Volume 107, Issue 4

Volume 107 No. 4

stuyspec.com

October 31, 2016

Spookybeat In a recent and underpublicized decision, every college changed the deadline for early action and early decision to Sunday, October 30.

The halls of Stuyvesant have been perpetually struck by a zombie apocalypse.

Students ran out of history teacher Josina Dunkel’s classroom screaming and crying. Investigations revealed that what these students had seen was their test grades.

Senior Sharon Lin is ED-ing to the same college as you are.

There’s school tomorrow.

By Michael Xu

The Forgotten Dwarves of the Escalators Once upon a time, there were 14 jolly freshmen. They were understandably elated to have been invited to learn here at Stuyvesant, the grandest and most exclusive of antiquity’s schools. They came prepared with all they would ever need—wide-ruled three-subject notebooks, swimming suits, and index cards—but nary in sight was a chiropractor’s business card.

Thus, they became permanently stunted from the stunning weight of their knapsacks.

One day, the Venerable Magistrate of the Hudson came and noticed the diminutive freshmen.

“I will build you a magic causeway that will seamlessly carry you floor to floor,” he said. “I can no longer witness such travesty in my domain.”

“Aye, aye,” the freshmen said.

“We will be eternally grateful for your good deed.”

And so, the magic causeways that we know today as escalators were built. Students were both frightened and amazed by their

horse-like speed. As a matter of fact, one of Stuyvesant’s first publications was the “Magic Causeway Safety Manual,” which detailed the proper usage of the red brake button and belt handle.

Several fortnights later, the Venerable Magistrate of the Hudson returned, asking for a very special favor. “The magic causeways need to be powered,” he explained. “The chemistry department has supplemented me with something called ‘electricity,’ but it is all but a foreign concept to me. You 14 will power the magic causeways on pedals. I will not ask twice.”

Grievously despaired, the freshmen attempted an evasion, but with their short legs and heavy knapsacks, they were easily caught by the blue-uniformed cohort of the Venerable Magistrate. The Venerable Magistrate trapped the freshmen below the escalator platforms. There, they were to spend the rest of eternity.

The freshmen became even more stunted due to the cramped space and dim conditions under the platforms - so small the freshmen became known as dwarves. continued on page 2

Halloween Horoscopes

Fashion Advice: Last-Minute, Low-Budget Costumes

By Alexandra Wen

Aries

Nothing is spookier than not being interesting enough for colleges. Make sure to productively use your last day before the early app deadlines. Catch Harvard’s attention by having “summoned demons” on your list of extracurriculars.

By Kerwin Chen and Wendy You Justin Banner / The Spectator

Taurus

Temptations are all around you. The Reese’s cups, the M&Ms, and the white vans stuffed with candy. Be careful when trick-ortreating, and remember that everything comes in moderation.

Gemini

Halloween is the perfect opportunity to take that 27th mental health day! Stay at home, relax, just bundle up and sleep. If your teachers get suspicious of your attendance record, “admit” that you are a werewolf and had to spend the night out.

Cancer

It’s Monday—that means that someone will die. The only way to ensure your safety is to eat all of your fruits and vegetables, even that weird misshapen orange from the cafeteria. Even thinking about candy will kill you.

Leo

Tonight is the night to finally win your crush’s heart. Dress up as an oversexualized female protagonist, or (even better) as a totally hot Freddy Krueger!

Virgo

What’s better than having a quiet Halloween to yourself? To make sure that no one will bother you, tape your test scores to your

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

Multiple students have reported sightings of a ghost that magically makes their homework disappear right before it is collected.

Stuy’s Strangest Mysteries Uncovered

bedroom door. Those will scare anyone away, especially your parents.

being the number of colleges you are applying to. Yes, we all know.

Libra

Stay at home and give out candy this year instead. Make sure to save some for school, so you can sell to kids who stayed up all night from sugar highs.

Profit is in your favor.

Time is precious! You will not get another round of candy by 10 p.m., and you will not become exponentially more popular by attending a Halloween rave. Tonight, your lucky number is 7.

That is when you should be heading home.

Scorpio

Ah, Halloween. Why bother studying when you can sip on a pumpkin spice latte and light some pumpkin scented candles?

Better yet, burn your homework!

Sagittarius

Keep your eyes peeled. If you make a wrong move, you may be locked inside of a giant jacko’-lantern until after college applications are due. Make sure to think carefully about each decision today exactly 23 times, 23

Capricorn

Aquarius

Why bother scrambling door to door to beg for candy yourself?

Hide behind some bushes and get the candy that drops on the ground. Try not to scare too many children with your extremely pale face and unruly hair.

Pisces

Keep it real for Halloween.

Would Frankenstein really wait patiently for a Snickers bar? Instead, feel free to rage wildly.

Adorn your vampire costume with the blood of certain teachers. Capture some mice to go with your sexy cat costume.

On the low end wallet-wise and time-wise? Fear not! Here are some easy-to-achieve Halloween looks.

Tar Pit Ghost:

Materials: Garbage bag and scissors Step 1: Cut two eyeholes in garbage bag.

Step 2: Wear the bag, positioning the holes in front of face.

Optional: Super-glue classmates to floor.

Environmentally-Friendly Mummy:

Materials: Two sheets of toilet paper and tape Step 1: Tape sheet of toilet paper on left cheek.

Step 2: Tape sheet of toilet paper on right cheek.

Optional: Follow Ms. Maggio around.

Elsa’s Less Glamorous Cousin:

Materials: Garbage bag Step 1: Roll in some dirt to get an earthly smell. (Pro tip: Battery Park is a good source of dirt.)

Step 2: Collect a garbage bag full of debris.

Step 3: Collect twigs and stick them into hair.

Optional: In class, loudly sing, “Let it grow!” and throw dirt into the air from the garbage bag.

Mermaid with Legs:

Materials: Fish and fork Step 1: Rub fish inside wrists, behind ears, on neck, and inside elbows for seafood smell.

Step 2: Stick fork in hair.

Optional: Sing above vocal range when walking through the halls.

Patrick the Starfish:

Materials: Five traffic cones and good friend Step 1: Place cone on each limb.

Step 2: Place cone on head.

Step 3: Go to all classes via good friend’s back.

Optional: Obstruct traffic.

Page 2

Humor

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.

Stuy’s Strangest Mysteries Uncovered continued from page 1

Yujie Fu / The Spectator

They popped out at night to hunt for leftover cafeteria food and lost freshmen looking for the bridge.

The dwarves still pedal the escalators today. While it may sound unbelievable, one can test this legend out. The escalator will come to a grinding halt if you stomp especially hard on the platform above the dwarves, thereby knocking them out. Occasionally, the Venerable Magistrate makes rounds with his key to tickle the dwarves back awake.

The Power of the Glass Cubes Most of us simply take the glass cubes in the wall for granted. Yet, nothing comes without a purpose, except for perhaps the appendix

and drafting.

The founders of Stuyvesant, the eponymous Peter Stuyvesant and the Venerable Magistrate of the Hudson, once ruled the world sea to sea. One harrowing day, however, Stuyvesant lost his right leg to a skirmish in a grand battle. In humility, he surrendered his crown and established Stuyvesant High School.

Peter Stuyvesant has since expired, but the Venerable Magistrate of the Hudson lives on, his eternal presence fed on by the cellphone elixir. Before Peter Stuyvesant passed, he bestowed the Venerable Magistrate with his deepest secret.

“Throughout our reign, I had prayed to the gods night and day for control and power, from Akhmedov to Zamansky,” Stuyvesant said.

“The day I lost my leg, I had forgotten to pray to Markova, goddess of

bodily well-being. The bane of my existence! In my fury, I trapped the gods in tiny glass cubes throughout the school.”

“Their spirits still remain in the walls, but we must not disturb them. Lest, they would murder every idolizing teacher, and rain their fury on the biology department.”

Rather recently, an attempt was made by the Venerable Magistrate to unleash the spirits. He hypnotized a conga line of graduating seniors, but they chose to break the glass of windows rather than of the cubes. In their anger for being used as tools, the seniors led an almost successful rebellion against the Venerable Magistrate.

Prior to engaging in naughty activities, search your surroundings for glass cubes. The gods are far from demure, and their memories enduring.

Stuyvesant Speaks to Harambe Through Ouija Board Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

By Kenny Lin

By Alec Dai, Danielle Eisenman, and Michael Xu With additional reporting from Laszlo Sandler Two letters? Wow! Life is good.

Dearest Alec, How old is too old to go trickor-treating? My son is turning four in December and I want to know if I’m allowed to trick-ortreat with him.

Yours, Laszlo Sandler

Dear indecisive vampire, aristocrat, or cow, I think the answer to your question depends on your background and identity. If you are or identify as a straight white female, you should be a sexy cat. If you are not a straight white female, why even bother dressing up? Everyone will be too busy making fun of the straight white female anyway.

Love, Alec

Tiffany Leng / The Spectator

Dearest Laszlo, One simple answer: If you have to ask that question, you’re probably too old. Or maybe you’re a creepy pedophile who likes to walk from door to door with little kids asking for candy.

Or maybe you’re just weird and really like to play the game, “Does the outside of the house match the owner?” or “Do the bricks match the inside paint job?” or “Does the carpet match the drapes?” Who knows? Ok, maybe it isn’t as simple as it seems. So, I guess, a more concrete response would be: Stop trick-or-treating after 50, please.

Love, Alec

Dearest Alec, I am having the most difficult time deciding what to wear for Halloween. On one hand, I feel like getting a cow onesie online, but on the other hand, everyone seems to get so involved in Stuyloween. I also just failed an APUSH test, so maybe I could dress up Hamilton or Washington or that really patriotic guy Benedict Arnold.

What do you think I should be this Halloween?

With a lil’ bit of indecisiveness, Dracula/King George III/ MOOOOOOOOOO

The Stuyvesant Spiritual Club, in an attempt to attract members, promised to contact Harambe with a Ouija board during its interest meeting last week.

“We were planning on broadcasting the results across the loudspeaker,” senior and co-founder James Lee said. “At first, we were worried that no one would believe us, but then we realized that all the other clubs said that Stuyvesant students could ‘make a difference in the world.’Turns out, lying to the student body is acceptable, if not mainstream.”

In preparation to the event, which received over 100 “goings” on Facebook, Lee managed to secure the 11th floor pool through the SU website and purchased several hundred bananas using funds embezzled from the profits of the Harambe pins.

“I’m sure Harambe will be starving to death when his spirit talks to us,” treasurer and junior Charlie Fletcher explained. “And what’s worth more, feeding Harambe’s spirit or donating to the Wildlife Foundation to improve the lives of living animals?”

Despite the fact that no one showed up for the interest meeting, Lee, along with several other club members, decided to proceed with the events. “They probably couldn’t find the 11th floor pool,” Sophomore Caucus Vice President Elizabeth Chen reasoned. “Silly freshmen.”

Gathering together, the group silently placed their hands on the Ouija board, waiting for some magical force to mystically move all their hands. The club members repeatedly asked “Harambe, how

are you?” for half an hour, when, suddenly, a mysterious and otherworldly force seized sophomore Wilson Wang’s hand and forced him to spell out the letters “D-E-A-D.” Bewildered, the other club members ran out of the pool, screaming. Unfortunately, in their haste to escape, the members trampled over a group of freshmen

who had finally found the pool.

“We were so excited to talk to Harambe,” scared freshman Holly Hills said, “but then, all of a sudden, I was on the floor with a mass of upperclassmen stepping on me.”

In a later interview, Wang admitted that he hadn’t felt any presence of Harambe and that it was “just a prank, bro.”

Halloween Recipes

By Anthony Hom and Kenny Lin Folks, it’s Halloween!

While it can be difficult to create appropriately scary treats, we have for you some spooktacular recipes, perfect for friends and family alike!

to put a little life back into them!

Begin by mixing several Red Bulls and 5-Hour Energy shots. Then, make coffee using this mixture instead of water. The potion will be sizzling. Your previously zombie-like friends are now fully awake, although they might be a bit springy at times.

Drinks section

Updated “Fake” Blood, More Realistic Than Ever:

Super Zombie Drink:

Noticed your friends sleeping through calculus after their seven tests? Make the perfect potion

Tired of mixing corn syrup with red food coloring? Use this recipe to speed up the process. Just take a knife and make a slit on your arm. Hold it over your favorite mug. Make sure to not let

any of the precious liquid go to waste! Blood is extremely good for you—believe it or not, but you can’t live without it. Your friends will love blood’s tangy taste with its perfect pH balance! It pairs lovely with black pudding.

Note: If at any time you start to feel faint, apply a band aid to your cut.

Food section Donald Trump Head Cake:

This recipe is not for novice cooks or assassins! If you make it successfully, however, the whole na-

tion will thank you. First, climb up the Trump Tower with suction cups. Break the glass of Donald Trump’s office. If you have made it this far, you will be safe. His security guards will abandon him. Slice off Trump’s head, but try not to hurt the animal that is his hair. Carefully take the head and bake until golden (pro tip: no baking is necessary). When it has cooled, frost the cake and serve. Make sure to invite Hillary Clinton!

Sloppy Joe’s:

First, find someone called Joe who has a messy room through

Craigslist. Visit their house with a preferred cooking utensil (we recommend a .50 caliber rifle).

Once you have prepared the necessary ingredients, put them through a meat grinder. Add pepper and salt to taste. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Sloppy Joe’s has the most delicious texture that pairs well with almost anything. It can be served in burgers, in tacos, with pasta, or even by itself. Serve for an easy and mess-free dinner!

Note: Do not leave any evidence behind, or you may find your dinner interrupted by the FBI.

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

A&E

SPORTS

A Not-Quite Return to Former Glory

Defending Pier 40, Our Home Turf

In this poetic review, junior Sophie Feng explains why Green Day’s “Revolutionary Radio” is nothing revolutionary.

Sports editors Dean Steinman and Max Onderdonk argue for the preservation of Stuyvesant’s decaying home field, whose fate will be determined by next week’s City Council vote.

see page 15

Volume 107 No. 4

see page 24

October 31, 2016

NEWSBEAT Seniors Constantine Athanitis, Sharon Chao, Sharon Lin, and Judy Liu were selected as semifinalists in the 2016 Siemen’s

Math, Science, and Technology Competition.

Sylvia Yu (‘16) won the 2016 Diverse Minds Writing Challenge in the New York

area for her book “From The Heart.”

Sophomore Aleksandra Koroza and senior Sharon Lin were accepted into the New York

Academy of Sciences’ Junior Academy.

Senior Sharon Lin was accepted as a member of the Facebook inspirED Youth Advisory Board, which works to

improve school climates alongside Facebook, the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and Lady Gaga’s Born this Way Foundation.

Sophomore Simon Min was selected as one of 15 student presenters in the World Culture Organization International’s Annual Conference in New York City on Friday, October 7 after completing a research project regarding the Substance Abuse Issues in the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico.

Computer science teacher Yulia Genkina’s Stuyvesant’s Cyber Security Forensics team, in/s/ane, including seniors Nobel Gautam and James Wang, qualified for the High School Forensics Competition from Thursday, November 10 to Saturday, November 12.

stuyspec.com

Sofat and Wening Named Freshman Caucus President and Vice President

By Vincent Jiang

Vishwaa Sofat and Eve Wening were elected Freshman Caucus President and Vice President on October 26 with 214 votes. The other ticket, Christian Bae and Tashfia Hasan, had 119 votes.

The BOE noted that there was an increase in voter turnout during this election. Over 300 people voted in the primary election, which took place on October 24, compared to previous years, where there were less than 200 voters.

Sofat and Wening’s platform addresses many of the issues past students have tried to resolve. They advocate for a looser cell phonerestriction policy, the right to come in from lunch before the end of the period, the right to sit on the benches on the upper floors during the day, and better freshman dances. The ticket also plans to implement a school-wide grading platform to eliminate the usage of multiple sites, like Jupiter Grades and Engrade, install an umbrella rental service, work for better cafeteria food, remove the WiFi firewall against social media sites, and eliminate the physical education class requirement for students on sports teams.

Sofat and Wening were participants in the October 17 Fresh-

By Vanna Mavromatis and Queenie Xiang Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer approved a $300,000 grant for Stuyvesant to improve its engineering programs by purchasing new equipment for rooms 1001 and 1033 and creating a new Innovation Center in room 251.

Currently, Assistant Principal of Chemistry and Physics Scott Thomas is working with Principal Eric Contreras and Irwin Zahn (‘44), who has created similar centers at other high schools and universities, to help fulfill this vision. The proposed plan for these

Allison Engn / The Spectator

Sophomore William Lohier won a KidSpirit award for his piece “Relative Strangers.”

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

man Caucus debate, which was the second freshman debate to be held in recent history. Unlike most debates, this one was not moderated by a member of the Board of Elections, but by an unaffiliated student, junior Ray Jones.

Candidates were given one minute to respond to questions from another student. Each question received answers from a maxi-

mum of four tickets. The debate was recorded live through Facebook, which is a simpler alternative to Youtube and allows online viewers to comment questions as the debate proceeds.

Sofat and Wening are both looking forward to their time leading the Freshman Caucus. “This has been a culmination of so many different people and so much time, so

Stuyvesant Receives Funding for New Innovation Lab improvements is called the Architectural Overview for the Pathway to Innovation Program. However, the nascent plans may not be put into effect at all, depending on the availability of funding.

The cost of the equipment, including four state-of-the-art 3D printers, a laser cutter, and 40 laptops, is estimated at $345,000. The equipment will be placed in rooms 1001 and 1033, which are currently used for drafting. According to the Architectural Overview for the Pathway to Innovation Program, this equipment will be financed by the school budget.

The administration hopes to

begin construction for the Innovation Center, the cost of which is estimated at $615,000, with an additional $15,000 for an architect approved by the Department of Education. The administration is still searching for a source of funding for the Innovation Center, and hopes to begin construction in the summer of 2017.

Even if the school does not find a source for the additional funding required, Contreras still plans to use what money is available, including the current $300,000 grant, to make as many improvements as possible.

For example, the administration hopes to introduce Solid Works and

I’m really grateful,” Wening said.

They hope to make a greater impact than what is usually expected of the freshman leaders.

“The platforms of all Freshman Caucuses from the last few years have been the same,” Sofat said.

“There has to be something done.

Those problems need to be addressed.”

Mechanical Desktop into the Technical Drawing curriculum, which are more advanced and detailed versions of the current AutoCAD software used in some drafting and architecture classes.

The Innovation Center will be located in the back of the west wing of the second floor, outside of the Hudson Staircase. “Room 251 is a nice sized room, and it’s only being used a couple of periods a day,” Thomas said. “We hope to use [the Innovation Center] ten periods a day, as well as after school and over the summer.” The Innovation Cencontinued on page 4

Administration Reveals New Homework Policy

By Mai Rachlevsky and Shameek Rakshit

After a year of planning, the School Leadership Team (SLT) officially announced a reformed homework policy on Tuesday, October 11.

The new policy draws many of its provisions from the old homework policy. It specifies that nonAdvanced Placement (AP) and non-honors classes should assign no more than 30 minutes of homework per night, while AP and honors classes can assign up to one hour of homework.

The new guidelines also limit the amount of work a teacher can assign over a school holiday, and specify that with a parent’s’ note, students can receive extensions on homework assigned during religious holidays.

The policy also emphasizes the

test schedule, which dictates that each department can only give tests on certain days of the week, and states that students should inform the Assistant Principals in the case that a teacher violates this policy.

The idea of changing the homework policy reached the SLT’s Ethics and Tone Committee in October 2015 when concerned students approached the Student Union (SU) about the amount of homework they were receiving.

“Students wanted a clearer policy on how much homework should be assigned,” senior and SLT student representative Asher Lasday said.

“A lot of students contacted us.”

Discussions about a policy change picked up steam in February 2016 when 241 concerned parents signed a petition calling for a homework policy that would increase students’ learning potential

and decrease the amount of stress induced by cumbersome assignments. In March 2016, then-SLT Junior Parent Representative John Wehba accepted the position as chair of a committee that would actively work on creating a new homework policy.

The committee first looked into eliminating the general confusion surrounding the exact provisions of the existing policy. “There existed conflicting homework assignment rules in various places. Because of that, both students and parents were never exactly sure what the policy was,” SU President Matthew So said in an e-mail interview. “The main goal of the new set of guidelines was to centralize all the existing rules.”

Members of the committee agreed that, by consolidating and clarifying many of the the provisions of the old homework policy,

it would be easier to gauge the amount of work being assigned and, thus, implement the guidelines. “The pre-existing policies were never enforced because students were not informed, so the logic was that by having all the policies in one place it would make a difference,” junior and student observer of the SLT Kevin Boodram said.

The administration also hoped to emphasize the importance of assigning thought-provoking and educational work, rather than work that is simply time-consuming.

“I’ve always felt that homework needs to be meaningful and strike a balance between connecting to student work and being vigorous, but not overwhelming to the point where it minimizes the quality of the work,” Interim Acting Principal Eric Contreras said.

The new policy outlines which

staff members students should approach when they believe a teacher has violated the policy. Students are first supposed to approach their guidance counselors or directly approach the teacher and approach the Assistant Principal and eventually the Parent Coordinator and Principal, if need be.

After months of discussion, the committee was able to finalize a draft of the new policy, which the SLT approved unanimously in June 2016. The policy was put on hold, however, when former Principal Jie Zhang announced her resignation.

Two months later, Contreras joined the school administration and, as the new principal, accepted the SLT’s draft of the policy.

“I wanted to be respectful of the decision-making body and have a continued on page 4

Page 4

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

News Administration Reveals New Homework Policy continued from page 3

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT With just a week left before the U.S. Presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has approximately a 90 percent chance of winning, according to recent data taken from The Upshot’s election model at press time.

A train derailment in Cameroon on Saturday, October 22 killed at least 70 people and injured 400 more. The train was overcrowded because a nearby road, which served as an alternative route, was not rebuilt after its collapse.

After weeks of delivering anti-American rhetoric, including denunciations of President Obama, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Thursday, October 20 that he will seek closer ties with China and Russia.

An amendment dubbed the “Turing Law” was proposed by U.K.’s Ministry of Justice on Wednesday, October 19. It intends to posthumously pardon thousands of men convicted for gay or bisexual relations.

The family of a Mexican teen killed by a U.S. border patrol agent in 2012 is seeking the right to sue in U.S. courts. A San Francisco federal court heard appeal arguments on Friday, October 21, and will ultimately decide whether a person in another country has any protection under the U.S. Constitution.

Former National Security Agency contractor Harold T. Martin III, who has allegedly stolen classified government documents, will be detained pending trial. Prosecutors intend to file Espionage Act charges against him, but Martin’s lawyers maintain that his hoarding of the documents was a result of his mental health issue.

A hacking on Friday, October 21 of a major internet infrastructure company, Dyn, caused disruptions across the web. Hackers overwhelmed multiple websites with fake traffic in order to cause these disruptions.

continuity of work. I told the group that I would make sure to implement what they had discussed because it represented the voice of students, parents, teachers, etc.,” Contreras said.

The policy does have its shortcomings, however. “The same homework might take [different people] 30 minutes, 40 minutes, or an hour,” Contreras said.

“Obviously there’s nothing the SLT can do to change this,” Lasday said. “We asked teachers for a reasonable amount of homework, and we made [the policy] as fair as possible by taking into account as many concerns as possible.”

Members of the committee also had to consider how much control the policy would have over teachers and students. “Not everyone was in agreement as to how far the guidelines should go in setting limits for homework [...] I was not in support of rewriting the guidelines to make them significantly more restrictive, because I felt that that could end

up hampering both teachers and students in collaborating to achieve the very high levels of work that we have all come to expect from Stuy students,” Wehba said in an e-mail interview. “I am happy that we found a middle ground.”

When the policy was announced, many students came out in favor of it. “The homework guidelines provide us with a sufficient amount of work to recap the class, but they limit the excessive and unnecessary work that are a huge factor in the loss of sleep and extreme stress,” sophomore Meredith Silfen said.

However, some students are worried that the guidelines won’t be addressed. “I do support the idea of the new homework policy, but I don’t think teachers will follow it,” junior Karol Lillianfeld said.

Some teachers, however, are excited by the policy. “It is there for the teachers just as much as the students. Some teachers assign too little while others assign too much.

This way, the expectation is laid out,” computer science teacher Leah Khevelev said in an e-mail in-

terview.

Others hope that the policy will encourage students to rethink how much time they spend on homework. “While homework certainly has value, I think students spending too much time on homework limit their time to sleep, which limits their ability to think as effectively [and hurts] their health. It is also important to have a chance to clear your head once in awhile,” history teacher Zachary Berman said in an e-mail interview.

Nevertheless, the SLT and the administration are hoping that their collaboration will pay off and that the homework guidelines will improve student life. “It’s rare that one would find an organization like the SLT at Stuyvesant, [where] we all make suggestions, and almost always all fall into line and work together to improve one thing,” SU Vice President Tahseen Chowdhury said in an e-mail interview. “Any guideline that works to improve the quality of student life is something [that we] will advocate for. I definitely think this is a step in the right direction.”

Stuyvesant Receives Funding for New Innovation Lab continued from page 3 ter will feature a traditional classroom with a maker space and the necessary equipment in the back.

The administration hopes for the walls to be made of glass, so that the entire room is visible.

The administration hopes that this new center will also eventually lead to a number of changes in the Technology department. Introduction to Design will be taught to

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freshmen in Art Appreciation, and the Technical Drawing curriculum will be revised to include Solid Works and Mechanical Desktop and learning activities in 3D printing. These teachers will be trained to teach the new software.

The Innovation Center will also open the door for new 10Tech classes, technical classes for seniors, which may include civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and physical computing. The ad-

ministration is also currently open to any new 10Tech ideas from the students and teachers.

The administration hopes that the new technology will offer students more opportunities and give them a greater ability to create and advance their own ideas and projects. “The 3D printers are production quality,” Thomas said. “We want this to be student-driven. Students can research, create models, [and create] prototypes.”

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October 31, 2016

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Features What’s Your Favorite Candy?

By The Features Department

Steven O’Malley, chemistry teacher Allison Barber, “Dark chocolate; the good ones Englishteacher that are conched well.”

Megan Weller, English teacher “It’s really hard for me to pick one.

I’d say my top three are Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups... I guess those are my top two. Ooooh!

It’s the Cadbury Mini Eggs. Those are my favorite.”

(in an e-mail interview) “My favorite candy is red Sour Patch Kids. I like them, because they are absolutely the best flavor of Sour Patch Kids, and there are so few in every pack that I have to savor them!”

—Joel Winston, technology teacher “I don’t really have a favorite, but I like chocolates. All kinds of chocolate, really. I also like licorice. Any candy that doesn’t get stuck in my teeth is good.”

David Hanna, history teacher

Marianna Reep, biology teacher

“Payday bar. Because it’s sugary, but also salty, which is an interesting combination. I hardly ever eat candy, though. Sometimes my wife bakes cookies, and I’ll eat those. I love birthday cakes, but those are only once in a while, because it has to be a celebration.”

“I can see it in my head: chocolatey, with toffee and nuts. Snickers!

It’s the filling. It has the crunch and the salt, and it’s delicious. I usually say I’m eating it for the protein as if it has nothing to do with the chocolate.”

DAISY SHARAF, PHYSICS TEACHER “My favorite candy is something called a Pulparindo. It’s made of tamarind paste with chili powder and salt and dehydrated lime juice.

It’s Mexican, and it tastes really good. I first tried it in college when a Mexican friend of mine brought a whole batch from home, and then I used to buy it all the time in the Mexican groceries. And then I went to Mexico, three or four years ago, and I discovered, not only do they have Pulparindo, but they have different types of Pulparindo. They have Pulparindo with a crunchy candy shell, so it’s like Pulparindo M&Ms. You know how how M&Ms are chocolate with a crunchy candy shell? Pulparindo is like that.

It’s delicious, tangy little tamarind chunks with a delicious sweet candy outside. And they have Pulparindo in different levels of heat, so there’s super spicy Pulparindo, and there’s medium, there’s baby Pulparindo, and there’s generic Pulparindo. And, I don’t quite remember what they call it, but you can go up and down Pulparindo levels, and it’s delicious. Somebody in my class a couple years ago found out that I like them, because he was bringing them in for a project for Spanish class and talking about Spanish foods, and I was eyeing them the whole time, saying, ‘Are you actually going to eat that?’ And he wound up giving them to me because he tried it and was like, ‘Ugh, this is disgusting,’ so he gave me the other ones he had given. So Pulparindo is my favorite candy. I love Pulparindo.”

Barbara Garber, health teacher “Peanut butter cups, but not Reese’s. They taste a little cheap.”

Samuel Konstantinovich, computer science teacher

Victor Greez, history teacher “Chunky. I love Chunky. You know the ‘human teeth,’ though?

I don’t call them candy corn. They’ll always be ‘human teeth’ for me. Well, I hated them. I still hate them. That was the worst thing you could do to me. If you gave me Chunky, though, I would keep coming back to your house day after day. Actually, do they still make Chunky?”

(in an e-mail interview) Tina Lim/ The Spectator

Linda Weissman, history teacher “I’m not a big candy eater, but I have always loved the smell of a Twizzler. A few years ago in class, a young man opened up a bag of Twizzlers and the aroma permeated the room, and I said to him, ‘Oh wow! That smells beautiful! Are they Twizzlers?’ And he said, ‘Yes, would you like one?’ And I said, ‘No thank you.’

But other students in the classroom asked if they could have one. He shared it with them. And a few days later, he came with another bag where he opened it. And I said, ‘Oh! Beautiful!’ And he said, ‘Do you want one?’ and I said, ‘No. If I had one, I would eat the whole bag.’ And I meant that as a joke, but the day before the last day of school, I went down to my mailbox, and it was filled with bags of Twizzlers. The students in my class brought me different types of Twizzlers: the long strawberry ones and the ones that you can pull apart and the ones that are braided and rainbow. And on the last day I was able to bring up all the different bags. We opened it up and shared it with the class.”

“Did you manage to finish all of them that day?”

“Oh, yeah. And, yes, I did eat the traditional ones because I couldn’t resist. Maybe I had a few more than one. ” “Does it taste better than the aroma?”

“No. The aroma is really excellent, because you’re not eating candy, and there’s no calories!”

“As silly as it seems, the Twix is my favorite. Twix, though only occasionally given out, is the only candy that I would pick out of the trick-or-treat basket before the hoard comes to consume the rest. Favorite is a strong word, as most “halloween candy” is subpar-quality stuff to be given away to children. To me, the rest of the candies are enjoyable only as a source of nostalgia.”

Brian Sterr, math teacher

Rosemary Polanco, history teacher

“Gummy bears. Not just any gummy bears. Gold gummy bears, the Haribo kind. When I went to college in Germany, I was right near the factory where they were made, and I could get lots of them very cheaply. They were very delicious!”

Kristy Cimaglia, health teacher “Jolly Ranchers. The little size ones. Green Apple, because it has so much flavor. It lasts long and always helps me when I feel hungry. It takes the hunger away.”

–Jason Econome, biology teacher “Kit Kats. I like Kit Kats, because they are crunchy and chocolatey.”

Ashvin Jaishankar, math teacher “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I’ve always liked the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, so they’re very addicting.”

“My favorite candy is Starburst, the original flavors. I mean, I like chocolate too, but if I have a lot of Starburst, I can eat a lot of Starburst. If I have a lot of chocolate, I can’t eat a lot of chocolate.”

Rosa Mazzurco, English teacher “Candy Corn. Something about the texture. It brings back wonderful childhood memories. It’s a very nostalgic candy.”

Stan Kats, math teacher

“I like anything with peanut butter, because I like giving it to my dog. [I like] if it’s chocolate peanut butter, because then that means he can’t have it, so yay! I have my own thing.

And cinnamon jelly bellies. I like the taste of cinnamon, and I like something a bit spicy, not overly sweet. When I was a kid, I used to go for anything that [had] the most sugar, but I already talk too fast, so more sugar is just bad. As I get older, I like things that are spicier.”

Page 8

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

Features Blast From the Past: The Halloween Costumes Edition

By Archi Das Every year on Stuyloween, you’re sure to hear about the coolest costumes. From epic group costumes to terrifyingly life-like (or life-less) makeup, students have made some pretty great costumes. Here are some highlights of cool costumes from the past few years.

Courtesy of Philip Chun

Tetris, 2016

Phillip Chun (‘16) Spencer Eo (‘16) Jeimin Kim (‘16) Justin Kong (‘16) Tae Kyung Kong (‘16)

Courtesy of Philip Chun

Jeffrey Wong (‘16) Nicholas Wong (‘16) Lawrence Yi (‘16)

“We were deciding between ordering skimpy angel costumes online because of laziness or building our own costumes, and eventually, we decided on the the latter,” said Chun, a member of a group of seniors who called themselves the “Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Squad.” None of them had ever dressed up for Halloween, but they decided to go all out with a group costume for senior year.

On the morning of Stuyloween, as the group stepped onto the LIRR with their hefty costumes, the conductor made an announcement. “He said, ‘The students in the cardboard boxes can not get on this train,’” Chun said. The squad had to negotiate with the conductor, but once they got off in the city, the tetris piece costumes got constant attention. People stopped in awe to take pictures or just laughed.

Chun said they planned the costume only a day in advance. They ordered the boxes from an overnight shipping company and made all of the costume pieces in a day. Several of the members spent the entire school day building them. They taped cardboard boxes together and carved holes for arms and heads, painted the pieces different colors, and placed black tape to make the final product look sleek and realistic. They made sure that the tetris pieces could fit together so they could assemble into formations throughout the day. In an impressive total, they managed to make all eight pieces in 12 hours.

The group made these costumes the night before early applications were due for college. However, they unanimously agreed that making the costumes look nice was more important than college applications. “After we finished, we rushed home to finish some college essays and submit them on time,” Chun said.

Orange is the New Black, 2014 Chiara Baker (‘16) as Dayanara Diaz

Georgia Kamm (‘16) as Lorna Morello

Alex Baren (‘16) Mendez

as Piper Chapman

Fiona Cohen (‘16) as Nicky Nichols

Lola Makombo (‘16) as Crazy Eyes

as George

Zoe Leaf (‘16)

By Snapshots of Stuy, Courtesy of Fiona Cohen

“We were a group of friends before this—we hung out, did Secret Santa—but Halloween that year really solidified that,” Cohen said.

Cohen is a Halloween enthusiast mainly because she loves getting reactions from other people. “People took our pictures [and] shouted at us on the street. We got so many compliments that day. People cheered when we walked into Chipotle,” Cohen said.

The materials were ordered a month in advance and came two weeks before Halloween. None of this would have worked out if it wasn’t for the incredible group effort. Cohen credited Emmy Wang for being a great planner and ordering everything on her credit card.

She also appreciated Georgia Kamm for working with her to make realistic badges using photoshop. For them, the costumes weren’t just about looking like the character they were trying to portray but also capturing the personality of each role by acting or saying some lines that their character would likely say on the show.

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

Page 9

Features Blast From the Past: The Halloween Costumes Edition Various Annual Group Costumes The Girls’ Bowling Team

By f Humans of Stuy

Courtesy of Derrick Lui

The girls’ bowling team has been dressing up for Halloween for so long that they don’t even remember when the tradition began. Their costumes have included Dr. Seuss’s Things 1-17, 101 Dalmatians, and Starbucks cups. “We wanted to do something that would include all of our members,” senior and team captain Sosonia Ma said. “We’re passionate about keeping it a tradition because it makes our team a tighter family, and it’s always so much fun to dress up.”

Their coach, history teacher Eric Wisotsky, proposed the extravagant costume idea of dressing up as 101 Dalmatians because he really wanted to dress up as Cruella de Vil. “We planned maybe two weeks ahead. We’re really not very coordinated. It didn’t take too long to make, though,” girls’ bowling team member Elissa Tong said. The costume was fairly simple. The girls just bought dog ears online and placed black dots on a white t-shirt through construction paper, paint, or felt. “As long as you had those black dots on a white tee, you were all good,” Ma said.

The costume proved to be a success. Since the costumes were so similar, a lot of people recalled seeing someone else from the bowling team wearing the same thing. “I remember the year we did Dr. Seuss’s Things 1-17, I was being scanned into the library, and the teacher scanning my ID card was like, ‘I’ve seen so many of you today! Did you guys all plan it?’” Ma said. This is a long-lived tradition that we hope to see continue for many years to come.

Zombie, 2015

Courtesy of Cassandra Joseph

Senior Cassandra Joseph In addition to costumes, another important part of Halloween is the makeup. It’s not rare to find a person with painted on whiskers, but Joseph took Halloween makeup to a new level with her zombie makeup and costume. She was inspired by the increasing success of zombies in pop culture, especially through “The Walking Dead.”

“It seemed like a simple, but visually striking costume,” Joseph said.

The costume was planned out a couple of weeks in advance and the makeup was tested out a couple of times before the actual day of Stuyloween. Joseph used a combination of liquid latex, face paint, and eyeshadow to make sickly skin and realistic-looking injuries.

“I used an unreasonable amount of dark red lipstick and fake blood to give the appearance of gore, white mesh contacts, and I covered some ripped white clothes in red acrylic paint,” Joseph said.

She had to get up an hour earlier than usual to do her makeup and get used to the reduced visibility that came with her white contacts. Luckily it all paid off when her costume received a lot of attention. People on the subway were constantly coming up to Joseph and commenting on her makeup. “One of my teachers was so startled by my makeup that she literally screamed and refused to look directly at me for the rest of the period,” Joseph said.

Joseph is very passionate about her makeup skills and its practical uses. She noticed how computergenerated imagery (CGI) is becoming increasingly popular in movies. “I really hope makeup doesn’t die out as a component of filmmaking. It’s often just as good as CGI, if not better,” Joseph said. But, no matter what happens, makeup will always be one of her favorite hobbies, along with scaring people.

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The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

Editorial Staff Editorial

The Spectator

Trigger Treat: Stuy Students Who Trigger Us i Those random kids who, for whatever reason, know your GPA to the tenth. i That kid who stands directly behind you on an otherwise empty escalator. i People who think raisins count as candy. i That kid who eats a three course meal in class. i That kid in your class who thinks he’s a TA. i The class conservative. i People who randomly ask where you’re EDing. (i.e. everyone.) i Anyone whose Facebook timeline has more memes than “Out sick, hw/notes/announcements pls” posts. i That kid who always asks if you’re high because your eyes are bloodshot from pulling an all-nighter. i Anyone who knows how to math. i That kid who says, “But I saw [absent person] today!” while the teacher is taking attendance. i That kid who asks the teacher, “Are you collecting last night’s homework?” as the end bell rings. i That kid who whines about failing a test, then gets a 98. Every. Single. Time. i That kid who always asks for food. i Debate kids who number their arguments in real life. i Debate kids who speak really quickly in real life. i Debate kids. i People who take gym—we’re sorry, physical education—way too seriously. i That kid who always asks if he can borrow a pen and then loses it. i That kid who won’t let you borrow a pen because she thinks you’ll lose it. i That kid who “just needs to copy the homework questions.” i That kid who stops in the middle of a staircase. i That kid who stops in the middle of a hallway. i That kid who stops in the middle of Chambers Street. i Freshmen. i Sophomores. i Juniors. i Seniors. i People who prefer Terry’s to Ferry’s. i People who prefer Ferry’s to Terry’s. i People who are perpetually triggered.

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The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

Page 13

Opinions

By Eliza Spinna

Michael Kosterlitz, Duncan Haldane, and David Thouless were awarded the Nobel Physics Prize for their “theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter” on October 4. While theoretical physics is one of the most complicated disciplines known to mankind, it doesn’t take an award-winning scientist to see that the three winners are all white males.

This would be fine if it were merely a data point, but it is not: the Nobel Physics Prize has seen only two female laureates— Marie Curie in 1903 and Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963. In over 100 years, not a single black person has received a Nobel prize in physics.

Across all six Nobel prizes, only 48 out of 900 total winners have been female.

The ratio is much lower in the prizes for physics (199 men to 2 women) and economics (74 to 1). Only 15 of 900 total winners have been black, and 25 of 900 have been Hispanic or Latino. Most of these have been in the peace or literature categories, not the sciences.

When Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel died in 1896, he left an enormous sum of money to be awarded to people “who have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind” in the categories of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace (economics was added in 1969). Considering that the Nobel Prize

C L O W N S L O W N S

By Asher Lasday and Matteo Wong

“Goblins, Wizards, Giants!” Just over a decade ago, in 2005, a group of clowns in Scotland erupted with joyous rebellion as they joined a G8 alternatives march.

Police officers were at the scene, and as the rebel clowns collided with the officers, the opposing forces—gravity and playfulness, corporatism and freedom— leapt into each other’s arms in a loving embrace. Instead of “Rock, Paper, and Scissors” the protestors played “Goblins, Wizards, and Giants” with the officers, a similar concept, except that in the event of a tie the players must hug.

For about a decade, rebel clowns have not made a big splash in the media. But some clowns have taken the term “rebel” a little too literally in 2016. Facebook newsfeeds everywhere are crowded with videos of clowns gone AWOL, brandishing knives and terrorizing children. Clowns, rebel clowns in particular, are in dire straits: these new clowns have tainted the

is the highest award a scientist, writer, or leader can receive, and winners tend to set an example for future generations, the Nobel Foundation should be making an effort to nominate people who not only have great minds, but also represent all people.

Though one might argue that white males have historically dominated academia, and thus have received more awards, minorities and women have become more educated in recent years. Colleen Flaherty of Inside Higher Ed finds that “minority groups held approximately 13 percent of [university] faculty jobs in 2013, an increase from 1993. Women now hold 49 percent of total faculty positions.”

Thus, there are minorities and females to choose from when the Nobel Foundation is selecting its winners. Annual lists of possible laureates reflect this: Reuters predicted that Harvard Medical School professor Arlene Sharpe would win the medicine prize for researching programmed cell death, which could help find a cure for cancer. Deborah S. Jin is an Asian-American woman who was considered for a Physics Nobel Prize in 2015 for her pioneering findings in polar molecular quantum chemistry. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were predicted in 2015 to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a technique for gene-editing. Herman Branson, a black physicist, was expected to win for discovering the alpha helix in protein structure. There are plenty of candidates to choose from who have conducted Nobel-deserving research, and so choosing a more diverse crowd wouldn’t water down the value of the Nobel prize at all.

The committees that choose the prizes should be considering the underlying implications and messages of their decisions.

However, the Foundation’s choices barely reflect this progress, with an increase from three to seven percent of female laureates from the 1980s to the 1990s and a decrease to only four percent of the total in the 2000s. Similarly, since 1993, there have only been five black Nobel laureates, none of whom were in the sciences.

The root cause of the problem may be in the selection committees of the awards themselves. Both the physics committee and the chemistry committees are 5/6 male and all white. It is possible that the selection committee is acting on implicit biases, so bringing in more diversity to the selection committee would be a big step toward creating a more inclusive array of laureates.

The Nobel Foundation should also actively consider the impact its selections have on students and future scholars.

Laureates are awarded a lot of media coverage and heralded as the epitome of scientific genius. While it would be optimal to have an absolute meritocracy, it’s more

important to show younger generations that being female or a minority shouldn’t hinder their academic accomplishments.

A study by Margaret Nauta for the National Career Development Association found that when a diverse group represents a field, underrepresented groups are more likely to pursue that field. In the long run, true meritocracy would be restored once all ethnic and gender groups are able to be represented in their fields.

The Nobel Foundation has the right idea: innovators should be rewarded for their hard work and achievements. The prizes serve as motivation for scientists, writers, and leaders to keep working. But the committees that choose the prizes should be considering the underlying implications and messages of their decisions. They should make an effort to create a more inclusive scientific community and move toward creating a space where every achievement is respected, not just those of scientists who fit a specific mold.

Considering that the Nobel Prize is the highest award a scientist, writer, or leader can receive, and winners tend to set an example for future generations, the Nobel Foundation should be making an effort to nominate people who not only have great minds, but also represent all people.

beauty of politically conscious clowns.

Therefore, clowns and non-clowns alike must come together to once again make clowns a force of good in the world.

Then President George W. Bush visited the United Kingdom in 2003. It was from these auspicious circumstances that rebel clowning entered modern milieu. Bush represented the spread of neoliberalism, a suffocating force invading both public and private spheres; against this dark carnival of corporate capitalism there erupted another carnival, representing inner playfulness and joy: the carnival of rebel clowning.

Led by a few charismatic jesters, namely Kolonel Klepto and Major Up Evil, the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) recruited its disciples around the world, particularly in the UK. A few playful confrontations in the mid-2000s, like the clash with the police in Scotland, were their creative ways to imagine a life outside of neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism, a kind of super-capitalism marked by deregulation and globalization, is an oppressive force suffocating our everyday lives. School becomes a means to an end, and extracurriculars turn into commodities for the collegeapplication black market. The rise of early action—and now, more troublingly, Harvard’s “early, early action” on October 15—makes it clear that students are merely cogs in the gears of higher education. Much as clowning allowed CIRCA to subvert global capitalism’s established systems, students in 2016 have similar options. By living their lives as they see fit (read: dressing up as clowns), students can challenge cultural conceptions of what is and is not the ideal, productive

Ting Ting Chen / The Spectator

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

The Not-So-Noble Nobel

college applicant.

In the face of growing corporate hegemony, rebel clowning offers a form of radical liberation, breaking down dichotomies and reconnecting individuals with their inner child. Rebel clowning does not simply shout “No” to neoliberalism, it enacts “No” through a jarringly visual and absurd act, through the combination of action and art into a wondrous thing called life, which simultaneously ridicules and embraces neoliberalism to render it confused and powerless.

The clowns of CIRCA center their dis-

obedience around playfulness and the body. Instead of viewing their bodies as material instruments, they embrace the body as a sight of joy and resistance. As children, our bodies allow us to laugh and play; we should use them in the same way as young adults, embracing joy and spontaneity instead of focusing solely on school and productivity. Those entering the workforce should no longer be forced to don dark suits, but should instead have the choice to wear the bright trappings of clown-hood.

Page 14

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

Opinions Point-Counterpoint: Cultural Appropriation The Right to Write

By Matteo Wong In a small middle school where I could count the number of Asian-Americans on my fingers, the phrases “open your eyes” and “do my math homework” seemed to shadow my every move. When I came to Stuyvesant, I entered a completely different world: for better or worse, I was no longer the minority. And with this environment came new perceptions of my culture.

Some were respectful; many students at Stuyvesant identify with and support each other’s experiences as immigrants or first generation Asian-Americans. But some aspects of “respect” are simply an evolved form of racism: instead of using racist slang, white kids studying Mandarin tell me that I’m not Chinese enough, claiming to understand my roots better than I do. In doing so, they appropriate my culture and devalue my experiences.

There is a fine line between cultural identification and cultural appropriation, and it is not always clear-cut. Cultural identification entails empathy with another community, without claiming to represent or speak for others. Cultural appropriation is more insidious, establishing a hierarchy in which an individual has the power to speak for those outside of their social location, creating misrepresentations and perpetuating stereotypes.

My father, for instance, grew up in Alphabet City in a mainly black community.

He does not claim to completely understand blackness, nor does he try to speak for black people, but he does identify and empathize with the experiences different marginalized groups have in common.

On the other hand, a popular AsianAmerican chef, Eddie Huang, openly pretends to be black on television. Despite this, he will never be black, and instead he uses black experiences for media viewers’ entertainment. Contrary to the popular saying, in this case, imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery; Huang’s actions demean black culture and objectify it for television popularity.

Cultural appropriation is often highly offensive and perpetuates racist stereotypes: Nicki Minaj, for example, dresses in revealing East Asian-style clothing in her music video “Your Love,” which hypersexualizes Asian women and showcases an exoticized view of East Asia. She uses the contrast between a shy Asian woman and her own provocativeness to entice her audience, but this creates controlling images of East Asians as submissive.

Eddie Huang and Nicki Minaj are both examples of minority figures in the United States who appropriate the cultures of other minorities. While some of these cases are blatantly racist, as in the case of Nicki Minaj, others reflect the shared degrading experiences minorities face. Through these commonalities, minorities can relate to each other—perhaps that is what Eddie Huang is trying to do, despite the offensive elements of his television show.

Minorities have the potential to overcome cultural barriers and move from appropriation to identification; for instance, Asian American support for Black Lives Matter is grounded in empathy for the difficulties black people face.

In contrast with this positive potential, cultural appropriation by white people almost necessitates racism, though often unknowingly. Often, white authors who have studied modern China publish books depicting a unified Chinese culture, despite the fact that no such culture exists. History books that don’t understand this end up

furthering stereotypes of Chinese people as weak or too humble due to Confucianism or Buddhism.

Even worse, white people often cross the line from studying and appreciating marginalized groups to claiming that they understand those groups’ experiences, or even thinking that they are qualified to lead liberation struggles. The act is duplicitous by nature: white people can empathize one day and hide behind their privilege the next. Being a white ally also feeds the supremacist notion that people of color need white people to achieve liberation, allowing white people to commodify the suffering of minorities so they can prop themselves up as good citizens. When white students at Stuyvesant study Mandarin and then claim they know more about being Chinese than me, they are excluding me and adding to their own privilege.

Most recently, Ben Winters, a white author, published “Underground Airlines,” a science fiction novel about slavery that he believes addresses racial justice in America. Winters has made black suffering a spectacle to profit off of, even though he will never understand the black experience in America. In an interview with The New York Times, Winters said, “I wanted to take this figurative idea that slavery is still with us, and make it literal”—he claims to be a pioneer, bringing black struggles and slavery to light through science fiction, but silences the voices of black authors like Octavia Butler and Sam Delaney, who have explored black science fiction for decades.

Worse still, white critics like Lev Grossman have praised him, saying, “This is a white writer going after questions of what it’s like to be black in America. It’s a fearless thing to do,” as if Ben Winters’ book were as brave or important as the work of black protestors. In the end, his book will improve his life more than anyone else’s, feeding his bank account and ego by making him feel like a well-cultured, accepting citizen.

This doesn’t mean white people can’t respect minorities. For instance, acknowledging Confucian hierarchies in China does not have to imply that all Asians are obedient, and one doesn’t have to claim that they are immersed in Chinese culture, or even worse, wear scanty Chinese dresses in order to appreciate Asian fashion; somebody can wear a Chinese dress because it looks good without flaunting its “exotic” nature or calling themselves authentically Chinese. Cultures should be appreciated instead of appropriated.

But oftentimes, the distinction between empathy and appropriation appears blurry. For instance, many black readers have commented that “Southern Cross the Dog,” by Bill Cheng, a fictional novel about Jim Crow Mississippi, captures the black experience during this time almost flawlessly, despite the fact that he is ChineseAmerican. Then, is cultural appropriation only bad if it fails? No; even though Cheng’s novel was well accepted, he probably misrepresented some aspects of the Jim Crow South and still established his own power to explain the black experience. However, as a minority he could relate to some of the racism in the South, highlighting how minority interactions have the potential to be constructive.

Some would argue that Bill Cheng, Nicki Minaj, and other artists have artistic license and that their work shouldn’t be scrutinized based on their background; after all, books and songs are personal expressions, works of fiction influenced by many sources. But there’s a difference between an artist’s work being influenced by a marginalized culture and work that claims to represent another group of people. Many Western artists have been influenced by Chinese music, but they don’t claim to represent Chinese culture or use stereotypes to gain popularity. Ben Winters, on the other hand, believes he, a white man, can tackle the legacy of slavery in America—the idea is simply absurd, and artistic license should not be a free pass for perpetuating racial hierarchies.

Cultural appropriation is a negative force because it generates a power dynamic, while cultural identification is a form of empathy and respect. My father can empathize with black people and racism that they experience without claiming that experience as his own. White people can study Mandarin without claiming to understand Asian experiences. Most importantly, we must always be cognizant of our own experiences and background, and how these aspects of our identities provide the context for every action that we take.

Victoria Huang / The Spectator

Jessica Wu / The Spectator

The Power of Appropriation

By Jane Rhee

Last month, American novelist Lionel Shriver delivered a speech at the Brisbane Writers Festival considered so offensive that officials publicly renounced her remarks and delayed putting up a video of her speech on their website. In her speech, which she delivered while wearing a sombrero, she argued that a fear of cultural appropriation shouldn’t prevent authors from writing fiction. Shriver later delivered a bitter retort to her opposition, saying that she was unfairly attacked for trying to keep the art of writing alive.

A person’s ability to conduct research and write effectively should be more important than the color of their skin.

Yet Shriver’s critics saw her speech as an effort to discredit a righteous movement against cultural appropriation, a term that refers to a situation in which a dominant culture adopts cultural customs from other, often oppressed groups. Yassmin Abdel-Magied, an Australian author, was the loudest of her critics, calling Shriver’s speech “a celebration of the unfettered exploitation of the experiences of others, under the guise of fiction.”

Abdel-Magied raises a valid point.

White authors are often guilty of misrepresenting cultures other than their own in their work or perpetuating harmful stereotypes. But often this is extended illogically by condemning any author who writes about a culture other than his or her own.

An example is Justine Larbalestier’s novel, “Liar,” which was published in 2009.

It tells the story of a compulsive liar named Micah, whose boyfriend mysteriously dies.

Micah is black, but her racial identity is not a major theme in the story. Yet, readers and critics couldn’t get past the fact that the book was produced by a white author and a white publisher.

There was criticism over the tiniest of details, including the way Micah describes her hair as “nappy.” The term “nappy” has long been a derogatory term used to describe black hair, though recently, black people have been embracing it more frequently. But apparently, its usage by a white author is inherently disrespectful, even though Larbalestier and her team (which included black and white editors and publishers) agreed that “nappy” was a word that a character like Micah would use to describe her own hair. Readers accused her of cultural appropriation, as well as perpetuating the stereotype that black girls have inferior moral characters to lighterskinned girls, because Micah is a compulsive liar.

As a Korean-American, I can neither claim to understand the “correct” usage of words like “nappy,” nor will I. But the big-

ger issue here is that both readers and writers are so invested in the idea that authors should stay within the boundaries of their own cultures that they are focusing less on the actual content of a book and more on the author’s background. Limiting an author to write only about his or her own culture is detrimental for literature as a whole.

A comment thread on Larbalestier’s blog hosted accusations that Larbalestier was trying to say that all black girls are inferior and immoral, as if Micah represented all black characters in fiction. This is partly because there is such a lack of representation of non-white characters, so the few books that exist about them seem to claim that all people of a certain race are just like the characters in the books. The solution here is to increase representation so that one character from one book doesn’t represent their entire race. However, making non-white characters more prevalent doesn’t necessitate disallowing white authors to write about them.

It’s indisputable that white authors and publishers control their industry. The Cooperative Children’s Book Center reported that 37 percent of the U.S. population was considered to be comprised of people of color in 2014, while 10 percent of children’s books in the past decade have contained “multiracial content.” Allowing white authors to write about cultures that they were not born into, in conjunction with publishing more work by non-white authors, will help diversify the experiences represented in literature, particularly in fiction.

Welcoming white authors to write about experiences that are not their own can seem dangerous because it may result in the white authors’ works dominating those of other authors. For example, Adam Johnson, the white author of a book on North Korea called “The Orphan Master’s Son,” won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2013. Suki Kim, the Korean-American author of the novel “Without You, There Is No Us,” which is based on her experience of working as an English teacher in North Korea, was angered by the award, stating that Johnson “did not speak Korean and had spent only three days in North Korea,” according to The New York Times.

While organizations should be careful to represent a diverse group of authors when granting awards, claiming that novels written by someone outside of a certain culture aren’t deserving of recognition is just as wrong. A person’s ability to conduct research and write effectively should be more important than the color of their skin.

Those who strongly oppose cultural appropriation claim that when it comes to history, and especially fiction, authors “steal” another culture as their own. But writing shouldn’t be considered thievery; it should be a medium through which the experiences of underrepresented cultures can be carefully explored. While in the short run, preventing authors from writing about things that they have not experienced may seem like just a fight against

Limiting an author to write only about his or her own culture is detrimental for literature as a whole.

cultural appropriation, in the long run, it will only further perpetuate divides between people.

The job of an author, especially one that writes fiction, is ultimately to tell a story.

When an author does that, he or she doesn’t have the right to twist history or unfairly represent an entire culture, but should be allowed to write a story to which they feel emotionally connected. That’s where the battle should lie—not over whether or not people can write about experiences that they have not had, but in how they should go about doing it.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 15

Arts and Entertainment

Jerry Ye / The Spectator

By Zovinar Khrimian It was to be expected that “Saturday Night Live” would open its first show of the season with a comedic reinterpretation of the first presidential debate, considering it took place less than a week prior to the premiere of the 42nd season. Here, the candidates would not only promote their platforms, but reaffirm the current state of politics in the United States, which for many, is a grim one. While, in real life, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump arguably provided an ample foundation for a humorous reenactment of the debate, this season’s cold open successfully augmented the

Music

By Sophie Feng This year marks Green Day’s 30th in existence. In that time, they’ve released 12 studio albums and garnered a following that is beyond immense. Beginning midway through their career, with the release of “American Idiot” in 2004, they abruptly changed gears from writing songs about boredom and teenage insecurity to politically charged anthems.

While their 2012 trilogy of albums “Uno,” “Dos,” and “Tré” slightly faltered in that approach, with their newest release of “Revolution Radio,” Green Day seems to be going back to that formula they earlier employed of lyrics concerning social unrest, complemented by blasting guitar riffs, and frenzied beats.

Though it doesn’t quite achieve the legendary status of their previous works, it makes for a pretty good casual listening experience.

“Revolution Radio” is a loud album, in such a way that you feel inclined to turn down the volume even when listening to it on the lowest setting. This is not at all an insult to the music, but rather a reflection of how strongly singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice carries atop the powerful guitar and drums. This nature doesn’t invite too much contemplation into the lyrics, which is perhaps a good thing. One needs only to look at seemingly nonsensical lyrics such as “Looking for a buzz/But all I got was Santa Claus” to realize that it is the catchy melodies and energy conveyed by the songs that are what make them enjoyable.

Contrast this from the nature of lyrics on their last two political rock operas. On “American Idiot” (the leading track on the album of the same name), Armstrong sings, “Well maybe I’m the faggot America/I’m not a part of a redneck agenda,” provocative words that were sung in response to his frustration at the Bush presidency, daring a response.

Yet on “Revolution Radio,”

elements of the actual debate that were the most talked about in its aftermath.

Kate McKinnon’s entrance as Hillary Clinton, a character that she has portrayed previously, was energetic, as to be expected. She was introduced by Lester Holt (Michael Che) as being recently struck with pneumonia, trudging slowly onto the stage, cane in hand, and as she approached the center, rolled into a somersault and declared that she was back and better than ever, a clever reference to Willy Wonka’s entrance in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The confident attitude that McKinnon portrays with her interpretation of Clinton was not

only thoroughly entertaining, but also successful in reflecting the composure that Clinton retained during the Monday night debate.

McKinnon’s exaggerated motions and confident attacks captured Clinton’s persona well.

Clinton’s controlled manner of speaking was in striking contrast to her opponent, which McKinnon portrayed in an amplified manner.

Alec Baldwin, who took over the role of Trump from Darrell Hammond, presented a growly version of the Republican nominee. Introduced as the man responsible for “the bottom half of his kids faces,” Donald Trump took the stage in a classically Trump manner, with his lips pursed, head nodding, and eyes narrowed at the crowd. Baldwin’s effective take on Trump’s distinctive voice and mannerisms, paired with clever dialogue that used the source material to its advantage, set up a hilarious recreation of the debate that had everyone talking.

The sketch drew most of its material from the real debate, as the undeniably unique character of this election has been more than an ample source for comics across many platforms. It highlighted everything from Clinton’s painstakingly prepared catchphrases and willingness to let her opponent speak as long as he so chose (as the real Clinton looked delighted when Trump’s mouth ran unendingly during the first

debate, with many of his claims unsupported and behaviors concerningly frenzied) to Trump’s pronunciation of China and tragic microphone troubles (which in the sketch was attributed to the sabotage of a Clinton/Obama duo in Kenya).

With McKinnon and Baldwin at it in this debate—the much talked about split-screen effect— which revealed the reactions of the candidates in respect to the claims of the other, offered a hilarious dynamic on stage. Facial expressions that perfectly mirrored those of the actual candidates brought to life what these two polarizing individuals think about each other. Baldwin’s blunt interruptions and looks of disgust revealed the frustrations that Trump expressed during the debate while McKinnon’s wide smiles and eyerolls showcase the confidence that Clinton ran away with. Emphasizing the contrasting temperaments of the candidates through their interaction was a major component of the real-life debate through the revealing split-screen and SNL’s reimagination of it.

The oftentimes outrageous nature of this year’s election cycle has been relatively easy picking for creating comedy of the situation Americans face as November nears. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been endlessly talked about, impersonated and immortalized in internet memes

like no other candidates have.

While they stand as virtually the only viable candidates in the ring, both in serious contention for the highest position in our country, the very serious nature of what could be as a result of the outcome of this election is often overlooked in the sake of keeping things light. As much as SNL makes humor of the quirks of each candidate, there is something to be said about what insight into the character of American politics the material behind the skit provides.

While some disagree, the consensus held that Hillary Clinton’s preparation, handle on policy, and collected attitude made her stronger coming out of the debate. Meanwhile, the remarkable similarity between Baldwin’s sensationalized portrayal of Trump and the real thing is telling in and of itself. If a man whose words and actions range from shocking to hateful to downright outrageous could possibly be our next president, what does that make of our country’s voting populous?

Despite it being a somewhat unconventional lens, comedy provides a great degree of insight into the political climate of our nation at the moment. What made SNL’s return so successful was the balance it struck between the reality we experience as Americans and the humor that can come from it.

A Not-Quite Return to Former Glory Armstrong’s sung statements never quite reach a level so bold.

Though this might disappoint listeners hoping for something akin to Green Day’s previous work, perhaps it allows a greater number of people to engage in guiltfree listening, in which they don’t feel as though they have to agree with any divisive opinions being presented.

Yet the album still does manage to sneak in references to topics that are current and controversial, including police brutality and Black Lives Matter. “Say hello to the cops on patrol/Say hello to the ones in control,” Armstrong sings on “Say Goodbye.” This track stands out as one of the highlights on the album, particularly through the yearning, almost crooning voice Armstrong employs, a break from the frenzied vocals on the rest of the album.

The guitars cut out for some of the verses, lending an eerie sense to Armstrong’s equally unsettling words.

“Outlaws” is another track that showcases his ability to occasionally slow down and sing in the manner of a ballad. The song is elevated further by the emotion Armstrong conveys when he sings of growing older and looking back upon the glory days: “When we were forever young/When we were outlaws.” It is an incredibly stirring song, even for someone who can’t completely relate to the nostalgia this song seems to encapsulate and even if it gives off hints of cheesiness from time to time.

However, though this song’s sense of melodrama does not impact largely one’s ability to enjoy it, it is only one example of the way in which the album as a whole seems to be trying too hard. When picking a title as weighty as “Revolution Radio,” it should be expected that the songs it contains live up to the name, or that perhaps the band picks a title significantly less weighty.

Yet for all of the catchy melodies, nothing about this album

seems distinctly revolutionary, at least not in the way that their previous albums “Dookie” and “American Idiot” changed the face of punk music and influenced rock musicians for years to come.

The album seems to lack concrete direction, giving listeners a sense that while the band recognizes some overarching problems facing society today, they don’t have the depth of emotion necessary to do more than scream about it. Perhaps if Armstrong couched less of the political language in broad, vaguely provocative terms, listeners would actually find deeper meaning behind which to rally. Take the music video for Beyoncé’s song “Formation,” off her newest album “Lemonade.” Although her apparent anti-police stance caused controversy, it inspired fans who could now proudly assert that Beyoncé held the same opinions as them, garnering legitimacy for their beliefs and allowing them to rally behind her words.

Yet Green Day’s message seems not quite deep or coherent enough to amass a similar number of people to stand behind it.

This is clear from looking at the album’s only single, “Bang Bang.”

Self-described by Armstrong as being about “the culture of mass shooting that happens in America,” it seems like a powerful and significant topic whose ability to convey possibly controversial opinions is promising.

Yet without being aware of this comment by Armstrong, the deeper meaning behind the song is unclear, leading listeners to interpret it simply as a pumped-up and catchy track. Lyrics such as “Bang bang/Give me fame/Shoot me up to entertain” only hint at the intended focus of the song.

So what’s the reason behind this shift in perspective? Why is Green Day unable to grasp the depth that they previously seemed to have a firm grip on? One only has to look at the current tumultuous political climate to realize

Carrie Ou / The Spectator

TV

Highly-Anticipated Return of SNL Delivers a Successful Take on the 2016 Election

that there certainly doesn’t seem to be a lack of material to protest about.

Perhaps this inability to produce meaningful work is arising not from their environment, but from the musicians themselves.

It seems we too often forget that, like us, celebrities change direction over the course of their lives, which leads us to an expectation that the themes and sounds present in their music will remain constant. By listening to the discography of nearly any major artist, it is clear that this supposition is untrue.

In the 12 years since “American Idiot” was released, the members of Green Day have all begun reaching middle age and settling down with children. It seems that there is an inevitable shift towards a tamer perspective once one reaches a point as monumental in their lives. If this is the case, then perhaps Green Day can’t be blamed for the decidedly less fiery opinions present on “Revolu-

tion Radio.”

Their album is under a microscope partly because of the success of their first political album, “American Idiot.” We’ve seen what they’re capable of, so when they announce they’re releasing another political album, it’s hard to resist getting overexcited.

Although this comparison may disappoint long-running fans, by listening to the album on its own, it is easy to see that the music is appealing, and perhaps in the end, that is the only thing that should matter. By not digging too deep into the meaning behind the album and lyrics, it is perfectly possible to have an enjoyable, invigorating listening experience.

And while Green Day may not have regained the previous emotion they had concerning politics, one only has to turn on an artist such as Kendrick Lamar or Beyoncé to realize that while political music may have changed its sound, it is certainly not dead.

Page 16

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Arts and Entertainment

Cheap-Ass Food Vanessa’s Dumplings

By SHaina Peters

220 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003 310 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211

pec eS or

tat

Jennifer Lawrence is known for her strong leading roles in “The Hunger Games” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” Her name conjures images of glamorous red carpets, celebrity best friends, and press tours filled with late night television appearances.

But behind all the glamour is an actress, one who is working hard to be taken seriously as an artist. In addition to playing strong characters in her movies, Lawrence has recently tried to embody that strength in her own life, using her celebrity to highlight what was, until recently, one of the best kept secrets in Hollywood.

This secret is pay inequality.

When hearing the words “pay inequality,” “the wage gap,” or even “feminism,” people often shrug, assuming that these are issues of the past, especially considering that top Hollywood actresses are some of the highest paid women in the world. Lawrence, for example, was named 2015’s highest paid female star, with an income of over $52 million. So why is one of the richest women in America complaining that she’s not being paid enough?

This chain of cute dumpling shops offers great food at affordable prices. Plates of house-made dumplings are prepared in steaming caldrons right in front of you in an authentic Chinese setting.

Th

By Julia Arancio

118A Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002

/ Ou

Film

By Julia Arancio

rrie Ca

It’s a normal story about students in a school for fighting monsters. At least, it was until the bad guys won and society broke down.

That’s where we left off at the end of the third season of RWBY (pronounced “Ruby”), an animated web series (which is like a TV show, but released on the internet rather than on TV) by Rooster Teeth, a company that has produced many other web series, typically animated comedies, such as Red vs. Blue and Camp Camp.

RWBY premiered July 18, 2013, and for its first two and a half seasons, RWBY was a fun and lovable story about four girls at school learning to become huntsmen, warriors who work to uphold the peace in the world of Remnant, a fully developed fantasy world complete with magic and monsters.

The main duty of huntsmen is to fight said monsters, the Grimm, animal-like beasts who are attracted to the fear of humans. However, huntsmen often find themselves fighting criminals, as well.

Initially, the weapons, character design, and backgrounds are bright and colorful. The music is cheerful, catchy, and upbeat. Even in the more dangerous scenes, color is always apparent. Humor is mixed in along with more serious themes.

RWBY might look like a professional production at first glance, as it is independently created by a small team, rather than a large production. While this creates a few shortcomings, such as the first season’s non-important characters being replaced by shadows rather than animations due to a small animation budget and the voice actors not being experienced professionals, RWBY is unique and fails to follow the rules of traditional shows.

RWBY follows Ruby Rose (Lindsay Jones), a huntress in training, and her friends Weiss Schnee (Kara Eberle), Blake Belladonna (Arryn Zech) and Yang Xiaolong (Barbara Dunkelman), whose first initials form the title of the series.

They attend Beacon, the school for hunters, study, and learn to fight.

The first major villain is Roman Torchwick (Gray Haddock), a charming but brutal criminal who seems almost like your ste-

Courtesy of Vanessa’s Dumplings

Webseries

A New Twist on a New Story

reotypical mob boss. Torchwick’s initial goal seems to be stealing Dust, the fuel for all weapons, and Remnant’s parallel to electricity.

But as you soon find out, he isn’t alone, and his real goal is far more sinister.

One of the best and most unique features of RWBY is the weapons used by the characters.

They are all unique and colorful, but they also all happen to be guns. Ruby fights wielding a giant scythe that is also a sniper rifle.

One of the most creative weapons is wielded by Torchwick and is a cane capable of launching bullets out of it’s bottom (although it can also hit people directly).

With its characters, weapons, and style of animation, RWBY creates a light-hearted, beautiful, and entertaining universe in which the villains create minimal damage. At least, that is, until the second half of the third season. This is where everything that we learn is turned around.

The villains use every seemingly minor victory they achieved in the past and every rule the show has created to achieve a complete victory. Within a few episodes, they go from being a minor inconvenience to truly terrifying.

When the villains win, most of the rules previously established by

the show disappear. Characters are injured and even killed, and damage becomes much more severe.

The tone becomes darker, and the comedic element goes away entirely, but the show becomes infinitely more exciting and suspenseful. In a display of the shift in mood, while an earlier conflict had a hunter able to fix destroyed property, a scene at the end of season three shows the same hunter trying and failing to fix a damaged building.

Most importantly, the show gains a new setting. Instead of learning in their school, the main characters set out on a journey.

The exact purpose of this journey has yet to be revealed, but will be the plot of the fourth season, which premiers on October 22.

Season four will follow the heroes as they attempt to fix and survive in this new, cruel world and will take on a very different tone, as the entire story changes.

The animation style will change slightly, and the characters will all be given a new look, with new clothing that seems less colorful than their original designs. As they journey throughout the world of Remnant, they might search for a solution to all of their problems, or might just attempt to stay alive.

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The dumplings can be either steamed or fried and are heaped onto plates. One serving gives you eight huge dumplings for only $3.99. You can order them filled with pork, chicken, vegetables, or shrimp. You can even order pink dumplings!

Courtesy of Serious Eats

Sesame Pancakes $2.99

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For a quick bite, the sesame pancake sandwiches are a must. The pancakes themselves are huge, each with a diameter of one foot. Vanessa’s then slices the pancakes into individual portions and stuffs them with a wide choice of fillings such as kimchi, salmon, or tofu. The price of the sandwich is dependent on its fillings, as the veggie filled pancakes are cheaper then the meat filled ones (about $2.99).

Bubble Tea $2.99

Vanessa’s is also a great stop for bubble tea. They offer milk and unique flavored teas like passion fruit, green apple, and lychee filled with chewy tapioca balls. ($2.99)

Women in Hollywood: Undervalued, Undermined, Underpaid The reason is about more than just Lawrence’s paycheck. The differences between actors’ and actress’ salaries are just one key example of how men and women are treated differently in Hollywood.

Robert Downey Jr., for example, the highest paid male actor of 2015, made $80 million that year, $28 million more than Lawrence.

Lawrence noticed this disparity after learning that she and her female costars were making less money than her male costars in the movie, “American Hustle.” She angrily wrote about her discovery in the online newsletter Lenny Letter in which she highlighted her dissatisfaction with the industry and with her own inability to stand up for herself.

But why does pay inequality in Hollywood exist in the first place?

One reason is that there are simply not enough high-grossing movies that have female leads.

Countless successful blockbusters are based on comic books and therefore only incorporate female characters in supporting roles. Many production companies also feel that they have to employ male stars or else their movies will not be appealing enough for their

mostly male audience.

Even when females are cast in leading roles, they are allotted a smaller percentage of the overall profits than their male costars.

Patricia Arquette, the Academy Award-winning actress from the movie “Boyhood,” has described walking away from many movie deals because she was given less of the back end (the portion of the net profit) than the male actors she worked with.

The objectification of female actresses doesn’t help, either. Actresses are often hired to play roles that only highlight their bodies or their faces. This shows that production companies don’t respect their actresses and therefore don’t feel the need to pay them equally.

This highlights the fact that many of the executives in Hollywood are male and remain the legacy of Hollywood’s sexist age.

Finally, since unemployment rates are so high in the industry, young actresses feel that it’s best to keep quiet and agree to unfair contracts.

Actresses are aware that many other women would happily take their job for a fraction of their pay.

In both small indie films and large

franchises, women are often too willing to settle on their contracts before entering serious negotiations. Female actresses have described feeling helpless during these business meetings, as if their agents are in control of their financial fates. Arquette even described scenarios where producers would tell her that she was being paid less than they had initially agreed upon, simply because the male lead insisted on a higher salary.

The wage gap in Hollywood is extremely nuanced and rooted deeply in its history, which makes solving the issue incredibly difficult. But three clear causes––the economics of a movie, the objectification of women, and actresses’ own reluctance to speak out––have clear solutions.

Production companies can directly incorporate actresses into contract negotiations. They can produce more movies that have strong and intelligent female leads, and actresses themselves can take more of a stand to make sure that their opinions are heard.

Before we dismiss this issue for seeming far removed from our daily lives or even trivial compared to other forms of gender discrimina-

tion, pay inequality in Hollywood still matters because it shows that women are undermined in all levels of our society. Sexism shows its face in our everyday lives as well as in the lives of our favorite celebrities. But when we take sexism and translate it into a billion dollar industry, it takes on a whole new form that’s quite foreign to people who are not in the industry.

Lawrence was well aware of this when she wrote her article in Lenny Letter. She knew that her inability to speak out about the issue was one of the sources behind the problem. So she used her voice and informed the world of this injustice. But Lawrence’s actions were just the first step. Slowly, other actresses have addressed the problem too, sharing their stories and sticking up for themselves during negotiations. Pay equality in Hollywood has become a growing movement and slowly, the issue is starting to be looked at. Actions are being taken but voices are also being heard as actresses stand up for themselves and insist on being paid equally.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 17

Arts and Entertainment

Fashion

Cool DIY Halloween Costumes for Procrastinators

By Eliana Kavouriadis

It is often difficult to find the time and money to spend on a decent Halloween costume. While you can always opt for a $5 Grim Reaper mask or the classic crop top and animal ears, you shouldn’t have to lose that extra flare of originality in your Halloween getup.

Fear not, because here are seven Halloween costume ideas that are affordable, DIY, and easy to make.

A Zombie

Donald Trump

Celebrate with a spooky age-old favorite that truly encapsulates the essence of both Halloween and Stuyvesant.

You will need: An old, oversized t-shirt An undershirt (optional, but recommended) Scissors A contour kit (optional) Aloe vera or mayonnaise (optional) 1.

2.

3.

l

Take the oversized t-shirt and violently cut holes in it, tearing it to shreds. If you don’t want to get stopped on your way into the Stuyvesant building, wear this over an undershirt.

Contour your face to make it look extra sunken, deformed, and scary. If you don’t want to go through all of that trouble, you can also pull an all-nighter, which will have a similar effect on your face and will also give you terrifying bloodshot eyes.

After those steps, you will be fully zombified, but if you want to add an extra touch to your costume, put aloe vera or mayonnaise in your hair to make it especially unruly. That way, your looks will be sure to freak out even the most exhausted of Stuy students.

Vivian Lin / The Spectator

Grapes Green and purple are the new orange and black! This simple yet unconventional costume is both cute and eye-catching—a refreshing, tasty choice for any type of Halloween party.

You will need: Green clothes Rope, ribbon, or string Purple balloons A purple hat (optional) With election day just around the corner, political costumes are all the rage. Celebrate this holiday with a Donald Trump costume, and you‘ll be sure to give people the spooks with your loud mouth, marmalade skin, and the prospect of you becoming president.

1.

You will need: A ball cap or trucker hat, preferably red Toilet paper Duct tape An orange substance that is safe for skin (i.e. bronzer) A white substance that is safe for skin (i.e. toothpaste)

2.

1.

2.

4.

3.

4.

5.

6.

3.

Take a square of toilet paper and tear it into strands that resemble white hair.

Take your toilet paper strands and carefully place them around the edge of the inner part of the red ball cap, attaching them to the cap with duct tape. Repeat this step until the entire edge of your hat’s interior is adorned with strips of white toilet paper.

Apply the orange substance to your face in ample amounts. Make sure to get all parts of your face except around the eyes, where you will instead apply your white substance.

Do not stop applying the orange substance until your face looks like a literal orange. If you feel like you’ve applied enough, you haven’t. Apply some more.

Make sure to apply the white substance carefully, so that you don’t get any in your eyes. Do not stop until you get a creamy, sickly color.

Finally, it’s time to wear your toilet paper-adorned hat with so much pride that you’ll want to make America great again! If you have long hair, you might want to tie it in a ponytail and tuck it into your hat.

Halal Cart Food

1.

2.

3.

Find the center of a piece of posterboard and measure three inches from either side. Staple a foot-long piece of rope on the upper edge of the poster board by each of the three-inch marks.

Take the end of the string that isn’t stapled to the poster board, and staple it to the upper edge of the other poster board at those same three inch marks. You can wear this conjunction of poster boards around your shoulders, and it will serve as the styrofoam container in which halal food is served.

With yellow, brown, and styrofoam containers, your delicious costume is bound to draw the attention of your classmates.

An Extraterrestrial Being If you’re an avid “X-Files” fan, enjoy the movie “E.T.,” or even if you just like aliens, this costume is sure to be a blast, and you will abduct the hearts of everyone else in the room.

You will need: Aluminum foil Green face paint The spunkiest outfit you own 1.

2.

There is nothing more fun than playing with aluminum foil. Mold the aluminum foil to the shape of your head. Then, add antennae or tubes to the mold to get that true extraterrestrial look. This will be the headpiece of your costume.

Paint your face a shade of neon green, especially if you want to look like a classic martian. Regardless of whether or not you go the martian route, you will look like a majestic creature that came from another planet, turning the heads of everyone in your immediate vicinity.

6.

A Condiment

The Dog Snapchat Filter

Food costumes are rapidly growing in popularity, so why not celebrate with a costume of a food that is iconic to the Stuyvesant experience?

You will need: Yellow, brown, red, and green clothing Poster board Rope, ribbon or string Staples

5.

Take a piece of rope, ribbon, or string that is long enough and durable enough to stay wrapped around your body for an entire day.

Every 10 to 20 inches or so, tie the ribbon around the knot of a purple balloon blown medium to full size.

Make sure to make the spaces between balloons at least 10 inches.

If the balloons are spaced too close together, your ability to move around may be inhibited.

Once you are done ornamenting your rope with balloons, wrap the rope over your green attire. Start around your chest and stomach areas, and if you still have a lot of rope left, you can also wrap it around your legs.

Don’t wrap rope around your neck or your rear end, because that might inhibit your ability to swallow or sit down.

When you’re done wrapping the rope around your body, tuck the ends of the rope into another part of the rope, and tie them. Before you do this, make sure that the rope doesn’t feel constricting.

Once you’re done wrapping the rope around your body, voilá! Your look is complete! However, if you want to add something a little extra, you can wear a purple hat or purple lipstick to look even more like a bunch of grapes. However, if you truly want to feel grapelike, grape-flavored lip balm is a better bet.

Sexy cat costumes are so last year. Dress up as the most popular Snapchat filter of 2016, and you will look like you came straight out of a Tinder profile.

You will need: Construction paper A headband A paper bowl Markers, paint, or colored pencils Glue or a stapler String 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Take your construction paper and cut out two rounded triangles.

Color one side of each rounded triangle brown, and color the other side with a brown edge and a pink center. These will be the dog ears.

Take the dog ears and attach them to your headband using staples or glue. Make sure that the ears are both facing in the same direction when you do this.

Puncture two small holes on opposite sides of your paper bowl.

Put a piece of string through it on both sides.

Once it goes through, tie a knot on both ends.

Puncture a larger hole in the middle of the bowl. This will function as a breathing hole.

Cut out a long, tongue-shaped piece of pink construction paper, and attach it to the inside of the bowl. This will be the tongue.

Finally, on the bottom side of the bowl, draw or paint a cute dog snout to add a finishing touch to the costume.

Wear the bowl as a mask that covers your mouth and nose, giving you a real-life cute Snapchat look.

Graphic courtesy of New York Magazine

Celebrate with this classic costume that adds an extra touch of flavor to any Halloween gathering.

You will need: A onesie, or two items of clothing of the same color A paper bowl Construction paper A stapler 1.

2.

3.

4.

Take a piece of construction paper and roll it into a cone shape. Staple it so that it maintains its shape. Once you’re done doing so, staple the wide end of the cone onto the bottom of a paper bowl.

This will be the bottle squeezer and it is to be worn as a hat. If it is not the same color as the rest of your outfit, you may want to paint it.

Take another piece of construction paper, hold it up horizontally, and write the name of the condiment you are portraying in big, bold letters. To the left and to the right of this horizontal piece of paper, use staples to attach as many pieces of construction paper as you need to make a band that will fit around your waist.

Wrap this band around your waist, stapling it to make sure that it’s snug, but not suffocating.

Once the label is safely around your waist, your costume will be complete, with a truly zesty presence in any room.

Page 18

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Arts and Entertainment

Food

Fun Halloween Recipes!

Compiled by LIAM ELKIND

We don’t have to give up our favorite Halloween foods just because October has come to an end! Ranging from easy, sweet, and traditional recipes to tougher savory snacks, these recipes should provide you with the foundation for some more creative October-themed food ideas! Bon appétit!

Decadently Dark Candy Apples

Acorn Candy Cookies

Ingredients

6 red delicious apples 3 cups sugar 1 cup water 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 tsp. cinnamon-flavored oil 1/4 tbsp. red food coloring

Ingredients

Directions

1. Smear a small amount of frosting on the flat bottom of a Hershey’s Kiss.

2. Press onto the flat bottom of a Nilla wafer cookie.

3. Smear some more frosting on the bottom of a peanut butter chip and press it onto the rounded top of the Nilla wafer cookie.

4. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

5. Set aside for 30 minutes to dry.

Courtesy of CountryLiving.com

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Soy Maple Myeolchi Bokkeum (Maple-Glazed Sardines) Ingredients

5.

3.

4.

Courtesy of KimchiMari.com

To prepare the glaze, mix soy sauce, sugar, sake, and water in a bowl and add sesame seeds.

Cut peppers into bite-size pieces, add ginger to a pan with oil on medium heat until brown (~2 min). Then remove the ginger.

Add the peppers and sardines, and sauté until brown (~3-4 min).

Lower the heat and add the glaze to the pan. Stir for about two minutes, then drizzle on the maple syrup.

Now get ready to eat some tiny, scary-looking fish.

Candy Corn Cookies Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. baking Soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 cup of softened butter 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract Orange food coloring

Directions

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

3/4 cups butter 4 oz. chocolate 2 cups granulated white sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger OPTIONAL: 1 cup pecans, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, or any other halloweenthemed ingredients

2.

Directions

3.

4.

Ingredients

1.

Glaze: 1 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. sake or ricewine (Don’t tell anyone!)

1 tsp. water Sesame weeds 1/8 tsp. garlic powder (to taste) 1 tsp. maple syrup 1/4 tsp. sesame oil

2.

Pumpkin Spice Brownies

Directions

1 cup small dried sardines 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 slice of ginger (to taste) Green chili pepper

1.

Courtesy of AllRecipies.com

1. Mix all dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add orange food coloring to the wet ingredients.

Combine both bowls and mix thoroughly. Cut the cookie dough into triangles.

2. Bake cookies for 25 minutes. Let them cool completely.

3. Melt dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in two separate containers.

4. Dip the base of the cookies in the dark chocolate and the tips in the white chocolate. Set on parchmentlined baking pan and freeze for five minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9x13 baking pan.

(Note: You can alternatively use baking paper.)

Fill a saucepan/pot with about three inches of water. Place it over low heat until it comes to a simmer. Place a bowl over the pot.

Put 3/4 cups of butter and 4 ounces of chocolate in the bowl, and stir constantly. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in 2 cups of granulated white sugar. Let cool slightly. Beat in three eggs, one at a time, and mix them in well. Mix in 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, and set the bowl aside.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp. of salt. Stir in 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon and 1 1/2 tsp. of ground ginger. Combine the flour mixture with the chocolate mixture, and mix together.

Courtesy of TheSkinnyFork.com

2.

Remove stems and skewer apples. In a saucepan over high heat, with a candy thermometer attached, heat sugar, water, and light corn syrup, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Bring to a boil until mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 tsp. cinnamon-flavored oil and 1/4 tbsp. red food coloring.

To make red apples: Dip apples, one at a time, then transfer to a greased baking sheet.

Let cool for about 10 minutes.

To make black apples: Add 1/4 tbsp. black food coloring to your red syrup. (If the syrup has thickened, reheat briefly.)

Dip apples, one at a time, then transfer to a greased baking sheet.

Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Directions

OPTIONAL: Put 1 cup of any extra ingredients you’d like to add (e.g. pecans, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, etc.) and stir until they’re evenly distributed.

Pour batter into the pan, and spread evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Once finished, remove from the oven and let the brownies cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Cut them into however many pieces in whatever sizes you’d like. Decorate with frosting and Halloween-themed treats.

Nacho Jack-o’-Lantern Ingredients

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar 3 tbsp. minced onions 2 tbsp. prepared salsa (Your favorite kind will do) 2 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. minced jalapeno (without seeds, unless you want it spicy) 12 Doritos, original flavor, crushed 1 nice-looking stem of a bell pepper (Reserve the pepper for another use) Black bean chips, crackers, or crudite, for serving

Directions 1.

2.

3.

Put the cream cheese, cheddar, onions, salsa, cumin, and jalapeno into the bowl of a mixer, and blend thoroughly. Form into a pumpkin-like shape, and refrigerate until firm for about 2 hours.

Before serving, roll the cheese ball in the crushed Doritos. Arrange the cheese ball on a plate, and press the bell pepper stem into the top; it should like a mini pumpkin stem.

You can serve the pumpkin as is or break off pieces of black bean chips to form a Jack-o’-lantern face. The chip pieces should adhere to the pumpkin cheese ball if you gently press them onto it, but you can also stick them on using a very small dab of the cheese ball mixture on the back of the black bean chip features; this will act like glue. Serve the cheese ball with black bean chips, crackers, or crudites.

Courtesy of The Cooking Channel

1.

1 tbsp. prepared chocolate frosting 24 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped 24 Nilla wafer cookies 24 peanut butter chips

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 19

Arts and Entertainment

NYC

Your Guide to the Haunted Places Near Stuy

By CHELSEA CHEUNG

New York City’s historical spots all contribute to its unique story. Near Stuyvesant, there is an abundance of spooky landmarks. A number of them may even be the places that you happen to pass by daily, but don’t think twice about. The next time you happen to stroll by any of these sites, remember that there is more than what meets the eye.

Tweed Courthouse 52 Chambers St., New York, NY 10007

Courtesy of PGS Millwork, Inc.

If you are a frequent visitor of Chinatown, you may have noticed a building with a facade that nearly matches that of the Pantheon’s. The New York County Courthouse, better known as the Tweed Courthouse, is known for having been the location of shoots in several films, from “The Godfather” (1972) to “Goodfellas” (1990).

Having housed the Supreme Court until 1921 and the City Court until 1961, the building no longer functions as a courthouse today. Instead, it serves as the headquarters for the Department of Education and is also the site of a public school on the first floor.

What you may not know, however, is that the Tweed Courthouse is notorious for being haunted by William Tweed’s ghost.

Following a history of duplicitous business deals, Tweed embezzled millions of dollars as the commissioner of the courthouse’s construction in 1861, having asked for “32 to 56 times” the original budget, according to The New York Times. The scandal was later revealed to the public, and Tweed was soon convicted in his own courthouse. After being sentenced to a year of prison, attempting to escape on a Spanish ship, and then ultimately failing, Tweed was sent to a jailhouse which he later died in.

On the paranormal side of things, the sightings of Tweed’s ghost have come from various staff in the courthouse.

One case comes from a night watch, who reports having witnessed odd shadows in the hallways. The night watch that later replaced him confirmed the paranormal activity, deeming the building as “haunted” by his ghost.

City Hall Park

St. Paul’s Chapel

Courtesy of Trinity Wall Street

Courtesy of Wired New York

COS

Courtesy of Cos

43 Park Row, New York, NY 10038

129 Spring St., New York, NY 10012

City Hall Park, a wide open space adorned with benches and a large water fountain right in the center, was not always as pretty or welcoming as it is today. Before becoming a park, the space was occupied by two British prisons during the American Revolution.

One of the prisons, Bridewell, considered among the top deplorable prisons during the war, had no windows while it detained hundreds of Patriots who were left to die of starvation. Moreover, its gruesome history dates back before the Revolution when it was a burial ground for thousands of slaves who came from the slave market located nearby, what we know as Wall Street today.

From the Doctor’s Riot in 1788, where medical students illegally obtained the bones of corpses as a source for their anatomical dissections, to even now, bones have been consistently unearthed in the area. They have been reported to have accidentally been discovered during City Hall’s renovations in the nineties, and in recent years, Chrysalis archeologists allegedly excavated dozens.

Located in SOHO, Collection of Style, or COS, is a sister store of H&M. But what separates this store from many others in New York City is that the first thing you notice when you enter the men’s department on the lower floor is a brick well distinctly juts out of one of its walls.

This 200-year-old well is the site of the unsolved murder of Elma Sands, who was found dead in the well 11 days after having disappeared to elope with her romantic interest, Levi Weeks.

Later forgotten, the well was rediscovered in 1954 when the property was bought by Maria Dagrossa for her restaurant, Manhattan Bistro. Though Dagrossa told the Wall Street Journal she was “unconvinced” of paranormal activity, the Travel Channel dubbed the well as one of their “10 Most Haunted Places in America.” It is believed that Sands’s ghost still lingers to haunt the well to seek revenge on her murderer, allegedly Levi Weeks, himself.

Though evidently no longer a restaurant, paranormal enthusiasts and fashionistas alike have flocked to the COS store in hopes of seeing her ghost.

Playlist

209 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 Found near the Fulton Street Station, St. Paul’s Chapel is Manhattan’s oldest standing church. What lies behind this landmark, however, is a separate phenomenon: British actor George Frederick Cooke’s burial.

The ringing peculiarity of his burial is essentially that Cooke is buried without what most consider an essential part to a body—the head. When fellow actor Edmund Kean wanted to pay his respect to Cooke, the body was dug up ten years after the initial burial. However, the handling of the body after it was removed from the vault caused it to be severely disfigured, and one thing leading to another, Cooke’s head ended up in the hands of a man named Dr. Francis. Too coincidentally, a “Hamlet” show benefit was that evening.

According to Dr. Francis’s account in Britain’s literary magazine during that time, “Hamlet” still needed a skull prop and received Cooke’s. Ever since, legend has it that Cooke’s ghost wanders around the chapel in search of his missing anatomy.

Have A Fangtastic Halloween!

“What kind of music do mummies listen to? Wrap.”

Whether you’re taking artsy pictures in a pumpkin patch or going to some lit halloween parties this year, we’ve got you covered. From Stevie Wonder to G-Eazy, this playlist won’t get any boos! We hope you get your groove on and have a Halloween that’s filled with quality candy and frightful times.

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

“Riverside” (2010) Agnes Obel Singer-songwriter

“I Put A Spell On You” (1955) Screamin’ Jay Hawkins R&B

“Superstition” (1972) Stevie Wonder Soul

“Saw It Coming” (2016) G-Eazy Hip-hop

“She Wolf” (2009) Shakira Pop

“Little Susie” (1995) Michael Jackson Pop

“Somebody’s Watching Me” (1984) Rockwell Pop

“Time In A Bottle” (1973) Jim Croce Folk Rock

“Maneater” (2006) Nelly Furtado Pop

“Monster Mash” (1962) Bobby “Boris” Pickett Pop Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

Page 20

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Arts and Entertainment

Crossword

Trick or Treat (or Solve)

ACROSS 2. Is it really just a person wrapped in toilet paper? Be honest...

3. Orange gourd 5. Pumpkins with scary faces carved out 7. Where vampires sleep 8. When confronted with a problem, he really likes to sink his teeth into it 9. Lupin 11. It’s bad luck if they cross your path...

13. Eight-legged hairy, scary creatures 14. He’s the grim one 20. The risen dead 21. Answers all our deepest questions in all the weirdest ways; senior Kate Johnston’s character in Soph-Frosh SING!

DOWN 1. Often an ominous, foreboding sign from the clouds...

2. Scary creature; “______ Mash” 4. Synonym for “evil” 6. Month of Halloween!

10. “I’ll miss you most of all.”

12. You gotta wear one on Halloween!

13. The decomposed body; bones 15. Where the dead hang out 16. What we say when we want candy 17. A song by Beyoncé and a movie starring Kate Beckinsale; what your house becomes when a ghost lives there 18. German for “Noisy Ghost” 19. Crazy scientist who creates new life, but not how he expected... may be especially familiar to some freshmen

ANSWERS Down 1. THUNDER 2. MONSTER 4. MALEVOLENT 6. OCTOBER 10. SCARECROW 12. COSTUME 13. SKELETON 15. CEMETERY 16. TRICKORTREAT 17. HAUNTED 18. POLTERGEIST 19. FRANKENSTEIN

Get a Life: The Cultured Edition

21. OUIJABOARD Across 2. MUMMY 3. PUMPKIN 5. JACKOLANTERNS 7. COFFIN 8. DRACULA 9. WEREWOLF 11. BLACKCAT 13. SPIDER 14. REAPER 20. ZOMBIE

Calendar

19

31

ONGOING Art Show “Insecurities: Tracing Displacement and Shelter” @ Museum of Modern Art Play “The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA he Negro Book of the Dead” @ Signature Theatre Play “The Cherry Orchard” @ American Airlines Theatre FESTIVAL NYC Comedy Festival” @ Select Locations until 11/6/2016 Film Screening “Big Apple Film Festival” @ Village East Cinemas until 11/5/2016 Musical “Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812” @ Imperial Theatre PLAY “‘Master Harold’...and the boys” @ Signature Theatre

MONDAY

Concert “Halloween + Spell 10” Release for Emily Red @ Shea Stadium Concert “Brooklyn Bazaar Halloween” @ Brooklyn Bazaar

Saturday

10

5

Thursday

Saturday

Film Screening “DOC Documentary Film Festival” @ Select Locations until 11/17/2016

Festival “World Culture Festival: Epic Stories” @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Festival “New York At Its Core Opening Party: Gotham Groove” @ Museum of the City of New York until 11/20/2016

Parade “Village Halloween Parade” @ 6th Avenue North of Spring St. to 16th St.

October

November

Theater “Halloween 313” @ 313 Clinton Avenue Film Midnight Showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” @ Chelsea Cinépolis Haunted House “Blood Manor” @ 163 Varick Street

4 Friday

Performance Art “DISTORTED DIZNEE, HALLOWEEN & KRISTMESS” @ The Laurie Beechman Theater Haunted Attraction “Lights Out Nights!” @ Blood Manor until 11/5/2016

9 Wednesday

Film Screening “New York City Horror Film Festival” @ Chelsea Cinépolis until 11/12/2016

12 Wednesday

Festival “New Women Print & Zine Fest” @ New Women Space

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 21

Arts and Entertainment Film

Train to Busan

An Inspiring Tale of Man Emerging From the Rubble

By SARAH KIM South Korea’s film industry is notoriously conservative. A quick glance at the highest-grossing Korean films in the past few years shows why: practically all of the top 50 are either family-friendly melodramas or nationalistic films drawing on events from the Japanese occupation or Korean War. It’s almost as if Korean directors have figured out a formula for drawing in viewers and believe that diverging from this formula will ensure a box-office flop. In fact, the number of successful horror movies made in South Korea can be counted on one hand.

The film offers a social critique on the elitism in Korean society.

With this in mind, the incredible success of the avant-garde zombie horror flick “Train to Busan” this summer seems unimaginable. The film debuted at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 13 and has placed as the 11th highest grossing film in Korean history.

The debut at Cannes piqued interest in Korea, where the movie became the first Korean film of 2016 to draw 10 million people to the theaters (about one-fifth of the entire Korean population). The popularity at home led to the movie’s international distribution. The quick success of the film after its release in America on July 22 even triggered a bidding war for the remake, with big names such as Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox among the top contenders.

Written and directed by Yeon Sang Ho, a director with no prior experience with live-action film, the thrilling film follows a father (Gong Yoo) and his daughter (Soo An Kim) on a bullet train ride from Seoul Station to Busan and the fight for survival against a zombie attack on the train.

Interactions between the pair and the other frightened train passengers make way for unlikely alliances, sacrifices, and, on occasion, fights, with the the train as a microcosm of society. The lead character and his motley crew of a strong workingclass husband and a teen baseball player, work together to save people from the zombies, although the passengers with selfish interests nullify their numerous selfless sacrifices, causing the preventable deaths of innocent people.

A small detail that is most telling about

the film is that the passengers are more repelled by a homeless man on the train than the zombies themselves. The film offers a social critique on the elitism in Korean society. As the film unfolds, it becomes increasingly more difficult to tell whether the real monsters are the zombies, who arguably have no control over their actions, or the self-centered humans.

The clever use of the train makes the plot fresh. Every inch of the cramped train is used as a hiding spot or mechanism to trick the zombies; ordinary bathrooms, luggage compartments, and small spaces between the train cars become sites of epic battles.

The train transports the passengers and the zombies to other cities, a plot device that not only spreads the zombie epidemic to other parts of Korea, but also allows for a change from the small rotation of characters getting the spotlight.

In contrast to the American interpretation of the zombie, these zombies operate on sight and hearing, not by scent. This allows the passengers to outmaneuver the zombies in creative ways, such as dashing through a packed zombie car while the train is in complete darkness in the tunnel. These zombies also seem to resemble the living more than the dead, wearing the same clothes as the humans. Only their strange stagger and glazed eyes set them apart, highlighting that they were once human.

The passengers on this train are more repelled by a homeless man than they are by the zombies.

Impeccable editing and acting, minimal use of computer graphics, astonishingly detailed zombie makeup, and the convoluted yet strong storyline makes the film less slipshod, as is characteristic of practically all Korean zombie movies, and more electrifying.

The social commentary through the use of the zombie metaphor is likely what made the film so uncharacteristically successful in Korea. The passengers that preserve themselves over others end up with horribly gruesome fates, and only those with the purest intentions survive.

Although some perfectly good people do become zombified, the film prods our consciences and stresses the importance of cooperation and altruism in the face of a seemingly undefeatable threat.

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

An Unexpectedly Blood-Tingling Ride

Tunnel

By SARAH KIM “Tunnel” tells the story of one man, Jung-soo Lee (Jung Woo Ha), struggling to stay alive in his car under the rubble of a collapsed tunnel. Directed by Kim Seonghun, the film opened in South Korea on August 10, 2016, and fared well at the box office, becoming the 31st highest grossing film in Korea.

The film did particularly well in the United States, currently still maintaining a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The storyline is neither complicated nor groundbreaking; the idea of humans getting stuck under mountains is popular in both real life and in cinema. (The American “The 33,” for example, is based on the true story of Chilean miners getting trapped underground.)

However, it is the execution of the film that makes it so unique.

The film does more than just poke fun at the media—it scathingly criticizes the media’s viewer-driven nature and manipulation of facts. The news vans parked in front of the collapsed tunnel block the emergency vehicles, and hungry reporters waste Jung-soo’s precious cell phone battery by calling him for an exclusive interview to air live. The reporters care more about catching a good story than saving the human that makes their story.

The film also provides a similar critique on the excessively financially-driven government. After a drilling blunder, the government officials waste time trying to decide whether it is worth it to start the rescue effort again. The head of the rescue effort has to remind them that they are talking about a human life.

The investigation of the cause of the tunnel collapse adds to the commentary, as it is revealed that the construction was slapdash in order to save time and money and that there were dozens of other tunnels in South Korea built the same way.

Despite these weighty criticisms, there are many unexpected light moments peppered throughout the heavy story.

Moments of humor usually seem forced within disaster stories like this one, but Kim welds the comedy and catastrophe perfectly.

For example, the important scene in

which Jung-soo calls 911 after the initial collapse is filled with hilarious disorder above ground, a clumsy new paramedic causing chaos in the background while the head of the rescue effort gets important information from Jung-soo.

A downside to the film is its length— the two-hour film starts to feel a little slow towards the end, as we only see what’s happening underground for about a half hour after Jung-soo’s car battery dies; he loses connection to the radio station through which he communicated with the rescuers. However, it’s important to remember that this may have been intentional to show how claustrophobic Jung-soo must have felt under the collapsed tunnel, not knowing whether anyone was still trying to save him.

In any case, the overall quality of acting, epic plot twist at the climax, and touching ending make up for the pace.

The film is less an exciting thriller, but more a story of character development through calamity.

Perhaps what made the film so popular is how ordinary the characters and situations were. The main character is an auto-dealer driving home with a birthday cake for his daughter. The gas station at which Jung-soo stops just before he enters the tunnel gives him two complimentary water bottles that end up keeping him alive.

Small details like these act as reminders that catastrophes can pounce on any of us, and we should not take anything for granted. It’s easy to distance the scenes of a movie from our own lives, but this film captured the reality of such situations and the terrifying prospects so well that we are left with the imperative of remembering how lucky we are to be alive and surrounded by people with whom we can laugh, eat, and even complain.

The success of “Tunnel” at the box office in the United States may also have been due in some part to the lack of AsianAmerican representation in Hollywood.

With fewer Asian faces in American media, many viewers have turned to international movies.

Switching to international films may be a viable temporary solution to the representation problem, but for now, the South Korean film industry isn’t complaining.

The film is less an exciting thriller, but more a story of character development through calamity.

Page 22

Humor

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.

Trump Dresses Up as Legit Candidate for Halloween

By Ved Patel

Fahim Rahman / The Spectator

On October 31, 2016, a day known to many as Halloween, people dress up in costumes to pretend to be things they are not. Many people dress up as really scary things, like vampires, college admissions officers, zombies, and the SAT. This year, the bar has been raised with the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and his absolutely terrifying costume. Trump is well known throughout the country, and the world, as one of the craziest politicians for his bigotry, racism and sexism among other things.

For Halloween, however, Trump has shocked the world.

Instead of attending his usual rallies, Trump went to an actual press conference and answered questions from the media, such as “How will we kick start the economy?” with valid responses like “Introducing tax reforms to promote private sector growth and employment creation.”

After the press conference, Trump decided to hit the streets, not to exercise his Second Amendment rights but to speak out against racism, calling it a “plague upon our nation” and “a disease we must eradicate.”

Not only that, but Trump also advocated for the rights of women in the workplace by promising to enact laws which would give

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women the same pay and the same rights as men.

Everyone was shocked to see Trump do a complete turnaround and run a legitimate campaign.

Some believed this was going to lead to true change.

“I think he’s finally decided to square up and be a legitimate candidate. He might be better than George H. W. Bush!” exclaimed junior Jake Zaia while he ripped up posters that read “Hillary for President.”

However, alumnus Taiga Tase (‘16) has said, “This is no permanent change. Deep inside, Trump really knows what is best for his campaign: Making America Great Again.”

The Spectator ● October 31, 2016

Page 23

Sports Girls’ Volleyball

Vixens Undefeated

By Sam Merrick

Boys’ Soccer

Following a tough 3-1 loss to Frederick Douglass Academy (FDA), the boys’ soccer team’s playoff surge continued on October 15 with a 4-1 win over Columbia Secondary School, a performance the team was ecstatic about. The Peglegs are currently in third place in their division, just ahead of Washington Irving High School. With only one game left in the season, the playoff race is heating up. The Peglegs are fighting for a top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs, “Overall we’ve had a really solid season so far. We could go to the quarterfinals, which would be the best we’ve done in about four or five years,” senior and co-captain Niko CruzMarstead said. Their record right now (7-4), is one of the best Stuyvesant has put up in recent years. If they win their next game, they will top last season’s 8-5 record.

The most impressive part of the Peglegs’ record is how they’ve been able to maintain a high level of play in the top division in PSAL. In fact, half of their losses this season come from one team, Martin Luther King Jr.

Talia Kirshenbaum delivers a spike for the Vixens.

junior Kristina Kim, with 18 digs (a play that keeps an opposing attack in play with a pass), and senior and co-captain Maddie Ostergaard, who is currently seventh in the league for aces as well as for assists.

With just a few games left

Cross Country

Peglegs Chase High Seed in Playoffs

By Tahsin Ali and Ronin Berzins

James Young / The Spectator

“Bring it in, girls,” coach Vasken Choubaralian said to the girls’ volleyball team, the Vixens, following their warm up.

The group stopped its bumping and setting and gathered to talk about the upcoming schedule.

The girls were in good spirits, but they listened to Choubaralian’s announcements with a seriousness and attentiveness that reflected their outlook going into the second half of the season.

Fresh off of a win against Bard High School the day before, the Vixens were happy to extend their undefeated record in league play. They beat their two toughest competitors, Lab Museum United (4-1) and Seward Park High School (2-2), earlier in the season, winning both games 2-0.

Despite the Vixens’ victories, they are disappointed in their performances against some of the teams. “It’s been frustrating for us in the past two weeks.

There have been some really bad games in between the good ones,” Choubaralian said. The games in which they played well happened to be against the two better teams, so the Vixens were able to maintain their undefeated record.

The Vixens have also competed in tournaments this season, which are games played against schools outside of their Manhattan A league. Some of these teams are expected to be top seeds in playoffs. “We play harder in tournaments because we have to step it up to compete with other really strong schools,” senior and co-captain Chloé Delfau said.

The team sees these as opportunities to be challenged and identify what needs improvement. “League games are a great time for us to work on our skills without too much pressure and for rookies to get some [...] experience,” Delfau said.

One of the Vixens’ main competitors during non-league games was Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, which beat the Vixens 3-0 on October 4.

Stuyvesant played them again on October 15, losing the two semifinal sets in the tournament 25-21 and 25-23. While the Vixens have dominated in their league, they will need to be able to beat teams like Cardozo to make a deep playoff run.

To improve, the Vixens are mostly working on ball control: serving, receiving opposing serves, and general defense play. “Once we can do that, we can then focus on altering our offense [so] we can run different types of plays,” Choubaralian said.

A large part of the Vixens’ success thus far can be attributed to the attitude of the players.

“Everyone on the team really wants to do well,” sophomore Ally Archer said. “We haven’t been able to play as [well] as our potential. What we really need to focus on for the next half of the season is our consistency.”

Archer has seen a lot of playing time recently, as she is one of many who stepped up to help fill the roles of the players who left last year. With 22 kills (a play that scores a point for the team) on the season so far, she looks to carry her team to future wins.

Other players who have made substantial contributions to their team’s success include

High School, which is the favorite to win the championships this year, as it does almost every year.

But after the Peglegs’ loss to FDA, their playoff run will be more difficult than expected. At press time, the Peglegs are yet to play their final game, which is set for October 26 against Washington Irving, which is trailing the Peglegs. If they win, they are guaranteed to make the playoffs. If they lose, they could be knocked out.

“It’s still pretty much guaranteed that we make the playoffs, but we’ll play a much higher seed, which will make it a lot more difficult to advance,” senior and co-captain Noah Fichter said. If the Peglegs win the final game, the competition will not be as tough, but they have proven they can win against many of the top teams in the division.

If the team can complete its already successful season on a strong note, it will look to improve on last year’s playoff run, where it was eliminated in the first round. High seed or not, the Peglegs are confident in facing powerhouse teams, and are ready to make noise as the underdogs in the playoffs this year.

in the season, the Vixens are working hard to improve their performance. Finishing strong will give them momentum for the postseason, where they’ll be playing better teams under greater pressure.

Update: At press time, the Vixens have won three more games, giving them a 9-0 record with three more games left in the regular season.

Greyducks Gear Up for City Championships

By Michael Gillow and Jeremy Rubin The Stuyvesant Greyducks are looking to carry their momentum forward after a promising meet at the Marty Lewis Borough Challenge at Van Cortlandt Park on October 15.

Both the girls’ and boys’ teams ran in the five kilometer (5k) race, and they both looked strong relative to recent years.

Running at Boudoin, a notoriously difficult course, the girls’ team finished with an average time of 22:38, five seconds ahead of their time at the City Championships last year. The boys’ team also recorded a topflight performance, with five runners clocking in times under 19:00.

Sophomore Clara Mohri had the best time for the Greyducks, a 21:13 which was good for 19th overall at the meet. Senior and co-captain Catie Breen also had a notable performance, as her time of 21:25 put her two spots behind Mohri. The boys’ team shined as well, with five runners of the seven total varsity runners placing in the top fifty spots overall out of a total of 134 runners. The top time from the boys’ team was a 17:45 run

by Harvey Ng, which was 13th

place overall. Each team earned fifth place in their respective competitions.

After this impressive start, Breen had nothing but optimism for the season ahead.

“Even though we [were] missing our top runner, [senior] Zovinar

“The varsity team’s average time, 22:38, is faster than any we’ve seen in the past few years.”

—Catie Breen, senior and co-captain.

Khrimian, we have a solid top five and the varsity team’s average time, 22:38, is faster than any we’ve seen in the past few years,” Breen said.

The team is buoyed by the fact that, this early in the sea-

son, it has already beaten its City Championships time from last year. “We have a deeper team than ever before thanks to talented sophomores Clara Mohri, Vivian Cribb, Jocelyn Tang, and Tiffany Zhong, and a promising freshman team,” Breen said.

The boys have high hopes for the season as well. They only lost six runners to graduation and have many returning members, so the team remains formidable. The team still appears strong when comparing it to other rival schools, including Brooklyn Technical High School and Midwood High School, which “have a few good runners but aren’t deep,” senior and cocaptain Gregory Dudick said.

Even with this promising start, the team knows it can do better. “[We] are all eager for the chance to run another 5K,” Dudick said. The boys’ were also without their best runner, senior and co-captain Kiyan Tavangar, who was out of the event with shin splints but will return to help his team chase the City Championship on November 12.

“If everyone runs up to their potential, we should have a great chance to win and run some fast times individually,” Tavangar said.

October 31, 2016

Page 24

The Spectator SpoRts

Sports Editorial

Defending Our Home Turf, Pier 40

CALENDAR

November

4

Friday

5

Courtesy of Hudson River Park

Varsity Football vs.

George Washington High School Pier 40

By Max Onderdonk and Dean Steinman We smiled as we laced up our cleats and took our positions on the field. It was good to be back, to start fall ball after a long summer break. We often take the space for granted, but we appreciate Pier 40’s familiarity and the opportunities it gives us.

What we didn’t know on that first day back was that the pier is in dire need of repair. It is slowly dying.

A mile from Stuyvesant High School, Pier 40 has been the home field for thousands of students at Stuyvesant. It serves as an oasis, a place where we can momentarily step away from the arduous Stuyvesant workload and practice things we are passionate about.

The pier stands on 3,500 wooden pilings, but these pilings are rotting each day. With the city refusing to pay the repair cost of approximately 100 million dollars, the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), which controls the pier, is looking to obtain the funds necessary for the renovation elsewhere.

Recently, the HRPT drew up a deal with St. John’s Terminal, which is a seven-block-long development east of the West Side Highway from Leroy Street to Spring Street. In exchange for $100 million, the HRPT will transfer 200,000 square feet of air rights to the developers of St. John’s Terminal, who are planning to use the space to build affordable housing, an office or a hotel, and retail outlets.

The City Council will vote on the plan on November 9.

The proposal has received opposition from locals, who worry that the development will overwhelm the neighborhood, bringing “big box” retail and unnecessary traffic (the developers plan to create 772 new parking spots).

But we urge the City Council to accept this plan. Pier 40 is a staple for our community, and obtaining the funds necessary for its preservation is crucial.

We also urge the HRPT to spend the $100 million on repairing the pier, which it is not legally

required to do. “[The HRPT] could decide to build up offices [or] take away the downstairs fields,” said Greenwich Village Little League (GVLL) President Michael Schneider, who is also the father of former Stuyvesant Pegleg Max Schneider (‘16).

If the HRPT spend the funds for causes other than fixing the pilings under Pier 40, or if the deal does not go through at all, people like Michael Schneider would be faced with the duty of reorganizing an entire athletic program. GVLL games would have to be relocated to venues such as Central Park, Randall’s Island, or Governor’s Island, which are far less convenient for many of the league’s members, 90 percent of whom live between Canal and 23rd street.

These youth programs are fundamental for neighborhood families. “Little league is important for opening kids’ eyes up to sports. It’s a great way to make friends initially, and there’s no other place where I had this sense of camaraderie in such an intense way as I’ve felt on a sports team,” said sophomore Ruby Gary, who has been playing in the GVLL since she was nine. Gary, currently on Stuyvesant’s softball team, is just one of many student-athletes who has cultivated her skills at the pier’s facilities prior to joining a high school team.

For example, senior and boys’ soccer captain Laszlo Sandler has played at Pier 40 for a number of years as part of the Downtown United Soccer Club. “The fact that [the pier] is so close is what helps foster the development of kids who play from a young age,” Sandler said. If someone has to travel really far [to play], they’re not going to fall in love with the sport, no matter what sport it is.”

Losing the pier would force many teams to practice indoors, something soccer and softball coach Vincent Miller says will have an effect on the performance of each team. “[We] won’t be able to prepare the same [way],” he said. “It’s been a big help in preparing for game-time situations, which is something that can’t be done

indoors.”

Any day during the fall or spring, it’s common to see the fields filled with Stuyvesant athletes; soccer and football players sharing the field in the fall, and lacrosse, softball, and baseball players using the fields in the spring. Many appreciate not only the pier’s amenities, but also the camaraderie they find there.

“It feels like the Stuyvesant pier,” senior and Stuyvesant soccer team captain Brigit Bacon-Blaber said. “A lot of the time when we’re all there— boys’ [soccer], girls’ [soccer], the football team—it’s as if we’re all playing together.”

Pier 40 brings people closer; athletes of all ages take advantage of the public space and start pickup games with total strangers. “It’s the only field that’s really accessible to everyone, and it’s the only field [where] we can go and there’ll be space to play [outside of practice],” junior and Stuyvesant soccer player Sunny Levitis said.

Pier 40 is also home to the Pier 40 Baseball organization, which runs summer camps, afterschool programs, and an elite travel baseball team, called the Gothams. The organization is run by many reputable coaches, like Francisco Perez, who played professional baseball for the Seattle Mariners, and spends a majority of his time running programs at Pier 40 for kids of all ages.

“In the summer, there are day camps—anywhere from 60 to 110 kids there. During school, we run fall after school program—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday,” Perez said. “[It] is an essential park, [likely the] second most-used park in the city. [Closing] will affect everybody downtown from Hell’s Kitchen down to Battery Park City,” he said.

Pier 40 plays an integral role in the athletic experiences of thousands of people around New York City, from students at Stuyvesant to little leaguers to professional athletes. Losing the pier wouldn’t just be losing a field; it would be losing a second home.

7

Monday

Saturay Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country Citywide Freshman/Sophomore Championships Van Cortlandt Park

Boys’ Fencing vs.

Long Island City Long Island City

9

Wednesday

12

Saturday

Varsity and Junior Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country City Championships Van Cortlandt Park

Junior Varsity Girls’ Volleyball vs.

A. Philip Randolph Campus High School Home

13 Sunday

Junior Varsity Football vs.

Alfred E. Smith Campus Alfred E. Smith Campus

WRAPUP The Mimbas, Stuyvesant’s girls’ soccer team, Won their last regular game of the season against Bard High School Early College 1-0, leaving them with a 6-5 record.

In the playoff bracket, Stuyvesant’s girls’ swimming team, the Penguins, is seeded first. The team finished its regular season with an Undefeated 10-0 record. Francis Lewis, which the Penguins lost to in the last round of playoffs last year, did not make the playoffs this season.

The boys’ badminton team Won all five rounds of its last two games, one on October 17 against Dr. Susan S. Mckinney School of Art and another on October 19 against Martin L. King Jr. Educational Campus.