The Rexonian (June 2008)

T HURSDAY, J UNE 12, 2008

S INCE 2008

VISITING ARTISTS

PHOTO: REBECCA O’BRIEN

M ADABA - M ANJA , J ORDAN

The Mixed Blessings of Iraqi Refugees

BY LEEN SINOKROT REXONIAN STAFF

The sophomore class hears a lecture in the HRH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library on June 9 by visiting author Ibrahim Nasrallah, whose 1985 novel Prairies of Fever was assigned reading for 10th Grade CRLA-English.

Faculty Profile: Dr. Eric Widmer Our reporter sits down with King’s Academy’s founding headmaster

BY SWARA SALIH REXONIAN STAFF

Nearly every day the students of King’s Academy wake up after a (usually) insufficient amount of sleep, eat a (somewhat adequate) breakfast, and head to school meeting. There, Dr. Eric Widmer, our founding headmaster, energetically starts off the day.

Always heartily engaged in the activities of the school, Dr. Eric is never one to sit in the office all day with a vast amount of paperwork. Dr. Eric has been greatly involved in the lives of the students at King’s, becoming a presence that most here could scarcely imagine the school without.

Dr. Eric was born in 1940 in Beirut, Lebanon, but when he was merely a few months old his family decided to leave See WIDMER Page 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME I NO. 2

How To Cure a Facebook Addiction

BY TALA SHOKEH DALIA MEHYAR

ASD

REXONIAN STAFF

What is it that addicts us so much to Facebook? Is it the desire to contact friends? Or is to keep up with the latest social and political events? Well, in both cases, there are many other ways to do these things; we could easily make a call, text, or just send an e-mail or letter to our friends. If you really think about it, these methods are even faster and easier in most cases—and definitely more private—than using Facebook.

We waste so much time uploading thousands of photos every day, when most of these pictures have already been tagged by friends and other people. We look at peoples’ albums, which have the same title and the same pictures, and even the same comments under each picture, whether it’s “Sooooo cute!!” “I love you!! Mwa” or a reply like “Thanx I miss you too!” and the thing is, most of the time people don’t even mean it; they just do it because they’re bored.

At the beginning of the school year here at King’s Academy, Facebook was more or less

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a trend. We took advantage of the internet and the new laptops we had and spent whatever free time we had on Facebook, either with friends who were thousands of miles away or in the room next door.

A few weeks later, the school realized that Facebook was taking more of our time than our studies did, so they started blocking it during study hall, and other school time hours; but of course, that didn’t work for students at King’s, who are far too clever and far too attached to Facebook. We started looking for ways to get past the block. Using our collective brainpower, we were able to unblock it until the IT department found out and blocked even our sneaky ways.

Typing in the dormitory was becoming more about actual work and less about Wall posts.

Since then, most students have lost interest in sitting on Facebook for hours. In fact, recently we’ve had no time even to actually socialize, or to finish whatever we needed to get done for, you know, classes. And so, our time on Facebook has decreased. But we’ll always have MSN.

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Since the U.S.-led invasion on Iraq in March, 2003, many Iraqis who were counted as allies or protected by the previous regime fled Iraq. After the invasion, Iraqis left the country and mostly headed to Syria, Jordan, and the Gulf because of domestic fighting between different sects and parties in the country. According to the New York Times, four million Iraqis have been displaced. More than half of these men, women and children are in Syria, and than half a million are now in Jordan.

The continuous influx of Iraqi refugees into Jordan means that their number has exceeded five hundred thousand people.

Some of these refugees were investors and businessmen, but the majority were from the middle and the lower class. This migration had a dual effect.

First, investors and businessmen brought cash flow into Jordan, which had a positive effect on the economy because they invested in almost all sectors of the economy from real estate to manufacturing to agriculture.

This helped to sustain steady OUTSIDE THE BOX

growth in the economy which exceeded six percent per annum over the past five years.

But even this economic growth has had some negative consequences.

Businessmen and government employees say in private that the displacement of Iraqis has caused problems.

There have been high rates of inflation, especially in real estate.

Additionally, the vast majority of refugees who didn’t bring investments to the country have been, some say, a burden on the government as well as the country. The large number of refugees has led to great pressure on the infrastructure of the country. And unfortunately, Jordan is struggling to cope: it costs the government billions of dollars to manage these many new people, in a country where the balance of payments was negative in the first place.

This unsettled situation has forced the Jordanian government to seek out help from the United Nations as well as from countries such as the U.S. and Europe in order to keep the country and its inhabitants in good shape.

PHOTO: REBECCA O’BRIEN

Fares Batayneh ’11, Rashed Al-Qudah ’11, Hamza Al-Qudah ’11, and Mohammad Al-Oran ’11 rehearse for an outdoor dance performance.

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SPORTS

F O R U P D A T E D N E W S A N D E V E N T S , V I S I T K A N E T. K I N G S A C A D E M Y. E D U . J O

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T HE R EXONIAN , J UNE 12, 2008

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Dr. Eric’s Journey to Jordan WIDMER from Page 1 when political turmoil erupted, and they promptly headed for Connecticut.

New England is where Dr. Eric spent most of his life, and while his family lived in Connecticut, he started attending Deerfield Academy at the age of 13. After Deerfield, Dr. Eric attended Williams College (which was recently rated the #1 Liberal Arts College in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report). He would later attend Harvard University for his Ph.D, spending a total of eight years there, with one year in Taiwan studying Chinese and Central Asian history.

In 1963, his first son Ted was born. (Ted is now married with a child named Freddy, born in 1995.) His second son, Matthew, was born in 1966 and is currently a member of the faculty here at

King’s, as head of the Departmen of Mathematics and Computer Science.

In 1969, Dr. Eric became a professor of Chinese history at Brown University, going on to become the dean of student life and finally dean of admissions. He spent 25 years at the school. Dr. Eric met King’s Academy’s current Dean of Faculty and CRLA department member Dr. Meera Viswanathan, at Brown in 1983.

They became acquainted since her chair of department was Dr. Eric’s tennis partner, and they got to know each other through meetings at the East Asian Studies Center at Brown, since she was in the Japanese literature and Philosophy Department. The two were married in 1991.

Dr. Eric gained the position of headmaster of Deerfield Academy in 1994, and says of his move, “I had the sense I was in

SPRING FLIP?

the right place, at the right time in my life.” Apparently, another King’s Academy faculty member, Ms. Suzanne Hannay, was part of the search committee that recommended his appointment.

He would hold this position until 2006, when he announced his retirement, and then became eadmaster of King’s Academy.

When asked about King’s Academy’s relationship with Deerfield, Dr. Eric says he considers King’s Academy not to be a “spin-off.” “It is a wholly independent school that was only based on King Abdullah’s experiences at Deerfield,” he says. Dr. Eric’s aspirations for the Academy are for it to be “the best-boarding school possible.”

When asked as to how long he and Dr. Meera plan on staying at King’s Academy, he made it clear that they intend to stay “as long as their bodies support [them].”

PHOTO: WENDY BRADLEY

Fadi Hamati ’10 impresses the crowd at King’s Academy’s first Spring Fling dance with his dextrous dance moves and flips. While the theme of the dance was swing dancing, break dancing prevailed as the style of choice.

SHOOT OUT NIGHT

PHOTO: WENDY BRADLEY

PEER MEDIATION

PHOTO: WENDY BRADLEY

The Economy of King’s Academy

BY SWARA SALIH REXONIAN STAFF

Since this is the first year of King’s Academy’s academic functions, it is no wonder that the school’s financial issues are a source of difficulty. Plans are being made to improve the school’s economy.

Asked to rate the Academy’s economic status, on a scale fromi 1 to 10, Deputy Headmaster and Chief Financial Officer Ms. Dana Adwan gave a score of 6-7, saying that the school has the means to at least secure funding. There are several sources of funding, including contributions, revenue, and bank loans.

King’s Academy currently spends JD35,000 a month for food this year, and the cost is expected to increase to JD50,000 next year. This includes all food items on campus.

According to Ms. Dana, the Academy gets most of its supply of food from the local vendors in Madaba, while taking advantage of this opportunity to “link” with the closest local community to King’s. When specific food items are not available in Madaba, the school gets those from Amman.

A unique idea to reduce spending on food came from Ghassan Gammoh ’10, who had the idea that the school could grow its own food. He relayed this idea to Dean of Students Wendy Bradley in a paper, who in turn told Ms. Dana. The school now has its own “minifarm,” which is just below the hand ball courts, and has basic vegetables such as lettuce, zucchini, eggplant, okra, hot and

sweet pepper, radish, onion, beans and tomatoes.

In the following years, King’s Academy plans to expand on this by making its own plastic houses that will allow it to grow even more types of vegetables and perhaps some types of fruit.

During the winter, the heating bill peaks at JD89,000 a month when it is at full capacity, due to increasing fuel costs, but shifts to a low JD30,000 a month in the summer. The administration has been making plans to reduce overall spending through several means.

One of the main actions is required of people living on campus: water and electricity must be rationed and not used in excess. The shuttle buses that were once available all the time are now available only by request, to reduce gas costs. Also, the school is attempting to approach certain ministries and public offices in Jordan to help with cost reduction, according to Ms. Dana.

The students themselves are also involved in improving the economy and movement towards sustainability. The immensely successful Spring Day King’s Academy hosted in May was a boon to the school, bringing in immense publicity for the school. (All cash from the event went to the Al Amal Center.)

Model United Nations is one student group making its own cash, selling slushies at the Student-Faculty basketball game to students, and other student groups and activities soon might follow suit.

REXONIAN STAFF Staff for this issue: Jeris Abuhouran ’10, Suhayb Al-Jawhari ’11, Robert Bahou ’11, Ghaida El-Tayeh ’11, Dalia Mehyar ’10, Gabriel Mekbib ’10, Swara Salih ’10, Jumana Shahzadeh ’10, Tala Shokeh ’10, Leen Sinokrot ’10 Lacey Gray, Layout Rebecca O’Brien, Faculty Advisor Message from the Faculty Advisor: I feel so privileged to have been at the helm of the Rex for its inaugural year. Now, it’s time to hand over the reins: I am proud to announce the Rex’s editors for the 2008-2009 school year. With their careful guidance and diligence, I have no doubt that the paper will continue to flourish.

Editors-in Chief: Tala Shokeh ’10, Swara Salih ’10 Managing Editor: Leen Sinokrot ’10

It’s shirt-biting anticipation for Abdulmalek Binshihon ’10 King’s Academy’s first peer mediators pose for a picture after as he watches the shoot-out between Chelsea and their weekend orientation process, which involved trust exercises and workshops in peer conflict resolution.

Manchester United in the Champions League finals.

Rebecca O’Brien

T HE R EXONIAN , J UNE 12, 2008

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But Do They Really Read?

The All-School Read makes no sense, and doesn’t work

BY JERIS ABUHOURAN REXONIAN STAFF

Every Monday and Wednesday, advisors and their advisees spread out all over campus to read, in a session called the “All School Read.” But the big question is, do the advisors and advisees actually read? Do any of them actually enjoy it? Is this block of time of any use?

As an advisee, I do not enjoy my time at all. This is not because I don’t enjoy the company of my advisor and my fellow advisees, nor is it0 because I don’t enjoy reading. I believe that reading should be done in one’s own free and relaxed time, not under force or pressure by someone to do so. This is not “free reading” or “reading for pleasure.”

Of course, that doesn’t neceassarily mean that people won’t still read and enjoy it, right? Ten

months after this schedule began, I can safely say this is not entirely the case. At the beginning I thought that it was only I who thought this way about the All School Read, but I later discovered that there are many students (and, apparently, advisors) who agree with my negative opinion.

On one All School Read, I set out to discover how many advisor and advisee groups were actually reading. After roaming around and surveying the library, I discovered that only about one quarter of the students and faculty were actually reading a book. Many students were either playing on computers, chatting with friends or wandering about without a book.

When I discussed this with the students, they claimed that the reading session was nothing but “fun time” and “useless.” Many students added that they don’t enjoy the Read, and hope that it will be changed.

While some faculty members

and advisor groups seem to take the Read seriously, and certainly enjoy their time, it seems that most of the King’s community does not find this time to be worth it.

As a student, I believe that this time could be used more efficiently by giving the students free periods in their schedule, in order for them to get some of their homework done, or by giving rest and time for a couple of snacks.

Although I understand the intentions of the organizers of this activity, I believe that there is a better solution. If we must have the Read, it should not be during the school day. Instead, we could have it during weekends, after school, or even as a slot through the week, similar to club periods.

As the 2007-2008 year comes to an end, we hope our opinion is taken into consideration. Many of us feel that this time could be put to better use. An open dialogue about the All School Read is long overdue.

A Plan for a Better Study Hall It might be time to rethink the Academy’s schedule in the evening

BY JUMANA SHAHZADEH REXONIAN STAFF

Study Hall in King’s Academy is a time when students have to study.

Study Hall has some great benefits since students have a specific time to focus on their academic work. We have two hours to focus on our studying and finish a load of homework.

However, sometimes I feel that Study Hall gets out of control because of the amounts of home-

work we are required to do. For example, on some days students are overwhelmed with homework and they have no time to finish everything, but on other days they have nothing to study and hence may disturb others.

Because of this, students should have more time set aside for studying, but the time should be more free, so students who don’t have work can do other things. One way to do this is to have a later obligatory curfew, for instance, 9 pm, and students may wish to check in before 9 pm if they have something to do.

When talking about Study

IN MEMORIAM, ZEUS

PHOTO: WENDY BRADLEY

A MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY:

Mr. Sean and I would like to thank you all for your love and support following Zeus’ death on May 6, 2008. We were in awe of the continuous stream of students and friends who poured into our home in the hours following his death. This measure of love touched us beyond true expression.

If you ever are able to be “owned” by a dog, I hope you will take the chance to do so. Having a dog in your life is a gift.

Thank you for helping us through this, Mr. Sean and Ms. Wendy

NUMBER PUZZLE

Hall, the question of the library plays a key role since some people prefer to study in the library instead of the dorms because it is easier to focus.

A huge drawback for studying in the library is that we have to check out and return to the dorms at 9 pm. This can be difficult for students, since it’s hard to break concentration and then regain it after returning to the dorms. So, in addition to more flexbile study hours, I think it would be of great benefit to extend library hours to 10 pm. We need to fix the homework situation and the Study Hall rules.

Is China Ready for Beijing ’08?

BY GABRIEL MEKBIB REXONIAN STAFF

As the world prepares for the Beijing Summer Olympics this year, China will need to prove that it has everything under control. But does it?

The Olympic Games, which come by every four years, are a momentous occasion in which all the world’s top athletes compete for the medals, for which they have trained their whole lives.

The expectations of the Olympics are immense, not just for the athletes, but for the

host country. Any country that does a poor job hosting the event will certainly be frowned upon by the rest of the world.

The actual Olympics in Beijing have been somewhat overshadowed or marred by the events in Paris and Seoul where some protestors at torch relays have demanded recognition of China’s human right record over the years. Another dark cloud in Beijing 2008 was the plot that involved Uyghur separatists.

But China has pushed itself away from doubt, and looks to be creating a fantastic Olympics.

Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch stated that the Beijing games will be “the best in Olympic history.”

In preparation for Beijing, 31 new venues have been created, with the centerfold being the $500 million, 91,000-person capacity Beijing National Stadium.

The Chinese government has invested heavily into this year’s Olympics, but will it pay off ? It looks like it, as the world awaits one of the most anticipated events in modern history.

Instructions: Try to fill in the missing numbers.

The missing numbers are integers between 0 and 9.

The numbers in each row add up to totals to the right.

The numbers in each column add up to the totals along the bottom.

The diagonal lines also add up the totals to the right. (puzzle courtesy of puzzlemaker.com)

T HE R EXONIAN , J UNE 12, 2008

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ARTS THEATER REVIEW: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

BY SWARA SALIH REXONIAN STAFF

On the nights of May 19-21, King’s Academy hosted its first Shakespearian production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Directed by Mr. Tristan Chirico with assistance by Lynn Manneh ’10, the show had been in rehearsal for months, resulting in a spectacular output from the Performing Arts Committee. It might be expected that a Shakespearian work would be too difficult to produce the first year, but it proved to be nearly flawless.

The play is a spectacular mixture of fantasy, comedy, romance and passion, seen through several scenarios. With humans’ love affairs affected by certain mystical beings, chaos ensues among them. A group of fools trying to be actors affected by these mischievous creatures surely cannot result in beneficial occurrences either. All of this takes place in the magical forest outside Athens, where the fairies reside.

Hilarious conflict ensues in that forest on a midsummer’s night.

From the very first line spoken, the acting in the play was quite astounding overall. Every actor and actress gave a great degree of passion and skill to their roles.

Ghassan Gammoh ’10 gave a strong and commanding performance as both Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Oberon, king of the fairies. He gave spectacular life to Oberon’s resolve. He was essentially the character who affected the others’ actions and love lives through his scheme against Titania.

Junior Fellow Margot Robinson was strong, defiant, and zealous in her standing up to Oberon.

Willful and stubborn, her character was given a new, slightly moodier yet enthralling aspect through her spectacular acting. Even falling in love with a donkey was no problem for this nexus of talent, grace, and passion.

Each of the four lovers gave passionate performances that showed their resolve to love.

Hayat Abu Samra ’10 was beautifully stubborn as Hermia in her defiance of her father and Demetrius, delivering a performance and great vocal clarity that not even a cold could hinder. Abdullah Khalayleh ’11 played a Lysander fully devoted to his love (whoever she was at the time), and his lines were clear and powerfully spoken.

Sarah Faddah ’10 was defiant and devoted as Helena. In Demetrius’ rejection of her, she invoked the sympathy of the audience and Oberon through her breathtaking and believable acting. Sinan Sammour ’10 was also rebellious as Demetrius, stubbornly seeking out Hermia’s love and scathing Helena in a believable manner along the way; his vocal lines had a great tone and edge.

Although Jadallah Kahook ’11 gave the required spirit of mischievous manner to the character of Puck/Robin Goodfellow, along with electric movement about the stage, his tone of voice at times seemed to lack the elements that would have made his performance as a trickster and Shakespeare’s fool all the more believable. However he still performed quite well in the role.

The hilarious performances of Mohammad Qardan ’10 as Nick Bottom/Pyramus, Ghaith Odeh ’11 as Peter Quince/the Prologue, Ahmad Khawanky ’11

as Snug/The Lion, Faris Batayneh ’11 as Francis Flute/Thisbe, and Thaer Sheikh al Theeb ’11 as Tom Snout/Wall gave the play the most obvious comedic effect.

Mohammad gave an amusing display of arrogance and foolishness that makes the character of Bottom so delightful.

It takes a great set of actors to play bad actors, Faris proving it through Flute’s abysmally hilarious performance as the female Thisbe, along with Ahmad “ferociously” acting as a lion and Thaer bringing ridiculous life to a wall.

Although she did not have many lines, Marwa Majali ’10 slid nicely into her role as Hippolyta, giving a distinct sense of serenity to the Amazonian Queen.

Even the lesser fairies gave the performance sparks of delight.

Zina Darwish, Zain Jarrar, Zaid Jarrar, Abed Shawer, Reem Haddadin ’11, Rnad Salaita ’10, Ms. Tiffany Norman, Mr. Sean Terwilliger, and surprisingly, Dr. Eric Widmer played the roles of dutiful fairies with an elegant, free aura.

Ms. Tiffany stood out, singing an unexpected beautiful lullaby to her Queen Titania, along with Mr. Sean accompanying her on guitar.

The directing by Mr. Tristan was unique and intriguing, setting the play in the 1920’s as opposed to Ancient Greece, the original setting. The inspiration for the 1920’s came from black and white photographs of Amman in the 30’s and 40’s that Mr. Tristan had seen. He stated that he believed that this time period had elements of simplicity and elegance that would fit in well with the context of the play. By the positive response from the audience, it appears to have worked.

The choreography by Mr. Ryuji Yamaguchi was well rehearsed.

The movements of all characters had an element of grace within.

They were also able to make the change of set a humorous flavor through this choreography.

The music played live by Ms. Reem Abu Rahmeh was taken from old rag-time pieces that mimicked “silent-movie” scores in order to set the mood in the 1920’s.

Costume design by Jamileh Alaedin was truly original, with the human characters all dressed

in traditional clothing from the 1920’s, while the fairies were dressed in light dresses of black, blue, and green. This resulted in a beautiful juxtaposition that stood out to the audience.

The whole production was in a word, spectacular. It proved to be little trouble for the talented students at King’s Academy to produce such an amazing performance, and since this was only the first year of the school, next year the plays will get even better.

PHOTO: MATT SCHUBERT

The tradesmenm introduce their performance of Pyramus and Thisbe.

PHOTO: MATT SCHUBERT

PHOTO: MATT SCHUBERT

Oberon and Puck hatch a plan for Titania and the lovers with a flower infected by Cupid’s arrow.

At the end of the play, Hermia and Lysander are reunited in the forest, and speak of their “dreams” with Helena and Demetrius.

T HE R EXONIAN , J UNE 12, 2008

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Energy Drinks and Food Bars: Power or Hype?

BY DR. KAMEL MOHAMMAD, M.D. CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Energy drinks and nutrition bars often make big promises.

Some say they will increase energy and alertness, others offer extra nutrition, and some even claim to boost your athletic performance or powers of concentration. However, once you cut through the hype and look past the flashy packaging on energy products, chances are what you are mostly getting is a stiff dose of sugar and caffeine.

So, should you eat or drink these products? As with everything, they are okay in moderation. The occasional energy drink is fine, and a protein bar in the morning is a better choice than not getting any breakfast at all.

However, you have to be careful not to overdo it.

Make Smart Choices With so much going on in our lives, many people feel tired and run down. In addition, many of us find ourselves skipping a meal sometimes. Therefore, it is not surprising that nutrition, protein,

Horoscopes

BY TALA SHOKEH

ARIES (3/21-4/19): School: After your midterm exams, you were pleased with your improvement, but be focused for finals or your grades will go down. Social life: Your friends are pushing you to do something you’re not sure you want to do; if you’re not comfortable with it don’t do it.

TAURUS (4/20-5/20): School: Mrs. Wendy might feel lonely in her office this week, so make sure you’re not the one who’ll keep her company. Social life:

and energy drinks and food bars have flooded the market, offering us the convenience of energy on the go. Sometimes, this can be good news—like for the person who has to skip breakfast or the athlete who needs an energy boost before practice. Food bars will never beat a well-balanced meal or snack when it comes to meeting our nutritional needs. However, many of them do contain more nutrients than a candy bar or a bag of chips. Likewise, some of the sports or energy drinks on the market today contain some vitamins and minerals.

Know the Downside The occasional power drink or food bar can be a good choice.

Nevertheless, as with anything else, it is possible to get too much of a good thing .

Here are some facts to keep in mind when it comes to food bars or energy drinks.

They contain excessive sugar and calories. Did you know that some energy bars and drinks contain hundreds of calories? That You’re starting to realize who your friends really are, and that’s a good thing. Make sure you don’t push them away.

GEMINI (5/21-6/21): School: I think you did pretty well on your Literature exam, but I would still study for your Math final. Social life: You and your friend just ended a fight and you realized it wasn’t worth it, so keep that in mind for the future.

CANCER (6/22-7/22): School: Watch out for the final exam in that course you’ve been struggling in. Social life: Be careful of

may be okay for athletes who burn lots of calories in high-intensity activities, like competitive cycling. However, for many teens the extra sugar and calories just contribute to weight gain, not to mention tooth decay.

Energy drinks are often full of caffeine. Caffeine may be legal, but it is a stimulant drug. It can cause side effects like jitteriness, upset stomach, headaches, and sleep problems—all of which drag you down, not power you up!

Food bars do not make good meal replacements. You never really see someone eat an energy bar for dinner and then sit back with a satisfied grin. Nothing beats a real meal for both that well-fed feeling and the nutritional satisfaction your body needs.

Although lots of energy drinks and nutrition bars have some vitamins and minerals added, they cannot give you all the different nutrients your body needs to grow, develop, play sports, and handle all the other stuff on your schedule.

The only way to get that is through whom you tell your secrets to.

LEO (7/23-8/22): School: For now, time is your enemy so start thinking about how you’ll manage it for your final exams. Social life: Your friends might have been leaving you out of things here and there, but not anymore, so be prepared to have fun!

VIRGO (8/13-9/22): School: Your grades are getting there but you need more work to be at the place you want. Social life: Compliment a stranger for good luck.

LIBRA (9/23-10/22): School:

eating a balanced diet and not skipping meals.

They may contain mysterious ingredients. In addition to caffeine and sugar, some brands of energy drinks and food bars can have ingredients whose safety or effectiveness hasn’t been tested—things like guarana (a source of caffeine) and taurine (an amino acid thought to enhance caffeine’s effect). Some contain herbal supplements that are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), such as ginseng.

These kinds of ingredients may cause problems for people who are taking certain medications or have a health condition.

So play it safe. Always check the label carefully before you eat or drink any kind of energy supplement.

They are expensive. Though energy bars and drinks are everywhere these days, they do not come cheap. At about 3 JD a pop, you can get a better (and cheaper) energy boost by eating a wholewheat bagel with cream cheese.

Finish up strong! You’re doing very well. Social life: You will realize this week who your real friends are.

SCORPIO (10/23-11/21): School: You are going to realize that what you thought was hard is not really that hard.Social life: Be careful about telling your friends’ secrets to others.

SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/21): School: Ms. Wendy is keeping a close eye on you, so don’t do anything you might regret. Social life: Tell your friends the truth, or else you’ll lose them forever.

Moreover, you can get better hydration by drinking two glasses of water. Other on-the-go foods that provide plenty of nutritional bangs for the buck include trail mix, fresh or dried fruits, and whole-wheat breads and cereals.

Cutting through the hype.

There is some clever marketing behind energy bars and drinks, and you have to be a pretty well informed consumer to see through it. So be critical when reading labels. As with everything, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If energy bars and drinks are becoming their own food group in your diet, remember—“all things in moderation.” These products are not harmful if you have them occasionally, but they are not the healthy choices the advertising hype makes them out to be either.

The truth is the best energy boost comes from healthy living.

People who eat well, drink water, and get enough physical activity and rest will have plenty of energy—the natural way.

CAPRICORN (12/22-1/19): School: You will do very well on your final exams this week.

Social life: Your friends are truly your friends, so don’t worry!

AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18): School: Don’t sleep through your Computer Science test! Social life: Your social life will improve in July.

PISCES (2/19-3/20): School: Dr. Eric might call you for a meeting this week, so be prepared. Social life: All you have to do this week is get your friends back, because you need them.

KING’S CORRESPONDENTS: “What is the most annoying thing about Facebook?”

Sinan Sammour ’10 “Invitations.”

Nicholas Awad ’10 “Strangers commenting on your wall.”

BY TALA SHOKEH AND DALIA MEHYAR

Farah Hamati ’11 “Too many applications.”

Lana Mehyar ’11

Hashim Haddid ’10

“People I don’t know send ing me weird messages.”

“When people tag pictures of you that you don’t want posted online.”

T HE R EXONIAN , J UNE 12, 2008

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SPORTS PHOTO: MATT SCHUBERT

SPRING SPORTS WRAP-UP GIRLS’ BASKETBALL Record: 1-9 Captains: Farah Hamati ’11, Tala Barakat ’11 Most Improved Player: Dalia Mehyar ’10 Most Valuable Players: Hana Mufti ’11, Laila alNaif ’11

BOYS’ SWIMMING Record: 1-2 Most Improved Players: Qusai al-Dwairi ’11, Hamza al-Qudah ’11 Coaches’ Award: Swara Salih ’10 Most Valuable Player: Hashim Attar ’10

TRACK Record: 2-0, 25 medals Sportsmanship Award: Reed Ghandour ’11 Most Valuable Player: Mohammad Foda ’10

TENNIS Record: 2-1 Most Valuable Player: Fouaz Hourani ’10 Coaches’ Award: Suhayb al-Jawhari ’11

Most Improved Player: Rashed al-Qudah ’11 BOYS’ BASKETBALL Record: 6-8 Captains: Faisal Kawar ’10, Muthana Tarawneh ’10 Most Improved Player: Malik al-Jabori ’11 Coaches’ Choice: Zach Samawi ’11 Most Valuable Player: Faisal Kawar ’10

PHOTO: MATT SCHUBERT

Members of the boys’ swim team dive into the King’s Academy pool during a meet this spring.

Mohammad Foda ’10 lands in the sand on a long jump at a track meet at King’s Academy this spring.

Tennis Boys and Girls Take on Robert College

BY SUHAYB AL-JAWHARI REXONIAN STAFF

On May 23, 2008, my friends and I, representing the King’s Academy tennis team, traveled to Istanbul, Turkey to play a friendly tennis tournament against Robert College, a school that was founded by Dr. Eric Widmer’s great-grandfather. I had a lot of fun there: It was one of the best times of my life.

The group included Faisal Al-Husry ’10, Zaid Al-Rifai ’10, Rashed Al-Qudah ’11, Karim Zeine ’11, Zahi Darwazeh ’10, Jumana Shazadeh ’10 and Ghaida Tayeh ’10. Our chaperones were Ms. Sandra Idehen, Katie Hutchins, Matt Schubert, and of course, Dr. Eric.

Our flight from Amman left at 3:30 am, so I woke up at about one am after sleeping for only two hours. We landed at about 5:30 am, and even though I had slept during most of the trip, my head started to hurt as if there were a needle in my head.

During our trip to the hotel we saw a big part of Istanbul because it was a 45-minute drive from the airport. There were many buildings, many people, and many trees. I have never seen a place greener than Istanbul.

As we drove into the city, we could see our hotel, and also the canal that separates European Turkey and Asian Turkey. It was beautiful.But the best part was when we finally arrived. From the window of the bus, I could see Dr. Eric coming from the elegant entrance of the hotel to welcome us. After that we ate breakfast with a great view of the sea. You could see the boats moving and the seagulls flying over the sea.

After Rashed and I got to our room, we slept for a while and then we had to hurry up and put on our school uniform to go visit Robert College and attend their flag ceremony.

The flag ceremony was an event similar to our school meeting—announcements are made

and then they sing the national anthem. We also got a short tour of the school. Robert College has about 1000 students, but only 90 boarding students. Their cafeteria is very small; they have three lunch times for all the students! The entrance to their school is marvelous: the door is on a small hill, and is flanked by huge columns, like the columns at the Treasury in Petra. The whole campus is covered by trees and plants.

The student dorms are very different from ours. They share rooms with two to five people, they have a place for study hall, they have flat screen TVs, and they have a pingpong table like we do! Karim, one of King’s Academy’s best student ping pong players, challenged one of the Robert College students to a small match. Unfortunately, Karim lost, but he said the rackets and the ball weren’t that good.

After a short rest in the hotel, we went shopping in a bazaar. I bought a lot of presents for my family and friends. I had a lot of

fun that night. After we got home we had a small party for my birthday (which began at midnight) until about 2 am. It was fun, especially making fun of Rashed.

The next morning, we ate breakfast and got ready for our matches against Robert College.

When we got to school, they greeted us very cordially and directed us to the tennis courts. We met whomever we were playing with and we started to get ready for our doubles matches. Faisal and I were together, Zaid and Rashed were a team, and Karim and Zahi were also a team. Our only two girls, Jumana and Ghaida, played together.

Only two of the four teams won: Faisal and I won, and the girls won. For the singles, Ghaida, Zahi, and Zaid won, but unfortunately Karim didn’t win.

Rashed and Jumana played mixed doubles, but also lost.

We won overall, winning five matches out of nine. After the games, Robert College invited

us to a barbecue. Then we went for a little tourism in the Old City. We went to the Agia Sofia, a museum that was first a church and then a mosque. We also went to the basilica cistern where the Byzantines used to store their water. We also went to the Blue Mosque, where a couple of my friends and I prayed.

Then we went back to the hotel, got our bags and left for the airport. Our flight back to Amman was that night at about 11:30 pm. All of my friends and the chaperones brought me a cake and sang happy birthday to me, which was a nice surprise. I slept the whole way back to Amman, and we arrived at King’s Academy at 3 am.

This trip was one of the most amusing trips of my life. Even though I was very tired after the trip, I did not feel tired during the trip. I will never forget this experience and I would like to thank the school, the teachers, and my friends for a great adventure.