August 2018

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August 2018 Volume 19, Issue 1 lightningboltonline.com Sage Hill School 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657

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Library Gets a Summer Makeover The Johnson Family Library and Hamoui Family Sage Center Undergo Renovations Sydney McCord Re-imagine. That was the word repeated by Patricia Merz, Head of School, when describing the goal of Sage Hill School’s library renovations.

The re-design of the library has been quite a mysterious project to students since it began at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.

“I knew the upper [library] was going to become the more noisy area, and the lower [library] would become the quiet space.

But other than that I didn’t really know anything about the changes,” senior Ishani Patel said.

Most students held Patel’s same amount of limited knowledge when it came to this project. “I think it’s going to be neat, but I don’t really know what big changes can really be done,” senior Luke Nataupsky said.

Throughout almost the entirety of the last school year, however, the Sage student body unknowingly played a large role in the library updates.

“We tested furniture last school year [in the library]” Merz said. “And from that, we were able to choose the different pieces.”

Therefore, the way students responded to the new furniture that was placed in the lower library impacted many of decisions that can be seen in both the upper and lower library now.

And although different types Photos by Kelly Parker | The Bolt of furniture are a huge aspect of the redesign, Merz and her team The newly renovated Johnson Family Library boasts all-new seating and work areas for students. spent also spent a lot of their The upstairs also features the new McNeill Merz Loft, which will be used to host meetings and other time responding to what they student activities throughout the school year. thought Sage students really needed out of the library.

“We decided that we to have access to outlets, to be separated into three separate ers. needed to re-think the library have technology. They need to sections by sliding glass doors In addition, the upper library and re-design it in a way that rebe able to just come together.” if needed. The space is also holds a meeting space for faculty sponds to the way that students For collaborative work, home to several circular meeting and other events. actually study,” Merz said. “Now students are now meant to meet spaces with couches and tables “We needed a home for the that we’re at 540 students, as in the upper library, where all that are meant to hold classes Sage Center too,” Merz said. opposed to a lot fewer students, offices and bookshelves have of up to twenty students and “So, the upstairs is called the we need more room [for stubeen dismantled, in favor of an projectors for students to airplay Sage Center and all the meetings dents] to sit, to gather, to study, entirely open layout which can course work from their computfor Sage Center programs will

“

SAGE’S

I believe in the philosophy, I believe in the mission.

-Dominic Campeau

Editorial, Page 2

News, Page 3

SUMMER

”

Students Take on

the World!

Community, Page 4

be held upstairs because that’s where it’s more open.”

In the lower library, however, the entire Sage Center team has offices that line the wall to the MMLH. Additionally, there are two office sized rooms with televisions that students can use for clubs, group work, independent studying, or really anything they want.

And now that the lower library has become the quiet working area, Merz has reimagined the space in a way that she believes fosters concentration and productivity.

“We even changed the color scheme, so it’s going to be more of different blues so you feel calm,” Merz said. “It’s not going to be like we play spa music or anything but we changed the whole lighting scheme to be able to be more conducive for studying, and also the furniture is more comfortable.”

So, as a student descends down the stairs into the lower library, giant windows that flood the space with natural light stand to the left of them. In the space itself, a mixture of pendant lights and “flushed lights” prevent the area from appearing too dark and cave-like.

In terms of furniture, the remaining books from the bookshelves in the upper library, have been added to a circular bookcases in which a table and four chairs now sit in the middle.

There are also “Starbucks-like” boothes that line the window closest to Town Square, where groups of up to four people can sit.

The new Johnson Family Library and Hamoui Family Sage Center ribbon cutting ceremony was held following the first day of school convocation on August 20, 2018. The re-imagined space, however, was not the only renovations made this summer, with exciting Humanities Building furniture updates likely to make an appearance in the first few weeks of the school year.

Entering the Western Athletic Conference Karli Davis

Sports, Page 6

Opinion, Page 8

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The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

There is nothing like reading a real newspaper– no replacement for the age-old ritual of reading a paper over morning coffee. Holding a newspaper in your hands brings stories close to you in a way no computer screen can and the faint black shadow that covers your fingertips afterward is satisfying proof that you learned something new that day.

We are lucky to be living in the age of technology but with its many amazing advancements, which include notifying the entire world of an event in minutes through the Internet, also comes the extinction of print news as journalism begins to migrate online, taking new forms and finding popular homes in websites. So, why do we still print?

Print holds us accountable.

With print, there is no endless stream of articles just a mouse click away, no browser on the ready to fact check and no way to retract our words, because whatever we’ve printed with ink might as well be set in stone.

This holds us to a high standard and keeps us on our feet. With only a set amount of pages to fill, we are responsible for curating the most relevant and important stories for our audience and publishing them accurately and without bias.

We are responsible for giving students a voice and for showcasing all outlooks, mindsets and sides.

We are responsible for telling the stories that you as readers might not always want to hear but that, as a member of a community, are important to be aware of.

We are responsible and committed to creating a pub-

Editorial

lication that balances telling the unique stories of our small community with also being relevant to the larger world that we also belong to.

In a basic sense, we are able to fulfill this responsibility because of the First Amendment, which everyone in the United States is entitled to. But, when it gets down to the nuances, it isn’t as simple as just “free speech.”

Case in point: In 1988, the First Amendment was challenged when the student publication of Hazelwood East High School in Missouri came under fire for articles deemed inappropriate by the school district.

In the Supreme Court case that followed, it was decided that student publications not technically labeled as “public forums for expression” would not be protected under the First Amendment at the same level as professional publications.

Luckily, here in California, we are protected under California Education Code 48907 (also known as the California Student Free Expression Law), which counters the Hazelwood Decision and mandates that even as high school journalists, we can operate under the same standards, regulations and laws as professional journalists. This means that we are free to pub-

lish what we choose and cannot be censored or silenced, so long as our stories are entirely factual and in no way harmful, slanderous or inaccurate.

This gives us great freedom.

But along with the power to publish what we choose, it is our duty to uphold the trust our community gives us to report accurately in a newspaper that has a place for all the perspectives of our community.

We might just be a high school publication but in the eye of the law, we are in the same league as the pros.

That’s a great privilege and it is our duty to create a publication that lives up this honor.

THE BOLT

T

he Bolt, published seven times a year, is a student newspaper and serves the public forum at Sage Hill School. Its content - news, editorial, opinion, and feature - is protected by Education Code 48907, the state student rights law and the California Constitution which guarantees all citizens the right of freedom of speech and of the press. The Bolt accepts signed letters to the editor from members of the Sage Hill Community which may be posted as comments to our website, lightningboltonline.com, or addressed to editor-in-chief Hannah Woodworth and put in her mailbox on campus. These letters may not exceed 150 words or they will be edited for inclusion.

Editors-in-Chief Halah Biviji (Storm), Daniel Fishman (Online), Madison Harris-Weiner (Bolt), Sarah Kim (Storm), Hannah Woodworth (Bolt) Editorial Board Lily Button, Miranda deBruyne, Karli Davis, Alexis Kelly, Trevor Klein, Sydney McCord, Cammi Phillips, Alicia Theoglides-Rodriguez Adviser Kelly Parker

Ali Ansari

Adam Hung

Yuna Baek

Valentina Lin

Jonathan Chance Shreya Chitoori Ashwin Chona Jacob Gibbs Ian Grimm Linda Hachim Lily Humphrey

Kate Mlouk Polina Mogilevsky Isabella Mora Austin Robertson Natalie Rosenberg

News Inside the camPOFFice...

Kelly Parker | The Bolt

Dean of School Life Dominic Campeau inside his new “camPOFFice” in the C building.

The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

Lily Button As a new school year commences, the Sage community welcomes former history teacher Dominic Campeau into his new role as Dean of School Life.

Entering his eighth year at Sage, Campeau is looking forward to this upcoming chapter in his career and hopes to make it a successful transition.

His position is designed to oversee and provide guidance in student activities.

“There is a lot of supervision of programs…Anything that relates to students, I am going to be involved in somehow at some point,” Campeau said.

Last spring, the community said farewell to the previous Dean of School Life, Jon Poffenberger, who moved to Michigan to be closer to his family. Previously known as the “Poffice,” room 104A in the C building has been recently dubbed the “camPOFFice” to reflect the contributions of each administrator.

“It’s a new job for me and I want to make this transition as smooth as possible. As I’m learning, I want to make sure it’s not a major change for students,” Campeau said.

Campeau started his teaching career in 2001. He taught history for 11 years at numerous schools in Florida and has continued his passion for teaching at Sage Hill for the past 7 years.

The entire student body and community members gather together for the school-wide hug at the Convocation ceremony in 2016.

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“The reason why I’m here at Sage and one of the reasons why I took this job is because I already love what we do; I love the culture. From my first day here I knew this place was a perfect fit. I believe in the philosophy, I believe in the mission, I believe in everything we do. I am just happy to be a part of it in a different role,” Campeau said.

During his time at Sage, Campeau has made his mark on the school both in and out of the classroom. He has taught a variety of history courses, including Patterns of Civilizations, Modern World History, and US History.

After school, he is likely to be found on Hague Field, coaching the Sage Hill baseball team.

Students and teachers alike value his enthusiasm for education and students’ interests.

“Mr. Campeau’s experience in the classroom, on the athletic field and as a parent of a Sage alumnus will give him unique and beneficial perspectives as he enters his new administrative role,” History Department Chair and teacher Stephen Schumacher said.

Students also feel he is well-prepared for the upcoming position. “[Mr. Campeau] is a super positive and a super upbeat guy. He’s involved in student life in every way. He’s a perfect fit for the job,” sophomore Koben Twist said.

Photo courtesy of Rick Davitt

A TRADITIONAL START TO THE YEAR Miranda deBruyne Every year on the first day of school, students return to campus and reunite with friends, classmates, and teachers they have not seen in months.

They share stories of how they spent the summer and compare schedules before sitting down around the perimeter of Town Square, in the section that corresponds with their new grade level.

The crowd of students falls quiet as Convocation, the annual ceremony at the start of the year, begins.

“Since Sage Hill was founded in 2000, the School has always marked the beginning of the school year with a special ceremony,” Head of School Patricia Merz said. “Its purpose is to welcome new students, welcome back returning

students, and inspire the entire community to have the best possible year.”

“In addition to the reading of the School’s mission, there are usually remarks from the Head of School and a student. Typically the student body president is the student speaker,” Merz said.

“The speeches are intended to be inspirational and get everyone excited for a great start to the school year,” she said.

Senior Olivia Lowe thinks Convocation is a great way to the start the new year.

“You hear from faculty and students and really get an idea of how the school year is going to be,” Lowe said. “Also, I think it is a good way for the school to start to bond with the incoming class.”

Although the overall idea and goal

of Convocation has remained the same, there have been some minor additions over the years.

“At Convocation in 2009, after the Class of 2009 presented the School with the Sage Hill gong as their senior gift, we added the tradition of ringing the gong to symbolize the start of the new year,” Merz said. “In addition, in 2009 [and] 2014, we added ribbon-cutting ceremonies to follow Convocation. In 2009 we opened the Studio at Sage Hill; in 2014 we opened the Lisa Argyros and Family Science Center.”

This year, like in 2009 and 2014, there is a special addition to the Convocation ceremony with the ribbon cutting to open the renovated Johnson Family Library and Hamoui Family Sage Center.

“We’ve been very fortunate to add so

many amazing facilities to our campus and to be able to celebrate these spaces as we begin the new school year,” Merz said.

The idea of Convocation is not unique to Sage Hill; it is a tradition that students will continue to see in their time after graduating.

“Most students who graduate will experience a similar ceremony as they begin their college careers and are officially welcomed to their new colleges and universities with large convocation events,” Merz said.

With the annual school-wide hug and the symbolic bang of the Sage Hill gong marking the end of the ceremony, the school year officially begins and students make their way to their classes, inspired to have a strong start to the year.

Comm 4 Sage’s Summer: Shake’n The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

Daniel Fishman

A Catalog of Sage Hill Students’ Favorite Summer Eats

What resonated with you the most over the summer? Be honest. Is the answer food? Let’s go on a culinary adventure and learn about some of the favorite summer foods from the Sage Hill community.

Before embarking, always remember the most important meal of the day.

Senior Robert Gershultz has a unique tradition – every summer he creates a new, exciting break.

“This year, I decided to make a twist on a common breakfast staple,” Gershultz said. “I went with homemade Cheerios and 1% milk.” Unlike store-bought Cheer-

Sydney McCord | The Bolt

Seniors Ishani Patel and Miranda deBruyne share some of the famous OC Fair curly fries.

ios, Gershultz’s were packed with flavor.

After breakfast, we are ready to depart. The first stop on our gastronomical adventure is Italy. Senior Jeffrey Xu’s favorite meal of the summer was seafood Pomodoro.

“The pasta was tossed with various seafood like salmon, shrimp, and scallops,” Xu said. He loved the flavors in the dish.

After Italy, we visit France. Seniors Alex Desbans’ and senior Emily Lopez’s favorite foods were both of French origin.

“My favorite food was a French chocolate brought from Paris by my cousin,” Desbans said. “The chocolate is amazing – it has a much smoother texture and

richer flavor than American chocolate.”

“My favorite food was a crepe from the Crepe Coop, packed with strawberries, bananas, Nutella, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream,” Lopez said. “Along with the small nuts scattered throughout, the crepe was unique and delicious.”

After Europe, we visit Mexico before returning home. Senior Tommy Burns’ favorite summer delight was a carne asada taco from Santa Ana. “The meat was slow-cooked overnight and then marinated perfectly,” Burns said. “I loved the way the flavors came together – this was the best taco I have ever had…and I love tacos.”

At the end of an exciting journey, we

return home to begin the 2018-19 school year. But we cannot forget dessert. Senior Mateen Rabbani’s favorite summer treat was a homemade peanut butter and banana ice cream.

“The ice cream had a combination of sweet and salty flavors,” Rabbani said. “It created a flavor explosion in your mouth.”

As we start the school year, we look forward to meeting new friends, having new experiences, and making our Sage Hill brains just a bit smarter.

But as we study and think about how we want to spend this school year, don’t forget to savor the little things – like food – that make life just a little sweeter.

Courtesy of Karli Davis

Seniors Karli Davis and Claire Jang enjoy some chocolate and vanilla ice cream from Cauldron Ice Cream.

Courtesy of Norma Partida

Courtesy of Norma Partida

Senior Aria Dominick and Junior Leslie Frankel intern at BookingPal Inc.

Seniors Halah Biviji, Alex Christiano, Hannah Woodworth, and Tyler Wong pose for a picture with Harley Rouda after working with him on his campaign for Congress.

Sage Hill Gets to Work ‘Being in a workplace was a really valuable experience for the future’

Alexis Kelly Even with school out, Sage Hill students didn’t spend this entire summer relaxing. Whether with a job or an internship, incoming freshmen and soon-to-be seniors alike took full advantage of their time off.

With the upcoming midterm elections spiking high schoolers’ interest in politics, students like senior Lauren Langdale took the summer as an opportunity to get involved in government work.

“This summer I worked at Congresswoman Mimi Walters’ District Office,” Langdale said. “This is something I wouldn’t have been able to do over the school year because the hours I worked were from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.”

Others, like junior Kimi Reddy, decided to pursue interests such as medicine and scientific research.

“For my summer internship, I worked in the lab at City of Hope Cancer Hospital,” Reddy said. “I conducted a 10-week research

project under the guidance of a mentor.”

Getting involved with an internship or job creates the opportunity to gain work experience that can prove advantageous in the future.

“Being in a workplace was a really valuable experience for the future. It definitely made me more comfortable with interviewing and being in a professional environment,” Langdale said.

Though summer jobs and internships draw to a close with the

start of the school year, they provide invaluable out-of-classroom experience that students can carry with them throughout their lives.

“Each day at my internship we performed experiments in the lab and then analyzed the results,” Reddy said. “Some of the experiments included testing chemotherapy drugs on cancer stem cells and creating cell colonies. I learned that medical research is definitely a field that interests me and that I want to pursue in the future.”

munity

The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

5

Courtesy of Morgan Bolen

Courtesy of Jake Stewart

Although tiny, Monaco is a beautiful country filled with beautiful architecture and great food.

Junior Morgan Bolen had the honor to experience student life at the University of Oxford this summer, an experience she won’t forget.

Courtesy of Anisha Punia

Freshman Anisha Punia spent her time in Capri, Italy exploring amazing grottos.

Students Take on the World Where Sage Students Spent the Summer

Polina Mogilevsky Now that summer 2018 has come to a close, it’s time to take a look at how the community spent their time off.

Sophomore Keon Jafai kicked off the summer by traveling the world with his family.

“I traveled with my family to Australia,” Jafari said.

The sophomore also got to explore different parts of Europe.

“While having an amazing time with my family, my parents surprised me on

purchasing plane tickets to Germany, France, Italy and Greece by myself,” Jafari said. “I am so grateful to say that I honestly had the time of my life.”

While some explored the world, others were closer to home and helped the community.

Senior Jonathan Stark worked for Sims Municipal Recycling in Brooklyn, N.Y. for three weeks. “[I worked] as a shadow for the maintenance, production and shift manager and learned all of the plant’s setbacks and reparation techniques,”

Courtesy of Olivia Lowe

Senior Olivia Lowe swims with the largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark, in Isla De Holbox, Mexico.

Alicia Theologides Rodriguez | The Bolt

While in Greece, make sure to stop by the nearest bakery to pick up some fresh Bougatsa for breakfast.

Stark said. “Using my understanding of the way the plant worked, I created a report to help a new plant avoid Brooklyn’s mistakes.”

Other students decided to take some time for themselves. Junior Rohun Krishna, for example, focused on his mind and spirit.

“I went on a meditation retreat this summer for two days [at the Kriya Yoga Institute], which was really out of my comfort zone” Krishnan said.

Still other spent the months off getting a head start on the new school year

and setting goals.

“I am working on SAT and college applications since it is my senior year and I am hoping to also do well in my rigorous courses” senior Ariana Dominick said. “I am also excited to work hard this year in robotics, debate, Philanthropy Club, and UNICEF club.” “[My goals for this year are] to have respectable grades, play good golf and become a top junior golfer,” junior Ashley Park said.

Alicia Theologides Rodriguez | The Bolt

While in the South of France, junior Alicia Theologides Rodriguez knocked parasailing off her bucket list.

Courtesy of Jake Stewart

The Monaco coastline was a beautiful destination for Jake Stewart.

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The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

Sports

Photo courtesy of Dan Thomassen

The girls’ volleyball team kicked off their season by playing in the Ann Kang Invitational at the Honolulu Iolani School in Hawaii on Aug. 9 and 10. Girls’ volleyball, among most other Sage Hill sports teams, is now part of the San Joaquin League in the Western Athletic Conference of CIF.

SAGE HILL ENTERING WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE School’s New League is Actually a Conference with Several Leagues Karli Davis Every four years, California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) holds a meeting in which it undergoes a process of re-leagueing several of the schools in different conferences. They assess each league to make sure it is fair, and schools are given the option to either switch to a different league or stay in the same one.

“Three member schools from the former Academy League (Crean Lutheran, Oxford Academy and Whitney) decided to pursue joining different leagues and regions for various reasons,” Director of Athletics Megan Cid said.

With these three schools having left the Academy League, Sage Hill, Saint Margaret’s,

Calvary Chapel Downey and Brethren Christian were the only schools to remain and needed to join a new conference.

“In order to put Sage Hill into the best possible scenario in regards to competitive equity and in competing against other small schools with similar philosophies, we, alongside the three other remaining schools, pursued joining the Western Athletic Conference,” Cid said.

In the Western Atlantic Conference, there are 25 schools and four leagues to play in for each sport. The four leagues are the San Joaquin, Academy, Express and Western. San Joaquin is the most competitive, and Western is the least. Not every Sage sports team will be in the same league and play the same teams. They are divided up by

the team’s level of experience.

“Sage Hill is in the San Joaquin League for all of the sports that the league offers with the exception of boys’ basketball, which is in the Academy League, and football, which is in the Express League,” Cid said. “Also, boys’ and girls’ cross country, boys’ golf, and boys’ and girls’ track and field were divided geographically and therefore all these sports are also in the Academy League.”

The four different leagues within the conference create fair playing environments for varying levels of sports and maximize the opportunity for teams to make playoffs “When possible the league tried to place an odd number of schools in the league in order to get additional playoff spots,”

“We are in the same league as St. Margaret’s for all sports that both schools offer—the rivalry lives on!”

-Megan Cid, Director of Athletics Cid said. “For example, in most sports, if you have five schools in a league you get three automatic playoff entries, but the same goes for if you have six schools in a league. So it is an advantage to have five schools as opposed to six in a league when possible.”

Though most student athletes are aware of this change within the conference, they are not completely sure how this affects them. Sage Hill will still

be playing the teams that joined this conference with them from their last one, and they will additionally be playing Pacifica Christian-Newport Beach, Saddleback Valley Christian, and The Webb Schools.

Most importantly, many questioned if Sage Hill will still rival St. Margarets.

“We are in the same league as St. Margaret’s for all sports that both schools offer—the rivalry lives on,” Cid said.

Opinion

The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

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MADISON’S MOVIE REVIEW

Shallow Grave (1994) Madison Harris-Weiner

Spot On, Spotify!

Should Artists Accused of Sexual Harrasment Be Separated From Their Art? Jacob Gibbs In October 2017, perpetrators of sexual harassment were exposed and persecuted for their mishandling of power through the “Me Too” movement.

From esteemed journalists, such as Matt Lauer, to trendsetting rappers like XXXTentacion, women all across Hollywood and beyond have accused powerful men of abusing their power in order to pursue women without consent.

Despite the reputations of these highly scrutinized figures, should streaming services like Spotify take action and end promotions for artists accused of sexual misconduct or abuse?

On October 10, 2017, Ronan Farrow, a journalist for the “The New Yorker” published an article titled “From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories”, which included a detailed account of Harvey Weinstein’s abuse allegations from both influential and anonymous women.

Subsequent to the article’s publishing, hundreds of women in Hollywood have come forward and accused prominent male figures of exploiting women as a result of their unchecked power.

Both the “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements have given women across the country both the opportunity and encouragement to speak out about their past experiences with the masculine abuse of power and sexual misconduct.

While this progress has given women the tools to voice their similar experiences and come together as a result, many questions have been raised on how to punish the perpetrators of this imbalance of power.

In regards to the music industry specifically, should the work of the artist be separated from the tarnished reputation or misuse of power?

In the past, there has been a stigma around how to take action in regards to separating the art from the artist.

Whether it be Demi Lovato’s spiral out of control due to her rising fame on Disney Channel or the infinitely long list of rappers who have gone to jail, the issue of artists making bad decisions is nothing new.

Back in 2011, Demi Lovato was asked to leave the hit Disney Channel show “Sonny With A Chance” after continuous reports of her drinking while underage and abusing drugs were in the tabloids.

Many speculated whether this was far from

the singer and actress, as these reports were not confirmed, but rather speculations from the media.

However, I believe that as an actress on a show cultivated for a younger audience, it was a smart decision to cancel the show, as must of the Disney Channel franchise is centered around its cast.

As you most likely know, Spotify is a music streaming service that allows users to listen to the artists of their choice.

A unique and popular way users of the app can discover new music is with Spotify’s promotions of artists in original playlists, discover features, and browse sections of the app.

However, as of this summer, Spotify has chosen to end promotions of artists (predominantly rappers) who have been accused of sexual misconduct or abuse.

Several familiar names include XXXTentacion and R. Kelly.

What this essentially means is that the songs of these artists are no longer featured on the discovering and browse sections of the app.

The significance of this is Spotify’s message that they do not tolerate the alleged abuse allegations attached to the artist.

After the death of XXXTentacion, Spotify chose to put his music back on their promotion playlists and browse page in order to honor his death.

However, even then Spotify received its fair share of criticism for continuing to promote his work despite the allegations.

While it may seem as though the lines are very blurry and there is no proper way to handle a situation like this, I believe that Spotify handled the situation in the best possible way.

The streaming service decided to continue to stream the music of the artists, however, end all promotions of their songs and remove their name off of their personalized playlists.

At the end of the day, everybody makes mistakes and unfortunately, many of those mistakes are heavily scrutinized for those in the public eye.

However, in regards to sexual harassment and abuse allegations, the art should be associated with the very artist who put out their work.

If men like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey are obligated to the praise they received from their renowned films and TV shows, and rappers like R. Kelly can keep the praise of his Grammy awards, then they are also entitled to the very criticism that will continue to be associated with their work.

“It’s not everyday I find a story in my flat,” Alex says, disturbingly excited by the sight before him. And no, it certainly isn’t everyday that you’re stuck with a dead body and a newly-ownerless, money-stuffed suitcase in your own home.

Caught suddenly in this very situation, three roommates bumble forward in disposing of the body and securing their new fortune.

But, nothing is as simple as it seems and as the dead man’s criminal ties come harshly to light, they find themselves in a mess too deep to cover up, eventually turning on each other as the money becomes but a backdrop to their violence and betrayal.

This is the premise of Danny Boyle’s 1994 big screen directorial debut Shallow Grave — a sly, black comedy that places a group of seemingly ordinary friends in the throes of a criminal underworld.

They handle it with an excess of sarcastic quips and offbeat banter but their progressively shadier motives ultimately overtake the common-man-caughtin-the-middle theme it began with.

The script, written by John Hodge (who worked again with Boyle in 1996’s Trainspotting) is simple on the surface and its vague themes of friendship and greed don’t always lend themselves to a greater message.

However, the many juxtapositions of tone give it complexity and a quirky voice as outwardly silly scenes take on dark undertones and alarming situations feel deceivingly witty.

Likewise, upbeat, jazzy tunes play alongside eerie piano notes and thoughtful shots utilize the apartment’s colorful design while also revealing the turmoil it has fallen into.

The opening scene is conducted in this contrasting fashion as the three friends hold a scathing but comically-tinged interview to find a new roommate.

Despite the scene’s humor, the pleasure they take in watching their interviewees squirm reveals their troubling, clique-like relationship and disregard for anyone outside of their tight unit.

It makes them hard characters to root for and although they are dropped unwittingly in the situation that follows, it is with full awareness that they perpetrate it, taking it to startling lengths they didn’t know they

‘...The scope of a big thriller... executed with the finesse of an indie film.’ were capable of.

They eventually settle on the mysterious Hugo (Keith Allen) to fill their spare bedroom, whose charm is immediately offset by intercut scenes that reveal his criminal past.

Clever editing lets his dark world play out alongside the roommates’ amateurish brush with criminality. We see them laughing over their treasure only seconds after we see brutal torture ensue in the hunt for Hugo.

As they revel in their false triumph, we as an audience are made aware of the frightening depth of the hole they’ve dug themselves into, which, ironically, is not the shallow one of the title.

As one body turns into three, as trust wears thin and police get involved in what was assumed to be a clean break, the initial thrill of stumbling upon so much money is wiped away and the focus turns instead to the different ways the characters deal with the escalated situation.

There’s Alex (played with nuanced perfection by Ewan McGregor) who seems to get off on the whole thing, going through everything with giddy confidence.

There’s David (Christopher Eccleston), the quiet one who seems to have the strongest moral compass but allows everything to happen with little more than a shouted protest and, as a result, spirals deepest into paranoia.

And then there’s the snarky Juliet (Kerry Fox), who plays a double agent between the two guys, leading each on but looking out for no one but herself in the end.

Shallow Grave has the scope of a big thriller but it’s executed with the finesse of an indie film.

It gets under the skin, bringing a microscope to paranoia and deception while simultaneously highlighting the humor and idiosyncrasies that make it tick.

It opens and closes on a cryptic note about friendship and although this leaves a little too much room for interpretation, Shallow Grave is ultimately a deeply satisfying and thoroughly entertaining film that finds humor in the dark deeds and fatal missteps of characters whose stupidity let money go to their heads.

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The Bolt August 2018 Sage Hill School

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‘Robber Barons’ Did Not Rob Amazon CEO Deserves Admiration, Not Hatred for His Success

Trevor Klein Amazon is driving niche retailers like Toys “R” Us, Sports Authority, and Brookstone out of business. Some have even branded CEO Jeff Bezos as a ruthless profit-seeker, with the Washington Post describing him as a modern day “robber baron.” According to Forbes, Bezos has a net worth of $154.8 billion, making him the richest man in the world by nearly $60 Billion as of Aug 10.

In the American Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and other businessmen led America to prosperity through industrialization.

Because of their unmatched prowess in their respective industries, the businessmen amassed expansive fortunes, leading to a general feeling of resentment towards them.

The general public came to know these men as “robber barons,” meaning that they unjustly acquired their money by “taking” from society. But, these men did not take anything unfairly; rather, they earned their money by improving others’ lives.

For example, John D. Rockefeller created his wealth by inventing a cheap process of extracting kerosene from a crude oil. Before kerosene was widely used, most people had to go to sleep at sundown because of the lack of artificial light. By providing cheap kerosene, Rockefeller provided average Americans with the first practical method of lighting their homes, which gave them extra hours of their lives every day.

Rockefeller did not force anyone to buy his kerosene; people chose to buy it because they wanted to be able to stay up past sundown.

Rockefeller, the owner of Standard Oil, was arguably the most infamous of all the “robber barons” for his policy of horizontal integration. That meant that Rockefeller specialized in solely refining crude oil, primarily into kerosene, rather than controlling the entire production process from drilling for oil to delivery of the final product.

Most importantly, under horizontal integration, Rockefeller took control of small refineries all across the country since the small refiners knew Rockefeller would drive them out of business due to his due to his high volume and superior economies of scale.

Many people claim that taking over the small refineries was immoral of Rockefeller, but Rockefeller actually did a favor for the local refiner and for Standard Oil. Rockefeller could have built his own refineries all over the country, retained all the profits, and driven small refineries out of business in the process. This would have been very expensive and time-consuming, so Rockefeller chose to keep small refineries in business in order to aid Standard Oil’s growth.

Thus, Rockefeller’s empire should be described as innovative, efficient, and generous towards the small refineries.

The Industrial Revolution itself immensely improved the lives of Americans.

Economic progress has increased human life expectancy from about 30 years in the mid-eighteenth century to about 75 years today, according to prominent economist George Reisman.

J.P. Morgan also faces criticism because of his success as a financier. To

‘The general public came to know these men as “robber barons,” meaning that they unjustly acquired their money by “taking” from society. But, these men did not take anything unfairly; rather, they earned their money by improving others’ lives.’ this day many Americans view finance as a largely useless profession in which greed harms the common man.

In the 1987 Oscar-winning blockbuster Wall Street, the infamous fictional financier Gordon Gekko says, “I do stock and real estate speculation. I create nothing. I own.” Just like Gekko himself, this statement is fictional because the financial industry is vital in a robust economy.

Barack Obama made a similar error when in a Bloomberg Businessweek interview, he said, “Too many potential physicists and engineers spend their careers shifting money around in the financial sector, instead of applying their talents to innovating in the real economy.”

Every time Morgan invested in a new businessman or product he took on the risk of losing money and his reputation as a prudent investor. Morgan was rich because he financed successful companies far more often than he did failing ones. It takes talent to find entrepreneurs who will ultimately be successful.

Financiers direct the savings of millions of people into the most productive, profitable industries leading to a more efficient economy. This does a service to the individuals, who invested their savings and to society as a whole.

Critics called Morgan the “Octopus”

because his business was a part of so many different industries that it was like he had his tentacles wrapped around everyone.

Morgan actually provided an invaluable service to the economy. For example, when Thomas Edison first invented the light bulb and developed the power system to electrify homes on a widespread basis, most people thought his idea was crazy and impractical. Edison proved to be a great success, but he would not have been able to do so without Morgan’s funding.

Morgan’s help enabled Edison to pursue more inventions including movies, radios, and the phonograph. Without finance, many world-changing inventions would not be possible and thus would not reach consumers. Contrary to Obama’s claim, finance can be innovative just as scientifically-oriented businesses can.

Carnegie and Vanderbilt gained their fortunes through the steel and transportation industries respectively. Carnegie engineered a method to strengthen steel and provide it at a far lower cost than ever before. Vanderbilt increased the efficiency of travel through faster boats and trains and added amenities, such as serving food on board.

People liked the products that Car-

negie and Vanderbilt provided because the products made lives easier and more enjoyable.

Carnegie and Vanderbilt earned their profits and never stole a dime from anyone. These men were rich because people chose to buy their products.

After examining the infamous “robber barons,” it is clear that they did not actually “rob” anyone. Rather, their general role in society was simple: they bettered people’s lives in exchange for money.

That is exactly what Jeff Bezos does today.

Amazon makes lives better by providing access to a wide variety of products at low prices quickly, with free 2-day shipping on many items.

One may say that Bezos is wrong for driving traditional stores like Toys “R” Us and Circuit City out of business, but that is all part of creative destruction, a fundamental economic concept establishing that innovation must force outdated companies out of business in a healthy economy.

Creative destruction is painful for the failing businesses and their employees, but it is best for society because consumers ultimately can buy better products at lower prices from new companies than the ones the outdated businesses can offer. It is easier for consumers to order goods on Amazon rather than searching for them at a variety of niche retailers and department stores.

Bezos is successful because Amazon provides the best service out of any of its competitors, thus he truly earned his fortune by pioneered his remarkable virtual market.

Bezos may be the most talented businessman in the world as he built a $910-billion conglomerate out of a garage in Seattle. Bezos should receive admiration rather than hatred because he makes lives easier on a global scale.