News: Entertainment: Opinions:

AIS Tutoring Canceled Diversity Week Memoirs of a Scoliosis Surgery Patient

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Tuesday March 18, 2008 Volume 7 Issue 8 Proud Members of the

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SING! Article
2 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8 NEWS

EDITORIAL

The Executive Board

JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF
ERIC MAYO MANAGING EDITOR
DIANE CHEN DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
ANGEL WONG DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
SANGHEE CHUNG LAYOUT EDITOR
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF
TIM CHANG NEWS EDITOR
HESHAM SALEH NEWS EDITOR
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR
AMNA AHMAD OPINIONS EDITOR
EMMA RABINOVICH ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
ROBERT COLBOURN ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
RICHARD MAI SPORTS EDITOR
OMAR AHMAD SCIENCE EDITOR
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR
ROBERT STEVENSON LITERARY EDITOR
JESSE ZHANG WEBMASTER
KIRIL GOURUV ASSISTANT WEBMASTER
ELISSA TAM DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
MEGAN BRESLIN FACULTY ADVISOR
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS

Publication
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NEWS March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 3

THE STANDARD NEWS

Stuyvesant High School Naturalized
by Jennifer Schlesinger

Photo Credit:
editor in chief

Stuyvesant held a United

States naturalization ceremony for
300 citizenship applications, in-
cluding two students, on February
27. The ceremony was the first of
its kind to be held at Stuyvesant,
which has served immigrants since
its conception in 1904. The current
student body contains representa-
tives of a large number or coun-
tries; thirty percent of the freshman
class is composed of immigrants,
making Stuyvesant a fitting place
to hold the ceremony.
The ceremony was proposed
by Natalie Lui Duncan, who
graduated from Stuyvesant in
1993. She currently works for U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Ser-
vices (USCIS).
The ceremony began with Stuyve-
sant principal Stanley Teitel giving
the opening remarks. Afteward,
Alfonso Aguilar, chief of the US-
CIS Office of Citizenship, who A naturalization ceremony was held for 300 citizenship applicants, including two Stuyvesant students. The ceremony was the first of its kind to
was serving as the master of cere- be held at Stuyvesant High School.
monies, asked the guests to rise for
the singing of the National Anthem W. Bush. gratulated the new citizens. He senior SangHee Chung playing
and for the presentation of colors. Then, the two students, sopho- honored Secretary of Labour “God Bless America” on the piano.
The Stuyvesant High School Cho- more Yimei Hu and senior Min- Elaine Chao with the Outstanding The guests of the ceremony
rus sang “This is My Country” and glian Pan, were called to the stage. Americans by Choice award. Chao included many Stuyvesant
“Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.” They led the Pledge of Allegiance. is the first Asian-American woman community members, including
Next, the applicants for citi- According to the New York City to be a member of the President’s chemistry teacher Dalia Bulgaris
zenship were called by name and Department of Education cabinet. She emigrated from Asia and history teacher Reuben Stern,
country. There were 55 countries (NYCDOE), both students immi- when she was eight, which in- who immigrated to the United
represented. Emilio T. González, grated from China. Hu said, “It’s spired her to dedicate most of her States. Also in attendance were
director of the USCIS, led the can- an honor. I’ve always wanted to professional life to ensuring that Jamila Ma, president of the
didates in the Oath of Allegiance. become a citizen. I finally know people have the opportunity to Student Union, and Bob
A video was then played with a what it means to be a real Ameri- improve their lives. She gave the Sherwood, president of the Alumni
message from President George can,” on the ceremony. keynote address. Association. ◙
Afterward, González con- The ceremony ended with

AIS Tutoring Cancelled Due to Budge Cuts

by Rammiya Nallainathan
staff writer
Due to the challenging nature
of Stuyvesant’s classes, many stu-
dents find that they need help. This
term, Stuyvesant had to cancel all
AIS tutoring due to recent budget
cuts.
According to Susan Olds, the
executive budget director of the
Department of Education, because
the economy is in a downward
trend and the city is not receiving
expected tax revenues, the city
must spend less. Therefore,
schools across the city in districts
1-32 have had to face a 1.75 per-
cent budget cut so that the city can
meet the $100 million tax levy
reduction. Stuyvesant alone has
lost $277,522.
The decision on how to adjust
with the budget cut was made on
February 5 at the School Leader-
ship Team (SLT) meeting. Accord-
ing to the plan, either afterschool
AIS tutoring had to be cut, or there
would be no replacement for Kate
Oliver, a college counselor who
recently left. Understanding the
situation, students and parents
agreed that hiring a replacement
for Oliver was more important, and
so AIS tutoring was cancelled.
James Kim, vice president of the
Student Union, said, “We could
have found another way to relieve
us of the deficit. However, cutting
tutoring was probably better than
cutting a college advisor. I am sure
we will work through this well.”
ARISTA Tutoring and Big
Sibs will have to help out with the
after-school tutoring sessions.
When asked about the situation,
Dennis Ng, ARISTA vice presi-
dent for tutoring, responded enthu-
siastically, saying, “ARISTA Tu-
toring is an excellent way for stu-
dents to get academic support.
Students can choose to be tutored
one-on-one or in a group. Our
dedicated tutors are quite knowl-
edgeable. While the suspension of
AIS Tutoring will greatly affect
the way students get help for their
classes, ARISTA Tutoring is ready
to lend a hand.” Junior Naziat
Zaman agreed. “I think now
ARISTA and Big Sibs will become
an even more important and cru-
cial part of the Stuyvesant commu-
nity.”
ARISTA tutoring is available
everyday and is walk-in. Because
of the expected increase in the
number of students, ARISTA
tutoring has moved from the
library to room 511. The Big Sibs
are also playing its part by
providing one-on-one tutoring for
many students. ◙
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
THE STANDARD OPINIONS
Multiplying Like Rabbits
by Muhammad Tambra
staff writer
As the year goes by I walk
down the halls of Stuyvesant High
School and see more and more of
the same freshmen. Noticing more
and more freshman in the hallway
many thoughts race through my
head: “Man, will these people move
any faster? Why are there so many
of them?” More now than ever
before, freshmen are visible in large
groups crowding up the already
sluggish escalators. Even the
Hudson Staircase seems to have
more traffic than usual. I can’t help
but ask myself what is going on.
According to online statistics,
an average of 800 students make it
in to Stuyvesant each year. This
year however, many more freshmen
were admitted than ever before.
This influx of lost “newbies” has
caused the hallways to become
overcrowded. Opening a door to the
stairwells is getting dangerous
because you might hit someone in
the face. The library has become
even more packed with hordes of
students racing towards the
computers. No one seems to have a
solution to these obvious
conundrums. With the school be-
coming more congested I think that
some sort of change has to take
place before classes have to congre-
gate in hallways like the SING! cast
and crew. This year alone, at least
100 more freshmen than usual de-
cided to accept placement in Stuy.
This has caused class sizes to in-
crease from the usual 29 to 30 stu-
dents to a norm of 34 to 35. Having
this many students in one class has
a negative affect on the learning
environment of this school. As
more and more students are placed
Memoirs of a Scoliosis Surgery Patient
by Amna Ahmad
opinions editor
Scoliosis is a condition in
which a person’s back curves to
the left or right, generally forming
an “S” or “C” shape. It is idio-
pathic, meaning it has no known
cause, but it has been shown to
run in families. It affects approxi-
mately three percent of the United
States population; however, it is
more common in women than in
men. I can proudly say that that
three percent includes me.
During May of 2007, I started
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
As the school gets more crowded, changes should be promoted before classes begin to con-
gregate in hallways.
in one class, teachers give less indi-
vidual attention to students. Conse-
quently, an individual who feels
hopelessly lost in a class may be
ignored because the rest of the class
is doing just fine. The inverse is
also true. An advanced student may
find himself bored in a class that he
finds unchallenging in light of the
struggles of the students around
him. There is very little opportunity
for one-on-one attention to be pro-
vided to a student from a teacher.
The school needs to deal with
this problem because it is only
going to get worse and might have
worse consequences than we have
seen already. Next time Stuy might
not get an A from the DOE; instead
we might end up with a B on our
ratings. The continual increase of
the student body size could cause
the reputation of a once-esteemed
high school to be tarnished. Next
thing you know, Stuy is no longer a
specialized high school and is
ranked among the worst in the
to notice that I was not standing
up completely straight and that
my shoulders were slightly un-
even. I did not think much of it
and dismissed it, assuming that I
was just one of the millions of
teenagers with notoriously bad
posture.
A couple of months later, in
the middle of the summer, while
on a family vacation in Florida,
both of my parents noticed that
my back did not look straight. My
mom was a bit concerned, but my
dad, just like me, told her not to
worry about it.
OPINIONS
Stuy Voice
Ode to
Photo Credit: Elissa Tam
Expression
by Amna Ahmad
opinions editor
The purpose of the Stuy Voice
column has always been to
consider the opinions of the
Stuyvesant student body while
employing statistics from surveys
on a wide range of topics in order
to lend a voice to those students
too shy to write what’s on their
mind in an independent school
publication as I do biweekly. After
tallying hundreds of surveys over
nations, at which point students the past two years, I’ve come to
would say, “Wasn’t this school like the realization that most students
15th best in the country or crave better representation than a
something?” and another students few simple poll statistics, and wish
would respond by saying, “Are you to think outside of the box — that
kidding me, this place?” is, the box on the survey where
There are some ways to pre- students are expected to draw a
vent this, however. What the BOE check if they are in agreement with
and the school can do is raise the the statement above it. I entertain
overall standard to get into a spe- this assumption simply because
cialized high school. What this will some students that I have surveyed
do is make Stuyvesant a more ex- in the past have had a less-than-
clusive school where only the best appreciated tendency to insert their
of the best of the best can be admit- own answer options, ask questions,
ted. This would cause the current and provide insight on the central
population of Stuyvesant to drop theme of the survey they are filling
from the current population to a out, in the form of weird doodles
more comfortable number. They and chicken-scratch handwriting. I
can also try limiting the number of thought that since the surveys of
people who are allowed to take the these students who thought
SHSAT based on grades in junior themselves deserving enough to
high school and performance on discount the boundaries put into
citywide tests in order to further
place for them in a survey were
tackle this problem. These potential
solutions offer hope to the hopeless
student trying to make it to the STUY VOICE
tenth floor from swim gym. ◙ continues on page 5
It was not until the end of he would tell me. After my pedia-
August while we were doing trician told me that I had scolio-
some back to school shopping sis, I did some research on the
that we realized that I really did topic and encountered a lot of
have a problem. My back had information. The part that inter-
gotten drastically more curved ested me the most was the treat-
and it was very obvious. Yet, ment of the condition. I found out
none of us knew what scoliosis that curves less than 25˚ are sim-
was at the time, so we went to my ply monitored for progress,
regular pediatrician. She told us curves between 25˚ and 45˚ are
some basic information about treated with a brace that people
scoliosis and immediately re- have to wear for as many as 23
ferred me to a doctor who special- hours a day, and curves over 45˚
ized in treating it.
I went to see the specialist in MEMOIRS
October, nervous because of what continues on page 5
OPINIONS
MEMOIRS
continued from page 4
are treated with surgery. All I
could do was hope that my curve
would be less than 25˚ so I would
not have to worry about an an-
noying brace. I thought it was
virtually impossible for my curve
to be bad enough to require sur-
gery.
Boy, was I wrong. When I
got to the office, they took x-rays
of my back and then I got to
speak to the doctor. He spent a lot
of time figuring out the various
angles and taking what seemed
like millions of measurements.
Then came the news that shocked
me. I had a curve of 76˚ and
needed surgery as soon as possi-
ble. We set the date for the sur-
gery right then, deciding it would
be on December 4th at the New
York University Hospital for
Joint Diseases.
Feeling scared and brave at
the same time, I spent the days
leading up to the surgery doing
more and more research about the
procedure, as well as making ar-
rangements for tutors to come
during the two months of school
that I would miss. I found out that
the surgery is performed by hav-
ing two metal rods fused to the
spine and connected with several
screws.
By December 4th, I felt as
prepared as I was going to get,
and entered the operation room as
bravely as possible. There were
twelve doctors there, each with a
separate purpose, like handling
anesthesia or monitoring my spi-
nal cord.
When I woke up, all I re-
member was feeling pain. A nurse
gave me a button I could press to
receive a dose of pain medicine. It
was specially designed, of course,
so that I could never overdose on
the medication, no matter how
STUY VOICE
continued from page 4
left unused, I was still somehow
obligated to include their voices,
and honor their participation
despite their reluctance to follow
directions.
I decided to share some of
the extraneous material written on
surveys with hopes that the
voices of these students would
indeed be heard. Flipping through
a stack of surveys administered in
early November, I came across
one survey in particular on which
all responses were written using
an orange pen. As if the use of
macaroni-colored ink wasn’t
weird enough, I realized that this
particular individual had also
written a few strange comments
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side or front
to back. The spine may also be rotated.
many times I pressed the button.
The first couple of days after
the surgery, I spent most of my
time sleeping because the pain
medication made me extremely
drowsy. A physical therapist
came everyday and made me
practice sitting up in a chair and
walking around. I hated sitting up
because it was so painful, but
such as “Yea Boi” and “I’m
always right” as answers to the
questions being asked.
Now, while I’m not entirely
sure how those two comments
related to the survey at all, I
thought they were a bit
entertaining. But then again, it
did make me question the
sensibility of the focus group of
students that I had so earnestly
relied on for some genuine
feedback. I’m not sure if I should
value even to the least extent the
opinion of a person who answers
a yes or no question with an
expression like “Yea Boi.”
Not only are these essentially
unnecessary side-notes at times
entertaining, but they can also be
a bit offensive. For instance, one
individual must have thought I
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 5
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Wiki_pre-op.jpg
come for each subject, and so
there would be one person com-
ing each day for two hours. The
workload wasn’t too bad, but
there were definitely several occa-
sions on which I wished I could
just sleep instead of learn.
After about four weeks of
immobility, I decided there was
something wrong. I should have
been getting better, but instead I
was still always in bed. I had as-
sumed that my body would heal
on its own, and only time would
make me better. However, as I
attempted to sit up for half an
hour and quickly felt pain, I de-
cided that I would have to push
myself if I was ever going to im-
prove and get back to school.
The progress I made was
amazing. As I gradually started
practicing doing things on my
own and walking around my
neighborhood in short trips out-
side, I realized that my tolerance
of not lying down was increasing.
It wasn’t long before I was able to
go to the mall, and eventually I
was back to school, feeling more
energetic than I had been in the
past couple of months.
I can honestly say that I have
gained more through this
experience than I have from
anything else in my entire life,
and I’m not simply referring to
the three inches I gained in
height. Having this surgery
opened my eyes to what real pain
is, and how hard it is to truly
persevere instead of giving in.
Most importantly, I have learned
walking actually did not seem too that no healing is possible without
bad. unison of body and mind. No
After a week in the hospital, matter how long one waits to
they let me go home. I spent the recover from either physical or
first week or two at home only emotion pain, nothing will happen
lying in bed, basically taking until one has mentally decided
complete advantage of the fact that he wants to improve. ◙
that there was no physical thera-
pist there to force me to walk
around. A different tutor would
was dumb enough to not know survey on which they were
the difference between fact and written, I can honestly assure you
opinion as can be seen from the that they wouldn’t make any
following statement written on more sense to you if you were
the survey: “I don’t know! — bad actually in possession of the
question, really bad question, surveys in question, and if you
factual not opinion. FIX THIS!” were to ask me where the smiley
Who would have known that face came from on the last
asking a peer whether or not they comment, I simply would not be
knew that in some religions able to tell you.
coffee consumption was Thus, I offer this piece to you
forbidden would cause such a as an ode to self-expression, be-
passionate response? cause now that I take the situation
Some other examples of into consideration I can’t help but
comments that I have read in the ask myself what makes me so
short time I have been writing qualified to judge the actions of
this column are: those students who were motivated
“DEPORTATION,” “When principally by a desire to put their
aren’t they?” “How are those two ideas out there or make their mark
related?”, and “Voided ☺.” If you on an idea in their own individual
think these examples make no way, in both a literal and figurative
sense out of the context of the sense. ◙
6 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
THE STANDARD SCIENCE
Eating Dirt: When Microbes Make Us Well
by Devyn Buckley
staff writer
Many of us have heard that we
should eat yogurt after taking a
round of antibiotics if we ever
want to digest food again. Within
the last few years, phrases like
“live cultures” and “probiotic”
have found their way onto dairy
product labels at even the most
mainstream grocery stores. What’s
up with that?
According to Science News
and reports in professional journals
like Immunology, in the last
decade, new research has disclosed
an increasing awareness of the
complexity of microbes and their
function in managing wellness in
the human body.
The news from think tanks
like Washington University in St.
Louis, and Germany’s Federal
Research Center for Nutrition and
Food is that the microbes, the
flora, the fungi, and other living
things that find their way into our
bodies as hitchhikers on our lunch
or as a kind of microbe starter set,
courtesy of Mom at birth, do a lot
more than anyone ever thought.
Why else would our systems allow
tens of trillions of microbes to
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
Microbes, such as those shown above, constitute 90% of our bodies, bringing new questions in the realms of
both biology and theology.
thrive and communicate with one
another in our bodies?
Interestingly, one line of new
research suggests that our “bodies”
actually are mostly microbes.
Since microbes outnumber cells in
the human body by a factor of 10,
it looks like we are actually about
90 percent microbial. Weird, huh?
Rather than a single human body,
we are more like a teeming super-
organism, made up of symbiotic
communities of microbes. This is
an interesting find for evolutionary
biology, not to mention theology.
One of the most important
SCIENCE
Source: http://www.biogeosciences.org/images/dolo_microbe2.jpg
illness’s duration and intensity. It
was found that the human body
had responded to the probiotic
trigger by creating more T cells.
In German studies, microbes
as probiotics were found to affect
the intensity of allergic reactions,
an aspect of immune response. The
research involved mixing cells of
allergic people and nonallergic
people together. When immune-
stimulating substances were added
to the cell mixture, all of the cells
reacted, but the allergic cells
reacted aggressively. Interestingly,
when probiotics were added to the
cell mixture, the response of the
allergic cells was subdued. Studies
implications for microbes revolves like this one suggest that additional
around immunity. Since the research may lead to the use of
gastrointestinal tract, where most microbes to treat allergies.
microbes live, is the largest Another line of microbe re-
immune organ of the human body, search has engaged the pharmaceu-
researchers are looking at the role ticals. They are interested in the
intestinal flora play in resistance. possibility of creating medicines
In one study, individuals that treat the microbes that manage
infected with a common cold virus our wellness. We may be taking
were given three different specialized bugs —helpful bacte-
probiotics (microbes) at early ria—as treatments and we may be
stages of the illness. Analysis taking medicines that alter the
showed that the probiotics did not bugs in our bodies. A lot of re-
cure the common cold. However,
the microbes clearly minimized the MICROBES
symptoms and shortened the continues on page 7
SCIENCE
Behind the Satellite
by Alexandros Kaliontzakis
staff writer
On February 21, 2008, a
satellite failing United States spy
was shot out of the sky by a U.S.
Navy missile. The satellite,
weighing about 500 pounds and
approximately the size of a school
bus, lost power shortly after it
reached orbit in late 2006 and went
out of control, slowly descending
.toward Earth
The Navy was concerned that
pieces of the satellite’s debris
might be big enough to fall to
Earth and cause damage. The pri-
mary concern was to make sure
that the missile destroyed the satel-
lite's hydrazine fuel tank and
vented its toxic gas into space. The
satellite was destroyed to keep the
toxin from affecting humans as it
You Are What You Drink,
And Your Hair Knows It
by Shayra Kamal
staff writer
In the past week, the field of
forensics has been dramatically
advanced with the advent of a new
type of hair analysis which can
detect where and when a person
last ate or drank. Developed by
University of Utah scientists Thure
Cerling and Jim Ehleringer and
published on February 25 in the
Proceedings of the National Acad-
emy of Sciences, the method in-
volves analyzing hair samples for
certain isotopes of oxygen and
hydrogen. The amounts of these
isotopes in hair have a direct corre-
lation to those found in drinking
water, and may thus be used to
track movement of criminals or
murder victims.
The premise of the new hair
analysis method is to measure the
levels of the common isotopes
hydrogen-1 and oxygen-16 against
the levels of rarer isotopes like
hydrogen-2 and oxygen-18. While
the ratios of these isotopes are
fixed in air, they vary in drinking
water from region to region.
By examining oxygen-
hydrogen isotope ratios in scalp
hair from across the United States,
scientists Cerling and Erhleringer
have been able to show that there
is an 85 percent correlation be-
tween the isotopes found in a per-
son’s hair and the ones found in an
area’s drinking water, showing that
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
fell to Earth.
Nowadays, satellites get into
orbit attached to a rocket or in the
cargo bay of a space shuttle. For
the ones launched by rocket, the
rocket is at first aimed straight up,
to get it through the thickest part of
the atmosphere, quickest and with
the least consumption of fuel. The
rocket’s guidance mechanism then
changes the course of the rocket to
follow the rotation of the Earth (to
the east), which gives the rocket
increased acceleration. Although
this advance might seem insignifi-
cant, it is actually very important.
The immense weight the rocket
must lift, which includes its own
weight, the weight of its fuel, and
that of the satellite, means that
getting into space takes a lot of
energy. So, rotational velocity,
which is greatest at the equator,
Scientists have discovered a new method of forensic science: hair examination.
drinking water leaves isotopes in
growing scalp hair.
By demonstrating how a per-
son’s hair is affected by the local
water supply, this new type of
analysis has great relevance to
forensics. From just one strand of
hair, police can determine the hy-
drogen-oxygen isotope ratios of a
specific individual, then compare
them to the isotope ratios of the
surrounding area. Consequently, a
person’s movements can be traced
back several weeks or even years.
In fact, this technique has
the already been put to use by
police, including an instance in
which a murder victim was found
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 7
MICROBES
continued from page 6
search must be done before mi-
crobes will become an everyday
plays a very important role in get- remedy, of course.
ting a satellite in the air. Genetic researchers are busily
Once the rocket reaches a suf- describing the more than 100,000
ficiently thin portion of the atmos- genes that exist in the microbes our
phere, about 120 miles above the bodies harbor. Considering that
ground, the navigational system our own bodies offer only 30,000
fires small support missiles to as- genes to manipulate, the broader
sist the rocket in maintaining a target of microbe genes is
horizontal position. The satellite is promising.
then released, and the missiles are For pharmaceutical investors,
ignited once again to provide space there is interest in the possibility
between the satellite and the trans- that microbes may hold the secret
portation rocket. to America’s first truly effective
When a satellite reenters the weight loss medicine. Because
atmosphere, only 10 to 40 percent microbes can be used to alter the
of its mass is likely to reach the emulsifying acids that make fats
surface of the Earth, as the heat of digestible, frontline research
reentry burns up the majority of its institutes like Nestle, in
mass. Germany, are looking to microbes
Even though it seems unlikely, as a possible treatment for
there remains the possibility of obesity.
debris striking the Earth where Perhaps even more important
inhabitants may be dwelling. ◙ to the human tribe is the strong
evidence that microbes can be
used to make absorption of
nutrients more effective, making
probiotics a possible tool in the
prevention of hunger and
starvation, especially among
human cultures that have
carbohydrate-heavy diets. If
microbes can be used to make
Photo Credit: Elissa Tam
digestion more efficient, then it’s
certainly possible that they can
help combat hunger.
Where is the research that
indicates such far reaching results
of probiotic treatments? Dr.
Jeffrey I. Gordon of Washington
University is one researcher who
has led the way. A group of mice
delivered by sterile Caesarean
Section and raised in germ-free
conditions were far less efficient
at absorbing nutrients, including
vitamins B12 and minerals like
calcium, than control mice. They
ate up to 30 percent more and
were generally smaller and less
healthy than the control group.
This same line of research is also
likely to look at whether
probiotics can delay bone loss in
women after menopause, perhaps
preventing osteoporosis.
outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. By What other paths will this
analyzing the hair samples present exciting early research lead to?
among the remains, detectives Will children once again be
were able to determine her location encouraged to make mud pies and
changes up to two years prior to play in the dirt? Will handling
.her estimated time of death soil become the next new
However, analyzing isotopes therapy? Will we ever learn to
found in scalp hair often yields like being sneezed on in the
results that do not indicate a per- subway? Wherever we end up,
son’s exact location, but rather a regardless of the curves along the
wide a geographic area. Nonethe- way — for surely microbes will
less, hair analysis in this manner have a dark side—it’s likely that
has many possibilities beyond fo- our thinking about germs may
rensics. If perfected, this method never be the same. After all, it
might even be used by anthropolo- seems that, well, we are the
gists and archaeologists to deter- germs. ◙
mine migration patterns of ancient
peoples. ◙
8 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8 BUSINESS

THE STANDARD BUSINESS

Sins of a Solar Empire: Review
by Hanford Chiu

Photo Credit: Elissa Tam

business editor

Strategy games are as deep

and rich as the amount of thought
and planning involved in playing
one, yet for a long time, there have
been two polar schools of
strategizing, each intricate in its
own way by requiring different
modes of thought. On the side of
quick reactionary reflexes lies real-
time strategy (RTS). Most games
usually involve short periods of
army selection and then escalate
into large concurrent games of
rock-paper-scissors and mixing and
matching units in order to target
enemy weaknesses to get the best
battle outcome. These games
usually end in some huge climax
where the ultimate armies fight to
the point of destruction. On the
opposite side of the scale lie turn-
based strategy games, often
described as 4X games, because
they usually entail exploration,
expansion, exploitation and,
eventually, extermination. 4X
games are generally long-term
games, where players slowly
acquire territories and resources, Sins of A Solar Empire is a real-time strategy game that incorporates some deeper, more extensive elements from 4X strategy games.
meet rival players at a highly
developed point, and take the certain resources. The resources in and resources, but leads to long- these battles; even an average
enemy down at a crawling pace the game are credits, ore, and term benefit and stronger fleets. laptop can run this game without
with battles of attrition and crystals. Credits are gained as tax The game could in fact be played much slowdown. Meanwhile, the
marginal victories. These games from every planet in the game, as a 4X game entirely if a player zooming system is revolutionary;
generally require long-term while ore and crystals are found in never zooms into the tactical much like in Supreme
planning, excellent resource and mining asteroids orbiting those level; the AI of your ships is Commander, players can zoom in
territorial management, and planets; different planet types rational and capable of fighting to watch their capital ships wreak
visionary army composition. The have different corresponding well when simply sent into an destruction and then zoom out
rapid-pace battlefield tactics of asteroids. Thus, in team games, it enemy’s territory. But the RTS seconds later to view their entire
RTS and the slow managerial might be more efficient to divvy portion is powerful, and can empire, viewing dozens of planets
operations of 4X games never quite up planet colonization based on definitely stand alone without all on one screen. Also like SupCom
meshed well together. Enter Sins of race strengths to properly exploit the empire building behind it. is the substitution of units with
a Solar Empire. resources. The game plays out like Each ship has its own purpose and icons so that you can still watch
Played on a field of stars and Risk in the beginning, with the fleets should be carefully and command from far out.
planets with fleets of starships, main theaters of battle being a arranged. For example, shield and All in all, Sins is an excellent
Sins is a delightful combination of planet’s gravity well and the main healing ships should be placed out game to satisfy both RTS and 4X
RTS and 4X. Players can start form of travelling being through of the line of fire; flanks should be cravings in one delicious vacuum-
with one of three factions, mostly phase lanes, which are the only formed to prevent the enemy from sealed space meal. The lack of a
identical in fleet composition but ways in or out of a gravity well. circling your fleet, since ships single-player campaign is
with significant strengths and Therefore, most of the game cannot fire at every angle; and disappointing, but the game makes
weaknesses that can alter battles consists of amassing units in your ships with special abilities should up for it with a solid AI and a very
and the end-game buildup. For starship factories around your be micromanaged to be used inhabited multiplayer server for
example, the Unity specializes in planets and then shipping them off properly to turn the tide of battle short games or epic ones that
small cheap units and has to conquer other planets or meet (although the AI is quite capable might last for multiple sessions.
exceptional strike craft, which are your enemies in choke points. In of auto-using them). Battles are This game is very replayable, and
fighters and bombers deployed fact, most of this game is like a quite slow (but the game’s speed even playing under the same
from carrier ships. This leads to an traditional 4X game, and indeed can be changed in options), so conditions over and over again
emphasis on carrier fleets and without the RTS battles that occur there is plenty of time to put ships can produce different results
requires more micromanagement within gravity wells. in formation and then sit back and because of the variety of tactics
than usual because there are more Interplanetary movement is quite watch the fireworks. Terrific and army composition that is
tiny units to look after and steer slow, so there is an element of content aside, the game also available. I would highly
away from devastating anti-fighter planning. Diplomacy and neutral utilizes excellent graphics to show recommend this game to anyone
freighters. There are also pirate factions add to the flavor by the beautiful vacuum of space, and who wants to experience the
economic differences: some races allowing collaboration and the to render the sleek ship designs intensity of small RTS battles
can make better use of some secret hiring of pirates to destroy and flashy firepower. Also while maintaining the grand
planets and are more efficient with enemies and backstab allies. amazing are the exceptionally low scheme of things in building a
Research takes up a lot of time system requirements for watching solar empire. ◙
ENTERTAINMENT
THE STANDARD ENTERTAINMENT
Spring Movie Preview Diversity Week: An Effort
by Emma Rabinovich
entertainment editor
Warmer weather means spring is just
around the corner and a new batch of
movies is on the way. Not a very
ambitious bunch (hardly a oven. These two Saturday Night Live
blockbuster in sight), these upcoming
flicks seek to entertain without flashy
CGI sequences, resorting rather to
raunchy humor and star power.
Drillbit Taylor
The latest film from producer Judd
Apatow, creator of the now-classic
“Superbad” and “Knocked Up,” is
about three nerds who hire a
bodyguard to protect them from
school bullies. Their bodyguard-of-
choice is played by Owen Wilson, in
what promises to be another hilarious
outing from Seth Rogen, who wrote
the script.
Superhero Movie
Taking the same general idea that
powered the hilarious “Scary Movie”
franchise, “Superhero Movie” spoofs
what can probably be called the most
deserving genre of all: comic-book
blockbusters. Drake Bell (“Drake &
Josh”) stars as Rick Riker, a high
school student who transforms into
Dragonfly after being bitten by a
genetically altered dragonfly. Sound a
little familiar? (In theaters March 28.)
Baby Mama
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
Starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey,
“Baby Mama” is about a woman
(Fey) who desperately wants a family
but cannot conceive. Enter white-
trash surrogate mom (Poehler) ready
to lend the struggling career gal her
veterans should make for an interest-
ing watch. (In theaters April 25.)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Using a more adult brand of comedy,
“Miss Pettigrew” stars Amy Adams
(“Enchanted”) as a bubbly American
actress and Frances McDormand as
Miss Pettigrew, a frumpy exgover-
ness living in pre-WWII England.
Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred
Watson, the film details Miss Petti-
grew’s adventures when she gets
caught in the glitzy, romance-filled
life of Adams’s Delysia Lafosse. (In
theaters March 7.)
21
“21” stars Jim Sturgess (recently seen
in “The Other Boleyn Girl”) as a
brilliant MIT student looking to earn
some cash with the help of his girl-
friend (Kate Bosworth) and a math
professor (Kevin Spacey). Based on
Ben Mezrich's 2002 nonfiction best-
seller “Bringing Down the House,”
“21” has a promising trailer and an
amazing cast. It’s also “based on true
story,” however loosely. (In theaters
March 28.) ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
to Bring About the End of
Disunity
by XXX
XXX
February is truly a month in
which people of all cultures, races,
religions and ethnicities have tried
to band together and shatter pre-
conceived notions about them-
selves. It is a time to celebrate all
that everybody has to offer. For-
mally, February is Black History
month and celebrated at the end of
the month is Diversity Week. At
Stuyvesant, Diversity Week was
celebrated with a series of guest
speakers who spoke about their
own experiences dealing with seg-
regation and their observations on
the situation today.
The list of speakers was quite
diverse, including Frank McCourt
(author of Angela’s Ashes), Dr.
Leon Bass (part of a segregated
U.S. army unit in WWII), Judith
Sloan (author of Crossing the
Boulevard), Yvonne Campbell (a
Jewish child in Toulouse, France
during WWII), Dr. Terrance Rob-
9
erts (part of the Little Rock Nine)
and Sarah Jones (wrote and starred
in “Bridge and Tunnel”). These
figures really were close to the
topics they discussed because of
their extended experience in deal-
ing with segregated people. Judith
Sloan figuratively embodied perse-
cuted people with her stellar talk
and performance.
Judith Sloan was born in
Queens, which she revealed was
the most diverse place in the coun-
try in 1999 and 2000. Because she
still lives in this wonderfully di-
verse place, she decided that it
would be a wonderful opportunity
to interview immigrants that emi-
grated from their countries after
1965 and came to live in Queens.
These immigrants struggled to
adapt to an incredibly new envi-
ronment, but many were not beaten
down by this. Some were ex-
tremely optimistic, as revealed by
DIVERSITY WEEK
continues on page 10
10 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8 LITERARY

Diversity Week Talent Show

DIVERSITY WEEK
continued from page 9
Ms. Sloan’s impersonation of a
Kazakstanian immigrant: “When I
came to this country, I thought that
the people were the nicest in the
world.”
Littered through Ms. Sloan’s
slideshow were pictures of
Queens, of the good and the bad
(mostly bad), and of the amazing
characters that she included in her
performance and her book. She
told the stories of some of the peo-
ple she interviewed, and while the
subject of racism is a serious one,
many of these were more light-
hearted and humorous. For in-
stance, the Kazakstanian immi-
grant revealed his thought that
even the criminals were nice in
America, because one day, when a
mugger pulled a gun to his head in
his cab in order to rob him, the
mugger ended up giving the immi-

grant a dollar because of his lack Diversity Week, not through over-
of money. Some stories were used clichés, but with a perform-
marked with irony, such as the ance that will not be forgotten. ◙
Romanian immigrant who was
racist against non-whites and gyp-
sies in her early life. Then, when
she came to Queens, she ended up
going to school with many Middle
Photo Credit:
Easterns, blacks, and Hispanics.
Judith Sloan truly opened every-
Elissa Tam
one’s eyes to the true meaning of

THE STANDARD LITERARY

Cyberspace Presidential
Wordsearch Showdown
by Jensen Cheong by Jensen Cheong
staff writer staff writer

W M A N N Y T H E M E D I U M O N D
H T O M E H T D A E R B I C K Y R E
E H J J A C K I E T H Z F H T I P K
F E E H H R T N Y H U D K P L O V T
T Y S M O T H E R B O A R D D F B H
H T U Y S D J Z Y J H J E T I J H E
E H I G S L Z V B N H G D G Y S F C
H E G I S U I O Q R Y C A N H W F R
A H G C B S E D J E N S E N F I F A
K A J D U U R Y E Q B J F G H D R B
E C U E L P C G D R A T D G S G T P
R K Y E E T A D D R M A R B L E S R
D E L E T E L S A E E D F N Y T U I
D R R T T F I Y A T H G H D B I J N
E W E I E F G H T S S K J R Y I H C
R Q G G E D I A A A W I C K E D G E
G I C V S G M S D F G H J K Y U I R
D J S A M V A N D E R R O M V F R G
Manny the Medium Icky Jackie Inez Dr. Marbles
Motherboard Slider Buzz The Hacker
Delete Digit Sam Vander Rom Matt
Wicked Widget The Crab Prince
SPORTS
by David Feng
staff writer
As the trade deadline passed
recently, there was a flurry of block-
buster trades that stormed the NBA.
In swaps that involved superstar
names like Shaq, The Matrix and J-
Kidd, almost the entire power struc-
ture of the Western Conference was
reordered. Some of them were good
trades, while others were less so.
First, let’s us take a look at the
Lakers-Grizzles trade, in which the
Lakers traded Kwame Brown,
Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the
draft rights to Pau Gasol's brother
Marc, and first round picks in 2008
and 2010 for Pau Gasol and a 2010
second-round pick. This has shown
to be a great deal for the Lakers, as
the Lakers won game after game
with Gasol on the lineup. When
Bynum returns from injuries, the
Lakers will have one of the best
starting lineups in the league. How-
ever, it is not fair to say it is a com-
pletely disadvantageous trade for the
Grizzles. This deal allows them to
rebuild the team while developing
young and talented players. Yes,
they have given up this season, but
at least they are planning for the
future.
Next up, the Nets sent J-Kidd
to Dallas in return for Devin Harris
and a few other players. A good
MARCH MADNESS
continued from page 12
Kevin Durant to the NBA. If Texas
can beat Kansas in the Big 12
Tournament, a #1 seed and a trip to
San Antonio are in the cards.
4 Teams to Stay Away From:
1. Memphis: In the past 10 years,
only 3 teams not from one of the
major conferences have made the
Final Four: George Mason in 2006,
Marquette in 2003 (from the old
Conference USA), and Utah in
1998. Although Memphis has
shown its impressive talents in
non-conference wins against Con-
necticut, Georgetown, and Ari-
zona, its conference schedule has
been filled with bad teams like
Tulane and the University of Cen-
tral Florida. The grind that teams
like Duke and UCLA get from
playing challenging schedules year
round will be a disadvantage for
Memphis in the later rounds.
2. Duke: If Duke hits their three-
pointers, they could conceivably
win the tournament. If they go
cold, there’s no telling when they
could lose. A recent stretch of
Duke basketball had them losing
by 13 to Wake Forest and 1 to Mi-
ami. In those two games, Duke
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
The NBA Shuffle
point guard, like Kidd in Dallas, can
really improve a team. Only a few
guys in the NBA see the floor better
than Kidd. He can make plays for
others and give open shot opportuni-
ties to Dirk. It is true that Kidd is
aging, but it seems like his passing
ability improves as he ages. The
Nets did not live up to their expecta-
tions this season, so they hope to
turn things around through this trade.
As for now, the role of Harris in the
Nets is unclear. As an emerging star
point guard, will Harris be able to
The Suns attempt to tweak their style of play without losing their fast-paced identity after trading to acquire
shot 29 and 40 percent from be-
hind the arc respectively. Lacking
any semblance of an inside game,
the Blue Devils will have to be hot
to make it to the final weekend.
One unfavorable matchup, such as
the Lopez twins of Stanford in the
Elite Eight, and the Blue Devils
will be toast.
3. Xavier: Currently ranked ninth
in the AP Top 25 poll, Xavier has
yet to be challenged in conference
play. Looking through their sched-
ule, there isn’t much to be im-
pressed with besides a home win
against Indiana. Losses at Miami
of Ohio and at Temple show that
Xavier still has some work to do if
they want to make the second
weekend.
4. Any #16 seed: Don’t do it. The
closest any #16 seed has come to
winning a game was a loss in over-
time in 1990.
4 Players To Watch:
1. Michael Beasley, forward, Kan-
sas State: The do-it-all forward is a
contender for the National Player
of the Year. Averaging 26.7 points,
12.6 rebounds and 40 percent from
three, Beasley has single-handedly
put Kansas State on the map. He’ll
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 11
live up to Kidd’s legacy in the Nets? have that big man that can dominate
The most shocking trade has to the post — Amare is more suitable
be the Shaq-Marion deal. Even peo- as a power forward than as a center.
ple in the league were shocked about Good trade or not for the Suns, only
the trade. Many people started to this April’s playoffs can tell. As for
wonder about Steve Kerr (the Suns’ the Heat, the addition of Marion will
GM)’s judgment. The Suns’ run- definitely be helpful for changing
and-gun style can be ineffective as a their miserable record. Pat Riley said
result of Shaq’s presence. However, that Wade and Marion reminded him
there’s still logic behind this trade. of Jordan and Pippen, although this
Even though the Suns were and still sounded like an exaggeration.
are an excellent team during the Last but not least was the
regular season, they failed to go deep Kings-Hawks trade, in which the
into the playoff because they didn’t Kings sent Mike Bibby for Anthony
Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen
Photo Credt: Elissa Tam
Wright, Shelden Williams and a
2008 second-round draft pick.
Bibby, as we know, is one of the
best point guards in the league when
he is healthy. As time goes on, he
will see that he can rely on his new
team because it has a lot of new tal-
ents like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith,
and Al Horford. Then, with the
100% recovered Bibby, the Hawks
can be a very dangerous team. The
deal doesn’t work as well for the
Kings because the players that they
received are not quite at the level
Bibby is. To make it worse, the West
is too good and they need a veteran
point guard.
The trade deadline has passed,
and the teams are set. It is now up to
the players to see who can adapt to
their new environment the quickest
and help their team reach the play-
offs. ◙
be a handful for any team playing interim coach Dan Dakich were
the Wildcats. unfounded, a lot of pressure is
2. Adam Emmenecker, guard, going to be on this senior forward.
Drake: This former walk on has Named a Second Team All
led Drake to their first postseason American by Sports Illustrated,
tournament victory in the school's White is averaging 17.2 points and
32 years of Missouri Valley Con- 10 rebounds a game. If star
ference (MVC) play. In addition to freshman Eric Gordon goes cold,
averaging 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, White needs to pick up the slack in
and 6.2 assists, Emmenecker order for the Hoosiers to make it to
claimed the MVC player of the the final weekend. ◙
year as well as the MVC Tourna-
ment MVP. He's also a quadruple
major in finance, management, THE SPORTS BEAT
entrepreneurial management, and
continued from page 12
general business. And you thought
you had a lot of work.
in the first round as a #1 seed, but
that doesn’t really matter. I am the
3. Ty Lawson, point guard, North jealous type, and karma must be
Carolina: An ankle injury against avenged.
Florida State exposed North Caro- Then there’s also the pride
lina’s weak depth at point guard. factor. As the sports columnist, I
Lawson needs to be at 100% if the feel obligated to know my stuff so
Tar Heels want to make it to the I don’t get embarrassed. At one
Final Four. If he’s healthy and the point last year during the second
Heels can beat Duke in Durham round, I was in second-to-last
and then again in the Conference place in my group and the Sports
Championship, a #1 seed should be Editor for a different paper was
theirs. last. Two years ago, one of my
friends, who I’m pretty sure still
4. DJ White, Forward, Indiana: doesn’t follow college basketball,
Indiana has gone through a lot the won my group because he decided
past few weeks, with coach Kelvin to put Florida in the Final Four.
Sampson forced to resign in a There’s only one thing to take for
recruiting scandal. Although granted: Anything can happen in
rumors of the team walking out on March. ◙
12 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
March Madness: The
Power of Four
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, organizations and individuals that organ-
izes the athletic programs in many colleges and universities in the United States.
by Eric Mayo
managing editor
Spring is coming, the birds are chirping, and
brackets are being filled out. Oh, what a joyous
month March is. To help you prepare for the
upcoming tournament, here’s a preview of what’s
to come.
4 Teams To Watch:
1. UCLA: The only thing that has stood between
the Bruins and back-to-back NCAA titles is the
Florida Gators. Although Florida graduated its big
four (forward Joakim Noah, forward Al Horford,
guard Corey Brewer, and guard Taurean Green),
UCLA’s core players remain with one addition.
Freshman forward Kevin Love is in contention for
the PAC-10 player of the year award, averaging
17 points and 11 rebounds per game. If UCLA can
sneak up and claim a #1 seed, they should be able
to go to San Antonio.
2. Davidson: Not many teams can boast playing
North Carolina, Duke, and UCLA in the same
year. Very few teams could keep it competitive
for all three games, which is precisely what the
Wildcats did. Their incredibly strong non-
March 18, 2008—VOL. 7, No. 8
conference schedule prepared them well for their
Southern Conference schedule, allowing them to
win their last 19 in a row. Currently projected as a
#11 seed by ESPN.com, Davidson will give a
large headache to their first-round opponent.
3. University of Southern California: Last year,
USC advanced to the Sweet 16 before being
eliminated by an 18-0 run by North Carolina. The
team returns two of the stars from that squad,
guard Daniel Hackett and forward Taj Gibson.
Leading the way this year is freshman guard OJ
Mayo, who has averaged 20.7 points per game
and is expected to be a first-round pick in the up-
coming draft. Although the team has stumbled this
year, losing games to Mercer at home and Califor-
nia on the road, the talent on this team is enough
for a repeat trip to the Sweet 16.
4. Texas: Though Davidson managed to play
North Carolina, Duke, and UCLA competitively,
Texas has defeated UCLA in Los Angeles, then
Kansas and Tennessee at home. Led by sopho-
more point guard DJ Augustin, the Longhorns
have not missed a beat even though they lost
MARCH MADNESS
continues on page 11
SPORTS
It’s
Madness
For as long as I can remember, one of my
favorite days of the year, besides my birthday
and the last day of school, was the Monday
after Selection Sunday for the NCAA College
Basketball Tournament. I would spend all my
time before school trying to decide who would
be the champion of college basketball.
I’m clearly not alone. According to out-
placement firm estimates, the economy suffers
$1.5 million in lost productivity during the
month. That includes filling in the brackets,
researching the picks, and following the games.
Millions of people, most of whom will never
watch a college basketball game, follow the
same ritual every year.
The problem for the ultra-competitive type
like me is that picking winners is like winning
the lottery. Take two years ago, as an example.
Out of all the brackets filled in on ESPN.com,
only two had George Mason, the biggest sur-
prise of that year’s tournament, in their final
four. One person, a software engineer from
Omaha, Nebraska, confused George Mason
with George Washington, another mid-Atlantic
school. The difference was that George Wash-
ington had a 26-2 record while George Mason
barely snuck into the tournament. The second, a
15-year-old, has claimed he filled in more than
20 brackets last year (ESPN only allows for 5).
To summarize, to win is to be lucky.
This year, picking teams will be compli-
cated by the college admissions process. As an
applicant to four schools who should qualify
for the tournament, I must be prepared to take
revenge on any school which sends me a rejec-
tion letter. Yes, that means I might pick North
Carolina to become the first team ever to lose
THE SPORTS BEAT
continues on page 11