Vol. XLVI No. 4 December

the

VOL. XLVI, NO. 4

Smoke Signal

Inside MSJ:

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

Bullying

By Ditha Balaji & Mekala Neelakantan Staff Writers The Smoke Signal feels bullying should be of great concern to the MSJ student body and staff. We conducted an anonymous survey of 1,405 students to determine the extent of bullying at MSJ and student opinions on it.

As seen by recent stories in newspapers and television, schools throughout the nation have recently been struck with a prominent increase in bullying, which is defined as unwanted or unnecessary contact with another individual. Bullying can be as simple as pestering someone about their grades or as serious as harassing someone for their sexual orientation. Many cases of bullying equate to sexual harassment, espe-

schools and in the community.

The bullying survey conducted by the Smoke Signal questioned students about their past experiences with bullies and the overall atmosphere of MSJ. An overwhelming majority of 830 out of 1,450 students claim to have never been bullied. However, a significant number, 575 students, say that they have been bullied.

Among the four grade levels, the bullying experience is unique to each class. In the freshman class, many are bullied for academics, rather than simply being a freshman. Shockingly, a majority of freshmen report being physically harassed, even though there were no reported cases of bullying based on physical appearance.

The sophomore class has the largest portion of students being bullied for their appearance and academics, and has the only reported case of cyber bullying. As with the freshman

news editor megan mclaughlin

cially within the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. These cases have become leading news stories in the media and are garnering national attention. In the most serious cases, the bullying has led to suicides. Clearly, this is an issue that should be tackled nationwide, in

class, there is a large discrepancy between the number of students bullied and those who admitted to bullying others.

The junior class experiences the

By Vaishaal Shankar Staff Writer

and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), who are living with their uncle and stereotypically bratty cousin, Eustace (Will Poulter). With little to no exposition, Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace are thrust into a magical painting which transports them to

See BULLYING, NEWS Page 2

Losing Locks for Leukemia

Science Teacher Nathania Chaney-Aiello dyed her hair purple after raising $5,000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

By Sida Lu Staff Writer Meet Ninth Grade-Level Secretary Donna Hanna, also known as one of the four kind secretaries in the Office. Few people, however, know about her bout with cancer.

This is her story.

Smoke Signal: Can you talk about your battle with cancer ?

Donna Hanna: In the past, I was diagnosed with cancer at UCSF. Immediately, I thought I could kick this since there had already been a lot of prior research. As time went on, I realized it was going to be harder than a usual, customary trip to the doctor’s.

The side effects, down time, the inability to be with my four children were sometimes more than I

‘Voyage’ Not a Fun Trip

Great books do not always translate into great movies. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third in C.S Lewis’ seven-part epic is arguably the best book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its episodic nature allowed for a variety of different fantastical episodes, which really gave a sense of C.S. Lewis’ imaginary prowess. However, most of this magic has been lost in the transition to the big screen.

From the very beginning, the film moves along at a too-frantic pace. We are quickly introduced to the younger half of the Pevensie family (the protagonists of the previous films), Lucy (Georgie Henley)

DECEMBER 16, 2010

the Narnian Sea. Soon, they are picked up by the crew of the ship the Dawn Treader.

From then on, in typical fantasy

See NARNIA, A&E Page 14

The famed lion, Aslan, stands with the movie’s four protagonists.

britishmovieguide.com

December 17 Dec. 20 to Jan. 2 January 1 January 17 • New Year’s • NO SCHOOL • Minimum Day • NO SCHOOL Day MLK Jr. Day Winter Break

staff writer connor williams

could bear. That’s when life began!

I didn’t realize how tight-knit our community was until our family began receiving an outpouring of support from friends, neighbors, and family. As a cancer survivor, I see life in a different light now.

Cancer survivors have a few sayings; my favorite is “don’t sweat the small stuff.”

unable to walk.

SS: What went through your mind when you were first diagnosed with cancer?

DH: When my doctor first told me I had cancer, I knew I was in excellent hands. The success rate for survival has increased greatly in the past few decades due to support for the cause. That’s why I support many walks for cures with my family and friends. Anyone can support the walks, even if you are

SS: What motivated you to fight through adversity?

DH: My four children whom I adore, wonderful husband of 23 years, and parents who drove back and forth selflessly from Southern California kept in a positive frame of mind and allowed me to beat my cancer.

SS: How were you and your family able to cope with this diagnosis?

DH: My children asked my husband and me a lot of questions, but we assured them that I was going to get excellent care. We decided to band together as a family to make it through the rough times.

See LEUKEMIA, FEATURE Page 9

Student Spotlight: Izzy Gow

By Alekya Rajanala Staff Writer

Freshman Isabella Gow, or Izzy, has been spending quite a bit of time on the ice for the past six years.

This aspiring ice skater shared with the Smoke Signal her involvement in skating, her sources of inspiration, and her plans for the future.

might want to try ice skating too.

I agreed to try it out so we went to the San Jose Sharks skating rink in Fremont. My mom was worried that skating wouldn’t work out for me so she brought along a couple of my cousins to encourage me to get

See IZZY GOW SPORTS Page 17

Smoke Signal: How long have you been ice skating? How many hours do you spend skating every week?

Izzy Gow: I started ice skating when I was eight years old and now I am 14, so for about six years. I skate for almost 20 hours a week, both at group classes and with a private coach. I get to the rink every morning by 5:00 AM to practice.

SS: Why did you decide to get involved with ice skating?

IG: When I was little I used to roller skate, so my mom thought I

courtesy izzy gow

Gow is an avid skater.

graphics editor cassie zhang

2 News

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The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 16, 2010

News in Brief BULLYING | MSJ survey examines extent of school bullying continued from page 1

World Cup out of US reach In a surprising turn of events, The FIFA (International Federation of Association Football), awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively, snubbing the more heralded bids of countries like America, Great Britain, and Australia. The selection of Qatar as the 2022 host event marks the first time that soccer’s most prestigious tournament will be held in the Middle East, while Russia’s 2018 spectacle will be the first in an Eastern European country.

agence france-presse

From left to right: Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov pose with the World Cup

FBI foils terrorism attempt On the morning of December 8, Antonio Martinez, a 21-yearold convert to Islam, tried to blow up a military recruiting base in Baltimore, Maryland. A known supporter of an extremist Muslim cleric, Martinez had been planning the attack since October, when he went to an ‘Afghani’ bomb-maker, who was actually an undercover FBI agent. The agent rigged Martinez’s SUV with a dummy bomb and arrested him after his efforts to detonate the explosive. Martinez is charged with attempted murder of federal officials and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

scripps media

Martinez was arrested after trying to detonate a fake bomb.

Sentencing sparks protests in Oakland In late November a multitude of MSJ students participated in the Students Taking Action Now Darfur (STAND) hand wall. The hand wall was designed to raise awareness for genocide at MSJ and call attention to genocide prevention in the Senate. STAND sent the hand wall to Senator Barbara Boxer who announced she has officially co-sponsored Senate Concurrent Resolution 71, which calls for the US to be more proactive in genocide prevention.

graphics editor cassie zhang

The hand wall raised awareness at MSJ, and is part of the inspiration for a Senate bill.

COMPILED BY STAFF WRITERS OMAR EL-SADANY, MAYA RAMACHANDRAN AND ELLIE WONG

greatest amount of academic bullying and reports the most cases of bullying for one’s sexuality. The cases of physical bullying are common as well. Interestingly, out of the 132 juniors who claimed to have bullied other students, 108 said they were “just joking around.”

In the case of the senior class, academic and physical bullying dominate. Again, there are significantly fewer respondents who admit to bullying than those who admit to being bullying victims. And, across all grades, bullying victims are more likely to be repeatedly bullied by single students rather than groups.

The most popular responses to resolving the bullying issue seem to be educating the school about what bullying truly is and advertising a place for students to safely talk about their experiences. To reduce bullying, one student thought MSJ should “have some place kids can go for help” and “let students know it is safe to tell staff [about bullying].”

Fortunately, MSJ does have a student organization that is dedicated to helping the student community in situations ranging from bullying to family issues and social issues: Peer Resource.

On December 6, Peer Resource attended a bullying seminar or-

news editor megan mclaughlin

ganized by the Anti-Defamation League. At the conference, students participated in different activities focused on specific bullying scenarios and discussed how to handle each situation. Peer Resource President Stephenie Yuan said “The main goal of the conference was to go from being a bystander of bullying to an upstander and to spread awareness

about the anti-bullying movement.”

Peer Resource provides an efficient channel through which to educate students on bullying, and Vice Principal Zack Larsen sees the organization as the best way to tackle the issue. “Teachers and students need education, awareness, and discussions about bullying. Oftentimes, the bully does not fully understand the impact

of his or her actions,” he said.

After conducting these surveys, there is no doubt that MSJ is facing bullying issues that need to be addressed. Larsen said, “One case [of bullying] is too much.” Hopefully, through the education of staff and students and with the help of Peer Resource, MSJ can win this war against bullying. ▪

By Ravneet Kaur Staff Writer On November 18, University of California (UC) regents voted 15-5 to approve an eight percent increase in undergraduate tuition.

The UC Board of Regents met in San Francisco amongst student protests to discuss increasing educational costs for the tenth time in the past eight years. The increase in tuition is a result of California’s fiscal crisis which has impacted the UC system’s funding.

The average tuition for an in-state UC student will now be $12,150 per year, which adds up to about $16,000 with living expenses and books. Officials deemed the tuition hike necessary

$70,000 cutoff.

Regents who opposed the raise in tuition stated that the increase in aid was somewhat helpful, but middle class families would struggle the most to cover costs. “Those are the ones who are silently crying. They are not at the microphone,” said alumni representative Darek DeFreece, who voted against the measure. “They are at work trying to figure out how they are going to pay for it all.”

The tuition increase is expected to create $116 million in revenue, a third of which will fund undergraduate financial aid packages. UC President Mark Yudof told the Los Angeles Times that he tried to keep the increase to a minimum but it was required in

to sustain the high level of education across the UC system. Despite an increase in state funding, the university’s state and federal revenue is well below what it was two years ago.

An increase in tuition, however, allows for the expansion of financial aid. Students with families earning less than $120,000 a year will receive a one year reprieve for the 2011 tuition increase. The regents also expanded the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, a financial aid program, to now cover most tuition costs for families earning less than $80,000, which is an increase from last year’s

order to avoid reducing course offerings. “I’d prefer not to do it at all,” Yudof said after the vote, “but the truth is we are enabling our least well-off students to attend the university.”

The UC system is still “a great buy” according to Yudof, and the tuition remains in the middle rage compared to other public universities. The educational value offered at the UC campuses remains high despite the raise in tuition. “It’s worth what you pay here,” Yudof told reporters after the meeting, “and it’s worth it if someday you need an artificial retina, because our people are working on it.” ▪

‘Don’t Ask’ remains law Regents hike UC tuition once more

By Matt Farberov Staff Writer

As Congress neared the close of its lame-duck session, the repeal of the 1993 Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy has been stalled indefinitely. This week Senate Republicans effectively blocked a military authorization bill containing the repeal as previously promised. The bill, which needed 60 votes to pass, came to halt with a close 57-40 vote. The Clinton-era ban prevents gays serving openly in the military. Prompted by heavy criticism, a federal court struck it down as unconstitutional a few months ago sparking the push for repeal. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has added his name to the list of top ranking officials who support repealing the law. The list includes President Barack Obama, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and General Colin Powell. Though a federal court has struck down the ban, a Pentagon appeal froze the decision. Gates has said that dropping the policy immediately could have “enormous consequences” and that the matter should be left for Congress to decide.

Earlier this month, Senate Republicans had pledged to block the

repeal and other legislative measures until Congress passed soon-toexpire Bush-era tax cuts. Arizona Senator John McCain has spoken out against repealing the ban calling the repeal “a threat to national security.” Republicans have threatened to filibuster the Bush-era tax cut extension and a Federal Spending Proposal which would effectively stall the repeal process even further.

A recent poll has shown that seventy percent of troops think that repealing the ban with have positive, mixed, or no effects on the military.

In addition, a similar CNN survey reported that seventy eight percent of Americans the repeal. The shuffle from court to Congress has left many gays hoping to enlist and those already discharged in confusion. LGBTQ Nation, a gay rights site, encourages military hopefuls to remain patient and does not recommend those currently serving to reveal their sexual orientation at this time. Gays who are awaiting enlistment are still stalled at processing pending the decision on the policy.

Unless the courts decide to order the military to immediately cease enforcement of the law, the issue will not be decided until Congress reconvenes in January. ▪

for the november 19, 2010 issue • On News page 1, Junior Amy Mendonca and Seniors Karthik Raman and Lizzy Bode’s names were misspelled • On News page 1, the Math Department Chair is Dr. Jan Frydendhal • On News page 2, STAND signifies Students Taking Action Now Darfur.

• On Sports page 16, Girls’ Cross Country finished with a 4-2 record.

graphics editor cassie zhang

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

News 3

A brief history of the MSJ colors are green, white, and gold Korean conflict

By Ellie Wong Staff Writer

By Anthony Chen Staff Writer Tensions have been very high between North and South Korea following several recent confrontations. How did this current situation come to be?

1945

1947

Each superpower tries to influence the creation of a provisional government, and as a result two provisional governments are created; both follow the political ideologies of their respective occupying countries, with North Korea becoming Communist and South Korea becoming democratic.

The Allies win World War II; Japan is forced to give up its colonial occupation of Korea.

To help facilitate the establishment of a provisional government, the Soviet Union occupies the northern territory and the United States occupies the southern territory, as previously agreed upon.

1950

1953 North and South Korea sign an agreement and most of the fighting ends; however, occasional skirmishes across the border continue. The Demilitarized Zone is established.

The Korean War, the first largescale proxy war of the Cold War, begins when North Korea invades South Korea after a series of skirmishes across the border. North Korea is backed by the Soviet Union and by China, while South Korea is backed by the United States and by the United Nations.

MSJ’s Associated Student Body (ASB) Constitution states the official school colors are kelly green, white, and gold. Currently, few students recognize gold as one of MSJ’s colors, which has prompted the ASB officers to change the school’s prominent colors to green, white, and black. “We realized that gold really was not used anymore. So, why not change it?” said ASB President Senior Tarang Patel.

In order to officially change MSJ’s colors, an amendment to the Constitution must be made.

To add an amendment, the officers are required to follow a number of parliamentary procedures.

First, a proposal for the amendment must be made in one of two ways. The first method requires a petition with 10 percent of the student body’s signatures. The second option requires a twothirds vote of both the Associated Student Body Cabinet, which consists of the ASB officers and the ASB Leadership Council.

Patel stated that for this case the second option is more likely to be used.

The proposed amendment must then be published in either the Smoke Signal “or by a similar means which meets the approval

staff writer alekya rajanala

& graphics editor cassie

This digital rendering shows Mission Man in a green and gold suit (as opposed to the current green and gray one).

Variety of new classes may be offered

By Kevin Zhai Staff Writer Several new courses may be offered to students in the 2011-12 school year at MSJ, including AP Physics C, Multivariable Calculus, and AP Human Geography.

1968

A North Korean group of 31 infiltrators almost succeeds in assassinating the South Korean president Park Chung Hee.

and, as a result, there are many more juniors in this year’s AP Physics B classes than in previous years.

One of the other new courses possibly being offered next year is Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra. AP Calculus Teacher Matt Lazar says that although the class is not an AP class, students can receive college credit from Ohlone.

The course will be split into two semesters: one semester of Multivariable Calculus and one of Linear Algebra. Lazar says the class would be for students who have already taken most of the math classes at MSJ and have run out of math courses to take by their senior year.

bookbyte.com

1987

Two North Korean agents plant a bomb in Korean Air Flight 858 before departing after the first leg of the flight.

The plane explodes over the Andaman Sea, killing all 104 passengers and 11 crew members aboard.

March 2010

The Cheonan, a South Korean Navy ship, is sunk by a North Korean torpedo; 46 men are killed.

November 2010

In response to South Korean military exercises, North Korea shells Yeonpyeong Island.

Houses are destroyed and four South Koreans are killed.

December 2010

China intervenes for the first time and calls for a diplomatic meeting with North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Japan, and Russia. dreamstime.com, uiowa.edu, cpcml.ca, cnn, alexinkorea.com, rokdrop.com, japanprobe.com, nydailynews.com & news editor g. chadha

of administration” as dictated by the Constitution. This publication must be made at least two weeks prior to the vote of the student body.

Finally, the entire student body will vote for the proposed amendment. A two-thirds vote in favor of the amendment is required for it to pass. In this specific situation, two-thirds or more of the student body needs to vote in favor of changing the school colors to green, white, and black to become MSJ’s new official colors.

While the process of passing an amendment is not complicated, the officers plan to take extra time to make sure everything is approved and to allow the student body to voice its opinion.

There have currently been no penalties for using black instead of gold on MSJ’s athletic teams’ jerseys, and the ASB officer’s do not believe there will be any penalties in the future.

The student body can expect a school color change amendment to be made in January or February of 2011. ▪

AP Physics C is a potential class for next year that applies physics through calculus, as compared to the current trigonometry-based class. AP Physics Teacher Peter Geschke says the proposed class is far from certain because it is unknown how many eligible students are interested. Students must take calculus before or concurrently with AP Physics C. Another prerequisite is the completion of one year of CP or AP Physics B. Geschke talked last year to sophomores (who are currently juniors) about the proposal,

bookbyte.com

AP Human Geography was proposed to the Social Science Department by US History Teacher Bill Jeffers, and he describes it as, “the study of the movement of people and culture through time and

prenhall.com

space.” The class will analyze maps and demographical data provided in textbooks to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. Social Science Department Co-Chairwoman Risha Krishna stated that seniors had voiced interest in AP humanities to their government teachers and noted that offering AP humanities would be useful for students interested in fields such as business or law. “We [the Social Science Department] advocate heterogeneity and want our students to be global citizens,” she said. Only juniors and seniors will be eligible for this class.

Currently, these three classes are proposals. However, if enough students sign up for these courses, and they can be worked into the schedule, they may be offered next year. ▪

4 Opinion

the

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Smoke Signal

Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 46, No. 4 | December 16, 2010 www.thesmokesignal.org

41717 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 (510) 657-3600 Editors-in-Chief Alissa Gwynn, Elisa Ting News Gurleen Chadha, Megan McLaughlin Opinion Roger Chen, Arthur Jeng Feature Sonia Dhawan, Audrey Wu Centerspread Aileen Lu, Tina Tseng A&E Vishal Yadav, Jordan Zhang Sports Grace Han, Amit Patankar Graphics Sarah Li, Cassie Zhang Web Mary Lan, Richie Zeng Tech Vaishaal Shankar, Kevin Zhai Business Ravneet Kaur Circulation Matt Farberov Fundraising Stephenie Yuan Marketing Jamie Lin Ads Rebecca Dutta, Joy Xu Events Chelsea Dass, Mekala Neelakantan, Diya Roy

Writers & Photographers

Vishal Bajpai, Ditha Balaji, Leland Bernstein, Anthony Chen, Frank Chen, Sloka Gundala, Andrew Han, Savina Khangura, Allan Ko, Sida Lu, Edward Nguyen, Nihar Parikh, Alekya Rajanala, Maya Ramachandran, Omar El Sadany, Sanjna Shukla, Courtney Tam, Jonathon Teng, Aishwarya Thakur, Angie Wang, Ginger Werner, Connor Williams, Ellie Wong, Michael Wu, Alice Zalan

Advisor Sandra Cohen Send letters to the editor to opinion@the smokesignal.org. Letters under 300 words

may be considered for publication and must include a full name and school affiliation.

The Smoke Signal reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

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The Smoke Signal’s right to freedom of speech and press is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Roger That Final Words

Julian Assange. Possibly the most Googled two words in the last month or so. His story in itself is fascinating: a hacker turned programmer turned Internet activist, he’s been on the move for the last several years, bouncing between countries as he decides where to hunker down for the next installment of WikiLeaks. The Guy Fawkes of our age, he sets kegs of gunpowder around the Internet and lights the fuses as wake-up calls to governments around the world.

Some of the leaks have provided remarkably transparent views of otherwise classified material: from the release of the Scientology “secret bibles” to the Baghdad airstrike video, WikiLeaks has revealed what would normally be hidden to most Internet users.

However, his actions have consequences that reach much farther than the squabbles of world diplomacy. If such acts become the norm, how soon will it be until disgruntled employees constantly break nondisclosure agreements and anonymously leak company development plans onto the Internet to be freely disseminated among competitors?

Although it may not seem as such, conventional warfare, such as our current engagements in the Middle East, is quickly becoming a thing of the past. We’re in the midst of a war that involves not only guns and soldiers but also the minds of civilians. None of the traditional rules of warfare apply anymore: any civilian with an Internet connection can join in, from leaving comments on blog posts or news forums to

Thursday, December 16, 2010

get Jengky with it A Numbers Game

By Arthur Jeng

By Roger Chen Opinion Editor

The Smoke Signal

participating in the distributed denial of service attacks along with the net vigilantes.

Thousands of Internet users have voluntarily downloaded a tool called the Low Orbit Ion Cannon, which allows the Anonymous “hive mind” to take control of their computers and use their Internet connection to flood targeted websites with bad requests. This overloads the target sites with information and causes the sites to crash. Websites such as Paypal, Mastercard, and Visa, which once processed online donations for WikiLeaks and have cancelled WikiLeaks accounts due to “violation of site policies”, have been brought down by “the hive mind” in targeted retribution attacks against these sites, affecting millions of dollars in transactions. The Swedish government site has been disrupted already; the UK, reportedly next in line, is already fortifying their site in preparation for another assault.

Consider this: it’s clear that the Internet is the next battlefield already, but how long will it be until restrictions are put in place by governments to “protect” its citizens?

Freedom of speech can only go so far. If citizens are able to anonymously collect themselves into a massive force that is not regulated by any existing international laws, what is the next step? I’m not purposely painting a picture of some future apocalypse; that’s just how the world is progressing.

That Great Firewall of China doesn’t look like such a bad idea anymore. ▪ Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

staff writer rebecca dutta

staff writer chelsea dass

Opinion Editor

College bound seniors have a couple more reasons to complain this holiday season that is already filled with a.. uhm... common enemy. The average MSJ student lives a comfortable middle-class lifestyle but is by no means immune to the recession.

Just recently, the UC system increased their tuition by 8 percent.

This comes after last year’s increase of 32 percent. While the Class of 2009 paid about $8,300 for tuition, the Class of 2011 will pay about $11,100. At this rate, the Class of 2014 will pay…well, you can do the math for your own tuition, and it’s not very pretty. Though by the time freshmen will be paying for college, the UC system has already agreed to refer to “tuition” as “fees”. Like the average MSJ student, the UC system is also pretty savvy, and they’re smart enough to know that over $11,000 is a shipload of money.

Of course, these numbers don’t take into account the UC system increasingly denying more instate acceptances in favor of non-natives who pay a higher tuition. Judging from MSJ matriculations from the past, about 250 students or half of the graduating class will ultimately be affected by these changes.

On the other hand with private schools, there’s the odd phenomenon of affirmative action for the rich.

Though private schools often downplay the role of the “legacy” status, their efforts are no match for public opinion and statistics. Last year, Princeton admitted 41.7 percent of legacy applicants who ultimately made up about 13 percent of the class. Stanford’s legacy matriculates

account for about 19 percent of the class and that number rises to 22 percent for USC. As a private school, they have the right to choose their own students as they wish, mainly under the guise of increased donations.

However, a recent study revealed that legacy alumni are no more likely to donate to their alma mater than other students. To be fair to the colleges, a select few legacies do end up donating in huge sums like the $400 million recently donated to Columbia University by 1937 alumni John Kluge at his death. But to us, this means the much larger percentage of legacy students that don’t donate, don’t benefit the university. They take away space from the applicants that are often more qualified.

To make matters just a little worse, record numbers of applicants have applied under early plans, most likely due to students comparing financial aid packages. Northwestern saw an increase of 26 percent, Rice 15, and MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Duke all saw 14 percent increases. These numbers will likely increase in the regular decision and universities will respond by wait-listing more students.

Whereas a student applying to NYU may have been accepted two years ago, this year the same student may be waitlisted because of the “more qualified Harvard student” applying to more colleges and taking up the first wave of acceptances. This leaves the NYU hopeful a chance to not be accepted. If that student’s backup school was a UC, well he’ll just have to dish out more dough. ▪ Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

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Opinion 5

“As long as they don’t do anything nasty and I don’t miss my flight, it just feels like a doctor visit. I’d prefer if they didn’t touch my private parts though.”

On New TSA Security Measures

Sam Jafarian, 12

“I think they’re a violation of my person...I personally think a patdown is just something else we’re going to have to deal with...but honestly they’re a bit shortsighted, as I don’t think a terrorist who really wanted to bomb a plane would bring on something that could be found in a patdown.”

“The thing is they’re forcing you to choose between two evils. You can either get a full body scan, get X-rays pumped into your body at a dose that could be harmful, or get patted down. The patting down really sucked too, cause the TSA agent was a man, and it was just really awkward.

Leah Dickstein, 10

“The TSA’s procedures violate basic human rights of privacy and should be replaced with an automated system to reduce the complaints and protests.”

Arvind Srinivasan, 11

“I think it’s fine because technically the person who monitors the scan can’t see your real body on the screen. It’s just an avatar. If it improves our national security significantly then I fully support it.”

Ben Mansfield, 11

“I think that it’s just a necessary evil as long as they show that the radiation is safe...I don’t think the privacy issue is a big deal.”

Matt Lazar, Math Teacher

Grace Wu, 9

“To be honest, it’s their job. Security personnel are like doctors – they may accidentally see or touch something, but it is totally professional. All the controversy over the issue is unwarranted.”

“I understand the concern for the safety of the passengers because of all the terrorist scares, but there’s a fine line that airports should draw when invading personal privacy.”

“Personally I think more research needs to be done on TSA body scans before it becomes fully implemented in all airports. We’re still unaware if these scans can cause cancer or any other harmful diseases due to radiation.”

Bill Jeffers, History Teacher

Courtney Cheng, 12

Sanjay Sreekumar, 9

“Trading a few embarassing moments with a stranger to ensure my safety and that of others around me is a deal that I would take any day.”

Justin Chen, 11

“I understand their motives here, but they should find less intrusive technology... if the bombing rate of our airplanes is increased now over what the bombing rate used to, then I believe it is necessary for tighter security.”

“I think people should simply deal with the new security mesaures. In exchange for our country’s safety, we, as the people, can’t give them just that much of our privacy?”

Anita Alem, 10

Lewis Chen, 9 photos by staff writers ditha balaji, matt farberov, courtney tam, and stephenie yuan

Rogue Justice: Internet Bullying

By Tina Tseng Centespread Editor

The Internet makes everyone feel like vigilantes. Spot a foolish blogger or brash Youtuber? Then it’s clearly time to bring out the bashing, dig up some private information, and sic others on the target—all anonymously and conveniently with minimum accountability.

Take the case of a now-famous Internet meme, Jessi Slaughter. Earlier this year, the eleven-year-old posted risqué photos and obnoxious videos of herself on the Internet. A group named Anon from the online forum 4chan righteously stopped Jessi’s outrageous behavior with some of their own. Members of the group found and circulated her real name, phone number, and address to encourage spamming and prank-calling. After sufficient torture, they patted each other on the back and moved on.

Other instances of Internet “justice” are even more ridiculous. In 2002, a bright, young man named Daniel Lee graduated from Stanford University with two degrees.

In a few years, he would be known as Tablo, leader of the famous Korean rap group Epik High. Lee’s accomplishments would also be the target of a large group of Internet users who insist that he lied about his Stanford

sickfacebook.com

education.

In Korea, where there is high pressure to achieve, celebrities have been known to fake degrees from prestigious colleges. So, perhaps these netizens, or people highly involved in online discussions, had a right to be suspicious. Then Tablo released a copy of his Stanford transcript and other documents. He filmed a documentary of his recent trip to the college, during which many old acquaintances and professors lent support. The Stanford Registrar himself verified his degree. Yet ne-

tizens refused to believe any of this.

Unbelievably, this isn’t just some scraggly bunch of troublemakers. The online group “We Urge Tablo To Tell the Truth” has over 133,100 members, according to the Stanford Daily. Wouldn’t it be nice if this manpower was used against, say, poverty? Instead, it is spent claiming that Tablo’s entire existence is a lie and that his whole family is fraudulent.

It all seems so trivial. He could be homeschooled by a monkey as long as he still made good music, right? Netizens disagree.

Their goal is to expose his “lies” and, more importantly, ruin his life as punishment. Essentially, they are doing this in the name of justice.

We see the damaging power of the “just” cause. Come support this because it’s the right thing to do. Make this man’s life a living hell—he deserves it. People lap up the power trip, because its easy and anonymous to jump on the cyber-band wagon.

But stalking, loss of privacy, and psychological trauma are not just retribution or discipline for an eleven-year-old’s arrogance.

And seniors will agree that not going to Stanford (let alone actually graduating from it like Tablo) is not supposed to ruin your life. The moral implications of stripping someone’s dignity get lost when mob mentality is at play, but they will later haunt everybody involved.

Imagine when these Internet do-gooders have eleven-year-old daughters of their own.

Keep in mind that Internet bullying is not restricted to these extreme examples. Next time you feel like leaving a nasty comment on someone’s Formspring, pause before you throw away your individuality and conscience.

Critical thinking in any situation is, well, critical. We don’t read those mind-bendingly deep books in English class for nothing, you know. ▪

6 Opinion

WIKILEAKS

www.thesmokesignal.org

Government Officials

TIMELINE 2007

January WikiLeaks is founded by Australian native and former hacker, Julian Assange, in Sweden.

December 3 WikiLeaks post a 238-page manual from March 28, 2003 that had information detailing operations in Guantanamo Bay.

2008

September An anonymous source released hacked contents from Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! Email.

2009

November WikiLeaks releases more than 3,000 email conversations between many influential climatologists after Pennsylvania State University’s Earth System Science Center’s servers are hacked.

2010

July 7 Bradley Manning, a military intelligence analyst, is charged with providing information to WikiLeaks.

July 25 WikiLeaks posts 76,000 classified military reports from the Afghanistan war, causing a significant White House reaction.

October 22 WikiLeaks leaks 400,000 cables concerning the US military in Iraq from 2004-2009.

November 18 Assange is sentenced to detention by a Swedish court on accounts of rape and sexual molestation.

November 30 Assange’s lawyer requests an appeal for December 2, but his request is denied by Swedish courts.

December 7 Assange is arrested in Great Britain on a warrant from Sweden; his request for bail is denied by the court.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Yes on WikiLeaks, Freedom of the Press

By Courtney Tam

Julian Assange

The Smoke Signal

Staff Writer

There have been allegations of espionage and terrorism against WikiLeaks, the organization known for its massive releases of “top secret” government documents, but how many of these accusations are truly of merit? Regardless of the charges that will inevitably be hurled at it, the journalistic organization is protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution because it possesses the freedom of the press.

Yes, the most recent colossal November 28, 2010 Wikileaks reveal has thrust some incredibly embarrassing diplomatic secrets into the public eye, but what tangible world-devastating effects have there been so far? The answer is simple: none. The cables have confirmed items like Middle Eastern anxiety towards Iran’s nuclear weapons and President Obama’s

attempts to close down Guantanamo Bay. International relations, however, have been strained since the trove of diplomatic cables included documentation of: private conversations between diplomats, Hillary Clinton ordering individuals to spy on prominent United Nations officials, and harsh opinions of the demeanor and appearance of various world leaders (Kim Jong Il of North Korea was labeled a “flabby old chap”, while the President of Libya, Muammar al-Qaddafi, receives Botox injections). Some of the cables may be amusing, but others allow the global community to gain access to what truly occurs in high-profile meetings where decisions that affect the entire world are made.

If anyone is to blame for the mass disclosure of the cables, it should be the governments themselves because they failed to guard classified information. With hundreds of thousands of people capable of obtaining

these secrets, what guarantee is there of airtight protection for these documents? The US has made it so easy to acquire such confidential knowledge that someone like Private First Class Bradley Manning was able to download thousands of archived army videos and cables onto a Lady Gaga CD. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that the government “leaks like a sieve”.

Wikileaks acts as nothing but a publishing medium for leaked, politically sensitive material, derived from anonymous electrical submissions. The non-profit organization bears a vision statement to “bring important news and information to the public”; its goal has consistently been to expose the hypocrisy and corruption numerous governments and corporations, so it seems to be nothing but a logical fallacy that Wikileaks should remain under fire for its attempts to improve the transparency between the government and its public.▪

Washington Diplomacy Exposed

By Omar El-Sadany Staff Writer

The United Nations (UN) was created after the Second World War in order to create a trustworthy avenue in which society could attempt to achieve world peace through diplomacy, negotiation, and open dialogue. However, with the release of cables regarding the US State Department on the controversial database, WikiLeaks, it appears that the American government has violated that trust.

According to the leak, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered American diplomats to gather confidential information about UN members, ranging from credit card and frequent flyer numbers to passwords, work schedules, and biographic information.

This demand for personal in-

entire institution. Why should diplomats attempt to openly discuss and negotiate, while they could be simultaneously bugged, and have their personal information revealed?

The UN now has an obligation to punish the US for its transgression. Regardless of America’s role as a superpower, if countries feel that they can get away with outright espionage, then more states will continue to blur the lines between diplomacy and intelligence. If the UN does not act, then it risks losing its role as a platform for discussion and earnest negotiation.

If diplomats feel unsafe in the UN itself, then the organization will lose all of its effectiveness, rendering its role as a peacemaker redundant.

So, before debating about the constitutionality of the recent release of the WikiLeaks cables, we must look towards our own government, an institution which was established to promote freedom, justice, and liberty around the world, and think about the constitutionality of their actions. ▪

WikiLeaks: A Pandora’s Box?

By Nihar Parikh Staff Writer

formation clearly breaches a UN article which states that members and information “shall be immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation or any other form of interference.”

Officials in Washington, including Clinton, have spoken out against the release of the cables. But by denouncing the leaks and defending the State Department’s actions, Clinton has revealed the double standard which has been plaguing American politics.

Putting down WikiLeaks as treason or espionage, while simultaneously ordering diplomats to dishonorably acquire intelligence about UN officials can only be described as hypocritical. But the issue here should not about the legality of WikiLeaks. The main concern is about the dubious practices that the State Department has been undergoing.

The UN has been functioning on openness and trust between member states in order to avoid bloodshed and war. But the latest actions by the US threaten to jeopardize the

A government in today’s unstable world has the obligation to its citizens to reveal its actions and policies for them to judge; but where is the line between necessary and unnecessary information? In light of the recent release of documents and conversations from the U.S. government and other leaders around the world, it is plain to see that the amount of information leaked causes irreparable damage. The leaks reduce the legitimacy of the government system and its effectiveness to produce results, push the government to be even more secretive, and endanger people around the world by releasing biased, incomplete information.

The Constitution of the U.S., which represents America’s core values of free and justice, has

balanced the practicality of an aristocracy with values of a democracy by enabling its citizens to elect their own leaders. After this point, it is up to those leaders to make the right decisions. If the general population feels that these leaders are not performing up to par, they have to power to elect another representative. The leaks disable leaders from effectively governing because they release information that government officials need to keep secret to carry out policies. Every government in the world has “classified information” that allows them to speak frankly without arousing general unrest.

The response to the leaks by the United States government shows that they will not be more open in the future as many proponents of the leaks predict. Most government officials condemn the event as detrimental to their effectiveness and show no indication to they share more. In fact, this event has led officials to tighten their grasp because they feel any more information will form an even more biased viewpoint. The more information the general population knows, the more the officials will withhold information in an effort to uphold their reputation.

Last and most importantly, the leaks endanger people around the world. The information released does not tell the full story around each issue, causing biases based on incomplete information. For example, the leaks show that the United States has repeatedly tried to remove highly-enriched uranium from Pakistan nuclear reactors. The Pakistanis condemned this as an effort to remove Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, but researchers have shown that highly-enriched uranium can be used by terrorists to create nuclear weapons. This misinterpretation can be harmful for many groups around the world, because the leaders in their respective communities may take action against others based on this information. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah stated in the leaked cables that he believes the United States should target Iran’s nuclear facilities aggressively, prompting a negative response from Iran. Misinterpretation of these leaks can prove disastrous and can cause violent conflicts.

In the future, governments around the world have the right to reprimand individuals who leak dangerous information. It is for the benefit of everyone. ▪ layout by centerspread editor tina tseng, graphic by staff writer angie wang

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Feature 7

MAN SURVIVAL GUIDE

By Leland Bernstein & Joy Xu Staff Writers

With Winter Ball just around the corner, the Smoke Signal offers some insight and advice to the guys.

Ladies, you can thank us later.

He says, She says Myth #1: Girls like hearing themselves talk.

Myth #3: Girls never mean what they say!

Boy: It’s true! Start a conversation with a girl and watch how your “Hey! What’s up?” gets drawn into a spiral of words and boring complaints about their lives; this girl, that boy, drama, drama, drama!

Girl: There’s no way to escape this stereotype: If a girl talks too much, she’s too outspoken and annoying. If she doesn’t, she’s boring and antisocial. If she complains, she’s irritating. If she doesn’t, she’s heartless. Talking builds relationships; you can only learn so much about a person through video games.

Boy: They have it right on TV. Unless you’re a mind reader, you will have to scrutinize every sentence a girl says. Are they really curious about who you’re interested in? Or are they dropping a hint they’re interested in you? It’s more confusing than newspaper crosswords.

Girl: The most common mistake is to take what girls say too literally. Girls often say things on whim, like “My favorite candy is gummies” and guys will start gifting them until the girls hate them. When she said, “My favorite candy is gummies,” she probably meant that they’re one of her favorites, not that they’re the only sweets she likes to eat.

Myth #2: Girls like bad boys who are macho and manly—nice guys always finish last!

Boy: I can understand that girls want a guy who’s muscled and toned, but what do “bad boys” bring to the table? What about nice guys who are just as attractive? Nice guys have great qualities! We’re nice! We enjoy physically safe activities that are fun! What’s not to love?!

Girl: Not all girls like bad boys; in fact, I think most girls would love a nice guy! The problem with the self-proclaimed nice guy is while he may be nice, he might have other qualities that a girl isn’t attracted to. Awkward, obsessive, needy - the list goes on and on. It’s the same with boys; would they date a girl plainly because she’s nice? What if she were annoying, aggressive, and unfortunate looking? As much as we wish it would, “nice” just doesn’t cut it sometimes.

Myth #4: Girls like to fish for compliments.

Boy: Who else thinks she’s ugly? No one?

Of course, it brings up a great opportunity to dish out the compliments, but it gets annoying. Moreover, what if she isn’t looking good?

Do you call it as it is? Or do you deny it and run the risk of them catching you lying?

Girl: It’s true, there are girls who like to fish for compliments. But there’s a fine line between being humble and insecure, and being hungry for attention, so don’t be so quick to judge. If a girl asks you the occasional “How do I look?” or says, “I feel ugly,” be nice about it and make her day.

A simple reassurance will make her very happy. If it’s really that annoying or obvious, just ignore her or change the subject. ▪

Student Spotlight: Amar Srinivas

By Stephenie Yuan Staff Writer

Junior Amar Srinivas is involved in competitive cricket and volunteers for the Fremont Special Olympics team. He was featured in the Argus and spoke to the Smoke Signal about his gift to the Special Olympics Team to take them on a tour of the Chabot Science Museum.

Smoke Signal: What did you do for the Fremont Special Olympics team?

Amar Srinivas: I play cricket a lot in the Northwest region. Over the summer, I became a certified cricket umpire and made $77 per game. I also volunteer at the Special Olympics as an assistant coach. I’ve known the Special Olympics people for a while now and so I decided to use the money that I made from the cricket games for touring.

I bought tickets for seven Special Olympic team members to tour the Chabot Science Museum. There are 25 of them on the team and they range from 30 to 60 years of age.

SS: What made you get involved in the Special Olympics? Have you been volunteering with friends?

AS: During my freshman year in P.E., Mr. Breazeale told us about volunteering and said the Special Olympics was just somewhere that we could start. In the summer, Kevin Roche volunteered with me for a little bit. He was the only one I knew from MSJ. My mom gave me the tour idea, so I should credit her for that. I’ve been playing cricket for the past six to seven years in the Northwest Region. I thought it would be a good use of my money.

SS: What have you gained from volunteering on the Special Olympics team?

AS: It’s pretty cool because sometimes I get to play basketball with the team members. They all have some type of disability like Down syndrome, but it’s just nice to see them get better at something.

staff writer ginger werner

SS: What was the team’s response to your gift to them?

AS: They liked it a lot. I didn’t expect much out of it for me, but it was kind of nice to get that recognition. The coach of the Special Olympics team sent in an article to the Fremont Argus. I knew he sent in the article, but I didn’t think they would actually run it. That was a nice surprise.

SS: What are your future hopes for the Special Olympics team?

AS: One of my hopes, just off the top of my head, is to maybe bring cricket into the Special Olympics as a sport they play.

I’ve been playing cricket for several years now. I actually just went to Los Angeles in September for a competition. It’s not really a recognized sport here in America.

SS: What message do you have for everyone that you would like to share?

AS: I say just go with whatever you want to do. Don’t give up on it. Keep your thoughts in your mind and some day it will click together. Hopefully sooner rather than later! ▪

Girl Talk: DEMYSTIFIED

!” d n o c e S e n O “ / ” s! e t u “Five min

This is equivalent to twenty minutes or more, so if you’re ever picking a girl up and she tells you she’ll be ready in five, you better wait inside.

“That’s / It’s Okay.”

This phrase is one of the most potent things a girl can say in anger; she usually means it’s definitely, definitely not okay.

“Nothing.”

This means “something.” In an argument scenario, “nothing” means she has a lot of “something” on her mind she wants to say, none of which is very positive. Keep on your toes.

“Go for it.”

You better not.

“You look cute!”

A nice, un-awkward way to compliment both girls and boys! She wants to casually acknowledge how you look in a friendly way. Don’t over think it.

“Fine.”

This means “end of discussion.” and “I’m right, so stop talking.”

2009seed415.blogspot.com

8 Feature

www.thesmokesignal.org

The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 16, 2010

BUCKE IST 20

BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS

By Savina Khangura, Edward Nguyen & Michael Wu Staff Writers

There are many skeptics who doubt the world will end and how it will happen, but it's hard not to think about our “impending doom” with movies like 2012. It'll be easier to face “the end” knowing that you've done everything on your bucket list. The Smoke Signal offers some suggestions that are both exciting and sentimental for you to complete.

1.

2.

Go Surfing

Riding some gnarly waves as the world falls apart is what we call going out in style. Before the day arrives we recommend getting some lessons in. Carmel Beach is known for its great conditions, and is the perfect location for you to hang with your dudes and dudettes. Along with gaining some awesome skills, you’re sure to get some high-fives for hanging ten. Now forget all your fears and plunge into the deep end, because the end of days is sure to bring some sick waves!

Visit Every Continent

As the world steadily approaches its demise in 2012, why not enjoy all of the wonderful sights it had to offer? My advice to you is enjoy your remaining months in locations you’ve never seen before. These may include, but are not limited to: the Amazon River and its jungles, Paris and its Eiffel Tower, or the Northern lights at the North Pole. There’s something about observing and experiencing these enchanting places that will give you a sense of accomplishment. Besides, it would be preferable to have your last memory be of a beautiful part of our world.

3.

Go Horseback Riding on the beach

4.

Travel in a Hot Air Balloon

5.

You’re in a Submarine

Have you ever wanted to take part in a cliché yet beautiful and fun horseback ride down the beach as the sun sets on the horizon? Well, now is the perfect chance to live your dream, before the sunset disappears. For all of you Macho boys out there, the end of the world provides you with the perfect excuse to fulfill this hidden aspiration. Plus, for those afraid of riding, breaking something won’t really matter if the world ends, right? I mean you’re going to die anyway…

Before we say our final goodbyes take a trip to the sky to see our California landscape one last time. Companies as close as Napa Valley provides hot air balloon rides that take you 1,000 – 3,000 feet in the air. There you’ll see the frantic bird migrations and volcanic ash from an eerily quiet spot in the sky. Take a loved one along, so you can snuggle together and reminisce about the good old days frantically studying for AP Biology and Calculus, which will begin to seem trivial. Even though its no trip to outer space, we can promise the views will still be to die for.

After traveling up through the atmosphere, you can experience the exact opposite feeling by hopping in a submarine to see the depths of the ocean. Not only is this equivalent to scuba diving, but it’s safer. Submarines allow you to explore aquatic environments for hours and most have sleeping quarters so that you can stay in the ocean for prolonged periods of time. Who knows, you might end up avoiding the majority of catastrophes occurring when 2012 comes.

6.

Go White Water Rafting

7.

Experience Zero Gravity

8.

Make Snowcones on Mt. Everest

9.

Throw a Wild Party

As the water begins to turn ashy grey in 2012, you may begin to regret never taking that white water rafting trip you’ve been dreaming about. Luckily, now is the perfect time to see how adventurous you really are. Make it a bonding trip with friends, and you are sure to make some crazy memories as you travel over chaotic rapids. Not only is white water rafting fun, but it is also the perfect chance to develop some balance. You’ll end up thanking us when the world gets so unsteady that the Peppermint Mocha you were cradling in your hands becomes impossible to drink. With locations all over California, there’s no excuse to miss out.

If you haven’t felt the effects of being weightless yet, here’s your chance. There’s no better excuse to get out of the house and buy a ticket for this out-of-the-world experience. For the mere price of $3,500 you can board a plane capable of orbiting the edges of Earth’s atmosphere. People have claimed that the zero gravity experience is exhilarating and it’s no doubt that doing cart wheels while being weightless is an enjoyable event. If this happens to be out of your budget, try driving to the closest iFly, which allows customers a similar, weightless experience at a fraction of the price.

Alright, so the world’s ending in 2012. No reason to freak out right? Might as well chill out. So grab that piggy bank and hop on a flight to the Himalayas. Don’t you just enjoy that view? Well now skydive out of the plane onto the peak of Mt. Everest and make some snowcones out of that fresh white powder on the ground. Trust me, it’ll be a deliciously good idea. For those not as brave of heart, go head out to Mt. Tamalpais in Marin, California. Snow also falls there occasionally so you can have the great snowcone without the costs.

Of course we have to kick off the end of the world with a party. After all nothing says we’re done for like a rowdy gathering with loud music, good food, and crazy people. For those with the money to spare make sure to travel to Arizona’s Grand Canyon and party on the edge. Or, choose a similar epic spot like the pyramids in Egypt or the white cliffs of Dover. This way you can watch events unfold with good fod and good friends in an awesome location.

10.

Play Tag with a Tornado

Indulge your inner storm-chaser on this one. Although you can play this game with any severe weather system, for best results, you should sit around the Midwest during tornado season. The most interesting way to play this game is to have the tornado be “It.” Start off with the tornado about a mile away and begin your game as it comes after you. Feel free to personalize the experience by using any escape method possible. Try not to lose too quickly, okay? ▪

cleantechnica.com, trustedlog.com, bbc.co.uk, dontbesohumble-youarenotthatgreat.blogspot.com, owall.net, leerburg.com & clipart-for-free.blogspot.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Dear Santa...

Leukemia | Nathania Chaney-Aiello shaves head for LLS continued from page 1 SS: Is there anything you would like to say to the many students at MSJ that might be affected by cancer, either directly or through the pain of loved ones?

DH: When trials are thrown your way in life, stay positive and do your absolute best to succeed no matter what others think or tell you.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is an organization that helps people like Donna Hanna fight against cancer.

Meet science teacher Nathania Chaney-Aiello, who is known for her unique teaching style. Few people,however, know about her marathon team or the notable causes she advocates for. The Smoke Signal talks to Chaney-Aiello about her involvement in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as well as her inspiration in taking on such a cause.

Smoke Signal: What exactly is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? What does it do?

Nathania Chaney-Aiello: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) has a couple of main goals: to fund research for better treatments and hopefully find the cure one day, and to provide monetary and informational support to affected people. Grants and funding from LLS have directly contributed to the invention of several top cancer fighting drugs today and it has raised over 1 billion dollars in the last 25 years. LLS also has a scholarship system set up to help individuals out with treatment payments and co-pays.

SS: How did you come to be involved in it?

Was there anything specific that inspired you?

NCA: Initially, I sponsored a previous counselor at MSJ. Then, I had a student named Jess Chiang (Class of 2008) who was only able to show up to class one to two times a month. He was getting treatment at Stanford and had a weak immune system so he often avoided crowds because the smallest of colds

could be the thing that finally did him in.

When he finally graduated, there was not a single dry eye in the place. Everyone was so proud of him. After that, I began to be more involved and eventually joined a marathon team in the athletic division of LLS which in turn exposed me to more affected people. My volunteer work turned personal, however, when my uncle was diagnosed with leukemia. He did not make it.

SS: Are there any specific people your marathon teams supports today?

NCA: Yes, we directly support about eight people in all. One of them is a little girl named Hannah who would be a freshman in high school this year. However, she has been in the hospital since May, undergoing chemotherapy to treat her lymphoma.

She is the inspiration behind shaving my head for Clash of the Coins. I actually went to her first and asked, “Would you think it was weird for a teacher to shave her head for a cause?” Of course, Hannah thought it was amazing and rushed to grab her wallet to provide the first dollar for my fund. My hair will grow back. My head will be cold for a few weeks, but that’s nothing compared to what she has to deal with. If it puts a smile on her face, hey, small potatoes in my world.

SS: Is there anything you would like to say to the many students at MSJ that might be affected by cancer, either directly or through the pain of loved ones?

NCA: You don’t win them all. It’s frustrating. They’re catching it sooner, they have better treatments, and people go into remission much more now. Its okay to talk about it.

You’re not alone. You’ll get so much support if you just open up a bit. There are so many people at MSJ alone that have been affected, both staff and students... you are never alone. ▪

Feature 9

By Jamie Lin Staff Writer

December 1, 2010 6:43 PM Dear Santa, First of all, I hope you put me on the right list. I would like to take this time to remind you that I have been a very nice girl this year!

You know, I (mostly) have good grades and (mostly) do as my parents ask, so you should definitely take all of this into consideration.

Now that we’ve got that settled, I would like to request either a pony or an owl. Preferably a snowy one, like Harry Potter’s. Thanks!

December 8, 2010 2:43 PM Dear Santa, Can I change my wishlist? Is it too late to do? I know you have a lot of people to get presents for and that I’m probably near the top of that list. But if it’s not too late, can I have an iPad? I just found out about it, and it looks really cool. Thanks!

December 17, 2010 11:08 AM Dear Santa, I just wanted to check that any slightly lackluster grades recently received do not bump me off the Nice list. In my defense, AP Environmental Science is a very difficult class. Growing mung beans is much harder than it looks.

December 17, 2010 11:18 AM Dear Whoever is Pretending to be Santa, My APES classmates are telling me you’re not real. Is this true? That doesn’t make sense!

Who gives me presents? Who reads my letters? Who do I take pictures with in the mall?

sodahead.com

December 18, 2010 10:39 AM Dear Reader of Santa Letters, How could you tell my parents about APES! For an imaginary man, you are one uncool dude. I am seriously considering not baking you chocolate chip cookies.

December 24, 2010 11:29 PM Dear Not Santa, I am going Sherlock and staking out my living room. Your identity will be revealed. I will not send this letter.

December 25, 2010 6:13 AM Dear Mom and Dad, I can’t believe you are Santa. Or aren’t. I don’t really know. I’m confused. I just wanted to let you know that kidnapping Santa and pretending to be him is very cruel. But… thank you for the iPad, and Merry Christmas! ▪

Thoughts on the Holidays Girl on Gifts for a Guy If only there was a universal gift for guys. With girls, there are endless possibilities in chocolate, jewelry, or clothing categories. It never helps when he says to get “anything”, and how am I supposed to work with “I don’t know”? Is this some sort of test—it must be--I should know what he wants, or I’m not a good friend/girlfriend/daughter. Top ten list suggestions are either outdated or expensive: bathrobe vs. iTouch? No guy can resist silk boxers? How many times can he use a professional grade barbeque beeper? This is all too confusing.Let’s see, I made apple pie for him last year and brownies the year before that…I guess I’ll just resort to baking cookies. Who can say no to cookies?

By Mary Lan Staff Writer

Those who don’t celebrate Christmas It’s just another day. I am in no way feeling oppressed by the forceful influence of mass consumerism and polite deference to my culture, or the perplexities of nearly two months’ preparation of shopping, planning, and general engulfment in jolly good spirit that subliminally influences religious beliefs. I certainly do not miss the experience of the disillusionment in a fat, white bearded fairy who keeps tabs on kids throughout the year. I am, however, celebrating the spirit of any religious holiday by spending time with my family.

1987 Santa Claus on Milk and Cookie Providers If you believe, you can achieve! Ho, ho, ho. Christmas miracles change the lives of many poor, starving children. We should all understand why Santa Claus is feeling jolly terrible about eating all those cookies. Of course, I am very grateful that I only need one meal a year, but the wise old elf-doctor has told me a continuous, balanced diet prevents possibilities of falling through your roofs and setting off the latest alarm system. Starting this year, all cookies for Santa Claus will be collected and donated to those poor, starving children out there in the world who have never heard of me, so they, too, may receive a gift on the special Christmas day through your generous Christmas spirit.

Guy on Gifts for a Girl Generally, if you go expensive, she never questions.

Chick flicks are filled with what a girl wants. And so are pretty much all of the stores. So ultimately, it’s the thought that counts.

Feminist on Christmas Gifts When girls give baked goods and guys give twentydollar gift cards, aren’t we just reinforcing the stereotypical gender roles of women in the kitchen and men being the breadwinner?

Euphemist on “Presents” and “Food” What I like most about this holiday season is the “engorgement of the body” and “pressure to spend money” in hopes of giving the impression of thoughtful politeness. Yet some people do not need either to understand the Christmas spirit: With Love for our Asian Mom Aiya! Don’t buy me anything; look at the state of the economy now, and you are spending my money anyways.

No, don’t make me a gift; that time could be well spent on studying math!

When I was your age, I didn’t even know about Christmas—a wish list, you say? What is a letter to San Da? Ah, then hurry, hurry! Must meet application deadlines! I wish for a miracle scholarship to Stanford so you can visit home every weekend, and a job right after you graduate!

Do we have enough Christmas spirit saved up for San Da to make you a doctor?

staff writer mary lan

2010 Santa Claus on His Secret to Success You may have been wondering how I have managed to stay in business for nearly two hundred years, exchanging free presents and pricey coal for milk and cookies. My humble workshop would be bankrupt had Santa Claus not managed to win the secret case of Claus vs. Corporate America in 1987.

I will share with you the Secret to Success due to a recent taxpayer’s policy of stating hidden fees: 0.1 percent of taxes and ridiculous holiday gift prices all come to me! Truthfully, everything is made by an Electronic Laser Filatory (ELF). In this modern American society, the secret of Santa Claus is covered up by many, many brands.

The caricatures of me in endless advertisements are all wildly misrepresentative! I will now reveal my true appearance and my true name on the one site that will accept it: I am a young, athletic, six foot two Santa Claus the 7th, CEO of a mega-conglomerate. I enjoy long walks on the beach and roasting chestnuts over an open fire. Ladies of eHarmony, I’m looking for a Mrs. Claus. ▪

10 Centerspread

www.thesmokesignal.org

By Sarah Li, Megan McLaughlin, Alice Zalan & Richie Zeng Graphics Editor, News Editor & Staff Writers

You decide that shopping online is the best method of getting your gift. You anxiously stare at your computer screen, clicking through pages and pages of coveted items.

Soon, a thought occurs...

It’s that time of year again! You need to get your mom the best Christmas present in the world. The problem is, you’ve been procrastinating, and you desperately need to get that present NOW. Fortunately, stores are open Christmas Eve, so what will you do?

Go home to regift a present.

You hurry home and rummage through your attic to find the perfect thing to regift. At least you’re being eco-friendly, right?

Your brother’s present to your mom. A simple tag-switching will do.

You find that the scarf is home to a family of mice.

You don’t want to get too attached, so there’s really no choice but to leave them for your mom. She does the cleaning anyway.

Suddenly, you hear rattling chains and the faint sound of jetpacks and robots. The Ghost of Christmas Future rises from the gift, and he takes you on a jump to lightspeed. You end up in a future far, far away, and you’re living with...

You'd rather spend your time playing World of Warcraft...

945... no wait... 756? Darn, your online discount code is invalid!

The Smoke Signal

Either way, you don't get your present on time, so you cry. Christmas comes and you give your mom some coal that you found on the ground. You suffer disappointing glares throughout winter break.

You walk into the store, and to your dismay, the shelves are bare from the last minute Christmas shopping rush. Just as you are about to run out of the mall in tears, a shimmer from the bottom shelf catches your eye. You can't believe your eyes. It's a shiny silver ring.

You know you need to get your mother's gift, but you can't seem to keep your eyes off of it. You see the price tag: $15. You have $20 in your wallet. If you buy the ring you won't be able to afford a nice present for your mom, but there seems to be something special about this ring...

Go to the department store. It’s better to shop and go. You’ve got a ton of homework to catch up on.

Wipe his tears with your luscious beard.

The ring is calling out to me...

You end up extremely soggy and need to go get your new suit dry cleaned. What a jolly season.

END

Looks like your children are really into the holiday spirit this winter!

They manage to get you a really nice gift. You’re not quite sure what it is, but it’s pretty and futuristic-looking.

You hop into a time machine and end up back in 2010. You promptly regift your future kids’ gift to your rather confused mother.

REGIFT SUCCESS!

You buy the ring and walk out of the store.

There are faint markings on the side that seem to be in some strange language. You stare at the ring, captivated by its mystery. You slowly slip the ring onto your finger and close your eyes. ...

Nothing happens.

It’s just a normal ring. What’d you expect?

You rush back to the store to return it, but to your dismay, the store just closed.

The next morning, your mother opens her present and pulls out the five McChickens you bought on your way home. Congratulations, you are a disappointment.

Call police!

Must... resist...

END

Five seconds after your announcement, you get trampled by a horde of furious parents and their hysterical kids. After this, you are forever scarred by the holiday season and spend every vacation in Hawaii, living off coconuts.

END

You hesitate for a moment, but eventually decide that your mother is more important than your personal needs. You continue wandering but to no avail. Every store seems to be stripped bare of even the most generic gifts of lotion baskets and photo frames. While navigating the aisles of Walmart, something catches your eye. The box is a little beat up, but it’s the perfect gift! You quickly grab it before anybody else can and pay for it at the checkout counter. You can’t wait to give it to your mom and let her slap her troubles away with a Slap-Chop!

You feel on top of the world as you strut out of the store carrying the box. As you walk through the mall, you pass by Santa at his photo booth.

“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!” says Santa. “What brings you here on this jolly day?”

“Oh, nothing. Just buying this AMAZING present for my mom!” You reply cheerfully.

“Whoa ho ho! I’m sure she’ll love it!” Santa exclaims. “Tell you what! Let me wrap it for you!”

“Sure! Here you go,” you say as you hand the present to him. “It’s so nice when people make random acts of kind— HEY WAIT! GET BACK HERE!” Santa has just run off with your present!

You pull out your iPod and start playing the Mission Impossible Theme. You sprint through the mall at breakneck speed and burst out into the parking lot. You spy Santa waddling towards his sleigh and throwing your mother’s gift in the back. Using wellexecuted parkour moves, you manage to catch up to his sleigh just as it takes off. You grab onto the back and hang on for dear life as the sleigh speeds north. This was not a well-thought out plan.

Type randInt(1,10) into your precious TI-84 graphing calculator and generate a random number. If it is...

ODD: Arrive at Santa’s shack.

EVEN: Arrive at the corporate HQ. A nap later, you find yourself in a strange place.

Santa lands the sleigh on a helipad and exits the vehicle. When the coast is clear, you jump out of the back and realize that you're standing on the roof of Santa's sinister corporate HQ skyscraper.

This seems dangerous; you should probably forget about the present and just leave, but then again, you DO feel a bit like James Bond.

Infiltrate the building

END

Centerspread 11

END

“Hey Santa! I have an idea! Come spend Christmas with us!” you exclaim to him.

Santa thinks for a bit, then eagerly agrees.

You bring him home for Christmas Eve dinner. Your parents are surprised at first, but after you tell them the story about how you met a homeless man on the streets and felt sorry for him, they completely buy it and let him in. Everyone has a great time.

Santa feels loved, you got a present for your mom, and you have basically saved Christmas!

You, sir/ma’am, have completely won.

A short nap later, you find yourself in a snowy area.

You think it’s the North Pole, but it’s not the jolly place you’ve always imagined it to be. Santa hops out of the sleigh and trudges towards a run-down shack. Before he makes it to the door, he drops your present and breaks down in tears. No longer caring about hiding, you come out and try to comfort him.

“Every year I spend all my time getting presents for all the children in the world,” says Santa, sobbing, “but nobody ever gets anything for me. You people just take and take and never give back, and I’m sick of it!”

You pause and think for a bit.

You hop into the cockpit of the sleigh and try to get the reindeer to move.

“On Comet! On Blitzen!”

Before you know it, the reindeer are ON you, teeth bared and ready to strike. Oh dear...

Try to escape.

You storm into the building, imaginary guns blazing, but the room is empty except for a portly old woman crying in the corner. You approach her and ask her what’s wrong. The old lady turns out to be Mrs. Claus! Play it cool Bond...

“Santa is always too busy running his multi-billion dollar Christmas business! He cares more about his advertisers than me!” she cries.

You try to comfort her with your suavity and witty language. You offer her some eggnog, and before you know it, she starts getting a little tipsy and falls into a drunken slumber. A small package falls out of her pocket. You open it and to your surprise, it’s gingerbread!

Use it to convince the reindeer to fly you home.

After you remove the last traces of the vomit, the Ghost of Christmas Future decides you’ve learned your lesson. You return home, and for your mom’s gift, you offer to clean the house for an entire week. Your mom is puzzled by your unprecedented generosity but proud nonetheless.

www.thesmokesignal.org

"9-1-1 Emergency, how may I help you?" a voice drones on the phone.

"I need a SWAT team with air support sent immediately!" you cry. "Santa just stole my present for my mom!" "...Sir/Ma'am, have you been drinking a bit too much eggnog?”

"What? No! I assure you I—" "Prank calling 9-1-1 is a punishable offense, please just enjoy your holidays and leave me alone."

Drats! She hung up! You have no choice but to pursue Santa yourself.

Pursue him!

Scream “I’M NOT REAL!”

END

The vomit festers, and you swear it’s moved at least half a foot in the past three days. Looks like you’ll have to clean it up anyway before it becomes a full-fledged organism.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Go on the Internet.

Whoops! Someone's had a bit too much hot chocolate!

You feel the effects already: the growing belly, the deep chortle, the facial hair—THE FACIAL HAIR?! Oh no, you’re turning into Santa! Great. Well, at least you're jolly. The little kid sitting near you starts shrieking in fear of your change. You laugh and say, "Won't you tell me what you want for Christmas?" It turns out he doesn't like you, so he starts crying, kicking your shins and pulling your beard (that hurts).

You...

Clean it up. The barf ’s not going to remove itself, you know.

END

Your three bratty children.

They’re more concerned with getting a 4.0 GPA this semester than with getting you a nice Christmas present.

You’re not sure how you feel about this.

Sparky eats the cookies you left out for Santa.

Unfortunately for Sparky, chocolate gives dogs the queasies. Unfortunately for you, Sparky’s left a neat pile of vomit on your dining room floor (also, it’d probably be wise to schedule an appointment with the vet). You decide to...

Leave it there and remind yourself to step around it from now on.

Head over to Starbucks.

All this procrastinating has made you thirsty! The present can wait.

The awkward scarf Aunt Bertha gave you for your birthday. Your mom’s totally into kitsch, and look, it has rainbow pom-poms on it!

You decide to look in the box, at least, to find out what your brother—err, that is, *you* are planning on giving. It’s a watch that runs too fast... Well, better than nothing, right?

A dog named Sparky. He’s gone blind in one eye, but hey, you’re the only one around anyway.

Go to the mall.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

END

TART S

The Smoke Signal

Use it as an energy boost to continue chasing Santa.

You find your way into Santa’s lair and courageously confront him.

“C-could you...p-p-please give me b-back my present?’ you stutter.

Santa laughs maniacally and summons his army of slave elves to stop you. You crumble the gingerbread and cast the crumbs into the army of elves. They wake up from Santa’s powerful hypnotic spell. You try to pretend you expected that to happen and continue charging at Santa with all your might. You give a fierce roar as you prepare to strike, but before you can say “Sparta!”, Santa incinerates you with his Christmas magic.

That’s what you get for messing with the fat man in red.

END

You return to the roof and feed the gingerbread to the reindeer.

They seem to instantly fall under your command; so this is how Santa is able to keep control of these creatures. You wonder what would have happened if you hadn’t fed the reindeer. You fly home emptyhanded, but at least you’re safe.

END

colourlovers.com; graphic by centerspread editor aileen lu; layout by centerspread editors aileen lu & tina tseng

12 Photo

www.thesmokesignal.org

Senior Karthik Raman serenades the audience.

The Smoke Signal

Senior Catherine Shir is immersed in her music as she plays her violin.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Sophomore Aaron Yang joins the orchestra with his cello.

Junior William Leu enjoys his toilet paper adornment as Senior Matt Nguyen wraps it around him.

Senior Matt Nguyen mercilesly dispenses the contents of his can of shaving cream onto Junior Anthony White.

Students await their fate after being covered in shaving cream.

Students (right) launch Fruit Loops cereal at the opposing seated students. fordesigner.com, photos by staff writers andrew han & angie wang

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Photo 13

Musical Theatre Vocal Workshop joins Chamber Chorale in performing their final number, a cover of the Glee rendition of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”

Junior Priya Vijaykumar (fourth from left) leads the group with her solo.

Musical Theatre Vocal Workshop points to the heavens in “A Holly Jolly Christmas.”

Senior Jorgie Wu introduces the next Treble Ensemble number.

Choral Director Jason Aucoin guides Choir in song. photos by staff writer sanjna shukla

14 Arts & Entertainment

www.thesmokesignal.org

The Smoke Signal

GIVE T.I. SOME MERCY

Under the Radar: DEADMAU5

By Ginger Werner Staff Writer

nytimes.com

By Gurleen Chadha News Editor

With his colorful past (and present), it’s no surprise that T.I.’s newest album, No Mercy, has more than the usual number of reflective songs. Topics like jail time, the rap world, and his drug-dealing past are discussed unflinchingly while bass-heavy beats in the background provide a sense of gravity that serves as the perfect foil to the lyrics.

However, while the beats work very well for some songs (“Poppin’ Bottles” is a strong candidate for the next hit single), they fall flat in others. “Big Picture” felt like a badly done mash-up: the lyrics are so mismatched with the background melody that it’s almost comical. Less is definitely more when it comes to T.I.: his best songs on No Mercy have subdued beats that let the rapper’s words stand for themselves.

The most powerful tracks on the album have another thing in common: feeling.

When T.I. talks about how far he’s come in “How Life Changed,” the bittersweet emotion is almost palpable. “Castle Walls” is another such hauntingly beautiful track, due in no small part to Christina Aguilera’s husky vocals; the airy beat manages to

suit both her voice and T.I.’s while blending with the bass surprisingly well. Those looking for another “Dead and Gone” might well find it in this song.

Other songs have the potential to be just as good, yet somehow leave the listener feeling unsatisfied. “Get Back Up,” which appropriately features Chris Brown, talks about bouncing back from mistakes.

In it, T.I. apologizes to his fans and family but the message is tempered by constant references to his critics (or, in his own words, “haters”) and a non-apology apology: “If y’all thought I were perfect/I apologize for being human man.” The title track, “No Mercy,” is a bitter reflection of the trials T.I. has had to go through.

While the rage against hypocrisy and apathy is understandable, the sharp, insightful comments are lacking, replaced instead by vague declarations and biblical references that fail to grip the listener.

For the most part, No Mercy is an album that rap aficionados will appreciate. T.I. can spit rhymes just as well as any other rapper, and the numerous guest artists (over a dozen) all contribute well to the album. For everyone else, however, stick to baked goods for a no-fail stocking stuffer. ▪ Rating: B

NARNIA

Joe Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5, has produced yet another phenomenal electronica album, 4x4=12. Best known for unbelievable visual performances, Deadmau5 is known to give legendary shows, performing in an oversized and frightening mouse head made entirely of LED lights. Pronounced “dead mouse,” Deadmau5 is a wellaccomplished Grammy nominated Canadian electronic artist, placed as the fourth best DJ in the world. 4x4=12 is Deadmau5’s third CD release, and gives fans more of what they liked about the last two: catchy, dreamy tracks that appeal to a variety of ages.

The first track on the album, “Some Chords,” is approximately seven minutes of dazzling powerful bass and beats, not unlike the song “Ghosts N Stuff,” Deadmau5’s most-played song from his extremely popular previously released album, For Lack of A Better Name. The song “Raise Your Weapon” proves to be an exception to Deadmau5’s typical productions though, starting out with the haunting, slow vocals of Greta Svabo Bech and later breaking down into dubstep beats.

Other noteworthy songs include “Sofi Needs a Ladder” and “One Trick Pony,” compilations of pounding beats and an unexpected rapping sequence. Most artists tend to follow a more traditional strict chorus and refrain song format, but Deadmau5 disregards this, and the songs on the album range from four minutes to ten and a half minutes.

Without a doubt, 4x4=12 has a wide variety of songs that will become a familiar sound in dance clubs all over the world. But with this album Deadmau5 has shown fans that

Disappointment

Music Picks from the Editorial Board

This Month: ’Tis the Season Aileen: Let It Snow! by Michael Bublé It’s Cold Outside by Jessica Simpson Alissa: Baby & Nick Lachey

Amit: Last Christmas by Wham!

Arthur: Last Christmas by Cascada Audrey : My Only Wish by Britney Spears Cassie: Baby It’s Cold Outside by Glee Elisa: Sending You a Little Christmas by Jim Brickman Grace: My Grown Up Christmas List by Kelly Clarkson Gurleen: Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms Jordan: Trepak by Tchaikovsky Megan: Suo Gan by Anthony Way Roger: The Christmas Song by Alvin and the Chipmunks Sarah: This Christmas by Donny Hathaway Sonia: All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey Tina: Winter Wonderland by Jason Mraz Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

by Elmo & Patsy Christmas by Bing Crosby Cohen: White & Rosemary Clooney

Vishal: Mrs.

Listen to the playlist at www.thesmokesignal.org smoke signal alumnus albert yuan

film fashion, the crew has to travel to the ends of the earth to find seven mystical swords in order to “save the world.” The clichéd plot cannot be attributed to the film itself; it follows that of the book. The problem is, Lewis wrote the book over fifty years ago. In that time, countless fantasy films have taken bits and pieces of his masterpiece and plastered it on their own scripts, which leaves the original work feeling contrived and over done.

However, the plot is not the only problem; the characters themselves feel uninspired. Eustace, who delivers an entertaining performance as “the foreigner,” is the only dynamic character in the entire film. All the other characters fall flat and remain that way for the entire film.

The biggest problem this film faces is the pacing from the beginning to end; each “episode” feels too short, so there is no sense of magnitude. For instance, when Edmund and the King (Prince Caspian from the previous film) are captured by slave traders and thrown in the dungeon, they are rescued in a couple of minutes, losing the suspense that would typically come along with a kidnapping and subsequent rescue.

This disappointing adaption will hopefully be forgotten in the years to come. There’s absolutely nothing magical about this episode of Narnia. ▪ Rating: C-

he truly knows no limits on the potential of his music. Pleasing, catchy, and fun to dance to sequences of sounds parallel the soothing, haunting refrains of lyrics infused with electric beats.

It is apparent Deadmau5 put a lot of thought and effort into the compilation of this album, as the songs flow well and every transition between tracks is flawless. Although this album is not as radio-friendly as his previous productions, when each song comes to an end it leaves listeners satisfied, not feeling as if the song had been abruptly cut off.

When a Deadmau5 song is playing, people often say, “Oh, I love this song! I never knew who the artist was though.” After 4x4=12, this will change. Deadmau5 is a master at his craft, and will become increasingly popular outside of the electonica community due to the success of this new album. ▪ Rating: A

wonderlandmagazine.com

Joe Zimmerman in his trademark mouse mask.

‘STRIP ME’: JUST ALL RIGHT

continued from page 1 lyricsystem.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

natashabedingfield.com

By Sloka Gundala Staff Writer

British pop star Natasha Bedingfield quickly rose to fame with her upbeat melodies which seamlessly merged pop and R&B and her unique voice in her Grammy-nominated first album, Unwritten. In her third studio album, Strip Me, Bedingfield experiments with her creative side in an attempt take her music to the next level.

The first half of the album is enjoyable and different from Bedingfield’s older songs. It opens with “Little Too Much”, a mellow song similar to Colbie Caillat.

The soft vocals and slight country feel is soothing to listen to. The album then jars the listener with the rock influenced song “All I Need” which incorporates Kevin Rudolph’s song “Let it Rock,” which does showcase her powerful voice and is catchy to listen to.

The title track “Strip Me” is one of the more entertaining tracks on the album. The

song alternates between soft ukulele notes and loud percussion beats, which when combined with the catchy chorus and lyrics about being yourself is deep enough to connect with listeners while still being a song that they can sing along with.

However, the second half of the album, reverts back to her usual pop style resulting in a barrage of songs with catchy beats and meaningless lyrics. For example, the single “Touch” is essentially a list of every errand she did that day. While the chorus and beats are catchy and can win people over, the songs themselves are repetitive and start to become an indistinguishable and monotonous blend of pop tracks.

The one gem is the song “Try”, which is about chasing after the person you love.

The simple melody composed of just guitar and piano notes subtly complements Bedingfield’s powerful voice, allowing the song to stand out in spite of the clichéd topic and lyrics.

The album starts off strong, with its exciting deviation from Bedingfield’s usual pop style, but after a while, the songs start to drag. Bedingfield has the talent to come out of her comfort zone, resulting in some of her best songs so far, but overall, the album is a decent effort. ▪ Rating: B-

natashabedingfield.com

Natash Bedingfield performs on The Tonight Show.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

Restaurant Review:

www.thesmokesignal.org

A Taste of Bangkok in Fremont in the shape of flowers and bright purple orchids. The smell of the food paralleled how it looked; the sweet and savory aromas increased and made my stomach lurch in anticipation.

SS: That’s pushing it. The dishes looked great, but they had no distinguishing aroma. Fortunately, I was famished so I decided to dig in to the vegetarian green curry first. With three glasses of water around me, I was prepared to take on the spiciest of curries. The curry actually was not very spicy, and the little spice it had was very tasteful. However, for various reasons, I’m accustomed to spicy food, so lightweights, make sure you order it mild.

www.bangkokcuisinefremont.com

By Diya Roy & Sanjna Shukla Staff Writers

The rain was pounding down on the streets of Fremont as two MSJHS journalists looked for a diamond in the rough, a restaurant that would pass their test. After finally locating Bangkok Thai in the corner of the maze known as Town Fair Shopping Center, the two decided to try it out.

Sanjna Shukla: Although I was a little skeptical of the un-ornamented exterior of the restaurant, the welcoming décor inside left me pleasantly surprised. The bamboo centerpieces added a great touch and the decorative booths, with printed cushions and ornate design, made me want to stay. The little lady who came up to front was very warm and displayed the kind of excellent service we would be offered throughout our lunch. She was willing to answer all our questions with patience and without any annoyance.

Diya Roy: I completely agree! The paintings on the wall and rich, vibrant colors were

Arts & Entertainment 15

certainly inviting. Although the waitress was warm, it was hard to understand her speech at times, but that wasn’t a big deal. She did have plenty of suggestions for us, however.

For drinks, we decided to go with her suggestion of Thai Iced Tea, which was perhaps the best tea I’ve ever had. It tasted like a blend between tea and a Starbucks frappucino, the perfect start to the meal. After the outstanding drink, the appetizer was a a big let down.

DR: I have no problem admitting I am a “lightweight,” so the Stir-Fry Eggplant with Chicken was perfect for me. It was spicy without making me reach for my iced tea, yet it had a bold flavor. The veggies were crunchy yet flavorful and the meat was soft and juicy.

The Tofu Pad-Thai was the perfect complement to the chicken. While the former was sour and savory, the Pad-Thai was sweet and mellow.

SS: The Pad-Thai was a little too sweet for my liking, and yet again, the tofu seemed too soft. I eagerly awaited the arrival of the dessert, Coppa Mascarpone. While Diya was devouring the Pad-Thai, I took the first bite out of the dessert. The bits and pieces of peanuts and chocolate on the top seemed unnecessary and had no relation with the cream they were supposed to complement. I feel like the chocolate syrup at the bottom was actually a mistake. The flavor of the syrup completely overpowered the mascarpone cream and there was way too much going on for such a little dessert.

DR: For once, I agree with Sanjna. Overall, this was an amazing Thai food experience. It was a bit pricey, at $47, for two drinks, an appetizer, three main dishes and dessert, but the money was well spent in my opinion. Bangkok Thai is definitely a place to check out for your next night out! ▪ Located at: 3213 Walnut Avenue Fremont, CA 94538

SS: The crispy tofu appetizer was definitely not what I expected. In direct contrast with the surroundings, the appetizer was bland and tasteless. Fortunately the peanut sauce was edible and added some much-needed flavor to an otherwise lifeless dish. The tofu itself was too soft and seemed undercooked.

Although it looked delicious, it was exactly the opposite.

DR: Luckily, the main dishes more than made up for the disappointing appetizer. Before even trying any of the entrées, I was tremendously impressed with their presentation.

Each item was plated with lettuce, carrots cut staff writers diya roy & sanjna shukla

16 Arts & Entertainment

www.thesmokesignal.org

The Smoke Signal

Last of Disney Princesses

By Allan Ko Staff Writer

Disney–-the very word inspires visions of cliché movies featuring beautiful princesses wearing fancy dresses, handsome Prince Charmings that save the day, and (of course) the evil stepmother and/or witch necessary to complete the formula.

In a nutshell, they are utterly boring, not to mention repetitive after the many Disney movies that follow this pattern.

The audience for these happily-ever-after movies (which date back to 1937, with the release of Snow White) existed–-primarily in young girls. Once upon a time, those eightor nine-year-olds still dreamed of princesses and castles. However, the girls in this age group are now usually found obsessing over Justin Bieber instead of Prince Charming, and the audience for princess movies has shrunk to girls five years old or younger. This audience shrinkage is probably the reason why Disney’s latest formula fairy tale movie, The Princess and the Frog, flopped.

Needless to say, Disney made the right decision when announcing that Tangled would be their last princess movie, and that movies for wider audiences (e.g. boys as well as girls) would soon be on the way. Tangled itself is a beginning of this new policy, as Disney added extra action scenes to the movie to appeal to

more boys and chose the title with the purpose of attracting a wider audience in mind.

From a purely capitalist standpoint, this decision is completely logical. A larger audience means more children asking their parents to take them to see Disney movies, which means more money made by Disney. However, by turning away from princess movies, Disney takes on a second, more important responsibility–-to drop gender roles in future works. Disney has a history of worldwide criticism for always portraying their heroines as serving the patriarchy, waiting for men to sweep them off their feet–-an ugly image in today’s America, with ideals of independence and role models like Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.

It’s also satisfying to know that the majority of the pre-teen population will now also be able to enjoy, relate to, and dream about Disney’s stories. But hopefully, Disney’s finish with princess movies is the first step of something more. Let this be the beginning of a future where little girls’ heroes aren’t women desperate to clean the home of seven dwarf miners or kiss a frog so that they can promptly fall in love with him. Society cannot have children grow up with the mentality that girls need men to give their lives purpose and meaning, and Disney has taken the first step to the solution. (Now to get those girls to stop idolizing Justin Bieber). ▪

stitchkingdom.com, disneylandpostcards.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Posthumous Releases

Michael Jackson’s posthumous album.

michaeljacksontruth.com

trueslant.com

Paul McCartney (left) and Ringo Starr (right) have no say for Beatles songs owned by MJ at the time of his death.

By Matt Farberov Staff Writer

When informed that The Beatles are finally on iTunes, Junior Michael Kagan replied with a puzzled, “Haven’t they always been?” Few know of the details of Michael Jackson’s epic estate battle, among which the ownership rights to 267 of the most-popular Beatles songs are included. So now that Jackson is gone, what does that mean for avid Beatles fans? It means- not a lot. Those 267 songs were previously able to play off records are now simply available on iTunes. However, all the other unpublished Beatles recordings will not follow MJ to the grave. Now that MJ has passed away, all ownership rights of the 267 songs fall to an extension of Sony, called Sony/ATV which continues to profit from song sales today. The infamous unpublished recordings are split between two entities, EMI Records, and Apple Corps. These two owners are currently working on a deal to release the recordings to the eager music world potentially utilizing sites such as iTunes.

A lot of huff has been raised over the legality and the ethics of such deals, bargains, and trade-offs. Some people think that trading off songs written by John Lennon and still living Paul McCartney like playing cards is de-

meaning, and the ownership should go to the two living Beatles. However, more is at stake than ethics alone. Because the financial worth of MJ at the time of his death is very much uncertain, estimates of Sony/ATV’s value is widely ranged between 500 million and one billion dollars. These figures don’t include profits from MJ’s upcoming CD of his own unreleased tracks featuring artists such as 50 Cent and Akon. Such a trade-off in wealth will send stocks, fans, sales, and lawyers into a frenzy. Let’s not kid ourselves, Paul McCartney is not the youngest kid on the block, and who will he leave his estate to?

The tangled web of debt, credit, and ownership has people looking for a straightforward answer. Will we ever be able to download all the Beatles songs and recordings off iTunes? Hopefully. If diplomacy, life expectancy, and top notch lawyers all work out in the listener’s favor, then someday we will be able to bask in all of the mighty Beatles glory.

Who knows whether the Beatles ever wanted all their tracks released and who will ever be able to definitively say that Michael Jackson didn’t want these songs to be published? In my mind, if they didn’t want people to hear it, why would they write the songs in the first place? ▪

Top Christmas Entertainment

By Frank Chen & Angie Wang Staff Writers

MOVIES

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Home Alone

1. It’s A Wonderful Life There’s no doubt about it. Even among nonChristmas movies, It’s a Wonderful Life does more than hold its own; it’s at the front of the class. The story follows a guardian angel showing George Bailey ( James Stewart), a miserable man, all the lives he had touched and his contributions in the community. It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the 100 best American films ever made. Though more than 50 years passed since its production, it remains the best movie of the Christmas season.

2. A Christmas Story There’s nothing like an original, straight-to-thepoint movie about Christmas, and A Christmas Story fits that description well. A holiday classic, it narrates the story of Ralphie Parker, a boy who only wants a Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle for Christmas.

Through a series of comedic events such as getting his tongue glued to a stop-sign pole, Parker finally gets what he truly wanted. A classic movie for all ages, A Christmas Story will continue to be a public favorite when it comes to the season of giving.

3. A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol is the target of many film remakes, but the 1951 production is easily the clear standout.

Though in black and white, the spirit of the film

It’s a Wonderful Life

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas

had never failed to appeal to audiences. Alastair Sim’s fantastic portrayals of Ebenezer Scrooge, from being mean, sinister, and miserly to happy, kind, and generous, is particularly noteworthy.

Though not a box office success, it has become a TV favorite and is a sure bet to satisfy any holiday movie craving.

4. Home Alone There’s comedy, and then there are Christmas movies. What do you get if you put them together? Home Alone! A family comedy about the witty, eight-year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) facing two burglars to-be, Home Alone is the highest grossing live-action comedy film of all time in the United States.

With its hilarious scenes of the burglars falling into Culkin’s trap, Home Alone is guaranteed to make even Scrooge crack a smile.

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas Producer Tim Burton is known for thinking outside the box. With this flick he’s done it again. Using stop motion technique, he helped director Henry Selick produce the fantasy film The Nightmare before Christmas. Set in a “Halloween Town”, main character Jack Skellington opens a portal to “Christmas Town”, which he eventually takes over. Burton is able to connect the story of Halloween to the story of Christmas, formulating a movie that is like no other.

MUSIC

Glee Cast: The Christmas Album

1. Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas Mariah Carey uses keyboards, bass guitars, drums, percussion and heavy backing vocals to create a real church vibe and expresses the true sound of the holiday season. The album incorporates holiday classics as well as original songs that are sure to bring the grumpiest of all Scrooges some holiday cheer. If you only have a couple of minutes to boost those holly jolly spirits, be sure to check out “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, which quickly became the best-selling holiday ringtone in the U.S. 2. Glee Cast: The Christmas Album Since its release in November 2010, this album, performed by the cast of the hit TV show Glee, has been climbing the charts faster than Santa Claus can climb down your chimney. Lea Michele (Rachel in the show) performs a refreshing cover of “Last Christmas”, while Chris Colfer and Darren Criss (Kurt and Blaine) sing an unorthodox male duet version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. While this was definitely unconventional, Criss and Colfer’s voices soared along with the ratings from multiple critics.

3. Frank Sinatra: The Christmas Collection On October 26, 2004, Frank Sinatra took the world by storm with his album, The Christmas Collection. Sinatra’s soothing voice and his calm, cool, and collected attitude are the trademark of his music. If you want something that’ll put

A Charlie Brown Christmas

you right back in front of the fireplace this holiday season, try Sinatra’s cover of “White Christmas”, originally written by Irving Berlin.

His “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” is perfect for a Christmas date night, while “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is definitely fitting for a Christmas Eve with the kids.

4. Vince GuaraldiTrio: A Charlie Brown Christmas The Vince Guaraldi Trio brings back another holiday favorite, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This rendition of a popular children’s comic stirs memories for people of all ages, featuring the familiar rhythms of the classic “Linus and Lucy” and “Christmas Time Is Here”, which younger generations are sure to recognize from Alvin and the Chipmunks. This classic album is sure put a smile on the entire family’s faces.

5. Relient K: Let It Snow Baby… Let It Reindeer Let it Snow Baby… Let it Reindeer is extremely popular for such a new album by a more recent artist. Relient K takes holiday classics and transforms them into modern, upbeat dance pieces while retaining the holiday themes and spirit.

Relient K also writes original Christmas songs and parodies, like “Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town”. While they are popular for their witty, “punny” lyrics and funky rhythms, Relient K is also known for modernizing classics into new but recognizable, revolutionary songs, as shown in “Silver Bells”. ▪ movieforum.com, library.duke.edu, wikipedia.org, amazon.com, nymag.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

Playing Their Way to College

By Alissa Gwynn Editor-in-Chief

The Recruiting Process

In addition to filling out SAT scores and writing essays, some students at MSJ are also completing a separate portion of the college application process: reviewing offers from various universities for athletic scholarships.

Although the athletic recruitment rules vary between sports and Divisions, the general process among colleges remains the same: interested college-bound athletes must first register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) online at www.eligibilitycenter.org, and then complete the checklist

(which includes items like taking the ACT or SAT and sending transcripts) to be considered academically eligible to participate in college athletics.

The NCAA, according to its website, “serves as the athletics governing body for more than 1,300 colleges, universities, conferences and organizations [and] member colleges and universities develop the rules and guidelines for athletics eligibility and athletics competition for each of the three NCAA divisions.”

Coaches then contact exceptional athletes, though they must

follow a strict set of rules regarding how and when students may be contacted. For example, during the evaluation period, a college coach may watch a prospective student play or visit his or her high school, but cannot have any in-person conversations with him or her off the college’s campus.

Ultimately, meeting NCAA requirements does not guarantee admission into a student’s college of choice. They must also apply and be accepted into that school.

For more information regarding the college recruitment process, visit: http://www.ncaa.org.

The Athletes

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IZZY GOW | A Star on Ice

continued from page 1

onto the ice. But it turned out that I was able to go around the rink by myself, and I signed up for classes.

Eventually I started participating in competitions.

SS: What kinds of competitions do you participate in?

IG: I compete in Regionals, which happen every October. I’m trying to get past Regionals and progress to Junior Nationals or Sectionals.

Baseball

Uncommited

“..every batter poses a new challenge. Even if you fail on one pitch or one batter gets a hit, there is always another opportunity to succeed and get the next guy out. I just love to compete.”

Sasha Alcon

staff writer ginger werner

Lica Monobe

Swimming

Soccer

Commited: Dartmouth

Commited: Cal State Stanislaus

“Overall swimming has taught me so many things that I wouldn’t be able to list them all here. I’ve met the most amazing people and have found lifelong friends.”

“It’s gotten to a point that soccer has just become part of me and it’s hard to imagine my life not playing it. I love being part of a team and putting [my] heart [into] every practice and game.”

The Interview Smoke Signal: How long have you been playing your respective sports?

Matt Imhof: I started playing baseball when I was four years old. I’ve played year round baseball for seven years and usually practice about six to eight times a week and that ranges from working out to actual on the field practice.

Sasha Alcon: I’ve been swimming since I was seven, so ten years. I swam for the Flying Fish at Clubsport, Thunderbolts in Hayward, and now train at the Pleasanton Seahawks in the Senior Elite Group.

Lica Monobe: I started playing soccer when I was about three. When I was 14, I decided to take soccer seriously so I moved teams mid-season to [a] Union City team which was a gold Division One team.

Unfortuantely, the team crumbled, so I moved around playing for multiple teams and finally settled with Bay Oaks (Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda). I have played with them for four years.

SS: What awards have you won?

MI: I have been selected to five All-Tournament teams and my travel team, TABU (Try And Beat Us), was ranked 11th in the U.S for awhile and 4th in California.

SA: I’ve made it to the Junior Na-

tional level/International level, been awarded a USA Swimming Scholastic All American the past two years for excellence in and out of the pool, and have been in the Pacific Swimming Top 20 for awhile now. I went to Pan Pac Trials this past summer, and last year, our team won Sectionals with the most points in the mid-team division.

LM: I have won a couple awards for my high school seasons, like NCS scholar athlete, All League Honorable Mention freshman year, [and] last year I won First Team All League.

SS: Have you committed to a school yet?

MI: Right now I am uncommitted and taking a look at all my options.

The school I have have been talking to most is Stanford University and I have to wait until March to know for sure if I can get in. I have been talking to the coaches at Cal Poly, UCSD, UC Davis, and Santa Clara University. I have received offers from UCSD and Cal Poly, but I decided to wait until spring to wait for Stanford.

SA: I have verbally committed to Dartmouth. I have received a likely letter which is pretty much an assurance that my Early Decision application has been successful.

LM: I am verbally committed to Cal State Stanislaus, which means that I plan to go to this school in the fall and that they have made an offer, but nothing is written or official yet. Since I am only verbally committed, I am still talking to other schools and coaches. I have talked to the University of San Francisco, Sonoma State, Cal Poly, Northridge, and Stanislaus.

SS: Did colleges contact you, or did you have to contact them?

How did the process work?

MI: I went to some showcases, basically where colleges come to watch a player perform, and was then contacted by colleges from all over the US. Coaches weren’t allowed to call me until July 1, but before that I received numerous emails. After deciding which schools I was considering, I either set up a recruiting visit to that school or went to a camp at the school. So far I have had an official visit to Stanford.

SA: I contacted colleges most of my sophomore and junior year by filling out questionnaires. Otherwise, the schools tend to take your silence as disinterest. Throughout my junior year, I called and emailed coaches, made some visits to meet the coaches, had my coach intro-

competition.

SS: As an ice skater, you probably have to keep yourself in top physical form. What exercise routine or diet do you follow?

IG: The coaches at the rink have put together a Pilates class for us skaters to improve our strength and flexibility. In the class, we do abdominal work, pushups, sit-ups, and sprints. In terms of dieting, I don’t follow any strict rules.

SS: What do you like most about ice skating?

IG: Well, I like skating for a lot of different reasons. I enjoy getting out there and performing in front of people, and I like the idea of having a few moments for myself. Especially in the programs, I get to have two or three minutes to simply go and perform, to just concentrate on myself.

Right now I’m at the Novice level, which is two levels below the top.

Matt Imhof

Sports 17

SS: How do you create a skating routine? Do you work with your coach?

IG: First, my coach asks me what kind of music I want to skate to, and we brainstorm and share ideas.

Using some of those ideas, she brings in some different pieces of music, and we put it together from there. Basically, we decide on the music first and then start on the choreography.

SS: Costumes are also a big part of skating performances; what do you do for your costumes?

IG: Yes, costumes are important— and expensive. My mom comes up with a lot of the designs for my costumes. Unfortunately, we have costume malfunctions sometimes, so we have to watch out for those and make sure to fix them in time for the next performance.

SS: Do you have a “good luck” routine that you do before performing—like a superstition you follow?

IG: I have a friend who eats honey—tons of it—before performing (laughs). So while she’s eating her honey, I’m pacing back and forth, talking to myself. That’s kind of what I do to calm myself when I’m feeling nervous, especially before a duce me to coaches, and responded to coach email questions. After that I had to narrow down my list and start planning out recruiting trips. During this Fall I made trips to Columbia, Yale, and Dartmouth.

These trips are 48 hours long and include spending time with the team and getting a feel for the school as well as seeing if the team is a good fit. Then you receive offers from coaches and decide where you think you will fit best.

LM: It was a mixture of both. For me, I would email the college that I was interested in and send them my game schedules along with athletic resume and profile. So pretty much tournaments are open for all coaches who want to come, then they watch you play, talk to your coach, and will email you later if they want to see you play again.

A lot of the time they just send their camp schedules [so] that way they can see you play up close under their coaching. So it goes both ways; either you can email them first, or they can just find you. The best way to get a coach’s attention is self promotion. You have to ad-

SS: Who are your role models and sources of inspiration?

IG: I have a number of favorite skaters who I look up to; one is YuNa Kim, who is an Olympian from

graphics editor cassie zhang

Izzy Gow gracefully executes a part of her routine during practice.

South Korea. Another is Evan Lysacek—he is really amazing.

SS: What are your future plans as an ice skater? Would you like to be a professional skater when you are older, or do you want to continue skating just as a hobby?

IG: In the future, I think I might want to be a coach for younger skaters. Even though coaching probably won’t be my sole profession, I might want to take it up as a side job or a hobby. My ultimate goal is to see myself at Nationals someday. ▪ vertise yourself as an all around athlete, student, and person.

SS: How does it feel to be recruited for a college’s sports team?

MI: It feels pretty awesome...to be wanted and sought after is a really good feeling.

SA: It has its ups and downs. During the whole process it is really in the coach’s court. With Yale I was very interested and the coach expressed great interest, but it ended up that she wasn’t being truthful with me about my status. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it’s very nice to feel that they value you and recognize all your hard work.

Another advantage is that I don’t have to worry about [applications] or getting an acceptance now that I’ve committed while everyone else is [still working].

LM: It feels pretty awesome. It makes [me] feel like all the work, time, and effort that [I] put towards a sport is finally paying off.

It [also] takes a huge pressure off of the application process…I have never felt so appreciated for what I do and how I do it. ▪

photos by staff writer connor williams and courtesy matt imhof, sasha alcon, and lica monobe

18 Sports

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The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Smoke Signal

Coach’s Corner: Boys’ Basketball

By Maya Ramachandran Staff Writer

By Grace Han & Amit Patankar Sports Editors

TAKE FOUR: “DRAFT BUSTS” A team’s best opportunity to rebuild a failing squad comes at the end of the year in the form of the draft lottery. Although some teams trade away their first round picks for experienced veterans, the end result for franchises that are awarded early draft picks is usually an entrance into the playoffs. Some teams, however, waste their draft picks on players that can never handle the transformation from the NCAA to the professional league. Second choice picks outshine the first ones and teams that sign their choices with bonuses and fanfare find themselves paying off a player that has no reason to even be on a roster.

Portland - Greg Oden Although Kevin Durant was projected to become one of the best offensive prodigies in the past decade, comparable to Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, the Portland Trailblazers put their bets on Ohio State’s star center Greg Oden. However, when Oden was scheduled to play in the 20072008 season, he announced that he would have microfracture surgery on his knee and miss the entire season. In 2009 when he seemed to be making a return, he had surgery on his patella and missed the rest of the season. Once again in 2010, Oden announced that he would have microfracture surgery and miss the rest of the season. After three years, Portland can only watch as Kevin Durant who was picked after Oden has one stellar season after another.

Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell The NBA is not the only league plagued by poor draft choices and players who can’t adjust to professional leagues. Selected as the first pick in the 2007 draft by the Oakland Raiders, Russell signed a six year $68 million dollar contract. After an average season in 2008, Russell was benched by coach Tom Cable to allow Bruce Gradkowski to play. Russell finished the 2009 season with one of the worst quarterback

nfltouchdown.com

Former Raiders’ Quarterback JaMarcus Russell often found himself on the bench more than the field due to mediocre play.

ratings in the league. Teams that were interested in signing Russell after that were reluctant because he was overweight and not the right size for an agile quarterback.

Sometimes talent can be hiding behind the usual first or second pick in the draft as we have seen with young stars like Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Philadelphia Eagles’ receiver DeSean Jackson. Teams in any league need to observe any potential superstar really well before even thinking of signing him. ▪

On December 10, during a cloudy Friday afternoon, the MSJ Boys’ Soccer team played a pre-season soccer game against Alameda High School. The game was led by Senior Kevin Roche and Senior Captain Zaki Sarwary. “We started really strong, got a lot of goals early, [and had] strong defense,” Sarwary said.

At halftime, the player-coaches for MSJ offered the team encouragement, praise for playing well, and a reminder to play “equally [as well as usual] if not better.” Although Alameda often showed a tendency to foul the Warriors, the MSJ coaches reminded the team members to “let it go” and play on with intensity. Already holding a 3-1 lead, the Warriors did not lose steam in the second half of the game, scoring another goal to so-

a team, but they were a good freshman class – they went undefeated.

After a long time away from home, Mike Kenney (Class of ‘77) has returned to his alma mater to coach boys’ basketball. As the Junior Varsity coach at MSJ since 2001, Kenney is excited to lead the Varsity team to a successful season in his first year as head coach. The Smoke Signal spent some time with the newest addition to the Varsity basketball staff to learn more about his experiences.

SS: Which are your favorite sports teams?

MK: I grew up here, so I like the Oakland A’s and the Oakland Raiders – they were actually good when I was a kid. I root for the Bay Area teams like the San Francisco Giants, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Golden State Warriors. In fact, I was there for the Warriors championship – believe it or not, the Warriors won a championship in my lifetime.

Smoke Signal: When did you start coaching?

Mike Kenney: 1988 at Washington High School. I had the freshman team for two years and then the JV team up until this year.

I jumped at the opportunity to come here to Mission in 2001 because I actually went to Mission, although I didn’t have the GPA that you guys do.

SS: The boys on your team say that your most famous quotes involve McDonald’s. Can we hear an example?

MK: If you win a game and you don’t play very well, it’s like going to McDonald’s – you get a lot of food, but that doesn’t mean the food is good. I am surprised that stuck!

SS: How are you handling the transition from coaching Junior Varsity to Varsity basketball?

MK: Actually, I don’t think there is that much of a difference. Varsity is a little faster, but the game is essentially the same. The players are a little more mature – that’s the easy part to be honest. A pass is a pass, defense is defense, and a shot is a shot, no matter where you are.

Boys’ Soccer Continues Strong Preseason

By Andrew Han Staff Writer

Sports 19

www.thesmokesignal.org

SS: What are the team’s goals for this season?

MK: Well, I think the team’s goals are to play well every time out there and to be competitive. And we always want to win, so we practice hard to win. Obviously we’d like our seniors to do well, because there are a bunch of them – we’ve got eight. That’s quite a few for

SS: What is the most rewarding experience of being a coach?

MK: Probably to see kids improve and do well, and if a win comes along with that – outstanding. Obviously winning is a lot more important to the players, because that’s what they play for and watch on TV. But I think, when you play on a team, there’s a lot more to it than just winning, getting a couple of minutes to play, or scoring a couple of points. There are friendships made for life and lessons learned for life. I have worked in the adult world for many years, and there are some people who still aren’t team players. You kind of learn those things, the unwritten things, on a team, and it is rewarding for me to be able to teach those lessons. ▪

Athlete Spotlight: Alison Lenci

By Connor Williams Staff Writer

Senior Alison Lenci is a sailing instructor at the Boy Scout Camp Oljato. She has been sailing ever since she was little, and has taught for the last three summers. Alison hopes to continue her sailing career into college and plans to go back to Camp and work there this summer.

Smoke Signal: What is your job?

Alison Lenci: I teach sailing classes at Camp Oljato for eight weeks every summer. I teach three to four classes a day, to Boy Scouts ranging from ages 11-18. Oljato is a Boy Scout camp in the beautiful southern Sierras. The camp is on Huntington Lake, which

staff writer ginger werner

cos (small single masted dinghies) that we have at Camp is always the most fun, especially when we race against the camp across the lake from us, Golden Arrow. But when you want to go really fast, you can’t beat the Hobie Cat 16s (double hulled catamarans).

They just fly on the water, but I am too light (you need enough weight to counterbalance the lean on the boat caused by the wind) to effectively sail one alone. It all really depends on my mood.

SS: Would you encourage our readers to try some new and different sport like sailing?

AL: Oh definitely, I am teaching 11-year-old Scouts to be totally self-reliant, and hopefully developing a lifelong passion. It’s a really enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Senior Jacob Seubert dribbles around his opponents. The Warriors went on to easily defeat Alameda 4-1.

Scoring three goals in the first half, the Warriors ripped through Alameda’s defense early on in the game. MSJ’s team showed much unity throughout the game, with a goal scored by Junior Kyle Welker by a cross from Sophomore Scott Havard. Their next goal came on a similar play. Mission defense was firm and consistent throughout the game, with Alameda scoring only once after much difficulty.

staff writer andrew han

lidify another victory.

The Boys’ Soccer team continued their good preseason play with this match. “We had a solid game,” said Sarwary. “We tried new things in the middle [of the game,] had a few slip-ups toward the middle, but other than that, we played well.” The final score – 4 to 1 – reflected the Warriors’ strength and served as the first of many victories for the season to come. ▪

Congratulations to the following athletes for making MVAL first team all-league for the 2010 fall sports season: Kevin Huo (Football), Leslie Chan, Dora Do & Elizabeth Au (Girls’ Tennis), Elisa Ting & Gigi Hsu (Girls’ Volleyball), Jerry Wong (Boys’ Waterpolo), Anna Kim & Laura Conn (Girls’ Waterpolo), Trina Duarte, Ariel Cheng, Leona Zhu & Victoria Wong (Gymnastics), Madison Hirsch, Erika Cherk, Alison Lenci, Avery Kruger & Dinakar Guthy (Cross Country).

courtesy alison lenci

Alison Lenci rests on the dock after sailing at Camp Oljato.

happens to be the seventh best sailing lake in the world.

SS: How did you get interested in sailing?

AL: My uncle actually used to be the sailing director at Oljato when I was little. We used to go visit him during the summer. My uncle was the first one to take me sailing; later my grandpa also took me on his boat. Because of my uncle and grandpa I always wanted to work at Oljato and be a sailing teacher. When I was old enough I started working at Camp, and I got to sample all the different parts of it, but sailing was always the best.

SS: What kinds of sailing do you do?

AL:Well, I think that soloing the Laser Pi-

SS: What is your favorite part of sailing?

AL: That is a tough question; I love it all so much! I guess one instance is when sailing off the dock with no wind, and then suddenly your sail catches it and you just start to fly.

I guess everything about the sport is just so much fun, I would even go so far as to call it bliss. The wind hits your sail, and everything just works. I wouldn’t even call it happiness, because happiness is just one aspect of a situation,whereas bliss is everything.

SS: What hopes or aspirations do you have for your sailing career?

AL: I really hope to join a sailing team in college, depending on whether or not I run in college. Right now I am on the Varsity Soccer team, and I also run Varsity Cross Country and Track. I also really want to keep teaching sailing, it’s just been such a great experience. I get to be on the water all day, hanging out, and doing something I love to do all summer long. ▪

20 Sports

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The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 16, 2010

around the horn in the bay

By Vishal Bajpai & Jonathon Teng Staff Writers

With over seven million people, the Bay Area is the home to many sports teams and zealous fans. It houses six major league franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Only a couple of decades ago, the 49ers won back to back Super Bowls and the Oakland Raiders won one in 1984. The Golden State Warriors were consistent playoff contenders, winning a championship in the 1974-75 NBA season. Recently, however, most of our teams have been less than spectacular. These monotonous years of mediocrity and disappointing seasons have given Bay Area fans many reasons to worry. Excluding the San Francisco Giants unexpected title run this year and annual short playoff appearances by the Sharks, Bay Area teams have not lived up to the expectations of the past. As another season comes and goes, we can only hope our teams will rise to their former glory and give fans more reasons to cheer.

At the end of the 2009 NFL season, the Oakland Raiders were the first team in NFL history to lose at least 11 games in seven straight seasons. During the previous season, the Raiders finished 31st out of 32 teams in average yards and points per game. With not much expectation on their backs this year, the Oakland Raiders have performed decently. So far, the Raiders hold a 6-7 record and are looking towards a seventh win against long time rivals the Denver Broncos. New quarterback Jason Campbell and running back Darren McFadden have revived an offense that has been lacking ever since the departure of Rich Gannon in 2004.

In addition, stars Richard Seymour and Nnamdi Asomugha lead a defense that has held its ground against many tough opponents. Head Coach Tom Cable said, “There’s a lot of things to be excited about, a lot of work to do still, but the spirit of the team is kind of in a place where you want it to be.” Hopefully, he is right and we are looking at a team that will bring many more victories in the future.

The San Francisco 49ers used to boast one of the best teams that the NFL had ever seen. But with five straight losses to start the season, the team has given fans a reason to worry about their future. Although they have bounced back, the San Francisco 49ers only hold a 5-8 record, with a slim chance of making the playoffs. Penalties and discord among the team have posed as two huge problems.

But amidst these problems, running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis have performed well.

Unfortunately, Gore, who ranks 11th in the NFL in rushing, has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to his fractured hip. Starting quarterback Alex Smith also suffered an early injury to his left shoulder. This, however, has benefited the 49ers; Troy Smith, the new starting quarterback, has won four out of the six games he has performed in. Three games still remain in the season, but if the 49ers don’t realize the win-orgo-home playoff situation, they might as well head to the lockers now.

Except for the ‘We Believe’ 2007 Playoffs, where the Warriors had a shortlived run of glory, the past couple of seasons for the Golden State Warriors have not yielded much luck. This year, with Don Nelson gone, the Warriors have stuggled to stay at .500. However, Keith Smart, the Warriors’ new coach, has revolutionized the team. Last season, the Warriors finished dead last in rebounding. To fix this problem, Keith Smart added many noteworthy players to the roster, such as David Lee, a center who is so far averaging 15.2 points and 10.1 rebounds during this year’s season, and Lou Amundson. The Warriors also have Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, two guards who are one of the most dynamic backcourt duos in the league. This year’s outlook is bright for the Warriors, and if the team can avoid injuries and play defense, they will definitely be a contender for a spot in the 2011 Western Conference Playoffs.

After years of disappointment and poor performance, the Giants finally managed to satiate the hearts of Bay Area fans by winning the first championship for the area in a long time.

Lately it has become impossible to go to school without seeing a Giants jersey or jacket. But the question that really plagues us is: can the Giants win it again? The answer seems to be yes.

The Giants proved that you don’t need a team of superstars to bring home the championship trophy and are well poised to win again next year. With their young core players in Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Buster Posey that look remain on the team the next few years, the Giants are a team Bay Area fans will be smart to invest in for a while.

Oakland is not the most loved city in the Bay Area right now. Between the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series and the Oakland A’s ending the season ninth in the American league, there is really no reason to cheer for Oakland. The A’s do deserve some slack though; during the second half of the season they were plagued with injuries. Before those injuries, the A’s were doing pretty well and stayed competitive in their division. Hopefully they can bounce back with a better season next year as they head in with healthier players. If they can avoid injuries and keep up their solid pitching and defense, the A’s might once again be contenders for the AL West crown.

Most people still remember the disappointment that the Sharks dealt us last year in the playoffs. Unfortunately the Sharks have not been able to deliver this year either, as they are currently only eighth in the Western Conference. However, their future prospects do look promising as they are currently tenth in the whole league for least goals scored against. Hopefully the Sharks can pull their offense together so they can improve from being twenty-second in the league for goals scored.

The Sharks might be able to have a good season with post-season success, but it will take lots of luck and hard work. Although they have been making the playoffs consistently the past few years, the only way to prove that they can translate their regular season success is with a deep playoff run. A Stanley Cup would be even better.

layout by centerspread editor tina tseng and sports editors grace han and amit patankar, nba.com, mlb.com, nfl.com, espn.com