Vol. XLVII No.8

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. XLVII, NO. 8

May 4, 2012

41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539

‘Animorphs,’ ‘BZRK’ author visits MSJ

Author Michael Grant enlists the help of MSJ student violunteers to portray scenarios from his latest book in the Gone series, Fear.

staff writer vipin dulam

Speech showcases its talent

Seniors Joshua Shao, left, and Joshua Michael, right, performed a duo interpretation at the Second Annual Speech Showcase.

By Andrew Han Editor-in-Chief On Sunday, April 23, MSJ Speech held its second annual showcase in C-120 from 6 to 8 pm. The event featured a variety of performances by students who qualified in state and national speech tournaments, including solo and duo interpretations, impromptu speaking, and original oratory.

The annual Forensics Showcase began last year as a way to “show students’ parents and the community the hard work and talent that the students possess,” said Speech CoDirector Benjamin Cruz. The event

was inspired by James Logan High School’s Forensics Showcase as well as by the success of many MSJ students. The main goals of the annual showcase are to raise money to fund MSJ’s attendance of State, Catholic National, and National tournaments, which are prestigious but expensive competitions, as well as to raise awareness of MSJ’s Speech program in the school and in the community.

The performers included Senior Joshua Michael and Junior Joshua Shao (duo interpretation), Junior Priya Sundaresan (impromptu speaking), Junior Captain Silvia Zannetti and Freshman Claire Dobyns (original oratory and duo in-

editor-in-chief andrew han

terpretation), Junior Captain Frank Chen and Junior Dillon Cho (duo interpretation), and Junior Lucy Shen (dramatic interpretation). The performances encompassed a wide scope of topics that highlighted the diversity of interests and personalities that make up the Speech team.

The evening began with Michael and Shao’s humorous duo interpretation of Terry Brooks’ novel Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

The performance featured beatboxing, dancing, and impressions of Star Wars characters. The smooth transi-

See SPEECH NEWS Page 4

May 7-8 May 7-18 May 21-23 Star Testing Advanced Placement Senior AP English Ashland Trip Testing

staff writer vipin dulam

Michael Grant signs books after his presentation in C-120 on Thursday, April 19.

By Vivian Jair Staff Writer On Thursday, April 19, renowned author Michael Grant visited MSJ to speak about his newest books, Bzrk and Fear. Sponsored by Hicklebee’s Bookstore, Grant’s visit was brought to MSJ entirely free of charge. Several English classes, as well as other students with permission forms, attended the event in C-120. There, Grant also sold and signed copies of his books. DECA club, which had helped promote Grant’s visit through book pre-orders, received profit from the sales.

Michael Grant is best known for the Gone series, a six-book science fiction series with over 300,000 copies sold. Set in a town where everyone over the age of fifteen suddenly vanishes, Gone is the story of the childrens’ struggles to survive when trapped within an impenetrable force field with supernatural dangers. Fear is the fifth book in the series. In it, the characters face their darkest nightmares. In order to show the dread of the situation, Grant staged an interactive demonstration during the presentation in which a single candy bar was the difference between life and death. As Grant himself said, “That’s what the series is all about—desperate kids doing desperate things.”

In addition to Fear, Michael Grant also introduced Bzrk, the first book in his new science fiction trilogy. Bzrk features a group of teenage jeopardy

Sophomore Krishna Bharathala is competing in Teen Jeopardy. Cash prize: $5000 or more!

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hackers who fight to prevent two evil twins from using nanotechnology to manipulate and control the world. Other than these two series, Grant has also written over 150 books, including the Magnificent 12 series for younger audiences. He also co-authored the highly popular Animorphs series with his wife Katherine Applegate, which has sold over 35 million copies.

During the event, Grant discussed how he arrived at his successful writing career. Originally a high school dropout, Grant took on numerous jobs, sometimes living in difficult conditions. Finally, at the age of 34, Grant decided to take on a formal career as a writer thanks to his wife’s encouragement. Eventually, he became the successful author he is today. Grant advises aspiring future writers to not only read, write, and work hard, but to fully experience life.

Grant was inspired by several different sources, including the Lost television series and Disney movies for the Gone series. One of his favorite authors is Stephen King, whose writing ability and work ethic he greatly admires. Most of all, Grant respects Stephen King for continuing to write despite having already reached ultimate success.

When asked by a student during the question-and-answer session, Grant responded that he would continue

elections

See GRANT NEWS Page 4

The race to the presidency’s heating up. Who’s going to come out victorious, Romney or Obama?

Opinion

movie review

The Five-Year Engagement: Jason Segel and Emily Blunt bring humor, love, and hate to this rom-com.

A&E

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

News in Brief Soccer ball proves to be a glimmer of hope for Tsunami survivors A soccer ball recently washed up on the Alaskan coast, almost 3000 miles away from its owner, 16 year old Misa Murakami. The ball was lost by Murakami after the massive tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011. David Baxter came across the ball and was able to trace its ownership to its rightful owner. According to CNN Murakami has “no doubt” that the ball does in fact belong to him, and is grateful to recover possessions in any form from before the fateful tsunami. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) says that it could be the first piece of identifiable debris to be returned to its home.

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Stuart Chaifetz with his son, Akian Chaifetz, who was revealed to having been harshly bullied by teachers in his school.

Buzz over CA meteor explosion On Sunday, April 22, 2012, a meteor the size of a minivan blew up over northern California at 8 am local time. Scientists and ordinary citizens are now on a chase to collect as many fragments as possible. According to scientists, fragments from this particular meteor haven’t been seen since the 1960s.

The fragments are of upmost importance to scientists since they contain particles that are older than the sun. With the fragments, scientists can learn more about early complex amino acids and organic molecules.

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Parent discovers child bullied by teachers After putting a recording device on his ten-year-old autistic son, New Jersey dad Stuart Chaifetz, discovered that his son was facing immense verbal abuse from teachers at school. He first suspected that something wrong was going on when his son, who he described as normally “sweet and gentle,” was reported for violence. Following his discovery, Chaifetz contacted the school’s administration, which fired the aide responsible and relocated the teacher. Chaifetz has also created a Facebook page called “No More Teacher Bullies”.

▪

offthebench.nbcsports.com

David Baxter was able to return a lost soccer ball to Japanese tsunami survivor Misa Murakami.

This mural, currently under construction in the B-Wing, was designed by Junior Claire Xu. Her design was chosen by the Social Studies Department and Mrs. Christensen’s art classes, from a pool of over 25 other designs. Xu’s design incorporates a vision of a “Global Community” for MSJ, and is definitely an addition to the ongoing campus beautification. graphics by allan ko, aishwarya thakur, and kevin zhai; layout by news editor allan ko

German exchange students visit MSJ

By Anjali Kanthiilal Staff Writer

As part of a foreign exchange program, MSJ invited 9 students from Germany to witness life at an American high school. The Smoke Signal had the chance to speak with the German students for an inside look into their experiences at MSJ. Some German students were paired up with the MSJ families they stayed with based on interests. One of the students was paired with her family based on her interest in tennis. Others were placed at random.

These students were selected based on their application, and came to MSJ during their two-week break.

Most of the German exchange students were 17. One was 14, and came with her sister. She explained that she thought she was very lucky to be chosen for such an amazing opportunity.

Schools in Germany, like the ones these students went to, are much different than our school. To start off, school timings are different.

In Germany, their school day starts at 7:50 am and can end at any time depending on the day: 1 pm, 3 pm, or 5 pm. There are 12 different sub-

staff writer vivian jair

jects, though here there are only six or seven.

They were definitely surprised by the homework load and number of projects teachers assign to their students. Part of the reason would be the fact that school days in Germany are longer than school day at MSJ. Most of the homework would be completed at school.

These students were most amazed by the student-teacher relationships here at MSJ. They said that in Germany, the teachers are stricter than here. They require students to always raise their hands before speaking out, and not talk back or make jokes

for the march 30, 2012 issue News page 1: Jeffery Chang’s name was misspelled.

Feature page 8: Jin Peng’s name was misspelled.

Feature pages 9-10: Jade Shi’s name was misspelled. frenchtribune.com

A meteor shook parts of Nevada and California on Sunday, April 22.

COMPILED BY STAFF WRITERS JASON CHEN, VIVIAN JAIR, AND VISHAK MENON

A&E page 15: Cafe Ophelia was pictured incorrectly.

Photo page 24: Rasika Patkar’s name was misspelled.

in class. They explained that teachers here are more relaxed and will take the time to talk to and get to know the students here.

The German students were also very impressed by the school spirit and the fact that there were school sport teams. In Germany, there are no school teams. There is also no competition or ranking between schools there. The closest they have is a division of the good, the okay, and the “bad” school; but one has to take a test to see where they qualify.

Not only were they impressed by the school, but also by the students that made their stay amazing. They

talked a lot about how the students were all open-minded and kind to everyone. They liked that fact that there were no “cliques” but that everyone liked others for who they were. In Germany, there are only 1200 students at the school, whereas here, MSJ has double that amount.

MSJ was altogether a good experience. The exchange students were disappointed that their trip was so short and would love to come back to visit. They enjoyed visiting many places off-campus as well, such as Yosemite, Berkeley, Monterey and many other places near the Bay Area. ▪

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

By Rachel Choi Staff Writer After 20 students were arrested for taking part in the Long Island cheating ring, the Collegeboard and the ACT have announced new security measures that will go into effect starting Fall 2012. These measures, which include enhanced photo identification, will apply for all students taking ACT and SAT tests, national and international.

The registration procedure for SAT and SAT Subject Tests will be revamped as part of the new security measures. The most drastic change is that students will now have to provide a recognizable photo of themselves during registration, either by uploading it during online registration or mailing it in with a paper registration form.

This picture will then be printed on the student’s admission ticket, which will be checked along with the standard required photo ID at the test center. This photo will also be stored with the student’s name in a database that will be available to high schools, colleges, and universities. This will allow high school staff to match up students’ faces and names to check for any discrepancies.

There will also be a myriad of other changes for the entire SAT testing process. For example, students will now be required to submit the name of their attending high school during registration. Additionally, standby, or walk-in, testing will no longer be allowed, and students will not be able to change their test center on the test day. Nor will students be able to change their test type, from SAT to SAT Subject Test or vice-versa. Students will also be subject to more ID checks on test day. Finally, by signing a revised certification statement,

students will acknowledge that impersonation could possibly lead to prosecution.

The ACT will also enforce similar measures starting next year. Students will be required to upload a photo upon registration, and this photo will be printed on their admission

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ticket and the test supervisor’s roster. The photo will also be available to the high school the student attends.

These changes come as a response to the cheating scandal unearthed last year at Long Island, New York, in which twenty students were charged with ei-

“It’s a great idea and it is definitely going to help stop the cheating issues.”

–Roselin Yao, 10

“I don’t think it’s that much work to upload a picture of yourself when you apply to take the SAT or ACT, but it might help reduce cheating occurrences. I don’t see anything bad about it.”

-Eric Lui, 11

“For the Collegeboard to request such an action only proves that they do not trust the student body to take their own tests. If the Collegeboard can’t trust us with the honor code, what else will they force us to do next?”

-Will Jin, 9

“I think that forcing students to upload pictures of themselves to a widely accessible database is an invasion of privacy. Why do high schools, colleges, and universities need to know what you look like?

It’s the Collegeoard’s job to verify your identity when taking a test It strikes me as an unnecessary advancement of Big Data.”

-Brandon Wu, 11

ther having impersonated or having paid someone to impersonate them for the SAT or ACT test. Kathleen M. Rice, the district attorney whose office charged the twenty teenagers, said that up to 50 students may have been involved. Rice also helped develop the new security

News 3

measures. “These reforms close a gaping hole in standardized test security that allowed students to cheat and steal admissions offers and scholarship money from kids who play by the rules,” said Rice.

Student response at MSJ has been mixed. Sophomore Patrick Zeng said, “I seriously disapprove of cheating, but I really do believe the new policies are excessive.” Sophomore Jerry Wu disagreed with the new policies for a different reason, saying, “If the assumption is made that the objective is to make the SAT as legitimate as possible, I think that this new security measure may well be effective, but it is likely that someone will eventually find a way around it anyway.” On the other hand, Junior Adi Jung was more optimistic, saying, “The only large difference is uploading a photo which doesn’t seem like a huge deal to me, and if impersonation is a major issue, this policy will probably help.”

Many administrators across the nation have expressed qualified appreciation for the new policies. At MSJ, Vice Principal Zack Larsen said, “My feelings about uploading photo ID while registering for the test are sort of mixed. I guess it’s disappointment in that we’ve reached that stage in this nation that the test is so important to some kids that they feel the need to send someone else to do a test for them. At the same time, I think for those that are honest, this is a measure of security that ensures to them that there isn’t anybody else that’s going to be cheating and getting an advantage for themselves that may push someone who’s been honest out of the line.”

More information about the new policies can be found at act.org/newsroom/ and at press. collegeboard.org. ▪

“It is a very reasonable request to make people provide proof of identification before entering to take the SAT.”

-Arvind Srinivasan, 12

“Well, [that way] if you forget your ID, the [proctors] can still identify you. It actually makes sense; sometimes, people forget to bring their driver’s license or ID card. It makes sense, yeah. [Collegeboard] should have thought of this earlier.”

-David Lau, Math Teacher

“This won’t really affect my class because we’re done with all of these standardized tests, but they’re definitely getting a little extreme with their security measures. Before you know it, they’ll be taking our fingerprints and matching them.”

-Jennifer Sekar, 12

“It definitely won’t hurt to try, as long as it’s not too much of a hassle to be implemented. I don’t see how this will completely stop cheating though, what if someone uploaded a picture of someone else?”

-Matt Lazar, Math Teacher

graphics by staff writer jaynelle gao, act.org, sdcounty.ca.gov; layout by news editor allan ko

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

MSJ considers block scheduling San Jose State students create change

By Nihar Parikh Staff Writer Recent discussion by parents and students has sparked interest in the possibility of block scheduling at MSJ. Several high schools in FUSD have all adopted some form of block scheduling. This choice was left to the discretion of each school site and there is no partiality in terms of funding for some forms of block scheduling. Therefore, MSJ does have the option to implement this change independently.

In FUSD, Irvington High School (IHS) , specifically, has implemented a modified block schedule, a possible option for MSJ. This schedule employs three regular six-period days and two block days. These two days cover only three periods a day, increasing the period length from an hour to an hour and a half. The basic premise behind this scheduling is to allow teachers to pursue a wider variety of teaching methods. Teachers can explore more engaging and interactive lessons, teach wider concepts more effectively by consolidating them into one period, and employ more flexibility in testing procedures.

On the other hand, MSJ has been using a straight, six-period schedule every day for the past few years. However, MSJ has had a history of more creative scheduling, according to Principal Sandra Prairie. In the 1960s, students enrolled for a lecture time and an additional separate class time for many of their primary classes. This was designed to model the college learning experience. As the course list expanded and subjects evolved, however, this scheduling became extremely difficult. The nail in the coffin was the introduction of “singleton” classes, classes that are only offered one or two periods a day. Consequently, creative scheduling became functionally impossible, resulting in the shift to MSJ’s current straight schedule.

The more recent transition to block sched-

uling for IHS and KHS was prompted by their adoption of a national program called Small Learning Communities. This program encourages personalization of the curriculum for all students, an improved school climate and culture through better teacher-student relationships, and pursuit of higher student achievement. The root goal of this program is to improve school academic strength and scores, a goal that MSJ has already been able to fulfill.

Also, this transition was completed with the clear approval of faculty, parents, and students alike, Prairie went on to say. MSJ has not had a sweeping response from its community, especially from teachers, in support of a scheduling change. On the road to implementation, the administration will have to determine that a majority of teachers desire the schedule change and will work to modify their curriculum accordingly. Math and foreign language teachers have historically resisted this change at comparable schools. They have felt that their curriculum could not utilize the longer periods. In addition, the administration will need to see clear support in the parent and student community. Since the scope of the discussion has never included a majority of parents and students, it is unclear how the entire community will react.

Therefore, as of now, the issue of block scheduling has been shelved. Prairie has focused more of her efforts on the implementation of technology in the classrooms, but she feels it is only a matter of time before this issue makes its way back to the forefront. She said, “It is something MSJ will eventually consider; there is no question about that. But it is not what we are focusing on right now, because there are obstacles and the research [shows that block scheduling] doesn’t specifically suit our school’s needs.” ▪ For the Smoke Signal Editorial Board’s stance on block scheduling, see the Editorial on Opinion page 5.

By Anusha Rijhsinghani Staff Writer What started out as a group project assigned

by Professor Scott Myers-Lipton to his sociology class at San Jose State University (SJSU) quickly turned into the potential for great change in the city of San Jose. Thirty SJSU students were given the assignment to examine how organized activism could have an effect on their community. Putting their professor’s lessons into action, they launched a campaign to raise the minimum wage in San Jose from $8 to $10, gaining much support from young labor activists and community groups.

The SJSU students are carrying out this movement with the help of a labor-inspired organization called “Next Gen,” whose goal is to motivate young people to take control of their future. Anna Schlotz, the president of Next Gen, said to the Nation, “We want to help rebuild and reshape the economy to make it work for young people and working families,” which is why they took such a great interest in this proposal. As the students moved forward with their campaign, they also gained the partnerships of Working Partnerships USA, the NAACP, and the Sacred Heart Community Service.

Myers-Lipton’s Sociology lecture on Social Action inspired this course of action. As a part of this lecture, students were introduced to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proposal for an Economic Bill of Rights, which guarantees everyone the right to a decent job, sufficient pay, fair opportunities, and economic security during old age and sickness. Student activists say that this minimum wage campaign is simply a way of “making some of these guarantees more attainable for San Jose residents.”

This campaign is furthermore designed to reach out to a wide demographic of workers.

While most living wage ordinances typically

apply to the younger generation, this measure constitutes a minimum wage boost for the entire city. If passed, this measure would place San Jose alongside the cities of Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Santa Fe, the only other cities that require higher wages than state minimums for all employees.

In order for this issue to appear on the November ballot, the students needed to get a minimum of 19,161 valid signatures from registered city voters. In late March, they submitted an incredible 36,225 signatures to the registrar’s office and on Tuesday, April 24, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters confirmed that it had officially qualified.

Myers-Lipton said to the Nation, “What’s powerful about the campaign is that it is student-initiated,” which is what makes their success so inspiring. The SJSU students serve as role models for all student activists, including those at MSJ. Students at MSJ have already set their minds to several movements and campaigns in the past, such as “Save Fremont Students,” and the success of this minimum wage campaign gives further hope to students to truly make a difference in the community. ▪

raisethewagesj.com

Students at San Jose State University gather to rally for higher minmum wages in San Jose.

GRANT | author speaks to students

SPEECH | star showcase

continued from page 1

continued from page 1

writing in such a scenario.

Moreover, Grant’s respect for his readers truly shone through when he was asked whether character or plot was more important.

“If I had to pick one,” he said, “I would pick character, because the one thing you can never do is betray your characters. The moment you betray your characters, you mess with your readers, and you just can’t do that.”

Currently, Grant is in a contract for eight more books, including a stand-alone novel, the remaining two books of the Bzrk series, and the book Eve and Adam, a collaboration between him and his wife, Applegate. He also has two screenplay ideas that he hopes to bring to Hollywood in the future. Either way, avid fans of Michael Grant should be glad to know that he is writing many new books they can look forward to reading in the future. ▪

tions between the various voices impressed the audience; the two later performed an interpretation of the complete works of “Calvin and Hobbes” that had the audience roaring with laughter and reminiscing on their own experience with the childhood comic.

Other engaging performances included impromptu speaking by Sundaresan, who, in only two minutes, prepared a five-minute speech on a topic presented by the audience.

At the event, she spoke at length about the history of the symbolism and connotations of the color green, drawing from sources as varied as William Shakespeare. Zannetti delivered her insightful persuasive oratory performance on changing our “whatever mentality” to a “whatever it takes mentality” with much emotion and sincerity. Dobyns and Zannetti’s interpretation of “The Unknown Part of the Ocean” skillfully captured the imagination and profundity of the original work about a cancer patient’s daughter. Chen and Cho performed a duo interpretation about two friends in the

staff writer vipin dulam

Traffic enforcement to increase

By Matt Farberov Staff Writer For years the traffic on Misson Boulevard and Palm Avenue has posed a significant danger to pedestrians and students coming to and from school. After brief waves of increased police presence failed to alleviate the congestion or increase responsible practice in dropping off students, the Fremont Police Department has decided to place a steady presence of officers around MSJ in the coming months. Officer Gregory Pipp has informed the Smoke Signal that motorcycle units will be dispatched to Mission Blvd. to ensure that all traffic laws are followed.

He is reminding parents and students that dropping off students on Mission Boulevard is not allowed, as well as entering the bike lane, or dropping off students in the middle

of the lanes. “[The increased enforcement] is reactive to the problem we’re facing. This has been more cumulative than anything,” said Pipp. Officers who spot traffic violations or unsafe driving will no longer be issuing warnings. “They will be giving tickets,” said Pipp.

Parent and student commuters are encouraged to avoid the intersection of Mission Blvd. and Palm Ave. and instead seek alternate routes to school. In any case, all drivers must observe posted signs and maintain safe speeds, being wary of jaywalkers and pedestrians. Dropping off students in a reckless manner places not only the child at risk, but poses a threat to everyone on the road. Pipp said, “There’s the ticket side of it, but we’re really concerned about the drivers being distracted. That’s what causes accidents and injuries.” ▪

early 2020s in the midst of a major earthquake, entitled “Magnitude,” and Shen’s dramatic interpretation of “Stolen Moments” by Janet O’Neill was a heartfelt performance that brought to life the racist attitudes toward interracial couples in 1995.

“I think the showcase went extremely well.

We made almost double what we did last year and the audience really enjoyed the performance,” Zannetti said. “The team has become a family, we are all incredibly close. We have amazing coaches… and they are the reason for all our success.”

Expressing high hopes for MSJ Speech’s future, Chen said, “Every year our team is growing bigger and bigger… we have been sending more and more people to post-season tournaments, and we hope to continue exceeding our own expectations for the… years to come.” ▪

Junior Lucy Shen performs her dramatic interpretation of Janet O’Neill’s “Stolen Moments.”

editor-in-chief andrew han

Friday, May 4, 2012

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Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 47, No. 8 | May 4, 2012 www.thesmokesignal.org

41717 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 (510) 657-3600 Editors-in-Chief Andrew Han, Diya Roy News Allan Ko, Mekala Neelakantan Opinion Anthony Chen, Courtney Tam Feature Sida Lu, Edward Nguyen Centerspread Frank Chen, Alice Zalan A&E Alekya Rajanala,

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Sports Omar El-Sadany, Sanjna Shukla Graphics Angie Wang, Kevin Zhai Web Aishwarya Thakur, Jonathon Teng Tech Sai Chilakapati, Vipin Dulam Business Rachel Choi Circulation Connor Williams Ads Ditha Balaji, Jade Shi Events Nihar Parikh, Sherry Xiao Writers & Photographers Vishal Bajpai, Leland Bernstein, Jason Chen, Matt Farberov, Brandon Fuhs, Jaynelle Gao, Kevin He, Catherine Ho, Kenny Jacoby, Vivian Jair, Anjali Kanthilal, Avery Kruger, Vishak Menon, Jin Peng, Kyle Qian, Tanya Raja, Anusha Rijhsinghani, Hannah Shih, Sonali Toppur, Grace Wu, Kerrie Wu, Supriya Yelimeli, Anna Zeng, Lindy Zeng

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of Courts!

A Ruling Dilemma

By Courtney Tam Opinion Editor Rules are rules: guidelines explicitly written out by authority figures to ensure stability and order in both organizations and societies. Most of the time, they’re completely good intentioned and meant to guide us through a succesful, smooth path. But when exactly are rules meant to be broken?

When are there exceptions to following the rules directly?

Just this quandary faces anyone cognizant of the Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART) station worker Jim Stanek’s current predicament.

A 65-year-old BART station agent, Jim Stanek has worked for the organization for the past seven years, and faces the consequence of being forced to retire early or charges after giving a financially strapped teenager BART tickets worth a total of $300.

BART has released statements through its spokesperson Jim Allison by stating that “…tickets are cash to us…”. True, Navoto resident Stanek did not abide by the rules, but must such rules be followed so strictly?

Take the background story of this case into account: Jim Stanek bestowed the tickets upon the 16 year-old grandson of his friend, Lonnie Gordon. The teenager, whose father passed away last month, had been struggling to keep up with his schoolwork and become suspended from his public high school. His grandfather made the decision to send him to Flex Academy in San Francisco in hopes that an individualized education offered by the school would help the teenager’s academic career.

Opinion 5

anthology A Balancing Act

By Anthony Chen

Because the family resides in Oakley, the student had to take BART daily from the Pittsburg-Bay Point Station to San Francisco, a trip that averaged a daily $11 fee—a fee that was slowly taking its toll on a household consisting of a retired nurse and salesman. After learning about his friend’s financial troubles, Jim Stanek gave the high school junior tickets worth $300 as a means to alleviate the Gordon household’s stress. Unfortunately, the teen was stopped by another worker and revealed the origin of his abundance of tickets truthfully.

Revealing that such tickets are typically thrown away by BART workers, Stanek simply decided to make use of something that would have been otherwise wasted. Despite knowing that his actions were against BART regulations, he says, “I’m not saying that I’m unblemished here. I made a mistake. I screwed up. I gave tickets to the boy for reasons not for profit—for benevolence, to help the kid.”

Despite acknowledging his mistake, he still faces the penalty of forced early retirement of termination. But how is this fair? Simply using something that would not have been used in the first place hardly seems like a crime punishable up to employment. In his efforts to be a good samartian, he was unjustly blamed for committing an altruistic act; his genuine intention was skewed and overshadowed by his, what appears to be a completely justified, violation of a rule.

Rules should be broken when the time is right-but as for when, that’s for a moral compass to decide. ▪

Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

EDITORIAL: Block schedule

Opinion Editor Senioritis has not incapacitated me, but I’ll admit that it has affected me slightly. While I’m still maintaining a decent GPA, what I’ve experienced is a drastic reduction in stress that, in retrospect, was caused by a shift in the balance of risk and reward. There is a subtle difference between studying for education and studying for the grade, and although they actually overlap quite a bit, not all the insignificant details matter.

It’s a simple concept, but the amount of studying necessary to achieve the grade you want is never certain. You can go about it by ensuring that you know every minute detail, but in most situations that would not be a good use of your time; low risk in terms of earning that grade, yes, but there’s a cost. Idealists may argue that students should be studying for the purpose of learning, not for grades, and I agree; it’s a fact of life, however, that not all details are important, especially what I like to call the “middle management” of text in textbooks. This tends to appear mostly in social studies textbooks. There are the overarching ideas which are fundamentally important. There are the details, which make up those overarching ideas. Then there are the arbitrary categorizations in the middle, that textbook writers have created after a couple minutes of sales-pitch thought, in order to reduce the details to a couple phrases that are patently obvious and hide the complexity of the subject. Sure, memorizing these will give you a basic (emphasis on

basic) understanding of the subject, but life is not that simple and as a responsible citizen of this world you would be better off actually delving into the details. Sometimes I feel like some textbooks are written to the lowest common denominator; there is some useless text, or at least pictures, in most textbooks I have seen. Not everything is educational or useful, which leads us to the dilemma of risk vs. reward.

If you take into account the useless text that has creeped into textbooks (oftentimes in vain attempts to attract students to the subject) you now have something to lose: your time, and valuable space in your brain. I now have a bit more leeway in terms of grades, so I can increase my risk and skip all that I do not deem pertinent or educational. I save time, I’m still learning, and I can still get high grades. If a teacher does decide to test me on some obscure, unimportant detail or the textbook-specific categories of some overarching theme, I do not suffer a loss except for a possibly lower grade.

Learning to balance risk and reward is important because your risk (in this case, for grades) in the future will increase as your available time decreases and as your subjects get harder. There’s a lot of useless blithering in this world. Learn to get past the Yahoo! News and into the New York Times, the superficiality into the depth. With clarity comes direction, and if you know where you’re going (or how you’re going to study) life is a lot less stressful. ▪ Send letters to the editor to

opinion@thesmokesignal.org

The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board Currently, MSJ uses a scheduling system structured so that students attend all six periods daily, with each period consisting of 52 minutes.

Recently, there has been discussion amongst parents and students about implementing a block schedule at MSJ: such a schedule would mean that students attend fewer classes, but each a longer period, each day, spreading their six classes out over the course of the week. For example, English class would be in 90-minute periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of every day. Various forms of block scheduling have proven effective for other high-achieving schools in the Bay Area: Lynbrook, Gunn, and Palo Alto High School, and in our district, Irvington High School uses the block schedule. Such a schedule would greatly benefit MSJ students.

The high school experience with the block schedule would be more similar to that of college in terms of scheduling and would give students more time to grapple with how to effectively use their free time. The longer class periods would allow teachers more time to expand upon their lessons, as well as incorporate lengthier interactive activities and labs into the curriculum. The use of block scheduling would also allow for a shorter number of hours at school every day. Block scheduling allows students more time between school days to complete assignments and prepare for upcoming classes. Because college courses do not occur daily, such an application of block scheduling at the high school level would further prepare students for the routine of a university education.

Of course, with the suggestion of the implementation of the block schedule comes concern that with longer class periods, students will not be able to focus for the entire period. But students of other highcaliber high schools under the block schedule system do not appear to have been affected academically by such scheduling. High schools such as Lynbrook High School in San Jose implement tutorial days into their block schedule. The tutorial days are a combination of study hall and teacher conference periods; students utilize the time to do homework or talk to teachers about subjects they are having trouble with, similar to office hour sessions with professors implemented at colleges.

Such usage of the block schedule actually gives students more of an opportunity to reach out to their instructors in substantial allotments of time rather than attempting to fit in such during a typical day riddled with classes.

Questions have also been raised about whether or not exam days will be used effectively if the tests do not take the entire period, but with such a lengthy period, time could be allotted to be used for review sessions.

Though not officially implemented yet, block scheduling could be beneficial to MSJ in preparing students for the scheduling of college. To make the transition easier for MSJ students, MSJ could follow the successful model set by other schools and try two to four block days a week, followed by one regular day of six classes. ▪

staff writer sherry xiao

For more information, refer to news story “MSJ considers block schedule” on page 4.

Send letters to the editors at opinion@thesmokesignal.org by May 25 , 2012 or comment online at www.thesmokesignal.org.

staff writer anusha rijhsinghani

6 Opinion

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

bu t n co ot mp la to in

ge ... a ur nge o C ha c o

t

By Grace Wu

By Aishwarya Thakur

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

The value of student activism has continuously been a controversial topic in our world today.

Recent events, such as KONY 2012 and Trayvon Martin’s death, that have spurred students to action through social media and even posters around school have sparked new interest in this long-lasting debate. Although student activism may not always have an immediate or direct effect on the situation, it raises awareness in the community about issues around the world. Awareness is instrumental in rising up against injustices in our global community because it is the first step to progressing to a better society. Without awareness, the general public would not know about injustices facing the world today, such as the atrocities Joseph Kony committed in Uganda or the alleged racial profiling in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Most importantly, awareness can bring revolution because it puts pressure on people in a position of power to investigate and eliminate injustices.

After the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the chief of the Sanford police department announced that George Zimmerman would not be arrested after looking at the evidence. Around 2.2 million people petitioned for his arrest on Change.org and students around the country, including at MSJ, protested, compelling even President Obama to encourage the Sanford police department to do a full investigation. On April 11, 2012 Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder, just 45 days after he was released with no charges.

Many complain that student activism only spreads misinformation and encourages conformity to mainstream opinion but activism actually spurs spectators to further investigate causes themselves. Activism aims to capture the public’s attention with sensationalism or eye-catching statements. This then instills curiosity and encourages the public to search for the truth. One may argue that if students truly cared about events they would learn about it immediately from news sources. The reality is, it takes something interesting, like a rally led by our friends or a Facebook status on how devastating a video is, to spark our curiosity. Another article on atrocities committed

by Joseph Kony will certainly not have the same effect as a passionate plea from our friends to watch KONY 2012.

Students are arguably the most effective and passionate social advocates because of our wide reach within school, society, and families through social media and word of mouth. We witnessed the effectiveness of student activism in our local community just recently in the Save Fremont Students campaign. Two years ago, students, parents, and the community worked together to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to minimize the impact of FUSD budget cuts. Nearly 100 MSJ students held a rally on June 14, 2010 to raise awareness for the campaign. Students also found creative ways to fundraise for the campaign, some singing at the Farmer’s Market and others holding garage sales. Thanks to the overwhelming publicity from rallies around Fremont, the campaign raised over $500,000 for the school district.

Many students felt that this was the first time they directly made an impact on their community. The success of the Save Fremont Students campaign just goes to show that student activism is valuable to the bettering of our community.

Many suggest that most students join movements to conform to public opinion, but who says they can’t learn along the way? Joining a movement for one purpose may lead to another. Student activism is one of the most influential tools our society can utilize to eliminate injustices. So don’t be afraid to post that Facebook status, start a school-wide protest, or wear that hoodie because you never know, it could be the spark that starts the fire of revolution. ▪

There are those who make a heartfelt Facebook post for all the atrocities and injustices in our society.

There are others who pick up a hand-made poster every time a wrongdoing occurs in our society. Yes, we all have freedom of speech and a right to protest, but picking a fight without clear goals and a strong will to change undermines our rights and accomplishes a great deal of nothing.

On March 30, MSJ students protested for the arrest of George Zimmerman, 17-year-old Travyon Martin’s alleged killer. With hoods over their heads, students of the class of 2012 were urging cars on Palm Avenue to honk for support and students passing by to join them in their rally.

In the last year alone, MSJ has held rallies to raise awareness of Egypt uprisings, to show their support for those who suffered in the 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan, and reached out to Martin regarding his cause of death. Students wore hoodies to protest a stereotype that African American teens who have their hoods over their heads are dangerous.

Although we may not be comparable to UC Berkeley, who has had a track record of student protests against injustices since the 1930s, it seems as if we are on that path. We are turning to rallies whenever we want to show our support for a cause. If the point of these rallies was to raise awareness, then they did the job. But to actually be able to make a difference in the community is trickier.

Society seems to be becoming more and more immune to rallies. If we see a group of protestors on the street, we think, “Do they have nothing better to do than to just stand out here and hold signs?” This is obviously not the reaction the protesters were looking for, but their goals are overlooked by passersby. Why? It is often because these goals are either too broad or too narrow. The national Act Now to Stop War and End Racism group that was started in 2001 had hoped to gather interest among those who wanted to end the war in Iraq along with those who opposed racism. Their range of goals was too varied and so the movement never caught on.

Protests can have lasting effects if they have a specific list of demands or proposed solutions to a problem. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous March on Washington, during which he presented his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, was successful in part because he and his party had a list of demands—enforcement of enfranchisement laws, desegregation of schools, etc.—without which they wouldn’t leave DC. Protests of today, such as the Occupy Movement, have no specific agenda or goals. It seems to be just an excuse for people to have a platform to blame somebody. In this technologically rooted society, it is easy to blame faceless people through faceless means—the internet. But pointing fingers is never enough. Take it a step further and ask the question: What do you want the “one percent” to do about the fact that they are rich?

Teenagers especially are seen to be supporting a myriad of causes. One day it’s KONY, the next it’s Travyon Martin. However, how many of us actually research something thoroughly until we are in a position to form a strong belief based on an issue? Misinformation can spread like wildfire through the internet, and though we may be supporting a good cause, we are most likely doing so not because we trust the issue, but because our friends do. If we did feel strongly about the issue, then instead of just restating a post and feeling worldly, we would try harder to fix it by researching how our efforts could impact the lives of others in a more direct fashion.

If you really want to make a difference, then take the initiative to take drastic measures. Draft a petition to the state government asking for budget changes to be made to our education system. Present your ideas for change at the local town hall meeting. Start a fundraiser for a world cause here at school. After all, the reason we protest is to allow for a change; therefore, have the courage to fight for your ideas rather than just complain about them. ▪

VOICES

staff writer kevin he

“Rallies make a difference if the number of students is large and all are taking an informed position and not just rallying because it’s fun to make noise. That’s not the intention. The intention is being informed and making a positive change that will benefit society and not just the individual.

[Rallies] are not effective when they are inefficiently organized and the people don’t believe in the cause.”

-Sai Kumar, AP Chemistry Teacher

“Yes, rallies are very effective. You can see it throughout history. During the Vietnam War there were rallies all over the world and they obviously made a difference or else it wouldn’t be in our history textbooks. But you know that if the younger generation is concerned about something then it’s something to protest about.”

-Margaret Shen, 11

"I think student activism is important. It is only effective when it deals with structural problems because implementing structural change is more effective and powerful than dealing with fad topics or headlines."

-Mr. Rath, English Teacher

“All the rallies do are raise awareness. Especially here, if people don’t know what the topic is about, then they’re not going to change their mind just because a student holds up a sign. But it’s good because it shows that [the students who rally] will try to make a difference later when they have more opportunities.”

-Arjun Sarkar, 11

“I don’t think [rallies] are effective. I don’t think there’s that much involvement as there is at the college level.”

-Eswar Vinnakota, 10 "I think it's very brave of the students because they have the courage to stand up for what they believe in."

-Stanley Gu, 9

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

By Sherry Xiao Staff Writer

The return from Spring Break is punctuated by a hailstorm of activity. Classwork, projects, multicultural week, and, of course, testing, converge to produce a truly frenetic craze by the time May rolls in. While STAR and AP testing are obviously unavoidable, which genius decided to cram them both into the same two-week time frame?

As it turns out though, the unfortunate scheduling of the tests is a result of different scheduling requirements from the state and the College Board and will remain unchanged unless the school start date is changed.

The irritating aspect of the STAR and AP scheduling is not so much that the time required for preparation overlaps, as students generally study little, if at all, for STAR tests, but that at times when the STAR and AP tests coincide, students must choose to take one test and then make up the other at another time. According to Assistant Principal Carlisle Kim, virtually all students in this predicament decide to take the AP test and make up the STAR, as STAR make-ups are more flexible. Students can do this by reaching an agreement with their testing teacher and completing two sections of a test instead of one within a testing period. If, for whatever reason, the student still has tests to make up after the regular testing period, he or she will be pulled out of class to test during an allotted make-up time.

Though it’s not Armageddon, it seems that the nuisance of making up tests and the possibility of missing class time could be eliminated entirely by just moving the testing periods apart, but this is easier said than

done. AP testing follows a strict schedule that is determined by the College Board and is uniform across all testing sites.

The schedule for STAR testing is determined by a more complex mix of decisions made by the state, district, and school. According to Vice Principal Zack Larsen, who coordinates STAR testing, the state gives a limited time window to each district for the STAR and mandates that a certain number of school days pass before testing begins. The decision to allot 100 minutes per testing period is a statewide mandate and the decision to use third period for the STAR test is agreed upon by the school staff. The school start date for FUSD is staff writer supriya yemeli decided between the teacher’s union and the school board and is set at a relatively late time around the beginning of September which limits the STAR window to the period of time right around AP testing. The tentative testing window for the current school year on the district website is listed as April 30 to May 18. MSJ will be administering STAR tests from April 30 to May 8, so STAR this year only overlaps two days with AP testing (which takes place from May 7 to May 18).

The first day of school next year, however, is set for September 5 and will push next year’s STAR testing back to overlap completely with AP testing.

The ideal solution to this problem would be to start school earlier, which would not only solve the present dilemma, but also give AP classes more time to prepare for the tests and make it possible to have first semester finals before winter break.

Who knows? It could happen sometime in the next decade. In the meantime, students will just have to buckle up, study madly, make up their tests, and keep their sights set on that glorious end of the tunnel named Summer. ▪

Opinion 7

Funding fiasco

By Vipin Dulam Staff Writer

Sources of CA education funding.

edusource.org

‘Funding’… it’s the buzz word that gets MSJ parents talking. A major concern of today’s public education system is steady decline in funding that raises perplexing questions about the distribution of California’s budget and the possible need for taxes. California’s problems began to intensify in 2007, and have been going from bad to worse ever since. Textbooks and supplies are desperately in need, and often teachers have to spend their own money on whiteboard markers and the like.

Class sizes are continually increasing. MSJ saw one of the effects of this situation in the academic year of 2009-2010, when a situation dubbed ‘the copy crisis’ came up. Each teacher was only allowed to make a certain number of copies for the whole school year.

Many schools are stretched to their limits and cannot handle or deal

with the introduction of new classes, programs, or activities for students.

The question that then arises from these circumstances is if it’s worth it to increase taxes to pay for education.

Bureaucracies are inherently inefficient and reshuffling the budget might be more cost-effective for both the California government and the citizens. However, in terms of results we may need to just pay more and invest in education now. Time is of the essence. Every year we wait, arguing on superficial, petty problems, children continue to receive poorer quality education. Partisan bickering won’t help the next generation. A true assessment would require analyzing how the taxes would be spent and the apportionment of the various funds. As it stands, we as citizens of California have a responsibility to the future generation and we should be giving them the best education possible. There is not enough time between now and November to undergo a full budget analysis, and the fastest way to increase the quality of public education is to simply raise taxes now.

Times are tough. Increasing taxes for public school funding would be a fair way to bridge the deficits that school districts are facing.

This is, of course, only a temporary measure; the hope is that in time we can match funds to the needs of the citizens for maximum social utility.

We have a responsibility to educate the next generation so everyone turns out to be responsible citizens. This is the US, a land of opportunity; the public school system should not be failing to meet the needs of the people.

The time to act is now. Save the bickering for later; we need to raise taxes now. Our schools depend on us. ▪

8 Opinion

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

“Bully”gets pushed around

By Vishal Bajpai Staff Writer

Try an experiment today. Walk around MSJ during passing period, and just listen to what people are saying. Not in the creepy, I wanna know what you are talking about way, just listen for the words. What kind of words do you think you’re going to hear? You’re probably going to hear words that I can’t print on this page without getting in trouble. Words like $#!& or &@#%. Whether or not our parents like to acknowledge it this kind of language exists on campus for us, and has existed since the sixth grade for most of us. There is no way to keep children from hearing words like these, sadly the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) didn’t get the memo.

The documentary Bully is a glimpse into the average high school. Film crews followed teenagers around on campus and off campus to show the public just what kind of ridicule and torture some kids have to put up with.

The movie goes a long way to be realistic and captures the same words we hear every day on camera, words that in more sophisticated company are “rude”. In light of the spate of teenage suicides caused by bullying ,the documentary was a welcome sign; it was a signal that there were adults who cared.

However, many children, those for whom the movie is intended, will not be able to get this message. The MPAA insisted that the frequency of bad words within the movie meant it was only suitable for adult audiences and gave it an “R”. This move means that only individuals 17 or older can watch in theatres, and that the film cannot be shown in most schools, even with permission slips.

Even after a petition with over 300,000 signatures and pressure from other rating

staff writer sherry xiao

Strip searches galore

By Brandon Fuhs Staff Writer

dailycaller.com

Albert Florence was subjected to two strip searches for an unpaid traffic ticket and brought the case to the Supreme Court.

On April 2, 2012, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the police to strip search anyone arrested, no matter how minor the offense. Officers do not even need to have any suspicion of contraband in order to perform the search. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote, “Courts are in no position to second-guess the judgments of correctional officials who must consider, not only the possibility of smuggled weapons and drugs, but also public health and information about gang affiliations.”

Although the Supreme Court is looking out for the safety of the people, this new law flirts with contradicting the Fourth Amendment, which protects you and your property from being searched without a valid cause or suspicion. The key words there are "probable cause." The only way this law is constitutional is if every single arrest is considered "probable cause." The upsetting part is that police could search for things that have nothing to do with your arrest without any suspicion that you're hiding something. Along with the violation of privacy for very minor offenses, those falsely accused may be required to strip search when they haven’t done anything wrong.

The details of the strip search are also very

straightforward, and considering the circumstances of certain arrests, cross the line and may have people feeling very uncomfortable. According to the written law, the detainee must perform the following as a part of the strip search. “For men, spreading and/or lifting his testicles to expose the area behind them and bending over and/or spreading the cheeks of his buttocks to expose his anus. For females, the procedures are similar except females must, in addition, squat to expose the vagina.” People who get arrested for any reason may be forced to do these crude and humiliating actions for police without a single ounce of suspicion.

A perfect example of how this new law may be abused is arrests for public indecency/public intoxication. Unfortunately, we have to face the facts that there may potentially be officers that take advantage of this new law in order to strip search intoxicated men and women, without any sign of suspicion. Another concern is the added jail time for those detained for an even longer time because they resist doing the strip search.

That added time in jail will cost extra tax dollars because they didn’t comply with being unreasonably searched for a crime that had nothing to do with any substance that they could be hiding. Even law-abiding American citizens suffer by having their tax money go to an unreasonable offense against a detainee.

The biggest fear may be what civil rights the Supreme Court may take away next.

At this rate we may not have the right to remain silent or even be given an attorney to defend us if we are detained. The lopsided conservative court that deems things “unconstitutional" just decided to change a right given to us in the constitution. That brings up questions about the system we've been using for well over 200 years, and how the highest court could pass something that takes away our amendment rights. It’s important to, as citizens, guard our rights closely, and in the coming times privacy will be a huge issue. ▪

agencies the MPAA stood firm. The Weinstein Company, the distributor of the movie, decided to release Bully unrated, a move that would usually only allow it to be played at art houses because many cinema chains like Cinemark or AMC do not allow unrated films to play.

AMC, however, took a stand with bullied teenagers and is playing the movie. Moreover, they allow any child with a permission slip to buy tickets for the movie without any ID or parent required.

The irony of the whole situation is that the language the MPAA is trying to restrict high school students from watching is language that real high schoolers are using in real situations. We aren’t being protected from anything we aren’t already exposed to. Instead, a valuable message and poignant look into bully culture at high schools across the USA is being suppressed.

If a couple of bad words means that content is only appropriate for adults, then most of the music on our iPods shouldn’t be there.

Facebook should be censored for minors to get rid of all the profanity. Obviously this is ridiculous. There is no way to get rid of profanity from the modern teenager’s life.

We have profanity on Youtube, Facebook, in our music, and even on campus. Even presidents, senators, and governors have used bad language occasionally. And if you have ever played Halo online you will always be greeted by a barrage of profanity coming from immature 10 year olds.

There is no way to guard us from this language. But for whatever reason the MPAA thinks it can. ▪

9 Feature

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The Smoke Signal

Make YourMother’s Day

Friday, May 4, 2012

By Jaynelle Gao Staff Writer

This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 13 which is the weekend right in the middle of AP testing. Although most of your time would understandably be spent on test preparation, it’s definitely worth making the effort to do something special for your mother. Since many restaurants will be packed on Mother’s Day and you have a limited amount of time and resources, the Smoke Signal provides a collection of simple things you could do or make for the woman who brought you into this world.

3. Give her a bouquet…of your lovely face!

Materials: All you need is construction paper, chenille stems, photos of yourself (and other members of the family).

Directions: Cut the paper into flower shapes and paste a face cut-out in the center. Attach stems to the back of the flowers and you have a keepsake bouquet that will never wilt or die.

1. A Healthy Breakfast-

Prep: 30 minutes in-Bed Soup for the StoveChill: 1 hour Makes 6 servings (about 1 ¼ Challenged: Gazpacho cups each) Ingredients: 6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 6 cups) 1 1/2 cups V8® 100% Vegetable Juice 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (about 1 1/3 cups) 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1 small green pepper, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons vinegar 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Hot pepper sauce to tasteto serve.

Directions: Stir the tomatoes, vegetable juice, cucumber, onion, green pepper, garlic, oil, vinegar, black pepper and hot pepper sauce in a large mixing bowl.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready

4. Take her to a plant nursery at stores like OSH or Home Depot to pick out a small potted plant and put it in a handmade mosaic flower pot!

Newspaper Materials: Pieces of broken pottery, tiles, beads, marbles, beach glass, shells or charms (many local tile and hardware stores will give you broken display tiles for free) Ceramic tile grout (available at hardware stores) Plastic knife Terra-cotta flowerpot Sponge Directions: 1. Cover the work area with newspaper. Before starting to decorate the pot, sort through the pottery pieces and discard any that have sharp edges.

2. Spread a heavy layer of tile grout onto the flowerpot with the plastic knife. Then press the tile pieces into the wet grout. When finished, spread a little more grout between the pieces so that most of the broken edges are covered.

3. After the pot is dry, wipe off any grout film with a damp sponge. ▪

2. Make your mom an edible flowerpot garden with a nobake cake topped with homemade dirt.

Ingredients: 2 packages Oreos crushed (leave 10 or however many pots you are making whole to plug the bottom of your pot) 2 packages chocolate pudding 3 cups heavy cream 2 cups powdered sugar 2 sticks cream cheese softened 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions: 1. Make the chocolate pudding according to the package directions. Whip the cream. Set aside. Cream the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla.

2. Combine the pudding into the cream cheese mixture. Then fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

3. Get your pots ready. You can find two-inch diameter terracotta flowerpots at Michaels.

4. Put a whole Oreo on top of the hole in the bottom of the flower pot so that the pudding does not leak out.

5. Layer some crushed Oreos on the top of the whole Oreo. Add the pudding mixture. Optional: Drop in some bug-shaped gummy candies.

6. Cover the top with more crushed Oreos.

7. Let the pots chill for at least one hour or overnight.

8. Add some clean, fake flowers.

campbellskitchen, bakedbree, crafts.kaboose, familyfun.go

10

Feature

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Dear Diary...AP Overload

March 19 11:49 PM As the diligent student I am, I feel obligated to take as many AP tests as I possibly can. That way, I’ll gain an upper hand in college applications. Seriously, I’m pretty sure I won’t even make it to college if I don’t take enough APs. So I’ll just sign up for a few more. The sign-up deadline for taking AP tests is tomorrow, and I’ve finally decided which APs to take. Even though I’m already taking AP French, AP Calculus, AP Human Geography, AP Biology, and AP Psychology, I think I’ll just add AP Environmental Science, AP Computer Science, AP Art History, AP European History, AP Physics, AP Comparative Government, AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP World History, and AP Latin. I probably should take a few more just to be sure I’ll get into college, but that should do it. Just imagine the news: Overnight AP Scholar! I’ll probably get into every major college I apply to at this rate. Hopefully.

March 20 3:15 PM I signed up for 15 APs today. Man, that check for $1,200 was crazy, and the teacher looked at me like I was crazy, but hey, I’m saving my parents big bucks by getting college credit for only eighty bucks a pop! Well, how many days do I have? Okay. I’ve got 48 days. By simple division, I get about three days per AP subject. No problem! Cram day, review day, chill day. Plus, five of my APs are pretty much guaranteed fives since they’re my classes. Well, since I haven’t gotten any of my prep books yet, I guess today will have to be a chill day!

By Anna Zeng Staff Writer

April 5 3:02PM Thank my lucky stars, it’s Spring Break!

The traditional AP cram week! Thankfully, I got about half of my prep books last week. That day, the look on the mailman’s face was absolutely priceless, but I digress.

I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into these prep books, but I have found that text cannot diffuse from page to brain. I’ve even tried putting them on my head and in my face upright, upside down, open, closed, and dog-eared. Thankfully, I’ve got 10 days to cram my extra 10 APs—into my face, that is.

April 16 3:01 AM I had ten days to cram my ten APs. Ten days! And it’s all gone! I can’t believe that taking a 15-minute break from studying would transport me into the future. I’ve barely cracked open a book! Oh, why am I even writing in this diary, I’ve got to study!

Or so I thought. I’ve still got 10 days or so. Don’t worry about it! I’ll just skim a book a day. It won’t be that bad.

CLUB

Best Friends

By Catherine Ho Staff Writer

The Smoke Signal recently caught up with Best Friends, one of the newest clubs on campus, to talk a little bit about what the club is working on.

Smoke Signal: What is MSJ Best Friends all about?

Best Friends: As a club, Best Friends aims to aid those who have intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities by donating supplies to organizations such as Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN). We also help train students to work with special needs children so they can be effective volunteers and help raise awareness or stand up for those with disabilities.

SS: How long has Best Friends been in service?

BF: We became an official club at the end of January, 2012.

SS: What do members do?

BF: Members volunteer year-round at various programs FCSN offers for which they get service hours. Volunteers interact with and help the special needs kids there on various tasks, based on the specific program they are volunteering in. These programs include cooking, music, badminton, basketball, math, social skills, and art classes. Our program coordinators are also enthusiastic enough to write letters of recommendation to deserving volunteers, so that’s another perk for our volunteers.

SS: What does an ideal club meeting look like?

BF: Both new and existing members come to find out what programs are available to volunteer for and sign up for them. We plan fundraisers and hold training sessions for those who have never worked with special needs children as well. Our meetings are typically on Thursdays in B30 during lunch so look out for meeting announcements!

SS: In what aspects do you think this club will benefit MSJ? BF: A lot of students at MSJ misjudge and sometimes mistreat special needs kids. By getting more students involved and working with them, we can remove some of the misconceptions about these kids and build a more accepting community. Also, this type of volunteer work develops patience, understanding, character, and much more—all extremely valuable traits future employers and mentors will look for.

SS: What are your main goals for this year and next year?

BF: For this year, our goals are to raise enough money to begin donating to organizations that aid those with special needs, find more people to volunteer at classes hosted by FCSN, and get more people involved in our club!

Next year we will be continuing to supply FCSN with volunteers and materials so they can help the increasing number of special needs children in our community along with their families. ▪

The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

April 29 4:43 AM Okay, well I’m not so sure all-nighters are good for me, but they’re good for my APs, which are good for college, which will be good for my future, which is good for me.

Take that, 10-seconds-ago-self ! Anyways, caffeine is a blessing. Man, how many pots of coffee can I go through? But onto the real topic. I’m not sure whether STAR testing tomorrow would be a blessing or not. I can’t just flunk STAR on purpose. Colleges see everything! That’s why I have a perfect attendance record, perfect GPA, and perfect test scores to sit with my perfect SAT score and my future 15 AP scores of ultimate perfection! But since I always breeze through STAR testing, it shouldn’t be a problem this year, even with some caffeine. Right?

May 7 6:10 AM I’m doomed.

AP week starts in two hours.

My hand is shaking, I’m so nervous. Today, I have two tests in a row, and I’m going to fail because I didn’t study and I’m going to fail because diffusion doesn’t work and I’m going to be sad because I’m going to fail, but I’m not going to fail because I haven’t failed anything in my life before and I believe diffusion works for anything but solids, but that doesn’t make sense since dissolved solids diffuse—what am I talking about? Who cares about diffusion? AP week starts in two hours. Two hours!

I think I need some breakfast coffee… ▪

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

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Feature 11

SUPER FOODS “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”

-Adelle Davis Blueberries Long hailed as super food royalty, blueberries have it all: antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and a great taste that makes them amazingly versatile in recipes. They have been known to boost brain function and contain a variety of nutrients that supports the whole body. Use blueberries in your favorite smoothie, fruit salad, or baking mix.

By Kerrie Wu Staff Writer

With summer just around the corner, everyone wants to look and feel their best. With the help of some super-foods, eating healthy can be tastier than ever. Here are some foods to try: Sunflower Seeds Sunflower seeds contain loads of vitamin E and selenium, which play a role in suppressing allergies. Vitamin E is antiinflammatory, while selenium helps the body absorb vitamin C, also a histaminefighter. As a bonus, these seeds also help maintain healthy skin. To find other antiallergy foods, look for foods high in vitamins, zinc, and selenium.

Raw Honey A food with long history, honey has had many uses, from treating physical wounds to soothing forever-alone hearts. Even if you’re not suffering from any of the above, honey promotes the growth of good bacteria in the colon and contains enzymes, proteins, and antioxidants, making it a healthy alternative to other sweeteners. However, if you choose to include this in your diet, look for pure, raw honey without sugar additives to reap the greatest benefits, and know the risks associated with raw products.

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."

- La Rochefoucauld Avocadoes If you’re having trouble cramming for those APs, try eating some avocadoes. This fruit owes its creamy texture to high levels of fat that seem unhealthy but actually aren’t: the fat is monounsaturated fat, which is beneficial and promotes good blood flow. Better blood flow to your brain means fewer dead brain cells and better memory. For other memory-enhancing foods, look for vitamins B, C, and E, folic acid, beta carotene, and omega-three fatty acids.

Chocolate Milk Have you ditched chocolate milk since your transition from a child to an adult?

Think again. Numerous research studies have shown that chocolate milk is the best thing to drink to recharge after an endurance workout, trumping water and carbonly sports drinks. With its ideal mix of water, protein, and carbs, chocolate milk replenishes your body fluid, provides your body with muscle-building material, and restores your energy, all in one heavenlytasting beverage. So next time you’re done pumping iron at the gym, hide the Gatorade and sport your chocolate milk like a champion .

Though there are hundreds of super foods out there, from dark leafy greens to apples and oranges, the above list provides some ideas to switch up your diet.*

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”

-George Bernard Shaw

*The statements made in this article have not been scientifically proven or evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. The Smoke Signal is not responsible for lethal allergy attacks, sub-par AP tests scores, or failure in love life. ▪

sciencedaily, alternativeconsumer, curio-world, tierrafarm

DIY MulticulturalDishes

By Alekya Rajanala A&E Editor

Adding to the culinary diversity of the “global cookbook” are the distinctive cuisines and flavors of each region dotting the world map. In honor of Multicultural Week, the Smoke Signal brings to the table a spread of simple, do-it-yourself recipes from around the world. Impress your friends and “stir” their imaginations with your worldly knowledge of the culinary arts!

Soups

Appetizers

Main Course Dessert Mailaenderli Cookies: Look no further for the perfect dessert to top off this multicultural dinner. These Swiss Mailaenderli cookies are sweet but not too sweet— just enough to cool your palate.

Mexican Ceviche: Treat yourself to authentic Mexican cuisine with this simple recipe for a delightful, albeit spicy, appetizer called ceviche.

Lemon and lime juice Cooked shrimp, tailless Chopped onions, cucumbers, tomatoes 1 teaspoon (tsp) olive oil Chopped jalapeno and Serrano peppers Chopped cilantro Salt and black pepper to taste Gently toss the shrimp with the lime and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and chill for one hour. Enjoy with tortilla chips and hot sauce!

African Peanut Butter Soup: This exotic soup combines African spices and a classic American snack for a delicacy that is loved by people of all tastes.

lic

1 tablespoon (tbsp) olive oil Chopped onions, bell peppers, and gar0.5 can crushed tomatoes 4 cups vegetable broth 0.5 cup crunchy peanut butter Pepper, chili powder

Heat oil in a pot, and stir in onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, pepper, and chili powder, and leave at low heat for 30 minutes. Blend in the peanut butter, and serve five friends!

Sichuan Sesame Noodles: National Noodle Month might have passed us by in March, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare this tasty concoction that will leave your taste buds begging for more. A word to the wise: try not to let the extensive ingredient list deter you!

8 oz uncooked spaghetti 2.5 tbsp sesame paste (found at most Asian food stores, like Ranch 99 or Marina Foods) 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter 1.5 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp chili oil Salt and sugar to taste Cook noodles in boiling water following package directions. In a large bowl, mix sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, salt, and sugar to make the sesame sauce. Add to noodles, and voila!

2 eggs 0.5 cup sugar 0.5 cup butter Pinch of salt 2 cups flour 0.75 tsp grated lemon zest Sprinkles in the color of your choice After whisking the eggs in a large bowl, blend in the sugar and beat for ten minutes. Mix in the melted butter, salt, flour, and lemon zest, and cover and put the mixture in the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough to 0.25 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Place cookies on greased cookie sheet and decorate with sprinkles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cookies are golden at the edges. Cool the cookies on the rack and get ready to taste heaven! ▪

thumbs.ifood, mexicofoodandmore, yummly, petitateliercuisine

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

Friday May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

MC Week

Costumes

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Centerspread 13

During Multicultural Week, students and stay showed their ethnic diversity by dressing in tra-

By Hannah Shih

ditional clothing according to the daily theme.

Staff Writer

Each day was a unique and new experience.

Many people were glad to dress up!

Africa/Pacific Island Day

Asia Day The beautiful Vietnamese ao dai that Senior Leila Garcia is wearing is a gar-

Sophomores Sarah Mueller and Beth Scrutton embrace

ment that dates back to the Nguyen Dynasty, and was designed by Lord Vu

both school spirit and Pacific Island culture with

Vuong as the official clothing for Vietnamese women. The ao dai or “long

their colorful pareos from Tahiti. Sarah is also wearing

dress” is usually made of two pieces of cloth, and pulled over silk pants. The

a shell necklace from Hawaii and a flower hair clip

four flap ao dais of the 17th century were mutli-layered and meant to disguise

with a plumeria blossom. Today, a pareo is a piece of

the figure. There were very few embellishments though they were made with

cloth with Tahitian designs that can be used as either a

decorative patterns. The royalty and high class women wore five-flap Ao Dais,

wrap skirt or a wrap dress. However, these pareos were

which stood for the five elements: water, earth, fire, metal, and wood. The slits

traditionally made from tapa or beaten bark or from

in these ao dais gave them a wider range of movement, and differences in

woven leaves called pandanus. Men wore maros, or loin-

fabric and design made the wealth of the wearer even more distinct.

clothes, made of the same material.

Sophmores Simran Gulati, Divya Mohan, Tarika English Teacher Kathy Mattingly showed off a blue,

Srinivasan, and Supriya Yelimeli all dressed up together,

floor–length kitenge from Kenya. This colorful,

displaying multiple different types of traditional Indian

embroidered dress, otherwise known as a chitenge, is

garments. Simran is wearing a unisex shirt dress called

made of a thick cotton cloth, and is customarily worn

shalwar kameez or shalwar qameez, which can worn on

as informal, everyday clothing throughout

many different occasions whether for casual wear

Africa. Sometimes, during hot weather, they are even

or for more formal events. The other three girls are

worn by men. The cloth is usually in batik print, each

wearing churidars, which can also be donned by men or

conveying different religious, traditional, or even

woman, with dupattas, scarves that can be worn tied,

political messages. Different prints can be worn to

tossed over, or draped across the shoulders. The side

funerals or to signify a different tribe or region. Kitenges

seams on the tunics are called chaak, and they slit at the

are also often used in breast feeding as a sling, or

waistline, allowing a larger range of movement. Both of

sometimes even as tablecloths or decorative art.

these dresses can be worn as an alternative to the more elaborate sari.

katy de guzman, 11

arnav gautam, 10

caitlin ha, 11

Europe Day

kimberly kwong, 10

monica liu 11, gurubala kotta 11

shruthi aravindan, 10

North/South America The Mexican Baja hoodie History Teacher Rachel Tevlin is

The kilt, often made from tartan or plaid patterns, is part of Scotland’s national dress, and it holds many centuries of history and heritage. Originally, the kilt was only worn in the highlands of Scotland, where its warmth and comfort allowed it to be used in many ways, whether as daily wear, as war uniforms, as cloaks or even as blankets. It is most famed for its use by the military, and was actually banned at one point after the British deemed it a symbol of rebellion. In addition to her kilt, Junior Silvia Zannetti is also wearing a jean jacket from Italy.

a predecessor to the poncho, which can be traced to South and Central America. The fabric for these articles of clothing was woven from camel hair, ensuring warmth and durability. However, today Mexican Baja hoodies are made with cotton and wool, and many are hand woven

by Mexican families. The word baja does not indicate where this clothing comes from, but rather describes the hoodie itself. Baja is a synonym of the Spanish word franela which means wool and cotton, and implies colorful designs. Mexican Baja hoodies usually have striped or plain designs, and feature multiple

Senior Keith Lewis epitomized European charm and class in his white vest and trousers, an outfit completed with his black bow tie, blue beret, and folded handkerchief. The European vest is actually a historical article of clothing dating back to the rule of Charles II, king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and was intended to help cut back on costs for clothing for the nobility. The inspiration for this British fashion was gathered from the Persian vests worn by ambassadors from Persia, most notably Sir Robert Shirley, an Englishman in St. James. The king presented it as an example of proper dress.

Science Teacher Nathania Chaney-Aiello is wearing a rectangular piece of cloth called the sarape. It was first donned in Guatemala by cowboys or vaqueros as cloaks, bedding, and saddle padding. While sarapes may resemble ponchos, they are actually wrapped around the body instead of pulled over the head through a hole. The fabric of these sarapes normally are bursting with bright colors, stripes, or geometric patterns which are the most popular. These designs usually all have meaning and are derived from Mayan legends.

Today, sarapes are still worn in South America, Central America, and Mexico as a symbol of their rich cultures.

photos by staff writer hannah shih

Performance

MCWeek

14 Centerspread

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The Smoke Signal

Friday May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

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By Avery Kruger, Kyle Qian, & Supriya Yelimeli Staff Writers

cheering grew to a crescendo. This was the first beat boxing performance at a yearly assembly, and despite a few hitches with audio equipment, it impressed. From the introduction to “Like a G6” to Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” with vocals by Priya Vijaykumar, the Beatboxing group proved their mettle in the vocal arts. For the finale, they performed “Rack City”, and fake money rained on the audience. Audibility was occasionally an issue, but the en-

Directed by Junior Anshi Saxena, this year’s Bollywood

The Tahitian performance, choreographed by Sophomore

performance was a vibrant cultural dance with songs from

Megan Jose was representative of the Tahitian culture of

the Indian movie industry. Fast-paced moves and colorful

the French Polynesia. The Tahitian dance was originally

costumes kept the audience enthralled as the performers

used for festivals in a celebratory fashion. This year’s per-

wowed the audience with classic Bollywood moves mixed

formance was lively and enthusiastic, and the drum beats

in with bhangra steps. The boys versus girls section had

of the music kept up a consistent beat. The costumes

everyone cheering and created an energetic vibe in the

drew the attention of the audience and the leis and skirts

gym. The space was utilized well and even the audience

were very loyal to the actual costume of the native Tahitian

members sitting in the far side of the gym had a good

dancers. The ending of the dance had everyone up on

view of the performance.

their feet cheering for more, and the dancers definitely left

junior kyle lam, senior priya vijaykumar, & junior joshua shao show off their

juniors tanya raja & mizan rahman sway to the beat.

beatboxing skills.

their mark on the multicultural stage.

Taekwondo is not an uncommon performance at the Multicul-

Tinikling is a cultural dance done in the Philippines with

The audience was taken halfway across the globe to Tibet

tural Assembly, but it never ceases to amaze. This year, as

beating tapping and sliding bamboo poles across the floor

where they witnessed the dance of nine Tibetan women

One Republic’s “Made for You” set the tone, the performers

to create a complicated and speedy rhythm that pairs and

washing clothes in the river. With an up-beat song playing

began by demonstrating forms, perfect to the untrained eye.

groups of dancers must follows. This year's Tinikling dance

in the background, the girls each wore a colorful garb as

After a song switch, they moved on to board breaking. The

was choreographed by Sophomore Kristina Wong and Se-

lifestyle and culture came together, with flexed feet and ex-

performers began with punches and kicks, building up to the

nior Justin Chew were among the few who kept up with well-

tended fingers splashing about the dance floor. At the end

climax, where Senior Kevin He broke a board two feet above

timed foot placement and well-choreographed partner work.

of the dance, the audience heard the blare of a train horn,

his head with a backflip. The discipline and execution dis-

The costumes also added to the performance by adding an

symbolizing the building of the Tibetan railway, the highest

played by the performers perfectly complemented the song

authentic feel to the program. The dance was full of energy

railroad in the world, as it controversially links Tibet even

the tae kwon do team performs an intricate jumping pattern.

choice, and made the performance an eye-grabber.

and kept the audience engaged for the entire performance.

the tinikling crew does a complicated rhythm.

(from left to right): jiunior sherry xiao, sophomore cecilia leng, & junior yvette wu dance to the tibetan folk music.

In a fresh break from the norm, a cello quartet of Mission

The Yoko’s Dance girls continued their annual Multi-

This year, The Kids created an energetic and original

cultural Assembly appearance, this year with a modern

performance. Almost perfectly synchronized, the group

jazz performance, combining jazz rhythms with twirling

used expressive choreography, music-turned-action.

pirouettes. The origins of traditional jazz dance stretch

originally performed this metal-infused version of a classic

The performance incorporated groups facing all direc-

back to tap dancing and the African-American dance

in their 2000 album Cult. Using a combination of amplified

tions, so every member of the audience could see the

styles of the 19th century. It wasn’t until the 1950s

acoustic cellos and sound processors to create the effect

feeling. In the finale, the performance ended with a bang

that elements of Caribbean traditional dance mixed

of heavy metal guitars, the quartet captivated the audience

befitting a group that represents the modern culture of

in, eventually creating the modern jazz of Broadway.

through a rumbling staccato bass and shrieking melody.

hip-hop.

Today’s jazz dance shows influences from a variety of other dance forms, including ballet and hip-hop. (left to right) senior natasha yeh, junior tessa shanley, & sophomore joanna wu are caught up in a move.

seniors karmay hung & kevin li bear the dominican republic flag.

the tahitian dancers perform a tricky maneuver.

more to mainland China.

Every year, hip-hop manages to create something new.

seniors kyaw win & willson zhang hold the flag of brazil.

Centerspread 15

After four food-oriented days, Multicultural Week ended with a lively assembly on Friday. Featuring the talents of MSJ’s students and faculty, the student body was given an insight into the cultural backgrounds of many ethinic groups. From the Tinikling dance from Indonesia to the never-before seen Cello ensemble, there was a great variety and diversity in the performances.

As a Mission cry echoed through the gym, the crowd’s

thusiasm of the performers more than made up for it.

Friday May 4, 2012

orchestra students performed Apocalyptica’s rendition of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King. Apocalyptica, a Finnish cello music group,

True to Grieg’s original composition, the tempo of the piece accelerated throughout the performance, eventually ending junior hilary yen performs in the jazz dance.

in a frenzied flurry of sound. Contrary to popular belief, cel-

junior calvin leung plays the cello.

los can, indeed, shred.

senior raashi goyal and senior sabina kapur joyfully walk with the chilean flag.

sophomores rishabh malhotra & peter chew walk with the royal flag of scotland.

senior justine liang & sophomore amanda lo hold the flag of luxembourg.

photos by staff writers vivan jair, kerrie wu, & lindy zeng

www.thesmokesignal.org

Friday, May 4, 2012

and fun

Pho

Samosas

Musubis

Multicultural Week is one of the most anticipated weeks of the school year because of the extended lunch and the plethora of food available for students to feast on. From Pad Thai to Gyros, students and faculty were offered a great diversity of multicultural foods and exceeded the already high expectations of the student body.

Students got to experience Hawaiian food this year thanks to Interact. Delicious musubis from Ohana Grill quickly became a hit due to its affordable price of $2.50. Musubi is a popular snack or lunch food in Hawaii that comes from the Japanese tradition omusubi. The snack consists of chicken or spam with rice wrapped in nori (also known as seaweed). Musubis usually sold out within 30 minutes so you had to act quickly if you want ed to experience these savory snacks.

Food

The Smoke Signal

MC Week

16 Centerspread

One of the most popular snacks in India, Samosas are quickly becoming the most popular food during multicultural week every year. This year, ISACA sold these appetizing snacks with chutney, a popular appetizer. Samosas are spiced potatoes and peas wrapped in crispy bread. In India, this deep fried snack is popular as an afternoon snack or food to go. Due to their inexpensive price and unique flavor, Samosas have consistently sold out every year at MSJ.

Pad Thai Pho has always ranked as one of the student body’s favorite dishes during multicultural week. Therefore, Youth Alive decided to continue that tradition by offering Pho for an affordable $5. This popular Vietnamese dish features noodles immersed in soup that contains beef, soy sauce, and bean sprouts. Pho originated from Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, during the early 1920s. Today, this ambrosial dish can be found all over markets throughout Vietnam and restaurants through the United States.

Ice Cream Mochi

If you want to look for unusual desserts, MSJ Best Friends has them in the form of ice cream mochis.

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice and can be easily converted into an eclectic range of flavors. Flavors sold during multicultural week included strawberry, chocolate, and green tea. Mochis are traditionally made in Japan during a prominent ceremony called mochitsuki. Due to appetizing taste and flexibility, Mochis have rapidly spread to other countries such as Taiwan and China.

DECA and AC wanted a food that represented the ethnic diversity at MSJ and subsequently decided to offer Thai noodles. This savory main dish is a staple of Thai diet and consists of spices, noodles, tofu, and onions. In Thailand, these noodles can be served in bento boxes to go or in very formal restaurants.

Thai noodles are highly sought-after at MSJ and extremely well liked by students. If you haven’t experienced Thai noodles yet, this dish should definitely ascend to the top of your list next year.

Kimbap One of the most popular dishes in Korea, Kimbap seemed like a natural choice for the Korean Club.

This scrumptious dish is made with assorted vegetables, pickled reddish, seaweed, and rice. Kimbaps are popular in Korea as a picnic or quick lunch food and can also be found on streets all over the country. This dish sold extremely well during multicultural week, so be sure to look out for savory Kimbaps during multicultural week next year if you missed out.

photos by staff writer jason chen

17 Feature

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Thursday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

MSJ Happiness Report Card

By Sonali Toppur Staff Writer

With all the grading going on at MSJ, the Smoke Signal decided to give the school some grades of its own. Thirty random students, around 7-8 from each grade level, were found on campus and interviewed. They were asked to rate all of the following categories as excellent, average, or poor. A point value of 3, 2, or 1 was given respectively for each rating cast. The total points were scored out of a total of 75 points to derive the grades for each category.

Campus Appearance: It seems that the ongoing campus renovation and beautification efforts being taken at MSJ have paid off, as MSJ students gave high ratings to the overall appearance of their campus. Special mentions were made of the redecoration of the areas around the library, which was recently done thanks to efforts by Mission Possible.

Participation in MSJ events/activities: The students of MSJ sense a strong lack of involvement in the school’s Friday activities and assemblies. Sports players express their disappointment at the small number of MSJ students that make an appearance at games and tournaments every season.

Participation in MSJ events/activities: 41/75 points

-Excellent: 3 people -Average: 5 people -Poor: 22 people

55% F

Bathrooms: The bathrooms on campus are well spaced out throughout the school campus and are easily accessible to the student body.

However, the cleanliness and quality of the bathrooms greatly differs from wing to wing.

Campus Appearance: 71/75 points 95%

-Excellent: 15 people

-Average: 11 people

-Poor: 4 people

70% c-

Bathroom quality: 53/75 points

70%

-Excellent: 2 people

-Average: 21 people

-Poor: 7 people

Food: Cafeteria lunches are available daily to MSJ students by the school. In addition there are food carts that sell pizza, cookies and other packaged snacks to students. The student store is another source from which students may purchase snacks and other edible items, and there are also two vending machines on campus. Students seem generally happy with the quality and cost of the food available.

95% A

Quality of food: 65/75 points

87% b+

-Excellent: 6 people -Average: 18 people -Poor: 6 people

6

Cost of food: 62/75 points

-Excellent: 8 people -Average: 16 people -Poor: 6 people

83% b

6 8 16

School Spirit: The MSJ spirit is lacking among the student body, as this category received a low rating in comparison to the others. While school spirit shines out during homecoming and few other large events throughout the year, it seems stagnant for the remaining months.

18 20

16 15

School Spirit: 49/75 points

6

65% d

10

-Excellent: 2 people -Average: 17 people -Poor: 11 people

5

0

9

Locker Rooms: Primarily freshmen and sophomores occupy the girls’ and boys’ locker rooms.

The lockers are small in size, but seem to be large enough to hold most essential items that need to be stored for P.E. The showers that are utilized during the swim units seem to be lacking in quality.

Locker Room Quality: 64/75 points

5

85% b

-Excellent: 9 people -Average: 16 people -Poor: 5 people

graphics by graphics editor kevin zhai

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

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By Leland Bernstein & Connor Williams Staff Writers

It has been nearly a year since the Smoke Signal has heard from Reid Saw a Ghost, and what a momentous year it has been. The band has had a member move onto other things, Robert Sesma, their former bassist and keyboardist. They have also produced their very first album Mad Scary EP. Their fan base has been steadily growing and they have been playing more and more shows, even coining their own house show series called Reidstock. Very recently they have even been on the radio, so keep an ear open for them while jamming in your car.

Reid Saw a Ghost is headed by front man Alex Lefkort on the bass and crooning lead vocals. Cole Berggren is their guitarist and helps out with vocals. Both Lefkort and Berggren are seniors at MSJ. They are supported

by Junior Reid Riegelsberger of Washington High School, rocking the drums. And yes, the band is actually named after Reid and a confusing accident with a couch.

Reid Saw a Ghost’s new EP (extended play) is a seven track delight, reviewed in the other half of this spread. For those of you that do not know, an EP is music talk for “extended play,” it is shorter than an album, but longer than a LP, or “long play.”The name their EP originated during a long night recording.

After going out for some food their sound engineers had a little surprise for them, which eventually culminated into the last track of the album. And thus, after the “mad scary” experience, the EP was named.

You can buy the EP at www.bandcamp. com, or if you prefer a physical copy you can buy a CD by contacting them via Facebook.

The EP is currently selling for $5, and Berggren has avowed cookies to “anyone who wants to listen to our music.” The tracks will also be up on Youtube and Tumblr for those of you wishing to simply sample the music.

Two thirds of the band is made up of seniors, so the obvious question is “what’s next?”

Have no fear! The band expects to continue playing together, even though they have not formally made any plans together. This summer they will be playing shows and making some music videos to accompany the EP. And now a short message from the band: “We would love to see you guys at some shows! The shows are a lot of fun, and essentially mean hanging out with your friends with music playing!” The best way to contact the band is via Facebook. ▪

If someone told me their high school band created an album, I would immediately assume that either it must sound like something by the Jonas Brothers or must be produced so poorly that all I would hear would be my eardrums breaking. The high school band, Reid Saw a Ghost, pleasantly surprised me when I started playing their newly released album Mad Scary EP. Their first track, “Wake up Dead,” is a good intro to the style of Reid Saw a Ghost, but felt unfinished. The album picks up immediately after though. If you paid attention to what people were doing on stage at this year’s Homecoming, you’ll recognize “Circus Song” from the senior skit. Listeners will notice less screaming in the recording, which is probably good news for 99% of music fans. Their third track, “Esther Moser,” fast paced and with catchy lyrics, is my favorite. “Jeffery” and “50s Girl” sound similar to one another, which is not a bad thing because both songs are upbeat and fantastic. “Spacey Stacey” slows down the pace and is so relaxing I could listen to it for hours. I would say the same about “Girl from across the Sea,” but the shenanigans at the end of the song make me giggle every time I listen to it.

There are a few things about this album that might annoy some listeners. For example, I had to fiddle with my music settings to bring

Arts & Entertainment 19

out the lead vocals of some of the songs. Another problem I ran into was being unable to figure out what most of the lyrics are actually saying, but often it is that way for most contemporary music nowadays. As for the pros Mad Scary EP is well produced—there is no weird echoing, and once you bring out Alex Lefkort’s voice, the sound is quite clear and musical. The band also makes great use of the xylophone and keyboard, making the instruments sound unique and interesting without over usage. Lastly, all of the songs on the album are instantly catchy; I caught myself humming “Esther Moser” while working out at the gym, albeit slightly off-key. Overall, Mad Scary EP is a great success for Reid Saw a Ghost’s first album, and I can’t wait for the next. ▪ Rating: B+

photos courtesy of reid saw a ghost

AND THE HEAVENS...

...shall tremble Gamers around the world are holding their breath as the final countdown begins for the release of Diablo III, the latest addition to the dark fantasy role-playing game series by gaming powerhouse Blizzard Entertainment. With the release date set for May 15, eleven years after Blizzard released Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, the latest installment to the Diablo franchise, and the fifteen-year anniversary for the beginning of the series, anticipation in the gaming industry is at an alltime high.

Upon its 1996 release, the original Diablo revolutionized the role-playing game industry with stunning visuals, multiplayer capability, consistent replayability, and its dark and engaging quests and storyline. Building upon its predecessor’s successful game model, Diablo III features a custom, highly realistic physics engine specifically designed

By Kevin He Staff Writer

by Blizzard Entertainment for maximum gameplay immersion. Also, making a reappearance in the series is the highly popular multiplayer engine “Battle.net” featured in Diablo II, alongside the familiar tiered equipment system and customizable character attributes characteristic of the franchise. Play-

ers will be able to choose from five distinct characters classes, each with their own choice of gender, skill sets, and attributes, and travel and battle with their fellow gamers across the fictional land of Sanctuary. Though many features, like player versus player combat, will not be immediately available upon release,

Blizzard Entertainment has announced a set of post-release online patches for future game content.

With rave reviews already streaming in from the Diablo III beta test, a private release of certain features of the game to a select audience, and plans already underway to release a future version to console platforms, Diablo III is en route to become one of the best and most highly anticipated games of 2012. Though already available for preorder, Diablo III will hit the shelves of gaming stores around the globe on May 15 for both PC and Macs, ending the long developmental hiatus for Blizzard Entertainment’s RPG franchise. Stores will feature both a $60 basic edition and a $100 collector’s edition for diehard Diablo fans to enjoy a bundle of extras, including an art book, soundtrack, development footage, and other Diablo goodies. ▪

diablo3.com, blogspot.com, diabloscreenshots.com

20 Arts & Entertainment

www.thesmokesignal.org

Not So ‘Lucky One’

By Vishak Menon Staff Writer

I’ll admit I was excited when I heard about the release of The Lucky One. A peaceful Friday evening alone with Zac Efron in the brand spanking new Century Theatres in Pacific Commons seemed almost too good to be true. I’ll be the first to admit, romance movies are not exactly my genre of choice. But it is movies like this that make guys want to walk away for good. With very little to offer in terms of plot progression, character development, or universal message, I sincerely wonder who will enjoy this movie. Efron later answers this question with six rock hard reasons when he takes his shirt off…but I digress.

The story revolves around Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) who finds a picture of a woman during one of his tours in Iraq which inadvertently ends up saving his life. This event begins Efron’s search to find the woman and thank her for his life. After returning home from his tour in Iraq, he quickly realizes he is no longer able to fit in with a regular suburban family.

Schilling, a charming young blonde who runs a doggy daycare facility in a small Colorado town, is

wary of Efron’s arrival but already the chemistry between the two is apparent. Soon Logan’s good nature and hard working attitude win over Beth as well as her son, a young boy named Ben, and her grandmother (Blythe Danner).

The climax of the movie occurs when Logan finally reveals the true nature of his visit to Colorado and Beth, in tears over her lost brother, sends him away. Now he must fight to prove the sincerity of his love to Beth while at the same time her exhusband, ( Jay R. Ferguson) Keith’s menacing advances threaten to ruin the entire situation.

All in all, while slightly romantic for a date night and filled with numerous shots of a sparsely clothed Efron for the girls, this film has little true substance to offer an audience.

The dialogue is awkward and poorly written, and what little chemistry there is between Beth and Logan is never fully developed. The story often jumps from place to place with little explanation and the plot line is altogether quite predictable. Fans of true romance movies, keep on moving; The Lucky One will likely disappoint. ▪ Rating: C-

dailyworldpost.com

The horror film Cabin in the Woods has critics raving about how they have never seen a scary movie quite like this one. The most accomplished actor in the film, Bradley Whitford, has a minor role in the film, while the main cast is led by Kristen Connolly, from The Happening and Chris Hemsworth, from Thor. The film starts off with five college students traveling to a cabin in the woods, hoping to have a good weekend. On their way to the cabin, they are warned by a strange man that the owners always seem to be putting the cabin up for sale, but that suspicious warning does not stop the crew from continuing their adventure. The

The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

Neon Trees Steals the ‘Show’

theatlanticwire.com

Stay ‘In the Woods’

By Brandon Fuhs Staff Writer

somewhat predictable and generic beginning continues when they arrive at the cabin. What happens after they realize they are constantly being chased by strange creatures is not nearly as predictable as the start of the movie, but it is still a very disappointing story altogether.

This so-called “horror film” produces more laughs than shrieks and gasps throughout,. The plot is forced together by ridiculous concepts that attempt to make this movie relatable.

There are multiple times when the characters and creatures in the film are unbelievably strong and durable. The climax is also far inferior to the expected horror films, and the plot twists are so random that most viewers can’t help but roll their eyes.

elestoque.org

By Allan Ko News Editor

Neon Trees tells an upbeat, youthful love story in all its trite glory from start to end in their brilliant second studio album Picture Show.

The album opens the curtains with boy-meets-girl in “Moving in the Dark,” in which love is ignited “with just a little spark…moving in the dark.” This song sets the pace with a relentless and consistent rhythm and bass line that runs like a heartbeat through the rest of the album.

The theme of young love continues for the first half of the album (which includes the previously released single “Everybody Talks”). At the seventh song, “Trust,” the tone of both the music and the story changes dramatically. “Trust,” at just over six minutes, is the longest song on the album and noticeably subdued. The rhythm is quieter and slower, and the relationship begins to hit some Aside from the plot being forced, the acting was subpar. At the beginning of a scene the characters would be freaking out and going ballistic, and then a within the same scene be calm and relaxed as if there weren’t dozens of creatures after them. Along with the poor acting, the mood of the film went from trying to have the audience on the edge of their seats to trying to get a chuckle from viewers in the middle of the scene.

The only thing that was decent about the entire film was the special effects. The creatures looked real and the movement of the monsters was impressive. The only problem is that almost every other action-packed or horror film has amazing special effects, so it wasn’t much of a standout when it came to that aspect. There were ample amounts of blood. Every scene, starting at about 25 to 30 minutes into the movie until the end, blood splattered and smeared, so if you like blood flying around everywhere, you might get a little enjoyment out of the film.

Even with the gallons of bloodshed throughout, it wasn’t that easy to stay focused on the movie due to the shaky plot twists that just caused confusion.

You can bet that if you choose any other movie in theaters at the moment, you’ll be more satisfied than wasting your money on another horror film that took a swing and a miss at the box office. ▪ Rating: D+

bumps as Tyler Glenn sings “You’re losing the game/That’s the thing about trust/It’s always the same sad story again/You lose all your friends/ That’s the thing about trust.”

The pace picks up again with “Hooray for Hollywood,” which tries to address “whatever went wrong” in the relationship. The album finally wraps up with “Still Young” and “I Am the DJ,” both of which are nostalgic reflections on lost love which recapture the rhythm of the beginning songs while slowing enough to incite the feel-good vibes of the end credits of a corny romance drama.

Stylistically, Picture Show recaptures Neon Trees’ characteristic groovy, semi-electronica feel, chugchug-chug rhythm, and singing bordering on screaming that made them famous with their first single, “Animal,” in 2010. However, Neon Trees also throws in melodies and hooks that nod to other musicians and styles. The opening of “Moving in

the Dark” calls to mind Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” “Everybody Talks” is reminiscent of Train, and “Mad Love” sounds at times like country music and at others like ABBA. The only weakness of Picture Show lies in the second half of the album. The longer duration and slower tempos make those songs drag out despite their catchy melodies. The instrumentation gets decidedly repetitive at the ends of “Close to You” and “Trust” and the sounds blend together, detracting somewhat from Neon Trees’ usual clean, crisp sound.

Nevertheless, this album is packed with catchy, feel-good tunes that trace a cliché but sweet rollercoaster ride of a summer fling. All the songs carry a distinctive heartbeat and spirit of youth that can’t fail to make the listener nostalgic.

This Picture Show is definitely worth watching – and don’t forget the popcorn. ▪ Rating: A

Train to Success

amazon.com

By Tanya Raja Staff Writer

American folk-rock band Train released its sixth studio album, California 37, on April 17th. Named after a highway on which the band often traveled, the album was written over the course of a three-year tour. The time and effort applied to its production is evident through the songs’ carefully crafted lyrics and intricate beats.

The record commences with “This’ll Be My Year,” a cleverly written, slightly satirical song that lists important events that occurred in the United States from 1985 to 2012, while also narrating a love story. The track’s witty references to pop culture are evidenced by lines like, “I stopped believin’, although Journey told me don’t.” Its upbeat melody and lead singer Patrick Monahan’s passionate voice make the track not only lyrically

successful, but also fun to listen to and dance to. The originality of this song is a good indicator of the effort channeled into the rest of the album also.

The most well known song of the album, “Drive By” has achieved massive success as a single on the charts.

Like many other tracks in California 37, “Drive By” uses catchy beats and lively melodies to display a cheerful and heartening message.

Tracks like “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” and “California 37” are humorous takes on bitter breakups, making the listener feel opposing emotions throughout the songs. Unlike the sarcasm infused into these energetic and fast paced songs, the euphony of tracks like “We Were Made for This” and “Mermaid,” which consist of softer sounds and sweeter lyrics, portray the more mellow side of the album.

All of the tracks in California 37 are strong, catchy, and original. It is clear that the band and its producers worked painstakingly in order to produce a musical masterpiece. The fact that it took years to prepare the album, rather than being haphazardly put together in a few months, is made clear by the obvious attention paid to the minor details of the tracks. If you want to listen to an original and creative album, definitely check out California 37. ▪ Rating: A

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Arts & Entertainment 21

Multicultural Spotlights Freshman Tiffany Chen first started Chinese painting and calligraphy in second grade and liked it immediately, finding the art forms interesting and versatile. Tiffany enjoys painting landscapes and flowers, and some of her artwork hangs around her house and is on display in exhibitions at the Fremont Main Library. But painting is not the only cultural art that Tiffany excels in. Calligraphy is similar to painting in the fact that the materials such as brushes are virtually the same except that calligraphy involves words and literature and is only done in black ink. Her award-winning artwork have been submitted into national Chinese performing arts competitions multiple times.

By Anjali Kanthilal, Jade Shi, and Lindy Zeng Staff Writers

Chinese Instruments: Michelle Mao

Chinese Painting: Tiffany Chen

Indian Dance: Monica Chitre Senior Monica Chitre has been doing Kathak, a North Indian traditional dance, for over ten years. She first got started in second grade when her parents wanted her to learn more about the Indian culture, but now, it is even more than that: dance is a part of who she is. Kathak is a physically demanding type of dance. There is complex footwork involved and many pirouettes on the heels. The music and dance must fit accordingly; there is a different move for every beat of the song. The Chhandam Youth Dance Company, which Chitre has been a part of for five years, is the largest Kathak dance company in the US. Since there aren’t many dance schools of this kind, the Youth Company performs at showcases and not competitions. These students perform in LA, Chicago, the Asian Art Museum, and Herbst Theater in San Francisco. One of the largest ethnic dance showcases coming up is the prestigious San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts. Chitre hopes that, “All of us can be connected to our cultures in some way, and each person can find his or her own way to remember where he or she came from.”

Sophomore Michelle Mao began playing the Chinese Bamboo flute (Dizi) in junior high, originally to make it easier to switch to Western Flute later on. Her interest in cultural music, however, led to learning the Chinese clarinet (xiao) and Chinese lute (Pipa) instead. She currently performs with the California Youth Chinese Symphony, and won third place in the first annual Huain Cup Competition for Chinese flute performance. She explains that Chinese Bamboo flute is different from Western flute in its completely open holes, and a special film membrane that provides a unique, crisp tone when air passes through. Chinese Clarinet (Xiao) is the vertical version of the Dizi, without a membrane, and is much longer (with seven to nine sections of bamboo, instead of the three or four sections used in Chinese flute.) Mao stated that she enjoys playing all three instruments, as each sound different.

She said “traditional music is a good way to learn about different cultures; each type of music has its own story, so the reason why I like Chinese music is because it has more thoughts behind it.”

Martial Arts: Darrell Ng

Junior Darrell Ng started practicing Wushu in sixth grade, and since then has performed in every Multicultural Assembly since freshman year, competed in the annual CMAT Tournament in UC Berkeley and the RDK Tournament in Santa Clara for Mixed Martial Arts, and won various medals in the competitions. Ng said he enjoys learning Wushu for its flips and flexibility boosts, and particularly for its varied weaponry. He has also trained in staff, spear, broadsword, straightsword, chainwhip, doublechain, longfist, pudao, and fan techniques, and cited his favorite as the chainwhip. Ng said the most rewarding aspect of studying Wushu is that it is a very exciting art to learn, and that “at the end of the day, you feel really accomplished about learning something.”

Tahitian and Hula: Megan Jose Sophomore Megan Jose has been dancing for almost 11 years. Tahitian and Hula dancing have always been a part of her life and will continue to be. Jose explains to the Smoke Signal about some of the common misconceptions of the two very different dances. In Tahitian dancing, drums called the to’ere and the ukulele (small guitarlike instrument) are used. While dancing, one’s feet are close together. In Hula, the dancers’ feet are under their shoulders. It is a much slower, more conservative dance than Tahitian, and instruments like the traditional ipuheke are used. Jose’s current dance schools are Hula Halau O Nalua (for Hula) and Otea’a api (for Tahitian). To see more about these dances, their schools’ largest events are Kikiraina in the Bay Area and the Hula competition in Pleasanton. Since the start of high school, Jose has performed during Homecoming and Multicultural Week.

Indian Veena: Hrishikesh Chary Hrishikesh has been playing the Indian instrument, veena, since he was six years old, initially learning the music-playing techniques from his father, a performing musician. The veena is similar to the South Indian instrument sitar. It is relatively large, with seven strings and about five to six feet long. To play, one sits cross-legged on the ground and uses the fingers to create a sound. To improve the quality of the music, musicians wear picks on the right hand. The veena has about the same sound range as a violin but it also extends half an octave lower. Hrishikesh has been giving concerts regularly around the Bay Area and has performed at a prestigious competition, the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana in Cleveland, Ohio for the past five to six years. Judges and famous artists come from India to listen and Hrishikesh has not only won before, but also has been praised by high-level singers and musicians that have accompanied him before.

Chinese Dance: Yvette Wu

Junior Yvette Wu has studied Traditional Chinese Dance at the ‘Academy of Chinese Performing Arts’ since the age of four. She describes Chinese Dance as separated into three very broad sections: Classical (Gu-dian) dance, Minority Tribal dance, and Chinese contemporary dance. Classical dance was performed in the palaces of the emperors and differed with each dynasty. Tribal dance is attributed to the 55 ethnic minority groups in China (including Tibetan, Dai, Zhou, Wa, etc.) and are culturally symbolic to each of the tribes. Contemporary Chinese dance began in the early 20th century due to western ballet influences, and typically contains storylines within the dances. Yvette has also performed a style of dance derived from traditional Chinese Opera, involving performances in elaborate headpieces and heeled shoes, with swords, spears, and incorporated martial arts. She performed in the “dance-ical” play Malan Flower, which toured China in 2008 and 2010. Yvette practices three to five times a week, and performed in the Tibetan dance in this year’s Multicultural Assembly. ▪

photos courtesy of tiffany chen, michelle mao, hrishikesh chary, darrell ng, yvette wu, megan jose & monica chitre, ethnicprint.com

22 Arts & Entertainment

www.thesmokesignal.org

The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 4, 2012

Best of International Film

By Sai Chilakapati Staff Writer

EUROPE: Melancholia

LATIN AMERICA: Biutiful Biutiful, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, tells a passionate story of fatherhood. Uxbal, the father and the protagonist of the story, makes a living by hiring illegal immigrants for construction work and also earns money for his special power to talk to the dead in funerals. Unfortunately, Uxbal is diagnosed with prostate cancer and is told that he can only live for a couple of months. The plot of the movie from here on takes a downturn. Uxbal, apart from living with the difficult truth that he will live only a couple of months, must find someone to take care of his children. He must deal with many problems as his professional career as an employer takes a downturn as the illegal immigrants are caught by police. Buitiful is action packed and the poignant plot creates a romantic and sensational movie that is a must see.

AFRICA: Outside the Law

MIDDLE EAST: A Separation

Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, Outside the Law, directed by Rachid Bouchareb, tells a moving story of three brothers, Messaoud, Abdelkader, and Said, who get separated after they lose their home in Algeria. The plot is set in the 1950s when Algeria struggled to fight for independence from France after World War II. By destiny, the three brothers unite in France under the cause of fighting for freedom. The movie is centered on the power of how one person’s desire for a certain cause can drag others down. The director, through exceptional character building, makes a bold statement that, in fact, the person will realize that he is the only one fighting for the cause in the end. Outside the Law is densely packed with symbolism and rich characterization and is a must-see for true-life based movie lovers.

Melancholia, directed by Lars von Trier, tells a heartbreaking and action-packed story where a mysterious planet, Melancholia, is about to crash into Earth. Symbolically, the orbit of Melancholia around Earth, referred to as the “Dance of Death,” has a huge influence on the characters of the movie while they deal with the internal conflicts in their lives. Divided into two parts and named after the main characters Justine and Claire, Melancholia has a unique blend of sci-fi, romance, and drama. For the action-filled plot and the brilliant portrayal of complex characters by Trier, Melancholia has received numerous accolades including Best European Film by European Film Awards and is a must-see for action and sci-fi lovers. ▪

Apart from winning international acclaim at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and the Berlin International Film Festival this year, A Separation, brilliantly directed by Asghar Farhadi, tells a passionate and revealing story of an Iranian couple. Nader and Simin are on the verge of breaking up due to a tense conflict over whether or not to leave the country to raise their son. Through a complex and dense plot, A Separation magnificently shows the contemporary Iranian culture and the internal conflicts of class and gender. melancholiafilm.com, biutifulthemovie.com, outsidethelaw.com, oscars.com, aseparation.net

A Trip to ‘Paradise’

By Ditha Balaji & Diya Roy Staff Writer & Editor in Chief

Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto tour was one of the most eagerly anticipated concert tours of the year. After immense demand from the presale, the band decided to open a second show in the Bay Area. The result was two sold out shows, back to back.

We came into the arena expecting a concert by one of greatest bands of our time what we got was so much more. At the doors, we were given colorful wristbands (called Xylobands) sponsored by Twitter, leaving many curious as to what they were for. The opening acts, The Pierces and Metronomy played for about two hours. The Pierces, a sister duo from New York, sampled many songs from their new album, You and I, and sang their most popular song, “Secret,” the theme song from the TV show Pretty Little Liars. Metronomy possessed an eclectic sound, relying heavily on synthesizers and keyboard. They managed to infuse enthusiasm in the crowd, preparing us for the main attraction.

Before the headlining band came on, the overhead projectors read, “Please put on your wristbands, it’s part of the show.” As soon as the opening song, “Mylo Xyloto/Hurts like Heaven,” began, the wristbands lit up in a multitude of colors, ranging from bright blues and greens to pink and yellow. The wristbands lit up in coordination with the song, making the atmosphere almost surreal. In addition to the lights from the wristband, the stage itself had a variety of lights, from spinning circular lights to colored strobe lights to lettering.

What made this concert more enjoyable was their set list, which sampled many of their old hits. Songs such as “Yellow,” “Fix You,” and “The Scientist” had all 16,000 people in the crowd crooning along. The faster songs had lead singer Chris Martin leaping from stage to stage, jumping and at one point smashing his guitar on the stage. Other songs like “Charlie Brown,” and “Lovers in Japan,”

had the crowd jumping and pumping their wristbands in time with the music.

Chris Martin did more than just belt out some of the most popular songs of our time; he made the crowd feel like we were part of the show. Often, he asked us to sing along, or, in the case of “Viva la Vida,” let us sing the background vocals throughout the song. Between his interaction and the wristbands, we felt like we weren’t watching the show - we were the show.

Coldplay’s always been known to give a strong live performance, but the band outdid itself for the Mylo Xyloto tour. Sticking to the theme of old-school American Graffiti and the White Rose movement, Coldplay used, not only lights, but patterned confetti, large blow-up balloons, and large beach balls which fell from the ceiling.

In the end, Coldplay was worth every penny. The concert took us on a ride, leaving us with thumping hearts, sore muscles and no voice, but we wouldn’t have had it any other way. We’re eagerly anticipating the next album and of course, their next tour. Be sure not to miss it! ▪

coldplay.com, myloxyloto.com

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

NBA Playoff Preview

By Jonathon Teng Staff Writer

Due to the NBA lockout and a near cancellation of the season, this year has been a mad fury of sixty-six games filled with significant trades and stars rising to the occasion. However, there have been several powerhouse franchise teams that have consistently stood out during the season.

Eastern Conference In the East, the Chicago Bulls have stood on top of their conference even with star guard Derrick Rose sitting out 23 games this season due to back spasms and a sprained ankle. Their strong core, consisting of Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng, has kept the team afloat and even helped them defeat strong Eastern teams. If Rose keeps healthy, the Bulls have a strong chance of winning the Eastern Conference playoffs.

However, the Big 3 of the Miami Heat are eager to prove themselves as extremely powerful contenders for the title. Even though the Heat has not found its team chemistry yet, Miami has been able to dominate the league, with a 43-17 record.

Other notable teams include the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic. The Knicks and Magic are likely to be knocked out in the first round.

The Magic’s focus seem to be primed on

bleacherreport.com

The Miami Heat’s Big 3 have a lot to prove this postseason.

Dwight Howard’s wavering stance on staying or leaving rather than towards making a playoff run. The Knicks seem to be adjusting to their new additions with the advent of Linsanity, Carmelo Anthony, and their new coach Mike Woodson. Surprisingly, the Celtics will probably last until the second, as they are a team filled with veteran players and have proven to be a threat in the league.

The conference champions will most likely be a matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. Currently, the teams have faced twice this season and are tied, with one win apiece. If the Heat bond and play as a team, they are guaranteed to win the Eastern conference. No other team has enough talent to stop the Big 3 and they are most likely to be seen in the Finals like last year.

Western Conference The Western Conference still holds several noteworthy teams that are teeming with both veteran and fresh faces. The Oklahoma City Thunder is armed with the skills and youth to make a chance at the title with two All-Stars, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Also, their addition of a crucial veteran leader, Derek Fisher should give the team more depth and leadership. They will easily clinch the number one seed in the West and make it far into the playoffs. Amazingly, the San Antonio Spurs are surprising the NBA this season by placing second in the western conference. Just when the team seems to old to perform, the trusty, yet old core, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, always step up their game a notch. However, younger teams may be able to overtake them just like when the Memphis Grizzilies defeated the Spurs last year in the first round. Hiding in the shadows are the defending champs, the Dallas Mavericks. Unfortunately, they have lost several key players and are unlikely to even make it past the first round.

Sports 23

tory, but have lost Fisher, a core leader. Their team has had a rough season and will probably not become any easier this postseason.

On the other hand, the Clippers obtained Chris Paul this season, but have also had a rough start. Recently, however, they have begun to play great basketball and will utilize their quick transition offense to win. The Western Conference finals will be a match between the Clippers and Thunder. The revitalized spirit of the Clippers has enabled them to quickly adjust and come together as a team. Unfortunately, the Thunder have had several seasons to play together and their outstanding core and supporting cast will be enough to overpower the Clippers.

The Finals The Finals will hold a fierce battle between the Heat and the Thunder. No team in the East is able to overtake the Heat when they are playing, not only for their pride and revenge, but for the huge expectation on the Big 3’s shoulders. Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder have an excellent team, The Miami Heat have the manpower to blaze a way toward the NBA Finals and win it. ▪

sporttributor.com

themitchellreport.com

The Celtics’ big three has now become the big four.

technorati.com

Derrick Rose’s injury can cripple the entire Bulls’ organization.

Los Angeles Rivalry The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are two western teams that have gone through major rebuilding throughout the season but are unlikely able to proceed far in the postseason. The Lakers have Kobe Bryant, one of the best players in NBA his-

sportsillustrated.com

Can Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks defend their crown?

24 Sports

www.thesmokesignal.org

By Omar El-Sadany and Sanjna Shukla Sports Editors

A Slap on the Wrist?

Any time anything that relates to Major League Soccer generates headlines in this country, with the level of appreciation for soccer in this country, you know that something is not right.

The old adage reads something along the lines of “Any press is good press”, but in this case, I think Colin Clark, the Houston Dynamo, and the whole league in general all wish they could have a do-over.

In the 7th minute of Clark’s Dynamo league match against the Seattle Sounders, sideline monitors picked up Clark yelling out an anti-gay slur at a ball boy who was tossing him the ball for a throw in. His insult was broadcasted on national television, and consequently many soccer fans and non-fans alike were in an uproar as they began to voice their anger and their indignation.

Consequently, Clark issued an apology on Twitter, writing “I’d like to offer a sincere apology to everyone who watched the game, especially the ball boy for whom I used awful language towards. I didn’t mean to disrespect anyone and am sorry for letting my emotions get the best of me. It’s not who I am and it won’t happen again.”

The MLS still took action against the defender, however, issuing a three-game suspension with pay, an undisclosed fine,

By Anna Zeng Staff Writer

Have you ever been intimidated from going to Mission Volleyball games in fear of not comprehending it? No worries, the Smoke Signal is here to help!

The Basics: Here’s the basic set-up: six players on each side of a seven-and-a-half foot net, boxed into a 30 by 60 foot volleyball court. First, a server on the right-hand corner of the offensive team launches the ball across the net into the other team’s territory. The other team may touch, purposely or accidentally, the ball up to three times to return the rally. However, players must not touch, hit, slap, smack, whack, or pat the ball twice in a row. The two teams continue the rally until a team reigns victorious by grounding the ball in the opposing team’s territory, or the opposing team commits a fault. Common faults include hitting the ball outside of the volleyball court, grounding the ball before it is sent over the net, catching the ball mid-rally, or touching the net. Each time a team wins a rally, one point is added to the team’s score. The first team who accumulates 25 points with a twopoint advantage will win a set. High school games run until a team wins three sets.

Attack and Defense Techniques: It’s the first set of the first game you’re watching, and you watch a player prepare to serve, expecting a long, hard battle for the first point of the day. The ball flies into the air above the server’s head, then, WHAM! The powerful hit sends the ball zipping inches above the net and straight to the ground on the other side. Aces are serves that end rallies. They are to be feared.

But aces don’t always happen. The opposite team quickly mobilizes to receive the ball in a pass or bump. At times, however, the incoming ball is so fast and so close to the court that player(s) must save the ball from granting the opposing team a point, or dig the ball. However, the truly spectacular saves are the dives, when players literally dive onto the floor to bump up the ball. After the first contact, a setter sets the ball, or

advocate.com

Colin Clark has recently come under fire for uttering a slur at a ball boy in the midst of a league game.

and mandated anger/sensitivity classes, and it is in this execution of their punishment that the league has gravely erred.

First of all, Clark has no excuses. A seasoned veteran of almost 8 years, Clark got caught up in the heat of the moment in the 7th minute of an early season regular season game, while the score was still comfortably 0-0? The fact that the slur was directed at a young boy who didn’t toss the ball exactly the way he desired in a stadium packed with 37,000 people in a nationally televised game does not serve to help his cause either. Additionally, the fact that he resorted to Twitter to issue his apology speaks little for his sincerity and true level of remorse.

Whether they like it or not, professional athletes are constantly under the spotlight.

It’s part and parcel of the hero status, the

prepares the ball to be hit to the other side.

The final attack, or spike, sends the ball hurtling over the net to the other side. If the ball hits the opponent’s court without being saved, the ball was “killed.” Sometimes, the spiking player smashes the ball so hard that the killed ball bounces back into the air, possibly even higher than the net itself. These especially powerful spikes are dubbed bounces.

There are also times when an unexpected tap, called a dump, is all a player needs to launch a ball into a gap in the opposing defense.

A common technique that guards against nasty spikes is blocking. Blocking is where players line up in front of the net and jump simultaneously, creating a wall of hands ready to deflect spiked balls coming their way. When a successfully blocked ball is deflected straight downwards, the block is a roof block, which is usually successful in scoring points. At times, the spiker foresees a blocking technique and tools the ball instead, where the ball grazes the fingers of the block, but sails out of bounds, forcing the opposite team to lose the rally.

Professional Volleyball: Volleyball is a high-speed battle to outwit the other team, in skill and in tactic.

The sport is governed by the International Federation of Volleyball, more commonly known by its French acronym, FIVB. Teams around the nation and around the world face off in national and international competitions, the most notable of which are the Olympics. Logan Tom and Giba dominate indoor volleyball, while the current duo Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor and retired player Karch Kiraly ruled beach volleyball. ▪

letsrenovate.com

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glamorous lifestyle, and their ridiculously inflated wages. As a result, just as they are idolized and revered for their accomplishments, the punishment for an action of this magnitude must be equivalent.

When Luis Suarez of Liverpool in the English Premier League insulted another player using a racially motivated slur, he was suspended for 8 games and fined £40,000; when this punishment was initially ruled, many considered it harsh and excessive.

One thing was clear, however, and that was that the league wanted to distance itself as much as possible from any allegations of racism, and served as a warning to all players, coaches, and officials alike. A more severe example is with former England and Chelsea captain, John Terry, who was stripped of his position right before the Euros, the biggest continental tournament in Europe, simply because there was an allegation that he may have used a racial slur against QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

It is unfortunate that there are many, many more of these slurs that go unnoticed and occur in the midst of all sporting events. While their presence is offensive and unwarranted, it is the league’s responsibility to ensure that this is a matter that is by no means taken lightly. By issuing such a pitiful punishment (A minimum of a one game suspension is commonplace for any standard red card offense), the MLS has only slapped Colin Clark on the wrist in a time when it needed to make an example out of him. For a league that needs to grow and develop to try to penetrate the

Friday, May 4, 2012

holy trinity of American sports (basketball, baseball, and football), the league simply cannot afford any more such incidents that sully the sport’s reputation and can be devastatingly crippling for the future of the league. By dealing so meekly with the situation, the league is showing poor standards of equality that don’t belong in a country of America’s caliber. ▪

sportsillustrated.com

MLS Commisoner Don Garber and the rest of the league’s ruling body have failed in issuing a proper punishment for Colin Clark.

Warriors Can’t Overcome Huskies in Narrow Loss

By Jin Peng Staff Writer

On April 20, Mission’s baseball team played a tough home game against the Washington Huskies.

The first inning began with Chris Donoghue pitching. Washington chained a series of good hits, and with the bases loaded and zero outs, scored one run before Kenny Jacoby caught a pop fly for the first out of the game. Mission kept up the great defense despite the bases being loaded, and with great teamwork between third baseman Brandon Fuhs and catcher Devon Jones, got their second out as they trapped a runner between third base and home. Donoghue threw some great pitches for the strikeout, switching fields for Mission to be at bat.

With one out on the board, Jeff Chu hit a fast pitch to right field for the double, and Devon Jones followed up with a great hit for Chu to score Mission’s first run with Jones at second base. Fuhs hit a drive to left field for Jones to score Mission’s second run before the end of the first inning.

Mission kept up the strong defense to keep the two to one lead throughout the second and third innings. Great communication and synergy allowed for them to maintain control of the field despite Washington’s attempts to steal bases and score runs. Donoghue fielded a bunt and made a fast throw to third, preventing Washington from scoring any runs in the second inning.

However, Washington matched Mission with strong pitching and defense as well, and neither team was able to score any runs in the second and third innings.

In the fourth inning, however, Washington managed to break even the score after hitting a drive through an alley on the right, pulling it to two and two. From there on out, Washington slowly chipped away at Mission’s defense as they successfully hit consecutive base hits to bring their runners in. In the fifth inning, Washington pulled up their score to four and two, and with strong pitching, shut down Mission’s

staff writer jin peng

Chris Donoghue throws a pitch against the Huskies.

hitting completely, striking three out of four hitters.

Washington continued its consistent hitting coming into the sixth inning, but even down by two, Mission displayed some incredible plays and teamwork. With two outs on the board and bases loaded, pitcher Scott Havard had three balls and two strikes on the opposing hitter. With everything on the line, Havard demonstrated composure and skill with a great pitch, scoring the third with a strikeout and keeping the score at four and two in favor of Washington.

Mission maintained its steady defense going into the final inning. Infielder Brandon Facha dove to block a grounder from Washington, stopping Washington at first and second base. Jacoby caught the next pop fly, putting one out on Washington and keeping their runners on third and fourth. Unfortunately, a throw from Jones to to third base bounced off Washington’s runner and trailed off into left field, allowing Washington to score one more run, leaving the game at five to two. On Mission’s turn to bat, Jones was able to steal to second base, but was picked off by Washington’s pitcher. With two outs, Washington ended the game with a strikeout on Facha, leaving Mission with a 5-2 loss.

Even after a tough loss against Washington, Mission still remains as a strong competitor in the league with an overall win loss of nine to five and a league record of two to two. Fuhs says, “Our defense and pitching was good, but we really didn’t have the clutch hitting needed and we couldn’t build any momentum.” ▪

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Sports 25

PLAYING THEIR WAY TO COLLEGE

By Vishak Menon & Tanya Raja Staff Writers

MSJ’s senior Class of 2012 has proven their excellence in the field of athletics.

Over the course of their high school career these students have put in long hours of practice and hard work and are finally being rewarded for their achievements by being invited to compete at the college level. These Warriors found out what it takes to take their game to the next stage and have decided to continue their passion in their respective sports.

Brian Wang, Fencing- Yale

Wang has been fencing since the age of 10, and will continue to do so at Yale University this fall.Wang has been competing nationally throughout high school, averaging one competition every month.

He has participated in the North American Cups (NAC), summer nationals, and Junior Olympics. .Although he is expected to follow a rigorous training schedule at Yale, he is ready to take on the challenge and expects to achieve success.

Corbin Lee, Wrestling- NYU

Leland Bernstein, Fencing- UPenn

Bernstein has been fencing since he was 11, and plans to continue pursuing this passion at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) this fall. Bernstein has been a part of the Massialas Foundation (M-Team) for the past five years, and took sixth place in the Under 20 category at the 2011 Summer Nationals. Bernstein expects the competition to be fierce for the next four years. Though he realizes that the transition from high school to college fencing will be difficult, Bernstein is determined and excited to continue playing a sport that he loves.

Madison Hirsch, GolfCal Poly SLO

Hirsch will be attending the California Polytechnic State University at San Louis Obispo as part of the women’s golf team. A four year varsity player, Hirsch has made it to NCS every season and keeps her game sharp by participating in summer offseason competitions. Her biggest golfing success came this year when her team placed first in NorCals, securing their spot at the CIF State tournament for the first time in MSJ history. “I’m really looking forward to traveling and playing [new] courses,” she said. “I hope to meet new people while playing and take my golf game to the next level!”

Taneesh Sra, Golf- Willamette

Sra, who has been playing golf since she was nine years old, will continue golfing at Willamette University this fall. Sra has been a part of MSJ’s Varsity Girl’s Golf team for four years and a co-captain since her sophomore year. She is immensely proud of her team’s accomplishments, which have made MSJ history and include winning MVALS, placing 1st at NorCals, 2nd at NCS, and 4th at State. Sra has participated in many summer and spring tournaments outside of school as well, such as the Junior Golf of Northern California ( JGANC), the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA), and the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) tournaments.

Ian Dickeson, Golf- UCSD

Dickeson, an avid golfer since the age of four, is planning on playing golf for the University of California,San Diego (UCSD) team starting next fall. Dickeson has achieved consistent success in golf throughout his high school career, winning several junior tournaments and placing in the Top Ten in multiple amateur tournaments as well. He has also gone to NCS for the past three years and hopes to play at state level this year. He believes that the transition from high school golf to collegiate golf will be tough, as the latter is much more intense and demanding, but he does not want to let go of something he is so passionate about and is prepared to work hard to succeed.

Tatiana McCuaig, Water PoloCLU

McCuaig will be attending the California Lutheran University to play for the women’s water polo team. A 4 year varsity player, she was captain her last two years, two time MVAL champion, second team all league sophomore and junior year, and first team all league senior year. All four years the teams qualified for NCS and were able to place sixth the last two trips, the highest of any MSJ team in history.

She was also given the honor of being a member of the junior Olympics women’s water polo team in 2010 and 2011. “[I want] to utilize my playing skill to its full potential”, she said “and hopefully make it to the NCAA championships.”

Lee has been accepted to New York University’s wrestling program. After one year at the junior varsity level, Lee began his varsity career strong in sophomore year with a trip to the CIF State championship at 103 lbs. Across his four years he placed in NCS three times and went to state again this past season.Lee will be remembered in the wrestling room for years to come after earning his spot on “The Wall.” Lee’s goal at NYU is to continue to improve his technique and learn from his new teammates. And one day, he says, “I hope to be a NCAA Division 3 National Champion.”

Ilene Tsao, Basketball, Emory

Tsao has been accepted by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as a part of their women’s basketball program. Across her high school career Tsao was a four year varsity player.She was captain and all-league the past two years and helped lead her team to back to back MVAL championships as well as a very exciting showing at NCS this season “I know I won’t automatically get that starting spot or get a lot of minutes my freshmen year,” she said, “but my goal is to learn from my coach and my future teammates so that I can slowly earn my time on the court!”

courtesy of leland bernstein, ian dickeson, madison hirsch, corbin lee, tatiana mccuaig, taneesh sra, ilene tsao, and brian wang.

26 Sports

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Occupy Pro Leagues?

By Kenny Jacoby Staff Writer

What has the Occupy Movement come to? At first it was a resistance against the greed and corruption of the wealthiest one percent of Americans. Now the word “occupy” has come to mean that whenever anyone has a problem, they can just “occupy” it in order to fix it. Is the movement to “occupy” Adobe Flash Player really making the world a better place?

And are we really still occupying Wall Street? It’s been more than six months now since the movement began, and little has changed except the fact that many city streets across America have been totally disrupted.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think it is fair that the rich get more tax breaks than those less fortunate. The government does need to change its policies in that aspect. What is amazing though is that even in sports, an industry notorious for paying millions upon millions of dollars to individuals to throw a ball around for a few good years, the distribution of wealth is still far more even than in the country on the whole.

Constantly on the news we hear about a select few athletes on professional sports teams who are given ridiculously large contracts. For example, first baseman Albert Pujols was just given a $240 million contract over the span of 10 years to play for the Los Angeles Angels. Minimum wage in the MLB for the 2012 season is $480,000 per season. That means that assuming the MLB player minimum wage stays the same for the next ten years, a player could make minimum wage every year during that span

and yet make only two percent of what Pujols will have made with the Angels alone.

But contrary to popular belief, these certain few players who get massive contracts by no means hog all the wealth in their respective sports. Each MLB team can give contracts to 40 players at a time (the 40-man roster), and since there are 30 teams, we can say that there are 1,200 players under contract in the MLB. In 2011, the top one percent of MLB players—12 individuals—made just below 10 percent of the league’s annual salaries (based on figures from USA Today and the MLBPA). This is a modest amount in comparison to the roughly 40 percent of the nation’s wealth held by the richest one percent of Americans. In both the NFL and NBA, the top one percent of players holds between five and six percent of the leagues’ wealth, and in the NHL, it holds under four percent.

So despite the abundance of lockouts and seemingly endless supply of multi-million dollar contracts, the U.S. government could stand to act a little more like the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL. However, we still must realize that even though the average MLB player in 2011 made less than one tenth of what New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez made last season, we don’t see the “working class” of the league occupying baseball stadiums across America. Even most of the benchwarmers of the league have probably come to terms with the fact that they are not making and probably will never make as much as A-Rod. The reality is, despite being voted the most hated player in the league numerous times, A-Rod, like the other one percenters, gets the big bucks because he is good at what he does.

There’s nothing unfair about the way ARod makes his money, as it is for most of those in the one percent. Most one percenters did not make their money from unfair business practices. Some, yes. The majority, no. And if you were in the one percent, you would be far less likely to be criticizing the methods of income of your fellow one percenters.

What the 99 percent really wants and needs is not redistribution of wealth, just equity. Tax breaks for the wealthy do not foster growth in the economy, income, or wages, nor do they create jobs for the working class. Being rich already has countless benefits by default, but those should be benefits that everyone has an equal opportunity to get. There is no reason that a one percenter should pay less in taxes on $1 million that he earned than a 99 percenter would pay on $1 million he earned. Just because Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant made more than $9,000 per minute he spent on the court in the 2010-11 regular season did not mean that he wouldn’t get benched if he were playing terribly. But regardless, for any of a 99 percenter’s problems, “occupying” it has:yet to prove to be a viable solution.

cavalierjournalism.com

Albert Pujol’s of the Angels massive contract places him at the top of the wage charts.

SEE YOU AT THE GAME MSJ baseball vs. American May 11 @ 4:00, Mission

MSJ Boys’ Volleyball vs Castro Valley May 8 @ 5:00, Mission MSJ Softball vs. Washington May 15 @ 3:45, Mission

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Photo 27

photos by staff writer anna zeng, news editor allan ko, & graphics editor kevin zhai

28 Photo

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Friday, May 4, 2012

photos by staff writers kevin he and vivian jair, editor-in-chief andrew han, & graphics editor angie wang