AC O R N
December 2010 ACORN
December 13, 2010
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Table of Contents Jason Tahir: 10 Questions.........................................4 ACORN issue 3 d e c e m b e r An interview with Sean Sulli,van....................6
Chief Editor: Eddy Wang Co-Editor: Madeleine Laitz Assistant Editor: Zoe Rankin Advisor: JAM Art Editor: Ms. O
email: theharleynewspaper@gmail.com Facebook group: The Acorn Twitter: harleyAcorn
Chips, Ben Kurchin.......................................................................8 Harley Sports update
Colette McConnell.....................................................10
Chris Duffy......................................................................10
Caitlin Richard.............................................................11
Epiphany, Brooklyn Bianchi.................................................11 Harry Potter, Zach Palumbo.......................................12 Sensation, Anna Barbano...................................................14 furry little beast, Ms. O...................................................15 East or West, Andy Zeng..................................................16
The Harley School 1981 Clover Street Rochester, NY 14618 Dr. Timothy Cottrell, Head of School 585.442.2770 www. harleyschool.org
Nazareth to Nassau, Maddie Laitz.....................17 ray’s-ism, Ray Chang.................................................................18 The End of Integrity, Maddie Laitz......................19
On the cover: From “Forest for the Trees” Series by Sean Sullivan ‘09 http://www.passlifepracticeart. com Sean is currently attending Parsons at The New School in NYC. This is his sophomore year. See page 6
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Izzy Hirtelen-Booker ‘13
GET PUBLISHED! SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES, CREATIVE WRITING, PHOTOS, AND OTHER ARTWORK TO THE ACORN theharleynewspaper@gmail.com ACORN
December 13, 2010
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Duke 1 0 Q u e s t i o n s With
UNIVERSITY
JASON TAHIR Jason Tahir
is ranked 11th nationally, 2nd in the Middle Atlantic, and 1st in New York State, as well as being a 5-star Blue Chip recruit. • Hey Jason! Congratulations on getting a scholarship to Duke! What other schools were you considering and what was the decision process like? Did you visit the schools, talk to the coaches, and spend a day there? And finally, why did you choose Duke? - Thanks! I took 3 official visits to Duke, Michigan, and Illinois. The decision process was very stressful because I was being recruited since September 1st of 2009 till October of 2010. The coaches and players all spent a lot of time trying to convince me that their school was the best choice for me. I visited all three schools on official visits throughout September and October. I ended up spending 2 days at each school touring the campus, athletic facilities, and meeting with the players and coaches. I chose Duke because it’s the best fit for me. The tennis team is top 15 in the country and I only feel like the team is getting better. The academics are outstanding, and the smaller liberal arts education was appealing to me. • What has tennis done for you personally? - Tennis has done a ton for me personally. It has gotten me into Duke; a school I would have never gotten into without tennis. Tennis has also
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taught me a bunch of life lessons like working for a goal, bouncing back from a loss, analyzing myself and my game, and many more. Tennis has also shown me many parts of the country and exposed me to many different people, many of whom I’ve made lifelong friends with.
thing, the hard work won’t be enjoyable at all. I think I’ve been successful at tennis because I love it and I work really hard at it. All the training that I do is fun for me and I love being able to see all my hard work pay off. •
•
Why did you first start playing tennis?
- I started playing tennis by accident at age 7. I was away on a vacation at a day camp and tennis was one of the activities. When I came back from the trip, I begged my Dad to play tennis but he didn’t want to teach a beginner. Eventually, he played with me though. •
What are your plans for college? Do you want to become a tennis professional?
- My plans for college are to help the team as much as possible. With the caliber of players we have I think we have a good chance of breaking into the top 5 in the country and competing for national championships. Personally, I’d like to become an All-American in singles and doubles and win an individual national championship. My ultimate goal is to get out on the tour and become a pro. The Duke staff believes in me and I know they will give it their best to help me achieve those goals. •
How do you deal with being a tennis star and just a normal everyday student at Harley?
- Balancing training and my school is really tough. Free time is hard to come by! But the Harley teachers have all been very helpful and supportive. Without them my school work would be very difficult to manage. •
What do you think are the most important things to being successful in something? What has made you so successful in tennis?
- I think to be successful at something you’ve really got to want it. If you don’t have the desire to get better at some-
Most people would think playing in New York gives you a disadvantage than the players out West or down South because of the harsh climate. How have you been able cope with that?
- Playing tennis in New York is definitely more difficult than some other areas of the country. In the winter it’s really tough to get a ton of court time. Most of my peers are getting around triple the practice time that I got in the winter months. The only thing I can do to cope with this is to give it my best every time I step on the court or the gym. • Other than Duke, what is your proudest moment in tennis? - I would say my proudest moment in tennis is winning the state doubles title with Ben Guzick in 8th grade. We had some tough matches early in the tournament but we found our stride in the later rounds. •
Have you gone through any trying times where you had doubt about your tennis?
- I’ve definitely had times where I’ve doubted my tennis. I had a stress fracture in my playing hand in the summer of 2009 and that was really tough to get through. The summer is the most important time of the year for a tennis player and I was out with an injury. I really worked hard after that to bounce back. •
What kind of sacrifices have you made to achieve the kind of success you have had?
- I’ve definitely had to make a lot of sacrifices for my tennis game. Almost every day I leave early so I can get more training time. I’ve missed a lot of school for tennis tournaments, and I missed prom last year.
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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Work from Parsons The New School of Design
SEAN Patrick Sullivan ‘09
Interviewed by Ms. O
Sean Sullivan graduated from Harley 2 years ago and entered Parsons The New School at NYC. We hear he loves it and is excelling in photography. We are not surprised. December 8th 2010, I conducted a Facebook interview with Sean to see how things are going. Me: I hear you and Parsons fit like a hand and glove. Is this true? SPS: Yeah, it’s going really great... I just won the Parsons photography grant, actually. So that’s exciting! Me: Is that on your website? If so, I think I saw it! Congratulations! Is money involved? SPS: Thanks. Yeah, I think it is... I got $2000 to work on my art. Me: What was the biggest challenge for freshman year? SPS: Umm, it was pretty seamless. I would say missing my sister and family was the hardest, but we all talked often. Me: What was your most challenging course so far? SPS: My most difficult course was freshman seminar because it required an enormous amount of time. Me: How have your photography skills evolved? SPS: You learn a LOT more about lighting because of the resources [available] so that has really helped my work. [And] really researching other photographers with such a skill for it, we have to take courses that all you do is research and memorize photographers. Me: Was fashion photography your original goal? SPS: I kept an open mind going in so I didn’t pigeon hole my self. I still do a lot of fashion work, but my biggest interest this last semester was in more of a fine art direction. Researching nude photographers for an assignment was really what sparked my direction: Irving Pen, Mapplethorpe, Imogen Cunningham... Me: Yeah I noticed all the nude work on your website (http://passlifepracticeart.com/) and remembered that the last time we touched base you were working with Jessica Yatrofsky - “I <3 Boy” Photography. Photographing nudes must be similar to figure drawing for painters--it becomes very zen-like... lost in the beauty of the form. SPS: Yeah for sure, I am actually mentioned in her book coming in February! Her work is very zen nude; she is really amazingly powerful. I was introduced to her after doing a series of nudes, and was lucky enough to work with her over the summer!
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Me: What is the sequence or progression of your nudes studies? SPS: Umm...I started the year with “plant life”. Then Phalic Reality, Alone, Complacency, and Missing Pieces.
“I kept an open mind going in so I didn’t pigeon hole my self. I still do a lot of fashion work, but my biggest interest this last semester was in more of a fine art direction. “
Me: Is your world all digital? SPS: No, not at all. Freshman year is all film and it really teaches you the basics! I use about half and half; I am even taking a required view camera class, the old school film camera with a cloth over your head Me: And Hasselblad? Sean: Hahah I use a hassy often but my favorite is my Mamiya. Me: Are you still able to work for Michael Kors and go to school? SPS: Yes, I work 30 hours a week as a selling specialist for MK as well as 20 hours per week of classes! Very busy, but it is an unbelievable opportunity that I would never pass up! I’m starting again at Headquarters in January, working in the retail development team, and visual merchandising. Me: So that should be enough. I am going to do it interview style not narrative: Me: question You: blah, blah,
blah; Me: question You: blah, blah, blah etc.
SPS: Haha great, thanks. Makes me feel fancy! Ms O.
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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CHIPS ... My Chip Business Ben Kurchin I have always been interested in managing money. When I was in 6th grade, I had an idea. I noticed that after school on the bus loop, some of my classmates would ask if I could give them money to buy something from the vending machine. So I started bringing some of my money in my backpack to school. When people asked to borrow money, I had it. I lent them money, on the condition that they owed me an extra 25 cents for every day they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay. So if they paid me back the day after, 25 cents extra. Four days later? A dollar extra. I remember a few times when I collected more than 100% interest. I never had trouble collecting the money because the amount was so small. Sadly, this little business I had ended when I announced it at the dinner table one night, thinking my parents would think it was cool or something. My mom got ticked instead and
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made me stop. Since then, my business sense has developed. In 8th grade, my mom and my older sister were raising money for a big bike race at Lake Tahoe called Team in Training by selling donuts during 1st short. Instead of buying some for myself, I told them that if I could get one free donut each day they did this, I would buy any donuts that they didn’t sell on that day. I never once had to buy any remaining donuts; they were all sold. I was kind of like insurance to my mom and sister. They gave me a recurring “payment” and I made sure they never lost any money by buying the leftovers. A couple times in 9th grade, I bought a bunch of small bags of chips from Wegmans and sold them at a markup price from my locker. This was under the table; my mom didn’t know about it. When I bought them, it was usually after a sports practice when I was getting picked up by someone other than my mom. I would stop at Wegmans on the way home and then bring them into school the next day. It was difficult to hide from her the large quantities of bags that I bought, so I didn’t do this much. I was eventually caught anyways and my business endeavor was again put to a stop. In 10th grade, I made a compromise with her. She would allow me to sell bags of chips again if I donated half of the profits to charity. I chose Heifer International as my cause. It is an organization that collects money from donors and uses it to send livestock to African villages. I raised $135.25 for Heifer last year, and I have not yet chosen what to buy with it. This year, I am using the money to raise money for senior commencement, a job that is bestowed upon the junior class. As of now, I’ve sold approximately 1500 bags of chips. I keep track of the amount sold on a chart which I keep in my locker. I allow IOUs, which I keep track of on the same chart. I get 25 cents of profit per bag, half of which I myself keep, and half of which is donated. That means that for each bag of chips, 12.5 cents is donated to charity. Although this may seem like nothing, if you do the math, it amounts to something. I sell about 8 bags of chips per day, on average. As such, I sell about 40 per week, and 160 per month. That is $20 raised per month, the price of a flock of chicks for Heifer International. Each month, I could provide a family with eggs, a significant improvement to their inadequate diets. I have tried to find the number of high schools in America online, but the number I found varied from 15,000 to 95,000. To be safe, let’s say there are 10,000 high schools in the US. If one student from every high school sold chips (or any merchandise, for that matter) in the same manner as I did, $200,000 could be raised each month. In other words, that’s a lot of chickens, especially considering the fact that there are a lot more than 10,000 high schools in the US. That could make a huge difference.
8 Chip Bags Sold/ day 40/wk 160/ month +1500 altogether +$135 raised for Heifer Int. and Harley Commencement ACORN
December 13, 2010
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HAC
Swimming
Colette McConnell The 2010-2011 swim season
is off to a great start for the HAC swim team. Our first meet was on November 30th at Spencerport. This was a special meet called “Laps for Life” with teams from Spencerport, Albion, and HAC. This meet was held in honor of an Albion swimmer who was recently diagnosed with Leukemia. So, the swimming community got together to raise money for the swimmer and his family. It was a successful meet; the girl’s team came in first place and the boy’s team came in second place. The second meet was versus Newfane on December 3rd. This was a tough meet for both the boys and girls teams. The boy’s team swam very well and beat Newfane. This was the toughest team the girl’s will face this season. Unfortunately, the girls lost by only a few points, but the team is ready for a rematch at the Intersectional meet at the end of the season. The rest of the season for
the swim team is looking very good. The team is training in Orlando, Florida over December break. The team will be swimming for four hours a day in an outdoor 50 meter pool. It is going to be a good trip with lots of swimming! After the holidays, things get pretty busy on the swim team. The HAC Invitational meet will be held at the Harley Pool on January 8th, 2011. The Genesee Region League Championship meet will be on January 29th, at the Gates-Chili pool. These meets, along with sectionals for the boys and the Akron Intersectional meet for the girls, are the biggest meets of the season. The last meet of the season for the girls is the Akron Intersectional meet on February 4th. The boys team has sectionals at Bath February 10th-12th. Following sectionals are states, which hopefully many swimmers will make it to.
Chris Duffy Swimming is a new experience for me, because I have never swam competitively in my life. Basically, in practice, you have to make your body hate you throughout the different drills and sets in order to gain endurance and speed. In meets, you have to make your body hate in a much smaller period of time so you can beat everyone else. The team is also very accepting of new-comers, and it adds a great deal of fun to the otherwise sometimes straining practices. Overall, I’d put the swimming team high on my list of things to do if I want to participate in a winter sport that’s fun, but also a challenge. And that’s a two sport list: swimming and basketball. 10
The swim team loves fans! Come to the home meets on these dates: December 14th vs. Alexander 4:30 pm January 4th vs. Byron-Bergen 4:30 pm January 8th HAC Invitational 11 am January 11th vs. Oakfield-Alabama 4:30 pm January 14th vs. Wheatland-Chili 4:30 pm January 29th GR Championship @ Gates-Chili 4 pm February 4th Girl’s Intersectional Championship @ Akron 6 pm February 10th-12th Boys Sectionals @ Bath 5 pm & 11am
Brooklyn’s Epiphanies Brooklyn Bianchi
Over break I went to one of Nick Coykendall’s hockey games. The game was intense, and I struggled to remember all the rules, but I still enjoyed every second of it. Feeling the excitement of the fans made me jealous. I secretly wished I could be out there on the ice playing. Sitting there in the stands, reminded me of my childhood. I hadn’t been to a hockey game since I was in elementary school, back when my parents were still together, back when I lived in a nice house, back when my life seemed much simpler. I grew up living next door to a houseful of boys. Corey and Kamden were my best friends. We would constantly fight and wrestle, play sports, go on adventures, and just do boy things. Corey played ice hockey, and I would always go to his games and play hockey with him in our cul-de-sac. He taught me how to skate by letting me borrow his roller blades and by showing off so much I became determined to keep up with him. Kam and I would race up and down the street everyday, skating until we had blisters. The three of us and my brother would play knee hockey in their living room. I got so competitive one time I broke a plastic hockey stick over Corey’s arm. When I would go to Corey’s games, he would include me in his conversations with his hockey friends and then check me into snow banks on the way out of the rink. I loved it. I got beat up, bruised, and bullied, but I had so much fun. I told my parents I wanted to play hockey, but my dad said that it wasn’t for me. When I repeatedly pestered him about it, he said that ice hockey isn’t for girls. My heart was broken, but I just let it go. I was satisfied with playing in the neighborhood with Corey and Kamden, until eventually we moved away from each other. Our friendship is now somewhat distant, but I still wish things could go back to those days. Back then, I was the happiest I’ve ever been, without a care in the world. I was just one of the guys. There was no one who could put limits to what I could or could not do. Outside of where I grew up, things are a lot different. People judge you for how much money you have, what race you are, what gender you are, what clothes you wear, etc, etc… Why can’t everyone be who they want to be and not worry about what everyone else thinks? Why can’t I play football or ice hockey like I’ve always wanted to? I don’t like taking crap from anyone, but sometimes, without realizing it, you change in order to fit in. Sometimes we do things to make other people happy, or we just go along with what we’ve been taught instead of questioning things and doing what we truly want. After sitting under the red heaters that give off no heat pressing my cold hands between my legs and the old wooden bleachers, I suddenly decided that I would play hockey. I think I’ll always regret not playing if I don’t. Before I graduate, I’m planning on playing in an organized league of some sort. I know I’ll probably suck, but I don’t care. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I won’t let anything or anyone stop me from doing what I want any longer. So, I ask you, have you ever wanted to do something that you never got around to doing? What’s stopping you? Think hard… I bet there’s something. My advice to you is: just go for it!
Girl’s Basketball
Caitlin Richard
We started out our season by crushing South Seneca at their own home. We hadn’t beaten them in thirteen years, so it was a great way to pump us up. In fact, their coach had told them to not “run up the score to much” before the game. Well, we showed them. Our next game was against Northstar Christian. Although they weren’t afraid to foul us, we managed to beat them by fifty points. We now have a 2-0 record going into one of the biggest games of the year; Bloomfield. But, I think they will really be surprised by some of our players, because the wolves are here to win.
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Review Zachary Palumbo All right, let’s get something out of the way, right now. I am a massive Harry Potter fan. I’ve read and adored every single book (Order of the Phoenix may have dragged a bit, but it was still very good). I waited overnight to be one of the first to enter the Harry Potter-themed amusement park in Orlando. I also own a wand and a robe, amongst other various Harry Potterthemed merchandise. So yes, it’s safe to say that I’m rather obsessed with this franchise, and as such, I cannot promise a completely unbiased review. Those of you who dislike Harry Potter should probably take this review with a grain of salt. On second thought, take this review with several truckloads of salt. First, let me provide some backstory. I arrived at the movie theater building at 5:00 PM on November 17th, wand in hand, dressed in my Ravenclaw robe which I purchased from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The movie was to start at twelve. I was accompanied by my mother and sister. I walked in feeling somewhat self-conscious because (as far as I could tell) I was the only one in full wizard-garb. As we made our way past the couple of tables that were already waiting, I tried my best to avoid eye-contact. I sat down at a table and extracted my FST textbook from my backpack, hoping that I could complete that night’s assignment while waiting. I quickly gave up on that. The chatter and excitement were too overwhelming to be worrying about a silly math assignment! After I put away my book, my sister and I began discussing A Very Potter Musical (for those of you who are unfamiliar, A Very Potter Musical is
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a brilliant fan-made musical spoof of the Harry Potter franchise that can be watched for free on YouTube). When I suggested to my sister that most people waiting in the theater didn’t know about the musical, I was quickly proved wrong. Before long, my sister, myself, and many other wonderful people whom we met at the theater were all singing along to songs from A Very Potter Musical and having a wonderful time! Hours passed like minutes, and before I knew it the time had gone from 5:00 to 9:00. It was time to enter the actual theater and continue our wait there. Turns out, the euphoria was only compounded in the theater, and we continued to sing. After a while I decided to attempt my homework again, but it didn’t take a minute for me
to realize that I was being absurd. How could one possibly attempt schoolwork at a time like this? Myself and a couple of others then began to attempt ridiculous crossword puzzles that seemed to expect us to know the exact names and spellings of various rivers in the Middle East. Of course, time whizzed by again. The theater lights dimmed. We cheered wildly. This was going to be good. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the seventh installment in one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. It is the fourth film in the franchise to be directed by David Yates, who has carried the Potter torch since the fourth film, The Goblet of Fire. I am a fan of the work he’s done on the last three films, but in my opinion, they
have never quite reached the heights achieved by the third film, The Prisoner of Azkaban, until this film. For me, the previous Harry Potter film (The Half-Blood Prince) was a bit of a disappointment. It was still a very enjoyable film, but it felt too fluffy and light when compared to the book, which was one of the darkest of the series. Actual events of importance were fairly spread out, and though it was by far the funniest of the series, I felt that it missed a great opportunity to fully explore Voldemort’s past. With the exception of one scene, I never felt that the characters were in any real danger. That is absolutely not the case with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, where every single scene sees the characters running, hiding, or fighting for their lives. More happens in the first ten minutes of this film than the first two hours of the previous film. The tension is pumped skyhigh, and you will constantly be on the edge of your seat as the film progresses. But the most impressive thing about this film is that despite the packed action, it manages to be the most personal of the series. This is thanks to the wonderful midsection of the film, which sees Harry, Ron, and Hermione camping out in the woods as they attempt to evade the Death Eaters. This section has received some criticism for being slow-moving, and I can see why it would seem so to people who are not fans of the series. However, if you are as invested in these characters as I am, you will find it incredibly rewarding to see them developed so well. In fact, the entire midsection of this film is a pure character piece. No chases or gratuitous special effects sequences, just pure character development. This section also gives Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint a chance to show
what fine actors they’ve grown into, and they all turn in their absolute best performances to date. In fact, there’s not one bad actor in this film. Alan Rickman, as Snape, is delightful as always, though we unfortunately only get to see him in one scene here. Ralph Finnes is deliciously evil as Voldemort, and Helena Bonham Carter is incredibly entertaining to watch as she plays the gleefully twisted and maniacal Bellatrix Lestrange. Evanna Lynch is hilarious as Luna Lovegood, and newcomer Rhys Ifans does an excellent job playing her father, emulating her mannerisms perfectly while adding his own flair to the performance. Even the computer generated characters seem stronger this time around, especially Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones). I’d feel remiss if I didn’t also mention Hazel Douglas as the absolutely terrifying Bathilda Bagsot. I’d also feel neglectful if I didn’t mention the gorgeous cinematography by Eduardo Serra. All of the Potter films have been beautifully shot, and this is the best-looking one yet, with countless shots of incredibly pretty vistas as the trio camps out. The whole film has a suitably dark look that is very atmospheric. One need only watch a scene about ten minutes into the film, in which an innocent woman is brought to a table, taunted, and murdered by Voldemort and subsequently devoured by a huge snake to realize that this is easily the darkest film of the franchise thus far. This isn’t the fun-loving, whimsical Potter that you remember from The Sorcerer’s Stone. These are no longer films made for kids in hopes that adults will also enjoy them. This is a film made for mature audience members, and as such, some of the more adult themes of the series are brought to the forefront here. One such theme is the parallel with the holocaust that Rowling created in her novels. You wouldn’t be blamed for missing it in previous films, but Yates abandons all subtlety in this film, which sees Voldemort looking to exterminate all “mudbloods” (people who are not of pure magic blood) and create a world full of “pure-bloods”. My only complaint is that this film doesn’t feel like a self-contained experience like the others have. After all, this is Deathly Hallows: Part 1. There is still another half to come, and as such, the film doesn’t really feel like it ends. The final shot all but writes “To be continued...” up on the screen. However, this isn’t entirely a bad thing, as it gets viewers hugely hyped up for Part 2. This has been the longest review I’ve written so far, and I haven’t even mentioned the awesome infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, the great score by Alexandre Desplat, or the brilliant animated sequence in which the story of the Deathly Hallows is told. There is simply too much that I like about this film for me to discuss it all, so I leave you with this: if you are a Harry Potter fan and for some reason haven’t seen this movie yet, go out and do so right now! It’s an incredibly satisfying penultimate chapter to the epic saga, and it absolutely should not be missed.
*4.5 out of 5*
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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sensation Anna Barbano The water’s rushing whispers swell in my ears, a thousand icy hands pushing against me, pulling my body in tight curls beneath the ocean’s evasive surface. Pounding water spins me around and around again. Heartbeat screaming, telling me I’m still alive. Suddenly, my head crashes through the fluid prison’s wall, plunging into hot air, rolling off my tongue lapping thankfully at sticky summer breeze. I open my eyes, looking around at the ginger sand and screeching gulls as if for the first time. I drag myself just barely onto shore where the waves can’t switch me mercilessly, like a child who’s muddied his new Sunday clothes. Shivering, I watch the ever-free waters crash triumphantly, laughing in it’s husky manner, flaunting its biggest wave, crashing its
foot down wildly, a horse that refuses to be broken. I smile at my untamed playmate, forever victorious in our wrestling games, always tossing me back to shore coughing, little more than a ragdoll. Sucking in sinful amounts of air, I grin with weighted eyes over the horizon. The ocean, forever whispering its old tales, kisses my toes, gently, beckoning. I think a part of me will always belong to the sea. And with that final thought, I let the waves sweep me up in many arms, whisking me out to be free again.
Responses: “To look on the bright side, her cubs will have food for the next week.” “I’m sorry to have to tell you, Joe, but it’s time for some heads to roll around here.”
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Furry little beast
Ms.O
You are so funny! What are you thinking? Tummy up, paws extended afloat between asleep and awake-Are you dreaming about a rustling breeze tickling your fur? Supine on the bed legs outstretched, jaws apart-Are you greeting the day ahead your enduring hope to be fed? So relaxed, so languid, so tranquil; one well-rested puppy-Furry little beast, what are you thinking?
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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East or West
2. Party
Andy Zeng Yes, I am from the other side of the world (China), where it is called the east, or the Far East, where things just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work the same way as here. Despite the fact that I have been here for no more than half a year, the tremendous cultural differences have shocked me so much that I cannot wait to share them with you, my dear readers.
1. Anger
People from the west are more straight up with their emotions than people from the east. It is not rare to see people going down the hallway with their fists strained and an upset face. However, in China, it is really hard to make other people angry, at least hard to make them look like so. When compared, Chinese people are definitely more introverted, and you might not even notice that somebody has hated you for a long time. Most of the time, they tend to avoid fights rather than trigger ones.
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At parties, America people tend to hang out with people they like, but in Chinese parties people hang out with other people. Chinese people have always valued the influence of sticking together. Drinking, eating and joking are the public entertainments that Chinese people think should be shared. In many restaurants you can notice big round tables with many people sitting in circles. Circles also resemble perfection and completion in Chinese culture.
3. Solving Problems
When Americans meet problems, they tend to try to overcome them. In other words, they are more likely to seek solutions to the specific problem. However, Chinese people avoid stepping into trouble. They like to do things the easy way. When faced with problems, the government officials almost always pass the buck to somebody else, because they are afraid of responsibilities. There are many heroes in American culture in comic books, in the news, and in everyday life. You can find people ready to sacrifice in America, but in China, when troubles take place on the street, it would be really rare for people to step up. In cities filled with thousands of millions of people, people tend to be more careful for themselves.
From Nazareth to Nassau Maddie Laitz
When you wake up to an e-mail from the conductor of the Nazareth Chamber Ensemble asking if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to go to the Bahamas in two weeks, you simply donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say no. After three rehearsals on several challenging pieces, one of which was Mozartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coronation Mass to be performed with the National Youth Choir of the Bahamas, we flew to Nassau. Once there, we walked around Paradise Island, instruments in tow, and strolled through Atlantis, a massive resort with suites that cost as much as $25,000 a night (with a minimum four-night stay requirement) and are booked solid for five years. Huge fish tanks from floor to ceiling wind their way through the lobby, filled with manta rays so large that five people could easily sit on one of their backs. The resort itself was surrounded by turquoise water and white sand so pristine that it looked like it had been photo-shopped. We had a rehearsal the first day, taking a bus to the beautiful old church in which we were to perform. Enormous wooden beams crisscrossed the ceiling like a vast and intricate spider web, the stain glass windows accentuating the setting sun so it bathed the church in a warm red glow. Perhaps one hundred people were lined up in rows by the altar, and when they sang, it was wonderful. The choir had recently returned from a tour of Europe, and the Nazareth group bought several of their CDs. Our first concert was the next night, with large cameras and microphones hanging from the ceiling, and men in suits shaking hands all over the place. It was unnerving to know that we were being broadcast live on Bahamian television, and had been in the paper that morning. After our second concert the next night, the choir came back to our hotel, sang some Bahamian folk songs, and danced with us in the lobby into the early hours of the morning. The whole experience was magical, and it was fun to hang out with college kids, though I had difficulty at the open bar convincing the bartender that I really did want virgin strawberry daiquiris, and had to dump my fair share of real ones into the trash. I do hope the Nazareth orchestra goes to the Bahamas another time, and that they find themselves short a violinist once again.
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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Sean Sullivan
Ray’s-ism - capital punishment ray chang
Before the judge, every murderer states that he was out of his mind when he committed a crime. According to him, can a murderer not kill someone with his right mind? Are there always insane people around victims? If true, then did an attempted murderer fail to murder because he was not as insane as the “successful” ones? Do you think I was sane while I wrote this paper? There are so many different terms for being murdered: being killed, sacrificed, executed, martyred, slaughtered, crucified and etc. However, the result is always the same, dying. Then, are the reasons to be killed as vary as those terms? What are the reasons for getting rid of someone’s sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and lovers from this world? Can it ever be justified even in the name of the law? Capital Punishment is the ultimate denial of human rights. 18
The End of Integrity Maddie Laitz The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published an article by Ed Dante (not his real name), the man writing the papers of today’s students. It is a short narrative describing his experiences working as a writer for a company that thrives on the desperation of students. In this job, Dante has written everything from admissions essays to term papers, for undergraduate and graduate students, even composing hundreds of pages for dissertations, all of them submitted… under the student’s name. Dante’s career began in college, when his teachers denied him an independent study to work on editing his finished novel, claiming the school did not offer such amenities and suggesting he take his tests and graduate before worrying about becoming a published author. Disappointed, Ed Dante failed to find meaning in his other courses when what he was passionate about was unsupported -- that is, unsupported by teachers. His fellow students soon saw the benefits of his skills and took advantage of them, commissioning papers and handing them in as their own. Dante was suddenly achieving his dream: being a paid writer. After ten years, he still writes not for publishers, but for the kids who are the future of this country. When pressed to choose the field whose students most often sought his help, Dante answered Education. I’ve written papers for students in elementary-education programs, special-education majors, and ESLtraining courses. I’ve written lesson plans for aspiring high-school teachers, and I’ve synthesized reports from notes that customers have taken during classroom observations. I’ve written essays for those studying to become school administrators, and I’ve completed theses for those on course to become principals. In the enormous conspiracy that is student cheating, the frontline
intelligence community is infiltrated by double agents. Thus, the future police of plagiarism are the very people who are using his services today. Perhaps what drives these kids is the fear of failure that society has impressed upon them, forcing students of all ages to resort to such egregious cheating rather than being taught that failure is simply one step on the way to success, and a necessary step at that. Such a fear of inadequacy leads this new generation of con artists to employ ever more unethical means of success. The author argues that the high standards for excellence and low tolerance for ineptitude that make up today’s universities is a flawed system, creating an environment for students in which struggling, and thereby learning from their struggles, is not allowed. Students have low enough self-esteem as to think they will never be able to create on their own what a teacher would deem A-worthy, or perhaps even B-worthy, and so, out of desperation, they contact people like Ed Dante. It is not Dante himself who fosters the widespread epidemic of cheating, but the teachers who force students to ever more corrupt means of reaching their personal goals. They are driven into Dante’s arms, afraid to admit to their incompetence born of years of inadequate teaching. “You did me business ethics propsal for me I need propsal got approved pls can you will write me paper?” Possibly the most disturbing piece of Dante’s article is his verbatim e-mails from students, begging for help on their next assignment. He talks of trying to decipher the virtually incomprehensible e-mails from prospective clients, and then piecing together reports from Wikipedia, Amazon Books, and countless other sites. He churns out anywhere from 20 to 30 pages
in a single day, and when once he received the above request for a 75page proposal, he accepted, resigned to days of endless study and typing. In the succeeding hours, twelve more e-mails from the same girl appeared in his inbox, all frantic for reassurance of his capabilities in writing this business ethics ‘propsal’. “did u get the sorce I send please where you are now? Desprit to pass spring projict” After two days of work, the student’s assignment was finished, and Dante sent it back to her for approval. In the interim between completion and waiting for her reaction, Ed Dante had written several hundred more pages of original, untraceable work for other clients. Finally she responded, “Thanx u so much for the chapter is going very good the porfesser likes it but wants the folloing suggestions please what do you thing?: “’The hypothesis is interesting but I’d like to see it a bit more focused. Choose a specific connection and try to prove it.’ “What shoudwe say?” After writing back to the teacher for the student, Dante set about expanding his work until the whole proposal was 160 pages. Generating such incredible amounts of text is only part of Dante’s job description, and he does it quite willingly, with a yearly salary of almost $70,000. For this proposal, Dante made $2,000, the student desperate enough to give up that much money so they wouldn’t have to put themselves in a position to be criticized or risk failure. When the student was satisfied with the work, Dante was happy to see her final e-mail and know that other assignments from her were not in his future. “thanx so much for uhelp ican going to graduate to now”.
ACORN
December 13, 2010
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AC O R N
theharleynewspaper@gmail.com
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