TO THE COMMUNITIES OF STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY

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

“Your School, Your World—Your News” 
Volume V, Issue 16 April 26, 2006 Free
Dear Spectator and the entire Stuyvesant Community:
Re: The need for school wide harmony
Arista Elections:
In recent weeks, there have been aggressive acts committed by The
Spectator and directed towards The Stuyvesant Standard. At the Open
Results of Hard
House for incoming students, The Spectator took copies of our news-
paper and put cross-outs all over the front cover and hung them up.
Then, they had people stand in front of The Standard’s table to shout
Campaigning
for their own paper. A few weeks later, we decided to hold recruit-
BY ANNA GINZBURG sen by the executive council be-
ments. We hung posters and signs around the school. However, these
STAFF WRITER fore the elections. These nineteen
posters were torn down and written on. For example, one large poster
hopeful students had three days to
placed near the two to four escalator had the word, “Standard,” crossed On Wednesday, April 12, the
campaign for the six available
out and the word, “joke,” was written underneath. Also, between 5th annual Arista elections were held
positions.
and 9th period five signs within two floors of each other disappeared. for positions on the Arista Execu-
The elections were a much-
Next, when The Spectator held recruitments, they mocked The Stan- tive Committee. It was the first
awaited day for those running.
dard on their recruitment posters, with slogans such as, “Standard get- full meeting for the inductee
Some members chose to sleep
ting you down / Tired of the Standard? Join a Real Newspaper,” and members.
through the elections while others
“Stuyvesant’s only official newspaper.” All week, students noticed
listened attentively to what the
Throughout all these attacks on us, we have acted with the utmost the neon green, pink, orange and
candidates had to say.
politeness and have not retaliated. However, these attacks have yellow signs adorned with things
Each candidate for Vice
reached a point where we feel an end must be reached. The Standard such as “vote Kat and Fish,”
President of Administration, Vice
understands that it and The Spectator sometimes cover the same news. “vote Anna and Maria,” “vote
President of Tutoring, Vice Presi-
Nevertheless, this does not mean there should be conflict. Each paper John and Sonny,” or even the gi-
dent of Service Events, and Junior
has its own individual aim. The Spectator concentrates on Stuyvesant ant “i” which reminded Arista
Representative had three minutes
High School, while The Standard covers school events, but also fo- members to vote for Iris Wong.
to make a speech. Each position
cuses on out of school events and servicing the local community. These posters were hung up by
Moreover, Stuyvesant High School is a large and diverse school the candidates who had been cho- Continued on Page 5
that can and does support many sports and academic teams, as well as
many clubs. Why, then, can it not support two newspapers? Stuyvesant
High School needs harmony, and with two rival newspapers, this will
never be accomplished.
Immigration Causes
To solve this issue, The Standard asks that The Spectator stops its
attacks against us. We also believe its staff members, and especially its
editors should concentrate on their own newspaper instead of mocking
A Stir
others. Most importantly, we ask to be treated with politeness. In the
future, The Standard and The Spectator should be able to work on BY SYLVIA ABDULLAH immigrants.” This statement re-
joint articles or projects. As for the school body, we ask that there be STAFF WRITER flects a bill that the House of
stricter rules regarding posters, so that no posters are negative towards Representatives passed in Decem-
Democratic Representative
other student groups. We also believe that there should be guidelines ber 2005 called HR 4437 that
Hilda Solis of California claims
set so that students cannot remove other students’ posters and signs. gave criminal status to illegal
that “the Republican Party has
Only healthy competition can lead to a better situation in the end. This immigrants. Sponsored by Repre-
steadily built up its assault on
will lead to a harmonious setting at Stuyvesant High School, which Continued on Page 5
will better the community as a whole.
- The Stuyvesant Standard Executive Leadership Team
Newsday Photo/ Moises Saman

Protestors march through New York City as they rally in opposition to a proposed
immigration bill.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

--------------
News...........................2-7
Business......................9-10
Opinions.....................9-11
Dedications for Ms. Beiring are on page 8 Literary.......................11-12
Puzzles..............................12
Science……………….......13-15
Arts & Entertainment........15-18
Sports................................18-20
Page 2 April 26, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD  French Withdraws

 
Founded 2001
Disputed Labor Laws
 
BY SANGHEE CHUNG were allowed to fire young work-
  STAFF WRITER ers without reason within two
“Your School, Your World—Your News”  years of employment.
On April 10, the French gov- The law was cancelled by
ernment withdrew the disputed
President Jacques Chirac to end
Executive Leadership Team youth labor law due to public op- weeks of major protests and
position and demonstrations. strikes. The protests shut down
DR. JOHN NIKOL FACULTY ADVISER The job contract “is dead and schools, hurt the economy, and
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF buried,” said Jean-Claude Mailly
DEREK WENG MANAGING EDITOR caused violence among citizens.
KHOI NGUYEN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
of the Workers Force union. “Under the proposal of the prime
FANNY TANG LAYOUT EDITOR Prime Minister Dominique de minister and after having heard
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF Villepin stated that the law was a the presidents of the parliamen-
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR means of liberating and moderniz-
PRISCILLA MELO OPINIONS EDITOR tary groups and the officials of
DEREK WENG ACTING OPINIONS EDITOR ing France’s slow labor market. It the parliamentary majority, the
EMMA RABINOVICH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR was proposed to help employers president of the Republic has de-
ERIC MAYO SPORTS EDITOR hire young workers on a trial ba-
JOSEPH KRUTOV SCIENCE EDITOR cided to replace Article 8 of the
sis. He sought a “better balance
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR law on equality of opportunities
LADA KUKUY LITERARY EDITOR between more flexibility for the by a mechanism in favor of the
HENRY ZHANG WEBMASTER employer and more security for professional integration of young
DANNY ZHU ACTING WEBMASTER workers.” However, companies
HENRY ZHANG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
BENNETT HONG ACTING DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM Continued on Page 4
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER

AP/Peter Dejong
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS

Publication
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-
out the adjoining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD welcomes letters from its readers.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD reserves the right to edit any published mate-
rial. The viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of
the Standard staff.

Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Contact Us
Please direct all correspondence to:
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
345 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10282-1000
French police form a line opposite youths during a demonstration in Paris.
readers@stuystandard.org
Find us on the web at www.stuystandard.org

Advertising The Bar: The New Fad

BY ARTHUR WEI, JESSE ZHANG, The Bar started out as a
If you would like to advertise in THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, please e-mail MOHAMMED CHOWDHURY dream of Baccalaureate School
advertising@stuystandard.org to request an advertisement form. We offer GUEST WRITERS for Global Education (BSGE)
a broad range of options including full color capability for your advertis- student Mike Ursu. The idea was
ing needs. There was Xanga, MySpace,
introduced to Jesse Zhang by Ar-
and Sconex, but here comes
thur Wei, two Stuyvesant fresh-
Subscription something much more: The Bar.
The Bar is a place for high school
men. Zhang made the dream a
reality about a month and a half
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ago. Since then, The Bar has
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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD grown to over 80 users and over
functional. The main site has
SUBSCRIBE TODAY 5000 forum posts.
many features, with more coming
1 YEAR — $15 The Bar’s main site was de-
every day. What makes The Bar
signed by Zhang. It contains a
Delivery Information different from Xanga, MySpace,
calendar, an article section, a pic-
Name:______________________________________________ and Sconex is that The Bar is
ture book, a phonebook, and even
Address:____________________________________________ there for students, changed for
___________________________________________________ students, and made by students. Continued on Page 5
Billing Information
Please circle your choices below:
Check Money Order Cash Last Issue’s Corrections
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___________________________________________________ • Lawrence Huang’s name was misspelled.
Please cut and mail to THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, 345 Chambers • In Issue 12, “The World Celebrates the 2006 Torino Olympics”
Street, New York, NY 10282-1000 OR send the above informa- actress Sophia Loren’s name was misspelled. It was also implied
tion to subscription@stuystandard.org. that Loren and Sarandon were the only two flag bearers, when in
actuality, there were eight.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
New Yorkers Are Forced to Be Polite
BY STEPHANIE SHEN
STAFF WRITER
Ask an outsider to describe
New Yorkers and it’s very likely
that the first words would be
“rude,” “rude,” and “rude.” New
Yorkers have been known to
throw things onto Yankee A new $50 fine is being imposed for resting your feet on subway seats.
Stadium’s fields when the
Red Sox play. They are
known to boo their own
mayor at public functions.
They are known to push,
shove, and curse in subway
cars, and would sooner push
you out of the car than look at
you. So what? This is New
York; what can be done?
M a yo r M i c h a e l R .
Bloomberg placed fines to
force people to be polite, or at
least somewhat civil. New
York City is currently being
praised for its new rules, laws
Francisco lawmakers faced cell
and most importantly, fines on
phones in theaters, they followed
personal conduct. These new
New York’s $50 fine on calls
regulations span from restrictions
during movies, concerts and
on sports fans to restrictions on
shows. When cities nationwide
car alarms to subway etiquette.
are covered in graffiti, they look
Now other states are looking
toward New York’s law making
Big Sibs
BY LAWRENCE HUANG
STAFF WRITER
In late August or early Sep-
tember, new students arrive at
Stuyvesant for their orientation.
There, they meet the seniors and
juniors who will guide them for a
year. These upperclassmen are
known as Big Sibs, Stuyvesant’s
unique peer mentors. At the ori-
entation, the Big Sibs invite the
new students to participate in fun
events and activities designed
especially for their arrival.
Stuyvesant’s Big Sibling pro-
gram, whose members are simply
known as “Big Sibs,” is a chance
for jun-
iors and
seniors to "Last year, almost 500 students than,
interact
with new
applied for only one 150 spots." S i b .
students.
It is an organization of about 150
upperclassmen who serve as sur-
rogate siblings to incoming stu-
dents. Each freshman is assigned
a Big Sib who will be available as
a buddy and advisor. They are
present at all orientations and just
about every other school event. It
is encouraged to go to a Big Sib
for help about student life or any-
thing about Stuyvesant in general
as they should be ready to answer
any questions and help incoming
students in any way possible.
Their purpose is to make them-
selves available to incoming stu-
dents and encourage them to ex-
April 26, 2006 NEWS
toward New York as an example.
When Wrigley Field was full of
rowdy fans, Chicago followed
Yankee and Shea Stadiums in
arresting fans that interfered ille-
gally with professional sports
events. When Boston and San
cel. This large, independent or-
ganization is sponsored by the
Student Union. Each year, a Big
Sib Handbook is compiled and
sold. Freshmen who receive this
handbook will come to know very
useful information, such as good
places to eat and which teachers
are nice.
There is quite some competi-
tion involved with being chosen
to be a Big Sib. Last year, almost
500 students applied for only 150
spots. Although it is tough to be
selected as a Big Sib, most Big
Sibs enjoy their role in the Stuy-
vesant community. “It was really
nice meeting them [Little Sibs],”
said Na-
junior Big
a
“The y’re
really full of energy. They remind
me of me when I was at their
grade.” However, not everybody
thinks being a Big Sib would be
fun at all. According to an anony-
mous freshman, “My Big Sib
wasn’t really doing much. All he
did in homeroom was sit around.”
Junior Jessie Li said, “I’m not
very interested in being a Big Sib.
I wasn’t that fond of them during
freshman year.”
Despite what they said, one
should not be discouraged from
applying to be a Big Sib. After
all, to be a Big Sib is a privilege.
◙ judge, witnesses, a defendant,
building owners responsible for
cleanup.
This onslaught of politeness
regulations has come from the
drops in crime, allowing New
York to focus on the normal pub-
lic’s behavior. Now, innocent
Source Unknown
blunders can risk a fine. In a
city where “most people just seem
to ignore common sense and com-
mon courtesy” according to Leti-
tia Baldrige, the former White
House social secretary, “it does
have to be legislated.”
Club Spotlight:
Stuycourt
BY YANA GONTCHAROVA
STAFF WRITER
One of the less-known clubs
of Stuyvesant High School is Ce-
lebrity Court, better known as
Stuycourt by its members.
Headed by co-presidents Yana
Gontcharova and Emma Rabino-
vich, sophomores, the club was
originally supposed to hold mock
trials for celebrities who may or
may not have broken the law;
M a r t h a
Stewart and
This club is great for anyone who f r o m
Michael
Jackson is considering a career in law,
were the who wants to get practice in de- s e c r e -
inspiration
bate skills, or who wants to know tariat, is
for this idea.
more about law in general.
However,
the trials
held by the club soon covered a
variety of other topics, such as the
Salem Witch trials, the Monkey
Trials, and the McDonald’s hot
coffee trial; the name “Celebrity
Court” no longer seemed appro-
priate, so the club was unoffi-
cially dubbed “Stuycourt”.
This club is great for anyone
who is considering a career in
law, who wants to get practice in
debate skills, or who wants to
know more about law in general.
During a trial, the club has a
Page 3
However, not all people are
applauding these changes, espe-
cially when a $50 fine appears
for putting up one’s feet in a
completely empty subway car.
Regardless, Mayor Bloomberg
continues to push forward with
smoking bans, noise codes for
nightclubs, dogs and ice cream
trucks, and various attempts at
coaxing out that nice, polite,
civil part hopefully present in
all New Yorkers.
Bloomberg’s politeness
spree has spread to include the
banning of young children
from theaters after 10 p.m. and
the mandating of anger man-
agement classes for the omni-
present overenthusiastic and
overcompetitive sports par-
ents. Varying opinions are
given on Bloomberg’s deci-
sions, as Peter Post, director of
the Emily Post Institute, put it,
“Instead of people quietly put-
ting up with rude behavior,
they’re finally saying, ‘I don’t
have to put up with that any-
more.’” ◙
lawyers, evidence, and sometimes
jurors (depending on whether a
judge trial or a jury trial is being
held). Standard rules of law are
followed; lawyers examine and
cross-examine witnesses, object,
and make opening and closing
speeches. Members take turns
holding various positions in the
trials. The only position which
may not be held by an average
member, and which must be held
b y
someone
Stuy-
court’s
the posi-
tion of
judge. This gives the secretariat
some control over the proceedings
of the meeting, and it helps Stuy-
court recreate a real courtroom
experience.
Still in its first year of opera-
tion, Stuycourt holds meetings
once a month. The meetings are
sparse, which keeps the club from
becoming a strain on anyone’s
time, and it gives the presidents
time to prepare spectacular meet-
ings. Anyone who wishes to
know more about the club may
send an e-mail to
ygontchar@yahoo.com. ◙
Page 4 April 26, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Pascu teaches five classes of [concerning] extra credit.”
Meet Ms. Pascu! sophomore math: three regular
classes and two honors classes.
Pascu’s cheerful personality has
left an impression on other stu-
BY TIM CHANG “I didn’t think a Techie could be She emulates the styles of previ- dents as well. Allison Tran, one
COLUMNIST this happy at Stuy,” she admits. ous teachers in her life for teach- of her sophomore honors stu-
Even though she comes from a ing math, including Mr. Zimmer- dents, said, “Well, it is ninth pe-
Running back and forth be-
man. Ac- riod and most of us don't really
tween room 435 and the math
cording to sleep for more than five hours
research room with her over-
her, teach- [,so] if she notices that our class
stuffed Delaney book, Oana
ing math is is rather tired she will buy us all
Pascu is usually all but incon-
m o s t l y candy.”
spicuous in going about her day.
a b o u t Being a hard-working and
Born in Bucharest, Romania, she
pointing dedicated math teacher must take
came to the United States when
people in up a lot of time, yet Pascu still
she was 13. Ever since Pascu was
the right has plenty of time for leisure.
a child, she knew she wanted to
direction. One of her favorite pastimes is
be a teacher. Her mother was a
Pascu’s skiing. Her favorite food is pizza.
teacher, and whenever her school
students She doesn’t like toppings, and the
was cancelled, she went to her
seem to plain triangle cut is her favorite.
mother’s school.
have only To her, shopping is more than a
Pascu spent her high school
good things pastime; it is a necessity. How
years in the city, and went to
to say often does she go? “As often as I
Brooklyn Technical High School.
about her. can,” she giggles. “Shopping is
There, the connection between the
She is ex- something a girl just has to do.”
“math” and “teacher” aspects of
tremely Almost a high school girl herself
her career clicked. Her favorite
friendly, in spirit, Pascu is definitely a
math teacher, Mr. Zimmerman,
Quick Profile open and teacher to whom students can
sparked her interest in math. She
c a r i n g relate. ◙
has a hard time describing just Name: Oana Pascu
how cool math is, but “literally Favorite Food: Pizza (No a b o u t
Subjects taught: Sopho- Toppings) teaching
amazing” seemed to sum it up.
more Math (MQ6, MQ6H) math. “It’s If you know a teacher you would
Ever since graduating from
pleasant to like to see profiled and read
Princeton, she has been working
rival school, she still thinks that see how much she enjoys what about, please contact us at meet-
as a student teacher and substitute
Stuyvesant is fantastic. She says she does,” says Mariya Morgaylo, thisteacher@stuystandard.org
teacher around the city. This year
the people around her have been one of her sophomore students. with the subject line “Teacher.”
is her first year of full-time teach-
welcoming, helpful and suppor- “Some people say her tests are Thank you!
ing. How does she like it here?
tive, and the kids are fantastic. hard, but she’s lenient

French Withdraws Disputed The Club/Pub Fair

Labor Laws
Continued from Page 2 with plentiful careers. Companies
Spring 2006
people in difficulty,” the commu- employing permanent young BY DAVID YIN members. The DDR Club had two
niqué said. Students and unions workers would receive tax breaks, STAFF WRITER televisions, both of which had the
decided to take to the streets to which would be financed by an popular game Dance Dance Revo-
celebrate the repeal. increase in the tobacco tax. How- The spring Club Pub Fair lution running. The Chinese Pop
ever, many vowed to continue took place after school on April
“We are very satisfied,” said Culture Club members were
trade-union leader Jacques protesting until the law was com- 10 in the dining hall. Students watching Chinese music videos.
Voisin. He be- pletely abol- attended the fair, looking for new The Robotics Club displayed a
lieved the deci-
AP Photo/Francois Mori
ished. clubs to join. The Club Pub Fair robot that they had built. The
“This is an un- gave students a chance to be a
sion “is a very Badminton Club had its members
good thing that questionable part of the Stuyvesant commu- play badminton. Sophomore Sam-
points in the retreat,” said nity, and to learn about the di- uel Crisanto said, “It was cool. I
right direction.” Socialist Party verse clubs of Stuyvesant. got to play badminton and DDR.”
leader François Many different clubs were
Medef, France’s
largest business Hollande. “It is present, trying to recruit new Continued on Page 7
association, a grand success
hoped the with- for the young
drawal “marks and an impres-
the end of a cri- sive victory for
sis that dented the unity of the
the credibility of unions.” How-
our country.” ever, the Social-
“The debate ists have no
is now open and plan to restore
we must not the labor market
close it,” said or to reduce
Prime Minister A demonstrator shows a poster of a youth unem-
De Villepin. “I gagged Mona Lisa. ployment.
propose a dia- Business lead-
logue without preconditions.” A ers have also raised concerns
much weaker replacement law about France’s damaged econ-
was proposed to the Parliament. It omy; the damage from the crisis
called for the encouraging the is estimated at $180 million. They
hiring of young workers and the also scorned the government’s
The Chinese Pop Culture Club enjoying a movie at the Club Pub Fair.
guiding of job seekers to areas handling of the conflict. ◙
TSS/Bennett Hong
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 NEWS Page 5
being considered by the Senate, immigration policies could send
Immigration Causes A Stir but has already caused immense
commotion across the country,
him to jail. This incident caused
even more anguish among the
Continued from Page 1 these ideas failed to be passed especially during the last month. immigrant community.
sentative James Sensenbrenner, through Thousands of Many immigrants currently
this bill makes it a felony to be in t h e people have living in this country say that they
the United States illegally or to S e n - walked in pro- and others like them came to this
assist an illegal immigrant in any ate , tests in cities country in search of the
way. Employers would be forced facing around the “American Dream.” They came
to verify that all their employees fierce country, in- here for the opportunities the
were living in the United States opposi- cluding Wash- United States has to offer, sacri-
legally. In addition, the bill sup- t i o n ington, D.C. ficing their families and homes in
ports government funding for a f r o m and Los Ange- the process. Still others feel out-
wall to be built along the Mexi- conser- les. On March raged that immigrants are treated
can-American border. vative 30 a 14-year- like criminals in a country to
President Bush recently mem- old Ontario which they have contributed so
called for reforms to this bill. b e r s student named much. Senators Gloria Romero
These suggested reforms included lobb y- A n t h o n y and Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles
a guest worker program, and ar- ing for Soltero shot propose participation in a national
rangements that would allow stricter himself with boycott on May 1, suggesting that
12,000 illegal immigrants oppor- immi- his father’s a “day without immigrants” will
tunities to gain citizenship. This gration rifle after his impress upon the nation just how
legislation had the support of vast regula- Assistant Prin- important immigrants are in our
numbers of immigrant groups tions. cipal told him that participation in economy and in our everyday
around the country. However, As of now, HR 4437 is still further protests against the new lives. ◙

though the Awards amount to tions. When you don’t like some-
The Bar: The New Fad nothing but bragging rights.
“The Bar’s pretty sweet be-
thing or think there should be one
more thing to make The Bar per-
Continued from Page 2 make a complaint. The cause of their cool and friendly fect, suggest it. We have a whole
a games section. The games sec- “Problems” section is a place
people here. I have a great time section dedicated to this. Once I
tion is like the FlashPlayer web- where members can seek the help here. I’ve been on every day since see your post, I’ll work on it. It
site. Most of the games were of their peers in coping with real- I joined, with 1000 posts, it’s a could be as easy as a typo to as
taken from FlashPlayer, but two life problems. Many students will great place to meet new people difficult as a notebook for mem-
were made by Zhang himself. find the “Problems” section very
and expand our social horizons,” bers, I’ll make it, we’ll all enjoy
However, members hope it will helpful. There is also a “School” said Danny Alvarez, freshman it,” says Zhang.
expand with the help of a few section where members help each from BSGE. The Bar can be found at
knowledgeable Stuyvesant stu- other with homework, or to pre- “The Bar has one thing over http://www.thehsbar.com. ◙
dents who know how to use Flash pare for a test. There are many
all forums, a value for sugges-
and other programming lan- other fun and helpful sections.
guages. The The current members of The Bar
picture book
is basically a
www.thehsbar.com
love it.
In addi-
Arista Elections: Results of
tion to
photo album,
which every- the site Hard Campaigning
one can view itself,
The Bar
Continued from Page 1 ever, the victors were joyous.
and upload The new Arista Executive
h o l d s had three candidates except Vice
to. These Council for 2006-2007 consists of
tourna- President of Service Events,
pictures must Johnathan Khusid as President,
ments which had four. The candidates
first be ap- Sonny Kung as Executive Vice
for its for the positions of President and
proved by an President, Cindy Huang as Vice
members Executive Vice President had five
administrator President of Administration, Vic-
to par- minutes for the speech since both
or a modera- tor Wong as Vice President of
ticipate members had to participate.
tor to make A banner of The Bar. Tutoring, Megan Nesbeth as Vice
in. A On the whole, candidates
sure there President of Service Events, and
recent Marvel vs. Capcom tour- found creative ways to attract
isn’t anything wrong with them. Hua Szu Yang as Junior Repre-
nament ended with the winner voters, from asking a teacher to
The phonebook is a way for mem- sentative. Most Arista members
being Simon Hu, a Stuyvesant say a few words to making a few
bers to keep in touch with each believe this year’s Executive
sophomore. In addition to that, a lame jokes. Candidates worked
other on the Internet. Council will accomplish great
Rap-Off and a Counter-Strike: hard for their votes. Unfortu-
Apart from the main site, The deeds. ◙
Source tournament were held. nately, not everybody can win,
Bar has something much greater
There are also many mini-events and when the results were sent via
for members’ pleasure: the fo-
and chances to win awards, email on Thursday, April 13, the
rums. The forums are a means of
losers were disappointed. How-
communication for
the members. They
are organized into
different forums,
i n c l u d i n g
“Introductions/
F a r e w e l l s , ”
“ G e n e r a l , ”
“Comed y,” and
“Videogames.” There
i s a l s o a
“Suggestions” forum,
where members can
suggest how to im-
prove the site, or
 Page 6 April 26, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

TSS/Bennett Hong
Pie-A-Teacher!
On April 11, students gathered after 10th period in the cafeteria for
the Pie-A-Teacher event, hosted by Building With Books. The event cost
fifty cents to watch. However, students were able to purchase raffle tickets
for one dollar for the chance to pie Ms. Alcott, Mr. Dreyfus, Mr. Novikoff,
Mr. Rubinstein, Mr. Sunkara, Mr. Stern, and Mr. Weil.
TSS/Ada Zhang

TSS/Bennett Hong
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 NEWS
The Club/Pub Fair Spring 2006
Continued from Page 4
Still, there were many clubs that
were trying the traditional way of
attracting attention, shouting.
There was a huge racket in the
cafeteria as club members were
shouting out and telling people to
join their club. The many stu-
dents, both club members and
students who were there to look
around, enjoyed the fair. Kenneth
Lam, a sophomore who was help-
ing recruit people for the Stock
Market Game club, said, “It was
an incredible experience. I usu-
ally never get the chance to shout
out for [the Stock Market Game
Club] like I did at the Club Pub
Fair.”
Although there were many
students and clubs participating in
this club/pub fair, it seemed rela-
tively tame compared to the fair
at the beginning of the year.
There were fewer students at this
fair than the vast numbers that
showed up for the fall Club Pub
Fair. Fewer clubs appeared as
Page 7
well. Some found it useless for
people to join so late in the year.
Simon Hu, the president of the
Stock Market Game club, said,
“The Club Pub Fair wasn’t that
successful. There weren’t a lot of
people there and the stock market
game is going to end soon.
There’s no reason to recruit stu-
dents now. The year’s almost
over.”
Whether or not the club
members enjoyed staying at the
fair, the clubs were able to sign
up many people; Hu was able to
sign up 7 people. However, he
does not plan on signing them up
unless they are going to be active
in the club. This is true for other
clubs too. Many people sign up in
the Club Pub Fair, and yet they
never attend a meeting. Still, the
Club Pub Fair is a great way for
students to join clubs that they are
interested in. ◙
Page 8 April 26, 2006 NEWS
Wxw|vtà|ÉÇá àÉ `áA U|xÜ|Çz
I thought that I could write something touching, something that would be meaning-
ful, that would tell people something about Ms. Biering and who she was and what she
was, but I’m coming up blank. All I can think of are stories, short anecdotes, and so I’m
hoping that they’ll be enough.
Ms. Biering was the sort of teacher who, if you came into her class crying, or even
just looking upset or down, would immediately come over to you and try to find out
what was wrong, just to try to make you feel better. Once, I nearly fainted in class on
the day of a test because I hadn’t eaten and was feeling really stressed. She put the
whole class on the honor system while she went to the staff room to get me something to
eat, and she let me put off taking the test until the next day. That’s what Ms. Biering
was: a teacher who really cared about her students as people, not just as numbers.
Another time, she wanted to show us what dry ice was, so she picked up the fire
extinguisher and sprayed it all over the room, not realizing that the fire extinguisher con-
tained not dry ice, but chalk dust. We had to have the rest of our class in the hallway
that day.
Ms. Biering always used to talk to us about things like sex, cheese, and manners in
Denmark. She taught me almost everything I know about those three things. She taught
me that in Denmark, you always tip the soup bowl towards you because that way, if you
spill the soup, it goes on you and not on the tablecloth. She taught me that it’s impolite
to bring food to a party in Denmark, because that’s like saying that the host is too rude
to supply enough food. People used to complain that she went off on tangents, that she
didn’t teach, but when she set her mind to it, she really was a great teacher, and defi-
nitely one of the more interesting people at Stuyvesant. That’s what Ms. Biering was:
someone who genuinely enjoyed learning and wanted to share what she knew with eve-
ryone, whether it was pertinent to the curriculum or not, someone who wanted her stu-
dents to succeed in life, not just in school, and tried to prepare them accordingly.
Once, my friends and I were sitting on the seventh floor, just talking, and Ms. Bier-
ing walked over and plopped herself cross-legged on the floor beside us, joining in the
conversation just as if she were one of us. That’s what Ms. Biering was: a teacher who
wasn’t afraid to be close to her students, to pat them on the arm or even hug them, if she
felt like they needed it.
Even after I wasn’t in Ms. Biering’s class anymore, she would always come up to
me in the hallway and talk, asking me how my classes were going with genuine interest.
She always remembered my name, even two years after I was in her class. She was al-
ways sick, and so thin that everyone used to make fun of her, but she would often join in
the laughter. That’s what Ms.
Biering was: not at all self-conscious, willing to laugh at herself.
I could continue telling these stories for a long time. Ms. Biering was one of those
rare people, a teacher who genuinely cared for her students, who genuinely wanted to be
teaching, who enjoyed her job, who never quit even when she was ill. Her loss is a great
loss to all of Stuyvesant, a loss not lessened by the fact that this has been a year full of
loss, and full of mourning. Wherever she is now, I hope she knows that we will miss
her.
- Francesca Schiavone, junior
Ms. Biering was definitely not your normal teacher. I had her for Genetics Research
last term and she brought a new way of learning into my time at Stuyvesant. Many stu-
dents who had her for Freshman Biology may have said she was an incompetent teacher,
but from my experience in her Genetics class, I thought she was unique. Ms. Biering
was one of the most knowledgeable people I ever met. She rarely used the textbook be-
cause she had everything in her head, and could recite the smallest detail about a RNA
polymerase without hesitation. She expected a lot from of us; some nights she would
demand that we do twenty pages of difficult textbook reading write an outline on it.
Then, the next day we would be expected to be able to discuss it in class. So in fact, she
was a rigorous teacher. I remember lengthy discussions on DNA and mutations, but they
rarely got boring because of the side conversations they led to. They would go from bi-
ology to politics to philosophy. I always loved these conversations the best, because
besides learning genetics and how biology fit into the world, I learned about things I
never thought of before, or supported opinions I never would have otherwise. Ms. Bier-
ing wasn't just a smart teacher; she was a smart person. She shared her knowledge about
almost everything in the world with us, and her opinion along with it. Being so intelli-
gent, opinionated, and experienced, it was not a surprise that she earned respect from a
lot of us. Despite her lateness or wild tangents, the seniors in the class who knew her
well knew what a great teacher she was, and I eventually found out too. She pushed us
to learn not just for facts and grades, but to understand and incorporate knowledge into
our lives. I know Ms. Biering was pretty happy with her life — she traveled the world ,
had a wonderful daughter and grandchild, and had an accomplished teaching career, in-
cluding Stuyvesant. I hope she left this world contently. Rest in peace.
- Richard Mai, sophomore
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Stuyvesant High School has its share of interesting
and memorable teachers. Ms. Biering was definitely
one of them. As a stereotypical scared freshman com-
ing into Stuyvesant two years ago, I had this notion
that I would flunk every subject I took. Even though I
still kind of failed biology, the course which Ms. Bier-
ing taught, it was one of the classes I reminiscence
about to this day.
When she taught, we would always have some
funny days, some boring days, and some hard days,
like when we had exams. There was one particular day
when I actually taught the class for one day. For those
of you who were in my class, you may remember that
day when I had to teach the class on cell structure for
the whole period as a punishment for not doing home-
work. I still remember Ms. Biering chuckling and ap-
parently very amused, watching this clueless kid trying
to explain how the mitochondria of an animal cell
work.
Ms. Biering, although your special biology class
ended two years ago, I still remember smiling at you
whenever we sew each other in the hallway. I can’t
believe it’s time for us to say goodbye already. Thank
you Ms. Biering for being my teacher, our teacher.
- Derek Weng, Managing Editor, Junior
I only had Ms. Biering for a couple of weeks of
second term this year, but there are just some things I
can’t forget. I remember how everyone told me that
taking Genetics was a bad idea because Ms. Biering
taught it she would constantly talk about sex. I didn’t
really care, so I just took the class. Those few weeks of
class, she had broken her wrist or something, so she
had a brace on her forearm. She was still all bouncy
and hyper, though. And everyone was right. She did
talk about sex a lot, but that made the class interesting.
Before mid-winter break, she told us that she wanted
to go to Florida and visit her daughter, but break was
too short to go all the way there, spend some time with
her family, and come back. We told her to go, and that
she didn’t have to come back so soon. When we came
back from break, she wasn’t there. When we found out
that she was in the hospital, two people in the class
made cards for her. One of them had a few humorous
cartoons on it, while the other was the real “Get Well”
card. I don’t know if they ever got to her, but I think
we all expected her to come back and laugh about it.
On the day of her departure, we saw two unfamiliar
faces in our room, and we wondered what was happen-
ing. We thought we were getting a new teacher, but
then Ms. Ashkin came in, so we were confused. Then
the announcement came on and none of us really knew
what had happened. The PA speakers in our room did-
n’t work, but we heard something about someone pass-
ing away and a moment of silence. It turned out that
the two ladies in our room were guidance counselors,
here to talk to us about Ms. Biering. It was so quiet in
our room, but we ended up working to get our minds
off of it. Even though I only had her for a short time, I
still have these clear memories of her. It’s a shame that
she didn’t finish teaching us what she started. I guess it
was a lot easier to accept her death because she hadn’t
been here for so long, so it doesn’t seem like she’s
gone. Even so, I know she’s going to be missed and
remembered as the small lady who talked about sex all
the time.
- Anonymous
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 BUSINESS/OPINIONS Page 9

Hollywood’s “Stupid Girl” Façade:

Fools For Cash
BY STEPHANIE SHEN Jessica Simpson confusing tuna swer is that they are not idiots. to keep the public’s attention and
STAFF WRITER and chicken, and hears Paris’ They act that way for the public, make a living. For example, after
mantra of “That’s hot.” As Pink which prefers seeing the antics of Simpson’s Chicken of the Sea
Lately, American culture has- asks, “Where, the “dumb
n’t been giving girls positive role
www.wikipedia.com
blunder, in which she accidentally
oh where, blondes” thought she was advertising
models. Instead, girls are faced h a ve the of Holly-
with stories glamorizing Celebrity chicken, rather than tuna, sales of
smart people wood over the tuna brand went up 10 per-
#1’s new Jimmy Choo Shoes or gone?” Well, an intelli-
Celebrity #2’s new breast im- cent. Now, she and the company
being smart gent con- are discussing the possibility of
plant. Additionally, corporate no longer versation
America has broadcasted the her becoming their new spokes-
brings in the with these woman. Who laughs last?
“dumb blonde” image as cute and big bucks. women.
lucrative. Pink’s newest single, Among celebrities, being
Celebrities When it known for being dumb is better
“Stupid Girls,” lays out these such as Lind- c o m e s
less-than-admirable trends in than not being known at all. Act
say Lohan down to it, foolish for a moment, be a mil-
American culture by criticizing
have made Paris Hil- lionaire for a lifetime. “The ditzy
celebrities such as Lindsay Lo-
themselves ton orating blonde thing is endearing to peo-
han, Jessica Simpson, and Paris into public on t he
Hilton in her music video. How- ple,” says Simpson. Think Cam-
fools to be topic of eron Diaz in “Charlie’s Angels”.
ever, Pink states, “I don’t think
laughed at equal gen- Celebrities live off the public’s
these girls are really stupid, it’s
because that der rights interest, so they play off this ob-
just what works.” Basically, being is what pays. Pink’s Single, “Stupid Girl’s” from the album I’m is not as
a fool has become profitable for session with the stereotyped
How can Not Dead. e nt e r t a i n - “dumb blonde”. Next time you’re
the young and hip “it-girls” in
seemingly ing as see- laughing at Hilton’s limited vo-
Hollywood. moronic celebrities simply go ing her in lingerie attempt to sing
Gone are the days of the stars cabulary, think who the stupid
about like idiots and make mil- “Happy Birthday” to Hugh one really is. It is just business as
standing up for civil rights and lions more than an average col- Hefner. It is all a business front;
real issues. Now, the public sees usual in Hollywood. ◙
lege-educated person? The an- the stars do what they have to do

MySpace, Lunchroom Changes:

A Very Popular Place Not So Tasty
BY HANFORD CHIU entity. BY GUERGANA BORISSOVA prisingly enough, however,
BUSINESS EDITOR Purchased by News Corpora- STAFF WRITER chocolate milk will remain an
tion last year from founder Tom option in cafeterias across the
Nielsen/Net Ratings, a mar- Spring is a time of blooming
Anderson for that price, MySpace city. This is a complete outrage,
ket research firm, released its fig- flowers, allergies, scanners, sunny
provides millions of users with considering that the number of
ures for web traffic on April 12, afternoons… and new lunch
the ability to create and maintain calories in difference between
for the “Top 8 Web Sites by trays? For those of us too lazy to
blogs, with pictures, music and a whole milk and skim milk is
Brand”. Among them include the go out for lunch or simply wish to
list of all the people who drop by merely 54, an amount so small
usual big companies, such as Ya- sacrifice the time to catch up on
the blog and become that it will
hoo, MSN and AOL. However, homework, AP
“cyberfriends”. As of March hardly make
new on the list at number eight is the lunch-
2006, MySpace is the eighth most a difference
MySpace, a large social network room pro-
popular site in the world, accord- in today's
of user-created “blogs” that has vides an
ing to Alexa Internet, a subsidiary society full
soared in the past two years from oasis full of
of Hershey
a small upstart to a $580 million noise, to go
Continued from Page 10 bars (with
with soggy
230 calo-
fries, and
ries).
polka dot
It is up to
hamburg-
parents and
ers. Many
schools to
of us may
educate chil-
have no-
dren about
ticed some
the impor-
changes in
tance of
the menu
good nutri-
that should
tion and the
not go by
dangers of
u n n o t i c e d Cartons of whole milk, considered a junk food, will
obesity.
as well as be removed from public school lunch menus.
Also, stu-
new plastic trays.
dents must make the choice for
As of last month, the Board
themselves, between skim and
of Education decided to com-
whole milk. Learning to make
pletely remove whole milk from
educated choices from an early
myspace.com

public school lunch menus, in an

age will ensure a healthier popu-
attempt to halt the growing epi-
MySpace is the 8th most popular site in the world. demic of obesity in the city. Sur- Continued from Page 10
 Page 10 April 26, 2006 BUSINESS/OPINIONS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

MySpace, Lunchroom Changes: Not So

A Very Popular Place Tasty
Continued from Page 9 too many features put into one Continued from Page 9 and chairs while carrying a plastic
of Amazon.com. page. Certain code effects are also lation, who will be choosing the plate, a fruit bowl, and a carton of
How does a small collection described as clichéd and unpro- right food even after they gradu- milk, can be very tricky and un-
of blogs grow into a social net- fessional. Worstofmyspace.com ate from high school. Schools pleasant, seeing as a few fries can
work of more than 50 million often nominates haphazard and have done their job in teaching us fall here and there. Worsening the
people and a multimillion dollar graphically overindulged about the side effects of poor nu- matter is if the lunch lady was
entity? One feature that draws MySpace pages. One such page trition, www.gp.com hu rr yi n g,
many users is the self-expression featured a frenzy of animated with abun- the cheese
and freedom the site gives via Christian graphics, a repeating dance of from the
posters of taco will
the food find its
pyramid in way to the
the cafete- floor, leav-
ria and in ing a yel-
c l a s s - low trail
r o o ms . behind for
Now it is the rodents
up to us to that may
take that wish to
informa- follow.
tion and As students
apply it to hype over
our meals the scan-
ners, many
www.worstofmyspace.com

inside and
outside of fail to see
Styrofoam lunch trays have been replaced by more the rapid
school,
inconvenient plastic plates in the cafeteria, such as c h a n g e s
since most the one shown above.
students occurring
This page, among other pages, have been rated the worst of MySpace.
eat one to two lunches at school. in our cafeteria, a place responsi-
coding. Even unskilled program- background of a single scripture, Another new “modification” ble for providing much of the
mers can easily create a back- and the music of the Christian taking place in the lunchroom is student population with food
ground and special effects for rock band Petra. The word the new plastic trays that are actu- daily. In the end, our health and
their personal blog. Songs and “Jesus” trickles down throughout ally less efficient and harder to nutrition is the most important
videos can also be coded into the the page, in an effect that is out- carry. They look like a plain thing, where today's choices will
page. Users have areas to put dated and clichéd. Even so, the plate, with very small divisors greatly influence tomorrow's re-
blurbs about themselves, as well essence of MySpace is that it is that do not actually separate the sults. We need to learn to pick our
as one for visitor comments and unprofessional, and thus it draws food. fights: the scanners do not affect
friends. many teenagers who feed upon "I like the old ones better our well-being and are there to in
However, those features have self-expression, whether or not because they have compartments fact protect us, while the changes
also led to hostility towards they have any skill in coding. ◙ and you don't need a separate in the lunch menu will certainly
MySpace. The amateur code is bowl for fruit," said Lena Chen, a impact our health, sooner or later.
often clumsy and inefficient, re- frequent consumer of school ◙
sulting in long load times and lunches.
even browser crashes from having Looking around for a table
lion students had their test results

No Test Scores Left Behind excluded. Minority students, such

as Asian, Native American, His-
panic, and African American kids,
BY ALVIS YUEN results of students, when report- are deemed statistically insignifi- were seven times more likely than
COLUMNIST ing academic progress under cant because there are so few of Caucasian students to have their
categories such as race. The test them in the school. The Associ- scores excluded.
Little more than four years
results of these minority students ated Press also found that 1.9 mil- This loophole must be ad-
ago in 2002, President Bush
dressed. If the schools are al-
signed the No Child Left Behind
lowed to cover up their failures,
Law, promising to close the edu-
then how are they held account-
cational achievement gap be-
able? If the schools aren’t doing
tween “Anglo and minority”. The
enough to help disadvantaged
law called for more accountabil-
students, they would be leaving
ity and greater opportunity for
the kids behind; the schools are
disadvantaged students. Under
cheating these children of an op-
the new program, schools would
portunity. Just because there are
earn bonus funding if the school
too few students to be deemed
achieved higher test scores. On
statistically significant does not
the other hand, schools would get
mean they should be ignored and
reduced funding if it does not
tossed aside. They’re called a
fulfill its objectives.
minority for a reason. Every test
This program is a wonderful
score in every school should be
attempt at education reform.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

reported to the federal govern-

However, its validity is being
ment. Whether or not these statis-
undermined. According to a re-
tically insignificant test scores
port released by the Associated
should factor in calculating ad-
Press, schools have received fed- Approximately 1.9 million children's test scores aren't being counted under the
eral permission to ignore test law's required racial categories. Continued on Page 11
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 Opinions/Literary Page 11

No Test Scores Left Behind

Continued from Page 10 tively. However, this is not an
When Daffodils Grow
ministrative funding is another excuse to not count minority test BY EILEEN CHANG
topic for discussion. scores. Our education system will STAFF WRITER
This failure highlights a re- not improve if school officials are
curring allowed to
AP Graphic

theme in take the

the U.S. easy way
govern- out. With
m e n t . the future
From 9/11 of so
to the many peo-
Katrina ple in
disaster, t h e i r
there has h a n d s ,
been a education
lack of officials
responsi- have to do
bility and the right
commit- thing, no
m e n t . matter
Govern- how diffi-
ment offi- cult it is.
c i a l s It is their
s h o u l d A poll on the No Child Left Behind Act by the AP shows o b l i g a - In the garden where daffodils grow,
r e a l i z e mixed results. tion. ◙
that their Life is reborn
actions affect thousands, if not from winter’s final snow.
millions of Americans. When Alvis Yuen would like reader re-
federal funding to a school is re- sponse. Please send it to The white winter ash is replaced,
duced, it would be considerably ayuen@stuystandard.org By sweet pear blossoms
harder to run the school effec-
Bound by time’s lace.

Springtime For her beloved daughter’s return,

Ceres holds out
BY TINA YUE Her golden lantern.
STAFF WRITER Light rainfalls harbor mid-day,
Pearl drops of water
from where flowers cascade.
And in the spring when daffodils grow,
Life is reborn
from winter’s afterglow.

Untitled
BY JENNIFER LEE
STAFF WRITER

I sense tension in the air.

A firefly captured waiting patiently to be released…
Right now, it is 11:15 in the morning. And then fly out, glowing. I am looking out at the win-
The sky, so bright and mesmerizing. dow again.
Oh, the clouds are suddenly winning. It’s not so cold today.
It begins the process of raining.
Just Breathe. Just take it out.
Oh, but the rain had stopped.
The sun had appeared. Just breathe… and exhale.
The rainbow is slightly colored. Breathe…feel the rhythm of your
What in the nature is going on? Heart.
Tell me, oh dear creature.
Tell me why the sun starts to glow. Let the fresh wind cleanse you
Oh why is it that the day suddenly turned so bright? Away into the zephyr.
Oh, how I love and hate these days. Just breathe. …You’ll like what you’ll find.
Spring is so confusing...
Page 12 April 26, 2006 LITERARY/PUZZLES THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Blissful Flyers Crossword Puzzle

BY ERIC MAYO
BY STEPHANIE TAM SPORTS EDITOR
STAFF WRITER

Soaring through the heavenly sky

Till darkness comes birds will fly
Animals that take wing so fast but
Many cannot dream to surpass and
Poignantly reaching out to humanity

Sudokus
BY TIM CHANG
STAFF WRITER
ACROSS DOWN
1 They do your taxes 1 Part of the face
1 7 6 2 It's where we live 3 Popular search engine
7 Carbon using writing utensil 4 Bottom of the pack
9 Precedes duper 5 City in Texas
8 7 6 9 1
11 Arm in Peru 6 Yankee shortstop
12 Water creature 7 Call people with it
1 2 8 14 Atomic number 33 8 Fresh squeezed
15 Luxury car 10 The ____ is Right
7 3 4 9 17 Roll of the dice 13 Country led by Chavez
19 Not early 16 Windy city
21 Fall 18 Three of a kind and 2 of a kind
3 2
23 Winter olympic sport 20 Real estate mogul Donald
24 The $100,000 _____ 22 Cheese state
2 9 4 1 27 Cubist 25 Senior senator from New York
30 Math machine 26 Home of 2006 Winter Olym-
9 4 7 31 Composer George pics
33 General in Chinese menus 28 “Moo" sayer
35 Popular search engine 29 Actor Adam
7 1 8 2 32 Sport on ice
37 Jeopardy! host
40 Nobel ____ prize 34 Leap
5 8 4 41 Norweigan capital 36 Finding ____ (movie title)
43 Achievement 37 Golf's Woods
BY ANONYMOUS 38 American ____ (tv show)
STAFF WRITER 39 Edison's middle name
42 ___ Lanka

1 2

4 6
Last Issue’s Solution
5 9 3 Riddle: “E” is the most commonly used letter of the alphabet, the
paragraph doesn't use a single one.
4 3

7 6 3 9 4

8 5 Interested in becoming a photographer

8 4 1
for The Standard?
2 5 Contact
photos@stuystandard.org
6 3
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 SCIENCE Page 13

Digital Immortality
Like Creating Puzzles? BY TAMIR YEWDAEV
STAFF WRITER
As technology continues to
advance at an ever-increasing
pace, many have begun to ask,
“Where are we headed?” In a
The Stuyvesant Standard recent interview, Eli Harari, CEO
and founder of popular memory
chip manufacturer SanDisk, ex-
needs you! plained,
We believe that in 20 years
time, we will be able to fit 10
terab ytes of
and while this is 400 times as
much as the twenty-megabyte
chips of fifteen years ago, to think
that Harari predicts a 1,250-fold
increase in only twenty years is
mesmerizing. However, things
don’t stop there. Growth on simi-
lar levels is occurring in almost
every facet of information tech-
nology. The upcoming Play-
Station 3, for example, is esti-
mated to be thirty-five times as
powerful
bhphotovideo.com

information into as the

a card that’s as P l a y -
Contact small as a quar- Station 2.
ter. Ten tera- If growth
recruitment@stuystandard.org bytes is the continues
amount of at this
memory we
p a c e ,
have in the hu-
man brain. Ten
s o m e
estimate
More Than Just a Fish terabytes could
fit 5,000 mov-
ies. When you
that Play-
Station 5
have that kind or 6 will
BY JONATHAN XIKIS Inuit elders of Canada's Nunavut of memory, you already
STAFF WRITER Territory, where the fossil was could store a Sandisk's current highest capacity memory card. match the
375 million years ago, on the discovered, this lobe-finned fish h u ma n l i f e- process-
ancient continent of Laurentia, an is what is known as a transitional time’s worth of memory into ing power of the human brain.
extraordinary creature swam in fossil — it was a type of “fish one of these cards. You could
In May 2005, Ian Pearson,
missing link,” giving life to the implant a device like this in
the warm Devonian seas. Typi- your head to restore memory. head of the futurology unit and
cally measuring 4 to 9 feet long, cliché about how fish crawled out British Telecom, estimated that
of the seas and onto the land. One Currently, SanDisk’s highest
this “fish” was not all fish, nor capacity card stores 8 gigabytes
was it a four-legged animal — it of its discoverers, paleontologist
Continued from Page 15
was both. Named Tiktaalik ro- Neil Shubin of the University of
seae, based on a suggestion by Continued on Page 14
Booting up Boot Camp:
A Program That Allows
Mac Users to Run
Windows Programs
BY MOTTAQUI AL-KARIM Apple, the purpose of Boot Camp
STAFF WRITER is to allow those that defected to
the Mac computers to run Win-
Apple has, in the opinion of
dows programs.
some of its fans, crossed over to
To install Boot Camp, a Mac
the dark side by doing the un-
Ted Daeschler

owner would have to do is pur-

thinkable: running Windows on
chase Microsoft Windows XP
their so called superior Mac OS X
with Service Pack 2. Then they
This fish pod fossil, ranging in length from 4 ft. to 9 ft, may be the remains of one 10.4 Tiger systems.
of the rare “missing links.” Currently, a beta version, Continued on Page 14
which is basi-
apple.com

Of Carrots and Sticks cally an ex-

perimental
version, is
BY KENNETH LAM metaphorical for the psychologi- available for
STAFF WRITER cal approach of motivating people download on
into doing what one desires. The the Apple’s
A donkey is sitting in the carrot is the reward the person official site.
middle of a road, refusing to Boot Camp
being motivated will receive upon
move in any direction. The don- finishing the job. The stick is the became avail-
key’s owner, however, needs to punishment the worker will re- able on
deliver the load the donkey is ceive if the job is not done. The Wednesday
carrying to another town. He is April 6, after
term takes its roots from the times
having trouble figuring out a when farmers needed to move the shipment
method to make the donkey move their stubborn donkeys. The car- of the first
in the direction he needs it to. rot would lure the donkey into Intel-based
The owner decides to use the car- Macs. Ac-
moving in the direction desired,
rot and the stick. cording to The Boot Camp Assistant Beta allows you to run Windows on
The carrot and the stick is Continued on Page 15 your Mac.
Page 14 April 2, 2006 A&E THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Windows in the hard drive and
Booting up Boot Camp: A Program That Allows prompts the user to insert their
Windows installer CD. Their Mac
then boots into the setup screen
Mac Users to Run Windows Programs for XP. After installation, the
Mac reboots into the XP system.
Continued from Page 13 prominent. file-system of XP and its prede- The user must put in their burned
would have to go on to the Apple Since the user will be at- cessors. However, Mac OS X CD that contains all the drivers in
official site and make the neces- tempting to install Windows XP, cannot copy files to partitions order for Windows to run prop-
sary updates by running the Soft- which are erly. The drivers install them-
ware Update to their machine. formatted selves through an automated rou-
They also has to make sure their with NTFS. tine. Some devices, however,
Mac has the latest firmware run- It can only remain unrecognized, for example
ning. Firmware is permanent soft- read and Apple’s wireless keyboard and
ware programmed into ROM. recognize mouse.
Once the user has installed files in To switch between settings,
the program, they will have to run N T F S . one simply reboots and holds
the Boot Camp app and burn a Thus, the down the OPTIONS key while the
CD that contains XP drivers. A user is system is rebooting. Two icons
driver is a program that controls much better appear on the screen, one repre-
the operation of devices such as off format- senting the OS X hard drive and
printers of scanners, or as in this ting in the other representing the XP hard
case, Intel chips and graphic FAT32, an drive. Use the arrow keys to
cards. Basically, these are the older ver- choose between the two operating
objects that will let XP run on a sion of systems. Press the ENTER key to
Mac. This process takes several NTFS, but make a selection. If the OP-
minutes . OS X can TIONS key is not pressed at start-
After burning the CD, the read to it, up, the computer will boot in the
Boot Camp app presents the user w h i c h operating system that it ran last
with a slider which allows them makes dual- time.
to choose the amount of disk booting Boot Camp is a useful feature
apple.com

space they will allow for each much more which will make the lives of lots
operating system. Boot Camp rewarding. of Mac users easier. However, it
At startup, hold down the option key (alt) to choose between Mac Once the
also asks the user to choose a file OS X and Windows. has some problems and will by no
system to format their Windows user gets all means make Macs better than
partition with. There are many the most obvious choice is NTFS. of this technical deatails done, PC’s. ◙
file systems to choose from, the NTFS, which stands for New they click the Partition button.
NTFS being one of the most Tech File System, is the standard This creates a new partition for

one of the earliest known look more like those of a croco-

More Than Just a Fish tetrapods. It includes properties
of fish, such as gills and scales;
dile, and include structures like a
shoulder, elbow and wrist, which
Continued from Page 13 tetrapods. Tiktaalik evolved dur-
properties of tetrapods, including are not found in fish. Its head also
Chicago, said, “It sort of blurs the ing the 25
ribs, a free- resembles a crocodile’s, with eyes
distinction between fish and land- million
rotating on top and sharp teeth. Tiktaalik
living animals.” years be- ...this lobe-finned fish is neck, and did not like staying on land, how-
Tiktaalik (pronounced tween the
what is known as a transi- lungs; and ever; it lived mostly underwater
“TICK-ta-lick”), meaning appearance
properties in streams, and only shuffled onto
“shallow-water fish,” was discov- of Pan- tional fossil – it was a type of both, land for short periods of time.
ered after five years of intensive derichthys,
of “fish missing link,” giv- including Of Tiktaalik, one thing can be
searching in 2004, inside frozen a fish with
“fishapod” certain. Fossils will continue to be
river sediments on Ellesmere Is- early attrib- ing life to the cliché about l i m b s , discovered in the future, and as
land, Nunavut, in northern Can- utes of land how fish crawled out of the joints, and long as there are scientists willing
ada, where the once-warm conti- dwellers,
seas and onto the land. ear re- to put in the dedication and hard
nent of Laurentia eventually and Acan-
gions. Its work to search for them, our un-
drifted. This cold climate turned thostega,
front fins derstanding of nature and evolu-
out to be the perfect means for one of the first amphibians and
tion will become
preservation of more and more de-
the fossils, which veloped. Although
were in very not everyone may
good condition. A sketch of the Tiktaalik.
appreciate a fish
However, the that is hundreds of
discovery was millions of years
not announced old, this discovery
until it was pub- was not only ex-
lished in the tremely lucky and
April 6 issue of time-consuming for
Nature, when it the scientists in-
was instantl y volved, but also
acknowledged as representative of an
a groundbreaking important insight
find. Tiktaalik into the ancestors of
gives a stronger the wide variety of
backbone to the life making up our
theory of evolu- everyday world. ◙
tion, and is proof
that fish with
fins eventually
e vo l ve d in t o
http://scienceblogs.com
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 A&E Page 15

Digital Immortality Of Carrots and Sticks

Continued from Page 13 trolled limb. Its operation is
Continued from Page 13 around moneymaking tactics.
based fully on thought, rather while the stick would keep the The subjects of the study would
by 2050, the potential will exist pool together money. Then, the
for people to achieve cyber- than the subtle movements that donkey moving.
previous limbs used. Through the The carrot-and-stick ap- money would be split equally
immortality. According to Pear- among the subjects. Eighty-four
son, even poorer individuals will neural connection, the user can proach has many parameters, and
even feel pressure when the hand these parameters change depend- students were given a choice be-
be able to download their brains tween two groups to join. One
onto computers by around 2080. opens and closes. ing on the situation. For example,
While many are optimistic as a worker is asked to do a job. such group was a group in which
Pearson also predicted that in the no punishment was allowed or
next 20 years we will be able to to the development of such future However, the worker is not very
technologies, some believe it will well-motivated, and thus does not used. The second group allowed
create a three-dimensional digi- punishment — the equivalent of
tally generated virtual world in take much longer than estimated. want to do the job well. Using
Recently, for example, the CPU the carrot side of the carrot-and- the stick.
which people could interact and The first group, the one with-
spend time, industry has had much stick approach, a larger paycheck
www.ncsu.edu
trouble can be used to motivate the out punishment, received the ma-
essentially a jority of students at first. How-
Matrix. In keeping up worker into performing the job
w i t h well. ever, with a lack of motivation,
this world, these students did not participate
direct links Moore’s In some cases, the stick is
law, which required over the carrot. The much and the pool consisted of
to our nerv- barely any amount of money. In
ous system states that stick, or punishment, is often used
processing to produce the second
would pro- group, mem-
vide us with p o w e r results that The carrot and the stick is
should are immedi- bers who did
the look, metaphorical for the psy- not participate
feel, taste effectively ate and do
double not require chological approach of mo- and give in
and even money were
smell of the e v e r y much sacri- tivating people into doing
eighteen fice on be- fined large
real world. what one desires. amounts of
One could months. half of the
While this motivator. Most often, the stick money, and thus, the pool rose
interact with and more money was handed out
someone law has comes in the form of threats. For
been fol- example, the same worker now to each member. Each day, stu-
from the dents were allowed to choose
other side of lowed by must do another job. However,
the indus- the rewards are not a strong which group to enter for the day.
the world as Eventually, the percentage of par-
if they were try since enough motivation and are work-
its formu- ing too slowly. In this case, the ticipation in the second group
in the same nearly hit a hundred percent while
room. lation in best course of action would be to
1965, re- threaten the worker, possibly with the amount of participation in the
M a n y first group dropped to nearly zero.
people have cently de- layoffs or a cut in the paycheck.
velopment This would, in effect, produce With the dual motivators of
read science punishment and reward, the stu-
fiction that has been immediate results. However, in
A man demonstrates his neural-controlled bionic s l o w i n g , the long run, this could backfire, dents were able to produce larger
centers on arm, designed by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chi- amounts of money, allowing each
the develop- cago. to an ex- as the worker would no longer put
tent. This up with these threats, and only a student to receive a larger amount
ment of ro- of money. It is this carrot-and-
bots and conscious machines, but is partially due to the fact that we large reward would be able to
are nearing the limit of the size at motivate the worker into working. stick approach that provides suc-
realizing that all that is very pos- cessful motivation. The reward
sible is different, especially since which transistors can be made. In A recent German study
April 2005 Gordon Moore, who showed that the carrot-and-stick draws people in, while the pun-
according to many this world will ishment prevents them from turn-
come within our lifetimes. Con- coined the “law,” explained, approach to motivation does in-
“We’re approaching the size of deed work. The study revolved ing back. ◙
sider that the potential to live for-
ever might come for the young of atoms, which is a fundamental
today to in some form or another barrier… We have another ten to
live forever.
Based on current develop-
ment, the hardware will be there,
twenty years before we reach the
fundamental limit.”
Nonetheless, one can’t but
Sweet and Twisted
help contemplate the possibilities BY TINA LIU events and keeps you guessing
but a different question is whether
of a world in which calculators STAFF WRITER until the end.
or not we will by that time be able
a n d Forget about
to gain a Directed by
www.opendiary.com

com- the old stereo-

strong the prominent Ko-
If growth continues at this pace, puters typical mafia
enough rean director Park
wi l l style of killing
under- some estimate that PlayStation 5 or Chan-Wook,
b e everyone;
standing “OldBoy” is a
6 will already match the processing e m - “Oldboy” takes
of the great mixture of
power of the human brain. vengeance to a
brain for bizarre love and whole new di-
the hard- bloody gore. The mension. Physi-
ware to be film focuses on
bedded in our heads, allowing us cal torture pales
able to connect. Many believe three characters,
to have perfect memory and per- in comparison
this is also achievable in the next Oh (Min-sik
form mental calculations almost with what Oh
century. In July 2005, The Reha- Choi), Lee (Ji-Tae
instantaneously; a world in which has to undergo.
bilitation Institute of Chicago Yu) and Mido
we can connect into a virtual one Over a period
successfully developed a neurally (Hye-Jeong Kang),
and do almost anything; a world of fifteen years
controlled arm for a victim of an revolving around
in which we will be able to of imprison-
electric accident. The arm is con- themes of love and
achieve, at the very least, digital ment in a dimly
nected to electrodes that connect vengeance. The
immortality. Is anyone interested lit room with an
to the brain via nerves in the intensity of this
or scared? I am. ◙ ersatz window,
chest. This was the first success- film gives a multi-
The poster of the movie “Oldboy.” Oh is dehuman-
ful implantation of a neurally con- tude of unexpected
Continued on Page 16
Page 16 April 26, 2006 A&E THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Online Rental Sweet and Twisted

Showdown
BY SARA MILLER
STAFF WRITER
Nearly every service is acces-
sible on the Internet nowadays.
This includes online renting, the
increasingly popular websites that
allow you to rent movies without
ever stepping outside your house.
Here’s a look at two of these
sites.
Continued from Page 15 just another luckless fortune’s
ized into a human lab experi-
ment, with only the television as
fool, who just happens to fall in
love with the wrong person in
company. Life is a constant cycle life.
mail in one business day. You of being gassed, fed, cleaned and The great performances of
can keep them for as long as you
watched. This inhumane treat- Choi (Oh) and Yu (Lee) save the
want without having to suffer
from any late fees, and then re-
turn them in prepaid envelopes.
The site boasts more than
60,000 movies in its library, con-
veniently sorting them into
twelve genres, and over one hun-
dred genres. You can also receive

www.netflix.com

films.tartanfilmsusa.com
A scene from “Oldboy”

ment brainwashes Oh into a hu- far less talented Kang, playing

Netflix is the largest online DVD rental service.
Netflix
Since its launch in 1999, Net-
flix has grown into the largest
online DVD rental service. Its
simple system allows for the
maximum number of rentals in a
month without any extra fees.
Simply create a list online of
DVDs you would like to see, and
you will receive up to three in the
recommendations and reviews
based on your picks. There are
four plans to pick from, accord-
ing to your watching capacity:
one DVD at-a-time for a monthly
$9.99, two DVDs at-a-time (limit
four per month) for $11.99, two
DVDs at-a-time (unlimited) for
$14.99, and the most popular
three DVDs at-a-time for $17.99.
Continued on Page 17
man vegetable. But what is bril-
liant about the style of vengeance
here is that “OldBoy” plants the
seed of torture deep into Oh’s
mind by causing him to con-
stantly agonize about the hideous
crime he committed, the act of
incest.
“Oldboy” is controversial
and bold in playing around with
the cursed concept of incest.
While Oh is being tormented by
his sin, “OldBoy” is sympathetic
towards Lee, Oh’s kidnapper, by
changing the taboo of incest into
a warmer and less critical issue.
From Lee’s tears and his aching
love for his sister, a less cruel
view of incest emerges. Lee is
Mido, the daughter of Oh. While
Kang mars the scenes, Choi and
Yu make the film a must-see.
Throughout the film, Choi’s viv-
idly portrayed personality begins
to metamorphoses almost un-
naturally, from once a constantly
drunken fool to a hard and hatred
filled man. Yet Yu’s perform-
ance outshines them all. As the
mystery of the film unravels it-
self, the personality of Lee un-
masks as well. First comes down
the mask of the empty friendly
smile, then the mask of the cruel
conspirator and lastly the real
Lee appears, a wretched creature
that is distraught over the lost of
his love. ◙

Classical Gothic Romances Revisited:

Dragonwyck by Anya Seton
BY JENNIFER SCHLESINGER ter, the ancestors of tant wealthy sion, Miranda’s parents allow her
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF most of the British c o u s i n , to go. Her position at Dragon-
royalty. Nicholas Van wyck is unsure, as she is not a full
An ya Seton’s novel
“Dragonwyck” Ryn, inviting member of the family, yet not a
“Dragonwyck” is written in the
opens with 18-year- one of the servant. She quickly becomes
style of classical gothic romances,
o l d Wells daugh- enamored with her cousin, Nicho-
such as
Miranda ters to come las. After the death of Nicholas’s
“Rebecca”
Wells, a live with wife, he proposes to Miranda and
by Daphne Dragonwyck is a farm girl him. When is easily accepted. After a year-
Du Maurier must read for all living in Miranda long mourning period, Miranda
and “Jane
gothic romance fans u p s t a t e hears of the and Nicholas are married. How-
Eyre” by
N e w letter, she ever, the marriage gets off to a
Charlotte and a good choice Y o r k , begs to go, as rocky start and Miranda begins to
B r ö n t e . for fans of historical s ne a ki n g she has fa- have doubts about her love as she
Seton is
fiction. a w a y naticized learns more about Nicholas’s
known for
from her about the character.
her histori-
chores to lives of the Overall, “Dragonwyck” is a
cal novels,
read a novel. Later rich and fa- well-written book and an enjoy-
such as “Katherine”, which is the
that evening, a letter mous. After able read. Although some parts of
story of Katherine Swynford and
arrives from a dis- The cover of “Dragonwyck” by Anya much discus-
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancas- Seton. Continued on Page 18
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD April 26, 2006 A&E Page 17

A New DVD Release to Catch:

The Squid and the Whale
BY JENNY HUANG 21. his mother’s new boyfriend Ivan ity provides comic relief in this
STAFF WRITER “The Squid and the Whale” (William Baldwin). At the same mainly melancholic movie. In
is a semi-autobiographical film time, the sons also begin to ex- one scene, he allows Sophie to
Although American in- about the discomforts and gritti- plore their adolescent sexuality. pay part of the bill when the
dependent cinema has plenty of ness of growing Frank becomes a serial mastur- family goes out for dinner. Ber-
www.empiremovies.com
coming-of age up in a broken bator while Walt deliberates hav- nard radiates jealousy when he
stories, Noah family. It features ing sex with his girlfriend, finds out that Joan, who recently
Baumbach’s the emotional Sophie (Halley Feiffer). While became a writer, gets published
“The Squid journey of the the plot is reminiscent of those in The New Yorker. Despite
and the Berkman family, of other films about dysfunc- Bernard’s appalling tempera-
Whale” is one particularly the tional families, the rawness and ment, the Berkman family does
of the better children. After the honesty of the characters save have familial characteristics. For
films falling parents announce this film from being another example, Bernard’s knack for
under this their imminent mundane movie about growing cursing like a Tourette’s Syn-
broad cate- divorce, the two up. drome patient obviously rubbs
g o r y. T hi s sons are quick to The father is a particularly off on Frank. The underlying
critically ac- take sides: Walt memorable character. Bernard, a domestic details definitely add to
claimed and (Jesse Eisenberg), publisher-less novelist, is an the sincerity and down-to-earth
well-received sixteen, adopts the arrogant narcissist whose frugal-
film, originally judgmental opin- Continued on Page 18
in theaters last ion of his father
year, was Bernard (Jeff
nominated for
an Academy
Daniels)
blames the di-
and Announcing the
Award for Best
O r i g i n a l “The Squid and the Whale” DVD.
vorce
mother
on the
Joan
Sixth Annual
Screenplay. It (Laura Linney), while Frank
was released on DVD on March (Owen Kline), twelve, accepts

Eiger Family
Online Rental Scholarships
Showdown in the amount of
Continued from Page 17 gives its users printable coupons
to enjoy free rentals from its
$25,000 over
Included in each plan is a free
two-week trial. stores. four years
Blockbuster
blockbuster.com

Presented by
Online

known
The well-
movie The Stuyvesant High School
rental store has
taken its services
Alumni Association
online. It uses the
same procedure
and the same plans Applications are available in the
as Netflix, and has
a library of 50,000
Alumni and College Offices
titles. However,
the website offers
several features
that Netflix does- Now Blockbuster offers online DVD rental. Completed applications due by
n’t have. Not only
does Blockbuster Online offer Out of the two online rental Thursday, April 27th
movie rentals; it also offers game services, Blockbuster Online is
rentals for Play Station, Play Sta- the better deal. Even though its No exceptions
tion 2, Xbox, Game Boy Ad- library of movie titles lacks a lit-
vance, and Nintendo Gamecube. tle behind that of Netflix, it is
Blockbuster will send you the continuously growing. Its user-
first movies on your list that are friendly website offers many Please Note: All students who apply will also
available. The site also has links more helpful features, and gives
you more control of the order of
be considered for one-time $5,000, $2,500,
for movies releasing this week,
and a link showing what is in which you receive your DVDs. $1,500, $1,050, and $1,000 scholarships.
theaters. An extra added bonus For those who play video games,
included in each plan are the free there is an extensive library of
In-Store Movie Rental coupons. over 1000 games, sorted into
Each month, Blockbuster Online categories including racing,
sports, and action and adventure.
Page 18
The Maximum Talent Theory of Sports
Continued from Page 20
picked him up, along with his
remaining $112 million contract
over 7 years. All this money for
the sake of winning. Even more,
they already had a superstar short-
stop in Derek Jeter, so they
moved A-Rod to third base, wast-
ing his talents for an entire year
while he adjusted to his new posi-
tion. Since then, A-Rod has im-
proved, but the Yankees still lack
a World Series championship.
However, A-Rod is not alone.
Along with Randy Johnson, Gary
Sheffield, and Jason Giambi,
these big-name players who were
supposed to instantly bring rings
are not doing as well as people
expected, and may even harm the
team. The Yankees pretty much
have an all-star team: A-Rod,
Jeter, Giambi, Posada, Sheffield,
Matsui, Damon, and Mussina.
They even have a budding rookie,
Robinson Cano. Why is it that an
all-star team unto itself like the
New York Yankees cannot win a
championship? In an effort to
explain this, the Maximum Talent
Theory was formed.
The Maximum Talent The-
ory, like the name suggests, con-
tends that sports teams have a set
limit on the amount of talent that
A New DVD Release to Catch:
The Squid and the Whale
Continued from Page 17
roughness of this film.
For New Yorkers, there is an
added bonus to this film. “The
Squid and the Whale” was filmed
in New York City’s own borough
of Brooklyn. Scenes of Q train
stations can be seen, along with
brownstones in Park Slope. In
addition, the school that
cinematical.com
A scene from “The Squid and the Whale.”
Bernard works in was filmed in
Midwood High School and
Brooklyn College.
Special features of the DVD
include an audio-only commen-
April 26, 2006 A&E/SPORTS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
begin to slack off. Each player
thinks the others will do the job,
and they become lazy. This is
they can hold, before any extra Once there, they are so wel- when the team has reached the
talent added becomes worthless, comed, worshipped, and infatu- maximum talent level and it all
or even detracts from the team’s ated with money that they lose begins to go downhill.
performance. Adding too much sight of what they were there for. Another good example of
talent to Getty ImageThen the team this theory is the New York
a team begins to lose Knicks. Most are probably fa-
defeats and both the miliar with the Knicks’ horrible
the pur- player and performance this year, and their
pose of team are un- even worse trades. Ever since
creating happy. The 1998 and head coach Jeff Van
a well- star complains Gundy’s resignation, the Knicks
balanced about not hav- have been in decline. They con-
t e a m ing enough tinue to add selfish, cocky play-
t h a t help. Then, ers to the team and to make bad
works the team signs trades, adding more selfish,
together. more super- cocky players. Stephon Marbury
Having sta rs wi t h and Steve Francis are prime ex-
t o o even bigger amples. Adding veterans Malik
m a n y contracts to and Jalen Rose didn’t help, and
super- try to supple- rookies Channing Frye, David
s t a r s ment itself. Lee and Nate Robisnon are hav-
w i t h Then there are ing their growth stunted even
selfish several super- before they become stars. The
motives stars on the more the Knicks spend, it seems,
or over- te a m, a nd the more they lose. Sports were
s i ze d with such a never this much about money.
egos can co mb in atio n They’re about fun and the ad-
d e f i - of statistics vancement of sports and its val-
nitely and records, ues. Maybe next time, sports
harm a it's impossible teams will be able to actually
Steve Francis of the New York Knicks.
team. to lose, right? think about their situations, and
Stars who were once modest, am- But one must not forget that these realize it’s possible to win with-
bitious rookies were eager to stats were from previous seasons. out spending a fortune. ◙
prove themselves end up falling The stars play together, they feel
for the multimillion dollar deal. they’re unstoppable, and they
Classical Gothic Romances
Revisited: Dragonwyck by
tary, an interview with Baum-
bach at the New York Film Festi-
Anya Seton
val, a thoughtful behind-the- Continued from Page 16 dimensional.
scenes featurette, two reviews
the book are slow-moving, the In contrast to many other
(from the Los Angeles Times and
reader eventually gets swept up in gothic romances, much less is left
the New Yorker), and original
the story. The plot is rather com- up to the reader at the ending.
trailers.
plex, although the ending is fairly Other than this, Seton does a very
“The Squid and the Whale”
predictable. However, Seton ex- good job of recreating a classical
is a somewhat conventional, yet
pertly mixes in historical events gothic romance. Like the classics,
enjoyable, film that possesses all
of the time, the mid 1800s’, with a sense of mystery surrounds the
the plot, which makes the story entire story. “Dragonwyck” by
more realistic. One of the high- Anya Seton is a must-read for all
lights of the novel, is its charac- gothic romance fans and a good
ters. They have complex motives choice for fans of historical fic-
and seem nearly three- tion. ◙
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COM-
MUNITY COLLEGE
Start right here with...
College Now
Contact dganderson@bmcc.cuny.edu
the wit and smarts a coming-of-
age story should. This film will
surely be a hit for all fans of this
genre. Be prepared to laugh and
empathize at the same time. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Draft Busts
Continued from Page 20
considered the greatest quarter-
back in the history of football.
In the NHL draft of 1993,
everybody was high on Alexander
Daigle. The six–foot, 200-pound
right wing was called the next
Wayne Gretzky. Daigle broke
most of Gretzky’s records in Ca-
nadian junior hockey. The Ottawa
Senators even lost purposely just
to draft this “superstar.” Oops.
After five seasons in Ottawa,
where he never lived up to poten-
tial, Daigle played for Philadel-
phia, Tampa Bay, and the Rang-
ers before retiring. He came back
two years later to play for Minne-
sota. He was waived last month
by Minnesota, and is currently in
the minor leagues. Drafted fourth
overall that same year, Paul
Kariya is a superstar. In 657 ca-
reer NHL games, Kariya has 339
goals and 347 assists. Paul also
helped Canada win the gold
medal at the 2002 Winter Olym-
pics in Salt Lake City.
The Knicks have had their
Tennis and the Struggle to Get
Courts
Continued from Page 20
Drive and Houston Street, a forty-
minute bus ride from school.
This means players getting out of
school at 3:30 usually do not ar-
rive until 4:10 at best. According
www.mapquest.com
A map of the route from Stuyvesant High School to the tennis
courts.
to PSAL regulations, these play-
ers must forfeit their matches.
So far, the only solution is for
the members of the tennis teams
is to take taxis, which they do
everyday. However, taxi fares and
the complications make it diffi-
cult for players to make it to prac-
tices and games, if not impossi-
ble.
Not only is the commute frus-
trating, it is a disadvantage to the
teams. By the time the teams step
onto the courts at FDR, most are
already taken. Stuyvesant shares
April 26, 2006 SPORTS Page 19
due to his temper, no one can Stephon Marbury deal. Only two
deny that he is one of the better
defenders in the NBA today. No
picks later, the Suns selected
Amare Stoudemire. Though in-
fair share of draft mistakes. In one can also deny that he would jured this year, Stoudemire is one
1999, the Knicks held the fif- have been a better pick for the of the best young players in the
teenth pick in the NBA Draft. At Knicks. NBA, and averages twenty points
this point, the In 2002, the
www.danmorino.com and nine rebounds a game.
Knicks had just K n i c k s The worst draft bust of all
lost to the Spurs owned the time occurred in 1984. The Port-
in the finals. seventh se- land Trailblazers owned the sec-
They were lection in the ond pick. They selected Sam
growing old, NBA draft. Bowie, a center out of Kentucky.
and needed help Their selec- He played four average seasons
at multiple posi- tion was there, and four more for the Los
tions. Their Nene, power Angeles Lakers upon retiring in
selection was a forward from 1995. The next pick in the draft,
French center Brazil. Like however, was someone much
named Freder- Weiss be- more familiar. The Chicago Bulls
ick Weis, the fore, Nene selected Michael Jordan, a shoot-
apparent heir to never played ing guard from North Carolina.
Patrick Ewing a game for It’s fairly safe to say that Jordan
at the position. the Knicks, was the best basketball player of
Weiss, now but this time his generation. Along with Scot-
known as it was be- tie Pippen and Dennis Rodman,
“French Toast”, cause he was Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA
never played a Dan Morino, the ex-quarterback of the Miami traded, along championships.
game for the Dolphins. with Marcus So this Saturday when your
Knicks due to a Camby, to the Nuggets for Anto- favorite football team doesn’t
back injury. The next selection nio McDyess. McDyess played draft who you want them to, just
belonged to the Chicago Bulls. only eighteen games for the remember the fateful stories of
They took Ron Artest, a small Knicks due to injury and was later these five individuals. ◙
forward from St. Johns. While traded to the Phoenix Suns in the
Artest has had many problems
Fencing Fever
Continued from Page 20 ers Berland, freshman Megan Ng,
strange having practice in spring,” and sophomore Malika
stated Berland. The hard work Rakhmankulov are also impor-
the FDR courts with other and practice seem to be paying tant reasons for the team’s suc-
schools, group lessons, and indi- off. cess, averag-
viduals that regularly get to the Scoring ing 2.25 of
courts earlier. This leaves Stuy- in fencing the three pos-
vesant players courtless or, on a matches is a
The Untouchables were sible “B”
lucky day, with one or two courts little tricky indeed untouchable in points. This
to split be-
tween about
but easy once their first two matches. was case,
not the
how-
you get the
fifteen players hang of it. ever, in the
on a single Each team has six fencers, two team’s lone
team. Thus, “A”, two “B”, and two “C”. The defeat, a 5.25 to 3.75 loss to
practices be- “A” fencers’ bouts are worth 1 Hunter. The Untouchables started
come ineffi- point each, those of the “B” play- down 4-0 and were never able to
cient ands ers are worth .75 points, and those recover. They did recover,
wastes of time of the “C” players are worth .5 though, in their next match, a
and money. points. Each fencer gets two 7.25- 1.75 win over LaGuardia.
The girls’ ten- bouts, and the first fencer to five Even though this team is win-
nis team touches wins. ning now, they should be winning
coach, Mark The Untouchables were in- for years to come. The team will
Harman, has deed untouchable in their first two not graduate any seniors this year.
inquired about matches, both 7.5 to 1.5 wins over Out of the twenty fencers, there
a move of Beacon School and Frederick are only two juniors and six
S t u yv e s a n t ’ s Douglass Academy respectively. sophomores. The amount of ex-
home courts to “A” fencers Jenny Hsiao and perience this team will gain in
the courts down by the piers. Vivian Truong got the team off to coming years will make it a force
This change of location would an early start, giving Stuyvesant to be reckoned with real soon. ◙
make it possible for players sim- commanding 4-0 leads. “B” fenc-
ply to walk a short distance for
practices and matches. As of
now, the girls’ tennis team has
had one practice at the pier’s
courts, but official matches re- Love sports? Love to write?
main at FDR. Hopefully, in time,
Stuyvesant’s tennis teams will
have a new home, closer to the
school. Until then, players will Join the team.
have to put up with shelling out
their own money for taxi fares or
risk forfeiting their matches. ◙ recruitment@stuystandard.org
Page 20 April 26, 2006 SPORTS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Tennis and the Struggle The Maximum Talent

to Get Courts Theory of Sports
BY STEPHANIE SHEN into full swing, the tennis teams BY RICHARD MAI young and shows great potential,
STAFF WRITER have begun yet another round of STAFF WRITER so why not make him sign for as
successful matches. While there’s long as we can? On this topic,
Stuyvesant’s plenty of skill, dedication, and These days, we regard profes-
Girls’ and one of the most debated people is
victories, the problem that re- sional athletes like gods, and it is
Boys’ Tennis a New York Yankee, Alex Rodri-
mains is actually getting courts to no wonder that people follow
Teams have guez. In 2000, he signed a stag-
practice on. their sports teams so fervently,
long been gering $252 million deal with the
The lack of courts around especially involving big names
known for Texas Rangers as a free agent for
Stuyvesant causes a problem in and winning. And with big
their com- ten years. It is the most lucrative
getting regular practices in be- names come big bucks. Every
petitive try- contracts in sports history, and is
tween games and actually getting year, it seems, there is a newer,
Source Unknown

outs and, still the most expensive in Ameri-

c o n s e -
quently, the
high level of ability among their
players. As the spring sports get
to games on time. Currently, the
home courts for the tennis teams
are at Franklin D. Roosevelt
Continued on Page 19
bigger, juicier player contract for
can sports. The Yankees later
a sports superstar. The player is
Continued on Page 18

Fencing Fever
BY ERIC MAYO history, the girls have a separate
SPORTS EDITOR fencing league from the regular
one in the fall. This new system
Fenc-
might eliminate the coed season
i n g
in the fall, but whether that will
fever
happen remains to be seen.
h a s
The team was informed of
carried
this change sometime during the
over to
fall co-ed season, according to
t h e

www.ultimateyankees.com
sophomore and co-captain Anais
spring-
Berland.
time.
The team started practicing
For the
for the upcoming season at the
first
www.usfaryc.org

end of February. “It's kind of

time in Even the great Yankees falls prey to the Maximum Talent Theory.
PSAL
Continued on Page 19

Draft Busts
BY ERIC MAYO
SPORTS EDITOR
A draft in any professional
sports league is an exciting day
for a bad team and its fans: there
are plenty of future stars just
waiting
approaching. The Jets were look-
ing for a quarterback. Their selec-
tion was Ken O’Brien, a quarter-
back out of the University of
California-Davis. O’Brien went
on to have a decent career with
the Jets, retir-
www.kenston.k12.oh.us

ing in 1993,
to be
tied for fiftieth
drafted.
place in pass
Ho w-
attempts and
ever,
42nd in com-
f o r
pletions. Three
every
selections
super-
later, the Mi-
s t a r
ami Dolphins
there’s
also took a
a super-
quarterback.
bust.
His name was
Here’s a
Dan Marino.
look at
While Marino
five of
only
the big-
led the Dol-
g e s t
phins to a Su-
draft
per Bowl, he is
busts in
the all-time
p r o fe s -
leader in pass
sional
attempts, com-
sports. Michael "Air" Jordan could have been a Trailblazer!
pletions, pass-
The
ing yards, and
y e a r
passing touchdowns, and could be
was 1983, and the NFL draft was
Continued from Page 19