The Smoke Signal Vol.XLV No.6

Friday, February 19, 2010

the

The Smoke Signal

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Editors-in-Chief Hannah Scobel, Jerry Ting

News Megan Bernstein, Sargun Kaur Opinion Rebecca Gao, Jane Wang Feature Alissa Gwynn, Sonya John Centerspread Karen Lin, Tina Tseng A&E Niku Jafarnia, Cynthia Kang Sports Joseph Teng, Anthony Wu Graphics Elisa Ting, Albert Yuan Web Christine Cheng, Tanu Patel Tech Roger Chen, Raymond Zhong Ads Jamie Lin, Gurleen Chadha Business Henna Jethani Circulation Anastassia Tselikova Events Michelle Chu, Hannie Dong with Michael Feuerman

Writers & Photographers Rishi Das,

Chelsea Dass, Sonia Dhawan, Rebecca Dutta, Matthew Farberov, Amisha Gandhi, Matthew Gosen, Sloka Gundala, Grace Han, Arthur Jeng, Ravneet Kaur, Mary Lan, Sarah Li, Aileen Lu, Megan McLaughlin, Mekala Neelakantan, Amit Patankar, Diya Roy, Justin Sha, Ginger Werner, Audrey Wu, Joy Xu, Vishal Yadav, Stephenie Yuan, Cassie Zhang, Jordan Zhang

Adviser Sandra Cohen Send letters to the editor to opinion@the smokesignal.org. Letters under 300 words may be considered for publication and must include a full name and school affiliation. The Smoke Signal reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

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Opinion 5

InJanenious The Mission Bubble - Part 2

Just

Smoke Signal

Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 45, No. 6 | February 19, 2010

41717 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 (510) 657-3600

Beccause

By Rebecca Gao & Jane Wang Opinion Editors

Jane: So Rebecca, how much do you plan on studying for the physics midterm next week?

Rebecca: I’m a good MSJ student - so until my eyeballs drop out of course.

Jane: Ah, the famous MSJ mentality. “All study and no play.”

Rebecca: I can’t say our academics have suffered because of it.

Jane: [laughs] Too true. According to MSJ’s 2009-10 school profile, our “SAT scores are in the top 5 percent of the nation…76 percent of students are on the honor role… and [we are the] Bay Area Leader in the number of National Merit and Commended students.” Not that this is news to anyone.

Rebecca: Yeah, that sounds like us, but, a caveat on our SAT scores – very few other student bodies take standardized testing to extremes as we do. What other schools’ students fork over several thousand dollars on a deluge of SAT and AP prep classes?

Jane: Or cry inconsolably over a B? I’d say that some of our more ridiculous practices result from our fixation on college acceptance.

Rebecca: Which leads to “doing school” and an unrealistic view of our own abilities. Consider that the average GPA nationally is a 2.7, and the average SAT score a “scandalous” 1500.

Jane: Our standards are definitely somewhat skewed, adding yet another layer to our bubble.

Rebecca: Some people have tried to “explain” our high achievements

it’s

with our demographics. US News and World Report lists MSJ as 78.9 percent Asian in 2009-10, and the disastrous 2007 CNN report tried capitalizing on similar statistics.

I think we sometimes forget that Asians are a minority in the US. Jane: Definitely. In 2008, Asians constituted 4.5 percent of the total US population, according to the US Census Bureau, meaning our MSJ community is hardly an accurate cross section of America.

Rebecca: In this sense, I’m actually looking forward to skewering this bubble of ours. Imagine the people we’ll meet outside of our familiar array of Asian cultures.

A friend once stayed with a small Latino family when volunteering in Mexico; the cultural differences were astounding, yet oddly welcoming, even refreshing.

Jane: Speaking of cultural differences, wealth plays a decided role in highlighting those discrepancies.

Face it - most MSJ students tout comfortable family incomes. The Public School Profile calculated MSJ household income median as over $100,000, whereas the national median income rang up to approximately $50,000 in 2007.

Rebecca: Just look at our parking lot.

Jane: Yeah, my friends from other schools are always impressed when they visit. In fact, one was even counting, wide-eyed, the number of BMWs and Lexus models.

Rebecca: Strange how people think liberals aren’t well-off, since MSJ is decidedly left-wing in terms of our social views, like abortion or gay marriage.

Jane: I probably could have counted the number of McCain supporters in 2008 that I knew of on one hand.

Rebecca: Again, we’re a bit too homogenized, too like-minded.

And yes, at times we are comparable to a herd of sheep.

Jane: Our background makes it interesting when we meet people with opposing viewpoints. While I was in a New York City tourist shop, I unintentionally set off the storeowner by mentioning Obama.

The man exploded into a tirade of insults alluding to his color and handling of the national deficit.

That’s something we don’t encounter at MSJ every day.

Rebecca: So liberal Asians studying 24/7 on three hours of sleep a night don’t comprise all of America? Really?

Jane: Don’t be too sarcastic.

Rebecca: Fine, fine. But that aside, we pride ourselves all the more because of our stereotype and “elite standing.”

Jane: I like your euphemism. We don’t merely pride ourselves on our achievements; it seems as if we use them as a means to snub our peers in other schools.

Rebecca: Elitism at its finest.

Don’t we always turn our noses up at the mention of other schools with lesser API scores? If that’s not some shameless snobbery, buy me a new dictionary. There’s more to being a good student than pure numbers and stats.

Jane: What about James Logan High School? Most of us aren’t even aware that their Forensics Speech and Debate program is ranked in

the top five in the National Forensics League, and their band and colorguard not only performed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but also consistently champion gold medals.

Just Youtube them.

Rebecca: I have. And when we go to college, we will meet more people who are amazingly talented and smarter than we boast to be. Don’t forget to clean up the tattered remains of our self-confidence when our bubble of superiority bursts. Sometimes I just want to ask ourselves, “Really. Are you serious? ” Jane: It will be humbling, to be sure, but I’d say that our bubble hasn’t entirely crippled us. The experiences we have undergone at MSJ assure us that we will be prepared for whatever college holds.

Rebecca: Well, I suppose we’ve picked up some useful tidbits.

Jane: Like how to handle the stress of competition and pressure, for one. Or how to fail, even; to accept not being perfect.

Rebecca: Or another semi-positive aspect of our cocoon - we’ve learned how to learn. Well, at least how to cram.

Jane: Yes, our MSJ mentality encourages strong individual drive and motivation. While it can make us quite self-centered at times, MSJ students in general are still pretty accepting of differences.

Rebecca: But then again, our MSJ bubble may be nestled within several more layers of overlapping cocoons. And when they pop?

Think bubble wrap. ▪ Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

Graphic Opinion

staff writer rebecca dutta

staff writer anastassia tselikova

editor-in-chief jerry ting

6 Opinion

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, February 19, 2010

Don’t Take Me Out to the Ballgame

By Grace Han

proposal that they hope will spur economic development, offering to In light of complications and pay for all of the infrastructure imfailed agreements with other Bay provements while the club privately Area cities, Fremont has once again finances construction. entered the conversation to become The location at NUMMI seems the new home of the Oakland A’s. ideal for a multimedia development After negotiations concerning project. It is situated close to the a proposed stadium near Pacific planned Warm Springs BART staCommons (Cisco Fields) failed last tion and has easy access to both Iyear, a new plan to situate the stadi- 880 and I-680. However, “the Freum in a different location has arisen. mont proposal looks too…similar With the upcoming closure of Fre- to the current Oakland Coliseum, mont’s top employer, New United a suburban standalone stadium surMotor Manufacturing (NUMMI), rounded by 10,000 parking spaces roughly 370 acres of land will be and a BART station [that is] also up for grabs. In response, the City very close to schools and prime resof Fremont has submitted another idential neighborhoods,” says FreStaff Writer

What is your opinion on the Oakland A’s moving to Fremont?

staff writer amit patankar

“The Fremont representatives will not approve of Fremont A’s because it will cause increased crime rate. It will also increase, probably, pollution in that area because it’s a suburban area and...[for] a baseball stadium, you need to have a city. It can’t be in a suburban area because it’ll affect the families.”

- Viraj Reddy, 11

staff writer amit patankar

“The whole project will just be good for Fremont, as right now we don’t have a downtown or central area... to gather, shop, and dine. With the completion of the arena, it’ll attract business and we could have a really cute downtown just like the one in Arizona after the ASU stadium was built there...That area...is accessible and people will definitely be willing to go there. The NUMMI area is right next to the highway and Oakland fans can just drive right down.”

- Evangeline Sugden, Math Teacher

staff writer amit patankar

“Moving the A’s to Fremont will cause undue disturbance and a decrease in living standards. Donating land to the A’s not only seems unreasonable, it also seems unprofitable because all we get is a stadium, which will only pull revenue so many months of the year. If NUMMI’s land were...sold to a company that would turn it into a manufacturing facility for clean energy, or a mall like the Great Mall in Milpitas - a former Ford plant - Fremont would get more stable economic growth.”

- Valentina Fung, 12

staff writer amit patankar

“I think it would be exciting if they came, but the money could be better spent...Fremont will have to spend millions of dollars for this decision, and this money could serve a better purpose...in education. For example, look at how old MSJ’s facilities are.

We are one of the best schools in the nation, but still have to deal with things like broken lockers.

- Omar El-Sadany, 10

Student Generosity

By Jerry Ting Editor-in-Chief

I sat in the activities office during lunch, working my shift for Leadership II when a shy little underclassman girl who barely lifted her eyes up to meet me asked if she could donate to ASB’s Haiti fund.

She then surprised me by handing me two $5 bills and caused me to think about a trend that I have recently noticed at MSJ. MSJ is often stereotyped as apathetic and self-centered, a school that stresses achievement over integrity. However, this year I saw a very interesting movement at school. Students have been more generous to charity, whether it’s donating blood in the Fall Blood Drive, clothes to the One Warm Coat Foundation, or money to the Haiti fund. We were able to break long-standing records by collecting 6732 cans for the food drive, donating 89 units of blood to the Red Cross, and raising $1941 in the first week of the Haiti fund alone.

When asked about the success of charity events, Leadership II Community Committee co-head Senior Danika Park replied, “I feel as a school, we are doing such a great job this year at giving back to our community, and that we are becoming more selfless and...caring more about the unfortunate.”

As more individuals become involved, a bandwagon effect takes place. When I collected for the

aolcdn.com

Haiti fund during read meetings, all it took was one person to hand us a dollar to prompt other individuals around the classroom to pull out their wallets.

Leadership has also put forth an exceptional effort to increase participation through more comprehensive and effective publicity. Creativity has also improved as classes competed during the food drive for prizes like a donut or pizza party instead of just candy. Students who donated to the coat drive were awarded free coat checks at Winter Ball. These laudable efforts by our student government have helped create the atmosphere of giving that characterizes MSJ today.

As we delve into second semester, three scheduled charity events have yet to come: Charity Fashion Show, Spring Blood Drive, and a new, district-wide book drive for used books. The Charity Fashion Show will donate profits to SAVE, an organization for decreasing domestic violence, and to Haiti.

I hope that even more MSJ students will participate in these events and become involved. If each individual does his or her part, our combined efforts will continue to break records while helping those desperately in need. ▪

PREREGISTRATION continued from page 1 classes does not necessarily mean doubling up on AP Physics and AP Biology along with AP Calculus BC is going to be a walk in the park. Extracurricular activities, in terms of time commitment, are practically another class period. Incoming seniors should also be aware that first semester is often underestimated. The process of applying to college, financial aid, and scholarships is more like a part-time job.

Taking fewer APs is not necessarily a bad thing; sometimes a solid GPA with a well-balanced schedule is a lot better than a more disappointing report card. Asking future teachers and students who have taken the class about their experiences or researching the class

mont resident Bryan Hsueh, in a letter to Major League Baseball. Not only will the stadium lead to a frustrating traffic bottleneck and congestion in major city areas, a ballpark in Fremont would create chaos for homeowners because it would likely cause housing prices to dip.

How can a city of little over 200,000 residents carry the burden of a multi-billion dollar project? Keep in cbs5.com mind that this is a city unable Computer-generated image of the proposed stadium. to even organize plans for its own from our district’s education fund. movie theater, mall, or downtown Fremont is currently too economi- never mind a professional sports cally weak to even think about instadium. vesting $62 million (in only infraAgain, it comes down to money. structure) in a ballpark that may or Earlier this month, California’s may not bring in revenue. education system endured $1.5 bilFortunately, the people of Frelion in budget cuts. In addition, the mont will get the last say in the Fremont Redevelopment Agency matter when voting season comes has asked to increase their funds by around. With this in mind, be sure over $1 billion to finance the sta- to state your opinion through your dium if needed: a deal that would vote because, unlike many other sitleech another $15 million per year uations, the final decision is ours. ▪

Corporations are People Too!

By Anastassia Tselikova Staff Writer

In January 2010, the US Supreme Court overruled a 1990 and a 2003 limit on corporate or union spending on the support or opposition of political candidates. Though the bans on direct contributions still stand, independent corporate spending on promotion or mudslinging is unlimited. In short, candidates who have good connections can spend an unlimited amount of money on their campaigns, and corporations can buy a presidency.

Let’s face it. Advertising determines how the average American votes. The people with the prettiest special effects or the most TV appearances receive the most attention and therefore have the greatest chances of being picked on a ballot. A large percentage of voters do not even read voter’s manuals, do research or listen to debates and speeches. Advertising is everything, and a lot of money can buy a lot of advertising.

Proponents claim that the corporations’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and expression were severely restricted by the overruled precedents. It’s like cen-

sorship, they argued, if people cannot freely choose their sources of information. The public has a right to think for themselves, and the government should not have the right to destroy free thought.

However, the opposition’s case holds more water. Corporations cannot vote, and they cannot hold political offices. They are not individual members of society, and some even have non-US-citizen management. The corporations rarely represent the will of the average American, preferring rather to suit their own personal desires.

Placing corporations on the same step as citizens, while there is still discrimination enough against ethnic minorities, is questionable.

If government offices can be bought and connections count more than talent, knowledge, and ability, what will happen to democracy?

Voting will be rigged in favor of the candidates with the most acclaimed sponsors or backed by moneyhoarding corporations. And later, who knows? After giving powerful private businesses the right to vote, companies may next be fighting for suffrage. Maybe our next president will be a corporation. ▪

Be Careful of Overloading

homework and study load are definitely good ideas. Be sure to consider which classes suit your style of learning. For example, some courses are more project-heavy, some em-

phasize classwork more, and others are more test-driven.

However, while finding a course schedule that can challenge you, remember to branch out into different pursuits that you enjoy and will make you stand out. Students believe that they need to take class-

es that everyone else seems to be taking, or the “foundation” classes, to remain competitive for college admissions. Just because most of our friends take the class does not

ology, AP Calculus BC, and AP Chemistry together in one year is a questionable decision.

This does not mean you should choose the easiest electives possible, though. Choose classes of personal interest, ones that do not require forced effort that you may later regret. Widen your interests as well, and the positive experience may just lead to undiscovered future paths. High school is the time to explore what we want to staff writer cassie zhang do later on in our lives, and mean that we should jump on the conforming to a narrow academic bandwagon. Think first. Are you straightaway only blocks our fuwilling to commit the dedication ture success. required for the class? Do you even If you choose incorrectly, MSJ like the subject? If your favorite is not likely to change your course subjects are English and History, schedule when you come to that then picking multiple math and realization. In the end, you can science concentrations like AP Bi- only blame yourself. ▪

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Smoke Signal

Is Applying for College Filing for Bankruptcy?

By Tanu Patel Web Editor

With college applications nothing but a faint haze in my memory and SAT tests virtually nonexistent in my second semester senior brain, it didn’t surprise me that I completely forgot to fill out College Board’s CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE until the night before it was due. Filling out page after page about my family’s financial stability, the lines of worry etched on my face grew exponentially deeper, as did the bags under my eyes. Would I ever finish filling out these unnecessarily long forms? But more important-

staff writer aileen lu

ly, how would I pay for college? At least the idea of receiving financial aid calmed me.

Until I realized that I would have to pay a $9 basic application fee and $16 per school that I wanted to send my CSS PROFILE to. The total sum easily added up to almost $100, definitely dipping into my college funds. I was paying to receive financial aid!

A bit ironic, to say the least. But I wasn’t surprised. I’ve been paying for the chance to go to college since high school started after all.

For most MSJ students, the harsh cycle of payment starts with the PSAT, and ends up including the SAT/ACT, AP tests, and SAT IIs. With an exorbitant price tag at-

Dear Editor, The Social Studies Department welcomes the comments and concerns of the editorial staff and student body, and is continuing to address these important issues.

Two years ago, in partial response to similar comments, the department began offering AP World History. For next year we are pleased to offer CP Chinese History as an additional elective. Please be aware courses can be offered but if not enough students register the class cannot be scheduled. We continue to discuss the possibility of offering AP Economics and Government. Unfortunately, these courses offer considerable scheduling challenges. To help in this planning phase we hope to solicit student input in the coming weeks. We hope all juniors will participate in a survey and we look forward to sharing the results in a timely fashion.

- Tori Ha, Social Science Teacher

tached to each and every test, College Board and American College Testing seem to be out to make a killing the second we step into high school. Not only are we assured that the only path to certain schools requires the aforementioned test but also that we must prepare for these tests until the life force is sucked out of our souls. And preparing requires buying prep books to self-study, hiring a tutor, or taking a class. Whichever way we choose, the cost ends up coming out much higher that it should be. But it doesn’t end there.

Once all of the tests are done with and senior year is in full swing, we realize that with every essay we write for the colleges, not only do we have to pay the office to send transcripts at the beginning, middle, and sometimes end of the year ($3 per school) but that we also have to pay a significant sum to apply to the school itself. And then there’s that $9.50 fee per test, per school we pay to send our scores to colleges.

We have limited options. College Board has a monopoly of sorts on all our collegerelated expenses. It’s not like we can just choose a cheaper company to take AP tests from.

Perhaps the involved parties think that by making it cost so much for college, we will be more likely to think twice about the schools we apply to – thereby lowering the number of schools we choose. And as students, perhaps we should consider not inundating our teachers and counselors with hundreds of college application related requests.

I only wonder…how much I could have saved if everything didn’t cost so much?

Maybe enough to fund all of the expensive textbooks I’ll need in college? If I had all of that money that I spent on getting into college, I might need less financial aid!

So what can we do to fight this monstrosity? We could protest! Refuse SATs! Refuse AP’s! Refuse to send my transcript! Refuse to pay to apply! Refuse to be violated so cruelly...and then not get into college?!

Okay, maybe not. ▪

Dear Editor, In the last issue, Smoke Signal did an article about my skiing and snowboarding achievements. However, I do not currently compete or snowboard, though I aspire to do so in the future. At the moment, I ski recreationally with my family. I sincerely apologize to the Smoke Signal, especially to Jordan [Zhang], who interviewed me, and to my friends, family and teachers. The story grew when I casually mentioned that I snowboarded, and as rumors flew, I didn’t want to discredit myself. I apologize for the misconception and hope this sets things straight.

- Ankita Agharkar, 11 Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

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Opinion 7

EDITORIAL: Debates will create

well-informed voters for ASB Elections The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board Next Wednesday, February 24, ASB will be holding its first-ever, mandatory debate assembly prior to ASB elections. All students are required to attend, including seniors, during their third period classes on a regular assembly schedule to listen to ASB candidates answer questions related to their qualifications and visions for MSJ. The final votes for officer positions will be cast and tabulated the next day, Thursday.

While the new setup will entail scheduling complications and requires cooperation from both teachers and students alike, the concept and rationale behind the debates merit the time spent to ensure a fairer ASB election. The objective behind the debates outweighs the minor inconvenience of another assembly.

In the past, ASB elections have been disparaged as popularity contests, since successful candidates relied almost solely on video promotions, advertising rallies, and posted signs across campus. Last year, the speeches for officer hopefuls were scheduled at lunch, resulting in relatively meager student attendance and a lack of structure.

However, with the implementation of the new proposals, students will be required to actively participate in this which closely concerns them. The candidates will be fielding questions closely related to their abilities to serve as a student leader. While specific questions cannot be commented upon, topics will be geared towards the specific office

which the candidate is seeking. A suggested issue for the ASB President candidates may be how to better regulate campus clubs and activities.

Candidates for the offices of ASB President and Vice President will speak in the assembly debates, and the candidates for Treasurer, Secretary, and Activities Coordinator will speak at separate lunch meetings the same week. In cases in which there is only one candidate running for Vice President or only one candidate for President, candidates for Secretary and Treasurer will participate in the assembly debates instead.

For seniors who may be unconcerned with next year’s ASB officers, they will at least benefit from the debates as a nostalgic remnant of Mock Con, and some questions from the moderators may address more global issues applicable to all students.

The new procedures markedly encourage student faith in a less prejudiced and more candid election process. At times, the student body has felt removed from the behind-thescenes efforts of Leadership and ASB and left out of the equation. This year in particular, these sentiments appear to have been acknowledged and accompanied by measures taken to ameliorate the situation.

But while the response to student concerns is encouraging, much remains to be done and much can still be improved upon.

We support the new ASB debates for what it represents – an admirable effort to reach out to the student body and to craft a more nonpartisan ASB election process – and hope for the success of this first debate assembly, a novel concept deserving of praise. ▪ Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

The “Great Firewall” of China

By Audrey Wu Staff Writer

As Internet use rapidly increases in China, the government is also swiftly tightening censorship as well. All computers are required to include software that filters out “unhealthy information,” allowing the government to update with the latest list of banned sites.

China’s “Great Firewall,” as Internet pundits call it, is backed up by several branches of government departments and cyberpolice. It censors all controversial material promoting

by the “Great Firewall.” Even loyal bloggers who travel to China are faced with a dilemma after discovering that they are unable to access their personal Twitter, Flickr, or Wordpress. Other popular social networks and media sites including Youtube, Facebook, and Wikipedia have also been prohibited.

Although obscenities such as pornography and nudity are understandably restricted, the Chinese government takes overly drastic measures and implements strict surveillance to maintain such a guarded Internet environ-

staff writer michael feuerman

disorder and anti-communism. Surprisingly, while most Americans assume Chinese Internet users are unhappy with Internet control, the Chinese majority actually approves of such restrictions, trusting information on government websites much more than other, unregulated sites.

However, under such draconian censorship, are the Chinese people living in partial oblivion, unaware of the events happening around the world? Simply search up “Tiananmen Square”, “Tibet”, or “Taiwan” and expect to be redirected to another page or simply to be confronted with a “lost network connection” error preventing further access.

Since when did Tiananmen Square become a fabrication, Falun Gong followers antagonists, and the Dalai Lama an oppressor?

As the Internet becomes increasingly available to newer generations, more users are looking to the Internet as a source of information, but their freedom of voice and right to knowledge are being severely limited

ment to prevent a sense of freedom. Despite the official perspective that all content which “damages China’s unity and sovereignty, portrays violence, and damages China’s culture” is agreeably blocked, the government takes advantage of the system and prevents its citizens from obtaining rightful information about their own history.

China’s censorship is not foolproof; euphemisms and alternative wording weed their way into the system to avoid keyword trackers. Students from the acclaimed Beijing University managed to download a banned documentary on the 1989 protests and secretly viewed them in their dorms. Similarly, sometimes a few supposedly restricted images may leak through the firewall and show up along with government approved pictures.

For now, censorship is successful in terms of aiding the Chinese Communist Party to stay in power, but in the long run, such extremes are only bound for failure when this autocratic order crumbles upon itself. ▪

8 Feature

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, February 19, 2010

Mind Your Manners Prom s

n o i t c A l l a m S

By Ginger Werner Staff Writer

By Hannie Dong & Sonya John Staff Writer and Feature Editor

Planning Planning is probably the most stressful aspect of prom.

However, a little sweat here will save you trouble later on. Girls, try to look for dresses as soon as you can. Juniors are lucky this year because junior prom is early on in the season, so there will be a larger selection to choose from.

Here comes the most important part: matching! This is usually up to the guys, but no pressure, of course! We are just kidding. Girls, if you don’t want to show your date your entire dress so you can surprise him at prom, try taking a picture of a small section of your dress. However, because cameras distort color a little, if you can (only if you can) try cutting a small piece of extra material to give to him so he can use that as a guide when he’s selecting a color.

As for tickets, there isn’t a hard rule that says that guys should pay for them. It can be awkward talking about money, so to avoid any confusion later establish this early on. Because they are so expensive, most people end up paying for their own ticket. Or if one person pays for both tickets, the other should volunteer to pay for the limo. Work it out in a way so that there aren’t any obligations.

Pictures Be sure to plan where you’re having your pre-prom picture session to avoid confusion. Usually, you’ll meet at someone’s house or at school. To many parents, this is a monumental event, so be prepared to pose for minutes on end with your parents, your date’s parents, family, friends, etc. When taking pictures, pose appropriately! Prom is a picture-filled event, and you don’t want hundreds of awkward pictures showing up on Facebook.

Also, your class officers arrange for a photographer to take portraits of couples at some point during the evening, so don’t forget to bring picture money. Girls generally pay for the pictures, so the guys don’t go completely broke from prom expenses.

Prom Day On the actual day of prom, there are some things you should do in order to have a magical night.

1. Be polite to parents When meeting your date’s parents, greet them politely and shake hands. Don’t roll your eyes or get impatient if they want to take one picture too many.

2. Give out compliments Guys, when you see your date for the first time, compliment her. No matter how small the compliment, it will reassure your date that she looks beautiful.

3. Be a great date If you asked or accepted to go with someone to the prom you should stay with that person throughout the dance. No matter what your romantic status is, don’t leave your date hanging by dancing with other people all night or spending all your time gossiping with the girls.

4. Try to have fun Relax and don’t think too much. You’ll end up getting frustrated and disappointed if your plans don’t go well. Simply go with the flow and enjoy your evening with your date and friends. ▪

The application process can be chaotic, especially with the multitude of programs and colleges that MSJ students apply to.

Some applications require letters of recommendation, and teachers, counselors, and students alike find themselves stressed throughout the process. Now that the “summer program application season” is upon us, here are some tips on what you should do to show your appreciation towards those who dedicate their personal time to write letters of rec for students.

1. Be sure to ask your teachers or counselor for a letter at least three weeks prior to the deadline. Catch your teacher when they’re not busy (such as during passing period) and say something like, “I’m applying to [program or college] and I was wondering, if you had the time, if you be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me?”

If the teacher declines the request, politely say “thank you”, and leave it at that.

Remember, teachers are not required to write letters of rec and use their own time to do so. If your request is accepted, that’s

Etiquette is a code of behavior that follows the expectations for proper social behavior. According to Sophomore Ellie Wong, etiquette is “being polite and courteous and having good mannerisms, even in awkward situations.” Here are some nice, polite, and considerate acts you can do for a friend, neighbor, or complete stranger. It might just brighten their day, and make you feel a little better yourself.

1. Smile! Despite making you look more attractive and friendly, a smile is contagious and relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, and releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers. So let’s see you say “Cheese!” to a complete stranger and perhaps they will do the same.

2. Feed them. Chances are, they are hungry. There isn’t anybody out there who doesn’t like food and the fact that it is free will make them feel even more fantastic.

You will appear generous and giving away anything to appreciative people actually does feel good!

3. Give a compliment! A simple “Nice combat boots.” will make even the saddest emo kid crack a smile. Make it a personal goal to compliment at least three people a day.

4. Simply acknowledge them with a “Hello ____”. It might make their day. If you occasionally talk to them in class, make sure you acknowledge them outside of the classroom or other settings.

5. Give them a ride/take them out to lunch. If you are fortunate enough to be an upperclassman with a license, help out one of your not-nearly-as lucky friends and take them out to lunch! Being able to escape from campus and enjoy some delicious food with company will make any tough day a bit more bearable.

6. Facebook can be utilized to make a person feel a little more important to the world. Simply sign on every day (you do anyway) and see whose birthdays are coming up. The next day, seek out the person and personally wish them a happy birthday. They never have to know you only knew because of Facebook.

7. “The key to a woman’s heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time,” said Sean Connery in the movie Finding Forrester. This simple statement isn’t just for wooing a woman; it can be applicable to many situations in life. Take the time every day to give someone a gift when they are least expecting it. It could be paying for a cup of coffee for person in line behind you at Starbucks or writing your mom a note thanking her for packing you lunch. Whatever the act of kindness is, there are sure to be people who will appreciate it. ▪

Letters of Recommendation

By Chelsea Dass Staff Writer

when it is time to get your application materials together.

2. Create a cover letter introducing yourself and thanking the teacher/counselor in advance for helping you with your application. Not only does it look professional, but it also leaves a positive impression on

and it would thus be very rude to give up on applying without notifying the teacher who is writing the letter.

whoever is writing the letter. It is additionally helpful when students show their accessibility by providing contact information within the letter. If the letter is for a summer program, feel free to inform your teachers about what aspect about you he or she should focus on, as well as deadlines and any other specific instructions they may need on the process.

4. Be mindful not to nag your teachers about their progress on your letters. These letters take several hours to complete, and on top of regular grading and lesson planning, teachers will probably have plenty of others to write as well.

3. Whether it is a summer program or college, you must fill out and proofread your portion first. Also, whenever giving paperwork to teachers, always have an addressed envelope with proper postage and be sure to present all the forms together with deadlines. Be prepared to show your completed application forms, so that the teachers know you will not drop out of the application process. You are asking teachers to take three to four hours out of their busy schedule to write something uniquely for you. It is all out of courtesy

5. It can be safely said that everyone enjoys a thank you note. So write something personal and positive and write it from the heart to sincerely show your appreciation. A gift doesn’t have to mean spending money; other options are writing a letter, creating a piece of art, or baking some sweet treats. And don’t forget to keep up your relationships with your teachers—just because applications are over, doesn’t mean you should stop talking to them. ▪ PHOTOBUCKET.COM, BLOG.KARENCOMMINS.COM, STAFF WRITER AILEEN LU

Friday, February 19, 2010 The Smoke Signal This essay was written by a MSJ upperclassman who has suffered from anorexia nervosa for more than a year now. The ‘Smoke Signal’ respects the bravery of this writer to disclose her experiences with this disorder. We have chosen to publish this essay in hopes of increasing awareness of eating disorders and providing support to those who are battling these types of problems as well.

Meet my friend ED. We have been friends, unfortunately, for about a year now, and honestly I do regret the day we met. Our relationship is anything but mutual. Ever since the day I saw him intensely watching me from afar, I gingerly tried to keep my distance.

I was warned about his schemes and mind games countless times; I certainly fought back against his devious tricks, but my attempt was futile.

Like a leech, once he finds his prey, he sucks the happiness leaving nothing but utter hopelessness. ED was ruthless; his rules forced me to give up my old lifestyle, my relationship with my parents, and most importantly, my self-confidence. My mood was volatile, changing daily with his mood swings. As ED and I grew closer, my situation exacerbated, and I began spiraling down to an abyss of loneliness and frustration. As time went on his judgment trumped mine, he was omnipotent. Like most people, I never thought I’d be a victim; but sadly 1 in 100 teens are.

If it isn’t clear ED isn’t a normal person, he’s my eating disorder.

ED wasn’t spontaneous; he slyly followed and conspired against me for a couple of months. His presence engendered feelings of self-disgust and discontent with my appearance. This outlook prompted me to start exercising more frequently. My parents were supportive of my decision to be active; however, they never thought it

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ED ARTICLE sdfa sdfas

Submitted by Anonymous

Meet ED. An Anonymous Essay would become an obsession. Eventually, something triggered, and I realized that to lose weight, I had to decrease my calorie intake. Little by little I began to shave off calories, from politely refusing dessert to eating only a few bites of pasta for lunch. It seemed harmless at first, but soon this became a habit and I compulsively limited what I ate. I tried to satisfy my hunger pangs with mere glasses of water and fruit to keep off the calories, but who was I to think that those would suffice. Each time I forwent eating, my

Quick Bites

By Mekala Neelakantan Staff Writer

After school can be a rushed, hectic time, especially with extracurricular activities and homework. However, that doesn’t mean that tasty snacks should be sacrificed. Here are four easy recipes that can quickly satisfy your hunger in a healthy, delicious way:

Chili Corn Prep time: 10 m in. ~Frozen corn Dice the garlic and heat for ~Chili powder 3-5 minutes w ith vegetable ~Garlic oil until slight ly cooked. ~Vegetable oil Add the frozen corn, chili ~Salt for taste powder, and sa lt, and cook until thawed. E njoy!

~2 or more different types of fruits (apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, etc.) ~Wooden skewers (or toothpicks) ~Chocolate syrup

body would go weak and my brain cloudy. I would often lose control of my thoughts and emotions, becoming subject to mood swings and crankiness like a doll puppeteered by irritation. Because my stomach was empty, my hunger turned into frustration and anger. My thinking was shrouded by his thoughts, they utterly consumed me. If I ate, I ate in fury, I was angry because I was eating, but also angry because I was angry. Frustration mounted as I chewed, for I was reminded again

Peer Resource offers confidential support for those who may have or those that have an eating disorder. We encourage you to visit B33 for more information or email msjpeer@yahoo.com.

Dear Diary...

Ask me anything <3 :) <3 No really. ASK ME.

*Note: Formspring.me is a website where people may send and receive anonymous questions, and learn more about people by following their answers.

Prep time: 5 min . ~Two English M uffins ~Pasta Sauce ~Grated cheese ~Veggies (optiona l) ~Pepperoni (opt ional)

Cut each English muffin in half.

Add pasta sauce to each mu ffin, and spread around. Sprink le cheese over the sauce. Microwav e on high for 1 minute, or until cheese melts.

Prep time: 5 min.

Dice your fruits into squares and alternately insert them into the wooden skewer. (If you have toothpicks, individually skewer the fruits).

Dip them into the chocolate syrup and enjoy!

~1 tub of cream cheese ~Strawberr y ja m ~Four graham crackers broken into square s ~Sliced strawbe rr y

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Feature 9

and again that I had confined myself to this vicious cycle: hunger, the neglect of hunger, the inability to keep neglecting hunger, self-admonishment.

After I was diagnosed, I was carted against my will to numerous doctor appointments, where I was scrutinized by several physicians. Everything I told my therapists somehow was relayed to my parents which only heightened their panic. My house was characteristic of a battle zone; my parents and I fought incessantly. They didn’t understand me or my problem nor did they accept ED. No matter how much I wanted to change, ED had an unyielding grip on my conscience. As the summer ended and the most crucial year of high school began, I noticed the repercussions of my restrictive habits. A short attention span, unstable parental relationships, self-loathing, and fainting spells made life difficult. As a determined collegebound student, I knew how important this year was. With my numerous activities inside and outside school, I couldn’t afford to give up everything just for ED. Although there isn’t an instant cure to the disappointment of my family members, since that time I’ve been working to strike a balance between these two worlds. Life hasn’t been easy, but with the support of friends and family, I have begun to appreciate and love myself; instead of focusing on fixing my body, I’ve directed all my energy to my schoolwork and activities. A year later ED and I aren’t as close as we once were.

I’ve grown accustomed to his incessant demands, and am able to simply ignore them. Now when I’m eating, the only voice I listen to is my own. ▪

Prep Time: 5-10 min.

Microwave the cream cheese for 10 seconds , or until soft. Mix the cream cheese with the strawbe rry jam.

Spread mixture onto each of the graham crackers.

Top each cracker with a slice of strawberry. Enjoy!

By Megan McLaughlin Staff Writer

February 11, 2010 4:30 PM Dear Diary, I just got my Formspring. I scrapped the three questions Formspring automatically asks; I plan to chat with real people, not programmed robots. That’s the equivalent of being friends with Tom from Myspace, social suicide. Anyway, my BFF and I finally got off the phone, and we came up with the most adorable username for me. My profile picture is so cute; and it only took me an hour in front of my bathroom mirror. I had trouble deciding whether to tilt my head left or right, and whether a pout or a pucker was better. You can’t even tell I used Photoshop to cover some unfortunate bags under my eyes!

11:00 PM Dear Diary, LOL at my first Formspring question: an anonymous user, how exciting, asked, “Are you going to Sadies?” It took me twenty minutes to come up with a perfect answer, “I don’t know yet ;)!” The great thing is that I don’t even know who this person is. I just hope they appreciate my impeccable taste in background: Tasteful polka dots, to show my fun-loving, yet sophisticated personality.

February 12, 2010 6:20 PM Dear Diary, I just posted my first question ever. I took it slow and asked this kid I absolutely hate a little anonymous question about his ugly jacket.

Oh the power! I felt a rush of adrenaline when I clicked “send,” and zoomed off to insult an

elementary school enemy and leave a little inside joke on my friend’s site, just so everyone knows we’re tight.

February 13, 2010 8:00 PM Dear Diary, Just emptied my inbox: Formspring tells me that I am gorgeous and a hag, deserve my grades and cheat constantly, wear the ugliest clothes ever but have impeccable outfits, should never dye my hair but I ought to shave my head, and someone wants to make me a sandwich. I hope they know I’m allergic to pickles!

February 15, 2010 2:40 AM Dear Diary, Someone asked me, “What’s the wildest thing you did?” After mentally correcting their grammar, I focused on the question at hand and readied my fingers to type a killer response. But nothing came to me! Instead, I realized I have a boring life. That’s why I’m still awake; I have barely 29 hours to plot about a totally scandalous thing to do at school Tuesday, so my Formspring will be off the charts, and everyone will know I’m not boring, no way, no how.

February 17, 2010 11:15 AM Dear Diary, Alas! Someone has out-scandaled me and according to Formspring I’m no longer hot news. My inbox is totally empty. I guess I’ll just have to comment on myself… “Why are you so good looking?” ▪ MYWEBJPG.COM, FORMSPRING.ME, STAFF WRITER RAVNEET KAUR

10 Centerspread

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, February 19, 2010

By Roger Chen, Amisha Gandhi, Diya Roy, Raymond Zhong & Albert Yuan Staff Writers and Graphics Editor

THE GOOD: OS X sports a dynamic menu bar at the top of the screen and an application dock at the bottom. The menu bar changes options depending on the active application and features Spotlight, a powerful search tool. The dock, a row of icons, allows for quick launching of popular applications and access to user-defined files and folders. Widgets can also be placed on the desktop and made to appear and disappear easily, providing a “dashboard” for quick access to useful mini-applications in a fashion that leaves Windows’ gadgets in the dust. OS X is far simpler to use and to manage than Windows and suffers from a smaller number of viruses because of its lower install base.

THE BAD: The luxuries of security and usability restrict the freedom and variety of choices for the end user.

THE GOOD: Macs are sleek and contained, with no added buttons or additional drives sticking out of the sides like some PCs. The inside keyboard maintains a clean, yet futuristic and classy look. Most keys are classic white or inverted black, arranged in a neat, square-tiled pattern.

After turning on a Mac, one of the most appealing aspects is the bright colors on the screen. Macbooks and their Pro and Air counterparts all use the LED backlit display, as opposed to Dells, which use LCD. LED screens ensure crystal clear images and color. All the icons feature bold, eye-catching colors that are easily recognizable.

THE BAD: Some aspects, like the lack of a “start” menu and the icon placement, can be hard to get used to at first. Some people do prefer text underneath their icons, and the lack of this feature makes lesser known icons more difficult to use.

THE GOOD: Nearly anything that is run on a PC can be run on a Mac using Boot Camp, and Mac components were specifically picked by Apple so that everything would work without a hitch. Granted, Mac systems crash every once in a while, but in general tend to be a lot more stable than PCs. In addition, Apple designs its systems to meet the most common tasks performed by computer users, such as browsing the Internet, playing music, and editing movies. The company also includes software that rival many professional creative suites. Macs have some of the best cases ever, making the computer something that you want on display for everyone rather than hide away in a cluttered corner of your desk.

THE BAD: When you buy a Mac, you’re buying a sealed box. Apple doesn’t want you to open it because they have everything working just fine, and if you gripe about your computer, you’re supposed to buy a new one, preferably another Mac.

THE GOOD: Macs are indeed pricey, but they are not only sleek and cool in appearance but high quality too. Macs also come preinstalled with the iLife package, a whole set of multimedia tools. You can organize photos, home movies and, of course, music, easily turning them into watchable DVDs and/or CDs. iLife can even help you create your very own website. To get the quality equivalent of these applications on a PC would cost you hundreds of dollars.

THE BAD: To put it simply, Macs are incredibly expensive. Cheaper options are available, but inevitably, their specifications will be less than desired. Many applications are unable to be installed on Macs. Macs can’t be upgraded, and when they become obsolete, you will probably have to buy a new one, which, of course, will be very expensive.

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Friday, February 19, 2010

The Smoke Signal

Back in 1984, a Super Bowl ad heralded the Macintosh as the device that would save humanity from conformity: the original personal computer. It would compete against the huge mainframes made by IBM, which dominated the computer 984 Super Bowl commercial market at the time. t in the 1990s, the newcomer Microsoft introduced ows, an operating system that allowed companies mpete against Apple by selling cheaper hardware. ntly 90 percent of computers run some n of Windows. The high-end hardware and nterface of Macs have become a minority, o some, an emblem of elitism. th Apple’s Mac vs. PC ads depicting tosh users as suave, and Microsoft’s attacking Macs as overpriced and their as conceited, the rivalry between the two facturers has become legend. But this e war isn’t what companies would have hink it is. ts simplest, the Mac vs. PC debate is about different ways of making computers. An computer has its software and hardware ade by one manufacturer, streamlined d to work well together. A PC, on the other hand, is a of parts by different manufacturers and software by hors. That makes for a rougher user experience but also provides more flexibility – and a much lower price.

Apple’s design means that its computers are better built and harder to damage, with features like a tripproof power cord that detaches itself. And there are nice touches – like backlit keyboards and glossy LCD screens – that come from a whole company dedicated o manufacturing a handful of products.

On the other hand, if you’ve just bought a desktop PC, you might need to add a wireless card or webcam.

There are too many PC and peripheral manufacturers to count, and infinite possibilities for issues like software drivers and compatibility. But diversity also creates competition, which is a good thing. Outside the Appledominated Mac peripherals market, PCs and everything o go with them can be found for much less.

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Centerspread 11

THE GOOD: Sporting an updated Aero interface, Windows 7’s most noticeable new feature is its redesigned taskbar, which integrates well with the rest of the system and improves usability. The new taskbar allows users to “pin” applications to the taskbar for faster launching. File search has also been dramatically improved, allowing users more control over search filters, destinations, and previews.

THE BAD: Although common tasks such as word processing, multimedia and internet access are similar between Macs and PCs, usability has always been lagging behind Macs. And by allowing PC users more freedom, PC users must also watch out for viruses and frequent glitches or crashes.

THE GOOD: Newer operating systems such as Windows Vista or Windows 7 are appealing and bright. They also have tabbed previews of open applications, a feature which Macs do not have. However, there are glaring similarities to Macs. For example, the new Windows 7 features icons on the bottom that are similar to the Mac dock, which has been in place for years. Windows also features conveniences such as a clock and calculator located on screen, which parallels the “Dashboard” on Macs.

THE BAD: PCs are in general more text heavy than Macs.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on the person. There are some icons located on the bottom “start” panel, but those are not classic, well-known icons. To get to less used applications, users are forced to mostly rely on the text. This makes for an overall slower process compared to Macs.

nd, the Mac vs. PC debate all comes down to the cash you’re put down for a computer and what you plan to do with it. se looking for an all-purpose laptop, a Macbook is probably the way to as customizable as a Windows PC, and its added durability makes up ce. After all, Macbooks are in the same price range as business-grade e the Dell Latitude series, and built to around the same quality. other hand, new programs like Office 2007 and Windows 7 have much easier to use. For those well-acquainted with Windows or accustomed to Windows games, switching makes little sense. Also, cations are beginning to replace installed software, and while OS X ns are easy to use, they still have a learning curve. ows applications already confuse you or the additional few hundred not too much of an expense, then a Mac may be the best option to

THE GOOD: PCs are a powerhouse when it comes to customizability and raw power. The PC offers variety that no Mac could ever match under the reign of Steve Jobs.

PCs can be upgraded without the need to replace the entire system, and options are available for all audiences from the budget-minded to the performance pros. One can purchase or build a PC that ends up being much more powerful than its Mac price counterpart. Many desktop PCs in the $500700 range ship with a minimum of four gigabytes of RAM, a quad core processor, and a 500GB hard drive.

THE BAD: The variety that the PC is so celebrated for comes with complications involving compatibility. PCs have issues with drivers because it would be impossible for Microsoft to support every piece of hardware ever made. It is up to the manufacturers to develop drivers for their own hardware.

THE GOOD: Although some PCs can be just as expensive as Macs, PCs are generally much cheaper. The wide variety of sizes, specifications and features like webcam ensures that when you buy a PC, you can get exactly what you want. With Macs, you have less control, and most Mac upgrades are much more costly.

Additionally, a PC can last you for years even if the technology becomes obsolete.

THE BAD: Aside from basic applications, you have to shell out more money for programs like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and Cyberlink DVD Suite. In addition, PCs usually come with only a one-year limited warranty. Extending that warranty costs more money, and after the warranty expires, you have to take your PC elsewhere, like Best Buy’s Geek Squad, where a simple diagnosis can cost you over $100.

end, even with all this advice, you should still go to an Apple Store or riend’s Mac. Try both operating systems and take into account the tradeoffs, keeping in mind what we have mentioned, and it may be possible to settle this endless debate at least for yourself.

apple.com, nvidia.com, techspot.com, wordpress.com, microsoft.com

12 Photo

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The Smoke Signal

1c

1b

2a

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February Fun

“Sadies in the Eighties” a. Junior Jennifer Montalvo rocks out to the music. b. MSJ students move to the beat at their first blacklight dance. c. Senior Brent Hsu has a funny moment with his date as he enjoys the dance with her. d. Senior Vikram Sangha dances with his stunner shades on.

“Japanese Food Festival” a.

Junior Brianna Borgzinner sells Japanese cheesecake. . The b. sushi attracts MSJ students. c. Sophomore Julie Saigusa displays ramune.

1 2b

Friday, February 19, 2010

2 3

“Universal Performers: Variety Show” a. Cello players Sophomore Kaavya Valiveti and Junior Dennis Liu perform a piece for the audience. b. Junior Karthik Raman wows the crowd with his powerful voice. c. Seniors Natasha Parikh and Jeffrey Kiu perform together on stage. d. Freshman Lucy Shen sings a song.

3c

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photos by staff writers justin sha, audrey wu, gurleen chadha

Friday, February 19, 2010 The Smoke Signal

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Feature 13

De-CLASSified: Lesser known courses

By Henna Jethani Staff Writer

Various discussions: -Are Native American Mascots Justified?

-What social hierarchy exists at our school opposed to a school in Hayward?

-Movie discussions over Mean Girls and Rabbit Proof Fence

“Students should have a perception of different ethnic groups. We talk about the oppressed versus the oppressors, group identities, and the contributions of the largest minority groups in America.”

-ES Teacher Risha Krishna

Courses allow students to learn about the fast growing biotechnology industry.

Students will receive 10 UC “g” lab credits and Ohlone College credit if taken at MSJ, or 20 UC “d” credits if taken at the Mission Valley ROP center.

-Research local biotech companies -Complete current event assignments about medical drugs -Lab notebook

“Students should have completed biology or Chemistry and Algebra 1 or 2. They should want to go into the higher engineering or medical fields.”

-Biotech Teacher Anu Suresh

Provides a comprehensive outlook on the natural world. Students observe the scientific processes of the environment and apply laboratory procedures. If you want to be involved in fun labs such as the Waste Water Treatment and Toxicity Labs, then this is the class to take.

-Independent study through regular reading -Weekly current events about new environmental procedure and news -Labs

This class examines the history and culture of a complex civilization. Students will learn about the evolution of the Chinese civilization by studying the country’s periods of prosperity, stability, fragmentation, invasion by neighbors, communist rule and its struggles for democracy.

-Preparation for debates, discussions and presentations -Reading and writing assignments -Projects about Chinese culture -Analysis of current events and issues

This course allows students to think outside the box through writing poetry, dialogue and short stories. Public speaking tackles the fear of verbally communicating in front of audiences by engaging the students in debates and a variety of speeches including persuasive and improv.

-Comic strips -Planning and executing a commercial -Reviews and an advice column similar to a newspaper -A research paper from the perspective of a famous individual

Through this class, students examine and interpret the traditions and principles of our world’s many cultures.

Poetry, films, traditions, and plays will be studied to gain an all-encompassing view about various ethnicities.

-Biology, Chemistry and Algebra 1 must be completed prior to taking this course.

World History must be completed prior to taking this course.

“Have a love for writing.”

-English Teacher Lili Kim.

-Friday Cultural Activity where students bring artifacts and food to represent their traditional values, family history, and their identity -Native American Museum field trip to Angel Island where Native American poetry is examined Biotech’s resources expose students to the polyacrylamide gel where students analyze the separation of proteins by running a vertical gel.

This is different than the typical agarose gel that is used in biology.

In the Toxicity Lab, blood worms are placed in petri dishes with nicotine and alcohol at varying concentrations. The purpose is to determine at what concentrations 50 percent of the population will die off.

Enriching cultural awareness activities include commemorating Chinese festivals and holidays as well as taking field trips to San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.

Students look forward to composing a detailed dialogue for their creative writing final. Also, a representative from Toastmasters visits the class to give a presentation about successful public speaking techniques.

DREAMSTIME.COM, MASTERS.AB.CA, US.123RF.COM, MASTERS.AB.CA, WEBFTP.BOISESCHOOLS.ORG, DIPLOMAGUIDE.COM, FEATURE EDITOR ALISSA GWYNN

14 Arts & Entertainment

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, February 19, 2010

Road to the Oscars

By Cynthia Kang, Sarah Li, and Jamie Lin A&E Editor & Staff Writers

Four-time Academy Award-nominated Jeff Bridges Best Actor is simply that good. As Bad Blake in Crazy Heart, he takes the role of a down-and-out, beer-guzzling mess of a country singer and makes it his own.

Christoph Waltz stole every one of his scenes in Inglourious Basterds.

But Waltz’s Colonel Hans Landa was more than a ruthless Nazi. He sinks into his role as mercilessly as Landa hunts Jews, and there’s nothing more entertaining to watch than a deliciously bad villain.

Sandra Bullock took everyone by surprise when she became Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life adoptive mother of NFLer Michael Oher.

The Academy is a sucker for those feel-good success stories, and Sandra Bullock’s passionate Leigh Anne is why she will take home the Oscar.

Nothing beats the combination of an amazing actress and that perfect role, which is exactly what Precious brought to this category with Mo’Nique. Her raw, unbridled emotion keeps audiences on the edge with fear and dread but also with an unnerving sense of sympathy.

Considering the Academy’s love affair with Pixar, it’s almost certain Up will be taking home this prize. Pixar took a chance writing an animated film with relatively “normal” human characters but it still brings the resounding emotion and tasteful humor we, and the Academy, expect.

There’s no doubt the race is between Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron. Yet while Cameron’s Avatar dazzles, Hurt Locker has the captivating story often beloved by the Academy, and she’ll probably take home the honor of the first woman to win this category.

James Cameron’s latest masterpiece about imperialism set in a futuristic background has reaped in both financial success and approving nods from critics. It would have easily snagged the coveted golden statue had not been for The Hurt Locker. But its innovative and advanced use of technology is something to be admired and the Academy will most likely award Avatar the Best Picture.

Watching a movie can be a means of escape. Avatar is a spellbinding fantasy, with an easily comprehensible (maybe too much so) plot. The Hurt Locker is a mind-twisting thriller about a war we are still entangled in. No one likes to think about the reality that is staring them right in the face.

Ultimately, this is why Avatar will triumph.

Jeff Bridges not only by channels emotion into his role but also successfully portrays a character that still retains his pride and charisma despite being among the lowest on society’s food chain. There’s no doubt that it is Bridges who make Crazy Heart the glorious story it is.

Already a winner at Cannes and the Globes, Waltz was equal parts sinister and charismatic, and Landa might possibly be the greatest serial killer of all time. Besides, Basterds is definitely one of Tarantino’s best and Landa is quite possibly the best character he’s ever written.

While Sandra Bullock’s Leigh Anne had heart, newcomer Gabourey Sidibe had soul as an abused and illiterate girl in the lowest dredges of society. Her Precious made audiences cry and root for her and simultaneously feel ashamed for ignoring all the girls on the street like her.

Need I say more? Mo’Nique accomplished the truly difficult feat of taking a woman portrayed as the antagonist throughout the entire film and still leaving audiences sympathetic with her character. She was absolutely brilliant. In fact, it would be a tragedy if she didn’t win this award.

Fantastic Mr. Fox brings a distinctive artistic quality in both concept and execution that, by comparison, Up seems to fall flat on. Up was indeed a great film, but by Pixar’s standards, it was a disappointment, not being nearly as engaging as its previous films.

In the case of the former married Bigelow and Cameron, the woman should come out on top, as visually stunning but clichéd Avatar is no match for the raw energy emanating from The Hurt Locker. So Academy, give her the Oscar, else we’ll send you to the hurt locker.

Simply drop the word “Iraq” the conversation will inevitably turn into a heated and tense debate.

The Hurt Locker, however, turns our minds away from the politics of the conflict and plunges us into a battle for survival. This suspenseful and intelligent work depicts a group of soldiers whose duty is to dismantle bombs but in a foreign country where everyone is an enemy, the next breath they take could be their last. Based on accounts of a journalist, The Hurt Locker shows us everything the newscasts don’t. The explosions in the film rival that of a blockbuster action movie except they are real. The Hurt Locker mentally engages its audience. Compared to other films where you simply sit blank-eyed and slack-jawed, is it any wonder why it deserves Best Picture? all graphics on this page made by a&e editor cynthia kang

photo credit: oscars.com, techfresh.net, americancityexpresslimo.net,

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Smoke Signal

Three 6 Mafia not very ‘powerful’

soUthernhospitality.com

By Elisa Ting

Graphics Editor Three Six Mafia’s new album Laws of Power, scheduled to be released on March 30th, is an album that could be called “superficial.”

The catchy beats and rocking tempos are obvious and enjoyable, but there is no deeper meaning found in any of the songs. Featured artists that contributed to these creative tempos include Sean Kingston, Flo Rida, Tiesto, and Kalenna. However, the lyrics they created are not up to par with the catchy background music.

According to DJ Paul, a member of the Three Six Mafia, the album name “Laws of Power” was chosen because Three Six Mafia is known for setting trends and standards in the music world. Sadly, these “trends” he mentioned seem to sound like every other rap song with a strong bass and repetitive lyrics.

Although songs such as “Feel It” ft. Tiesto have a techno club beat to it and “Shots After

Shots” give off a rock and roll vibe, the rest of the album sounds similar to every other rap song.

All of Three Six Mafia’s songs have the overarching theme of women, money, and partying, which make the songs a little awkward to listen to with parents around. Pumping up this CD in the car may not be the best choice especially with the disturbing sounds and frequent use of alcohol related words.

However, with the upbeat tempo and fast rap, these lyrics are difficult to decipher and can be safe to play in public.

Just like other rap songs, the phrase “I’m on a boat,” is used multiple times in “Shots After Shots.” What does this really mean?

Well, watch the music videos and your answers are revealed. Other scurrilous scenes throughout the album’s music videos include partying, dancing, and… shaving heads. On top of this vulgarity are the awkward and annoying background noises in “Lil’ Freak” that confirms the inappropriateness of this album.

Three Six Mafia’s album can be the hot pick for partying or clubbing, but not one to rush to purchase at the store. Maybe after a few months of overplaying, the CD will end up at the bottom of your shelf under the other twenty similar rap artists’ albums. If you’re someone who likes to turn up the music in your room and rock to the beat, paying no attention to the lyrics, this album may just be for you. But, if you listen to lyrics and look for an underlying meaning in the songs, you won’t find any life lessons here. ▪ Rating: C-

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Arts & Entertainment 15

Dear John,

By Hannah Scobel

Editor in Chief If you don’t cry when you watch this movie, you don’t have a heart. It is a simple math equation that any girl can explain to you: A Nicolas Sparks novel paired with Lasse Hallström’s directing equals a chick flick that only The Notebook can rival. Nobody can deny the pull of actor Channing Tatum who plays the main character John, a quiet army man who meets the love of his life, Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) just two weeks before he is due to deploy again.

The two weeks that the young lovers share before John has to go overseas and Savannah has to leave for school are idealistic and even a little bit unbelievable. It is hard to comprehend the concept that true love could blossom in just 14 days, although the movie does a great job of convincing viewers that John and Savannah truly feel deeply for each other. Still, the nagging feeling that those two weeks could supply them with enough emotional charge to carry them through the next year apart while John serves what he thinks to be his final deployment is unlikely, especially at their young ages.

Yet as John’s supposed final year in the Army draws closer, Sept. 11th shocks the nation and suddenly John’s army days have

been extended. From here on out, it’s tissue time, and the movie evolves from chick flick to something deeper. Yet as John and Savannah struggle through their months apart, the plot quickly becomes convoluted and viewers are left wondering about the time frame. Has he been gone for five months? A year? Five years? I still don’t know for sure.

Dear John, which plays on the connotation that a “Dear John” letter is a breakup letter, provided a plotline that I did not expect in the least. What I thought would be an incredibly predicable movie turned out to have a twisting plot that threw me for a spin. Overall, Dear John turned out to be more than the romantic love story that I anticipated. What I saw was a movie that truly opened my eyes to the conditions that the soldiers who fight for us every day are forced to go through. They not only have to deal with being shot at and talked down to, but many have to face the heartbreak that comes with being away from the ones they love the most. And then there is a case to be made for the ones they leave at home. As they leave to protect their country, their loved ones are forced to stay at home to deal with their absence. Dear John is a movie that not only entertains, but enlightens (not to mention makes you cry, a lot). ▪ Rating: B

VALENTINE’S DAY | LOVE IS IN THE AIR continued from page 1

glorifying the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, practically taking you on a tour of the city, as well as a few of his old movies . Unfortunately, this tactic backfires when we meet teen favorites Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift, posing as a teen couple head over heels in love. Obviously cast for their ticket selling power, T^2 interrupted the flow of the movie and were the one pair Valentine’s Day should have bypassed.

Though it has been slammed by the critics as unoriginal and the American version of Love Actually (to which it does hold similar plot points, without some of the British

raunchiness), Valentine’s Day is a film with general appeal, plentiful in light-hearted, laughable moments, and plenty of “aww’s” to go around. Many have written that the movie is fluffy and far from groundbreaking, but I contend that Marshall never intended it to be a groundbreaking revolution equal to the likes of James Cameron’s Avatar. Valentine’s Day is about celebrating those bubbly happy feelings, not overwhelming emotional drama.

Whether you take your mom or your boyfriend, you will leave the theater with a smile on your face from the “fluff ” that critics love to hate. ▪ Rating: B+

Angels & Airwaves Make

By Vishal Yadav

Staff Writer

Lead singer Tom DeLonge must have been desperate to be acknowledged. Since DeLonge already has enough money from his career with Blink-182, he decided to release Angels and Airwaves’ next album , Love, free, a gimmick to build up hype for what turns out to be a lackluster album. He probably realized that if he released his album with a price tag of more than $0.00, no one would buy it and people would forget about him.

Ironically, the album begins on a strong note. The instrumental, “Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce”, is a calming, synthinfused piece that paves the way for “The Flight of Apollo”, an earnest track which uses amp distortion and an effects pedal to bring the song to its fullest extent. The following track, “Young London”, rides the strong opening, and has the catchiest chorus on the album with a call to all the boys and girls to “let it go” on the dance floor.

Sadly, the album falters after this, falling into the realm of repetition and monotony.

L ‘ ove’

differentiating the two.

As shown in their previous effort I-Empire, Angels and Airwaves try too hard on Love. Each song is perfectly polished, wellproduced, and grandiose, but it is this aspiration to be great that causes the album to fall flat. When every song attempts to sound epic, they all end up failing. If such grand attempts were limited to a few pieces instead of the entire album, the listener might appreciate the majestic moments, rather than yawn in boredom.

People who were not fans of Angels and Airwaves will not become so with this effort. However, in a world where the focus is on singles rather than albums, there is still a little hope for the band as the first three tracks of the album are quite worthy of individual listening. On the other hand, if one last.fm is looking for an interesting album that lack of creativity plague the entire album. will satisfy the listener from start to finish, Filler tracks like “Soul Survivor (…2012)” skip this one. Even a free album is not worth and “Clever Love” are nearly indistinguish- the wasted time. ▪ able from each other, with only a guitar riff Rating: CThe problem with this album is that every song sounds the same. Identical nasally pitch and vocal inflection, similar space-age background music, and a

amandaseyfried.net

John (Channing Tatum) and Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) kiss in the rain.

MUSIC PICKS FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD

THIS MONTH: HEARTBROKEN ALBERT FALLIN’ BY EPIK HIGH ALISSA WAIT BY CHELSEA WILLIAMS ANTHONY TONIGHT I WANNA CRY BY KEITH URBAN CHRISTINE LOVE LOVE LOVE BY EPIK HIGH CYNTHIA IT’S BETTER TO HAVE LOVED BY TEMPOSHARK ELISA US AGAINST THE WORLD BY CHRISTINA MILLIAN HANNAH WHAT HURTS THE MOST BY RASCAL FLATTS JANE HAPPY ENDING BY MIKA JERRY SIBERIA BY BACK STREET BOYS JOSEPH I DON’T TRUST MYSELF BY JOHN MAYER KAREN ALMOST LOVER BY A FINE FRENZY MEGAN KIND OF ALONE BY CHRIS AUGUST NIKU MY DECEMBER BY LINKIN PARK REBECCA PIECES BY SUM 41 SARGUN HERE WITHOUT YOU BY THREE DOORS DOWN SONYA NEVER AGAIN BY DANNY FERNANDES TANU NEVER AGAIN BY KELLY CLARKSON TINA JUST A DREAM BY CARRIE UNDERWOOD MRS. COHEN LOVE HURTS BY INCUBUS CHECK OUT THE PLAYLIST ON THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG graphics editor albert yUan

16 Arts & Entertainment

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Friday, February 19, 2010

Artist Spotlight: Surag Sheth

By Amit Patankar Staff Writer

Late at night, when Mission students are hitting the books, Surag Sheth can be found hitting local clubs and DJing. Junior Surag Sheth, an aspiring artist, has taken his hobby of DJing and turned it into a career. Armed with a passion for music and his turn tables, Surag has opened his own DJing label and has scored many gigs around the Bay Area.

Smoke Signal: Tell us about your label, DJ Surr3al.

DJ Surr3al: My name was originally DJ Dosa when I was just joking around with my friends and just recording songs. [But] DJ Dosa was under copyright and when I realized I wanted to seriously start making music, I changed my name to DJ Surr3al.

SS: DJ-ing is an interesting hobby and very hard to start. What made you pick this up?

DS: My family inspired me to get into music.

I was inspired mainly by all those DJs like DJ AM, DJ Ill Will, and DJ Tiesto.

SS: How did you get started?

DS: I started out DJing with a DJ named Disco Derek, and he taught me how to scratch and taught me how to mix and he hooked me up with all my equipment.

SS: Have you made any songs by yourself?

DS: Yeah I have a couple of songs, nothing

big. I use sounds by Wiz Khalifa, The Cataracs, and Young L from the Pack as inspiration for my work. I am doing a new recording with my friend, local rapper Joey Cantrell. I am still in the process of recording and I will release them really soon.

it is my dream to DJ at a live concert for a famous artist.

SS: What is the coolest part of DJing?

DS: The coolest part of it is by far the experience. I do not do it for the money.

Music is my passion.

SS: Do you DJ at Mission dances?

DS: I [performed] at Sadies for a bit, opening up for DJ Sanjoy. I have [also] helped out with gigs in the past like the Aloha Dance.

SS: What has been your memorable experience so far at a gig?

DS: I have had some pretty crazy moments. One time at Hopkins, a kid jumped onto the stage and demanded me to play Metallica. We had to kick him off the stage.

SS: Do you work with anyone?

DS: I don’t work with anyone specifically but once in a while I will work with other DJs.

SS: So what kind of equipment do you use when you are DJing?

DS: I have two belt drive turn tables, one three channel sound mixer, and a scratch live box with me when I perform.

SS: Where are your gigs usually and which one has been the most interesting?

DS: I usually DJ at dances at middle schools, but I have done many private parties as well. The coolest gig is yet to come, because

Surag Sheth DJing (above) and creating mixes with his turntables (below).

coUrtesy of sUrag sheth

SS: Do you think you will pursue this after high school and possibly even as a career?

DS: Yeah, I will continue throughout college and I will make a couple of big moves, hitting up clubs, and doing my own concerts. I will also continue to record and produce music to try and build a successful independent label. Follow me at http://twitter.com/THEDJSURREAl or on Facebook at http://www. facebook.com/suragsheth. ▪

Classic Romance Films 

wordpress.com

By Michael Feuerman Staff Writer

The movie concludes with a 17 minute ballet sequence, so once again pace may be an issue February 14th has passed, but the waft of for those in the mood for a lighter film. romance is still fresh in the air. And in spirit of the season, the Smoke Signal has compiled a Annie Hall (1977) list of classic romance films you probably still Annie Hall is renowned as the greatest haven’t seen yet. So sit back, relax, grab some film ever written, directed, and produced by popcorn, and enjoy reading about watching Woody Allen. (It also happens to be a perclassic movies. sonal favorite.) Woody Allen stars as stand up comedian Alvy Singer as he details his perThe Graduate (1967) sonal life, putting together the pieces of his Featuring Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, recently broken relationship with Annie Hall, and Dustin Hoffman in his career-making played by Diane Keaton. performance, The Graduate tells the story of Each segment of Annie Hall only lasts recent college graduate Ben Braddock as he around three to seven minutes, so pace tries to forge a different path for his future. shouldn’t be a problem. The film also features However, things take a strange turn when numerous significant gags within itself, lethe winds up having an affair with long time ting you know this is a story with a timing family friend Mrs. Robinson. To make mat- and pace that could only work in film. Alters even more complicated, Ben finds himself though it’s easy to get confused by the mudfalling in love with Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, dled time line, the jokes are worth it, and the Elaine. final message at the end of the film manages This is a film for any future English major to tie it all together. out there. The subtle symbolism and complex relationships will make you think, but the The Princess Bride (1987) slower pace will have those used to modern At first glance, The Princess Bride will bore films exhausted by the end. (Rated R) you out of your mind. I mean, even the title has any self respecting male recoil in disgust.

An American in Paris (1951) But that only lasts for about five minutes, This feature length musical has a bit more after which the princess gets kidnapped, altypical a love story to it than The Graduate most eaten by carnivorous eels, and rescued (then again, what wouldn’t?) but that doesn’t by a mysterious masked man in one of the make it any less interesting. It features the most awe inspiring battle of wits shown on wonderful performances of Leslie Caron and the silver screen. the greatest triple threat to ever hit the silver For those of you dulled by the typical roscreen, Gene Kelly. Jerry Mulligan, a strug- mance film, and asleep from the pace of all gling American artist living in Paris, meets a of these classics, then The Princess Bride is the young French girl named Lise. Unfortunately film for you. It features a multitude of talfor Jerry, Lise is already engaged to a cabaret ented cast members including Cary Elwes as singer.

Westley and Robin Wright Pen as Buttercup An American in Paris not only features some in her premiere performance. With the spot of the greatest dancers, singers, and actors of on writing talents of William Goldman (also all time, but also has a wonderful supporting wrote All the President’s Men), this film is imcast including Oscar Levant (who conducts possible to miss, not to mention it contains a marvelous one man orchestra in the film) one of the greatest sword fights in film hisand classic French actor Georges Guetary. tory! ▪ istockphoto.com

graphics editor Jerry ting

Friday, February 19, 2010

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Sports 17

WARRIORS DEFEAT TITANS FOR A SENIOR NIGHT VICTORY

By Matthew Gosen Staff Writer

The MSJ Warriors faced off against the Kennedy Titans on Friday, Feb. 5 at Tak Fudenna Stadium. The crowd, excited for Senior Night, came out to cheer on the Varsity Boys’ Soccer team. The Warriors had just won their last two games against both Logan and Newark, two of the toughest teams in the league. With a feeling of optimism in the air, Senior Captain Ashwin Khurana stated, “[We have] good prospects for this game.” The importance of this game was immense since the outcome would decide whether or not the team would make it to the first round of MVALs. The game started off with a strong Warrior offense challenging the Titan defense.

The Warriors displayed good communication and teamwork in their plays, especially through Senior Ryan Dang. The MSJ defense also showed off its strength by letting the ball past the center circle only three times

Kennedy retaliated by shaping up their defensive play until a Titan was cited a yellow card for a reckless tackle. MSJ’s defense prevailed once again when they stopped a direct kick fifteen yards from their goal. The score at the end of the half was MSJ 2, Kennedy 0.

The Warriors came out for the second half determined to maintain their two-goal lead while the Titans worked to maneuver past the MSJ defense. The hostility between the two teams led to a charged environment. A heated confrontation broke out between Titans Senior Djomo Samir and Warriors Junior Jake Seubert that had to be dealt with by the officials. Titans Junior Conor Noonan then scored a goal from a 15-yard direct kick twenty minutes into the second half bringing the score to a 2 to 1 Warriors lead. But that was as close as the Titans got. With a roaring crowd cheering them on, the Warriors continued to brush off the Titan offense. In the last minutes of the game, the MSJ defense blocked an attempted goal. Mission ended the game victorious with a final score of MSJ 2, Kennedy 1.

Seniors Teddy Fong and Ryan Dang watch as Junior Zaki Sarwary clashes with a Titan in an aerial battle.

in the first 15 minutes of the game and preventing a goal. With fourteen minutes left in the half, Freshman Scott Havard weaved by the Titans to score the first goal of the game.

With the crowd wildly cheering, the pumped up Warriors proceeded to break down the Titan defense. Within five minutes, Havard headed the ball toward the goal and Junior Kevin Roche kicked it in, bringing the score of the game to a two-goal Warriors lead.

staff writer grace han

Having won their third game in a row, Senior Captain Otis Lee said, “Without [Senior Captain] David Roche, we expected this game to be difficult. But we stepped up and showed what we can do against the top MVAL team.”

Senior Teddy Fong agreed with Lee and added, “I’m really proud of our team because we came a long way; we played like champions.”

By achieving this win, the Warriors ended their regular season with a game to remember. ▪

Coaches’ Corner: Girls’ Basketball

By Tina Tseng

Centerspread Editor

ily. We had a basketball hoop up in the garage, and I started playing when I was around three or four. I played on both the basketball and tennis teams while I was at MSJ. SS: Why did you decide to become a coach?

DS: I missed the game after I graduated from high school. Since I couldn’t play anymore, coaching was the next best thing.

staff writer cassie zhang

Since Coach Doug Sakamoto became head coach of Girls’ Basketball, the team hasn’t had a single losing season. Known for his academic excellence and athletic ability while he was a student here at MSJ, Coach Sakamoto’s name can be seen on the wall of fame in the gym quad. The MSJ alumnus shared some thoughts on basketball with the Smoke Signal.

Smoke Signal: Is it true that you were once Homecoming King and an ASB officer back when you attended MSJ? Coach Doug Sakamoto: Who told you that? Yes, I was both. I was the ASB Activities Coordinator.

SS: How did you get started in basketball?

DS: My father, also a substitute teacher here in Fremont, coached Varsity boys’ basketball at Castro Valley High School for thirty years. I believe Mr. Vaz was one of the students he coached. I used to go to games as a child. My two younger brothers also went to MSJ, so we were sort of a basketball fam-

SS: When and where did you start coaching?

DS: I started off nine years ago at MSJ as the girls’ JV coach. After two years, I felt ready to coach Varsity, so I took a job at Irvington High School. Three years ago, I came back to Mission as Coach Madsen’s assistant coach. Last year was my first year as head coach of Varsity girls’ basketball.

SS: What has been your most rewarding experience as the coach?

DS: I think it would be rebuilding two programs. Irvington had a “losing culture,” I guess you could say, but we had three consecutive successful seasons there.

Another rewarding part of coaching is coming back to Mission’s basketball program. It was like returning to my roots.

SS: What is your favorite part of coaching?

DS: When you get the girls to work hard and practice, and when that leads to a victory in the next game.

SS: What are your goals for the rest of season?

DS: We want to win the league for the first time since 1995. Right now we’re in the chase for the league title. But if the girls are willing to dedicate themselves to the school, then our goal is reachable. It’s exciting. ▪

feat. Masta A & Docta J Track 6: “i can’t go to sleep”

By Joseph Teng & Anthony Wu Sports Editors

The Issue We killin’ the game, it’s not fair, You gaming newbs need to stay right there.

Flying in cyberspace, we too high up in the a-yer, Don’t try shootin’ me down with Tinker’s laser.

Monopoly and chess, you needa step over, It’s the revolution of computer gamers.

By the end of the day, it’ll definitely be clear Who has the bragging rights. But never fear, It’s not the end of your gaming career.

Another night will come, drawn in too deep, Sorry Mom, I can’t go to sleep.

Docta’s Diagnosis Since the end of the 20th century, “e-sports” have spread like wildfire. E-sports are the competitive play of video games. However, this issue is not detrimental; regard it as a mere condition.

Masta’s Analysis The prevalence of e-sports has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, and it shows no signs of stopping. With the constant improvement of gameplay, graphics, and connectivity, it isn’t surprising that such a trend is taking place.

The rise of e-sports can be attributed to the ascent of first-person shooters. Tournaments for titles such as Halo 3, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are especially common in North America. People spend countless hours perfecting their shooting skills and accomplishing objectives with teammates in preparation for their virtual engagements.

Real-time strategy games are also largely responsible for increasing the magnitude of gam-

ing. Highlighted by Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning Starcraft and Warcraft III, these games are played worldwide, producing matches in which professional gamers battle each other for prize money and video game fame (in South Korea, the best gamers are treated like celebrities). The tactics involved are addicting to all.

kunkka.deviantart.com

A custom map within Warcraft III, Defense of the Ancients (better known as DotA) is one of MSJ’s favorite games.

And finally, what can’t be forgotten are the video games that are actually sports-related.

Madden NFL is arguably the most well-known sports game franchise that is played professionally. In 2005, ESPN created Madden Nation, a show in which people compete to win the title of the country’s best football gamer. The program has completed four seasons.

Video games are a great escape from stress and an easy way to socialize. They also allow people to taste the glorious lifestyles that can only be wished for. Although the term e-sports may be misleading since gaming does not require physical exertion, it does have one important concept taken from athletics: competition, and because of it, e-sports are here to stay and set to become more popular than ever. ▪

18 Sports

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Friday, February 19, 2010

WRESTLING | MSJ INVITATIONAL continued from page 1

disrupting classes Friday. Invitational Director and Head Coach Tom Thomsen attributes this success to key cooperation with the administration and many of the competing teams’ help.

This year, a special person attended the Invitational. A California State Champion, three-time NCAA champion, twotime world champion, 1984 Olympics gold medalist, and former UFC champion, wrestler Mark Schultz showed up at MSJ to witness the new generation of wrestlers. A local who graduated from Palo Alto High School, Schultz has retired from the professional stage and is currently helping a program in Fresno.

He said, “You are really lucky to have such great support. Tell your staff thanks for letting this great event happen.”

Since its inception, the MSJ Wrestling Invitational has been host to many of the state’s best wrestlers. In addition to heavily influencing the years’ seeding for the remaining tournaments, the event also acts as a preview for the CIF

State Championships. In 2009 alone, fourteen Invitational competitors went on to become state medalists, of whom five winners (six wrestlers total) became CIF State Champions in their respective fourteen weight brackets.

More important than a forecast on CIF State, however, is the fact that the 32-man double elimination bracket tournament serves as a level-indicating and team-building experience. Senior Captain David Wilson said, “We [learned] what each of us needed to improve on…and how close we all are to reaching that next level of performance – not just on an individual basis but on a team as a whole.” Taking into account numerous returning section and state medalists, seven MSJ wrestlers made it through to Saturday, with third seed Wilson, seventh seed Junior Wei Kuo, and eighth seed Senior Elliott Espinoza all breaking into the quarterfinals. Sophomore Corbin Lee placed 5th after making it to the semifinals.

Prospects on MSJ’s own chances as a team this year seem just as bright. “I think that we actually have a chance at winning the MVAL tournament,” Wilson said. “We’ve beaten every MVAL team aside from Logan, and even then we won in matches…the only reason we lost is because we just don’t have as full of a lineup.”

MSJ’s final dual meet record for the regular season is 5-1. The team hopes to continue its improvement through late season and to peak on the technique, conditioning, and mental aspects of the sport. “It won’t be easy, but we will continue to press forward,” said Thomsen.

“The quality of the Invitational is in testament to that; any team getting into the Top 20 is pretty good.”

MVAL league championships are set for Saturday, Feb. 20 at Washington High School. “With the team getting steadily better, I have a good feeling about our team’s performance as the season comes to an end,” said Wilson. ▪

photos by staff writers sonia dhawan, matt farberov, grace han, megan mclaughlin, ginger werner, and vishal yadav

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Smoke Signal

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Sports 19

WINTER OLYMPICS 2010

By Jamie Lin Staff Writer

VANCOUVER

ALPINE SKIING

In 2008, Beijing laboriously pulled off a stunning Summer Olympics. This year, the torch makes its way to Vancouver, Canada for the 21st Winter Olympics. From Feb. 12 – 28, more than 5000 athletes from over 80 countries will clamor to win the coveted Olympic medals.

With a variety of events happening at the same time, it is difficult to figure out what to watch, but these are the athletes and events you cannot miss.

SPEED SKATING

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SNOWBOARDING

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FIGURE SKATING

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Lindsey Vonn seeks to add to her already spectacular resume.

Popular speed skater Apolo Ohno strives for more gold medals.

Shaun White leads the heavily favored US snowboarding squad.

2010 US Champion Rachael Flatt hopes for Olympic success.

Lindsey Vonn made her Olympic debut eight years ago and she already has an incredible 31 World Cup wins in the four alpine skiing events (downhill, Super G, slalom, and super combined). She is also the only female American to win consecutive overall World Cup championships, placing first in both 2008 and 2009.

Vonn crashed while training for the downhill race at Torino in 2006 only to return the next day to compete, finishing eighth. With the chance to be the first to medal in all alpine skiing disciplines, she’s the one to beat. Vonn was supposed to start competing last week, but bad weather has postponed her events.

Keep an eye out to see if she overcomes a shin injury that has been bothering her and meets the public’s high expectations.

Apolo Ohno is the person to watch when it comes to short-track speed skating. He gained recognition in the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City and clinched a controversial gold medal in the 1500m race, after firstplace finisher South Korean Kim DongSung was disqualified. Ohno then competed again for the US in 2006 at Torino, where he earned a gold medal in the 500m and helped the Americans win the bronze medal in the men’s 5000m relay.

Returning for his third Olympics, Ohno leads what he believes is the strongest shorttrack speed skating team the US has ever had.

Ohno has already won a silver medal in the 1500m; count on him to win more medals in the 1000m on the 20th and both the 500m and 5000m relays on the 26th.

In Torino, the US came out and dominated the halfpipe, crushing the competition and winning both gold and silver medals in the women’s and men’s events.

2006 gold medalist Shaun White, whose aerial hangtime and famous long red hair earned him the infamous “Flying Tomato” nickname (one that he despises), returns to defend his title and another gold medal to his collection at Vancouver. He has added new moves to his incredible arsenal, including the famed Double McTwist 1260.

Women’s champion Hannah Teter and silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler join him in an attempt to sweep the event again. Whether or not they were successful in the men’s halfpipe on the 17th followed by the women’s on the 18th, both competitions were must-sees.

Finally, the darling of the Winter Olympics – figure skating. For the womens’ event, the US is sending two young skaters to the scene: Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu. Both of them have strong technical skills that hopefully will help them capture medals. If not, they will definitely gain experience in performing at the world level.

For the men’s event, two veterans, Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, accompany newcomer Jeremy Abbott, the 2008 Grand Prix gold medalist. Lysacek and Weir just missed medaling at Torino, earning 4th and 5th place, respectively, but Lysacek’s 2009 World Championship win marks him as the American to beat. The men have completed their competition while the ladies are preparing for the 23rd and the 25th.

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS: MORE THAN JUST ADVERTISEMENTS

By Chelsea Dass Staff Writer

Super Bowl Sunday is probably the only day of the year when viewers do not fast forward through commercials. With many of these ads being winners from company competitions, there’s no surprise why the commercials are just as or even more anticipated than the big game itself.

The Good

“My favorite commercial was the Bud Light ‘Lost’ ad. One of the funniest parts was one man clutching onto his beer shouting hysterically, ‘We’re going to be OK.’” - Jason Chen, 11

“My favorite ad was the Google one. It was really sweet how the guy found everything he needed to build a life with a girl he fell in love with on Google.”

- Sydney Ha, 10

“Keep your hands off my mama. Keep your hands off my Doritos.” Both hilarious and cute, this Doritos advertisement was just one of the company’s many (remember Tim in the Samurai suit of chips) that definitely made touchdowns last Sunday.

Like Doritos, others also aimed to bring out laughs. Betty White played football in the mud for Snickers, Career Builder and Dockers showed their viewers a little more than they wanted to see with oh-so-many middle aged men in underwear, and Motorola’s Megan Fox caught the attention of half the country. Dove and Dodge were funny and inspiring as well, both celebrating the “dude” in every man.

In addition, the lesser known company, Cars.com, managed to surprisingly captivate audiences with a creative spot. Google was maybe the only company that understood the concept “less is more.” Their romantic and uplifting advertisement, “Parisian Love” was simple and effective, scoring high with low costs.

The Bad Since many tune in to the Super Bowl looking forward to the funniest and most inventive ads, shouldn’t a company that is going to pay over $2.5 million for 30 seconds

of fame have a commercial that is out of the ordinary and a step above regular ads?

Unfortunately, however, some advertisements were just boring and forgettable. Papa John’s, Pace Picante, and Budweiser’s Select 55 (only 15 seconds long) were nothing out of the ordinary. Even though Taco Bell featured basketball stars, it goes to show that spending money on celebrities doesn’t necessarily add sparkle.

The Controversial The Focus on the Family advertisement featuring former University of Florida star quarterback Tim Tebow stirred up some controversy because of its anti-abortion message.

The word “abortion” was never actually said, but the commercial’s implications led many to question why CBS chose to air an ad with such a debatable topic. CBS’s decision could open doors for more advocacy groups to pitch their ideas on future Super Bowl air time, possibly lessening the humorous and fun product pitches that are traditionally seen.

GoDaddy, known for being “too hot for TV,” managed to air a couple of innocent ads during the game, but one of their pitches featuring a football player named Lola didn’t make it through. Their ads may be bordering risqué, but GoDaddy.com is just a normal website that sells domains. Another rejected ad was for an online male dating site called ManCrunch.com.

Without several of the veteran Super Bowl advertisers like Pepsi, some felt that this year’s lineup of commercials wasn’t too special — but then again, “some” is not everyone.

Nevertheless, there is always next year to look forward to with TV contenders new and old to be entertained by. ▪

“Yo Google, I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish, but the Doritos commercial with the little boy was one of the best of all time. OF ALL TIME!” - Albert Koh, 12

“A good ad was the one with Brett Favre in 2020, still not retired. That one was good because it humorously portrayed Favre retiring and unretiring all at the same time.”

- Ankit Guha, 11 photos by staff writer rishi das

20 Sports

www.thesmokesignal.org

warrior winter recap

By Gurleen Chadha & Michelle Chu Staff Writers

The Smoke Signal

Friday, February 19, 2010

WRESTLING The long hours of practice in the mini-gym, the endless amount of time spent honing a move until it is perfect, and the immense skill and dedication of the Wrestling team have combined to make this season an incredibly successful one. Despite many young wrestlers, the team has done very well, placing first and winning several medals at others. “The team itself is great,” says Senior Captain David Wilson. “Everyone has a really good attitude, and when not everyone performs well, the stronger players carry the team.”

They have only lost to Logan, and even then, says Wilson, “Our lineup wasn’t big enough: if you look at the matches, we’ve actually won most of them.”

The talented team has set some high goals for itself as well. Wilson continues, “One of our goals is to take the league tournament. We want everyone to qualify for NCS as well, and hopefully we’ll have several placers.” The hard work that the players have put in this season has definitely paid off, and it doesn’t take a fortune-teller to see that this team is definitely the one to bet on for the win.

BOYS’ Basketball

BOYS’ SOCCER

Boys’ Soccer had a hard season.

The loss of many experienced seniors and the resulting influx of inexperienced players is always tough.

In spite of this, the team has persevered and only grown stronger. “Our preseason was excellent,” says Senior Captain Ashwin Khurana, “But we did have a dip in the middle.” The tough competition in boys’ soccer often means that the opposition will ruthlessly exploit any weakness they see on a team. On a building season, it’s especially difficult to maintain that edge. Yet Khurana praises the talent and hard work of the underclassmen on the team: “They have a lot of potential. Sometimes a bench player will surprise you by playing better than a starter.” The win against Logan on Jan. 22 hopefully marks the start of a comeback for the team, whose main focus is on “getting together and just winning the next few games”. With all of the time and effort they put in, there’s no doubt the team has the power to get together and pull off another great season.

And with all of this year’s experience, next year’s team will definitely be one to watch out for.

GIRLS’ Soccer

The Girls’ Soccer team has proven strong this year and are MVAL co-champions with Washington, their biggest rival. “Our expectations for the season were to win the preseason games, win league, and go to NCS,” said Senior Captain Allison Day. The Girls’ Soccer team boasts the best defense team in the league, with only five goals scored against them. The highlight of their season was playing Logan for the second time in the rain and beating them 4-1. They also played Washington for the first time in the season and beat them 3-0. One of the players who has stood out this season is Freshman Kristin Moyer, who stood her ground in defense. Another was Junior Lica Monobe, a third-year Varsity starter, whose strong kicks from the back line helped with goals and assists. Senior Captain Amrun Singh, a four-year starter, contributed to the team’s success with her speed and ball skills.

Last, but not least, Senior Captian Preetman Sandhu, another four-year starter, always gives 100% on the field and is often the most competitive player in the league.

The team’s goal is to continue its success in NCS.

So far this season, the Boys’ Basketball team has won first place in the Valley Christian Tournament and has also beat Irvington twice. “I was expecting this season to be very successful because of the strong leadership we had last year and because of the hard work we’ve put in every day whether it be in open gym conditioning or practice,” said Senior Captain Paul Chen. However, the season has not gone according to plan because of all the early injuries encountered. At one point in the season, the team had 5 out of their 12 players injured or recovering from injury. After the majority of the team bounced back, the players worked hard to gain a few more wins.

They also looked to improve their record by learning from earlier mistakes. Only then did the team make a push for the last playoff spot. Even though they were not successful, the Warriors gained much from their efforts. When asked about what they strive for as a team, Chen replied, “We all try playing by the words ‘play hard, play smart’ because if we can play like these words on the court, then we will be very successful.”

GIRLS’ Basketball Girls’ Basketball has fared well this season. Since everyone from last year returned and the new players mastered the team’s system immediately, the team is stronger than ever. “Our number one goal is to win league. Our team is definitely capable of doing so, and hopefully our expectations will be met,” said Senior Captain Misha Yalavarthy. The team is focused on making MSJ proud by winning league, especially because it has been done only twice in MSJ’s history.

The Girls’ Basketball team ended preseason at 11-3, giving them high hopes for the regular season. The highlight of their season was when they beat Logan twice, winning by 20 points in the first league game. They also beat American at a home game, giving their coach his first ever win against American. They also placed 3rd in a tournament at Antioch and placed in NCS last year for the first time in 9 years. Seniors Keila Mah and Misha Yalavarthy received First Team All-League last year, and the team is looking to top the success this year.

“We will not stop until we win league and I truly believe that the best of the season and much better highlights are coming soon,” said Yalavarthy. graphic by centerspread editor tina tseng