November 2014

Underclassmen take part in LARP and cosplay

The Oracle discusses international politics

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Friday, November 14, 2014

Volume 52, Issue 3

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

District implements achievement gap committee Elinor Aspegren Copy Editor

During a live call-in cable TV show that aired Oct. 8, Superintendent Dr. Max McGee announced the creation of the Minority Achievement and Talent Development Advisory Committee. The committee, comprised of community members, faculty, students and parents, will produce a set of recommendations to help close the district’s achievement gap. The achievement gap is a divide between the performance of certain groups of students. McGee plans to hold the advisory committee beginning Dec. 2 after the original Nov. 4 meeting was postponed.

McGee hopes to achieve two goals by closing the achievement gap. “One is to ensure that every student here fulfills his or her enormous creative, intellectual and social potential,” McGee said. “The second is really to make sure that students of color and from socially disadvantaged families have access to services that help them promote their talents.”

The 2012-13 Student Accountability Report Card Percentage Proficiency shows the extent of the gap in Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) schools. In high school English, 90 percent of both Asian and Caucasian students were proficient, 59 percent of African American students and 53 percent of Latino students were proficient. 88 percent of Asian students, 71 percent of Caucasian students, 24 percent of African-American students and 42 percent of Latino students were proficient in Math.

McGee believes the district needs to utilize the human and financial resources it has to insure that all students receive a high-quality education. “We just have a long history of needing to provide more academic and socialemotional support for students of color and for the socially and economic disadvantaged,” he said, adding that other districts can learn from the systemic approach he plans to take. Board member Melissa Baten Caswell believes that it is PAUSD’s duty to close the gap. “The purpose of public education is to provide everyone an equal chance to be educated and I don’t think we are doing our job as well as

we would like to be, when specific ethnic and economic groups of students are performing measurably worse than their peers,” she said.

Cochair of Parent Advocates for Student Success (PASS) Kim Bomar, believes that the problem in the district is the lack of help for disadvantaged and minority students.

During her time in PASS, she has noticed that few minority students have met the A-G requirements to graduate. “We need to figure out what students can do to be welcomed at schools and be viewed as strong leaders,” she said. “McGee recognizes that we need not just increase performance, but also make sure that everyone is represented in high-level classes.”

The advisory committee will examine enrollment in classes and grades amongst other PAUSD data points and conduct background research on schools outside of PAUSD that have successfully closed the achievement gap. “Once they have all of this information, the idea is that they will put together a list of strategic short-term and long-term recommendations that will be actionable,” he said.

In terms of the school board and PASS, they will help to aid this process while providing their own suggestions.

Baten Caswell suggests that the advisory looks at current school programs. “One of the things that I’m hoping this task force will do is look at internal and external data from programs that seem to be successful here and make recommendations about how best to evaluate and make choices about programs going forward,” she said. PASS intends to advocate for McGee’s recommendations and fill in the missing action items. “We hope to have a PASS representative on the committee,” Bomar said.

McGee anticipates several obstacles during this project.

He believes that the biggest problem will be the prevailing but erroneous mentality that all students are doing well in school. He expects it will be difficult to sustain the achievement gap initiative over several years. “This is going to take time,” he said.

According to McGee, parent and peer pressure is the ACHIEVEMENT—p.2

Alexandra Ting

Gunn admin sets construction plans Sabrina Chen Reporter

A formal proposal of the plan for the construction of a new building is currently being revised and will be sent to the school board in early December.

According to Principal Dr. Denise Herrmann, the building will have two stories of classroom space, includes space for The Oracle and The Olympian publications, a revised Student Activities Center (SAC), space for a wellness center and a patio area.

Construction is slated to start during fall 2015 and end in fall 2017.

The wellness center will have room for the school counselors, nurse, psychologist and Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS). “Everything will be coming together on the second floor,” Herrmann said. “You’ll walk in and you can see the nurse or you can see the counselor. All of that will be in one area that is in the center of campus.”

Herrmann believes putting all of the services

into one place is beneficial to many students. “I’m a person who really believes in integrated services,” Hermann said. “I like [the building] being at the heart of campus as a one-stop shop for students to take care of themselves.”

The new SAC will have a classroom with new furniture. Student Activities Director Lisa Hall thinks the new classroom will be a casual study area for students as well as a new area for the Student Executive Council (SEC) to work and collaborate. “Now that the library has moved back towards a quieter space we hope to be able to use the classroom space and have a large group work together and not have to worry about being quiet,” Hall said.

The new SAC will have windows that open out onto the patio space. “When there are events people can spill out into a covered patio,” Herrmann said.

“There will be both indoor and outdoor seating.”

According to Hall, the new patio area will provide a space for students to enjoy the outside while SAC—p.3

Dave Zhu Courtesy of Assistant Principal James Lubbe

Above: Official blueprints of the floor plans for the upper level of the new building that will take the place of the current Student Activities Center.

2

News

THEORACLE

Jazz Band to host dance Matthew Hamilton

Assistant Business Manager

The Jazz Band will be holding a dance on Nov. 21. The dance will include performances from the Big Band Jazz Ensemble, the Jazz Band Two and vocalist from the Gunn choir.

Unlike most dances sponsored by the Student Executive Council, there will be live music to encourage students to participate in a new type of dancing. Swing dancing is encouraged by members of the band and an instructor may be brought in to teach new dance moves. No previous dance experience is required and instructors will be modeling dance moves the audience can try.

“It’s not currently popular to dance to this music, so there will be instruction on swing dance and partner style,” Jazz Band Director Margaret Billin said.

The style of dance is expected to adjust to the new genres of music.

“Jazz dance is a more classical type of dance, instead of freaking,” senior Daniel Lee said.

At most dances the music is provided by D.J.s, but the Jazz Band is offering students a unique opportunity to experience live music students can dance to. “Live big band is a really exciting thing to see,” freshman Saar Singhal said.

Band Director Keith Hunter believes the ambiance of live jazz will provide for a better ambiance. “There’s a different kind energy with live music,” he said. “Being able to react to the audience and see your friends playing sets live music apart.”

Bands will be covering various genres that are not played at most Gunn dances. “We plan to start with some old-timey swing stuff, and then transition to more modern jazz,” junior Ajay Raj said. “Maybe we will get into some rock or pop tunes from the 70s and 80s.”

As Band Director Todd Summers explains, jazz was originally created to be danced to, and the new jazz dance gives students the opportunity to fulfill that purpose. “Jazz is the first American art form that was danced to,” he said. “It’s the original dance music the Americans created. It was the first social type of dance music on this country.”

For students looking to diversify from the typical dance scene at Gunn, the Jazz Band provides them with a chance. “This dance gets them to branch out into a different genre,” Singhal said. “Jazz has a different beat. You get a different feeling when you try to dance to Jazz.”

The dance has a cover charge of $15, and the proceeds go towards supporting the Jazz band. The revenue from the dance will be used to purchase new instruments, amplifiers and possible trips to festivals outside of California.

Raj believes this dance will be a nice alternative to the normal Gunn dances and urges students to attend. “Come to this dance if you want to hear some really good music from a really good band with really good directors,” Raj said. “Come to this dance if you want to experience a new type of dance and come to this dance if you want to have a great time.”

Tickets can be purchased from the Music Department during lunch today and next week.

SNAPSHOTS Recap of Gunn Homecoming 2014

Ten Man Pass

“My favorite part about homecoming week is seeing my class unite as a family. It’s something you don’t see everyday, and I just think it’s amazing how we c a n h ave so much spirit.”

Tug of War —Kenny Chui, 11

Obstacle Course

Homecoming Court

Alexandra Ting

Alexandra Ting

Alexandra Ting

Alexandra Ting

“French Week is a great way to bring French culture into the community.”

—Marisa Agarwal, 10 “[French Week] promotes language and culture all over French speaking world.”

—French teacher Anne Jensen

Crêpe Day

Crêpe Day

Waiter Competition

Josh Spain

Josh Spain

National French Week

Lisa Cheong

—Compiled by Stina Chang

District addresses achievement gap ACHIEVEMENT—p.1

major social barrier to fixing the gap. “This isn’t just a problem between eight and three,” he said. Bomar added that another problem is the current Palo Alto culture of high achievement. “There might be advisory recommendations that conflict with the culture of this community,” she said. Baten Caswell, on the other hand, sees an issue with the obtainment of information. “Our history has been that we continue to add new programs, but we rarely are able to make objective trade-off decisions once [the programs] start ,” she said. “Part of the reason for that is because we have not been consistent about setting up clear metrics for evaluation; as a result we don’t have clear data about whether those programs are helping or not helping.”

There are several end goals for this project. McGee hopes that school will not only be a place for students to attend, but also a place of active and engaged learning.

Bomar believes that the number one goal is to ensure that students feel welcome. “I hope that the end goal will be that all kids will come to feel at home at school and in the community, and confident in themselves as learners,” she said.

Baten Caswell hopes that the board will provide evidence for programs that work. “If there is a well-puttogether plan with good metrics associated with it, I don’t think we will have problems at the [school board] level,” she said. “I’d like to see results from our students that are strong, and are not statistically different when you break them out by ethnic group,” she said.

McGee brings a great deal of experience to this project. He has published papers on the achievement gap and developing talent in youth and was State Superintendent of Illinois for three years. “I really made this the key policy initiative of my administration,”

he said. “We didn’t make the progress [I had hoped for], but we made some inroads and certainly inspired schools and districts to tackle the problem on their own.” He hopes to have more time here than he had in Illinois to meet and fulfill the needs of the students at the low end of the achievement gap.

McGee believes it may take five to seven years to complete this project.

2012-2013 School Accountability Report Card Findings High-achieving, lower-income students are less likely to attend the most selective colleges.

Lower-income students neither maintain their status as high achievers nor rise into the ranks of high achievers as frequently as higher-income students.

Anton Oyung

Friday, November 14, 2014 3 News Foster, Godfrey in race for second board seat SAC renovation starting Fall 2015 Matthew Hamilton

Assistant Business Manager

Ken Dauber secured a seat on the Palo Alto School Board on Nov. 4. Dauber won one of two available seats, with the second seat still being contested for by Terry Godfrey and Catherine Crystal Foster. The results of the second seat will be finalized by Dec. 2 as Godfrey currently holds a mere 102 vote lead over Foster. Voting took place on Nov. 4 for two available seats on the school board. Five candidates ran but Foster and Godfrey are the only two in position to win the second seat. Jay Blas Cabrera and Gina Dalma have both conceded defeat in the election.

The delay in election results is due to the large number of provisional ballots cast. More than 14,000 provisional ballots have yet to be counted. This, and changes at the county registrar’s office, has prompted Santa Clara county to request a post election review by the Secretary of State.

Dauber campaigned with a studentfirst mentality, and he believes his vic tory shows the district wants students to be a priority. “I think the community responded to the basic message of putting students first and focusing on the policies and programs that really benefit the students,” Dauber said.

“They want the school board to be focused on the things that really matter: teaching, learning, and the social and emotional well-being of the kids.”

One of the keys to Dauber’s platform was his emphasis on the mental and emotional health of PAUSD. To help re duce unnecessary stress, Dauber plans to use Project Safety Net to set and enforce a district homework policy. Dauber believes that a limit on the amount of daily homework as signed by teachers, as well as the removal of homework that lacks purpose, will reduce stress at every level of school. In addition, to prevent situations where students have lots of tests and projects in the same time period, he wants teachers to improve the scheduling of assignments through teacher collaboration.

“We need to address in a serious manner the social and emotional well-being of the students,” Dauber said. “We can fully implement a homework policy and improve our test and project scheduling so the kids don’t have work pileups.

Curricular alignment would also make sure that all of our

classes are aligned with the abilities of our kids.”

Aside from improving the social and emotional health of students, Dauber wants to increase foreign language instruction in middle and elementary schools. Specifically, he believes Mandarin Chinese offerings should be expa nded. Additiona l ly, to combat t he problem of overcrowding in elementary schools, Dauber believes a thirteenth elementary school should be opened.

PAUSD has showed that it is one of the best districts in the nation but Dauber believes that use of data and metrics could contribute to greater awareness and more effective resolutions for every aspect of education. Dauber acknowledges that complacency could be a threat to the district and that data could help solve this problem.

Through increased utilization of big data, Dauber thinks that PAUSD could quantify success which would allow for accurate measurements of how schools are doing. “I think there is a very large oppor tunit y to associate our goa ls with measurable metrics, whether they are about achievement or consistency across teachers,” Dauber said. “In all the goals we have, we should be able to define what success consists of and measure whether we are getting closer enough. We can use that feedback to adjust our efforts.”

As a whole, Dauber believes Gunn students will see many benefits from his term as a school board member.

“Gunn students will gain someone who has a real concern for improving the life of kids at school,” he said.

According to Godfrey, she expected a close race, and the extra time taken to count the votes does not surprise her. She campaigned on a platform that included combating inconsistency between teachers and improving the learning environment for PAUSD students. She plans to improve teacher consistency by giving them more time to plan classes and collaborate with other teachers. She thinks that a reduction of the number of students would help solve overcrowding in middle school and elementary school and benefit the learning environment.

Foster wants to bring her experience with helping lowincome students attend college to PAUSD. She also wants the school board to have a larger student voice. According to Foster, a stronger student voice would help the school board stay focused on the needs of the students.

Ken Dauber

THEORACLE

INBOX

780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 www.gunnoracle.com

The Oracle strongly encourages and prints signed Letters to the Editor and Comments. Comments are generally shorter responses, while Letters are longer pieces of writing conveying a point of view.

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Danielle Yacobson News Lawrence Chen Kush Dubey Forum Shawna Chen Esther Kozakevich Kathleen Xue

Managing Editors Pooja Belur Klaire Tan

Features Lisa Hao Yuki KlotzBurwell Ryeri Lim

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Centerfold Emily Kvitko Naina Murthy

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Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one.

Photo Lisa Cheong, Josh Spain Alexandra Ting Copy Elinor Aspegren Prachi Kale

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The Oracle is published by and for the students of Henry M. Gunn Senior High School. The unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent the majority opinion of the editorial staff and The Oracle’s commitment to promoting student rights.

The Oracle publishes nine issues annually. Subscriptions cost $45 per year to receive all nine issues.

Letters and Comments may be edited to meet space requirements and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Letters to the Editor and Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to oraclegunn@gmail.com or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current students.

I liked the pro-con article on relationships.

I like how you covered a variety of topics, from pop polls to drunk driving.

—Mara Greene, 11

Graphics Dave Zhu

Staff Reporters Stina Chang, Michael Chen, Sabrina Chen, Lucy Fan, Ariel Pan, Wendy Shi, Erica Watkins, Lena Ye

SAC—p.1

working. “I’m excited about the outdoor patio area and providing more actual seating outside in a comfortable way,” Hall said.

Hall noted several problems with the old SAC. “It isn’t designed to be a student center so we have, over the years, made adjustments to the building,” she said. “We’ve had to be creative in our use of it and take furniture when we could get it. What’s nice is that the new building will be designed specifically for that purpose.”

Herrmann believes the new building will move the school forward in terms of innovation and design. “We think about what our needs are and the community’s investment in making sure our buildings were twenty-first century and not 1964,” Herrmann said.

Hall thinks the new changes would better suit to the needs of students. “We have been overdue for something new, more comfortable, well-lit and a space that really is designed with students and activities in mind, rather than [a] revamped library which is what the space was originally for,” Hall said.

“The difference would be a space for students that wouldn’t just be devoted to academics­—it’s more for social and there aren’t a whole lot of places where that’s allowed these days around campus.”

Herrmann thinks the new building will add to the campus’ overall look. “Kids are really going to want to hang out there because it’s so beautiful. And I think aesthetically, that’s important to have your surroundings be a place you want to be in.”

Students have shown their support for the changes. Sophomore Class President Chloe Sorensen is excited about the new building. “I think it will be a really great addition to campus and it will be nice for SEC to have a real classroom,” she said.

Sophomore Tone Lee has mixed feelings about the change. “I’m looking forward to more space, a more open environment and really, just another place to hang out to,” Lee said. “I’m not looking forward to the time it’ll take to reconstruct, frankly, because then we won’t be allowed in the SAC and it’s a really fun place.”

I want to see more new pictures and more personal anecdotes from staff.

—Lydia Sun, 11

I would like to see more of Isaac’s Top 8.

—Marianne Huang, 12

I think more coverage of sports would be better because there are some teams that are doing very well but don’t get attention.

—Lin-Lin Liu, 11

I thought that the new issue of The Oracle was very informative and covered a variety of topics.

—Jun Kim, 9

I want to see more stories about nationwide issues that affect Gunn students.

—Lucy Augustine, 10

October 13, 2014

I would like to see a how-to segment in The Oracle that teaches us practical life skills like how to take good photos or how to study effectively.

—Randy Wu, 10 I liked reading the story about long-distance relationships.

—Tommy Farley, 12

The Oracle is a 2014 NSPA Pacemaker Award finalist.

4

News

THEORACLE

City council debates construction of Caltrain trench Prachi Kale

Copy Editor

In an Oct. 20 meeting, the Palo Alto City Council discussed the findings of a consulting firm Hatch Mott McDonald (HMM). The firm released a study which examined the possibility of constructing an open trench for Caltrain in south Palo Alto. According to the Palo Alto City Council Report, the meeting is simply a jumping-off point for community dialogue.

The trench is being considered due to Caltrain’s plans for electrification. The study, initially commissioned by the city in Nov. 2013, concluded that the trench, which would begin a little south of Matadero Creek and return to normal at San Antonio Road, could cost up to $1.05 billion. According to the Palo Alto City Council Report, the trench would only be built in the southern half of Palo Alto because “trenching the [north] corridor would require the complete reconstruction of the City’s three existing grade separated crossings (Oregon Expressway, Embarcadero and University) and submerging the City’s two Caltrain stations (California Avenue and Palo Alto), in addition to complications posed by San Francisquito Creek.”

With the potential trench, the city also aims to provide increased safety and road circulation at the railroad crossings.

According to HMM’s report, there are two different options for the trench. One is a one percent grade; the other is a two percent grade trench. Both designs would require no property acquisition and would be submerged beneath Meadow Drive and Charleston Road. The one percent grade trench, preferred by Caltrain, would cost $1.05 billion and requires a reconstruction of currently submerged roads like Oregon Expressway, University Avenue and Embarcadero Road.

The two percent trench, preferred by the City Council, would cost $488.2 million. According to

City of Palo Alto Management Analyst Richard politan Transportation Commission.”

Hackmann, “The two percent grade trench costs The City Council has reviewed the previous remuch less and has less impacts on the communi- port and are currently considering whether ty.” The council is now discussing the next stage of or not to continue with the next phase the current phase, which would include an analy- of the study. sis of the environmental impacts the trench could have on Palo Alto. “If any project is Resurge of constructed, it is my understanding that an high-speed-rail Environmental Impact Report (EIR) would sparks Palo have to be done for the project,” Hackmann 2009 Alto interest in said. “That document would address all environmental concerns.” revamping of The second phase of the study would Caltrain finalize the City’s selected alternatives, First study produce concept design exhibits and rank the alternatives in the order of cost and of proposed Nov. 4, feasibility. According to the Palo Alto City Caltrain trench 2013 Council Report, “the cost of Phase II would is approved by be an additional $67,760 and staff is intercouncil in 7-2 ested in hearing from the Council whether vote. this additional work is needed to provide sufficient information for community Palo Alto dialogue and policy decisions regarding Grade Sepwhich of the preliminary alternatives, if Oct. 9, aration and any, should be pursued from a funding and 2014 logistical standpoint with outside agencies Trenching such as Caltrain, the Santa Clara Valley Study released.

Transportation Authority and the Metro-

• Total Projected cost: • Trench width: $1.05 billion 47 feet • Target speed of pro- • Proposed study cost: posed Meadow Dr and $67,760 Charleston Rd train: —Report by Hatch Mott McDonald 90 mph

Anton Oyung

Food Fair pushed back Michael Chen

According to Hall, SEC has not yet determined the exact date when the fair will occur. “The Fall Club Food The annual fall club food fair has Fair has not been rescheduled as of been pushed back due to schedu le yet,” Hall said. conf licts. The food fair, usually held Reich says that despite these changin Oct., was rescheduled due to overlap es there will be no significant alterwith Homecoming. The new fair date ations to the fair’s goals. “SEC still has not yet been decided. wants as many clubs to participate in Accord ing to Student Act iv it ies the fair as possible,” Reich said.

Director Lisa Hall, in addition to the However, this year’s nutritional rechange of date, the Fall Club Food Fair strictions are so strict that a number of will also be subject to other changes. clubs have been discouraged from par“ I f t h e e ve nt t ic ip at i n g . happens, then Ac c o r d i n g the particito sopho“One of our goals is to make this pants will most more Randy li kely not be Wu, Future a really inclusive event. Since the sel ling food,” Business event is being pushed pack, it’s a Hall said. This Leaders of great opportunity to get more and change is due America more of our clubs to sign up for it.” to the new (FBLA) will state nutritionnot be par—Senior Evan Kraemer al restrictions. ticipating in W hi le t hese a re t he food fa ir. not new, the district food services will “The food restrictions are so strict actually be enforcing the law this year. this year that we are just not going to Accord ing to Student E xecut ive participate,” Wu said. “There are so C ou nci l (SEC) Publ icit y C om m is- many restrictions on the amount of sioner Sarah Reich, the food fair was calories any food can have that it’s just scheduled to occur on Oct. 24, the not worth the trouble for FBLA to take week before Homecoming. “This year part in the fair.” bec au se Homecom i ng wa s pu shed Despite making students wait lonback, the date of the food fair fell on ger for one of Gunn’s most cherished the week before Homecoming,” Reich traditions, the delay ing of the Fa ll said.

Club Food Fair has a few advantages.

According to Reich, the decision Reich believes that delaying the event was made to ensure the success and will allow SEC more time to convince convenience of the food fair. “Because and increase the number of clubs parthe week leading up to Homecoming ticipating in the fair. “One of our goals is such a hectic time on campus, SEC is to make this a really inclusive event,” decided it was best to push the food Reich said. “Since the event is being fair back to make sure that it was as pushed back, it’s a great opportunity smooth and successful as possible,” to try and get more and more of our Reich said. clubs to sign up for it.”

Reporter

Forum

Friday, November 14, 2014

5

Global Spotlight

United Nations is ineffective, needs to step up its game Elinor Aspegren The United Nations is in hot water again. Several Haitians have hit the U.N. with lawsuits over a four-year cholera epidemic that studies have traced to Nepalese peacekeepers at a U.N. camp. This epidemic has killed 8,500 and sickened at least 700,000, according to the mission in Haiti. This is not the first time the U.N. has been sued for peacekeeping missions. Despite having been created to promote international cooperation, the U.N. is failing at its job because it has no power to do enact policy or change.

There are several resolutions that illustrate the U.N.’s ineffectiveness at enforcing its decisions.

The first, Resolution 338, called for an end to the Yom Kippur War of 1973, in which Israel faced Egypt and Syria. This resolution called upon these countries to cease hostilities within 12 hours. Part of the problem with this resolution was that it was ambiguous: It was stated in three lines, and the only explicit order was the immediate start of negotiations

for a peace treaty. In addition, hostilities in the Middle East continued in spite of the resolution, as it failed to consider the cause of the conflict—religion. It took two more resolutions that only reiterated the call to decrease tensions.

The second resolution that displays the U.N.’s ineffectiveness was Resolution 1706 in 2006. The Security Council passed this resolution in Darfur, Sudan, in order to authorize the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping mission. This resolution, however, required the consent of the Sudanese government to be implemented. Unfortunately for the U.N., Sudan never gave consent. It would be nearly another year before the council reached an agreement with Sudan on a force that it would accept. However, this resolution was ineffective as it implemented a confusing command structure and failed to account for shortage of advanced military hardware.

The U.N. did not have the military mig ht to stop Sudan from killing civilians due to its overarching policy of respec t i ng national sovereignty.

While these two instances occurred in countries outside t he Secu r it y Council, the U.N. also had Anton Oyung trouble controlling countries

within this group. During the Cold War, the U.N. did absolutely nothing to stop the fighting, simply because it had no power. Whenever it tried to pass a resolution, the USSR and China, two countries on the Security Council, would veto it with its veto policy. In fact, during the Cold War, the U.N. was looked upon with contempt because of its ineffectiveness in negotiating anything other than “arms deals.” The U.N. still reflects its absence of power today, as its structure does not allow for enforcement.

Attempting to do one thing right, the U.N. created the Human Rights Committee in 1976 to give individuals a forum to voice their complaints against human rights abuses. In its twenty years of existence, however, the Committee has only registered 765 complaints against the backdrop of two billion individuals who call on the Committee for protection. Moreover, the Committee has only viewed and commented upon 199 cases, and only 15 percent of the cases have states implemented the Committee’s views. Despite the adoption by leaders in the 2005 World Summit of the doctrine of a “responsibility to protect” endangered people, reports still pour into the U.N. about villages destroyed by the hundred and of brutal treatment of civilians.

The U.N. was founded on the idealistic values of peace, but in the real world, peace cannot be achieved without real sovereignty. In order to effectively resolve the world’s conflicts, the U.N. needs more power. In fact, the U.N. needs to reform its entire system. It should be more focused on individual rights, and needs to develop the military capability to enforce. Additionally, the occasional sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council have achieved absolutely nothing. In order to truly bring peace, the U.N. needs to enforce peace.

—Aspegren, a junior, is a Copy Editor.

Hong Kong protestors need more support to be successful Ariel Pan

When Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, it was promised a fair amount of autonomy for the next 50 years, courtesy of the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed 1984. However, Hong Kong could only choose its chief executive from a list pre-screened by Beijing.

In September, pro-democracy students began peaceful protests for the right to nominate choose whoever they wanted to. Dubbed the “Umbrella Revolution” for the protestors’ use of umbrellas to ward off pepper spray and tear gas, Hong Kong’s fight for democracy has garnered a lot of international attention. However, the protest efforts will ultimately be ineffective due to the lack of support in Hong Kong and the extreme opposition by Beijing.

Mainly backed by students full of idealized thoughts of democracy, the movement lacks the support of many older citizens. For the previous generation, the memory of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre is still fresh. In 1989, students led demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. They called for democracy, freedom of the press and similar rights. However, the Chinese government ultimately used the military to end the protests.

Many civilians were killed and wounded in the process. Those who witnessed this experience are wary of China’s response and fear retribution. Meanwhile, many pro-Beijing groups have been attacking the protesters—injuring some—and taking down their barricades.

The overwhelming opposition to the protests almost guarantees that the protestors’ concerns will be heard, but not acted upon.

In addition, the protests have taken an economic toll on the local businesses. Businesses have reported losses in sales by 20 to 30 percent because the protesters have left no room for shoppers on the streets. Many high-end businesses have lost much of their clientele since their

customers—typically mainland Chinese—do not want to get caught up in the protest. Some businesses support the movement and supply the protesters with food and water. The majority, however, are getting frustrated as incomes drop while the cost of living in Hong Kong remains high. They are not against the protesters, but hope that the protests will end soon so business can return to normal.

The effect on businesses has even led some taxi drivers to actively oppose the student protestors. The taxi business has been hurt the hardest as protests of the movement Occupy Central have blocked traffic in main roads. Police have been trying their best to remove the barricades, but the protesters just build them back up.

According to complaints made by taxi drivers, business has dropped by 50 percent. As a result, some drivers have begun tearing down barricades in an attempt to actively work against Occupy Central. The students are protesting to catch Beijing’s attention, but the length of the sit-in has caused problems in Hong Kong and lowered support for the movement.

However, it was a welcome change at this time to have a relatively peaceful protest. Fewer people were hurt as a result of the protest and the Chinese government did not have a good justification to crack down hard on the protestors unlike other countries, but they still have a lot of work to do. Protestors need to gather more supporters. Sit-ins can be reorganized to interfere the local economy less; for example, protestors can work with local businesses to figure out where and how long each sit-in should be or leave the sidewalks empty for shoppers; this will help the protestors gain a larger base of supporters.

Change always takes time. The older generation is stuck in its ways, but newer generations of students and workers might join the pro-democracy movement to form a stronger base of supporters. Currently, the economic effects and overall opposition are hindering the effectiveness of the protests, but some headway has been made.

As a result of the protests, the Chinese government recently reached out to the leaders of the movement about conferences. They have discussed the possibility of direct elections for 2017, but have not made any solid decisions. Regardless, Beijing will not forget the protests any time soon, and this awareness is what protestors want. Many students are awa re t hat t hey may not succeed now, but are hopeful that they can produce better results in the future.

—Pan, a sophomore, is a Reporter.

Dave Zhu

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Forum

THEORACLE

School dilem mas: making Dropping lanes should be based on learning

Lawrence Chen

An to nO

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For ma ny high achiev ing students, t hey of ten wonder whether they should stay in a higher lane or d rop dow n. T here is no f ixed answer

IAC

ANALYSIS H

as the decision should be made based on contextual evidence.

One of the most common situations that students are presented with is the choice between squeezing by with a B in a higher lane or getting an easy A by dropping down a lane. There is much dispute in this regard of which option would look better on a college transcript. Of course, an A in a lower lane would earn you a 4.0 but being in a higher lane demonstrates that you are more willing to take on more challenging courses.

The course you enroll in should solely depend on the quality of learning in the class. If you are struggling so much in the higher lane that you are barely keeping up then you should definitely drop to a lower lane. In that scenario, you are being put under so much stress that learning is not taking place and you are wasting your time taking the course; thus, by taking a slower-paced course, you can actually learn the material and carr y on that k nowledge into future courses. On the other hand, if learning is taking place but the only aspect that is suffering is the grade, you should remain in the class. The rigor of the course and t he ava i labi l it y of st a nd a rd i z ed subject tests and APs will compensate for a lower grade in the class.

Ad missions of f icers use a holist ic process, so if you perform well on the sta nda rd i z ed tests, t hey w i l l re a l i z e t hat you k now t he

“The admissions board is gener ally putting less of its emphasis on the GPA of a student.”

material.

According to an Occidental admissions counselor, the admissions board puts less of its emphasis on the GPA of a student and instead takes a more wholesome look at their applicants. In addition to GPA, the board considers a student’s entire profile including their subject tests, extracurriculars and awards. Thus, if you think you will succeed in a lower lane, feel free to drop down. Not only will you learn at a slower pace but you will have more free time to enjoy yourself and try extracurriculars.

The bottom line is that you should not feel pressured into staying in one lane or another. You should do what you feel is most beneficial for you whether it be challenging yourself in a high lane or learning at your own pace in a lower lane. Both choices have their benefits and doing what you feel best represents yourself is ultimately the best choice.

—Chen, a senior, is a News Editor.

Visiting colleges before applying is advantageous

Pomona College

n

College seems to be the choice topic at the moment. By this time of year, many people have had or overheard conversations about that next step in their lives and the stress that comes with it. Underclassmen are probably just starting to explore their possibilities while seniors are immersed in college applications. As far as visiting prospective universities, there are two approaches students often take. Some apply to colleges without visiting the campus while others visit before applying or creating their final list. In reality though, the choice is simple. There is more value in visiting colleges and getting a sense of the environment before applying.

This choice prevents wasted time and gives students a better idea of which schools they should be applying to in the first place.

Simply scanning various school websites, it is impossible to differentiate between what could be a great home for the prospective student versus a huge mistake. Most colleges’ websites look exciting and appealing and all schools have great programs. Seeing facts and impressive information on paper or a computer screen isn’t enough. How can anyone truly understand what it would be like to live on those campuses for four years without actually visiting them?

Visiting colleges before the application process helps students narrow down their college lists and ensures that they have lists of places they can physically see themselves attending. Although many colleges use Common Application, a centralized website for background information and essays, they normally include supplemental questions and essays that can quickly stack up. It is a waste of precious time

Others would argue that these visits are a waste of money but in the long run it may be less expensive. Each school that you apply to charges an application fee, which along with transcript and test score fees can go through the roof if a college list is lengthy. Also, buying airline tickets to visit schools to which one has been admitted will cost far more due to the short notice the trip.

By blindly applying to colleges based on surface information, there is a risk of having a list of schools that don’t accurately portray one’s actual preferences.

Visiting before applying prevents that mistake and gives one a deeper understanding of the vibe and atmosphere of each individual college.

A common fear is that one may fall in love with the school that one visits and then get rejected.

While it is true that rejection can be harsh and even heartbreaking, it is worth the risk. As long as students keep in mind that it might not necessarily be the school that they attend, admiring a college that one visits can reap more benefits in the long run. Imagine the emotions that one feels when they see an acceptance letter to the school that they love. Those feelings far outweigh the rejections that many will face.

In reality, no one can truly know if they are going to feel comfortable at a college until they start in the fall, but beginning a relationship with the campus early on will help drive decisions when the time comes.Writing four supplemental essays for a school one has never seen is unnecessary. Students are busy enough as it is, and they can spend their time on other activities.

An th on yT ra

Sam Acker

to fill out and write applications for schools that a student may dislike. Instead, students can visit as many schools as possible beforehand to make sure that they apply to the appropriate college.

Although traveling to different areas of the country may seem daunting, starting the process before applying has its benefits.

The visits can begin many years in advance, perhaps with an older sibling, and can spread out over a long period of time. This prevents a trip being thrown together at the last minute to see a school that you have just been admitted to. Instead, you can combine college visits with family vacations and experience multiple schools in one area.

—Acker, a senior is a Lifestyle Editor.

Forum

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Friday, November 14, 2014

well-inform ed decisions Apply ing ea rly decision to col lege proves benef icia l

An th on yT ra

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For high school seniors, the month of November isn’t all about Thanksgiving. It is also the month when all private universities’ early decision applications are due. Although most seniors should have already completed and submitted their early decision (ED) applications, the debate over whether or not applying early decision helps or hurts your application process remains. Does applying early decision improve one’s chances of getting accepted into his or her dream school? Does applying early decision put too much pressure on students to finish their college applications by the early deadline? While the answer to these questions depends on colleges’ statistics and the students themselves, it is clear that the early decision plan is not for all prospective high school seniors.

Applying early decision is a smart choice only for students who have researched the school they are applying to and are fully committed to attending the college to which they are applying early decision.

For those who are unfamiliar with ED, the early decision college application plan is a process that allows students to apply to a college earlier than the regular decision deadline.

The deadlines for early decision applications are usually between the months of October and November. However, this plan is a binding college application plan, meaning students cannot submit multiple early decision applications to as many schools as they want.

The early decision plan Claremont is for one university and one university only, and Mckenna unlike the early action application, a student who College is accepted as an early decision applicant must attend the college.

There are numerous benefits to applying early decision but as aforementioned, only those who have taken the time to extensively research all of their universities ought to consider applying early decision. One notable benefit of the early decision program is that it reduces stress, not just for the applicant but for everyone involved in the college application process. An ED applicant may have less time to work on their application than a regular decision applicant, whose application is due during January, but the ED applicant will have first priority in letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors. Furthermore, applying early decision takes the anxiety out of waiting for admission letters. ED applicants receive their admission letters in December, giving them less time to stress over whether or not their early-decision school accepted, declined or waitlisted them. Since the admission letters are sent only a month after the application is sent, ED applicants have time to reassess their options and even edit their applications if their Scripps College first-choice university declines their application.

Students often apply using the ED application because they believe that applying early increases their chances of getting into the school of their choice.

Applying early decision certainly helps improve one’s acceptance rates if he or she is applying to highly-selective, highly-

—Niksa, a senior, is a Business Editor.

According to U.S. News, seniors who apply early have a “significant admission boost.”

Tra ony Ant h

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Matt Niksa

ranked universities, like Ivy League universities. According to Hernandez College Consulting, students who applied to the class of 2017 for any Ivy League university using the early decision plan were placed into an applicant pool with an acceptance rate that was 14 percent higher than that of the regular decision applicant pool. Universities such as Duke, which took 44 percent of its class of 2017 through early decision, and Northwestern, which took 43 percent of its class of 2017 through ED, are just two other prestigious universities that show interest in early decision applicants. However, applying early decision does not automatically increase one’s chances of attending these nationally-recognized universities. Researching a university’s past acceptance rates is imperative if a student wants to have an advantage during the application process.

One of the biggest drawbacks of applying early decision is that it puts pressure on students to submit a fully-completed application by the November deadline, when most ED applications are due. Although some might say that working over the summer on the ED application helps relieve the stress, the summer should be spent researching universities and understanding the negatives and positives that universities have to offer. If one starts working on an ED application in the summer, he or she is unable to thoroughly research the university and make a decision as to whether the university would be the right choice for the ED application. As aforementioned, the ED application is Dav e Zh binding so students should take the time to u research all ED-application schools and choose a school that would be worth the ED application. If a student wants to have as much time as possible to finish his or her application, the ED application process may not be right for them.

There is no doubt that the early decision application has become more popular over the last decade. In fall 2011, 55 percent of colleges reported increased applications for the early decision program, showing just how much interest it has garnered over the last couple of years.

Yet is the early decision application the right choice for prospective high school seniors?

On one hand, the early decision program reduces stress for students by removing the anxiety in waiting for admission letters. Students who apply to certain universities through the ED plan are also placed in an applicant pool with higher acceptance rates than regular decision applicants. On the other hand, the early decision process gives students a shorter timeframe to complete their Common App or the school’s own application. The ED plan also does not distinguish how much financial aid is given to the applicant until after his or her’s application is accepted. The ED application has numerous pros and cons but in the end, it is up to the student to research the university to which they are applying early decision.

Understanding the social environment of a university, what majors are offered and what internships are available at a university are important facts that one must know before considering the ED application. The ED application is entirely optional, and as long as a student can handle finishing an application by November and is satisfied with what the university has to offer, the ED application is a great way to improve chances of getting into the school of one’s choice.

An th on yT ra

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THEORACLE

COSTUMES AREN’T JUST FOR The Oracle staffers distinguish between cosplay and LARP

Ririchiyo

(from Anime

Flower and Horn: present in her demonic “yokai” form

Ariel Pan and Prachi Kale

Reporter and Copy Editor

The line between cosplay and Live Action roleplay (LARP) is a little fuzzy. For many, there is no difference between those who dress up and those who swordfight while dressed up in the park. Cosplay, a blend of the words “costume” and “play,” is the more commonly known activity: fans of comic series and television shows like “Homestuck,” “Naruto” and even “Frozen” don elaborate costumes to portray a fictional character of their choosing, sometimes even acting in character. On the other hand, the lesser-known LARPing is often popular among video game fans— especially those of League of Legends and Dungeons and Dragons—and includes acting out the character’s actions or assigned powers at organized gaming events.

Cosplayers usually gather at regional or international conventions. In 2013, sophomore Audrey Fu attended San Jose’s Fanime Convention dressed as Hatsune Miku. “It was strange having other anime characters come up to me and ask for photos, since cosplaying was still new to me at the time,” Fu said. “But by the end of the convention, seeing people with waist-length pink braids or giant swords seemed pretty normal.” The convention featured arcades, karaoke events and artist alleys where cosplayers sell handcrafted items like jewelry and posters. Fans can attend panels where artists and authors speak about their work. The hungry can drop by “maid cafes,” where waitresses are dressed in the stereotypical costume of French maids, or “manga cafes,” where customers pay for the time they spend reading the extensive comics collections provided for them.

Fu and many others find cosplaying enjoyable because they have the opportunity to dress up as characters they admire. “If you’re usually too shy to dress however you want, you can use cosplaying as an opportunity to dress differently,” Fu said.

Despite this, junior Maxwell Li remembers feeling intimidated and lost at his first convention. “I spam-called all my [reallife] friends and probably made them hit their texting limits,” he said. “That’s how hopeless I was at my first convention.” Li’s friends, however, had taken the convention as an opportunity to organize an in-person meet-up with friends they had met online, through their mutual love of certain anime. “I was amazed that friendship could

come through that and I was intrigued by it,” Li said. “I ended up becoming good friends with [the online friends] too, and since then I’ve been expanding my web of connections through my interests.”

LARPers have their own events where they meet up to act out their characters.

Events are presided over by game masters, who are basically referees of the events.

They provide the basic plot and setting for the characters. They also act as judges in the outcomes of characters’ decisions and when necessary, tone down overpowered players.

While cosplay conventions generally highlight attendees’ costumes, LARP events involve more action. Having received news of events via flyers, online bulletins or word of mouth, players gather in character. As the LARPers make decisions for their characters’ storylines, game masters decide the outcome of such decisions and therefore the whole event’s proceedings. “The best part about LARPing is watching everyone take a part in unfolding the story,” sophomore Henry Tschudy said. “It’s not a static story like a book, but fluid and changing based on the players’ actions.”

However, because LARPing often includes actions that mimic fighting, safety is a constant concern. “As soon as someone gets hurt, everything slows down and people are discouraged [from continuing to play],” Tschudy said. Beginning LARPers are advised to prioritize safety over staying in character. “It’s no use throwing yourself into a really advanced storyline before you fully grasp the rules,” he said.

“When the rules come naturally, everything gets more fluid.”

Both cosplayers and LARPers go to great lengths to produce intricate, accurate costumes and props, usually made with cloth, wood, fabric paint and other basic materials available in craft stores. More specialty items can be pieced together from sites like Etsy and Spreepicky. For the less skilled or the lazy, websites like eBay, Amazon and Taobao advertise whole outfits. Serious cosplayers and LARPers may even commission professional costume creations.

Li offered a last disclaimer. “You don’t need to be a nerd or something to [cosplay],” he said. “Not much is needed but imagination.”

“ Inu x Boko” ):

Demon in disguise

Gauntlets: metal in anime show but cloth in costume Short Red Hakama: Japanese skirt Zöri: traditional high-heeled Japanese sandals

Steel Sword: effective on the risen undead Supernatural Muteness: enhances ability to learn many languages

Power of Holy: magic strikes, exorcism abilities

Dumali Rastel: level 21 Paladin, Knight

Alexandra Ting

Faces in the Crowd

What do you know about cosplaying and LARPing?

“I have no idea what cosplay is.”

Emily Springer (9)

“Nothing.”

Jia Ping (10)

“They have it at Mitchell Park on Thursdays.”

Anita Silver (11)

“A bunch of people who act out stories? I have no idea.”

Timothy Tsung (12) —Compiled by Kathleen Xue

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Friday, November 14, 2014

H A L L OW EE N A NY M O R E Freshman cosplayer enjoys creativit y, close communit y Lena Ye

Sophomore L A R Per ex plores new role as weekly game master Kush Dubey

Reporter

News Editor

Cosplay can be a complicated and intricate process. Between finding the right clothes, wigs, accessories and makeup, trying to become another character in appearance and persona can take a lot of time and money. “It’s better to start off with easier characters who don’t require anything like armor or weapons,” freshman Mira Wong said.

Conventions are multi-day events, usually hosted at event centers, hotels or college campuses, where cosplayers can participate in activities, panels and workshops. “I’ve been to Fanime and I plan to go to many more conventions,” Wong said. Attending conventions introduced Wong to others who share her interests.

“We usually have a lot of fun,” Wong said.

In the beginning, Wong’s parents reacted negatively to her participation in the activity. “At first, my dad was really against [cosplay],” Wong said. “He said, ‘Don’t do this. This is for people Freshman Mira Wong uses positions who don’t have a life.’”

Wong’s mother also opposed from her ballet experience to further cosplay because of the costume enhance her portrayal of Hatsune Miku. ex penses. Creat i ng a cosplay costume usually requires a few months’ work and can be an expensive process. “I try to think of my parents’ situations, because I’m using my parents’ money,” Wong said. “Usually around two hundred dollars [is my] maximum—and that’s only for simple [homemade] costumes.” Normally, Wong purchases her more complex costumes.

Fortunately seeing her finished work warmed Wong’s parents to embracing her unique interests, and t hus, Wong began active cosplaying.

Photos courtesy of Kennedy Vu “Cosplay lets you become anDressed as the Japanese vocaloid, other person with another perWong poses in downtown Palo Alto. sonality without people’s judgment,” Wong said. “The cosplay community is so welcoming to any new cosplayers because we have all been in their place.” According to Wong, the caring community is the most unique and defining aspect of cosplay.

According to Wong, cosplaying is a way for her to express herself and meet new people. “Cosplaying is a way people can find links to other people and get relief from stressful daily life,” Wong says. “It lets shy people become characters and personas that they might be afraid to be in real life.”

In fourth grade, sophomore Henry Tschudy stepped into the world of physical fictional storytelling that has recently gained popularity in the Bay Area. Live action role-play (LARP) is an activity involving people of all ages representing characters that carry out actions as part of the simulation of a story. Tshudy believes both the material and plot-driven aspects of LARP create a very enjoyable experience. “First is the entertainment, in that it’s really fun to hit people,” he said. “But more importantly it’s a unique way to express story, because depending on which side you’re on, you have a different way to influence the story.”

Tschudy was inspired to join the LARP community after witnessing exciting match-ups at local parks. “I think it was just watching all these kids having fun and thinking I could do that too,” he said. Gradually his involvement in LARP increased with time. “I started out at the lower runs where it was less story driven and more just getting familiar with the rules and combat, and then I got into a league which was more story- based.”

Tschudy regularly attends advanced LARP games in Mitchell Park in his friend’s league every month, as well as Sunday games in Henry Seale Park where he and his friends host LARP games for younger children of all skill levels.

In this weekly

Elizabeth Zu

independent league, Tschudy is the game master—he sets up the environment for players to interact in, coordinates the theme and implements specific combat challenges. Despite the responsibilities he holds as gamemaster, Tschudy thoroughly enjoys his leadership. “As a gamemaster, it’s a lot of work: tracking which characters did what is going to result from this and keeping all these different elements in the back of your head,” he said. “But I think that it’s worth it, because seeing these players work with challenges during the story and seeing the plot progress by itself as a gamemaster, are all pretty rewarding.”

In addition, Tschudy believes the atmosphere of LARP events is positive and welcoming to all. “Everyone’s very inclusive and friendly. When you go to LARP, you really enjoy fantasy, role playing, getting in character and being who you really want to be, you feel at home.”

After many years of LARPing, Tschudy believes one moment stands out amongst others. During one of his games, participants were intentionally not told the plot or crucial character details and had to figure out this information. “There was this really interesting dynamic where you couldn’t tell anyone anything because you weren’t sure whether or not they were your side. They slowly started to expand out details until there was tons of inclusion,” he said. “That transformation from seclusion to inclusion was one of the best parts, as we had to be really creative to resolve the plot.”

According to Tschudy, the LARP seasons for both leagues have ended. Regardless, he plans on working hard to jump-start production for the upcoming season.

“Right now we are still working on building up our arsenal for things like swords and other weaponry,” he said. “We’ve been experimenting with different manufacturing techniques, so hopefully we can have an arsenal.”

LARP yourself: a calendar of upcoming roleplay events Time

Event

Nov. 15

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Character Quest League

Mitchell Park

Nov. 21-23

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Club League

Mitchell Park

Dec. 7

all day

Tournament

Camp Mockingee, Windsor, Canada

July 1-5, 2015

all day

Dexcon 18 (national program)

The Morristown Hyatt, Morrison, NJ

Date

Location

Elizabeth Zu

10

Cente

Memories

In honor of Veterans Day, The Oracle featu Shawna Chen and Hayley Krolik

Though Plough’s colo charges, insubordination to resign from receiving It was 1971 in California. Independent Studies teacher Ken Plough to the regular status of a and his friends sat around the television watching the ping pong ball Plough completed h lottery system for the Vietnam draft. A ping pong ball was randomly graduation on Thurs., Ju fetched out of the deep glass jar, to determine the order of induction manding officer notified into duty, and the birthdate was read. afternoon. “Because I ha The men born on Plough’s birthdate had been chosen for the first as eligible as any other f wave of the draft. Now, Plough was to report for acduty for tran tive duty. middle of the The next day, he enrolled in the Reserve Officer’s year and was Training Corps (ROTC). The Naval ROTC, a collegeThe only based program designed to prepare soldiers for officer enlist in the M commission, would provide Plough with a four-year years of activ education and release him from active duty for the Thursday, ge four years he would spend in ROTC under the Marines camp on Mo division. “Once I knew my number was first, I knew I Plough spent had to report; I would get one semester in college and logical traini go to boot camp in Vietnam,” he said. “[But] ROTC our skills [an guaranteed me four years in college, and when I did commanders go into service, I would go in as officer instead of as because in V Ken Plough an enlisted man, which is about three times the pay.” us with tiger However, plans changed when senior year arrived. One and if they thought t night, Plough returned to his unit and had a disagreement with his of us either using a grena colonel. The seniors were all responsible for a group of freshman train- of tear gas.” ees, and Plough was assisting his trainees through inorganic chemistry.

Additionally, Plough It was 3 a.m. when his colonel issued a battalion order, which called the Escape and Evasion everybody out of bed and into an assembly, but Plough refused to wake rogation techniques, one his trainees, who had gone to bed late and were taking an inorganic that just standardized chemistry test at 8 a.m. “[My colonel] said “Today we r that if I couldn’t see the relevance of his order, paper how h then he couldn’t see the relevance in giving Phase Three: Recruits move just part of me a commission,” he said. back to Depot where they Though Plo undergo swim qualifications, for deploym a defense driving course and Phase Two: Recruits move family inspections. nort h to Weapons Field Training Battalion. Undergo Ph gas chamber training and G Field Firing Range. te Forum and Sports Editors

Phase One: Undergo strenuous physical training and martial arts.

Given full medical and dental screenings and Initial Strength Test. Learn Marine Corps values of honor, courage and commitment.

Marine Boot Camp Phases

erfold

Friday, November 14, 2014

11

States With the Most Veterans:

s of a Marine

ures a teacher veteran who reflects on his time in service.

onel could have brought him under military n or even mutiny, he ultimately allowed Plough g his officer commission, and Plough returned a soldier. his college education and was preparing for une 30, 1976 when in the morning, his comd him that he would be called to service that adn’t completed my officer commission, I was for the draft,” Plough said. “I had to report to nsit to Diego Garcia, a U.S. Navy Base in the e Indian Ocean, but I had been engaged for a s supposed to get married that Saturday.” way to avoid immediately reporting was to Marine Corps for four years instead of the two ve duty. “I was able to join the Marine Corps on et married on Saturday and reported for boot onday,” he said. t four months undergoing physical and psychoing to prepare for the Vietnam War. “To hone nd] go on patrol without being noticed, [our s] used to hunt us with dogs and helicopters Vietnam the North Vietnamese would [hunt] rs,” Plough said. “We trained and we trained they saw us, they would throw tear gas on top ade launcher or fly over us with hand grenades

his unit was recalled when the Communist Party Khmer Rouge took over the Cambodian government and blocked the U.S. military from landing in the area. “We trained for a war that was ending up not being a war,” Plough said.

Instead, Plough was sent to engage in cold-weather training in Alaska. “They taught us how to use ropes to climb, how to free climb on the rocks, how to set rope bridges for other people, how to survive on a glacier and how to walk across a glacier,” he said.

Plough was ultimately never deployed to active service despite the mental and physical preparation. “It was a disappointment; mentally, you are all ready to go, and you’ve endured for so long,” he said. “They get you to such a point and then it’s just ‘No,’ but I came home, my son was there and I started raising a family.”

Even with the challenges, Plough doesn’t believe that his time in service overly altered or hardened him. “My radioman and I, we’re just as crazy now as we were beforehand,” he said, jokingly. “We might have had to grown up faster, but I don’t think we changed.” At the same time, Plough acknowledges how different his experience was. “At 25, I was responsible for $50 million dollars of equipment and the lives of 82 divers,” Plough said. “Not many 25-year olds have that responsibility.”

Looking back on his time in service, Plough is grateful for the incredible ventures in which he participated. “We got to go to some of the nicest places in California; we’d be up Adobe Lake Tahoe and Yosemite hiking through the mountains,” he said. “We learned how to survive in the mountains and how to mountain climb, and when we went in the winter, we learned cold weather survival.” Plough also was placed through different schools, such as lists patience, perseverance and endurance as three traits he embraced School, where soldiers sustain various inter- and continues to appreciate today. e of which was waterboarding. “We considered For those considering joining the military, Plough cautions and training,” Plough said. encourages students to ask themselves why they read about it in the newswant to go into service. “It can sometimes break horrible that is, but it was Phase Five: All Marines report to people, and they will never be the same [while] our training regime.”

School of Infantry (SOI). Marine for others it’s like putting on a nice pair of Italian ough had been training Corps Military Occupational Speshoes,” he said. “Our joke was the Marine Corps ment in the Vietnam War, cialty (MOS) trainees learn Marine never promised you a rose garden.” skills. Infantry trainees learn shooting tactics, and mechanics learn to repair planes and helicopters.

Phase Six: Remain hase Four: in Marines for reGraduation and mainder of 4-year en days of leave. initial contract.

Texas

Florida

California

There are 21.8 million veterans in the United States today.

20.2 Million

1.6 Million

Stats from military.com and census.gov Photos and graphics by Alexandra Ting, Anton Oyung and Dave Zhu

12

Features

THEORACLE

Seniors place regionally, nationally in Siemens competition Senior Joy Jin was named a regional semifinalist in the Siemens Competition for Math, Science and Technology.

Jin competed at Siemens once before as a sophomore with partner Thomas Luh from Leland High School and Dr. Hu Li at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Their project showed a relationship between a certain protein and lung cancer, which helped Jin and Luh become 2012 Siemens finalists. During the first half of the 2013 year, they participated in the Synopsys Science fair, in Santa Clara and the Intel Science a nd E ng i ne er i ng Fair (ISEF), which is the largest international pre-college science competition.

Inspired by her pa st projec t , Ji n thought of ideas for her own science fair project from both her experience and through online published research papers. She worked with Li again to identify cancer stem cell markers that promised for better chemotherapeutic treatment in the future. “It’s important because it’s one of the first cancer stem cell markers identified in lung cancer,” Jin said. “This project, I think, is stronger than the last project because it is part of the foundation for our research in developing drugs.”

Jin felt that working on this project was

different than her previous experience, because she was more involved. Additionally, she had to figure out what direction the project would go, which took a longer time to get the results. However, she believes that the entire experience was all worth it. “Being in a research lab has made me realize how much time you have to put in to get your results back.” Jin said. “It’s really inspiring for me, because it makes me realize that if you persevere and have a hunger to figure stuff out, you can really make a difference.”

As a semifinalist, Jin will not be presenting her project at the Siemens competition. She has another opportunity at the Intel Science and Talent Search (ISTS), Anthony Tran the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. Jin has hopes to reach the finalist stage of the competition.

Jin feels that her research experience will help her achieve her goals of becoming a surgeon and having an impact. “In the future, one of my goals is to develop some new technology that I can use in my practice as a surgeon,” Jin said. “Having a research background is a really good experience. You know you can contribute so much to the [scientific] community by presenting a project that you really worked hard on.”

Joy Jin

On October 16, Senior Sharon Chen was named a Siemens finalist for her research project that examines processes in the brain using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Chen worked on the project over the summer with a graduate student from Stanford University in a MRI lab. During that time, Chen had to read through journal articles about Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a common scanner that identifies body conditions, and identify a way to incorporate more of the MRI technology into PET. She helped with the design of circuit boards that would better incorporate the MRI technology into PET. According to Chen, the impact of her new detector boards helps the evaluation of Brain PET by providing advanced tumor imaging recognition. As opposed to other scanners, Chen’s circuit boards uses magnets instead of a radioactive dose, helping patients who are sensitive to this type of dose. Her innovation would cause a lower the amount of dose required for patients, as well as the creation of a better PET system with clearer images.

Since her project dealt with topics in physics, electrical engineering, bioengineering and several other fields, she felt that she was able to learned a lot. “My project was very technical,” Chen said. “I had to learn new software,

independently write code and design new circuitry and my own boards. Usually, computer engineering majors don’t even have this experience.”

According to their website, the Siemens competition for California finalists took place at the California Institute of Technology on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. Chen is excited to meet other high school students and see their projects. “I can meet amazing high school students who have worked on their projects for months or years,” Chen said.

“Also, I see how other scientific subjects can be applied in advancement of human understanding.”

Despite how useful her experience was on this project, Chen does Anthony Tran not know what her future ambitions will be.

She believes that the students she worked with and the variety of fields her project covered showed her many viable, interesting careers. “The lab members major in lots of different fields, and it has helped me see that there are different paths that people can take.”

Chen said. “In fact, because the lab has people coming from a variety of backgrounds, we can all learn from people who have different areas of expertise. This makes interdisciplinary projects enjoyable.”

Sharon Chen

—Compiled by Aayush Dubey

Artist of the Month: senior Catherine Kim The Oracle: How long have you been playing the cello?

Catherine Kim: I’ve been playing for around 10 years. I fell in love with its mellow sound and it’s that sound that keeps me playing.

TO: What is the hardest part about playing cello?

CK: The sacrifices. Every day, I need to practice at least two hours a day. Otherwise I get out of shape, similar to the way that athletes do if they haven’t worked out in a while. Playing the cello competitively also means that I can’t hang out with friends and engage in certain sports due to possible hand injuries: lacrosse, tennis, badminton.

TO: What are some of your memorable/greatest achievements?

CK: In addition to all my cello awards, I’ve got a large Facebook following. I’ve recently become a “verified” celebrity on Facebook and have accumulated over 80,000 international followers. Also, performing in Switzerland with my cello hero, Gautier Capuçon, was pretty sweet, too.

TO: Who is your greatest cello inspiration?

CK: Gautier Capuçon inspires me because of his passion for cello. He performs as if nothing else matters at that moment. He is a charmer on stage and he is very humble despite of his recent fame. I aspire to touch people through my cello playing like Gautier.

TO: What is something that you think others do not know about cello?

CK: Playing the cello is a lot like playing competitive sports. It requires the same amount of commitment and cannot be crammed. I have to practice for hours on a daily basis. And despite all this preparation, what really matters is how I perform on a specific day. All of the preparation is so that I’ll succeed in high pressure situations—recitals, competitions and recordings.

TO: Who are the people that have guided you along the process?

CK: My sister is the one who believes in my abilities. She gets me through cello recordings, accompanies me on piano at my competitions, and always encourages me. My mom is the one who coaches me through every practice session. She has taught me how to practice diligently. And lastly, my teacher coaches me on becoming both a better cellist and person.

TO: What is a normal day like for you as a cellist?

CK: Every weekday, I practice around two hours, but on weekends, I devote most of my time on cello—driving to SF for recitals, dress rehearsals, recording sessions or traveling out of town for performance and competitions. I usually juggle three to four pieces at a time and have goals for every lesson, whether it’s learning the next page of a piece, improving my left hand techniques or running the piece through.

TO: How many competitions and recitals do you do?

CK: Too many to count! In the past four years, I have been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall three times, played with two different orchestras as soloist and performed on National Public Radio with my quartet. During my junior year alone, I participated in over 15 competitions and received international recognition. This meant that I travelled at least once a month to the following locations: New York, Massachusetts, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and all over California. I’ve also performed at Verbier Festival Music Camp in Switzerland, Tanglewood String Quartet Workshop and Music@Menlo.

TO: What made you want to start?

CK: Even before I was born, my older sister played the piano. I woke up in the mornings and fell asleep at night to her playing Chopin, Rachmaninoff, you name it. I wanted to be just like her but didn’t want to compete with her because she was too good at the piano. So I chose the cello instead; I wanted my own spotlight.

TO: What are your future goals with music?

CK: My goal is to continue playing the cello wherever I am, whether it’s with friends, in a professional orchestra or by myself. In every performance, I want to be able to touch people’s hearts with my playing.

—Compiled by Lucy Fan Alexandra Ting

Features

Friday, November 14, 2014

13

Gunn theatre captures Roaring Twenties in “Hay Fever” Kush Dubey

News Editor

Set in an English countryside mansion during 1924, playwright Noël Coward’s “Hay Fever” depicts the comical romp that ensues when the eccentric Bliss family invites guests who happen to be the polar opposite in both class and personality. Junior Alan Hanson—who plays David Bliss—believes the contrasting mannerisms of the Blisses and their guests create dramatic hilarity for the audience. “It puts two very different kinds of people next to each other—a bohemian family has invited down these four guests who are very culturally savvy,” he said. “It’s them next to these crazy, artistic, weird, totally out there people, and in the end the play makes fun of both parties.”

In the play, characters Judith Bliss, a retired actress, her novelist husband, David and their grown children Sorel and Simon each separately invite a guest without telling other members of the family. The weekend get together unfortunately takes a turn for the worst. The informal nature of the Bliss family—whose members prefer word games over witty dialogue­—clash with the more reserved and polished disposition of their guests.

By Sun. morning, all of the visitors are ultimately driven out the Bliss household by their self-absorbed and over-the-top behavior. According to Theatre Director Jim Shelby, this annual fall production, while lacking any sort of plot, provides great entertainment value to people of all ages through the lively and amusing interactions that occur throughout the play. “It’s fun and hilarious,” he said. “While the Bliss family is really mean, [the audience] will grow to love them and their character.”

For the play’s actors, the script’s humor contributes to a relaxing yet animated acting environment. “It’s very lighthearted, but at the same time the characters are so dynamic towards each other,” junior Yasmine Hamady said. “The play is like theatre on ecstasy.” The

comedy—which stands out when compared to last year’s plays­—also adds to the variety of genres offered

by Gunn theatre. “In the past year we did Rimers of Eldritch and Macbeth which were really dark for the most part,” he said. “Recently there’s been a lot of down tempo, so it’s definitely a contrast.”

A new aspect Gunn theatre will be introducing in “Hay Fever” is the concept of double-casting, in which each character is played by two different actors.

Hanson thinks that this addition has made producing the play a challenging yet rewarding experience. “I initially thought that it would be difficult to work with someone else but still be consistent with the character, but I learned that you can still make the character distinct to you,” he said. “It’s a balance we’re looking for and something we’re all trying to learn together.”

To capture the essence of the Roaring Twenties, the theatre team has emphasized detailed costume design in the production process. The result is a realistic recreation of the time period. However, Shelby believes the unfamiliar era will make it difficult to convince students to come see the play. “It was written in 1924, so why would somebody in 2014 care about a play written 90 years ago?” he said. “The answer is that it’s a brilliant and hilarious play, and it doesn’t feel old at all.”

Shelby hopes that while the play is relatively unknown, the community will still recognize “Hay Fever”’s unique comedic expression and the theatre’s talented cast and crew. “There are so many great plays written that people don’t know about, and this is one of them,” he said. “I encourage people to take a chance on a play that’s actually been done really well and is played by a bunch of great actors. You won’t regret that you came.”

There will be a performance on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee performance on Nov. 15 at 2:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre. Tickets are available in the Student Activities Center and at the door.

Photos courtesy of Don Anderson

Top: Junior Alan Hanson and senior Edut Birger, who act as David Bliss and Myra Arundel, play a game with the family.

Bottom: Junior Viva Rose, playing Sorel Bliss, reads to her brother.

14

Sports

THEORACLE

Athlete of the Month Junior Gillian Meeks: Cross Country Runner The Oracle: When did you start running and what inspired you to start?

Gillian Meeks: The first race I ever did was the Juana Run in fifth grade. I really liked running in it. I’m a pretty competitive person, so I just kept going after that.

TO: Do you have any advice for fellow runners?

GM: For almost everyone when they first start, there’s a big hurdle that you have to get over. It’s going to be really hard until that, but once you get past that hurdle it becomes a lot more enjoyable.

TO: How do you get into the mindset before a race?

GM: I usually get pretty nervous before a race, so that really helps me get into the mindset already. I generally visualize my race before I run; I try to figure out where I’m going to start picking it up.

TO: What has been the hardest part about running?

What has been the best part?

GM: The hardest part is accepting that even when you try your very best, sometimes you won’t get what you wanted time-wise or place-wise. The best part is when you do feel like you gave it your maximum effort and you got a personal record or won, or you just really feel like you exceeded your expectations.

Alexandra Ting

TO: How is running different from other sports?

GM: Running is different than other sports in that all you need is yourself and a pair of running shoes.

Running is as hard or as easy as you want to make it.

It also gives you opportunities to be social and run with others or just take a break from the world and connect with nature.

TO: What have you learned from running?

GM: Running has made a huge impact on my life. It has taught me how to fight through pain and failure.

It has taught me to keep pushing no matter how much it hurts. It has also given me an opportunity to put myself out there and push my body to its limits. Running is something that I fell in love when I was young and I hope to keep running my whole life.

TO: What was your proudest running moment?

GM: My proudest running moment would probably be coming back from getting fourth in the 1600m at 2014 CCS championships and getting third place in the 3200m just an hour later, grabbing the last spot for the state meet and helping my team win its first ever CCS track championship.

TO: What do you do to prepare for a race?

GM: The night before a race our team normally has pasta feeds which relaxes me a lot and fuels me for the race the next day. I also stretch, roll out my legs and try to go to bed as early as possible. Right before the race I have set warm up drills that I do to stretch out and get ready to race. I try to breathe slowly to calm myself down and talk to my friends to relax a little.

TO: Who are your inspirations?

GM: My amazing coach Patti Sue Plumer inspires me with all her stories of competing at the Olympic level and with her confidence in me and my teammates.

My former teammate, Sarah Robinson, was a huge inspiration to me. Being able to train with an athlete of Sarah’s caliber was so inspiring. ­—Compiled by Yuki Klotz-Burwell

Maccabi Haifa battles against the Bay Area Maccabi Haifa is a professional Israeli basketball club that pairs diversity with the drive to learn and work hard.

The club has players from many different backgrounds. One player, Demontez Stitt, played in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Clemson University in South Carolina. Many players who aren’t qualified to play in the NBA or want to play on an international level join teams like Maccabi Haifa. “When I first got out of college, it was a lockout [in the NBA], so there were a lot of guys that went to Israel to play,” Stitt said.

Stitt himself looked at many different international teams before choosing Maccabi Haifa. “When I first came to Israel three years ago, I didn’t know what to expect, but Israel is a lot different than what you hear and see on TV in the States,” Stitt said. He has had a great time playing for Israel and has enjoyed it the most out of all the places he has played internationally.

It can be hard to not see his family for ten months, but Stitt finds that Israel is the best home away from home.

“Israel is a really good country,” Stitt said. “When I was in Belgium last year it was a lot different because there wasn’t much to do in the city I was in and it was harder to communicate with people, especially outside of the arena. Israel is definitely fun; it has great weather, great food and everyone speaks English.”

According to team manager and former Maccabi Haifa player Ido Kozikaro, Maccabi Haifa plays in the first division of the Israeli Premier League. If they place in the top three, they have the opportunity to participate in the European Cup. After losing in the quarter finals last year, they have decided to concentrate on the Israeli Primary League this season. “We have a young team so we want to focus on building up on their abilities and playing better in games,” Kozikaro said.

Kozikaro finds that sports teach players about community. “Haifa is always a good example of Arab people, Jew-

ish people and also some Christians that all live peacefully,” Kozikaro said. “Sports make people from different backgrounds support one goal. Sports are one of the things that really united the country.” Also, he believes professional sports have given him a great work ethic. “If you want to be a professional basketball player, you have to be very realistic and know what your weakness is as a player and make it better,” Kozikaro said. “An American-Jewish guy who made Aliyah (relocated) to Israel said to me that the three ways to succeed in professional basketball are work, work and work.”

Maccabi Haifa demonstrated their commitment to hard work with a recent visit to the United States to prepare for this season. They embarked on a 12 day trip with four exhibition games against National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. “The purpose of this trip is to pull the team together,” Kozikaro said. “We are in the beginning of the season, and we have a good chance to play against NBA competition.

All the experience that we are having as a team makes us a

A Maccabi Haifa player challenges a teen representing the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF).

Maccabi Haifa team manager Ido Kozikaro and player Demontez Stitt answer teens’ questions and give advice.

Teenage basketball players from all over the Bay Area participate in a press conference with Stitt and Kozikaro.

Hayley Krolik

Sports Editor

Courtesy of Maccabi Haifa

Sports

Friday, November 14, 2014

Bandwagoners deserve to be accepted

PRO

In sports, a bandwagoner is someone who supports a team after that team starts gaining popularity and exhibiting success. They are usually seen as copycats who follow the crowd and the word “bandwagoner” generally denotes feelings of contempt for a person with loose team loyalties. Despite the negative connotations associated with bandwagoning, being a bandwagoner is actually beneficial to people who do it.

The benefits of bandwagoning mainly have to do with how winning shapes our lives. To put it simply, we all like to be winners, for the obvious reasons that winning feels good and puts us higher up in the social hierarchy. In society’s ladder, winners come out on top and there is no distinction between next in line-second, third and the others are losers. True fans of teams claim to be superior because bandwagoners lack serious loyalties which makes them inferior and despicable. However, when it comes down to feeling good and being on the winning side, bandwagoners are superior because they are always winning.

While serious fans who commit to teams have to endure rough patches in that team’s success, bandwagoners have no such problem. A bandwagoner can forget their favorite team whenever that team drops the ball, and decide to start sup-

Today

porting them whenever the team decides to get back on their feet. The winning streak is endless.

One such example of when bandwagoning is a beneficial activity is in the instance of the San Francisco Giants. In the past five years, the Giants have won three World Series titles— one in 2010, another in 2012 and one this year. While three World Series wins are no small victory, each win is separated by a loss. A true fan living in San Francisco would live through the excitement of each win and heartbreak and downfall of each defeat. The resulting emotional pattern would resemble that of someone on a caffeine addiction. The first year the person would experience a huge spike in triumph and excitement because the Giants overcame the odds and the next year their expectations of victory would be crushed and they would experience disappointment and melancholy. This pattern would continue with both the positive spikes and negative emotional crashes increasing in magnitude after each new development.

Being a bandwagon fan hurts no one. Those who hate bandwagon fans are jealous of their happiness. While a bandwagoner has the privilege of experiencing the excitement of the Giants winning, they do not have to deal with the disappointment following each loss. Bandwagoning on the Giants can be compared to having a caffeine addiction where the energy crash never comes.

Bandwagoners are doing the most advantageous thing for themselves. The world of sports fans has no rules. This is probably why bandwagoners get so much hate, because their looser commitments let them cut the crowd and keep a winning streak. That is what makes it beneficial to be a bandwagoner. After all, when the choice is between winning and losing, why choose to lose?

—Chen, a sophomore, is a reporter.

Tomorrow

Dave Zhu

There are real sports fans and then there are “bandwagoners”. Real fans despise these seemingly fake fans.

Bandwagoners claim to be justified in their sports disloyalty by pointing out that real fans are senseless for hating them and that they are good for sports in general.

The problem is, bandwagoners don’t know enough about sports to even make that claim, which is false.

Bandwagoners say that real fans have no reason to hate them but they lack perspective. Real sports fans are social creatures who want to share the euphoria they experience when their favorite team wins with each other. But bandwagoners are like party crashers who ruin the good vibes. They obnoxiously claim to have the same experience despite feeling completely different from real fans.

The feeling of winning is different because real fans and bandwagons have different reasons for being happy.

Part of the fun in sports lies in watching the other team lose and rubbing it into the faces of haters. If you are a real San Francisco Giants fan, part of the fun of winning the World Series was in rubbing it into the faces of friends who have taunted you in the past. Real fans are the people that have been put down and have taken the blow as fans for the other team celebrates. Winning the World Series is like bragging rights in a never-ending cycle of sports fun and suffering—one that every real fan participates in.

Bandwagoners are cheaters; they skip the suffering that real fans have to experience in order for the competitive nature of sports to occur and skip right to the fun while ruining the cycle itself in the process.

Bandwagoners often ask, “Why struggle when you can just have fun?” Well, why didn’t both the Giants and the Royals just hang up their cleats and go get drunk instead of playing seven games? What is the point of even having a competition? The fun is not in winning by itself; it is in winning after a struggle. For this reason, and that real fans actually have to struggle, bandwagoners are clueless

about why watching sports is actually fun.

Bandwagoners also claim that they are beneficial to sports in general because they increase overall fan participation. Note that the most bandwagoned teams are the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat and the New York Yankees. These teams are also in three of the biggest markets in America.

So what is the problem with having huge fan bases of pseudo fans in big markets?

The issue is that having fans focused on the surface level of sports in major markets creates team inequality. These bandwagon fan can often be seen wearing LeBron James jerseys or wearing the gear of the team they support. This floods money into companies like Nike, Under Armour and Adidas. When these companies see big revenues in the major markets, they also become willing to pay superstar level players that are in these big markets huge sums of money. This attracts superstars like Carmelo Anthony to New York and pushes superstars like Kevin Durant away from Oklahoma City. So every time a bandwagoner hops on to the bigcity bandwagon, they really are contributing to team inequality.

—Wenig, a senior, is a Lifestyle Editor.

CON

15

Giants bring family members together

Naina Murthy My dad and I have never had the best relationship. I never felt like we had much in common.

It seems like my sister and he had a deeper bond that we never shared and sometimes it still feels that way. We constantly fight, whether it’s about school or extending curfews. Most of the conversations we have almost always end with a lot of yelling and a furious door slam. But there is one thing that we fight for together: the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants have been the one thing that we actually have been able to share. Throughout spring season and Orange October, the Giants have been an uplighting tradition in the Murthy Household for the past few years.

While many people look forward to Christmas, my dad and I look forward to April 1: the start of the baseball season. Spending family dinners around the television and Sunday afternoons lounging in the living room have brought my dad and me closer than ever. We have always found a way to connect though the Giants. I’ve never felt closer to my dad than I do when we talk about baseball. As my dad is the only male in the family, I know it must get hard for him to find something we both enjoy doing. Watching Giants games has definitely helped us get to that spot.

One of the most common problems between my dad and me, like many teen-parent relationships, is that he tries to give me advice about something. My reaction is always the same: a classic roll of the eye and a groan. I mean why would I want to listen to my dad drone on and on about how I’m not trying hard enough school and how my grades aren’t up to his standards.

Fortunately it seems like baseball has actually helped with the tension that comes from our periodic talks. He started to impart a lot of the advice he wants to give me through baseball.

My dad has embedded this idea of persistence in me. Baseball is a game of failure. If a player can’t deal with errors, striking out or letting men on base, then they can never truly succeed in the game. Persistence is the most important asset a person can gain. It can reinforce positive ideologies and the idea of not giving up even when things get tough. When I perform badly on a test and think there is absolutely no way I can get a good grade in that class, I always have to remember this: how could I do well if I don’t even have a good attitude about the situation? Persistence is my biggest drive in school right now, and I’m so glad I was able to pick this up through baseball.

Baseball isn’t just a sport to my dad and me.

It’s like being part of another family. Through injuries and losses we always stick by the Giants.

Throughout this past season so many people thought the Giants wouldn’t make it this far.

Well, to all those haters, look at what they accomplished. This season has had many ups and downs. Losing about three great players due to injuries should have brought us down, but it didn’t. Just like when problems occur in our own families we power through and that’s what the Giants did, which makes me even prouder to call myself a true Giants fan.

Even years from now when I’m out of the house and working in another city or even another state, the Giants will always be something my dad and I can talk about, from arguing about the Giants bullpen to running bets. I’ve even made a promise to my dad to take him to the World Series right behind home plate. Sometimes it might feel as if my dad and I aren’t related but when it comes to the Giants we sure bleed orange and black.

—Murthy, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

16

Sports

THEORACLE

Fall sports teams finish their seasons strong,

Girls’ Tennis

Cross Country

“I think part of the reason why everyone’s improving so much is because it’s so fun. I’ve never had so much fun working out before. Everyone’s super close.”—sophomore Josh Radin

“The other teams have been really hard to beat ever since we moved up to the De Anza league. After we won our first match, the whole team seemed to get their motivation back, and we improved a lot.”—senior Laurie Perng

“People really care about how they do, and they have a lot of motivation so we train hard. I think it’s all about that—how much work you put in. The girls are doing pretty well. We’ve won every varsity girls’ race this year.”—junior Mara Greene

“One of the most special moments of the season was our first win during the Battle of the Bays tournament. We were discouraged in the beginning of the season, but we worked hard and earned a win against Acalanes.”

—senior Anjali Herekar

Left: From left to right, freshman Emma Chiao pushes hard to catch up to junior Maya Miklos.

They both sprint as fast as they can to finish their race against Paly on October 28.

Left: Senior Laurie Perng sets up for a backhand.

Alexandra Ting

Lisa Cheong

Volleyball “One point in our season that was an all-time high was beating Paly in our first league game of the season. It had been eight years since the last time Gunn beat Paly in volleyball, and there’s no better feeling for such a competitive team than beating your biggest rival.”—senior Tahra Knudsen Left to right: Seniors Nicole Brigham, Megan Mahoney, Tahra Knudsen and sophomore Emma Munch prepare for the other team’s serve.

Josh Spain

Cheer “The season’s highlight was keeping the crowd going during a black out in the middle of the homecoming game.”—junior Caitlin Ambler Right: From left to right, senior Rachel Dukes-Schlossberg, junior Laura Patou and junior Jarrod Hsu cheer at the football game.

Alexandra Ting

Dance

“Being a part of the dance team has been a really wonderful experience. We’re basically a family and we always have fun at practices. It’s really awesome to be able to choreograph our own dances and perform them for the whole school.”—sophomore Miranda Lin Left: From left to right senior Esther Kozakevich, junior Alex Kim, senior Tina Wang and freshmen Jaclyn Liang and Kim Li are hard at work practicing one of their routines.

Right: From left to right, senior Esther Kozakevich and junior Alex Kim perform at the Night Rally.

Alexandra Ting

Courtesy of Paul Sakuma

Sports

Friday, November 14, 2014

17

ref lect on their favorite memories and highlights

Football

“My favorite play of the night was probably when I scored my last touchdown and the lights went off after. It’s a whole different feeling when you are at home. I liked just looking at the stands and seeing a sea of red and black. Nothing beats a crowd of Titan supporters.”—senior Guy Kasznik Left: Senior Max Chiew and junior Cory Gong brace themselves for the next down.

Right: Senior Dietrich Sweat clashes with the opposition in an intense play.

Alexandra Ting

Alexandra Ting

Girls’ Golf

Boys’

Water Polo “The first Paly-Gunn game was really fun to play in, because so many people came out to cheer us on. Over 100 people came to that game.”—senior Anthony Zunino

“The highlight of our season was definitely beating Paly in both of our matches against them this year. Last year, we won one match and lost one, so we ended up becoming co-league champions, but this year, we remained undefeated to become league champions.”—senior Anna Zhou

“We are currently undefeated in leagues, and everyone is working well together. I’ve never been on a team before with such high team chemistry and the coach knows how to communicate with us in a better way.”—senior Ari Wayne

Anthony Tran

Left: Sophomore Patrick Zhao concentrates as he gets ready to throw to a teammate across the goal in the game against Mountain View on Senior Night.

“We have an extremely supportive team and we always have each other’s backs.”

—junior Tiffany Yang Left: Junior Tiffany Yang visualizes her shot, aiming to hit a perfect putt.

Anthony Tran

Girls’ Water Polo “The Paly game was quite intense because of the local rivalry and the fact that it was the last game standing between us and a 12-0 record. The Los Gatos games were probably the toughest, because they’ve been our strongest opponents in the league over the last few years.“—senior Nia Gardener “This year our team is really good at staying calm and focused. If the other team makes the first goal of the game, we always pick ourselves back up and show the team that in the end we will beat them.”—senior Bianca Batista Left: Freshman Zoe Banks scans the pool as she looks to throw the ball to her teammate.

Right: Senior Bianca Batista gets ready to launch the ball into the goal.

Josh Spain

Josh Spain

—Compiled by Sam Acker, Lawrence Chen, Lisa Hao, Yuki Klotz-Burwell, Emily Kvitko, Matt Niksa and Lena Ye

18

Lifestyle

THEORACLE

Style the aftermath of No Shave November

Why do we shave? Social norms examined

Erica Watkins

The Soul patch is the area just below the lower lip, not including the hair over the chin. This is a little tuft that wavers in the wind as you embrace your inner peace.

Named after fictional Chinese villain Dr. Fu Manchu, this upper lip mustache grows downward in two long strands and hangs past the jawline.

Hulk Hogan, the monstrous wrestler, has made the horseshoe mustache his very own. The mustache sides go down until they hit the clean-shaven chin.

The imperial mustache dates back to the times of the historic civil war. Often found in many reenactments and theatre performances, this mustache is worn with a cleanly shaven chin and extends all the way to the side burns.

Named after painter Salvador Dali, this mustache is only on the upper lip. This mustache is made when it is waxed, and it is then pointed upwards towards the nose.

Super Mario invented this mustache, which looks like an upside down cloud. Any fan of Mario will recognize this ‘stache that will make them go Mamma Mia!

Pros and cons of shaving Pro

Con

In the summer, it won’t feel like you are wearing a wool sweater on your face.

You won’t be able to hide hideous teeth.

You won’t look 10 years older than your actual age.

You can’t retain a second meal in your beard.

Food won’t get trapped in your beard.

You won’t have to kiss bagels and cream cheese goodbye.

You can’t give beard slaps to that one annoying kid in your math class.

Unmanageable hair is not attractive.

Your face will be cold in the winter.

Hair growth problems aren’t visible because people might be disappointed by the gaps that don’t fill in properly.

Beardiness equals wisdom.

This is undebatable.

Having a giant beard can scare babies.

You could have had the chance to be a wizard #Dumbledore.

—Compiled by Naina Murthy and Arjun Sahdev Graphics by Dave Zhu

In Missy Elliott’s song “Work It,” she sings about the importance of shaving her pubic hair in order to be with her significant other. This and other popular songs bring up the societal pressure to shave. With “No Shave November” in full force, I ask the question: Why is it that women, and men, are pressured into shaving?

Historically, shaving was simply more hygienic. Lice where rampant and the ability to shower was rare. Alexander the Great told his soldiers to shave because it was easier to fight and avoid beard grabbing. Men who did not shave were considered barbarian. In some regions of the world, however, such as ancient Rome, having no body hair was considered disgusting and odd.

On the other hand, women in Western society have become accustomed to shaving at all times of the year. Women who do not shave feel ashamed to wear shorts or tank tops. This practice of shaving feels outdated. We all have hair, and shaving takes up time that could be used in better ways.

According to Northshore.org, the average man spends 3,000 hours of his time shaving, with more than double that for women. In modern times where every second counts and time is money, the practice of shaving seems like a waste of time. Many women do not find a point in shaving. Winter comes as a relief because it means that they will always wear long pants and therefore not have to shave.

We need to shape the culture to accept men and women who do not shave. The matter of cleanliness no longer applies, considering the vast majority of the United States has access to clean water and showers.

The hatred towards body hair has been perpetuated by TV shows such as “South Park,” who recently released an episode about a woman who feels shut-out by society because she does not shave. The idea of not liking a woman because she does not shave is also reflected in many popular songs.

While success in the past might have been defined by the clean-shaven man in a business suit, this is not true anymore. Mark Zuckerburg and Steve Jobs have shown that people with a little bit of scruff can still be well respected and admired.

On the other hand, why is it an unsaid requirement that women shave their legs, but it is okay for men to have hair legs and armpits?

In order to get rid of this outdated philosophy we have to realize that body hair is natural. We all have it. Our hair is there for a reason. We should not all be wasting our time being ashamed of the hair we were all born with.

Hair in our armpits and on our genitals serve a purpose. Our armpits and genitals are both areas of scent-releasing organs called apocrine glands. These glands release chemicals that have unique smells and serve as a way to attract sexual partners.

An aversion to hair is trained and it is always worthwhile to question trained behavior. No matter what the reason is for disliking body hair, from being a waste of time to looking gross to feeling weird, having or not having body hair should not be a decision defined by societal pressures. As a society we should stop laughing at and denouncing people who do not shave and instead embrace their fortitude to not give into a useless societal construct.

—Watkins, a senior, is a reporter.

19 New world love: a story for Thanksgiving Lifestyle

Friday, November 14th, 2014

She whipped around and gave Derwin a sharp push. Skinny as he was, he tumbled backward onto the dirt. Sokw crouched and hissed into his face, “How long will you stay on my land?”

Derwin blinked. “What do you—this is my home now.”

“Do you call my world the New World?”

Ryeri Lim “O, marvel with thrilling joy at these tallest trees! Like solemn giants they regard heaven, like quiet mothers they provide you green shade!” Derwin rhapsodized, his hands clasped in front of him. Through the leaf coverage, evening sunlight played off Derwin’s skin.

“Shut up and catch up,” said Sokw, crushing brittle brown grass beneath her moccasins. “They’re only trees, and they’re dead in weather as cold as this.”

“O, but—” In his haste to keep up with Sokw, Derwin had tripped over a stray root. “O, but these tallest trees! England is fair, but she has never seen royalty like these grand kings!”

Puffing white mist into the November air, Derwin stumbled on. To keep Sokw’s dark braid in sight, he needed all the air his lungs could pull in. What a nerd.

Sokw paused at a small stream. The water moved slowly, almost ready to freeze for winter. Six smooth rocks protruded in a slippery path through the icy current.

Derwin finally reached Sokw’s side. He continued his monologue, panting, “O, mayhap Father might uproot and bring the queen one of your magnificent trees.”

Yeah right, Sokw thought. Out loud, she repeated flatly, “It’s winter. Those trees are dead.”

Derwin looked straight up, his thin dirty neck bared to the chill. “Their silhouettes look alive,” he replied.

YEAH RIGHT, Sokw thought again.

Dave Zhu

“We do.”

“Does it look new to you?”

“It—” “Did these trees not need thousands of years to tower so tall over both your father and mine? Did their roots not crawl for ages deep into the dirt that we, by comparison, are floating unattached above the earth? You, especially,” Sokw demanded with a prod, “how could you remain so small to float away across the vast ocean?”

The two were surrounded by the curling heat of their breaths. Eventually, Sokw pulled back and sat on her haunches.

Derwin spoke slowly. “Where I lived, we covered the ground with stones. Priest Degory says all people are made of the dust of the earth and God’s breath—I do think your land is old.”

After a pause, Sokw turned to the stream. “As old as your land?” she asked, and leapt to the first wet stone.

“I suppose,” Derwin replied, standing clumsily and brushing dirt off skinned palms. His breeches were beyond hope.

“Why do you love our trees so much?” Sokw jumped to the second stone.

“O, they are marvelous, thrilling, grand, magnifi—” “Never mind! Shut up!” While landing on the third stone, Sokw slipped knee-deep into the water for a frightening split second, but swiftly regained her balance.

Derwin stared at the first wet stone in front of him.

ISAAC'S

Top nine ways to give people thanks 1. Buy them a Hallmark card. Nothing shows you care like a store-bought product with a tagline made by someone else.

2. Choreograph an interpretive dance expressing your gratitude for them. Turkey imitation is highly encouraged.

3. Everyone likes a nice massage. Even your mailman.

4. Write them a poem. Don’t know how?

Don’t worry; anything is poetry if you say it is.

5. First rule of Thanksgiving? Never settle for just “enough”. Go all out and throw a parade for Grandma.

6. Give them the first bite of turkey.

7. On second thought, nobody is that nice. Let them take the second cut.

8. Who are we kidding? They can have the last bite.

9. Let’s be real here. They can smell your breath after you’ve eaten the whole turkey solo.

—Compiled by Isaac Wang

“Yet I speak the truth.”

Sokw turned back toward Derwin, though she kept her gaze on the water. A hostile breeze picked up, pulling at dark tendrils of her hair as it did the suddenly hurried stream beneath her. The dead grass stirred, and all the blackened tree branches creaked in assent; a bare, living land spoke in unison.

“Don’t you have trees at home?” Sokw skittered over the final three stones, stepping coolly onto dirt again.

Derwin seemed transfixed by the stream, rushing past and over the stones. “Not many trees are seen in London,” he said.

Sokw shivered in response. She and he stood facing each other from opposite sides of the frantic water, one in a pungent deerskin cloak and the other in muddied English breeches. The stepping stones, a fading gray, hardly traced a bridge between the two. They both were faint in the dark shade of the old, old trees.

“Hurry,” Sokw barked. “We’ll be late for the meal. And it will be your fault.”

“Sokw—” “Or do you not want to go?”

“I want to!” protested Derwin, taking a step toward the water.

“You said this is your home,” Sokw continued. “Is it really?

Are you home here? Is the New World your world?”

“I—” “Prove it!” Sokw’s voice rang through the gaps between the trees. Somewhere else in the forest, two wolves snarled and fought. Hares watched anxiously from beneath ferns. A squirrel darted up and down the same tree trunk, over and over again, mad, knowing his stillness meant death by freezing.

Derwin stood agape.

“Cross the river on the stones,” Sokw said quietly. “Feel for where the stones are rooted to the deepest soil. Far, far down.”

“I’ll fall,” said Derwin. He stepped onto the first stone.

“You might.” Sokw sat on the ground and watched a drop of river water slide slowly down her ankle.

“I’ll do my best.” He stepped to the second stone.

Derwin stood atop the last stone when Sokw said, “The first serving of turkey is yours.”

—Lim, a junior, is a Features Editor.

20

Backpage

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

The Oracle looks at current tensions surrounding Syria, Israel and ISIS. Syria In March 2011, the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria cracked down violently on activists demanding more economic prosperity, sparking a nationwide uprising. The revolution eventually led to a civil war between rebels and the authoritarian government and has now killed more than 190,000 people, 50 percent of whom were civilians.

Inspired by the Arab Spring in Tunisia of January 2011, a group of school children and teenagers in Daraa, Syria wrote political graffiti and were arrested; police response killed dozens of people on site. As a result, the Syrian populace called for al-Assad to step down. To stay in office, al-Assad promised to lift Syria’s state-of-emergency law, which for the past 48 years allowed the regime to detain anyone without charge and hold them indefinitely. However, four days after lifting the law, thousands of regime troops were sent to Daraa for a wide-scale crackdown.

Since the Daraa crackdown, violence and insurgency have only increased, spreading the unrest to Damascus and Aleppo. Moreover, the conflict has displaced over 6.5 million people, with many escaping to Jordan and Lebanon. However, this sudden influx of refugees in other Middle Eastern countries has caused external tensions with Syria to add on to its internal agitation.

—Compiled by Kathleen Xue

ISIS The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) gained major attention earlier this year when it executed U.S. journalist James Foley in an online video. ISIS began as a product of three terrorist groups: al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and Jabhat alNusra. Its first major terrorist act occurred in May 2014, when ISIS kidnapped more than 140 Kurdish schoolboys in Syria and forced them to assimilate radical Islamic theology. A month later, militants seized Iraqi city Mosul’s airport, TV stations and governor’s office; they later freed almost 1,000 prisoners from Mosul’s federal jails.

In the following three days, ISIS invaded and gained control of five other Iraqi towns, terrorizing its citizens and giving them the ultimatum of conversion to radical Islam or execution. In July, multiple Syrian cities fell to ISIS, and the jihadists took control of the world’s largest Syrian oil field by coercion. By mid-July, ISIS seized the Shaer gas field and claimed to have killed 270 Syrians in the process. A week later, the militants continued their reign of terror and bombed a holy site in Mosul.

On Aug. 19, the first civilian beheadings were publicized in an online video. U.S. journalist James Foley, missing in Syria since 2012, was decapitated, and ISIS made further threats on another U.S. journalist. Two months later, another U.S. journalist and two British aid workers were also beheaded in publicized videos.

At the same time, stories of sexual abuse and slavery have arisen after numerous Yazidi women were subjected to the jihadists’ will.

ISIS’ most recent act involved executing 600 Shia, Christian and Yazidi prisoners in the middle of the desert. According to Human Rights’ Watch, nine men survived.

The U.S. and other United Nations countries have executed airstrikes against ISIS. However, it is unknown what next steps of action ISIS will take as it continues to propagate its radical Islamic theology by force. ­ —Compiled by Shawna Chen

Israel-Gaza Conflict The kidnappings and deaths of three Israelis and one of a Palestinian teenager sparked a string of hostilities between Israel and Palestine in the summer of 2014. However, this was not the start of tensions. Gaza was occupied until Israel withdrew in 2005 and handed over local rule. The elected party that currently watches over Gaza, Hamas, seeks the complete destruction of Israel and has been branded by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. Because of the attempts by Gaza to perpetrate numerous attacks against Israel, Israel commenced a blockade of the region in 2008, and eventually launched a ground invasion, killing around 1,000 civilians. There was another conflict between the two regions in 2012. Over 1,800 Palestinians died, whereas only roughly 70 Israelis died, due to the use of the USfunded Iron Dome, a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Israel.

Pictures show Hamas using civilians as humans shields, which is an international war crime.

In response to the current blockade by Israel, Hamas has continuously launched missiles, though very few of them make an impact—most end up getting intercepted by the Iron Dome, land in large fields or fail to launch. To counteract, Israel continues to bomb Gaza and detain many Palestinians, and according to CNN, severely beat a 15-year-old for information.

There was a unity deal signed although it was broken shortly after by Hamas.

The prospect of peace doesn’t seem realistic, seeing as both nations have different demands in mind, and many other obstacles are in the way of peace.

—Compiled by Lucy Fan

ISIS Photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Islamic_State_of_Iraq.svg#fi Map photo by Alexandra Ting Graphics by Anton Oyung and Andrew Shen