Pat riot
John Carroll School " Tradition " Pride " Excellence
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Sports
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Boys JV and Varsity lacrosse plow through Park’s players to win championship.
Entertainment Get set for summer with a sneak peek at the season’s most sizzling spectacles of the silver screen.
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June 2004
Editorials Nothing can be as exciting and controversial as mulch piles.
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Volume 39, Issue 6
News Crooked calamities at the Country Fair cause com! motion.
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Features Writer reveals the shady setbacks of synthetic sunbathing.
Just as people feared the end of the world was coming with the Y2K virus, cicadas have petrified the population. Delia Pais Managing Editor
It may seem that the apocalypse is coming in the summer of 2004 with the arrival of the 17-year cicadas to the MidAtlantic. After the drought in summer 2002, the huge snowstorm in February 2003, and the monsoon-type rains we experienced in summer 2003, some Marylanders have asked, “What’s next? Locusts?” Well, not quite. Cicadas are not related to locusts, but we will get a swarm of them. Enough of them to make their chorus of mating calls reach higher decibel levels than a motorcycle and just a little less than a rock concert. The life cycle of these creatures and the strange nuances of their lives are captivating to many across the country.
These cicadas, deemed Brood X, laid their eggs on tree branches, they hatched soon after, and burrowed underground, back in 1987. The nymphs from the eggs have lived off the sap in tree roots for 17 years. They have recently begun crawling to the surface and when soil temperatures are warm enough, the nymphs will surface by the millions. They climb to nearby trees and shed their skin, or molt. After shedding their 17-year old encasements, the cicadas mate. The males climb into the tree branches and emit a loud buzzing, hissing sound to attract the females. After mating, the females are ready to deposit their eggs, as they creep onto tree branches and scratch slits into the bark. The females deposit 400-600 eggs that hatch in the trees, and crawl underground to grow and emerge 17 years later. Scientists speculate that the
To take advantage of this natural phenomenon, here is a delicious recipe, courtesy of npr.org, for you to enjoy: El Chirper Tacos Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter or peanut oil 1/2 pound newly emerged cicadas 1 tomato, Þnely chopped 1 onion, Þnely chopped 1/2 tsp cumin 3 tsp taco seasoning mix 1 handful cilantro, chopped Taco shells, to serve Sour cream Shredded cheddar cheese Shredded lettuce Directions: 1. Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan and fry the cicadas for 10 minutes, or until cooked through. 2. Remove from pan and roughly chop into 1/4-inch cubes/ Place back in pan. 3. Add the chopped onions, chilies and tomato, season with salt, and fry for another 5 minutes on medium-low heat. 4. Sprinkle with ground pepper, cumin and oregano to taste.
cicadas started their 17-year cycle to escape predators or climate changes such as the Ice Age. Cicadas, along with only emerging every 17 years, have other strange nuances, including their ability to be eaten and the sound level their mating calls reach. Sophomore Sarah Snyder is taking advantage of their edibility: “Of course I plan to eat one. Just add a little Old Bay and they’ll taste great.” According to cicada enthusiasts, the cicadas can be fried, boiled, baked, roasted, made into fondue, or dipped in chocolate and they’ll taste just Þne. Females are better tasting because they are Þlled with eggs, while the males have a hollow abdomen that is crunchier. Cicadas provide a perfectly safe and viable option for protein in the diet, although some may think it’s a bit “Fear Factor” to chow down on large bugs. As Mr. Barker said, “There are plenty of good things to eat, I’m not sure if cicadas are one of them.” Mr. Kachur’s biology classes sautéed and feasted on the insects on Friday, May 21. The students enjoyed these invertebrate treats, and persuaded several teachers to try a cicada. Mr. Paaby, one of the brave teachers who ate a cicada, says, “I made a big mistake. I should have eaten the Old Bay cicada, but I was only offered the chocolate one. The chocolate tasted really barfy before lunch.” The noise level of these insects reaches incredible levels. The chorus of mating calls streaming from the millions of males in the trees reaches about 104106 decibels. Comparatively a jackhammer operates at 90 decibels, a motorcycle is 100 decibels, and a rock concert climbs to 120 decibels. The males make their mating calls by swiftly vibrating a drum-like membrane on their abdomen. Though one cicada’s mating call is quiet, the sound of millions of cicadas chirping together is amazing. The extreme sound levels released by the cicadas have caused the administration at JC and many other schools in the area to move graduations indoors. Mr. Barker is not disappointed with this decision and he is happy that graduation can go on undisturbed. He, along with other school administrators, “made the decision early to plan accordingly.” Besides graduation, students have other concerns with the invasion of the cicadas. The many students with Jeeps,
convertibles, or sunroofs need to be wary of the millions of clumsily ßying cicadas. Sophomore Ashley Shelsby, who owns a convertible, comments, “For the next six weeks, I may not be able to drive anywhere with the top down because gross cicadas will fall in my car.” Another potential problem with the plague of cicadas is that the sound level may force teachers to close the windows. The decibel level of the mating calls may overpower the teachers’ voices, and windows will need to be shut for hearing, but will also cut off any ventilation that may have made the room cooler. Nicole Deutsh, a sophomore, says, “If we shut the windows, it will become too hot to focus and concentrate on our schoolwork. But, it’s not like JC closes for heat anyway.” As annoying as they may be, the cicadas are harmless. Unlike locusts and mosquitoes, cicadas do not bite or sting. Cicadas will not damage trees, shrubs, or ßowers, even in their abundance. There is a rumor circulating that if a cicada with blue eyes is found, there will be a monetary reward. Blue-eyed cicadas are intriguing and rare, but no bounty has been placed on their small heads. The strange life cycle and nuances of the creatures are intellectually enticing, and the cicadas’ ability to be eaten is an attraction to some. The sound levels are annoying, and Þnding molted skins of cicadas may be gross, but we know that these insects will only be here for six weeks. The cicadas will lay their eggs this year and the eggs will hatch in 2021. So we should enjoy this natural phenomenon while we can because next time the cicadas are here, we will be in our mid-thirties… strange.