The Eye Nov. 21, 2007

the eye Singapore American High School

November 21, 2007 / Vol. 27 No. 3

Take a number:

Students, parents play the waiting game to get into SAS

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MICA (P) 183/10/2007

It’s amazing. Some people aren’t coming here because of their jobs, people are coming here solely for the education experience.

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Head of Admissions Laurie Thompson they would do anything to get into school. She once received an email from a family saying that they would get the wife a teaching degree if that would help their chances of getting their child into school. Thompson said she’s received offers for bribes on more than one occasion.

“People have offered to buy me a personal gift or give me money.

Of course I reject their offers,” Thompson said.

Thompson said that U.S. companies were not the only ones inflating the weight list.

“It’s amazing; some people

aren’t just coming here because of their jobs,” she said. “People are coming here solely for the education experience.”

Thompson said that a small percentage of parents have been coming to Singapore regardless of whether they are employed here solely because they want their kids to get into SAS. With the school full no more applications being admitted, some might think that Thompson has it easy. They are mistaken; the recent rise in admission applications has made the job much harder. Now she has to say ‘no’ to every parent and go through the process of explaining why.

“It was easier when we were empty because you just say ‘yes’ and everyone’s happy.”

Thompson said. “When you say ‘no’ you get the constant phone calls and the emails to double check waitlist status.”

Thompson said she’s at the office by seven thirty and usually work for 12 hours a day although it is not uncommon for her to be working till nine every night, even on Saturdays.

She said that her office is “short staffed but all good humored and hard working”.

“It’s a love hate job. I love working with the families and placing students, but I hate having to say no to them” nick.theeye@gmail.com

The waitlist hierarchy Priority One: Obligated to place any students with a U.S. Passport (Varies if you work for military, parent is employed at school, etc).

Priority Two: Anyone working for a U.S. company, but can be any nationality *Priority Three: Student transferring from another International School. *Priority Four: Student applying from a local school i.e. a public school in America or any other country. * Are no longer accepting applications in these two categories.

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cost to build?” Thompson told him “approximately three hundred million”. She said the man called his associate, and asked how much the hotel they are building in Singapore was costing. When the associate told him three hundred million the dad said “Stop the hotel. We’re building a school for my daughters!”

Thompson said that she has been pressured by families saying

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by Nick Lesiuk With student enrollment maxed out and waitlists at a record high, hopeful applicants to SAS face long waits of uncertain length.

The admissions process is in gridlock with over 500 on the waitlist but not a single spot open until current students leave or the satellite campus is built. With 3806 students currently enrolled, 106 students more than the 3700 required by the Economic Development Board (EDB), the administration has been moving towards building a new campus and submitted a proposal to the EDB for their consideration.

“There are a lot of rumors, but in reality nothing has been confirmed and everything is on hold,” admissions head Laurie Thompson said, “Staff is more content to just focus on one campus and trying to make it the best it can be.”

Thompson said that the waitlist is so long that there have been cases of pregnant mothers coming in to reserve spots for unborn babies, one parent even threatened to build his own school! “[A] Gentlemen wanted to place his three high school girls, with good academic background, but we couldn’t take them because we are totally full.” Thompson said.

“So were walking around the campus and he says, ‘What a beautiful campus. How much did it

NEXT!: Admissions Head LaurieThompson sifts through the ever-growing waiting list of student applicants.

Photo by Jin Yoo Kim

waitlisted for present semester

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waitlisted for next semester

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Others on Hillary “I don’t mind a woman being president, but I don’t trust Hillary Clinton. She makes me edgy.”

-Jesse Choe, senior

“I think that a dynasty is being created and that it is repulsive. She’s gotten so far because of her husband.”

-Adam Jatho, sophomore

“I think she will be great as a female president.”

-Julie Kim, junior “I’m tired of divisive figures being president.Though quite intelligent and savvy, at least half of America will hate her.”

-Gary DworFrecaut, Associate Librarian (Independent who turned Democrat during the current administration)

Polls are in favor of Hilary Clinton, with percentages outweighing Republican candidate Rudy Guliani who has 29 percent of Republican votes, and Barack Obama with 22 percent of Democratic votes.

Hillary at the top of the hill

by Akilesh Pant With four clear frontrunners in the 2008 presidential race, polls are firmly in favor of the Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

An Oct. 4 article in “The Economist,” “The Comeback Kids,” takes an in-depth look at why the potential first female president is just so far ahead.

According to the latest polls, Clinton has 45 perccent of the Democratic vote. Her rival and fellow party member Barack Obama holds around 22 percent of the Democratic vote. Top Republican Rudy Giuliani has 29 percent of Republican votes.

Just months ago, Clinton trailed Obama in campaign funding, but has recently overwhelmed even the crowd-pleasing newcomer with a

total of US$22 million raised, as opposed to Obama’s US$19 million.

His charisma and attention-grabbing techniques kept him at the forefront of the campaign fund-raising competition, but Clinton, with her carefully picked campaign advisors, has managed to pull ahead.

Victory for Clinton would put her into the record books on more than one count. Clinton would be the first female president. She would also be the first president married to a former president and former president Bill Clinton would be the first “first laddie,” as he has reportedly joked. Perhaps even more important in the long term is the onset of a Bush-Clinton dynasty, which has already lasted 20 years.

Election of Mrs. Clinton would

increase that to 24 or perhaps even 28 years of two families dominating the White House, shedding light on an “inside community” that controls American political power.

Hillary Clinton officially began her career in politics on Jan. 3, 2001, as a senator from New York. Today, the senator hopes to enhance her political standing as the top contender for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The likelihood of Mrs. Clinton earning the nomination from her party as well as taking the 2008 elections is high. With the greatest amount of campaign funding, a world-class brand name and a perfected political “machine” behind her, the 2008 election is truly hers to lose. akhileshtheeye@yahoo.com

Human rights week ends with a whimper as Peace Initiative rained out

by Amber Bang “Out of sight, out of mind,” runs one adage, and the Peace Initiative assembly illustrated the truth of this. Muffled rock music reverberated from the empty courtyard where bands took shelter from the rain, as onlookers strained for a glimpse of the bands, before eventually dissipating.

Human Rights Week, with its music, posters, speeches, club sales, debates and teach-ins had an anticlimactic finish with the annual Peace Initiative assembly. Rain disrupted performances by some of the musicians, and poor calendar placement proved a distraction.

“The timing was a little unfortunate as Food Fest took place that weekend, so clubs were less willing to contribute,” Peace Initiative President Daksha Rajagopalan said.

The idea for Human Rights week was first tabled at the end of the last school year, when Peace Initiative requested a different date for the Peace Concert due to the rainy weather during its usual mid-November slot. Peace Concert was moved to Feb 29, during the second semester of the school year, allowing Peace Initiative to hold a Human Rights week leading up to their annual assembly in the first semester.

“We wanted [the student body] to be hit full force with information on human rights,” Peace Initiative Vice President

Spencer Anderson said.

The first floor high school foyer was used as the venue for music performances, and debate and service club sales. Some criticized the location for its poor acoustics.

“They should have had it outside the caf,” senior Nikita Due said. “I think it was a good idea, but the way it was carried out wasn’t very effective.”

Others could not understand the

intrinsic connection between music and peace, and music and human rights,” she said. “Music speaks to the soul.”

“The bands drew people to the foyer and gave [Peace Initiative] some cooperation with IPAU,” Anderson said.

Anderson said that the had asked the IPAU to play songs from Pink Floyd’s album, “The Wall,” but IPAU was reluctant as there was not much time for bands to learn and practice the songs

the debate was the issue of pornography and whether it should be completely censored on the Internet.

Despite such a pertinent topic to Human Rights week, the debate drew less people than the bands did.

“It’s entertaining, but I can’t hear the speakers,” seniorAditi Basu said. “Besides the slideshow, it’s not contributing very much to Human Rights week.”

Service clubs were invited to sign up for tables in order to sell items such as candy to bring in profit for themselves.

However, some clubs that signed up did not show up during the breaks.

“We were trying to bring the school together Clockwise: SOME and create a KID makes a speech during the Peace tradition. All the Initiative human rights clubs help the assembly, SOME KID plays the keyboard empowerment of during a break gig underprivileged to raise awareness, people all arou­ seniors Clarissa Vainius and Rachel Liou sell nd the world,” candy for Habitat for Rajagopalan said.

Humanity.

connection between the IPAU bands and human rights.

“I don’t even know about it,” senior Emily Noble said. “What do [the bands] have to do with human rights? Are they singing about human rights?”

Rajagopalan disagreed: “There is an

before Human Rights week.

Along with the music performed throughout Human Rights week, a debate on censorship was held in the foyer.

Members of the Debate Club argued the point, with three students representing each side. A major argument made during

Unfortunately, as Food Fest took place the same week, this discouraged some clubs who were already planning for the weekend event, aware that it would also bring in much profit for them.

In addition to the activities held in the foyer, Modern Asian Perspectives students were given projects on human

rights violations in Asia.

“We picked a topic and made a Youtube video on it to raise awareness,” senior Alison Tan said. “We had to engage in a month-long project to make our community more aware.”

Posters regarding street children in Indonesia were produced as a part of these projects, but some criticized the redundancy of their messages. One poster read, “Where did you sleep last night?

In Surubaya, Indonesia 63.7 % of street children slept on the streets.”

Another provided a quote from a 16year-old boy, followed by a hyperlink for further information.

“When I am sleeping, people want to have SEX with me...Nobody can help you.”

The poster was confusing to some, as it did not mention that the boy was Indonesian or homeless.

Most teachers in the English and Social Studies departments were asked to conduct teach-ins to inform their students about issues on human rights. As a result, many teachers taught their students about different human rights issues for a class period instead of teaching from their regular curriculum.

“Even a couple of science teachers wanted to do it,” Rajagopalan said.

However, students still suggested that there be more interactive activities held for Human Rights week.

“They should be doing stuff like workshops, showing documentaries, having people from organizations talking about what they do and how they help,” senior Jordan Glick said. amber.theeye@yahoo.com

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Nov. 21, 2007

SAS gathers money to help family of construction worker killed on campus

by Barbara Lodwick On Friday October 12, 2007 Mr. Xu Dai Bing, a construction worker, died in the new auxiliary gym construction site. Dai Bing was originally from the Henan Province in China, and left behind a wife and two children. Dai Bing was killed when walking underneath concrete formwork and a chain supporting the concrete snapped, falling on him. Dai Bing was a worker for a sub contractor of Sun Ray construction. All construction companies must provide worker compensation cover, a form of life insurance, so in case of accidents like this the family can still maintain their lifestyle. However, the Ministry of Manpower is investigating the accident to make sure that the accident was legitimate. The Facilities Office is confident the family will receive the compensation. In addition to the compensation the faculty and staff of SAS raised S$7800 that will go to the family of Xu Dai Bing. barbaratheeye@gmail.com

Political instability threathens interim trips

by Lorenzo Holt To the dismay of 20 some students, the Sri Lanka trip last year was cancelled due to rebel actions from the Tamil Tigers. Deputy Principal Doug Niehart admits that maybe, more students could be disappointed this year.

Niehart listed Jordan, Egypt and the four Nepal trips as potential problems.

Both the Department of State (www. state.gov) and SOS International are used to judge whether a trip gets cancelled or not, and a warning from either of the two sources would be enough to cancel a trip.

Even though the Department of State issues warnings based on risks to Americans only, the interim will be cancelled even if there are no Americans on the trip.

“The number one cause for a trip cancellation is a warning of political instability,” Niehart says.

Bad weather and strong anti-American feelings in the destination country could also be enough to warrant a trip cancellation. Because of the possibility of a trip cancellation, Niehart has made sure the chief sponsors assign similar trips as backups. Keeping in mind that those who sign up for Scuba Diving trips

probably would like a Scuba Diving trip as backup, the chief sponsors assign trips with similar alternatives. The main goal of the alternative trips is to provide students with an experience similar to the one they signed up for.

“If you signed up for a trekking trip in Nepal and it gets cancelled, you won’t have been assigned a cultural tour of Vietnam,” said Niehart, “although your trip will be somewhere else, it should still deliver the same experience.” lorenzo.theeye@yahoo.com

New sidegate rule closes door for smoking students

The side gate will no longer be open to students for re-entry due to complaints about student smokers.

by Rohin Dewan Recent complaints about the side gate rule have led the Administrators to reconsider their decision. On Sept.

14, Deputy Principal Doug Neihart noted in a bulletin announcement informing students that they may exit the side gate after school, but may not be allowed to re-enter through the side gate. Students would instead, have to walk around to the main entrance to re-enter school.

Neihart also commented on the fact that many students are unaware of the consequences of smoking in the HDBs. “It’s inconvenient for people who don’t smoke as well as smokers,” junior Peter Bardon said. “If I want to go down to hawkers after school for a bite, and come back through the gate closest to high school, then I should be allowed to.”

Neihart said that the side gate rule was implemented to prevent students from grabbing a quick smoke in the HDBs and then coming back into school to get on the bus between 3:05 and 3:15.

“I received a call from a parent saying that her child said that older kids smelt of smoke when boarding the bus,” Neihart said.

“Smoking at the hawker center is acceptable as long as a student is not in uniform and they’re of age,” Neihart said. Neihart also commented

on the fact that he is responsible for students on the way to school or going home from school; smoking either way has equal consequences to smoking in the HDB. A student smoking on the way home after a long school day or a student at a bus stop waiting to get to school could potentially face consequences.

“Students shouldn’t be smoking in the HDBs right outside school because it’s right on our doorstep and gives a bad impression of the school,” Neihart said.

There is a two day in-school suspension for getting caught smoking in the HDBs. “Students don’t realize that it’s a two-day inschool suspension for getting caught smoking in the HDB,” Neihart said.

“I didn’t realize smoking in the HDBs was suspension, I thought it was just detention,” a male sophomore said.

Some students have worked around the system in order to smoke before the buses leave school. “I can’t grab a cigarette before the 3:15 bus anymore, which forces me to go home and smoke, which increases my chances of getting caught,” a junior male said. “Since the gates open at 2:55, I can leave my bag in the cafeteria, go and smoke from 2:55 to 3:05 and then walk through the front

gate, pick-up my stuff and then get on the bus by 3:15. It’s difficult, and I’ll still end up smelling like smoke anyway.”

“I understand why there is a rule,” a female junior said. “Mr. Neihart just wants to reduce little kids’ exposure to the smell of smoke.

I just don’t think there is any point in keeping the rule enforced after the buses leave. We should be allowed to come back to school through the side gate. Our parents don’t spend thousands of dollars for us to attend this school when we can’t use all the facilities.”

Student smokers seem to be disappointed with the inconvenient aspect of smoking before the departure of the buses, but Neihart agrees that it has cut the cases of smoke-smelling high-school students getting on the bus.

“My physical well-being is affected by walking farther to the main gate, especially after smoking,” one junior said sarcastically. “There is no statistical evidence that the smell of smoke in clothing can harm anyone.”

The administration is considering the opening of the side gate after the buses have departed. The policy is currently under revision.

rohin.theeye@yahoo.com

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Nov. 21, 2007

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Jane Goodall returns for Wildlife Stampede

by See Young Lee Dressed up in animal costumes made of newspapers and plastic bags, the crowd bustled about waiting. A little girl dressed as bird complained to her mother about her “stupid” costume. A school of coral fish stood beside her waiting in single file for the big event.

As conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall walked in, the little girl stopped whining, and the coral fish broke rules to take a better look. The whole crowd turned to look at Dr.

Goodall, clapping their wings and paws in welcome.

On the evening of Nov. 2, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, people of all ages dressed up in wildlife costumes and participated in the “Wildlife Stampede,” led by Dr. Goodall.

This wildlife parade aimed to raise awareness about endangered species in the world, and to engage the public, especially teenagers, in protecting the environment.

Dr. Goodall led the menagerie in

All animals in the Kingdom made an appearance at the Wildlife Stampede, from conservative camels (below) to vibrant sea horses (bottom left) no one failed to make a statement. The wild camel group from SAS (below) won the award for ‘best conservation message’.

Photos by Paul Griffin and Malavika Singh.

Above: World renowned conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, famous for her research with chimpanzees visited Singapore once again to lead the Willdlife Stampede at the Botanic Gardens. SAS students of all ages were amidst the colorfully and creatively dressed. Photos by Paul Griffin.

Left: A local school of fish walk hand in hand flaunting their bright, exotic costumes. Photo by Malavika Singh a march from Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden to the Palm Valley.

The most popular animal seemed to be the tiger, with kids dressed up variously as a tail-less tiger, a black cat with a tiger’s tail, a tiger with no stripes, and tigers with skirts on. The traditional white rabbits, snakes, bears and monkeys showed up frequently too. Some were dressed up as endangered animals like banded leaf monkeys and Isabella orioles.

The highlight of the event was

the awards ceremony. A group of Singapore American School students was named the ‘most creative,’ and a “six-legged” wild camel group from SAS won an award for having the ‘best conservation message.’

Young children, too, seemed to have taken Dr. Goodall’s message to heart.

“I’d like to protect the animals and make this world a peaceful place,” said Ming Wee, a youngster from the Montessori Institute.

The evening’s event ended with

a performance by SAS Singers who sang the song “I Determine,” which African Americans sang in the 1950’s freedom marches to champion their cause of liberty.

Some people quietly sang along in the evening light, reflecting upon their own causes: to protect the animals and to create an earthfriendly environment. As the event drew to a close, the hushed voices echoed “I am determined to walk in freedom, yes I am.” seeyoungtheeye@yahoo.com

staff editorial

“Do you hear the people sing?”

The awkward silences and barely concealed yawns that characterised pep rallies only two years ago were well and truly eradicated from students’ young minds with the Student Council’s latest raucous success. Wild cheers drowned out the thundering music, as the faculty shed thirty years and its inhibitions to join students in activities ranging from a tug-ofwar to energetic “cranking dat.”

“When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drum, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes,” runs a line from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. This encapsulates the experience of students at the rally, as they “joined in the crusade,” lending athletes their wholehearted support to propel SAS to three IASAS golds.

It was a spontaneous combustion of sound and colour that united the school in a wave of spirit and gave the lie to the naysayers who complain of deep-rooted divisions and a detached student body.

When Daksha Rajagopalan, whose talents lie more in cerebral activities, rushed up to participate in the tug-of-war, a determined set to her lips as she faced up to an equally invigorated Kim Tay, students knew the pep rally had transcended all boundaries.

As the giant Eagle waltzed with girls he picked from the crowd, the stands roared appreciation and tumbled over each other in the rush to make the floor. A few days later in the same arena, as volleyball teams pounded each other with stinging balls, SAS’s spirit jumped with them as they spiked balls and hurled themselves about for the

latest point. Huge water bottles were battered with drumsticks as chants of “Go Eagles, GO!” rocked the gyms. The final boys game ended with a euphoric roar as everyone flocked from the stands to give a group hug that threatened to drown the victors in a sea of humanity.

“Respect thy senior” was printed large on posters around the school when the class of 2008 were sophomores, contributing to the air of constraint and hierarchy prohibiting interaction on the scale seen on Oct. 23. Not only is this crop of seniors less demanding, but the freshmen are also far less intimidated. The freshmen and sophomores of two years ago, when facing their seniors, took Shakespeare’s “discretion is the better part of valour,” to heart. School spirit arises from camaraderie, as this pep rally so aptly illustrated.

The camaraderie is greater not only between freshmen and their seniors, but also between students who belong to different cliques. Cliques have long been a problem at SAS, but the pep rally represented a momentary evaporation of divisions, divisions which have been gradually eroded over four years of shared struggle against teachers, homework, and an administration determined to standardise the dress code.

The spirit that the pep rally managed to kindle was a phenomenal, uplifting experience. An exchange student at SAS during the week after the pep rally would have left thinking American high school students are fanatically supportive of their athletes. The pep rally set the bar for future assemblies. It is up to us to see that the standard is maintained.

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Singapore American High School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Republic of Singapore 738547 Staff: (65) 6363-3404 x537 Adviser: (65) 6363-3404 x539 Fax: (65) 6363-6443 eye@sas.edu.sg

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Editors-in-chief: Megan Anderson, sr. editor Amanda Tsao, Ravi Shanmugam News editor: Amanda Tsao, sr. editor, See Young Lee Op/Ed editor: Ravi Shanmugam, sr. editor; Alex Lim Features editor: Alex Boothe, sr. editor, Amber Bang, Akilesh Pant Eye In Focus editor: Devin Hardee, Hee Soo Chung A&E editor: Jon Cheng Sports editor: Barbara Lodwick Photo: Megan Anderson, Brian Riady, Jin Yoo Kim Reporters: Megan Anderson, Amber Bang, Alex Boothe, Jon Cheng, Rohin Dewan, Devin Hardee, DJ Hartman, Lorenzo Holt, Jin Yoo Kim, See Young Lee, Nick Leisiuk, Alex Lim, Barbara Lodwick, Akilesh Pant, Ravi Shanmugam, Amanda Tsao Adviser: Mark Clemens Assistant adviser: Judy Agusti

The Eye is the student newspaper of the Singapore American School. All opinions stated within these pages are those of their respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Singapore American School, its board of governors, PTA, faculty or administration.

Comments and suggestions can be sent to the Eye via the Internet at eye@sas. edu.sg. At the author’s request, names can be withheld from publication.

Letters will be printed as completely as possible. The Eye reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of taste and space.

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Nov. 21, 2007

Big Brother:

Singapore American School has an excellent but fragile reputation that cannot afford to be tarnished.

As the largest international school in the world all eyes are on us to be the school upon a hill for other international communities across the globe. One mistake by a single student can alter the immaculate image of this school and pose a major problem for future students, teachers and administrators.

Consequently, it is important to ensure that SAS students behave at all times while remaining as productive as possible.

But, controlling hundreds of rowdy adolescents Megan can be extremely problematic.

A number of techniques have been used to try to control student activity over the weekends, but none have been fully effective. Students are still throwing parties, going clubbing, drinking and staying out until ridiculous hours of the morning.

This deplorable behavior must be stopped if SAS’s sterling reputation is to be preserved. The administration will have to consider alternatives to the current, unsuccessful techniques to control students’ activity on weekends.

Among the most popular ideas is a state-of-the-art nanochip developed

by BigBrother Technologies. With its multiple functions, painless implantation procedure and microscopic size it has the capability of providing a perfect solution to the dilemma SAS is facing.

This modest proposal would require students to undergo the easy and painless process of implantation and activation of the nanochip.

The chip can be implanted in the forearm, back of the neck or the sole of the foot. If the student is within a proximate distance to more than two other students for more than one hour at a time (except in the case of

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new technologies, pro-active tactics to ensure students’ well-being

a school sponsored event such as a concert, play or athletic event where all parts of the chip will be deactivated except for the Brain Stimulation Detector), the chip will trigger an alarm at the central database where teachers and administrators can monitor the whereabouts and actions of high school students at all times.

Once the alarm is triggered, the student will be tracked, obtained and taken to a detention center where they will be confined and forced to take SAT practice tests.

T h e nanochip will Anderson be able to detect traces of alcohol and nicotine in the blood stream. The consumption of alcohol and/or the use of nicotine will trigger the release of pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant, paralyzing all muscles in the body until authorities arrive to take him/her to the detention center where the chip will be disabled and the student’s muscles returned to a normal state. The student will be confined and forced to take SAT practice tests as well as various AP multiple choice tests.

It is hoped that the fear of getting caught interacting with other students will encourage more kids to remain safely at home. But, to further the efficiency of the student and give him/her more of an incentive to work hard the chip will detect higher levels of brain productivity.

Electrical activity emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves. When the brain is aroused and actively engaged in mental activities, it generates beta waves. These beta waves are of relatively low amplitude, and are the fastest of the four different brainwaves. Beta waves are commonly activated when a person is reading, writing, studying and

I love you, Darling!

I love you, Sweetie!

playing the piano or violin, but are fastest when students are taking SAT and AP practice tests. The nanochip contains a unit called the Brain Stimulation Detector (BSD) that detects electrical activity radiating from the brain in each student over the weekend and records it in the brain productivity data base (BPDB) located in the central database where teachers can view the incoming figures on an electroencephalogram (EEG).

To influence students to achieve maximum brain stimulation a High Achievers Brunch will be held at the end of every quarter to reward students who achieve the highest cumulative average of brain stimulation points (BSP’s) during the weekends of each quarter. Even more of a reason to stay at home and achieve high brain stimulation is an awards ceremony at the end of the year, when the top three highest achievers will be recognized and given a noteworthy laminated certificate.

The advantages of this nanochip are endless as well as of the highest importance. Students will no longer spend their free time socializing but doing more productive tasks like taking SAT practice tests. They will no longer consume alcohol or smoke cigarettes for fear of their muscles congealing. The SAS high school community will have more of a “family feel” as teachers will be able to keep track of students at all times, almost like a parent.

In fact, not only will the chip benefit students and teachers, but also parents who will have less of a role trying to control the lives of their children. Living as an expatriate parent is hard enough as it is. Having to juggle work, travel, household duties as well as offspring is not easy. Parents will no longer have to set curfews, monitor their kids’ whereabouts and worry about them experimenting with illegal substances on weekends. Thanks to the ingenious nanochip the school will have total control. megz_anderson@hotmail.com

TSAOISM The trend of Holly Golightly wannabes at SAS

I love-

...Eew.

By Amanda Tsao

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“Turn the other cheek”: Why you shouldn’t Even as South Africans danced of the idea. It is similar to former the night away, celebrating their U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy’s triumph in Saturday’s Rugby World use of the term “communism”—the Cup final, recriminations started in McCarthy trials were so frightening Britain. “The Sun,” a British tabloid, precisely because the equated condemned the unsportsmanlike being anti-McCarthy with being behaviour of the communist. victorious South

Africans, suggesting Sportsmanship that it was at best a is a nebulous tainted victory. concept. Sport, As a journalist, I by definition, am reluctant to admit necessitates press hypocrisy, but competition. A the overtly partisan sprinter aims condemnation of the to beat the next South Africans is just person in the that. Undoubtedly, next lane, and is the scrums were not delighted if his exclusively over the Ravi Shanmugam opponent trips. ball—there were A football player almost as many verbal aims to dominate rucks and mauls as there was rugby his counterparts. A rugby player played. However, the vanquished aims to pummel the opposition English were no less guilty than the into submission. How gentlemanly victors. the act of pummeling can be is The crux of the problem is “The open to question, but nevertheless Sun’s” use of “sportsmanship.” this concept is foisted on us by Concepts like this should never be authorities intent on keeping a used to attack—they are wielded as façade of amiable engagement a battering ram to brand anyone who between bitterly opposed teams. disagrees an opponent. An opponent As Shakespeare noted, a glittering not just of the person wielding the appearance hides “a rotten and most battering ram, but an opponent putrefied core.”

BRENDED “Student Council”

by brendan lam

Since this is neither politics nor a second-hand car dealership, why do we use euphemisms to tread around the real issue? The truth is that an athlete is, and should be, ecstatic if his opponent fails. The idea that the athlete should never display these feelings, should appear to support his opponent, and should even force a smile when he loses, is antediluvian to say the least.

Athletes are encouraged to strive for excellence. This means being better than everyone else. Watching our sporting idols on television, we see exactly how much value top athletes put on sportsmanship.

Whether it is the latest lesson in profanities, courtesy of English footballer Wayne Rooney, or the sledging of Indian cricketers by Australian captain Ricky Ponting, or the far from amicable pummeling (both on and off the ball) of teams at the Rugby World Cup, one message echoes loud and clear: sportsmanship has no place in topnotch competition.

Sportsmanship as a concept is a fossil from the age of chivalry in Victorian England. We should kick this relic back where it belongs— into the 19th Century. ravi.theeye@gmail.com

We got m@il: Advanced Placement courses overburdening students To the editor: “I wish I would have taken one more Advanced Placement Course.”

Eleven words. Eleven words I am confident you won’t repeat after you graduate from Singapore American School. I suspect many of you will have regrets. For example, not taking an additional course in Physical Education, Art, or Music; trying out for a musical, play, or athletic team; being involved more actively in a club or school sponsored organization; or simply spending more quality time cultivating relationships. What I am noting during my tenure here as the High School Psychologist is that many of you are indeed trying to do all of the above, as well as take as many A.P. classes as you can, but it comes with a price: your mental and physical health!

A.P Coordinator Mark Devine notes, last year alone, over 125 high school students took four or more A.P. exams. This is an amazing testament to your ability and dedication. Now add to this a few clubs, sports, and “other” extracurricular activities, and you have the makings for a good-old-fashion dose of STRESS. For the past three years the high school has taken various initiatives (Health-Wellness Week, and Wellness Committee meetings comprised of teachers, students, admin, and parents) to address ways to reduce stress among students and faculty. As I took some time to reflect on the previous committee minutes, what I found was startling. Three years on, we are still making the same recommendations. There have been no long-term changes/solutions regarding reduction in stress or promoting of wellness and health among students and faculty. Initiatives such as Wellness Week, while good at temporarily raising awareness of health related issues, do little in the long term to hold back the “Culture of Over Achievement? What are we to do?

I believe a fundamental answer to the Stress Reduction Equation lies with you, the students. Some students perceive that stress is something that “happens to them,” rather than something that is self-imposed. I am of the mindset that a large degree of stress is indeed self-imposed by you, the students. Many have bought into a culture or collective belief that says: “You must take as many A.P’s as you possibly can fit into your schedule, be involved in several clubs, etc. in order to demonstrate just how versatile of a person you are.” In reality what you are actually demonstrating is a lack of boundaries!

Saying “No” and “Enough” are not words teens are accustomed to. Many simply trade in their proverbial plate for a platter and pile more and more on only to wonder how they are going to maintain this precarious balance called “life.”

I can already hear the cry: “But we need to do this in order to get into a good college.” Please…Let me be a bit bold, but on the record, a college or university does not make for a “good education.” You do! You bring your work ethic, talents, and skills, and well-roundedness to the table. This is what makes the difference in the outcome of your university experience.

Sadly, many of you have fallen for the fallacy of attaching self-worth with accomplishments. You believe that in order to be a “good” student and get into a “good college” you need to take as many A.P courses as possible during your schooling, in addition to being involved in a multitude of “other” activities.

My purpose in writing this is to appeal to students, the administration, superintendent, and school board to consider active and significant ways we can make strides to reduce stress and promote balance in student’s lives. I believe that this can indeed be done without compromising the quality and excellence of our instruction. Principal Dave Norcott notes: “Every cause needs a champion.” I appeal to the High School Community to actively promote lifestyle changes that we can embrace as a community of learners.

Some of you are thinking, “But we have students who can take four our more A.P courses in a given year and handle the pressure.” I don’t believe this is the position we should be taking, but rather asking ourselves “Is this what we consider to be well-rounded and healthy for students?” My answer to this is a resounding “NO!” As part of the work that I am involved with on the Health and Wellness Committee I am formally requesting that we reduce the amount of A.P courses students are allowed to take during the school year. Currently there is no formal policy in place to address this. We have some safeguards to try to limit the amount of courses, but kids and parents can override recommendations made by counselors and teachers.

At the end of the day this may all prove to be an exercise in futility…or maybe not. For those of you who can choose your courses I implore you to seriously consider your motives. Think about balance, well-roundedness, and the quality of your high school experience. “I wish.” Don’t let these be words attached to your high school experience at SAS. Yours Faithfully, Jeff Devens, Ph.D. / High School Psychologist

staff editorial

Illegal squares snared in morning roundup The small maroon squares scattered school-wide on Monday were not a maliscious prank. They were a project by juniors Ron Milne and Shannon Lynch for their Modern Asian Perspectives class to raise awareness about the situation in Myanmar. After individually painting the pieces of cloth, Milne and Lynch took about two hours to put them up around the school. But instead of expressed encouragement in tearing down the Junta, the two partners found the school more prepared to tear down the squares.

“The squares were to symbolize the monk’s robes and bloodshed. The admin thought it was a personal attack or harassment, so they took it down,” Milne said. “They didn’t know what it was about.”

The squares were taken down by deputy principals Doug Niehart and Lauren Mehrbach in the morning.

“They were placed in an area where we don’t allow posters,” Niehart said.

After Milne and Lynch found out who had taken them down, they approached the deputy principals, who then tried to help the students recover as many squares as they could. They recovered around 20 of the original 300.

Before removing the squares,someone should have asked why they were there. Admit tedly, the squares were placed on windows and walls, two areas not allowed for posters. But would glass and plaster have been permanently marred, someone’s sense of order grievously offended if the squares had been left long enough for a few questions to be asked? Coming hot on the heels of Human Rights Week, this presented a perfect opportunity to exemplify the tolerance that SAS aspires to, while promoting democracy. Milne and Lynch may have erred in not informing the administration of their venture, but the deputy principals’ overzealous actions ruined hours of painstaking effort on the part of the students.

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features 7

Nov. 21, 2007

A SEA OF SPIRITED COLOR. Students and teachers flood the gym to show off their dance moves as ‘Crank Dat” by Soulja Boy blasts through the speakers. Photo by Brian Riady.

First season pep rally CRANKS to a new tune

by Alex Boothe Students were crammed together on the gym floor, hot and sweaty, bumping into one another, with loud music banging in the background as they danced to the same tune.

In previous years these attempts at school spirit were not looked upon with much fondness.

“Generally this school doesn’t have spirit unless its forced to,” senior James Golden said. “So why bother?”

This year’s first attempt was a departure from previous pep rallies, and turned out to be a success.

“The goal is to have students come together with their classes and leave with a smile on their face, and I think that was accomplished,” Student Council sponsor Eric Burnett said.

First season athletes emerged from clouds of smoke, created by the theater department’s fog machine, for the team introductions.

“It really pumped me up because it gave me a feel of what it would be like with the stands filled and a loud crowd,” senior varsity volleyball captain Chris Hussey said. “I just really needed that.”

The spirit activities were conducted in between the athlete introductions. Groups of students from each class rose from the sea of people in the stands ready for war: tug-ofwar. The battle zone was prepared with a fourway rope. Each group braced themselves. Then

the whistle blew and the tugging began. In the four-way tug the sophomores and the juniors couldn’t match muscle with the seniors and freshmen. After a few more crucial tugs the seniors proved victorious.

“I felt proud of my class,” senior Callie Schiedt said. “We were so strong and beastly.”

The next battle was between the teachers and the students. It looked grim for the students as the crowd sized up the large male teachers standing alongside the rope cracking their knuckles. After about a minute of pulling with red, rope-burned hands and toes painfully crammed to the front of shoes, it looked like the students were at the losing end. Just as they were about to buckle to the dominating faculty, fellow students rushed to the rescue, saving the students from certain defeat. The students had, for once, won a battle against teachers.

The final test of spirit has always been a fight of lungs and vocal

chords, with each class screaming as loud and long as they possibly can to prove they are worthy of the most spirit points. This year, Student Council attempted to bring the masses together with the “Crank That - Soulja Boy” dance.

“I think it united people fairly easily,” Burnett said. “Every generation has their song and I think that was it.”

Students floc­­k­­­ed from the bleachers to the gym floor to “crank that” in front of their class for spirit points.

“It was crowded and squishy because a lot of people went down even if they didn’t know the dance, but it was still a lot of fun,” junior Julia Tan said. bootheattheeye@gmail.com

High School principal Dave Norcott and vice-principals Doug Neihart and Lauren Merbach prove that they can “Crank Dat”.

Yelling in Yellow: Juniors prove rowdy and spirited as they cheer for their class.

Freshmen Bethany Sommerfelt, Thomas Wobby, and Kisha Carpio struggle in the four way tug-of-war.

Senior David Small and sophomore James Bowers lend their strength to Junior Michael Jeong plays his saxaphone as part of the jazz band Juniors SampsonYuwono, Kristen Johnson, Doug Wang, and Kristie Parkinson preformance for pep rally. are on the losing end of the tug-of-war. All photos by Brian Riady defeat the teachers in the massive tug-o-war.

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Nov. 21, 2007

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To fear or not to fear the Gap Year

by Devin Hardee “My mom would kill me,” senior Alison Tan said. “Taking a gap year just isn’t a part of the plan.”

Tan, like many other students who took to the idea, eventually discarded the option of taking a year off before college due to the pressure of her parents. Last year, only five students out of the graduating class opted to take a gap year. With the long admission process well underway, only a few students of the class of ‘08 are considering that alternative.

“At SAS, the gap year is not very popular,” co­ un­se­­­l­o­r Frieda Dietri­ch said.

“It is typical for each counselor to have only one or two students contemplating taking the time off.”

Dietrich worked at an international school in Holland where out of a class of 50 it was normal for 10 to take a gap year.

In many cases fear stops students from even toying with the idea of taking time off before college to travel, work or try something new.

It is, after all, not the common path to take. In the American system, it is less widely accepted than in Europe, where it is viewed as a natural part

of becoming an adult.

“There is still the perception among students that taking a year off will put them at a disadvantage, or that they will fall behind,” Dietrich said.

For some students, it is parents instead of their fears that stop them from seriously contemplating a gap year. It is not uncommon for parents to worry that their child might get sidetracked and not go back to school.

There are many advantages of taking a gap year that lead a small minority of students each year to take one. A break from the academic treadmill can be beneficial

for students who have pushed themselves too hard in high school.

With little time to think about much else than school, a year off can be a much needed respite. The potential of the year to be a life-altering experience makes it very appealing to some students and is why many counselors recommend it.

“It is a good idea,” counselor Dale Ford said, “as long as the student has a plan and does not sit on the couch eating potato chips for the whole year.”

Winnie Ma, who graduated last

career “Life,it’scollege, not a race. ” -- MIT admissions officer

Arts Philly play an inspring and bittersweet take on life

by DJ Hartman When I first heard the title, I initially thought that I was going to watch a play about the cliche tale of a small-town girl trying to make it big in the city.

Thankfully, this is not the case. Philadelphia here I come is the tale of Gareth O’Donnell (Played by Brian Gamble) who is about to leave behind his life in Ireland forever to live with his Aunt in Philadelphia. The Bryan Gamble in his role as Gareth O’Donnell rehearses with alter ego Private Gar played by Emily Brotman. night he leaves he is torn by many of his inner demons which One of the more interesting aspects Gar’s memories of pictures of his mother make leaving Ireland harder than he of the play is the way Gar’s character is and Kate during his prayers or asides. had anticipated. He is torn because he portrayed. There is the public Gar that Although it was slow moving at times, is leaving his past love, Kate (Olivia everyone sees and interacts with and then because of the nature of the play, it was a Auerbach). He never knew his motherthere is the private Gar (Emily Brotman) great performance. she died 3 days after giving birth to who is Gar’s internal monologue, his “It turned out better than expected, him. At the same time, his father (Alvi secret thoughts. Private Gar is invisible everything came together in the end.”

Hasan) is emotionally closed off and has to everyone at the stage, revealing Gar’s Sophomore Stephen Curto (Canon Mick him wondering why his mother ever doubts, insecurities and his true intentions. O’Byrne, in the play) said. married him. Gar tries to get his father to This play is the first time that a portable This play is the last major production remember a time where they were close, scrim (large canvases that act as a backdrop before teacher Patricia Kuester will be but Gar himself is really unsure if it even for a projector) have been brought in to the directing before she leaves SAS. happened, or if he simply wishes it did.

Drama Theater. The scrim is used to show djtheeye@gmail.com

Most choose security of dorm room over lure of the path not taken year and was accepted into Amherst College, knew that she wanted to take time off before attending college.

She came up with a plan

so she could make the most of her year off. She has already interned for a Singapore film company and attended a three-week language program in Spain. She is currently teaching in a remote area of China to classes of over 60 students.

After she is going to New York to work in a lab at Cornell University studying inflammatory bowel disease. Ma said she is considering

going on a volunteer medical trip before heading to France for more language studies.

The pressure of high school and what has been dubbed the “burnout” phenomenon, has lead some universities to encourage their applicants to think about taking a gap year.

Harvard University recommends in their acceptance letter that students consider delaying their enrollment for a year. The University of Chicago and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), among others, grant deferrals to most proposals made. According to admissions officers from Harvard and MIT, it is a myth that taking time off can hurt chances of admission. It has been found that time away rarely makes an applicant less desirable. In many cases, it increases their chances of being accepted.

It seems that despite what many students think, it is okay to slow down and to try something different.

A gap year is the perfect opportunity to think, reflect, and contemplate the future.

“Life, college, career - it’s not a race,” an MIT admissions officer said. devintheeye@yahoo.com

Philadelphia, Here I Come

ABOVE: (from L-R) Kelly Schuster, Danielle Courtenay, Bryan Gamble, Mariko Thomas and Luke Ettensperger.

BELOW: (center) Olivia Auerbach as love interest Kate Doogan. Behind her are actors Thomas, Courtenay, Jane Hurh, and Alvi Hasan.

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but they had better do well on the first chance they get!”

Following the audiences’ greeting, concert master Catalina Hwang entered the stage, and had a final tune check with the orchestra. As the last violin in the back finished tuning, Steve Bonnette, the String instructor, walked onto the conductor platform, and got ready to conduct the student orchestra.

“I thought it went pretty well, except when all the violins made mistake during Bach,” junior violinist Julie Kim said.

The finale was decorated with a “Halo” theme. Bonnette introduced the piece by himself, as the audience clapped enthusiastically. With the

bow Radiohead’s new album “In Rainbows” is now available on their website.The official print CD version is yet to be released in stores

I just wanna be your lover.”

Thom Yorke is singing about real people again.

I didn’t pay for my “In Rainbows” download. Since listening and growing to love it, I’ve gone back and paid $5.00.

“In Rainbows” is the most accessible album in Radiohead’s discography.

Usually the purpose of a CD review is to tell the reader if the CD is: not worth buying, well worth buying or something in between. However, when the price of the CD is up to you, what reason is there to not check out “In Rainbows? djtheeye@gmail.com

Eclectic program marks concert

by Jin Yoo Kim The Fall String Concert, which took place on Oct 18, took a novel approach by introducing a new genre of music to the audience. “A Roving” kicked it off, followed by a composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. “A Roving” had a fast Irish tune that people could dance to.

The light atmosphere contrasted with the solemn grandeur that followed when Bach took centrestage. The baroque music was well performed by the orchestra, although it finished in an ensemble after several players came in on the wrong beat.

Some parents on the concert day responded “Fabulous, great dynamic,

rain

been downloaded, the but the source is unconfirmed. However, if both these results are to be believed, Radiohead have potentially made more than $3.9 million. With no record label (their contract with EMI expired after 2003’s “Hail to the Thief”) and no advertising expenses, almost all of that would be direct profit. They also stand to make more money from the $120 discbox available on the website and the conventional CD release to stores in January.

Are Radiohead fans this loyal?

Are we more generous than we give ourselves credit for? Or is it a rebellion against the ‘man’, greedy record industry fat cats? What ever the cause, it is becoming increasingly clear.

Radiohead’s strategy is a success.

Less than 10 seconds into “In Rainbows”, the first track has me in shock. Clearly, 1:30 a.m. is too early for me to be listening for a new Radiohead album. “15 Step”, a drum centric piece in 5/8 time is the closest Radiohead have come to experimenting with hip hop elements. Radiohead front man Thom Yorke sings over synthesized drums “How come I end up where I started? How come I end up where I was? You reel me out and you cut the string.”

“Bodysnatchers” is the best track on the album. Along with a few other songs on “In Rainbows”, it is not new to hard core Radiohead fans; “Bodysnatchers” has been a live favorite for years. “Bodysnatchers” is upbeat and high energy from start to finish. Could Radiohead have finally written a dance track?

“All I Need” is another stand out track of the album. “I’m a moth who just wants to share your light, I’m just an insect trying to get out the night.”

Not since “Creep”, Radiohead’s first single, have Radiohead written such a straightforward love song.

“House of Cards” is a soft guitar and synth piece, is the track on the album. “I don’t wanna be your friend,

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Music Review

by DJ Hartman “It’s fun to make people think about what music is worth.” Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood said. On Sept. 30, Radiohead announced the upcoming release of “In Rainbows” on their website. Fans could preorder the album for the price that they chose.

Puzzling to economists and cheapskates, the majority of buyers have decided to pay something for it, Chris Hufford (Radiohead’s Manager) said in an interview with music magazine Music Week.

“This is for Radiohead fans; the masses probably won’t even know about it,” Hufford said “We think we have a brilliant record that loads of people will like and the world will spread and the masses will notice.”

The masses did notice. The music world erupted with talk of a revolution of music distribution in blogs and the music media. Radiohead had decided to completely forgo the traditional marketing method. “In Rainbows” was announced 10 days before it’s release. Not a single advertisement was broadcast, printed or uploaded. No advance copies were released to radio stations; none of the songs were selected as singles. The New York Times, Pitchfork Media, the Rolling Stone and the Times (London) all published articles about “In Rainbows”. Hufford disagrees with talk of a revolution however.

“It’s not a prescription for the music industry.” Hufford said. Observers have been quick to point out that such a distribution scheme can only work for a band with a fan base as large as Radiohead.

The question resounding throughout the music industry is “Will it work?”.

A survey conducted by Music Week at http://www.whatpricedidyouchoose. com asked 5000 buyers how much they paid for “In Rainbows”, found that the average price paid for “In Rainbows” was $11.63 USD. Reports from Gigwise, a music news website, reported that 1.2 million albums had

arts 9 g o f l d o t a o t p e n n d o of s te

Nov. 21, 2007

added popularity from new title “Halo 3,” audiences enjoyed the tune very much. “I loved it, I actually felt like playing games,” sophomore Daniel McCarvel said. The Halo theme was the first time the string ensemble tryed out the new genre of music. Usually, the string ensemble plays old and modern classical music, but this year, Bonnette decided something new was in order.

Bonnette, who has been working with the SAS music department for five and half years, has been invited to be a conductor in February’s Junior International Honor Orchestra. jinyootheeye@gmail.com

Book Review

On Chesil Beach

by Ravi Shanmugam British novelist Ian McEwan shot to international fame with his 1998 Booker Prize winning epic “Amsterdam,” and embellished a growing reputation with “Atonement” and the innovative “ S a t u r d a y, ” published last year and charting the life of a man through one day.

McEwan’s latest novel, “On Chesil Beach,” was edged out for this year’s Booker by Anne Enright’s “The Gathering.”

Love and loss are age-old topics, embraced by countless writers, infinite faceless characters and innumerable movies. One would think the topic has been written to death, but, as McEwan brilliantly shows, there remain unexplored dimensions. Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting are a young couple on their honeymoon, and despite their ardent love for each other they approach it with trepidation. Having grown up in the constrained English society of the 50s, both remained virgins when they married—an archaic concept in today’s society.

Edward approaches his wedding night with restrained longing, but for Florence, the idea of physical contact is anathema. She loves Edward, but can’t stand the idea of sleeping with him. McEwan uses the sensitive and intelligent Florence to draw a

distinction between love and lust— and his message, which Edward brutally illustrates, is that too often we confuse the two. Florence pleads with Edward to let her have the one without the other, but Edward, bound by the conventions of his society, and how a woman “should” love a man, cannot separate his carnal desires from unadulterated love.

McEwan’s format, which sees him alternate between Chesil Beach, where Florence and Edward have their argument, and flashbacks of Edward wooing Florence, reinforce the distinction between Florence’s love for the man, and Edward’s lust for the woman.

Florence fell for the man in her drawing room, for his intelligence and warmth, and not for the one who wanted to clamber into her bed.

It is a heart-rending sketch of a young couple who see the tragedy brought about when unconditional love does not guarantee unconditional acceptance. The tragedy that occurs when people are too bound up in the dictates of society to accept what is different in each other. “Who loves, who loves not at first sight?”

Shakespeare asked, but McEwan shows that all too often accepting the person you love is considerably more difficult than appears in a Shakespearean comedy. ravitheeye@gmail.com

10 arts Movie Reviews

by Jon Cheng In one movie, a horde of flesheating zombies plagues a sleazy town in Texas. In another, a veteran stunt driver obsesses on murdering a group of gorgeous, hedonistic, potsmoking women.

Believe it or not, these are the plots for the “Grindhouse” experience.

Inspired by low-budget roadshow horror in the 1970’s (two movie deals for a price of one, fake trailers, missing reels), cinema has been taken up to a whole new level, especially with the Rodriguez/ Tarantino combination. Both flicks are horror films in their aspect, twisted with signature scenes that perfectly reflect Tarantino-ism and Rodriguez-ism. And the inventive pastiche of retro-roadside cinema has never been done with such stylish conviction.

“Planet Terror” is a sticky mish-mash of “Dawn of the Dead (1978),” “Mars Attacks (1996),” and Rodriguez’s own “From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).” On top of all that, he adds in a bevy of odd characters who are either witty or dreary.

Like most zombie films, “Planet Terror’s” storyline is ridiculous, but even so, it’s brilliantly ridiculous. When a biochemical gas “accidentally” leaks into the atmosphere over Texas, it begins to turn Texans into flesheating monsters – bubbling skin, dampened sense of reality and lethal feces – yes, deadly human excretion. A biochemical engineer (humorously played by “LOST’s” Naveen Andrews) who created the gas, flees the scene, but is captured by a guerilla coalition. True enough, the coalition, headed by the general (Bruce Willis) discovers him and brings him back, hoping to extract information for a cure. On a side note, Tarantino makes an expected

Nov. 21, 2007

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Another one grinds the dust in buddies’ films

ESCAPE from your marriage? Well, you’d be darned to know that I know a thing or two about escaping places.... cameo; this time as a sadistic rapist.

The quirky fun starts when the motley group of characters is introduced. Ample screen-time is given to each to fully illustrate their idiosyncrasies – a BBQ shack owner who refuses to reveal his secret recipe, a go-go dancer who refuses to be known as a stripper (Rose McGowan), gun-wielding specialist El Wray, two whiney Spanish babysitters, and a lesbian nurse who specializes in sedation techniques.

As the violence and gore begin to unfold in the movie, things become bizarre. The nurse’s 10 year old son “accidentally” shoots himself just for the sake of it, the dancer “accidentally” loses her limb and replaces it; first with a table leg, then later with an M4 carbine.

There is a delightful homage to George A. Romero’s classic “Dawn

of the Dead (1978),” - a scene where a helicopter pilot mercilessly slaughters oncoming zombies with visceral glee. Like “Sin City”, the gore is extremely graphic, and almost elegant with some of the innovative cinematography and the intentional grain effects. Fortunately, Rodrigeuz has done some justice to a classic scene instead of the messy butchering envisioned in “28 Weeks Later (2007.”

For a fair number of reasons, “Deathproof” is a disappointment.

Tarantino has always surprised and equally baffled us with movies that are overstuffed with outrageousness, but “Death Proof” is not a signature Tarantino. Certain elements of Tarantino-ism that so many viewers loved in his previous films are either dropped or exaggerated, utilizing the conservative approach used in

“Jackie Brown.”

The time-warps that made his films so successful are absent, as are the conversations that grow dull and lackluster in this film. In one scene, for example, four young women engage in pure conversation, for 15 minutes. That particular scene teeters – perilously close – on the brink of exhaustion. The very irksome nature of that conversation, and perhaps many others similar to it, are a far cry from the films of Tarantino’s early days leading up to “Kill Bill.” And while that 15 minute conversation is an obvious attempt at recreating the classic breakfast conversation in “Reservoir Dogs,” (where the characters and sleazy and vulgar interactions are actually rather engaging), there seems to be none of the resemblance here.

Thankfully, the plots are

interesting. This time it’s in the form of a pseudo-thriller, with the clever addition of Hitchcockian elements.

Kurt Russell stars a risk-taking stuntdriver who takes pleasure in driving women to their death. Presented as a simple premise, Tarantino separates the movie into two separate acts, both of which introduce a different group of female characters – each falling prey to the stunt driver’s whims.

The sheer bravado of the great characterizations is the main bulk of the movie, yet complexity is largely lacking. Wafer-thin characterizations of both groups of girls, although competently acted, serve little purpose in justifying even a remote sense of realism.

What works fabulously in “Grindhouse” is the presentation.

The 70’s road-show element, if not nostalgic for any of our student readers, is innovative. Some of the reels are missing – with a very intentional effect -- and are pleasant surprises. In one scene, the lovemaking session between El Wray and the go-go girl is interrupted with a screen showing “Missing Reel.”

Adding to the intentional missing reel scenes are the fake trailers, which seem to be a focal point as well. In fact, they seem to be a high point of the “Grindhouse” experience. There is a funny Tarantino parody of Eastwood’s westerns in a trailer for “Machete,” involving a bar owner in trouble with bad people who finally seeks help from a Mexican bishop (and yes, he does accept the request). The final scene of the trailer is hilarious, in which the bishop shoots the criminal in the face, claiming that “God has mercy; I don’t.” That’s copyright Rodriguez, Padre. jontheeye@gmail.com

Docudrama’s images compelling, but script fails It Girl’s story

by Amanda Tsao The movie Singapore has waited a year to show (due to much censoring) has finally come to town. “Factory Girl,” starring Sienna Miller, is just as shallow as its subject, Edie Sedgwick, the “poor little rich girl” who became Andy Warhol’s muse and led the live fast-die pretty life, dying of a drug overdose at 28.

Miller is perfectly cast resembling Sedgwick in every way, from her ecstasy induced babble, to her waifish flightiness and exaggerated facial expressions. Guy Pearce also casts well, portraying a more convincing Andy Warhol than David Bowie in “Basquiat.” His detached, awkward movements and puzzlement at basic social cues capture the essence of his character. Pearce’s Warhol takes Bowie’s Warhol and depicts him as a cold user who quickly tires of everything that once inspired him.

He discards Sedgwick as easily as one of his soup cans and goes for Nico, the blonde tambourine player of the Velvet Underground. The

relationship between Sedgwick and Warhol is far more interesting than the romantic one between Sedgwick and Bob Dylan, played by Hayden Christensen.

Dylan too, is not exempt from being as superficial as all the characters are. Dylan tells Sedgwick that Warhol is using her as his muse of the moment, yet he dumps her as soon as he gets his own intimate fill of her.

Abandoned by her cold parents, her romantic hope, Dylan, and her eccentric best friend, Warhol, the crushing blow is when she discovers that her glamorous life has led her to bankruptcy. She ends up begging friends for money, but spends it on drugs instead of paying the rent and becomes the obsession of a different set of friends than the ones at Warhol’s factory, a group who pump her full of heroin and take advantage by filming pornographic scenes with her in it.

But it’s not as if Warhol was any less vulgar. Towards the end of

his fascination with Sedgwick, he allows his close friend to film a sex scene starring the blind Sedgwick as he casually looks on from behind the camera. Luckily, Sedgwick is sober enough to realize that it wasn’t like her other movies with Warhol, and manages to free herself, leaving the factory for good.

A childhood friend Sid rescues Sedgwick and putting her into the same rehab center where she spent most of her adolescent life, dumped there by a negligent father. Away from chaotic New York in Santa Barbara, the film ends there, with text explaining the remainder of her short life. She married a fellow patient, then died shortly afterwards.

The film asks the audience who really killed Edie. Was it Warhol for sucking the life of her, knowing full well when he discarded her that he doomed her career? Or was it Edie herself, vulnerable, flighty, frivolous, and naïve, incapable of taking care of herself. The cinematography is wonderful, though. The black and

white grainy film is meshed with psychedelic blurriness and blazing primary colours to give a full feel of the Sixties’ art scene in New York. But there is nothing moving when Edie dies. Instead it’s a sad realization that she is what many girls in this generation aspire to be: the dreamy, fashionable, ignorant Holly Golightly girl who is totally incompetent and gets away with everything just because she is pretty and pretends to love everyone by calling them pet names. Edie is the reason why the plague of girls in the cafeteria are the way they are.

One wonders why Edie is famous in the first place, why she is such an icon for having done basically nothing. This converse reaction of what the film hoped to achieve, audience sympathy, is “Factory Girl’s” biggest failure. One leaves the cinema having wished the director included a scene where Edie pushes that last needle in. amandatheeye@gmail.com

Sienna Miller as Edie

The ‘real’ Edie Sedgwick

the Eye

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sports 11

Nov. 21, 2007

Near goals result in loss to Manila at ISKL

Five year sweep slips away, Eagles grab silver

by Barbara Lodwick At the first season pep rally, when asked what IASAS should hold, the girls soccer captains chanted “Back to back to back to back to back” The soccer team had won IASAS four years in a row, and it was going to take everything they had to utillize a new defense and not allow any goals in as was the case the year before.

In the Eagle’s first game, the girls came out against a weak Taipei team, beating them easily 5 – 1, Senior Tri-Captain Natalie Favati scored a hat trick, along with Junior Erin Morris and Senior Tri-Captain Alex Shaulis who each contributed to the win with a goal apiece.

In the second game, the Eagles kept the Dragons to no goals scored, and maintained control to end the match 4 – 0. Junior Nora Hanagan, an own goal, and Junior Erin Morris scored the Eagle’s goals.

The next morning, the Eagles faced off against the Bearcats who were turning out to be a frontrunner in the tournament this year. A goal

by Shaulis and a penalty kick by

Hanagan made the final score 2 – 1.

Goalkeeper, senior Christi Boston, maintained composure and ensured the Eagle’s victory.

That evening, the girls played the home team, the ISKL Panthers. The crowd must have been an advantage for the Panthers who came out stronger than expected.

Morris put two balls in the net to give the Eagles the victory 2 – 0.

The next morning, a championship bound team played Bangkok, who needed a win to be in the finals. With a game-tying goal

by Favati, the Panther’s hopes were crushed when Boston stopped the Bangkok midfielder from scoring.

The Eagles tied 1 – 1.

The championship game was against the Bearcats who were growing with confidence throughout the tournament. Rain and in climate weather provided obstacles for the Eagles who had trouble getting through the Manila goalkeeper. The Eagles finished with silver, Manila grabbed gold with a score of 1 – 0.

The All-Tournament selections for the Eagles were Shaulis, Favati, and Morris.

Nora Hanagan defends the ball as a JIS player attempts to steal it. Senior Alex Shaulis makes sure she doesn’t. Photo by Phil Boston

Boys soccer score at four

by Alex Lim A sporadic season finally came to an end with the Eagle’s boy’s soccer team leaving Kula Lumpur with a fourth place finish.

Early on, it looked as if SAS’s anemic performance at the recent soccer exchange might have been a fluke as the Eagles got off to a solid start, with a 1-0-1 record after two games.

Then, after controlling the ball for the majority of the game against a tough ISKL team, a lapse in concentration resulted in a Panther goal being scored in the last five minutes, tying the game and costing the Eagles an opportunity to play in the finals.

“It was pretty devastating,” Senior Goalkeeper Sandy Morris said, “We did all we could but we just couldn’t hang on to the lead.”

IASAS STATS

Clearly drained by the ISKL game, the Eagles were unable to rebound and dropped their next three games after being outscored 2-7 by the opposition, finishing fourth in the final standings.

“It was unfortunate for us because our fate depended on that one (ISKL) goal,” Junior Nihal Varkey said, however Varkey said that the Eagles had nothing to be ashamed off and that they had “played their hearts out.”

Despite the outcome, Eagles coach Tim Zitur insisted his team had greatly improved over the course of the year.

“We played great soccer to get to where we did,” Zitur said, “any one of the five teams could have made it to the finals.”

Markus Friis Lucas Pipoli was named to the all – IASAS roster. alextheeye@gmail.com

Soccer:

Cross-country Results:

Boys 1. ISKL 2. ISB 3. JIS

Girls - Team Results Teams Points Rank SAS 28 1 TAS 97 3 ISM 38 2 JIS 115 5 ISKL 150 6 ISB 114 4

Girls 1. ISM 2. SAS 3. ISB

Volleyball: Girls 1. ISM 2. ISB 3. ISKL Boys 1. SAS 2. ISKL

Boys - Team Results Teams Points Rank SAS 30 1 TAS 76 3 ISM 110 5 JIS 38 2 ISKL 163 6 ISB 105 4

Girls - Individual Results Rank Name School Time 1 Renuka Agarwal SAS 2 Rhea Schmid ISM 3 Brianna Florida JIS 4 Annie Lydens SAS 5 Avery Shawler SAS 6 Karen Lloyd ISM 7 Patricia Limcaoco 12:52 Boys - Individual Results Rank Name School Time 1 Thomas Boyd JIS 2 Joseph Lu TAS 3 Brian Robertson SAS 4 Evan Shawler SAS 5 Kristian Danorwayan 17:28 6 James Linton SAS 7 David Clark JIS

12:24 12:39 12:39 12:40 12:41 12:47 I S M

16:37 16:46 16:55 17:23 J I S 17:42 17:43

On a gold run - XC hits the jackpot yet again

by Akhilesh Pant Braving a drenched course and hilly terrain, SAS cross country boys and girls claimed overall IASAS victory on Oct. 27. The girls ended with a total of 28 points, 10 points ahead of ISM. SAS boys also took the gold with a total of 30 points.

The Sembawang course has been known to be tough with its hilly terrain, but runners were still able to finish with surprisingly short times, many breaking their own personal records.

After a brief delay with the starting horn, the signal for the start of the boys’ race was sounded. SAS runners senior Brian Robertson and junior Evan Shawler maintained positions in the front five. Senior James Linton was closely behind.

Though also maintaining a front position, Linton struggled with JIS runner David Clark in the last stretch of the race, but passed him and finished in a respectable sixth place.

Robertson finished in a comfortable third place, trailing Thomas Boyd of JIS in first and Joseph Lu of TAS in second, with Shawler finishing just behind them in fourth.

A drizzle followed by heavy rain had drenched the course earlier that morning. The downpour ended minutes before the start of the boys’ race, leaving a cooler temperature for the run.

In the girls’ race, the Eagles were once again able to dominate most of the top five positions throughout. The highlight of this race was the rivalry between Renuka Agarwal and Cindi

Renuka Agarwal beating it out to the finish l i n e for yet another IASAS g o l d medal Photo

by Brian Riady

Yim of TAS. Yim defeated Agarwal earlier this year in Manila.

“Before the race, I was definitely worried about her,” Agarwal said.

“She is an amazing athlete and great competition. I really had to fight for it.”

For the first segment of the race, Yim and Agarwal were neck-andneck with Yim slightly ahead, setting a fast pace for the rest of the runners.

Around halfway through the race, Agarwal pulled ahead and by the end of the race, had a substantial lead over the rest of the runners. Yim slowly fell through the ranks and finished in 11th place. After crossing the line 15 seconds in front of Rhea Schmid of ISM, Agarwal was still full of energy.

“Whenever I finish a race I

always feel really energetic and giddy,” Agarwal said. “The race was pretty hard but the second wind I got when I passed Cindi really helped.”

The 11th place finish for Yim came as a surprise to many. She was expected to have placed near the front as she consistently has in recent races.

“For the first part of the race I did what my coach wanted me to do,” Yim said. “At around halfway I let it slip.”

Once overall results were announced and victory was officially secured, the Eagles, including Coach Paul Terrile, were ecstatic.

“It was close and nervewracking, but we wound up taking both,” Terrile said. “It was a big, big win.”

12 sports

Nov. 21, 2007

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the Eye

Home crowd cheers boys to GOLD Vball at dynasty status with eight straight wins

Senior Barron Witherspoon and Sophomore Gabe Lee prepare to block a Panther attack in the championship game.

Photo by Brian Riady

by Alex Lim The Eagle’s Volleyball team started off the IASAS tournament in dominating fashion, beating ISM and ISB in straight sets on the opening day of the tournament. The Eagles then survived a major scare, saving two match points before beating a tough JIS team in three sets.

The second day saw the Eagles continue their drive towards winning a gold medal. Coming off an emotional high from the night before, SAS dropped TAS in straight

sets before losing a meaningless game to ISKL. Their 4-1 record assured the Eagles a spot in the final where they would face ISKL in a highly anticipated rematch of the tournament’s top two teams.

In the final day of the tournament, the Eagles looked liked they would cruise to an easy victory, building a seemingly insurmountable two set lead before ISKL staged an improbable rally, tying the game at two sets a piece. On the verge of a monumental collapse, team captains

Chris Hussey and Kelson Nef helped the Eagles regain their composure with their invaluable leadership, and SAS stormed back to win the final set, electrifying an anxious home crowd.

The Eagles solidified their status as a Volleyball dynasty, with their tournament record, eight straight IASAS gold medals.

Kelson Nef, Gabe Lee and Chris Hussey were named to the all – IASAS team. alextheeye@gmail.com

sports opinon

Boys play to fans in Hollywood thriller finish Move over the Colorado Rockies. This year’s IASAS – gold winning installment of Eagles Volleyball has my vote for the most improbable sporting team of the year. Here’s why: Before their season had even started, expectations for the Eagles were running at an all time high. The team had inherited the reputation, but not the talent of its predecessors. Eagle teams of the past had captured IASAS gold for an unprecedented, seven consecutive years. No other school Alex Lim had even come remotely close to threatening this record in the history of the tournament.

Sometimes a winning tradition can actually be detrimental to a team. Just ask the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Earlier in the school year, I assessed the Eagles roster and came to this premature conclusion: “A very raw, young athletic team with great individual talent but lacking in championship experience.” With only three seniors on the team, one of them having never played volleyball before, I figured there was no way SAS could repeat as champions.

Of course, what did I know?

About a month before the IASAS tournament, I recall having a conversation with co – captain Kelson Nef. After talking briefly about the new personnel and the coaches on the team, I raised the inevitable question: “How do you think the team is going to do in IASAS?” Nef’s response was uncertain. “I think we’re a talented team,” he said, then rather candidly revealed, “But we just got our butts kicked (at the annual volleyball exchange).”

Translation: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Eagles coach Simon Bright told me on the first day of IASAS, “the team that grows the most (during the tournament) will win it.”

And that’s exactly what the Eagles did. They grew up, right in front of our eyes.

I admit, I thought the Eagles would fold like lawn chairs after having squandered a two sets to nothing lead in the in the finals against an ISKL team that had already beaten them the day before. A student sitting next to me in the stands groaned, “at least we made it to the finals.”

Then, just as quickly as their lead had evaporated, the Eagles stormed back to take the set, and their eighth consecutive championship. Looking for someone to celebrate the win with, I turned to the same student sitting next to me, but he, along with the rest of the gym, had already rushed the court to mob the victorious home team. Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script.

“The seniors were affected the most (by the pressure of the winning streak),” Nef told me after the pandemonium had died down. “We needed to see our legacy continued.”

Once-favored girls fail to medal, rattled by crowd

by Alex Lim The girl’s Volleyball team got off to a fast start, winning their first two games of the IASAS tournament.

After holding off TAS in a close three set match, the Eagles then beat a weak JIS team convincingly.

The Eagles would not win again, however and a loss to ISM would drop the Eagles to 2-1 by the end of the first day.

The losses would mount for Off like a shot - The cross country girls started their race strong in Singapore the girls on the second day as they fell to both ISKL and ISB. Unable to contend for the Gold, the Eagles attempted to salvage their season against TAS in a playoff. Having been beaten by the Eagles earlier in the tournament, TAS turned the tables on SAS, winning 3-1. The Eagles ended the second day on a four game losing streak.

In a match up of the tournament’s worst, SAS just managed to eke out a 3-2 victory against a winless JIS team. The win meant the Eagles would finish fifth in the over all standings.

Barbara Lodwick was named to the all – IASAS team. alextheeye@gmail.com

Tip Tip! Keep the Change! The Eagles celebrate a tip by Sophomore Rachel McCabe. Tips are used as a means of finding weak spots in the oppositions defense. Photo by Jin Yoo Kim

EYE ZOOM

First year volleyball player, Senior Barron Witherspoon picked up the sport easily, and led the team in blocking throughout the season.

Witherspoon was impenetrable in the middle during the IASAS tournament. Photo by Jin Yoo Kim