Issue 6 - The Prospector - 2015

F RI DAY, A P RI L 3, 2015

The Death DEATH Penalty: HOOSING

should America reconsider policies on the death penalty?

Worth the Costs?

Digital Media Masters

FEATURES pages 6 & 7

OPINIONS page 5

VOLUME 56 NO. 6

A Blue Perspective

Lifestyles page 9

FLIP SIDE page 12

Sleeping with Jeff

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Night at the Museum

A change of venue brings mixed reactions at the Children’s Discovery Museum

ANIRUDH PAI copy editor

Prom evokes images of gargantuan venues, candle-lit dinners, and the creation of a junior prom dress group on Facebook.

While the imagery of prom seems steadfast with the typical symbols, this year, the Class of 2016 held its prom at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose.

After holding a survey to display the choices, the junior class voted to hold this year’s prom in the museum because of the many exhibits and activities, as well as the fact that survey results indicated that a “regular” venue, such as a dance hall or ballroom, would have been unoriginal.

The act of planning a memorable prom took immense effort.

Nagamtsu also noted that the junior class received a significant amount of help planning and executing the prom from Assistant Principal Andy Walczak. “[The class] council split up [...], and at one point each person had [his or her] own job to do, such as contacting the photo

booth [...] or making invitations,” said junior Kristen Nagamtsu.

“We had to plan decorations, make promo videos, as well as sell tickets.”

The unusual location led many students to change their original perceptions of what a prom is supposed to be like, and

A lot of people were [put off at first] by the idea of the dance being at the museum, but I think it went perfectly.

- Junior Sophie Ku ultimately resulted in a positive experience for many.

“Junior prom was an unique dance because of the venue; I really had a great time at the Children’s Discovery Museum,” said junior Sophie Ku. “A lot of people were [put off at first] by the idea of the dance being at the museum, but I think it went perfect-

ly. There were m a n y things to play around with and take fun pictures in addition to a space for a dance floor.”

However, as is the case with all changes, a portion of the population was dejected with the overall decision and the result of the prom, ranging from the food to the organization of the venue.

“Junior prom was something I have been pondering [...] for years, even before I could understand the idea of prom,” said junior Tatiana Wright. “I loved how “magical” the night was and how much preparation it took, yet it really wasn’t worth the money, especially [because it was] in March. I did not have enough time to prepare, as it was the beginning of the semester and it was really stressful [to balance prom] with all my other activities.”

Regardless of the various opinions, the school’s 2016 Class Council created a night to remember at this year’s junior prom.

“The best part about prom was seeing everyone, even the chaperones, having fun and smiling and laughing and enjoying their prom,” Nagamatsu said.

AP US History curriculum changes Williams receives New test format emphasizes analysis over memorization JAY SHROFF online editor

In September 2014, The College Board, creator of the SAT and AP tests, released a new format for its AP U.S. History (APUSH) test. The new format reduces the number of multiple-choice questions and instead focuses more on writing, with the addition of 4 “short-response” writing questions in the place of 25 multiple-choice questions. Lawrence Charap, Director of AP Curriculum and Content Development, wrote in a column for the National Council for History Education that the new test “assesses the use of historical thinking skills as applied to the key texts and events of American history” better than the previous test.

The curriculum for the AP tests is written by college professors and other professionals familiar with the college-level classes on that subject. To revise the APUSH test, The College Board gathered history professors from around the country and asked them to set a curriculum that would parallel those completed by college freshmen. The new curriculum set for this year is designed to move away from rote memorization and fact-gathering and instead focus more on taking stances on political, social and economic issues facing America at a given time. Charap writes that “these [new] questions will ask students to put these texts into context and make valid connections across time and place, in the way that historians usually reason about unfamiliar historical evidence.”

Jefferson Award

Throughout the last few years, The College Board has been announcing the release of the new format and curriculum, but was never able to bring those changes to fruition until last year. The course and test are one of the most popular that The College Board offers, with close to 500,000 students taking the exam in 2014.

There has been a large controversy about the new standards; many people compare them to the recent Common Core changes around the nation, as Common Core also push-

and events.

[The new test] is more concept- and theme-based, instead of memorizing facts like dates - AP US History Teacher Kelly Roush

es for more reading and analyzing.

On one hand, many history teachers appreciate the change, as the greater freedom to choose what evidence and what stance students take on their answers allows them to better explore the implications of important events in U.S. history. An example of this is that teachers are no longer forced to teach students the date of the Boston Tea Party; students should only be familiar with the time period relative to other events and the consequences of the event.

Changes to AP US History, continued on page 3

THU DAM

JEFFERSON AWARD RECIPIENT | Charles Williams, the recipient of the Jefferson Award, has taught at the school for ten years.

BRIAN ZHONG news editor

Math and science teacher Charles Williams won the Jefferson Award, an award that recognizes outstanding public service.

The Jefferson Awards Foundation, the national organization that grants these awards, strives to empower youth to become productive global citizens and to celebrate individuals who engage in public service.

Williams not only taught at the school for ten years, but also assumed the role of Robotics advisor for the past eight years.

Said Williams, “I work with the teams to help them organize, train and understand the strategies and other things that an athJefferson Award, continued on page 3

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April 3, 2015

Robotics: An overview of the day-to-day activities of this student organization

Cupertino High School Established 1958 Vol LVI, No. 6 | 2015 editors-in-chief diana kruzman jessica shin news editor brian zhong opinions editor laura shkouratoff features editor isabel lin lifestyles editor maithilee kanthi sports editor nikita devdhar flip side editor delanie medina online content editor jay shroff copy editors anirudh pai joyce ye photo editors thu dam serena ngan business manager marvin wang media liasons alex shieh jeremy xue

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS

2015 REGIONAL TOURNAMENT | Left: Members of FRC 2473 prepare their robot for competition. Right: The members of FRC 2473 pose for a group photo.

ANISHA DANGORIA opinions assistant

On April 1, KPIX Channel 5 news ran a segment that featured the school’s Robotics team and recognized their club advisor, physics teacher Charles Williams, for outstanding community service. In spite of this community-wide recognition, the vast majority of the student body is either completely unaware that a Robotics team exists, or is unclear as to what its members do.

A common misconception many students have about Robotics seems to be that only students with a profound and directed interest in science and technology, or a desire to find a career in engineering, can enjoy and be successful in the team.

However, junior and Robotics co-president Ekta Shahani believes that any student can find enjoyment and success in Robotics.

“We teach kids from the ground up,” Shahani said. According to Shahani, there are also many other ways through which students can participate in Robotics, such as community outreach and fundraising.

The unique structure of the Robotics team allows for diversity in the tasks students may com-

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement that would cover about one third of the world’s business, giving it the potential to significantly change the economic sphere of the world’s leading nations. It is currently being deliberated by officials representing the United States and 11 other countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

With roots tracing back to 2005, the TPP has dramatically risen in priority for the current Obama administration and is essential for potential trade goals. Despite such prospects, the text of the policy has yet to be publicly unveiled. This overarching presence, coupled with unprecedented levels of secrecy, has paved the way for political strife capable of creating a rift within the Democratic party.

The Washington Post has noted that the treaty has “29 chapters, dealing with everything from financial services to telecommunications to sanitary standards for food.” It would eliminate several trade barriers and standardize a number of regulations.

A number of political figures have emerged as outspoken opponents of the TPP, ranging from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to Senator Elizabeth Warren. Senator

adviser ann peck

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The staff of “The Prospector” seeks to recognize individuals, events and ideas and bring news to the Cupertino community in an accurate, professional and unbiased manner. “The Prospector” will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.

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plete. Aside from working on public relations for the club, students may also participate on the actual Robotics teams.

The club has five teams that build both the software and hardware components of the robots that compete in competitions hosted by a national non-profit organization, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), throughout the year.

The school’s FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC) team, The Goldstrikers, consists of upperclassmen building large and complex robots from raw materials. The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams, consist of younger students building smaller robots from Legos.

These teams work in manners similar to a sports team — each has a dedicated season through which students compete. In addition to a faculty advisor, Williams, Robotics students are also advised by retired engineers, as well as current professionals in the field of science and technology.

The FTC season starts in September, and teams

Over 100 members on 5 teams

Free trade controversy Contentious agreement may soon take effect news assistant opinions assistant

Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) remarked that Congress is unfairly kept in the dark as to the details of the TPP negotiations, while U.S. corporations, such as Chevron and Comcast, are being consulted and thoroughly informed. Senator Bernie Sanders (IVermont) added that the TPP “has ended up devastating working families and enriching large corporations” and even compared this agreement to the failures of NAFTA in the past (a $1 million net loss in American jobs and billions of dollars added to the debt).

In other words, the money acquired through this deal remains in jeopardy, and some are concerned with the recipients of such wealth - specifically, corporations. However, others firmly support the deal, including President Obama. The president asserts that this proposed pact is essential for his Asia policy, which aims to balance a greater U.S. military presence and economic ties with the region. He has also pledged that the final trade deal will have a focus on labor and environmental standards, which differs from previous free trade agreements.

The TPP remains a controversial topic due to the ambiguity of its contents and the possible consequences of such a large-scale economic deal.

However, that has not halted any further negotiations being made by the government, which intends to carry through with this deal in the foreseeable future despite emerging divisions within congressional parties and the general public.

must build robots in six-week intervals.

According to Shahani, “Most students work every day from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Near the end of the build season this year, we spent all day until the last day finishing.”

Despite the trials and tribulations that students face throughout their competition season, students like Shahani believe that it is worth it.

“Going to competitions and talking to other teams and judges really forces you to be confident in yourself and your team,” Shahani said. “The whole process requires a lot of patience and responsibility, leadership-wise, but it really pays off in the end.”

Through their hard work and dedication, members of the Robotics team have found success in many of their endeavors. While being recognized by big-name sponsors, Robotics has created productive members of Skills reinforced: society and has proven itself Patience, to be an irLeadership, replaceable fixture in Teamwork, the school Resilience community.

News Briefs The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the probability of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake occurring in the next three decades in California increased from 4.7 percent to 7 percent. A series of interconnected faultlines has greatly increased the rate of earthquakes of such magnitude by 20 percent.

In an audio recording on March 8, Boko Haram’s leader pledged the radical terrorist organization’s allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syris (ISIS), a terrorist group. Boko Haram seeks a caliphate, an expansion of territory, in West Africa. Seeking a caliphate in the Middle East, ISIS has accepted Boko Haram’s pledge of allegiance.

NASA proposed a $30 million mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, to search for extraterrestrial life. After discovering a layer of ice on Europa’s surface, scientists believe that there is an expansive ocean beneath. NASA scientists will send a probe in 2022 to arrive in 2030.

On April 1, Governor Jerry Brown announced mandatory statewide water restrictions amid the drought.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior water scientist Jay Famiglietti reported that since 2011, California has lost 12 million acre-feet of stored water. Local governments have increased efforts to conserve water by installing water meters and encouraging people not to water their lawns.

COMPILED BY MELINDA SUN

Jefferson Award Continued from page 1

letic coach would be doing. I’m also a confidant, where I work with the students [who] get in trouble either technically or [...] emotionally. It makes [my job] very difficult and challenging, but also very fun.”

While Williams is the recipient of the award, he believes that this recognition represents far more than just himself.

“I realized that it [was not] an award for me, but for the experiences the students are having here and what [we are] all doing as a community,” Williams said. “While [we are] building robots, [we are] not really just building robots, [we are] doing something far more than that. It [is] not about the technology; it’s about the kids and how the students can learn and grow in the environment.”

News

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April 3, 2015

Extracurricular excellence On Feb. 28, 107 members of the school’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended a regional conference at Westmoor High School in Daly City. The chapter set records at the conference, placing in 33 of the 35 competitive events offered. Nearly 70 members placed in the top ten in their respective events, and 35 members qualified to compete at the state conference, which will take in place April 9 -12 in Santa Clara.

The school’s Speech and Debate team has had a successful school year, winning numerous awards in the major invitationals. Recently, speech and debate members competed at the State Qualifying Tournament from Feb. 27 to 28. Sophomore Alex Young qualified for the State Tournament in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, and senior Crystal Guo and sophomore Jehannaz Dastoor are alternates in Original Prose and Poetry (OPP) and Original Oratory (OO), respectively.

Student groups and individuals achieve success in numerous areas

Each year, as part of the Synopsys Sciene and Technology Championship, middle and high school students from across Santa Clara County congregate to present their scientific research or engineering project. This year, the science fair took place on March 10 at the San Jose Convention Center. The following students at the school won awards: senior Tanay Tandon, sophomores Saumya Baswant and Swethasree Bhattaram, and freshmen Ria Gopu, Anushka Narvekar and Utkarsh Tandon.

At the HP Code Wars, a programming cometition that took place on March 7, seniors Bili Sun, Jeffery Yan, and Henry Yang placed first in the advanced division, and sophomores Srikar Boinapally, Rehan Durrani, and William Fang placed second in the novice division.

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Changes to AP US History Continued from page 1

APUSH teacher Kelly Roush stands in strong support of the new standards. “[The new test] is more concept- and theme-based, instead of memorizing facts like dates and events,” Roush said.

“It helps [students] learn important history concepts at a deeper level.”

However, some teachers believe that the test is unpatriotic and solely focuses on the negative aspects of U.S. history. Julie Williams, a school board member in Jefferson County, Colorado, wrote in a press release on Facebook that “APUSH rejects the history that has been taught in the country for generations. It has an emphasis on race, gender, class, ethnicity, grievance and American-bashing while simultaneously omitting the most basic structural and philosophical elements considered essential to the understanding of American History for generations.” Many critics also refer to the lack of questions on famous historical figures in the new

test released by The College Board; the most cited missing figures include Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. In late 2014, the Republican National Committee approved a resolution summarizing its concerns and asking state legislators to investigate the test and for Congress to “withhold any federal funding to the College Board until the APUSH course and examination have been rewritten in a transparent manner to accurately reflect U.S. history without a political bias and to respect the sovereignty of state standards.”

This opposition to The College Board’s test was continued in mid-February, when the Committee on Education in the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass House Bill 1380. The bill, which passed by an 11-4 vote, bars state funds from being used for APUSH and mandates what should be taught in the classroom. However,

FCC approves net neutrality MYUNG JU SONG news assistant

The Internet was born when a simple message transmission was sent from a computer science laboratory at UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute. As the Net grew, connecting hundreds of millions of computers and providing invaluable services, the responsibilities of those who regulate and provide valuable internet services — the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Internet service providers (ISPs) — have increased as well.

On Feb. 26, the FCC produced a landmark decision governing Internet regulations and Internet service providers. In a 3-2 vote, the FCC approved net neutrality regulations regarding non-discrimination of Internet traffic on broadband provider networks and reclassification of the Internet as a utility. For the ISPs and large online companies, the decision was seen as a disaster. ISPs say that the heavy regulations will diminish their profitability and relinquish incentives to expand and speed up Internet access. For small business and consumers, however, the new FCC rulings provide protection from the ISPs and uphold Internet freedom.

Net neutrality guarantees protection for consumers and businesses from ISPs who are able to charge fees for faster service. Internet

99%

Percent of co mments subm itted to the FCC th at were in favo r of net neutrality

1 .1 million

Total number of comments submitted to the FCC regardin g net neutrality SO URCE: NBC

NEWS

service providers such as Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner Cable are allowed to price discriminate the market, essentially forcing consumers to spend more money in exchange for a better service. By upholding net neutrality, the FCC ensured that Internet providers cannot block or speed up connections for a fee — all data are treated equally and are to be shared equally.

Net neutrality is crucial for small business owners, startups and entrepreneurs, who rely on an open Internet to launch their businesses, create a market and advertise their products and services. While the bigger, more established companies can afford to pay the ISPs for prioritization of their services, the small businesses need the open Internet for growth — lesser companies cannot afford to pay fees for fast-lane internet and thus limit their exposure to consumers, stunting their potential. By ensuring that the Internet is a fair and level playing field, the FCC’s decision lowered the barriers of entry for startups and small businesses who use the Internet to showcase their products and services.

Along with their decision to keep the Internet free and open, the FCC also reinforced Internet regulations. Title II reclassification means that broadband internet is now recognized as a telecommunications service and utility, like electricity and water, meaning that it will be subject to much heavier regulations.

The FCC will also take on a new variety of powers; it is now able to enforce consumer privacy rules, extract money from Internet providers to subsidize services for the poor and needy and ensure easier entry into the industry to increase competition.

The Federal Communications Commission released its 400-page document on the new net neutrality rules on March 12. However, the new FCC rules are still likely to be tied up in a court fight with the Internet service providers (ISPs) that oppose it, and they could be overturned in the future by a Republican-leaning commission.

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Bill 1380 was never implemented due to an uproar from the students and educators of Oklahoma in opposition to the bill. Similar issues have reached the legislative floors of Texas and Colorado, though no action against APUSH has been taken so far.

At school, teachers have already begun to prepare students for the new test. Roush switched the APUSH course last year to a thematic instead of chronological format in preparation of the new AP standards and test.

“Focusing more on theme instead of chronologically allows for compare and contrast discussions and [... a] more engaging class experience,” Roush said.

As the nation’s educators move closer towards the date of the APUSH test in May, they will be forced to pick a side and choose whether to continue with the The College Board standards or to divert resources towards U.S. history classes more supportive of their cause.

Opinions

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April 3, 2015

of internships that can be found for Business majors, or the number of hours that a freshman Biology major can spend doing original research.

The ultimate detriment of a culture of college consumerism comes in the fact that often, colleges that are truly “the best” for each individual student are never even considered, because they’re not ranked highly enough or because students simply haven’t heard of them.

Compounding this is the increasing issue of student debt; with the average student graduating with $29,000 in debt, Americans are questioning the point of paying exorbitant rates for a university that may not be right for the student in the first place. Students should look towards the colleges that provide them the best return on investment for that particular career field — those that get them employed within weeks or months of graduation, those that produce students with the highest salaries and those that charge students the least amount of money in the first place.

This in no way discredits the students whose top choice really is Harvard, or Yale, or Princeton, and who get into those schools and decide to attend. If they’ve done the research, tallied up the costs, and decided that it’s truly their best bet, then they’re DIANA KRUZMAN making an informed decision. The ultimate issue with the college editor-in-chief admissions process, however, comes when students blindly consider any college a “good” college as long as others think of it that “Work hard, get good grades, and get into a good college.” way as well. Not only does it create a culture of mindless stress, it It’s what every student is raised to believe from the first grade through high leads students to miss out on the opportunities that a less wellschool graduation, what every parent tells their child and what has become known, but ultimately more fitting, college would provide. infastructure & the motto of middle-class America. It’s ingrained in students’ minds and It’s important to work hard. It’s important to get good grades. facilities forms the driving force behind their efforts, both in the classroom and outside of But it’s most important to evaluate what you consider a “good” it. And it conjures up names and statistics that students consider with almost mythical awe. college — because it doesn’t have to sit at the top of the rankings Stop for a moment and think about how many colleges in the U.S. you know. You’ll probably start by naming Harto be exactly what you’re looking for. vard, Stanford, Yale. MIT, Princeton, UPenn, UChicago, Dartmouth, Brown. What do all of these names have in common? They’re all private colleges; they’re also the most applied-to, and thus the most selective, universities in the country. Harvard employability skills received 34,295 applications in 2014; every other university listed here also 2-year receives tens of thousands. And the reason is that every applicant believes that he or private 4-year she is applying to the best university possible. public 4-year 7% Students are so focused on getting into a “good” college that they rarely, if ever, stop and think about what “good” actually for-profit 4 year means. The sad reality is that for the majority of Americans, “good” is whatever they are told. And in the race to get into that ultimate, “dream” school, much more qualified but less-hyped schools get lost in the shuffle. And that’s a loss not just for students, but for society. affordability Consider the “top” colleges in America; those called so are named by ranking services such as the U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review. What so many students and parents take at face value is first and foremost a way to gain the public’s interest. These companies exist to sell to viewers, and thus they rely on a simple algorithm that relies heavily on standardized testing scores and selectivity. This formula has led to inflation of the rankings of colleges seen as already “the best”, as the more selective a college already is, the greater its ranking, which only increases its selectivity further.

Furthermore, in the absence of data from colleges that have made SAT scores optional, such as Student life Sarah Lawrence College, or which have refused to send data to the company, such as Reed College, ranking services such as U.S. News & World Report have been known to simply make up data, lowering the ranking and thus making them less “desirable”.

The ultimate flaw, however, isn’t even in the system of ranking itself; it’s in the value that students, parents, and teachers place on the results of these rankings.

If a college is ranked “the best”, it means that the college has the highest average SAT score, the highest average GPA, and the greatest number of applicants per year.

That ranking, however, says says nothing about the quality of that college’s theater department for the aspiring Theater major; it gives no information on the number

“Brand Name” Colleges

what do students look for in colleges?

Types of college students choose

ability

15%

$$

36%

the

superwoman debate

Superhero: | noun | A fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers.

RISHI NAIR news assistant

The definition of your standard superhero has never been particularly loose. A cape, tights, special powers and a secret identity and you’ve got your stereotypical superhero. And then there are the more unique comic book legends, such asas in Spider-Man, Batman, or Iron Man, who all bring something unique to the superhero archetype.

In my opinion, that’s one of the single most endearing traits of a superhero: their sheer variety. Almost no two superheroes are entirely alike, and there have been newer generations of characters portraying the same superhero over different periods of time. Until recently, there’s been some general norms comic book writers have followed that reflect the society around them.

For years comic book writers have tinkered with the ethnicities of characters, most notably in the case of Green Lantern. I spent many hours of my childhood glued to the Justice League television show on Cartoon Network, where the Green LanternGL was portrayed byas John Stewart.

First appearing in Green Lantern volume 2, nNumber 87 in December 1971, the character of John Stewart took the superhero universe by storm, becoming the first African American incarnation of one of the most popular superheroes of all time. Not only do such moves generate buzz for the publishing company, but speak volumes aboutof social progress, and give deepermore deep meaning to the identitiesidentity of these characters. This makes them ever more endearing to the millions of comic book fans around the globe.

In a somewhat more drastic change to an age-old character, in 2014 Marvel Comics in 2014 announced a new release, Thor No. 1, in the saga of popular superhero Thor, which would see Thor as female. Running in sharp opposition to the standard depiction of Thor as a brawny, bearded male hero, the new move naturally stoked some controversy, leading many to term the new incarnation of Thor as a violation of the character’s very essence. However, I believe it is incredibly important that Marvel decided to release a female Thor, because this encourages female readership of comic books, which have pertained to a primarily male audience for a long time. Also, this deepens the identity of the character Thor. Writers have spoken of a different relationship between the female Thor and everything from her supporting cast, which is now more heavily female, to her mighty hammer Mjolnir, an ancient weapon with the power to control thunder and lightning, granting Thor — the God of Thunder — his or her special powers. It is then, highly important that such development occurs in comic book writing, so as to more accurately depict our modern societies.

As our society has progressed, becoming steadily more liberal, underlying themes explored in comic books have reflected this mass shift in ideology. There is now greater representation of minorities as superheroes or their supporting cast, and artists are free to conduct greater experimentation with the gender of a character. This is very important because, as no society is completely generic, neither should its role models be.

Superheroes should reflect the people they are meant to teach morals to, especially in the case of highly impressionable young children. That’s why it’s important that major comic book publishers invest in the future by turning the spotlight on new themes, and tackling prevalent social issues. No matter what backlash is received fromby some of the public, it is important that there be a black Green Lantern. It is important that an incarnation of macho Asgardian powerhouse Thor be female, while embarking on the exact same adventures, fighting the exact same rogues gallery, and tasting the exact same glory as the male version.

43%

Opinions

The Prospector

April 3, 2015

CHOOSING DEATH

shouldDEATH America reconsider policies on CHOOSING the death penalty? should America reconsider policies on the death penalty?

PRO

MARVIN WANG

JOYCE YE

sports assistant

copy editor

Rape. Treason. Murder. There is no argument against the fact that justice is demanded for serious offenders of such crimes. Many states, including California, Texas and Oklahoma, consider capital punishment to be one method for delivering justice. However, the death penalty is not the answer, because it does not meet the realistic demand of justice due to its flawed characteristics; in order to form a more just society, Americans should abolish the death penalty The strongest argument for abolishing the death penalty is that capital punishment puts innocent lives in danger. Because of the inequality present in the system, the death penalty has disproportionately affected minority groups such as African Americans and Latinos. Studies show that white Americans commit murder and are put on death row in equal proportions to minorities, but the minorities are more likely to be executed. In fact, African American defendants are three times as likely as white defendants to be executed if the victims happen to be white. The reason is that the majority of minority groups are in far poorer socioeconomic conditions than whites, and thus cannot afford adequate legal defense and have a harder time defending themselves in courts. Even though the civil rights movement made minorities equal in law 50 years ago, the unprecedented prejudice in the justice system shows an alarming and disturbing trend of racial inequality in America.

In addition to the flaw of inequality, the death penalty is expensive to maintain in the U.S. In fact, it costs far more to maintain a system under the death penalty than it does to keep the criminals locked in prison for life. According to Amnesty International, it costs $137 million per year to maintain the current system under the death penalty in California alone. The through-the-roof costs of the system under the death penalty are the result of the long and tedious judicial processes of such high-level cases, which can last for many years. The cases that can sentence defendants to death are often very long to ensure that the defendants are guilty and deserving of capital punishment. In addition, taxpayers bear nearly all the costs incurred in death penalty cases, which often go through many appeals. Studies show that removing the death penalty will reduce costs by more than $100 million, saving taxpayer money in the long run — which can then be spent benefiting society through funding more education and welfare programs.

One of the arguments that death penalty proponents use often is that the death penalty is a strong deterrent against crime; however, an overwhelming 88 percent of criminologists believe that the death penalty is not at all effective. In fact, 14 U.S. states that have abolished the death penalty have homicide rates less than the national average — an inverse of the intended policy. Capital punishment states in the South account for 80 percent of the executions that occur in the U.S., and yet have the highest murder rates in the country. Furthermore, life imprisonment without parole is a better deterrent than the death penalty. Life without parole means that criminals are not likely to be in contact with their society — the total alienation from society creates guilt as the ultimate punishment for committing a serious crime.

Ultimately, a far better solution to reduce injustice in America is to abolish capital punishment once and for all. The justice system under the death penalty instills injustice rather than providing justice as intended.

the MELINDA SUN

Feminists have long disagreed on whether the hijab, a veil that Muslim women wear to cover their hair, represents oppression or liberation.

To cover one’s hair, pundits argue, forces women to hide their beauty and self-expression. Too often, for many feminists and the wider population, the hijab has been misunderstood as a symbol of oppression: women who wear hijabs have faced unfortunate prejudice for a personal choice.

One recent high-profile case in which prejudice fueled hate was that of Imane Boudlal, a Morocco-born U.S. citizen. While she worked at Disneyland in California, Boudlal told the Guardian, her colleagues called her a “terrorist”, and claimed that Boudlal was trained to make bombs. Unfortunately, this kind of bigotry is not unique. For Muslim women in America, such discrimination is commonplace.

Instead of asking whether the hijab is inherently oppresive, society should examine personal choice and feminism’s role in championing choice for women. While some countries do use the hijab exclusively to oppress women, for many Muslim-American women, wearing a hijab is a conscious personal choice; such a choice should be respected. “[Wearing a hijab] was definitely a personal choice,” said freshman Habi-

CON

Child murderers. Mass killers. You see them on the news every time they strike, and it’s always a shock that human beings are capable of committing such atrocities. There’s no argument that these slaughterers deserve the worst possible punishment that the justice system can dole out — and that should be the death penalty. Capital punishment is currently utilized in 32 states, but overwhelming evidence shows that it should be made a national law.

One of the most convincing arguments for the use of capital punishment is the issue of safety. Criminals who receive the death penalty are violent, and have been known to jeopardize the lives of everyone surrounding them. Kenneth McDuff, a Texan man, was sentenced to death in 1966 after shooting two boys and raping and strangling a girl. Before he received his just punishment, the Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty. After 23 years and multiple attempted briberies, he was released on parole. Within three days of his release, the mangled bodies of further victims began to show up, and he was seen abducting women. He was finally caught in 1993 and executed in 1998, but Texan authorities estimated that at least nine innocent lives would have been saved if McDuff had been executed according to the original plan.

Aside from safety concerns, capital punishment is also economically beneficial for taxpayers. Some who are incorrectly comparing death penalty cases to life without parole cases that aren’t about murder and thus don’t require high-cost, high-security jail cells may claim that it’s more expensive than life in prison, but when further examined, life without parole costs over time are $1.2 - $3.6 million more expensive than death penalty cases per person. Some also claim that costs to appeal a death penalty are high, but life without parole prisoners get the same appeals, and thus essentially have the same costs.

If the death penalty did not exist, the problem of overpopulation in prisons would intensify. Since the late 1900s, the number of prisoners in America has increased exponentially, yet American prisons have not expanded enough to allow for this influx of criminals. According to CBS News, 1,400 life-sentenced prisoners in California alone have been released in the past three years.

One of the strongest arguments that those opposing capital punishment cling to is that there is no way to be 100 percent sure of the guilt of a criminal. However, this has already been taken into account in the increased safeguards and appeals added to the death penalty system in 1976. With the added security of modern technology like DNA testing, there is almost no chance of killing an innocent person.

Another argument against the death penalty is the supposed racial bias, but the people on death row come from all ethnicities. The national death row population is varied; as of August 5, 2003, there have been 1,610 whites, 1,490 blacks, 344 Latinos, 39 Native Americans, 41 Asians, and 1 unknown on death row.

The death penalty aids Americans, as a country, in extinguishing criminals that have not only thrown their own lives into turmoil, but also seek to destroy the lives of innocent citizens. It’s not morally corrupt and it is not unfair. It is justice. It saves time and money, and there should be no question as to whether or not it is an acceptable part of modern society.

HIJAB

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ba Sallam. “I wanted to be closer to God.” Many believe that wearing a hijab is inherently oppressive, because it allegedly detracts from beauty, and thus suppresses one way in which women express themselves.

Fortunately, modern feminism has championed women unashamedly loving their bodies; however, being proud of one’s beauty does not mean that a woman must share it with everyone. Just as forcing women to cover their bodies is oppressive, social pressure to show their bodies is oppressive as well. Instead, feminism should promote the choice for women to show or not show their bodies as they desire.

Edina Lekovic of the Muslim Public Affairs Council reported to Buzzfeed that the hijab is “a symbol of modesty and a symbol of a woman’s intellectual ability over her physical beauty.” Instead of oppressing beauty, Lekovic argues, the hijab highlights inner beauty. Modesty is a personal choice as well, and Muslim women should not feel like they must show their hair to prove that they are feminists — after all, the true mission of feminism is giving women a choice in how they wish to express themselves.

The hijab is only oppressive if a woman is forced to wear one.

But for many Muslim-American women, wearing a hijab is a choice.

Feminism should be liberating, but some feminists have unfortunately skewed feminism into a situation in which women have no choice but to follow the “liberal” tenet. This attitude promotes a set of rules dictating what a woman must do to be a feminist. Unfortunately, such a paradigm coerces many to believe that wearing a hijab is anti-feminist, when in reality, feminism should provide women with choices rather than restricting them. True feminism is not a set of rules — a feminist need not be a high-ranking executive or wear revealing clothing if she does not want to. Instead, true feminism promotes choice: in this case, feminism should empower women with the choice to wear or not wear a hijab rather than ostracize those who do.

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YOUTUBE

Features

April 3, 2015

ISABEL LIN features editor

When one thinks of hobbies, traditional activities like drawing, singing and cooking typically come to mind. For junior Billie Jean Lundberg, making videos for her YouTube channel, billejeansbeauty, is an enjoyable pastime and project. On the channel, one can find a variety of beauty videos, ranging from everyday makeup looks to shopping hauls to costume-makeup tutorials. Lundberg was inspired to create the channel and begin uploading YouTube videos after watching famous beauty gurus online.

“For a really, really long time, I wanted to start making YouTube videos because I would constantly see famous YouTubers […] expressing their interest in makeup,” Lundberg said. “I wanted to do something like that because it’s [such] a different way to express your talents.”

After creating the channel, Lundberg has had to balance her time among homework, sports and YouTube in order to keep the channel updated.

“The most challenging part [of maintaining my channel] is being consistent with my videos, because I do sports [and I still have to] have time to film,” Lundberg said. “It can be really hard because I also have to edit the videos to make them look presentable.”

For Lundberg, the process of getting videos uploaded onto her channel starts with finding an interesting topic to film about.

“My channel is based off of beauty, so I [often] go through other beauty YouTubers and try to see what they’re posting, because the more popular the video […] the more people will enjoy watching [those types of videos],” Lundberg explained.

After deciding on a video topic, Lundberg must dedicate significant amounts of time to filming the video, editing the footage and adding voiceover and music. While the process is long and challenging at times, Lundberg has learned and gained much through her experiences maintaining the channel. “[Creating videos] has influenced me as a person because I’ve always been super shy,” Lundberg said. “When I made my first YouTube video, I was not going to post it because I was super nervous on what other people would think of me [… since] you can get negative comments. [But now] I don’t worry about what others think and just do whatever I want.”

When asked what advice she would give to those deciding whether or not to start their own YouTube channel, Lundberg expressed encouragement towards such individuals.

“Just go for it!” Lundberg said. “It doesn’t hurt to try. I’m not looking to get famous [from YouTube]. I just want to put out my talent and show other people that I have a talent and a hobby. I feel like other people should also express their hobbies, especially since nowadays we have so many social media sites that help us get out there.”

GRAPHIC DESIGN Although not always noticed, graphic design is ubiquitous and can be seen on magazines, posters, signs and more. Sophomore Claire Lin, who currently serves as the Public Relations officer of three clubs on campus — California Scholarship Federation, Future Business Leaders of America and Red Cross — became interested in graphic design after having a long-time interest in art.

“I used to be extremely interested in art forms such as sketching and painting, but I soon realized that I wasn’t getting the fulfillment that I desired,” Lin said. “I found that I was much more interested in working with graphics and existing shapes rather than through physical media.”

Graphic design is a form of visual communication that involves the use of images, type

STEPHANIE SHI features assistant PHOTO BY THU DAM

and space to convey ideas and is commonly used for branding, print, website graphics and packaging.

“I like to work on infographics on the side and other personal projects,” Lin remarked. “I try to stay on top of my personal projects, but sometimes it’s difficult to balance with schoolwork and [my other activities].”

Lin draws inspiration from a variety of sources.

Said Lin, “I like to look at images online. I also look at typography posters because they’re very creative and have a great use of color and spacing.”

Graphic design has also greatly influenced Lin. “[Graphic design has made] me much more aware of the aesthetic appeal that my

work has,” Lin stated. “It can make your work seem far more professional because you [can create] a polished image, and that’s what people look for.”

Despite Lin’s skill and experience, she still feels that she has room to improve.

“I feel like I have a very limited design style,” Lin noted. “I’d like to expand upon that so that […] I can improve my designs.”

As the digital age booms, design programs will become even more accessible, allowing more people to learn graphic design easily.

Said Lin, “[Graphic design] takes a lot of practice and it can be really difficult to learn how to use design programs, especially when you first start out. Just persevere and eventually you will be able to develop your graphic design skills.”

PHOTO BY SERENA NGAN

STUDEN

DIGITAL

Features

The Prospector

April 3, 2015

WEBSITE DESIGN For some people, a hobby can be found at the click of a button and a few light touches on a keyboard. Such is the case for senior Omar Alhait, who has found a hobby and a potential career option in coding and website design. His passion for coding began from simple roots, yet has grown to match his increased dedication and effort spent in the field.

Said Alhait, “I got involved in [coding] because of websites like Codeacademy. Hackathons were a really big influence on me to start getting involved in the tech scene. A couple of my friends were doing it and I really got interested.”

However, coding was not his first choice. Alhait further emphasized the heavy influence hackathons played towards his gravitation towards coding.

Said Alhait, “I really wanted to [pursue a biomedical career] before, but after I went to my first hackathon, I really wanted to do [computer science].”

Hackathons motivated Alhait to further explore the world of computer science, and after testing the waters of web design, he found himself thoroughly invested in it. This investment led him to a wide range of coding­related opportunities.

Explained Alhait, “The first website I did was [...] a portfolio for myself. It was really simple. But then after that, I realized I’m not half bad with design and I can do web development. I started getting hired by different companies to do certain projects, certain websites.”

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ALLAN WU lifestyles assistant

Alhait currently designs a wide variety of websites; many are his own projects, while some are for outside clients or individuals.

“I’m doing a website for a nonprofit that’s just trying to get known,” Alhait said. “I’m not really getting paid for that, [but] it’s nice to be able to contribute to a cause by applying my skills.”

Not all websites are equal; Alhait explained that some of his websites are made from frameworks, whereas others are from scratch.

Said Alhait, “There are [many] things I can do [to make a website]. I can use a framework; for example, companies like Twitter have worked on large frameworks that make it really easy to piece together a website. A lot of the time, [however], I’m not satisfied with a certain component, so I just make it from scratch. I find myself using a bunch of different tools at the same time.”

When asked about his future and goals for college, Alhait expressed that he plans on continuing computer science and determining his specific career path by the end of college, but is currently undecided.

“It really depends on after my education,” Alhait said. “After I have four years and a [bachelor’s degree] under my belt, I’ll know where exactly I want to go. I’m really into things like computer vision and advanced concepts like machine learning. Maybe I’ll end up doing web development for an internship and maybe I’ll be able to do a high level [computer science] concept.”

VIDEO PRODUCTION ALEX SHIEH media liason

Many people spend hours watching TV shows, but in order for such activities to happen, there must be producers who make these shows. Despite the responsibilities that a producer holds, one student strives for his dream and takes on this role.

Junior Alex Lo is the producer of the television show “Community Balance”. Through this show, Lo wishes to share a variety of engaging stories about events that happen in the community, ranging from how jelly beans are made to the steps involved in organizing a parade. In addition, Lo hopes to spread messages of importance to the community, such as how to fight cyberbullying.

Said Lo, “My goal is that someone watching [the show] will either learn something new or find a new way to become involved with their community.”

At a young age, Lo desired to be in front of the camera. However, at the age of ten, Lo attended a summer camp at the KMVT 15 TV station, which sparked his interest in video production.

While working with the basics of the process, Lo realized that he enjoyed the technical side of production behind the camera, something that he had not expected. Inspired by the camp, he decided to volunteer at the station. As Lo continued to work on more shows,

as well as win the station’s Volunteer of the Year Award, he gradually became highly respected and trusted by the adult volunteers.

Eventually, he was offered the chance to produce his own show.

“Initially, I was daunted by this task, as I would have to manage a crew of adults and also book adult guests,” Lo said. “I decided to give it a shot, and since then, I have continued to try to challenge myself as a producer.”

As a current producer, Lo is in charge of creating an engaging story, calling various organizations for permission to film, organizing a crew, securing funding, and coordinating the shoot. During post-production, he edits the show, makes the final product, and distributes it to the public. From having the initial concept to distributing, Lo spends roughly seventy hours to produce a show. To date, Lo has crewed on over 100 television episodes.

As college draws near and other commitments take their toll, Lo is unsure whether he will have time to continue as a producer for “Community Balance”. Nevertheless, Lo is currently looking to pursue a career in television production – working to get his name out in the production field and pushing himself to produce the highest-quality shows possible.

PHOTO BY THU DAM

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WEBMASTERFORMAT.COM

Lifestyles

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the power of Art DELANIE MEDINA flip side editor

Most of us consider the arts to include the literary arts, the performing arts, and the visual arts. Visual arts, including painting, sculpture, mixed media and installation art, are often, although not always, used as a platform to voice political and social discontent. Many artists, past and present, have considered it their responsibility to give voices to the voiceless, to tell stories of unknown pain and suffering. Through their art, artists help people make sense of the world they live in by broadening their understanding of foreign concepts and unheard of struggles in ways they never Film has often been thought possible. Art enables used to bring issues people to imagine the unimagito the forefront of nable while simultaneously popular conversation. conjuring a space somewhere For example: Why between here and gone, tradiWe Fight, a documentary. tional and contemporary. Artists have been involved in poThe most common form litical protests and movements of protest art is graffiti. throughout the modern era,

PROTEST ART

across the mediums

From Occupy Wall Street to the Arab Spring, citizens voice their dissent through graffiti.

While it may seem odd for today’s Top 40 artists to sing about war, many have historically used their voice to speak out against politics.

April 3, 2015

and the linkages between aesthetics and politics, art and propaganda has been long debated.

Historically, major political changes have visibly impacted the lives of artists and, in turn, art has often come to be politically disruptive. Today, many activists use art to fuel the movements that arise in places such as third world countries and under-privileged cities throughout the world.

Many artists consider themselves to be part of a social movement, and the commitment of a growing number of artists to social struggles has become increasingly visible as the world struggles to adapt to the changing dynamics of a diverse society.

Artists such as Banksy, The Guerilla Girls, Keith Haring, and lesser-known artists in war-torn countries such as Syria have used their talents to shed light on important issues such as violence, injustice, and misrepresentation in order to provoke thought, emotion, and action.

Banksy, a London-based graffiti artist, has spent the majority of his career exposing the injustices and suffering of others in seemingly light-hearted way. Most recently, Banksy produced a film highlighting the

STREETART ARTININTHE THENEWS NEWS STREET

Photo: Sebastiano Tomada via Mic

Protesters Protesters in in Ferguson Ferguson plaster plaster the the walls of the town walls of the with iconic townthe with the “Hands Up” iconic “Hands sign.

UP” sign.

plight of the Palestinians fighting for recognition in the state of Israel. Making use of sharp irony, the rubble-strewn streets of a territory shattered by conflict between Israel and Hamas militants serve as his canvas as he shines a spotlight on the suffering of ordinary Palestinians.

Although his career reached its peak decades before Banksy came into the spotlight, New York-based artist Keith Haring devoted a majority of his time to bringing awareness to social causes such as the AIDS epidemic, corruption within government, and civil rights for African Americans and members of the LGBT community. His artwork, done on a variety of canvases, was immensely influential in sparking important conversations that still carry weight 25 years after his death. Like Haring, The Guerrilla Girls, who came to fame in the late 1980s, worked to invoke feelings of anger and discontent regarding the lack of rights for marginalized groups, and specifically for women.

The relationship between artists and political movements should not be seen as a something detached from politics, but rather as a catalyst for imagination and change.

The unique approaches many artists have taken to create political and social dissent can, and should be, seen as a vehicle for innovation that benefits the society in which we live.

For example: Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen

FROM FARM TO FORK SHALMALI PATIL features assistant

Once red meat was declared unhealthy and the demand for “healthy” white meat increased, meat providers rummaged to satisfy the market. To meet this sudden demand, chicken farmers felt pressured to produce enough white meat to feed the population, but simply producing more chickens is an ineffective method of doing so. This struggle has led many factory farms to find creative, yet unethical and dangerous, practices for satisfying their customers’ appetites.

The treatment of poultry has faced severe scrutiny following the discovery of a Chick-fil-A supplier’s treatment of animals. An animal activist group used hidden cameras to capture the treatment of animals, and much of said treatment included violent physical abuse such as throwing the animals, caging them uncomfortably and scalding them alive. Chick-fil-A has since adamantly denied these accusations, and claims to have stopped using the supplier for over a year; however, the graphic

images the video suggests are not unlike the treatment present in many farms.

In another attempt to meet this sharp influx of demand, multiple mass-producing factory farms have resorted to stuffing their chickens with artificial hormones. These synthetic chemicals increase the ratio of the chicken’s breast meat, the “healthy” meat demanded by customers, to the rest of the chicken. This excess of hormones causes the chicken’s body weight to become greater than what it can carry; thus, many of the chickens in the factory farms can barely take a few steps before they need to sit down.

The conditions in ethical and responsible farms are greatly different from those found in many factory farms across the country. Upon visiting one such family farm, an observer would see that although the conditions might be crowded, they are cleaner and the chicken are leaner than those at mass-producing farms. A common practice among the owners of a small familyrun farm is requiring the chickens to exercise every day in order to stay fit. Even though this exercise means that the chicken

carries less of the desired meat and therefore creates less profit for the farm, the chicken lived a healthier life; thus, the meat is more ethical to consume and void of excess chemicals and antibiotics.

Now that chicken farms are under scrutiny, many businesses are calling for reform in their food providers’ treatment of animals. McDonald’s is one of the restaurants planning to change their suppliers to more humane ones. These changes, however, do not imply that conscious consumerism is no longer needed.

The meat industry is volatile and has been plagued by the rapid spread of disease and contamination. It needs to be closely monitored in order to be confident that food being consumed is safely and ethically prepared. The best way to guarantee that meats are safe are to buy from local and organic farms with transparent processing methods.

Brands to avoid: replace with: other tips and tricks for poultry safety: ALWAYS cook chicken at at least 165º F More than 80% of samples tested positive for both for salmonella and campylobacter.

DATA FROM CONSUMER REPORTS & GMO AWARENESS

Just because a brand says it’s GMO-free does not mean it’s also organic. Look for packages labelled organic and free-range.

Thaw chicken in refrigerator or in microwave, not on counter

Lifestyles

The Prospector

April 3, 2015

ANGLOPHILIA (n): a strong admiration or enthusiasm for England, its people, and things English.

sleeping

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jeff

NO KID HUNGRY

DOWNTON ABBEY

Jeff Bridges has worked with No Kid Hungry since 2010. NKH works to provide children with healthy meals and to make child hunger a national priority.

Sleep tracks, to go please?

Listeners could choose to purchase physical copies of the album, with artwork, or listen for free online. Those who bought a Signed Gold Vinyl Box Set raised enough money to supply 90,000 meals.

JEFF BRIDGES Bridges is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer, and country singer. His more recent films include Iron Man, Tron, and The Giver.

COMPILED BY MAITHILEE KANTHI

DANIEL FERTELMEISTER sports assistant

1) Hatching: Often times chicks are contaminated with salmonella, either from their mother or their surroundings. 2) Chicken house: Chickens often peck the grounds, ingesting bacteria or other vermin. 3) In transit: Chickens travel in cages in which filth may spread.

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4) Processing Plant: Chickens are scalded, defeathered, washed, chilled, and packaged.

One E.coli test is conducted for every 22, 000 chickens. Baceteria could be transferred through contaminered machinery. 5) Store: Improper temperature could cause baceterial growth. 6) At home: Chicken must be washed or bacteria may spread around the kitchen.

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Usually, my only sleeping companion is my dog. Every night, without fail, he curls up in a ball at my feet and warms me into the night. He used to be the only one. Until I met Jeff.

I met Jeff at a Super Bowl party. Spotted him from across the room.

Yes, when I saw Jeff on the television, talking to me in his smooth, deep voice, I knew that it was the beginning of something beautiful.

That’s how I met Jeff Bridges – yeah, the one from The Big Lebowski and Tron. He was starring in the oddest commercial I’d seen to date.

Jeff Bridges teamed up with the website-making-website Squarespace to create Sleeping with Jeff – a sleep tape from your wildest dreams and your worst nightmares. To introduce the partnership and the product tape to the world, a commercial was aired during the most-watched television event ever: Super Bowl 49. The idea behind it is a great one: Squarespace gets a huge publicity boost, Jeff Bridges gets to have a lot of fun, and all the proceeds from purchases of the tape go to No Kid Hungry, an organization which provides tens of thousands of underprivileged children with food and basic necessities. It was a win-winwin. The hilarious commercial was an instant hit, and the site, DreamingwithJeff.org, took off. The campaign made over $100,000 in its first two weeks, enough to put food on the tables of over a million children.

The reviews haven’t been too consistent. Some have taken it too seriously and decided that it is terrible because it doesn’t serve its purpose. Many have lost days of sleep as they tried in vain to fall asleep to Bridges chanting “wake up, go to sleep” intermixed with children screaming. Most who took a more lighthearted approach to it, however, appreciated it for what it was – a publicity stunt for a great cause.

So for a couple of nights, I let the album wash over me as I fell asleep. Well, tried to fall asleep – the album is pure comedic gold. I couldn’t sleep because, really, I couldn’t stop laughing. At one point, Jeff ’s stream of language is broken when his sleepy wife enters and won’t leave him alone. One track has him narrating a midnight trek through the forest. Another features Jeff complimenting me - on everything from my personality to my haircut. The highlight, for me, was the track where he describes what he imagines it would be like to fly over the city, describing what it would be like to fly over Ikea.

If you want to fall asleep peacefully, this is not the album for you.

You won’t sleep, you’ll go to bed late, and Jeff Bridges’ humming will haunt your dreams. Trust me on that one. But if you want a hilarious tape to listen to on a drive or while doing homework, then Jeff Bridges and No Kid Hungry just created a masterpiece for you.

Sports

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April 3, 2015

HEALTH MYTHS NIKITA DEVDHAR sports editor

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BEAM THERE Tara Seto takes gymnastics by storm JEREMY XUE

’s

MYTH #3: FA T FREE DOES EQUATE TO CA NOT LORIE FREE Just because so mething is “fat free” does not mean that it does not have a lot of calories.

Instead, it just m eans there’s less fat than there usually is; how ever often times that fat is replaced by ingred ients like sugar.

MYTH #4: JUIC E BOXES ARE FOR KIDS Alth GOOD ough fruit juice may seem like a good thing to give in a lunchb ox , it actually contains just as much sugar as so ft drinks and can have similar effects, like weigh t gain. Fruit juice is also very acidic, and if co nsumed over a long period of time, it can have effects like tooth decay. R at her than give fu ll juice boxes, tr y giving dilute d amounts of fr uit juice or water!

in YOUR bag

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DONE THAT

wh at

PHOTO BY SERENA NGAN

HEALTHY TING IS UN r meals A E T H IG N MYTH #1: spread you you should up all your It’s true that ou don’t use y so ay d e th n time will out through but eating past a certai , nce are calories; energy at o ht. Calories ig t e w n ai g ou .m. does no not make y or after 8 p re t fo fa e b as t d ea u store whether yo ether they is h w in ce n re make a diffe t. or no S EIN MEAN RE PROT O s M e o : d 2 # tein MYTH true that pro if you is It : E L C S especially MORE MU ith muscle, w u o y “adequate e id prov onents of p m co e re th d a good follow the of protein an berta e k ta in d o o o calories, a g uoted by R gram,” as q c Asro ti p te th ie g D n stre for the an sm e k o tein Andling , sp ever, eating more pro w o ore sociation. H oes not make you m d al in fact, than norm ain point, rt ce a t as fat or muscular. P ets stored as g in te ro p that extra ergy. used for en

THU DAM photo editor ALL PHOTOS BY THU DAM

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media liason

“Imagine a little bird jumping around”, said junior Mavis Tsoi, a member of the school’s gymnastics team. “Her routines look effortless… that’s [Tara’s] tumbling”.

Sophomore Tara Seto has been practicing gymnastics since she was three years old; until freshman year, she practiced four times a week at Airborne Gymnastics, a rigorous and competitive gymnastics academy in Santa Clara.

Seto has achieved the seventh level in gymnastics out of ten levels total, and is currently in the Platinum division of gymnastics, the second highest division under Diamond.

Said Tsoi, “She can do pretty difficult tricks, like back handsprings on [the] beam or giants on [the] bars, where you swing around the bars like you’re the hand of a clock.”

In order to achieve such feats, Seto maintained a rigorous practice schedule for years; now, although she has cut down on her previous training times, she continues to dedicate herself to the sport.

Said Seto, “I stopped going [to Airborne] because it got to be too much. Right now, I’m at Gold Star gymnastics, and I only go around three to four times a week — we practice for around two-and-a-half to three hours unless we have a competition... It’s still competing, just less intense.”

In addition to her commitment to gymnastics outside of school, Seto has also been a member of the school’s gymnastics team for two years, and practices at both school as well as her gymnastics studio.

Seto is renowned amongst her team for having suffered many injuries over the course of her gymnastics career, beginning with a root canal after a stunt gone wrong.

Said Seto, “My first bad injury […] was on the vault where you do a flip on, then a flip off. I landed with my knees too close together and hit my teeth, so I had to get a root canal.”

Seto’s other injuries range from falling off of the 8-foot tall high bar to a back injury resulting from a warm up stretch.Despite her injuries, Seto remains a positive influence on the team by looking out for and coaching her teammates.

Said Tsoi, “She is always willing to help out and give advice when other teammates are stuck on a trick.”

Smiling, Seto added, “I think [gymnastics] is really fun, especially [when] you’re really stressed from school, whenever you go you just think ‘Oh lets just focus on this for now.’”

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1 WATER BOTTLES: Staying hydrated should be every athlete’s number one priority.

A refillable water bottle ensures that you always have water on hand — and helps the environment too!

2 MUSCLE ROLLER: For any athlete, constant hard workouts can be tough on joints and muscles. A small, portable muscle roller can massage sore muscles and knotted joints, keeping you fresh and ready for the next day.

3 SPIKES: Track and Field athletes always have spikes on hand, whether its competition day, or just practice.

These lightweight shoes have metal spikes in the toe area that help grip the track. You’ll have to be extra careful with these though, because spikes are sharp!

4 RUNNING SHOES: A runner would be nowhere without their trusty running shoes.

5 BACKUP SOCKS: All runners fear that feeling of dread that hits after they realize they forgot their socks —and it’s a hard workout. Always keep an extra pair or two in your bag just in case, because it can seriously save a lot of pain.

6 SUNSCREEN: Being out in the sun for three hours isn’t the best for the skin. It’s important to slather on sunscreen every time you step outside to make sure you’re protected from the sun’s harmful rays.

* FACE WIPES: After a sweaty workout, wiping your face down with cleansing wipes will keep your skin hydrated and clean.

Sports

The Prospector

April 3, 2015

Expanding P.E. CLASS options

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Adding a new martial arts class may offer students more than just physical education credits

JESSICA SHIN editor in chief

MELISSA SILVA lifestyles assistant

For as long as the school has existed, earning physical education credits has only been available to students through four different options: the standard P.E. class, P.E. Total Fitness, Weight Training and extracurricular sports. However, for the 2015-2016 school year, a new class may be introduced to the student body.

Martial arts, typically described as a traditional form of combat, has been suggested as a potential class for students in grade 10 and higher. Because Total Fitness has been observed to attract more female students while Weight Training attracts more male students, school administrators are hoping to create a more “mixed” classroom environment by introducing the martial arts class.

So far, there have been about 60 students who have expressed interest in taking this class for the next school year, and sophomore Shefali Venkatramani was especially excited about being provided the opportunity to learn the unique but useful sport.

“I was thinking about taking classes before, but those are kind of expensive,” Venkatramani said. “[Taking it as a class at school] is more affordable and [...] fun [since] you get to do

it with friends.”

Although introducing new classes would typically have a huge impact on the school budget, the martial arts class is predicted to have barely any costs, since the equipment used in the self defense unit for Total Fitness can be easily shared and used during the martial arts classes. The addition of the new class can potentially have a positive impact on the budget, since fewer students will be registered for current classes if they choose to take martial arts instead.

The class is planned to be taught by current Total Fitness and math teacher Julia Roberts, who has previous experience teaching martial arts in a school in San Diego and holds a black belt. She will be incorporating the curriculum previously used in San Diego along with the basic fitness and nutrition lessons required for non-freshman physical education classes.

“It’s mixed martial arts, so there are three different components,” Roberts said, explaining the different aspects that she may be teaching in the potential class. “One is stand up, [which is] more formal work based on taekwondo. One is ground fighting, [which is] based on judo and jujitsu.

[The last component] is... basic self defense techniques, [which uses] many of the strikes and kicks from taekwondo but in a more informal, self defense style setting.”

Other schools in the district have also expressed interest in including this class as an option because of the applicable defense techniques that are expected to greatly benefit a variety of students, even those who may not have the best athletic ability.

Said Roberts, “There are a lot of great things about [martial arts]. It’s not about your ability level. That’s the thing that I like best. You can really excel whether you’re male or female, large or small, whether you’re weak or strong... I think that’s really cool for a lot of students since they can excel in it regardless of their ability.”

Different types of martial arts Taekwondo: A type of martial art that originated in Korea and mostly focuses on kicks.

Judo: Has a competitive element, where the objective is to either throw an opponent to the ground, pin an opponent, or use a joint lock or choke to force an opponent to surrender.

Jujitsu: Where one must defeat an opponent in close contact with either a small weapon or no weapon.

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Advising Cupertino High School Students Since 1999

Flip Side

April 3, 2015

12

MARCH IN PHOTOS THU DAM

THU DAM

THU DAM

THU DAM

SERENA NGAN

CABARET | The cast of Cabaret,

this year’s spring musical, performs a scene during the Blacklight Rally.

TRACK AND FIELD | Sophomore

Bennett Ngan runs a lap during a meet against Wilcox High School.

INTERNATIONAL WEEK | Sopho-

TINO’S GOT TALENT | Eresa Lee

mores Rilizza Isla and Arun Ravikumar fight for the ball during a lunchtime match.

plays the guitar during Tino’s Got Talent’s two-week run.

a surplus of

ELECTIONS | ASB Commisioners

watch as students cast their votes for the 2015-2016 ASB Executive Council.

SERENA NGAN

SUPERSTITIONS Everyone has superstitions and beliefs they hold to get them through the day.

With sports, tests, or just plain life, everyone could use a little luck.

I have this one husky stuffed animal that my friends and I named “Hans of the Northern Isles” last year in AP Chem, because we had a lame sense of humor (and still do I guess). I had him on my desk during chem tests and still have him in AP Bio this year. It was motivation to do better on tests, because I had a stuffed animal around as comfort, which is why I guess he’s lucky.

-Disha Trivedi, 12

A BLUE PERSPECTIVE LAURA SHKOURATOFF opinions editor

I eat mac and cheese before every basketball game, because I was in sort of a funk that lasted a couple games. I was fouling a lot and I was missing easy shots. I’m not sure what made me try it, but I decided to make mac and cheese before a game just to try it out. It worked, and I had a really high-scoring game, so I decided, “Hey! Why not try this again?” And so I did and I played another good game. So it’s sort of a joke before each game, like [friends ask me] “Liv, did you eat your mac and cheese?”

-Olivia Wissig, 12 I have a lucky coin. I always win when I flip that coin. I got it when a vending machine gave me [the] wrong change, so I got five bucks more than intended. Luck is a two-sided thing. You just [have to] pick the right side.

-Sudarshan Kannan, 10 These are my lucky shoes. They’re Adidas Sambas. There’s absolutely nothing special about them, they’re just nice shoes.

Thing is, I wear them all the time... which must be why I’m always so lucky.

-Martin Coder, 11 COMPILED BY PETER MARTIN

NEXT MONTH: MAY Cabaret

Friday-Saturday, April 3-4 Band/Orchestra Concert

Wednesday, April 8 Clubs Day

Friday, April 10

Spring Break

Monday-Friday, April 13-17

Monday, April 27

Blood Drive

THU DAM

To this day, I still don’t know exactly why I decided to dye my hair blue. It’s the question I get asked the most — why have you consciously chosen to go full blueberry? I first dyed it about a year ago, a few months after I butchered my long hair and went for a hairstyle that was low-key and easier to manage.

Since then, I’ve tried white hair (I wanted to match with Elsa from Frozen, my unofficial girlfriend), and went back to brown for water polo season (the chlorine turns my hair as yellow as the front of our school), but have been sticking with blue for the most part. It’s my favorite by far, so I don’t think I’ll be trying new colors anytime soon.

Before I dyed my hair, I had been struggling with self confidence. I worried too much about what everyone else had to say and not enough about what I thought of myself. As someone who is not into fashion, jewelry, or makeup (my friends can vouch for me when I say that I wear a T-shirt every day), I figured changing my hair color was something new I could try that I actually enjoyed.

The criticism came almost immediately, mostly from my peers. Some people directly told me how much they disliked it, while others smiled at me and politely asked when I thought I’d go back to my natural color. The weird part was that every time someone showed their discontent, I felt better about my decision because I realized how much their opinions didn’t matter. Who did they think they were to assume that they had any say in the choices I made? It felt so good to mentally blow them off. I liked the criticism. It fueled me. This was my choice, and it was for me, not anyone else. I don’t know if there’s much else that could have taught me that lesson with the power that it did.

Having blue hair is filled with benefits. The only real downsides are re-dying my hair every five weeks or so, as well as my inability to wear red shirts in public because I’m pretty sure I can pass as Thing 1. On the other hand, I’m super easy to find in a large crowd, and I’ve accumulated the nickname “Bloob” (short for The Blueberry) which will make for a good story when I’m older.

Making such a big change to your appearance can be really helpful (and temporary) in helping you discover different aspects of your identity. It’s nice to be able to choose what feature people pick out when they think of you — I’m not the kid with the loud voice or the small feet anymore. I’m the Girl with the Blue Hair, and I love it.