Friday, January 18, 2008 Volume 7 Issue 6 Proud Members of the

Visit us at www.stuystandard.org National Scholastic Press

Association

One Term Later...Do You

Know Who Represents You?

The leaders of the student body, clockwise from top left, Oren Burspan and Jessie Lawrence (freshman caucus), Valeriya Tsitron and Casey Griffin (sophomore caucus), Philip Kim and Jenny
Han (junior caucus), Michelle Lee and Lauren Gonzales (senior caucus) and Jamila Ma and James Kim (center, SU President and Vice President). The percentages are those of the number of
each's respective constituents able to correctly match them correctly with their position.
2 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 NEWS

EDITORIAL
The Student Un-
ion-Is It
Fulfilling Its Role?
The Executive Board
The idea for a critical analy- pieces should be taken as a mes-
sis of the student government came sage to both the SU and its con-
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF to The Standard a long time stituents. Eloquently telling the
ERIC MAYO MANAGING EDITOR ago. While its set purpose is to students to hold their government
DIANE CHEN DIRECTOR OF FINANCE “improve student life,” many view accountable and telling the gov-
ANGEL WONG DIRECTOR OF FINANCE The Student Union of Stuyvesant ernment to engage the student
SANGHEE CHUNG LAYOUT EDITOR High School as a weak institution body. The SU should support the
with the sole purpose of propelling students and strive to improve
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF a select few into top universities. Stuy. While the SU does not al-
TIM CHANG NEWS EDITOR Is the Student Union (SU), truly ways fulfill its goal, students
HESHAM SALEH NEWS EDITOR dedicated to “improving student should not be apathetic and
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR life with respect to education, ex- should continue to vote and be
AMNA AHMAD OPINIONS EDITOR tra- and co-curricular activities?” aware of events.
The Standard decided to investi- “No student’s query to the
EMMA RABINOVICH ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR gate exactly what kind of impact Student Union shall go unheard
ROBERT COLBOURN ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR our student leaders had on the stu- or rejected out of hand” says the
RICHARD MAI SPORTS EDITOR dent body. preamble to the SU Constitution.
OMAR AHMAD SCIENCE EDITOR The statistics in the follow- We feel that it is our duty, as stu-
ing pieces should not be viewed dents and as a newspaper in a free
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR as a brazen attack on the SU or its society, to hold our government
ROBERT STEVENSON LITERARY EDITOR members. The Standard recog- accountable for its actions or lack
JESSE ZHANG WEBMASTER nizes the hard work all students thereof. We urge each grade’s
KIRIL GOURUV ASSISTANT WEBMASTER in the SU put into balancing their respective leaders to not only
ELISSA TAM DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM academics with their responsibili- remember their duty to the stu-
ties as leaders. We also recog- dent body, but to act on it as
MEGAN BRESLIN FACULTY ADVISOR nize that political awareness, ac- well. Finally, it is our hope stu-
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER tivity, and leadership come with dents will keep in mind the re-
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS personal maturity, and that the sponsibilities of their class lead-
high school years is the time and ers and hold them accountable. ◙
Publication place for such. The following
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NEWS January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 3

THE STANDARD NEWS

Gas Prices Encourage MTA
Fares to Increase
by Nada Elmansy These increased fares are proposal seriously in plans on that the MTA can’t be entirely
staff writer expected to affect 46 percent of putting it into effect by February. blamed for this. As gas prices
the riders who can only afford the As Thomas said, there is not increase, it’s only normal that
As the price of gas continues one-ride Metrocard. However, the much that can be done. In fact, transportation prices go up as
to soar, the cost of everything else effect of this on Stuyvesant most people will probably give well. ◙
increases as well. Unsurprisingly, students appears to be minimal, if into this reality in order to be able
just as your neighborhood grocery at al l. F re shman T homa s to get to work. It has to be clear
store is probably raising its prices, Flagiello believes that this will

so is the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority. The MTA has decided
to raise its prices in order to
compensate for the increasing gas
prices.
In fact, just last month,
Westchester County raised its B-
line bus fares for the first time in
four years. To add to this
conspiracy, the MTA has decided
to raise all Metrocard prices by
February or March. An expected
increase of $0.25 would make the
fare $2.25. The MTA is also
proposing the increase of the
multiple ride Metrocard, possibly
raising the price of the 30-day
card from $76 to $81 and offering
a new 14-day Metrocard for $48.
Source: mtafaresincrease.haltthehike.com.jpg
not have an effect on high school
students as a result of the student
Metrocards provided by the city.
Is it possible that the increased
fare could affect the free student
fare policy? Of course, for the
average everyday rider, spending
the extra money is going to be the
only option.
Flagiello also believes that if
your only option is taking the
train or bus to work everyday,
then you will pay the extra fare
anyway. “All it will do will give
them [the commuters] more
reason to complain about the way
things are being done. Anyway,
most riders aren’t going to be
happy about paying extra to get to
and from work everyday.” As Officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) have tried to frame their proposal for
Westchester County puts its plans higher subway, bus and commuter rail fares as part of a long-term financial plan,.
into action, the MTA is taking its

Trouble In Pakistan
by Abhimanyu Ghosh Benazir Bhutto was assassinated the moonroof of her cruiser when step with modern times. Often,
staff writer while on a political campaign in her assassin fired multiple gun- such beliefs led to fierce opposi-
and Hesham Saleh the Rawalpindi region of Pakistan. shots at her. After she fell back in, tion, and multiple attempts on her
news editor While the exact sequence of events the assassin detonated bombs at- life, the last of which tragically
is still the subject of much debate, tached to himself, killing 21 people ended in her death. There is un-
Just four days before the new reliable sources say that Bhutto in the vicinity, and sending a shock certainty about how Bhutto’s as-
year, Pakistani prime minister was greeting the crowds through wave around the area. Bhutto was sassination will affect the world.
then taken to Rawalpindi General When asked if Bhutto’s assassi-
Source: bhutto2.news.bbc.co.uk

Hospital, where doctors attempted
to resuscitate her. Their attempts
were futile, and Bhutto was de-
clared dead at 6:16 p.m. local time.
Benazir Bhutto was an im-
portant political figure in Paki-
stan. She was the first woman to
serve in a position of leadership
in a country with Muslim major-
ity. During her two terms as
prime minister, she pushed for
various reforms, mainly aimed at
increasing the rights of women in
Pakistani society, and moderniz-
ing Pakistan. Bhutto stood out as
a symbol of hope and democracy,
despite the turmoil of Pakistani
politics. To many, she repre-
sented change, and move toward
Protestors rally after the death of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto. more liberal reforms to keep in
nation will have any effect on the
world, junior John Hossain said,
“Not at all. Nations have serious
problems, and despite the many
governments which expressed
that they were sorry over this,
they won’t do anything to help a
Pakistan which desperately needs
help.” Junior Katrina Tarmidi had
a different perspective on the is-
sue. “It poses more of a threat for
several countries,” Tarmidi said.
“The [United States] strongly
supported Bhutto in hopes of
working with her to get rid of Al-
Qaeda who are supposedly in
Pakistan. But now their only op-
tion is to work with [Pervez]
Musharraf, who isn’t as coopera-
tive.” ◙
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 NEWS
How effective is the Student Union of Stuyvesant High school at communicating with its constituents? How good are they at in-
volving the student body in policy-making decisions? The Stuyvesant Standard decided to survey a random assortment of stu-
dents of all grades on a class-by-class basis on exactly how well of a job the Student Union has done in terms of reaching out to
the students it represents. We present here the results for each grade, as well as the combined answers across all grades, to the
questions below:

Please identify the fol- B. Our school’s C. Your class President What is the Stuyvesant
lowing people: principal and Vice President Student Union’s web-
A. The Student Union site URL?
President and Vice
President

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors
NEWS January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 5

Yes/Correct No/ Incorrect Interview with

James and Jamila
Did you vote in the last Have you applied for a On a scale of 1—100,
by Rammiya Nallainathan
election? position in the SU? how effective do you be-
staff writer
lieve you class President
and Vice President have
been in fulfilling their 1) What new things has the SU tried to accomplish
duties outlined in the SU this year?
Constitution? We started the year off with SU Handbooks which were
a great success. In an effort to spread awareness, we dis-
tributed to every student, a 36 page handbook outlining
things such as information regarding how to receive
funding, start a club, contact us and other groups such as
ARISTA, Big Sibs, SUVH, and the Alumni Association.
Though it wasn't perfect- we still have a number of stu-
dents wondering how to start a club, receive funding,
Final Score: etc., we think that we reached out to much of the Stuyve-
41.39 sant population with our efforts. Additionally, we have
created a student lounge space on the first floor, an ini-
tiative started by the Sophomore Caucus. We're looking
forward to purchasing new couches for this space, seeing
as it has been a success, and expanding student space
around the school.

2) What old programs does the SU still have? For

example, Supplyline does not seem to be running
anymore. I haven't seen anyone being able to trade
in any review books.
Supplyline does not run year-round. It is active at the
Final Score: start of the year, when students find out what classes
they need review books for, and again later in the year,
37.54 before testing season begins (AP, Regents, SATs, etc).
However, if someone feels a need to trade in another
book, we'd be happy to accommodate them with what
we have in stock. We have continued our club pub fair
as always, and we're looking forward to our annual
Ice-Skating Trip on January 29.

3) How do you feel about how everything has been

going on this year?
Last year, there were a lot of seniors in the Student
Union, and we've definitely felt the impact of their
graduating, but the number of new students in the SU
this year means a stronger SU in years to come. And
with a new set of appointed officials in February, we
Final Score: are, again, looking to a fresh start.
39.45
4) Are there any other goals you hope to accomplish
by the end of this year?
Again, we're currently working on the Student Space
Proposal, which we hope to be taken in full effect by
the end of this year. We're working on editing the Stu-
dent Union website to be more attractive and user-
friendly. We're also working on renovating the SU
office itself to make it more welcome for students to
come hang out in after school.

5) Finally, it seems as if STUYWATCH has died

down. Either that, or it just doesn't get publicized
any more. How do you feel about this? Did you
think STUYWATCH was a good idea from the be-
ginning?
We felt that Stuywatch started with a good motive- to
Final Score: spread student awareness. While there was much con-
56.75 troversy, judging by its popularity, it did quite well in
doing so. It seems as if Stuywatch is currently inactive,
but if the need arises for it to, perhaps it will re-
activate.

INTERVIEW
continues on page 4
6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 NEWS

The Senior Caucus: Michelle Lee and Lauren Gonzales

by Tim Chang
news editor
Communicating with and or-
ganizing events for the senior class
while balancing college applica-
tions and schoolwork is extremely
challenging. That is why going
into their senior year, class presi-
dent and vice president Michelle
Lee and Lauren Gonzalez knew
that they needed to get started on
senior pride early on.
With much experience to
share between the two of them,
this year’s senior caucus was well
prepared to instill senior pride
and carry out on their promises.
Gonzalez was the vice president
of the Class of 2008 in both her
freshman and sophomore years,
while Lee was the class president
during her junior year. Together,
the duo has been undertaken
many initiatives to bring “more
excitement and memories for the
Class of 2008” as promised.
One of the first items on the
senior caucus’s agenda was sen-
ior apparel. The blue and white
senior rugby scarves are ubiqui-
tous around the school. The idea
for scarves came up early, and
Lee thought it was a great idea.
Going into the winter, the seniors
could have something to wear
during the school year that said
“We’re proud!” according to Lee.
Originally, Lee was unsure of
how well the scarves would sell,
and purchased only 80 scarves as
a trial. There turned out to be a
very high demand for the scarves
-- they sold out within the first 30
minutes.
The senior caucus has also
been working to put together many
events for the senior classes, in-
cluding the senior theme days.
Along with the quintessential Sen-
ior Pajama Day, which Lee re-
garded as a success, the senior
caucus also held a Senior 80s Day,
which had less participation. Lee
attributes this to the timing of the
event, which was right before the
holiday break, and she says the
event just “slipped by.”
In bolstering senior pride, the
senior caucus appears to have met
great success. But how have they
done in regards to communication
with the Class of 2008? As class
president last year, Lee started
stuy08.com, a website specifically
for the Class of 2008. Along with
posting announcements and infor-
mation on upcoming events,
stuy08.com has been designed to
send out automatic notification
letters to its subscribers when an
event is coming up.
However, lack of participa-
tion in stuy08.com may hinder it
from being a truly effective
means of communicating with the
student body. According to Gon-
zalez, there are currently 265 us-
ers registered on stuy08.com.
Out of a class of approximately
700 students, stuy08.com reaches
approximately 38% of seniors.
Another means of communi-
cation is through the Senior Advi-
sory Council, which is comprised
of homeroom representatives
which relay messages from the
senior caucus to the homeroom
members. Lee admits that she
does not depend on the home-
room representatives as much as
the website for communication
with the senior class. The repre-
sentatives also relay important
messages in duplicate, according
to Lee, so there is still some in-
formation being distributed to the
homeroom.. ◙

Interest in Student Union Activities: INTERVIEW
Freshm en continued from page 5
6) What has the SU has been
0%
6% doing to involve underclassmen
39% in the student government and
keep them informed? How ef-
fective do you think the SU
55%
website is?
Again, we made an effort in the
beginning of the year with our SU
handbooks to inform the entire
Interest in Student Union Activities: student population about a num-
Sophom ores ber of things. While freshman
could not participate as first term
officials in the SU, we encourage
underclassmen to apply, once
again, for the second term. We
have 6 underclassmen in the Stu-
dent Union currently, which is
more than there have ever been.
As far as the website is con-
cerned, although there are many
kinks in the website, we're work-
ing on updating it to be more effi-
cient and better at relaying infor-
mation to the student body. ◙

0%

0% Interest in Student Union Activities: All

Students
49% Extremely
51% 2% Interested
Very Interested
4%
43%
Somew hat
51% Interested
Not Interested
Interest in Student Union Activities:
Juniors

SU Presidential Elections: Total Students

3% 4% Then and Now Ballots Cast
41%

2500

52%
2000
# of Students

1500

Interest in Student Union Activities:

Seniors 1000

3% 5% 500
44%

0
48% 2004 Year 2007
NEWS January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 7

Tsitron and Griffin: The Sophomore Caucus

by Muhammad Tambra
staff writer

In the fall of 2007 Valeriya

Tsitron and Casey Griffin became
the sophomore president and vice
president in a landslide victory.
Since then the scene has been
quiet. So what have the charis-
matic duo been up to for the past
few months? Differing opinions
exist concerning their success.
As they began their term,
Tsitron and Griffin helped organ-
ize the cand y cane sale,
SophFrosh Comedy Night and the
student lounge. The revenue from
SU-organized events, Tsitron
said, goes to helping lower the
cost of events such as school
dances. The student lounge, lo-
cated behind the first floor, was
an initiative started by Tsitron
and Griffin. This has become a
popular hangout place with
couches and a ping-pong table
anyone can use.
The Sophomore Advisory
Council was made to help in-
crease communication between
the student body and the SU.
Tsitron has created classroom
representatives, who are supposed
to be elected by their respective
www.stuyx.com has been “pending renewal or deletion” as of last Friday, January 11, 2008, indicating a lack of activity
homeroom to the Sophomore Ad-
visory Council. These represen-
tatives are to relay any grievances
from their homerooms to the
sophomore caucus and other
members of the Student Union.
However some students
have said that their representa-
tives were not elected into their
positions and some students even
say that their representatives have
not been doing their job. When
Valeriya was told of these facts
she was shocked and said she
would address these problems.
Many sophomores feel
alienated from the student gov-
ernment. Half of the sophomores
polled by the Stuyvesant Standard
indicated that they did not care at
all about the Student Union’s
dealings. Many others inter-
viewed expressed concern over
its apparent weakness. A student
who wished to remain anonymous
claimed, “The SU always com-
promises with [Principal] Teitel
and never gets what the students
want.” Tsitron responded by say-
ing that they have “no choice,”
“either he [Teitel] does what they
want or he does not and we have
to compromise.” Because of this,
the student union has lost on
many important issues, including
the locker policy.
Another student said that he
has not noticed any changes ef-
fected by Tsitron and Griffin.
Sophomore Omar Akhand said “I
don’t know anything about Va-
leriya and Casey, I just know that
they are part of the student gov-
ernment.” and “They have to ful-
fill their responsibilities by reach-
ing out more and actually repre-
senting [sophomores].” It would
appear that this clear lack of com-
munication distances students
from their class representatives.
However Tsitron and Griffin
have started to tackle the issue of
communication. The sophomore
caucus has set up a website for
the class of 2010, StuyX.com.
Yet no one has seen any flyers
that advertise the website. Tsitron
responded by saying she has a
communication director who is in
charge of advertising the website,
and claims that she was going to
try and increase sophomores’
knowledge of the site. This ini-
tiative seemed to fail, however, as
w w w. s t u yx . c o m h a s b e e n
“pending renewal or deletion” as
of last Friday, January 11, 2008,
indicating a lack of activity. For
now, the sophomore caucus’s
primary means of communication
with the student body will be
through the homeroom represen-
tatives and through the social
n e t wo r k i n g we b s i t e f a c e -
book.com, another means of com-
munication Tsitron alluded to.
Tsitron finished the inter-
view by reiterating the fact that
students have to take the initiative
to get involved and in things such
as the Sophomore Advisory
Council, SING!, SophFrosh Com-
edy Night, and fundraising. Tsi-
tron believes that “people should
be more involved,” yet the routes
of communication on how to get
involved have not been strong. ◙

Freshmen Caucus Committed SU Presidential Elections, Spring 2004

to Improving Communications
by Nada Elmansy
staff writer
Just like the presidential elec-
tions, we’ve had our own elections at
Stuyvesant High School. On Novem-
ber 20, Oren Burspan and Jessie
Lawrence were elected class presi-
dent and vice president by their fel-
low freshman classmates.
Burspan and Lawrence decided
to run on short notice after reelec-
tions were scheduled. Fortunately,
they were successful and even before
being elected; they have made repre-
senting the freshman class their pri-
mary goal.
In the month and a half they
have been in office, Burspan and
Lawrence have familiarized them-
selves with the other SU members
and their positions. Although they
have not been able to organize any
freshmen events, Burspan and Law-
rence have been participating in ex-
isting SU events, and say they are
“constantly brainstorming for fresh
ideas [they] can introduce this year.”
So far, the main focus of the
freshmen caucus has been to im-
prove and increase communications
between the SU and the student
body, and to raise money for future
school events.
Two steps have been taken to-
wards these goals. The school wide
candy cane sale was an attempt to
raise money and also attracted the
participation of many freshmen.
To improve communications, 39%
the Freshman Advisory Council
Voted
(FAC) will appoint members to rep-
resent each homeroom. The repre- Didn't Vote
sentatives will be able to communi- 61%
cate homeroom ideas and concerns
to the Freshman Caucus and relay
necessary messages.
Another way the freshman cau-
cus plans on increasing communica-
tions is through the newly created
class of 2011 website
(http://stuyclassof2011.googlepages.
com), which will include updates on
school events and will allow students SU Presidential Elections, Spring 2006
to ask questions and give sugges-
tions. This site will be a great tool in
communication and will give stu-
dents space to share their ideas.
According to a Standard poll,
less than one in five freshmen class 24%
can identify their representatives,
Burspan and Lawrence. The website Voted
and the advisory council are steps
Didn't Vote
towards increasing that number,
As Burspan and Lawrence work
hard to improve the school lives of 76%
the freshman class, they’d like to
make it clear that their primary con-
cern is for the freshman class to have
all the necessary tools to succeed in
what they want and have fun in the
process.” ◙
8 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 NEWS

Stuyvesant High School Examination Schedule: January 2008

Tuesday, January 22 Regents Examinations

8:30—12:00 Global History
12:30—4:00 English: Part I
School Examinations
8:30—10:40 AB Calculus, BC Calculus
Multivariate Calculus, Calculus Applications
9:30—10:40 Art
11:00—12:25 Math 5, Math 5 Honors, AP Statistics
12:30—1:40 Drafting

Wednesday, January 23 Regents Examinations

12:30—4:00 English: Part II

School Examinations
8:30—9:40 Intro to Computer Science, Health
8:30—9:40 Math 3, Math 3 Enriched
10:00—11:40 AP Chem, AP Physics B, AP Physics C

Thursday, January 24 Regents Examinations

8:30—12:00 US History
12:30—4:00 Math A, Chemistry, Physics
School Examinations
8:30—9:55 Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus
10:00—11:10 Chemistry, Chemistry Research
11:30—1:10 AP Computer Science—Java

Friday, January 25 Regents Examinations

8:30—12:00 Living Environment, Math B
School Examinations
8:30—9:40 Physics, Living Environment
Living Env. Research, Living Env. Molecular
10:20—11:30 AP World History, AP European History
US History I
12:10—1:20 Global History I, Economics
OPINIONS
THE STANDARD OPINIONS
by Amna Ahmad
opinions editor
Never before have I been so
tempted to say “I told you so.” To
bring up a point from an earlier
issue, it is surely possible to
conclude that our nation has some
definite issues with hanging out
with the right crowd, because
while a few months back naïve
college students protested against
the right of speech that the
democratically elected Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad deserved as any
other foreign guest or American
citizen, Bush acted as a mediator
between Pakistan’s Musharraf and
Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai, shak-
ing hands in front of cameras. It
does not make sense to me that our
president would try to “make
peace” between Pakistan and its
neighbors through Musharraf,
while at the same time deny open
discourse with other nations of
interest, like Iran.
Not only do I feel that it is
inappropriate for Bush to try to
“make peace” when at war, but it
further complicates the rationale
behind the situation to consider
that Musharraf was wholly re-
spected as an ally to the United
States although he was not democ-
ratically elected, but instead rose to
power in Pakistan in a coup. How-
ever, despite Musharraf’s sketchy
rise to power, the United States
embraced Musharraf until the cer-
tain madness that arose in Pakistan
could no longer be ignored, at
which point Bush simply de-
nounced Musharraf’s actions, leav-
ing a great deal of detail to be de-
Simply Something in Her Eyes
by Nabiha Nuruzzaman
staff writer
Rumor has it that Hillary was
crying. Well, okay, she wasn’t
crying, but there were definitely
hints of moisture in her eyes. That
and the fact that she paused a few
times and spoke in a softer, more
feeling tone than usual was enough
to make headlines all over the media.
ABC news had several
correspondents psychoanalyzing the
case, while reporters at Fox had
principally dismissed her tears as
“uncool” in their “Cool or Uncool”
act, and YouTube’s clips soon
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6
Bye Bye Bhutto
sired.
Amidst all of the madness,
Bhutto comes back hoping the
world will forget about the
accusations of corruption set on
her before she subjected herself
to years of exile. Bhutto came
back hoping to redeem herself
be ca us e amid M usharraf’s
multiple blunders, she was
looking better than ever to the
Pakistani people; however, just
how Bhutto wished to redeem her
name is debatable. I theorize that
Bhutto’s return to Pakistan was
sure suicide and that her intent to
die as a martyr for her cause was
what drove her back to Pakistan.
It seems to me that Bhutto
used her own death as a ploy to
advance the situation on the side
of the opposition movement. This
I can only imagine because of
Benazir Bhutto, a Pakistani politican, was assassinated on December 27, 2007, after depart-
ing a PPP rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.
reported over two hundred thousand
viewers, some of whom left
disparaging comments deriding
H il l ar y‘ s fr aud ul ent n atu r e.
Throughout the entire day, pundits
decisively reported Barack Obama’s
double-digit lead in polls; Hillary
wasn’t going to win the primary. But
the all-knowing pundits
underestimated the power of a few
infinitesimal tears, a little wetness in
the eye. Once again, Hillary made
headlines as she pulled off a
su r p r i s i n g vi c t o r y i n N e w
Hampshire.
But why did Hillary have to
resort to tears to pull off this
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 9
letters by Bhutto released to the government official, because as a
press warning officials about the result of her death she seems to
propensity of her own death at the act as a symbol of the martyrdom
hands of Musharraf as a result of of the Pakistani bourgeoisie being
his providing too little security to persecuted on Musharraf’s behalf.
protect her. Moreover, if Bhutto If I may say so myself, I believe
could speak right now from the that Bhutto’s death was one of the
underbelly of the earth where she most significant events in favor
lies buried, I’m sure she would be of the Pakistani people that
asking Musharraf something to happened all of last year. Not to
the extent of “Where were you mention that the assassination of
when you shot me?” (but in a Bhutto meant killing two birds
brilliantly eloquent Pakistani with one stone because it caused
accent), because Musharraf was the death of a politician who
the cause for the threats that brought nothing but more
Bhutto routinely dealt with as a violence to the country, but was
result of her return, and also the cause of death of a
Musharraf should indubitably suicide bomber who attempted to
have offered better security to kill her, and would have probably
protect her. continued in his efforts against
The death of Bhutto appears Bhutto’s cause had he remained
to represent something more than alive. Bhutto is leaving behind an
simply the death of a corrupt inimitable legacy. In fact, she
even has a successor, her
nineteen-year-old son, who is
Source: Bhutto.bbc.co.uk.jpg
currently a student at Oxford. I
never thought I’d see the day
when a former Pakistani prime
minister would have a successor.
Had I not known better I would
have thought the Bhuttos to have
been royalty as in the news
Bhutto is often portrayed as
almost a “Pakistani princess” who
died defending the people she
governed.
Perhaps all that can be done
now on the side of the ignorant
American who probably thinks
Bhutto is from Bangladesh (like a
few of my friends) is to continue
to watch the situation unfold, as
the Pakistani people are left to
bid Bhutto goodbye. ◙
victory? Throughout her campaign saying that she has it worse than
Hillary Clinton has come under any other candidate, but her
scrutiny for anything and physical traits are definitely subject
everything. “She’s a machine.” to an equal amount of, if not more,
“Her hair sucks.” “Where’s the consideration than are her policies
emotion?” “Her new face lift isn’t and plans. This begs the question of
working too well.” “What’s with whether we are ready for a woman
the dress?” But why does Hillary’s president.
bad fashion sense deserve more Or whether we are ready for any
attention than McCain’s cheap president who isn’t a rich white man,
suits? Why should her wrinkles be for that matter. Barack Obama may
more important than Giuliani’s? just have lost because of something
In a country that boasts of its known as the Bradley effect. The
freedom and equality, Hillary is Bradley effect refers to
facing the nasty double standards
that tend to follow women who
CLINTON
reach high places. Now I’m not
continues on page 6
10 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
CLINTON
continued from page 5
Rumor has it that Hillary was
crying. Well, okay, she wasn’t
crying, but there were definitely
hints of moisture in her eyes. That
THE STANDARD SCIENCE
A New Hope for Both Stem Cell and Cancer Research?
by Qi Fan Zhang
staff wrtier
Stem cells have the ability to
develop into any of the
approximately two hundred types of
cells in the human body. They
Researchers such as Michael Clarke and Irving Weissman are among leading thinkers re-
garding the role of stem cells in maintaining malignant cancer tissues. They believe that stem
cells may be the key to cancer.
Fruit Juice: A Leading Cause for Child Obesity?
by Rammiya Nallainathan
staff writer
With additional reporting by
Omar Ahmad
science editor
As a part of the NYC Council’s
Sports and Physical Education Re-
port in 2003, vending machines
promoting the sale of “junk food”
products, such as soft drinks, have
been removed and replaced by the
water and “100% juice” products of
Snapple Beverages. The DOE had
received complaints involving the
soft drinks being sold to students,
stating that they were unhealthy for
them because their sugar levels
were too high. However, the story
does not end because it is here
where the irony lies — the sugar
content in Snapple is greater than or
equal to that of soft drinks.
Not only is Snapple an
unhealthy substitute, but many
other fruit juices in general may
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6
and the fact that she paused a few principally dismissed her tears as
times and spoke in a softer, more “uncool” in their “Cool or Uncool”
feeling tone than usual was enough act, and YouTube’s clips soon
to make headlines all over the media. reported over two hundred thousand
ABC news had several viewers, some of whom left
correspondents psychoanalyzing the disparaging comments deriding
case, while reporters at Fox had H il l ar y‘ s fr aud ul ent n atu r e.
differentiate later on in their cell arisen among oncologists which
lives, so scientists hope to use stem threatens this ambition. The stem-
cells to repair cells that have been cell hypothesis suggests that the
damaged. Many hope that stem cells main culprits that cause cancers
can be used to cure complex are carcinogenic stem cells. That
ailments such as cancer, hepatitis, is, these chemotherapy-defiant
and hemophilia. stem cells can renew and generate
However, a new theory has cells that contribute to the
formation of tumors. In order to
Source: stemcell.mno.harvard.edu.jpg
fully destroy the cancer cells in
one’s body, proponents of this
theory believe that the cancerous
stem cells should also be
destroyed. While chemotherapy
and radiation only target the tumor
itself, and not the stem cells,
researchers hope that certain drugs
would be able to fully eliminate
the cancerous stem cells.
This approach to combat
cancer is laughed upon by many.
“To say you just have to kill
the cancer stem cell is oversimpli-
fied. It’s giving false hope,” Dr.
Kornelia Polyak said.
Yet, there are many
researchers who believe that the
stem-cell hypothesis is a major
improvement. Dr. Max S. Wicha
of the University of Michigan
present harmful consequences. Sanigorski stated, “These drinks
The main effect that is shown contribute high amounts of energy
throughout several children to kids’ diets, yet they don't make
between the ages of four and them feel full.”
twelve is the long term Along with obesity, these
development of obesity. Studies d rin k s a lso a s s is t i n t h e
carried out by Andrea Sanigorski, development of diabetes and high
Colin Bell, and Boyd Swinburn blood pressure. This occurs due to
from the University's Faculty of the fact that they are laden with
Health, Medicine, Nursing and fructose, a type of naturally
Behavioural Sciences show that occurring sugar that can trigger
children who ingested more than obesity in humans, and in turn
500 mL of fruit juice per day had lead to diabetes and high blood
a higher chance of being pressure. Fructose does not alert
overweight or obese than children the body to produce insulin, the
who did not drink fruit juices at hormone that “tells” the body that
all. In fact, Dr. Sanigorski said it is well fed. When this occurs,
that a child who drank more than the body does not know when to
750 mL of fruit juice daily would stop eating and weight gain
be twice as likely to become obese results.
as a child who didn’t drink these T h e re a re ma n y o t h e r
juices. One reason this occurs is alternatives to drinking fruit juice
that parents are unaware of the a va ila b le t o a d eh yd ra ted
amount of fruit juice that their individual. ◙
children drink and the diet that
th e ir c hil dren fo llo w. D r.
SCIENCE
Throughout the entire day, pundits
decisively reported Barack Obama’s
double-digit lead in polls; Hillary
wasn’t going to win the primary. But
the all-knowing pundits
underestimated the power of a few
infinitesimal tears, a little wetness in
believes that it is “a major thrust to
[the] cancer center.”
Dr. John E. Dick, the director
of the University of Toronto’s
stem cell biology department, is
also an advocate of the stem-cell
hypothesis. In the early 1990s, he
discovered that stem cells make up
less than one percent of the
leukemia cells. He also noted that
only these cells can cause tumors
in mice. However, due to the
complexity of the transplant in
mice and to the lack of sufficient
data, Dr. Dick’s research was
ignored. Yet, when cancerous stem
cells were found in breast cancer
patients, Dr. Dick’s work gained
importance. Soon after this,
cancerous stem cells were also
found in other types of cancers as
well, including cancers of the
colo n , lun g, p ros ta te , an d
pancreas.
Whether the stem-cell
hypothesis is a step forward in the
battle against cancer or only a
theory designed to convey false
hope to cancer patients, only time
can tell. ◙
Source: fruitjuicesnapple.vending.org.jpg
Primary school children who regularly
consume juice and other fruit drinks are
about twice as likely to be overweight or
obese.
BUSINESS
Science Behind the Epiphany
by David Huang
staff writer
Many have claimed to have had
an experience, in which there was
almost undoubtable divine
intervention, normally in the form of
an epiphany. Whether it is a sudden
feeling of revelation, sudden
transition from reality to an “outer
dimension,” or even divine
interaction, neuroscientists have
longed to understand the neural basis
of these extraordinary phenomena,
and, according to Scientific
American Mind magazine, they may
have an answer.
Through many experiments
and analyses, neuroscientists have
been able to pinpoint an area of the
brain that might be responsible for
generating religious experiences:
the temporal lobe. Neuroscientists
have studied many cases of patients
with epilepsy, a condition of
excessive neural activity in certain
THE STANDARD BUSINESS
Light, Sweet Crude Hits $100
by Si Hong Huang
staff wrtier
Oil prices hit $100 on
Wednesday, January 2nd and
again the next day as national
crude oil inventories dropped by
four million barrels to 289.6
million barrels in the final week
of trading in 2007, marking the
lowest level of crude stocks since
early 2005. Many traders believe
that if crude closes above $100 a
barrel for several days, it could
pose enough significance for it to
even rise up to $110, but if it
remains below $100 a barrel,
prices will start to decrease.
Although prices dropped
slightly to $99.18 at the close of
Thursday trading, most analysts
believe that oil prices will defi-
nitely rise. “The only reason we
came off was the refined products
built – other than that, there isn’t a
lot to indicate we shouldn’t keep
going higher,” said Tony Rosado
of IAG Energy Brokers in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla. The president of
trading advisory firm Cameron
Hanover, Peter Beutel, also be-
lieves that prices will rise above
$100 dollars: “Now that $100 has
been broken through, we’ll see
crude go over that level regularly
in January. We’re seeing the Fed-
eral Reserve showing signs of con-
tinuing to cut interest rates, oil
supply isn’t keeping up with de-
mand and OPEC is showing no
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6
parts of the brain (often the
temporal lobe), who claimed to
have divine interaction with
spiritual entities. The famous
n e u r o s c i en t i st V i l a ya nu r S .
Ramachandran conducted a series
of experiments in which he asked
several of his patients with
temporal lobe epilepsy to listen to a
mixture of religious, emotional,
and neutral words while recording
their emotional responses. He
discovered that religious words,
especially “God,” stimulated the
greatest emotional response from
the patient, indicating that people
with temporal lobe epilepsy are
prone to intense religious feelings.
To further support the
hypothesis, Michael Persinger from
Laurentian University in Ontario
attempted to induce religious
experiences artificially by
stimulating the temporal lobe
According to the result, most test
subjects, when being stimulated,
sign of trying to bring down
prices.”
Others, such as Laurie
Falter, an economist with the
Energy Information
Administration, say that oil prices
will fall later in the year because
“crude-oil stocks traditionally fall
in the last two months of the year,
rebounding later in January and
in February, refiners and major
holders of crude stocks, often
draw down their crude-oil
inventories to reduce end-of-year
t axes. ” Howe ve r, a nal yst s
interviewed by The Wall Street
Journal stick to their predictions
that U.S. crude will average in
the $80-90 range this year, above
the $72 range of last year.
Despite skyrocketing prices,
many of the OPEC countries
aren’t moving to boost supplies,
mainly because of Saudi Arabia,
the world’s largest single supplier
of oil, which has continually
resisted the boosting of oil supply
since last November’s output rise
of 500,000 barrels a day.
According to The Wall Street
Journal, OPEC could be all the
more reluctant to boost
production after its February
gathering because any additions
to world supplies wouldn’t arrive
at refineries in the United States
or Asia until mid-March, after the
peak winter supply crunch. Oil
prices, which have already
inflicted damage on the finances
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
described feeling an unknown
presence in the room, while in
re al i t y t h er e w a s no one .
Interestingly, the test subjects
would always translate the false
perceptions into subjects of their
own beliefs, such as Buddha, an
angel, or God.
However, to the scientists, the
best way to elucidate the location
of certain region of the brain
responsible for mystical experience
was to probe the brain during the
experience. Using techniques such
as single-photon-emission
computed tomography, where the
test subject is injected with a
radioactive isotope to measure the
relative amount of activity in
different areas of the brain, and
functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI), neuroscientists
found and elucidated certain parts
of the brain that were unusually
active (such as frontal lobe,
prefrontal cortex, and insula) and
Peak oil refers to the notion that at some point in the future we will reach a peak in the rate at
which we can pump oil out of the ground.
of consumers and companies
alike, will likely only rise even
higher. The average gasoline
prices are 72 cents a gallon
higher than the $2.33 a gallon
seen last year at this time.
Some companies benefited
from the rising oil prices, such as
E x x o n M o b i l , wh i c h h a s
remained Fortune 500’s most
profitable company thanks to
record oil prices in 2006.
Chevron, an oil giant, has also
benefited from oil prices with
$17.1 billion in earnings. Despite
some gains, most companies and
consumers will be harmed in the
11
inactive (the parietal lobe).
Would this suggest that God
does not exist and is just a mere
illusion conjured up by abnormal
neural emanation? The scientists’
answer, surprisingly, is no. Though
they have evidence, the
neurological recordings and fMRI
images were not collected during
the mystical experience, but rather
during the time in which the
subjects remembered the
experience. Rather, the scientists
concluded that the mystical
experience varies among
individuals, where an atheist would
interpret it as the magnificence of
the universe while a Christian
might translate it in to divine
interaction. The idea is still
relatively up for grabs as far as
research is concerned, presenting
multiple possibilities for future
inquiry. ◙
Source: peakoil.transitionculture.org.jpg
long run if oil prices continue
their upward push. The rise of
crude has contributed to the
decline of the Dow Jones
Industrial as well as the
NASDAQ Composite Index and
the Standard & Poor 500.
Unfortunately, The Wall Street
Journal states that oil prices could
go well above the inflation-
adjusted high of $102.81, set in
April 1980 during a period of
political turmoil in the Middle
East. ◙
12 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
THE STANDARD ENTERTAINMENT
The Closest Shave You’ll Ever Know
by Omar Ahmad
science editor
The very start of this film,
throughout the opening credits,
displays blood surging through the
streets of London, foreshadowing
the fervent acts of revenge to
come. Benjamin Barker, the gifted
barber of Fleet Street who wants
revenge for being wrongly
imprisoned and separated from his
family, returns to London under an
alias, Sweeney Todd. The role of
Sweeney Todd, pursued by the
talented Johnny Depp, was
perfectly cast and could not have
resonated a purer visage of
Sweeney. As a matter of fact,
every person in this film was
flawlessly cast, from Sweeney
himself to the third extra on the
right in the street scene. Johnny
Depp was born to play Sweeney,
Helena Bonham Carter was
destined to play Mrs. Lovett, Alan
Rickman was ideal for Judge
Turpin, and Tim Burton was most
likely the unanimous candidate of
director for this production. This
tale lends itself to Burton’s
masterful style of shade and
d a r kn e s s , l e a v i n g a n a i r
reminiscent of “Edward
Scissorhands” and “The Corpse
Bride,” two other Depp-Burton
collaborations.
The film is dim, sinister, and
very pale, with a powerful musical
foundation that does not take away
from the plot, but assists the
viewer in easing into the story.
What caught many viewers by
surprise was the ingenuity of the
A New Legend is on the Rise
I Am Legend is a post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring
Will Smith as virologist Robert Neville.
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6
Based on the hit Broadway musical Sweeney Todd, the movie tells the infamous story of Benjamin Barker, also known as Sweeney Todd, who
sets up a barber shop in downtown London.
actors’ voices during the musical potential, as is evident in his
scenes. Even so, there was obvious performance in this film. It is a
tone enhancement and the work small role but very well done by
was attributed to many singing Cohen. As soon as he appeared,
lessons for the lead actors. As a many viewers started cracking up
spectator of many films, musicals because he was employing an
are normally the occupants of the accent and people immediately
bottom of my list of movies, yet associated him with Borat.
the subtle and unexaggerated tunes On occasion, watching a
of this film leave you humming for movie with a relativel y
weeks on end. Another pleasant straightforward plot is
surprise is the presence of Sacha advantageous in allowing you to
Baron Cohen playing the role of focus on the performing, the
Signor Adolfo Pirelli, a rival cinematography, and in this case,
barber. Though his performance the music. This story is an
was phenomenal, the main film uncomplicated one of revenge for
that Cohen is identified with is the an immeasurable amount of
comedy “Borat.” He is a talented injustice done to an innocent man
actor who has only skimmed his and his family. The simplicity is
by Robert Colbourn
Source:iamlegend.worstpreviews.com/gif
assistant entertainment editor
Comic books and graphic
novels have been the basis of
certain movies for decades now.
Unfortunately, the mainstream
comics (Spiderman and X-men, for
example) have been developed into
mediocre-at-best movies. Recently
we were introduced to a couple of
graphic novels that have been
turned into truly stellar movies
(“300” and “Sin City,” for
example). These novels were
relatively unknown to the public
before being remade. Now, we are
introduced to another unknown
ENTERTAINMENT
Source: seenytodd.latimes.com.jpg
interpreted in a complex manner,
due to the fact that the story is laid
out in music and visuals, especially
the costumes and the general
illustration of London. Brilliantly
portrayed by Burton, the intense
and passionate scenes of gore,
spread widely throughout the film,
serve as both the comic relief and
the suspenseful scenes of this film.
However, the quality of this
production is evident in every
facet. Sweene y Todd was
definitely worth its weight in
Oscar nominations and it will, in
the words of Sweeney himself,
“guarantee the closest shave you'll
ever know.” ◙
graphic novel: I Am Legend. The
movie that was spawned from this
graphic novel followed the trend: it
was an engaging and thrilling
experience packed with heartfelt
emotion that could very well make
you leave the theater in tears.
In the year 2009, the world’s
scientists finally find a cure for
cancer using a mutation of mea-
sles, but it turns for the worse after
it starts killing its recipients. The
virus becomes airborne and infects
massive numbers of people, killing
millions within the first year. The
THE LAST MAN
continues on page 10
ENTERTAINMENT January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 13

Rhinoceros Takes The Stage

by Amy Qui
staff writer

As perhaps one of the most

profound Stuyvesant theatre pro-
ductions in some time, Rhinoc-
eros was a winter drama filled
with undertones about World
War II France. Performed on
January 10 and 11, the play was
set in a small French town, where
the people are shocked to see that
rhinoceroses have been appearing
in increasing numbers. When it
becomes apparent that people are
turning into rhinoceroses, the
characters are faced with the de-
cision of whether they want to
become one of “them.” The im-
plications of Nazism were cer-
tainly present in their decisions,
and parallels were drawn between
the two as the play progressed.
The struggle for survival
was brought out by Berenger, \
played by Isaac Miller, whose
portrayal of the lost and troubled
man was impressive. There was That same tension was felt was especially reminiscent of tured the eccentric spirit of Bo-
an almost contagious tension among the other characters of the denial at that time. Botard's tard.
that exuded from his perform- the play, especially Botard pessimistic and defensive atti-
ance, as the audience felt his (Sammy Sussman). The man's tude was enhanced by Sussman's
anxious determination to not cynicism and initial refusal to demonstrative acting and exag- RHINOCEROS
give in to the rhinoceroses. believe that the rhinos existed gerated gestures. He truly cap- continues on page 10

Photo Credit: Dennis Ng and

Guergana Borissova
14 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
THE LAST MAN
continued from page 8
people who aren’t killed are mu-
tated, losing their skin pigmenta-
tion and their humanity as they
develop an overwhelming hunger.
Three years later, Robert Neville
(Will Smith) lives in a completely
deserted Manhattan with his dog,
Sam, trying to find a cure for the
virus that devastated the rest of the
world.
This turned out to be a post-
apocalyptic film following a sole
survivor. Will Smith’s perform-
ance was Oscar worthy. He truly
portrayed all of the sorrow and
dedication that his role required,
and some of the scenes that in-
volved his struggle left people in
tears. Throughout the movie, there
were numerous scenes that had
RHINOCEROS
continued from page 8
When it comes to memora-
ble scenes, though, the top mer-
its would have to go to Scene II
of Act II. As Berenger's friend
Jean (Joseph Kopyt) was gradu-
ally turning into a rhino, the
moment was so gripping that it
was impossible to look away.
The crazed and frantic mood of
that scene was brought out very
well by an energetic perform-
ance from Kopyt, whose man-
nerisms only added to the sense
THE STANDARD LITERARY
The Stuyvesant Standard
wishes
Valerie Piro and
Lucia Hsiao
a speedy recovery.
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6
I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, was released December 14, 2007 in the United States.
everybody on the edges of their
seats. A scene where Robert
Neville enters an abandoned build-
of anticipation. The initial denial
and gradual acceptance of his
change was transitioned into
quite smoothly.
The overall moving pace of
the show was only slowed down
during the beginning of Act III,
where Berenger's conversation
with Dudard (Alon Sicherman)
seemed to drag on at times. Per-
haps the lost of momentum was
due to the length of that part of
the script, which made the con-
versation feel longer than neces-
sary.
In any case, the nuances of
LITERARY
Source:iamlegend.freemovieload.blogspot.jpg
all remarkably done. Scenes in-
volving a dilapidated New York
City looked perfectly authentic,
and leave everyone wondering
how in hell they were done.
One of the first pieces of
advice that I received in movie-
reviewing was to always include
something that was bad in the
movie to allow the reader to get a
complete look at it. I’ve honestly
tried to think of something bad
about this movie, and I can’t.
Some claimed that its plot was a
bit hard to follow, but if you pay
attention to the movie (which you
will, from beginning to end) then
you’ll see that it has a simple, yet
intriguing plot. This is possibly
the best movie of 2007, and is
one that everyone has to see. ◙
ing that is pitch dark is a prime
example where the audience was
truly frightened. The imaging was
the show definitely shone (not to mention it even incorpo-
through the cast, who all seemed rated a Biblical reference). The
well molded into their roles. later parts of the play were a bit
Another scene worth mentioning more serious.
would be the one where Ber- Despite some minor mis-
enger and Daisy (Rebecca haps, Rhinoceros was a play
Tempkin) find themselves as the whose undertones were as
last two humans left. With the stimulating to watch as the great
idea of having children to regen- acting that accompanied it. ◙
erate the human race, he ex-
claims “Let's go save the Please note: Neither Robert Stevenson
nor any other play member was involved
world!” This part would have to in the production of the article.
be a personal favorite, as it was
the only moment that succeeded
in being funny, dramatic, ro-
mantic, and inspiring all at once
Sudoku by Robert Stevenson
literary editor
4 6 1 3
9 2 7 6
9 2 7 8 5
1 4 6
1 5 8 3 4
3 2 5
8 6 4 9 1
2 1 7 9
5 4 7 8
SPORTS
NBA REPORT
continued from page 12
Houston Rockets 8. Los Angeles
Lakers.
The Western Conference is
much more competitive and
stacked with talented teams. Again
to win in the playoffs you have to
be the better team, so take the
Spurs over the Lakers, the Maver-
icks over the Hornets, and the
Nuggets over the Jazz, although
this series will be very close and
exciting. As an upset take the
Rockets over the Suns because this
is the year that T-Mac leads the
Rockets to a playoff series win.
The pressure is on him this year to
do well in the playoffs..
Two Juniors Seriously Hurt in
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6
In the next round the Rockets
will defeat the defending champion
Spurs and the Nuggets over the
Mavericks. The reason that the
Spurs consistently win is because
they combine good defense with a
very balanced offense but the
Rockets have what it takes to beat
them. T-Mac and Yao Ming will
pick apart the Spurs’ defense piece
by precious piece. The Rockets
have a good defense themselves
and will be able to keep Tony
Parker and Tim Duncan in check,
hopefully. The reason the Nuggets
will beat the Mavericks is because
they will get better defensively as
the year progresses. Even though
the Mavericks are a very good
team, the combination of Allen
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Iverson and Carmelo Anthony will
be too much for them to handle.
But it all depends on the Nuggets
getting better defensively.
In the conference finals go
with the Rockets. The Rockets
have the better team, more talented
players, and more thirst for a
championship. But the Nuggets are
flashier, can score, are younger,
and have great leadership. I would
pick the overall winner, but there
is again no point. These two teams
fail in comparison to the Celtics.
At first nobody wanted to admit it,
worrying it wouldn’t come true.
But come April, there’ll be no
more speculation on who comes
out on top. ◙
15
THE SPORTS BEAT
continued from page 12
they started coming back. I re-
member when there were around
3 minutes left in the fourth quar-
ter did my nerves start to take
over. When Stuyvesant took a
timeout with around 30 seconds
left, I was a wreck. I took a walk,
trying to shake out my currently
limp thumb and clean up my in-
credibly sweaty hands, but it was
no use. I was forced to operate
the clock with two hands. You
want pressure? That was pressure.
It’s not just me who has pres-
sure working at the scorer’s table.
Working the book is a job of
equal importance. They’re in
charge of scoring, fouls, timeouts,
and making sure whatever I’m
doing electronically is on paper.
What they do can have an even

Auto Accident bigger effect on the game. The

by Eric Mayo
managing editor
Six members of the Stuyve-
sant Girls Track Team and a coach
were injured Saturday when their
van rolled over in Hartford, Ver-
mont.
According to the Times-
Argus, the van, taking eight race
walkers, two from the High
School of Health Professionals
and Human Services, was travel-
ing northbound on I-91 when the
van veered into a median and
rolled over. According to reports,
several witnesses had to hold the
van in place in order to prevent
the van from rolling over again.
Six people in the van, including
the two from Health, were re-
leased from the hospital with mi-
nor injuries. Coach Erin Taylor
suffered a fractured neck. Juniors
Valerie Piro and Lucia Hsiao had
more serious injuries. Members
of the track team were concerned
with misrepresentations by vari-
ous media outlets concerning the
accident. Contrary to original
reports, the girls were not on a
school sponsored trip. Rather, the
Dartmouth Relays, which is
where they were going before the
accident, was independent of the
school itself.
The Associated Press picked
up the story Tuesday night. On
Wednesday, several students
were stopped by various New
York media outlets asking them if
they knew the injured girls. Me-
dia coverage of the accident has
annoyed some members of the
track team. Members of the team
have said that reporters asked
them for pictures of the injured
girls and to call the injured girls
up and ask for permission. Said
senior racewalker Nina Yang,
“how ridiculous”. ◙
NBA announced on January 11
that the Miami Heat and Atlanta
Hawks must replay the last 51.9
seconds of the Hawks 119-111
overtime over the Heat on De-
cember 19. The scorers table in-
correctly ruled that Heat center
Shaquille O’Neal fouled out. He
was given a foul with 3:24 left in
the fourth quarter that should
have gone to power forward
Udonis Haslem. The power of the
scorer’s table over the game ri-
vals only that of the ref.
It wasn’t until twenty min-
utes after that Beacon game did I
finally regain full circulation in
my extremities. When I do an-
swer that million dollar question
on some future game show, I’ll
have my scoreboard operating to
thank for nerve control. ◙

Desktop Doodles by Robert Stevenson

literary editor
16 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
NBA Mid-Season Report
Kevin Garnett (center) and Ray Allen (right) have been the key to the Celtics early season success.
by Ankit Singh
staff writer
It is truly amazing how much can change over
the course of a month, especially when it comes to
sports. Two months ago everybody thought that
Kobe Bryant was on the move, now everyone
knows that he will stay in LA. A month ago the
Knicks were pretty bad—some things just can’t
change. The fact that it is impossible to guarantee
anything in sports makes predictions a whole lot
harder. One can make calculated predictions of
what will happen in the NBA playoffs as the mid-
season approaches, but there is no guarantee on
anything in this league.
Now lets get back to business: the top eight
teams in the Eastern Conference in order may
finish like this: 1. Boston Celtics 2. Detroit Pis-
tons 3. Orlando Magic 4. Cleveland Cavaliers 5.
Toronto Raptors 6. Indiana Pacers 7. New Jersey
Nets 8. Miami Heat.
Everything would get back to normal as soon
as guard Dwayne Wade got back for the Miami
Heat, but the Orlando Magic have proven them-
selves to be a force in the East and it doesn’t look
like that the Heat will be able to overcome their
early season losses. They are still struggling to
win games but they will start pulling it together as
the season progresses. The losers in this confer-
ence are the Washington Wizards and the New
York Knicks. The Wizards will not be able to
January 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 6 SPORTS
Source: http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071227/capt.d7bc16c5a36e4fb496494bf0a9a6bfbe.celtics_kings_basketball_sca109.jpg
Confessions
of a
Scoreboard
Operator
The right side of my face is tingling. The
left side is drenched in sweat. I lost all feeling
in my left hand several minutes ago, and now
I’ve lost feeling in my right hand. I pick up
my thumb, and it falls right back down. This
isn’t good.
compensate for Gilbert Arenas’ injury, which will No, this isn’t the scene of opening up my
take him out of action for three months. The early admissions decision letter. I wasn’t an-
Knicks need no explanation. Nothing will be swering the million dollar question on a game
solved in that mess until Issiah Thomas gets fired. show. It’s all in a day’s work of operating the
In the NBA playoffs you really have to be scoreboard for the Runnin’ Rebels.
better than the other team in order to win the se- My job description is fairly simple: Don’t
ries. You can get lucky one game but lightning screw up. If the game isn’t close in either
doesn’t strike four times. In addition to that, eve- direction, there’s no sweat. Working the
ryone knows that the best team in this conference scoreboard is just like working a computer
is the Boston Celtics. They are simply too tal- screen. If the game’s close, that’s a different
ented-- no team can beat them four times out of story.
seven. Everything you do is magnified. The
At the beginning of the year everyone had clock, for example, is run through a clicker.
doubts because they thought the Celtics were too Touch the clicker accidentally, and even if
old. The truth of the matter is that what makes immediately clicked back, you lose .2 sec-
them old makes it more important for them to win onds. Not a big deal you say? David Lee
a championship this year. Kevin Garnett, Ray needed only one tenth of a second to tip the
Allen, and Paul Pierce are three great players who ball into the basket to beat the Bobcats in
have one thing in common: none of them have double overtime in easily the greatest Knick
won an NBA championship. They know that they moment in the Isaiah Thomas era. If on the
have to win it this year, because if they don’t, previous play, the scorer’s table was a frac-
they know that younger teams like the Magic and tion late, that game goes to triple overtime.
the Cavaliers are just going to get better and bet- 1.2 seconds is all AP Randolph needed to
ter. shoot a full court three to end their win over
As for the Western Conference, here are the Stuyvesant. Every precious second counts.
top eight teams in order: 1. San Antonio Spurs 2. The game from the above situation was
Phoenix Suns 3. Dallas Mavericks 4. Denver against Beacon High School in early Decem-
Nuggets 5. Utah Jazz 6. New Orleans Hornets 7. ber. Stuyvesant was down 12 at the half, until
NBA REPORT THE SPORTS BEAT
continues on page 11 continues on page 11