-Ming Wang,
for example, had an amazing sea-
son, tying for most wins in the
league, with 19. ◙
A-Rod is certainly generating more
than $25 million in annual revenues to
the Yankees," said Walters.
The agony of another Yan-
kees defeat was just beginning to
set in last Sunday afternoon. Hu-
miliated in four straight games by
the ice-cold Tigers, the blame
needed to be placed somewhere.
Joe Torre couldn’t possibly be
Yes, he wasn’t the only one
who forgot how to hit during
those four days. However, he
suddenly seems to have forgetten
how to hit in October, and now
the stats show a consistent pat-
tern. This postseason he was 1 for
14, good for a .071 average. Last
year against the Angels he was 2
for 15, an unimpressive .133. The
year before against Boston he
batted a respectable .258, but he
disappeared for the four biggest
games.
Needless to say, it surprised
me greatly when I found an arti-
cle saying A-Rod is underpaid.
No one making $26 million
(That’s $160,000 a game, ap-
proximately $6000 per out) is
underpaid. Underpaid players are
guys on the other side of town,
like Jose Reyes and David
Wright. Both made rookie mini-
mums this year, yet both come
through when the Mets need them
to.
However, reading farther into
Continued on Page 18
Page 20 Tuesday, October 31, 2006 SPORTS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Peglegs Split Homecoming

BY RICHARD MAI always a sight to see when the
STAFF WRITER teams’ 40 and more players lie
For many Stuyvesant Pegleg down on the field and do
fans, it may have initially been stretches together: an army of
another feeling of fleeting hope blue getting ready for the fight.
and disappointment when the Afterward, the team ran some
varsity football team took the drills, catching, throwing and
field during homecoming on Oc- passing the football. They looked
tober 15. The junior varsity team excited and confident — a good
had just gotten blown out 22-0 sign. Then, came game time. The
against Harry S. Truman, and players thumped their pads and
with varsity having lost at home- roared. They were pumped.
coming two of the last three

TSS/Yana Genem
years, there certainly were some
foreboding clouds. However,
even that did not deter the flocks
of loyal Stuyvesant fans who had
come to cheer for their team. The
Stuyvesant Parents Association
was there to help sell snacks and
merchandise, and organize the
event. The stands were still occu- The Stuyvesant Peglegs huddle before
pied with students in blue, white the game.
and red, showing their school
spirit. The sun was bright and the The game started out with
air crisp and filled with excite- Stuyvesant on offense, but be-
ment. cause of a fumble on the kickoff,
New varsity coach Brian Stuyvesant started inside their
Sacks has brought a new playing own 5. Soon after, Stuyvesant
style to the team this year and it started getting into the game and
has shown improvements in their scored the first touchdown of the
performance. Last year, the team game. The score was 7-0. Steven-
went 1-8 the entire season with son returned the ensuing kickoff,
the one win being a forfeit, and and started marching back down
entering the game this time the field. A crucial interception
against Adlai Stevenson, they by senior cornerback Nicholas
have already won more games
than they did last year, with a
Goldin (one of two on the day)
foiled an early Stevenson attempt
2006 - 2007 NBA Preview
record of 2-3. The Peglegs started at scoring. A fumbled punt near BY JASON SU kings of New York this season,
off with some running and the end of the first quarter gave STAFF WRITER and probably will be for the fore-
stretches. For a spectator, it is seeable future. The Nets’ big
Corbis/Rhona Wise

Continued on Page 17 threesome of Jason Kidd, Richard

Jefferson and Vince Carter will
have an easy path to yet another
The Yankees Off Season Atlantic division championship.
As for the Knicks, they should do
BY ZAKHAR SHTULBERG 2004, being up 3-0 and losing the a little better than last season; it’s
STAFF WRITER series. The Bronx Bombers had a nearly impossible to do worse!
very exciting regular season full Instead of 23 wins like last year,
Corbis/Charles W. Luzier

of ups and downs, where as the
postseason was just down. The
off-season is here now for them
and they should start thinking
about how they can improve.
The Yankees already made a
good decision in not firing Joe
Torre. People can argue that
Derek Jeter is the heart and soul
of the Yankees, but he’s just
Torre’s right hand man. So no
matter what else happens, at least
Joe Torre will be leading the team
next year.
A potential bad decision for
the Yankees is trading away Alex
Rodriguez. His performance dur-
Carl Pavano’s injury problems are not
ing the postseason was horrid, as
acceptable, giving the Yankees only 3
well as his inconsistent play in
wins.
the middle of the year. Despite
The New York Yankees’ his periodic troubles, he still led
early exit this postseason is one the team in RBI’s and was second
of the biggest disappointments in on the team in homers with 35.
recent baseball history. It’s hard He was the most productive hitter
to say that this was worse than in the lineup, and trading him
their choke against Boston in
Continued on Page 17
New Jersey Nets’ star Jason Kidd in a
game against the Miami Heat earlier
in 2006.
As the 2006-2007 NBA regu-
lar season steadily approaches,
we’re all hoping for good things
from our favorite teams. You
shouldn’t expect any huge sur-
prises. For the most part, the
good will stay good, and the bad
will stay bad.
We’ll start in the Eastern
Conference’s Atlantic division,
home of the native New York
Knicks and New Jersey (or
should I say Brooklyn?) Nets.
The Nets will be the basketball
all you diehard Knicks fans can
hope for maybe 30 wins. T h i n g s
will start to get tighter in the Cen-
tral division. Out of the five
teams in the division, four of
them are very strong playoff con-
tenders. The Detroit Pistons will
probably lose their throne this
year after suffering the loss of
perennial all-star Ben Wallace.
They are really going to miss his
intimidating presence on the de-
fensive end. The Cleveland Cava-
liers should be right in the mix
riding on the shoulders of phe-
nom LeBron James. But, if they
are looking for a championship,
King James will need some scor-
ing support from teammates such
as Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry
Hughes and Drew Gooden. The
Indiana Pacers are getting more
publicity, just not for the right
reason. Recently, bad-boy shoot-
ing guard Stephen Jackson was
Continued on Page 18