TO THE COMMUNITIES OF STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY

The Stuyvesant Standard “Your School, Your World—Your News” 

Volume V, Issue 10 January 18, 2006 Free

Gadgets at Their Finest:   Citing Abuses, Colleges Ban 
The 2006 Consumer   Coca‐Cola From Campus 
concerns but from concern with the
Electronics Show  BY HANFORD CHIU
STAFF WRITER way they allege Coca-Cola manages
factories in other countries.
While advocacy groups for chil-
On January 1, the University of

Associated Press
BY JACOB ARLUCK dren in public schools seek to ban
COPY CHIEF Michigan banned the sale of Coca-
sugary drinks from public schools,
Cola products on its premises after a
The holiday season may be several colleges are also seeking to
similar move by New York Univer-
over, but electronics companies are ban Coca-Cola products. These col-
already preparing a whole new leges are motivated not out of health Continued on Page 6
lineup of products to stuff the stock-
ings of the exceptionally good. The
Winter Consumer Electronics Show,
which ran from January 5 to 8 in
Las Vegas, showcased some of what
consumers can expect.
If any grand new idea domi-

Killer Coke
nated the show, it was the concept
of the "digital homes." Industry gi-
ant Microsoft demonstrated a central
home display that helps families
track their members, listing itinerar-
ies and location. Wireless technol-
ogy let computers, televisions and
cell phones all talk to each other in Sharp’s flat-panel TV display at the 2006
Continued on Page 9 Consumer Electronics Show.
College students are advocating to ban the sale of Coca-Cola after questions arose con-
cerning the company’s business ethics.
A Search for Answers After a 
Deadly Accident  New Computers  
BY DEREK WENG
JUNIOR STAFF WRITER
tated to have learnt that the first
rescuers didn’t go into the mine un-
in the Library 
til 11 hours after the blast. Jim Ben-
Widows, families, and friends BY AMY LEUNG In coming weeks, four terminals
net, 61, one of the victims who op-
gathered together at a small mining SENIOR STAFF WRITER will be set up at the technology desk
erated the mine’s shuttle car wrote a
town in West Virginia to begin the for students to print documents and
note documenting his final hours Over the holiday break, fifteen
wrenching process of bidding fare- to conduct research with tools like
while trapped, indicating that he new computers and two high-speed
well to the 12 miners who were
was still printers were installed in the library.
trapped Reuters
Continued on Page 2
lucid 10
underground Ribbons line the fence as a memorial to the twelve min-
hours after
and killed in ers who died at the Sago, West Virginia mine.
the blast.
an explo-
Officials
sion at the
claimed that
Sago Mine
it was nec-
on January
essary to
2. The dis-
clear out
aster was
poisonous
the worst
gases that
coal-mining
have filled
accident in
the mine.
West Vir-
The miners
ginia since
were even-
1968, when
t u a l l y
78 miners were killed in an explo-
brought out more than 40 hours after
TSS/Henry Zhang

sion near Farmington.

the explosion.
As the town lay their fallen
Meanwhile, the mining disas- Students can now take advantage of new,
miners’ bodies to rest in separate
ter’s lone survivor, Randal McCloy working computers in the school library.
funerals, families and onlookers
Jr., showed dramatic improvement
were still struggling to cope with the
despite remaining in critical condi-
awful ordeal of having a false report
declare that most of the men had
tion and was stable enough to show INSIDE THIS ISSUE
he is “awake underneath our coma,”
survived the disaster. Only three
as his physician Dr. Richard Shan- --------------
hours later, their hopes were shat- News...........................2-4 Puzzles..............................8
nan said.
tered when just one miner was Business......................6-7 Science……………….......9
McCloy, 26, was taken off se-
brought out alive. The others died Opinions.....................6 Arts & Entertainment........10-11
dation and has been breathing with-
from carbon monoxide intoxication. Literary.......................7 Sports................................11-12
out the help of a ventilator and is
Family members are also devas-
Continued on Page 2
Page 2 January 18, 2006 News THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

THE STUYVESANT STANDARD   New Computers in the Library

Founded 2001  Continued from Page 1 computers. Officials also voiced
J-STOR, a database of scholarly complaints about students "breaking
“Your School, Your World—Your News”  through the firewalls" and "printing
articles.
The new computers were the a large number of pages," slowing
result of a $13,000 grant from the down the printer and using up reams
Chase Charitable Foundation. of paper.
According to library officials, Nonetheless, the convenience
the library had just four working and availability of computers and
computers before the recent up- printing is a boon to the students.
grades, all of them outdated. The There is a shorter wait time for com-
Executive Leadership Team computers were actually received puters as students who are not using
earlier in the term, but were not in- the computers for work are asked to
DR. JOHN NIKOL FACULTY ADVISER stalled due to a work backlog facing get off. Sophomore Ivana Ng said,
WINNIE LEE EDITOR IN CHIEF the school's computer staff. "It's great that there are so many
SHO UEMURA M ANAGING EDITOR Students have responded very computers now. They [librarians]
JESSICA THAM CHIEF F INANCIAL OFFICER positively to these new computers, also keep a stricter watch on people
W INNIE DU LAYOUT EDITOR but some have encountered prob- who play games, so now we don't
JACOB ARLUCK COPY CHIEF lems. According to librarians, some have to wait so long to use a com-
LAURA HAN IN SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR students are "configuring back- puter." ◙
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER OUT OF SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR grounds and playing games" on the
YANJ IE HOU OPINIONS EDITOR
JENNIFER WONG ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
OSMAN NEMLI SPORTS EDITOR
DEEP PARIKH SCIENCE EDITOR
MELISSA CHAN
Seniors
BUSINESS EDITOR
LADA KUKUY LITERARY EDITOR
KAREN LIU WEBMASTER
KATIE BANKS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS Want to personalize your yearbook?
Have your name stamped in gold foil on the
Publication
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD is a nonprofit and nonpartisan publication pro- cover of your yearbook.
duced by the students of Stuyvesant High School.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD distributes 2,000 free copies on a bi-weekly basis Interested? Stop by the table in front of room
to the students and faculty of Stuyvesant High School and throughout the ad-
joining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City. 209 and learn more.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD welcomes letters from its readers.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD reserves the right to edit any published material. Is there a cost? Sure, but remember, you’re
The viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the
Standard staff. worth it! Deadline to sign up is January 27th.
Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Contact Us
Please direct all correspondence to: A Search for Answers After a
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
345 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10282-1000
Deadly Accident
readers@stuystandard.org Continued from Page 1
Find us on the web at www.stuystandard.org
undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treat-
ment, which forces pressurized oxy-
Advertising gen into the body to treat carbon
If you would like to advertise in THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, please e-mail monoxide poisoning. Until McCloy
advertising@stuystandard.org to request an advertisement form. We offer a comes out of the coma, doctors will
broad range of options including full color capability for your advertising be unable to assess the full extent of
needs. the damage.
Even as the closely knit mining
community grieves for the lost, oth-
Subscription ers are closely following the investi-
gation of the accident.
Chief Executive Ben Hatfold, of
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD the International Coal Group Inc,
SUBSCRIBE TODAY whose company was responsible for
1 YEAR — $15 the troubled coal mine, said in a
Delivery Information statement that the mine’s fan was
Name:______________________________________________ working and circulating air. After
Address:____________________________________________ the explosion, rescuers had to fol-
___________________________________________________ low state and federal laws that re-
Billing Information quire a methodical approach to
Please circle your choices below: avoid rescuers getting trapped, in-
Check Money Order Cash jured or killed themselves. Hatfold
also told the Associated Press that
Billing Address:______________________________________
“It is painful, and it’s slow, and it
___________________________________________________
was maddening as we were all just
Please cut and mail to THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, 345 Chambers doing our level best as we were at-
Street, New York, NY 10282-1000 OR send the above information to tempting to get there…And we’re
subscription@stuystandard.org. going to do our best to make sure
that families understand.”
Experts said many things could
have led to the explosion that oc-
curred in a vacant section of the
mine recently sealed with 40-inch
thick concrete. A lightning strike or
a spark from the miners’ equipment
could have ignited potentially ex-
plosive methane gas trapped inside
the sealed chamber.
Federal inspectors have fined
the mine for more than 270 safety
citations in the last two years. Many
of the safety citations were for vio-
lations that could potentially have
set off explosions and shaft col-
lapses. According to government
records, the mine operators knew
about the violations but failed to
address them.
In response to the disaster, state
and federal mining experts immedi-
ately opened an investigation of the
explosion. Senator Robert C. Byrd,
Democrat of West Virginia, said
“the families of the Sago miners
deserve to know what happened in
that mine, just as importantly, min-
ers and their families across this
country want to know that steps are
being taken to prevent others from
ever experiencing such pain.” ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Border Control is Tightened in Effort to  think the names are misplaced.
Stop Illegal Immigrants  If you've noticed, the president has
BY EMMA RABINOVICH
STAFF WRITER
Despite a 60% increase in bor-
der security spending since Presi-
dent Bush took office, illegal immi-
gration into the U.S. continues to
rise. In fact, estimates of the number
of illegal immigrants have more
than tripled over the past two dec-
ades.
The Border Protection, Antiter-
rorism, and Illegal Immigration
Control Act of 2005, passed by
Congress last December, is an at-
tempt to address the problem. The
law provides for 700 miles of fenc-
ing across the Mexican border, as
well as accelerated deportation pro-
Associated Press
ceedings, and increased penalties for
immigrant smuggling. Illegal immi-
grants would be labeled as felons,
and as a result, would never be able
to gain legal status. Federal aid to
cities that provide services to these
illegal immigrants would be re-
stricted and the number of legal im-
migrants allowed to enter the coun-
try would be reduced, as well.
President Bush has also shown
support for the plan, but so far has
Wildfires Sweep Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma
BY BENNETT HONG
STAFF WRITER
Since December 26, more than
80,000 acres of grassland in Texas
have been consumed with wildfires,
resulting in the destruction of 278
homes. In drought stricken areas of
Oklahoma and New Mexico, the
number of burned acres has reached
600,000 with 470 destroyed houses
and 5 deaths.
In Texas firefighters reported
that in the course of a single day 72
homes were destroyed, 174 saved,
and 3,200 residents in Montaigue
As “Fallout Boy” Would  home and an 80-year old school-
Say “Dance, Dance” 
BY ANNA GINZBURG
STAFF WRITER
On January 6, the Stuyvesant
Student Union, held a New Year’s
dance to welcome in 2006. The
dance was held from 6 P.M. to 10
P.M., with a $4 admission fee; stu-
dents with the Stuyvesant Advan-
tage card saved a dollar.
The Special Events Committee
of the SU, headed by Special Events
Director Amanda Wallace, organ-
ized the dance. DJ Phil was booked
for the second time this year, spin-
ning many popular tracks. A special
Stuy Squad performance that left
many in awe.
As for the turnout, Junior Presi-
dent Michael Tsidulko said before
January 18, 2006 News
delayed implementation of "interior
repatriation." This means returning
illegal immigrants from Mexico into
the interior of the country rather
Poles like these are being installed along stretches of the Mexican border as a deterrent
to smugglers.
than simply over the border, in an
effort to make it harder for immi-
grants to simply try to sneak over
the border again. "We're going to
expand interior repatriation," Bush
said. "We want to make it clear
[that] when they violate U.S. immi-
County evacuated. In Sterling
County, 120 miles west of Dallas, a
20,000-acre fire was also burning
out of control, the state Department
of Emergency Management re-
ported. In Eastland County, near
the town of Carbon, 15,000 acres
had burned and 35 homes were de-
stroyed.
Texan firefighters were success-
ful in containing several fires. On
January 4, a 50,000-acre wildfire
that stretched across Irion and
Reagan counties west of San Angelo
was contained. In addition a 6,000-
Associated Press
the event, “I think this dance is go-
ing to be a success. The SU has
done pretty well with the dances this
year, and the fact that we're just
getting off a vacation filled with
holiday celebrations and New Year's
parties should add to the turnout.”
And in fact, the turnout was high,
with a total of about 400 people.
While the dance officially be-
gan at 6 P.M., the dancing did not
really rev up until an hour later.
Once students felt more comfortable
dancing, everybody enjoyed the
reggae and had a wonderful time.
Junior Maria Kucheryavaya ex-
plained, “I think the dance was very
successful. Many of my little sibs
showed up and so did my friends.”
◙
gration laws they are going to be
sent home and they are going to stay
at home."
The civilian group Minuteman
Civil Defense Corps conducted its
own border patrol last year. The
group drew great opposition from
immigrant rights advocates and was
called a “vigilante group” by mem-
bers of the Bush Administration.
George Taplin, president of the
acre active blaze that threatened
seven homes near Erath County was
also calmed, according to the Texas
A helicopter attempts to suppress a grass
fire in rural Texas.
Forest Service.
Since November 1, a total of
363,341 acres have been consumed
in Oklahoma, 220 homes have been
destroyed, and 2 people have died,
as a result of grass fires. Corre-
spondingly, only a quarter-inch of
rain has been recorded in Oklahoma
City since then, and forecasters pre-
dict “no significant precipitation” in
the next several days, leaving the
surrounding Plains tinder-dry.
A state wide ban on burning has
been in effect since November 15
and has recently been extended to
include prohibitions of campfires
Page 3
Minutemen, defended the group. “I
We're not trying to tighten up the
borders; we're trying to bring atten-
tion to the problem. We've done so.
shifted his position on immigration,
and Congress is now working on it,”
he said.
Bush has said he wants to con-
vince illegal aliens to register with
the government under a guest
worker program that matches people
with jobs for three years after which
they are returned to their home
countries. Arizona Republican Sen.
John Kyl has supported Bush on this
point and sponsored an immigration
bill with a similar agenda. "The en-
forcement will be so stringent that
any employer, who tries to employ
them, will be caught," said Kyl.
Senators John McCain, Repub-
lican of Arizona and Edward Ken-
nedy, Democrat of Massachusetts,
have sponsored legislation to give
illegal aliens in the United States
visas for up to six years. After that
time expires, they must leave the
country if they have not received a
green card, which indicates lawful
permanent residency.
With so many programs in the
works, senators and the president
hope to stop the growing population
of illegal aliens while providing for
the 11 million already living in the
country. ◙
and outdoor charcoal grilling and
stricter requirements on outdoor
welding. “We need people to con-
tinue to be diligent. I know it might
be tempting to go outside and do
some things that might initiate a
spark, but if they can bear with us, it
will not last forever,” said state fire
information officer C.J. Norvell.
However, legal bans have had
no effect on unlawful people. Re-
cently, on January 2, the son of a
retired fire chief, Justin Wilkerson,
was charged with setting four fires,
one of which seriously damaged a
vacant house. The next day, an ar-
son-started fire that destroyed one
house was contained in Shamrock.
In New Mexico, on January 3,
firefighters contained a grass fire
that blackened more than 53, 000
acres in the southeastern section of
the state, destroying 10 homes and
three barns west.
Recently, the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency an-
nounced that it had approved re-
quests from Texas, Oklahoma, and
New Mexico for assistance from the
nation’s Disaster Relief Fund to aid
in firefighting efforts. However,
once again, nature has proven her
formidability as Army National
Guard helicopters that were used to
battle the fires have been grounded
because of high winds and limited
visibility. “We need rain in the
forecast, and we need it quick,” said
Oklahoma Cit y Ma yor Mick
Cornett. Unfortunately, the recent
trend has been high temperatures,
high winds, and low humidity. ◙
Page 4
Club  
Spotlight 
Stuy Squad  ing year. After
BY APRIL DALEY
JUNIOR STAFF WRITER
If you know anything about
dance at Stuy, then chances are you
have heard of Stuy Squad, headed
by senior Gregory Lee, the presi-
dent, and vice presidents Hannah
Frieman and Tamika Tannis, both
juniors. Founded three years ago by
Aija Minnis ’04, Stuy Squad has
gradually made its presence known.
With annual shows that showcase its
talents, Stuy Squad continues to
draw many new members every
year. There is no bribery, no prom-
ises of candy, or favors. Members
are lured simply because they “like
to dance,” said President Gregory
Lee.
Its sixty plus members are dis-
persed throughout seven sections:
During these prac-
tices, directors teach
choreography and
prepare for the an-
nual show.
Jazz, Step, Belly Dancing, Reggae,
and two Girls’ Hip-Hop sections.
Although most members belong to
the hip-hop section, the other sec-
tions are not lacking members. Two
new sections were added this year,
Belly Dancing and Step.
Because of these various sec-
tions, the club rarely is able to have
all members practice in a single
room. Each section meets on a day
designated by the crew director.
During these practices, directors
teach choreography and prepare for
the annual show.
Yet besides the choreography
and dance advisory Stuy Squad has
something else to offer: camarade-
rie. Spending hours working with
other dancers seems to form a bond
among Stuy students.
“I wasn’t really into dance and
now that I’ve joined, I’ve had so
much fun and I’m so happy that I
decided to do this,” said junior Ilona
Lazis. Despite this eagerness for
membership, Stuy Squad only cur-
rently accepts members in the be-
ginning of the year through an audi-
tion process designed to give pro-
spective members a glimpse of what
the rest of the year will be like.
Although plans for the club
during SING! Season are uncertain,
Stuy Squad seems to give no indica-
tion of stopping. In the words of
Vice-President Tamika Tannis,
“We’re a group of people who
dance. We’re just trying to make
people who are interested in dance
better dancers.” ◙
If you would like to have your
club or publication featured in The
Standard, send an e-mail to
inschoolnews@stuystandard.org.
January 18, 2006 News
BY NOUSIN HAQUE
STAFF WRITER
Come New Years, many Ameri-
cans make a list of the resolutions
they would like keep during upcom- more, to quit smoking or drinking,
about a month,
most break them. With fewer resolu-
Some have al-
tions to keep, fulfill-
read y broken
theirs. ing them is less
According to stressful.
polls, the top
resolutions for
2006 are to spend more time with tions. Judith Orloff, a physiologist,
relatives and friends, to exercise wrote a book about this issue. She
more, to lose weight, to enjoy life said that many Americans begin
their problems by starting out with
New Year’s Eve 2006 in Times Square 
BY ANNA GINZBURG
JUNIOR STAFF WRITER
Sixty seconds before midnight,
the 1,070-pound ball covered with
504 Waterford crystal triangles be-
gan to drop. The ball, which was
engraved with the names of those
who were lost in the World Trade
Center attacks, featured 696 multi-
colored light bulbs, 96 high inten-
sity strobe lights, and 90 rotating
pyramid mirrors.
During the afternoon of New
Year’s Eve, people began to arrive
in Times Square. By approximately
6:00 P.M., Times Square was fully
closed to traffic. Police began di-
recting people to designated viewing
section in an effort to control the
crowds. Revelers were kept excited
by a special 30-second video count-
down to mark the end of each hour
starting at 6:58. The wireless sur-
round system specially engineered
for the Times Square New Year’s
Eve celebration.
At 9:30p.m the Times Square
Business Improvement District had
sanitation crews distribute thou-
sands of freebies, including Ameri-
can flags, glittering multi-color
Mourners Remember those
Who Died in the Tsunami
BY NEETA MALVIYA
STAFF WRITER
One year has past since a
deadly tsunami devastated nearly a
dozen countries near the Indian
Ocean on December 24, 2004. An
estimated 216,000 people lost their
lives that day.
“It was so brutal, so quick, and
so extensive that we are still strug-
gling to fully comprehend it,” said
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Survivors and relatives gathered
at beaches and temples to grieve. In
Thailand, survivors sent a boat
adorned with flowers, candles, and
incense out to sea. On the Andaman
Islands, residents tossed paper lan-
terns into the sky in memory. Along
India’s southern shore, thousands
gathered to visit gravesites and
share stories of their lost loved ones.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
New Year’s Resolutions 
lengthy lists.
and to get out of
debt. Others may
Instead, she says, people should
make a few practical resolutions.
resolve to learn With fewer resolutions to keep, ful-
something new, to filling them is less stressful. Then,
volunteer, or to get people should break down their
organized. goals. Carol Nak, a psychiatrist,
There is no easy believes that people should con-
way for many to stantly remind themselves of their
keep their resolu- goals. “Remind yourself that maybe
you tried this before,” she said, “but
this time you’re going to get it right.
Start being more honest with your-
self.” ◙
Reuters
Crowds at Times Square
on New Year’s Eve.
pom-poms, single-use cameras, stayed to watch performances by
bright red and blue balloons, and Mariah Carey and others.
"Official Times Square Confetti The MTV headquarters at the
Bags." heart of Times Square proclaimed
Finally the moment everybody Carey as the Woman of the Year on
was waiting for came. The crowds their New Years Eve Show. But she
watched as the beautiful descended was not the only star present, and
77 feet in the final minute. Once it other performers such as Chris
had descended the countdown was Brown and the All American Re-
over and so was 2005. Many left to jects were present to lift the crowd
attend after-parties while others into celebration. ◙
  
 
"It was under the same blue India, and Sri Lanka.
sky, exactly one year ago, that A tsunami warning system in
Mother Earth unleashed her most Sumatra, Indonesia is currently in
destructive power the works and was
upon us," said In- tested for the first
donesian President time on December 26,
Susilo Bambang
“It was so brutal, 2005. A ringing siren
so quick, and so ex- alerts people to
Yudhoyono at a
ceremony in tensive that we are evacuate. Residents
Banda Aceh. of Sumatra practiced
still struggling to
The tsunami evacuating to desig-
resulted in one of fully comprehend nated areas. The drill
the largest out-
pourings of for-
it,” -U.N. Secretary, brought back memo-
ries of the tsunami.
General Kofi Annan India’s warning sys-
eign aid ever,
some $13 billion. tem is said to be in
Reconstruction, place by 2007. A Ma-
however, is far from complete. laysian warning system is also being
Eighty percent of those left home- set up. No such system is in place
less due to the tsunami still do not for Thailand. Coastal hotels and
have a permanent residence. A total resorts may not be prepared if an-
of 308,000 homes are needed to other tsunami comes. ◙
house tsunami victims of Indonesia,
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2006 Page 5

INDICATOR 2006
Stuyvesant High School’s Yearbook
The Indicator is offering you the opportunity to send a congratulatory message to your child. To be printed in the 2006 senior class yearbook. Yearbook
pages are available for personal or business advertisements.

The advertising contract can be completed as follows:

1. Please check a box to specify the size of the space desired.
2. Enclose a piece of paper with a message, photo, drawing, business card or other material you would like featured in your ad space.
3. Checks should be made payable to Stuyvesant High School Indicator 2006.
4. Send the signed contract with the advertisement and payment check to the address on the enclosed envelope.
5. If you would like to make a donation and become a Patron or Sponsor for the Indicator, your contribution would be greatly appreciated.

Sponsor = $15.00 Patron = $25.00

ALL ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 1, 2006
Thank you for your support of the graduating class of 2006. Contact Mr. Lonardo, Hyemin Park or Jennifer Tsang if you have any questions at
lonardoj@stuy.edu (212)312-4800 ext.2510; xhyemin@yahoo.com (718)543-8942; JU319@aol.com (718)961-5331 respectively.
Ad Sizes and Prices
Full Page 8 1/2 x 11 $300.00 Sincerely,
Half Page 8 1/2 x 11 $175.00 Hyemin Park, Indicator Business Editor
Quarter Page 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 $90.00 Jennifer Tsang, Indicator Business Editor
Eighth Page 4 1/4 x 2 3/4 $50.00 James Lonardo, Indicator Faculty Advisor
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Business Agreement
Indicator 2006
1. Prices for advertisement and ad dimensions can be found in the letter above.
2. We reserve the right to edit or refuse all advertisements which we find to include offensive material such as but not limited to (drug use, nudity, smok-
ing, consumption of alcoholic beverages, obscenities, racial and/or ethnic slurs.)
3. If desired, the Indicator Layout Staff can prepare you advertisement at no extra fee.
4. I hereby agree to the provisions stated above.

Signature: _____________________________ __________________________________ Date: __________________________________

Printed Name: _____________________________________________________________

Stuyvesant Student Photo Calendar Contest

Deadline January 23, 2006

The Stuyvesant PA invites all Stuy students to submit their photographs. The photo should represent ‘A Slice of Life at Stuy’. Suggestions: First day of
school, Halloween, Holidays, Stuy events (Camp Stuy, SING, sports…).

Twelve photographs will be selected to be printed in a July 2006-June 2007 desktop calendar presented in a CD
case. The calendar will be used for Parent Association Fundraising.

Winners will be invited to the Lunar Feast Fundraising Dinner on

March 3, 2006. You will also receive a thank you certificate from the PA for your winning submission to add
to your portfolio. The calendars will be $10 and sold at the Lunar Feast Fundraising Dinner and at PA meetings.

The deadline for all submissions is 12:01AM Monday morning on January 23, 2006. One photo entry per stu-
dent. The photographs will be judged by members of the PA Silent Auction Committee on January 28, 2006. The decision made by the judges is fi-
nal. Photo release forms will be required to be signed if your photo is selected for the calendar.

Please email your submissions to Hannah Li: hli57@yahoo.com. Include your name, email, phone # and class (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).

All submissions should be:

-emailed
-Jpg file
-at least 1 meg
-untouched
-taken from a digital camera or camera phone
-color photo is preferred

If you have any questions, please contact Hannah Li.

Page 6
Helping Our Enemies?  Is Security Worth
BY HANFORD CHIU
STAFF WRITER
Anyone who owns a television
or a computer can keep up with the
latest developments in the Iraq war.
It is also probable that people have
access to combat operations, statis-
tics, raw photos and the current
scandals such as the unfounded ini-
tial cause of the Iraq war. The exis-
tence of all of these sensitive and
Unfortunately, to-
day’s media lost its
sense of loyalty to
America and has long
crossed the line of be-
trayal.
morale damaging information stems
from an uncontrolled media which
will dole out any type of news relat-
ing to the war which might capture
the attention of Americans and ter-
rorists alike all for the sake of
profit.
Such a philosophy may cost
America the war, not just our repu-
tation. The extensive reports on the
negative aspects of the war by the
liberal media, such as the poor intel-
ligence reports surrounding the
premises of war, the Abu Gharib
scandal, and the general condition
of Iraq for soldiers, have incited
Pop Goes the Housing Bubble
BY STEPHANIE TAM
STAFF WRITER
“What goes up must come
down,” or so the old saying goes.
But is this the case for U.S. housing
prices? Housing bubbles occur peri-
odically in local or global real estate
markets. They are characterized by
rapid increases in the price of real
estate relative to income and other
economic indicators.
Will the housing bubble burst?
What will happen if it does? And
Englund and others
attribute the current
boom to a glut of bor-
rowing… The aver-
age American house-
hold has $10,000 of
credit card debt.
what impact will it have on society?
Economic specialists say that
the housing bubble is close to burst-
ing. The main question is when. Eric
Englund, an analyst who has an
MBA from Boise State University,
January 18, 2006 Business/Opinions
Point-Counterpoint
much anti-American sentiment,
around the world and in America.
For example, Bush’s approval rat-
ings on Iraq War have been slipping
over the past few months, hitting a
low of 32% in October which oc-
curred after media reports of the
new death tolls in Iraq. In other
countries, Muslims have a mainly
pessimistic view of the US, mainly
because of their local networks like
Al-Jazeera, and the America media
itself. The raw photos of Abu
Gharib prominently displayed in
many American newspapers after
the event only served to anger the
Muslim community even more and
further encouraged the strings of
kidnapping of foreigners in Iraq.
If the media had such a negative
attitude during WWII, the people
and soldiers would have been
drained of their patriotism and re-
verted back to isolationism and al-
lowed Hitler to conquer all of
Europe. Unfortunately, today’s me-
dia lost its sense of loyalty to Amer-
ica and has long crossed the line of
betrayal. If our president were not as
determined as he is, he may have
already surrendered the war to dicta-
tors and terrorists based on the
mounting dissident protests against
the war. Perhaps it is time for the
press to stop focusing on its identity
as the media and more on their du-
ties as Americans. ◙
speculates that it will begin to burst
around December 2006. He said:
“Ultimately, we have a housing
boom built on credit and not savings
which has lead to labor and materi-
als shortages and has lead to over
leveraged consumers. This is why I
see a bust – as indicated by acceler-
ating mortgage defaults and a gen-
eral decline in housing prices –
commencing well before June of
2007.”
Englund and others attribute the
current boom to a glut of borrowing,
sparked by low interest rates in the
past five years. The average Ameri-
can household has $10,000 of credit
card debt.
Analysts who agree with
Englund include Mark Zandi, chief
economist at the consulting firm
Economy.com, and Phillip Neuhart,
an economic analyst with the Wa-
chovia Corporation. In an interview
from December of 2005, Mark
Zandi said that “Housing has
peaked. […] All indications are that
sales will weaken further in the
months ahead.” Neuhart said,
“We're predicting a 3 to 5 percent
decline in new home sales next year,
which is not a crash-and-burn sce-
Our Freedom? 
BY ALVIS YUEN
STAFF WRITER
Everyday we can read about the
events of Iraq and Afghanistan in
the newspapers. However, there are
some people who wish to take away
this right to knowledge. The Ameri-
can public knows about these events
only through the media. Currently,
the media is not restricted in the
events it covers. However, some
Censorship for the
sake of security will
undermine the very
reason we fought this
war and risked our
security.
argue that the media should not be
allowed complete freedom during
times of crisis because such uncen-
sored coverage reduces the morale
of the U.S troops overseas and puts
the security of the country at risk.
These ideas, however, are base-
less and short-sighted. Media cov-
erage during wartime does not nec-
essarily reduce the morale of the
troops; in fact, it can produce the
opposite effect. The media increases
troops’ morale by giving soldiers a
nario. We're predicting a soft land-
ing, but a landing nevertheless.”
Other evidence suggests that the
boom may already be ending.
Americans bought far fewer new
homes than expected in November
and the number of unsold homes
that builders are carrying jumped to
a record high.
The Commerce Department
reported that about 1,245,000 new
single-family homes were sold in
November at an annual rate, a pre-
Publish pieces reflecting your
thoughts and ideas!
Send your work to
Opinions@stuystandard.org
Let your voice be heard!
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
sense of acknowledgement by the
populace for their valiant actions.
And while the security of the nation
might be slightly compromised due
to unrestricted coverage during war-
time, we pay an even more signifi-
cant price if we restrict media cov-
erage. The wars in Iraq and Af-
ghanistan are fought to spread free-
dom. More than two thousand sol-
diers have died to preserve our free-
doms and rights. America is a sym-
bol of freedom. Censorship for the
sake of security will undermine the
very reason we fought this war and
risked our security. It is oxymoronic
for the American government to
take away our rights to protect them.
The government was created to en-
sure and protect our undeniable
rights, such as the freedom of the
media.
The media also monitor the ac-
tions of the government. Therefore,
not only is freedom of expression
inherent, freedom of media is neces-
sary. Before rushing to support the
government’s actions to limit media
coverage, we must first consider the
implications. Before we irreversibly
place the power of media into the
hands of the government, we must
first consider its consequences. The
decision: Freedom or Security. Is it
worth it? ◙
cipitous drop of 11.3 percent from
October's all-time high and the big-
gest monthly drop in almost 12
years.
A fall in housing prices may
have positive effects, however.
Many families, priced out of houses
in the current boom, are waiting for
prices to fall before buying. And
once these homes become more af-
fordable, these people will start buy-
ing, preventing the market from
falling too far. ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2006 Business/Literary Page 7

On a Physics Teacher’s Birthday The Dangling Conversation

BY ROBERT STEVENSON
STAFF WRITER
Forces, Vectors, Motion, Work,
Physics lingo that makes me smirk.
Friction, Gravity, and Mass
Are all things that Physics has.
This poem’s Purpose is Complicated
But here is why, At First, I made it:
I wanted to find for you
the Coefficient of Friction of Glue.
After Hours of Computations,
My Brain Shut Down from all the Information.
And so, I put the problem aside
And this is what I came to Decide.
Since You’ve Taught me so many things,
You are now crowned the
Physics King.
BY PENNY MALAMUD
STAFF WRITER
"Isolationism is a human practice," she says. She thumbs through the recipe
booklet. "What will today's delicacy be?"
"So is loneliness," I reply. I look over her shoulder, sigh. "Nothing sweet,
please."
She shakes her head, turns to another section of the book. "Loneliness isn't a
practice, Shiri, it's the human condition." She looks intently at the pages. "How
about Frogmore Stew?"
"Disgusting," I reply. "Pick something else."
She sighs, “Unconscious escapism born of guilt.”
It pulls a bark of a laugh out of me, “You can’t eat escapism.”
“You can eat escapees,” she says, a smile flickering and disappearing. “How
about Vienna Schnitzel?”
“You’re always so morbid,” I say, but I don’t disagree. She nods and begins
gathering the ingredients. I turn on the stove, prepare the pots and pans. We fall

Train Track into our daily routine so easily.

BY JENNIFER LEE
STAFF WRITER
The station window looked plastic. I longed to spread my fingers out and press
my palm against the door, but I watched the sky instead. Inside this quiet train,
no one whispered a word. It was always quiet on the M. And it wasn’t too hot
in here. I could feel the cold tendrils of the AC tickle my hair on my neck.
Shivers. The sky is cotton blue. Wisps of clouds high beyond reach. It’s turn-
ing into night. I unwind my gaze from the sky to a girl next to the door. I can
tell she craves for attention. Tight green top and frizzed curly black hair. A
cheap black handbag made to look expensive. She looks tough though. Skin of
caramel frappacino and dark exotic eyes. She makes everything look so easy.
“If isolationism is a human practice, what is this?” I ask her.
“I told you before, unconscious escapism born of guilt.” The words are exas-
perated, but her tone isn’t. We’ve been through this before. “We can’t accept
that we are all there is, so we cling to another person. It never lasts.”
I never agree with her. “It always has before.”
“Before what?” I love hearing her laugh, hate when it’s at me. “There was
nothing before this.” She whirls around the kitchen. “This is all there is.”
"Virtue. You don't need a reason to help people." (Zidane)
"Devotion. Someday I will be queen, but I will always be myself." (Garnet)
"Despair. To be forgotten is worse than death." (Freya)

"Dilemma. Having sword fealty, must I spend my life in servitude?" (Steiner)

It’s War "Sorrow. How do you prove that you exist...? Maybe we don't exist..." (Vivi)
BY ROBERT STEVENSON
STAFF WRITER "Indulgence. I do what I want, you have problem!?" (Quina)

The world is strengthening, "Solitude. I don't wanna be alone anymore..." (Eiko)

The cries are deafening. Citing Abuses, Colleges Ban

So I shed a salty tear, Coca-Cola from Campus
Continued from Page 1 fortunate. The actual volume in
With death drawing ever near. sity in December, following long- terms of sales is small but it is the
larger issue of our reputation, these
term concerns with the company’s
environmental prac- allegations are false
The taste of rotting flesh seeps into my tongue, tices in India as well but we do share the
as labor practices in On January 1, 2005, concerns with is-
sues."
As the nightingale’s melancholy tune is sung. Colombia. In May
2005, a dozen uni- the University of In India, Coca-Cola
versities formed a Michigan banned is accused of dis-
With anger burning in my heart, commission to in-
the sale of Coca-
tributing worthless
and hazardous fer-
vestigate the com-
pany's labor prac- Cola on its premises tilizers to local
Sorrow strikes me with its dart. tices in Colombia farmers that are
after a similar move made of its factory
with the company’s
Bodies strewn across the abyss, permission, but the by New York Uni- byproducts. Critics
company and the versity in December. have also said that
the company con-
commission could
Death blew its mesmerizing kiss. not agree on taminated ground-
whether the findings should be ad- water with factory runoff.
missible in a lawsuit against Coca- The company’s Colombian af-
The soldiers lying lifeless in the trench, Cola on similar matters. Since the filiate is accused of hiring paramili-
deadline of Dec. 31, 2005 set for all tary groups to eliminate union activ-
Paying no attention to the pungent stench. parties to agree to the terms for the
commission’s investigation was not
ists and leaders in its factories.
The company’s stock price
met, Michigan stopped the purchase dropped slightly after the move, but
What’s all this for? of Coca-Cola products temporarily. the impact on its sales volume will
Coca-Cola has denied these likely be small, as Coca-Cola is still
It’s war. allegations, and a spokesperson for available off-campus. ◙
the company said, “It is a very un-
Page 8 January 18, 2006 Puzzles THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

Last Issue’s Solutions  Crossword Puzzle 
Crossword Puzzle Sudoku BY JESSIE LUK
D I M E D I T A V I V 1 7 6 2 9 5 3 8 4 PUZZLE COLUMNIST
E T C M O D E M I N I 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
E E K M O O N E V I L 2 9 4 8 3 6 5 7 1
S M I L E R O R N A T E 5 3 8 4 7 1 9 6 2 11 12 13 14
N O T F R E D
3 8 9 5 2 7 1 4 6
A W L T A J P E A L S
15 16 17
S E E S T O M D I E S 5 2 7 1 6 4 8 9 3
S T Y L E R Y E R O W
6 1 4 3 8 9 2 5 7 18 19 20
A R I D R E F
C R A T E D A N G O R A 9 6 2 7 5 3 4 1 8
21 22 23 24
H A S H I D L E R A W
7 4 3 9 1 8 6 2 5
E T T E O O P S C I O
T E A R T E S T E L L 8 5 1 6 4 2 7 3 9 25 26 27 28

Cryptograms 29 30 31 32

My favorite holidays? Thanksgiving because our whole family is home,

Christmas because they aren’t. 33 34 35

Sudoku  38 39 40
36

41
37

BY JOHN REUEL
STAFF WRITER 42 43 44 45 46 47

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains
the digits 1 through 9. 48 49 50

7 3
51 52 53

1 5 6 2 Across Down
1.Boxer’s weapon 1. Supporting
5. rowing need 2. Common contraction
2 3 1 8 8. “Moo” sayer 3. Min. part
11. “ ____ There” 4. Mythical bridge denizens
12. Health centers 5. Norwegian capital
7 6 14. Wedding reply (2wds) 6. Chimpanzee, e.g.
15. Remember 7. Trashcan raiders
6 4 3 2 8 1 17. Also 8. Quote
18. August zodiac sign 9. Stench
19. Autumn drinks 10. Romances
7 5 21. Screams 13. Wading birds
24. “ ____ Toledo!” 16. Bandleader Brown
25. Bullring shouts 20. Staining agent
9 5 7 8 26. Looters 21. Thou
29. Bob Hope’s org. 22. Other than
7 8 9 6 30. Bouquet’s background 23. Ponce de ___
31. Exclamation of triumph 24. Employs
33. Ledger recordings 26. Rudolph, e.g.
4 3 35. “True ___” (John Wayne film) 27. Prime rib order
36. Is victorious 28. Leg front
37. Actress Verdugo 30. Certain brothers
Crypto Corner  38. Empty the moving van
41. Before, poetically
32. ____ glance (2wds.)
34. Tango need
42. Mai __ (cocktail) 35. Shines
BY JOHN REUEL 43. Limitation 37. Slip Up
STAFF WRITER 48. “I ___ Rock” (2 wds.) 38. Beehive state
What is a Cryptogram? jeczi uz cyn db xlhzuzo tuoqej 49. Country capital 39. ____-brand
Cryptograms are writing that qnhctij db shufn-ecooni fqnnh. 50. “____ Lisa” 40. Fibber
has been coded by substituting each Hnadufn! Hnoctn! Nmshnjj pdlh 51. Not him 41. Kitchen follower
letter with a different letter. For kuheq! jcp eqdjn yqd ydlti xnolutn 52. Bread type 44. Speak
instance, if T=A, H=B, and E=C, Jd kczp edti ed jkutn qchi pne jd 53. Hard fat 45. Debt letters
then the word "the" would appear as kczp qchitp jkutn. Dlh jdltj chn 46. compass point (abbr.)
"abc" throughout the puzzle. fqcbni, dlh ycttnej xtni dlh bcfnj 47. Tit for ____
jqdy eqn jehcuz. Pne shdxtnkj eqd-
Ckuije ohnce yuzij db ohnnz czi hni loq yn equzg yn qcrn jqdlti kcgn lj
yn jnchfq bdh c kuizuoqe ftnch. Czi equzg cocuz.
- A.I. “Uttuci” Bhcwnh
BRIDGE BUILDING CONTEST
Your Answer:
Students interested in participating in the bridge building
contest should fill out a registration form and complete the
bridge building activity. The registration form and bridge
building activity sheet can be found at www.stuy.edu.
Students should submit the registration form and completed
bridge building activity sheet no later than
Thursday, January 19th, 2006.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD January 18, 2006 Science Page 9

Gadgets at Their Finest: The 2006 Consumer Electronics Show

Continued from Page 1 video recorder that lets viewers re- of competitors. Rival companies' will be available in March. Prices
harmony – a man driving to work cord television shows to save favor- gadgets offered everything from will start at $499-$699 but will
could have his favorite show seam- ites or avoid ads. LG Electronics cameras to voice recording to inte- likely drop as the technology ma-
lessly follow him from the TV to a demonstrated a PVR integrated into grated speakers, though fe w tures.
dashboard video a flat-screen televi- matched the aesthetic brilliance of The Blu-Ray Disc, developed
display. sion, while Scientific- Apple's signature design by an industry consortium that in-
Manufacturers The show also high- Atlantic unveiled a The show also highlighted two cludes electronics companies like
presented various PVR that works with competing technologies that aim to Apple, Dell and Sony as well as
approaches at
lighted two compet- a cell phone, letting be the successor to the aging DVD media giants like Disney and Fox,
bringing the com- ing technologies people configure the format. The DVD's 4.7 gigabyte- boast 60% more storage space than
puter into the liv- device to record their capacity, enough for several hours the HD-DVD. The cost of producing
that aim to be the favorite shows re- of video and seven times that of a discs and players may be higher,
ing room. "Media
Center" PCs, a successor to the ag- motely. CD-ROM, was revolutionary in its however. The first media players
much-ballyhooed ing DVD format. Yet another method time, and the disk has almost totally will arrive in the middle of the year.
attempt at combin- was the IPTV, or supplanted video cassettes. But the The most prominent may be Sony's
ing a desktop com- internet protocol tele- storage requirements for the high- Playstation 3 video-game console.
puter with TV recording and stereo vision, a service spearheaded by est-quality video are too much even For sheer size, LG Electronics
playback ability, are no longer just a Microsoft. IPTV involves transmit- for a DVD, and manufacturers are couldn't be beat, showing off a mas-
curiosity. New designs offer sleeker ting television over a broadband struggling to get a replacement on sive 102-inch LCD television. Less
form factors and no longer seem internet connection, allowing com- the market. gigantic but nearly as impressive
out-of-place standing next to a fancy puter users to watch TV on their High Definition DVDs, known displays came from other compa-
new flat-screen TV. computers along with bundled add- as HD-DVDs, have about three nies, some with exceptionally high
Other companies took a bottom- ons and features. times the capacity of the regular resolution, others sporting never-
up approach, expanding on the suc- The wild success of Apple's DVD. Designed and promoted by before seen image sharpness. It was
cess of the popular TiVo, a personal iPod media player has drawn dozens NEC, Sanyo, Toshiba, Microsoft a beautiful sight. ◙
and Intel, the first HD-DVD players

Earliest Mayan Writing is Found 
BY JENNIFER SCHLESINGER
OUT-OF-SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR
In a jungle in northern Guate-
mala, archeologists have found a set
of 10 hieroglyphs. The find, made in
April, probably dates from between
300 BC and 200 BC,
and is the earliest
written text found in Scientists believe
the Americas.
Maya writing from
The find follows
another recent, re- an even earlier time graceful
markable finding at
the same site. In 2001,
can be found.
the same archeologists
found the oldest
known Mayan murals. The hiero-
glyphs are approximately 100 years
older. The two were found in the
same building, a pyramid called Las
Pinturas.
The writing is mostly indeci-
pherable. “It’s even more exotic
than the know Mayan glyphs,”
said researcher David Stuart.
glyphs are more complex than those
made by the Zapotecs from the same
time period. Beyond this, these
early Mayan writings are very dif-
THE RESEARCH SCIENCE
ferent from those of the Zapotecs.
Scientists believe that even ear-
lier writing samples from the Maya
INSTITUTE AT MIT
may be found.
If you are a junior and have enrolled in Intel for the upcoming
William Saturno,
spring or if you have a strong interest in a summer program in
a lead archeologist
the sciences (math, science, or engineering) you should con-
said, “Given the
consistent
form, and
line
sider applying to the following program.
width of these Students attend college-level classes and complete hands-on
symbols, it’s not research with top mentors at corporations, universities, and
likely [that] some-
research organizations.
one just picked up a brush and said
‘I’m going to invent writing today.’
Many RSI students use their RSI research projects as a basis for
The complexity shows it has been
entry to science competitions, garnering top awards in the an-
around for awhile.” ◙
nual Intel Science Talent Search, the Siemens-Westinghouse
Science and Technology Competition, and the All-USA High
A stone recently evacuated from a Maya
royal tomb shows an early sample of School Academic Scholarship.
Mayan writing.
It is suggested that your math PSAT scores be at least 75 and
Reuters

One may represent a ruler, and combined math and verbal PSAT scores be at least 140.
another, a part of a calendar.
A third hieroglyph shows a There is no cost to students for tuition, room and board. The
hand holding either a brush or only expense is for transportation to and from MIT (students
a knife. are responsible for initial and final transportation to and from
However, the real impor- the RSI program).
tance of the find comes from
what it has taught scientists.
As Mary Miller, a Mayan art Please visit http://www.cee.org/rsi/index.shtmL to download an
expert said, “People have long application. Applications are due to RSI by Feburary 1st. How-
been hoping to find a carved ever, you must have an endorsement from the school.
stone monument from this
period of the Maya. It turned Please contact Ms. Daves at sdaves@nyct.net as soon as possi-
out not to be carved in stone, ble set up an interview before January 25th. To your interview
but instead associated with please bring:
this incredible complex of -An original and a photocopy of the completed application
early paintings.”
form
The existence of the hi-
eroglyphs proves that the Ma- -Answers to the essay questions
yan writing probably goes -A copy of your official transcript
back further than scientists -Teacher recommendations in sealed envelopes
previously believed. It also -A check for the $30 processing fee payable to CEE
voids the theory that Mayan
writing is linked to the writing
of the Zapotecs, a group that
lived in central Mexico. This
is because the Mayan hiero-
Page 10 January 18, 2006 Arts & Entertainment
Turning Finals Week  A & E’s New Year’s
Into Movie Week  Resolutions
BY SARA MILLER
JUNIOR STAFF WRITER
Looking for something to pull you through Regents/Finals week? Watch
one of these flicks as a pick-me-up after a difficult final, or celebrate the end
of the term with friends.
Munich
In the spirit of the 2006 Winter Olympics that are less than a month away,
watch “Munich,” based on the true events that occurred at the 1972 Munich
Olympics. Eric Bana stars as the leader of a team of assassins assigned to kill
the Palestinian terrorists that murdered 11 Israeli athletes. Let’s hope for less
drama this year.
Bloodrayne
Looking for a vampire movie but hesitant to go watch the sequel to
“Underworld’? “Bloodrayne” just may be the fix you’re looking for. Based on
the popular video game, “Bloodrayne” follows Rayne (Kristanna Loken), a
half-human, half-vampire, who searches for her evil and power-hungry vam-
pire father, Kagan, before he can succeed in his conquest of ruling the world.
Grandma’s Boy
In this flick, 36-year-old video-game nut, Alex, is forced to move into his
grandmother’s house. Let this be an incentive to put away that PSP and do
well in your finals or else you may be finding yourself in the same predica-
ment as Alex.
Hostel
Perhaps the only thing scarier than Finals Week is a gory, sick and vio-
lent horror movie - but only by a little. In this flick, three men backpack
through Europe looking for a fun time. Ironically, the fun ends when they find
themselves in a hostel with gorgeous women. As stated in the trailer, the weak
and faint-hearted are warned.
Glory Road
Are you itching to go back to sports practice? Take a study break to
stretch your legs and go see “Glory Road,” the true story of how the Texas
Western basketball team won the 1966 NCAA title with the first team in bas-
ketball history to start five African-Americans. Josh Lucas plays the inspiring
coach Don Haskins who dedicated himself to his team and challenged the
history of basketball and racism.
Hoodwinked
Remember the good old days when there were no essays or finals, only
fairy tales? Remember Little Red Riding Hood? Well, she’s back in this com-
puter-animated version of the Brothers Grimm tale. Leaving off where the
fairy tale ended, cops from the animal world investigate a domestic distur-
bance at Granny’s cottage. The movie features an all-star cast that includes
the voices of Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, Jim Belushi and Cedric the Enter-
tainer.
Last Holiday
So you failed your biology final, and your parents will absolutely kill
you. But before report cards come out, live life to its fullest like Georgia Byrd
(Queen Latifah) does in Last Holiday. In this remake, Georgia is diagnosed
with a fatal disease, and with nothing to lose, she quits her job, travels to
Europe, and enjoys the short amount of time she has left.
Tristan & Isolde
If your history final includes the medieval period you may want to do
some last minute studying by heading to this movie. In this period piece, Eng-
lish knight Tristan (James Franco) and Irish princess Isolde (Sophia Myles)
are in love, but are threatened to be torn apart by the shaky peace between
their countries. Maybe this movie is not the best piece to use in reviewing for
the history final, but it’s a good excuse to procrastinate. ◙
Questions? Comments?
It is the policy of The Standard
to remain accessible to its readers.
Please contact us at readers@stuystandard.org
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
 
 
BY EMMA RABINOVICH & JENNIFER WONG
STAFF WRITER AND ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Every year, we make resolutions to improve our life – in areas of health,
work and relationships – but how many of these resolutions actually go ful-
filled? Why not boost your self-esteem this New Year’s by making resolu-
tions that are easier to fulfill, and resolve to watch and play some of the
year’s most highly anticipated movies and games? Please remember that all
release dates are liable to change.
Movies
The Star Wars prequels may be over but the releases in 2006 are sure to
please.
Flight 93—April 26
The controversial film is a fictional interpretation of the September 11
flight that was intended to crash into the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
but never reached its destination thanks to a revolt by the brave passengers
aboard the flight. The movie poses the question of whether we would sit pas-
sively or fight in the face of almost certain death. But the release of “Flight
93” – only five years after 9-11 – raises another question. Is America is ready
for such a movie?
Mission Impossible 3—May 5
Tom Cruise returns as special agent Ethan Hunt in the third installment of
the Mission Impossible series. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the creator of ABC’s
Lost and Alias, this one promises to be the best one yet.
The Da Vinci Code—May 19
Director Ron Howard takes on the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. After
Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is accused of a murder at the Louvre in Paris,
he and Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou from “Amelie”) struggle to discover the
real killer while uncovering the clues to a mystery protected by a secret soci-
ety that counts Leonardo de Vinci and other great minds in history as mem-
bers.
DVDs
If you missed any of the biggest hits in 2005, expect to see them on DVD
shelves this year with plenty of extras.
The Aristocrats—January 24
Comedian veterans Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller) and Paul Provenza
gather their friends (which happens to include comedy greats George Carlin,
Drew Carey, Sarah Silverman, Robin Williams and many more) to discuss,
analyze and retell their own version of one of the world’s oldest and dirtiest
jokes.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—Summer 2006
Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry be-
came the most successful film of 2005, grossing an impressive $816 million
worldwide. Now you can watch the two and a half hour film at home with
deleted extras and commentary by director Mike Newell.
Games
Different worlds and life-changing quests are all part of the fun in these excit-
ing upcoming releases.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube) —May 15
When the peaceful borderlands of Hyrule are threatened, everyone’s fa-
vorite green-clad, sword-wielding hero must find the strength to defend his
village. Link soon finds himself on an epic quest that will transform and chal-
lenge him endlessly. Be prepared to be stuck to your GameCube and ignore
homework for the next few weeks following this release.
Kingdom Hearts 2 (Playstation 2)—March 1
Kingdom Hearts 2 follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their continuing
quest. The game picks up a year after the Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
game (released on the Nintendo DS); Sora and company find themselves in a
new town called “Twilight Town.” Staying true to the formula of traveling
from one Disney world to another, Kingdom Hearts 2 offers players the
chance to see the worlds of “Mulan,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “The
Lion King” plus old favorites such as the Coliseum from “Hercules.” ◙
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
First Impressions of First Impressions  some cool new gang of rockers
BY JOS DIAZ
STAFF WRITER
“They love you or they hate you
but they will never let you be,” la-
ments The Strokes’ front man Julian
Casablancas, asking listeners to ac-
cept him and his band for what they
are. Certainly, after five years of
being one of pop music’s most im-
portant rock groups, they deserve
some rest. Hailed as the saviors of
pop music with their 2001 debut
release Is This It?, The Strokes were
the messianic band expected to fi-
nally break through the congested
world of one-hit radio and front the
new ruling class of rock. Nothing
seemed to stand in their way, and
when their 2003 sophomore release
BY ERIC MAYO
STAFF WRITER
From the beginning of the NBA
to the late 1990’s, when you said
New York basketball, you meant the
New York Knicks. However, with
the Knicks playing uninspiring bas-
ketball since 2001, the best New
York basketball is found across the
Hudson.
The Knicks owe their woes to a
variety of factors. Aside from their
most recent picks, the Knicks’ draft
picks have been lousy. Has anyone
heard of guys like Donnell Harvey,
Frederick Weiss, or Frank Wil-
liams? Those are all first round
picks by the Knicks. Has anyone
heard of players like Michael Redd,
Ron Artest, or Amare Stoudemire?
The Knicks passed them up.
The Knicks have a plethora of
bad contracts. Shooting guard Penny
Hardaway is being paid $14.6 mil-
lion to watch the games courtside.
Allan Houston, who hasn’t played
over 50 games in a season since
2003-2004, got paid nearly $30 mil-
lion during that stretch. He retired
due to knee troubles before this sea-
son.
The reason why the Knicks
were able to get sharp-shooter
Quentin Richardson and draft picks
from the Suns for Kurt Thomas?
2006: The Hit List
Continued from Page 8
and lose to his idol, Andre Agassi,
in the quarterfinals. His drive shines
through his playing, and he will be a
force to be reckoned with next year.
Lleyton Hewitt, who finished
fourth last year, is quite possibly the
quickest player on the court today.
Former number 1 and holder of 24
titles, Hewitt is determined and
deadly, and is capable of defeating
the very best. Although his instabil-
ity has cost him much, at his best he
is almost unstoppable.
Another great player who’s
been around for some time, Marat
Safin, has shown potential to be
ranked in the top 10 and also in the
bottom 10, with his mercurial tal-
ents and volatile temper. He has a
January 18, 2006 Arts & Entertainment/Sports
came out, it was expected to secure
their future as New York’s best mu-
sical export since the proto-punk
scene and The Velvet Underground.
However, something had changed in
the two years that they were touring
and their Interpol-loving hipster
fans turned their backs on 2003’s
shamefully underrated Room on
Fire.
First Impressions of Earth is
their chance to regain the ground
they have lost. If the Strokes don’t
regain their fan base with the new
album, the world has officially lost
its good taste in music. Almost as
long as the last two records com-
bined, the sheer space for explora-
tion in this release would be enough
for any band to get lucky a couple
How to Fix the Knicks  the least of this opportunity, shoot-
Richardson
NBA
signed a 6-year
$48 million deal
in July of 2004,
meaning the
Knicks will be
paying him until
2010. This past
off-season,
Jerome James,
best known for
his excellent per-
formance in the
NBA playoffs
last year, was
signed to a five
year contract
valued at 30 mil-
lion. He came to
training camp
overweight, lost
his starting cen- Nate Robinson’s contribution to the New traded their draft
ter job to Eddy York Knicks is believed to bring the team pick to Chicago in
Curry, and was to a brighter future.
suspended Janu-
ary 2 for showing up to practice
“unprepared.”
Even with all these problems,
the Knicks had high hopes coming
into the season. The team was ex-
cited by the trade for 22 year old
history of disappearing for months
from the tennis world, and then re-
appearing only to win another title.
He began in 2000, when he defeated
Sampras in straight sets to win the
U.S open and was ranked number 1
at that time. In 2005, he broke
Federer’s 24-match winning streak
and defeated him in an epic 5-setter,
where he showed rare calm and in-
credible shot selection. If all goes
well for him, he is capable of ruling
the tennis world with his 6 foot 5
stature and pinpoint precision.
2006 will be an exciting year
for all tennis fans, and players old
and new will compete for icon ap-
peal and admiration. Will Federer
continue to set records, or will he
drop from the pedestal at the hands
of a new hero? Only time will tell. ◙
of times. The Strokes, however,
manage to strike gold almost every
single time, with incredibly ambi-
tious instrumentation previously The new Strokes album, First Impressions of
unseen with the power and intensity Earth.
of Room on Fire present in every
note hit by Casablancas’ glorious
drone.
No longer just a retro glory
band, the Strokes personify the steps
forward modern rock has taken in
the past few years.
While First Impressions of
Earth may not be too radical a de-
parture from any of the Strokes’
earlier releases, it is something en-
tirely different from anything that
they have done before. Gone is the
rough New York punk attitude, re-
placed by a more mature and serious
Eddy Curry, the best
inside presence the
Knicks have had
since Patrick Ewing.
Coach Larry Brown,
fresh off back to
back appearances in
the NBA Finals with
Detroit, would teach
the team defense,
something so des-
perately needed.
Then it started to
unravel.
As of January 15,
the Knicks are 13-
22, the sixth-worst
record in the NBA.
While this normally
means a high draft
pick, the Knicks
the Eddy Curry
trade. If the Knicks
want to turn the season around, they
have to follow some very simple
steps.
The first thing the Knicks have
to do is hit their free-throws.
They’re called free-throws for a
reason, it’s because they should be
Ole and Manchester, United Again
Continued from Page 8
Manchester United’s goalie problem
which has seemed unsolvable since
world- class keeper Peter Schmei-
chel.
With Ole’s return Sir Alex Fer-
guson, manager of 20 years at Man-
chester United, will have a lot of
flexibility in his offense and mid-
field. He will find all that in Ole,
who will need a good three months
to get back up on the top of his
game. Manchester United already
have one of the greatest offenses in
the world with names such as rookie
all-star Wayne Rooney, and great
Dutch striker, Ruud Van Nistelrooy,
and with the addition of Ole, this
arsenal will only become stronger.
If Chelsea wins the Premier
Page 11
musical persona. No longer just
whose logo you wear on your T-
shirt as a fashion statement, the
Strokes will remain as one of this
decade’s best contributions to mu-
sic. ◙
Amazon
free points. The Knicks are making
ing collectively 70.9%, fifth worst
in the league. Take the January 2
game versus Phoenix as an example.
Though the Knicks pulled out a
thrilling overtime win, they missed
22 free throws. Hitting 50% more
free throws would have won them
that game before overtime.
Larry Brown has to play his
younger players much more.
Though he is known for not playing
his younger players at all (see Darko
Milicic), the Knicks are not going
anywhere this year. Guys like Chan-
ning Frye, Nate Robinson and David
Lee should not be sitting behind
Malik Rose, Maurice Taylor, and
Antonio Davis. The rookies should
be playing to gain valuable experi-
ence.
This has seemed to work for the
Knicks in their last few games.
Channing Frye scored 30 points in a
113-92 victory over Washington.
David Lee has excelled in his new
role of small forward, the Knicks’
weakest position. Words can not
describe Nate Robinson. The pesky
5’9” guard from Washington is a
human highlight reel. He brings a
tremendous amount of energy to the
table. The Knicks present might not
be bright, but their future sure is. ◙
League again, and the chances of
that happening is very high, then
next year their job will be much
harder, and it is highly probable that
Manchester United will oust them
with a rather weaker side not only in
defense but also in goal-scoring.
Another important fact not to
forget is that Chelsea’s only loss
this year came from the Red Devils,
Manchester United. Just as they
defeated Chelsea the first time
around, it is just as likely that they
will do it again, against a team
which has a record for losing least
amount of games, matches, and
points. All that matters now how-
ever, is that Ole and Manchester
have been united again! ◙
Page 12 January 18, 2006 Sports THE STUYVESANT STANDARD

2006: The Hit List  Ole and Manchester,
BY ALEX MARGULIS
STAFF WRITER
As 2005 comes to a close, ten-
nis fans are wondering one thing:
 
Open Era.
Andy Roddick is another player
to look for this year. Unfazed by the
same iconic status that poisoned
United Again 
Anna Kourikova’s career, Roddick

Associated Press
When will Roger Federer slip up, BY OSMAN NEMLI
has injected the game with the tes- SPORTS EDITOR Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
This New Year brings few

Associated Press
major changes in the English
Premier League with Chelsea
continuing its dominating per-
formance to stay at the top for
the second year in a row, and
Manchester following behind by
the same nine to twelve points
margin it faced after the first ten
games. Thierry Henry is still
leading his team to try and catch
a Champions League spot now
that it has lost the chance to be
Premier League Champions, and
Defoe and Tottenham Hotspurs
are continuing their run behind
Manchester United, trying to get
their best result in the Premier
League ever. Fans can find com-
fort however, in the fact that the
small changes that occurred in
Roger Federer the EPL this past month are go-
ing to turn into big changes for
tosterone of 155 mile per hour some of the big teams, no matter
and who will take the credit for de- how they do this season.
serves and biting forehands. Al-
feating the 24-year old legend? The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Man-
though 2005 was bittersweet for him
2006 tennis season offers promise with 5 titles and 2 finals losses to chester United’s veteran striker,
with many young made his return this past week and wards. In recent weeks Manchester
Federer, his post- United has undergone many changes
players whose came out as captain following Roy
game play sug- ranging from Roy Keane’s contro-
hunger only in- Although 2005 was bit- gests that he will Keane’s surprise departure from his
creases with their club of ten years, recovering from versial unaired interview on Man U
skill and maturity tersweet for him with 5 continue and
to train
compete, his long- term knee injury that kept TV where he complained about
on the court. some of the younger players to
titles and 2 final losses l e t t i n g m e r e him sidelined from May 2004 on-
One of the losses bloom into
few people that to Federer, Andy Rod- Continued on Page 7
opportunities to
tasted victory dick’s post-game wit learn.
over Federer in
2005 is Raphael
gave away that will con- The 19-year-old
Nadal. The 19- tinue to train and com- Richard Gasquet
has also had a
year-old Spaniard pete, letting mere losses taste of Federer’s
is marked by
bloom into opportuni- tears after defeat-
speed, maturity, ing him in a
and an intensity ties to learn from. shocking quarter-
that commands final at the Monte
respect. In 2005,
Carlo Masters. His graceful one-
he won 11 titles in addition to set- handed backhand and court cover-
ting the record for the longest win- age are uncommon in today’s sport,
ning streak by any teenager of the
and his childish temper and imma-
turity are the only things
that keep him from the top
spots.
The Americans Robby
Ginepri and James Blake
have also made their
names this year. Ginepri,
when he made it to the
semifinals of the U.S.
Open, established himself
to be not only a breakout
player, but also a consis-
tent breakout player, win-
ning four straight 5-
setters.
James Blake made head-
lines for different reasons
this past year. After a bro-
ken neck and losing his
father to cancer, Blake
entered the U.S. Open as a
wild card, and was one of
the most cheered players.
He went on to defeat num-
ber two seed Rafael Nadal
Associated Press

Lleyton Hewitt
Continued on Page 7