Changes in Colleges: Yale and Summer Movie Preview Stop Apathy ARISTA Elections

MIT A&E Opnions News

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THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

TO THE COMMUNITIES OF STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY May 22, 2007
“Your School, Your World—Your News” Visit us at: www.stuystandard.org VOL. 6, No. 14

How Good is Stuyvesant College

High School?
Despite its strong standardized testing records, Stuyvesant
High School was only given a mark of proficient.
by Jennifer Schlesinger,
editor in chief
Stuyvesant High School is the premiere high school
in New York City, where students receive an education at
one of the highest levels possible. Correct? Maybe not.
The New York City Department of Education
(DOE) recently paid a consultant from Cambridge
Night: A
Education in Great Britain to evaluate different public
schools. The DOE wanted school administrators,
Success for
students, and parents alike to be able to see how their
school is doing beyond test scores. The DOE’s director
of school quality said, “If you have students who are
the Future
self-motivated and no matter who you put in front of
them, they will still achieve . . . it doesn't necessarily by Kenneth Lam, staff writer
mean that the school is doing a great job,” reflecting On May 3, sophomores and
the view that test scores do not always present an juniors crowded Stuyvesant at
accurate picture. 6:30 p.m. to take their first steps
Stuyvesant received a mark of proficient out of towards their futures. College
the three possible marks: well-developed, proficient,
Night consisted of five
and undeveloped. The overall rating came from ratings
information sessions, during
in 28 categories. Stuyvesant received the rating of com-
which students could learn about
petent in 19 of these categories and poor in one of
various national and international
them.
All together, 490 schools in New York City were colleges from representatives.
The first four sessions were
evaluated. Forty-nine percent of these schools were
found to be proficient, 42.2 percent were found to be formal information sessions:
well developed, and only 8.8 percent were found to be representatives provided
undeveloped. information in brief
The score of proficient means that Stuyvesant is presentations. The fifth session
conveying high expectations to students and parents, was an informal session, where
engaging its students, and that students respect their students could go up to the
principal. Some of the negative aspects found were that representatives and ask any
questions they wanted. While
SUYTVESANT continues on page 4 acad e mics an d ad mi ss io n s
statistics were on many students’

Newly Discovered Planet

by Rammiya Nallainathan
Staff writer
Check out the Standard’s cov-
erage of Taste of Chinatown!
The Taste of Chinatown photo essay
can be found on page 5
Just a few months ago, many
scientists all over the world agreed
upon the fact that Pluto would not
minds, representatives also
discussed life on campus, and the
many ways that college can affect
a student. As junior Chaitanya
be considered a planet anymore Medicherla put it, “Information
because it was too small in size. about colleges can be easily
Now, scientists have come across a found in any handbook, but
new planet that may change the through this college night, we can
way we view the solar system. actually find out what we want to
This planet is the third planet of
the red dwarf star Gliese 581, so it
know, not just some statistics on
acceptance rates.” Indeed, many
is being called Gliese 581c.
Since the 1990s, scientists
from around the world have been
students did ask questions about
colleges that simply could not be
answered by a book.
finding extrasolar planets, or
“exoplanets”: planets that orbit
stars besides our own sun. This COLLEGE NIGHT
number has reached well over 220 continues on page 3
over the past 17 years. Just a week
or two ago, astronomers from
Europe were excited to announce
that they had found an Earth-like
planet, Gliese 581c. The announce-
ment was given at the European
Southern Observatory in Garching,
Germany. The planet was said to
have been detected through the
most sensitive spectrophotometer
at an observatory’s main telescope
Stuyvesant hosted college night, allow-
ing juniors and parents the opportunity
NEW PLANET to speak directly to over 150 college
continues on page 9 and university representatives.
2 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14 NEWS

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

 
Founded 2001 EDITORIAL
 
THE SU: CONCERNS
“Your School, Your World—Your News”

Executive Leadership Team FOR CANDIDATES

DR. JOHN NIKOL FACULTY ADVISER
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF
ERIC MAYO MANAGING EDITOR With Student Union elections coming up, we would like to take the
DIANE CHEN CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
ANGEL WONG CO-CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
time to suggest some issues for the candidates to address.
SANGHEE CHUNG LAYOUT EDITOR
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF 1. Club-Pub grid restructuring- The Club-Pub grid, used by various
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR organizations to hold after-school meetings, does not accurately
HESHAM SALEH, TIM CHANG ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
PRISCILLA MELO OPINIONS EDITOR
have which rooms are available. AIS Tutoring held on the 2nd and 3rd
EMMA RABINOVICH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR floors are routinely not reflected on the grid. Additionally, many
RICHARD MAI SPORTS EDITOR doors are locked by teachers, forcing these organizations to scramble
JOSEPH KRUTOV SCIENCE EDITOR to find a new meeting place. Better communication between the Stu-
OMAR AHMAD ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR dent Union and the AIS tutoring program will enable all clubs to
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR
AMNA AHMAD LITERARY EDITOR receive the room they chose.
ROBERT STEVENSON ASSITANT LITERARY EDITOR
JESSE ZHANG WEBMASTER 2. Budget reform- Earlier this year, we reported on the inconsisten-
ELISSA TAM DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM cies in the Student Union budget process. While we were encour-
aged by initial reports of the Student Union looking into the Consti-
Publication tution, nothing has come out of it. Budget meetings need to be uni-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD is a nonprofit and nonpartisan publication pro- form so that no one gets a raw deal.
duced by the students of Stuyvesant High School.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD distributes 2,000 free copies on a bi-weekly 3. Communication- Communication is currently the biggest prob-
basis to the students and faculty of Stuyvesant High School and through- lem between the Student Union and the student body. It is difficult if
out the adjoining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City.
not impossible to find out what’s going on in the school without per-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD welcomes letters from its readers.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD reserves the right to edit any published mate- sonal attendance at the meetings. We would like to see the SU news-
rial. The viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of letter re-established to give the student body a glimpse into what’s
the Standard staff. going on in the Student Union. Furthermore, minutes from all meet-
ings should be posted on the student union website so they can be
Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD accessed at all times. Letting people know what’s going on in the
Student Union will only strengthen interest in student government.
Contact Us
Please direct all correspondence to: The editorial board looks forward to hearing the candidates discuss
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD these issues. We hope all students take an active role in listening to
345 Chambers Street these candidates and make a decision that best benefits the student
New York, NY 10282-1000 body as a whole.
readers@stuystandard.org
Find us on the web at www.stuystandard.org

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Dear Readers,
If you would like to advertise in THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, please e-mail This issue marks a major transition for The Stuyvesant Standard. It
advertising@stuystandard.org to request an advertisement form. We offer is time to wish the best to our graduating editors as a new team is called
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 NEWS
Yale Plans on
Increasing its
Class Size
Source: www.yale.edu
Yale is considering adding more resi-
dential colleges to its campus after
realizing how important it is to a
growing number of applicants.
by Richard Shyong, staff writer
Yale, one of the most
prestigious Ivy League schools in
the country, is considering
expanding its student body. For a
long time, Yale has considered
adding more residential colleges
to its campus. Only recently,
however, has Yale realized just
how important this is as a
response to a growing number of
applicants, among other reasons.
COLLEGE NIGHT
continued from page 1
An event like College Night
could not be put together without
the help of the Parents’ Associa-
tion, especially College Committee
cochairs Florrid Levy, Michelle
Parker, Sherry Lin and Angela
Wong. Many nights of hard work
went into the preparations for the
event, and many phone calls and
connections had to be made. As
Levy stated, “There were two
months of preparation, ordering
items, coordination with school
personnel and organizing the small
army of volunteers that happen in
the months leading up to Thurs-
day.” Representatives of around
160 colleges were present at the
event, and as a result, many stu-
dents could learn about colleges
from around the states.
The Parents’ Association put
a lot of hard work into this event
and students were able to reap the
benefits of this event. Many
students found this event helpful
in making decisions about
colleges they want to attend. The
information found at these
information sessions provided
answers to many questions that
students may have had. As junior
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
THE STANDARD NEWS
Like all other Ivy League
schools, Yale considers its repu-
tation first. President Richard C.
Levin plans to set up two com-
mittees to assess the impact of
adding two new residential col-
leges. One committee would be
responsible for examining the
impact of increased enrollment on
the academic programs, while the
other committee would be re-
sponsible for examining the over-
all effects on the student body.
The question is: If Yale were to
add more colleges to its over-
crowded campus, would the ef-
fect on the school be positive?
“We want to be certain that the
quality of the Yale college ex-
perience would be maintained or
enhanced, and not diminished,"
wrote Levin in a letter to Yale
College’s dean.
Recent developments have
YALE continues on page 5
Raheel Anwar put it, “Overall, [it
was] a necessary experience for
every junior or even sophomore.”
Not only did College Night
answer students’ questions, it also
opened up students’ eyes to dif-
ferent colleges. Some colleges
that students may not have heard
of set up shop in Stuyvesant’s
classrooms and distributed infor-
mation about themselves. As a
result, students learned about col-
leges that they never considered
before, expanding their options.
While the event was a suc-
cess, there was still some room
for improvement. One such im-
provement would have been to, as
Anwar said, “Make it start earlier
and end later so we can get more
of a chance to see all the colleges
we are interested in.” However,
with the sheer number of colleges
present and the number of repre-
sentatives for each college, the
result was a success.
With many students attending
the sessions, some of which were
standing room only, College
Night offered an excellent win-
dow into college life and the ad-
missions process. College Night
also offered a glimpse into what
the next two years hold for both
juniors and sophomores.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 3
MIT Officer Resigns
After 28-Year Lie
by Neeta Malviya, staff writer Jones’s resignation was
After working for the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology
for almost 30 years, which in-
brought about by a phone call from
an anonymous person who ques-
tioned the authenticity of Jones’s
credentials. The phone call re-
cluded serving as the dean of ad- sulted in an investigation by the
missions since 1998, Marilee Jones Dean of Undergraduate Education
resigned from her position, admit- and a representative from the MIT
ting to having fabricated her edu- department of Human Resources.
cational credentials. Ironically, she Jones was made aware of the accu-
has written a book titled “Less sations brought against her in a
Stress, More Success,” in which meeting on April 20 and was asked
she emphasizes the need for integ- to publicly resign. She admitted
rity and honesty. that she had “misrepresented her
Jones first started working at
credentials” and publicized her
MIT in 1979. She supposedly had resignation the next day. Jones
both master’s and bachelor’s de- released a statement to the commu-
grees from Albany Medical Col- nity at MIT saying she “did not
lege, Union College and Rensse-
have the courage to correct her
laer Polytechnic Institute. Accord- résumé.” The announcement of the
ing to officials at issue was not made
MIT, she did not
possess degrees “I don't think that it until MIT had time
to prepare state-
from any of will alter my view of ments. According to
these institutions the school as a MIT’s website, the
or from any chancellor stated
other institution whole, but it cer-
that “it was very
for that matter, tainly lowers my important for us to
and she did not
even possess an
view of the admini- say exactly what
stration. happened and why
und er gr ad ua te we did it.” Stuart
degree. Accord- Schmill, who is cur-
Anisha Kunnel
ing to the regis- rently the director of
Sophomore
trar at Rensselaer the Educational
Polytechnic In- Council, has taken
stitute, Jones had attended for one the place of Jones.
year, but had not earned a degree. In response to the news,
According to the Chancellor sophomore Anisha Kunnel said,
of MIT, Phillip L. Clay, a college “The news certainly shocked me
degree was most probably not re- because of the fact that it was so
quired to gain the secretarial job easy for her to get away with such
that Jones held when she first came dishonesty at such a well-known
to MIT. Upon being appointed and prestigious institution. I don’t
admissions dean, she had been at think that it will alter my view of
the institute for 19 years, so her the school as a whole, but it
credentials were never thoroughly certainly lowers my view of the
reviewed. administration.”
Source: http://www-tech.mit.edu/V127/N21/graphics/jones-00.html
Former Dean of Admissions Marilee Jones publicly announced her resignation
after it ws discovered that she misrepresented her educational information.
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
MEET THE TEACHER PRESENTS:
Meet Ms. Dehn-Knight!
Name: Gabriele Dehn-Knight Place of Birth: Bad Dürkheim, Germany
Favorite Food: Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian and Mexican
by Tim Chang.
assistant news editor
Gabriele Dehn-Knight’s love
of languages and customs makes
her a strong member of the lan-
guage department. Having trav-
eled to at least 24 different coun-
tries and speaking no less than
five different languages, her in-
terest in cultures is an invaluable
asset to her language classes.
Dehn-Knight grew up in
southwestern Germany near the
Alsatian border. When she was
young, she did many exchanges
in England and France to improve
her language skills. After attend-
ing a “gymnasium,” the German
equivalent of middle-school and
high-school, Dehn-Knight went
for three semesters to Gutenberg
University of Mainz, a day school
for translators and interpreters.
However, she heard that the
chances of getting an interesting
job, such as a UN interpreter,
after, were rare. Consequently,
Dehn-Knight used her passion for
language and culture to pursue a
career as a language teacher. She
transferred to the University of
Hamburg, where she graduated
with a master’s degree in foreign
language teaching.
Dehn-Knight taught at sev-
CLUB SPOTLIGHT:
Junior State of America
by Yana Gontcharova.
columnist
Those students who like to
argue and discuss political issues
may be interested in joining JSA,
the Junior State of America. This
organization combines both
interests by holding debates on
i mp or t an t p ol i t i c al i s s ue s
affecting our society today. Every
Wednesday, the club meets to
debate a variety of topics, such as
global warming or the war in
Iraq. The purpose of these
meetings is to sharpen members’
debate skills in preparation for
three out-of-school conferences,
which club members attend.
The first conference is held
in the fall and is hosted in Bos-
ton. Members formally debate
today’s controversial hot topics.
The second conference, held dur-
ing the winter in Washington,
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
eral places before coming to
Stuyvesant High School. She
taught at Columbia University as
an adjunct professor, at the New
School for Social Research and at
Deutsches Haus in NYU, and at
Packer Collegiate Institute in
Brooklyn. Dehn-Knight came to
Stuyvesant in September of 2003
and has been teaching there since.
Comparing the American
education system to the German
one, Dehn-Knight observed that
“there are so many tests. Germans
think Americans are suffering
from test mania. It’s less stressful
there [Germany] and the stu-
dents…seem just as well edu-
cated.”
Dehn-Knight’s hobby of
travel comes from her love of
cultures. Her first visit abroad
was when she was 11, when her
parents sent her to a friend’s
house on the Isle of Man to learn
English. She visited France while
learning French in school and
visited different parts of Spain
after she started taking Spanish at
her university, and eventually
lived in Spain for almost a year
after receiving a scholarship to
study at the University of Gra-
nada. When not traveling abroad,
Dehn-Knight also enjoys yoga,
homeopathy, music, and espe-
cially nature.
D.C., is unique; here, members
have a Congress-styled debate.
They play the roles of politicians
and, along with debating, try to
write and pass their own resolu-
tions to the topics being debated.
Members must not only create
these bills, but also convince
other members why they are su-
perior to all other bills on the
floor. The third conference,
which is similar to the first, is
held during the spring in Stan-
ford, Connecticut.
Besides debating, members
who attend the conferences listen
to eminent speakers giving their
views on many important issues
debated by real politicians.
Depending on the circumstances,
members may even get to meet
these speakers face-to-face.
Anyone interested in joining
this club should contact Mor
Rosenberg on Facebook or on
AIM as RichgalPP.
STUYVESANT
continued from page 1
many teachers lecture students
instead of using more innovative
teaching methods and that students
are often under high levels of
stress and unsure of whom to go to
for help.
Many Stuyvesant parents,
teachers, and student are upset at
the rating. They feel that Stuyve-
sant was not given credit for its
high standardized test scores.
Stuyvesant has 100 percent pass-
ing rates on the English and Math
Regents. There were also doubts
about how able consultants from a
different country were to judge the
school. Social studies teacher
Ellen Schweitzer said, “We don’t
respect what someone thinks who
comes from another country for . .
. a short period of time.”
However, the rating does
bring up questions. Many students
do feel that aspects of Stuyvesant
should be changed. Parents have
brought up concerns to the
School Ratings
8.8%
49.0%
Tony Blair Gets the
Boot
by Emma Rabinovich.
A&E Editor
Last September, Tony Blair
announced his upcoming exit after
ten years in office. Publicly
condemned for his use of “spin”
and the decision to join the United
States in Iraq, Blair’s personal
popularity has been rapidly
dropping since the last election in
2005. What his resignation as
leader of the ruling Labor Party,
and thereby Prime Minister of
Britain, will do for his party in the
next election in 2009 has yet to
been seen or if his most likely
successor, Gordan Brown, is up to
the task of leading Labor to a
fourth straight victory.
Brown was practically hand-
picked by Blair, and his
challengers within the party are
unlikely to be able to muster
NEWS
Parents’ Association of large
levels of stress experienced by
students.
Students have mixed opin-
ions of Stuy. Many feel that Stuy
students do well because they are
motivated. A Junior said, “I would
attribute [Stuy’s] success to the
students who are somewhat eager to
learn, and not necessarily to the
teachers or their teaching methods.
its not that the teaching methods are
ineffective, i just think that they
could or rather should, be revised a
little bit so that the redundancy of
classroom structure can be re-
duced.”
Students admit to being
stressed, but usually not over-
whelmingly so. Anna Formitchova
said, “Overwhellmed? well, taking
5 AP's as a senior, I guess I'm ask-
ing for it, but the difference is that I
am doing this because I truly love
those subjects.”
Some information from this article
came from an article published in
The Daily News.
42.2%
well developed
proficient
undeveloped
enough opposition to take over as
leader (the strongest contenders,
including Blairite John Reid,
have all ruled themselves out,
leaving onl y the far left
challengers). If Brown does
become Prime Minister, he still
faces the tough task of having to
reunite his disjointed party.
Meanwhile, Labor faces an uphill
battle even with the departure of
its now somewhat unpopular
leader. The midterm elections in
the beginning of May resulted in
major losses, especially in once-
solid Scotland.
The future of Tony Blair is
uncertain. At 54, he is still
younger than many of his prede-
cessors when they first took of-
fice, but picking a new direction
after Downing Street will defi-
BLAIR continues on page 5
NEWS MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 5
BLAIR
ARISTA Elections: Fighting for Votes, continued from page 4

With Honor nitely pose a challenge. Brown

by Dennis Ng, staff writer
Should I run for an ARISTA
office and take command of the
society or should I just participate
in events as a general member? As
the deadline loomed for ARISTA
election platform submissions,
many members wondered if they
should apply. It wasn’t easy to be
chosen as a candidate from a pool
of applicants, let alone be elected.
Because some office positions
were short on applicants, members
were given an additional week to
app l y. On April 20, the
painstakingly chosen candidates
were announced. Candidates
started campaigning the following
Monday, putting up countless
posters on walls and asking friends
to vote for them in school and on
Facebook, as well as announcing
their candidacy in class. Finally,
the long-awaited election arrived
on Wednesday, April 25, after
school.
As I sat in the front row wait-
ing to make my speech for my
campaign, I wondered who would
win. After I worked hard to cam-
paign and earn as many votes as I
could, I really wanted to win. Over
the past few days, in addition to
campaigning for myself, I also was
persuaded by other candidates to
vote for them. Like many other
members, I already had ideas of
whom I would vote for, but never-
theless I carefully listened to each
candidate’s speech.
When it was finally my turn to
speak, I slowly walked up the
stage and started speaking. I
continued for over three minutes.
Three minutes: it was just enough
time to introduce myself, describe
my background and provide a
scope of what I would do for
ARISTA Tutoring if I were
elected. All other candidates were
also allotted three minutes to
address the audience, except the
pairs for president and vice
president, who were allowed five
minutes to talk.
Although most members were
at the elections, the attendance rate
was a bit disappointing. Many
seats were unoccupied, probably
because some students were on
class trips or were participating in
PSAL games.. Seniors were not
allowed to vote as they would no
longer be part of the organization
next year.
As I was taking the train home
with friends after the long election
process, I was wondering who
were the winners, something eve-
ryone else was wondering, but
more specifically if I was a winner.
The winners received calls from
the ARISTA Executive Council
(EC) several hours later. At around
8:45 that evening, the new officers
were officially announced via e-
mail.
Although the elections are over,
there is still much work for both
the incoming and outgoing ECs
this year. In the next few weeks,
the two ECs will be meeting to
prepare for a change in leadership.
The induction ceremony for new
members and the new EC is sched-
uled for May 29. In early June,
applications will be available for
committees of the different offi-
cers. Final decisions will be an-
nounced later in the month.
The Stuyvesant Standard congratu-
lates the winners and new mem-
bers!
Dennis Ng is a member of
ARISTA, a member of the
society’s Tutoring Committee,
and the Vice President for
Tutoring 2007-2008.
will most likely wish to win the
next election without him, having
been overshadowed by Blair’s
charisma for the past decade. The
UN is unlikely to offer any pros-
pects because of Blair’s decisions
in Iraq, and following in Bill
Clinton’s footsteps with an auto-
biography could prove dangerous
for his party.
Blair’s record has been a
topic of great debate ever since he
announced his departure. Young
and charismatic when he entered
office in 1997, he was the
epitome of change and looking
forward but many claim that he
has not used the opportunities
afforded to him wisely. His
greatest achievement, bringing
new stability to Northern Ireland,
will surely remain the crown
jewel of his legacy. Meanwhile,
his reform bills and attempts to
help the poor of England have
had varying levels of success.
While the poor are in fact much
better off than they were ten years
ago as Blair claims, the gap
between classes has actually
grown. Education reform has
been equally questionable as
schools have seen some
improvements, but class size not
decreased as promised.

YALE
continued from page 3
pushed this idea of expansion to a
whole new level. In the past dec-
ade, the number of applications to
Yale has nearly doubled in size,
forcing Yale to reject many quali-
fied applicants that could have
contributed to the community.
Moreover, part of Yale’s mission
is to “embrace the education of
leaders for the world, not simply
for the United States.” Increased
enrollment would create more
opportunities for foreign, as well
as American, students.
The addition of new colleges
to the campus may not only be
beneficial to Yale, but could also
help stimulate the local economy
in New Haven. Student expenses,
as well as the university’s, could
very well have “positive and per-
ennial benefits” on New Haven’s
economy. This gives Yale Uni-
versity, as well as the New Haven
community, another reason to
press forward with the expansion
idea. And this gives students an-
other reason to apply to Yale —
for those generations in the fu-
ture, of course.

Taste of Chinatown: Delicious Eastern Cuisine! $1! $1!

by Garry Chien, staff writer offered was not very appealing to me, such as
fried rice and egg rolls.Other people also had
On April 21, dishes such as Peking Duck mixed views of the event. Freshman Cassandra
and chicken with curry were being sold for a Tang said, “I like the food, especially the
bargain price of only one or two dollars at the Vietnamese sandwiches. But I think there were a
biannual Taste of Chinatown, where people were bit too much fried rice and lo mein.”
able to taste a variety of Asian dishes. The dishes Freshman Vania Sung said, “It was a bit
offered originated from a number of Asian chaotic, but the food was really good and worth
countries, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan it. One dollar for bubble tea!”
and Japan. The next Taste of Chinatown event will
Chinatown, located between Little Italy, take place on Saturday, October 20 from noon to
TriBeCa, and the Financial District, is known six p.m.
for its Asian dishes. The area lost many

customers after the attacks on 9/11. Asian

Women In Business (AWIB) created this event
in 2004 to bring people back to Chinatown.
I was able to visit the event. After finding
the entrance to Taste of Chinatown, I found Fay
Da Bakery, where I cheerfully quenched my
thirst with a taro icy. I also tried chicken with
curry. There were amazing dishes and drinks,
such as sushi and bubble tea, being sold at the
participating vendors. Though there were some
exceptional foods there, much of the food
6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
OPINONS
by Emma Rabinovich, A&E Editor
America at Large
With the recent elections in
France and the upcoming
resignation of British Prime
Minister Tony Blair, I got to
thinking: where are we
(Americans) headed? These
foreign shuffles are all occurring
at a time of great political unrest
within our own borders, with
Americans becoming more and
more critical of the costly war in
Iraq. What will losing yet another
strong ally in Europe do for the
already crumbling public morale?
While many comparisons
have been drawn between the
wars in Iraq and Vietnam, there is
one key difference that will
probably keep us firmly planted
on that side of the globe: terror-
ism. President Bush’s critics like
to point out that our entry into
Iraq was unjustified and although
that is a point worth debating the
initial reason is no longer impor-
tant after almost four years of
war. Unlike Vietnam, Iraq has
become a breeding ground for
dangerous international terrorist
groups that not only pose a threat
to our safety, but also anyone and
everyone else who dares to chal-
lenge their tyrannical rule of parts
of the Middle East. Then there
are, of course, the innocent civil-
ians who are caught in the cross-
hairs. What would become of
them if the only real peacekeep-
ing force packed its things and
left?
by David Mannes, staff writer
Very Expensive Pants
The Chung family, who emi-
grated from South Korea seven
years ago, currently owns a dry
cleaning shop called Custom
Cleaners in Washington, D.C. On
the wall of the shop were two signs
that have now been taken down;
one read “Satisfaction Guaranteed”
and the other read “Same Day Ser-
vice.” When Custom Cleaners lost
a pair of suit pants, the customer it
belonged to, Judge Roy Pearson,
decided to sue Custom Cleaners
for $67 million. Pearson filed the
lawsuit two years ago, and the trial
is currently scheduled to take place
this June.
The bulk of the $67 million is
the result of Pearson’s interpreta-
tion of a consumer protection law
that grants $1500 per day per vio-
lation. Pearson claims to have
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
Clearly, there is plenty of
controversy here and lots to
argue, which is why even
Congress is so torn. The President
wields the executive veto while
Congress controls his funds.
Democrats, who won the last
election by a narrow margin, now
claim that the American public
has spoken and they want out.
Not so fast, says President Bush,
who, no longer seeking
reelection, is unlikely to bend to
the Democrats’ will. With enough
su p po r t i n C on gr e s s (t he
Democrats’ victory wasn’t really
a “mandate” so much as a nod)
Bush continues to push forward
with his plans in Iraq.
Enter: the rest of the world.
At this point, America carries a
huge burden. Russia continues to
try its hardest to jumpstart Cold
War II (thank you, President
Putin). France still wants nothing
to do with Bush and the British
people seem eager to throw Labor
Party (Tony Blair’s party) out and
bring in some doves.
America dodged a bullet with
Sarkozy’s victory in France, but
while he is far more pro-America
than his opponent for the
presidency, Ms. Segolene Royal
— she once told a Hezbollah
leader that she agreed with his
comments about the “unlimited
dementia” of the Bush
administration — he is also
careful not to get too cuddly with
found twelve ways Custom Clean-
ers has violated the consumer pro-
tection law by not living up to
what their signs promised. He then
multiplied the cost per violation by
the number of days the pants had
been lost, and then multiplied that
by three, because three members of
the Chung family jointly own the
shop. On top of this, Pearson has
factored in numerous other costs,
including compensation for mental
suffering and discomfort, and
$15,000 to cover the cost of rent-
ing a car every weekend for the
next ten years so that he can go to
a different dry cleaner that is far-
ther away.
Pearson will almost definitely
lose the case. However, it still
raises two important issues. The
first issue is whether or not Pear-
son will be allowed to remain a
Bush due to the large number of
outcries that he is already too
U.S.-friendly. After all, a large
chunk of the reason that British
voters have turned against their
once-beloved Prime Minister is
because of his support of the U.S.
in Iraq and at least partly because
of his refusal to turn against
Israel along with many other
European leaders.
It’s still too soon to tell what
America will vote for in 2008 but
judging by the public opinion,
Americans want a better handle
on the crisis. Unfortunately, the
Democrats seem unable and the
Republicans seem unwilling.
Hilary Clinton’s solution, for ex-
ample, is for Bush to finish the
nightmare off during his term in
office so that the mess isn’t left to
his successor. To be honest, I’ve
only heard one of her speeches
but that was enough to leave me
wanting less. The Republican
Party is torn between solidarity,
which has so far been pulling
through, and winning the next
election, and the two seem
unlikely to go hand in hand.
Meanwhile, the economy has not
been very strong with the federal
government struggling to keep
inflation down, while issues on
everything from abortion to gay
rights throw more variables into
the 2008 election. So, where are
we headed? For another historical
clash at the polls.
judge. The second concerns the
hardships that the Chung family
have already undergone just from
having the lawsuit filed against
them.
There are a number of reasons
why Pearson should, and probably
will, lose his status as a judge.
Since Pearson’s ten-year appoint-
ment is coming to an end, he
wouldn’t have to be fired, and so
no precedent would be set for fu-
ture cases. It would reasonable to
question whether Pearson could be
a fair and unbiased judge in the
future. In addition, Pearson has
taken advantage of a law that pro-
tects customers from businesses
that are actually wronging them,
and, especially if he wins this case,
Pearson would have encouraged
the type of absurd lawsuit that de-
means the legal system and dam-
OPNIONS
Stop
Apathy
by Priscilla Melo,
opinions editor
There is something that makes
me shiver and shout out loud with
unrelenting fury, something more
deadly than racism, sexism and
ignorance combined: apathy. The
sad truth is that the American teen-
ager is proud to be apathetic in
issues that are truly important, and
this is most certainly evident in
Stuyvesant High School. Of
course, as with any statement,
there are exceptions — those few
passionate souls that talk about
and, most importantly, act on is-
sues that they find crucial, like the
environment, poverty, education or
even the lack of art in many chil-
dren’s lives.
Yet there is still the horde of
students who amble on, with no
thoughts or worries reaching far-
ther than that 80 they received in
Spanish or the new Pokémon Dia-
mond in their shiny Nintendo DS.
They are the ones that have let
genocides occur and let the Hud-
son River become filthier every
passing day. They did not directly
do these things, we hope. But by
not acting, by letting the world
around them continue in its less-
than-acceptable way, they have
APATHY continues on page 7
ages the lives of people who have
done nothing wrong. For this,
Pearson doesn’t deserve to remain
a judge.
The Chung family had only
recently established themselves
here when the lawsuit first began.
According to the Washington Post,
the Chung family, who came to
America seeking a better life, is
now considering moving back to
South Korea, having lost faith in
the American system. Ultimately,
the biggest problem in this case
isn’t the money the Chungs would
be forced to pay should they lose
the case, but the harm that has al-
ready been done, when their crime
was losing a pair of pants. Hope-
fully, although this case has had
many ill effects, it will inspire new
laws that protect people from this
kind of frivolous lawsuit.
SCIENCE
APATHY
continued from page 6
contributed to these large events.
I would not blame racists for
their prejudiced comments, but the
system in which they were raised. I
would not blame ignorant people
for their unawareness, but the iso-
lation that has caused it. I would,
however, blame apathetic people,
specifically American teenagers,
for everything and anything they
Bees: Honey is the Least of Our Problem
by Omar Ahmad,
assistant science editor
The honey bee may be the
most essential insect in the world.
It is widely known for its intense
stinging, honey-making, hive-
building, and many other abilities.
But one area of expertise that is
often left out is the pollination of
many different plants in our envi-
ronment. These plants make up
one-third of all food consumed in
the American diet, including over
600 million different fruits and
vegetables worldwide such as
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
have not cared about. In this mod-
ern age, information is every-
where. Skewed or not, news is
accessible — free, plain, visual,
blatant and ever-present. Topics
are discussed in classrooms every
day; books containing disputable
issues are available for a one-time-
only 50-cent charge at the local
library. The Internet is full of eve-
rything the global citizen of today
needs to know, but the high school
student of right now does not care.
cherries, blueberries, apples, al-
monds, asparagus and macadamia
nuts.
The current problem is that, if
bees all die off, we will be left
with only 2/3 of our previous diet.
“It’s not the staples,” Jeff Pettis of
the United States Agricultural Re-
search Service said. “If you can
imagine eating a bowl of oatmeal
every day with no fruit on it, that’s
what it would be like” without
honeybee pollination.
Not only will the scarcity of
fruits and vegetables become
evident, but the prices of these
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 7
Instead of briefly skimming the “Vote or Die,” and the Gap has the
New York Times or The Econo- Product Red campaign, whose aim
mist, they would rather rip open is to increase awareness of social
The Metro to page 16 for the issues.
crossword or Sudoku. The infor- But how can students stop this
mation and the issues are in their horrible vice of apathy and become
hands (or probably spread-eagled involved? It does not take much.
on the floor with fluorescent white Look up from your AP Biology
tape outlining them), but they re- review book — there are more
fuse to look at it. They cannot say than 200 clubs in Stuyvesant High
they have been insulated by School, many of them addressing
American popular culture — even real issues. Just take a stand, and
Sean “Diddy” Combs has said (harking back to Marx) say,
“Students of the world, unite!”
SCIENCE
Source: Yahoo News
items will skyrocket, and public
health will plunge to an all-time
low. This fear is approaching a
near-reality, with a curious
discovery by beekeepers. A
peculiar phenomenon was noticed
when beekeepers realized that the
only bees inside their hives were
larvae of future worker bees, and
the queen bee. The honey was
still there, but there were no
worker bees, the most important
group of bees in a colony. The US beekeepers have been hit in recent
months by the mysterious disappear-
puzzling thing was that the
ance of millions of bees, threatening
worker bees were gone without a honey supplies and crops.
BEES continues on page 8
8 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14 BUSINESS
NEW PLANET

continued from page 1
at La Silla, Chile.
This new planet has some
qualities that make it highly likely
that it is like the Earth. For exam-
ple, Gliese 581c is a reasonable
distance from the sun, allowing its
temperature to fluctuate from 32 to
104 degrees Fahrenheit. Above all,
scientists have discovered that this
planet, just like Earth, is capable of
containing water. From here the
basic question arises, “Is there al-
ready extraterrestrial life existing
on this planet?”
According to some astrobiolo-
gists, scientists who study extrater-
restrial life, this new planet actu-
ally lies in the Goldilocks Zone.
This zone is given this name be-
cause it refers to the fact that the
climate of this planet is “just right”
for water to be present in the liquid
form. Up to now, we have only
known of one planet that lies in
this zone — Earth. It is considered
important to find planets within the
Goldilocks Zone, since life as we
Source: CNN
know it requires the presence of
liquid water.
As scientists continue to look
into this planet, more and more
people wonder if humans can one
day live on this new planet. Of
course that would be hard, consid-
ering that this planet is 20.5 light-
years away. However, that doesn’t
mean that the discovery of this
planet is worthless. As one scien- Stunned European explorers have
tist, Xavier Delfosse, said, “On the found one of the smallest planets
treasure map of the Universe, one known outside our solar system, an
would be tempted to mark this Earth-like planet 50 light years away.
planet with an X.”

BEES continued from page 7
trace. There were no remains or
body specimens, creating more of
a puzzle for scientists to figure
out.
The main hypothesis for the
cause of this horrible occurrence
is the orientation of behavior and
navigation of the worker bees. It
is believed that the navigation
problems may be the only cause
that fits the disappearance of the
worker bees, and the behavioral
aspects may have been the cause
for faulty navigation. There could
not have been a physical threat to
these bees, or else the bodies
would have been found. The bod-
ies would most likely be sur-
rounding the queen bee, who is
the center of the colony.
Another reason, though less
likely than the prior ones, is that
cell phone use may be responsible
for insect deaths. It is believed that
the signals and sound waves emit-
ted from cellular phones can be
harmful to our insect friends. Even
so, that would not sufficiently ex-
plain the disappearances of the
bodies of such organisms.
There is still much research to
be done in this field of science, and
hopefully, there will be a clear
reason soon. Otherwise — well,
you can fill in the blanks…

BUSNIESS
Corporations Step Up
to Green Economics
by Hanford Chiu, business
editor
The United States Climate
Action Partnership is a coalition of
business entities and environ-
mental groups that supports the
view that global warming exists
and that greenhouse gas emissions
must be reduced in order to pre-
vent global warming and save the
environment. The partnership has
already garnered much support
from corporations and has mem-
bers such as General Electric, Pep-
siCo, military supplier Caterpillar
MTA Develops Large Tract
of Land in Manhattan
by Hanford Chiu, business
influence grows, however, other editor
environmental groups are con-
cerned that corporations are just The MTA began seeking bids
hiding behind its name to avoid from developers on May 8, hoping
having to take real measures to to turn a vast 26-acre tract of a
save the environment. General Manhattan rail yard into some
Motors in particular was both criti- quick revenue for projects and
cized and praised for joining US- improvements by selling off parts
CAP. “I think [General Motors] is of the land for development. The
trying to hide behind their partici- MTA hopes to attract top bids,
pation and pretend they are behind which are appraised at over $1.3
reducing global warming,” said billion, for a large area of land in a
CORPORATIONS borough where space is limited
and the wholesale selling of land is
continues on page 9
rare.
However, there is a lot of
Source: Wikipedia
interest in building a park and a
museum over the High Line, or
otherwise preserve it if it does not
impact the revenue from the sale.
Other problems include zoning,
as the western tract has not yet
been zoned for building yet,
while the eastern tract is zoned
for mixed usage. Furthermore, the
MTA has stated that it will not
sell its adjacent Hudson Rail
Yards, where it stores and
maintains its trains, which would
force developers to build a
platform over the rail yards, a
project which would cost over
$400 million.

Inc., and oil producer ConocoPhil-
lips. Recently, in a gesture of co-
operation, General Motors Corp.
entered the league of corporations
as the first automaker to join such
a group. As a major producer of
greenhouse gases both directly
through factory waste byproducts
and indirectly through the sale of
gas-guzzling cars, automakers are
a big target for the USCAP in its
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. It is surprising and re-
freshing that the major contributors
to greenhouse gases have joined
the coalition’s efforts to seek out
government intervention by means
of mandatory greenhouse gas re-
ductions and an emissions cap al-
lowance system that allows corpo-
rations to trade emissions “credits”
in order to exceed the cap.
As USCAP expands and its
American International Group Inc., a
major American insurance corpora-
tion, is one of the many in a diverse
group of business and environmental
leaders that want to enact strong na-
tional legislation to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions
controversy over this plot of land The sale of this land comes
that must be resolved before the at a time when the MTA wants to
MTA can let go of it. The tract of upgrade its outdated system and
land itself, with its western half also expand its subway lines’
from Eleventh Avenue to Twelfth reach as well. Mayor Bloomberg
Avenue and its eastern half from
Eleventh Avenue to Tenth Avenue,
was the proposed site for New 7 TRAIN
York’s Olympic Stadium until the continues on page 9
state government defeated Mayor
Bloomberg’s efforts to buy the
land for $300 million.
Nowadays, the endeavor is
being protested by advocates of
all kinds, ranging from those who
want parks and open spaces built
to those who demand affordable
housing units. Others want to
protect the High Line, which is a
stretch of abandoned outdoor
subway tracks converted into an
impromptu park and public space.
The older 7 train, as seen from 33
MTA officials have stated their Street.
A&E
CORPORATIONS
continued from page 8
Dan Becker, director of Sierra
Club’s global warming program, in
an interview with the Associated
Press. “It’s better than deepening
global warming, which GM has as
a brand, but it isn’t going to save a
gram of carbon because they are
not cleaning up the vehicles,” he
said. Nevertheless, GM has stated
that it will develop new green tech-
nology and reduce emissions.
USCAP is an example of the
Benny Hill:
World’s Funniest Clown
by Tasso Bountouvas, staff
writer
“I'm not against half naked girls -
not as often as I'd like to be.”
The above joke by Benny
Hill, although not completely
true, is just one of the many ideas
that brought laughter to England
and to most of the world.
Although he is not as popular
today as he once was, many
adults will probably remember
“The Benny Hill Show” starring
“Hill’s Angels” and the “world’s
funniest clown,” Benny Hill.
Hill’s comedic genius is rare and
should be noticed.
Benny Hill was born Alfred
Hawthorne Hill in Southampton,
England on January 21, 1924. He
loved entertainment at a very
young age; at 16, he went to Lon-
don to pursue a career in enter-
tainment and comedy. His televi-
sion debut began in 1941, when
he first used his stage name,
Benny Hill. His comedic tech-
niques seemed fresh and he
brought a feeling of true enjoy-
ment to the viewing audience. He
by Robert Colbourn, staff writer
Well, our favorite wall crawler
is back on the big screen in
“Spiderman 3,” capping off the
trilogy. From the beginning,
people were quite taken with it,
and this became possibly the most
anticipated movie in 2007.
However, as the movie came into
theaters, it was apparent that while
many will see it, few will leave
satisfied. The previous two movies
had enormous problems, and this
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
recent phenomenon of green eco-
nomics, in which the economy is
considered to be dependent on the
state of the environment and that
the impact on the environment,
humans, animals and everything
else. must be taken into considera-
tion before any transactions. By
recognizing the interconnections
between the planet and the econ-
omy, ecological damage by over-
expansion and activity can be
curbed to provide for a stable long-
term economy based on Earth’s
finite space and finite amount of
resources.
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
became so popular that he was
voted television personality of the
year for 1954. But this was just
the beginning of a memorable
career.
Hill was able to show the
viewing audience all of his talents
when he got the chance at his
own show. “The Benny Hill
Show” premiered in 1955 on
BBC and lasted until 1968. The
show was then reproduced for
Thames television and lasted
from 1969 to 1989. The main
elements of the show were
basically silent comedy sketches;
comic characters, including Fred
Scuttle; and many comical
innuendo-filled songs. Although
some jokes were repeated on
several episodes, especially the
best ones, they were always as
funny as they were the first time.
In 1971, Benny Hill’s song Ernie
(The Fastest Milkman in the
West) became a number one hit.
By 1980, the show also included
“Hills’s Angels” — a group of
very tall, thin young ladies who
BENNY HILL
continues on page 10
Spidey’s Back
movie not only contains the same
ones, but adds more to its
repertoire. Its combination of
terrible casting and unimaginative
plot made it a chore to watch.
The first two films revolve
around Peter Parker’s (Tobey
Maguire) hope to find a balance in
his life. After he is bitten by a ge-
netically enhanced spider, he is
given the attributes of that spider,
allowing him to become a super-
hero. In the first movie, his leading
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 9
7 TRAIN
continued from page 8
has already allocated over $2
billion to the MTA for the
purpose of extending the 7 train
line to its west midtown site.
Furthermore, the MTA wants to
expand the 2 train line and build
new tunnels in various places. It
wants to update its trains and
improve station security as well
as the general condition of the
subway system.
The map of the 7 train, from Main
Street to Times Square.
Video Game Review:Pokémon
Diamond Version and Pearl
Source: www.cwtv.com
held system since greats like Ad-
vance Wars or Tetris. Yes, that’s
right, you heard correctly. These
two small games are masterpieces
of immersion, strategy, and replay-
ability — a far cry from their
primitive Game Boy Color breth-
ren.
“What makes Pokémon D&P
different than the versions I’ve
played before?” you may ask. For
one, the number of Pokémon has
The recently released Pokemon Dia-
increased from 151 to 493. Do
mond games.
not attempt to adjust your
by Jonathan Xikis, columnist viewing position, for that number
is completely correct. This game
When you think of
packs a whopping five hundred
“Pokémon,” a.k.a. “Pocket Mon-
battling monsters into one
sters,” you might recall memories
cartridge, each with its own
of little kids trading their cards, or
strengths, weaknesses and moves.
childish cartoons featuring the
There are 18 types, which can be
dreaded 10-year-old Ash and his
combined in any number of ways
annoying yellow mouse. You
to give Pokémon unique abilities.
might even remember playing
D&P mark the return of Pokémon
Pokémon Red or Blue 10 years ago
animations, as well as day and
— or perhaps you might single- night system from Gold and
mindedly think: “Pokémon? That’s
Silver. The music and ambiance
for babies. I’ve outgrown that.” If
of the different regions is superb.
so, what you are about to witness
To top it off, all buildings are
may shock, or even terrify you.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are POKEMON
some of the best games for a hand- continues on page 10
villain is his best friend’s father, things start spiraling out of control.
Norman Osborn (William Dafoe). While out on a date with his
Of course, Spiderman triumphs Mary-Jane, a meteorite crashes
and Osborn is killed. This kind of and releases a strange pitch-black
puts a damper on Peter’s friend- substance that attaches itself to
ship with Harry Osborn, Norman’s Peter in his sleep, causing him to
son. By the third film, however, attain a black costume that
Peter seems to have it all figured enhances his abilities. He later
out. The city loves Spiderman, he learns from his professor, Dr.
plans to propose to the love of his Curt Conners (Dylan Baker), that
life, Mary-Jane Watson (Kirsten
Dunst), and he remains at the top
of his class at his college. Yet SPIDERMAN
continues on page 10
10 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
SPIDERMAN
continued from page 9
it is actually a “symbiote” that
raises aggression in its host.
Despite that, Peter decides to use
it to track down his uncle’s killer
(Thomas Haden Church), who
had his particles bonded to those
o f s a n d . T h e h e i gh t e n e d
aggression in Peter makes him
complicate things with Mary-Jane
and Harry, who is seeking
vengeance for his father’s death.
In addition to all of this, he has to
deal with a rivalry with a new
photographer at the Bugle, Eddie
Brock (Topher Grace).
The plot, to begin with, has
too many villains, so none of
them were given any justice. The
villain that had the most character
development is Eddie (a.k.a.
Venom), and still he has way too
little screen time.
The only aspect of this movie
that can be positive is the use of
CGI and special effects. The sym-
bi o t e i s d o ne bea u t i fu ll y
(although it always looks suspi-
ciously like tar), as well as the
visuals for Venom and Sandman.
Its action is not amazing, but it
does have high points. There
were many tense moments that
kept people at the edge of their
seats at times, but unfortunately
Blockbusters Galore
by Nouisin Haque, staff writer
This summer promises to be the
most commercially successful ever
with predictions that it will easily
make its wa y into the record
books. Here’s why.
Harry Potter and the Order of
t h e P h o e n i x
Harry Potter and his friends are
back with the fifth year of
Hogwarts in the life of the Boy
Who Lived. While most of us
know what to expect in the
movie, for those select few who
don’t, here are some things to
look forward to are: Harry loses
someone very dear to him, the
Defense Against the Dark Arts
teacher will make your blood boil
(supposedly, Imelda Staunton’s
portrayal is awesome), new
villains, new romances, and a few
other surprises. In previous cases,
the release date for the books and
the movies were at least four
months apart; this year, however,
the movie comes out on July 13,
just eight days before the book.
The last movie brought in $3.5
billion dollars around the globe,
and $280 million domestically.
Producers expect an even heftier
take for this one as it promises to
be the most exciting one yet.
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
there were too few of those mo-
ments. It simply isn’t enough to
save this movie from being a
complete waste of time. It seems
that many didn’t think that, how-
ever, because “Spider-Man 3”
made box office history during its
opening weekend. It made the
highest daily gross on its opening
day, highest grossing opening
weekend, fastest to grossing 100
million and the greatest IMAX
debut. This is expected, consider-
ing the huge fan-base that
spawned since the first movie.
This is further proof that no mat-
ter how much a movie may make
at the box office, it isn’t necessar-
ily good.
"Spider-man 3" starring Tobey Maguire,
Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Topher
Grace, and Rosemary Harris, broke box
office records on its opening day by gross-
ing an estimated $59 million.
O c e a n ’ s 1 3
For the less magically enthused,
“Ocean’s 13” is coming out this
summer as well. George Clooney
and director Steven Soderbergh
make a comeback after the 2004
sequel to “Ocean’s 11.” Critics
did not like the film, as the acting
was said to be lazy and childish.
Clooney admits that the last
movie was not comparable to the
first. New cast member Ellen
Barkin has not revealed
what the new plot will
be, but Matt Damon let
the much-awaited
information out.
According to him, Al
Pacino is back to being
the Vegas guy who now
is building the best hotel
ever. But, in the process,
he neglects to give Elliot
Gould, another new "Pirates of the Caribbean: Those tentacles in his
character, his share of At World's End" is due to face wiggle in all the
come out on May 25, 2007
money. As it is a revenge starring Johnny Depp,
plot, the group gets back Orlando Bloom, and Keira organ. Bill Nighy’s
together to make sure Knightley.
that Al Pacino does not
Source: Entertainment Weekly
succeed, and his building
burns down. Now, while Clooney
says this will be the last sequel,
some cast members want more.
T h e S i m p s o n s
After so many years of a tall blue
A&E
POKEMON used across several generations to
continued from page 9 give your baby Pokémon unique
“egg moves.” Too complicated for
rendered in jaw-dropping 2.5D, you? And you thought Pokémon
and perspective is used to great was child’s play.
effect. There is one more major Not all is well in the Pokémon
aspect of D&P that has been world, however. A few problems
brilliantly implemented — Wi-Fi. intrude into an otherwise enjoyable
If gaining the ability to battle gameplay experience. Besides the
people across the globe doesn’t minor annoyances, like the com-
tickle your fancy, there is even a plete non-utilization of the shoulder
“Global Trading Center.” Now, it buttons and the continued lack of a
is truly possible to catch ‘em all deep plot, two major problems ex-
on one game cartridge. ist. One is the rehashed formula
If you are still not convinced (little kid starts in quaint town,
that this game is strategic enough, destroys entire criminal syndicate,
let me introduce you to my little saves world, becomes Champion).
friends: IVs, EVs, natures and The creators of the Pokémon games
breeding. An advanced have taken the saying “if it works,
Source: Entertainment Weekly
knowledge of these features is don’t fix it” a bit too seriously.
essential for competitive battling. Second, an influx of hackers has
IVs, or individual values, are like made online play dangerous. There
a Pokémon’s DNA, determining are thousands of punk kids who
its base stats, such as Attack and don’t think twice about picking up
Defense. EVs, or effort values, an Action Replay cheating device
are gained through battle, and by and trying to illegally catch other
“EV-training” your Pokémon, battlers’ Pokémon or trading
you can pinpoint specific glitched ones. Although these
statistical increases. Natures events are rare, they do happen,
determine a Pokémon’s and Nintendo’s lax enforcement of
personality, further affecting stat the rules has exacerbated the prob-
growths, and breeding can be lem.
BENNY HILL
“afro,” and other simple designs,
continued from page 9
participated in sketches, usually
Simpsons fans have more than half-naked, and danced to music
Channel 5 to look forward to this of the time.
summer. The Simpsons movie is The combination of “Hill’s
coming out on July 27. The pro- Angels” and the great sketches
ducers of the first animated family and songs of Benny Hill created a
ever have kept their mouths shut show that not only lasted for over
and have not yielded anything. Nor 30 years, but also became famous
have the cartoonists said what is to around the world. In fact, his tele-
come with the constant “d’oh.” We vision shows have been sold in at
are leftt with only what we can least 109 other countries. One
decipher from the trailers. television biography about Hill is
titled “Benny Hill: The World’s
Funniest Clown,” a title that per-
Pirates of the Carib-
fectly fits.
bean: At World's End
The Pirates are coming Hill died from a heart attack
back earlier this time, on August 18, 1992. Just a year
with only one year since before, he had won an award that,
the last movie. If there is since he loved silent comedy,
anything to remember meant the world to him — the
from the last movie, it’s Charlie Chaplin International
that Davy Jones is scarily Award for Comedy at the 1991
realistic in a funny way. Festival of Comedy in Vevey,
Switzerland. Hill was the first
British comedian to achieve fame
right ways, and play the through television. He is truly a
landmark in television history and
voice adds vice every should be acknowledged for it.
time he is on screen.
Source: bbb.co.uk
This story starts off exactly with
The Benny
Hill Show
where the last one left us. Captain was one of
Barbossa is back from the dead to TV's most
lead the few crewmembers of the popular com-
Black Pearl, including Elizabeth
edy shows in
the 1970's
(Kiera Knightly) and Will Turner and 1980's.
(Orlando Bloom), to find Jack
Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
LITERARY MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 11

PUZZLES&LITERARY
Seniors Beware! by Robert Stevenson
Protector From an
Absent Enemy
by Amna Ahmad, literary editor
No defined word nor scripture had defined such an end
To little boys playing soccer in the streets, posing no threat
As tanks rolled heedlessly by
Playing the role of Protector
Defender of people of undeserving privilege
From feeble natives that are inferior
And dare not question their complicity
In the struggle for a land to bury their dead ones
Nor do they think twice to lower their gaze onto the ground
That they would kiss had they owned it

A-ROD UNTOUCHABLES won their championship and NFL

continued from page 9 continued from page 9 received not silver, but gold continued from page 9
medals this time. The girls are
more money than you do already. again in the finals. This time, the intent on improving and coming of his for years.
You still haven’t proved you can Untouchables were ready for them, back to win it again next year. The biggest surprise of the
hit in the playoffs. But for one fine winning with a score of 6.25 to Said Truong, “Our goal is to train first round was that drop of Quinn,
spring day, you’ll be given another 2.75. Truong had 3 wins and 25 very hard and have each member and how teams in need of a quarter-
shot. touches, junior B1 co- captain of the team become a better fencer, back passed on him early. The Vi-
Jenny Hsiao had 4 wins and 26 kings, Dolphins and Buccaneers
and through that hard work, to take
touches, and sophomore B2 Megan could have drafted him but instead
the championship again.”
Ng had 4 wins and 23 touches. chose Adrian Peterson, Ted Ginn Jr.
The Untouchables finally and Gaines Adams, respectively.
The least surprising pick of the draft
was the very first one: JaMarcus
Sports Calendar Russell to Oakland. The Raiders are
a franchise that needs immediate
help to its lethargic offense, and a
Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday big quarterback like Russell will
provide it. The Raiders will not
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 become a playoff team just by se-
Baseball Boys Girls Softball Boys & Girls
lecting Russell, but at least they
JV vs. Bronx HS Outdoor Track won’t end up with only two wins
vs. A. P. Of Science Manhattan like they did in 2006.
Randolph @ Central Borough Becoming the winner of
@Inwood Hill Park North Championship this year’s draft did not happen with
Park 4:00 Meadow #12 @ Randalls a pick, but with a trade. The New
4:00 Island England Patriots landed five-time
pro-bowler Randy Moss from the
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Oakland Raiders for just a fourth-
Boys & Girls round pick. This is yet another up-
Outdoor Track grade to Tom Brady’s receiving
Frosh/Soph core, which now includes Donte
City Champi- Stallworth and Wes Welker, who
onships signed as free agents from Philadel-
@Randalls phia and Miami respectively. If a
Island Super Bowl favorite were to be
picked right after the draft, before
Riddles
The man from Nepal came by plane to visit the man from china who wore a chain around his neck. How was the
training camp, it would have to be
the Patriots.
weather like when the man from Iran joined them?
Source: Reuters

A man was found dead one Sunday morning. His wife and staff were questioned, and these were their alibis: The wife Drafted by
said she was reading a book in bed. The cook said he was making breakfast. The gardener said he was planting flowers. the Detroit
Lions, former
The maid said she was getting the mail. The butler said he was dusting the glassware. The police instantly arrested the Georgia Tech
murderer. Who did they arrest, and how did they know he/she was the culprit? Wide Re-
ceiver Calvin
Johnson
A horse working at a mill travels the same distance every day. For some reason, two of its legs travel 30 miles per day, stands with
while the other two legs travel nearly 31. It can't be that two of the horse's legs are a mile ahead of the other two. Since Commis-
this horse is an anatomically correct horse, how is this possible? sioner Roger
Goodell in
For answers, see our website, www.stuystandard.org. New York.
Riddles by Jeffery Liaw, Puzzle Columnist, and Lillian Su, staff writer.
12 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
The Sports Beat: Forgive Me, A-Rod
by Eric Mayo, managing editor
Forgiving someone is
such a hard thing to do. It means
admitting that you were wrong and
someone else was right. It subjects
you to ridicule from everyone.
However, sometimes it must be
done. With that in mind, Alex
Rodriguez, please forgive me.
Forgive me about writing
about how to boo you (Issue 1).
Forgive me about calling you over-
paid (Issue 4). Forgive me for be-
ing angry when I got “stuck” with
you in my fantasy baseball draft
this year. Forgive me for blaming
you for every problem the Yankees
have had since you arrived. Where
would these current Yankees be
without you?
As amazing as it might
seem, A-Rod was about the only
thing the Yankees could consis-
Untouchables Win Championship
by Richard Mai, sports editor
The Stuyvesant Untouch-
ables, the girls’ fencing team, won
the PSAL Girls’ Fencing Champi-
onship when they defeated rival
Townsend Harris in the finals on
MAY 22, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 14
SPORTS
tently count on throughout the
month of April. Derek Jeter made
an uncharacteristic six errors.
Every Yankee pitcher wanted to do
their best impression of Carl
Pavano, who coincidentally I was
only off by eight days on his latest
injury. Those starters that weren’t
injured, like Kei Igawa, made Hi-
deki Irabu look like Nolan Ryan.
Joe Torre was about to be fired.
Yet, through it all, you were there,
leading your team every step of the
way.
You won the player of the
month award in April, hitting .355
with 14 homers and 35 RBI. You
had a stretch where you had not
only a hitting streak but an extra-
base hit streak. Most importantly,
you won two games with 9th inning
homeruns that helped keep the
Yankees from falling apart com-
May 2 at Long Island City High
School.
The Untouchables lost to
Townsend Harris in the finals last
year, walking away with the silver
while vowing to come back and
defeat them this year. Joel
pletely.
Now, you’ll have help.
Phil Hughes proved with his no-hit
outing against Texas that he de-
serves a spot in the Yankee rota-
tion once he comes back from his
hamstring injury. Your pitching
staff will get “the rocket”, Roger
Clemens, who signed a one-year
deal May 6. He’ll be able to help
you out personally as well. Few
people remember that before
Clemens came to New York, he
had the same things said about him
that people say about you now.
Great player who can’t win under
pressure. He quickly changed that
by winning two World Series.
We still shouldn’t feel
completely sorry for you. You’re
still making over $25 million dol-
lars this year, making you the rich-
est player in baseball. You’ll
Winston, the girls’ fencing coach,
declared, “We will be back.” This
season, the Untouchables did just
that.
With an 8-0 regular sea-
son record, the Untouchables were
indeed unmatched as they won
their division undefeated. In the
division, no other team besides
Stuyvesant scored more than 3.75
out of a possible 9 points for a
game. The tough loss last year
was certainly a chance for the girls
to prove themselves this year,
working hard to win that champi-
onship. “They beat us last year in
the finals, and this season we were
working to take the championship
from them,” said junior Vivian
Truong, an A2 fencer as well as
co-captain.
The team of 22 girls had a
lot of depth and young talent that
helped lead them to victory this
season. Freshman Nzingha
Prescod, an A1 fencer who is also
nationally ranked, is one of the
rookies who will play a big part in
the Untouchables’ future seasons.
Prescod had 30 touches in the
playoffs with 6 wins and no losses.
“She pretty much demolished eve-
ryone and never let the other per-
son get more than two touches on
her,” said Truong.
Stuyvesant beat Brooklyn
Tech in the quarterfinals and Car-
dozo in the semifinals to finally
meet with Townsend Harris, the
toughest opponent in the city,
UNTOUCHABLES
continues on page 11
SPORTS
probably opt out of your contract
at the end of the year and engage
the Yankees in a bidding war with
the Red Sox so you can make even
A-ROD continues on page 11
Source: Reuters
Alex Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of
the best players in the history of the game.
2007 NFL
Draft
by Zakhar Shtulberg, staff
writer
The 2007 NFL draft in New
York City was filled with surprises,
mistakes and brilliant moves. The
winners of the draft stood out far
beyond all teams. This was the first
draft in recent history in which there
were no losers, but there was a dis-
tinct line between the great picks
and the mediocre ones.
The best team in the first
round of the draft must be the
Cleveland Browns. With the third
pick in the draft, they chose Joe
Thomas, the best available offen-
sive lineman and definitely the man
with the most character among the
incoming rookies. Instead of going
to the glitz and glamour that is now
the NFL Draft at Radio City Music
Hall, he stayed in Wisconsin and
went fishing with his father. The
Browns also selected Brady Quinn
with the twenty-second pick of the
draft. Brady Quinn was one of the
highest-ranked players in the draft
at number three, and was expected
to be snatched early in the first
round, but when the Miami Dol-
phins passed on him at number
nine, he fell all the way to 22, which
originally belonged to the Cowboys.
The teams in between did not need
quarterbacks, and this drop will cost
Quinn millions of dollars. He can
still be happy, as Cleveland is his
hometown, and playing for his
hometown team has been a dream
NFL continues on page 11