Jesuit Journal
October 2007 NEWFANGLED EDITION
www.jesuitcp.org/campuslife/studentcouncil
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Digital Art by Yihyoung Li ’08
Contents & Acknowledgements 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 14 15 17 18
Student Council News.....................................................Michael Randall ’08 This War...........................................................................Brandon Bub ’10 My Jesuit...........................................................................Nathan Chase ’08 Love...................................................................................Charles Holmes ’11 Explosions in the Night...................................................Andrew Hooker ’11 Harramog..........................................................................Jack Ken ’10 Interview with Yihyoung Li ’08......................................Michael Randall ’08 / Yihyoung Li ’08 40-30........,,,.......................................................................Gary Norris ’08 Sally Hayes.......................................................................Scott Moore ’08 My Airport.......................................................................Alex Sakovich ’08 The Sketch Book Of... ....................................................Travis San Pedro ’08 Against Amnesty..............................................................Michael Randall ’08 In Favor of Amnesty........................................................David de la Fuente ’08 Interview with Drew Taylor ’08.....................................Michael Randall ’08 / Drew Taylor ’08
At the Jesuit Journal, we are committed to providing a forum for all of Jesuit’s students to display their creative work. This year, we are striving to incorporate new ideas, new layouts, and new artists to further improve the quality of our publication. That’s how we came up with the “newfangled edition” – the word “newfangled” means, literally, “ready to grasp at all new things.” We are ready for everything new and unique and we hope that you appreciate our sentiment. We welcome new input, new submissions/submitters, and most importantly, new perspectives.
Publisher..........................Student Council Editor...............................Michael Randall ’08 Artistic Editor.................Travis San Pedro ’08 Layout & Design.............Michael Randall ’08
Travis San Pedro ’08
Art Contributors.............Brad Boudreaux ’08
Scott Palmer ’08 Chris Patterson ’08 Alex Sakovich ’08 Travis San Pedro ’08 Drew Taylor ’08 Moderator........................Dr. Michael Degen
Your Jesuit Journal Editors
The opinions contained in the Jesuit Journal represent the ideas and conclusions of its individual contributors, and in no way do they reflect the views of the Student Council or the Jesuit Journal staff, editors, or moderator.
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Student Council News
Winter Arts Contest I am very pleased to announce the revival of an old Journal favorite: the Winter Arts Contest. For this competition, students may submit as many pieces as they like to one or more of our three categories: Poetry, Prose Nonfiction, Prose Fiction, and Visual Arts (your submissions need not be winter-themed). Submissions will be judged by Jesuit faculty, and the winners of each category will receive a $50 prize, with a $100 grand prize going to the submission judged to be the best over all three categories. Deadlines will be announced at a later date. Look for advertising for the contest soon in the hallways, and please email me at mrandall9@yahoo.com or Dr. Degen at mdegen@jesuitcp.org if you are interested in participating. Freshman Class Elections This year, the freshman class student council elections will be held on Tuesday, October 16. If you would like to be a candidate to represent the Class of 2011 on the student council, we encourage you to visit the student council Moodle page or the website to download an application. Not only is service on the council an invaluable opportunity to enhance your leadership skills, it is also a great way to improve your school community. We are looking for motivated, responsible leaders to step up, and we are sure that your class has several. Freshmen, help make history with a unanimous turnout on election day! “Fans with Cans” Program Thanks to the efforts of seniors Michael Brooks and Scott Palmer, both members of the student council, Jesuit will soon be implementing a great new program that we hope will become a tradition. From now on, we will be collecting canned goods at all home football games to be sent to food banks across North Texas. Each person who donates cans will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a great prize. We can’t wait to see how many cans our generous and dedicated football fans will bring! Dinner for Twelve Strangers Student Body President Sam Keffler has revived the hugely successful “Dinner for Twelve Strangers” program, and our first event went brilliantly. This innovative program brings together alumni, faculty, and current Jesuit students around a friendly dinner table to discuss their experiences at Jesuit. If you would like to be a candidate to receive an invitation to our next D12 event, please let us know by sending an email to jcpstudentcouncil@yahoo.com. Open Mic Night Like what you’ve read in the Jesuit Journal? Want to try your hand at some of the methods of creative expression found within? Well, before you submit to our next issue, try showcasing your talents at Open Mic Night on October 10. Scheduled to be held at the Starbucks across the street from campus, this Diversity-sponsored event promises to be an enjoyable, thought-provoking experience for both participants and audience members. Please see Mr. Burrell or Mr. Villareal if you are interested in participating. Homecoming This year’s Homecoming theme is “Journey into Disney Imagination,” and I have no doubt that the Homecoming dance, spearheaded by senior Scott Palmer, will be our best one yet. Congratulations are in order to senior Brad Boudreaux, who won the Homecoming Ticket Design Contest and will receive two free tickets to the event. His winning design is displayed in this issue of the Journal.
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This War Brandon Bub ’10
Because for now, ’tis the season To fight the powers of evil that be. Never mind they might be you and me. Boundaries erased, society laid to waste, No more peace, virtues cease. Nothing can stop it, it only grows, And I think now I finally know That I cannot know, You cannot know, We cannot know How to stop this low. We’ll always ask for more As long as we fight this war.
Couldn’t remember how it started, Couldn’t remember how it went, A hundred years of this stuff And now, I’m completely spent. While the generals continue to scream and yell, You realize you’ll never leave this hell. The world will keep on turning, The bodies, piled and burning, No time for sighing. Weapon at the ready, better keep on fighting – Forget your causes and your reasons
Scott Palmer ’08
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My Jesuit Nathan Chase ’08
Coming to Jesuit I had no clue what to expect. I was Lutheran – that was fact one; Jesuit was Catholic – that was fact two. My Jesuit experience started under the premise of those two facts, and I knew it was my job to sort out how they fit together. Let me give you a bit of history. Martin Luther was a monk in Germany who believed, along with many of his contemporaries, that the Catholic Church was not following the principles of the early church and early theologians such as St. Aquinas. In 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg cathedral, thereby changing the course of the Christian church permanently. He and his few theological and political allies felt that reform was needed, not separation. They then began the process of explaining themselves to both the Holy Roman Emperor and Pope Leo X, who desperately wanted Christian unity because it solidified their reigns. When the protestant delegation arrived at subsequent councils, they were treated as secondclass citizens and were not given the respect appropriate for their positions. Many times the Lutheran delegation’s views were unfairly and intentionally thrown into the same category as Anabaptists and other heretics, whose ideas were condemned by the Catholic Church and Lutherans alike, in order to make the Lutherans seem heretical. The Lutheran-Catholic councils came to a head at Augsburg, the site of the Council of Augsburg. The Lutheran delegation, with the exception of Martin Luther himself, set about explaining their views in what would be known as the Augsburg Confession. Martin Luther was unable to attend because the Emperor, in conjunction with the Pope, had forbid him from leaving Germany. Here, the Lutherans felt that their position had been so significantly affiliated with the position of clear church heretics that they restated their views and emphasized their differences with other reformers in the Augsburg Apology or Defense of the Augsburg Confession. Many at the council saw no clear reason to prove that the Lutherans were substantially out of line with the early Catholic Church theologically, yet they were declared heretical at the command of the Emperor and the Pope. This separation would come to complete fruition at the Council of Trent. Since then the Catholic Church, the Universal Church, has made attempts at amends; however, most of those attempts have been minimal due to the inflexibility of all parties in negotiation. I came into a Catholic environment 487 years after the Reformation, a fact that kept on playing through my head. 487 years ago I would not have been allowed to be in such an environment, and my beliefs would have put my head on the chopping block, not only symbolically, but literally. Therefore, I had to make an interesting, jolting adjustment. I was most worried about two things at Jesuit. I knew that Jesuit would accept me as a person, but I was worried about how I would fit into the theology and liturgy programs at Jesuit. I can honestly say, however, that it was not so difficult. At first I was apprehensive that I would be shunned, perhaps, during mass, or that my grade would be lowered in theology because I was protestant. I thought that I would need to suppress my beliefs in order to fit into the community. Consequently, I was surprised when I discovered two things about Jesuit. First, Jesuit is tolerant and encouraging about other people’s beliefs. Second, Jesuit is about the formation of the person within the Catholic structure and one’s own belief system. Jesuit asked me to excel at what I believed and asks others to do the same. Graphic: Nathan Chase ’08
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I realized that we were all being formed; none of us knew everything about our individual faiths. I also realized that the Catholic faith was not all that different from my own. I could see the similarities even 487 years after our separation. It was my turn, therefore, to determine how the Catholic faith pertained to me; I had to decide what I could take as my own and what I would leave to the Catholics. Jesuit has had a huge impact on me spiritually. For studnets who think that not being a Catholic at Jesuit will be a problem, they are mistaken. Jesuit has helped me to understand the Catholic faith and my own faith on a deeper level. Still, these two things are dwarfed in comparison to the most important thing Jesuit has taught me spiritually. Jesuit has taught me the deeper meaning of my faith and religion, the faith universal, the foundations of Christian faith and Christian relationships with God. It has taught me that we, as Christians, despite our efforts and the efforts of our leaders, who at times remain un-ecumenical, still ascribe to The Nicene Creed… “We [Nathan, Jesuit, Christians] believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” In Christian Brotherhood, Nathan Chase
Glaube alleine, Anmut alleine, Schrift alleine. Faith alone, Grace alone, Scripture alone.
Love Charles Holmes ’11 Love – what a horrid emotion For it there is no potion Why does it cause so much pain It even makes people go insane The hate and sorrow that comes after
When in the past there was so much laughter. No feeling can overcome love It feels like it came from above Now you are cold inside So wait till death comes like a tide
Chris Patterson ’08 Jesuit Journal 6
Explosions in the Night Andrew Hooker ’11
My experience in Lebanon turned good to bad in one day. It started out as a great vacation –sunbathing, swimming, and visiting relatives. Then, disaster – bombings, explosions, and collapsing buildings. Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on the border between Israel and Lebanon. That day, people paraded in Lebanon rejoicing about how Hezbollah finally stood up to Israel. Hezbollah did not know how Israel would react. The day that I arrived in Lebanon, I was very excited. I was looking forward to seeing my relatives, swimming in the ocean, and learning about where my mom grew up. I saw my cousins as soon as I landed. As we arrived at the Movenpick, the hotel that we were staying at, we were greeted with warm welcomes from the doorman. He had remembered us from two years ago when we had stayed at the Movenpick. The next day, my mom enrolled my brother and me in a basketball camp at the school my mom attended when she was my age. I met many new friends and even learned a little bit of Arabic. As the instructors spoke in Arabic, my cousin, Kamal, translated what they were saying into English. As the days progressed, we visited all our relatives. My mom planned a side trip up the mountains to Waves, a water park in Lebanon. We met our friends and our cousins there. There was a tattoo artist that tattooed our arms with paint, and many water slides. My brother and I went down them all. At the end of the day, we all headed back to our hotels, tired and exhausted from the water park. The next day, we heard about the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers. My mom immediately tried to purchase tickets out of Lebanon, knowing that this would create a war between Lebanon and Israel. The rest of my family thought that this would not happen because Hezbollah only kidnapped those two soldiers to trade them back for imprisoned Lebanese citizens in Israel. My mom found a flight out of Lebanon at 3:00 A.M. We were visiting at my uncle’s house while she was trying to purchase the tickets. He advised her not to get on that plane and, instead, to wait and see what would happen. My mom took his advice and we waited. If we had boarded that plane, we would not have made it. We later learned that it was triplebooked and never did leave, because the airport was bombed before the departure time. Our hotel was only five minutes from the airport and we heard the initial bombings. We woke up with visions of bombs flying through the air from our hotel room. Our worst nightmare had come true. My mom immediately panicked. She did not want to go through a war again like she had when she was a kid. Our hotel was on the coast, and Israel was south so she decided that we should move up north to the mountains. Our cousins lived up in the mountains and let us stay with them. It took us an hour to travel what was usually a ten minute drive. Everyone was vacating the coast to go to the north. I was not feeling good being in a different environment, and I felt very insecure staying in a house I had never been to while the bombings were occurring. Our cousins were very nice to us. They fed us, took us places, and kept us company. We played board games and card games to keep our minds off the developing war. My great uncle received a phone call from a neighbor that used a taxi service to escape the country. This taxi service would drive us from Lebanon to Jordan, where we could catch a flight back to America. My mom spoke with the taxi driver and made arrangements for our escape. The next day, we drove out of Lebanon, through Syria, into Jordan. The taxi was very small and barely fit our luggage. I was crammed into the middle seat next to the bags and my brother. Because of the bags, I had no room to get comfortable. As we were crossing the Lebanese-Syrian border, we sat in the car for an hour while the taxi driver and my mom tried to get us clearance to pass into Syria. We had to tip the worker about one hundred dollars to let us pass. As we drove through Syria, I fell asleep. I was quickly awoken when we got to the Syrian-Jordanian border. This border was much harder to get through than the first. The taxi driver and my mom took a couple of hours trying to get us clearance. This time, instead of tipping one hundred dollars, we had to tip him five hundred dollars. As my brother and I waited in the taxi, we were exhausted and hot. The taxi driver had to take the keys from the car so that no one could steal it. As we drove out of Syria into Jordan, we were happy because we were finally in a place where we could be
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safe from the war. My cousins drove in from Lebanon the next day, staying at a hotel right across the street from us. We had cousins in Jordan and went to visit them. A couple days later, we flew out of Jordan to Frankfurt, Germany and connected to Detroit, Michigan, and then finally we arrived in Dallas, Texas. When we arrived, we were very relieved that we were out of the war and safe, but we were saddened by what Israel had done to Lebanon. Going through a war showed me how good my life in America is. It made me appreciate my life more and how lucky I am to live in America, where we don’t have to worry about bombs and kidnappings every day. It showed me how people in places like Iraq live, and how they have to struggle through constant bombings and shootings, and never know when they could be attacked. I am grateful to live in a country where I am protected and safe.
Harramog (An Excerpt) Jack Ken ’10
Scott Palmer ’08
They were clearly out of the city now. The cacophony of urban life had gradually died away, replaced with the soft rustle of a late summer breeze. A great host of oak and maple trees, with their mane of thick summer foliage, gave the black Audi a much-needed reprieve from the unmerciful sun as it cruised down a long, winding country road. “You’ll absolutely love the town the minute you lay your eyes upon it, no doubt about it,” espoused the driver of the automobile, a cosmetically enhanced, blonde realtor. As policy dictated, she had taken it upon herself to become acquainted with her clients. Ms. Sarah (as she had insisted on being called) had spoken a mile a minute at her youthful charges since the ride had begun, oblivious to their dark looks and long sighs, badgering them incessantly about the minute details of their lives. “So you two together, doing that boyfriend-girlfriend thing?” she asked, her mint flavored Trident smacking like rifle shots.
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“Married,” said the man, stone-faced. “No way…you look sooooo young. What are you, like twenty? DON’T even tell me. I’m jealous.” “Twenty-six,” said the woman, gracefully extending her hand to show the realtor her wonderful diamond ring. “And a wife of seven months.” The appearance of the ring set off another round of oos and awws from the front seat, and the interrogation continued in much the same manner for several more minutes, before the man, in an attempt to divert the conversation from himself and his new bride to the task at hand, politely asked the realtor what she thought of his potential new home. “Its absolutely gorgeous. Perfect for the commuters like yourself,” she said, beaming into the rearview mirror and flashing a set of recently installed porcelain veneers. They were entering the town now; a granite sign with the carved letters “The Town of Harramog” alerted them as they crossed over a narrow stone bridge. In the background the realtor was babbling again. “It has four country clubs, twelve parks and not a single property has less then two acres of land. Each house has at least six thousand square feet. It’s the only town in America where nobody is below the poverty line. The median income for a family is seven hundred thousand….. Well you get the picture don’t you? Basically if you have to ask how much it costs you don’t belo – ” Her words were instantaneously cut off as the car slammed on its breaks. From out of one of the tree-lined residential streets, a black BMW going seventy miles per hour had almost slammed into the right side of the car. A vodka bottle flew out of the car as it rocketed by. Screaming could be faintly detected over earsplitting rap music emanating from the car. “Damnit, what the hell was that?” asked the man in shocked disbelief. The adrenaline had left as quickly as it had come, and he was sweating profusely through his white Izod. His wife was silent, her blue eyes wide open. “The town has a lot of…immoral behavior,” the realtor said slowly, eyes scanning the street to see if any more cars were coming. Satisfied that there weren’t any, she put the car into gear and drove down the street toward a prominent white colonial with a wraparound porch. In the well-manicured front lawn a for sale sign said, in ominous red letters, “Sold.”
If you would like to continue the story, please contact Jack Ken ’10 via Moodle.
An Interview with the Cover Artist, Yihyoung Li Michael Randall ’08 and Yihyoung Li ’08
There are many media with which we are familiar: pencil sketches, paintings, photography, chalk drawings, to name only a few. However, like most of you, I was unfamiliar with the process of digital art, an example of which graces the front fover of this issue. Some of the process involved in creating the cover art can be found on the next page. In order to better inform myself and all of the Journal’s readers, I sat down with Yihyoung Li, who generously provided a piece of his art for the front cover, to discuss some of the properties of digital art. I am happy to be able to share some of our conversation with you. Michael: What do you use to make your art? Yihyoung: Oftentimes, I’m asked how I create digital artwork – in this case, the clouds, the flowers, or the
girl – via the computer. It’s a fair question because it can be difficult to comprehend something that sometimes doesn’t have obvious brush strokes, canvas texture, or reflectivity. Because of this mystery behind digitally created artwork, it’s usually assumed to be a manipulation of composite photos: “It was ‘shopped’.” Photo manipulation is a digital art, but not the only kind. Jesuit Journal 9
In my case, I am creating art from scratch (without the use of photos, renders, etc.). I use a computer hardware device called a tablet, and the computer software program Photoshop 7. Basically, the tablet is a surface on which I use a magnet-based stylus much like a paint brush, pencil, or pastel; by using a paintingenabled program like Photoshop, I can correlate the movements of my stylus to the cursor on the computer monitor. Each time I move my stylus, the cursor on the monitor moves correspondingly, and each time I touch the stylus to the tablet surface, the cursor can click a button or lay down “paint.” It’s similar to a Smart Board. With additions such as pressure sensitivity and brush sizes, I can even adjust the opacity to which I lay down my “paint,” thus allowing a liquid-like quality. How do you create the art? Can you describe your method?
Like all creations, I first come up with an idea. It may be influenced by a movie I saw or a song I listened to. However, it is important and helpful for me to first visualize the objects and the mood that I want in a piece. For this one, I wanted to convey a pensive girl gazing out towards a vast landscape of cumulus clouds. Although she has a sword clutched in her hands, and although the wind may be strong, she is steady, reflecting upon something. With that idea in mind, I start out with a sketch. Because I’m still struggling in conveying the human form from memory, I may pose in front of the mirror to gain a general sense of the figure. After that, I first work on the background by blocking in the main forms. Especially because I am painting the piece without reference, it’s important to solidify the colors and forms of the background before working on the foreground. Aspects such as lighting and mood are largely determined by the background, whereas the foreground has less direct impact on the colors, forms, etc. of the background. I may come up with ideas as I continue working on the piece, as demonstrated by the crystal buildings and the lightning bolts. After a while, I decided to change the colors and mood of the background to a less saturated tone. Because Photoshop is a powerful tool, I can easily alter the hue and brightness of an area by simply increasing or decreasing the parameters of that particular aspect. Now that I’m satisfied with the background, I begin to work on the foreground. With the background’s color and mood mostly completed, it’s easier for me to work on the foreground. By referring to the lighting scheme for the background, I can calculate the flesh tones, shadows, and expression of the character and her surroundings. After adding some minor details – darkening this area, sharpening the shapes of several flowers – I come up with the title “City in the Sky,” and I’m done. How much time do you devote to one of these? How long have you been creating them?
I first started creating digital art when I received my tablet for Christmas 2005. Back then, I was slow in expressing my ideas: everything was a pain because I had to intensively study each object that I wanted to paint. How does light reflect on this surface? How do I emulate that texture? How do I convey that mood? How can I draw this form? It was really an arduous process for me each time I attempted a new piece. Jesuit Journal 10
Even for this one, which was recently completed in August 2007, I had to struggle not only through the piece, but also through my laziness. I spent fifty hours over three months (May to August) on it, a time span that definitely stretched out too extensively. On top of that, I had a lot of trouble with the clouds: how do I create their softness while retaining their harder edges? I redid this cloud, scrapped that one, and despised the other one. Even the girl – especially her face – took me ages to complete (notice the ninja mask towards the end of the progress shots; I couldn’t get the mouth right). Ultimately, I probably went through each aspect five times through or more. I’m satisfied now, though, and I’ve definitely learned a lot.
Yihyoung Li ’08: Process for “City in the Sky”
Since then, I’ve really sped up my ability to express an idea. Indeed, I can probably complete a piece similar to “City” in less than half the time frame. I’ve practiced daily with pencil sketches and anatomy studies, which have definitely helped me improve the extent of my abilities. Why do you create this art?
Frankly, I’ve asked myself before why I enjoy creating this art. Jesuit Journal 11
I have three important reasons. First, I like creating fantasy/science fiction art. It’s because I enjoy the exotic but realistic aspect of those genres: they’re close in that the characters can be related to, but unreachable because of the predestined and impossible situations they live in. I like creating characters that can be wildly foreign, but still somewhat human in their expressions. My second reason is because I believe it’s important for me to share my ideas with others. By doing that, I can influence people and their perspectives, while allowing myself to grow and change my own viewpoints. What is the point of creating a piece when there is no one to share it with? Lastly, as a digital artist, I have to expose this mysterious medium to the persons around me. Oftentimes, digital art is relegated to a suspicious point, where persons question whether it is really art. It can be compared to ‘moving pictures,’ acrylic paintings, or digital photos when they first came out. In the end, they are just mediums through which one can express an idea. They are still art. How do you plan to pursue digital art in the future?
My big dream is to become a videogame character artist: the artist who designs characters for videogames. Each piece and each sketch is a step towards reaching that goal. Tetsuya Nomura, the character designer for the Final Fantasy videogame series, is a huge inspiration for me; he’s in a position that I really look up to. I really enjoy his character designs and ideas. His design of Yuna from Final Fantasy X and Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy 7 are my special favorites. For More Information: Yihyoung’s Deviant Art: http://yurien.deviantart.com/ Yihyoung’s Sketch Blog: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104385 The CG Society: http://www.cgsociety.org/
40-30 Gary Norris ’08 Deep within the intensity rises, but none to see, for sure. To whom can one attribute such prizes: fear, anxiety, and angst so pure. Now or never! the condition declares – as if I didn’t know. But how can I, lost forever, offer my share of this quid pro quo. One point. One victory. Easy enough to see. But upon enjoying my dramatic back-story,
you’d see that “easy” is not so easy when it comes to me. One, two, three bounces more, of the fuzzy, friendly foe. One, two, three bounces, four, of salty sweat on the court below. Breath by breath, thought by thought, the chaos begins to fade. Slice out wide or down the T? I fought, serving before the choice was even made. Game, Set, Match.
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Sally Hayes Scott Moore ’08 Sally Hayes talks with her hands, Because she’s lost the words to express herself. What a sad song for the pretty one all alone. If she only knew, Words are only words when spoken with no attitude. Not to be confused with missing cues And out of place irregular phrases appeared to be subdued. Sally Hayes, writing letters to herself, Addressed to whom this may concern, The only one, What a sad song for the pretty one all alone. If she only knew, Words are only words when spoken with no attitude. Not to be confused with missing cues And out of place irregular phrases appeared to be subdued.
Congratulations to the Homecoming 2007 Ticket Design Contest Winner: Brad Boudreaux ’08
Sally Hayes writing letters she can’t blow out, Exterminate with her teeth, moral defeat, One girl’s heart in another man’s dream stuck in the middle between complexity and the likes of me, Wake up and break up,
Travis San Pedro ’08
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My Airport Alex Sakovich ’08 Look at the photo below. In this photo you see planes taxiing, planes being unloaded, planes pushing off the gate. A closer inspection of the photo reveals all of the pieces essential to the workings of a modern airport: jetways, cargo containers, fuel trucks, police cars, fire trucks, baggage carts, cargo pallets, catering trucks, belt loaders, and container loaders. Think to yourself further about the photo. Rather lifelike isn’t it? You might assume that the photo is of a real airport. In this instance, you would be wrong. The photo is of a model airport, in particular my model airport. Many of you already know me to be a pilot, but outside of school I am an aviation fanatic. I have wanted to be a pilot since age two. My love began with small toys, but by the third grade it burgeoned into the beginnings of my current airport. Over nine years of collecting has created this airport of forty eight square feet - all of the pieces are in 1/500 scale, and every piece including the terminals, lights, jetways, equipment, and planes made by a German company called “Herpa Wings.” Although they make the pieces, the rest is up to the imagination. I have collected over six hundred of these models from over forty different airlines. The actual airport model serves over twenty five airlines including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, British Airways, Air France, South African Airways, and various others with seventy gates, a maintenance hangar, gas tanks, deicing services, cargo warehouses, and twelve thousand feet of runway, all in the confines of an attic room.
The Sketch Book Of... Travis San Pedro ’08 Can I solicit you from tangibility into a mental reverie, letting time’s unraveled edge slip the hand past the graceful limp of the fingers. Swig the sap of forty winks, drift there in haze and romanticize. Hedonistically we’ll pursue our own pleasures.
Alex Sakovich ’08
Nothing exists within the moment, as courting our auteurist desires make the lightning bugs glow. We’ll waltz into sleep as coat tails entwine with train, and there we’ll dwell, savor, and stay longer in Van Winkle slumber.
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An Opinion: Against Amnesty Michael Randall ’08 This past June, as the U.S. Senate debated the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill of 2007, various political pundits remarked on the bipartisan nature of the coalition which had crafted it: conservatives like George Bush and Jon Kyl collaborating with liberals including Ted Kennedy and Dianne Feinstein. From behind the doors of their ivory towers – er, hem, excuse me – Capitol Hill offices, these power brokers, through months of intense, clandestine negotiation, produced what they called the “Grand Compromise,” attempting by that name to tie their bill rhetorically to the majesty of America’s legislative past. This fallacious compromise, designed to remedy the ills of America’s struggling immigration system, tied increased border enforcement and security with immediate legal status for 12 million undocumented workers, allowing them to apply for citizenship and eventually gain it. The bill’s myriad opponents, however, united across ideological barriers and party identification and invigorated by the wind of public opinion at their backs, succeeded in wiping away the façade of reform draped tenuously over the disastrous legislation. The bill’s adversaries, indeed, were more diverse than its proponents, including even such diametrically opposite personalities as nationalist firebrand Tom Tancredo and avowed socialist Bernie Sanders. The latter, perhaps the Senate’s most liberal member and thus an initially surprising opponent of the bill, recognized the salient problems it contained even while a majority of liberal Democrats supported it, saying, “At a time when the middle class is shrinking, poverty is increasing and millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages it makes no sense to me to have an immigration bill which, over a period of years, would bring millions … into this country who are prepared to work for lower wages than American workers.” Bernie Sanders was exactly right, for the reasons he proposed and numerous others which I will articulate. First and foremost, illegal immigration is a security issue, which constitutes the main reason that enforcement must precede any action to legalize those currently living in America – and not only border enforcement, but visa enforcement too. Many are surprised to learn that of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, 40% entered the country legally, and have overstayed their visas. That’s nearly 5 million individuals, and few are the Mexican immigrants who usually come to mind during a discussion of illegal immigration. And perhaps no less surprising, but just as unsettling, is the fact that Mohammad Atta, the lead highjacker on 9/11, and several of that day’s other perpetrators, had overstayed their visas and had no legal basis for residence in America. Further, Al Qaeda training manuals recovered in Afghanistan and Pakistan actually instruct militants to cross into the United States through the border with Mexico, and such a method makes sense – the likelihood is slim that they would be caught. Perhaps if the federal government would begin enforcing current law, as it has been so reluctant to do, future tragedy can be averted. Another unpleasant reality is the necessity of a border fence to maintain security. Indeed, crime in San Diego dropped by 50% after a fence was built along the border there, a compelling argument in itself for such a barrier. Am I asserting that all immigrants are criminals? Certainly not. While most are well-meaning, lawabiding people who desire nothing more than a better life, some are drug traffickers or malfeasants whose motives are anything but altruistic. It is these unwanted and unwelcome immigrants whose infractions constitute such a high percentage of crimes in our country, particularly in border states. Despite the dire nature of this problem, one certain statistic remains popular among those who seek distort the facts: since 1903, crime has been lower among the immigrant population than among the citizenry in America. This is correct, but gravely misleading. If one were to amass data since 1960, or 1980, or 1990, instead of compiling irrelevant data from over a century ago, the percentages become increasingly concordant, showing the immigrant community commits crime at a much higher percentage today. Furthermore, whether virtual or corporeal, a wall is needed, from a humanitarian standpoint. A wall’s existence would prevent the horrendous human smuggling rampant across the border: how often do we hear of the tragic deaths of desperate Mexicans crammed into a hot truck by a ruthless coyote? If all cars and trucks exiting Mexico had to pass through checkpoints, prevented from going anywhere else by the
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border fence, such exploitation would be impossible, and such unnecessary deaths could be averted. Finally, I believe a fence is necessary is to protect American sovereignty, which the Mexican government obviously does not respect. Recently, Mexican president Felipe Calderon insisted that “Mexico does not end at its borders.” Take a second to absorb that statement. Imagine the outrage, the pounding of fists and gnashing of teeth that would occur at the United Nations, if President Bush were to make a similar statement regarding the U.S. This inflammatory assertion from Calderon should not be taken lightly. Sadly, while I agree that a wall would indeed be a gloomy symbol, a poignant reminder of our world’s inadequacies, its necessity is a reality which cannot be ignored. Why, when the shortcomings of amnesty are so readily apparent, do so many groups who regularly clash on other issues come together to support it? It isn’t difficult to see why Democrats support it. Edward Kennedy and his friends believe that an amnesty would give their party millions of new voters, helping them gain electoral supremacy for decades. Further, Kennedy has supported amnesty bills as long as he has been in the Senate, and, although all of the initiatives he has sponsored have been dismal failures, he cannot abandon one of his favorite causes. Kennedy has always operated with his own self-interests at the forefront, as many politicians do, and this situation is no different. As I see it, President Bush’s reasons for backing the bill are twofold: salvaging a domestic legacy, and continuing his close relationship with large corporations. President Bush, for all his lack of foresight in the past, has begun to realize that history may judge him harshly, not only for his mismanagement of foreign policy, but also for his lack of substantive domestic achievements. Besides the No Child Left Behind Act, Medicare Part D, and the PATRIOT Act, all of which have been roundly criticized on many fronts, the president has not had much legislative success, made all the more obvious by his dismal failure at Social Security reform. Running out of time to develop a legacy and stymied by a hostile legislature, the president has embraced immigration reform as the centerpiece of his domestic agenda in hopes that he might achieve some second-term success for history to judge. Moreover, with his support of an amnesty bill, Bush is kowtowing to the wishes of big business, among the most vocal supporters of an amnesty plan. An amnesty for illegal immigrants would allow companies to employ them without consequence; however, such employment would be at the expense of current American workers and the illegal workers themselves. First of all, the government’s attempts at regulating the employment of illegals have been sorely lacking, and I doubt that after an amnesty it would very much improve. Illegal immigrants would not be “brought out of the shadows” as some of the bill’s proponents contend; instead, they would continue to be permanent second-class citizens, exploited by the large corporations who employ them. Secondly, many current American workers would be displaced by such a large influx of “cheap labor.” Bush’s out-of-touch assertion that illegals perform jobs Americans will not is both false and insulting. How many construction workers and landscapers, often minorities whom the bill’s proponents defend most vigorously, have already been undercut by illegals? Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama recently articulated the story of a constituent who was making $20 an hour not long ago performing roofing work. Now, he is lucky to make $7.50, and he and his family are hardly able to subsist. Another anecdote: not long ago, a government raid shut down a meat processing plant in Illinois that employed mostly undocumented workers, and the very next day, people were lining up outside the building hoping to be hired. There are thousands of similar stories from all over America. Given a proper working environment and a reasonable wage, Americans are indeed willing to do the jobs that “Americans won’t do.” As with any other major political issue, the problem of illegal immigration does not exist on its own; its roots are various and complex. Perhaps the single greatest impetus driving Mexican citizens across the border is the Mexican government itself, an oligarchy rife with corruption and over-regulation which stifles the Mexican economy and severely retards social mobility, preventing hardworking Mexican people from improving their lives. Until recently, the PRI (Party of the Institutionalized Revolution), which was more about the institution than the revolution, dominated Mexican politics in a one-party system, and they did all they could to hold on to their power. Only recently, with the elections of Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon and the end of the PRI’s monopoly, has Mexico begun to move toward reform. Indeed, for all of his shortcomings, Felipe Calderon has recently moved further toward reform than any Mexican president
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in decades. Already he has shepherded two economic reforms through the Mexican legislature, two more than his predecessor did over six years. Hopefully his administration will continue to move in such a direction. The benefits of such reforms are still far in the future, however, and illegal immigrants can hardly be blamed for their decision to emigrate. No one experiencing such dire poverty and strife would forgo the opportunities life in America offers. The risks of crossing the border seem insignificant compared against the potential to make a living wage and build a future for your children. This is why, with its own interests and those of the Mexican people in mind, the United States should help Mexico achieve the reform towards which it is working. If such action is taken, Mexico can eventually develop a level of prosperity which would reduce the need for illegal immigration. I wish we did not need to debate illegal immigration. I wish the United States could accommodate an infinite number of people, and that the needs of all the people in the world could be satisfied. But these are only wishes, only fantasy; they can never be reality. The plight of those who cross our borders tugs at our hearts and deserves our sympathy, but while massive deportations are not the answer, neither is unconditional amnesty. Obviously, deportations are inhumane and infeasible; this is not a workable solution. Amnesty, however, at the other end of the spectrum, is equally irresponsible. In 1986, the 3 million illegals living in the U.S. were granted amnesty, with the hope that enforcement would follow. It did not, and illegal immigration ballooned – neither immigrants nor citizens were better off. There is no reason to believe that anything would be different over two decades later. In my opinion, the most feasible, humane solution would be a limited guest-worker program, which would allow migrant workers to labor in the U.S. for a prescribed number of months. Mexican citizens, given proper documentation, would be able to come into the U.S. to work as partners in prosperity, giving our economy the labor it needs to function while enhancing their own lives. With proper oversight, the government could ensure that the guest workers are paid decent, living wages, and that they are treated with the dignity they deserve. Such a program would not depress the wages of American citizens or create a permanent underclass as an amnesty would. It would bring about a just solution to a problem which has, for so long, denied justice to those who deserve it.
A Contrary Opinion: In Favor of Amnesty David de la Fuente ’08
The topic of illegal immigration is a touchy one. We don’t like to think about it because every possible solution seems to have a negative effect on some group of people. As I see it, there are three clear options: amnesty, the status quo, or deportation. Personally I believe in giving amnesty to those already here, for both economic and social reasons. With regards to economic reasons, it makes sense to give amnesty. People complain about illegal immigrants not paying taxes and taking more social services than American citizens. Assuming they are correct, amnesty would be a logical solution to alleviate these problems. Recent studies have shown that illegal immigrants probably contribute more in taxes than they cost in social services, especially considering they cannot claim any tax exemptions that citizens are able to earn. Regardless of what one believes, it is a fact that even non-citizens have to pay some very important taxes such as sales, tolls, income, and property taxes. Sales taxes and tolls are obviously paid every time anyone buys something in the majority of the U.S. (notable exceptions are the lack of sales tax in Oregon and Delaware), or uses a toll road. Income taxes are paid by the companies that employ workers, legal or illegal. Some argue in favor of deportation, but that would be a huge economic mistake as it would cost millions to find and deport all the illegal immigrants (estimated at over 10 million by most sources). Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is currently running a presidential campaign based almost entirely on the one issue of immigration, advocating deportation and increased border security, but he is nationally polling eighth out of nine candidates. If the American public was hell-bent on deportation, then Tancredo would be garnering considerably more support. Given the unpopularity of such a solution as
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deportation, I think that Americans would be willing to consider an amnesty if they knew more of the facts. Indeed, many main-stream politicians in both parties are willing to give legal residency to illegal aliens if they pay back-taxes, learn English, and show evidence of employment. The “pay back-taxes” requirement is at the end of the day just a sound bite to appeal to the American public, however, as most illegal immigrants do not have back-taxes. I do believe that learning English should be a requirement for legal residency, as it is necessary to be able to communicate in a unified language for our country to achieve its full economic potential. As Jesuit students, we all know about social justice, and we must not forget that the issue of illegal immigration is rooted in it. Americans cannot categorically exclude people from different countries. The statue of liberty, one of America’s most identifiable icons, is a symbol of inclusiveness, a symbol that says that anyone who wants to work can come and contribute, not just the white collar workers from developed countries. Most illegal immigrants currently live in sub-par conditions. The majority lives under the poverty line and cannot obtain health care until they are seriously sick (which is also an economic waste as prevention is cheaper than treatment). Because their parents are illegal immigrants, first generation children often cannot attend colleges as they cannot take out loans necessary to pay without their parents’ help. I personally know some 2007 high school graduates from Dallas County public schools who were accepted into some top-tier colleges but had to eventually settle for cheaper ones because they could not realistically pay for college, and they could not take out any loans as their parents were illegal immigrants. Amnesty of any kind would greatly help children of illegal immigrants advance themselves in American society and experience the American dream that everyone deserves. We cannot let illegal immigrants continue to live as second class citizens within the United States. Not only is it morally wrong, it contradicts everything we stand for. We ended slavery and Native American discrimination, gave women suffrage, and most recently obtained civil rights for all citizens. It is now time to grant civil liberties to those people who are contributing members of our society, and let them integrate fully into it without fear of persecution. Yes, they were breaking the law when they came to this country illegally, but without our want for cheap labor they would never have come – American companies are most at fault for illegal immigration, so the immigrants themselves should not be punished. Indeed, the blame for millions of people breaking the law in the last century to enter our country has been unfairly placed on the immigrants themselves, not the circumstances which allowed their entry. We as Americans have helped to create this problem and, in the interests of justice and prosperity for all, we have to be responsible enough to fix it.
An Interview with Drew Taylor Michael Randall ’08 and Drew Taylor ’08
I was lucky enough to obtain a second interview for this issue, this time with senior Drew Taylor, whose photography from abroad sparked my interest. Some of the photos he has taken during his travels can be found on the back cover of this issue. Michael: When and where were these photographs taken? Drew: Many of these were taken at the Refúgio Ecológico Caiman in Campo Grande, Brazil during my
summer biology trip with Mr. Lanier and Mr. Brock this past summer. Some were taken on the Anaconda River, and the cave picture was taken in Gruta do Lago Azul (Blue Lake Cave) in Bonito, Brazil. Both the bridge and waterfall photos were taken at Iguazu Falls, which is right on the border between Brazil and Argentina. I also took some in South Africa during my mission trip with Ms. Jones and Matt Solove ‘07, and others in Panama with Mr. Lanier and Mr. Brock in 2005. Jesuit Journal 18
The photographs are obviously deliberate. What motivated you to take these particular pictures?
When I go on trips where there are a lot of good photo opportunities, there are always a couple people who ask me why I bother to take so many pictures when I just have to go through them all again and pick the best ones. I’ve never really come up with a surefire response to this question, but I usually say it’s just because I really like taking pictures, and the more I take, the better I get at taking new ones. The thing is, I don’t just take random shots at everything and hope I get some good pictures; I do take a lot of random pictures, but it’s mainly so that I can keep track of where I’ve been and to recall memories of what was happening at the time. Every now and then I will end up taking some really cool pictures without really meaning to, but when I see something that really strikes my eye, I take my time to get it just right no matter how many shots it takes. I’d have to say that my true motivation for taking these pictures was the sheer beauty of the subject or the scene. I knew when I was taking these pictures that it was probably the only chance I’d ever get to see whatever I was taking a picture of and capture the scene the way I wanted to. That point can actually be applied to all of my favorite pictures. The cooler and more amazing something looks to me, the more likely I am to take a good picture of it. Which is your favorite photo and why? What memories and emotions does it evoke for you?
Of these particular photos, the one of the sunset on the Anaconda River is my favorite. The colors and contrast in that picture really bring it to life. In my opinion, sunrises and sunsets really offer an ideal setting for picture-taking, not only because of their beauty, but also because each one’s unique, with different colors and hues, and with different scenery around it. This particular picture really strikes me because of the symmetry created with the reflection on the water. I actually remember taking this, when we were on the boat rushing back to the dock before it got too dark, and I was at the head of the boat; that’s why there aren’t any ripples on the water. That whole scene was truly amazing to look at. How long have you been interested in photography? What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
I didn’t have any interest in photography until I got my own camera, my first “real” camera, for 8th grade graduation three and a half years ago. It wasn’t much, but I realized immediately how cool it was to take my own pictures of whatever I wanted. It gave me artistic license to express myself in a visual way, as opposed to expressing myself through my music, and since I can’t draw very well at all unless I have something to replicate, photography became my choice method for visual art. I like it because pictures are more than just images; they’re memories. I can look back at my pictures from trips in the past and recall exactly what was happening and what I was thinking about when I decided to shoot specific subjects. Actually, some of my favorite pictures don’t necessarily have a specific subject. I take a lot of landscape and scenery shots; those tend to be my favorites because they can be from anything as simple as a sunset to as breathtaking as a dramatic mountain range on the edge of a cliff so high you can nearly see the curvature of the earth. I also like photographing animals a lot too, especially close up. It’s not often that I take artistic pictures of people, though, unless they’re part of the scenery. I really only take pictures of people so that I can look back and remember who was with me at certain places. Are there any special tips you’d like to pass on to budding photographers?
One other important thing about photography is knowing how to edit your pictures properly, before and after you take them. In my opinion, lighting, above everything else, is key to a good picture. For landscape and scenery pictures especially, it’s important to keep the lighting dark enough to bring out the brighter colors, but light enough to keep the picture from being too heavy or shadowy. Blending brightness and contrast properly can make all the difference. Jesuit Journal 19
Rainbow over Waterfall
Zappa on the Bridge
View from the Cave
Lake Sunset
Stalagtites in Cave
Afternoon Sun Drew Taylor ’08