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The Stuyvesant Standard

www.stuystandard.org

“Your School, Your World—Your News” 
Volume VI, Issue 8 Tuesday, January 23, 2006 Free
Corbis

The Death of Work for Stress PLUS

a President: OPINIONS P/8 Saddam Hussein’s Execution P/3,
Who Never Club Spotlight P/3, Meet Dr.
Aspired To be
President Niglio P/4, Ask the T: Grades P/7,
The Life of a Smoker and much more inside...
NEWS P/3 SCIENCE P/12
Corbis

Leak Exposes ‘08 Giuliani’s Plans

BY TIMOTHY TONG
STAFF WRITER
A political leak regarding
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, as
well as exposed his highly confi-
dential, 140-page plan to run for
president, possible donors for his
campaign, and possible future
liabilities.
This document could be dele-
terious to Giuliani’s reputation as
a leader who emphasized security
issues and strategic planning. He
was known for tightly surveying
public information and this leak-
age not only served as a humilia-
tion for him, but also allowed his
political opponents to foresee his
plans.
But why did this document
pose such significance in the po-
litical world? His political oppo-
nents now know that Giuliani
planned to reap in $100 million in
2007, with hopes to collect more
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, at work in his office.
than a fourth of that in the first
three months, and to spend $21
million of it in the same year. In
the document, he seemed slightly
ambivalent about the presidential
issue. On one side, he wanted to
climb the political ladder and be-
Corbis
come president. On the other
hand, he wanted to continue his
personal ambitions, which include
becoming a consultant on security
issues and leadership, continuing
to practice law, and expanding on
his investments. On one page, he
stated that he might “drop out of
[the] race” due to
“insurmountable” political and
personal concerns. These con-
cerns included Donna Hanover,
his third and current wife; Ber-
nard Kerik, his consulting prac-
tice; and “social issues,” as he has
a more liberal position than other
Republicans.
According to the Daily News,
the donor of the document was
anonymous and was “sympathetic
to one of Giuliani’s rivals for the
White House.” This donor went
even further by claiming that
Giuliani left the document in one
of the cities he had campaigned
in. Giuliani’s spokesperson,
Sunny Mindel, did not contradict
this statement. She stated
“Because our staffer had custody
of this document at all times ex-
cept for this one occasion, it is
clear that the document was re-
Continued on Page 4

The Final Frontier: PSAT/NMSQT Report:

What’s Next? How Did Juniors and
BY PAUL ROZENBERG
STAFF WRITER
even develop their own space-
ships. In the past few years, the
entire scenario has changed.
Seniors Do?
cscout.com

Encouraged by prizes such as BY JENNIFER SCHLESINGER in the sophomore class.

On September 18 2006, Anousheh
Ansari became the first female tourist
traveling into space.
A new era in space flight is
set to begin. For decades, gov-
ernment agencies such as NASA
have been the only organizations
able to send anything into space.
These trips required large sums of
money, meaning that private com-
panies would not be able to fund
commercial trips into space, or
the $10 million Ansari X-Prize,
billionaire entrepreneurs have
founded and invested heavily in
companies that seek to create
new, inexpensive types of space-
craft. The Ansari X-Prize,
awarded in 2004, was given to the
team that built the first reusable
private spacecraft and flew it to
suborbital space twice in one
week. The team of engineers that
built the spacecraft, named Space-
ShipOne, was backed by Paul
Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
The total development costs for
SpaceShipOne were $25 million
dollars, half as much as one flight
of the space shuttle costs.
As young as they are, these
Continued on Page 11
EDITOR IN CHIEF
The College Board recently
released the information on how
college bound juniors and seniors
did on the 2005-2006 PSAT/
NMSQT.
The junior scores, in general, went up. On the
other hand, in 2005, the average sophomore
scores went down.
In October 2005, 1,467,667
juniors and 1,299,546 sopho-
mores took the PSAT nationwide.
In the junior class, 54.5 percent
were female and 45.5 percent
were male, compared to 53 per-
cent female and 47 percent male
The junior scores, in general,
went up. The average critical
reading score was 47.5, a 0.6 in-
crease from 2004. The average
math score was 49.2, up 0.4 from
2004. The average writing score
went down 0.8 to 49.3.
On the other hand, in 2005,
the average sophomore scores
went down. The critical reading
score stayed at 42.5. The average
math score fell by .2 to 44. The
writing score had the largest drop,
Continued on Page 2
Page 2 Tuesday, January 23, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD  New Year’s Celebration

Founded 2001
 
 
at Times Square
  BY NEETA MALVIYA pounds, was made of iron and
STAFF WRITER wood, and was adorned with 100
“Your School, Your  World—Your News”  25-watt light bulbs. It was done as
New Year’s in Times Square a substitution for fireworks,
Executive Leadership Team has become a global tradition.
Every year on December 31, hun-
which were now banned. The
New Year’s Eve Ball has cele-
DR. JOHN NIKOL FACULTY ADVISER
dreds of thousands of people brated every new year since 1907,
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF gather in Time Square from except 1942 and 1943, because of
DEREK WENG MANAGING EDITOR around the world to watch the the war-time blackout of the city.
DIANE CHEN CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER New Year’s Eve Ball make its The New Year’s Eve Ball
KHOI NGUYEN CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER descent. Millions of people na- was placed upon the rooftop of
FANNY TANG LAYOUT EDITOR tionwide and billions from around One Times Square on Wednes-
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF the world gather around their tele-
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR
day, December 27, 2006. The ball
visions to watch this magnificent used for 2007 was the same one
PRISCILLA MELO OPINIONS EDITOR
event. used every year since 2000. It was
EMMA RABINOVICH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
ERIC MAYO SPORTS EDITOR The New Year’s celebration designed by Waterford Crystal. It
JOSEPH KRUTOV SCIENCE EDITOR in Times Square dates back to is a geodesic sphere that is six
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR 1904. This was the same year the feet in diameter and weighs 1,070
LADA KUKUY LITERARY EDITOR first subway line opened and the pounds. During the 2007 New
JESSE ZHANG WEBMASTER neon light was introduced. The Year’s celebration, 72 of the crys-
BENNETT HONG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM first New Year’s Eve Ball was tal triangles on the ball contained
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER dropped in 1907. This ball was
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS the new “Hope for Peace” design,
five feet in diameter, weighed 700
Continued on Page 6
Publication

timessquarenyc.org
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD is a nonprofit and nonpartisan publication pro-
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out the adjoining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City.
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Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

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PSAT/NMSQT Report: How
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If you would like to advertise in THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, please e-mail Continued from Page 1 national means.
advertising@stuystandard.org to request an advertisement form. We offer a decrease of 1.5 to 44.9. In 2005 in New York, 68,710
a broad range of options including full color capability for your advertis- In New York State in 2005, sophomores took the PSAT. Simi-
ing needs. 127,276 juniors took the PSAT. lar to the national percentages,
Of them, 46.2 percent were male 53.9 percent were female and
Subscription and 53.8 percent were female. 46.1 percent were male. The eth-
The male to female ratio was nic breakup was also similar to
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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD The ethnic background breakup of the junior scores, the New York
students in New York was similar means for all three sections were
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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
The Death of a President Who
Never Aspired To Be
BY ANNA GINZBURG
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Former President Gerald R.
Ford died at age 93 on December
26, 2006. President Bush re-
marked that “President Ford was
a great man who devoted the best
years of his life to serving the
United States of America. He was
also a true gentleman who re-
flected the best in America's char-
acter.”
He was in fact nothing short
of Bush’s comments. He served
as president for just 896 days and
was the only president who was
neither elected as president nor as
vice president. Although his time
in office was short, it occurred at
a pivotal time in American his-
tory. It was an era in which
America had been defeated seri-
ously in a war for the first time,
and there were many traces of
corruption in American politics.
Ford, however, stayed away
from corruption and became
known for his integrity and com-
mon sense. He was identified as a
common man who was predict-
Saddam Hussein, Executed After
13-Year Reign
BY SANGHEE CHUNG
COLUMNIST
Saddam Hussein reigned as
the undisputed ruler of Iraq from
1979 to 2003, when his regime
was overthrown by an invasion
from the United States.
Saddam was born on April
28, 1937 near Tikrit and was
raised by landless peasants. In
1956, he joined the Arab Ba’ath
Socialist Party, which was formed
to push the belief that secularism
was the path to Arab unity. How-
ever, it only resulted in the im-
prisonment and execution of all
possible rivals. The party later
assigned Saddam and nine other
members to assassinate Abdul
Karim Kassem, the despotic ruler
of Iraq. The assassination failed
and Saddam suffered from a gun-
shot in his leg from the dictator’s
bodyguards. His life was often
filled with bloodshed.
By 1969, Hussein was ap-
pointed vice president and deputy
chairman of the Revolutionary
Command Council by the presi-
dent Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, who
was, in essence, controlling Iraq.
Hussein first attempted to
control the region of Iran in 1979,
Tuesday, January 23, 2006 NEWS
Former First Lady Betty Ford pauses at the casket of former U.S. President Gerald
R. Ford as it lies in state in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Ford
lied in state at the Capitol until January 2, 2006, when a funeral was to be held at
the National Cathedral.
able, safe and reassuring. He once
said, “The harder you work, the
luckier you are.” He sure was a
lucky man, considering how many
problems the nation faced when
he took the oath of office on Au-
gust 9, 1974.
In the most important line of
his speech that day, Ford an-
nounced, “Our long national
after its revolution, believing that
he could seize a waterway and
spark Iranians to rebel against
their Persian rulers. Often, when
his strategies failed, he accused
the commanders of unfaithfulness
and cowardice, and had them exe-
cuted. The wars that he caused,
however, also resulted in signifi-
cant changes in the citizens’ daily
AP
In a last act of defiance Saddam Hus-
sein refused to wear a hood.
life: highways were built, univer-
sities and hospitals were con-
structed, and the arts of Iraq were
the most accomplished in the
area.
In 1980, the Iraq-Iran War
began, originally from a dispute
over a piece of land. A more im-
mediate cause was Iran’s Islamic
Revolution, which was stirring up
Corbis
nightmare is over.” He worked
hard to move the nation in a posi-
tive direction and both inflation
and unemployment rates fell
while he was in office. He tried to
control federal spending with ve-
toes on spending bills. He also led
negotiations for a treaty that
would allow Panama have control
Continued on Page 4
Shia Muslims in Iraq. During the
war, Saddam had used secret po-
lice and chemical weapons to sti-
fle opposition and crush rebel-
lions. By 1987, his army had be-
come the fourth largest in the
world. In August 1990, he in-
vaded Kuwait and refused to lis-
ten to UN orders to retreat.
By 1992, Iraq evidently still
possessed many weapons and UN
investigators assured that all at-
tempts to use them would be
thwarted. After the Persian Gulf
War, Saddam refused the inspec-
tions and the United States and
Great Britain bombed Iraqi com-
munications and other military
targets in the hopes that it would
not create any more weapons of
mass destruction.
After the September 11 at-
tacks, coalition forces invaded
Iraq after hearing about the “Axis
of Evil” and weapons of mass
destruction. In April 2003, United
States troops brought down a
statue of Hussein in central Bagh-
dad, marking the end of his rule.
A tousled Hussein was cap-
tured by American forces on De-
cember 13, 2003 near his home-
Continued on Page 6
Page 3
CLUB SPOTLIGHT
Building
With
Books
BY YANA GONTCHAROVA
COLUMNIST
buildingwithbooks.org
Like many clubs in
Stuyvesant High School, Building
with Books (BwB) works hard to
raise money for charity. However,
BwB is unique in many ways.
This organization actually sends
two to three Stuyvesant students
to third world countries every
year to help build a school.
The goal of BwB is to
promote education by raising
money so that schools can be
built in poor communities that
cannot afford to build schools
themselves. However, the club is
not limited to building schools. At
every club meeting (the club
meets every Monday),
i n f o r ma t i o n a b o u t v a r i o u s
volunteer projects for the
weekend is given out. During
meetings, fund-raising ideas are
often discussed. In fact, BwB is
responsible for the well-known
and highly successful pie-a-
teacher event, in which students
buy raffle tickets for a chance to
throw a pie dish of whipped
cream in teachers’ faces.
Other meetings are filled with
the actual preparation for these
fund-raising events. People are
generally split up into several
committees, often including
public relations, decorations and
food.
All in all, BwB is a
wonderful organization that
spreads cultural awareness while
helping people both far abroad
and in our own communities. ◙
Page 4 Tuesday, January 23, 2006 NEWS THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Meet Dr. Niglio! Leak Exposes ‘08 Giuliani’s

BY SANGHEE CHUNG
COLUMNIST
Classes Taught: FSE1
(Spanish Enrichment 1), FS5
(Spanish 5)
Raised in New York City, Dr.
Patrick Niglio has dedicated nu-
merous years to foreign language
through his own extensive knowl-
edge and vast travel experiences.
His first teaching experience was
working as a bilingual coordina-
tor of both Spanish and Italian for
District 32. He has worked with
teachers, helped at special events,
and even taught parents English
as a Second Language.
Niglio first arrived at Stuyve-
sant in 1984 after he realized that
he wished to work with intelligent
students. Since then, he has taught
a multitude of classes, including
various levels of Italian, French,
Spanish and Portuguese, in addi-
He is very fond of the stu-
dents, and thinks the “ever-
changing rules and regulations”
are extremely irritating.
“I think that if a student does
something wrong, he or she
shouldn’t be punished by the
rules,” he said. “They should be-
come more involved in commu-
nity service. I want to get kids to
participate in various activities.”
Dr. Niglio’s foreign experi-
ences also extend outside the
school. He dedicates several
hours each week to home instruc-
tion, mandated by the Board of
Education, to teach Italian. Fur-
thermore, he enjoys watching
movies, seeing friends and spend-
ing time with his family. Dr. Nig-
lio particularly takes pleasure in
listening to pop vocal and classi-
cal music, although he is willing
to listen to anything but rap.
Travel is also an essential
part of Dr. Niglio’s life. He has
Plans
Continued from Page 1
moved from the luggage and pho-
tocopied.” She even added that
“voters are sick and tired of dirty
tricks” and praised Giuliani. She
also skeptically said, “I wonder
why such suspicious activity is
occurring and can only guess it is
because of Rudy’s poll numbers
in New Hampshire and Iowa.”
In the document, the Daily
News found a list of potential
donors. It includes Lew Eisenberg
and Larry Bathgate, New Jersey
fund raisers; Fred Smith, a FedEx
executive; and Henry Kravis, a
The Death of a President Who
Never Aspired To Be
Continued from Page 3
financier. This part of the docu-
ment implied that it might be out-
dated. These four donors have
already helped fund Senator John
McCain’s campaign, who is also
running for president.
Right now, it is still unclear
whether or not Giuliani will run
for president, as he has withheld
answers regarding the issue. Last
April, he had already met with
potential supporters, and by Octo-
ber, his advisors had drawn up a
plan for a serious presidential bid.
◙
ended. He seemed to have sprung
it on the American people instead

“I want to teach my students everything I
possibly can about the language. I want to
raise awareness of different cultures.”
tion to English and music appre-
ciation.
“I want to teach my students
everything I possibly can about
the language,” he said. “I want to
raise awareness of different cul-
tures.”
Despite its competitive at-
mosphere, Niglio has found Stuy-
vesant to be a warm community.
“The students are very
friendly and supportive,” he said.
“You need to support your peers
and colleagues in a respectful
way.”
Corbis
of preparing them for it.
Later, however, it became
viewed as the correct approach to
the Nixon issue. In May 2001, he
was honored with a Profile in
Courage Award at the John F.
Kennedy Library in Boston. Sena-
tor Edward M. Kennedy spoke at
lived and attended school in
the ceremony and said that al-
Europe and has traveled to the
though he originally opposed the
continent nearly 40 times. He has
pardon he now saw “that Presi-
traveled to Brazil 20 times and
dent Ford was right.”
visited Japan once. In the past,
Former U.S. President Gerald Ford He was in the right in many
Stuyvesant students have also
passed away on December 26, 2006. of his policies and it is funny to
taken part in trips with him. Sev-
remember that he never aspired to
eral students had the opportunity
over its canal. become president. Nevertheless,
to visit Brazil to learn about its
His most controversial act in for somebody who did not desire
history, visit museums and carni-
office was actually one of his to be president, his influence
vals, and take tours. ◙
first: his pardon of Nixon. The over the American government
was certainly a positive one and
pardon was considered unbelieva-
he will be remembered as a strong
bly unpopular at the time, and
and caring president. ◙
was one of the reasons why Ford
was not elected when his term

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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, January 23, 2006 CALENDAR Page 5

Looking Ahead: Important Dates to Know in

January, February, and March

January:
• January 26- end of finals
• January 27– SAT and SAT Sub-
ject test given
• January 29-31– no student attendance

February:
• February 1- spring term begins
• February 2– regular SAT registra-
tion date for March test
• February 5– SSR forms due for Jun-
iors
• February 6– administration of AMC
• February 12– Lincoln’s Birthday
• February 14– Valentines Day,
March SAT late deadline
• February 19– Presidents Day
• February 19-23– Midwinter break
• February 22– Washington’s Birth-
day

March:
• March 9– ACT registration Deadline
for April test
• March 10– SAT given
• March 10-23– late Act registration
• March 11– Daylight Savings Time
begins
• March 17– St. Patrick’s Day
• March 20– first day of spring
Page 6
Saddam Hussein, Executed
A frame grab from Al Iraqiya television moments before the former Iraqi president
Saddam Hussein's execution in Baghdad.
Continued from Page 3
town. He was imprisoned at
Camp Cropper and was kept in
solitary confinement. After a
yearlong trial, Hussein was sen-
tenced to death over the murders
of 148 Shias from Dujail in 1980.
His execution was held at
Camp Justice, an Iraqi compound,
Using Nukes to Preempt
Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
BY DAVID MANNES
STAFF WRITER
Recently the British news
reported that Israel is planning a
limited nuclear strike on Iranian
nuclear facilities. Israel denied
the allegation, but did say that,
should diplomacy fail to stop Iran
from obtaining nuclear weapons,
Corbis
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president
of Iran, has called for the total destruc-
tion of Israel.
it would be willing to use military
means to do so. According to
Israel, Iran will have nuclear
weapons in two years. Since
Iran’s president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, has called for the
total destruction of Israel, I be-
lieve it is imperative for the world
to stop Iran from obtaining nu-
clear weapons at all costs.
Because the Iranian nuclear
facilities are extremely well pro-
tected, and far underground, the
Tuesday, January 23, 2006 OPINIONS
Corbis
on December 30, 2006. The for-
mer Iraqi leader, 69, carried his
Koran to the gallows and made
sure he would not die with the
hood on his head. He recited the
Shahada, a Muslim prayer, until
the floor beneath him dropped.
One of the onlookers shouted,
“The tyrant has fallen.” ◙
only type of bomb strike that
would incapacitate these facilities
is a nuclear one. I believe that
diplomacy will fail and a military
strike will be necessary to destroy
Iran’s nuclear capability. How-
ever, I don’t think that Israel,
America, or Britain can afford to
be the one to bomb Iran.
Anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli
feelings are already widespread.
Should Israel launch any kind of
nuclear strike against Iran, despite
how much Iran has provoked it,
Israel would be seen as having
started the ensuing conflict. This
would give ammunition to anti-
Israeli forces worldwide and give
justification to an Iranian counter-
attack and to the revival of the
severely weakened Iranian nu-
clear program. The same would
be true if the United States or
England attacked Iran.
I believe the solution is for
Israel, America and Britain to
have other nations stop support-
ing Iran, or better yet, to have a
now neutral nation take military
action against Iran. In general,
anyone who is supporting a cause
for their own secondary purposes,
such as money or hatred, can be
persuaded and made, with enough
effort and focus, to do what some-
one else wants. The nations who
Continued on Page 7
New Year’s Celebration at
Times Square
Continued from Page 2
which consists of dove patterns
symbolizing peace. The symbols
from the previous six years were
also included, which were Hope
for Fellowship, Hope for Wis-
dom, Hope for Unity, Hope for
Courage, Hope for Healing, Hope
for Abundance, and Star of Hope
triangles. The ball contains 696
lights and 90 rotating pyramid
mirrors in total, which were com-
puter controlled. This is what cre-
ates the kaleidoscope effect that
the ball makes as it descends
down the 77-foot flagpole.
People began to gather at
Times Square in the afternoon in
order to secure the best viewing
spots. At 11:59 pm on December
31, 2006, Mayor Bloomberg
pressed the button for the New
Year’s Eve Ball to begin its de-
scent. People in the crowd began
to count down to the New Year as
the ball lowered. When the ball
completed its descent, the sign for
2007 lit up. Confetti was tossed,
Goodbye Snow, Hello
Sun!
BY HUI TING
STAFF WRITER
Keloland.com
The weather has been so un-
predictable lately. One day it is
bright and sunny, while the next it
is gloomy and raining. The drastic
change in weather has been pon-
dered by many people. Some, like
Jane, say there is nothing wrong
with the weather and insist it’s
actually improving her mood be-
cause “[she] can play tennis now
and let out [her] anger.” However,
like most informed citizens, we
know the one problem causing
this rarity in the climate: global
warming.
Global warming is an in-
crease in the global temperature
which results from air pollution.
Simple everyday things such as
charging your phone, turning on
the computer or switching on the
lights contribute to this horren-
dous epidemic. The above listed
activities all use electricity.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
fireworks went up, Auld Lang
Syne was played, and the people
cheered and shouted.
The New York City Police
Department was very tight with
security. All access points to
Tines Square were controlled.
Bags, backpacks and alcohol were
not permitted into Times Square.
After the New Year’s cele-
bration had finished, 42 tons of
debris had to be removed from
Times Square, which topped last
year’s 37 tons. This included con-
fetti, party hats, noise makers,
gloves, wrappers and glasses.
Confetti alone made up 3.5 tons
of the debris. The clean-up was
completed by 2 p.m. on New
Year’s Day. The cost for this
year’s clean-up has not been de-
termined, but last year’s total cost
was $27,648. Visitors spent tens
of millions of dollars during this
celebration on food, alcohol and
souvenirs. Some say that this was
New York’s busiest year for tour-
ism. ◙
Where do companies like Con
Edison get the electricity to sup-
ply our superfluous needs? If you
guessed wind turbines or solar
power, you are dreadfully wrong.
Electric companies derive elec-
tricity from burning fuels. The
burning of these fuels release
greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous ox-
ide into the air. The emitted gases
cause air pollution which leads to
the greenhouse effect.
Although global warming has
positive effects such as the sun’s
being out in the middle of winter
and making the season more en-
joyable, its negative effects are
more serious. Mabel, a student,
exclaimed, “I can go outside
again!” When asked what she
thought about global warming,
she replied, “The ozone layer is
repairing itself.” I guess not eve-
ryone is well notified. Some
negative effects include the melt-
ing of the polar ice caps, which
could lead to global flooding.
Anyone who has seen the movie
“The Day After Tomorrow”
might be surprised to find out that
might happen sooner than experts
thought.
The rest of the world has al-
ready thought of a solution: the
Kyoto Protocol. Over 160 coun-
Continued on Page 7
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
ASK THE T
Grades
Hi T,
I am concerned over my
grades. Although my grades are
what some people might call high,
I am inclined to say that my
grades are low. Some may call
me an overachiever, but I person-
ally feel that my grades are truly
low. Although my average grade
in all my classes has not been
lower than a 90 since fifth grade,
I am still concerned that I am not
doing the best that I can do. I’m
spending more and more time
studying, but my grades are only
going up bit by bit. Also, my
social life is struggling because I
have less time to get out and have
fun with my friends.
Because I can’t go out any-
more, I’m become reclusive, and
I’m not getting along with people
the way I used to. This is getting
to be a problem, because now I’m
obsessing over the smallest things
that have no real impact on any-
thing I do. I don’t know what to
do, though, and everything has
suddenly become extremely con-
fusing. Can you help me?
A Worried Student
Dear Worried Student,
I am really glad that you take
your grades seriously. You give
every subject 110 percent of your
effort. However, what effect does
this have on your personal life?
Don’t get me wrong, your grades
are your own prerogative, but
maybe there is a way that you can
pull off high grades while still
enjoying your social life.
I think the first question you
might ask yourself is: Is all that
extra studying really pushing up
your grades? Sure, you could
study your butt off, but is the sac-
rificed time worth that tiny 0.1
percent increase in your average?
Aside from a decline in your so-
cial life, excessive studying could
also lead to a lack of sleep, and
Using Nukes to Preempt Iran’s
Nuclear Ambitions
Continued from Page 6
are supplying Iran, such as China
and Russia, for money and oil,
and out of competition with
America, could be enticed to
withdraw their support for Iran.
Yet other nations could be per-
suaded to use military action
against Iran.
While this effort is in pro-
gress, Israel, America and Britain
Tuesday, January 23, 2006 OP/ED
consequently, a decline in mental
health.
The way I see it, you are
stuck in a cycle. You study really
hard, yet your grades only go up
by a little bit. This motivates you
to study harder, and make your
grades go up by a tiny bit more.
All the while, your mental health
and life are spiraling downwards,
leading to the solitude that you
have described. As for your ob-
session over trivial matters, this is
a result of applying your work
ethic to the world around you,
which might alienate those who
don’t share your work ethic.
My advice to you is to take it
down a notch. While you have
many career paths open ahead of
you, you only get to go through
high school once. So make the
most out of it, and enjoy life as
much as you can. No trivial in-
crease in your average is worth a
sacrifice of time that could’ve
been spent with friends. Al-
though grades are important, only
concentrating on grades keeps a
student from being well-rounded.
When you get older you will want
to remember your experiences in
high school, not just your grades.
Enjoy life!
The T
should be preparing to launch a
limited nuclear strike on Iran as a
last resort. Israel is already prac-
ticing for such an attack by hav-
ing its planes fly to Gibraltar,
which, like Iran, is approximately
2000 miles from Israel.
An Israeli nuclear strike on
Iran would be regrettable, but Iran
obtaining nuclear weapons would
be disastrous. ◙
Editorial
Patrick Henry, a great Ameri-
can patriot, once said, “The Con-
stitution is not an instrument for
the government to restrain the
people; it is an instrument for the
people to restrain the government
— lest it come to dominate our
lives and interests.” Though it is
certainly unlikely that the Student
Union will ever dominate our
lives, Henry’s message is clear: a
constitution exists for a reason,
and should be followed.
The SU can only be as strong as
the students make it.
The issue stems from the
September 28 budget meeting.
People who were not on the
budget committee voted on
budget matters, a direct violation
of the SU constitution. The min-
utes that resulted from the meet-
ing were not produced until a
month afterward, at which time
they were incomplete and lacked
an official attendance record. We
reported about this in our Decem-
ber 4 issue.
Yet the SU has fallen silent
about the issue. No one in the SU
has asked to see our sources or
investigate further. Worst of all,
A scene from the movie "The Day After Tomorrow," a movie about global warming.
Goodbye Snow, Hello Sun!
Continued from Page 6
tries have joined this agreement to
control the amount of greenhouse
gases emitted in their respective
country, but the United States and
Australia have refused to ratify
the protocol and put it into effect.
On June 11, 2001, Bush said,
“This is a challenge that requires
a 100 percent effort . . . unwill-
ingness to embrace a flawed
treaty should not be read by our
friends and allies as any abdica-
tion of my responsibility.” I dis-
agree on the matter. I thought the
United States was an example for
other countries to follow. Over
200 years ago, the American
Revolution commenced and our
victory encouraged the French
Revolution. I asked several peers
on their stance on President’s
Page 7
no one seems to care that rules
were broken.
We understand that it was a
time of change for the Student
Union. For most of the officers
this was their first budget meet-
ing, and both COSA’s were new
in student affairs. However, it
took our writers little time to go
on the Student Union’s website
and find out who should be on the
budget committee. There’s no
reason why the members of the
SU could not do the same.
The SU may indeed be inno-
cent of the accusations, but we
need their help in understanding
the situation. Ignoring the prob-
lem will benefit nobody. It will
only further isolate a student com-
munity that is already apathetic
towards the SU itself, as shown
by the poor voter turnout of the
recent fall elections.
The SU can only be as strong
as the students make it. We urge
everyone in the Stuyvesant com-
munity to ask the SU why this
happened and take steps to pre-
vent this from occurring again. ◙
Corbis
Bush decision. Timothy said, “I
don’t know . . . that’s why they
had the protest,” referring to the
protest that occurred last October.
An anonymous freshman bash-
fully replied, “. . . I don’t know
what that is.”
Unfortunately, many students
are happy with the change in cli-
mate. Sophomore Lily even joked
about sunbathing in the weather.
“It’s so sunny outside! I should
go sunbathe.” I laugh at the ri-
diculous idea. However, it might
not seem so ridiculous in a few
years. Seeing the temperature
change now is a warning to re-
duce our use of electricity and
riding in cars. Even as I’m writing
this, I feel like a hypocrite. I’m
using the computer. Guilty as
charged, Your Honor. ◙
Page 8
BY ALVIS YUEN
COLUMNIST
There had been speculation
for weeks that Saddam Hussein
was going to be executed in the
near future. While the rest of the
world was discussing reasons to
kill him or not, the former dicta-
tor was executed. Ironically, Sad-
dam was hanged in the very gal-
lows to which his fellow citizens
were taken to be tortured and exe-
cuted, in an Iraqi army base in
northe astern B aghd ad no w
dubbed “Camp Justice.” People
who were against Saddam’s exe-
cution cited Sunni retribution.
People supporting the execution
pointed out Saddam’s crimes
against humanity. Human rights
organizations say that the trial
was unfair. Iraqi Prime Minister
al-Maliki supported the trial. Who
was right?
The legacy of Saddam Hus-
sein was not unlike those of many
other dictators. While it was true
that he committed many atrocities
against his fellow countrymen, we
Work for Stress
BY PRISCILLA MELO
OPINIONS EDITOR
Everybody has New Year’s
resolutions, but very rarely do
they follow them. This year, I
propose a resolution for the entire
school to assuage the pesky little
problem of stress. There are too
many people stressing out over
stress, but one remedy may help
more than just the person in-
volved: community service.
Community service may
seem to some like a court order
and something that will actually
bring more stress instead of less-
ening it. It may bring up memo-
ries of paint on your clothes, hair
and sneakers, or hours of back-
breaking work for a flimsy piece
of paper recognizing your efforts.
Typically, people do not do more
work to relieve stress, but com-
munity service is not your usual
work. There is no actual monetary
gain, but there are so many more
benefits.
Some service may be station-
ary, like voter-registration drives
and such, but a lot more are ac-
tive. Everybody knows exercise is
a great way to relieve stress and
what better way to burn some
calories and worries than raking
leaves or beautifying a park? For
many local public places, like
parks, schools, recreational cen-
ters and certain community cen-
ters, helping out does not need a
special time or a battalion of fifty
Tuesday, January 23, 2006 OPINIONS/BUSINESS
THE CRITICAL LENS
Saddam: Infamously Dead
cannot just overlook Saddam’s
contributions. In the 1970s, Sad-
dam, as vice president, modern-
ized Iraq to such a degree that
Iraqis enjoyed the highest stan-
dard of living in the Middle East.
He promoted universal free edu-
cation, even allowing females to
No matter how terrible a man some
perceive him as, I do not agree with
the amount of humiliation he has
been subject to.
attend school. Saddam built nu-
merous public works, including
hospitals, roads and public hous-
ing. His administration granted
free health care and provided sub-
sidies to farmers. For his efforts,
Hussein earned an award from the
United Nations Educational, Sci-
entific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).
Despite his contributions in
modernization, Hussein also bru-
volunteers. Calling their coordi-
nators during the weekends, grab-
bing a couple of friends or sib-
lings and showing up is all it
takes to have fruitful hours mak-
ing your neighborhood a nicer
place to live in.
Helping out in your commu-
nity, besides being a good deed,
can be a great way to spend time
with friends and you can even
make new friends. The same mo-
notonous schedule and the tired
faces of Stuyvesant High School
may add a lot of stress, but meet-
ing new people and spending time
away from your computer screen
will help relieve it.
Of course, if contributing to
your community, being active and
making friends do not interest
you, perhaps college will. The
infamous college applications that
have been on our minds since
freshman year always need more
embellishment than your 98 aver-
age and perfect boards. Stating
that you did a trillion hours of
community service is always a
plus in applications, but this
should really not be the true in-
centive for service.
In the end, community ser-
vice is a win-win situation. Your
health will benefit, your neighbor-
hood will benefit, and, without so
much stress to keep you awake at
night, your grades will too. ◙
talized his citizens. After the Ira-
nian revolution, Saddam feared
that his secular government would
be taken over by radical Shiites.
In a country as diverse as Iraq, it
was extremely difficult to foster
unity, especially since Ayatollah
Khomeini of Iran urged the Kurds
and Shiites to take control of the
government. To maintain his
stronghold on the nation, Saddam
committed one of his worst
atrocities, bombing Kurd villages
with chemical weapons. The later
war with Iran left Saddam so des-
perate for oil money that he at-
tacked Kuwait in hopes of con-
trolling the world oil supply. As a
result of the invasion, the UN
placed sanctions on Iraq. These
Trailer Park Millionaires
BY HANFORD CHIU
BUSINESS EDITOR
Corbis
A toddler playing on the beach of Briny
Breezes, a trailer park community in
Boca Raton, Florida.
On January 10, 80 percent of
the residents of Briny Breezes, a
trailer park community, approved
the $510 million sale of the 47-
acre area to Boca Raton, Florida-
based Ocean Land Investments, a
local developer interested in cre-
ating condos and hotels over the
land.
Almost all the owners of the
488 trailers in the community will
become millionaires if the sale
goes through, although the vote is
not binding and residents will not
receive money until 2009. Ac-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
sanctions, coupled with war
losses, annihilated the Iraqi econ-
omy. Iraqis, once among the most
prosperous in the Middle East,
were struggling to get food.
Simply put, Saddam Hussein
created Iraq and he tore it down.
Such is his legacy. No matter how
terrible a man some perceive him
as, I do not agree with the amount
of humiliation he has been subject
to. He has a right to fair trial in
international court, as his crimes
are a violation of international
code. I believe that bystanders
should have been more respectful
than to videotape the execution
with their cell phone cameras. He
should have been hanged with a
little dignity. Saddam was barely
finished saying his final words
when the platform dropped.
Some applaud Saddam’s
death. Others mourn it. Only time
will show us the consequences.
With so much uncertainty around
his death, the only sure thing is a
chaotic Iraq — one that has to be
rebuilt, without its architect. ◙
cording the trailer park’s finance
office, 97 percent of the commu-
nity voted. However, before the
sale can actually go through and
development can begin, state offi-
cials must approve new zoning to
accommodate the 900 condo
units, a luxury hotel and marina
proposed by the developer, and
neighboring communities will
have a chance to comment on the
decision.
There have already been con-
cerns about adding another high-
density development to South
Florida's cluttered coastline. The
community is currently located in
a hurricane evacuation zone and
has few ways in or out. Further-
more, residents of other nearby
communities are concerned about
the disruption that could be
caused by the extra tourist traffic,
and the urbanization of the area.
“We think we can immedi-
ately allay any concerns they
might have,” said Logan Pierson,
Ocean Land’s vice president for
acquisitions. “We are not going to
build a concrete jungle on the
barrier island. We live here.”
Briny Breezes is currently
run as a corporation by a board of
directors, with the residents own-
ing shares based on the size and
location of their lots. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, January 23, 2006 BUSINESS/A&E Page 9

Trade Deficit Decreases in November

BY HANFORD CHIU
BUSINESS EDITOR
The trade deficit, which is the
amount of money spent on im-
ports subtracted from the amount
gained on exports, fell for a third
straight month due to the lowest
spending on foreign oil in 16
months and American export lev-
els’ being at an all-time high.
Over November, the deficit de-
clined by 1 percent to $58.2 bil-
lion, the lowest since July 2005,
the Commerce Department re-
ported. The deficit hadn’t fallen
for three consecutive months
since early 2003.
The Bush administration took
this opportunity to praise its free-
trade foreign policies. “When we
Corbis
The Chinese yuan is undervalued by as
much as 40 percent against the dollar,
making Chinese imports cheaper and
more attractive to American consumers.
open overseas markets, American
companies, consumers and work-
ers benefit,” said Commerce Sec-
retary Carlos Gutierrez.
However, the deficit is still
significantly high, mainly because
of America’s dealings with China.
The Chinese yuan is undervalued
by as much as 40 percent against
the dollar, making Chinese im-
ports cheaper and more attractive
to American consumers and
United States exports more ex-
pensive in China. Furthermore,
there have been accusations of
currency manipulation, the alter-
ing of the money supply in order
to prevent appreciation or depre-
ciation of currency, in order to
compete unfairly in the global
market. China reported that its
trade surplus with the world
jumped nearly 75 percent. In re-
sponse to this, United States in-
dustry and labor groups are push-
ing for Congress to pass legisla-
tion that would penalize China
unless it allows faster apprecia-
tion of its currency.
While American consumers
benefit from cheaper goods im-
ported from abroad, American
industry suffers due to increased
competition and thus cannot sus-
tain a larger workforce. Since
President Bush took office in
2001, the country has seen one in
five manufacturing jobs lost, a
total of 2.96 million lost jobs,
with automakers and textile com-
panies particularly hard hit. ◙

Blood Wedding A Legend that Reshaped

BY AMY QUI
STAFF WRITER
Genes) is less than enthusiastic
about her wedding, mostly be- Its Own Ending,
cause she has her old love Leo-
This year's winter drama,
“Blood Wedding,” was performed
on December 15 and 16. The play
nardo in mind. The bridegroom
(Joe Kopyt) is surer about getting But Is It For The Better?
married and seems like a good
open with a conversation between BY ROBERT CALLHOULN “The Line” Dixon. Inspired by
person who truly loves the bride,
a mother and her son, where they STAFF WRITER this event, he decides to try and
though this image of him is
discuss his plans to get married. prove himself once more, by re-
slightly changed when we see that
The mother is clearly feeling In the year of 1976, an epic in newing his boxing license and
he has a thing for the girl’s ser-
quite stressed, but not only about the box office was born. Sylvester getting into a few local fights. Of
vant. Of course, good characters
his marriage. The main source of Stallone took a long shot in writ- course, his brother-in-law and his
are ones who have different sides
her angst is Felix, a man who ing and producing “Rocky,” and it son, along with virtually all of
to them, and there were certainly
killed her husband and her other was a magnificent success. It was Philadelphia, are alarmed and try
many different personalities that
son. Later on, it is revealed that originally intended to be a single
could be found among the charac-
the girl whom her son wants to movie, but then the movie became

ters in the play.
marry used to have a relationship
The play picked up momen-
with Leonardo, who is from the
tum in the second half. By then,
same family as Felix. Like all
everyone seemed to have gotten
good dramas, things do not stay
more into the characters and the
the same for very long.
voice projection was consistent. It
As the play progressed, it was
was also in the second act where
interesting to see the different
the best scene of the show was
connections between the charac-
ters develop. The bride (Laura Continued on Page 10
Your School,
Your World,
Your News
Are all just a
short click
away.
Come visit
our website.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
WWW.STUYSTANDARD.ORG
movies.yahoo.com
so successful that the standalone
movie became the first part of a
series that “ended” in 1990 at the
fifth installment. Yet Stallone was
not satisfied (along with every
other Rocky fan), and “Rocky
Balboa” was made.
Originally thought of as a
joke, and expected to be horrible
(considering Stallone’s age), it
has surprised many critics, and
turned out to be a much better
ending to the legend than “Rocky
V.” Unfortunately, this is not say-
ing much. “Rocky Balboa” is a
heartwarming story that shows
how deeply Rocky’s character
believes in certain values, but the
dialogue and the final anticlimac-
tic fight dragged it down.
The recently widowed Rocky
The poster of “Rocky Balboa.”
Balboa is in retirement from his to talk him out of it, but after get-
boxing career, but he is running a ting an offer for fighting the cur-
restaurant named “Adrian’s” hon- rent heavyweight, he begins his
oring his late wife. Unfortunately, road to disproving everyone’s
his son’s distance from him and
doubts.
his wife’s death haunt him inces- Stallone’s direction in this
santly, as well as his dead boxing movie clearly is not boxing. It
career. A news program one night mainly portrays Rocky’s relation-
reminds him of his boxing career ship with those around him and
by showing a simulation of a his devotion to his late wife and
young Rocky defeating the cur-
rent “undeserving” heavyweight
his estranged son. There are two
champion of the world, Mason
Continued on Page 10
Page 10 Tuesday, January 23, 2006 A&E/LITERARY THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Blood Wedding A Legend that Reshaped

Continued from Page 9
performed. It was the part with
the bride and Leonardo
(Aleksander Kitaygorodskiy),
where she had just run away with
him from her wedding. Both the
actor and actress made their char-
acters so believable that if the
audience were not told they were
watching a play, it could have
actually happened. One could
really sense the tension and the
inner conflict that the bride was
having about what had happened.
It was one of those scenes that
made the audience feel something
good. Another scene worthy of
noting is the one between the
moon and the beggar. The moon
(Hannah Freiman) is both grace-
ful and slightly bloodthirsty, and
the actress was able to bring out
both of these qualities at the same
time. The beggar (Stacey Lee) is
somewhere between sane and
insane, and the part was acted in a
way that was not overemphasized,
which was perfect.
Throughout the whole play,
Its Own Ending,
the scenery complemented the
actors on stage. The orange with
the silver satin fabric was simple
But Is It For The Better?
and very unique. It added some- Continued from Page 9 makes you laugh because of its
thing extra to the show.
ridiculousness. It seems that when
After about two hours the
Rocky tries to get philosophical,
show ended with several of the
he starts to speak quickly and
characters on stage giving a po-
slurs his words together, making
etic speech. All of the actors had
the already somewhat incoherent
on certain facial expressions as
thoughts sound comical.
they spoke, which emphasized the
Again, this movie was not
meaning of their words. The end-
about boxing, yet one can’t help
ing was very memorable and a
be disappointed at the ten-round
great way to end the show. In
exhibition that was shown at the
terms of the plot, however, the
end of the movie. They tried us-
ending also seems abrupt. There
ing modern camera angles and
are a lot of unanswered questions
zooms, making it pale in compari-
and we really cannot tell what is
son to every other Rocky fight.
going to happen to the characters.
Awkward and ridiculous moments
Of course, this has to do with the
make it very difficult to watch.
way the script was written rather
US actor Sylvester Stallone attends the The only upside is the tremendous
than the performance. ◙ premiere of "Rocky Balboa" at the emotion that goes along with it.
Auditorium in Conciliazione street in “Rocky Balboa” has a lot to offer
Rome. to any Rocky fan or casual dra-

Throughout the Terms supposedly inspiring speeches by

Rocky in this movie: one when he
matic moviegoer, but not for a
boxing fan. ◙
goes to get his license and the
BY STEPHANIE TAM other to his son. Aside from a few
STAFF WRITER
great lines, the movie almost

What a wonderful term

That’s come and past
Filled with stress and homework
Along with no time to relax

Thought winter vacation

Could be a time for rest
But I was wrong, very wrong
There would be numerous tests

A new year had dawned

So back to school I went
And not one day since school started
Could I sleep to my heart’s content

Now finals week approaches

With tests on AP’s this and that
Oh, what a wonderful term
One that nothing can surpass

The Fight
BY HANNAH WU
STAFF WRITER

The broken cookies

some burned
some underdone
grin at me
a smirk from the wooden platter
on which they die

they are not

consumed.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, January 23, 2006 PUZZLES/LIT/SCI Page 11

Title less
BY LUCY SIMKO
BY JEFFREY LIAW
PUZZLE COLUMNIST
Sudoku The Final
Frontier:
SENIOR STAFF WRITER What’s Next?
Through the demure tunnel 7 5 8 2 6 Continued from Page 1
he trudged
daily independent companies have al-
head down 3
ready shown that they have the
music on ability to manufacture new types
Beatles 5 6 1 4 of technology. Jeff Bezos, the
never varying in route, posture, or founder of Amazon.com, started a
thought space flight company called Blue
not sure 4 9
Origin. In January, Blue Origin
why he dared not glance at the In- released footage of its first space-
dian woman 5 1 craft in action. The spaceship
who begged took off and landed vertically,
daily 7 9 rising to a height of 85 meters.
with one of those customary signs Eventually, Blue Origin wants
beggars have, this type of spaceship to be able
explaining for the world to see 2 4 8 7 to take three passengers into low
their sordid affairs earth orbit.
not sure 4 As of now, the process of
if it was perhaps because taking civilian tourists into space
he would then vary in his routine is still a few years away. Virgin
drop a sliver of silver 7 4 3 2 1
Galactic, the company started by
and businessman Richard Branson, is
maybe accepting deposits for suborbital
spare her a thought
an emotion
Riddle space flights aboard Virgin
SpaceShip. The passengers will
during his solitary supper BY JEFFREY LIAW go into a suborbital flight that
no PUZZLE COLUMNIST will last three hours, after which
no they will land, just as a shuttle
if he did that So a swimmer, feeling strong, jumps from his boat to swim in would, back on a landing strip.
he might miss his train. the Mediterranean. He swam and swam until he just sank and The entire trip will cost $200,000.
yet drowned… why? These commercial flights will
one day she wavered start in 2008.
in her hapless gaze,
• No cramps, physical/mental problems

he noticed
from the corner of his eye
and
his eye twitched.
he looked at her
while she looked away
for possibly half a second
he looked right at her
and her sign
and began to read it,
her
“Love --” it claimed
only he couldn't finish
because his eye stopped twitching
because she turned back
and renewed her knowing gaze
and because his other foot came
down and carried him forwards
but her feet were on the ground
quite firmly
and his were in danger of slipping
tripping backwards
she loved.
but whom did he love?
that took
courage
a quantity of which he did not have
enough
even to look at a beggar
to read her problems
and to even consider her existence
it was a moment of weakness,
that glance was.
it was a weakness
that he thought
he might love.
Corbis
• It was calm water, gentle waves
• No foul play (sharks, pirates, etc)
• He was not tangled in anything
• No other swimmer could have survived
• The water was a few degrees warmer where he sank
A model of Virgin Galactic Spaceship
Final Grades by Robert Stevenson One on display at the WIRED NextFest
festival, at the Javits Center September
30, 2006 in New York City.
NASA has announced plans
to develop its own type of space-
craft, called the Crew Exploration
Vehicle. This vehicle would be
constructed so that it could detach
a special crew module once in
orbit. NASA’s long term goals
for this program involve facilitat-
ing a return to the moon with the
next 14 years.
While NASA and other space
agencies will certainly continue
their space programs, the greatest
expansion in space technology
will most likely come from inde-
pendent companies. In the next
several years, private space flight
will certainly became safer,
cheaper and eventually common-
place. ◙
Page 12
$150 Laptop To Be Used in Undeveloped Countries
BY PAUL ROZENBERG
STAFF WRITER
The students of the world’s
poorest countries may have their
own laptops within a matter of
years. The nonprofit project One
Laptop Per Child figured out a
way to drastically cut the cost of a
laptop to $150, even though the
cheapest laptops available today
cost $500.
Mary Jepsen, the head de-
signer of the project, modified the
screen of a conventional laptop so
that the cost of the display was
cut in half. In addition, the power
consumption of this notebook is
80 percent less than that of an
ordinary laptop.
Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Ni-
geria, and Thailand have made
commitments to buy three million
computers and distribute them to
students for free. There are no
plans to sell the laptop to the gen-
eral public; even so, it may be-
come the best-selling PC in the
world. Juan Daboub, director of
the World Bank, said “Several
years ago, I thought it was an illu-
sion or a utopian idea, but this is
now real and encouraging.”
Originally, the laptop was
meant to cost $100, but as of now,
Serious Thwarting
Dangerous
BY LOREN OUMAROVA
STAFF WRITER
“Don’t have sex . . . Don’t
have sex in the missionary posi-
tion, don’t have sex standing up,
just don’t do it, okay, promise? . .
. At your age, you’re going to
have a lot of urges. You’re going
to want to take off your clothes,
and touch each other. But if you
do touch each other, you will get
Chlamydia . . . and die.” Anybody
who saw the movie “Mean Girls,”
probably laughed when Coach
Carr made this dramatic an-
nouncement to his sexual educa-
tion class. These crazily overcau-
tious views on sexual intercourse
were obviously put into the movie
for some comic relief. However,
much of what he said in the
movie was, unfortunately, based
upon factual information.
Presently, statistics show that
over half of the American people
will acquire at least one sexually
transmitted disease (STD) during
their lifetimes. And yes, an over-
whelming majority of STD pa-
tients are teenagers. Is it really
because teens are that careless
Tuesday, January 23, 2006 SCIENCE
A research project at the MIT Media Lab has a plan for getting $100 laptops in the
hands of millions of people around the world. The laptop will prominently feature
electronic ink capabilities, in addition to its keyboard functions.
the price is $50 higher. Nicholas
Negroponte, the founding director
of the M.I.T. Media Laboratory,
said that the price would fall as
more machines were preordered.
Power for the system is pro-
vided either by conventional elec-
tric current or batteries. How-
ever, many of the countries that
have ordered the laptop do not
have electrical power available in
and irresponsible? As much as
our egos may be hurt by that
statement, in regard to STD’s, it
is true. Many teenagers impul-
sively decide to become sexually
active, without first becoming
well-informed. This is what leads
to bad choices and serious conse-
quences.
First of all, you should famil-
iarize yourself with the different
types of STD’s. They are usually
separated into two different
forms: those that are curable and
those that are not. Curable dis-
eases are caused by bacteria;
these include Chlamydia, gonor-
rhea and syphilis. The incurable
ones, such as HIV, HPV, hepatitis
B and herpes, are caused by vi-
ruses. However, even though
these diseases are not curable,
there are many treatments avail-
able to keep them under control.
Obviously, the best way to
remain safe is to practice sexual
abstinence. It is safer for a couple
to express their affection in more
basic ways, such as kissing and
caressing. But at our age, sexual
intercourse seems to be getting
Continued on Page 15
MIT Media Lab
the areas in which the laptop will
be used. A wind-up crank on the
side of the laptop was originally
proposed, but the designers set-
tled on a foot pedal to produce the
power.
Unlike previous efforts to
create inexpensive educational
computers, this one has wireless
network capability built into each
laptop. In Libya, satellite
Life As a Smoker
BY JOHN YOON
STAFF WRITER
If, like most Stuyvesant stu-
dents, you have a long commute to
the city, every day you see the
many parts of New York. An in-
escapable side of being a student,
and even of being an American, is
the constant exposure to smoking.
Passing by The Wall, you always
see a few smokers hanging around.
In the subway stations, bus stops,
and street corners, someone is
always lighting a cigarette. Smok-
ing seems to have formed its own
subculture within our society.
In an interview with a student
who smokes at Stuyvesant, many
conditions of smokers were re-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
downlinks will be used to connect
to the Internet. In some places,
Wi-Fi antennas will expand Inter-
net connection into isolated areas.
The software is based on the
free Linux operating system. It
does not use a traditional desktop
display, but a user-friendly inter-
face so that students can easily
use their programs. A web
browser, e-mail service, word
processor and several learning
programs are available in the
computer.
The OLPC project has been
met with significant opposition
and controversy. India refused
the offer to buy a million laptops
because it felt that the money
should be spent on primary and
secondary education instead.
Several education researchers
have stated that the project places
too much importance on getting
equipment to students, rather than
training more teachers. The dis-
tribution of such large quantities
of notebooks is also a large chal-
lenge.
This laptop is part of a larger
trend in which companies are de-
veloping low-cost personal com-
puters to give people access to the
Internet. As of now, only 10 per-
Continued on Page 13
Corbis
vealed. When asked if his health
had been affected since smoking,
he replied, “Yes, I can’t run a full
block. It’s harder for me to do
physical activities like sports I
used to love.” Upon further ques-
tioning, the powers of the chemi-
cals in cigarettes, such as nicotine,
were shown. The student was
asked if he has ever tried to stop,
and what some of the difficulties
were. He answered, “I’ve tried
quitting officially about two times.
If you count all the times I’ve said
I was gonna stop, it’d literally be
over a hundred. Those two times I
had any success, I lasted for a
week once, and almost a month
Continued on Page 14
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Robots to Become
Commonplace
BY DAVID FENG
STAFF WRITER
There is no doubt that our
society is advancing, and that
technology is rapidly evolving. In
the mid 1970s, computers were
still luxuries to most people; now,
they are basically accessible to
almost everyone everywhere in
the developed world. It is not
even surprising to find more than
one computer in a home. Com-
puters are now indispensable in
this age of information. Many
think that the world of robotics is
about to undergo similar growth.
“We agree wholeheartedly
that the growth of the robotic in-
dustry . . . will continue,” said a
spokesman for Kuka Robotics
Corp., a key robotics technology
company. The growth of the ro-
botic industry seems to be a sign
of the eminent arrival of the Age
of Robots.
Bill Gates, the leader of the
computer revolution and the foun-
der of the software company Mi-
crosoft, speculates that soon there
will be robots everywhere. He
Would You Eat the
Cloned One?
BY RAMMIYA NALLAINATHAN
STAFF WRITER
Cloned animals may soon
become a major food source. On
December 28, 2006, the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) pub-
lished a report stating that it was
safe to eat cloned animals such as
cattle and pigs. However, the re-
port created many concerns as to
whether or not it was a step in the
right direction.
Corbis
Gloria, the first calf born to a cloned
cow, Vitoria (left).
Cloning animals essentially
fuses cells from an adult and
other cells before putting them, as
an embryo, into the female that
will give birth to the cloned
young. The government feels
that if cloned animals are used,
more milk and meat will be avail-
able. It feels that eating cloned
Tuesday, January 19, 2006 SCIENCE
wrote an article in the January
issue of Scientific American,
called “A Robot in Every Home,”
in which he described the likeli-
hood of a world full of robots. He
pointed out many statistics indi-
cating that the robot industry is
booming. For instance, approxi-
mately two million personal ro-
bots were in use around the world
in 2004, and perhaps another
seven million will be installed by
2008. This is an enormous devel-
opment.
Though there are many obsta-
cles to the development of robots,
Gates thinks that the robot indus-
try will find ways to overcome it.
The high cost of the hardware of
robots has been a problem, but the
price is dropping drastically. For
example, laser range finders that
used to be around $10,000 a few
years ago have now dropped to a
price of around $2,000. More and
more obstacles are being over-
come.
Gates wrote, “I can envision
a future in which robotic devices
Continued on Page 14
animals or drinking milk from
cloned animals is no different
from eating meat or drinking milk
that comes from normally bred
animals. By doing so, the quality
of meat and milk will become
better because cloning enables
people to reproduce the best of
the herd. With this technology, it
is possible to know exactly how
the offspring will be, and what
characteristics it will have, elimi-
nating any undesirable possibili-
ties. “You now have a new cow
with a known pedigree,” said Dr.
Pariza, the director of the Food
Research Institute at the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin.
However, there are also bad
effects of cloning. The process of
creating clones is not perfect and
may produce deformed or still-
born offspring. A large problem is
whether or not harmful effects of
cloning can be detected with cur-
rent testing methods. Dr. Pariza
says, “These are edible animals to
begin with — they are not going
to suddenly start producing tox-
ins,” but there are people who say
otherwise.
Cloned animals also present
ethical issues. “There’s something
Continued on Page 14
An aerial view of New Orleans before the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Louisiana Sinking into
the Gulf of Mexico
BY LIWEI MAO
STAFF WRITER
We all know that Venice is
sinking. It is also acknowledged
that our own historic city, New
Orleans, is losing ground as well,
but the recent report that Louisi-
ana is not merely sinking, but
actually slipping into the Gulf of
Mexico comes as bit of a shock.
Scientists have long known
about the sinking of southern
Louisiana. Houses are tipping,
porches are cracking, and new
areas of marshland are steadily
appearing in the area. Records
show that more than 2000 square
miles (one-twentieth of Louisi-
ana's total land area) of the coast
were recorded to have sunk or
eroded since 1930.
The report, published in the
December issue of Geophysical
Research Letters, is based on GPS
data collected since 1995 by an
array of stations in the Missis-
sippi River delta. According to
the report, a heavily populated
area in southeast Louisiana is
breaking away at approximately
the speed at which fingernails
grow.
The area, 250 miles long,
encompasses the delta of the Mis-
$150 Laptop To Be Used in
Undeveloped Countries
Continued from Page 12
cent of the global population has
Internet access. Giving Internet
access to more people in countries
such as China, Russia and India
has become a focus of many large
computer technology companies.
These companies agree that pro-
ducing a lower-priced PC will
help sell more products in coun-
tries with very high populations.
An Indian company called Nova-
tium has plans to produce a small
home computer for about $120.
Microsoft is trying to create low-
Page 13
Corbis
sissippi, which was created by
sediment dropped by the Missis-
sippi over the last 8000 years. The
slippage, the report explains, is
caused by deep underground
faults that are slowly collapsing
under the massive weight of the
delta. Roy Dokka, head researcher
of the project, describes the slide
as “a kind of avalanche of mate-
rial” that's moving “about the
width of two credit cards” a year.
For this reason, Dokka comfort-
ingly assured people that they are
not going to just “fall into the
Gulf.”
However, even the width of
two credit cards makes a differ-
ence in building projects such as
levees and floodgates. Engineers
and planners take this into ac-
count as they evaluate the areas
that need to be protected. Many
projects and plans have already
been drawn up to protect New
Orleans’s famous historic sites,
with their rich Cajun culture.
Windell Curole, a levee and hurri-
cane expert on the state board’s
protection project, said the board
is “aware of it,” but would not
include it in their project until
more information and better un-
derstanding is reached. ◙
cost versions of Windows XP,
while Intel discussed making low-
cost processors for these markets.
The OLPC laptop is still at
least a year away from beginning
to be mass-produced. All of the
prototypes made by other compa-
nies have remained on the draw-
ing board as well. However, it is
foreseeable that in the near future,
a larger population will have ac-
cess to personal computers, and
eventually the Internet. A
cheaper laptop, many hope, can
change the world. ◙
Page 14
Would You Eat the Cloned One?
Continued from Page 13
about the cloning term that makes
consumers uncomfortable," said
Dave Schmidt, president of the
International Food Information
Council. The FDA will have to
make its final decision as soon as
public comments end in April.
Although the government may
approve this, cloned foods may
not appear until a few years from
now. However, labels that say
“clone-free” may show up on
food items. For example, Ben &
Jerry’s wants customers to know
that its ice cream does not come
from cloned cows. “We want to
make sure people are confident
with what’s in our pints,’ com-
pany spokesman Rob Michalak
said. However, others argue that it
is impossible to tell the differ-
ences between animals that were
Robots To Become Commonplace
Continued from Page 13
will become a nearly ubiquitous
part of our day-to-day lives.”
Robots may become omnipresent,
but what exactly will they con-
tribute to our society? According
to Gates, they will do all manner
of dangerous tasks that humans
find hazardous. They will also
help to give assistance to handi-
capped and disabled people.
There is always a chance that ro-
bots may malfunction and do
things that are harmful to humans,
as described by a plethora of sci-
ence fiction novels. This is just
Engineered Cows Lack Mad Cow Disease
BY ALEXANDROS KALIONTZAKIS
AND OMAR AHMAD
STAFF WRITERS
Mad cow disease, or bovine
s p o n gi fo r m e n c e p h a l o p a t h y
(BSE), is a crippling affliction
that took the world by storm not
too long ago, but recently, there
has been an enormous break-
through involving the disease. In
San Francisco, scientists have
engineered 12 cows that cannot
contract mad cow disease.
On Sunday, December 31, a
team of scientists from the United
States and Japan announced that
they had removed the genes in the
cows that create the proteins that
cause the brain-rotting disease.
Certain mutations can cause pro-
teins in the nervous system to be
more likely to spontaneously de-
form; the deformed proteins are
called prions. When they come
into contact with normal proteins,
the normal proteins become de-
formed as well.
An international team of
Tuesday, January 23, 2006 SCIENCE
cloned and those that were not
cloned. “You can’t tell them
apart,” said L. Val Giddings, a
vice president of BIO and a for-
mer Agriculture Department ge-
neticist. “There is not an analyti-
cal, scientific test you can use to
tell one from another. You just
can’t do it.”
Different polls have shown
different results among consum-
ers. Some polls show that con-
sumers will buy cloned products,
whereas other polls show that
consumers will not buy cloned
products. However, the debate
will still continue on whether or
not cloned animals should be put
on the food market. The decision
is ultimately up to the consumer:
you. So think about it, because it
is coming sooner that you might
think. ◙
one of the problems that we will
face if we live with robots, if we
do indeed develop artificial intel-
ligence. Only time can tell if hu-
mans can exist in harmony with
robots.
The constant advancement of
our society will inevitably turn
the Age of the Robot into a real-
ity. To many, it is exciting. To
others, it is frightening. Of one
thing we can be sure: when — not
if — intelligent robots are devel-
oped, they will transform our
world dramatically. ◙
Corbis
A farmer holds syringes that he uses
for injecting his cows with genetically
engineered growth hormone to boost
milk production.
Japanese and American scientists
joined to experiment with these
prions. They claim to have suc-
cessfully deactivated the harmful
Life of a Smoker
Continued from Page 12
the second, but those attempts
were about a year or so ago. My
New Year’s resolution was to quit,
and at 12:00 a.m. me and a few
friends smoked our so called ‘last
cigarette.’ The next day, we met
up at our usual spot and we all had
a cigarette in our hands even
though we all said we quit. We’re
all tired of saying, ‘oh this is our
last pack’ and not being able to
keep our word on that.”
Most people know at least one
smoker, but then again, over 22
percent of high school students
smoke, so it is almost impossible
not to be in contact with one.
While some try to help their ad-
dicted friends quit smoking, others
disassociate themselves with the
smokers because of their habit. To
condemn and judge them, how-
ever, is the most common reaction,
and yet most nonsmokers only
have a vague knowledge of smok-
ing.
Cigarettes harm the body to
such an extent that they can cause
fatal damage. To delve into fur-
ther detail, the contents of a ciga-
rette must be examined. A ciga-
rette contains anywhere from
4,000 to 6,000 chemicals, of
which the vast majority are harm-
ful. To name a handful of them:
arsenic, cadmium, butane, ammo-
nia, and hydrogen cyanide are
deadly. For those who do not
know what these chemicals are
used for, arsenic is used in rat poi-
son, cadmium in batteries, butane
in lighter fluid and ammonium in
floor cleaner; hydrogen cyanide is
genes and that the cows they ex-
perimented with would not be
able to develop mad cow disease.
Although this new breakthrough
can offer more protection to the
people who are concerned about
eating the infected beef, all ge-
netically engineered products
must first be approved by the
FDA.
To create the cows, a team of
scientists scraped off the skin of
cows and turned off the gene that
creates the prions. Using those
cells, they cloned twelve calves
by inserting the cells into the eggs
of cows. Three were slaughtered
so that their brains could be stud-
ied, and the remaining nine are
still living.
The surviving cows are now
being thoroughly tested by being
directly injected with the disease.
The results of this testing will not
be known until later this year at
the earliest, according to He-
matech, the Sioux Falls, S.D.-
based company that sponsored the
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
the poison used in gas chambers.
The most notorious of the
substances in cigarettes is nico-
tine. Nicotine is a neurotoxin,
which is one of the most potent
types of toxins to man. It is also a
very powerful stimulant in mam-
mals such as humans, and its ad-
dictive quality is one of the main
reasons that so many smokers can-
not stop smoking. Nicotine di-
rectly interacts with the part of the
brain that handles pleasure. This
toxin is in fact so powerful that
many consider it to be more addic-
tive than cocaine and heroin.
Taking this into account,
smokers have an unimaginably
hard time quitting. They them-
selves acknowledge everything
harmful that is occurring inside
them: their lungs are slowly erod-
ing and burning away, while the
rest of their bodies become in-
creasingly vulnerable to colds and
diseases. Even more signs can be
seen from their outward appear-
ances. Their skin becomes pale
and unhealthy-looking, while they
develop bad-smelling breath,
clothes and hair. Their overall
health begins to decline the more
they smoke.
Smoking is serious, and
though this may sound like one of
those advertisements to stop
smoking, smoking can kill you.
So if you are smoking, try to quit.
If you are not, do not start. For
more information, visit http://
www.kidshealth.org/teen/
drug_alcohol/tobacco/
smoking.html. ◙
research. In addition to making
beef safer to eat, this research
could also be used for diseases
that destroy the human brain.
The cloned, prion-free cows
were born healthy and are cur-
rently in good condition. How-
ever, as they are only two years
old, they will have to be watched
to see if the lack of prions has any
effect on their health or behavior.
There is a lot of research and test-
ing to be done before any conclu-
sions are reached.
Barbara Glenn, who works at
the Biotechnology Industry Or-
ganization, another sponsor of the
research, says that mad cow dis-
ease is a very small risk to the
United States at the moment,
largely because of government
efforts and regulations.
Scientists believe that people
eating infected beef can contract
the human variant of the disease.
Within the last 20 years, at least
180 people have died of it. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD Tuesday, January 23, 2006 SCIENCE/SPORTS Page 15

Sports Calendar
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday
January January January January January January January
23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Girls Gymnas- Indoor Track: Boys

tics Mayor’s Cup Basketball
@ The Armory
Vs. Dewitt Clinton Vs. Louis Brandeis
@ Stuy @Louis Brandeis HS
4:30 PM 4:30 PM

Boys Boys
Wrestling JV Basketball
Vs. Franklin Delano Vs. Bayard Rustin
Roosevelt Educational Complex
@ Franklin Delano @Stuy
Roosevelt 4:30 PM
5:00 PM
January January February February February February February
30 31 1 2 3 4 5
Boys Boys Basket-
Wrestling ball Boys
Boys Basket- Vs. Brooklyn HS of Vs. Beacon Basketball
the Arts @ Wagner Middle Vs. HS of Math, Sci-
ball @ Stuy School ence, and Engineer-
Vs. MLK 5:15 PM 6:00 PM ing @ CUNY
@ Stuy @Stuy
4:30 PM
Boys
4:30 PM
vs. High School of Art Gymnastics
and Design Vs. Bronx High School
@ High School of Art of Science
and Design @ Stuy
4:30 PM 4:00 PM
Girls Gymnas-
tics
Vs John F Kennedy
@ John F Kennedy
4:30 PM

Serious Thwarting Dangerous The NBA Changes Its Ball

Continued from Page 12 taken to stay healthy, it is impor-
tant to get tested regularly, espe- (Again)
Continued from Page 16
the midseason change in balls.
Corbis

A scanning electron micrograph of
treponema pallidum, the causative
bacterium for syphilis, being grown on
epithelium cells of a cottontail rabbit.
more popular. In fact nearly half
of all teens have lost their virgin-
ity by the age of eighteen.
Methods other than absti-
nence have been introduced to
significantly lower the risk of
contracting an STD. The cheapest
and most common way is using a
latex condom. Another good tip is
to limit one’s number of sex part-
ners. It is suggested that teens
should choose only one partner
who has already been tested for
STD’s and stay consistently with
him or her.
Regardless of the measures
cially after having unsafe inter-
course or if any symptoms of dis-
ease appear, such as bumps, rash,
itching, burning or an unusual
discharge from the primary sex
organs. Teens should not be
afraid to talk to their family doc-
tor and parents. They are the ones
who can help with the situation,
and some STD’s can be fatal.
Anyone who is diagnosed with an
STD should immediately contact
all of his or her sex partners, so
that they can be examined as well.
Most STD’s require very simple
treatments, but they should be
taken care of as soon as possible,
or serious complications may de-
velop.
STD’s are very serious and
can lead to sterility or death. Do
your research and be careful, and
your chances of success are sig-
nificantly higher. For more infor-
mation, visit http://
www.ashastd.org/learn/
learn_statistics.cfm. ◙
tober. “It’s just a real basketball. It’s not
Stern employed a testing a toy store ball with any seams.
crew to test out the complaints It’s a real basketball,” he said.
regarding the new ball. Many of Though many players ap-
the complaints were in fact true, proved of the change in balls,
and some explanations were there are some who thought that
given. For example, the cuts on the switch should have been de-
the players’ fingers resulted be- layed until the end of the season.
cause the ball’s surface had too Sean May, forward for the Bob-
much grip held on to the players’ cats, said, “I’d rather just finish it
skin. Finally, Stern decided to out this year and go back to the
change the ball midway through old ball next year.”
the season. He brought the old Stern has not given up on
leather ball back into the NBA as
using a synthetic ball. He said
of the new year. The first teams to that he still plans to work with
play with the “new” ball were the Spalding in the future to come up
Minnesota Timberwolves and the
with a more improved ball that
Charlotte Bobcats. Immediately
will be to the players’ liking. But
the players showed their happi-
until then, the old leather ball is
ness. Mike James, point guard
in. ◙
for the Timberwolves, said, “This
is what everybody wanted. People
felt more comfortable with the
leather ball.” That was evident
from the way the players per-
formed. Kevin Garnett, for exam-
ple, scored 12 out of 18 field
goals and ended with 32 points.
“Hallelujah for the new ball,”
Garnett said after the game. Adam
Morrison, forward for the Bob-
cats, also showed his approval of
Page 16
The NBA Changes Its
Ball (Again)
BY HESHAM SALEH
STAFF WRITER
After 35 years of using the
same leather ball, David Stern,
the NBA commissioner, decided
to start the season with a new
ball. This ball, created by Spal-
ding, was supposed to be better,
with micro fiber technology re-
placing the old leather surface. It
was supposed to provide the play-
ers with better grip, and it would
be more durable.
However, players immedi-
ately criticized the new ball, and
flooded Stern with complaints.
The ball had too much grip while
it was dry, but once it became wet
from sweat, it was extremely slip-
pery. Also, the ball “died around
the rim” and sometimes didn’t
bounce. Most importantly, how-
ever, many players complained of
cuts they received from the ball.
Stern wanted to keep the ball,
but was determined to give the
players what they asked for.
“Right now our plans are to stay
the course, but we will monitor it
and if we find there is something
I Want to Be a Mediocre Pitcher
BY ERIC MAYO
SPORTS EDITOR
As a kid, the occupations you
want to have tend to be limited to
the more popular ones like astro-
naut, doctor or professional ath-
lete. The dream of every kid who
ever played baseball was to be a
star, to pitch Game 7 of the
World Series and win it for your
favorite team. However, this is no
more.
Due to the general weakness
of most major league pitchers,
mediocre pitchers are being paid
what great pitchers of the last 10
years have dreamed of. Take Gil
Meche, who recently signed a
five-year deal valued at $55 mil-
lion with the Kansas City Royals.
All Meche has done in his six
seasons is fail to live up to his
expectations. He has a 55-44 ca-
reer record with a 4.65 ERA
pitching for the Seattle Mariners.
Yet the Royals, who have a terri-
ble team and a small payroll, felt
it was worth investing $11 mil-
lion a year in him. Why strive to
be the best when you can be $50
million dollars richer just being
mediocre?
Ted Lilly has had a service-
able career as a fourth or fifth
Thursday, December 21, 2006 SPORTS
Corbis
A Phoenix Suns fan holds up a sign
during fourth period NBA action
against the Dallas Mavericks. The sign
referred to NBA's new ball and NBA
commissioner David Stern.
to it and it is a serious issue, we
will take the appropriate steps
because the most important thing
to us is the game,” he said during
the NBA Europe Live tour in Oc-
Continued on Page 16
THE SPORTS BEAT
starter on several major league
teams, including the Yankees
from 2000-2002. His career stats
are not much better than
Meche’s, with a 59-58 career
Barry Zito will earn $126 million over the next seven years, a record for any
pitcher.
record and a 4.60 ERA. This
time, the Cubs, who spent like
their money grew on trees, gave
$40 million to who most people
expect to be the Cubs fourth
starter, assuming Mark Prior and
Kerry Wood can stay healthy.
This was part of the Cubs’ overall
spending splurge, putting down
over $300 million in the next five
years in guys such as journeyman
Corbis
Jason Marquis ($21 million), util-
ity man Mark Derosa ($13 mil-
lion), and free-swinging ex-
Yankee Alfonso Soriano ($136
million). Though Soriano is
among the best players in the
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
game, he is not the fifth best,
which is where his new salary
ranks.
It’s not only the mediocre
players that are getting more
money. The good players are get-
ting richer as well. Barry Zito, a
longtime pitcher on Oakland with
a good track record, will earn
$126 million over the next seven
years, a record for any pitcher.
He’s a very good pitcher, piling
up a 102-63 record with a Cy
Young award in 2002 and three
all-star appearances in the past 5
years. However, he is not consid-
ered one of the elite pitchers in
baseball. Players like Johan
Santana of the Twins, Dontrelle
Willis of the Marlins, and Carlos
Zambrano of the Cubs should
expect to command the same
amount of money, if not more,
when they declare free agency in
the next three years.
Mediocrity is not what we
strive for in life. However, when
mediocre means $50 million dol-
lars, maybe we should. ◙