Issue 4, 2015

NEWS//

Interact holds date auction

BY JULIA PARK

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W

orld events over the last few months have put the concept of censorship front and center. What distinguishes it from other issues of the day, such as Ebola or ISIS, is that censorship is not new. On the contrary, it is an age-old phenomenon. Censorship has been around for as long as people have communicated to spread information. Wherever freedom of expression exists, the dark shadow of the gag lurks as well.

Censorship has popped up as a topic of contention throughout American history, and protections against it make up the foundation of the United States’ legal code. In 1734, over 40 years before the U.S. achieved independence, newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger was charged with libel after printing articles critical of William Cosby, New York Colony’s appointed governor. The case

quickly gained a following throughout the colonies.

Zenger was acquitted by the jury after a deliberation of just 10 minutes, planting the seed of free speech in the yet unborn nation.

The Constitution’s First Amendment, adopted in 1791, guarantees the freedoms of speech and the press. During the ensuing two centuries and counting, these protections have allowed Americans to express their opinions as they wish. Of course, even these safeguards have their limits. Defining what is allowable and what is not has been another defining theme of the United States’ past.

But censorship does not just live in the history books. It is present in society here and now. It touches our lives in ways both highly controversial and mundane. This issue, the Epic takes a look at censorship and whether we are really as free as we think we are. see CENSORSHIP page 8 see CENSORSHIP page 9

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JEFFREY YANG & KASTURI PANTVAIDYA

BY JAMES WILHELMI AND KHAYA BHATIA

nteract Area 12 held its first date auction fundraiser in January. High schoolers had the chance to bid on the Interact officers of Area 12, which is comprised of Interact chapters from FUHSD high schools.

Interact officers set up a Facebook page on which officers from Area 12 posted a picture and short biography. From Jan. 11 to Jan. 25, local high school students could bid on officers, with the highest bidder winning a date. During the date, which is arranged by the bidder and the officer between Jan. 25 and the end of the school year, the bid money is collected by the participating officer.

All profits will be donated to Interact District 5170’s international project for 20142015, Home Sweet Home. This project was created in partnership with Free the Children, an international charity, to build villages in rural Kenya to improve living conditions and provide job training, education and medicine in those newly built settlements.

“With date auctions, people realize that they’re helping a great cause and are willing to donate more. Besides just earning a huge profit, this fundraiser helps spread Interact’s message,” said junior Masha Koubenski, Lynbrook Interact’s Vice President.

Area 12 adopted the date auction for the first time this year, but multiple areas in District 5170 implemented the fundraiser already. The Area 12 officers settled on the date auction because they found it to be relatively effortless yet profitable.

“This fundraising method stood out because it took minimal effort to plan, yet on average, the schools holding these events made around $1,000 in a few weeks,” said senior Rujuta Kortikar, the Area 12 Director.

The Lynbrook Interact Club is also hosting the school’s first interclub service project, the Interclub Donation Drive, along with CSF, Key Club, NHS and Youth Impact. They collect basic school supplies to donate to Rocketship Network of Public Charter Schools, an organization that provides schools lacking funding with basic study necessities.

“Most students in our area have more than enough school supplies which go to waste,” said Koubenski. “If Lynbrook gathers these supplies, it improves the education of children from low-income families.”

With these two projects, Lynbrook’s Interact Club is hoping to contribute in reaching the district goal of raising $90,000 to benefit charities.

The Obamacare website debacle drastically slowed down President Barack Obama’s plan for national healthcare reform.

He also placed greater importance on proper website design and management,.

The year also brought to the forefront wthe issue of race, with the controversial shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. He was shot by white police officer Darren Wilson in August in Ferguson, Mo.

Echoing the devastating sentiments brought to light following the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the choking of Eric Garner by a New York City police officer in July, the event fostered a national dialogue on poverty and racial tension and led to major protests across the country.

San Francisco 49ers fans watched their football team falter in heartbreaking fashion against the Seattle Seahawks in January’s NFC Championship Game.

June kicked off the year’s biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Germany defeated Argentina to win the cup and while America lost to Belgium in the Round of 16, goalkeeper Tim Howard was instated as America’s “Secretary of Defense” for his amazing saves.

The local mood picked up in October when the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals to win the World Series, adding a third championship win since 2010.

Facebook started the year in technology through its two big company acquisitions. With its purchase of Whatsapp in February and Oculus Rift in March, the company made inroads and improvements into new areas of technological growth. Its acquisition of virtual reality pioneer Oculus Rift, especially, resulted in controversy, as critics questioned Facebook’s motives.

The year ended on a low note, however, as the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks again in December, this time not making the playoffs at all for Superbowl XLIX.

Political issues continued to remain important through November, as Democrats suffered a major political defeat in Congress.

President Obama, a Democrat, faces a majority Republican Congress for the last two years of his presidency. After beginning their terms on a strong note in 2015, they have already submitted many bills to be passed in Congress.

BY PRASANN RANADE

The year also quickly became Apple’s biggest, quite literally, with its release in September of the iPhone 6, its largest phone to date, and its unveiling of its designs for the Apple Watch. Developers have already begun designing apps for the watch.

The biggest interstellar milestones came from advancements in space exploration and astronomy: After decades of exploration, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft entered interstellar space in September. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft delivered cargo to the International Space Station, also in September. The landing of the European Space Agency’s Philae probe on a comet in November marked the first spacecraft interaction with a comet. Lastly, NASA’s New Horizons probe woke up from hibernation in December.

In addition to the Oscars (with Leonardo Di Caprio still yet to win one) and the American Music Awards, major hacking incidents marked pop culture in 2014: In September, the massive uploading of nude photos of celebrities to the cloud created an uproar in the business, with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson among some of the celebrities affected.

The unknown disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in March caught the attention of people worldwide, with the massive search effort eventually coming up empty. The disaster of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, shot down in Ukraine in July, further exacerbated the airline’s worries.

And in November, North Korean hackers forced Sony to drop its national release of The Interview, a movie that describes the killing of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Despite threats, Sony released the film in certain theaters and online.

The next biggest global concern took place in West Africa in the fall as authorities continued to battle the largest outbreak of the Ebola virus to date. As of Jan. 16, 2015, 8,483 people have died of the disease in six countries, including the U.S. The disease continues to ravage West African countries, primarily Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

The world mourned actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s overdose death in February, entertainer Robin Williams’ tragic suicide in August, and comedian Joan Rivers’ controversial death in September.

The XXII Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia set the stage for the international events of 2014 through its controversial nature, in terms of its cost, corruption, and security measures.

March also focused the world’s attention on an area of land just a little bigger than Massachusetts: the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine. As the world watched, Russian president Vladimir Putin annexed the area from Ukraine in opposition to the demands of major world leaders, including President Obama. Russia still controls the land.

HS Hackathons: 24 hour coding events

BY URMILA VENKATARAMANI

Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, In recognition of the events involving the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the Epic begins 2015 with an in-depth look into censorship policies and reactions. Turn to our centerspread “Censorship: Uncovered” (pg. 8) to check it out. Our centerspread stories and graphics extend online, so make sure to visit www.lhsepic.com.

In addition, be sure to read our staff editorial on Lynbrook Interact club’s date auction (pg. 5). As Valentine’s Day approaches, read about the Epic’s blind date challenge (pg. 7).

For sports, be sure to check out our story on individual athletes (pg. 14).

Happy new year and happy reading, James Wilhelmi and Khaya Bhatia

O

n Feb. 7, the second High School Hacks will take place at PayPal’s headquarters in downtown San Jose. The event, a 24-hour-long hackathon, is expected to draw over 1,000 high school students from over 30 high schools across the country. Hackathons such as HS Hacks gather people in the software field to collaborate on projects intensively for a set period of time.

Sophomore Krithika Yetchina, a planner of HS Hacks, has participated in 20 hackathons to date and became involved in hackathons after attending one at PayPal three years ago.

“I built my network and got exposure by hackathon organizers,” said Yetchina.

“My biggest gain from going to hackathons is exposure from recruiters from the hottest tech companies, because I aspire to have a future in the computer field.” Yetchina will participate again this year, along with other students who are eager to try a hackathon for the first time.

One of these newcomers to hackathons is senior Sandeep Raghunandan, who wants to participate in HS Hacks to

gain some practical experience in coding.

“In the real world, programs are written by teams,” said Raghunandan. “That collaboration was not emphasized as much in the programming classes I’ve taken.” Hackathons are competitions for students who write

programs, but HS Hacks offers options for students who do not know how to code. HS Hacks will conduct programming workshops for those with less experience.

HS Hacks will also be junior Kenny Yuan’s first hackathon. He hopes that the focused hours spent coding at a hackathon will en-

courage him to try something new.

“I want to challenge myself to create something unique and difficult,” said Yuan.

“Not a typical app or website, but something new and fresh that pushes the boundaries of what I’m comfortable working with.”

HS Hacks is not the only hackathon that students attend. Sophomores Adhiv Dhar, Matthew Sotoudeh and Will Shan attended Code Day, their first hackathon, in November 2014, and plan on attending many more this year. Sotoudeh appreciates the community of hackathon particpants and the non-competitive atmosphere.

“If you need help you can ask what are technically your direct competitors, and they’ll answer you,” said Sotoudeh. The accommodating environment of hackathons allows participants with little to no experience to learn from their peers.

“One of the great things about the hackathon culture is that you can walk in there not knowing a thing, and everybody out there will help you,” said Dhar.

Dhar and Sotoudeh, who are officers of Web Dev club, said that the club plans to host a hackathon at Lynbrook later this year.

“We want to bring something to Lynbrook that hasn’t been here before,” said Dhar.

News in Brief Blue Pearl The annual Blue Pearl dance, hosted by LIMB, will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31 in the gym from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Come to swing dance the night away with food and live music from the Lyratones and Lynbrook’s Jazz Band. Tickets are only $15 for singles and $25 for couples, with drinks sold at the non-alcoholic bar.

Job Shadow Those wishing to participate in this year’s Job Shadow must turn in their application forms by Jan. 30 to the College and Career Center in the Library. The application forms and all job listings can be found on lhsjobshadow.org.

Valkyries’ First Competition Saturday, Jan. 31, marks the first Valkyries competition. Come out to the Homestead High School gym to watch the five team dances as well as solos from seniors Joan Chen and Annette Chang and juniors Dorothy Lin and Jane Kuang.

Diagnostic Tests For sophomores who would like to take either APLAC or APUSH next year, check the Lynbrook Website for the signup sheet by today for APLAC and before Feb. 6 for APUSH. The APLAC Diagnostic will be held in the cafeteria on Feb. 4 at 7:35 a.m., and the APUSH diagnostic will be held on Feb. 11 at 7:30 a.m.

By Freya Liu

Behind the scenes of plummeting oil prices

BY SHEFALI VIJAY

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lobal oil prices have fallen sharply since June 2014 and continue their plunge into the new year. They have dipped into recession time prices within a short seven-month time frame. By Jan. 1, 2015, prices sunk to an astonishing $54 per barrel, compared to $115 per barrel early in 2014. Prices have continued their descent, wreaking havoc on foreign economies.

For the duration of the past decade oil prices stayed relatively high, wavering around $115 per barrel after returning to normalcy following the 2008 recession. Increased oil consumption in China coupled with flaring conflicts in oil-producing nations caused the demand for oil to surge.

With the Middle East suddenly unable to produce adequate oil, the United States and Canada initiated their own “tight oil” production in order to alleviate pressure from the heightened demands.

The United States

alone added a whopping four million barrels of oil per day, doubling its production rate.

For several years, the addition of Canadian and American oil to the reserves stabilized the market and relieved dependence on Middle Eastern petroleum. In 2014, Middle Eastern petroleum output increased as demand from the growing Chinese economy slowed. This dynamic shift in led to an excess production of oil and the prices fell sharply.

While oil prices are dropping internationallyw, the crash is also heard closer to home.

“As far as Lynbrook students and families go, the drop in oil prices will hopefully give them more money for what they want instead of having to spend on gas,” said history teacher Nate Martell.

While the effect of the crash in oil prices is not blatant, the aftereffects are becoming increasingly noticeable.

“I was more willing to drive to Lake Tahoe over winter break,” said Martell. “It cost half as much to fill up the tank, which was nice.”

Licensed Lynbrook students feel the effects as well.

“When the prices were higher, I would think about every U-turn and worry about wasting gas,” said senior Ayesha Godiwala.

Godiwala feels that the price drop has eased her worries about how much she drives. While the price drop has led her to drive more often, she is trying not to take advantage of the situation.

“I am still conscious about how much I drive and any unnecessary trips because it hurts the environment, but I’m thinking less about it now,” Godiwala said.

Despite the benefits to the local community, the rapid fall of oil prices indicates ominous ramifications for the global community. According to Martell, alternative energy companies have taken the hardest hit.

“It’s tough for alternative energy companies which compete with oil companies because now they don’t have any incentive to develop alternative energy sources,” said Martell.

“This could have major re p e rc u s sions for the near future.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KATHLEEN CUI

Burdened by perfection in female characters

BY STEPHANIE LU

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hot, gun-wielding woman with a doctorate from Stanford doesn’t make a strong female character.

The problem with a perfect female character is that flawlessness is just as one-dimensional as the archetypal damsel-in-distress.

At least writers using a damsel-in-distress won’t defend their characters as “strong female characters”; with the gun-toting, sexually attractive female character, writers feel free to defend their work by saying, “But my female characters are so strong!”

The root problem is a misunderstanding of the phrase “strong female character.”

A strong female character doesn’t refer to a physically impressive, female super-genius.

Strong female characters can be those things, but the emphasis here is on the word “character.” These characters are, above all, human. They might know how to wield a gun and have some amazing skill, but they should have human flaws to balance that out.

Maybe, like Annabeth from Percy Jackson, they make excuses for their loved ones’ actions. Maybe, like the Bride from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, they’re vengeful to the point of slaughter. Or maybe, like Katniss from The Hunger Games, they break down and suffer from fits of intense depression.

The point is, no matter how cool a female character is on paper, without weaknesses, they remain little more than paper.

Expanding on the importance of female flaws, junior Han Chong used Annabeth as an example of a flawed female character.

“Her flaw of devotion is everywhere...it got annoying at times, but without it Annabeth would’ve been too perfect. She’d just be this super-perfect, super-great knife fighter.”

While a completely perfect female characters might seem like the best thing that’s ever happened to women, the truth of it is, women aren’t perfect. To portray them otherwise isn’t just bad writing; it’s a denial of their human complexity.

CLAIRE CHIANG//AS I SEE IT

Take things seriously

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ore than an appropriate number of people laughed out loud this past month while watching The Interview illegally online or while going to one of the few movie theaters showing it. When North Korea said that they would bomb all movie theaters showing The Interview, most

The media is how most kids learn about the world, and what a lack of dynamic, multifaceted female characters tells young girls is that they aren’t worthy of representation; it tells them that writers would rather portray perfect creations of their own mind instead of taking time to craft female characters with the same eye for flaws they used for their male characters. “[Female characters] definitely do need flaws, because otherwise [girls] can’t relate to them,” said sophomore Irene Han, citing Hermione Granger from “Harry Potter” as strong female character. “[Hermione] added to the group, instead of being an object.”

What would be really interesting to see are strong female characters with traditionally female characteristics. “Girly” girls, if you will, who might not to know how to fix a car or use a gun, but nevertheless have goals beyond becoming the hero’s girlfriend.

Too often writers conflate “feminine” with “weak,” leading to a glut of “strong” female characters with traditionally male traits or skills. ­­ While masculine female characters aren’t bad, their domination of the “strong female character” trope means a dearth of female characters who wear dresses and like pink and yet are still smart and driven.

Sometimes writers—many of whom are male—who can’t reconcile the idea that women can be both flawed and attractive, but who still want to give their female characters a flaw, will make their female characters clumsy and leave it at that.

Even female writers aren’t above doing this: Bella Swan from Twilight is a prime example of a female character whose only “flaw” is her clumsiness, even though the author, Stephenie Meyer, is female.

Female characters with perfect figures and genius-level IQs are as flat as the traditional damsel-in-distress, and it’s about time we give girls the accurate media counterparts they deserve—with their flaws and shortcomings included.

people’s reactions came out to be something along the lines of “North Korea can’t be serious right now.” Instead of reacting to the fact that “oh maybe we might be dead in a couple of hours,” people paid attention to the fact that they would no longer be able to watch it. However, many people still decided that it was worth risking their lives to go to one of the few movie theaters that were showing The Interview. If you were one of these people, how you responded to this current situation with North Korea was definitely not the safest or most appropriate.

It’s true that North Korea, has not yet done anything to endanger the United States The Interview, however, is one current attack to North Korea that has caused the United States to receive widespread public threats.

Relate this to the murder of the editorial staff of the French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, earlier this month, during which the attack was made because the caricature

of Mohammed published quite a while back angered many sensitive Islamic groups. One group felt offended enough to plan out an elaborate attack. Charlie Hebdo was threatened, yet continued to publish its work for the sake of a few laughs. I don’t oppose this; freedom of press is clear in France. I believe that it is very possible that threats made by North Korea in regard to The Interview may soon be followed by fatal attacks.

Because of America’s previous history of terrorist attacks, many Americans are already scared of them from certain groups.

The French, however, didn’t suspect much from the threats from these groups because nothing had ever happened from them. Similarly, few Americans realize the danger because North Korea has not directly attacked America before.

North Korea, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un are all considered laughing matters in the United States to Americans. North Korea

has not yet attacked any outside country, but there have been many people who have been killed because of the reign of Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un. People die for the possession of Bibles, for wanting to speak their mind, for doing what they want to do. North Koreans live in fear of doing something that might slightly offend their dictator and cause their death. North Korea is one of the most developed countries that has a dictator who has so much power. We Americans are laughing at the funny looking fat dictator of North Korea while North Koreans realize that their life is on the line with every word they say and every emotion they express.

The next time potentially dangerous news comes out, don’t just laugh it off and think that nothing’s going to happen simply because nothing has happened before. Use your Lynbrook-trained brain and acknowledge that the world is a horrific place and terrible things happen. There’s always a possibility.

Staff Editorial

The Voice of the Epic

Screening out bad Interactions The issue with Interact’s area 12 date auction

JESSICA LUO//IN MY OPINION

Pls stahp with the slang

ART ILLUSTRATION BY ALLISON YUAN

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his year, Area 12 Interact is holding its first date auction. Modeled after previous Interact date auctions, the Area 12 bidding serves to raise money for their International Project “Home Sweet Home,” a donation drive for the organization Free the Children. Though the event was wellintentioned, Area 12 has failed to ensure the basic security of its participants. With a lack of safety precautions for the dates, no required parental consent and no mechanism to screen potential dates, the date auction has left students open to potentially dangerous situations.

As a whole, the date auction can be thought of two distinct parts: the Facebook portion, where members of the Area 12 Date Auction group bid on Interact officers, and the real-life dating portion, when Interact officers go on dates with the highest bidders.

Though the front end of the date auction, the Facebook page, seems to be well-organized, glaring security problems exist in its design.

“The first layer of security is confirming whether the student joining the group is indeed a high school student,” said junior and Lynbrook Interact Area 12 Representative Crystal Mah. To test the stringency of the security, multiple staff members attempted to join the Facebook group and were admitted within minutes by a Lynbrook student not even part of the Interact organization, demonstrating the weakness of the initial screening process.

The problems within the Facebook group pale in comparison, however, to safety concerns concerning the logistics of the dates after the highest bidders are confirmed. The first of these concerns stems from the original

lack of a liability waiver form for the Interact officers participating in the event. Though they seem like a minor detail, these important forms serve a dual purpose--ensuring parental approval and absolving the Area 12 Interact organization of responsibility. In the case of the date auction, with minors going on dates with potentially unknown individuals, parental awareness is key to ensuring the safety of the Interact officers participating.

“Although liability waivers had not been an issue in past date auctions under the supervision of Rotary International [the adult organization that sponsors local Interact clubs], after the interview [with the Epic], the area representatives drafted a liability release and waiver form on Saturday,” said Lynbrook Interact President Janice Chan.

Chan’s statement brings into question whether liability waiver forms would have been required at all had the Epic not inquired about their existence. In any situation with minors playing a role, such as club confer-

ences, liability waiver forms are required; similarly, they should be necessary here.

The second security concern revolves around the dates’ timings and locations.

The individual Interact officers and the highest bidders negotiate the specific time and place for their date, but neither party is required to clear plans with a higher level officer or adult figure.

While the people involved should choose the details of their date on their own, each local Interact chapter should have a database logging the dates, times and locations for each officer’s date. In case of a security or medical crisis, the lack of this important information could quickly put the people on the date in a predicament without an easy solution.

Such transparency would also allow other parties to check in to prevent uncomfortable date situations.

After speaking with both chapter and area level Interact officers it is clear that many security concerns were not addressed based on the precedent of other areas’ successful date auctions.

The current setup presents a poor model to follow, as just one accident, like the lack of specific date details, could upset the precedent, resulting in a less-thansuccessful event for all parties involved.

Though Area 12 held this event with the noble intent of raising money for a good cause, the date auction should not have taken place without a clear and thorough examination of the security protocols in place for all people connected in order to emphasize safety and not just fundraising as the auction’s first priority.

here are only a few things that make me cringe, but the worst by far is hearing my fellow teenagers use what I consider meaningless teenage slang. Not only does this type of speech detract from the actual meaning of words, it is also unnecessarily confusing.

Teenage slang has grown increasingly farfetched as the years have gone by. Terms like “ain’t” and “gonna” are replaced by gibberish (I don’t think they can be called words) such as “yaas” and “lawlz.” Sure, abbreviations can be helpful, but after seeing “lol” after every single chat message I send, they just lose all meaning. For example, the phrase “tfti.”

Someone could send out a Snapchat of themselves taking a nap and that would be the response. And don’t even get me started on the uselessness of the phrase “water you doing.”

Those aren’t even the worst. After some genius realized that both the letter “o” and the number “0” are round, I have seen unhealthy amounts of “l0l”s and “w0w”s. The word “noob,” which was bad enough to begin with, has since been “upgraded” to “n00b.”

What’s a hundred times worse than reading meaningless teenage slang, however, is hearing people say these terms out loud.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “pls” (pronounced “pliz”) instead of “please,” or “doe” instead of “though.”

I’m sure that if slang were to be suddenly prohibited, 90 percent of the teenage population would be rendered mute due to their inability to communicate. Take, for instance, my friend, whose go-to phrase is “I literally can’t even.”

“Can’t even what?” I asked her once, just to see what she would say.

She struggled for words. “I just, like, can’t even,” she clarified.

I don’t think I need to mention that not only are these “sentences” grammatically incorrect, they also sound completely ridiculous. You “literally” can’t even? Why not figuratively? Or, what happens when you can even? Then what do you say?

By the time I finish deciphering what these sentences mean, I’ve completely lost track of the conversation. That’s when I realize that the slang had no actual part in what the person was trying to say. And if I can’t even understand what my fellow teenagers are trying to say, who else will? Communication will become impossible.

And I’m not just picking on my peers-these seemingly harmless modifications of the English language have started to affect other, more important parts of our lives.

For example, I was talking to a former SAT proctor the other day, and she mentioned that in the essay portion a handful of teenagers wrote like they texted, using terms like “tbh” and “imo” in their writing.

Frankly, the fact that people actually use slang while taking standardized tests terrifies me. If we continue down this road, who knows, maybe street signs will soon say “stahp” instead of “stop.”

Our children might just grow up hearing the word “literally” more than any other word in the English language--not to mention the wrong usage of it too.

But yes, I admit, I am guilty of using all of these words at least once, maybe more.

Sometimes I find myself struggling to come up with alternatives, which just goes to show how much space slang occupies in our vocabularies.

So please, for your sake, for mine and for the rest of our generation’s, at least think about what you’re trying to say before spewing your “wau”s, “kewl”s and “can’t even”s everywhere. And if you insist on using slang, try to make it sound somewhat meaningful.

It’s a start.

The double-edged sword of satire

BY MICHELLE SU

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fter the Jan. 7 attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, new conversations on freedom of speech and the use of satire sprung up around the world. Like the work of most satirical media outlets, Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons seem racist, politically incorrect and downright disrespectful, especially to those who do not understand their intentions.

In reality, satire is inevitably provocative and offensive, especially when it purposely portrays bigoted perspectives to poke fun at narrow-minded people. Nevertheless, satirists must also be aware of how easily their

humor can turn unnecessarily offensive.

According to news reports, the attack on Charlie Hebdo was provoked by the magazine’s satirical cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Although the mockery used in these drawings is common in satire, whether the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo needed to portray the prophet to make their point is debatable. In Muslim culture, it is considered inappropriate to portray prophets in any way, and Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures of Muhammad do warrant dislike for the magazine.

Senior Sabiq Khan previously read about the magazine from an article discussing Charlie Hebdo’s images of Islam. While he

doesn’t believe that the cartoonists deserved to be killed for their content, he also does not feel that the caricatures of Muhammad were necessary.

“Though I haven’t seen all of their content, I know one cartoon they commonly use is depicting the prophet Muhammad with a hooked nose,” said Khan. “If they just drew him, I might have been okay with it, but the hooked nose has historically been a common feature of racist cartoons.”

Many French people also recognize that the magazine’s work is particularly radical, as Charlie Hebdo has criticized many religions, political figures and cultures. Even the use of #JesuisCharlie takes a Voltairian approach, representing support for Charlie Hebdo’s right to publish but not necessarily for their content.

“I don’t really read Charlie Hebdo, and I don’t really like their magazine, but I think, why couldn’t they publish what they wrote?” said French teacher Valerie Amzallag. “People could be shocked or offended by satire, but that doesn’t mean we should limit it.”

Without the basic understanding of satire’s provocative, sarcastic and humorous nature, even The Onion’s headlines would be considered as truth. But beyond simply misunderstanding satire, people also need to realize that it will naturally be offensive toward someone, and therefore, should not be taken too seriously.

“The problem is the reaction. [Satire] might offend people, and people don’t agree on the opinions, but then they can read it and put it aside,” said Amzallag. “Or, they might think ‘wow that’s an interesting way to put it.’

You have to be open-minded.”

Despite the fact that satire can be offensive, the way it forces people to reevaluate their perspectives outweighs any potential negative backlash. Unlike any other kind of criticism, satire gives people a humorous yet thought-provoking way to view prominent societal issues.

AP Government and Politics teacher Jeffrey Bale said, “I think good satire always brings people back to an issue. Some satire is just for humor, like The Onion, but there are other satirical things that have a more meaningful tone. It takes a more serious topic, like politics, and humanizes it and makes it more approachable.”

If a work of satire is meant to provoke discourse, it should shed light on an important issue that is difficult to discuss in serious tones, unlike satire meant to humor others. Reaching a level of discourse, however, requires mutual understanding from both satirists and their audiences. While audiences need a higher level of global and social awareness, satirists also need to be mindful of their jokes’ power to provoke potential negative reactions.

One place where this kind of humorous and intellectually stimulating conversation on satire has been established is in school.

Lynbrook currently does a good job introducing this form of social criticism with the inclusion of books like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in AP Language and Composition and discussions on political cartoons in social studies classes. These efforts to show students new ways of viewing global issues develop a higher level of thought and prevent misunderstanding.

“It’s routine where people try to look up something on the internet especially and they have to ask ‘is this actual satire?’ A study of satire prompts us to be critical consumers of information,” said Bale.

While satire can be misunderstood or taken too far, it provides people with a necessary platform to discuss social issues. As long as those making the satirical comments are doing so with the right intentions and those on the receiving end are knowledgeable enough to appreciate them, the witty and entertaining use of satire in media can continue and serve as a medium for expression, without any sort of cries to limit satire.

Students in need of an additional counselor

BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

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f Lynbrook High had four counselors instead of three, it would provide more efficiency for the counselors as well as students.

Students would be allotted more time with counselors and counselors would have more time to spend on each individual student. This change would result in each student receiving more attention and one-onone time.

“The counselors are really busy and since I’m just a sophomore, I feel like juniors and seniors who are applying for colleges probably have more important questions than I do,” said sophomore Raghav Sreeram. “If there were four counselors, the interaction between students and counselors would be better and I’d feel like they have more time to talk to younger students who might not have as important questions.”

Lynbrook counselor Malissa Goldstein feels that a fourth counselor would be beneficial for both counselors and students. She believes that since high school can be a difficult time for students in many different ways, having more support from guidance counselors would be beneficial.

“On a daily basis I feel guilty about who I didn’t see or what email I didn’t get a chance to reply to, so it would make me feel better to know if every student is getting served to the best of their ability,” said Goldstein.

As of today, each counselor has about 614

students, and it gets difficult for them to help each student one-on-one.

“Although the job would not be easier, it would make it more manageable,” said Goldstein.

If Lynbrook were to have a fourth counselor, however, the student-to-counselor ratio would be approximately 460:1.

According to Principal John Dwyer, “The number of counselors and staffing arrangements depend on the enrollment of the school, so that’s really why we don’t have four counselors…our school doesn’t have the sufficient numbers to have a fourth counselor.”

Compared to the other schools in the district, Lynbrook currently has the highest student-to-counselor ratio, and the student population is expected to greatly increase over the next five years. Despite this, every other school in the district has four counselors while Lynbrook currently only has three.

With this in mind, the number of counselors provided for Lynbrook students should be reconsidered.

As one of the highest-rated schools in the district academically, many of Lynbrook’s students feel the need to have extra guidance support. It would especially be beneficial for the yearly meetings between the counselors and juniors, who are starting the college application process.

“I think if we had more counselors we could have those meetings a bit earlier, or we could have it a bit longer since right now we

have it for 20 minutes,” said Assistant Principal Kathleen Sullivan.

Behind the closed doors, counselors have many administrative duties that are unseen by students. These tasks include writing and sending in recommendation letters, communicating with colleges about students and ensuring that all students have filed the proper paperwork. Due to the lack of support, however, counselors hold very stringent deadlines for seniors applying to college.

Senior Rahul Iyer said, “I wish that counselors gave us more time to think of a final college list before the Senior Folder of Fun was due and before December 1st.”

This problem could be solved by hiring a fourth counselor to help out with administrative duties and split the work. If the work could be divided up, deadlines could become more lenient, helping both seniors and office staff.

Due to the lack of individual counseling, strict and at times unreasonable deadlines, and more manageable work for counselors, Lynbrook should hire a fourth counselor to match the other schools in the district and combat the growing enrollment at Lynbrook.

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ith Valentine’s Day around the corner, the Epic decided to hold a blind date challenge for its staffers. Read on to see how the challengers performed.

Yonatan Zemlyak & Doreen Zhao

This challenge is a bit ridiculous. If my date is going to mention “50 Shades of Grey,” “beautiful,” and “banana” in one conversation, I probably don’t want to be there. So as soon as sophomore Doreen Zhao walked in through those doors, I resolved that the real challenge here was to converse for every second of what became a genuinely enjoyable two-hour experience. Which probably explains why I only got her to say “Justin Bieber” and “dream”-- different sentences, I promise.

This being a first date and all, I knew I had to put in some thought into preparation so I could look the part. This was somewhat challenging, however, as I spend an average of 15 seconds on clothes during weekdays, and even less on weekends. This process generally yields jeans and a hoodie, but after convincing myself that true gentlemen don’t wear jeans and a hoodie on first dates, I decided to wear jeans and a sweater. I even paid for the food and held the door open, so I think I’ve got this gentleman thing down.

Back to the date. Resolution in mind, I launched into conversation as soon as we sat down. We began talking about school, but tacitly agreed that there were more pleasant things to devote our energies to. I soon found out that Doreen dances four times a week, and listens to Cage The Elephant and Portugal the Man just like I do. At no point did our conversation feel forced--we effortlessly traversed everything from the rise of modern comedy to our favorite experiences from the eighth-grade Yosemite trip, even leaving time to eat some of our food. When the date came to a close, both of us seemed surprised that a full 120 minutes had flown by. So much for “unicorns.”

Anand Chukka & Elin Chee

Following up my previous article on dating, my date count is now up to one. It was with junior Elin Chee, and she went above and beyond any expectations I had.

To start off the night right, I made sure I picked out my clothes carefully, thought of conversation topics and arrived 10 minutes early. That was far from the most difficult part of the night--I should’ve created flashcards to memorize the challenge words.

Flash-forward 20 minutes. 6:52 p.m. I was standing outside Mod Pizza waiting, and my phone was blowing up with texts: “WHO IS IT??” When Elin stepped out, I breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know me, but I had heard only great things about her.

The date itself was maybe the easiest thing I’ve done in a while. Using what I knew about her, I started the conversation about school, but we quickly drifted to other topics- her favorite movie, “The Intouchables, her love of being a class officer, and our agreement that Raaghav Minocha resembled Michael Jackson during the 2016 boys’ dance.

Within 10 minutes, I had forgotten about the challenge. Elin was a great conversationalist and I was more focused on my cowlicks. The words that she did say were “dream” and “Game of Thrones”- quite a disappointing performance on my part. I even forgot the selfie, so that was taken the Tuesday after the date. Checking the time at the end of the night, I was mindboggled. I expected it to be around 8 p.m. Instead it was 8:42. At the end, I gave her a hug and told her how much fun I had. To conclude the date, I added her on Facebook.

Claire Chiang & Patrick Shih

Practically forced to go on this date, I found myself awkwardly standing in front of Victoria’s Secret at 7:30 waiting for my date. A few moments after I arrived, I turned around to find my good friend senior Patrick Shih behind me. The first thoughts I had went something along the lines of “this is not real.” Realize that I had been up and running since 7 am, so I was not in any sort of excited-to-meet-my-guy mood. I did, however, decide that I should just make the best out of it and have a good time. Clarifying the very unexpected situation resulted in many “RIP”s, but in the end we decided to stick with the plan and go ice skating.

Knowing that Patrick had never been ice skating before made me feel bad for him, but like the true gentleman that he is, he said he did not regret the experience.

Skating for the first time is no easy task but Patrick was a very talented ice skater! He did struggle at first but quickly recovered. In the end, given our atrocious ice skating skills, we both figured that ice skating was not really our thing. However, we ended up getting closer by bonding over weird childhood memories and struggles with people, school and life.

I managed to be an amazing conversationalist and got Patrick to say four of the words: dream, legendary, rainbow, and banana. Learning to take a good selfie with a tall guy is quite complicated but we managed to take one (even though “selfies are unmanly”).

Unfortunately, as 10:30 rolled around, we knew it was time to part ways. It was quite a memorable date and there were definitely many experiences that Patrick and I have and will laugh about in the future!

ART ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIRE SHEIH

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

BY DHIRAJ NALLAPOTHULA

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his past year has been busy for the film industry. Movies offer us an escape from reality where words and facial expressions can scare, sadden and inspire those who seek such an escape. Every year we honor those movies that best attempt to make us feel a myriad of emotions and set precedents for the industry at the annual Academy Awards. And without further ado, these are my predictions for the 87th Academy Awards.

Best Actress In the history of the Oscars, the winner for Best Actress is determined by the performance and the complexity of the character. Out of these nominees, Julianne Moore and Rosamund Pike were the only ones to bring that perfect balance to the big screen.

In Still Alice, Moore plays a Columbia University linguistics professor suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease while struggling to balance her condition with her profession and family. Moore does an excellent job of depicting her character’s emotional and physical struggle while giving a very real look into the impact of Alzheimer’s.

Pike, on the other hand, plays the role of a missing wife whose husband becomes the prime suspect of her disappearance in Gone Girl. There were so many sides to Pike’s character, from a loving wife to a murderer, all of which she played with frightening flawlessness.

While Moore turned in a career performance, Pike’s ability to shift from one facet of her character to another gives her the Oscar over Moore.

Best Actor Historically, the winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role is defined by a performance that is simply a cut above the rest. And that performance belongs to Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything.

Redmayne plays theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the film adaptation of Hawking’s ex-wife’s autobiography. The film explores their relationship and marriage through Hawking’s disabilities with motor neuron disease and his international success in sci-

ence. He brings out the raw emotion behind Hawking’s struggle to be a father, husband and scientist in the face of immense physical disability. He truly brings Hawking to life on screen physically, mentally and emotionally.

Best Picture The Best Picture winner is perhaps the most hotly contested, most scrutinized award in the film industry and arguably the world. This is the one category for the Oscars in which anything can happen, like when Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director for Gravity but failed to bring home the top prize last year, something almost unheard of in Oscar history. This year, however, Best Director and Best Picture will be reunited as Boyhood will win Best Picture of 2014.

Boyhood’s sheer scope, unorthodox directing and writing are the perfect formula for it to win. What sets it apart is that it is such a genuine and real film that anyone can identify with. It shows how complex it is to maintain relationships in life. “Boyhood” is a celebration of what makes us human and what makes life so challenging yet immensely rewarding.

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satirical comedy, bleeped radio songs, disinvited university speakers, exiled whistleblowers and dead French cartoonists. As these events have transpired, Americans have been increasingly exposed to censorship. Our Founding Fathers ratified the First Amendment over 200 years ago, but is this what the Constitution intended? America is divided.

While less democratic countries like China and North Korea have gained notoriety for their heavy censorship, it remains a presence even in democratic nations such as the United States. And though the prevalence of censorship in those countries easily trumps the level observed in the U.S., their citizens rarely feel as inconvenienced as outsiders may think.

Sophomore He Yang Liu, who moved to the United States from mainland China, believes that while some censorship does create inconveniences, the overall hindrances are minimal.

“While I was in China, I tried to use Facebook to talk to my friends here in America, but it was blocked,” Liu said. “I missed some of the news that happened, but it didn’t really affect my life much. There are certain topics that are deleted from the Internet, but I’m okay with it since there are other search engines in China such as Baidu so we don’t really have to use Google. We have different video sharing platforms to replace Youtube, so it did not really affect my life.”

While Liu acknowledges that the United States is freer on average than China, she claims China censors certains parts of the

MY EXPERIENCE: CENSORSHIP IN SHANGHAI, CHINA

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JEFFREY YANG

BY CLAIRE SHEIH

BY DHIRAJ NALLAPOTHULA, KASTURI PANTVAIDYA, & KATHLEEN CUI

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ast summer I visited my cousin, Karen in Shanghai. After a day there, I felt that it was a nice place to live—until I met Jing Jing and Cha Cha. Jing Jing and Cha Cha are the cartoon mascots for the Internet Surveillance Division of the Chinese government. The character’s names are a play on the Chinese word Jing Cha, meaning police. These two cartoon policemen are used to educate Chinese internet users on Internet laws.

But the true purpose of Jing Jing and

Internet less than the United States does.

“In the United States, we actually have to pay for movies and music if we don’t want to pirate the material,” Liu said. “But in China, we can just search up a movie and watch it online.” On one occassion, after Liu tried to access a Chinese movie website in the United States, she found that it was blocked by the United States government.

Recent instances of Western censorship have come to the forefront as well. Google, a search engine available in 219 countries and territories and known for its comprehensive depths of readily accessible knowledge, is in reality one of the biggest Internet censors in the world. Because the Google search engine must obey local laws, it frequently removes content from hundreds of sites.

While the United States and its censorship standards may seem less stringent when compared to other nations, the democratic country was recently added to the 2014 list of “Enemies of the Internet,” created by the international organization Reporters Without Borders.

“It’s alarming not only because free expression is at risk, but because some of these requests come from countries you might not suspect--Western democracies not typically associated with censorship,” Dorothy Chou, a senior policy analyst at Google, said in an official Google blog post in June of 2012.

Her research reflects a recent trend in censorship in which countries known for their freedom of speech are gradually censoring more than their citizens originally assumed. And while people in Western countries will continue to vehemently exercise their free speech, recent history - and an increasingly tumultuous world - suggest that censorship continue its upward trajectory.

THE INTERVIEW Statistics that show that Western democracies are gradually censoring are reflected in recent events, such as the compliance of Sony Entertainment after it was hacked by a group calling itself “Guardians of Peace.”

Suspected to originate from North Korea, the organization launched a pre-emptive cyber attack threatening to unveil Sony’s private and sensitive data if the political comedy “The Interview” was released.

Even though the entertainment company later chose to release the movie online and in specific theaters, its initial response to the hackers reveals a compliancy with censorship that reveals the schism between national security and first amendment protections in the United States. Morever, violent

threats of retaliation lead many media outlets to self-censor controversial material.

“As an American corporation, Sony has the freedom of speech to release a movie making fun of Kim Jong-Un, but they have to consider the costs of being offensive,” said junior Andy Zhang.

Even though Sony is a private corporation, the cyber attacks it suffered became a matter of national security when

the Prophet Muhammad from Brandeis University Professor Jytte Klausen’s book “The Cartoons That Shook the World.”

“If the major educational institutions of the Western world cannot summon the courage to defend freedom of speech, who is going to do that?” said Executive Director of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Jonathan Brent in an interview with Yale Daily News.

“Yale was acting as a corporation protecting its interests abroad and protecting its inter-

RESEARCH REFLECTS A STRIKING TREND: COUNTRIES KNOWN FOR THIER FREEDOM OF SPEECH ARE GRADUALLY CENSORING MORE.

those attacks ultimately caused the suppression of first amendment protections under the Constitution, putting into question how much Americans value safety in comparison to freedom.

CHARLIE HEBDO In light of the recent terrorist attacks on the satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, many news organizations have chosen to censor the front page of the issue released after the attacks, which depicts the Prophet Muhammad underneath the words “All is forgiven.”

News channels such as CNN have stated that they “will not show the new cover because it is [their] policy not to show potentially offensive images of the prophet.”

In a biannual debate held by French Honor Society on Jan. 10, the Charlie Hebdo attack was a featured topic with students debating both sides of the situation.

“One of the good points made was that journalism should be the expression of one’s thoughts, not an attack on others. When I think about that perspective, I think it puts an infringing limit on free speech,” said French Honor Society co-president Jun Seo Park. “Journalism should be a way for people to express what they think.”

After the Paris attacks, experts have revisited Yale University Press’ controversial decision to censor images of the Prophet Muhammad. In 2009, Yale University Press faced criticism for its decision to censor images of

ests in the Arab world.”

Historically, most self-censorship in the media has occurred in regard to religions such as Islam. Media outlets such as MSNBC and CNN, however, do not take the same approach when dealing with religions such as Christianity or Hinduism. These double standards are strong indicators of self-censorship, in which the banning of degrading religious content is not applicable across all faiths, but instead on whichever topics may lead to controversy, cyber breaches, criticism and, in Charlie Hebdo’s situation, an act of terrorism.

Senior Rachit Kataria feels that news and media as a linkage institution must remain unbiased and unaltered despite the impending threat of terrorism.

“If the government isn’t allowed to repress the media, why should a terrorist group?” said Kataria. “If we’re to remain a nation of freedom and firmly convey that to the world, we should publish everything relevant to current day events.”

By censoring material due to fear of a group or religion, the mass media often compromises the unbiased nature that they are supposed to embody, indirectly giving in to the demands of hackers or terrorist organizations.

LHS According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the rule concerning public school students is that schools can only prohibit or regulate speech if it is lewd or obscene, advocates illegal drug use,

causes a substantial disruption to the school environment, or invades the rights of others.

A teacher represents the school district when he or she teaches, so the district has a strong role in determining the content its teachers will deliver.

Senior Rahul Iyer felt that he was able to effectively learn about the electoral college system in his AP Government class by being exposed to different perspectives.

“When we discussed the electoral college, Mr. Bale was sure to talk about how it may be one of the least democratic process we have and how there are systems that certainly make more sense,” said Iyer. “He was sure to mention both sides.”

Courts have differed over whether teachers have the same right as students to display political messages on their clothing.

Lynbrook English teacher Fritz Torp faced such a predicament in 2008 during President Obama’s first presidential election campaign. Having donated money to the campaign, Torp had received a complimentary Obama t-shirt in the mail. He was wearing it to school one day when the principal at the time took him aside on campus and told him that he had to remove the shirt. This was due to a district policy that prohibited teachers from wearing materials in favor of one candidate over another.

This occurrence is an example of the limitation placed on free speech in high schools.

While Torp believes that absolute free speech can be problematic, he sees politics as an area where opinion is important to effective teaching.

“I think [expressing political opinion] is a good way to teach by example that we care about politics,” said Torp. “I think once a teacher has explained both sides in a balanced manner, then it’s okay for him or her to [voice their opinion].”

As technology advances and the internet becomes a selectively censored platform, censorship becomes prevalent in even the most democratic countries. From communist China to democratic America, the effects of censorship are so expansive that they affect the individual lives of those at Lynbrook.

Recent events such as the Sony hack and Charlie Hebdo shooting bring to light the double standards of media self-censorship.

While complete free speech is debatable, transparency in the media is widely believed to be undeniably necessary. As censorship continues, this standard of transparency becomes increasingly imperative to maintain, ultimately blurring the line between security and freedom.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY & SHEFALI VIJAY

Cha Cha is not to inform, but to intimidate.

Behind these innocent looking images lies a more sinister message: “We’re watching what you’re looking at, and we don’t like it.”

This is the warning that Chinese authorities want to convey to those who might be tempted to stray onto “unhealthy” websites.

As you navigate so-called unhealthy sites, these cuddly images remind you that someone is watching.

I first encountered Jing Jing and Cha Cha on my first day in Shanghai. I asked my cousin for the Wi-Fi password, which she gave me, but not before telling me about the Three T’s: Tiananmen, Tibet and Taiwan.

If I were to visit websites with these three words, accompanied by other keywords our connection could be terminated for five to 10 minutes.

She demonstrated by typing “Falun Gong” into the search engine. An error message appeared, and we were cut off from the search engine for five minutes. We then searched for “Taiwan Liberty News.” The search was accepted, but pop-up icons kept appearing on the page. The messages contained two tacky cartoon policemen along with messages reminding us to remember the Internet laws.

Imagine pop-up ads appearing on almost every site you visit, except these ads are unclosable. Jing Jing and Cha Cha appeared on many sites I visited as a reminder that I was being monitored. They would walk, motorcycle and even drive their police cars across the screen every 30 minutes. They followed me like guards at a public library, looking over my shoulder to see what I was reading.

The omnipresence of Jing Jng and Cha Cha reminded me of the telescreens in George

Orwell’s “1984” that blared the message, “Big Brother is watching you” wherever citizens went. Similarly, the two cartoon policemen appear at regular intervals as reminders of government surveillance. In fact, the netizens have their own term for Internet censorship in China: Big Mama.

In addition, an inconvenience during my stay was China’s ban on Google. I couldn’t Google things. Using Google services became difficult due to a slew of interference that caused the connection to cut out frequently.

Social media sites were also banned.

China’s stated motive for blocking Google and other social media sites is to eliminate competition for Chinese counterparts. China claims that their citizens have the same online rights as Americans. But China’s social media has been reduced to a walled-off area of the web heavily censored by the Surveillance Di-

vision, denying citizens the right to see the ideas from people around the world.

Internet users have used puns to discuss subjects that blocked by censors. This too has been banned. China’s government has since outlawed the use of puns and wordplay. This is ridiculous—wordplay is an intrinsic part of Chinese because of the language’s many homonyms.

Puns are used everywhere in the United States. If puns were made illegal here, thousands of people would be arrested. Imagine a world without knock-knock jokes.

But it’s not just about the jokes. The censorship in China was an inconvenience for me but for the people living in China it is an eeryday reality. Coming back home, I realized how fortunate we are to be able to access the internet without having to circumvent the Great Firewall.

HOW TO WIN Watch your friends (or enemies)

My experiences as a second-semester senior

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he new year: a period of fleeting spikes in gym memberships and changing profile pictures. But for a good quarter of the high school students around the nation, the passing year means much more than just that: it signals a fundamental shift in the way we live our lives. Of course, I’m talking about the phenomenon of the second semester senior, a wondrous celebration of the end of high school for the graduating class.

To celebrate such a momentous time, I’ve decided to create the ultimate bucket list for second semester senior living. And underclassmen: don’t stop reading now because what’s next will be key to getting the most out of your second semester experience, when it finally comes and liberates you from your current existence, which is no doubt an awful one.

1. Start a bonfire.

With a bunch of friends, of course.

Because there’s absolutely nothing more fulfilling and entertaining than getting together to start a large open flame around which to stand for no clear reason. It’s simply not possible to have bonding experiences your friends without a giant fire to look at during the second semester of your senior year, so the bonfire is an obvious staple.

Note: lighting the bonfire close to extremely flammable materials (old homework assignments and friends are great for this) has been proven to increase the amount of general enjoyment experienced.

Know which categories your friends are weak in. Wait until they get a character from that category, then challenge them to steal that character.

Also, do not start a game with a person you know has a higher chance of winning. Pick your battles.

TRIVIA CRACK

Use coins wisely

Complete as many achievements and win as many games as possible to gain coins. When choosing power-ups, use the bomb or the double chance if you’re stuck between two, the skip if you have no clue what the answer is and the time if you want to ask a friend.

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rivia Crack: the game that’s (not-so) secretly played in class, the game that’s caused numerous fights, and most of all, the addicting game that makes us itch to win.

And although winning may seem to be out of your control, here are a few tips and tricks you can use - without cheating- to increase your chances.

Know when to pull out the big guns

There are a few instances when you should be especially careful while picking answers: 1. The first round. Start strong, finish strong. 2. When you’re in the lead. Don’t give your opponent the satisfaction of losing the very first question and catching up to you. 3. When you’re on a roll.

You don’t want to break your streak of right answers with a dumb mistake.

Occasionally Trivia Crack will throw in a repeat question. When playing, keep a faint idea of previous answers in the back of your mind so that when a repeat question pops up, the choices will trigger your memory.

Save the best for last

When you and your opponent are neck and neck, pick your best category last. It will be easier to recover from a wrong answer early on if you pick a category you are weak in. And who knows, maybe you’ll luck out and get the answer right so you won’t have to try and win that character again.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

Movies to watch in 2015

BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY

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ith a brand new year comes a whole lot of new movies. And if you don’t want to weed through every movie that comes out, you should look at our list to see movies you should get excited for in 2015.

Pitch Perfect 2 (May 15) While the original “Pitch Perfect” contained great comedy and a cappella, its sequel, “Pitch Perfect 2,” promises more with new actors like Elizabeth Banks and Hailee Steinfeld. Most of the original cast members, like actress Anna Kendrick as well as actor Rebel Wilson plan to return. Guest appearances by a cappella groups like Pentatonix and Penn Masala will also give the musical numbers a little extra star power. Unlike the previous movie, this one focuses on the Barden Bellas taking on a cappella teams from all over the world in an international competition, bringing a cultural aspect to the musical scenes.

3. Enjoy yourself.

Anything is possible when you’re a second semester senior. Anything at all.

Just give yourself a running start and jump, preferably from a high place, and you’ll start soaring. No kidding. (Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for any injuries/ deaths that might occur to second semester juniors, or first semester sophomores, for that matter, who attempt what I mentioned above. Don’t actually do it.)

Memorize old questions

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

What better way to express your freedom and range as a human being near the end of high school than to start failing your classes? After four years of being treated awfully by high school, there’s no better way of getting back at the institution than by taking your GPA into a nosedive. That “I don’t care” attitude is just too cool to pass up, so definitely consider checking this one off the list. And don’t worry about what your colleges will think; everyone knows that second semester grades don’t matter. I mean they don’t... right?

4. Fly.

If all else fails but you can’t bring yourself to use Google, smart friends come in handy. Ask them questions without telling them it is for Trivia Crack, and they’ll jump at the chance to show off.

BY JESSICA LUO

2. Lower your grade-point average

Might seem a little obvious, but I’m including this for the sake of reminding those who, throughout the course of their non-second-semester-senior high school experience, might have forgotten how to have fun.

And it’s difficult to blame them, as we all know it really isn’t possible to enjoy yourself at all if you’re anything but a second semester senior. So take a step back and revel in how far you have come, the tremendous obstacles you’ve mounted in the four greatest years of your life. Yes, it all goes downhill from here.

Get smart friends

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Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1) You likely won’t have to watch the original “Avengers” film to understand “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” A cast featuring a wave of famous faces in their familiar superhero roles--Robert Downey Jr., Samuel Jackson, Scarlett Johansson--and a number of known new ones, like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen will make this movie Marvel’s latest big-budget box office hit. All of Marvel’s previous movies have been runaway box office successes, so there is no doubt that this one will be a major hit. Robert Downey Jr. said that this movie had “the best bad-guy plot” that he had ever seen.

Largely blown out of proportion How fear mongering dramatizes the nation’s most controversial events

BY MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY & FREYA LIU

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unior Annie Zhu has always been health-conscious. So, when Ebola started to gain widespread national attention, she became paranoid despite the fact that she has never come in contact with the bodily fluids of an Ebola patient, which is the only way to contract the disease. This reaction, as well as several other instances of overdramatized situations, is caused by fear mongering.

Fear mongering, or the action of instigating fear about various issues, has been used by the American media for several centuries to encourage widespread panic and influence opinions. In the 1940s, media coverage of the bombing of Pearl Harbor sparked anti-Asian sentiments throughout the country. Several other fear mongering tactics were utilized during America’s stand-off with the Soviet Union--McCarthyism, poignant television advertisements and so on.

One reason fear mongering is effective is that fear is an instinctual emotional response.

“A lot of researchers that look at cognitive processes feel that the base layers of the brain, near the amygdala, are where emotions like fear are housed,” said school psychologist Brittany Stevens. “As we’ve evolved, more layers have been added to the brain, but the neurological stimulus starts in the amygdala and radiates out. ” Therefore, fear is an emotion that people often can’t explain.

“The sensation of fear isn’t always justified,” said Stevens, “but it’s a small initial response that later, our prefrontal cortex is able to evaluate and make better decisions in response to the initial stimulus.”

Another reason people respond to fear mongering is that they appreciate fear-inducing news, because they want to have control over the fear.

“For some people, having control over fear means having a tremendous amount of knowledge,” said Stevens.

“Therefore, people would rather be scared of something that might happen because that’s preferable to being shocked by an experience for which they did not prepare.”

This desire to be ready creates a “fear bandwagon effect”, causing people feel the need to be scared when those around them are frightened.

“Researchers have done experiments in which they put a random person on a busy street corner who’s looking up, scared,” said Stevens. “The researchers have measured how many other people have just stood up next to that person. It’s totally this protective sense of ‘if everyone is scared, I should be scared too.’”

The media is able to capitalize on fear because many

people appreciate scary news reports. Today, fear mongering tactics have been used to increase fear of several entities, two of which include terrorism and Ebola.

Fear of being attacked by terrorists is a large national concern. A 2014 NBC/Wall Street Journal survey showed that 47 percent of Americans feel less safe today than they did before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Though terrorism is a threat, Americans are over 30,000 times more likely to die from heart disease and cancer than by the hands of a terrorist.

“Who’s the last person that told you that they’re terrified of heart disease?” said Stevens. “It’s rare to find a person with a genuine fear of heart disease because it’s not

painted as terrifying in people’s stories. It doesn’t get the same treatment in the media as terrorism.”

Extreme fear of terrorism is caused by its exaggerated presence in the media. Politicians use their opponents’ stances on terrorism to belittle them and the media continuously reports activities by extremist groups. Their use of fear while covering terrorist actions has several detrimental effects, including perpetuating racist assumptions. “[The media] showed pictures of terrorists of Al Qaeda, and constantly emphasized the race and religion of the group,” said senior and Model UN President Sidney Li. “That’s how stereotypes are built, and in that way, fear mongering can increase racism.”

However, this fear of terrorism has had some benefits.

To assuage people’s fears after 9/11, for example, the government set up the National Guard in airports.

“Whenever you would [walk into airports back then], there were a brigade of armed soldiers,” said Stevens. “It was so scary, but it was also weirdly comforting--like we’re ready for anything.”

Terrorism is one of the most closely followed topics; 68 percent of Americans, according to a Kaiser Family Foun-

dation Health Tracking Poll (KFFHTP), follow it. The number of people who paid attention to terrorism was similar to the number that follow stories surrounding Ebola.

According to the KFFHTP, 45 percent of the public worry that they or someone in their family will get sick from Ebola. There is, however, no risk of catching Ebola unless one has been in direct contact with an Ebola patient’s bodily fluids. Ebola itself is also non-fatal to those with access to high-level medical care. According to physician Paul Farmer, a professor at Harvard University, a potential Ebola epidemic in the U.S. would be stopped because patients would be rushed to equipped medical centers, not quarantine facilities without medical care.

The fear in contracting Ebola, exemplified by Zhu, has been perpetuated by the media. Several celebrities have overhyped Ebola’s effect. Donald Trump, for example, made several controversial comments about Ebola on Twitter, including, “Stop the EBOLA patients from entering the U.S. … THE UNITED STATES HAS ENOUGH PROBLEMS!” in August 2014. One negative to this level of fear in a disease is the stigma that surrounds victims.

“Back in the 1990s, people had this terrible fear of HIV and treated HIV victims like lepers,” said Stevens. “Few were willing to even touch those with HIV, though it’s contracted, like Ebola, through bodily fluids.”

Though the irrational fear of getting Ebola is generally not healthy for society, there are a few benefits.

“If you’re scared of catching Ebola, you’ll take precautions to be healthy, like washing your hands more,” said Li. The media has influenced the opinions of Americans on numerous subjects, from religion to foreign threats to deadly diseases through the use of fear mongering, and because fear sells, this trend will most likely continue. Old fears, however, do eventually start to die.

“Once issues have been around for a long time, they either become less scary to people, or people look at the facts and realize their fear was misplaced,” said Li. “New fears, however, will inevitably replace them.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY INDEPTH SECTION

The effect of negative thinking on achievement

BY RENUKA BELWALKAR AND JJ IGNATESCU

F

ive minutes remained until junior Natasha Nema and her partner were due to perform their interpretation skit in front of a panel of judges. Her heart was beating fast and her hands were sweaty. Thousands of negative thoughts flooded her mind. She believed that she could not do it, that she was going to fail. She felt like she did not deserve to be there. During the performance, they forgot a line, hesitated and lost the tournament.

According to Sarah De Sousa, who studied psychology at Santa Clara University, “When a person believes the outcome of an event will be completely negative, his or her body will begin to panic, which causes anxiety, stress and frustration.”

Research done at the nonprofit medical group Mayo Clinic shows that such feelings impact the body in a multitude of harmful ways. When a person perceives something as threatening, the brain sends signals to the sympathetic system, which controls the fight or flight response. The sympathetic system is also responsible for emotions such as stress, motivation and fear, causing it to release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This in turn leads to sleep problems, heart disease, digestive problems and weight gain.

In addition, when people think negatively their body may experience significant changes in blood pressure, and they may be exposed to a higher risk of ulcers and several other diseases.

“Our body is the result of our thoughts. We are the result of our own way of thinking,” said psychologist Cristina Cojocaru.

Still, one cannot have complete control of their negative thoughts. To put this into perspective, De Sousa compares the brain producing thoughts to the salivary gland producing saliva--both are involuntary actions of the body. She recommends looking at thoughts from a distance and understanding that “...you are not your thoughts, but what matters more is not what you think but how you relate to your thoughts.”

Relating to thoughts and feelings in this manner is called “mindfulness,” a conscious state of “living in the present.” In psychology, efforts to suppress an emotional experience frequently strengthen it rather than diminishing it, so experts recommend taking care to develop a thought without becoming fused to it. Having the thought without thinking about it repeatedly and excessively helps the mind practice approaching a negative thought in a healthy manner.

“It’s important for one to stay positive, because your per-

spective correlates directly to your quality of life. It’s all a matter of perspective, and what you make something out to be,” said sophomore Nick Lui. “Being positive helps you stay more focused and alert as well.”

In times of stress or panic, De Sousa advises individuals to observe the breath, heart rate and reactions occurring in the body.

“If you could tell yourself ‘my heart is beating and my palms are sweaty. It’s okay I can work through that,’ then the event won’t seem like an overwhelming experience,” said De Sousa.

Nema has learned that transforming her attitude toward an experience reinforces positive thoughts, which often change the results of an event in a positive way. This year when she attends her tournaments, she and her partner always make sure to encourage each other and be supportive to create positive energy. Her partner tells her to calm down and not worry, ameliorating Nema’s anxiety and restore her confidence. As a result the duo is having a better time, and they have performed far better than previously.

“I realized that if I have the right attitude and a positive mindset, then it doesn’t matter what happens out there,” she said. “I know I tried my best.”

Shooting sleeves, sweatbands, and shoe brands

Exploring sports accessories and their placebo effect on athelete performance

BY AUDREY ZHENG

enior Grace Ling finishes second at the Santa Clara Athletic League Cross Country Finals, exhausted but ecstatic about her achievement. It’s Ling’s last meet of the cross country season and she made Lynbrook history by setting a new all-time record.

“I placed my headband on top of an air freshener from Trader Joe’s, so I was focusing on the sweet aroma of apple cinnamon instead of how tired I was when I ran,” said Ling. “I bring [my headband] to every race; it’s like my good luck charm.”

Like Ling, many serious athletes at Lynbrook believe that their personalized sports gear is pivotal to their performance in sports competitions. Despite the fact that some devices, such as athletic apparel, serve only to improve athletes’ appearance, some competitors consider their devices essential to

The compression sleeves allow protection, proper circulation, stable body temperature, and allow for quick recovery of worked muscles. They feel comfortable and, in my opinion, look pretty cool.”

Devices range from indispensable to seemingly useless, cherished to replaceable.

While some treasure their devices, others consider them placebos. Senior Aditi Phadke believes that non-functional devices only work because of the placebo effect.

“I think that if you have a lucky charm that has helped you perform well in games, by all means use it to boost your morale,” said Phadke. “But at the same time, the absence of that comfort item should not negatively affect your performance--you need to have faith in your training, not in an inanimate object.”

Device skeptics aren’t entirely correct.

According to athletic director Ray Wright,

their sport. Junior Ryan Sadjadi, for example, uses arm sleeves to get an edge. Unlike most sports apparel, Sadjadi claims, his arm sleeves physically improve his performance by making his arms cooler and more comfortable.

“I definitely perform better in my races with arm sleeves,” said Sadjadi. “They actually decrease the amount of stress on my arms.

endurance sports rely heavily on the player’s mentality. Based on past experience, Wright has observed that there are several key mental characteristics winning athletes have in common. An athlete’s confidence, Wright contends, is just as, if not more important than natural ability.

“Aside from physical skill, [winning] athletes need to have confidence, composure

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and concentration,” said Wright.

True to Wright’s observations, several Lynbrook athletes have noticed discrepancies between competitions played equipped with their devices and without them.

“In the mornings after races when I wore my arm sleeves, I notice I am not as sore compared to the morning after a race without them,” said Sadjadi. “These devices truly work, as I have tested all of them through race experience and training experience.

There is no bias in my final determination of their effectiveness. The producers are genuine in the production of these products.”

Senior Tiffany Lee has experienced a similar incident without her sports device.

“I need my lucky racket for tennis meets,” said Lee. “Mine is light and has been with me for several victories, whereas others are heavy and hard to grip. One of my losses was due to me forgetting my lucky racket.”

However, not all sports devices only enhance athlete’s performance psychologically.

Devices that physically help players include spikes, swimming goggles and MP3 players.

The psychological aspect comes into play when players consider certain brands or certain designs superior to others.

“I wear a lot of Adidas since it’s cheap at Sports Authority. But Asics are my swear-by shoe,” said junior runner Justin Robinson.

“I wear my lucky toe socks too, but I know that’s just a placebo for sure.”

Despite the debate on whether sports apparel or devices significantly improve an athletes’ performance, all athletes know that what counts at the end of the day is their hard-earned sweat.

“How fast you go is completely up to you,” said Ling. “It really depends on what kind of [athlete] you are and your goals.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FRINA REDOLOZA

Mastering the art of self-defense

BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY

I

t is said that early martial artists’ white belts eventually turned black because of the sweat from their countless hours of training. No one knows if that myth is true, but the idea of the black belt being the final stage for many martial artists holds true to this day.

Martial arts are centered around combat, self-defense, fitness and sport. Over the last 100 years, various branches of martial arts formed all over the world, resulting in many different fighting styles. Today, many students practice various forms of martial arts to exercise, gain important life lessons and ultimately earn a black belt of their own.

Karate Since its invention in the 1900s in Okinawa, Japan, karate has spread all over the world. It only became popular in the U.S. in the 1960s, however, when American troops brought the karate they learned while stationed in Japan back home.

Sophomore Alex Thwin is a black belt karateka, or one who practices karate, who has been practicing the art for seven years.

“Karate helps with self control, being aware of your surroundings, and self-defense,” said Thwin. “As a student, you are expected to control

yourself, and know when an action is appropriate. Karate helps you to be able to meet those requirements.”

One of Thwin’s most memorable experience from karate was when he placed first in a tournament. The tournament was made up of three divisions: kata, which consists of a series of punches and kicks, weapons kata, and sparring. “The tournament was very intense,” said Thwin.

He participated in the kata division and won first place.

Taekwondo During the early 1940s Korea was occupied by Japan, and during that time, Okinawan karate helped Korean martial artists develop taekwondo.

Unlike karate, however, taekwondo focuses more on speed and agility.

Junior Adish Jain is a first-degree black belt in taekwondo and has found the experience to be rewarding both mentally and physically.

“Taekwondo has also allowed me to do stuff that I never thought I could

do before,” said Jain. “I learned how to break boards with my bare hands.”

Jain once participated in a boardbreaking tournament against older black belts.

“We had to do flying kicks to break the board, which is hard because the boards are high in the air,” said Jain.

As the competition progressed, it eventually came down to Jain and one of their highest-ranking black belts.

“I was nervous because he was extremely good,” said Jain. “But I was also surprised that I had made it that far. The other black belt went first and wasn’t able to reach the target. But when I did my flying kick, I was able to touch the board, earning myself first place.”

Judo Judo is another Japanese martial art. In this sport, the primary goal is to subdue the opponent by throwing him or her to the ground, whereas the primary objective of karate and taekwondo is sparring.

Sophomore Jacques Le Van Gong is currently a blue belt in Judo after has eight years.

“My experiences in judo have allowed me to go to many tournaments,” said Le Van Gong. “I learned different chokes and pins which helped me beat my opponent.”

Attending competitions, however, is not the only benefit that Le Van Gong has received through his time in judo.

“Judo improves your reflexes,” he added. “One of my friends once got into a car accident. When the other car crashed into his, he jumped out of the car and did a judo roll. He got out with a few scratches instead of a major injury.”

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KICKING IT UP | Junior Adish Jain demonstrates the steps of a taekwondo side kick, one of the fundamental moves in this martial art.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ALLISON YUAN

My kung fu journey as an unathletic individual

BY ALLISON YUAN

F

or many of my classmates in middle school, PE was a blessing, a temporary sanctuary from tedious academic classes. For me, it was torture.

In my miniscule middle school of less than 200 students, my incredible incompetence in PE must have been legendary.

I was probably the only person in the entire school who never managed to serve the ball over the net during our volleyball unit.Dodgeball was quite remarkable as well. Somehow, I always ended up as the sole survivor on my team, weathering screams of “You could have caught that!” (no, I couldn’t) from my teammates while the athletic people on the other team hurled balls at me. As a result, I developed a profound hatred for sports, running, and anything else that involved being an athletic person.

So in August of 2012, when I first mentioned to my parents that I wanted to try kung fu, they were flabbergasted. I was surprised as well; if I hadn’t met an interesting girl during summer who did kung fu, I would never even had considered the idea. At first my parents refused, but eight months later they decided that it was worth a try, since I seemed interested in kung fu and a little exercise would probably do me good.

Before I officially began taking kung fu lessons the masters, or sifus, advised me to try out a class so they could diagnose just how wimpy I was. I chose a Sunday class for students who were white to green belt--the lowest bracket.

At 14 years old, I was indisputably the most uncoordinated out of the eight or so seven-year-olds there. Mostly, I remember struggling to execute the simplest kicks while all the other students effortlessly practiced much more complicated moves. After the class, I felt fairly incompetent and quite tired. However, there was something about the grace and power of martial arts that sparked my excitement unlike any sport ever had. As I walked out the door, I knew that kung fu was something I wanted to continue.

I ended up taking the teen/adult class on Friday, since most of the people there also started kung fu late and were on relatively low levels. Unfortunately, I still managed to mortify myself several times, including one particularly embarrassing incident that happened at the end of class. At the beginning and end of each class, students are to put their fisted right hand against their palm and bow to the sifus. I did this wrong, and the sifu loudly pointed out my error and had everyone do it again. Red-faced, I corrected my mistake as the other students stood by and judged me quite strongly.

The next few classes were similar to the first, but after a while I began to improve. I gradually found pratice less and less enervating and began to ascend through the levels. I also discovered that all the people there were incredibly nice and helpful, and I eventually came out of my awkward little shell and began talking to them. My memories of embarrassment in PE began to fade a little as freshman year began and few humiliating incidents occurred in PE9. Now one belt shy of black, I wouldn’t consider myself competition-worthy, but I can execute most of the forms and kicks decently.

Overall, I’m pretty surprised that someone as clumsy and unathletic as myself could do well in kung fu. Knowing that I will fare slightly better in fistfights now, I have more confidence and my self-esteem has gone up markedly. I’m also a lot more coordinated and stronger physically, and the prospect of PE is no longer a burden to me.

Finally, but definitely not least importantly, I’ve made new friends who applaud and encourage me even though I am still leagues behind them. For all you unathletic people out there, you’re not as hopeless as you think you are, and it’s never really too late to start something new like martial arts. Kung fu has become a part of me, and after a year and ten months, I’m glad I started.

On their own Athletes reflect on the differences between team and individual sports

BY MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY & JJ IGNATESCU

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eam sports have long been touted by health professionals and coaches for teaching cooperation and teamwork. Individual sports, which are often more difficult for beginners, are becoming more popular for their role in increasing mental agility and instilling accountability.

With strong advocates and critics for both types of sports, those interested in taking up a sport inevitably ask the question: Which type of sport is better? With both teaching unique skills, the answer is whichever sport teaches the skills one values most.

One of the many appeals of playing a team sport is the team itself.

“Playing on a team can teach communication, teamwork, interaction and support,” said sport psychologist Allie Wagener. “Peer acceptance is one of the most important aspects of positive self-concept for youth development and it can be strengthened within a team sport.”

As a result, some who play team and individual sports enjoy playing their team sport more because of teammate relationships.

“I like water polo more than swimming, because of the bonds I have with my water polo teammates,” said senior Irena Feng. “A team gives you something to care about and also gives someone to care about you. The friendships I have with swimmers tend to be based on similarities other than swimming, and most of my friends in swimming are in fact my water polo teammates as well.”

Senior Anjali Pemmaraju runs cross country and track and plays soccer, and also feels partial toward her team sport.

“I think one of the biggest reasons I prefer team sports is dealing with stress during an event,” said Pemmaraju. “During a race, I have to deal with stress alone. In soccer, team-

SHEFALI VIJAY—EPIC

mates come over and tell me to just shake it off. Playing on a team will really help out with your mentality—it’s knowing that someone believes in you while you’re playing the game.”

While many athletes benefit from a team environment, team sports may not be the best for certain personality types.

“Putting a shy person on a team may be a great way for the person to learn to interact successfully in the world,” said Wagener. “However, if the culture of that team is not supportive of that person it may be a good idea to start him or her in an individual sport to cultivate confidence.”

Another positive aspect of team sports is the stream of feedback received from teammates. Feng and Pemmaraju believe their team sports players are more open with them regarding their athletic performances.

“Individual sportsmen are more focused on themselves,” said Pemmaraju.

“Self-improvement is a big aspect of individual sports, so people have to stay focused on their own flaws to improve.”

In a team, however, the entire group must play well to succeed, which makes athletes willing to constructively criticize their companions, allowing for constant improvement.

“For team sports, the coach plays a smaller role and feedback comes from teammates more strongly, since the teammates are directly affected by errors and the like,” said Feng.

“By constantly checking and improving each other, my teammates and I feel like we can talk to each other more freely.”

This continual feedback generally does not exist in individual sports.

“Most of the time, it’s difficult to collaborate in practice when people has to focus on their own practice,” said Feng.

Though individual sports athletes do not have the same support system, there are several benefits to not having a team. One is the fact that individual sports provide a safe

space for athletes to learn to deal with failure.

“For individual sports, one of the benefits is the chance to struggle without affecting others,” said Feng. “Like most people I’ve met, I dislike disappointing others; in swimming, the only person getting disappointed on a regular basis is me.”

Wagener agrees, adding that individual athletes learn to trust and rely on themselves.

“In team sports, one drawback can be not always getting a chance to participate,” said Wagener. “Though this can be a growth opportunity, players will not be able to utilize all their potential skills. In individual sports, athletes begin to learn how to trust and rely on themselves, which can result in a positive self-image and increased self-confidence. Therefore, it can be easier to attribute the process, the results, and successes of the game as their own.”

Another positive feature of individual sports is the fact that individual sportsmen have to be intrinsically motivated, giving them practice in learning to push themselves.

“In team sports, sometimes you feel like you don’t have to do your best, because someone’s watching out for you,” said Pemmaraju. “I experience that on the track team during relays. If someone has a bad day, someone else will pick up the slack for them. This leads to people being lazy, because they think someone’s always going to helping them out.”

Team athletes are externally motivated--they want to do well to please their team, not themselves.

“While individual athletes do have to be more intrinsically motivated in order to push themselves to reach goals, team athletes are motivated to improve in order to avoid dragging down the team,” said Feng.

Despite the differences between individual and team sports, they both provide benefits; there is no wrong choice. “[Research has] shown that playing a sport is positively correlated with adult career development and negatively correlated with delinquent behavior,” said Wagener. “Sport cannot change someone’s personality, however it can teach a variety of positive behaviors and life lessons.”

High hopes for girls’ soccer Fresh start for Lady Vikes

“The preseason is always a great period for the coaches to assess the team, players espite losing a few key players from and overall the team’s areas of strengths the Class of 2014 and experiencing and weaknesses,” he said. “The main highsome struggles in the preseason, the light for me personally is to see the transgirls’ varsity soccer team is ready to turn formation of skills on the field.” things around in league play.

On Thursday, Jan 8, the team defeated “Preseason was difficult because it is hard Gunn High School 4-0. “[The] Gunn game to get used to playing with different people,” was better than a lot of other games,” said said sophomore Tuhina Dasgupta. “We did Dasgupta. “We were having trouble connot win that many games, but we did not give necting between the midfielders and forup and kept fighting.” wards so our coach changed me so that I This season the team has the same coach play in between them, and I think it helped.” for a second straight season, a rarity in reThe team hopes to use the Gunn game cent years. This has allowed coach Saeid Sa- as a catalyst for the rest of their season. fadoost to adapt based on his past experienc“The game has certainly set a positive es, making quite the difference for the team. tone for us early in the league. We will use this game as a starting point for the team to continue its success,” said Safadoost.

The team has been playing better than they have in previous years, but “...we have a lot of good teams coming up so the season will be hard,” said senior captain Claire Yuan.

Since the Gunn game, they lost 1-0 to Monta Vista and Milpitas, beat Wilcox by three goals and lost tough games to Fremont and Cupertino.

In practice, the team focuses on developing better knowledge of each other. They hope this will help them turn the corner as a unit.

“Our mentalities are changing,” PLAYING KEEP AWAY | Senior Claire Yuan protects the ball said Dasgupta. “I hope that we can from her Fremont opponent during the game on Jan 24. keep this positivity up.”

BY IZABELLA KIPNIS

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fter two outstanding seasons, the varsity girls’ basketball team started off this year with a new coach and eight new players following the loss of six seniors and four starters. Because of the significant changes to the team, it was dropped down to a lower league to give the players more chances to improve while still giving them the opportunity to succeed.

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BY CLAIRE CHIANG & URMILA VENKATARAMANI

TAKING A SHOT | Senior Dolly Yuan shoots a free throw during a game at Cupertino on Jan. 23.

“If we went down a league, we would have a better chance of being on top,” said junior Gauri Jain. “Because we had no idea what we were getting into… it made sense.”

This year’s team is noticeably shorter and smaller than last year’s. The girls are using this to their advantage, though they acknowledge it as one of the team’s weaknesses.

“We need a lot more height on the team,” said freshman Catherine Huang. “However, I think we’re progressing fine without it.”

Being relatively smaller allows the girls to increase the tempo of games and have a fast and aggressive defense.

“We improve by learning to play to our strengths,” said senior captain Dolly Yuan.

“We are starting to do a better job of taking advantage of our strengths.”

Yuan, who was also a captain last season, knows how important the role is to a team.

Because of the younger and more inexperienced players, Yuan and the other captains, seniors Elaine Ma and Keertana Sureshbabu, had to adjust to this season’s team.

“We captains all need to help everyone stay involved with the team,” said Yuan.

“Players with less playing time are just as important as players who play more, and it’s the captain’s job to take care of them in a sense.”

As for CCS and state championships, the team knows that they may not have as good of a season as before but remain optimistic.

“Getting to know the girls, their playing styles, and who works well with who has been a hard task,” said Takaki. “However I think the girls are adjusting.”

What do you love about yourself?

BY STEPHANIE LU

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he ease with which we slide into pits of self-loathing and feelings of inadequacy is almost ridiculous, but the climb out is far more difficult. In this photoessay, we asked Lynbrook students and teachers to share one thing that they love about themselves.

You’d be surprised by the amount of people who declined to respond, claiming a lack of anything they liked about themselves. Maybe they were trying to avoid seeming vain, but the real emphasis here is on positive self-appreciation—something we often forget to do.

We spend a lot of time emphasizing character growth and humility, but that emphasis means we often forget to reflect on what strengths we already have.

The first step in bettering ourselves is to understand our present virtues. The line between complacency and taking pride in what we already have is easier to see than it seems—enjoy the moment, while still striving for more.

So to all the people reading this: think of this photoessay as a reminder to think about the things you love about yourself.

Think of it not as an encouragement of narcissim or self-absorption, but rather as a statement: everyone is allowed to love themselves, no matter what.

Clockwise from top left: junior Nitin Selvamani, teacher Carol Fong, sophomore Sho Ota, freshman Rita Wang (referring to South Africa), senior Sunny Wu, senior Raymond Zheng, and sophomore Amy Song share their own favorite things about themselves.