Laguna Blanca School - 4125 Paloma Drive - Santa Barbara - California - 93110
Volume XIX
Surfing Legend Shaun Tomson Featured AS THINK NOW Speaker By SCOTT JOHNSTON
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usinessman, author, inspirational speaker, world champion, and father. These are all words one could use to describe surfing legend and co-producer of the film “Bustin’ Down the Door,” Shaun Tomson. As a part of the Think Now series, Laguna Blanca invited Mr. Tomson to speak to the community about the movie, his experiences as a surfer, and how he got to where he is today. The event started off by showing a few clips from the movie put together by Laguna Blanca headmaster, and surfer himself, Mr. Paul Slocombe. Mr. Tomson said the movie “told a story of a group of young guys with a dream.” This dream was to bring surfing to the forefront of society and have people notice a sport which many, at the time, had no experience with. Mr. Tomson said he hoped the movie would reach young people in the same way that surfing reached him when he was young. Mr. Tomson’s inspiration and drive in life came from his parents. He said that no matter what happened, they “always had faith and optimism about life.” Mr. Tomson spoke about his experiences as a young surfer and how they shaped who he is today. He told the story of a time when he surfed the Banzai Pipeline for the first time as a teenager, saying he experienced “absolute fear.” Although he said he was terrified, he also made a point of saying how it helped him grow as a person. “That fear allows you to find courage in yourself… and no matter how hard you get drilled, you have this reserve of courage.” Mr. Tomson found his valor through his passion, surfing. He also commented on the importance of this bravery in his life. He told the story about when he nearly shut down his business during tough times, but he decided against it as he couldn’t give up all he had worked for.
Friday, February 25, 2013
www.thefourthestate.net
Issue 4
Visual and Performing Arts Collaborate By ZOE SERBIN
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ery few events bring together the entire Hope Ranch community – Jogathon, club fair, theater productions – but on Jan. 17, the Visual Arts and Performing Arts Departments came together to unveil one more bridge between students: the “Imagine Project.” The collaborative event, which featured performances from students in Middle School Band, Upper School Band, Jazz Band, String Ensemble, Theater students, and the photography and visual arts classes, was presented to students at the Hope Ranch campus. Students poured into the Spaulding Auditorium to listen to different renditions of John Lennon’s “Imagine” as well as a written word piece directed by junior Margaret Lazarovits. Members of the Drama Club, including juniors Allison Towbes and Erica Keane, freshman Beatrice Tolan, and Theater Arts Instructor Ms.
Kate Bergstrom recited a compilation of pieces submitted from faculty members Ms. Staci Richard, Ms. Izabela Santos, Ms. Trish McHale, and Ms. Kate Bergstrom which highlighted their reactions and sentiments regarding the shooting of Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai and why educating girls is important. “Ms. Bergstrom’s friend wrote the poem [that Erica read] which was based on the idea of imagining a world with a better chance for women’s education,” said junior Margaret Lazarovits. The project was the result of Music Instructor Ms. Laura Geier’s vision “I wanted to do something with Ms. Anaya where artists would paint live while [the musicians] play. “When I heard Herbie Hancock’s album “The Imagine Project,” I thought that it would be a great opportunity for the students to create their own arrangements,” Ms. Geier said.
Alumni Return to Participate in the Annual Alumni College Panel By JESSIE DUSEBOUT The underclassmen who are yet to be exposed to the college application process eagerly listened, the juniors clung to every word as they know they will soon be thrust into this daunting process of applying to college, and the seniors yearned for the quickly approaching day when they too will be able to share the stories that the visiting alumni were reflecting upon. The alumni who spoke in Spaulding Auditorium were Jessie Ditmore ’10 (Vassar College), Jake Bartlein ’11 (Rodger Williams University), Maddy Stephens ’11 (Chapman University), Layla Christian ’11 (University of Puget Sound), and Morgan Raith ’12 (Middlebury College).
Continued on Page 3
Director of College Counseling Dr. Karl Revells started the event by asking the visiting alums questions about college life, experiences, and advice. “No one else knows anyone either, you’re all in the same boat,” said Jessie in response to what students should do the first few weeks of college. Jake added, “Temporarily leave your high school friends behind... you want to get to know the new people around you.” “The situation is what you make it,” said Morgan who took a semester off to travel to India through the Outdoor Leadership School NOLS Program. COLLEGE ADVICE: Maddy Stephens ‘11 smiles as she shares with the Upper School students about her college experiences and gives her insights about the college application process.
PHOTO: TARA BROUQSAULT
A Look Inside the Science Fair Keynote speaker Dr. Andrea Ghez, an astronomer and professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. Page 2.
Students at Hollister Ranch AP Biology and Marine Science classes study organisms, structures, and plants that live in the tide pools Page 3.
PHOTOS: LAGUNA BLANCA PHOTO FILE
CREATIVITY AND INSPIRATION: (Top) Bill Mortensen, Helena Davila, and Anastasia Antonova play “Imagine” in front of a slideshow of student photography (Bottom) John Puzder and Chandler Aubrey play a musical piece as Bella Taron and Courtney O’Donnell paint the “Imagine” canvas in the background. The songs were accompanied by students from Ms. Delphine Anaya’s Middle and Upper School Visual Arts classes. During the musi-
cal performances, artists painted on a giant canvas behind the musicians, to reveal the word “Imagine” silhouetted in negative space.
Students Form a Club and Reach Out to Survivors of Genocide
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ccording to historians, the Rwandan Genocide ended in 1994. But as Ms. Rebecca Tinsley pointed out, it’s not over yet. A journalist and human rights activist who founded “Network 4 Africa,” Ms. Tinsley has spent most of her life advocating for the rights of African citizens who have lived in an oppressive environment. When speaking with Social Science Instructor Ms. Martha Elliott’s Roots of Modern Conflict class, Ms. Tinsley explained how for almost 20 years, the Hutus—some of the first Rwandans who settled in Central Africa—have been subjected to the authoritarian rule of the Tutsi, who settled in Central Africa hundreds of years later. In an effort to launch a national movement in support of the thousands of Rwandans suffering from the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, Ms. Tinsley has partnered with Laguna Blanca to form “Youth Network 4 Africa,” a non-profit organization that raises funds to “work with communities torn apart
By DARIA ETEZADI by war and genocide.” “Listening to her speak has definitely made me more aware of America’s impact on Africa. I think that people need to step away and look at the issues from different sides because as Americans we sometimes only get one point of view,” said senior Courtney O’Donnell. Currently, Youth Network 4 Africa is offering trauma counseling
PHOTO: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA
A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST:Ms. Rebecca Tinsley returned to campus to speak to students about “Youth Network 4 Africa.”
Poetry Out Loud
What Will Happen to the Arts After Funding Cuts?
US students participate in Poetry Out Loud competition. Page 4.
Artist define a generation and leave a cultural legacy. Page 6
Internet Addiction Is an Epidemic “The Santa Barbara B-24 Disasters: A Chain of Tragedies Across Air, Land and Sea.”
Read about Bob Burtness’ fascinating novel. Page 5
“I was nervous about the timing because we had never had a runthrough but feel like it came together really well,” said Ms. Geier.
Are you spending too much time on the Internet? It’s an epidemic which has addicts in denial. Page 6.
The Full Frontal Golden Age Have television executives crossed the line with the explicit nudity in shows? Are women its targets? Page 7.
to survivors of this violence, in order to provide them with the resources necessary to help each other in the long road to emotional recovery. Among its many projects, is Aspire, which was started by Peace Ruzage and “equip[s] women with the knowledge, skills, esteem, friendship and confidence to become self-sufficient; this helps to improve their family’s standard of living while contributing positively to their community.” Youth Network 4 Africa is furthering Aspire’s mission by selling hand-woven baskets that take 40 hours to make, and necklaces strung from handmade beads constructed from recycled paper, which take 20 hours to make. “If only we had the humility to listen to what most Africans tell us they need, and the humility to find a messenger,” said Ms. Tinsley as she concluded her presentation and inspired dozens of students to reach out to those who endured the 1994 Genocide and still consider themselves to be “survivors, not victims.”
Driving High, a New Risk Page 7 A Culture of Violence Pages 8 & 9 He Said, She Said Page 10 Best of CES 2013 Page 11 Winter Sports Wrap Up Page 12 Upcoming Spring Sports Page 13 British Invasion Page 14 Going Gluten Free Page 15 Cutest Couple Page 16
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The News
February 25, 2013
A Look Inside the Science Fair
“I am so proud of the 148 kindergarten through eighth grade students who participated in the Science Fair this year. It is always fun to showcase student work!” Ms. Clara Svedlund LS Science & Environmental Studies Instructor
PHOTOS: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA & ASHLEY ZANGRILLO
SCIENCE FAIR EVENT: (Top Left) Amara Murphy, third grade: Watering Broccoli with Different Solutions; Gabriel Lea, first grade: Saturn; Torri McMullin, fifth grade: Elephant Toothpaste; Jasmine Alm and Kendall Keshen, first grade: Volcanoes; Portya Connolly (pictured) and Maria Amezaga, fourth grade: Pony Heart Rates; Vincent Cappello and Maria Amezaga (pictured) project by Vincent Cappello and Ben Newton, fourth grade: Parachutes; George and Madeleine Nicks, third grade: Closing The Circle; a curious group of students check out one of the exhibits.
Letter from the Editor
Editor-in-Chief Daria Etezadi Senior Editors Anastasia Antonova Olivia Berci Caitlin Connor Helena Davila Jessie Dusebout Zoe Serbin Photo Editor Anastasia Antonova Business Manager Karinna Carrillo COPY EDITOR Kaylee Strachan ArtistS Zoe Serbin Web masters Elijah Bittleston Edward Conk VIDEO EDITOR Miles Crist Staff MacKenna Connor Alex Hawker Scott Johnston Caty Lafitte Margaret Lazarovits Stephen McCaffery Kaylee Strachan Allison Lewis Towbes Kyle Van de Kamer
Dear Readers, I’ve been reading the news a lot more frequently these past couple weeks - not for any other reason than to become a more well-informed citizen of the world. I used to think that I’d feel empowered if I stayed up-to-date on current events - that somehow, knowing what was going on in the world around me would inspire me to get up and take action. But the more I tune into CNN in the mornings or listen to NPR while driving to school, the more I am reminded of all the reasons why I, in previous years, had consistently changed the channel and plugged in my playlist instead. This issue, The Fourth Estate staff explored all the violence that seems to have set the tone for the New Year. Between all the school shootings, the uprising of groups like “Anonymous,” and the War on Terror, it’s easy to feel helpless. As such, it came as no surprise when most of the student body wasn’t able to answer the questions on the “Global Awareness Poll,” (Page 7). We don’t turn on the news and absorb all the information we hear because if we did, our hearts would break into a million pieces over and over again. But while these past couple months seem to have been riddled with violent outbreaks, I’d urge you to look past the bleakness of it all and to remember the stories of people like Malala Yousafzai, who refuse to let their lives be defined and controlled by the corruption and chaos in this world. Let yourself be inspired by the courage of those who refuse to back down and continue to fight back. We can be the generation that lays the foundation for positive global change - not by letting the destruction crush our spirits, but by finding the silver lining and being the change we wish to see.
Daria Etezadi
Editor-in-Chief
Faculty Advisor Patricia McHale, MJE
Student newspaper of Laguna Blanca School • 4125 Paloma Drive • Santa Barbara, CA 93110 • www.thefourthestate.net
The Fourth Estate is a public forum for student expression. It is written and produced solely by the journalism students. It represents the voice of the students. It covers topics, issues, and opinions of relevance to the Laguna Blanca School community. The Fourth Estate welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and be no longer than 400 words.
Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and/or taste. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate publishes six issues per year, and prints 400 copies of each issue which are distributed to approximately 300 Middle and Upper School students, faculty, and staff. We mail issues to subscribers and advertisers, and exchange papers with high school journal-
ism classes across the country. The Fourth Estate accepts both print and online advertising in either black and white or color. Contact Karinna Carrillo at karinna.carrillo@gmail.com for information about advertising and subscriptions. “Follow” us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook. Visit our online paper for daily updates: www.thefourthestate. net.
The News
February 25, 2013
Biology Students Explore Hollister Ranch Tide Pools By JESSIE DUSEBOUT
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s the students stepped from the vans and began to scatter down to Hollister Ranch Beach, the creatures and organisms they had studied in their AP Biology and Marine Science classes began to come to life. Students were divided into small groups where they were accompanied by a teacher and a marine biology guide. In their small groups, they set out to explore the Hollister Ranch tide pools. Hollister Ranch is a 14,600 acre ranch community that has “succeeded in maintaining the spirit of Western exploration and adventure.” (hollisterranch.com). The afternoon was filled with discovering and learning about the different organisms, structures, and plants that live in the tide pools. Various species of starfish, sea urchins, sea anemones, and hermit crabs were observed.
Keeping the Hope A Venezuelan girl’s story of faith in the midst of oppression. By ALLISON LEWIS TOWBES Belen De Armero Lopez, an 18-year-old senior at Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, is one of hundreds of Venezuelan teens who are eager to talk about their country’s politics. While attending Boston University’s Summer Theatre Program this past summer I heard Belen deliver a passionate monologue, telling a group of American high school students about her life under the oppression of President Hugo Chávez. In October 2012, Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela and member of the Socialist Party, was reelected, defeating the Justice Party candidate Henrique Capriles. Chávez, who has been a controversial political figure since before his election in 1999, has led his country with an iron fist. Chávez has allied himself with world rulers such as Fidel Castro, Dictator of Cuba, and the Iranian President Ahmadinejad with whom Chávez stated his opposition against the United States. Currently set to serve his third term as president, many Venezuelans stand by their ailing president. For many others, however, the prospect of another six years under Chávez’s rule is daunting. Belen will turn 24 by the next election. “For the time I have lived, my country has not been a place of justice. It has not been a place of freedom,” said Belen, “We have such a beautiful country and it is incredible how it is going down the drain.... the economy gets worse every year and no money is getting put into the country, it is just being given away to other countries” Belen and her friends, the future of their country, are the ones who are speaking out. “The youth has...created movements and groups to try to make a change. I would say they are the ones who are most passionate. For instance, they made the Fuerza Joven.” La Fuerza Joven, which loosely translates to the strong youth, was created by a group of Venezuelan University students in an effort to protest Chávez and campaign for the opposition. Belen joined members of La Fuerza Joven in raising money for Capriles last fall. Although Belen is no older than many Laguna students, she has already begun to be an advocate for her country. “I want change, and although I know it will take a while for it to happen, when it happens it’s going to be amazing. I truly believe that this country has so much to offer and I know that it will be a great country to live in.”
Students also saw mussels, sea hares, and limpeds. They also explored the tide pool inhabitants through touch, sight, and taste. “We go mostly because it’s a preserve and so the amount of diversity that is there is so much higher than our normal local beaches,” said Science Department Chair and Biology instructor Ms. Staci Richard. Students learned the scientific names of each organism, what actions they perform to survive, how they eat, and how they protect themselves from predators. “It was so fun to be able to see and touch everything that we have been learning about,” said senior Bella Taron. “Being a hands-on-learner like myself makes it hard sometimes to be intrigued just within classroom, but getting to go to the tide pools and hold all the things I learned about was fantastic,” said sophomore Hannah White.
PHOTOS: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA
GETTING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: (Top left) Jessie Dusebout and Olivia Berci listen as their guide explains the anatomy of a crab. (Top right) Birds were observed on a rock just beyond the tide pools. (Bottom right) senior Jete Dongieux holds a starfish. (Bottom left) Senior Daria Etezadi holds a sea hare.
Performing Arts Department Hosts Winter Concerts By STEPHEN McCAFFERY
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he Laguna Blanca Performing Arts Winter Revue season began with the Upper School Winter Revue on Jan. 10. The theater duo of Rebecca Brooks and MacKenna Connor opened the revue with recitations of two Shakespearean Sonnets: Sonnet #2 and Sonnet #88. Following the theater duo, the Upper School Chorus, comprised of members Morgan Gainey, Sarah Butler, Rebecca Brooks, and Katie Carrillo, sang songs ranging from traditional English folk to the well-known “Summer Nights” from “Grease.” Next up was the Upper School String Ensemble. Bill Mortensen, violin; Helena Davilla, cello; and Anastasia Antonova, piano, entertained the audience with three classical tunes: “Amelie” by Yann Tiersen, “Archduke” by Ludwig van Beethoven, and “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla. After a brief intermission, the High School Band took to the stage. The trio of John Puzder, guitar and vocals; Chandler Aubrey, drums; and Hunter Cong, keyboard, performed jazz, Latin, and rock and roll. To close the night, the Laguna Blanca Stage Band performed six songs of a variety of genres. They opened with the Latin jazz song “Alonzo” and continued the set with funk, jazz, and blues. The Stage Band closed the night with the groovy, bass-heavy funk song “Greasy G” by Joshua Redman’s Elastic Band.
“The winter concert went very well. All the players in their respective bands did very well, and the range of musical styles that were played was very broad,” guitarist John Ligon said. A week after the Upper School Revue, the Middle School had its turn in Spaulding Auditorium. The Middle School Band, directed by MS/US Music Instructor Ms. Laura Geier, opened the show with the classic 1970s rock song “Stop Children What’s That Sound” by Buffalo Springfield. They continued with a set filled with funk, jazz, rock, and bossa nova. They closed with the modern pop song “Some Nights” by Fun. Following the band, the drama group, directed by Theater Arts Instructor Ms. Kate Bergstrom, performed a variety of sketches, monologues, and adapted scenes. Will Jones and James McKearn opened the show with “The Other Guys,” a sketch by Adam McKay and Chris Henchy. Three more sketches, “Anger Management,” “The Role of Della,” and “A Drivers Education,” closed the section. A set of monologues, many of which were written by William Shakespeare, closed the drama show. The Video Production Class, directed by MS/US Performing Arts Instructor Mr. Dug Uyesaka, had the closing act of the Middle School Winter Revue. Two videos created by class members, the first by Charlotte Thomas and Brooke Bidwell and the second by
PHOTO: LAGUNA BLANCA PHOTO FILE
ROCKING OUT: Upper School stage band members, Ryan Chiment, Travis Fristoe, Stephen McCaffery, and John Ligon, play their rehearsed songs in Spaulding Auditorium.
Chadd Alef and Jack Rottman, highlighted the video portion of the show. The first video focused on the Universal Theme of “One must quest and work for Happiness.” The second video followed the theme of “’Good Guys’ deserved more attention than ‘Bad Guys.’” “The Middle Schoolers really seem to enjoy their performances and I [could] tell they all put a lot of hard work into it,” said junior Margaret Lazarovits. A few weeks later, the Fifth and Sixth Grade Performing Arts Winter Revue finished off the Winter Revue Season at Laguna Blanca. The Music and Chorus Class, directed by LS Music & US Chorus Instructor Ms. Kasia
Roca, played and sang many different genres from traditional Europe origin to classical music. The second performance was by the Fifth and Sixth Grade Band, who played some rock and jazz. The performance was highlighted by the classic rock song “Sweet Home Alabama.” Closing the Fifth and Sixth Grade Winter Revue, and ultimately the Winter Revue season at Laguna Blanca, was the drama class, directed by Ms. Bergstrom. The class opened their performance with the traditional Maori dance the “Haka.” They finished the show with a production of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” which they also performed at the Lower School a couple days after the revue.
Switchfoot Concert Raises Funds for Nonprofits
Shaun Tomson’s Casual THINK NOW Conversation
By KAYLEE STRACHAN
Continued from Page 1
AP Economics students at year and oversaw the annual San Marcos High School de- benefit concert. Rock band Switchfoot headveloped a student-run nonprofit organization called Kids lined this year’s event and Brad Corrigan of Dispatch Helping Kids. This program has raised opened, and San Marcos stuover half a million dollars dent Emily Libera and Jason Hahs performed. since its founding in 2002. This year’s concert was Fundraising efforts include school dances, talent shows, sponsored by Deckers Outdoor Corp. and the theme was and film showings. “Light Up Along a Life.” A “I was inspired when a w i t h silent aucthese acgirl spoke about how Kids tivities, Helping Kids started with a tion was held with students penny drive years ago.” donations set out -Olivia Pickett including in groups a vacato seek tion home sponsorand artwork. It raised nearly ships. Funds raised by the group $177,000. “I was inspired go to a variety of places here when a girl spoke about how and abroad including the Uni- Kids Helping Kids started with ty Shoppe and the Ubumwe a penny drive years ago, and Community Center in Gisenyi, now they’re putting on conRwanda to help fund a pre- certs and raising thousands of dollars for the community,” school. San Marcos senior Jordan said junior Olivia Pickett, who Lund heads the program this attended the concert.
The next day, he received a call from people interested in investing in his small business. Then the day after that, he met with the investors, and eventually, his business flourished. Mr. Tomson credits his change of heart and resulting success to “those reserves inside.” Mr. Tomson also spoke about his best-selling book, “Surfer’s Code: 12 Simple Lessons for Riding Through Life.” The book contains a dozen simple surfing metaphors applicable to everyday life. Finally, Shaun Tomson gave advice to young kids looking to be successful in not just surfing, but life as well. His advice is to have discipline and enthusiasm in order to be successful. Mr. Tomson said that enthusiasm leads to practice, which, in turn, leads to improvement. Equally important is being
PHOTO: TARA BROUCQSAULT
SURFING BUDDIES: THINK NOW Speaker Shaun Tomson with Headmaster Paul Slocome who both share a passion for surfing. disciplined and learning all that there is to learn, and the combination of these two aspects will lead to success.
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The News
February 25, 2013
Putin Bans US Citizens from Adopting Russian Orphans
News in Brief Drama Club Hosts a Movie Night
120,000 orphans are eligible for adoption in Russia—more than the entire population of Santa Barbara.
By MARGARET LAZAROVITS In order to create buzz for the upcoming spring musical, Laguna’s Drama Club will be showing the movie version of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Theater Arts Instructor Ms. Kate Bergstrom is working with Director of Upper School Academics & Student Life Mr. Tyler Hodges to be able to screen this movie. “The status is a TBA date, but we’re going to make it happen in the next two months,” Ms. Bergstrom said. Since the movie is rated PG13, the process of permission slips has delayed movie night, but the Drama Club is persistent. Another factor slowing down the process is getting the rights to screen the movie. “Mr. Hodges and Mr. Slocombe were really wonderful in getting us the license to screen the copyrighted film,” Ms. Bergstrom said. “I’m thrilled to share ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ with the Laguna community at the movie night,” said Drama Club copresident Allison Towbes. She hopes that “everyone loves this musical as much as [she does]!”
AP Bio Class Welcomes Doctor By JESSIE DUSEBOUT Cancer is the scary unknown. But on Feb. 1 when Dr. Frederic C. Kass M.D., Medical Director of Medical Oncology and the Medical Director of Research and Wellness at the Cancer of Santa Barbara, came to speak to the AP Biology class students got to hear the most recent insights regarding breast cancer first hand. Dr. Kass described the effects of tamoxifen on breast cancer patients. His main point of discussion was the time period in which it is most effective to have patients take tamoxifen. Because the exact time period when tamoxifen should be used is unknown, trials have been run to try and find the amount of time which lowers breast cancer reoccurrences, but also limits side effects. This topic launched the discussion between the students and Dr. Kass about the ethics of drug trials. “It was nice hearing a different perspective on a topic we read about in our textbook,” said senior Karinna Carrillo.
By ANASTASIA ANTONOVA
PHOTO: DELPHINE ANAYA
LEFT TO RIGHT: Dug Uyesaka, Ginny Brush, Connor Curran (3rd place), Mia Chavez, Daria Etezadi (1st place), Anastasia Antonova (2nd place), Olivia Berci, Zoe Serbin, and Bojana Hill.
Students Recite ‘Poetry Out Loud’ By MARGARET LAZAROVITS
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he students who participated in Poetry Out Loud this year performed “remarkably” under the time restrictions, according to judge and Santa Barbara Arts Commission Executive Director Ms. Ginny Brush. Due to finals, the students had around three days to prepare their poems for the annual recitation contest. Upper School English 10 and AP English instructor Ms. Boyana Hill coordinated Poetry Out Loud and coached her students in recitation. “They memorized the poems fairly quickly. Because of the maturity level, the seniors were able to produce something a little more thoughtful,” she said. “I loved doing that [coaching the students]. I was a little hesitant about it at first; asking my seniors to spend extra time which they do not have memorizing the poem. I felt like it would be enriching. No matter who sits in my class that person should be exposed to the sounds of poetry and its an enrichment that they will probably not get anywhere else and I feel privileged to be
“I think it was a good experience. It pushed me out of my comfort zone.” -Olivia Berci Daria Etezadi, who placed first, said “reciting my poem in front of the whole school just made me more aware of my audience. I made more of an effort to really connect with my audience and grab its attention this time around.” Seniors also had a chance to choose different poems. “The first time I picked a poem for its language but I didn’t really connect to it. This time I choose a poem that I could re-
ally become,” said Anastasia Antonova, who placed second. For most sophomores, this was a completely new experience. A few actors had a chance to recite, like Mia Chavez, who earned an honorable mention was recently in a production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Another actor, Connor Curran, placed third. The stage was not so foreign to him; Connor starred in lead roles in both Laguna’s fall play and spring musical last year. For freshmen students the Poetry Outloud assembly was a first. “I thought that the students who performed were very courageous and expressed themselves beautifully,” said freshman Maddie Sokolove. All students who placed first through third and two of the three who won honorable mentions will go on to the county level of competition, reciting against students from schools in the area like Dos Pueblos High School and Pioneer Valley High School. This level of competition was broadcast on TV Channel 17 station on February 6.
John Ligon Competes in the Lions Club Speech Contest
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Book Club Hosts a Book Drive By KARINNA CARRILLO Along with the changes in the new Nylen Research Center, the book club has also made some changes. Club president junior Erica Keane has taken a new approach to encourage students to donate books. Book club members, along with the support of Mr. Blake Dorfman Coordinator of Isham Library, continue to support our troops stationed overseas. The book club is encouraging students and teachers to bring in books and magazines throughout the next few months. Book club members plan to send donated books to troops overseas. But rather than the continuing their normal fundraising efforts, the book club has made it so that if you donate two books, the student or faculty member gets a free drink from the library’s coffee machine. Erica and club member Cassidy Shevitz are happy to see that this fundraising effort is continuing this year and hope that with the added bonus of a free coffee will encourage more people to bring in books and magazines. A donation box sits on Mr. Dorfman’s desk and is hard to miss once inside the library.
able to give them a chance,” Ms. Hill said. Because some of the seniors had participated in Poetry Out Loud as sophomores, they had a chance to have a do-over. These seniors had not had a chance to recite in front of the school.
In 2011, the United States adopted the highest number of children—nearly 1,000—from Russia. Over the past two decades, more than 60,000 were adopted by the U.S. However, these statistics are expected to drop due to the bill signed by President Vladimir Putin in late December. It is a bill preventing United States citizens from adopting Russian orphans. The bill will also allow Russian government to outlaw any nongovernmental organization that receives American funding if the government deems its actions “political.” The bill takes effect Jan. 1. The 52 children in the process of being adopted will remain in Russia, crushing many American families and Russian children as well as costing money on both transportation and paperwork. The bill is in response to the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which although it neutralizes trade restrictions from the Cold War Era, it also requires the Federal government to freeze the assets of accused Russian human rights abusers denying them visas. Controversy has sparked both in Russia as well as here in the United States. While some argue Putin’s bill is a political one meant to target the U.S. but in the process hurts an innocent population, other who side with Putin say it is an act of patriotism for Russia. In America, many people believe that we have plenty of our own children to adopt. The bill that’s meant to target the U.S. keeps innocent children from finding a home. While the politicians debate, children wait.
PHOTO: TRISH MCHALE
merica can create and keep jobs in America through manufacturing, promoting small businesses, and strengthening growth industries according to sophomore John Ligon, who participated in the 76th annual Lions Club Student Speech contest on February 7. This year’s speech topic is “How Do We Create and Keep Jobs in America?” Fifteen district winners receive scholarships of $4,500 each, four area winners receive scholarships of $11,000 each, the final winner receives a scholarship of $21,000. Additional cash prizes are
By KAYLEE STRACHAN awarded to region, zone and club winners. John received a check for $25. Over $103,500 will be paid out in scholarships to the winning students. Participating in the Lions Club speech contest is a longstanding tradition for Laguna students. John competed against two student speakers from Carpinteria High School, one of whom will go on to compete at the next level. John took a few weeks to prepare his speech with guidance from Public Speaking Instructor Ms. Trish McHale and Academic Services Coordina-
tor Ms. Rose Steeber. They reviewed his points and his outline, and met with him to rehearse and time his speech. “John did an excellent job of representing Laguna Blanca in the competition. His delivery was strong and his speech was well organized with good points,” said Ms. McHale. “Having to give a speech in front of people you don’t know is very different from giving one to your peers. This, being my first time publicly speaking in front of people I don’t know, was a great experience to have and I know it will better my public speaking skills in the future,” said John Ligon.
Prospective Families Explore Campus By KARINNA CARRILLO
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amilies visiting Laguna often remark about the sense of community that is present throughout the school. Community building results from a number of programs: Upper School clubs allow seniors to collaborate with freshmen; Middle and Upper School advisory programs provide valuable time for students to get know each other, and the new Nylen Research Center creates a friendly environment. Students and their families come visit Laguna so they are able to understand the overall atmosphere that makes up our campuses. The Admissions office works to bridge the gap between the two campuses and to create events which bring the two campuses closer. Occasionally, Lower School students visit the Hope Ranch campus to learn from the older
students. In December third grade journalists interview the Fourth Estate staff. In an effort to ease the transition to the Hope Ranch campus, fourth graders and their parents are given opportunities to visit the Middle School campus to get to know the fifth grade teacher Mrs. Donna
Brown, and to visit the classrooms. In the month of January several Admission Events and Class Visit Days are held. All students and their families are encouraged to attend these events as an introduction to what comes next and to see the curriculum in action; meet
and ask questions of teachers, administrators, and students; learn about the co-curricular offerings; hear about college counseling, opportunities for leadership, and participation in athletics; and enjoy a question and answer period with a student panel.
Profile
February 25, 2013
Researching the Wreckage of the Past
5
By MacKENNA CONNOR
O
ver fifty years after the inciAfter typing the very unique name dent, Mr. Robert Burtness of one of the survivors into a search arrived at the crash site expecting to engine, he was able to get into contact see wreckage from a B-24. But he got with the crew member. more than he bargained for. As he continued his research, Mr. Mr. Burtness, a substitute teacher Burtness realized how little had been at Laguna Blanca, a retired English documented about this incident so teacher at San Marcos High School, he decided he would write about it and an author, wrote a book pubhimself. lished on May 23. He produced a manuscript and soon His five-star rated book explains the commissioning editor at the Histhe chain of B-24 disasters which octory Press “expressed an interest.” The curred in Santa Barbara during World History Press gave him six months to War II. finish the manuscript. Mr. Burtness has always been Following this, he met a man and a interested in woman who had WWII histoalso researched “It took me five years, ry and when the accident and but I found two living, a friend told acquired a lot him about surviving crew members more information a wreck site through them. to tell me what their of one of the Mr. Burtness B-24 disasexperiences were in this says he has always ters, he went preferred nonincident...” to see it for fiction writing; he himself. describes his writ- Mr. Burtness He ing style as clear became and informative. involved with a museum called the “I like to tell a story as accurately as Goleta Santa Barbara Aviation HeriI can…I guess it’s sort of like the style tage Museum and was going to get of a newspaper article.” artifacts for the museum from this Mr. Burtness also said his favorwreck site, but the museum folded. ite part of writing is “putting [his] Despite this, Mr. Burtness conthoughts into words.” tinued his research. “It took me five He believes that “the most challengyears, but I found two living, surviving part is organizing them.” ing crew members to tell me what On writing this book he said, “It was their experiences were in this incia lot of fun doing it; it went a lot more dent…I found these survivors through smoothly than I thought it would…the sort of a fluke,” he said. lesson is patience and persistence.
Mediums of Honesty and Permanence By HELENA DAVILA When I Skyped Austin Danson to interview him for this article, he was painting. The window blinked open to reveal the somewhat fuzzy image of a wildhaired artist bent over his paper, a long Chinese Sumi brush held carefully in one hand. “Look!” he said excitedly, holding the half-painted paper up to the camera, “It’s my newest creation!”
PHOTO: helena Davila
After graduating Laguna Blanca in 2011, Danson began a major in art at Westmont College. One year later, he landed his first art show at the Bella Rosa Gallery. The show, “And Sometimes, I Dream,” features Danson’s thrown ceramics, ink paintings, and carved stone sculptures. “I’m drawn to mediums with honesty and permanence, like clay, stone, even with ink, there’s no erasing, no faking it.” The show, which ended Jan. 31, had a dreamlike feel. Some pieces were tinged with a sort of dry humor, like the collection of wall-hung ceramic sculptures planted with moss and small houseplants. Past the wall hangings, the show progressed into larger pieces. The walls hung with large ink paintings of re-imagined chrysanthemums, and giant lotus leaves. Ceramic vases and stone sculptures stood neatly on pedestals nearby. Each piece was whimsical, yet rooted in a sort of unpretentious honesty that highlights the natural strengths of each medium. Danson is currently planning on collaborating with LBS art instructor Mr. Dug Uyesaka. “The possibility of showing with [Mr. Uyesaka] is incredibly exciting and the exhibition should provide an interesting opportunity to see the ways we have learned from each other as well as the different paths we have taken within relatively similar frameworks.”
New Students Join the Freshman Class By MACKENNA CONNOR Freshman Freshman Emily PowEmily Lafitte ers, originally is one of the from Chicago, two newest joins Laguna Owls. She after spendtransferred ing her first from Bishop semester at Diego High Santa BarSchool for the bara High first semester. School. HowEmily ever, “[she] said, “I love only went Laguna. Both there for a my sisters month.” have gone/go Emily is a here, and I’m huge sports super happy fan and plans that I now on playing go to Laguna lacrosse in too!” the spring. “I Emily’s didn’t do any sister Caty sports/activiLafitte is curties there…at rently a junior Laguna I plan and her sister on joining the Allie Lafitte lacrosse team graduated this spring.” Laguna last PHOTOs: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA “One of my year. favorite things about Laguna is that When asked what she likes about the classes are challenging, but not too Laguna Emily said, “I love the teachhard.” Emily said that so far “[I] reer-student ratio and how close the ally like my classes, teachers, and the teachers are with the students. It’s other kids in my grade.” Emily also really nice especially when you’re thinks that “everyone is really nice” at struggling with something. They are Laguna. always happy to help.”
Students Shine in Santa Barbara Performing Arts Production By MARGARET LAZAROVITS Anyone can see that Laguna is a school bursting with talent. In January, a few of these talented students got the chance to showcase their talents in Santa Barbara School of Performing Arts’ (SBSOPA) production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Freshman Maddie Sokolove, sophomore Mia Chavez and junior Allison Towbes starred in this bubbly musical and junior Andrew Horak played violin in the orchestra pit. With original story by novelist Amanda Brown and made famous by Reese Witherspoon’s 2001 movie, “Legally Blonde,” premiered on Broadway in 2007 and was brought to Santa Barbara on Jan. 12 and 13 by SBSOPA. Maddie played sassy sorority sister Pilar, who is close friends with main character Elle, played by Ali Mikles on Saturday and Emily Libera on Sunday. Maddie said that this role was so much fun because “all the people involved had a positive attitude.” Mia played the judge who presides over Elle’s big
PHOTO: Phillip Van Nostrand
case and participated in the ensemble. “It was a really good experience because it was wonderful getting instruction from other masters of the craft,” said Mia. Allison also was in the ensemble. SBSOPA gave her a chance to work with a wide age range of actors. “The group of actors was so professional, and having a chance to spend time with experienced performers definitely helped me gain insight into the world beyond high school theatre,” Allison said. Andrew also had a great opportunity working with SBSOPA. “All the musicians were very experienced. I was around people who were much older,” he said. To further his musical career, Andrew works with instructor Lana Bodnar, as well as participating in the Music and Arts Conservatory. Andrew will be auditioning for the Young Soloists Showcase soon. All three girls are looking forward to being in Laguna’s spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors.” Maddie and Allison are also eagerly preparing for
the Fullerton Theatre Festival in March with theatre instructor Ms. Kate Bergstrom. There, several students will compete against schools from across the state. Allison will be doing a monologue as well as a scene with Maddie for the competition. Additional students, including Conner Warren, Erica Keane, Bea Tolan, Jules Bartling, and Connor Curran, will also be competing at the largest high school theater competition on the West Coast. All students wish to pursue their performing art in the future. As underclassmen, Maddie is working on her camera acting while Mia is “going down to Los Angeles a lot and auditioning and doing everything I can.” Juniors Allison and Andrew are also focusing on college. When looking into a college, Allison looks for “a program that really fits my goals as a performer,” while Andrew wants a school with “other students who are interested in music as much as I am.”
What You Want: The girls of Elle’s sorority, Delta Nu, perform a dance parade for the admissions officers at Harvard instead of a personal essay.
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Opinion
February 25, 2013
STAFF EDITORIAL: a matter of
over-sensitivity
A
s children, we were taught to cover our eyes so we wouldn’t see all the bad things that were happening around us. We learned about justice, integrity, and forgiveness—the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. From playground rules to the power of a simple “thank you,” we were raised in a culture that cultivated respect—for ourselves and for those around us. But the illusion has shattered, scattered into broken shards of what once was as we are inundated with stories of mass shootings, gang rapes, and drug deals gone awry. We have passed desensitization and are now straddling unmarked territory: inhumanity. In Jan. alone, this country faced eight school shootings. On the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, millions of people crowded around their television sets to follow the story of Adam Lanza who had entered Sandy Hook Elementary School to fire his gun and kill dozens of five and six year olds. The shooting had such a profound effect on the community that the Federal government mapped out a plan for a new mental health care program under the Obama administration,
stricter policies surrounding gun control, and tighter security in schools across the country. Less than a month later, newscasters reported on a shooting in Alabama, where the shooter boarded a school bus with 20 children, shot the driver, and fled with a sixyear-old kindergarten student. But this shooting and abduction didn’t elicit a reaction that was quite as dramatic as that which swept through the nation after Sandy Hook. Not to say that we, as a society, care any less about the loss of so many innocent lives, but how much more of this violence and chaos can we take? On the one hand, specialists argue that increased exposure to violence results in desensitization. But what if there were an alternative theory? What if the problem isn’t that we care too little, but that we care too much? Maybe it’s just too painful to watch so many little ones lose their lives multiple times a week. Maybe it’s too difficult to see so m a n y parents
leave flowers on the sidewalk to mourn the loss of their children. Children in this generation have grown up in a world where acts of terrorism, both domestic and international, are practically commonplace. When our earliest memories of the world, beyond our seemingly safe homes, are of bombings and sniper attacks, it’s almost understandable to want to turn off the news when a reporter starts talking about the most recent atrocity. When a mother has to answer her five year old’s question, Mommy, why would anyone fly a
plane into a building? Don’t they know they’re going to die? can anyone blame us for wanting to flip the channel? So maybe it’s easier to keep the bubble of ignorance intact because it hurts less to close our eyes and cover our ears and pretend that the sadness in the world doesn’t affect us too. The problem isn’t that we care too little, it’s that we care too much.
PHOTO: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA
Cutting the Arts Cuts Opportunities By MARGARET LAZAROVITS & ALLISON LEWIS TOWBES As a musician and an actor, our lives have always revolved around the arts. The stage is a workspace and a place where we are free to express ourselves as artists. For both of us, the arts are our passions, possibly even our future careers, and we have dedicated our hearts and our free time in pursuit of them. That is why it hurts so much to see that when the school system gets in financial trouble, the first things to get cut are the arts programs. We are living in a time where the economy makes it difficult for public, and even private schools, to have access to the proper tools to educate their students. No school wants to cut faculty salaries. Sports programs bring institutions pride while also combatting the obesity epidemic in this country. Libraries and wellequipped academic facilities are obviously necessary in educating children in the modern world. Summer school gives every student the chance to learn and grow. That leaves art, music, and theatre programs to take the greatest cuts. Every single program a school can offer has value, and the arts are not an exception. Arts programs provide an economic benefit to schools. Money can be raised from the ticket and refreshment sales of a school production. Beneath the dirt and sweat, the aesthetic aspect of a sports uniform is lost. People come to the theatre not just for the acting, but for the set and the lighting, the costumes and the choreography. All the elements combine to transport the audience into another world, and it is essential that each is given the proper amount of attention
and funding. employs 120,000 people in So, yes, contrary to the Bands and ensembles often Los Angeles, and creative stigma, you can get a job with hold gigs outside of school industries are the fourth a degree in fine arts. concerts. largest source of direct Art fosters problem-solving Through playing at various employment in the region,” just like math does, except in stages around town, from said Huffington Post reporter new ways. restaurants to art galleries to Robin Bronk. A 2009 study of U.S. concert halls, the musicians For every forty-five minute students showed that students earn prestige Cable in art disciplines scored 91 and gain television points higher on SAT than When students valuable show you their peers outside of arts in schools one experience; watch, the programs. playing for Differences in thinking are hundred years from network your peers is airs fifteen celebrated among artists. now look back at completely minutes of What might be considered different what we did, they commercials. “out of tune” in classical from playing Each of those music is simply an inflection will study the art for strangers. commercials device in eastern European we created, not Musicians is, on music. are average, 30 Salvador Dali employed the balls we kicked minimalists seconds long. some of the most bizarre around. when it So, in the artistic concepts and comes to time that mediums known to man, but gigs; the you watch he is considered a brilliant bulkiest and most expensive one episode of your favorite surrealist. equipment would be the show, about 30 commercials, In fact, aside from amps, not necessarily the featuring numerous paid technique, we’ve never heard instruments themselves. actors, air. a person say “you’re wrong” Apart from drum sets and Furthermore, most without the accused artist pianos, most instruments can companies are obligated by being able to successfully be stored in the trunk of a car contract to pay commercial defend his or her stance. The or truck. And again, the ticket actors for every single time phrase “it’s not wrong, it’s sales go towards the music that their commercial is aired. different” holds great weight program, perhaps even for the Moreover, every jingle you in artistic circles. cost of future gigs. hear on the radio was written Even in at the lowest point As for visual artists, most and performed by musicians, of the Great Depression have their art showcased at and every set and costume on in 1933, 60-70 million local art galleries. television was designed by an Americans still went to the Not to mention all the work artist. cinema. art students do for various Art has been a part of school events. human culture since its Their art truly enhances the beginnings. Artists reveal atmosphere of the functions; truth to the world while their some pieces are even art preserves it for posterity. sold and that money As artists, we define our goes straight to the generation. When students school. in schools one hundred The most years from now look back overused at what we did, they will argument for study the art we created, cutting arts not the balls we kicked programs is that around. they don’t turn Students polled out employable in advisory show workers. However, that 83 percent people seem to of would rather be unaware of how much artists watch a high school contribute to society. sports game than the “The entertainment business alone high school musical. ART: ZOE SERBIN
Timeline of Budget Cuts: 2007: Recession begins.
March 2009: Unemployment drops to 11.5 percent
Feb. 19, 2009: K-12 schools cut a total of $8.6 billion.
2012: Obama’s proposed budget for 2012 fiscal year has the National Endowment for the Arts losing 13 percent funding.
2010: SB1076 bill allows taxpayers to designate a certain excess amount of money to California Arts Council Fund (California Alliance for Arts Education).
Tangled in the Web
By HELENA DAVILA
T
wo years ago, PBS’ television program, “Frontline” aired a special on Internet addiction. Clips of dark basements cluttered with glowing computers that highlighted the faces of avid gamers flicked by the screen. “I’ve been here since yesterday morning,” one gamer said, a pack of cigarettes held in one hand. Internet addiction is an epidemic. Throughout the world, basements, garages, even night clubs are being converted into ‘Internet cafes,’ equipped with gaming keyboards and mice that cater to gamers who stay awake for up to three days at a time, playing video games and surfing the Internet. A quick Google search for ‘Internet addiction’ kicked back a website called netaddiction.com. The site is a wealth of information offering Internet counseling, even self-tests with questions like, “How often does your job performance or job productivity suffer because of the Internet?” The site is a sobering reminder of the quietly growing Internet epidemic. “I really hadn’t heard of Internet addiction before; it’s not really something that you hear much about,” said senior Bryana Schantz. Research has shown that people with an Internet addiction have noticeable changes to their brains. Alarmingly, many of these symptoms are similar to those
“I really hadn’t heard of Internet addiction before; it’s not really something that you hear much about,” -Bryana Schantz, Senior experienced by cocaine and heroine addicts. Though the symptoms of the addiction often mimic the symptoms experienced by drug addicts, many have been slow to accept Internet addiction as a real disease. Studies have also shown that the addiction can alter the way the brain receives dopamine, changing the way the person experiences happiness. But how do we treat Internet addiction? Despite the relative dispute between scientists and doctors over whether or not the addiction is in fact a diagnosable disease, a growing cottage industry of treatment centers has sprung up to help those with the problem. In South Korea, the government has established more than 140 Internet counseling centers, and has founded addiction treatment programs in nearly 100 hospitals. The epidemic is real, and whether or not there is scientific evidence for it, the banks of dusty computers with gamers and Internet browsers alike spending both their days and nights behind the screen should be enough. The central problem with treatment for Internet addiction is the lack of standards for what it truly is. The patients who find themselves in these addiction centers suffer from a wide range of symptoms—dry eyes, short tempers, sleep disorders, depression—so it can be difficult to come up with a clear-cut diagnosis. What we do know, is that Internet addiction is growing and more addicts spend more time on the Internet every day. But the research is also growing, medical facilities are being built to help those suffering from Internet addiction, and tech-addiction support groups are being formed. As long as those suffering continue to seek help and support, it’s a step in the right direction.
Opinion
7 HIGH RISK CALLS FOR A NEW STIGMA February 25, 2013
By OLIVIA BERCI & JESSIE DUSEBOUT Putting on your seat belt is habitual. It always has been for our generation. The cultural campaign of Gen. Y? Perhaps, a social movement towards not drinking and driving. “Don’t drink and drive. Don’t get in the car with a driver who has been drinking. Period.” It’s something, as high school seniors, we’ve heard more times than we can count. According to a Vital Signs report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2011, 10.3 percent of high school students 16 and older reported drinking and driving in the previous 30 days, compared with 22.3 percent in 1991. The percentage of American high school students who drink and drive has dropped by more than half in two decades. The CDC points to stricter laws against drunk driving and restrictions on teenagers’ driving privileges, like limits on the hours they may legally drive at night. Stricter laws and parental rules have undeniably been doing right. Drinking and driving is becoming stigmatized. It’s looked down on. It’s not “cool” or “okay” among teenagers themselves. Yes, because the legal consequences are formidable, but, more
so, because the message is peer-enforced. Beginning in elementary school— before drinking was even a social concept to us and when driving wasn’t even on our radars, we participated in programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE). DARE is an international education program that has its kindergarten through sixth grade participants sign a pledge to not use drugs or join gangs. As a result of programs like these installed in schools or the overwhelming number of organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) who advocate against drinking and driving through every media avenue available, we have never had to question if drinking and driving is “good” or “safe.” We simply have always known it to be bad. We knew that to be fact. Survey results, announced by the California Office of Traffic Safety in Nov. 2012, found that 14 percent of drivers surveyed tested positive for driving under the influence of drugs—both illegal and prescription—while 7.3 percent of drivers tested
The Appeal
GRAPHIC: ZOE SERBIN
positive for driving with alcohol in their system. And, of the drugs found in the systems of surveyed drivers, marijuana was the most prevalent, with 7.4 percent of drivers having it in their system. The impaired driving survey included more than 1,300 drivers. “Drugged driving poses a serious threat to public safety,” Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement. When someone smokes marijuana,
*Source: U.S. Department of Transportation
THC is absorbed by the lungs and into the bloodstream, which carries the THC to the brain and all other organs throughout the bloodstream. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), the parts of the brain most affected include those
that influence, “... concentration, sensory and time perception and coordinated movement.” According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), in 2009 there were 376, 467 marijuana-involved admissions to hospital emergency rooms. Smoking marijuana and driving is a high risk activity. It’s a fact.
According to the Los Angeles Times, California officials are warning against “drugged driving” after a statewide survey found drugs that can affect driving in one of every seven people behind the wheel at night on the weekend—nearly twice the number of those with alcohol in their system. The evidence is overwhelming, but I’ve never heard anyone say, “Don’t drive while under the influence of marijuana.” The mantra “Don’t do drugs. Period” is important, but how realistic is it? With increasing national acceptance of marijuana use and a growing movement towards legalization, how will “Don’t do drugs. Period,” stand the test of time? Perhaps regulation of drugged driving is not clearly enough defined yet, but our laws are being readjusted and rewritten. When marijuana became legal in Washington state in Dec. 2012, the ballot also contained a new DUI standard. Just as our laws are being recalculated, our message about safe driving needs to be as well.
Secretary of State Who?
To what extent should we be held accountable for being aware of national and global issues?
A
poll of Laguna Blanca high school students conducted by The Fourth Estate staff revealed that our student body is notably more tuned in to the personal life of Kim Kardashian, an American socialite who gained notoriety in 2007 as the subject of a sex tape, than to our nation’s domestic and international policy. Ten out of the 80 students polled knew that President Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry to be his next Secretary of State as confirmed by Congress in Dec. 2012. 36 students knew that he has now succeeded Hillary Clinton. Only 24 students knew
By Olivia Berci that as of Jan. 29, 2012, more than 700,000 refugees had fled Syria. Six students knew the name of the Syrian President. 7 students knew who our former U.S. Defense
7 students knew who our former U.S. Defense Secretary was.... Secretary was and 15 knew that he recently declared women’s right to fight in combat. 22 students were aware that in Aug. 2012, Robo-Geologists landed on Mars. 12 students correctly answered that in 2012
some places in the U.S. saw near-record-high gas prices. 26 students knew that the Supreme Court’s decision in 2000 affirmed the Boys Scouts of America’s right to ban the openly gay from serving as adult leaders was recently challenged and removed. However, 74 of the 80 students knew who Kim Kardashian’s babydaddy is. I strongly believe that, as students in an independent private school, we should seize the opportunity to become more aware of our global community. And while many of us may have an intent to do so, it’s all too apparent that we still have a long way to go.
GRAPHIC: ZOE SERBIN
The Full-Frontal Golden Age By OLIVIA BERCI I started watching the series feeling that it was my millennial obligation—that I had some moral imperative as someone on the brink of being a member of subset of the 18 to 20 something young women the show targets. “I may be the voice of my generation… or at least a voice, of a generation,” says Hannah, the character played by creator Lena Dunham in her HBO hit television show “Girls.” Its first season, which aired in April 2012 to some 872,000 viewers, received criticisms of racism and elitism. The amount of printed ink and typed tweets devoted to tearing down Dunham, much from those who hadn’t actually watched
the show, failed to acknowledge that Dunham’s Hannah Horvath isn’t meant to be held as a paragon of virtue or even decency, but rather a flawed narcissist with a penchant for selfdestruction. The show’s leading girls don’t represent all women, or even all 20-something women in Brooklyn. Its what Dunham, herself, calls “the rarefied white hipster thing.” “Girls” is enamored with for being different. The show is unrepentant and self-contemplative. It breathes a voice of realism into the friendships about which it revolves, and it succeeds in creating bravely imperfect characters.
And while Dunham’s voice may be an important voice of a generation, there’s something else that really can’t be ignored about the show: Lena Dunham’s body, which
She films herself nude in the bathtub, flat on her back with her feet in a gynecologist’s stirrups, or playing Ping-Pong. I admire Dunham’s fearless confrontation of contemporary media,
Somehow even the comedy’s propensity for failed crack cocaine exploits doesn’t provoke my feeling of discomfort that the vulgar, often degrading, sex scenes do. she deliberately thrusts into the spotlight. Unlike many women on television, Dunham is short, pear-shaped and has storybook tattoos dripping down her arm and back.
but it’s impossible to ignore the screen time allocated to the perpetual montage of graphic, often unfiltered, sexcapades of the leading ‘girls’. Somehow even the
comedy’s propensity for failed crack cocaine exploits doesn’t provoke my feeling of discomfort that the vulgar, often degrading, sex scenes do. I appreciate “Girls” poignancy in making an unsympathetic statement of how raw and disorderly life can be, and I think Dunham is doing a lot right in taking a step toward a more honest media. But, at the same time, I feel almost violated by the crude, sheetsoff approach the show takes. There’s no shortage of explicit nudity on television. HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” “True Blood,” “The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire,”and “The Sopranos,” or
Showtime’s “Dexter,” “Weeds,” and “Californication” all take prurient sex to a new level. While graphic TV and quality television may have become somewhat confused and conflated in the public eye, shows like “Girls” have drawn the attention of paidcable viewers and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences alike. It’s HBO’s accolade golden age. As a paycable network it is void of controversy-shy advertisers and it’s not ceasing to push boundaries. Maybe the shows are more authentic, or maybe they attract brighter talent, but does good storytelling now necessitate full-frontal shots?
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PAGE DESIGN: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA & ZOE SERBIN PHOTOS: ANASTASIA ANTONOVA SOURCES: WASHINGTON POST, SMARTGUNLAWS.ORG, NIMH.NIH.GOV
Ov V
iolence has society sinc on everywhere in the hardest obsta are so used to see that we have beco order to approach way, we need to s generation of this teens of today. The typical Am than 20,000 acts programs before addition to being violence through As shown in a stu Academy of Child violence in movie of the time conve resolution—it is e inconsequential. Kids are used to kill the “bad guys desensitized abou violence. They sim that is being done country. Because kids ar violence at such y the damage violen
‘ANON’ FIGHTS CRIME BEHIND MASK OF INTERNET By ALLISON LEWIS TOWBES
I
magine a group of people, masked and unnamed, with questionable morals and tactics, attacking organizations that they deem nefarious. It sounds like something out of a Batman movie, like a consortium of crime-fighting vigilantes trying to save the world. The group described isn’t a superhero organization. There was never a “you’re wondering why I gathered you all here today” moment, and none of them wear capes. The ‘hacktivist’ organization, Anonymous, is a nameless group of skilled Internet hackers, intent on taking down the websites of other establishments. They’ve created chat rooms for Tunisian protesters, spammed the
Westborough Baptist Church’s homepage, and exposed infamous child pornographer websites so that they could be shut down. The international hacktivist group isn’t always on the right side of the law. Smug and arrogant, Anonymous members frequently break security laws without a second thought. From leaving rude messages for their targets to threatening major websites like Fox News, Anonymous has the entirety of the World Wide Web at their fingertips.
Essentially, they are hardcore Internet trolls. But is fighting fire with fire really the solution? Internet hacktivism is, in principle, an illegal way to combat crime. Is it hypocritical for Anonymous to use this dishonest method to usurp the legal system and employ their own form of justice? At the same time, however, Anonymous is making a difference. Without the illicit endeavors of these hackers, so many terrible organizations would still be up and running, with the rest of the world completely oblivious. So perhaps these mysterious hacktivists are the good guys. Despite their debatable ethics and frightening abilities, Anonymous continues to expose worldwide problems, occasionally solving them. Maybe it’s best to reserve judgment on these criminal masterminds who’ve taken to watching over the world.
February 25, 2013
9
ver-exposed and UnPROTECTED
been in the American ce its beginning. It is going n the world, and is one of acles to avoid. Americans eing violence everywhere ome desensitized to it. In h violence in an effective start with the future s world—the children and
merican child will view more of violence on television turning the age of 18, in exposed to even more the use of video games. udy from the American d & Adolescent Psychiatry, es and on television most eys a model of conflict efficient, frequent, and
o seeing the “good guys” s,” and are therefore being ut the actual effect of mply see it as a good deed e for the better of their
re exposed to so much young ages, they don’t see nce does and they don’t
By CATY LAFITTE realize how valuable life really is. video games is that the player is the one Another extreme factor in exposing kids doing the actual fighting rather than just to violence is video games. watching it, so video games are therefore Many people think there is no harm in worse than just seeing violence in movies playing video games like “Grand Theft Auto,” or on television programs. “Borderlands,” “Call of Duty,” “Gears of However, since both violent video War.” games and movies justify murder, they Even though these types of bloody and need to be more censored. violent games say Although much of that they are rated the problem lies within Kids are used to M for mature, or 17 the terrible message of and older, it doesn’t media, one of seeing the “good guys” violent stop kids from getting the most debated issues access to them. concerning violence is kill the “bad guys,” In video games that gun control. and are therefore are rated T for teen or In the United States even E10+ for kids 10 alone there are 310 being desensitized and older still include guns, and 30,000 about the actual effect million mild violence. people will be killed by Even if this violence guns each year. These of violence. is minimal, it is still numbers are not normal. sending the message Although the Second to kids that being Amendment of the violent towards others is acceptable. Constitution gives people the right to Because the brain doesn’t fully develop keep and bear arms, it gives no right for until someone is about 20 years old, filling people to kill others with semi-automatic it with the notion that violence is acceptable weapons. while an adolescent can cause major The Second Amendment was created behavioral problems. so that the people of the United States The main problem with these aggressive could protect themselves if they feel
the government is not protecting them. This does not include harming innocent people for no reason. Around 40 percent of gun sales in the United States don’t require background checks, such as at gun shows, over the Internet, through newspaper adds, and at other private gun sales. All of these situations are not subject to background checks and that may be the main problem of the issue of gun control. We have no idea what kinds of people are purchasing guns unless we know their background. In order to be effective in the process of lessening violence in the United States, background checks must be required for any type of gun sale no matter who is buying the gun or where it is being sold. Violence is clearly an issue in the United States as there have been eight school shootings alone from Jan. 10 to 31, even after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. There is so much violence in America, many people are desensitized to it and don’t see the wrong in hurting innocent people. We need to figure out ways to approach violence to make a change.
In Sickness and in Health: How we treat Mental Illness By DARIA ETEZADI
L
ast year, there were 16 mass shootings in the United States. This year, in January alone, America was faced with a total of eight school shootings. Since Sandy Hook, the Federal government has been moving swiftly to take action against future school shootings by pushing to tighten gun control, enhance security measures, and promote treatment programs for the mentally ill. Specifically, according to the Associated Press, President Obama has issued “a long list of executive orders” to issue harsher punishments for those who are dishonest in background checks, to require federal law enforcement to investigate and trace guns recovered in criminal investigations, to give schools the option of using grant money to enhance school safety, and to provide communities with the financial resources necessary to limit people’s access to guns. Just as these actions have elicited a range of reactions from the public, President Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence through advanced mental health care has not only received praise from mental health professionals, but also raised eyebrows. In an interview with NPR News, Dr. Carl Bell, who is serving as acting director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, said, “I’m concerned that it’ll increasingly stigmatize mentally ill . . . I get
concerned about the stereotype and the notion that we can somehow identify who’s mentally ill and who’s going to be dangerous, because that’s actually quite difficult to do.” After acknowledging that some mass murders have actually been suicides, suicide being the third leading cause of death among teenagers, Dr. Bell said, “I think it’s difficult for a president to make a broad, sweeping policy change and hit the complexity of an issue like mental illness and violence and just violence in general.” Obama’s push for mental health care involves early intervention and early identification, which includes a $10 million fund towards the CDC to study the relationship between “video games, media images and violence.” Furthermore, the White House plans to allocate around $155 million to advance the nation’s mental health care program. This new concentration of focus on mental health care has drawn more of the public’s attention towards the state of the mentally ill population. Senior Cassidy Shevitz said,“I am disappointed that there has been no central, all-around awareness plan put in place for every school district in the U.S. I believe that if students show any signs of mental illness, teachers should take measures in raising awareness and referring the child to someone whom he or she can talk to.”
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February 25, 2013
Feature
What Did You Say? But I Thought...You Said... What guys think girls really mean...
What girls think guys really mean...
“I’m not hungry.”
“I’ll call you soon.” She thinks: “He’s going to call me right when he gets home!” He means: “I’ll call you in a few days if I have time.”
He thinks: “More fries for me!” She means: “I’m actually starving but I don’t want to eat in front of you.” “Why didn’t you text me back?” He thinks: “Did I do something wrong?” She means: “Did...I do something wrong?!” “Why didn’t you like my profile picture?” He thinks: “Was I supposed to?” She means: “Does it make me look fat?” “You’re ex-girlfriend is SOOO pretty.” He thinks: “Uh...yeah...” She means: “You better disagree with me...”
“You’re a really good friend.”
By CATY LAFITTE GRAPHIC: ZOE SERBIN
It’s no secret that most men think women over-analyze everything, and most women think men “under”analyze everything. M i s c o m m u n i c a t i o n between males and females is inevitable no matter what kind of relationship they have. Men and women communicate in such drastically different ways, they might as well be living on separate planets. Here are some phrases that are often misinterpreted.
She thinks: “Friend zone?! What is wrong with me?” He means: “I think you’re really cool and we should hang out more.” Texted: “K.” She thinks: “What is the point in even texting you?” He means: “Okay.”
“She’s just a friend.” She thinks: “...with benefits?” He means: “She is literally just my friend.”
Feature
February 25, 2013
11
A glimpse of the future could be seen at the many booths of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013. Hosted in Las Vegas and featuring a massive array of companies, CES is one of the ways businesses can display their upcoming technology. Here’s a list of some of the coolest upcoming gadgets from the show. By ALEX HAWKER
Luminae Keyboard by TransluSense For decades, TV shows and movies have depicted the keyboards of the future, and TransluSense’s Luminae Keyboard aims to bring them into the present. A successful Kickstarter product, the keyboard features a futuristic-looking design, with a curved glass screen upon which a glowing keyboard is displayed. The keyboard is also fully customizable – one can change the glow cover and even change the keys – switching the keyboard layout, adding a track pad, a TV remote, or perhaps a special layout for gaming. There are two main negatives however – like a touch screen, the lack of feedback could make typing uncomfortable, and the price is very steep at $499 for the keyboard. However, when the price comes down, the keyboard looks to be a very stylish keyboard with amazing customizability. PHOTO: AMANDA KOOSER/CNET
Oculus Rift by Oculus VR While the idea of virtual reality has been around for a long time, effective products in the field had not yet been made. Oculus VR created the Oculus Rift to fill this void, allowing many video games to be played in virtual reality by having players feel like they are in the game. Another successful Kickstarter product, the headset covers one’s eyes, allowing him or her not only to see the game, but the headset also tracks head movement, making it so one can look around and aim as if he or she was really there. PHOTO: OCULUS VR
Tactile Layer™ by Tactus Technology Is typing on touch screens a problem? Tactus Technology’s Tactile Layer was designed to fix this problem. When using a mobile device’s keyboard that is equipped with this technology, buttons actually rise up out of the touch screen, and when you are done, they sink back in. The technology could be used in other ways besides keyboards as well – games and apps can have elements literally pop out of the screen and braille could even be implemented. Rather than selling their own product to consumers, Tactus will be selling their new technology to smartphone manufacturers, so morphing touchscreens may be coming to your favorite phone in the near future.
PHOTO: TACTUS TECHNOLOGY
Razer Edge by Razer
PHOTOS: RAZER
Before now, there hasn’t been much real gaming you could do on a tablet. Razer’s Razer Edge is not just a tablet with a full operating system, but it also has great components, such as a quite nice graphics card, that make it great for gaming, allowing one to run fully fledged PC games, like “DotA 2” or “Civilization V”, on it. Additionally, the device has a number of cool accessories including a stand with extra ports to turn it into “Home Console Mode”, two handle bar-like attachments that function as a controller to turn it into “Mobile Console Mode”, and an attachable keyboard to allow it to function as a laptop. It certainly looks to be the ultimate tablet.
Clockwise from top left: Tablet, Mobile Console, Home Console, and Laptop Modes.
Project Shield by Nvidia Nvidia produced its Project Shield in the hopes of tapping into mobile gaming. Featuring a fairly decent smartphone graphics card, it can run smartphone games really well. But the place where it shines is that one can stream games from a computer to the tablet, allowing one to play actual computer games anywhere around one’s home. Plus, by plugging the device into a TV, one can have a console-like experience across the house from one’s computer (or perhaps while someone is using the computer).
PHOTO: NVIDIA
BACKGROUND PHOTO: THE TELEGRAPH
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February 25, 2013
An Interview with Varsity Basketball Captain: JT Aubrey
Sports
Winter Sports Wrap-Up By STEPHEN MCCAFFERY
By STEPHEN MCCAFFERY Q: What were your goals coming into the season? A: My goals were to beat Thacher, because I’ve never done that yet, and to make a deep run into CIF. Maybe 2nd or 3rd round, because I’ve only been to 1st round so far. Q: How did the season compare to your goals? A: We started off very well. We were 3-0 in Condor League. But then we went down hill. If we can beat Thacher in our last game, that’d be awesome. We should make the playoffs, and we are still able to make a deep run in CIF, but we’ll have to play a really tough team in the first round. Overall, I think we had a pretty good season. Q: What changed or happened to the team after that great start? A: I think that it was the winter break. We lost quite a bit of practice time. When we’re pressured by manto-man defense were not very good, and teams started seeing that, so they played man-to-man against us. We collapsed under pressure and we couldn’t get shots and run our offense. Q: Compared to last year, how has the team changed or improved? A: We have more weapons this year. We spread the ball out better, and we have more players that are a threat on the court. I think last year we looked to only a few players to score all the points. This year we can count on anyone who can step up on any given night and put in a good amount of points to help us win the game. We played better defense than last year, and, in general, we have more athletic players on the team. Q: What would you say is the best aspect or characteristic of this team? A: We have good team chemistry. I think we’re all close and pretty good friends. Last year it was kind of the seniors and then everyone else. This year we’re all one unit, which really helps the team out when we’re in tight situations.
PHOTOS: GEOF WYATT, TARA BROUCQSAULT, PAUL CHIMENT (Top Left) Michael Reyes drives on a Cate defender. (Top Right) Madison Bonser (15) fights for the soccer ball. (Bottom Left) Pierce O’Donnell goes up for the layup past a Midland defender. (Bottom Right) Tristan Prinz (3) dribbles the ball up the field.
Varsity Boys Soccer The 2012-2013 boys soccer season “was definitely a developmental season, for the team was extremely young” said captain sophomore Ryan Bickett. The boys soccer team was very young with not one senior on the roster this year. Furthermore, this means that every player will have a great amount of experience going into next season. The new head coach, Scott Williams, assistant coach Henri Sarmiento, and co-captains sophomores Ryan Bickett and Jack Espy, and junior Tristan Prinz led the Owls during this building season to a 3-7-1 record. Despite the losses, “Every player on our team improved tremendously, which helped us later in the season when I believe we played our best soccer,” said Ryan. The season was highlighted by two wins over Besant Hill, 3-1 and 3-0, and the victory in the season closer over Midland by the score of 1-0. Looking forward to the 2013-2014 season, Ryan said, “Next year, I think we will be very good, competing with the top teams. We will do very well.”
Varsity Boys Basketball
PHOTO: GEOF WYATT JT Aubrey takes point and controls the offense.
“The season definitely had its ups and downs,” said senior Benji Sorensen. “We proved we could play with the best in the league, but fell apart towards the end.” After losing three 4-year varsity players to graduation, no one could knew what to expect from this year’s varsity team. The Owls dropped their first game to Santa Ynez 44-34. They then rebounded with a 5-game win streak, highlighted by a 47-41 home win over
Varsity Girls Soccer
JV Boys Basketball
Similar to the boys soccer team situation, the Lady Owls soccer team was also in a developmental season. The opening game against Villanova Prep set a promising tone for the season, as Laguna earned a 2-0 shutout victory. However the Owls began to feel the pain of the loss of many crucial seniors from last year’s team as league play began. In their Condor League opener, Laguna lost to Thacher 3-0. However, heading into winter break, the Owls rejuvenated the team spirit and morale with a dominant 3-0 win over Orcutt Academy. After a tough mid-season stretch, the Owls were able to end the season with a 1-1 tie at Cate, whom they previously lost to 2-0, and a 1-0 victory the Dunn Earwigs in the season closer. On the season, “I think we definitely got better as the season progressed. We started off really strong but kind of struggled a bit in the middle. We finished strong without only league win,” said junior Clara Madsen.
The junior varsity team had a slow start to the season, dropping the first three games to Santa Ynez High School, Garden St. Academy, and Santa Barbara High School. However, after some adjustments, the Owls won their next two games over Orcutt Academy and Santa Barbara High School, which gave them a 2-3 record heading into Winter Break. The JV squad opened the 2013 year with a second loss to Garden St. Academy, but redeemed itself with a 78-19 blow-out win over the Dunn School Earwigs just days later. The dominating win over Dunn was followed by three straight losses against Villanova Prep, Thacher, and Cate. With another win over Dunn, the Owls were back on track with a win. The junior varsity team highlighted its season with a 48-42 win over Thacher in the second to last game of the season. On the win, sophomore forward Ethan Katnic said, “The fact that we beat Thacher after losing to them by over 30 points showed how much we improved over the season.”
Villanova Prep. Laguna’s winning streak was snapped in a nail-biter 52-49 loss at Thacher, handing the Owls their first Condor League loss. In the next home game against cross-town rival Cate School, Laguna earned a 60-48 marque victory over the Rams. The Owls then lost four out of the next six games, dropping their record to 8-7, 6-5. In the last regular season game, Laguna took on Thacher in a Condor League rivalry game at the packed Merovick Gymnasium on Senior Night.
For the first time in six years, the Owls prevailed victorious over the Thacher Toads with a score of 54-43. “We played our best basketball of the season, and players really stepped up,” said captain JT Aubrey. “We got a great win.” The victory was the first win over Thacher for every player on the roster, and for head coach Sal Rodriguez. With a 7-5 league record, Laguna placed as the number 4 seed in Condor League and earned a bid into the CIF-SS Division 5A Playoffs, where the Owls played San Gabriel Academy, the Westside League Champions, in the first round of the playoffs.
Featured Athletes: A Word from Their Teammates
Benji Sorensen
Atticus Roddick
“He is a motivator. He supports you, and he helps you become a better player by giving you tips. He is a shooter. When he steps on the court, he is in range.” – Spenser Wyatt
“Atty is a great basketball player, who contributes a lot of good play to our team both on offense and defense.” - Mark Brown
Bryn Jewett “She is a smart, helpful, and really nice team player! I love having her on the team and without her our team would definitely be missing a big piece of our game.” – Annabelle Sorensen
Cooper Farrell “Cooper is a great soccer player and a very hard worker. Whether he is on defense or offense, Cooper is always giving his best effort.” –Darwin Miguel
Sports
February 25, 2013
Women and the Sports Media
13
A Sports Commentary By DARIA ETEZADI
I’ve always been fascinated by the Victoria Secret aired another comSuper Bowl—how one football game mercial later that afternoon, in which could bring an entire nation together Kate Upton appeared in a skin-tight on a Sunday afternoon for over four black tank top and denim booty shorts hours. It’s no wonder that companies so viewers could “watch her wash a are willing to invest $2.7 million on new Mercedes CLA in slow motion.” a 30-second advertisement on Super However, in the one-minute and Bowl Sunday. 34-second advertisement, she ends up Between the heartwarming Jeep circling the Mercedes and flirting with commercial honoring our nation’s vetNFL players while the men wash the erans and the comedic Century 21 car and stare at her cleavage with wedding ad, dozens of compalingering eyes. nies promoted their products I used to think that women through family-friendly and were starting to become acceptrespectable advertisements. ed by society as athletes who And then there was the are just as capable of competVictoria’s Secret ad. Granted, ing professionally as men. Victoria’s Secret is not known But once again, the media for its discretion, but the Angels has proven me wrong by in this year’s Super Bowl flauntobjectifying women when it ed a little more than lingerie. comes to promoting athletic Back for the first time since events. 1999, Victoria’s Secret filled Take Turkish columnist one of its time slots in the Yüksel Aytuğ’s article titled 2013 Super Bowl with Angel “Womanhood is dying at Adriana Lima, who donned black the Olympics,” in which lace lingerie while spinning a he openly criticizes the football between her fingers, as Olympics of “killing the words “This game will soon womanhood,” using be over . . . let the real games women’s athletic apbegin” floated across the screen. pearance as the basis of Never mind the demeaning his dim-witted argument. tone of this advertisement, “Broad-shouldered, flatusing skinny, half-naked chested women with small women as sexual objects, hips; [they are] totally meant to serve as the indistinguishable from “prize” men men. Their breasts – ART: ZOE SERBIN the symbol of womanare awarded after their hard work on the field. hood, motherhood – flattened What’s even more reinto stubs as they were seen as mere pulsive is the shamelessness of the ad. hindrances to speed,” said Aytuğ. Chief Creative Officer for VS, Ed “Their appearance is just pathetic.” Razek, said, “Somebody will make Let me just say that there is a fine noise about it just as they do another line between exercising freedom of dozen commercials. If you are in the speech, and exercising the right to business of lingerie and super models, remain silent. If we as a society are you do an ad about lingerie and super fostering an environment where men models.” like Mr. Aytuğ can feel comfortable Claiming that Lima’s ad is “classy,” judging the value of a woman based Razek doesn’t show any signs of regret on her curvature, then we are heading for streaming this suggestive and dedown a dangerous path of retrogresrogatory advertisement. sion.
PHOTO: MICK ANDERSON HEAVE HO: Alumna Carly Shevitz ‘10 and skipper, Sydney Bolger, sail past a buoy while competing in the Women’s 470.
Alumna Carly Shevitz Blows Away the Competition By CAITLIN CONNOR Carly Shevitz ‘10 has been a proacboats together speed tuning and worktive sailor since she began sailing at ing together. It’s been awesome.” age eight. Even more impressively Carly has This past year, however, has been also been selected for the US sailing one of her most successful and comSperry Top Sider Olympic Training petitive yet. Team. Carly with skipper Sydney Bolger Her career ambition is to earn a spot just completed the International Sailin the 2016 Olympics. ing Federation (ISAF) North AmeriCarly is currently a junior at College can Championships 2 USA88 Sailof Charleston in South Carolina, where ing World Cup Miami in which they she is double-majoring in Jewish competed in the Women’s 470. Studies and Exercise Science. “We’re trying to take a step-by-step She chose College of Charleston for approach and make its location, athletics, an improvement in and for its variety of “Sailing has our sailing each day academic programs. we go sailing. We’ve enabled me to dream “Sailing has enhad a lot of free flow abled me to dream big.” of information, espebig. Four years ago, cially in our debriefs. I dreamed of sailing It’s nice to hear from a lot of differon an accomplished college team.” ent perspectives, from people who are When attending Laguna, Carly new to the class and have different founded and lead the Owl’s sailing experience, different techniques and team, for which her younger sister, comparing notes from days on the Cassidy ‘13 is now a cocaptain. water. “It was fun for me to take something Having the opportunity to work with I was interested in and teach it to othtop-level sailors and have more 470s ers. Teaching new sailors and watchout there is huge. ing them quickly develop was very This is the first time we’ve had seven rewarding for me.”
Upcoming Spring Sports Preview By SCOTT JOHNSTON
T
he boys tennis team is looking to Boys lacrosse is back at Laguna, and build off of a near CIF playoff birth. team members are very excited to see Senior and four-year player Edhow the season will turn out. die Conk said, “We lost a couple key “I think that this will be a good seniors, but I’m really excited to see season because of the number of some of the returning players step up players we have even though most of and fill in the spaces.” the team has never played before. We The team lost Alex Louden, Justin have some athletic guys coming out so Shand, and Alex Greer to college this I hope that we do well enough to beat past year. Midland and Ojai at least,” freshman Tennis is coached by Trevor Thorpe. goalie Darwin Miguel said. This will be his fourth year and he is The golf team has very high expectavery committed to the team. “He’s tions for the season. young but he really knows what he’s “I think we will be pretty good this doing,” Eddie said. year and have a lot Sophomore Marfun with Ace and “We have a great of tin Barnick played our new assistant on the team last coach who takes a coach Grizzo,” year and said, “We Cole lot of pride in mak- sophomore are going to have a Strachan said. ing us a great team great team this year Mr. Dennis for sure. We will be Green—Grizzo— and has great expecplaying challengwill be joining Mr. tations for us.” ing schools, but I Peter Angeloff— am sure we will do Ace— on the coach- JT Aubrey well.” ing staff this year. The boys varsity Fellow sophovolleyball team is more Sam Brown lead by senior captain JT Aubrey. said, “Let’s just say Ace could have “Well first off we have a great coach some mustache competition from who takes a lot of pride in making us a Grizzo this year.” great team and has great expectations Cole added, “I’m keeping my fingers for us. crossed but, hopefully we do well in Second, last year we were a pretty CIF and slap a banner up in the gym.” solid team who went to the second Finally, Sam said ,“It’s safe to say round of CIF, this year we’re coming we’re going to wreck everyone.” out as number 2 in division 5. I think On the topic of having a girls everybody on the team plans on winlacrosse team, Athletic Director ning the CIF title this year,” JT said. Mr. Mike Biermann said, “I don’t Sophomore John Ligon has high think right now that we’ll have a expectations for both the varsity and team.” the junior varsity. He said, “This year He said that there is a chance the varsity team has the best chance to though, “Maybe like we did last season win the Condor League than we have where some of our girls play with seen in a long time, and the JV team other girls from SBHS and San Marcos has more games than have been seen and they form a club team.” in a while too.” This reality does not deter girls For the first time, Laguna Blanca interested in lacrosse such as junior will have a girls beach volleyball team. Margaret Lazarovits. She said, “I hope Junior Chloe Richman is excited to be to get a lot of underclassmen involved a part of the team. “I think that this because they can keep interest for season we will start off super strong lacrosse up over the next couple of since the team is carrying on experiyears.” ence from the indoor team… We are The coach for the girls lacrosse already tightly- bonded and know how team is Jeannette Villapiano and the each of us play indoors, so it will be assistant coach will hopefully be Hana exciting to switch it up and see how it Princip. They have been the coaches goes on the sand.” for the past two years.
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A&E
February 25, 2013
British Invasion
The British are back in America, but this time, they’ve invaded our television sets.
Doctor Who
By CAITLIN CONNOR & MARGARET LAZAROVITS
“The first question…the question that must never be answered…hidden in plain sight…the question you’ve been running from all your life! Doctor Who?” This is the question which ended season six in 2011 as the Doctor walked away, completely unharmed, from the fixed point in time when he was supposed to die. As it had been made clear throughout the series, a fixed point cannot be changed, or else reality collapses in on itself and time happens all at once. Only the Doctor could pull off a feat like that. But, let me back up. To an experienced Whovian (the term given to those with a love for all things “Doctor Who”), phrases like “fixed points in time” or “wibbley-wobbley timeywimey,” are held in high esteem. However, those who have never heard of a TARDIS or a Time Lord, might need some clarification. Now in its seventh season, “Doctor Who,” a British sci-fi series broadcast by BBC, aired its first episode in 1963. In theory, this show has been around for half a century. However, because the public viewership declined and the show’s time slot was bumped down,
Sherlock
A hit mini-series from BBC, “Sherlock” takes the classic short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a consulting detective and gives them a twist. “Sherlock” depicts self-proclaimed detective Sherlock Holmes assisting various clients in solving crimes. Flat mate and partner, Dr. John Watson who has just returned from military service, assists Sherlock, but mostly puts up with his antics. Each episode varies in its crimes, yet Holmes’ conflict with arch nemesis Jim Moriarty is a running theme throughout. Sherlock is a character that is able to weave wit, intelligence, logic, mystery, and magic together. The past two seasons have culminated in six total episodes with nine plus hours of movie quality film. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created the show back in 2009 before it first aired in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2010. Each season the co-creators write one episode, with fellow writer
Downton Abbey Created and written by the esteemed Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey” offers a view of a vanishing way of life. With the twentieth century comes change that is stirring Downton Abbey Estate’s residents and staff. Set in the English countryside, “Downton Abbey” depicts the intertwining stories of the Crawley family and their household staff. The show portrays the estate’s life
“Doctor Who” was suspended in 1989, marking the end of the Classic Series. The show then returned in 2005 to high ratings with the first episode of the Revived Series, under the supervi-
sion of head writer Russell T Davies. “Doctor Who” has proved itself worthy of the accolades it so often receives. When Davies was the lead writer, the show won five consecutive National Television Awards (20052010). Matt Smith was the first Doctor to be nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (2011). Last year in America, “Doctor Who” was the top selling series on iTunes. Perhaps its highest acclaim is reaching cult status and becoming a Steve Thompson taking the third. The show opened to resoundingly ecstatic critical acclaim. By the end of its first season, Sherlock and its actors had been nominated for and won several BAFTAs as well as Emmys. Its huge popularity among the UK population even inspired the retailer Debenhams to begin production on coats similar to Sherlock’s (or “the asexual psychopath”). BBC began to release
prominent part of British pop culture. What makes “Doctor Who” such a popular show is its ability to retain various timeless aspects. In fact, the show has maintained the same main character, the Doctor, for 50 years. How the writers do this is quite ingenious. The Doctor is a Time Lord alien, who travels time and space in his spaceship. Time Lords, which are humanoid aliens from the planet Gallifrey, have the ability to regenerate. That is, when their body is dying, they can create a new one with new features but still be the same person. With each regeneration, and therefore new actor, the Doctor does take on new nuances according to the changes he had undergone in his previous body. Another unchanging part of the show is the Doctor’s space ship: his TARDIS – Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Its exterior is a blue 1960s police box; however, the interior can change according to the Doctor’s needs. At one point it even held a swimming pool. The console room underwent a renovation early in this year, in time for the show’s 50th anniversary. PHOTO COURTESY: BBC modern book tie-ins with introductions by Moffat and Gatiss. Yet despite this massive renown, the elaborate production of season two forced an 18-month wait for fans. There is heated debate over the release of season three as no date has been announced and fans fear another long break. However, fans will surely wait as long as it takes for the show deemed “impossible to resist” by the Wall Street Journal.
PHOTO COURTESY: BBC rocked by the great events in history, such as the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, the Spanish influenza, and the Irish civil war, all which affected the British social hierarchy that this family straddles. The show first aired in the UK in 2010, but was not released in the United States until 2011. “Downton Abbey” has now been nominated for twenty-seven total primetime Emmy Awards, the most of any non-U.S.
show. “Downton” was also nominated for various BAFTAs over the first two seasons, and in 2011 was put down in the Guiness World Records as “most critically acclaimed television show” of the year. As the second season closed with the heir cousin Matthew’s proposal to Mary Crawley, so does the third season come to a close with another cliffhanger, keeping fans panting for more.
PHOTO COURTESY: MASTERPIECE
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks By MILES CRIST “In We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks,” Academy Award winning documentary film maker Alex Gibney masterfully weaves together the complex story of Julian Assange’s famed and controversial website. The film, which premiered on Jan. 26, at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, sorts through a colossal amount of news coverage and information to create a detailed yet suspenseful account of Wikileaks’ key players: Julian Assange, the founder Wikileaks, Bradley Manning, a U.S. private first class accused of leaking classified
documents to Wikileaks, and Adrian Lamo, a hacktivist who turned Manning in to the FBI, leading to his arrest. “We Steal Secrets” talks briefly about Julian Assange’s life before Wikileaks, when he lived in the 1980s hacker haven of Melbourne Australia. Operating under the code name Mendax, Assange invented a computer program which allowed a group called the International Subversives to hack into the Pentagon and NASA. In 1989, Assange was one of six Melbourne teenagers under suspicion for sending a hacking worm into the Atlan-
tis space shuttle shortly before its launch. Although he eventually pled guilty to 26 other unrelated hacking charges, Assange was set free because of his young age and disrupted childhood. The film then shifts its focus to the founding of Wikileaks 17 years later, utilizing interviews with former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden to talk about Bradley Manning and Wikileaks’ Collateral Murder video. Manning, having security clearance and access to classified information via the internet, was accused of passing 500,000 military reports to Wikileaks through an encrypted connection. Adrian Lamo, a fellow hacktivist in whom Manning confided through an online chat, turned him in to the
Fey and Poehler Steal the Show at Globes By ZOE SERBIN hen it was announced that beloved comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would be hosting the 70th Annual Golden Globe awards, fans around the world cheered. The comedy duo – who worked together at Second City, “Saturday Night Live,” “Baby Mama,” and “Mean Girls” – has a long-standing history of hilarity, so the expectations were high going into the awards show on Jan. 22. Their opening monologue did not disappoint. It included witty jabs at several up-and-coming women there such as Lena Dunham and Kathryn Bigelow. They cited nominated movies “Hunger Games” as “the six weeks it took [Tina] to get into her dress” and “Life of Pi” as “the six weeks after [Amy] takes her dress
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[Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s] opening monologue did not disappoint. It included witty jabs at several up-and-coming women in the building such as Lena Dunham and Kathryn Bigelow. off,” after which they shared a highfive. Later on in the show, they made a quip about serial-dater Taylor Swift, telling her to stay away from Michael J. Fox’s son, and to take “me-time.” Other comedic highs of the evening came when “SNL” alumni Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell presented the award for Best Actress in a Musical/ Comedy. The duo riffed off of each other in a five-minute improvised routine in which they “pretended” to have seen each nominated film and incorrectly summarized the plots based on their titles. The biggest moments of the evening came from Jodie Foster’s Lifetime Achievement in Film award and her moving speech, as well as the film “Les Misèrables,” taking away three Golden Globes for Best Musical/Comedy, Hugh Jackman as Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy, and Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress. Twenty six-year-old Lena Dunham took away two Golden Globes, Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy Series and Best Musical/Comedy, for the HBO show Girls, in which Dunham writes, directs, produces and acts. Jennifer Lawrence took away the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy for her performance in “Silver Linings Playbook.” “Argo” won two Globes, one for Best Movie (Drama), as well as for Ben Affleck’s directing. Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” won two Globes as well for Christopher Waltz’s performance as Best Supporting Actor, as well as Best Screenplay. Jessica Chastain took the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture/Drama for her passionate performance in “Zero Dark Thirty,” and Daniel Day Lewis won Best Actor in a Motion Picture/Drama for his performance in “Lincoln.” The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and the stars of Hollywood will congregate again on Sunday Feb. 24 to celebrate the year’s accomplishments in film with the Oscars.
FBI after feeling that he was endangering lives by making this information public. Throughout the film, Gibney uses intricate motion graphics to convey the chat logs between Lamo and Manning and to 3-dimensionalize what would otherwise be static online news articles. The documentary also traces Wikileaks’ unravelling after its main success, including the allegations against Assange of sexual abuse, and Paypal and Amazon’s ceasing to support the website for donations and web hosting. After being wanted by Sweden to return for a trial and hiding out in the United Kingdom, Assange sought political asylum. He was eventually granted it by Ecuador, and as of today he is still living in the Ecuadorian embassy in
London. While it does give much support for Wikileaks’ cause, “We Steal Secrets” also shows that Assange should “not be praised as an idealistic hero as much as he has been. Gibney allows the viewers to make their own conclusions about Assange and Wikileaks after laying out accusations and defense from both sides. His skillful storytelling exposes the Julian Assange who struggled with instantaneous fame and ironically praised transparency while at the same time vigilantly guarded his own secrets. A thoroughly researched and wonderfully executed documentary overall, “We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks” is a must-see film for when it publicly arrives in theaters mid-year.
Lifestyle
February 25, 2013
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Be Mine, Valentine? By HELENA DAVILA Valentine’s Day doesn’t always have to involve a dinner for two and a bouquet of roses. Sometimes, an evening with close friends, good food, and cheesy Rom-Coms are the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day. These are some of our favorite alternative Valentine’s traditions. Pick up macarons from Renaud’s, fancy Pellegrino water from the local grocery, and pretty flowers at the farmer’s market for a relaxed and fun Valentine party. Make hand-made Valentines using recycled odds and ends like playing cards, newspaper clippings, pressed flowers and cut up magazines. Have a gift exchange! Draw names from a hat and exchange small Valentines with friends during a Valentine’s day brunch.
PHOTOS: HELENA DAVILA
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Artist: Zoe Serbin
Opinion Page Editor: Olivia Berci
Lanyards, carabiners, knotted pieces of rope, or mini flashlights. Every set of keys has its own flair. Here’s a peek at some of the Fourth Estate staffers’ keys that we’ve seen hanging out of back pockets, strewn across lunch tables, and, of course, plugged into car ignitions. PHOTOS: HELENA DAVILA
A&E Editor: Anastasia Antonova
By CATY LAFITTE
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veryone has that one favorite ice cream flavor that always hits the spot whether it’s chocolate chip cookie dough, rich chocolate, or even just plain vanilla. But now, minds might be changed about having only one desired flavor. Rori Trovato has recently opened the retail store for Rori’s
Editor in Chief: Daria Etezadi
Artisanal Creamery on Montecito’s Coast Village Road. The Carpinteria-based company takes their ingredients come from the Straus Family Creamery, Native Forrest, and Valrhona Chocolate—all of which are 100 percent organic. Rori’s new store has a rustic, industrial feel to it, including Mason Jars, high ceilings, and tables and chairs set up outside that encourage customers to stop and hang out for a few moments before continuing on with their day. Not only does Rori’s have everyone’s favorite classics like “Serious Dark Chocolate” and “Creamy Vanilla Bean,” but they also have unique flavors like “Lemon Curd” and “Peanut
By ALLISON TOWBES
grew up in grocery stores. Once a week after my baby brother was born, three-year-old me along with my dad used to go sit at Fresh Fields, our local organic store. He would drink coffee while I ate my chocolate chip cookie (a free sample courtesy of the kind Fresh Fields bakery employees). I quickly learned to love the time that I spent in grocery stores. Farmers markets and nationwide chains are meccas for the hip, healthy, and beautiful people in the world. From the vegans inspecting the tofu selections to the young mothers looking for fat free, organic milk, everyone looks well-informed and up to date on the latest food trends. It is a kind of paradise, a paradise where everyone eats gourmet, freshly-baked bread and world-renowned cheese. My first trip to the nearby Whole Foods after going gluten free, however, is somewhere on my list of traumatic experiences. I walked past my favorite cereal, rosemary pita bread, and the row of pasta in every shape and size. I can’t have any of that, I thought to myself. I walked down the aisle, making a beeline for the Ben and Jerry’s. Then it dawned on me: I couldn’t eat cookie dough. I felt defeated. The only thing that saved me from sitting down in the middle of the frozen food aisle and crying was the little bit of dignity I had left. Actually, it was probably the sub-arctic temperatures emanating from the freezers that kept me from becoming one with the floor. Regardless, I was in distress. That was my low point. It’s gotten easier, once I got used to rice bread and quinoa pasta. After one botched attempt at chocolate chip cookies, a new appreciation for squash, and one hundred and forty-one days of the GF lifestyle, I’ve made it to the other side. Weeks of experimenting with xanthan gum and other supplements with unpronounceable names I’m comfortable eating at home, and the discovery of some new and fantastic restaurants has actually made it fun to eat out. But I don’t think I would have stuck with it without the help of a very close friend who happens to be a brilliant cook and who is far superior to me in the realm of culinary arts. I’ve never been an adept cook, so her skills in the kitchen made her the obvious choice for a cooking buddy. I learned that I could eat normal meals, food that tastes as good as it is for me. This first experience in gluten free cooking was, for lack of a better word, thrilling.
Butter and Jelly.” Some other flavors include “Cup o’ Joe Spinelli,” “Fresh Mint Patty,” “Root Beer Float,” “ Roman’s Chocolate Coconut,” “Salted Caramel,” and “NY Strawberry Cheesecake” which comes with a graham cracker crust. In addition to their 12 everyday flavors, Rori’s Creamery also has special flavors that rotate daily. Some of their special flavors include the “805,” “Biscoff Cookie,” “Honey Lavender,” and “Apple Crisp.” “I really like Rori’s because all the flavors are extremely good. My favorite is the “New York Strawberry Cheesecake” because it is so tasty and the graham cracker crust is so good. Rori’s is definitely my favorite ice cream shop,” junior Quentin Tedesco said.
Not only does Rori’s have its own retail store now, they also sell their ice cream by the pint in local retailers like Whole Foods Market, Lazy Acres Market, and cafés and groceries throughout Santa Barbara including various Gelson’s Market locations throughout California. “I like Rori’s because it is conveniently located and it has a lot of flavors that most ice cream stores don’t have, such as “Honey Lavender.” My favorite is the “Malted Milk Ball.” I love that all of the ice cream is organic, it makes me feel good knowing that there haven’t been any pesticides used on what I’m eating. I love that it is all handmade too,” junior Chloe Richman said. ART: ZOE SERBIN
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Page Design: Zoe Serbin & Anastasia Antonova Photos: Anastasia Antonova
February 25, 2013
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