Polymatheus Volume II

P

s u e h t a olym

YULA

2014 Vol. 2

Polymatheus Interdisciplinary Journal • Volume II Year of Publication: 2014 YULA Boys High School 9760 West Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90035 310.203.3180 310.203.3199 polymatheus@yula.org

Letter From The Adviser Polymatheus is an academic interdisciplinary journal that incorporates work generated by teacher assignments in the many classes offered here at YULA. While the work in this journal is not a collaboration between teacher and student, it is evidence of work generated by teachers and completed by students. Our staff of experts selects the best of the best work submitted by teachers in each subject, ranging from an AP English Language and Composition research paper to a 9th Grade Biology project, and we also include analyses of Jewish texts and history. All too often this journal is confused with creative and other types of school publications, but it is strictly a showcase of academic excellence. You may not find poetry in this issue this year, but you will find poetic thinking. You may not find short stories, but you will find analyses, musical pieces, and math. The design of the journal shows that our wheels are turning and we hope you like the evidence.

Ms. Pam Felcher, Adviser

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Letter From The Editors Polymatheus is a journal created to highlight the accomplishments of the YULA students. We are so glad that we could facilitate the assemblage of these thought-provoking compositions and pieces of artwork, and we would like to thank last year’s Editors-inChief, Asher Naghi and Micah Hyman, for establishing this wonderful publication opportunity.

Polymatheus reveals the many diverse sides of the students at YULA. These students are writers, composers, artists, linguists, historians, mathematicians, scientists, Jewish scholars, and thinkers. Each of us pulls together all these abilities, all of our cogs and gears, to create one clock. For this reason, we decided that the design theme for this year’s publication would be machinery and clockwork, for all of us have put our hearts, our souls, and our brains together to create this magnificent and uniquely original mechanism.

We hope you will enjoy reading this journal. When you are finished, maybe you will be motivated to invent something of your own, for our foremost goal is to contribute to the conversation – the constantly turning clock – of humanity.

Your Editors-in-Chief, Ariel Amsellem and Michael Kohan

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Polymatheus Staff Editors-in-Chief Ariel Amsellem & Michael Kohan

Publisher Michael Somekh

Designer Noah Tarko

Subject Editors Noah Kest and Noam Posner • Math Jordan Lustman • History Jonah Kasdan • English Zev Hirt • Science Michael Shadpour • Foreign Language Ariel Shafa • Art & Music Ilan Lavian • Judaic Studies

Advisers Ms. Pam Felcher Mr. Shawn Clary

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Building Polymatheus Roles The editors-in-chief oversee the work of the section editors and review all submissions for publication.

The publisher oversees the overall production of Polymatheus and consults with the design team and printing staff.

The designer leads the effort to select an overarching theme for Polymatheus and creates the cover design.

Subject editors procure all content for their respective sections. Duties include selecting and editing the content to ensure the work meet the highest standards of the Polymatheus team.

The advisers guide the Polymatheus team towards creating the most professional work possible by offering advice throughout the creative process.

Content Policies The Polymatheus staff was selected from YULA’s top AP Language and Composition students by Ms. Pam Felcher.

The task of collecting work and editing was given to each section editor. When the first draft of edits was done, the section editors sent all of their work to the two editors-in-chief. Once all the editors selected the pieces they wished to submit, the publisher worked with the design team and the printing company to bring Polymatheus to life.

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Table of Contents English

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Free Expression For All? - Ariel Amsellem

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Floating and Free Thinking - Michael Shadpour

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Online Discussion - Michael Somekh

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The Story of My Life - Eitan Tennenbaum

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Judaic Studies

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Lessons from the Holocaust - David Hanelin

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On Deeper Faith - Yonah Hiller

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Unity Among Jews - Jesse Hyman

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A Complex Relationship - Micah Hyman

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Science

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Whispers in the Dark - Michael Somekh

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Ocean Awareness - Michael Szabo

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The Adventures of MRSA - Jack Levkowitz & Daniel Noghreyan

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Math

59 Pre-Calculus Test - Ariel Amsellem

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AP Calculus AB - Akiva Rogawski

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AP Calculus AB - Noah Schiff

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The Origin and Use of Tau - Daniel Yellin

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History Triangle Factory Fire Response - Eitan Meisels

Language Haggling in Arabic - Asher Naghi

Art

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75 76

79 Jewish Star - Yair Isaacs

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Photography by Ariel Shafa

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Calculator Art - Alon Uralevich

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Ocean Awareness - Daniel Noghreyan

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Music

87 Piece No. 6 - Josh Banafsheha

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Romance - Josh Banafsheha

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“Be great in act, as you have been in thought.”

-William Shakespeare

English iac

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Ariel Amsellem AP Language and Composition, Ms. Pam Felcher

Free Expression For All?: An Analysis of Individuality in the 1950s

Popular culture can often be defined as a rebellion against societal misdeeds. Black works that came out of the African American struggle for civil rights, which had its roots in the 1950s, seem to corroborate this definition. These creations, such as Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and Miles Davis’s album Kind of Blue appear to be such vocalizations of a mistreated minority. Ellison’s novel relays the trials of an “invisible” black youth who tries to survive in a controlling and discriminatory American society. This unnamed character tries to follow the rules and climb to the top, but he eventually realizes that such a strategy will never produce results. Kind of Blue, and music of the Bebop Jazz genre in general also convey the repressive nature of black existence in America.

The wandering solos and brooding minor chord progressions paint the mood of lost and suppressed African Americans like Miles Davis. Yet, below the surface of these works, there is a clear sense that both Ellison and Davis try to communicate a more personal identity crisis. Ellison’s protagonist, especially towards the novel’s conclusion, wonders about his place in society, the purpose of his existence, and the manner in which he should go about achieving that purpose. Kind of Blue employs intermittent horn blasts and out-of-place Spanish musical motifs, which, albeit vaguely and subtly, demonstrate a desire to find some

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definitive and colorful personality. In the frame of traditionalist America in the 1950s, these works and their criticisms reveal a general, rather than merely black, countercultural rebellion designed to allow the identity of the individual to be heard amidst the age’s winds of conformity; yet, these cultural leaders do not altruistically advocate for individualism, but rather they attempt, almost selfishly, to preserve their own distinct personalities.

The narrator of Invisible Man stresses the importance of the single person as opposed to the power of mass involvement. This message becomes openly apparent during the protagonist’s speech at the funeral of his close friend and colleague, Brother Tod Clifton. The invisible man makes many key statements in this eulogy: I only know the ache that I feel in my heart, my sense of loss. I don’t know if you have a soul […]

I know that all cops carry guns with triggers.

And I know too how we are labeled […] and as I took one last look I saw not a crowd but the set faces of individual men and women (Ellison 458-459) This paragraph, overflows with overtones of individuality. The narrator focuses on himself in the eulogy to highlight the significance of his own feelings as an independent human. He then tries to convince the individuals in the audience to express their own souls, if they have them, in honor of the fallen leader. Then, the main character creates an opposition, the cops who protect society and its values; he accuses the cops of labeling people as part of groups and minorities, such as the Brotherhood and African Americans. Only once the narrator publicizes

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the face of the enemy, the officers of conformist society, can he refer to his audience as “individual men and women” rather than a crowd. In the face of conformity, the spectators and the narrator himself turn into single, distinct entities. In the ensuing chapter, the repressive natures of his superiors become more apparent to him. After Brother Hambro enlightens the narrator to the Brotherhood’s plan to “sacrifice” Harlem for the good of the rest of the common people, the protagonist becomes disillusioned with the organization. He has a defining epiphany in which he realizes, I [the protagonist] had thought they accepted me because they felt that color made no difference, when in reality it made no difference because they didn’t see either color of men […] Jack and Norton and Emerson merge into one single white figure. They were very much the same, each attempting to force his picture of reality upon me and neither giving a hoot in hell for how things looked to me (508) The narrator finally realizes that the injustices he has experienced are not a result of his skin color.

Rather, these “white men” simply employed him as a minion to achieve their often-underhanded objectives while they remained “clean” and reputable in the eyes of society. He realizes that they always forced him into being someone else, someone who he was not.

Interestingly, the protagonist lumps all the men into a single category, “white men”; he seems to only be able to recognize his own individuality by eradicating theirs. Ellison, his contemporaries, and analyses of the 1950s reveal a similarly selfish procedure when defining their identities. Overall, the main character

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exudes the crosscurrent emotions of his time, namely, a struggle for individuality in an age filled with conformity.

According to Mike Cardwell’s “The Ethics of Social Influence,” this conformist vibe portrayed in Invisible Man was not out of the ordinary in the 1950s. Caldwell cites a study done on peer pressure in the 1950s by psychologist Solomon Asch. The experiment demonstrated that a person would usually go along with the opinions of the overwhelming majority.

Caldwell posits that the reason this experiment was conducted in 1956 was because of the anti-Communist sentiment, which bred a society where the average citizen would comply with the standards around him.

Caldwell explains the results of this trend: “To the despair of intellectuals, middle-class Americans became social conformists, a silent generation of students populated the nation's campuses, and their professors shrank from teaching anything that might be construed as controversial.” Ellison’s message on individualism fits perfectly with Caldwell’s assumptions. As an intellectual, Ellison wished to rile up the nation’s youth; he wanted them to express themselves. He hated that middle-class “white-men” professors would shy away from any controversial subject at the expense of bringing out their students’ personality. Clearly, Ellison’s ideas countered the general tendencies of compliance displayed by Americans at the time.

In a similar vein, David Messmer’s “Trumpets, Horns, and Typewriters: A Call and Response between Ralph Ellison and Frederick Douglass” highlights a connection between Ellison and Fredrick Douglass; the similitude of the two black activists demonstrates that

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Ellison represents an individuality that differed from that of the younger African American generations. Messmer mentions a host of similarities, including the use of the black-trademarked “signifyin(g)” rhetorical technique. While addressing the many parallels between the two authors, Messmer points out that Ellison and Douglass both underscore the relationship between African American musical culture and activism. On Ellison’s combination of literature and black culture, Messmer writes, [Ellison’s] use of African American folk traditions, especially those that had already entered the mainstream mass media (such as music), aims to change the place of black expressivity within larger U. S. culture in order to allow material protest to achieve lasting gains [… through] a rhetorical framework that would allow for the resistant elements of folk culture to withstand the appropriations and erasures of the mass media.

Messmer correlates Ellison’s “use of African American folk traditions” with “black expressivity within larger U.S. culture.” However, Messmer does not write that Ellison utilizes the newer forms of black music, which had emerged in the 1950s. Rather, Ellison harks back to past generations when dealing with expression.

In Invisible Man, he mentions leaders like Frederick Douglass and Booker Taliaferro Washington and relies on them for his writing style, which is Ellison’s means of conveying his emotions. Messmer establishes Ellison as a representative of the past rather than the future. Ellison tries to employ the old techniques and cultural flairs “that had already entered the mainstream mass media” to persuade the younger

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generations to come to his older form of black empowerment. Although Ellison may have appeared to depict the identity of posterity, he actually portrays the distinctive qualities of the past.

Additionally, Merle Rubin, in her book review of an anthology of Ellison’s writings called Living With Music, reveals that not only did Ellison profess motifs of an older black society, but he also abhorred the motifs of the burgeoning future one. On the surface, Rubin’s article appears to be an obsession over the individualist themes that guide the anthology; however, one of her paragraphs leads the reader to question if he approved of everyone’s self-expression: He [Ellison] deplored the ways in which the entertainment industry coarsened and trivialized popular music. As for his personal taste: He loved the swinging, danceable music of the singers and bands that flourished in the 1930s and 1940s […] their [Bebop musicians’] abstract and cultish style took jazz away from its communal roots” (Rubin) As previously established, Ellison’s musical penchant was for the music of the previous generation. He liked the classic blues of Louis Armstrong (whose song “What Did I Do to be So Black and Blue” appears in Invisible Man), Count Basie, and other Riverboat and Big Band Jazz musicians. In accordance with this predilection, Ellison despised the newer Bebop Jazz, which came to represent a new age of black expressionism, which challenged his own. He feared this new vague form of Jazz would take the art form away from its “communal roots.” Yet, there is an obvious contradiction here since Invisible Man’s request is to grant blacks freedom of expression. This conflict can be viewed in the

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terms of the “American dichotomy,” which has defined America in every generation since the nation’s founding. This dichotomy represents a continual clash between old and new, conservative and liberal, and black and white, which comes to define the culture and mood of each American era. Ellison lies on the more conventional side of these two perspectives. Rubin demonstrates Ellison, ironically, tried to escape the conformist vibes of his time through an individuality that excluded the identity of the budding next generation; he wanted to maintain his own identity at the expense of the new emerging black persona.

In addition to works like Invisible Man, 1950s culture saw the popularization of a new musical Jazz style called Bebop; Miles Davis’s 1959 album Kind of Blue, the most well-known Bebop Jazz (and possibly all Jazz in general) compilation, demonstrates a quest for individualism that parallels Ellison’s ideas. The songs on this album, and many other albums by Bebop artists, emphasize solos that meander and melodies with no well-defined verses. These wandering characteristics correlate with the lost or suppressed nature of the African American in the segregated United States.

Many of the songs, such as “So What” and “Freddy the Freeloader,” have intermittent, loud horn blasts, which sometimes contain high-pitched, mute-induced sounds; these give the impression of a person pleading for help, pleading for expression. These characteristics of the album are akin to the yearning for the identity to break through the control of the “white men” in Invisible Man. Yet, there are many qualities of Bebop that do not correlate with the ideals of Ellison’s world, which is characterized by the Big Bands and Riverboat Jazz.

One example would be that Bebop makes immense use of odd chords such as the minor, dominant, and augmented

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chords, which contrast greatly with the jumpy or smooth chords of the Big Band Era. The Bebop chords often give the songs a sad and sluggish vibe. Also, on songs like “Flamenco Sketches,” there are some chord patterns that break from the tones most prevalent in Bebop. This sound, which feels a bit Spanish or Latin, may symbolize the African American search for an identity that had not been previously employed in black culture. Kind of Blue and Bebop in general bear qualities that fit with Ellison’s thirst for individuality, but they also contain themes that would not identify with Ellison’s message.

“A Sense of the Possible: Miles Davis and the Semiotics of Improvised Performance” by Christopher Smith confirms that the purpose of Davis’s music is to create an identity, which the musician did through a diverse and dynamic list of signals. Smith argues that Davis intentionally created a diverse set of dynamic cues, so his musicians would always respond to signals, which were unanticipated. Smith posits, “Miles' artistic interest was the creation and manipulation of a symbolic ‘ritual space’” (Smith).

Apparently, Davis would utilize signals in this nebulous non-musical and almost non-physical “ritual space,” which included everything from facial gesticulations to prop movement to a sensation that the other musicians just felt Davis was emitting, in order to communicate to the other players that a change in the music was coming. This process meant that Davis’s own identity would be maintained as the signal giver, but at the same time the synthesized nature of jazz would also be preserved. A further proof of Davis’s desire for individuality can be seen through his use of sunglasses, which represent repression of his real “face,” his personality. Ellison employs sunglasses in

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a similar way by establishing them as the symbol of Rinehart, a flat character in Invisible Man who keeps up multiple identities. Although Smith does attribute an Ellison-esque individuality to Davis, Smith emphasizes the Davis relied on creation of a new personality rather than the regurgitation an old one.

Gerald Early’s “On Miles Davis, Vince Lombardi, & the Crisis of Masculinity in Mid-Century America” challenges Smith’s perception of Davis by painting him as a dichotomous character with both a desire for freedom of expression and acceptance of the authority figure. Early considers the 1950s and finds this disagreement in both music and football. He specifically looks at jazz and finds that Many preach that Jazz is democratic in its aesthetic, with the players adjusting to each other's inclinations and habits to create a whole that is both individual and collective.

Yet the existence of a leader who hires the group and essentially defines its artistic mission implies a certain authoritarianism” (Early) The author first debunks Smith’s “aesthetic” portrayal of Jazz as an art of “democratic” musical adjustment.

Rather, Early accentuates the power of the bandleader to control the identity of the music. Even though Jazz may seem to have appealed to the young, the irreverent, and the defiant, it remained rooted and upheld by the conventional, guiding leader, the buttress of the traditional classical musical genres, namely, a Miles Davis. Yet, if Ellison is the traditionalist side of the identity movement, then Davis would have to be the opposite – the new, unorthodox representative. However, Early’s

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interpretation paints Davis to be more like Ellison in that Davis forced his own motifs onto his musical peers. The solution to this issue can only be that both represent a tongue-in-cheek rebellion against suppression of their own individuality that excludes new identities. The trumpet, the instrument of both Davis and Ellison (in his pre-authorship youth and as a hobby in his adulthood according to Rubin’s book review of Living With Music), signifies this idea perfectly, for it blasts its own lines loud and clear while eliminating practically all the other musical implements in the background. Early asserts that Davis was on the Ellison’s conventionalist and exclusive side of the American dichotomy.

The responses to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and their personalities demonstrate that although both artists wished to revolt against conformity by publicizing their own identities, both wished to preserve their own individuality at the expense of others’ new forms of expression. Perhaps this selfish attitude was the reason behind the death of Jazz with the 1960s, an era that would exude the liberal, freethinking side of the American dichotomy. Jazz would fall by the wayside, as would much of the culturally rooted black activism, which gave way to the new Nation of Islam of Malcolm X and Black Power movements. Sadly, the objective of the 1950s artistic elite to keep their culture alive by preventing the growth of a new one backfired; the exact catastrophe they had wished to prevent had occurred: the next generation refused to incorporate the previous generation’s achievements and traditionalist identity because its representatives had isolated themselves through non-inclusiveness. Now, their memory is celebrated by a selected group of

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students, teachers, professors, and musicians. Only in these few do their personalities, their essence live on.

Works Cited Cardwell, Mike. “The Ethics of Social Influence.”

Psychology Review Apr. 2003: 29+. General Reference Center

GOLD. Web. 27 May 2014.

Davis, Miles. “Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - 1959 (Complete Album).” Perf. Bill Evans, Wynton Kelley, Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. Online audio clip.

YouTube. YouTube, 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 May 2014.

Early, Gerald. “On Miles Davis, Vince Lombardi, & the Crisis of Masculinity in Mid-Century America.”

Daedalus 131.1 (2002): 154+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

Ellison, Ralph. Foreword. Invisible Man. By Ralph Ellison.

2nd ed. New York City: Vintage Books, 1989. vii- xxiii. Print.

Messmer, David. “Trumpets, Horns, and Typewriters: A Call and Response between Ralph Ellison and Frederick Douglass.” African American Review 43.4 (2009): 589+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 21 May 2014.

Rubin, Merle. “Book Review; Thoughts on Jazz Linked to Writer's Views on Politics, Culture; LIVING WITH MUSIC Ralph Ellison's Jazz Writings Edited by Robert G. O'Meally; The Modern Library; $19.95, 292 pages: [Home Edition].” Rev. of Living With Music. Los

Angeles Times June 2001: E.3. ProQuest. Web. 22 May 2014.

Smith, Christopher. “A Sense of the Possible: Miles Davis and the Semiotics of Improvised

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Performance.� TDR [Cambridge, Mass.] 39.3 (1995): 41+.

General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 20 May 2014.

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Michael Shadpour English 11, Ms. Diana Feliú

Floating and Freethinking

In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Huck and Jim consistently turn to the Mississippi River as a mode of transportation. The Mississippi acts as a medium for the travelers to experience true freedom. By nature, this river is constantly changing speed, mood, and consistency. In looking at the Mississippi River, we will consider its isolation from society and transformative nature to find that this river is not merely a setting in The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn but also a symbol of freedom and perpetual change.

The Mississippi River provides Huck with freedom from society and its social norms. The river’s isolation from society enables Huck and Jim to be themselves, for there is no one there to judge them. Huck informs the reader of the freedom the river grants them: “So in two seconds away we went a-sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river, and nobody to bother us” (Twain 29). Although Jim is the one literally being freed from captivity, Huckleberry experiences a liberating sensation. In truth, Huck and Jim are both escaping – Huck from his abusive father and Jim from a life of servitude. Floating on the raft, Huck is able to cultivate his individual moral compass, free from the confines of what society deems “right” or “wrong.”

Huck describes his experience with Jim on the Mississippi saying, “We [...] let her [the raft] float

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wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things – we was always naked, day and night" (Twain 194). Without society deeming it immoral, Huck and Jim were able to cohabitate on equal footing. They discussed “all kinds of things,” a rare event in a society, which deemed friendship between whites and blacks inappropriate. This river not only symbolizes freedom, but also transformation.

The Mississippi River is a symbol of perpetual change. As it flows across America, the river’s physical composition changes; the different fish, temperatures, and chemicals characterize each section of the river. Water itself is intrinsically protean; water molecules shift constantly in order to maintain equilibrium. Furthermore, over the course of the novel the river changes from a benevolent force to a hostile one. In the beginning of the novel, the river embodies Jim’s salvation; it could carry him to Cairo and lead him to the free states. Once the adventurers pass Cairo, this same river maliciously carries them deeper into the slavery-ridden south. Beyond the river’s ability to carry the travelers to new physical places, it is able to carry them to new states of thought. While on the raft, Huck observes that Jim “Was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n" (Twain 117). Huck’s most basic ideologies have changed, he no longer views Jim as property, but as a human being with his own loyalties, emotions, and beliefs.

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In conclusion, the Mississippi River is much more than a setting or mode of transport. It provides Huck and Jim with the invaluable experiences only true freedom can create. Furthermore, this river is able to change its travelers’ core values and beliefs. The recurrence of the Mississippi River throughout the novel symbolizes the journey to a more enlightened state of thought.

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Michael Somekh & Classmates AP Language and Composition, Ms. Pam Felcher

An Online Discussion of Heroism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where the students were each asked to write a brief timed essay and respond to at least two of their classmates’ essays. Here is one example of intelligent discourse.

America is the country of the anti-hero. We pride ourselves in action and religion (patriarchy), rather than language and rationale (unity). Mark Twain depicts a snapshot of America in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Living in a cold, cruel world, Huck, the anti-hero turned hero, must face complicated moral dilemmas throughout the novel. Placed in a society filled with hatred, racism, and bible-thumpers, Huck, our “leader” and “lowly man,” proves that achieving heroism is indeed possible.

Like all heroes, Huck experiences a call to action.

Pap’s perverted, drunken nature leads him to kidnap Huck from Miss Watson, which begins Huck’s journey to discovering his own nature. From the beginning of the novel, Huck displays a conscience and sense of reasoning, as seen when he sympathizes with Miss Watson and says, “she looked so sorry that I thought I would behave a while if I could… She told me to pray everyday, and whatever I asked for I would get. But it warn’t so… there ain’t nothing in it” (13-14). Unlike those around him, Huck questions the status quo before accepting it. In this way, Huck provides a link between the reader and the society in which he lives in. In an attempt to discover the world for himself, Huck runs

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away from the society he was raised in and sets sail to Jackson Island.

Huck’s evolution as a character reveals his heroism. He initially wants to be accepted; he wants to be accepted at home, by Tom, by society, and, most importantly, by himself. Tom, Huck’s “friend,” is also his exact opposite. Tom represents the typical teenager who conforms to society’s standards. In contrast, Huck thinks for himself and finds Tom to be mischievous.

Huck faintly divulges to his readers that he experimented with bees, and when his experiment failed, it affirmed his view of himself as an idiot.

Huck’s insecurity stems from him being different from the rest of the world, which is why he makes a safe haven for himself in the river. Eventually, Huck stumbles upon Buck, a boy whose irrationality accentuates Huck’s rationality. As Buck blindly hates the Stepherdson family, Huck comments on how awful terrorizing others can be. Huck is eventually presented with a chance to apply his newly found morals when the Dauphin and Duke attempt to con money from a suffering family. Huck “transcends” in this situation like the lowly man he is and intervenes to save the family from losing their money. Later, Huck displays his leadership in the form of grit as he attempts to save Jim from being sold on the Phelps farm. When faced with the possibility of losing his paternal figure, Huck does whatever he can to save him, he even prays and writes a letter to Miss Watson detailing their whereabouts. Huck’s hero journey culminates as he finally realizes, “I knowed he was white inside” (Twain 248). Huck’s profound statement signifies that against all odds, he becomes a tolerant individual in a society filled with holy terror.

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Huck is only thirteen, yet he manages to exemplify both the leader, because he managed to find truth in a society filled with ignorance, and the lowly man who we sympathize with in his moments of transcendence.

In being a “lowly leader,” Huck’s character represents a paradox; a hero who we can relate to, but do not aspire to be like.

Ariel Amsellem: Well first off, I respectfully disagree with your second sentence, which equates action/ religion (to very different things) to patriarchy and language/rationale to unity. What does action have to do with patriarchy? And rationale and reasoning has caused many disputes (see the ideological dispute between communism and capitalism – note a completely irreligious and philosophically-based debate).

Now onto the essay. I was a little bit confused where you were going after the first paragraph. You ask a ton of questions, but you do not really set me up for your thesis, which basically just says a hero is possible without giving me a reason why.

In your first body, you say that essentially Huck is a hero because he doesn't accept what the in loco parentis Ms. Watson tells him to do. By this standard, every long-haired and rebellious teenage punk is a hero, and I don't think that is true. A hero has to do some act of bravery to get his title.

Lastly, you allude to Huck's development, but I never see any concrete evidence of it. I mean the last episode has Huck complying to Tom's every silly whim. Because Huck doesn't change, I really don't think he can be labeled a hero.

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Michael Somekh: To address your first point, please look back at the parallel structure in my second sentence. Action is equated with language, and religion is equated in rationale. In Huck's world, they are pitted against each other. Look back at any section where Huck is taught religion or even turns to God for help, and realizes it's of no use.

And Ariel, I don’t know about you, but I believe that rebelling against society's corruption is brave enough to earn the title of a hero. Pay attention to the specific hero(s) he is (which I spell out in my conclusion).

To comment on your last point, I disagree. I believe that when Huck finally realizes that he and Jim are the same on the inside, "I knowed he was white inside� (Twain 248), he's matured into his own person, rather than the person society tries to make him be (racist, God-fearing, etc.). We all want to be like that in the sense that we don't want to follow society's "corn-pone opinions," but we do anyway, which is why we're not heroes.

Ilan Lavian: Hey Mikey, great response, just a few points.

You end off your first paragraph by saying that Huck proves that heroism is certainly possible. Ok, I agree, but shouldn't you tell us what aspect of heroism we're looking at? Also, what kind of heroism? (common man, superman, a new one, etc.)

I love how you say that Huck connects to society when he questions different components of his society. I just

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wish you'd expand on this. I feel like Twain does something really amazing with the sort of innocent and question-asking personality that Huck has. In one sense, he connects with his society with his questions as he is attempting to truly understand it. In another sense, he separates himself from society in that he is questioning concepts that are crucial and fundamental to his society, such as racial discrimination.

You end off perfectly with your description of how the evolution of Huck's moral character portrays his heroism. I completely defend your essay; I just wish you would have expanded on some of your great ideas.

Good work!

Ariel Amsellem: Firstly, the "questioning" ability of Huck is quite questionable. As I said, he is not taking some revolutionary stand against religious intolerance. Rather, he is simply a young teen who doesn't feel a connection to religion and therefore doesn't try to follow it. Does that really make him a hero? I would say no. He simply doesn't feel like doing something, so he doesn't do it.

Secondly, your quote that you used as proof, "I knowed he was white inside," actually works against you. Huck says this after Jim explains his logic for helping save Tom. Huck thinks that Jim only did this because he is like a white man on the inside. So he still has his prejudice. He still only thinks white can be virtuous.

At the culmination of this book, Huck (and I strongly believe Twain himself) are still racist.

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Eitan Tennenbaum English 9, Ms. Pam Felcher

The Story of My Life: “The Telemachy” told from Telemechus’ Point of View

Every day I deal with these pigs roaming throughout my father’s household, taking what does not belong to them as if they have owned it their entire life, seeking my mother as their bride. Chaos ensued after my father left for battle to fight the foes far away, when in reality they were standing on our doorstep waiting for a “tragedy” to occur to him.

“If only he might drop from the clouds and drive these suitors all in a rout throughout the halls and regain his pride of place and rule his own domain!” (1). I looked up from this wondrous daydream and noticed a guest standing at the door waiting for permission to enter.

I was mortified as the least I can do is exhibit respect and warmth to guests who seek shelter and possible shine light on the mess of a dwelling. I clasped hands with the man and greet him inside and quickly escort him through the clutter to a place we can talk without bother.

He introduced himself as Mentes, son of Anchialus, coming from sea in search of treasures from different lands. He tells about his tales and asks me to share mine, asking if I really am the son of the great Odysseus. I hesitantly start with my tale. “‘I’ll try my friend to give you a frank answer. Mother has always

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told me I’m his son, it’s true, but I am not so certain.’” (2).

Mentes looks at me with encouragement. He seemed so confident, it was uncanny. He tells me the gods do not ignore my house. They show me and my family mercy in the future and that all these suitors will be driven out by me and my father. His words are encouraging but do not change reality.

Take my words to heart. At daybreak summon the island’s lords to full assembly, give your orders to all and call the gods to witness: tell the suitors to scatter, each in his own place...

Fit out a ship with twenty oars... sail in quest of news of your long-lost father. (3) His words were now inspiring and lifted my soul to another level of pure optimism. I was going to do it. I was now going to go on this perilous journey to seek news of my father’s location. I was going to find the best oars on the island, just as this wondrous Mentes had said and sail to island of Pylos where King Nestor had met my father during the Trojan war, when he never came back.

Nothing eventful happened during the journey, but it gave me time to dream about finding news of my father, the great Odysseus. We landed in the port of Pylos and Pallas and I departed from the ship stepping off hesitantly with doubt. “Telemachus...”

Pallas says, “...no more shyness, this is not the time!” (4).

His order struck away my doubt and I started toward the dwelling place of the King Nestor. We arrived finding the king and his friends dancing around a fire in a banquet. One of the men saw Pallas and me,

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and instantly we were asked to sit down and enjoy the feast.

King Nestor greeted us after the feast and asked our purpose on his land. I asked him about the whereabouts of my father, but I might have sounded skeptical in our banter because Pallas intervened with awesome confidence. “What’s this nonsense slipping through your teeth?...Death: not even by the gods can defend a man,” (5). King Nestor understood this claim and began a tale of the previous heroes, like Agamemnon. He began with the tale of the hero’s battles and led into the tale of how Aegisthus killed Agamemnon and how King Menelaus and Agamemnon were comrades in battle for years. “Still I advise you, urge you to visit Menelaus,” (6). He sent Pallas and me off but not without supplies. He gave us his son to accompany us to Menelaus’ land and send us off with golden chariots just as the sun set in west.

We arrived in the halls of Menelaus to find him dining at a double wedding feast for his son and daughter. The halls were indescribable in beauty and the smell of the cooked lion filled my nostrils and gave me great pleasure. King Menelaus and his wife Helen greeted us with immense happiness we went straight to the topic of my father. Menelaus and Helen started throwing story after story of Odysseus’ great adventures in the Trojan War and said he would share everything he knew while we stayed for days feasting.

“Please, Menelaus, don’t keep me quite so long. True, I’d gladly sit beside you one whole year...” (4.668-669). I asked for supplies and horses to continue on my way and he gladly obliged, sending us on our way.

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Endnotes: 1.35-37 1.248-250 1.314-323 3.16 3.262-270 3.358 4.668-669

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English

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“The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible.�

-Albert Einstein

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David Hanelin Witness to History, Mr. Joey Small

Lessons From the Holocaust Prompt: From everything you have learned about the Holocaust, how has that changed your Jewish pride?

How should or do you live your life differently?

As the Dalai Lama once said, “Don’t let the behavior of others ruin your inner peace.” This quote fits directly into the situation that the Jewish people are currently in and forever have been in. Whether it is in business dealings or Israel’s political decisions, the Jewish people will always be hated. From the times of the Purim holiday story to the times of Adolf Hitler, the Jewish people were always be persecuted.

However, despite all this hatred, the Jewish people must continue to be proud of their heritage and continue to make Kiddishei Hashem [sanctify the name of G-d]. Through events like the Holocaust, the Jews were forced to have a different sense of unity and Jewish pride. Walking through the streets and knowing that six million Jews sacrificed their lives for the land of Israel and for the freedom of the Jewish people has forever changed my outlook on life.

Since I grew up in a Jewish day school, I have heard the commonly used phrase when learning about the constant persecution of the Jewish nation: No matter how hard powerful leaders try, they will never be able to exterminate the Jews. It is not until now that I sense how powerful that phrase is. One of the

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Judaic Studies many times when the Jewish people were persecuted was during World War II when Hitler and the Nazis targeted Jews with the goal of wiping them off the face of the earth. Learning about the Holocaust and that quote caused me to become a more prideful Jew. Being a part of a nation that has withstood so much and has such a rich history causes me to be prideful.

Whether I am walking through my neighborhood, shopping at the mall, or watching a game at Dodger Stadium, I wear my Kippah [skullcap] proudly, showing that I am a part of a nation greater than myself.

Additionally, the Holocaust has contributed to the sense of unity that I feel within this great nation.

Whenever there is a story of a Jew that is in need, the Jewish people always come together in support. In school, we are constantly saying Tehillim [Psalms] for others who we have never met; yet, we still find great importance in this communal prayer regardless of whether we know the person in trouble or not. The Jewish people have a sense of unity that is greater than any other group or nation.

Being part of a people that has been persecuted countless times has changed my outlook on life and my opinion on groups of people. Ever since I was young and was able to hear various Holocaust stories, I would think about how one group of people could be hated for no reason. The disgust that I felt towards those who disliked people for no reason caused me to become more tolerant. I have become more open-minded; I have been instilled with values so that I will never loathe someone solely based on their beliefs. Being part of a nation that has been hated for no reason, I know firsthand what hate feels like and how degenerating it feels. Therefore, being tolerant and respectful of others beliefs will always be a part of me and this is

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directly a lesson learned from the Holocaust, which affects me daily.

Various events throughout Jewish history have shaped who I am today. I have learned to be tolerant through all the hatred that the Jewish people have received. Hopefully, through all tragedies and struggles in our history, the Jewish people will continue to strive and be stronger than ever.

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Judaic Studies Yonah Hiller Likutei Ohr, Rabbi Arye Sufrin

On Deeper Faith

I once received a remarkable email from a religious Jewish soldier in the United States army.

The soldier recounted the different challenges he faces on a daily basis: “I get a lot of questions from non-Jewish soldiers about me putting on Tefillin [phylacteries], why I seem that I am talking to myself when I come out of the bathroom, or putting on Tzitzit [a four-cornered Jewish garment with tassels]. I tell them they are my opportunities to connect with G-d.� I was very inspired by his dedication and thought to myself if somebody in the middle of a desolate desert in Iraq in 108+ degree weather can find a way to joyously perform Mitzvot [religious commandments] and connect to Hashem [G-d], how much more so should we be able to find ways to connect to Hashem in our most pleasant, paradise-like lives. Prayer is our opportunity to form a personal relationship with Hashem; it is the pinnacle moment of connection with our Creator. Modeling the attitude and behavior of my friend in Iraq will surely guarantee success in deepening our relationship with Hashem.

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Jesse Hyman Witness to History, Mr. Joey Small

Unity Among Jews

Complete the following sentence: By the year 2040 I hope to inspire change in the Jewish world by...

By the year 2040, I think there will need to be a significant change in the Jewish world in order to maintain the continuity of a strong and unified Jewish community. While this goal may seem quite far off, and maybe even farther than the deadline, the Jewish nation must overcome its fragmentation to deal with opposition from secular forces. The orthodox, conservative, and reform movements must put aside their differente views because the Jewish nation does not have the manpower to withstand the barriers between the denominations. The Jews make up about 0.2% of the world population and need as many people as possible to stand up to the hate of the anti-Semitic peoples throughout the world.

This seems like an impossible accomplishment, but it takes one main step and the rest happens subsequently. We need the different groups to realize that while our views are not the same, we are all Jews.

When presented with the problems and facts with the world we live in today, I think that we can begin a long, hard process of unifying the fractured Jewish community. We just need the people who advocate for Israel and Jews to take a little break from looking at the outside world and look within the community to

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Judaic Studies build bridges and have everyone work together as Jews. With such great advocates and speakers, at least a few Jews within each group must begin to realize the bigger issue of unity. As soon as these ideas take hold within the different sects, the sentiment can begin to spread and can soon, hopefully, unify the nation under one name – Jewish.

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Micah Hyman Likutei Ohr, Rabbi Arye Sufrin

Jacob and G-d: A Complex Relationship

There is a dictum in the Talmud that proclaims that it is permissible to lie for the sake of peace (Yevamot 62a). In fact Rabbi Nachman, goes further and says that it is a commandment to lie for the sake of peace. In colloquial terms the Talmud is telling us that “white lies” are allowed. The Talmud’s discussion on this subject actually stems from a story in the Vayera Torah portion. There, Sarah laughs upon being informed that she would bear a child, protesting that both she and her husband are much too old to bear children (Genesis 18:12). However, when G-d relates the incident to Abraham, He recounts that Sarah only said she was too old. G-d neglects to mention that she included Abraham in order to not insult him. From this, the Talmud learns that one can lie to preserve peace.

I would like to suggest that a similar incident takes place in this week’s Torah portion, Vayigash. Right before Jacob descends to Egypt, which he knows will catalyze the foreboding exile of Egypt, he travels to Beersheba and seeks G-d’s help. G-d comes to him in a vision and reassures him, “I am the G-d – G-d of your father. Have no fear of descending to Egypt, for I shall establish you as a great nation there. I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also surely bring you up; and Josef shall place his hand on your eyes” (Genesis 46:3-4). I believe that Jacob’s concerns are directed towards his descendants because Jacob knows that he will be able to survive spiritually in

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Judaic Studies Egypt, as he has spent his entire life resisting external influences. However, he is not so certain that the Jewish posterity will be so steadfast in their spiritual connection. Thus, G-d’s initial statement, “I shall establish you as a great nation there,” comes to reassure Jacob that his descendants will be okay.

Intriguingly, G-d protects Jacob from the knowledge that his descendants will suffer as slaves in Egypt.

Although Jacob actually already knows this, in G-d’s attempts to comfort him, G-d leaves that sad detail out.

This is similar to G-d leaving out Sarah’s statement that Abraham was too old. In both cases, He leaves out a negative detail in order to keep his beloved, devout followers happy.

What is really mystifying is how G-d ends his comforting remarks: “Josef shall place his hand over your eyes.” The Chizkuni, a 13th century commentator, interprets that this alludes to the custom that a son would cover a father’s eyes upon his death. However, I wish to humbly posit that this is G-d’s way of telling Jacob that his son Josef will shelter his father from the trials that will soon challenge Children of Israel, metaphorically covering his eyes from those terrible sights. This is an interesting full circle, as Jacob was caused such sorrow due to the deception of the brothers selling Josef, and now Josef will protect Jacob from the terrible events to come, allowing Jacob some happiness in his final days.

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“The important thing is not to stop questioning.�

-Albert Einstein

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Michael Somekh AP Biology, Mrs. Vickie Bellomo

Whispers in the Dark: An Analysis of Schizophrenic Causes & Triggers

Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of Americans (men and women equally) and is a challenge to diagnose due to the paucity of knowledge scientists possess on its cause. People with schizophrenia experience three types of symptoms: positive, negative, and cognitive (Medical News). Positive symptoms include psychotic behaviors, such as hallucinations and delusions, which disrupt the patient’s sense of reality.

The degree of psychosis varies between schizophrenics, with some displaying severe behaviors and others expressing hardly noticeable symptoms. Negative indicators are harder to recognize than positive ones and include laziness, still face, monotonous tone of voice, speaking little, neglecting personal hygiene, and an inability to interact with others. These behavioral disorders are often confused with depression, which contributes to the difficulty of diagnosing these symptoms (WebMD). Similar to negative symptoms in respect to diagnosis, cognitive functions are difficult to diagnose and make it hard for individuals to live a normal life; these symptoms vary from troubles with focusing to struggles with memory.

Currently, most scientists believe schizophrenia is caused by a combination of epigenetics, external environments, and inherited genetic mutations in hundreds of different genes (Helpguide); others hypothesize that genes essential to producing brain

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Science chemicals and controlling brain development malfunction in schizophrenics, causing them to express a schizophrenic phenotype (NIMH).

Scientists still do not know all the polymorphisms in various genes that cause schizophrenia (NIHM). The most looked at “schizophrenia gene,” Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), affects the organism by inhibiting the activity of GSK3B, a targeted protein in in Lithium treatments used to detect bipolar disorder (Medical News). In experiments with DISC1, “loss of DISC1 function in the dentate gyrus, a portion of the brain that is important to the formation of new memories, led to reduced neural progenitor proliferation and elicited hyperactive and depressive behaviors in mice” (Medical News). Even with knowledge of all known faulty genes that leads to schizophrenia, an individual’s chance of developing schizophrenia is not guaranteed with these mutated genes. As the case with identical twins shows, individuals with a schizophrenic identical twin have a 40-65% greater chance of developing the disease (WebMD). This mechanism is similar to a temperate HIV virus; as stress levels increase, the virus will transition into its virulent phase. Since identical twins share the same genome, the question arises: why does one twin becomes a schizophrenic, and the other does not? This allows scientists to infer that a person’s psychological interactions and the environment around them seem to contribute significantly to their schizophrenic phenotype in the same way that stress can trigger a transition in viral life cycles.

External and psychological (epigenetic) factors that contribute to a schizophrenic phenotype include prenatal viral infections, sexual abuse, stress, and

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orphancy at a young age (Helpguide). Some theorize that marijuana abuse in adults can also cause schizophrenia (Internet Mental Health Initiative).

Research has shown that with a genetic predisposition, stress during the early years of one’s life is five to ten times more detrimental than stress at an adult age, and, with the major impact this stress can have on one’s mind, it increases one’s vulnerability to succumb to drug use (About.com), leading the person down a path of developing schizophrenia. With a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia, marijuana increases an individual’s chance of expressing schizophrenia by 1000% (Schizophrenia Cause and Prevention).

Due to the complexity of schizophrenia, mapping an individual’s genome is not enough to diagnose him or her with the disorder. Diagnosis requires an analysis of one’s medical history, laboratory tests and scans, a physical exam, and a psychiatric evaluation (Helpguide). Treatment for the disease cannot cure one of their phenotype, just like gigantism cannot be cured, but antipsychotic medications and psychosocial treatments can assuage symptoms (NIMH). Living with schizophrenics may at first seem daunting, but by taking the appropriate precautions of educating oneself, reducing stress (as stress galvanizes symptoms), visiting local help groups, and adjusting one’s expectations, one can achieve an optimistic future with a schizophrenic.

Work Cited “Marijuana Cannabis and Schizophrenia” Schizophrenia.com. Internet Mental Health Initiative, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.

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Science "Marijuana Use by Teens Statistics." About.com Teens.

About.com, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.

"Schizophrenia." National Institute of Mental Health Really Simple

Syndication. National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.

Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

"Schizophrenia Cause and Prevention." Schizophrenia.com.

N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

"Schizophrenia Health Center: Types, Symptoms, Medications, Causes, and Tests." WebMD. WebMD, n.d.

Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

“Schizophrenia News.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

"Schizophrenia: Signs, Types & Causes." Helpguide.

Helpguide, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

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Michael Szabo Biology 9, Mrs. Vickie Bellomo

Ocean Awareness (pictured on facing page)

I have made a sculpture of a jellyfish out of CD’s, plastic bags, and water bottles. These are all recyclable items that create serious problems for marine life in today’s oceans. The tentacles are made of water bottles, which I cut into spirals and hung on the CD’s. The top is made out of old compact discs and the mesoglea and gastrodermis of the jellyfish are made out of plastic bags. It has been proven that jellyfish are the marine species that survive the longest in a polluted environment. They are simple creatures that do not require much to survive and are usually the last to be harmed by pollution. My sculpture hopefully conveys that if we do not stop throwing our trash into the ocean even the hardiest of species such as the jellyfish will become a distant memory. It is our generation’s responsibility to act responsibly and recycle items such as the ones I used in my project. We also need to come up with other ways to clean up our environment and bring back species from the verge of extinction. If we continue on the path we are on today, we will undoubtedly destroy the vibrant marine environment and ruin the world as we know it.

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Science

Photo credit Michael Szabo

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Jack Levkowitz & Daniel Noghreyan Biology 9, Mrs. Vickie Bellomo

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Science

It all started at Basketball Practice...

Little did they Know MRSA had Infected him...

"I don't know‌ Haven't Seen Him."

"hey, do you know where posef is?"

Meanwhile, Posef ariel Yetlack was in an ambulance being Rapidly rushed to mount sinai hospital where he would be treated for the Mrsa infection which was resilient to all antibiotics‌

(continued on next page)

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One week Earlier...

The boys in class...

Daniel's Notes from that class: 10 years ago MRSA infections were rarely seen. The disease is a powerful build up of bacteria. The structure of the Bacteria contains a binding protein on the outer membrane. Surrounding that is the bacteria's cell wall. The DnA consists of meca genes; a gene purposed to disable antibiotics against the bacteria. The Bacteria builds itself up, lethally harming its host, on the skin. The bacteria makes its way through this mechanical barrier and enters the blood stream, and then the bones. after breaking through, the bacteria proceeds to live off its hosts flesh by eating the organs. this bacteria is resilient to all antibiotics, making it extremely hard to treat. mRsa can live on its host for more than 7 months. The bacteria normally breaks through the skin by entering through a cut or scrape. if it does not enter the blood, it stays on the skin, and appears as a pus filled red spot. this effects the immune system by weakening the bones and organs. the next day after class...

Posef yetlak felt a lot of pain and itchiness on his leg. he bent down to scratch it and noticed that he had a red, swollen, and painful area on his skin. it looked somewhat like a boil, and pus and fluid drained from the area.

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Science

POSEF YETLAK ARRIVED AT THE HOSPITAL AND WAS INSTANTLY DIAGNOSED WITH MRSA INFECTION.

Well, when You play a sport like basketball...

How did I get this Doc?

Doctor Acre continues: WHen you play basketball, there is a lot of physical contact of the skin, and an excessive amount of sweat release. As you may know, sweat contains an abundance of bacteria, and, for example, when a cut comes into contact with another person's skin, which contains bacteria such as staphylococcus, the bacteria gets through the skin and enters the body. This occurrence is extremely susceptible when playing sports like basketball. I believe this is the way you got your infection, Posef.

Unfortunately, this infection is resilient to all antibiotics, also meaning that the defense that bacteria use to protect themselves are ineffective against this. This infection gets through the body with the blood stream, and enters the bone marrow, where T and B cells grow/mature. This will violently effect your immune system.

(continued on next page)

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"Now let me explain to you how MRSA bypassed your first and second line of defense: I believe you had a cut on your leg. Since, your skin is the first line of defense, your cut was an open gate for the bacteria to enter your body, Posef. in fact, most bacteria bypass the first line of defense this way. Mrsa is just harder to get rid of.

posef closed his eyes and prepared for surgery...

Now I will tell you how mrsa got past your second line of defense: When mesa invaded your body the neutrophils gather at the entry site and try to ingulf and destroy the bacteria. if they get past the neutrophils, the macrophages will be attracted through the death throes of the neutrophils. these cells then attempt to ingulf the bacteria. right now, the mrsa bypassed its way to the blood stream, and thats why you're here now. I think your'e going to need surgery. I'm Sorry, posef The next day: The next practice..

I'm ready Doc...

I guess he's just in the bathroom.

Hey‌ is Posef gone again?

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Science

Starring: Posef Yetlak Doc Bball player Bball player Student

Alan Gindi Mr. Acre Jack L. Danny N. Jack L.

Story: Written By: Jack L. Danny N. Produced By: Jack L. Danny N. Illustrated by: Jack+Danny Sponsored BY: Jack+Danny Ideas By: Jack L. and Danny N. photography by: Jack+Danny layout by: Jack L. and Danny. edited by: Jack L. and Danny N. Mrsa educator: Mrs. bellomo graded by: Mrs. bellomo

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“Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.�

-Albert Einstein

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Ariel Amsellem Pre-Calculus, Mrs. Miriam Green

Pre-Calculus Test: An example of a great YULA math mind at work

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Math

(continued on next page)

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Math Akiva Rogawski AP Calculus AB, Mrs. Layla Bayramova

AP Calculus AB Test: Another example of a great YULA math mind at work

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Noah Schiff AP Calculus AB, Mrs. Layla Bayramova

AP Calculus AB Test: A final example of a great YULA math mind at work

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Math

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Daniel Yellin Honors Pre-Calculus, Mrs. Miriam Green

The Origin and Use of Tau In the early 1700s, William Jones created and introduced the term pi. Pi is the symbol used to represent the platonic concept of the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter of the circle; it is an ideal that in numerical terms, π can be approached, but never reached. This concept of π was widely accepted until 2001, when Bob Palais published the article, Pi is Wrong. Palais noticed that his students were having a hard time understanding that π/2 is a quarter of the way around the circumference of a circle (as evinced by the first figure below); so he decided that 2π should be used instead of π to make a quarter of the circle be (π)/4. But he needed a new symbol to represent this new 2 π system. In a 2010 article, The Tau Manifesto, Dr. Michael Hartl, founder of Tau Day, agreed with Bob Palais that Pi is wrong, but not in the factual sense. The number and theory that pi represents is factually correct, however, it is unpleasant to the eye in that pi is a harder concept to understand. He begins by proposing that the Circle Constant states that π equals the ratio of (C/D) where C is the circumference of the circle and D is the diameter. This does in fact equal 3.14156265..., but it is an unnatural number and could be simplified further.

Dr. Hertl replaces the diameter, D, with radius, R, for the same Circle Constant Ratio. Since the Diameter is twice the radius, this new ratio is numerically equal to 2 π, and this new ratio will equal 6.2831253… Adding to the proposition by Bob Palais, Dr. Hertl proposes

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Math that instead of the proposed 2 π the new symbol should be tau, represented by the nineteenth Greek letter τ.

This will create a more natural feeling to the symbol because now, a quarter of the way around a circle will be τ/4, which is the definition of “a quarter.” Bob Palais describes the full rotation around the circumference of the circle as “one turn τ.” Also, there is now nothing to memorize in terms of pi and radians.

With the newly adopted tau, students will not have to memorize that 2 π is a full rotation around the circle because now τ will be a full rotation and an eight of a turn is τ/8 (as shown in the second diagram below) instead of having to do the math with π and radians.

Although this is a newly introduced concept to a world that has forever used pi, the tau movement has so far been welcomed with excitement, but the movement is indeed in the early stages of its life and we will have to wait and see further recognition of tau. Even though in numerical value pi and tau are both correct, in practical use, they are quite different being that tau is easier for students to conceptualize.

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“History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man.”

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

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Eitan Meisels AP U.S. History, Dr. Paul Soifer

Triangle Factory Fire Response

The 1911 Triangle Factory Fire was a result of industrial negligence and exploitation. Clara Lemlich, a labor unionist, states that most women worked thirteen hour shifts in New York garment factories.

She also mentions that the factories were incredibly unsanitary, and goes as far as to say that factory work was worse than the labor slaves in the South endured. The Triangle Waist Company, owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, employed around five hundred young immigrants, one hundred and forty six of which died in the fire. The company occupied the top three floors of the Asch building in New York City. According to the testimony of William Beers, New York’s fire marshal at the time, the fire started when someone threw a match under a table filled with scrap material. When the fire broke out, workers could not escape because the main stairway was locked, and the fire escape could not hold enough people.

Interestingly, a New York Times article published one day after the fire does not mention the doors being locked, but says that workers could not escape because the fire had cut off access to the elevators. However, Ethel Monick Feigen, a survivor of the fire, said that she was cutting lace on the ninth floor when the fire broke out. She could not open the door leading to the main staircase, but was able escape through the one operating elevator. Dora Skalka, another survivor, told interviewers that she testified against Blanck and

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History Harris during the trials after the fire. When asked by the District Attorney whether the stairway exit doors were locked or not, she replied by saying that the doors were always locked because the factory owners did not want workers to steal raw product. Skalka also said that when she exited the elevator she was told not to leave while firemen and police collected the bodies of those who jumped out of the factory windows. Aside from the newspaper articles and press releases that followed both the fire and the trials against Blanck and Harris, responses to the event were very poignant.

Songs such as “The Ballad of the Triangle Fire� by Ruth Rubin memorialized those who perished in the fire, and made sure to mention both the cramped conditions and unsanitary environment that the workers toiled in. The Joint Relief Committee, an amalgam of different organizations, was established after the fire to help the survivors. A report by the Joint Relief Committee indicates that the Red Cross also played a role in helping take care of and provide basic necessities for survivors of the fire. Similarly, the New York State Factory Investigating Commission investigated the fire and helped pass legislation to improve conditions in factories. A final report from the Commission contains a list of provisions that the commission wanted established to ensure safer factory environments- among them the installation of automatic sprinklers, fire drills, and the prohibition for women to work immediately after child birth.

The Triangle Factory Fire exposed the truths behind American industrialization. Towards the end of the nineteenth century and through the beginning of the twentieth century, American industrialization soared. Companies in port cities such as New York took advantage of the large immigrant pools. Rose Cohen, a

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sweatshop worker, stated that she did not want to work in a factory, but did so order to pay for her mother and siblings to come to America. Wirt Sikes, a popular reformer who supported the Women’s Protective Union, mentioned that conditions in the Triangle Factory were deplorable. According to Sikes, the factory’s smell was what was most unbearable. The Progressive Era (1900-1920), however, was a time in which new steps were taken to make work and social conditions more endurable. Social welfare legislation was an issue at the forefront of American politics at the time. New child labor and workman's compensation laws were established. The Triangle Factory Fire, however, demonstrates that many of the efforts made to alleviate the dangers of working in a factory were not as effective as they should have been. For example, when the president of the New York State Factory Investigating Commission questioned William Beers, Chief Fire Marshal of New York, Beers said that the Asch building’s fire escape was weak, the hose used to put out the fire was too short, and that the lack of an overhead sprinkler system contributed to the fire department’s inability to help Triangle Factory workers. The Keating-Owens Act of 1916 prohibited the purchasing of goods produced in factories that employed children under the age of 14. It also prohibited people under the age of sixteen from working more than eight hours daily. Had this legislation been in place during the time of the fire, the factory would probably be less packed and fewer people would have died. Furthermore, when G.I. Harmon, a Labor Department inspector, was interrogated by the Commission after the Triangle Fire, he stated that during his inspection of the Asch building he found the building in violation of several codes such as the

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History requirement for all factories to be well lit. However, when the commissioner asked whether the inspector did anything about the violations, Harmon said he hadn’t.

This demonstrates yet again that although measures were in place to make working conditions better, they were not implemented effectively. One of the ideals of the progressive movement was to protect women and children. In a letter to her family members in Europe, Pauline Newman, a worker at the Triangle Factory before the fire, writes that she was never paid extra for working late in the factory. Newman also says that working in the factory was a like a punishment for being poor. The Triangle Fire was so impactful because it led to the deaths of so many women and children, and it garnered so much attention in part because it revealed the conditions in which “the weak� had to work.

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“First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.”

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Language

Asher Naghi Arabic, Mr. Zvi Smith

Haggling In Arabic ‫ ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺮﺑﻲ‬ ‫ ﻣﻔﺎﺻﻠﺔ‬ :: Haggling in Arabic Asher Naghi :: ‫ ﻧﺎﻏﻲ‬ ‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬

‫ ﺍاﻟﻌﺎﻓﻴﯿﺔ‬ ‫ ﻳﯾﻌﻄﻴﯿﻚ‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ ‫ ﻳﯾﻌﻔﻴﯿﻚ‬ ‫ ﺍاﷲ‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬ ‫ ﺭرﺯز‬ ‫ ﻛﻴﯿﻠﻮ‬ ‫ ﺛﻼﺙث‬ ‫ ﺑﺪﻱي‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ ‫ ﻋﺮﺍاﺳﻲ‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬ ‫ ﺍاﻟﺴﻌﺮ؟‬ ‫ ﺷﻮ‬ .‫ ﻣﻨﻴﯿﺢ‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ ‫ ﻟﻴﯿﺮﺓة‬ ‫ ﻋﺸﺮ‬ ‫ ﻫﻴﯿﺪﺍا؟‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬ ‫ ﺗﻔﻨﻴﯿﺲ‬ ‫ ﺑﻼ‬ ‫ ﻋﺸﺮ؟‬ ‫ ﺷﻮ؟‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ ‫ ﻋﺸﺮ‬ ,‫ ﺃأﻩه‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬ ‫ ﻟﻴﯿﺮﺓة‬ ‫ ﺃأﺭرﺑﻊ‬ ‫ ـ‬ ‫ ﺍاﻟﺴﻌﺮ‬ ‫ ﻇﺒﻄﻠﻲ‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ ‫ ﺛﻤﺎﻧﻴﯿﺔ‬ .‫ ﺑﺘﻮﻓﻲ‬ ‫ ﻣﺎ‬ !‫ ﻻ‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬ ‫ ﺛﻤﺎﻧﻴﯿﺔ‬ ‫ ﻋﻨﺪﻱي‬ ‫ ﻣﺎ‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ ‫ﺳﺒﻊ‬...‫ ﻑف‬ !‫ ﻛﺬﺍاﺏب‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬ َ‫ ﺷﻜﺮﺍا‬ :‫ ﺍاﺷﺮ‬ َ‫ ﺃأﻫﻼ‬ :‫ ﻳﯾﻮﺳﻒ‬

Asher: Excuse me!

Yusef: Yes? Asher: I want three kilograms of rice Yusuf: At your service Asher: Good. What’s the price?

Yusuf: For this? 10 Lira.

Asher: What? 10? Stop pulling my leg here.

Yusuf: Really, it’s 10.

Asher: Fix the price for me -­ 4 Lira Yusuf: No! That doesn’t even cover my costs. 8.

Asher: I don’t have 8 Yusuf: Liar! So...how about 7?

Asher: Ok, thank you.

Yusuf: You’re welcome.

76

Language

77

h

g lis n E

Judaic Studies Sci

y tor H is

Language 78

enc e

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

-Pablo Picasso

to

H is

Lan gua ge Art c

Yair Isaacs Art, Mr. Ian Arenas

Jewish Star

The picture captures the fact that the Jewish star, a symbol that represented Jewish degradation and humiliation, became the Jewish emblem of pride on the front of the Israeli flag. This contrast is alluded to via the white and black portions juxtaposing the star.

The candle at the picture’s center parallels the inner flame of the Jew, his Jewish identity, that is never extinguished no matter what we, as a people, experience.

80

Art Ariel Shafa Photography, Mr. Ian Arenas

(continued on next page)

81

82

Art Alon Uralevich Art, Mr. Ian Arenas

Calculator Art

(continued on next page)

83

84

Art Daniel Noghreyan Biology, Mrs. Vickie Bellomo

Ocean Awareness Theme: plastic pollution in the ocean

85

ai Jutdudies S Science H is tor y

ge gua Lan

Art 86

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

-Hans Christian Andersen

gua Lan

Ar t

Music

Josh Banafsheha Music, Mr. Sam Glaser

Piece No. 6

Piece No. Josh Banafsheha Pno. Allegro con fuoco

       43   mf      3   4 

Piano

Pno.

7



3

3

3

3

3

3

8

Pno.

3

3

     

    

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Pno.

3

3

3

3

Pno.

3

                               3

           9

3

3

3

3

3

Pno.

Pno.

 

  44                             4         4    3

                                                                                                                                                                   3

5

  

3



           

3

   3

 

3

 

 

3

  

3

 

3

 

3

                       

3

 

3

  

3

 

3

 

Pno.

3



  

 

3



Pno.

2

88

Music        

 

       

 

         mp

                           

        

                           

10

Pno.

ff

 

   

 

3

 

   

3

3

 

3

 

 

                                      3

          13

Pno.

 

3

3

3

12

Pno.

 

                                  

11

Pno.

 

 

       

3

3

3

3

 

 

3

3

 

 

3

3

3

3

 

3

3

3

3

 

 

3

 

3

3

3

 

3

 

3

 

 





                                                                          

14

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

2

89

                                                  

16

Pno.

     

3

         

              

20

        

3



3



3



 

mf

3





3

3

3

 

                 3

 

3

       

3

   

3

3



3

3



     



 

3

3

3

3

3

                                        

 

 

 

3

 

3

         

                    

   

 

3

3

 

3

3

   

 

     

 



 

                       

     

12

 

12

                                                                               

23

Pno.

3

                

22

Pno.



ff               3

Pno.

3

 

18

Pno.



   

12

 

  

12

   

3

90

Music

             

25

Pno.

    

26

Pno.

 

         

Pno.

   

28

Pno.

 

 

   

29

Pno.

 

 



 







 







 







 







 

















    

  

27



















                                                                                                                                      

4

91

                               

                              

3

3

3

3

30

Pno.

 

       

 

 

    

3

3

3

3

3

32

Pno.

3

3

3

                        3

3

     

3



3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

                                                             3

3



3

                                       

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

                          

38

Pno.

3

3

3

3

36

Pno.

3

3

                                                  

                                                               

34

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

                     

                                                     3

ff

3

3

3



3



3



3



3

3

3

3

3

3

                                   3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

5

92

Music

                                                                      8va 8va                                 3

3

40



Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

          3

3

3

    

42 3



Pno.

   

3



3

 

3

 

3

 

3

 

3

 

3

 

3



 

3







5

6

93

Josh Banafsheha Music, Mr. Sam Glaser

Romance Josh Banafsheha

Adagio

     42            42       2    4

Violin

Piano

8

Vln.

Pno.

  

  

Vln.

Pno.

94

 

          

   



  

          



                                                                             

   

              

15

                                                  

      

   



        

   



   



 

     

   

 

                   

Music

  

21

afsheha



   



Vln.

Pno.





Pno.

 



Pno.

 



 

 





 

                 





 

                          

                                                                                       

              

 

    

 



  

                           

                                    

32

Vln.

  

  

28

Vln.



 

                                         25

Vln.

Pno.

   



 



 

 





                                                

                               











                                

2

95

  



36

Vln.

Pno.



           

                              

ff

 

       

Pno.

  

Pno.

      

            

 

Pno.



3



  

 

3

3

        3

3

 

3

3

Vln.

    

Pno.

3

3

Vln.

             

 



3

3





 



3

Pno.

                                                 3

3

3

3

3

                            3

3

3

3

3

3

44

Vln.

3

3

                 

42

Vln.

 

3

40

Vln.

3

3

       3

3

 

Pno.

3

3

    

   

3

Vln.

3

  3

 

 

Pno.

3

3

96

Vln.

4

Music

                         

47

Vln.

Pno.

3

3

3

3

  

50

Vln.

Pno.

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

                                         3

    

 

3

        



 

53

Vln.

3

                                                 3



 

3

3

 

    

3

 

   

 

3

3

3

4           4           4  4

              4    4   3

3

                

  

8va





        

 





     

                 8va  8va                                                     

56

Vln.

3

Pno.

3

3

3

4

97

   



59

Vln.

Pno.

    

   

3

61

Pno.

 

                 3

Vln.

3

 

         

3

3

Pno.

3

3

    

Pno.

 



 

 

  



 

3



  

                

                                

67

Vln.



                               

 

    

3





3

3

64

Vln.

 



  



         

     



                       





                                                 5

98

Music

                    

Pno.



                      



71

Vln.

Pno.

     



Pno.



     

75

Vln.

 



            









Pno.

 5



 



 24    

              

 



 

2  4  

    

 



  

 

 

                   

79

Vln.









 

  

 

  





 

   

 



 

  





 





        Adagio                            

    

42

 







69

Vln.







  



 



 

 

 

 



 

 

 

                   



 

   

 



6

99

                                                              

83

Vln.

         

Pno.



 

 

 

  

                                                 

87

Vln.

Pno.

      

90

Vln.

           

Pno.

     

95

Vln.

Pno.

100

    

                



  



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Music

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Colophon Typeface: Blackmoor LET, NeoBulletin Limited, Athelas Paper Stock: 70 Pound Offset

Computer Equipment Hardware: Apple MacBook Pro Software: Apple Pages 4.3 Number of Copies Printed: 100 Printing Agency: Universal Print & Copy, Los Angeles

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Acknowledgements

Publishing Polymatheus requires countless hours of scrupulous work from the Polymatheus staff. First, we would like to thank the staff for being so flexible, motivated, and collegial. In addition to the staff, we must thank the school as a whole for its unwavering support and belief in us and our journal. In particular, we thank Rabbi Dov Emerson and Dr. Paul Soifer for their commitment to academic excellence.

Next, we would like to thank the design team. This edition being the second Polymatheus in our school’s history, we are thankful for the brilliant help and guidance of Mr. Shawn Clary, without whom this journal would not be possible.

Both our advisers, Ms. Pam Felcher and Mr. Shawn Clary, offered their unmitigated guidance and support. Their willingness to give their time so generously has enabled us to showcase the best of what YULA has to offer.

Your Publisher, Michael Somekh

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