F RI DAY, D E C EM B ER 6, 2013
Foreign languages: Too little, too late, or a waste of time?
FEATURES OPINIONS page 6 & 7 pages 4 & 5
VOLUME 55 NO. 3
Religion
Top literature books
FEATURES pages 6 & 7
No-Need-to-Shave November
LIFESTYLES pages 8 & 9
FLIP SIDE page 12
The Prospector
CHSPROSPECTOR.ORG
Student Newspaper of Cupertino High School
10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014
Students react to Typhoon Haiyan 1,602 still missing
4,011 dead
Over 4 million displaced
BRIAN ZHONG lifestyles assistant Over 4,000 dead. Nearly 2,000 still missing. Upwards of four million displaced. These are the statistics arising from Typhoon Haiyan, a devastating storm that swept through the Philippines on November 8. With gusts reaching up to 235 miles per hour, Typhoon Haiyan is the most powerful storm to ever make landfall, causing over $275 million in damages. For those in Cupertino’s Filipino American Student Association (FASA), however, the repercussions of the storm extend much further than some numbers or some images. Many in the club, in fact, were directly affected by a natural disaster that occurred more than 7,000 miles away. Senior Sam Tenorio and freshman Jeanine Palicte both have roots in the Philippines and are deeply affected by the tragedy that occurred there. When Palicte first heard of the typhoon,
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Haiyan may serve as a jolt, but the call for change will only be ephemeral - Sam Tenorio, senior
Cupertino consumerism: Black Friday ASHLEY LIU lifestyles editor
On Thanksgiving Day, families sat contentedly eating turkey and cranberry sauce and basking in an atmosphere of immense gratitude for all things simple and pure. However, as the evening dimmed and the clock struck midnight, it became clear that turkey was not the only commodity that these families would consume in the next several hours. Soon, many of these families -- 63%, by conservative estimates -voraciously yanked products right off the hands of graveyard-shift employees. Indeed, the irony that is Black Friday is one of the greatest exemplifications of
American consumerism in the entire calendar year. This year, consumers spent as much as $64.6 billion, up 11% since 2012. Online shopping over traditional brick-and-mortar, or in-store retail, has grown 25% this year, with more customers than ever making their purchases from smartphones and other mobile devices. Cyber Monday has proved to be stronger than ever, with Amazon setting record numbers in sales volume. Overall web sales rose 21% since 2012, drawing away a substantial chunk of profits from retail. Nevertheless, when asked about the conditions of stores this year, many students concurred that retail seemed just as busy as usual, particularly during peak hours. Junior Austin De Lozada, who A THANKSGIVING TRADITION cont. page 2
she was “not surprised at all. Typhoons are a regular occurrence [in] the Philippines and I was not taken aback by the images.” “However,” she noted, “after several days, I realized the true extent of the storm.” Tenorio echoed these sentiments: “I was born and raised in the Philippines, so it was extremely disheartening to see all the destruction and graphic photos the media circulated in the immediate aftermath.” Shayne Presno, a senior who was also raised in the Philippines, believes that the widespread corruption in the Filipino government played a front-and-center role in the devastating impact of the storm. “The government’s inability to build adequate infrastructure or prepare for a disaster resulted in a much higher death toll.” Those in FASA and Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) are hard at work, trying to spread awareness and amass toiletries, clothes, and other necessities. Said Tenorio, “FASA serves as a funnel to which students can bring any donations, whether that be money or supplies. We will send those donations to the necessary channels, so we can get those supplies to those in need as quickly as possible.” In addition, several ambitious students created apparel to serve as a means of fundraising. 100 percent of the profits will go towards the relief efforts based in the Philippines. At the end, Tenorio says she has a more negative outlook toward the future for her home country. “Haiyan may serve as a jolt to the Philippines governTYPHOON REACTIONS cont. page 2
Taiwan: A separate nation? JESSICA SHIN flip side editor
ISABEL LIN opinions assistant
Just as many Canadians are mistaken as Americans, it is not uncommon for Taiwanese people to be mistaken as Chinese — and the subsequent defiant reactions are hardly rare either. While the different perceptions of a Taiwanese person’s nationality may seem insignificant to most people, there is actually a much deeper history behind the Chinese-Taiwanese distinction. The history of China and Taiwan is very long and convoluted. After the Chinese Nationalists, the Kuomintang, lost to China’s communist party in the
Chinese Civil War, the leader of the Nationalists, Chiang Kai Shek, fled to the island of Formosa — today’s Taiwan — to escape the vengeance of the Communist party and its leader Mao Zedong. With the help of loyal supporters of the Nationalist party and the United States, Chiang was able to successfully establish the country of Taiwan, or the People’s Republic of China. Today, Taiwan considers itself to be an independent, sovereign state; however, the Chinese government believes to have sovereignty over Taiwan, stating that “there is only one China in the world” and “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.” The political conflict between the two countries has greatly influenced TAIWAN V. CHINA cont. page 2
I’ve always identified as Taiwanese and I don’t think it’s fair to muddle Taiwanese and Chinese identities together or think of them as interchangeable BLACK FRIDAY | Looking down on the Microsoft store, shoppers walk through Valley Fair mall in search of deals.
- Annabelle Tseng, junior