Vol. XLVIII, No. 4

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. XLVIII, NO. 4

December 20, 2012

41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539

Academics challenge again

By Genevieve Huang Staff Writer After a year-long hiatus, MSJ’s Academic Challenge is preparing to make its long-awaited return to the tournament scene. Currently, Academic Challenge is preparing for the Las Positas Regional Science Bowl in January and the National Science Bowl in April.

During the 2011-12 school year, Academic Challenge was withheld from competition due to unsportsmanlike behavior exhibited at the nationals tournament. After the incident, Academic Challenge advisers Peter Geschke and Julie Raymond decided to suspend offsite competitions for a year.

Despite the recess from offsite competitions, Academic Challenge has continued its preparations, holding weekly practices for Quiz Bowl, Science Bowl, and Ocean Science Bowl members. Addition-

ally, the program also held their first Academic Challenge Intramural Display of Skill in SciBowl (ACIDoSiS) last January to ensure incoming freshmen could get a taste of real Science Bowl tournaments and not find themselves at a disadvantage when competition resumed. The program has not felt any drop off in talent or training because of the one year break: “If anything,” says Academic Challenge President Audrey Huang,

“the talent has increased because members have been more focused on studying in their downtime.” To boot, the program has experienced an increase in membership from the previous year, further demonstrating its popularity at MSJ. Having resumed competitions, the members of Academic Challenge believe they now have a

See BOWL, NEWS Page 2

staff writer peter qiu

(From left to right) Junior Krishna Bharathala, Seniors Raymond Liu, Audrey Huang, and Jenny Fu, are Academic Challenge club officers for the 2012-13 school year.

Success for SSEP

By Leah Feuerman Staff Writer

they were selected as runners-up to the first place submission from West Shore Junior/Senior High School in MSJ students placed second in Florida.

The Students in Space program the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) competi- at MSJ is headed by Math Teacher tion. They designed an experiment Charlie Brucker. Working since Septhat was chosen out of submissions tember 17, he helped various student nation-wide to enter the final round groups from MSJ submit a total of of the competition. On December 7, four proposals at their community

level. A community review board evaluated these proposals, and then selected two of them for the national round of SSEP. One of those proposals then moved on to the finalist round.

This was an experiment headed

See SSEP, NEWS Page 3

images.yahoo.com

Investigative Report: Cafeteria at MSJ unraveled

By Marisa Lenci, Grace Wu, & Anna Zeng Staff Writers

the district, and MSJ’s Manager of Nutrition Services, Rachel Hoover, about regulations here at MSJ. When asked about how the district prevents expired food from being served to the students, Szeto said, “We have a quick turnover to prevent that from happening. My motto is ‘first in first out’ and to keep the inventory as low as possible, so there’s no chance of having outdated food. We’re a big school district so we go through product pretty quickly.” Szeto said that the duration of the turnover could be anywhere from one week to a month, depending on the popularity and the longevity of the item.

As for the food served at MSJ, Hoover explains that expired food is never used, but if the label says

Recently, controversy over expiration dates on school food has gained traction in the news. On November 21, Joseph McCarthy, a delivery man for the Pacifica School District, filed a lawsuit against the district claiming that it has been knowingly serving foods that have passed their expiration dates. The Pacifica School District allegedly served expired pasta and frozen turkey and didn’t properly refrigerate a few other food items. In response to this controversy, the Smoke Signal conducted an investigation of the existing and new policies in MSJ’s school food program. The Smoke Signal spoke with Director of Child Nutrition Services for FUSD, Elsie Szeto, about regulations throughout

December 21 Minimum Day

See CAFETERIA, NEWS Page 3 December 21 Winter Ball 7PM-10PM GYM

December 24 January 4 Winter Break

deca winners

Read about the results of DECA’s yearly Creative Idea Challenge, announced early in December.

News

coach cain Mr. Cain has recently been awarded the title of the East Bay Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year.

Sports

crafty careers

The Smoke Signal interviewed MSJ students who have their own online craft stores.

Feature

2 News

www.thesmokesignal.org

News in Brief North Korea launches rocket On Tuesday, December 11, North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket into orbit. US missile warning systems detected and tracked the launching of this missile at 7:49 PM Eastern Time.

Although the US and its Asian allies believe the rocket is a disguised attempt to test a long range ballistic missile, Korea maintains that the launch is just part of a peaceful space program. Nonetheless, US has mobilized four warships in the Asia-Pacific region to monitor and possibly shoot down the rocket.

bloomberg.com

Thousands of North Korean soldiers parade in Pyongyang in celebration of the satellite launch.

Dinosaur named after President Obama Researchers from Yale University have named the newly-discovered prehistoric lizard Obamadon gracilis, after President Barack Obama. “The lizard has these very tall, straight teeth and Obama has these tall, straight incisors and a great smile,” said Yale Paleontologist Nicholas Longrich. The species was originally discovered in the 1970s in eastern Montana. However, a recent re-examination showed that the lizard was misclassified and is in fact a new species. The small, insect-eating lizard measures a foot long, and is speculated to have gone extinct at about the same time as the asteroid blast which caused the extinction of dinosaurs approximately 65 million years ago.

reuters.com

Researchers at Yale named this prehistoric lizard after President Barack Obama.

Wish Granted!

Shelbi Zeien, a 17-year-old from San Ramon, is meeting Justin Bieber in January thanks to the Bay Area’s Make-A-Wish program.

Zeien suffers from autoimmune disease, and had always wanted to meet Justin Bieber because she admires the way he treats his fans and his work ethic. Part of her visit will include a limo ride and personal shopper sponsored by Macy’s of Walnut Creek.

MSJ also recently participated in the Make-A-Wish program by writing hundreds of letters to Santa and 30,000 letters were delivered

by FUSD to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This effort resulted in a $60,000 contributions by Macy’s to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Smoke Signal

Sophomores meet with counselors

By Tiffany Huang Staff Writer

Beginning this year, the counseling staff will be meeting individually with all sophomore students in order to discuss their four-year-plan, review their transcript, and answer questions pertaining to their academic path.

Appointments, which began in early October and are scheduled until the end of February, serve as a chance for students to better acquaint themselves with their counselors, and as an opportunity to plan the framework for junior and senior years before preregistration in February.

Sophomore counselor meetings are scheduled alphabetically and take place during classtime for a brief half hour as counselors discuss college requirements for both two-year and four-year colleges. Counselors also introduce Naviance, a web-based college and career planning program.Parents have the option to attend these meetings, in order to familiarize themselves with their child’s academic and career goals, as well as to answer any questions of their own.

The counselor meetings have been changed to individual meetings, as opposed to previous years, where counselors spoke to classes as a whole during the sophomore career unit, so as to allow students to individualize themselves and have their concerns addressed at a more personal level. Appointments have been arranged for

10th graders, as sophomore year is an ideal time for students to take interest in their future college and career options. “I think that 10th grade is a good age to start getting an idea of what you need to do to graduate and make sure that you understand the progression to graduation,” says Counselor Merri Blum, “The system is working extremely well right now. There have been no complaints yet and everybody is very pleased with the results.” Parents in particular have been very supportive of the oneon-one meetings, as it allows them to personally talk to the counselor.

One-third of the appointments have been completed, with little to no obstacles. “My meeting with my counselor helped me think more about what I plan to

staff writer anita alem

By Peter Qiu Staff Writer The First Tech Challenge, or FTC, is an annual robotics competition sponsored by the organization FIRST, where teams of three to 10 primarily high school students compete in an annually refreshed “game.” MSJ was among the schools that hosted the first stage of Northern California’s FTC, a qualifier that took place December 8 in C-120. The tournament was directed by Math Teacher Charlie Brucker and MSJ Tech and Robotics.

Teams who met requirements

based off qualifier scores advanced to a regional competition, and teams who advanced from there may move on to the World Championships, usually somewhere on the East Coast. Teams 6165 and 5157 advanced to the regional competition and MSJ’s team 5353 won the Think Award for best engineering notebook. Also, MSJ’s team 455 advanced to the regional competition because they were the host team; all host teams advance to the regional competition.

This year, the game, called “Ring it Up!” involves a number of rings of various colors and weights that teams must place on pegs within a

staff writer anita alem

MSJ’s team 455 moved on to the regional competition as all host teams have the opportunity to advance.

for the nov. 16 2012 issue

News page 1: Catherine Wang took pictures for Bull in a China Shop.

News page 2: Hairou Guo’s name was misspelled.

COMPILED BY STAFF WRITERS ARUSHI ATLURI, TIFFANY HUANG, PETER QIU

BOWL | AC competing again continued from page 1 greater appreciation for both the tournaments and their teammates.

“Science Bowl had helped me develop my character and my sportsmanship,” says member Senior Raymond Liu, “I know I’m a better person because I really value our teamwork and collective thought. I have high hopes for this upcoming year.”

After recently holding Science Bowl tryouts, Academic Challenge has assembled their five-member team for the 2012-13 year with high expectations. Each member is well-versed in every area of Science Bowl while holding specific strengths; Huang and Liu specialize in Biology (Liu placed third at the International Biology Olympiad this past July), Shah Aditya Jung, 12, and Kelvin Lu, 10, focus on Physics, and Krishna Bharathala concentrates on Mathematics.

With such diverse talents, the team is confident of success at the upcoming Regionals tournament and looks forward to the Nationals.

The Academic Challenge club additionally feels that it has become more tight-knit as a team, and can better work together and build off of each other’s strengths to succeed.

“Because of our break from competition last year, I think we have come back stronger and more ready to compete,” says Bharathala. “This sounds really cheesy,” adds Jung, “but I truly believe we’ve grown as a team this year; our hearts pulse as one.” ▪

MSJ holds its first tech challenge

News page 1: Adele Shen’s name was misspelled.

midatlantic.wish.org

do in the future,” says Sophomore Vina Kong. Rescheduling and pulling students out of class, however, have caused little difficulty.

Students are notified of their appointment date through the mail three weeks ahead of time so that students may notify their teacher of any interference with class time and plan accordingly. “My classes haven’t been affected much by the sophomore counselor meetings,” says Chemistry teacher Katy Kuei, “I believe that my students have the time management skills to handle any interference with class time.”

Due to the success of the individual meetings, next year’s sophomores may also look forward to meeting one-on-one with their counselors in the coming year. ▪

Counselor DeAnne Andrews (pictured above), Merri Blum, and Lindsay Rotter are setting up meetings with all sophomores to discuss their future academic plans.

News page 1: Sonam Bhuptani’s name was misspelled.

The Make-A-Wish organization granted Shelbi Zeien her wish of meeting Justin Bieber.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

News page 2: Seniors Hairou Guo, Charley Zhang, and Brian Yuen are MSJ’s 2012 Siemens semifinalists winners.

Centerspread page 8: Tiffany Huang’s name is misspelled.

Sports page 15: Nicholas Ha finished 1st in Boys’ Varsity.

Two teams compete at MSJ’s very first FTC qualifier.

match lasting two minutes. Points are awarded based on the height of positioned rings and patterns they form on the three by three peg rack. Some rings are three times a normal ring’s weight and some are only for a pre-programmed period of the match, where no human interference is allowed, for extra difficulty. Four teams play at once, and they are divided into two alliances, each made of two teams.

During the last 30 seconds of a match, called the end game, a robot of one alliance attempts to lift the other robot of their alliance for a significant number of bonus points.

Organizing such an event has come with its fair share of obstacles. MSJ had wanted to host FTC last year in the gym, but was beset by conflicts with the athletics department. Robotics was hard pressed to find a weekend that didn’t coincide with an athletic activity, and before they knew it, the season had passed. This year, the robotics club has abandoned the gym as a possible venue. After a few measurements of C-120 were taken, it turns out that the

staff writer peter qiu

room would work, even though it was a slight squeeze. C-120 was large enough to house a single 12-foot square playing field. Robotics also managed to secure the B-Wing cafeteria as a preparation area for teams. MSJ had plenty of help throughout the whole process though. Every team that competed had to provide at least one volunteer for the competition, and MSJ’s non-competing teams were also present to lend a hand. The two teams who represented MSJ at FTC were the “World Threatening Friends Brigade,” team 5275, and “Pink Fruffy Unicorns,” team 5353.

Teacher and administration response to FTC was overwhelmingly positive as well. Initially, there were administrational issues, but once the tournament was explained thoroughly, they were all for it. “I think it’s a huge step for the club, and it’s a huge step for Mission in general … I think this is really what the club wants to do in the coming years. The qualifier is only the first step….” says Apoorva Dornadula, president of the Tech and Robotics Club. ▪

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

News 3

CAFETERIA | How is the food at MSJ produced? continued from page 1 “best if used by,” it is safe to use as there is a difference between the two. In response to a question about rolling over food to the next day, Hoover says they are very strict about not rolling over certain perishable food items such as hamburgers, burritos, and taco pockets.

This school year, the school meals offered at lunch were revised to match the recent changes in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements. These increasingly specific guidelines have gradually been pushing for healthier lunchtime choices with more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. This year, students are required to each receive more than one cup of fruits and vegetables; schools are now required to offer a wider range of different fruits and vegetables to choose from.

The previous year, schools were required to provide students with half a cup of fruits or vegetables but did not require variety. Grain and meat regulations were uniform for all grade levels. Grain regulations now require all schools to offer whole-grain options.

Other changes in USDA requirements also went into effect this school year, and in response to these new regulations, district standards have already implemented requirements pertaining to total fat, saturated fat, and calorie count. Szeto says that “One of

Students are now required to receive more than one cup of fruits and vegetables.

A larger variety of fruits and vegetables are also presented to students.

the changes is that we’re offering more fruits and vegetables. The USDA felt that students were not eating enough fruits and vegetables on their own so they’re making schools raise their standards. We are also offering more whole grain products in our entrees because the government felt that kids are not eating enough whole grain. That’s why you see the

Whole grain options are now offered as a healtier alternative. yeast rolls that we’re offering. Even our pizzas now, you’ll see that some of it is whole grain too.” Intensive menu analyses for nutrients to meet government requirements for caloric content for elementary, middle, and high schools are also part of the transition to healthier eating in FUSD schools. Changes were made to the MSJ lunch menu to comply with new nutritional standards. Hoover says that pizza slice sizes are reduced in size, less grains and breads are served, and potatoes are no longer offered on Thursdays to comply with the new standards.

Students buying school lunches at MSJ may have noticed a new point system. This system requires students who buy lunches to have at least one fruit or vegetable along with an entree. In this new system, one school lunch is composed of at least three food points. Fruits, vegetables, and milk cartons each count for one point, while entrees are worth two. This system had been implement-

ed this past summer and has been a quick, efficient way to make sure students fulfilled nutrition requirements.

New computers have also been added to the MSJ lunch program. These require students buying box lunches to enter either their student ID number or an assigned lunch number. This has been implemented because MSJ is required to track students’ lunches and report back to the government to ensure that our school is adhering to the regulations throughout the program.

The cafeteria offers a selection of food choices compiled from prepared foods from government-approved sources. While giving a tour of the food production process Hoover said, “We thaw the food one day ahead of time in the refrigerator. Then in the morning,

In the new point system, one school lunch is composed of three points. Fruits, vegetables, and milk cartons are each one point, and an entree is two points. we have to prepare food for the elementary schools so we won’t start [preparing] food for the high school [until] 8:30 AM. At that time, we will heat up the food to the appropriate temperature. Then it will be put into a holding unit to keep the food warm [until] it is wrapped and prepared. After it’s wrapped up, it’s put back into the holding unit until 15 minutes before lunch. A third of the food will go out to C-7, another third to the snack bar,

and the rest will go to the cart.” Some food items, especially entrees like hamburgers, chicken wraps, pasta, roast turkey, arrive at the kitchen uncooked and incomplete. They are then manually heated in the ovens, assembled, in some cases combined with sauce, and finally packaged before lunch. Each high school in FUSD acts as a production kitchen to service for the elementary and junior high schools in their designated areas as well.

Within each of the high school kitchens, there is one chef and one baker each, who are in charge of cooking and baking the necessary items to be prepared daily. The rest of the staff are in charge of preparing the food for lunch for MSJ and elementary schools that receive food from MSJ’s kitchen.

The effectiveness of these new changes towards healthier food items is yet to be seen.

Szeto says that sales have decreased by two percent overall in comparison to this time last year, implying that the student body may not be buying into the healthier route that MSJ has been trying to enforce. However, neither Szeto nor Hoover have been discouraged by these numbers and are determined to provide what it takes for a healthier school, district, and nation. ▪

New computers have been added so the cafeteria staff and the government can track that each student is following the new health policies.

blog.acorn-is.com, computer-technologicaladvances.blogspot.com, kingarthurflour.com, listenlearnmusic.com

SSEP | MSJ places second continued from page 1

by Juniors Aamir Rasheed, Charlie Tong, Jonathan Lu, and Patrick Zeng. After their proposal was selected, other students involved with Students in Space at MSJ joined to help work on their experiment. Their proposal was intended to test how microgravity affects the ability of carbon nanotubes to store hydrogen fuel. This data would be significant in the event that hydrogen became a common fuel source for space-bound vehicles. The parameters of the SSEP competition required all participants to design their procedure around a single large test tube, which could contain up to two capsules that could hold almost any substance.

The larger test tube could also hold any material, and either or both of the two capsules could be broken at any time to allow their substance to mix with the contents of the test tube.

MSJ’s proposal was that hydrogen gas should be placed in the test tube, and one capsule would contain carbon nanotubes, while the other would contain potassium oxide. After the test tube would be sent into space, the capsule with the carbon nanotubes would be broken and allowed to mix with the hydrogen gas. The nanotubes would be completely saturated with hydrogen gas, and the capsule containing the potassium oxide would then be broken to absorb the remaining gas.

ncesse.org

Last year’s SSEP winners were able to witness the launch of SpaceX on May 22, 2012.

Theoretically, the potassium oxide would account for any changes in the amount of hydrogen gas stored by the carbon nanotubes as a result of reentering Earth’s gravitational field.

After the test tube would return to Earth, scientists would measure the amount of gas absorbed by the potassium oxide, and then determine the amount of the remaining hydrogen gas that must have been stored by the carbon nanotubes during microgravity. This experiment would give scientists hard data as to the capacity of carbon nanotubes to store the hydrogen gas.

The success of MSJ students in the SSEP has been very encouraging. After all their hard work, the group is now looking for alternative ways in which their experiment can be sent into space. ▪

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4 Opinion the

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Smoke Signal

Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 48, No. 4 | December 20, 2012 www.thesmokesignal.org

41717 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 (510) 657-3600 Editors-in-Chief Frank Chen, Allan Ko News Nihar Parikh, Aishwarya Thakur Opinion Kyle Qian, Sonali Toppur Feature Jin Peng, Jade Shi Centerspread Rachel Choi, Anusha

Rijhsinghani A&E Tanya Raja, Alekya Rajanala Sports Kenny Jacoby, Vishak Menon Graphics Angie Wang, Sherry Xiao

Web Jaynelle Gao, Jonathon Teng Tech Sai Chilakapati, Anna Zeng Business Vivian Jair Circulation Supriya Yelimeli Ads Grace Wu, Lindy Zeng Events Anjali Kanthilal, Kerrie Wu Writers & Photographers Anita Alem, Arushi Atluri, Tingting Bi, Jason Chen, Laura Chen, Leah Feuerman, Ishan Goyal, Catherine Ho, Genevieve Huang, Tiffany Huang, Nina Krishnan, Irisa Lee, Marisa Lenci, Hairol Ma, Peter Qiu, Aamir Rasheed, Hannah Shih, Sanjay Sreekumar, Tammy Tseng, Peter Xu, Angela Wang, Catherine Wang, Shirby Wang

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

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perSonali speaking A Very Tech Christmas

By Sonali Toppur Opinion Editor

If people were convicted on a broader humanitarian scale, the youth of America would probably be on trial as a whole right now for murder of the English language, one “swag” at a time.

While slang words these days are used often, their meaning varies from person to person.

While “yolo” to some people means “sure let’s do it” to others it means “let’s not study for this test because it’s okay if we fail.”

There has always been a divide between conversational English and written English in tone and syntax. We are often warned by our English teachers to stay away from the murky depths of that swamp of purple prose.

However, the line has to be drawn somewhere between simple sentence construction, and a sentence composed with words that truly hold no meaning and literary value.

Twitter and texting have revolutionized the way we communicate. We write restricted to a certain amount of characters too often, sacrificing quality of language for efficiency. The average English dictionary contains roughly 300,000 words, yet to converse we use less than 0.8 percent of these words, around 2,400 words. There are so many words to choose from, yet

we choose words like “k”, “breh”, and “cool”. People find it harder and harder to express themselves and their emotions with words these days, and with the way they text and IM it’s not difficult to see why.

Unfortunately, hand in hand with stunted communication comes loss of face-to-face conversation. Heartfelt birthday wishes from people calling or dropping in to visit are replaced

by Facebook messages from people that have been reminded it’s your birthday which while nice to receive, lack the sentiment.

With the lack of emotion and eye contact in texting and online conversation, we tend to miss out on creating meaningful connections with others. It’s so easy to misunderstand and misinterpret messages that are not delivered in person.

As we approach the holiday season, lay off of Facebook and your cell phones for a while, and try to engage in some quality time with your family and loved ones, in person. Tell them how much they mean to you, and try to have a “swagtastic Christmas and remember to #YOLO this new year up.” ▪ Send letters to the editors to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 20, 2012

right on Q

An Apocalyptic Bias

By Kyle Qian Opinion Editor

With the end of the world upon us, I think it’s an appropriate segue into a discussion about confirmation bias, no?

‘Wow, Kyle! That sounds awesome!

But what is it?’

I’m glad you asked. To put it simply, confirmation bias is when you interpret information in an unbalanced way that usually confirms what you already think.

Imagine that a wise-looking, Gandalf beard-sporting man with a monocle told you that it’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. He looks like a guy who knows what he’s talking about, so you believe him. A bit later, you suddenly feel the urge to sneeze.

With the old man’s words in mind, you try to keep your eyes open while sneezing. It didn’t work.

‘Ah,’ you say to yourself, ‘the old man was right! It really is impossible to sneeze with my eyes open.’

This is confirmation bias. Because you were already prepared to believe what the old man told you, it only took one failed sneeze test for you to “confirm” what he said.

‘Gee whiz, that’s amazing! But now that you’ve learned me some knowledge, what does any of this have to do with the end of the world?’

Well, everything…and a bit of dark humor. There are over 314 million people in the United States and counting (we’ll assume that no other countries are participating in the apocalypse).

That’s a lot of people, and a lot of stuff happens when there are a lot of people. A lot of bad stuff can happen to good people on a daily basis.

For instance, someone in the country will experience a power outage tomorrow. Same with thunderstorms.

And earthquakes. Locusts might spontaneously decide to migrate tomorrow, a sure sign of apocalypse.

You’re finally going to notice all the bad luck you go through on a daily basis. Your car doesn’t start the first try and your radio gives you static. It feels like an episode straight out of The Twilight Zone. And if that weren’t enough, some college kid is probably going to get epically pranked by his dormmates tomorrow in the spirit of the apocalypse. Missing doorknobs, loosened faucet handles, sprinkler systems going off, just to name some possibilities. Poor guy.

Point is, doomsday is going to be quite unpleasant and potentially scary for some people just because of confirmation bias. While most of these things you’d normally ignore or rationally explain, doomsday may serve as a distraction to this rationality.

So with that in mind, don’t panic if things happen to go wrong tomorrow. Bad luck happens every day--it’s not the end of the...well, I guess we’ll see, huh? ▪ Send letters to the editors to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

EDITORIAL : Be Safe, Be Sober The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board At the age of 21, young adults are legally permitted to purchase and consume alcohol. However, at no age does it become legal to drink and drive. According to a 2009 Center for Disease Control study, up to half of high school seniors surveyed had consumed alcohol in the previous month. Thirty percent of ninth graders, as well as 51 percent of young adults age 18 and older reported that they were regular drinkers, meaning that they had consumed at least 12 drinks in the past year. In the wake of these statistics, more than 1.41 million people were arrested in the US in 2010 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

Various programs and organizations have arisen in the US to combat such problems. For example, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) promotes the slogan “Don’t drink and drive.” Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a national organization that aims to “aid the victims of crimes performed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and to increase public awareness.”

Such organizations are definitely making an impact on drunk driving; according to MADD, drunk driving fatalities have decreased 24 percent since 2006.

An issue with some of these programs, however, is that they promote antiquated messages. The slogan “Don’t drink and drive,” for example, assumes that stu-

dents will be able to make the decision to not drive when they are already intoxicated.

Students still decide to drive while under the influence because they believe that they are invincible, and this feeling of invincibility is no doubt compounded by intoxication. The bottom line, however, is that teenagers do consume alcohol, and in this impaired state, feel safe enough to drive afterwards. They do not realize the true danger of their actions until it’s too late.

Parents are often unaware of the extent that their children are drinking at parties. They should become actively involved as they have the power to influence their children’s decisions. Students need to realize that making good decisions is far easier when they are not impaired.

While current advocacy groups have had a measure of success, their efforts can be significantly improved with increased family involvement and personal responsibility. Turning 21 does not make young adults responsible drinkers. Rather, it will be our responsibility to demonstrate that 21 is a reasonable drinking age. With the help of parents and an informed community, we, as students, can be better prepared to make mature decisions when the time comes. ▪

staff writer ishan goyal

Send letters to the editors to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

staff writer tingting bi

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Smoke Signal

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Opinion 5

Online Identity Crisis Written by Vivian Jair & Irisa Lee Work as Staff Writers

Facebook is becoming more of a doubleedged sword—it is both a useful necessity and a growing threat to online privacy. With the recent changes to Facebook’s “Data Use Policy” revealed on November 21, the issue is only worsening. Despite the appearance of seemingly minor tweaks, the new policy actually creates many alarming changes.

A closer look at the policy reveals that privacy is slipping out of Facebook users’ control.

Facebook plans to remove the democratic option allowing users to vote on the site’s privacy policies.

With its growing population, voting is becoming inefficient, as demonstrated by the small user turnout in the recent privacy policy vote. Privacy changes will be left to Facebook authorities, with users only being updated about when the changes will become effective.

Meanwhile, hiding posts removes them from your visible timeline, but does not prevent the posts from being seen on someone else’s timeline or in search results. In addition, even if

you prevent people from searching for you via email address or phone number, others can still find you through your friends. And of course, Facebook can see all. The company clarified that it can retain data, including when and where users upload photos, friend profiles they visit or search, ads they click, messages they send, and information obtained from third parties, like advertisers. Another controversial new update is how Facebook will use this information to present targeted advertisements based on your demographic or what you have “Liked”. While user data isn’t given to advertisers, it is shared between “affiliates,” or businesses that are owned by or in the same legal group of companies as Facebook.

Thanks to Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram earlier this year, the photo-sharing application has become one of those affiliates. Many Instagram users who have accounts open to everyone are worried about the connection to their Facebook information, speculating that their photos will

Friends 2,013 be monitored and their data sent to out to advertisers. While Facebook says Instagram will remain independent and other plans remain unrevealed, the new merge is making users question how much they want to post.

Overall, these new policies and the interconnections between social media sites only make it more difficult to hide unpleasant posts and to protect your online identity. While Google has been similarly tracking its users’ data for a while, this issue is more frightening because now others can search and see the data.

This is especially harmful to students, chiefly to those applying for jobs and seniors applying to college. According to a Kaplan 2012 survey, over 25 percent of college admission offices look at students’ Facebook pages. Meanwhile, a February 2012 Harris Interactive survey revealed that 37 percent of employers screen potential employees’ social media accounts.

With a surprising number of eminent politicians and athletes embroiled in scandals via social

Likes 1,000,000 media, it is hard to believe that job applicants and college-bound students would be exempt from the negative effects of inappropriate posts on Facebook. One instance occurred recently in November, when two women who posted pictures of themselves making obscene finger gestures at Arlington Cemetery were quickly fired by their company.

All this makes it more imperative that students learn to protect themselves. While many students have attempted to change their names on Facebook to prevent colleges from finding them, caution is advised if you choose to do so, as Facebook has a policy of disabling accounts with false names. Finally, as much as social media has a fault in further distributing personal information, much of the blame resides in users as well.

Significantly less harm will occur if users learn to safeguard what can be accessed by others online.

Hence, the old but ever-handy principle of only posting what you would permit your parents to see is still a great guideline to go by. ▪ thesmokesignal.org, labnol.org, proskauer.com

Christmas Confusion

By Supriya Yelimeli Staff Writer

As a child, my belief in Santa Claus was short-lived. My parents told me about the wonderful man at age five, and by age six, I had moved on to bigger and better things — the tooth fairy.

The illusion was shattered for me at age six when I saw a distinctly Indian man putting presents under the tree. I was affronted that he was eating Santa’s cookies when I realized, he was actually my father. Rather than suffering a tragic destruction of youth, I decided that as long as there were many, many presents under the tree, I would be fine.

In American culture, Santa Claus is made out to be the one experience that ties an entire generation to their childlike innocence and curiosity. The kind old man has been turned into the last honest institution that every child should be introduced to in his or her critical years, but the motives behind Santa Claus have tarnished.

Parents have told their children about Santa Claus for over a hundred years, wishing to create an innocent and magical experience for their kids. Although there is no harm in this white lie, the motivation behind this begins to cause problems.

The entire idea of Santa Claus is based on the fact that good children receive gifts.

A list is made, checked twice, and Santa will know if you’re naughty or nice. This wouldn’t be a problem, but it creates a very egocentric view for children. They believe that a man and his elves toil throughout the year to create presents based on them. A busy little world in the North Pole relies entirely on their behavior entirely. The innocent purpose is to make the children behave well, but they should learn to do so for the sake of being a

good person. From a very young age, this creates a desire to blindly work towards incentive, rather than behaving well for the sake of being a good person.

The goal is not to create a generation of social workers, but ideas formed during this young age tend to last. As children grow older they work for grades, jobs, money, and sometimes for their parents, hardly ever working towards a goal that has no material reward. It is difficult to preach morality to a kindergartener, but children are very impressionable and Santa Claus forms a strong reward-based mentality in children.

The purpose of Santa Claus is to create a conscience in young children. The idea of a glowing stack of presents is powerful enough to control even the behavior of a full-grown adult, but children should not be taken advantage of. Parents tell their children that Santa Claus is real, creating an entire universe that the children must abruptly grow out of at some point.

Fact and fiction must be separated so that children can be guided by the jolly red man without having to commit their world view to him. Considering they have the natural tendency to believe everything adults say, they shouldn’t be blatantly lied to. If it is okay to tell a child about Santa Claus, where is the line drawn? Can it allow such ideas such as the Easter Bunny? Or even, the difference between male and female?

Although meant completely innocently, the concept of Santa Claus has found its roots through the main method of lies. It is harmless fun when everyone’s favorite red nosed Rudolph is saved from a bossy clique by a jolly old man, but it is not ethical for parents to lie to their children. ▪

Charitable Causes

By Laura Chen Staff Writer

Many MSJ students are blessed to suffer from a host of first-world problems.

Although our petty issues arise because there is too much that we receive, we also have too many opportunities to give. We take these opportunities for granted, so much so that many of us now give only when there is an incentive involved.

As charitable causes have multiplied to the point of ubiquity, many of us have become susceptible to a sort of bystander effect — that is, there are so many causes and so many people who have access to them that we think someone is sure to donate to each one. All of the fundraisers we hear about begin to run together until we participate based on personal benefit.

Take L2’s canned food drive and its free-pizza-for-the-entire-school incentive, for instance. The point of donating to a fundraiser is to support a cause we believe in. Likewise, incentives are not intended to be more than an encouragement to do so.

Too often, we use free pizza or extra credit points as the sole deciding factor for our participation in a fundraiser, but what about evaluating its charitable cause? If we had no incentives, would we still be donating?

The point of fundraising is to spread

awareness of causes and to give people the opportunity to support those they believe in. It’s troubling that so many of us take the multitude of fundraisers in our community for granted. If we participated in fundraisers solely for personal gain, we would never discover the causes we truly support.

Taking that closer look yields benefits beyond simply preserving the spirit of fundraising.

For instance, if you reflected on how much one supported a certain cause, you could determine how much to donate to the fundraiser. If we don’t take time to assess our opinion of a fundraiser that gives no incentives, we may overlook a cause that we would have supported had we given it more attention.

Let’s face it — true altruism may not exist.

There may very well be staff writer arushi atluri no such thing as doing good deeds for the pure sake of doing good deeds, and what we give may indeed be what we get. But let us at least cease to give for the sake of getting a material reward. A responsible decision warrants more satisfaction.

Thus, just because fundraisers and charitable causes are multiplying does not mean that we should lump them all into the same category and only participate in the ones that give us incentives and rewards. Let’s challenge ourselves to give more thought to the causes we support, and in doing so, become more responsible citizens of humanity — beginning this holiday season, and beyond. ▪ psdgraphics.com, etsy.com, clipartpal.com

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Smoke Signal

Feature 7

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BEST TABLETS OF 2012

Similar to the revolutionary era heralded by the influx of smartphones, tablets are becoming ever more popular in the techno- By Ishan Goyal & Jin Peng logical trends of today. With the holiday season approaching and the everyday use and appreciation of tablets expanding, the Smoke Signal has compiled a brief overview of a wide variety of the best products the tablet market has to offer. Staff Writer and Feature Editor

apple IPAD MINI

4g lte - convenient size

Apple’s iPad Mini does not fail to impress with its stunning appearance and brilliant features. With its 7.9-inch display, the iPad Mini’s new specifications make it ideal for travel and business as it comfortably fits in the palm of your hand, unlike the bigger and bulkier presences of other tablets.

The petite device now also includes LTE capability and the option to access 4G mobile networks throughout the country. This versatility lets it encompass all the features of a tablet and phone while still maintaining its integrity as a miniature marvel. All of the 225,000 applications in the iPad market still work on the Mini without there being any need for modifications, making transitioning from previous Apple products a breeze.

However, because of its aspect ratio and lower resolution, many users have complained that the Mini lacks tactile precision. Because of its reduction in size, it uses an older A5 processor, making it less powerful than bigger competing tablets. In addition, the Mini starts at $329, a high price given its smaller display and weaker processor. Even so, the iPad Mini is still one of the most well-crafted devices that combines its unique user experience with aesthetic appeal and dependability. This holiday season, the Mini is a great gift for consumers of all ages, perfect for individual or family use.

google nexus 7

*pictures are not to scale

NFC - Nvidia tegra 3

The Nexus 7 brings to the table Google’s distinct innovation and style in a product that offers superb affordability. The Google Nexus 7 retails at $249 for 32GB of memory, coming off as one of the cheapest tablets on the market. Nexus 7’s advanced near field communication (NFC) also allows it to send files wirelessly by simply touching two devices together. The processor is the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3, one of the fastest available for tablets and large handheld devices. This high-end processor provides incredible speed in rendering detailed graphics and consuming tasks in combination with the Nexus 7’s seven-inch screen. The display’s small size provides for crisper images and an extremely detailed resolution.

In terms of design, the Nexus 7 feels slightly more bulky and less legitimate due to its plastic finish, unlike the aluminum shell of the Mini. The Nexus 7 also only has a front facing camera while tablets like the Mini include both a front and rear camera. As one of Google’s first competitive tablets, many more add-ons, such as the ability to connect to Wi-Fi or LTE networks, are likely to be in development and offered in future devices.

Even so, the Nexus 7 is a great deal for its price and does not fail to meet up to even demanding everyday tasks.

kindle fire hd

thrifty - amazon prime

As tablets become more and more popular with consumers, Amazon has released the Kindle Fire HD as a strong competitor to other multifunction tablets. The Kindle Fire HD is affordably priced at $249 for 32 GB of memory. In addition, the Fire also comes in screen sizes of seven or 8.9 inches, giving consumers a choice between a device that is more portable and convenient and one that is geared more towards entertainment.

What makes the Kindle experience truly amazing, however, are the endless possibilities in Amazon’s ecosystem. Amazon Prime allows the user to stream movie content, borrow e-books, music and tons of games. Additionally the dual core processor, crisp resolution and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform attribute to the Kindle’s smooth and speedy performance.

Even despite its user friendly nature, the battery life is one of the biggest drawbacks of the Kindle Fire HD. The Fire is also dependent on the availability of Wi-Fi to stream from Amazon Prime, making it mostly practical for hotspots or areas that have strong wireless connection. A monumental step up from its book-centered predecessors, the Kindle Fire HD is a strong choice for tablet lovers alike.

microsoft surface

microsoft office - touch cover

samsung galaxy

vivid display - user experience

The Microsoft Surface is an exciting new tablet that runs on Windows RT, a metro-based operating system similar to those on Windows phones. Its array of outstanding features make it a popular alternative to Apple’s iPad Mini as the hottest tablet of the holiday season. The first thing to note is the Surface’s sleek design made out of VaporMG, a material lighter than aluminum that still maintains durability. In addition, the tablet has a built in kick-stand, removing the need to purchase external gear to make reading and typing more convenient. Equipped with a 10.6-inch HD screen and an optical bonding technique to reduce glare, the Surface is great for viewing for both outdoors and indoors. A revolutionary new feature that the Surface provides is its Touch Covers, screen protectors that also serve as spill-resistant trackpad keyboards. Its anti-fingerprint coating also is an invaluable addition that keeps the display clean and clear. The Windows RT operating system is unique in that it offers a multitasking ability new to tablets in addition to its widely used programs such as Word and Powerpoint. However, being relatively new, it lacks compatibility with third-party programs and is only able to download apps from the Windows Store (which ensures that software is free from harmful viruses). Even so, the Microsoft Surface excels in both product design and usability. Being bigger in size and more complex than most other tablets, the Surface is priced at a moderate $500 but offers its money’s worth in terms of functionality.

Running on the newest Honeycomb OS, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is so far the best Android tablet on the market, providing a slew of perks that rival the capabilities of the dominant Apple iPad Mini.

Most notable of the Galaxy is its incomparable display. Featuring a screen that provides impeccable color saturation and unbelievably sharp images, the Galaxy is perfect for surfing the web or watching high definition videos. Its Nvidia Tegra 2 processor provides enough processing power to run applications smoothly over a wide variety of purposes, from games to video calls. A useful addition that the Galaxy has over the iPad is its support of Adobe Flash, allowing it to run a greater range of web pages, the majority of which have Flash content. The Android operating system also provides one of the easiest user experiences that essentially involves no learning curve, with functions such as web-surfing extremely similar to that of a computer.

The Galaxy also has the support of the Android Market, providing users with an endless selection of apps as well as compatibility with third party programs. Android’s open source coding provides a greater amount of freedom with tweaking than does iOS and Windows RT, making the Galaxy the go-to tablet for a device that isn’t limited by developer restrictions. The Galaxy is also wallet-friendly, with a price of $300 that almost seems to belie its ease of use and visual quality.

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*starting prices, may vary with additional features showstoppers.com, tablets-review.toptenreviews.com, apple.com

8 Feature

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The Smoke Signal

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: OPTIMIST Tomorrow - Annie the Musical "My New Years Resolution is to think of one for next year."

-Kevin Zeng, 10

“I would steal a Ferrari, go straight to Vegas with my wife and kids, and gamble all of my money.”

-Jeff Evans, History Teacher “Before the world ends, I wanna know what it’s like to be in love.”

–Guhan Sundar, 11

"I want to spend as much time as possible with Inae."

-Albert Chu, 12

"I want to enjoy my favorite food before I die: a burritozilla from Iguanas."

-Satwik Bebortha, 11

"I want to see a flying moose!"

-Justin Kou, 11

"I want to rule the world."

-John Diao, 12

"Try to wake up earlier on school days, be on time to class, and not have anymore tardies."

-vincent yeh, 12 "Ask this girl out before she leaves for college."

-Jonathan Chew, 11

“So for this year... I wish to be cool like Steven Chi.” -Kevin Ma, 12

"If the world was going to end, I would invest heavily in research in another planet so that once our world ends, there'll be another one to go to."

-Lynnea Shuck, 10

what will you do before the world ends tomorrow?

“Learn C++ so that I can go to college and learn to make a video game engine.”

-Adi Jung, 12

what are your new year's resolutions for 2013-2014?

"I'm one of the best people I know already. Psh, there's nothing I can improve."

-Haroon Rasheed, 10

"I want to hug an alpaca before the world ends."

-Sunny Su, 10 “Eat as many Chipotle burritos as I can because that's how I want to leave this world.”

-Betty Bei, 11 "I'd eat a lot without paying."

-Lily Tang, 11 “Learn the art of zombie killing.”

-Amanda Lo, 11 "I want to go to australia and pet a kangaroo."

-bryan yan, 11

"I want to have lots of fun and learn how to cook before I go to college."

-Clara Cheng, 12 "Make sure I go to confession."

-Kevin Mallon, Math Teacher "Get taller."

-Karthik Kribakaran, 11

"I will stop setting five alarms on my phone and wake up on the first one."

-Omar Choudry, 11

Organization Spotlight green team

By Catherine Wang Staff Writer

staff writer tammy tseng

From left to right, Green Team members Senior Sanjay Chandrasekaran, Senior Steven Chi, Senior Shanta Tran, and Junior Tiffany Chou.

The L2 Green Committee, also known as the Green Team, is a student-run organization that aims to make the MSJ campus more environmentally friendly. Partnering with other groups at MSJ and throughout the FUSD district, the new committee plans to promote green awareness in the student body.

Last year, Activities Director Ben Breazeale introduced the idea of a student-based green committee to fellow teachers, who provided many project ideas. Breazeale presented these suggestions at an L2 informational meeting, thus launching the organization. The heads of the committee, Seniors Sanjay Chandrasekaran and Shanta Tran, hope that the Green Team can connect to the student body more effectively than teacher involvement. Chandrasekaran said, “Rather than just having teachers encourage recycling, when kids hear the message from their peers, it becomes a lot more personal, and they take it as something they need to do.”

Multiple environmental projects are already under way. On November 29, Green Team members put up flyers around the school to promote proper recycling. Recently, MSJ has experienced disposal complications because students are discarding unrecyclable items, such as soiled wrappers, in the classroom re-

Thursday, December 20, 2012

"My New Year's resolution is to work out more and get the six-pack I've always dreamed about."

-Sid Ambulkar, 11 "To be more of an upstander."

-Sam Sze, 10 cycle bins. When 10 percent of the bins’ contents are not recyclable, the recycling facility will not accept the load. The Green Committee is working to alleviate this issue by informing students about the differences between ordinary trash and recyclable materials.

The committee is also establishing an ecofriendly garden near the vandal house behind the E-Wing. Multiple departments are interested in utilizing the garden as an outdoor learning environment for observing nature. The English and art departments will receive a portion of the garden, and the rest will be for the science department’s use. Construction of this multi-purpose area began in early December.

Another long-term goal is adding solar panels to MSJ facilities; if finalized, this project may continue for more than a year and the committee would work together with MSJ Energy Club to attain the solar panels.

Green Team projects involve other organizations, such as the Service Learning Waste Reduction Project (SLWRP). MSJ staff members including teachers Jeff Evans, Lisa Ishimine, Tori Ha, and administrator Diana Brumbaugh participate in this program. SLWRP invited the committee to work with them to increase student involvement. The Green Team is also helping Sophomore Haroon Rasheed create a composting program at MSJ, and plans to work with FremontIans Enabling Real Change in the Environment (FIERCE), an inter-district environmental organization for high school students in Fremont. Funding for the committee’s various projects comes from SLWRP, L2 funds, donations, and grants for specific projects.

This year, the Green Team will focus on solidifying its organization and collecting tangible results from short-term projects. “This is the first year that we have the Green Committee, so it’s really important that we create a strong basis. We want to make sure that the Green Committee for next year can keep our projects going and add new plans, bringing more environmental awareness to the school,” said Tran.

By reinforcing the importance of student collaboration and campus stewardship, the committee is a step in the right direction to greening MSJ. ▪

"I want to be featured in a Taylor Swift song."

-Jesse Lu, 10

"Before the world ends, I want to go skydiving in New Zealand. If I die, the world ends tomorrow anyway."

-Adviti Atluri, 9

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: PESSIMIST Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire

NEW CAMPUS SUPERVISOR Janice Wren

By Tingting Bi Staff Writer New Campus Supervisor Janice Wren helps to keep MSJ safe by monitoring our campus. The Smoke Signal interviewed Wren to gain insight on her goals and her methods of student interaction, as well as a few details about her personal life.

staff writer anjali kanthilal

Smoke Signal: Tell me a bit about yourself and your family.

Janice Wren: I was born in Maryland. I’m married, and I have seven children and eight grandchildren.

SS: Have you worked with high school students before?

JW: Before coming to MSJ, I worked at Walters Junior High School as a campus supervisor. I have plenty of experience working with high school students. I have a Girl Scouts troop with high school students, as well as three teenagers at home!

SS: What do you like about MSJ so far?

JW: All of the students here are very polite and respectful! Everyone is academically interested, and all the people who work here are so friendly.

SS: What do you hope to accomplish at MSJ? JW: I hope to show students that I am here for them.

I am available at any time to talk to anyone, to help students with any issues they need help with, such as parking problems or lost possessions, and to find solutions to any other problems that may arise.

SS: How do you plan to work with students to maintain a positive school environment?

JW: I believe in leading by example. When I pull students aside or ask students to take off their hats, I ask them in a positive manner. The more positive and upbeat I am – and I’m a very positive and upbeat person! – I believe that that is the response I will receive from students. I hope that they respect me even if at times I do have to ask them to do something differently. I hope they will understand that I am not trying to be mean but that I am doing my job.

SS: What does the typical day of a campus supervisor look like?

JW: The typical day starts with putting out signs and monitoring traffic. We make sure that parents and students are entering and exiting campus in the right entrances and that parents are not driving into the parking lot and dropping students off in an unsafe manner. We then proceed to check the parking lot for car issues. The rest of the day depends on the campus activities. We keep the school safe by making sure there are no individuals who do not belong on campus. We also collect lost and found items, return books, and take care of parking permits.

SS: What do you love most about your job?

JW: I love being around and interacting with the young adults. They are all incredibly thoughtful and smart. I’m inspired by students and their actions.

A group of students are helping to write a lost and found program, and I am just amazed at how bright and forward thinking they are. I learn something new every single day!

SS: What is the hardest part of your job?

JW: Asking someone to stop something they should not be doing. It is hard to tell teenagers to not do something because I know that they will be upset when I tell them to take off their hats or to change their short-shorts.

SS: What hobbies do you enjoy when you have free time?

JW: I read. I have three teenagers so I don’t have a lot of free time, but I am writing a memoir! Every year I attend a writer’s conference with authors from all over the US. SS: What is the most memorable experience you have had while working as a campus supervisor?

JW: My favorite experience was when I worked in a junior high school and there was a young student who, at the beginning of the year, thought that I was really mean because I asked him to stop doing things.

At the end of the year, however, he came up to me, gave me a hug, and said that I was the best campus supervisor he had ever had! ▪

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Smoke Signal

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Feature 9

Holiday Gift Interpretations

By Anita Alem, Tammy Tseng & Peter Xu Staff Writers

Expensive Purse: Your boyfriend loves you, right? That’s why he got you the Louis Vuitton purse. Not because he feels guilty for that one time he cheated on you in November or that other time he lied about playing Pokemon. No, your boyfriend’s just a good guy with a lot of cash. Who are you kidding, he’s cheap enough to make you pay for gas when you go out to lunch. Break up with him.

But no one said you couldn’t keep the purse!

Cookies: Verdict: If a guy buys you anything over $100, be suspicious.

The h o l i d ay s , a time of festivity, are at last upon us.

In this most wonderful time of the year, friends and family give presents to one another in acts of love. While gifts may seem like nothing more than tokens of holiday cheer, in reality, they reflect what gift-givers truly think of you. It’s dangerous to go alone, but with this handy Smoke Signal gift interpretation guide, you can uncover the hidden agendas of all your secretive Santas.

( U g l y ) Clothes: Your boyfriend got you an extra large t-shirt from Walmart that reads “Your Son is in Good Hands.” You didn’t know that a piece of clothing could be so horrible in so many different ways. Question every decision you have ever made in terms of relationYour boyfriend baked? In the ships. Does your boyfriend even see the kind of kitchen? His mom didn’t make these? classy, swaggy threads you usually wear? Is this a You brace yourself for a sugary hockey puck hint to lose weight? He clearly did not put any and take a bite. Wait, these chocolate chip cookies thought into this present. Dealbreaker. taste good. The silky gooeyness, the warmth in the center, the perfect ratio of chocolate to dough. They taste better than Verdict: Try out being yours.Your boyfriend is devoted to you and truly apprecisingle for a few Matching Necklaces: ates you enough to trade his manliness for an apron. He months.

You love your girlfriend. And you know she loves has fantastic taste in cookies and you have you too. But maybe she loves you a little too much...looking impeccable taste in boys. down at the giant rhinestone-encrusted piece of bling reading “HERS<3” in your hand, you have a sudden flashVerdict: Commission back to Ron and Lavender from Harry all the baked goods!

Potter. Unless you’re willing to progress to matching sweatshirts, matching haircuts, or matching underwear, escape this relationship before the point of no return (matching personalities).

Verdict: The future is looking bleak unless you take action. New Year, new life…new girlfriend.

Gift Card/Cash: Oh, the lazy gifts. The gift card is the perfect trap. It may look fancy, but underneath its glittery exterior lies a harsh and unforgiving truth.Your so called “friends” simply don’t know you or care enough to take the time to buy you a real. Money is even worse—your friend just could not be bothered to go out and get you a gift card. Now you really need to start ques- tioning the quality of your friendship. If the bill is crumpled and old, you know you’re not even worth a fresh bill.

Verdict: Meh, forget the fact that your friends don’t know you and get yourself something nice.

The Unexpected Gift: It’s a cool, crisp Christmas morning and you open your front door for a breath of fresh air. There, on your doorstep is a small package.

No label, no card, nothing.

Inside is the most ornate,

extravagant scarf you have seen in your life.

Look left, look right, no one’s watching? Guess you have a secret admirer!

Verdict: Don’t forget to lock the doors at night.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards: It’s time to D-D-D-D-DD-D-D-DUEL!!! No joke, whoever gave you Yu-Gi-Oh! cards is your best friend for life. He knows you inside and out, from the time of your conception to today. Like Books: Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler, the two of you are inGot a spanking new copy of The Trial and Death of separable; not even the three Egyptian gods have Socrates? It’s the perfect gift for… just about no one. First off, enough stars to pry you apart. Together, your life AP Literature and the holidays do not mix. Second off, it’s a points will never see zero. Together, the heart book. Who even reads for fun anymore? Your friends must think that of the cards will shine stronger than an Ulyou’re some sort of nerd who finds friends in words instead of people. tra Rare Blue-eyes White Dragon.Together, Got an SAT workbook along with your riveting narrative of Socrates’s final not even Pegasus could banish you to the moments? You’ve entered a new level of bad. Your friend cannot bear to have shadow realm. friends who are intellectually “inferior”, and wishes to smarten you up with a Verdict: #bestgift2012 tome of knowledge about the holy trinity of high school intellectual pursuits: math, critical reading, and writing.

Verdict: Saddest Christmas North America

Explicit Rap Album: The cover art is a far cry from your beloved Justin Bieber CD and the number of expletives in the titles alone is enough to rival the number of One Direction posters plastered in your room. Just holding it terrifies you, but the scariest part is that your Grandma gifted you this album. Either she a) misread “Taylor Swift” on your wish list, b) is trying to fit in with “hippers…hipsters? What are cool people called now, son?”, or c) has more swag than you do.

Verdict: Thank Grandma, but save the receipt so you can return it to buy the next Carly Rae Jepsen single. graphics by staff writers hairol ma, shirby wang & anna zeng

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The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Afternoon Visit the lavishly decorated lobbies of San Francisco hotels. In the lobby of the historic Fairmont Hotel, you’ll be awestruck by the 22 foot high gingerbread house. Located right next to the hotel’s Christmas tree, the gingerbread house is composed of 7,500 pieces of gingerbread, 650 pounds of candy, 12 gallons of chocolate, and 1,200 pounds of icing.

San Francisco

Afternoon Downtown Ice is located in downtown San Jose, at the Circle of Palms between the Fairmont Hotel and San Jose Museum of Art. This is one of the largest seasonal outdoor skating rinks, and is produced by the San Jose Downtown Association. The scenic Ice Rink allows visitors to skate around in circles under the bright Christmas lights adorning the palm trees.

San Jose

By Catherine Ho, Nina Krishnan, Angela Wang, and Lindy Zeng Staff Writers

Afternoon After you’ve satiated your appetite, go Christmas shopping in the various antique stores that line Niles Boulevard. Every store offers a unique set of trinkets, jewelry, furniture, books, and much more. From Suda Mae Antiques to Timeless Treasures and Cottage Charm, each shop presents a distinctive style and impression.

Niles/ Fremont

Evening Christmas in the Park, located in downtown San Jose at Plaza de Cesar Chavez is open once again!

This annual event is held by a non-profit organization that transforms this location into a holiday fantasy for many to visit. One main attraction is a sixty-foot Community Giving Tree lit up with Christmas decorations. Christmas in the Park is definitely worth a visit with your family and friends!

Morning Start the day early with your family and warm up the house with the sweet aroma of fresh baking.

There is an array of baked goods that you can choose to make, from pumpkin cinnamon rolls to gingerbread cookies. For some good recipes, check out allrecipes.com. If you don’t want to start from scratch, buy a gingerbread house kit to build. Listen to the room fill with laughter as each member decorates a part of the house in their own creative way.

Morning Wake up bright and early the week of Christmas to attend one of the many road races around the Bay Area. Pleasanton’s Christmas 5K Run/Walk is part of the Double Road Race taking place on December 23. Join this race and be filmed as part of the documentary “A Long Run.” Work off that energy and clear your appetite for those enormous Christmas meals with some running or vigorous walking.

Evening Purchase a ticket at the Niles Depot for a 4:15 pm Train of Lights ride. Arrive about half an hour early to gaze at the long train and explore the different compartments before it leaves.

Board this historic train decked inside-out with Christmas lights at the Niles Station. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus pace the aisles and holiday music plays in the background while the train runs through the scenic Niles Canyon alongside the Alameda Creek and finally chugs to a stop at Sunol. Enjoy the clickety-clack of the metal track and admire the full extent of the lights as the train winds around the curve on the way back.

Centerspread 11

Morning Christmas Candle Light Tours at the Winchester Mystery House began on December 13 and will end on December 30. Celebrate your Christmas at Sarah Winchester’s fabulous 160-room mansion. Everything is decorated for the holidays with sparkling lights, garlands, wreaths and candles. Music fills the air and lifts the spirits. A half-acre straw labyrinth is designed for kids while wine tasting and toasting is provided for adults.

Morning Satisfy your stomach and your sweet tooth at California Golden Cookies (255 Kearny St). Don’t be fooled by the name- they serve delicious Mediterranean cuisine. Top off your meal with their warm, freshly baked cookies and brownies.

Evening Take a scenic cable car trip from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, where the holiday festivities continue. Each year, boats adorned with Christmas lights dock at the Bay for viewers to marvel at the Holiday Lights & Sights Boat Parade. They can be seen along Pier 39 throughout December. (Tip: The best viewing spots are along Jefferson Street between Jones and Taylor).

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dear SANTA

10 Centerspread

Afternoon Not in the mood to do anything after lunch?

Have a Christmas movie marathon! Pop in a DVD, make mugs of peppermint hot cocoa for the whole family, and squish together on the sofa with a warm blanket to enjoy the movie. Some good Christmas classics to rent or buy are Home Alone, The Night before Christmas, and Elf.

Home

Evening Prepare to turn off all electronics (yes cell phones included) and gather in the living room to play some old-fashioned holiday games. Pick anything from Charades to Pictograms all with a Christmas-oriented theme. Afterwards, stroll around your neighborhood with the entire family and enjoy the twinkling Christmas lights lining the street. While you’re walking, feel free to even knock on a few doors and carol. Not only will you be able to see what your neighbors brought out this year, but also you will be able to bring some Christmas spirit into other homes! It’s a win-win situation.

Dear Santa, For ChrisTmas, I want what every boy wants for Christmas: A unicorn! Not just any unicorn, mind, a rainbow one whose mane I can brush day and night and stroke against my cheek. He'll take me to the places I've always wanted to go: Narnia, candy Mountain, and more!!!

Sincerely, Nick Wu, 10 Dear Santa, They say that dog is a "man's best friend," but what does that make a pigeon, then?

Pigeons are loyal, they eat up all the food you don't want to eat, and THEY MAKE THE FUNNIEST NOISES EVER! SO PLEASE GIVE ME A PIGEON (preferably a fantail pigeon)!!! THANK YOU! Sincerely, Kathryn Shim, 11 Dear Santa, I've been a good boy this year, so for Christmas I would like essay grading to be possible with a simple "right" or "wrong" stamp (Self-inking please). In the event that's not possible though, I have a Plan B: If you could just arrange for a marginal decrease in teen hormone production in the vicinity of the Mission San Jose gymnasium on the evening of Friday, December 21st, I would be ever so grateful. Alternatively filling the DJ's playlist with Bruce Springsteen songs would be fabulous. But if all this is out of the question, then I guess I'll just get along with the usual lump of coal.

Sincerely, Mr. Boegman English teacher Winter Ball Chaperone Masochist-in-Training

Graphics by Staff Writer Anna Zeng, blogspot.com, fineartamerica.com, flickr.com, meetup.com, ncry.org, psdgraphics.com, sanjose.metblogs.com, sfgate.com, tripadvisor.com, wordpress.com

12 Arts & Entertainment

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Lifehouse Not Dead

The Smoke Signal

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Arts & Entertainment 13

‘Hobbit’ Just Short of Spectacular

By Jaynelle Gao Staff Writer

By Peter Xu Staff Writer

In the darkest of days, when all music seems to have been assimilated into the pop genre, there stands but a single beacon of alternative hope, ready to cut a brilliant swath through the mainstream. With its newest release, alternative rock band Lifehouse shines its light brightly in Almería. The ten track album sports songs ranging in flavor from slow and steady to fast and lively.

The lead single, “Between the Raindrops” is an excellent start to the album. Starting off slowly, the song quickly builds up tempo. Classic guitar and drums combine to create an appealing melody. The melody sets the backdrop for lead singer Jason Wade. He sings about a pair of lovers who will be together no matter what the calamity. Wade certainly makes listeners believe in the strength between the couple with a voice of firm determination. Accompanying Wade is featured artist Natasha Bedingfield.

Her higher-pitched voice provides a nice contrast to Wade’s deeper vocals.

Together they sing a sad song of unwavering love whose sober quality sets the tone for the rest of the album.

“Gotta Be Tonight,” the first track on the disc, follows the lead single with a relatively quick pace and serious tone. The song has a hopeful aspect to it as it sings of taking chances while they’re still young. “Right Back Home” featuring Peter Frampton and Charles Jones is more rock-like with electric guitar, but the lack of screaming voices distinguishes from its mainstream counterparts. “Aftermath” trades the guitars for a piano and switches to a slow rhythm. A fitting last song for the album, the singer sings to “Meet Me in the Aftermath.”

Unfortunately, a few songs break up the album and give it a lack of coherency. “Moveonday” is excessively repetitive and lacks any memorable melody. “Slow Motion” seems just too slow and never builds up. But despite a few less than stellar tracks, the album overall is definitely worth a listen and provides a nice respite from the boom and pow of the radio. ▪ Rating: A

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Bruno Mars Lifts Off

By Kerrie Wu & Lindy Zeng Staff Writers

“My dear Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. While I can honestly say that I’ve told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it.” With these words, Director Peter Jackson welcomes the audience back to Middle Earth for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a trilogy based on J.R.R Tolkien’s children’s book. The story begins with an older Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) recalling his journey to help the dwarves, led by the king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), reclaim the home they lost to Smaug, the great dragon.

Martin Freeman’s portrayal of Bilbo clearly displays the character transformation he undergoes as the band faces daunting trials. Originally a hobbit who cringed at the sight of

flicksandbits.com

mud in his hobbit hole, Bilbo eventually gains the strength to jump into battle. The audience is able to see and experience the emotions Bilbo endures-the annoyance toward his rude and uninvited dwarf guests, the wonder and awe toward Rivendell, and the fear of those barbarous beasts from folktale come to life. The well-known riddle scene between Bilbo and Gollum is played out true to the novel. Andy Serkis frightens and entertains as he depicts the unpredictable two-sided nature of Gollum, baring his teeth, groveling into the ground, and sneaking up behind to strangle an unsuspecting Bilbo as he puzzles over the riddles.

The film strikes the perfect balance between whimsical delight and the darker, heavier legends of Middle Earth. Jackson maintains the dwarves’ overall jolly-yet-solemn mood and fantastical encounters, but

fleshes out facets of the world that are not so thoroughly explored in the book, giving some minor characters ample screentime. The greatest deviation from the book is the addition of Azog the Defiler, the albino orc who slayed Thorin’s grandfather, as a main villain. Though some may find them unwelcome, these developments certainly add enough content to make three films. The most noticeable flaw is the overabundance of fight scenes.

Although stretched into three films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and its backstories add to the rich Middle Earth history Tolkien created. If this film is any indication, the next two installments will not only give Tolkien and fantasy fans a thrilling recreation of his children’s tale, but also add an unprecedented depth to The Lord of the Rings franchise. ▪ Rating: A-

Not A Keeper

By Aamir Rasheed Staff Writer

A rekindling romance meets a declining father-son relationship meets a struggling sports team meets a barrage of erotically-driven women in Gabriele Muccino’s haphazardly constructed film Playing for Keeps.

The movie opens with a video montage of the glory days of former soccer star George Dryer (Gerard Butler). Since then, George has fallen on bad times. We fast forward to the present day, where we find him in the US attempting to balance his faltering financial situation with his faltering relationships with his son, Lewis (Noah Lomax) and his ex-wife, Stacie (Jessica Biel). At the urging of Stacie, George agrees to coach Lewis’s soccer team, bringing him to the attention of soccer moms Denise (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Barb (Judy Greer), and Patty (Uma Thur-

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man). Drawn to George’s well built physique, Scottish accent and charisma, they repeatedly attempt to seduce him, creating mildly humorous but mostly awkward situations that only deepen his existing problems. Causing further trouble is the manipulative hustler Carl (Dennis Quaid), whose intermittent appearances and relative unimportance beg the question: “Was this character really necessary?”

The only part of the movie that shone was the acting. Though Butler was made famous by his leading role as the impassioned, fierce King Leonidas 300, he portrays the genuine, charming person-ality of Dryer authentically and skillfully. Biel also plays the part of his emotionally torn ex-wife extremely well.

Though the acting was superb all around, it was the only thing keeping the sputtering movie afloat, especially

during the painfully predictable latter half of the movie. By the halfway point of the story, unoriginal “plot twists” make the movie one great, stupendous pile of déjà vu. Tangential plots seem contrived in order to buttress the humor and charm of the movie but in practice detracted from, rather than added to, the natural flow of the screenplay. Humor, more often than not, fell flat.

Playing for Keeps is a pastiche of awkward situations, predictable plot progression, and stale jokes, and while Butler and Biel played their parts well, Playing for Keeps suffers from too many grievances to earn a positive review. If you’re looking for a stereotypical feel-good movie, then this may be a good choice. Otherwise keep on moving, because this is a game that you certainly don’t need to play. ▪ Rating: D+

Two years after releasing his first album in October 2010, Bruno Mars is back again with his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox, released on December 11.

Mars is a 27-year-old American singer-songwriter and record producer born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised by a family of musicians. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue his musical career and coformed the production team, The Smeezingtons. Bruno Mars first gained prominence as a solo vocalist with his feature in “Nothin’ on You”

by B.o.B and “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy and came out with his first studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. With two worldwide numberone singles, “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade”, Mars’ debut album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.

The cover art of Bruno Mars’ sophomore album depicts a gorilla caressing a jukebox while the track list boasts ten songs with the lead single, “Locked Out of Heaven,” an energetic and slightly retro ode to his spiritual and emotional revitalization through sexual escapades with that one special lover. Unorthodox Jukebox is not an album that can be restricted to a single genre. Instead, it has pop songs like “Young Girls”, which is reminiscent of the earnestness from “It Will Rain”, along with sad, soulful songs about failed relationships, a prominent one being “When I Was Your Man”, where Mars lists out everything he has done wrong and laments that he was too young and too dumb to realize that he should have bought her flowers. However, what leaves the greatest impression is the adventurous “Gorilla”, which starts with “a bottle full of liquor with a cocaine kicker” and ends with “you and me, baby, making love like gorillas.”

Unorthodox Jukebox has as much, if not more, versatility as DooWops & Hooligans. He sings about love across the board but addresses its multiple aspects from different perspectives through a variety styles covering R&B, reggae, pop, and rock.

Bruno Mars is undeniably talented and his compulsively attractive tunes are worth a listen. ▪ Rating: B+

brunomars.com

14 Arts & Entertainment

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The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 20, 2012

2012: WORST OF POP CULTURE

By Sanjay Sreekumar Staff Writer

YOLO YOLO or “You Only Live Once,” was an acronym made popular by rapper Drake in his song “The Motto.” YOLO has been used to justify irresponsible behavior ranging from pirating music to breaking the law.

At MSJ, screams of YOLO can often be heard right before and right after a major exam. What used to be a slightly cool acronym sadly became another overused internet meme. Justifying your actions with YOLO doesn’t make you clever or make what you’re doing any better; the only person you’re convincing is yourself. Hopefully, “You Only Live Once” will stay just once and will leave by the time 2013 rolls in.

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Instagram This popular photo sharing program, launched back in 2010, soared to new levels of popularity during 2012. The app takes normal photos, often ones taken on mobile phones, and places them under various “filters” to make the image more visually appealing. Sadly, many people have used Instagram to excess, by posting photos of things that

son. The response to the issue surprisingly eclipsed the actual affair itself. “Twihards” went on the offensive attacking Stewart for what she did, claiming that she ruined the relationship that existed through the movies.

One selfish fan in particular, posted a video where she cried, and asked Stewart “How could you?”

Honey Boo Boo Honey Boo Boo is the nickname of sixyear-old Alana Tompson, who rose to fame

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don’t really need to be on the internet. Also, filters often take away from the originality of the picture and instead they create an artificiality that makes the photo look like a gimmick. For the sake of pure photography, let’s hope this Instagram craze dies down soon.

“Call Me Maybe” This popular song, sung by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen, has been played and parodied numerous times, with the President even singing it in an edited, viral YouTube lip dub. What was an innocent summer song, however, quickly joined the arena of “Songs I just want out of my head.” The lyrics seemed to be cruelly designed to always stick inside your cranium. The song’s constant exposure on radio and television didn’t help matters either. Luckily, many DJs have promised to never play “Call me Maybe”, empathizing with masses of music lovers that want to get away from annoying pop ballads.

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Kristen Stewart Kristen Stewart, the actress best known for her role of Bella Swan in the Twilight movies, was embroiled in a full-scale scandal this year when she had an affair with married director Rupert Sanders while in a relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattin-

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in the TLC reality television show Toddlers & Tiaras, and later starred in her own TV show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Honey Boo Boo is infamous for drinking “Go-Go juice”, a combination of Red Bull and Mountain Dew, and for saying memorable quotes such as “A dollar makes me holler.” What makes this worse is the media’s constant obsession with Honey Boo Boo and her family, with interviews on all the popular talk shows and front page headlines talking about the TV show. There’s nothing sweet about this girl and, unfortunately, there are no signs of her going away anytime soon. ▪

TOP five HOLIDAY MOVIES

By Hannah Shih Staff Writer

The most wonderful time of the year wouldn’t be the same without food coma inducing feasts, lovingly wrapped gifts under the lighted tree, family gatherings around the fireplace, or holiday cheer in our favorite forms: Christmas movies. This is a collection of some classic favorites everyone should enjoy this Yuletide season if they don’t already. Start some new holiday traditions!

Home Alone (1999): 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, PG This hilarious movie is one that has become inseparably bound with Christmas. A young boy, Kevin, is left alone by his family when they leave for winter break in France, and when two robbers attempt to break into his home, he defends his house with a kind of clever violence that will have people clutching their stomachs in laughter.

Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, Unrated Every childhood is incomplete without viewing the numerous Charlie Brown movies, and this is one of the best. Due to the advice of “Psychiatrist” Lucy, Charlie Brown tries to revive Christmas spirit among his fellow Peanuts crew by organizing a Yuletide play. Nothing goes as planned until everyone works together to decorate a scrawny tree for the set, saving the holiday season.

Love Actually (2003): 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, R A less expected, but still stellar option for Christmas festivities, this movie unravels into ten different love stories unfolding over an unforgettable Christmas. From the puppy love of elementary school students Sam and Joanna

to the seemingly unrequited love of Mark for his best friend’s wife, Juliet, this movie shows every aspect of love and the strength of the holiday spirit.

Elf (2004): 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, PG Starring our favorite comedy actor, this movie, Elf, finds Will Ferrell portraying a normal man, Buddy, brought up by Santa Claus as an elf.

Upon the reveal of his actual identity, Buddy leaves for New York to find his family, resulting in a heartwarming story about finding one’s identity, acceptance of differences, and the true meaning of family.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966): 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Unrated Another timeless classic, the animated movie based on the famous Dr. Seuss book of the same title has been cherished every holiday season since its release. The lonely Grinch grew resentful of the inescapable holiday cheer of the Whos in Whoville, and nefariously sneaks into houses stealing all the holiday preparations. However, he realizes his wrongdoing, and his heart grows three times larger with the acceptance of the Whos. ▪

peanuts.com, warnerbros.com, backgrounds.com, christmasmovies.com

Thursday, December 20, 2012

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Arts & Entertainment 15

THE NUTCRACKER

By Hairol Ma & Shirby Wang Staff Writers

On December 7 and December 8, Rachel’s Ballet presented a ballet, The Nutcracker, at the Interstake Center Auditorium. Senior Kathy Chang, Juniors Sara Lo and Sarah Liu, Sophomores Samantha Lin, Deborah Chew and Kathy Liu, and Freshman Katherine Chen are part of Rachel’s Ballet and were in the performance. The Smoke Signal got a chance to speak to them about their role in the Nutcracker ballet.

Smoke Signal: When and how did you start dancing?

Sara Lo: I started dancing when I was six. My mom picked Rachel’s Ballet because it opened up recently back then and it was close to our house.

SS: What other shows have you done?

K. Chen: We usually do a recital every year.

K. Chang: We’ve performed in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, and Coppélia.

SS: How often do you practice weekly?

Samantha Lin: I practice every day except for Thursdays and Sundays for an hour and thirty minutes. On Saturdays I practice for two hours and thirty minutes.

Kathy Liu: We practiced a lot more for the Nutcracker, though.

SS: Which one has been your favorite?

K. Chang: Actually, the Nutcracker is my favorite! It’s really nice because it’s actually a full length production rather than segmented excerpts.

SS: What kind of stuff do you guys do at practice? How long do you stretch and practice routines?

Sarah Liu: We typically had rehearsals since we had a performance recently. During the first half of our practices we usually warm up and stretch. This can range from thirty to forty-five minutes or all the way to an hour. Afterwards we actually started practicing for Nutcracker variations.

SS: How long did you practice for this ballet?

Kathy Chang: We started picking roles during the summer, around July. The leads have solos, and lead roles are picked during the summer. In the beginning of fall we start practicing as a whole.

SS: What are your roles for this ballet?

K. Liu: I was a maid, a battle commander, and the Snow Queen.

staff writers hairol ma & shirby wang

Nutcracker dancers from left to right: Kathy Chang, 12, Sarah Liu, 11, Samantha Lin, 10, Kathy Liu, 10, Sara Lo, 11, Deborah Chew, 10, Katherine Chen, 9.

Deborah Chew: I was a senior party girl, a mouse, a flower, and part of the Spanish corps.

Katherine Chen: I was a flower, a senior party girl, a mouse and part of the Spanish corps.

K. Chang: I was a soldier, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and a snowflake.

S. Lin: I was the harlequin doll, a soldier, the Arabian lead, and a snowflake.

S. Liu: I played a soldier, a snowflake, and the Spanish lead.

S. Lo: I was the Mouse Queen and the Russian lead.

SS: How were the roles selected for this ballet?

D. Chew: I guess it’s partly based on your level and also exam scores in the case of leads and solos. The rest is within grade group, and the teachers vote on main characters, based on who has the best acting ability.

SS: Have you competed in any competitions? Placed in any?

S. Lo: We participate in Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and International Dance Challenge (IDC). YAGP is the largest student ballet competition in the world. We also participate in IDC. Three years ago I participated in a trio for IDC with Kathy Liu and another senior, Rachel Yu and placed gold. It was my first competition, and was a lot of fun!

SS: What sets this production of the Nutcracker apart from others?

K. Liu: I think it’s more stylistically suited to each of the dancers. Also, we don’t really do contemporary competition dancing.

K. Chang: Our school mostly dances ballet, so a lot of our dances are usually more classical. And, our production of the Nutcracker actually has a prince! ▪

WINTER CONCERTS & PLAYS

By Anjali Kanthilal Staff Writer

Nutcracker December 7- 28 San Francisco The Nutcracker performance has been a San Francisco Ballet ritual since 1944. The first show was an instant hit, and soon became a holiday tradition. The ballet is for viewers of all ages, and has been perfected every year with dance routines, costumes and performers. Come for a show full of fun, exciting Christmas holiday spirit.

Visit www.sfballet.org for more information

‘Twas the Night December 23-24 San Francisco ‘Twas the Night is a holiday special concert for the family. Sing along to your favorite Christmas songs and make some more memories. The Davies Symphony Hall will be hosting band members from the Symphony’s brass section and singers from the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) Chorus. This will definitely be an evening to remember.

Visit www.sfsymphony.org for more information

The Snowman December 22 San Francisco Feel the kid inside you, and let it free at The Snowman show at the Davies Symphony Hall.

There will be an animated film about a magical friendship between a boy and his snowman. There will also be a sing-along to get into the holiday spirit with the family.

Visit www.sfsymphony.org for more information ▪

thenutcracker.com, sfsymphony.com, sanfranciscoshows.com, winterlove.com

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Smoke Signal

pected from Harbaugh or the Niners. The offseason lockout had created a multitude of Vishak Menon problems, the worst of which was the lack Sports Editors of practices and interaction between the new head coach and the players. After several emQB Controversy barassing seasons and multiple injuries, QuarOnce upon a time, the San Francisco terback Alex Smith was doubted by fans and 49ers were by far the most dominant team in experts alike to be the right man to lead the ofthe National Football League (NFL). Under fense. But Harbaugh stood by Smith, and tohead coach Bill Walsh, and with the help of gether the 49ers were able to win not only the Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and West Division, but come within one game of Steve Young, the Niners fought their way to returning to the Super Bowl for the first time four Super Bowl titles in the 80s, as well as a since the days of Steve Young. This resoundfifth in 1994. But for a while, San Francisco ing turnaround, marked by a 13-3 regular seawas pushed out of the limelight. And in the last son record, proved that Harbaugh had what it took to lead the team out of their funk and towards another title.

Now with the 2012-13 regular season almost over, San Francisco is once again in a position to make a statement in the postseason.

Their record of 103-1 came with multiple disappointing performances, but nevertheless, it has newsday.com earned them their Quarterback Alex Smith (left) is in his eighth NFL season, while rookie quarterback Colin Kaep- second straight diernick (right) is just emerging into the spotlight. vision title heading 10 years, under head coaches Mike Nolan and into the playoffs. However, no NFL locker Mike Singletary, the team struggled to come room is without drama, and San Francisco together with any sort of success. But on Jan. is no exception. The current controversy re7, 2011, the 49ers coaching staff found their volves around Smith and rookie quarterback answer. Fresh off his victory in the Orange Colin Kaepernick, who started the last three Bowl, Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh was games following a concussion suffered by signed as Singletary’s replacement, and a new Smith in Week 10. Kaepernick led the team era in San Francisco had begun. to decisive wins against the Chicago Bears In the 2011-12 season, not much was exand the New Orleans Saints, showing off his

By Kenny Jacoby &

Cyclists Race to Success

day and Saturday under Fremont Race Team coach Larry Nolan, an experienced cyclist and 2009 victor of the Union Cycliste Inter Although many MSJ students bike to nationale Cycling Masters World Championschool each day, only four ride five days a week ships. “I prefer team rides because you have with the Fremont Race Team. Senior Lindsay more support and encouragement,” KageyaKageyama, Senior Arthur Ho, Junior Mihir ma said. Besides training with the team, the Sathe, and Junior Vikas Peddu are among cyclists also ride three other days a week on the youngest on the cycling team, a subgroup their own and support biking as a form of of the Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club transportation.“[Biking] is clean, cheap and (FFBC). wakes me up for APUSH in the morning,” As students in the most stressful two years Sathe said. The four agree that their favorite of high school, Kageyama, Ho, Sathe, and bike ride is the Palomares-Calaveras Trail, a Peddu dedicate much of their time to academ- 72.8-mile intermediate trail that loops through ics but also commit to competitive cycling for Fremont, Milpitas, Livermore, Hayward, and its rewarding value. “It’s fun and it’s a good Union City. “In a good year, you can [log] workout. Plus, when I’m on the bike I don’t 2000 miles a year,” Ho said. worry about schoolwork or anything besides The competitions that Kageyama, Ho, the ride,” said Sathe.

Sathe, and Peddu participate in rank racers The four cyclists come from different back- based on speed. In criterium racing, cyclists grounds. Kageyama was inspired by her father ride laps on a short, closed loop course; the to join the Fremont Race Team in her sopho- winner is the first rider to cross the finish line more year. Ho and Sathe always enjoyed bik- without having been lapped. Whereas criterion ing recreationally and began racing last year. race courses are usually less than a mile, road In New York, Peddu took part in recreational races may stretch up to 124 miles in length. mountain biking; he joined Fremont’s cycling The winner is the first to cross the finish line. team earlier this year. Kageyama, Ho, Sathe, Cyclists are sorted into categories based and Peddu are among the 10 junior cyclists on on their experience. Peddu and Ho hope to their team of 75. upgrade from the novice cyclist category five They bike up to five hours each Thurs- to category three. Sathe will be competing in the road race event at the Northern California Cycling Association’s Junior State Championships next July. Last year, Kageyama ranked third in the Northern California Nevada Cycling Association’s Junior Point series, and she plans to compete in the race again. After high school, Kagenyama, Ho, Sathe, and Peddu want to take part in amateur cycling throughout college. In regards to life lessons they learned from staff writer laura chen the sport, Kageyama said, (From left to right) Lindsay Kageyama, 12, Arthur Ho, 12, Mihir Sathe, 11, and Vikas Peddu, 11, are members of the Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club.

“Just keep spinning.” ▪

By Laura Chen Staff Writer

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abilities not only with his arm, but also his legs, as he scrambled for big gains in several key situations during both games. With Harbaugh’s confidence in the rookie brimming, he announced that Kaepernick would be the one to start the following week’s game against the Rams, while Alex Smith, despite being cleared to play by doctors, would have to watch from the sidelines. “We have two quarterbacks we feel great about,” Harbaugh said in a league press conference. “Both have earned it. Both deserve it. What tips the scale, Colin has the hot hand, and we’re going with Colin.”

But this decision came back to haunt Harbaugh, when sloppy play from Kaepernick costed the 49ers the game in Week 13. Kaepernick was taken down in the endzone for a safety, coupled with his wild halfback pitch which was returned for a touchdown, allowed the Rams to tie the game in the fourth quarter and send it into overtime. The Rams had troubled the Niners earlier on in the season, resulting in their one tie, a rare occurrence in the NFL. But this time St. Louis had the home field advantage and Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein sealed the San Francisco loss. “I gave up those points

Sports 17

that were on the scoreboard for the Rams, so that’s 100 percent on me,” Kaepernick said in an interview with the Associated Press. “I’ve just got to keep working. There’s nothing more you can do than keep working and get ready for next week.”

Kapernick did recover, and led the Niners to a win against the Dolphins and a close victory against Tom Brady and the Patriots, where he was dominant in the first half and managed to hold on and defeat arguably the strongest team in the AFC (American Football Conference).

But regardless, Harbaugh is in a predicament.

After putting his faith in Kaepernick, clearly it would be a bad move for him to switch back to Smith. At the same time, with the playoffs looming not far ahead, who would he rather have leading his team, a careful veteran who is afraid to take risks, or a talented youngster who lacks experience? In any case, the 49ers are looking to end the season strong under either quarterback, and hopefully in the weeks ahead, the right decision will become clear. For now, we must wait, as Coach Harbaugh weighs his options in this make or break situation for our beloved Bay Area team. ▪

SEE YOU AT THE GAME Boys’ Soccer: MSJ @ American, Tues., Jan. 8, JV 3:30 pm @ American/Varsity 7:45 pm @ TAK Girls’ Soccer: MSJ @ Kennedy, Tues., Jan. 8, JV 3:45 pm @ TAK/Varsity 5:45 pm @ TAK Girls’ Basketball: Irvington vs MSJ, @ MSJ. Tue., Jan. 8, JV 6:00 pm/Varsity 7:30 PM Boys’ Basketball: Irvington vs MSJ, @ MSJ. Wed., Jan. 9, Frosh 4:30 pm/JV 6:00 pm/Varsity 7:30 PM Wrestling: MSJ vs Irinvgton, @ Irvington. Wed., Jan. 9, Weigh-Ins 4:00 pm, JV 5:00 pm/Varsity 6:30 pm

All is Fair in Love and

WARBAND

tion of students to come to, Warband also attends NCS games, rival games, and senior nights. They teach attendees traditional spirit chants and cheers to perform from the front of the stands, and encourage students to bring noisemakers such as air horns and megaphones. Warband made its debut appearance on September 29 at a MSJIrvington football game.

More than 50 students showed up to support the Warriors. “The game was way more fun than it usually is and the energy from the crowd clearly courtesy clarissa nguyen transferred into the playClarissa Nguyen (left) and Matt Dynin (right) hope to spread their school spirit while ers’ performance,” said raising money for MSJ teams.

Dynin.

If you have attended a home game recent- Recently Warband also started selling $5 tly, you might have noticed a new addition to shirts at games to raise funds for the athletic the usually quiet stands—dozens of chanting, department. “Short term goals are mostly just cheering students decked in green, black, and [purchasing] new equipment,” said Nguyen. white, showing their MSJ spirit. Thanks to Se- Many of the athletes and cheerleaders at niors Matt Dynin and Clarissa Nguyen, MSJ’s these games have personally thanked Warfirst official spirit squad, Warband, is picking up band for taking charge of organizing such a momentum as more and more of the student large number of students to cheer them on body are encouraged to attend sports games at games. Dynin said, “We really hope that and participate in Warband chants. During the Warband will expand to what schools near last school year, Dynin and Nguyen decided us have developed to over the years, such as that they needed to expand the school’s spirit Amador Valley’s ‘Purple Pit’ or Foothill’s ‘Falbeyond just homecoming. Inspired by student con Nest’…at every game they have at least athletics boosters clubs, such as Santa Clara one hundred students attending.”

University’s Ruff Riders, they came up with Warband’s next game is the MSJ-American Warband, MSJ’s first organization dedicated girls’ soccer home game on December 20, to promoting student attendance and spirit at where you still have the opportunity to pursports games. chase an official t-shirt. Follow Warband on Warband selects specific games from each sea- Instagram and Twitter at @msjhswarband or son to attend and rallies up the student body to join the official Facebook group to learn more come and support the athletes. about upcoming games in the winter season Although they mostly attend home games, and how you can get involved. ▪ which are easier to encourage a large proporBy Tammy Tseng Staff Writer

18 Sports

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csd gains national recognition

By Arushi Atluri Staff Writer

[the recognition] since it’s my first year as head coach, and never thought the media would come here to interview us,” said Keller. The video highlighted CSD’s quick plays, elaborate signals, immense team chemistry, and the benefits to their supposed “disadvantage.” For the contest, voters had to choose the team they felt had the most inspiring story, and the winning team would receive a $25,000 grant and a trip to Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” ceremony in New York City.

Although the Eagles finished second in the voting, they have proven to the country that, with hard work and determination, anything is possible. “Before every game and after every practice we chant ‘we’re a brotherhood that plays with one heartbeat.’ We can’t wait for the season next year,” said Eagles’ wide receiver and linebacker Connor Baer. Keller added, “Our philosophy will still stay the same [next year]: to push further and achieve greater feats.

There’s a target on our backs now, so our goal is to out-hustle every team in every game and to try our best no matter what. In the end, good things will happen on their own; we just have to wait.” ▪

During its 2012 season, California School for the Deaf ’s (CSD) varsity football team managed to overcome the odds and exceed expectations. Despite having just 19 players, all who are deaf and weigh less than 200 pounds, the Eagles have had their best season ever, highlighted by a 10-2 record, a North Central II/Bay League title, National Deaf Prep Football Champion titles from two organizations, and national recognition from Sports Illustrated magazine.

From 2007-09, CSD’s football team took home just five wins. However, from 2010-11, with MSJ’s current defensive coordinator Kevin Bella as their head coach, the Eagles began their rise to glory, winning more than double the number of games than in the previous two years. MSJ Varsity Football Captain James Gao said, “When we played them last year, Bella led a very disciplined team.”

This season, the Eagles played under head coach Warren Keller. With his motivation and “Hard Work Philosophy,” Keller has helped the Eagles develop a formidable, fast-strike offense, and was able to lead the team to the semifinal of the NCS Division 5 Championships. They entered NCS play as the second seed, and lost to the three seed St. Vincent 13-12 in the semi-final.

Due to their near-perfect season and inspiring story, Sports Illustrated featured the Eagles in “Underdogs,” an online video series spotlighting 10 high school football sportsillustrated.cnn.com teams that have pushed past major obstacles. “I The CSD football team was seeded second in NCS Division 5, and came within one point of earning a spot in the championship game. definitely didn’t expect

The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Boys Soccer: MSJ Takes Down Irvington

By Sai Chilakapati Staff Writer On Friday, December 14, the MSJ Boys’ Soccer Team played against Irvington in their second league match. Coming off of a disappointing tie game against Washington two days before, the Warriors looked prepared and energized to win as they took the field on a chilly 50 degree night at Tak Fudenna Stadium. Having developed many of their upper class players on Varsity since their freshman and sophomore years, MSJ was poised for a strong season and due for a big win.

Notably missing from the Warrior sideline was MSJ’s head coach, Al Garcia, who had been issued a red card in the previous game.

While Garcia watched from the bleachers, Assistant Coach Dan Christensen stepped in to lead MSJ. However, the team didn’t let Garcia’s absence prevent them from playing physically and passionately. In the first half, MSJ played great defense and kept the ball in Irvington territory for the majority of the time. Senior Ismail Shafi played exciting soccer with numerous shots on and off goal, proving difficult for Irvington to keep in check. Junior Guhan Sundar controlled the midfield masterfully, distributing the ball all over the field from the center midfield position.

About halfway into the first half, Sophomore Andrew Chang scored an electrifying goal putting MSJ up 1-0. After the initial shot deflected off the keeper, the ball ricocheted around various MSJ and Irvington players in the goal box, until Chang buried it in the net.

Quickly thereafter, Senior Noah Yang took off on a breakaway and blasted the ball past the diving keeper, putting MSJ up on the board again for a comfortable 2-0 lead. But the streak didn’t end there. With just seconds left in the first half, Senior Noah Yang stole the ball at midfield, dribbled to the 18-yard box, and rifled a shot on goal. The Irvington goalkeeper made a difficult save, but the ball rebounded off his hands and bounded in front of the goal. Junior Khiem Lu came roaring in, and

before Irvington’s goalie had time to respond, he tapped in the ball with ease for an amazing third MSJ goal. MSJ’s high-powered offensive attack got both the team and crowd pumped up, as everyone could smell victory in the air.

Heading into the second half with a 3-0 lead, MSJ continued to effectively squash all of Irvington’s offensive drives, thanks to stellar defense led by Senior Captain Kenny Jacoby.

Jacoby, who normally plays right defensive back, filled in at the sweeper position for Junior Captain Sid Ambulkar, who was sidelined with a knee injury. MSJ’s starting goalie, Senior Captain Eamon Jahani, made numerous impressive saves, and provided vocal support for much of the game. Senior Brandon Facha, who joined the team earlier in the week, replaced Jahani for the final twenty minutes of the game, and made several clutch plays including a oneon-one sliding save. Even though MSJ had a comfortable lead and the clock was winding down, MSJ played all out physically until the final whistle sounded, as they kept Irvington at bay for the entire second half. With the exciting 3-0 victory over their rival Irvington, the MSJ Boys’ Soccer team looks to be MVAL championship contenders with a very bright season ahead of them. ▪

sportswurlz.com

Eamon Jahani, 12, maintained a clean sheet in MSJ’s 3-0 victory over the Irvington Vikings.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Sports 19

The Smoke Signal’s

Top 6 Sports Moments of 2012

By Marisa Lenci & Jonathon Teng Staff Writers

Girls’ Golf: Tie Breaker to Advance to State

Girls’ Basketball: Buzzer Beater

After a successful regular season, the Girl’s Golf team qualified for Northern California Sectionals and placed their top six players on the team out to compete on Nov. 13, 2012. The team cummulatively shot a 405 in NCS, and ended up tying for the qualifier to go to State with Justin Siena High School. They scored the top five lowest scores for each team, but MSJ had a tie for the highest score, at 86 between golfers Emily Gotsi and Amy Huang. In the tie breaker between the two teams, the highest score from each team, which weren’t initially counted in the team’s overall score, is compared. and Siena’s highest was a 105 while MSJ’s was an 86. As a result, all of the girls advanced to the State Championships by a close call.

In State, they managed to take third place, scoring just two strokes under the second place team, Saint Francis, and eight under the first place team, Foothill.

Late in the quarter final game for NCS against Monte Vista, the MSJ Girls’ Basketball team was down 41-42. They had been the underdogs the whole game, and were down with only a few seconds left on the clock before the end of the fourth quarter. MSJ was looking for a miracle to happen, and fortunately, that miracle was granted. Alumna Ilene Tsao inbounded the ball to alumna Gigi Hsu, who dribbled to the baseline and threw back to Senior Alexa Iwatani at the elbow. Iwatani shot the ball and as the buzzer sounded, the ball swished through the net. MSJ fans went wild and swarmed the court, as their Lady Warriors had just broken MSJ Girls’ Basketball history. For the first time ever, MSJ had made semi-finals for NCS and qualified for the CIF Northern California State tournament. At the peak of their journey through the 2011-12 season, the girls felt as if they had the whole school supporting them which truly affected the outcome, and brought home the spirit MSJ had showed them.

Swimmers Drown the Competition

Badminton Team Nearly Sweeps NCS Finals MSJ’s badminton team has always been known as a powerhouse, dominating the sports in almost every category. Last year, MSJ’s badminton team won first place in four out of the five NCS final division matches. In the boys single category, Senior Captain William Cheung swept MVAL and NCS to claim first place, with other MSJ members finishing second and fourth. Likewise, former captain alumna Danae Long won the girls’ single division. For the girls’ doubles group, alumnae Lily Xu and Roshi Iyer placed, first as well as alumni Kenny Chin and Lisa Chang, who emerged with another first place medal. Regarding their past achievements, Head Coach Ambrish Batheja said, “Last year we started off very separated as a team. My main goal was to get the team back on the same page [by] helping each other grow on and off the court. As for this year, I’m trying to work on our depth as team rather than relying on single players.” This year, the team hopes to capture their straight 10th NCS title and in the future, take down Newark’s milestone of 13 consecutive titles.

Boys Volleyball: Comeback vs. Deer Valley MSJ’s Boy’s Volleyball team had an amazing 2012 season, and arched success out of what seemed to be nothing. The boy’s team had a rough start to the season, switching between a variety of different head coaches they were able to rally together as the weeks went on. Earlier in the season, MSJ had faced Deer Valley in a tournament and suffered a tough loss. However, they had a chance to come back and face their rivals once again in the semi-finals of NCS. MSJ came out a little intimidated, as they were the away team, playing in Deer Valley’s home stadium. The Warriors lost their first match 18-25 but knew they could perform better. The next match, MSJ came out strong and Deer Valley was caught off guard, as MSJ won 25-18. For the next two games, MSJ stepped it up and showed Deer Valley that they were capable of a comeback as they took the third and fourth matches 25-20 and 25-18. MSJ faced some of the tallest players in Northern California, some as tall as 6’9”, and proved to everyone that height does not always precede skill. MSJ went on to the finals of NCS, but unfortunately lost to De La Salle. However, they had no regrets after overcoming countless obstacles and outdoing their greatest expectations.

MSJ’s swim team went out with a spectacular splash last season, finishing first place in 37 out of the 44 events at MVAL, as well as breaking eleven meet records, seven league records, and four team records.The records broken are as follows: 200 Medley Relay- Sophomore Melissa Jiang, Senior Austine Lee, Senior Captain Maki Tohmon, and Alumna Jennifer Xu, with a time of 1:50.68 200 Freestyle Relay- Senior Austine Lee, Sophomore Vivy Hua, Alumna Jennifer Xu, and Sophomore Megan Crook, with a time of 1:35.03 400 Freestyle Relay- Alumna Jennifer Xu, Senior Captain Maki Tohmon, Senior Blair Akerland, and Sophomore Megan Crook, with a time of 3:36.04 200 Medley Relay- Senior Michael Choi, Sophomore Jerome Sun, Senior Garret Chan, and Junior Michael Sui with a time of 1:38.68 200 IM- Sophomore Jerome Sun with a time of 1:55.63 100 Butterfly- Senior Michael Choi with time of 51.34 Head Coach Cory Audiat said, “I am looking forward to seeing the high level of excellence that we will demonstrate this year, as we are returning with a huge Senior class. I expect that all the off season training, preseason training, and winning mindset of my athletes willl make the end result just as amazing as last season, if not more. We set the bar pretty high last year for all of MVAL, and I expect us to raise that bar even higher this year.”

Wrestlers Grapple their Way to the Top Since 2000, MSJ’s wrestling team has failed to bring home five medals in NCS, the standing record in that season. However, last year, the team managed to earn four medals in NCS championships, which allowed the team to place a respectable 18th rank out of a 90-team bracket. Former Captain Alumnus Will Booth placed fourth in NCS after losing earlier on, but eventually advancing to the top of the the consolation bracket to advance to State or CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) for the first time. There, he fell against the opponent he lost to at MVALs the previous week. Former Captain Alumnus Corbin Lee qualified for State for the second time in his high school career. In NCS, he lost to the third-seed, but took a third place medal after defeating MVAL champ Jacob Donato. The third medal came from former Captain Alumnus David Kim, who lost to the number one seed and runner up in the NCS championships, but still fought his way for a sixth place medal. The last medal was earned by Alumnus Swahib Kaba, who began wrestling that very same year. After losing his first round, Kaba, with great determination and grit, pulled off five consecutive wins to achieve seventh place. The wrestling team definitely made a huge step this year and hopefully one day, will reach that goal of five medals. ▪

courtesy senior patrick chen, msj wrestling and smoke signal archives

20 Photo

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The Smoke Signal

Thursday, December 20, 2012

photos by graphics editor sherry xiao & staff writers irisa lee & kerrie wu