oiceTheihsvoice.com Volume 17.4 December 18, 2008

I r v i n g t o n H i g h S c h o o l - F r e m o n t , C a l i f o r n i a

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Perfect holidays guides for every price range

Find out how you can help this holiday season

Chancellor Michelle Rhee: is she the miracle drug for our failing education, or just another problem? Opinions 5 | Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, and Timbaland live it up in Aesopian fables Humor 12

Rearrange the fi rst letter of every article in this issue to unlock a special online prize

Boys soccer tackles their opponents as they make their way into a new season

SPORTS

PAGE 12

FEATURES ENTERTAINMENTWEB EXCLUSIVE INDEX

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News 1-3Opinions 4-5Features 6-7Entertainment 8-9Sports ....10-11Humor 12

We all know the stereotypes. “Asian kids and Indians are just hecka [sic] smarter than normal,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous, “that’s pretty much a fact, man, just look at Mission (San Jose High School).”

Now, let’s not argue political correctness here; I want to get to the nitty-gritty. According to the U.S Census Bureau, 49% of Asian Americans have bachelor’s

The Race to Better GradesIs race a relevant factor in student academic performance? It sure looks like it .By Salman Qasim

degrees, compared to the national average of 27%. Southeast Asians, on average, net roughly twice as many high-education jobs as Caucasians do. Asians make up fi ve percent of the population, yet roughly 20% of Ivy-League students.

Continued on ACADEMICS, Page 4

Habitat For Humanity (HFH) initiated Dare Week, its fi rst fundraiser of the year, to give students a chance to watch their teachers do strange and entertaining dares in exchange for donations.

Students dropped their dollars and coins into holiday-decorated boxes in several of the teachers’ classrooms in hopes that the results of the event would match with the dare they had chosen. All the students, especially

the awaiting ones, witnessed the staff members doing some crazy stuff this past week.

Each of the teacher’s rooms contained a coin box with three different sections pertaining to the three dares that they may have to do. As the week goes on, the boxes become heavier with bills and loose change, adding to the success and excitement of this fundraiser. Teachers will have to perform the dare that receives the most money.

Dare to Help Out Habitat for Humanity brings in bucks by embarrassing teachers

By Kim Ngo The participating

teachers include Mr. Alex Lee, Ms. Anne Chung, Mr. Matt Phillips, Mr. Alberto Ballado, Mr. Scott Lewis, Mr. Wei Pan Chan and Madam Fabiene Cayla.

“I thought the idea was really creative,” says Ms. Chung. “It will be funny seeing the teachers do crazy dares. It will be interesting participating in it.”

Continued on DARE, Page 2

In an unprecedented move, students dissatisfi ed with school policies decided to hold their own dance in direct competition with the school-sponsored dance, “Moonlight Rendezvous.” The challenger, dubbed “Winter Squared”, resulted after numerous rumors about the upcoming dance and complaints of the past dance spread around campus. Many students found themselves turned off by these rumors.

The rumors rolling around school were partly due to the events at the Homecoming Dance. Students were outraged during Homecoming when the bright spotlight turned on during the dance, and many believed that there would be a similar “lights on” policy at Winter Ball. While students thought this light at Homecoming was too bright, it was unknown that in actuality, the light was not intended to be so intensely intrusive. A blue gel had covered the light at one point in time, but during the course of the dance it fell off and was unable to be replaced. This occurrence was noted by ASB and extra precautions were taken to prevent a similar incident from happening at Winter Ball.

Another issue was the idea that Winter Ball would have no hip-hop or rap music. Students were not happy with the song choices at Homecoming, where the DJ played “Sweet Home Alabama” and opted out of newer, more risqué songs.

In addition, a large source of complaint was the early start and end to ticket sales for “Moonlight Rendezvous.” The

reasoning behind ending the ticket sales a week earlier than usual was questioned, and speculations of low ticket sales kept some students from buying tickets for fear of low attendance at Winter Ball. These new restrictions on ticket sales helped administrators get an early look at the list of students going to the dance. Using the list, the administration conducted a thorough investigation of the students attending, from both

Irvington and other high schools, to detect disciplinary problems and plan security accordingly.

After much discussion between administrators and Ms. Kristina Palos, the ASB activities director, ticket sales were extended until Thursday, Dec. 11.

Lastly, the student body has expressed dislike for the new restrictions on the styles of dancing permitted. After the Homecoming Dance, administration received a multitude of calls from parents concerned about the way students were seen dancing. The purpose of the new regulations was to keep dances safe and enjoyable for all students.

“We have to remember that we need to meet the standards and morals of the community as a whole,” said Principal Pete Murchison, when asked about

the matter. “There has to be a point where you draw the line. Parents are trusting Irvington High School with the safety of their kids. How can we expect them to believe we are doing our jobs if we do not enforce certain standards?” Some students, however, saw it differently. To protest these new policies, several students conceived the idea of an independent dance in direct

competition with Winter Ball. Since October, Senior Sunya Mahmood had been planning to host her own dance, known as Winter Squared, in an attempt

to provide an alternative to Winter Ball for the student body. The dance had been meticulously planned. Sunya

had hired her own professional security guards for the dance, and issued waiver forms to all guests upon ticket purchase. All attendees were required to have parents sign these forms, acknowledging that they were aware of all the rules of Winter Squared. Even though the school would not allow Winter Squared to be publicized or promoted on campus, tickets to the dance quickly sold out. The dance was suddenly cancelled on Wednesday, Dec. 10th, just two days before the night of the Winter Squared. The Warm Springs Community Center, the facility in which the event was to be held, had pulled out of its rental agreement with the Winter Squared planners.

Continued on DANCE, Page 2

By Samiha Baseer and Jennifer Siew

Hype, rumors, and allegations: inside this year’s controversial dances

Winter Ball vs. Winter Squared

After almost six months of preparation, Irvington’s We the People Team put their skills to the test during their Regional competition on Dec. 9 at the Santa Clara Board of Education in San Jose. Students, teachers and judges arrived at the offi ce building around 8 a.m. and went immediately for sound check. Soon after, the rounds began, and the judges started off by asking students an essay question to which students recited their answers. In the second round, judges asked every unit, made up of four members each, questions pertaining to the Constitution, its historical basis and its relevance to students’ own lives. Finally, students and coaches waited for the judges’ critiques of both the four- minute essay and eight- minute Q&A. At the awards ceremony, Irvington realized that it had beat out its competitors: Monta Vista High School and Yerba Buena High School.

We the People Represent at Regionals

By Mishu Sharma

Victory at regionals propels the team to state

Courtesy of: Bani C

haudhary

“I was extremely proud and excited,” says Ms Cheryl Cook-Kalio, “but then I realized how much work we have ahead ahead of us.” Irvington is now one of the ten schools in California, along with two wild card schools, that is advancing to the State level of competition, which will take place in February. “When I found out we won, I was just so overwhelmed at the thought of getting the chance to go to State,” said Senior Corinna Su. However, the celebration is over. The We the People Team is already back to work, trying to conquer a new set of essay questions, memorize different facts and improve terminology in preparation for the state competition. We the People is a competitive civics team founded by the Center for Civic Educa-tion. The class is divided into six units, each studying a different aspect of the Constitution and its background.

Photo: Yu-Hsuan Lin

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The Oakland A’s are considering moving the proposed ballpark stadium west of interstate 880, within walking distance of a planned BART station in Warms Springs. The plan would move the stadium, named Cisco Field, from the area behind Pacific Commons to a 36-acre parcel between interstates 680 and 880 and north of the NUMMI automobile plant. Lew Wolff, the owner of the longstanding baseball franchise, had originally drawn up a plan for the ballpark to be placed near Pacific Commons back in 2006. In fact, a sign there still reads “Future Home of Cisco Field.” However, Wolff decided to propose other possible sites in Fremont to move the ballpark to alleviate costs in the current economic downturn. The change was also based on complaints that Pacific Commons was too far away from most major transportation outlets besides 880. The new proposed location of the $400 million ballpark, sandwiched between two separate interstates, would help diffuse the traffic from the East Bay and South Bay. The recent approval of Measure B, a sales tax increase that would pave the way for a planned BART extension to San Jose by the year 2014, would allow for even more rapid transportation. The Warms Springs station would be much closer to this stadium than if the stadium had stayed in Pacific Commons, making it more accessible to the public. But along with the benefits of the new site, there comes certain striking downsides. Local streets would have to be improved to handle the heavy burden of the numerous cars driving on game days. Both major streets adjacent to the site, Warms Springs Blvd. and Grimmer Blvd., are only two lane roads. Complaints have arisen from residents of the Weibel district, which would be affected by the large amounts of noise and light pollution. “The fact that they are shifting an economic-based project closer to residential areas is ridiculous,” said junior Dion Wu. “It'll cause future safety problems that I'm surprised the leaders of this project haven't thought of yet.” The nearby NUMMI automobile plant, which would be directly down the road, could also face some problems. Grimmer Blvd. is an important surface road that contains an entry into

Some of the dares include lecturing each class in song, dancing to Michael Jackson’s thriller, and rapping about school subjects. Mr. Chan and Mr. Ballado also allowed one of the three slots to be worth extra credit for the class. Mr. Lee also agreed to allow one of his dares to be dressing up as a woodland creature.

All of the dares are set to be performed on Friday, the 19th. The participating teachers will be out in the courtyard during the lunch period. Many students await the results in hope to get their money’s worth as they watch the teachers perform their dares to the school.

By Phi Nguyen

New stadium considerations in conjunction with adjacent BART station

Warm Springs A’’s, Anyone?

the plant. With the potential for increased traffic congestion, there could be a problem arising with on-time vehicle delivery. Because of the current economic situation, Wolff and the A’s were forced to halt plans on the “ballpark village” that would be built along with the stadium. However, their main focus is the ballpark stadium, regardless of whether the housing and retail village would be completed along with it. The location of the ballpark, still planned to be completed by 2012, will be decided by late 2008 or early 2009.

“It’s great to have teachers do some crazy things sometimes,” says HFH President and junior Margaret Wong. “It will also motivate students to learn more about their teachers and allow teachers to express themselves differently to their students, and not just through classroom lectures.”

The money raised from this event will contribute to an upcoming build workshop with Habitat For Humanity San Francisco, one of the many branches of this organization in the Bay Area. Irvington HFH also plans to use part of the money for t-shirt orders and for their other upcoming fundraisers.

DARE HFH and teachers put

the “fun” back in fundraiserContinued from Page 1

Dec. 19 @ lunch in room P. 7

Science Club marsh-mallow building con-

test

Dec. 22- Jan. 5thWinter Break-

No School

UpcomingEvents

The community center is said to have pulled out because it was under the impression that there would be no chaperones or security to regulate the event, even though Sunya had informed them well ahead of time that there would be a multitude of security guards and chaperones to oversee the dance. How the community center came to this conclusion is unknown, though many angry students speculate that the administration had a hand in the result. According to Mr. Steve Musto, no administrator or teacher was involved in the cancellation of Winter Squared. The only action taken by Irvington was to inform parents that Winter Squared was not a school event by leaving messages on peoples home phones. The night the student body was informed that Winter Squared was to be cancelled, a mass text was sent to numerous students, saying that there would be a protest on Friday at the Winter Rally. Students were asked to wear black, though it was unsure how the protest would unfold. On Friday, Dec. 12th, there were handfuls of students seen wearing black, but no action was taken during the rally. Even though the dance did not commence as she had hoped, Sunya would still like the student body to hear the message she was trying to get out with Winter Squared. “In my opinion, school functions are for students to get together, dance, and have a great time in a safe environment,” Sunya said in a written press release. “However, when the school goes overboard on the restrictions on dances to the point where they aren’t fun, students find places to go and have fun, like parties. Most of the time though, these parties have drugs and other illegal activities. “This, in my opinion, defeats the purpose of keeping students in a safe environment. If the school is really that concerned about students’ safety, I suggest they either lighten up on the dance policy or allow individuals to throw their own private events and not interfere with them.”

DANCE“Winter Squared”

Continued from Page 1

causes contro-versy

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S NewDecember 2008 | 3

Senior Gayathri Ramanathan received the Good Tidings Community Service Scholarship as a result of her participation in The Pencil Project. She was one among the top 20 applicants who were selected out of over 500 applicants for the $5000 scholarship. The Pencil Project, which helped her win the scholarship, focuses on volunteers collecting donated pencils and sending them to students in third world countries. She came across the organization’s website over a year ago while searching online for volunteer opportunities. “Finding contributors to aid with the expenses took the sweat of walking into over 700 stores and companies in and around my town,” said Gayathri. Gayathri and her sister, sophomore Raji Ramanathan, collected pencils and other stationery from several elementary schools in Fremont and a few local churches. They also received monetary and stationary donations from several stores, including Staples, Little Caesar, Half-Price Books, and Target. After collecting the pencils, they shipped them to five needy schools in Lagos, Nigeria.

On Nov. 18, Fremont voted 4-1 to join the suit in support of same-sex marriage, reflecting the strong opinions of most of its citizens. The Fremont City Council has agreed to support the ongoing petition against Proposition 8. However, they will not spend any money towards this appeal. Many other cities and counties throughout the Bay Area are expected to join the suit against Prop. 8.

Following the 2008 Presidential Elections, Californian voters decided to put a ban on same sex marriage through Proposition 8. As a result, many protests started throughout the Bay Area, an area well known for its strong support of same-sex rights. Alameda County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have all joined the suit to repeal Prop. 8, representing some of the largest cities in California. Many prominent politicians in Fremont voiced their opinions. Steve Cho, the lone Republican, was the only one who voted against Fremont’s participation. “Every time something like this comes about, the council takes the position that it is beyond the scope of the city,” Cho said. “What is the difference about this one?”

In response, Mayor Bob Wasserman replied, “As I see it, the difference is a depriving of rights and a depriving of rights of people who live in Fremont.”

On Nov. 19, the state Supreme Court began to consider the several challenges to the recently passed Proposition 8. These challenges are backed by local petitions, including the one that Fremont decided to join. The current petition contends that Prop. 8 is a “revision” and not an actual amendment to the state constitution because it gives “a bare political majority final say over the meaning of the equal protection clause.” Normally, revisions to the constitution must get two-thirds of the Assembly and Senate vote before going on the ballot. However, Proposition 8 did not pass through either legislative body, nor did it achieve a majority of the popular vote, receiving the approval of only 52% of California voters.

Despite the widespread disapproval in the Bay Area, the supporters of Prop. 8 remain confident that the Proposition will be upheld by the courts.

“This is a legal issue for the court to decide,” said Andy Pugno, ProtectMarriage.com attorney. “It doesn’t matter how many politicians line up to ask the court to overturn Prop 8. What matters is that the majority of the voters approved Proposition 8, regardless of opposition from many of these politicians. That is what ballot measures are for. Supporting the lawsuit against Prop 8 is all just for show, and the court will not be influenced by political pressure. We are confident Prop 8 will be upheld on its own merits.”

For further reference, Prop. 8 is a California ballot proposition that changes the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman and eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry. The proposition does not affect domestic partnerships in California. 62% of voters in Alameda County voted against it.

Starting from Oct. 2007, Gayathri and Raji have contributed over 750 hours to the project. Since then, they have collected more than 17,500 pencils; 5,000 erasers; 3,000 sharpeners, markers, and crayons; and over 2,000 used pencils. They also raised over $7,500 during the course of the project. Gayathri feels that her hard work and contribution to the project serves an important purpose. “I believe that every child should be entitled for a free primary education,” said Gayathri. “By providing pencils and stationery to needy schools, this project creates the first steps towards education for many children.” The Good Tidings Community Service Scholarship is presented to applicants who can demonstrate their significant impact on the community through a service they participated in. “I am happy to mention that I have inspired many children to realize that there are kids out there who cannot even afford a stubby pencil,” said Gayathri. “It is their moral duty to stop trashing pencils.”

Fremont Joins Petition to Invalidate Prop. 8

City Council approves ballot to join the rest of Alameda CountyBy Quess Liu

Pushing Pencils for ScholarshipStudent teaches community the importance of pen-By Marlo Yonocruz

Gayathri, center, poses with administrators and the results of her hard work

The Home Art Department contributes to a year full of grants for Irvington by receiving the Carl Perking Grant right before Winter Break. The Grant aims to help provide equipment and supplies for classes of wood shop, auto shop, metal shop, home art, agriculture and other kinds of industrialization.

“The grant varies from year to year, depending on how much money is available,” says Ms. Susan Paulsen. “The district determines what school gets the amount of money and how much.”

At Irvington, Ms. Jackie Hashimoto and Ms. Paulsen are the only ones that have the Vocational Education certification on their credentials. The money has been used to buy a new freezer, a new washing dryer, kitchen supplies, a new copy machine, a brand new 45 cubic inch refrigerator, two laptops, ten new infant stimulators (electronic babies) and five new convection ovens are coming.

In order to receive the grant, one needs to have three courses in his or her area: a beginning course, an intermediate course and a capstone course. He or she also needs to have a ROP or a vocational education certificate from Fremont Unified District. Considering these harsh qualifications, the grant is the result of the hard work and effort of the old and new administrators such as Mr. Pete Murchison, Mr. David Howell and Mr. Bob Moran.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to get new equipment without putting finances issue on the district,” said Ms. Paulsen. “It’s going to help our students have the latest equipment and supplies in the classroom.”

Big Money Goes To Home Art

Department

By Tuan Dang

$23,000 grant to be uti-lized for new equipment

Photo: Yu-Hsuan Lin

Photo: Bama Ram

anathan

pinions4 | The Voice 17.4O

Should I start my angry letter to God? “Dear God, I appreciate all the stuff that you do for us, but can you please stop making Asian people smarter than everyone else?” Although it may be hard to believe, academic adeptness is no genetic talent (for the most part). We cannot revert to social Darwinism; one group of people is not born superior to another. So how, then, can I say that ethnicity is a relevant base of higher academic achievement in America? The first premise for such a statement derives from the immigration mindset. Many white students, whose families have been born in America for generations, have no real reference point when considering

America’s opportunities. Members of an Indian family, on the other hand, have India as a reference point, where millions upon millions of people languish in poverty. The opportunity to succeed – an opportunity the family may not have had in their home country – will seem like a privilege to them, not an entitlement. And thus, they work hard to earn that privilege, fully cognizant of the fact that they are a minority population. L i k e I said earlier, how we are born does not affect our intelligence or how

we do in school. It all depends on how we’re raised. Eastern cultures, in general, tend to imbue a sense of pride in knowledge and intellect, starting from a young age. In America, however, nerdy kids are often stigmatized and bullied from a young age. As the book “Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers -- and

How You Can Too”

details, Asian-American culture tends to “instill a love and need

for learning and education.” By building that base at an early age, the culture sets a path of academic success Now, Fremont

is a great place for white parents to begin

implementing some changes. According to the U.S Census, whites make up 38 % of Fremont’s population compared to 46% for Asians. So observe this culture of studiousness, my

Caucasian brethren, and start taking notes. It’s time to get up and get back in the race.

This year, instead of spending money on sweaters and electronics for your loved one, there is a new gift in town: Planned Parenthood gift cards. You heard me right, Planned Parenthood has created gift cards for the Christmas season which can be used for birth control or abortions. A loved one can pay for your abortion in advance! That is not exactly what people imply by a thoughtful present. First of all, let me clarify that I am in no way against abortion. In fact, I strongly believe that a woman should have the right to choose. Many times, women find themselves pregnant without many viable options. Instead of having the child and not being able to provide for it, a few women turn to terminating the pregnancy. This option should be a last resort and rarely chosen; does giving out gift cards for abortions make it sound very rare? While we need such organizations as Planned Parenthood to provide options for women, it is ridiculous to spend money in advance with the intention of “gifting” an abortion. Stores sell gift cards with the intent of people coming back and utilizing it. Therefore, by buying a Planned Parenthood gift card, you are advocating and publicizing abortions. Not only that, you are encouraging irresponsible behavior with a prepaid solution available for your carelessness. Even if these gift cards can be used for other things such as contraceptives or STD screenings, an often necessary resource for teens, it does not excuse the fact that it can also be used for an abortion. Opponents of organizations such as Planned Parenthood are referring to the gift card as a card “good for one dead baby.” Although this is a rather harsh way to label the card, making Planned Parenthood gift cards is a bit too commercial for an organization offering abortions and other such services.

This brings me to the most important point: why on earth would a loved one give someone a Planned Parenthood gift card? A parent buying this for their children would signify that they are encouraging sexual behavior. Why wouldn’t they rather educate and encourage them to use birth control? Are they presuming their teenager is going to be careless and need things like an abortion? When people are considering what to buy for their loved ones, I would hope that “I’ll pay for their next abortion” does not come to mind. In some ways the whole concept of Planned Parenthood gift cards is like a reflection of our society today. Everyone not only wants a quick fix but also wants someone else to pay for it. Maybe Planned Parenthood as an organization means well, but the message that comes across is one of insensitivity.

By Ashwin Shanker

Gift cards for services like abortion are

ridiculous

Merry Abortions!

When people hear the word “pirate” they probably think about Jack Sparrow and his rowdy crew. But contrary to popular belief, these swashbuckling fiends are in fact real. Recently, pirate activity has increased in the area of Somalia. On Oct. 28, off the coast of Nairobi, Kenya, Somali outlaws hijacked a Ukrainian freighter loaded with tanks, artillery, grenade launchers and ammunition. The pirates reported that they had no idea the ship was carrying arms and seized it “just for money.” The pirates claim that they hijack ships to stop illegal fishing and dumping in their waters, and to put food on the table. However, the use of violence for personal gains seems a bit selfish. What makes matters worse is that the government condones the pirates’ actions because the Somalian economy is so weak that the main source of revenue actually comes from pirating. My main concern is that the news about pirates in Somalia will inspire more pirate bands to form around the world and eventually pose a threat to

By David Lo

As the holidays roll around one might begin to think of ways he or she can help in the community. The possibilities are endless: volunteering in soup kitchens, donating money to charitable organizations, singing Christmas carols in hospitals to help brighten the spirits of the ill.

T h e r e are 365 days in a year, and yet, so many of us are guilty of helping others solely during the holidays. One day of work, and you’ve fulfilled your duty to society, not due to report back to work until next year.

Of course it’s great to help out those less fortunate than yourself during the holiday season, but it is unclear whether these good deeds accomplished each year are for purely good intentions or symptoms of a contagious holiday-mania.

Look around right here at Irvington. Clubs are holding canned food drives, toy drives, book drives and any other drive you can possibly imagine. And as much as we would all like to believe we are martyrs and saints doing good for the world, the sad truth is much of these increased efforts are only due to the presence of the holiday season. The evidence lies in the abandonment of these same efforts during the off-holiday

Holiday helping can only help so much

Who’s Naughty and Nice - One Day Won’t Tell

Asian people aren’t born smarterACADEMICS

By Jennifer Siewseason. Donors often take great pride in the $2,000 they raised, 300 toys they donated or the 200 people to whom they served food, but they do not realize what would be achieved if they made the same efforts twice a year,

once a month, once a week, every day. The amount of good that

could be realized if we took more time each year to think about others is overwhe lming and yet, we pat ourselves on the backs and celebrate

one lone day of generosity. This idea is ludicrous and foolish at best.

Tr u e , it’s great that the needy can have food, clothing and

toys during the holidays, but we forget that this holds true for the rest of the year. It’s not realistic to feed the hungry one week of the year and expect those rations to hold them over until the holiday season next year. It’s quite idiotic, actually.

In short, no, your one good deed each holiday season is not enough to put you on Santa’s nice list. In fact, when comparing that one day’s work to the 364 days of abandoned duties to those in need, this single, solitary day of work may even just put you on next year’s naughty list.

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overseas trade or travel. In my opinion, the Somalian pirates have no right to capture ships and hold them for ransom. The pirates’ acts are by no means justifiable; they hold ships hostage with the belief that they are helping their country. Instead, the government of Somalia is put into an even tighter position because eventually action will be taken. Once a major country such as the United States decides to intervene, the Somalian government would become powerless, and the country would fall into chaos. The pirates of Somalia are, in a sense, modern day Robin Hoods, but what they don’t understand is that their judgments have an overwhelming impact on their country as well as the rest of the world. The pirates should be stopped; not only are they beginning to attack cruise liners that have nothing to do with Somalia, but their original idea of protecting their waters has faded away. Greed has gotten the best of them, much like the pirates back in the day, and their justification has diminished.

A Pirate’s Life

Somalian pirates lose sight of their cause amid the wreckageHeavily armed Somalian pirates roam the waters near South Africa.

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opinionDecember 2008 | 5 s

The VOICE is a student-run newspaper with the sole purpose of providing an open forum for student expression. Anything printed represents the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the VOICE staff, the administration or faculty of Irvington High School, or any person affiliated with the Fremont Unified School District. The VOICE does not discriminate against race, political orientation, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or dis-ability. Although the VOICE will never refuse to publish student guest submission based on the aforementioned factors, we reserve the right to edit or not publish them.

ADVISOR STUDLY MCBUFFKIN

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Salman Qasim* COLUMNIST: Yu-Hsuan Lin* STAFF WRITERS:

Mishu Sharma* BUSINESS MANAGERS: Phi Nguyen Samiha Baseer

NEWS EDITORS: Ashwin Shanker* Rebeccah Warmack Jennifer Siew

Yu-Hsuan Lin* HISTORIANS: David Lo Daniel Nguyen

FEATURES EDITORS: Tuan Dang* Tina Karimi Anisha Babbar

Sri Ravipati* SENIOR COPY EDITOR: Rebeccah Warmack Karishma Patel

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS: Rachel Li * COPY EDITOR: Quess Liu

Shilpa Sharma * WEB EDITOR: Neetu Puranikmath

SPORTS EDITORS: Kriti Gupta* PHOTOGRAPHER: Raji Ramanathan

Kim Ngo*

HUMOR EDITOR: Lelouch vi Britannia*

HUMOR APPRENTICE: Selina Mahesri

staff@ihsvoice.comhttp://www.ihsvoice.com (510) 656-5711 ext. 46398

*Deadline Workers

POLICY STATEMENT:

Disagree with the writers? Bring your letters to the editor to room 223 or e-mail them to staff@ihsvoice.com. We welcome all

comments.

VOICE STAFF 2008-2009

By Yu-Hsuan Lin

Chancellor Michelle Rhee has recently become one of the most polarizing forces in our capital’s public education system.

Rhee is feared by parents, teachers and principals alike for her sometimes spontaneous fi ring of teachers and principals she deems are “unworthy.” Her standard of “worthy” is noticeably vague as is her opinion on what a good teacher is. Interestingly, the harsh standards she holds teachers to are ones she herself was never subjugated to. Rhee tends to see things in black and white; a person is either a good teacher or is not. Rhee emanates stubbornness, pride, and combativeness – not the ideal characteristics for a reformer.

Rhee is solely focusing on subjects such as math, science, and reading ability to determine a child’s aptitude. Creativity is being pushed out the door. Rhee also dislikes teachers who attempt to converse “chattily” with their class and employ unconventional, creative methods of teaching.

Arguably, chatting with students, whether kindergartens or teens, helps them feel more at-ease in the classroom. Students

begin to like their teacher as a person,

not an autonomous

robot. Despite m o u n t i n g

evidence of the importance of teacher-student relationships, Rhee believes teachers

should stick to their books. A minute spent saying hello

is a minute they could

be teaching, she

By Neetu PuranikmathThe Errors of Michelle Rhee’s Combative Stance

“People say, ‘Well, you know, test scores don’t take into account creativity and the love of learning,’” [Chancellor Michelle Rhee] says with a drippy, grating voice, lowering her eyes halfway. “I’m like, ‘You know what? I don’t give a crap.’ Don’t get me wrong. Creativity is good and whatever. But if the children don’t know how to read, I don’t care how creative you are. You’re not doing your job.”-Chancellor Michelle Rhee on ineffi cient teachers

Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States, supposedly the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world. However, it is extremely diffi cult to process the fact that only 36% of D.C. high schoolers are profi cient in math, while a meager 39% are profi cient in reading. With our nation’s clear inferiority in education, Chancellor Michelle Rhee has set out on the near impossible task of saving our schools…starting in our capital of Washington D.C. The biggest problems with our nation’s education system are the ineffective teachers that plague many of our schools. With a tenure system introduced in the 20th century, teachers received protection from arbitrary fi ring. However, this also prevented offi cials from letting go of ineffi cient teachers. In most cases, principals have little incentive of changing their staff, even if a teacher is clearly below expectations. If a teacher is fi red, an administrator would have to deal with complaints, yelling and panic. This is where Rhee enters with her iron hand: she has taken the daring initiative and dismissed 270 teachers and 36 principals. As a result of her hard work, students now enjoy a much better learning environment, with working computers and stricter rules.

Today, we mistakenly

By Quess LiuChancellor Michelle Rhee revolutionizes public schools

A s the realities of the recession set in, CEOs of automakers G e n e r a l M o t o r s , C h r y s l e r , and Ford—

collectively known as the Big Three—travelled to Washington D.C. to seek a rescue package. The executives were truly heart wrenching in their pleas: Rick Wagoner, CEO of GM, asked Congress to cough up billions so that the manufacturer can “continue the vital part we have played in the past 100 years for Americans.” The argument

was that a collapse of the car companies and the resulting job losses would deal too tremendous a blow to the already struggling economy. The problem? Even as they begged for money, the CEOs had fl own in to D.C. on company private jets, for which round trips cost in the neighborhood of $20,000. A Californian congressman cynically pointed out that “It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo.” The automakers were derided by the media, and President-Elect Obama criticized them for being out of touch. [time], they returned

to Washington, each driving over 540 miles from Detroit in advanced hybrid vehicles. The three CEOs have taken a pledge to close extraneous factories and dealerships, as well as reduce their salaries to $1 each. While they were evasive during questioning and vague about the companies’ direction last time, they now eagerly promised to trim down their operations and acquiesced easily to legislators’ demands. Regardless of this newfound humility, the Big Three still do not deserve a bailout. One of the basic tenets of capitalism is Darwinism: survival of the fi ttest. Over the past few decades of prosperity, the Big Three have produced

more cumbersome, gas-guzzling vehicles while foreign companies like Toyota took the edge in fuel effi ciency and innovation. When the gas prices rose, it is easy to see which car consumers prefer. These car companies should pay the price for their own failures. American tax dollars can be better spent combating the mortgage glut and reassuring credit markets. A corporate bailout should always be a last resort. The bailout has stalled so far, for good reason. Even if a bailout is approved, nothing short of a full-scale rescue can prevent the tremendous job losses we will see over the next few months. In their requests for federal aid, the

auto companies had specifi cally outlined plans to shut down multiple factories and dealerships to stay afl oat. A bailout is but a temporary solution, one that will drag out the companies’ inevitable and painful demise. Not only that, a bankruptcy could potentially be better for these companies. By liquidating some burdensome assets, they would be able to restart with a more vigorous and effi cient base. A restructured auto industry, one that seeks constant innovation, can help regain the United States’ competitive edge in the overseas market. So show some mercy, Uncle Sam, and just unplug this dying machine.

Humble Pie for the Big Three

argues.By relying almost solely

on data, she is forgetting all the other qualities good teachers possess. As TIME put it best, “The ability to improve test scores is clearly not the only sign of a good teacher.” Washington’s teachers and principals are facing more problems than most educators.

Often they have to teach pregnant teens, pre-teens on drugs and are assaulted by their students. The teachers should not have to face the sole burden of revolutionizing an ailing, limping education system.

Action needs to be taken. However, the reformative action would have to include all parties involved (students, teachers and parents) and work out a situation to maximize the benefi ts and minimizes the harms. Teachers should be included in the reform process, not alienated and terrifi ed about losing their jobs. Often teachers are fi red without receiving a second chance or a reprimand. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation for Teachers, stated in a TIME excerpt, “Michelle Rhee believes in scorched earth. …I have been a part of a lot of reforms, and the one thing I have never seen work is a hierarchical, top-down model.” Rhee has emphasized the call for good teachers, but pushed aside the call for better supplies. Numerous students and parents have complained to Rhee regarding the holes in the fl oors of schools, the lack of adequate supplies, and the need for better computers and textbooks.

An educational crisis of unimaginable proportions is occurring. How we combat it and whom we blame will effect generations of students to come.

Rhee, a 37 year-old Korean-American is currently the new, bold-talking chancellor running the District of Columbia’s Public Schools system. She took over the district’s 144 schools in June 2007.

judge our teachers before they actually teach. We give all our teachers the same base salary, regardless of their performance. Essentially, teachers who are always there for their students earn the same as lazy teachers with questionable credentials. Why should we reward ineffective teachers with salaries they do not deserve? Because of our current policies, potential star teachers are shying away, d i sappointed at the low median salaries of teachers.

To solve this problem, Rhee suggests evaluating the results that teachers produce two or three years after they start. This effective system would offer high salaries, up to $130,000 annually, to motivated, enthusiastic teachers who aim for top results; consequently, teachers on the lower end would be easily dismissed. Eventually, we would have a hard-working network of teachers and school administrators to better prepare Americans for their adult lives. We can save hundreds of millions of dollars by effectively distributing teachers’ pay according to their success in the classroom.

We should pray for Rhee’s success in Washington. If her ideas work, there’s no telling how far our nation’s schools can go. With Obama’s support for many of Rhee’s plans, our future looks bright. With this radical duo, teachers could be making six-fi gure salaries, and our children will be able to compete against rising foreign nations.

Friend

Foe

Or

Photos: www.washingtonpost.com

Michelle Rhee

Perhaps you’re looking at the immense list of volunteer options, soup kitchens, toy drives and other holiday driven acts of charity and it’s all a little overwhelming. Or

maybe there are so many you can’t decide. Or maybe, the nagging urge to be a giving person this time of

year isn’t being quite satisfi ed. Well, here’s an idea: the giving spirit can make its presence

i n the simplest

o f places: your own home. “When I help out at home

[during the Holidays], it’s out about spending time together with the family.

Holidays don’t always have to be about school related activities. It’s one of the rare times when it [helping out at

home] becomes less of a chore and more of a bonding thing,” says sophomore Shreya Sharma.

It’s more common now than ever for teens to spend their much valued winter break out with their own friends doing their own activities and simply come

home to eat Christmas dinner. But there are a few things to consider before you write off the idea of spending quality time with the loved ones at home.

The holiday giving spirit is so much more than donating canned food or spending a few hours in the soup kitchen. Sure, it’s seemingly noble and it’ll clear your Christmas conscience, but it’ll mean nothing if you don’t extend that surge

of generosity to those who truly care about you. It’s easy to donate to a group of people you’ll never meet and write it off as your good deed for the year, but the true giving spirit involves spreading it to those you know. So this year, resist that temptation to squander all your holiday spirit on college-app friendly deeds and save some for home.

How help

ET

The Giving Spirit Can Start at Home

Three Cups of TeaA man’s quest for peace—and how we can helpBy Yu-Hsuan Lin

Why you shouldn’t overlook spending time with the family By Anisha Babbar

Greg Mortenson had no idea he was about to embark on a journey of a lifetime. In 1993, descending from a failed mountain climb in Pakistan, Mr. Mortenson, lost and disoriented, wandered

into the village of Korphe. There, he was taken in and nursed back to health. Mr. Mortenson promised to return and build a school as repayment for the village’s kindness.

Since then, Mr. Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute, the organization he founded, has built over 70 schools in the remote and dangerous mountains between Pakistan and

Afghanistan. In his quest, Mr. Mortenson has survived fatwas from Islamic mullahs, fi refi ghts between regional warlords, and an armed kidnapping by the Taliban. His experiences are chronicled in the book Three Cups of Tea, which a New York Times Bestseller. On May 27, 2008, the City of Fremont adopted Three Cups of Tea as part of its “One Community, One Read” program. Along with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Alameda County Libraries, the Fremont Unifi ed

School District, the Muslim Support Network and many others, the city promotes local book readings and discussions by offering community service hours. Local elementary schools have implemented the Pennies for

Peace program, which raises money to fund schools and teachers’ salaries for

Mortenson’s schools. “One penny buys a pencil in Pakistan,” said Mrs. Angelides, Fremont AAUW’s Three Cups of Tea Program Manager. “100 pennies, or $1, pays a teacher’s salary for a day.” As of November 9, 2008, Fremont AAUW’s Pennies for Peace Project has raised over $15,000.

F r e m o n t ’ s participation is but one part of the international response

to Mr. Mortenson’s heroism. Since the

publication of his book, Mr. Mortenson

has been invited to speak with various

leaders and organizations.

G r e g Mortenson

will be in Fremont on March 3, 2009.

FPhoto: ccsf.edu

Photo: dailymail.co.uk

Photo: luke.ef.mil

Three Cups of Tea

to

A

U

By Jennifer Siew

Project Homeless Connect

By Raji Ramanathan

Give Not a Cup, but a CowThe International Heifer Project

Christmas is a holiday that reminds people of one thing- presents. However, we always give gifts to our family and loved ones. Now, this Christmas, instead of following the conventional method, what if you gave in a meager amount of money to fulfi ll one whole family’s wish? That is exactly what the Heifer Project does.

The International Heifer Project provides food, shelter, jobs and supplies to poor, famished families. Their intention is to improve agroecology, promote education, discourage animal mistreatment, support microenterprise and provide help to HIV/AIDS.

This Christmas, the Heifer Project hopes to send livestock to farms where microenterprises begin. It may seem silly for a student to purchase cows for a family, but the difference it makes is really astonishing. Buying a fl ock of geese for twenty dollars will give a family a living. Buying honeybees for $30 will increase bee population and crop growth. The cost for the livestock is moderately reasonable ranging from $20 to $10,000. As a student, you can shop online at heifer.org and buy livestock for families in need. So, this Christmas, instead of spending twenty dollars on a new dress, help save a life with the Heifer Project.

Helping Hands, Healing Hands, Holiday HeartsEasy organizations to join

By Kriti Gupta and Niveditha Puranikmath

A solution to helping San Francisco’s biggest problem By Kim Ngo

If you’re looking for a good way to help out people in need, consider signing up to be part of the next Project Homeless Connect Event here in the Bay Area.

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) Originated in San Francisco under Mayor Gavin Newson, and has become a highly successful organization that has

spread to 200 other cities across the country, and also to Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Every other month, over 1000 community volunteers partner with city government, non-profi t organizations and the private sector to provide health and human services for homeless San Francisco residents. PHC gives the homeless access to services such as dental services, DMV IDs, eyeglasses, family services, food, HIV testing, housing information, hygiene products, medical care, mental health services, and more. Services also included a national phone company to make long distance phone calls, and a station in which people may receive haircuts.

One of the biggest problems in San Francisco is homelessness. With over 15,000 people suffering from major fi nancial issues and roaming around the streets, PHC hoped to give them a new beginning or a push to get back on track with their lives.

If you would like to volunteer, visit their website for more details or questions: www.projecthomelessconnect.com.

A great way to help out around the holidays

The Tri-City Homeless Coalition

As the holiday season rolls around, many students are hoping to volunteer, but they don’t know where they can do so. Though students know there are a countless number of organizations with which they can volunteer, they’re not sure where to begin. Especially for those hoping to spend time with their family while they volunteer, the Tri-City Homeless Coalition is a great place to look into.

The Tri-City Homeless Coalition is one of the many organizations in the Alameda County area with which students can volunteer and give services to the homeless and low-income. The organization offers eleven housing programs, all designed to help families and individuals get back up on their feet. With services consisting of services such as intensive case management, job counseling and recovery counseling, it’s almost impossible to leave the coalition without completing a holiday service for your community. The Tri-City Coalition offers programs such as the Sunrise Village Shelter, Project Independence, HOPE Mobile Health Clinic, Greater HOPE and STAY, and the Rise, Linkages & Tri-City Scholarship Program. Collectively, these programs help serve around 2,000 individuals in the Tri-City area. The accomplishments of the Tri-City Homeless Coalition is astounding, including opening the fi rst newly constructed and custom designed homeless shelter in the country, creating the fi rst homeless prevention programs for emancipated foster youths, and creating 325 units of permanent supportive housing for (previously) homeless families and persons. Still, the Tri-City Homeless Coalition offers more student-friendly service opportunities separate from the many programs listed above, such as serving meals, gardening and maintenance, assistance with fundraisers, and tutoring. The Tri-City Homeless Coalition offers a great diversity in volunteer options that allows students of all talents and abilities, and it provides a way to meet a multitude of people, making for a great place at which to volunteer during the holidays.

By Karishma Patel

Places to lend a helping hand

1. Christmas Assistance- Toy and JoySalvation Army is holding a toy and food

drive for families in need. Volunteers are needed to help sort and organize toys and food for distribution to pre-screened families who will come on a set date to select toys for their children and to pick up a box of food for the holidays.

>Address: 3950 Clayton Road, Concord, CA 94521>Website: http://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org

2. The Family Giving TreeIf you aren’t able to volunteer, you can donate gifts for children instead. The Family Giving Tree grants holiday wishes for those very-low income children in Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area. All you have to do is pick up a child’s wish card at local banks, businesses, and churches, or simply view a child’s wish list online.

>Phone: (408) 946-3111 >Website: www.familygivingtree.org

CRY (Childrens’ Rights and You)How it works: CRY has action centers spread across India and America, with volunteers stationed at each center. These volunteers have Action Center Leaders who plan all activities and works to raise money through funding and grants. This organization sets up booths at many city-wide events in various places around India as well. Website: http://america.cry.org/site/index.html

KIVAHow it works: You fi rst contribute some money through the KIVA website. This money is your “loan,” and you can choose to give it to whomever you think deserves it- there is a large number of choices. This money is put to good use and given exactly where you want it to go. After a certain time (usually six to twelve months), the person you help pays you your loan back. It is then up to you to donate elsewhere or keep your money.W e b s i t e : h t t p : / / w w w . k i v a . o r g /app.php?page=home

out

R

during the

E

holidays

S

Holiday Volunteerting

Photo: eikumpel.com

Photo: sfgate.comPhoto: heifer.org

ntertainmente 8 | The Voice 17.4

With the economy the way it is, no better time to invest the effort in homemade gifts! We know they can be tedious and time-consuming, but they can also be really to make and receive. Nothing like a box of freshly baked chocolate chips cookies to spread the holiday cheer! Nestle Toll

House has easy to bake frozen cookie dough available at your local grocery store. (Okay,

okay, you caught us, it’s not entirely free; it’s $3.55 close enough.)

Looking for a cheap buy? It’s okay. We’ve all been there. Your list of people to buy gifts for is looking a little long to you and it’s making you a little nervous. The trick is to buy gifts that are cheaper than they look. With the whether cooling to temperatures far below the comfort levels of us Californians, winter attire will be much appreciated by anyone. Forever 21 has a great selection of scarves (for men and women!) to choose from such as this pink and white striped scarf for only $7.80.

Here’s a discarded idea you might want to look into: the practical gift. We know, we know, it’s boring and it doesn’t have cute little snowmen on it like every holiday gift should, but it’s inexpensive and chances are, your gift recipient will actually use it. What a concept. Gifts can include alarm clocks, calendars, ipod covers, how-to guides, etc. A safe, thoughtful gift is a good hard cover book, which costs $12-$20 when ordered online. If you’re worried the gift is plain, spice it up by throwing in a heartfelt, well-written Christmas card.

Speaking of heartfelt, if you’re willing to dish out a little extra cash, then here’s gift everyone will love you for. Personalize a gift such as a frame, mug, or crystal piece by engraving it. Nothing like a little sentimentality to mask the fact that, in reality, you couldn’t come up with a gift idea. Things Remembered, located at Things Remembered, located at Things RememberedNewPark Mall, is entirely dedicated to personalized gifts. A pretty frame costs from $15-$20, and the added engraving cost ranges from $6-$18 (depending on the length of your message).

Cha-ching. But what if you want to be even more lavish in your gift-giving endeavors? If you’re really shopping to impress, a box DVD set of a person’s favorite show is guaranteed to earn you squeals and hugs. If you’re extra thoughtful, pick out their favorite season to give to them (but make sure they don’t have it already!). Whether it’s Gossip Girl, or Heroes, or 90210, Best Buy has DVD sets at about $49.98 (minus tax). (If

you’re super ambitious, get them the entire series. A seven season series ranges from $139 - $300.)

On Dec. 20, the PAS will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus gathered together for one event. You know you want to be part of this historic event! Bring your friends!

Stuff yourself with crab and pasta—for a good cause! The Bay Area Crisis Nursery is holding this event

( i n c l u d i n g dinner and a raffl e) to help protect c h i l d r e n

from abuse. You will have to

pay for the d e l i c i o u s food, but your money will go towards something that will keep you off Santa’s naughty list.

All of December in San Francisco.The perfect complement to your dose of Dickens in English class: check out this party, featuring 600 fi gures from Dickens’ novels, including the whole cast of A Christmas Carol. At the very least, you’ll have fun trying to make Ebenezer Scrooge break c h a r a c t e r . G e n e r a l admission tickets cost $19. Maybe you can get extra credit for attending.

“Tea Under the Sea” (this year’s theme) is a formal tea for

grandmothers, mothers and daughters. If you’re a girl, take the time out to bond with some of the most i m p o r t a n t

women in your life. Plus, there will most likely be whimsical decorations—you can’t go wrong.

Runs through December in San Francisco.Fun fact: This was the United States’ fi rst ballet. Some culture in time for the holidays! If you can’t dance like a sugar plum fairy, the next best thing is to watch the experts.

Guinness World Record Possibility Advocate Society

B a y A r e a C r i s i sB a y A r e a C r i s i sB a y A r e a C r i s i s N u r s e r y C r a b F e e d

Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party

18th Annual Sugar ‘Spice Tea

T h e N u t c r a c k e r

Photo: northernalletetheatre.com

Photo: charlesdickenspage.com

Photo: wearefun.com

Photo: orangelifemagazine.com

Photo: cougarrugbyclub.files.wordpress.com

H o l i d a y E v e n t s

With the economy the way it is, no better time to invest the effort in homemade gifts! We know they can be tedious and time-consuming, but they can also be really to make and receive. Nothing like a box

House has easy to bake frozen cookie dough available at your local grocery store. (Okay,

okay, you caught us, it’s not entirely free; it’s $3.55 close enough.)

Cha-ching.more lavish in your gift-giving endeavors? If you’re really shopping to impress, a box DVD set of a person’s favorite show is guaranteed to earn you squeals and hugs. If you’re extra thoughtful, pick out their favorite season to give to them (but make sure they don’t have it already!). Whether it’s Gossip Girl, or Heroes, or 90210, Best Buy has DVD sets at about $49.98 (minus tax). (If

you’re super ambitious, get them the entire series. A seven season series ranges from $139 - $300.)

Looking for a cheap buy? It’s okay. We’ve all been there. Your list of people to buy gifts for is looking a little long to you and it’s making you a little nervous. The trick is to buy gifts that are cheaper than they look. With the whether cooling to temperatures

Photo: tvshowsondvd.net

Photo: forever21.com

Photo: selectyourfranchise.com

Here’s a discarded idea you might want to look into: the practical gift. We know, we know, it’s boring and it doesn’t have cute little snowmen on it like every holiday gift should, but it’s inexpensive and chances are, your gift recipient will actually can include alarm clocks, calendars, ipod covers, how-to guides, etc. A safe, thoughtful gift is a good hard cover book, which costs $12-$20 when ordered online. If you’re worried the gift is plain, spice it up by throwing in a heartfelt, well-written Christmas card.

Speaking of heartfelt, if you’re willing to dish out a little extra cash, then here’s gift everyone will love you for. Personalize a gift such as a frame, mug, or crystal piece by engraving it. Nothing like a little sentimentality to mask the fact that, in reality, you couldn’t come up with a gift

, located at

$6-$18 (depending on the length of your message).

Photo: heartratemonitorusa.com

It’s the Killers ‘Day and Age’The Killers bring their home-town panache into play in their new album

I’ll admit it, I doubted the Killers could match the success of their previous album Hot Fuss, and I was wrong. In my face. The Killers’ new album Day and Age, which was released on Nov. 24, rocks on the same levels as the previous CD, if not more. With a killer (no pun intended, seriously) single like Human, how could they go wrong? Alright, well they could have focused too much on having “deep” lyrics, as many critics claimed was the p r o b l e m with Sam’s Town; they could have s a t u r a t e d their music with strange sounds that c l a s h e d ; they could have been re pe t i t i ve, but they didn’t and nothing went wrong . They did cut it close, mixing saxophones with synthesizers - which is a strangely good mix - at least in this case; and the truth is, they were repetitive: they had way too many good songs. While listening to the new album, one can hear the similarities between it and Hot Fuss. It seems the band has resurrected the very qualities that made its previous album so successful and that were missing from Sam’s Town. The album once again makes excellent use of Brandon Flowers unique vocals, blending them beautifully with their electronica-pop-alternative (with a dash of 80’s fl air) sound while paying homage to such bands and singers as U2 and David Bowie. Imagine Las Vegas compacted into a CD case. This album is glittery, epic, glamorous, retro, anything and

Denison WitmerAn artist who performs from the heart, no payment required

By Sri Ravipati

Better than a crack-smoking San Franciscan drummer (although not much different in sound), Denison Witmer is an indie singer songwriter who has been compared to artist such

as Nick D r a k e , S u f j a n Stevens and even Elliot Smith for his neo-folk songwriting. W i t m e r ’ s n e w e s t

album, “Carry the Weight”, was released on Nov. 11, 2008, with which he hopes to establish a distinct sound name for himself in the folk world. One of the better songs on the album is “Life Before Aesthetics” because it shows the album’s overall feel. This song, as well as the rest of the songs on the album, is a combination of soft, poppy acoustic arrangements with a completely relaxed delivery. The album also features lyrics may strike as a bit repetitive, but the variety of rhythms and tones of the piano and acoustic are a perfect match with Witmer’s overall goal of self-expression. However, there are some people who say that Witmer’s album is only a half-hearted imitation of folk rock. For this reason, if you aren’t a fan of slow music with mainly an acoustic melody, you may not enjoy what Witmer has to offer.

By Beccah Warmack

H o l i d a y G i f t G u i d eBy Anisha Babbar

Photo: denisonwitmer.com

By Tina Karimi

Photo: assets.nydailynews.com

Photo: souvenirsofparis.com

entertainmenDecember 2008 | 9T

By S.R. and A.S.

As Anderson Cooper stared into Salman Bin Laden’s eyes, he noticed that this person was almost as beautiful as himself. Just as

Cooper was building the nerve to introduce himself, Salman dropped him onto the ground and jumped onto a ladder hanging from a fl ying helicopter.

Cooper was not one to give up easily, and he quickly jumped onto the ladder and held on for dear life. For a few hours, Cooper hung onto the ladder, and feared of how much his hair was messed up. When he remembered that he had a heart shaped mirror (gifted to him at an early age by Michael Jackson during a memorable trip to Neverland Ranch) in his pockets, he screamed at the sight of messy hair and let go of

the ladder. He was soon freefalling towards a bed of trees, his life fl ashing before his eyes. After a graceful, Anderson Cooper-style landing, he felt his breath-taking, icy blue eyes growing heavy and soon fell unconscious.

After about 12 hours, he woke up fully naked, under thin silk sheets. A simple looking brunette woman entered, carrying water and some bread. Cooper soon found out that he was in Tamilnadu, India. The woman, who introduced herself as Mala Shankaralingam, had found him on the road.

Cooper, never afraid of being too forward, asked, “So Mala, did we…”. Mala’s face showed her confusion with this comment, so Cooper further explained. “Well, I’m not wearing any clothes, so I presumed we hooked up.”

Mala, quickly blushing and covering her expression with the end of her sari, clarifi ed the situation. “No, no, I assure you Mr. Cooper, we did not go through any such act. I helped care for you and that is all.”

Cooper couldn’t help but feel offended. “But..everyone wants to sleep with me. I mean, look at me—I would sleep with me!” Then, as if a light bulb went off in his head, he asked “Wait…how do you know my name?”

Mala closed her eyes and then opened them to see Cooper’s confused face and closed them again as she revealed, “Well Cooper, that is because I am your real mother.”

Cooper was building the nerve to introduce himself, Salman dropped him onto the ground and jumped onto a ladder hanging from a fl ying helicopter.

to give up easily, and he quickly jumped onto the ladder and held on for dear life. For a few hours, Cooper hung onto the ladder, and feared of how much his hair was messed up. When he remembered that he had a heart shaped mirror (gifted to him at an early age by Michael Jackson during a memorable trip to Neverland Ranch) in his pockets, he screamed at the sight of messy hair and let go of

Photo: handson.provocateuse.com

“No, I have been the bestest

kid EVER!

=)” -Freshman

D a m i e n Low

“Yes, I told my dad I’m sleeping over at my friend’s house to work on a project, but really, we were going to Not So Silent Night.” -Sophomore Miranda Nghiem

“Yes, I pretend to choke my friend Hiba whenever she says Harry Potter sucks!” -Junior Zuha Khan

“Yes, no, maybe so. Santa doesn’t

necessarily know

everything!” -Senior Yvonne

By Samiha Baseer and Jennifer Siew Freshman Smita Patibanda

has been in various choirs since she was in elementary school. Currently, she is a part of the Irvington choir. “Choir has been great so

far,” Smita refl ected. “It has

been so much fun and the people I’ve met through

the choir have become some

of my best friends.” Though some of us can barely remember the words to even the most popular songs, Smita enjoys singing classical songs written in Latin. She believes that (when they are sung well, of course) these songs sound the best. “All the great times I’ve had and all the people I meet in choir inspire me to keep singing.”

William Hsia is known as the Sophomore Class President, but many do not know that outside of school he is an active member of Chrystal Children’s choir. When he was around fi ve, his mom brought home an auditon piece for the choir. Auditioning with the renowned song “I Love You” by Barney, William sang his way into the choir. “You really don’t have to be that good to get into the choir,” William refl ected. “Just not horrible.” T h e c h o i r allows William t o meet many different types of people. “ I feel that I can’t meet people who would make the same sacrifi ce anywhere else.”

For junior Sarah Hawks, singing comes naturally. Joining choir in elementary school has helped her d eve l o p her voice and Mrs. Jennifer Olson, the current choir teacher, has helped her even more. Sarah learned from her inspirations, Mrs. Olson and Mrs. Palmberg, who make singing fun and educational at the same time. “I love Ingrid Micahelson and Sarah Maclaughlin,” said Sarah, when asked about the singers she looks up to. “Their voices are so beautiful.” Though Sarah is too shy to sing competitively, she still wishes to pursue a career in singing even though such a career is very hard. “I do it because it makes me happy.”

T h e A m a z i n g A d v e n t u r e s o f A n d e r s o n C o o p e r : C h a p t e r T h r e e

Interview and Photos by Shilpa Sharma

Senior Shela Jeong is not any ordinary gir: she started to sing right after she could talk. Although Shela primarily sings for worship, she also enjoys singing as a form of expression. Recently. she decided to change the direction of her career from solely a neuroscientist to minoring in Opera in college. “[I want] to see if sparks fl y,” said Shela, about her addition of music to her future academic plans. Her talent, however,

does not stop at singing: she has played

the violin for nine years and has been a member of

the San Jose Symphony for

six years.

Question Man: Have you done anything that would put you on the naughty list this year?Photos: Raji Ramanathan

Illustration: Rachel Li

PORTSS10 | The Voice 17.5

The girls’ soccer season has been terrific so far with the addition of many new, young players. T h e varsity team is currently at a 3-2 game record, but is definitely showing some potential for the upcoming season. The JV girls have also shown a good u p c o m i n g season with a score of 2-1-2. The Lady Vikings kicked off their preseason with winning games. Both JV and Varsity played against Mt. Eden.

When you think of high school winter sports, what comes to mind? Winter sports at Irvington are synonymous with basketball, soccer, and wrestling. But what you may not have considered is a neglected sport, one that truly embodies the winter spirit – hockey. Recently, hockey has seen an increase in viewership and fan attendance everywhere. San Jose, along with the local Sharks, has seen one of the largest increases in fan bases due to a huge rise in interest and popularity in this sport. Sources say viewership for Sharks games has increased by 50 percent from last year. Other sources note that the National Hockey League has surpassed the National Basketball Association in average attendance figures. The Sharks are on a record-breaking pace this season. As I write this, their record is a whopping 22-3-2, good for first place in the NHL with 46 points. In fact, they’ve already broken a 78-year-old record for most points in a season, set by the 1929-1930 Boston Bruins. It’s no wonder interest is at an all time high. Now here’s my proposal: we channel hockey’s newfound attention in the Tri-City area to form an MVAL hockey league. Heck, even forming an any hockey team that could compete with dozens of other hockey teams already established across the Bay would be sufficient. According to the San Jose Sharks website, there are 18 high schools in the Bay Area that have hockey programs. It would be easy to organize a league schedule along with these other schools, fighting for the Bay Area League Championship. Hockey is the epitome of a winter sport. Ice skating rinks and facilities are growing everywhere, with no dearth of places that our proposed team could play or practice. Similarly to how the high schools in Fremont share TAK Fudenna stadium, we could somehow share Shark’s Ice in Fremont for hockey. Besides that, there is Shark’s Ice in San Jose, the Oakland Ice Center and a planned Shark’s Ice in Pleasanton. The only problem that may arise is the cost of supporting such a league. Equipment can be ridiculously expensive for hockey; pads, jerseys, pucks, skates, you name it. In our current economic state and the budget cuts that come with it, district funding might not be sufficient in handling the league right now. Sometime in the future, I think this idea is highly probable. Were I of larger body mass, I might join the team myself. But alas, my scrawny 110-pound frame would break if I got crushed along the boards. I will not lose hope that this league hockey team will indeed happen. Until then, we can satisfy our thirst for hockey by indulging ourselves in San Jose Sharks games on TV.

Varsity won 2-1 with goals by senior Kristina Caballero and junior Kimme Denne while JV won 3-0 with goals by sophomore

Erica Ohye, and freshmen Sachi Patel and Nithya Lingampalli. Girls’ soccer faced their first defeat at Northgate High

I

Trying really hard in the second half, the varsity boys soccer team still had to accept a 0-1 loss to Mission on Dec. 12, due to a lack of connected passes in the first half and missing of key players.

Irvington started the game against Mission without senior co-captain Sean Lovejoy, an experienced striker of the team, due to his unrecovered injuries. The Irvington audience could also feel that the team was still missing the “backbone,” a group of players playing in the midfield area, the most important part of the field, that regulated headers, passes, the movement of players and provided the ball for the strikers.

While sophomore co-captain Kyle Nguyen partially showed some “sketches” of Irvington strategies, he still could not get the midfield for Irvington due to his position as a defender. On the other hand, senior central midfielder Jose Rodriguez, as

usual, tended to go forwad more than stay in the middle field and defend. On the back, junior Chris Hanna, with his height and one year of experience in the varsity team, showed major improvements by stopping many Mission players and headers from approaching Irvington goal.

Most of the plays in the first half took place in the middle field. On the 25th minute, Mission had their first goal of the game with a penalty kick, after an Irvington player made a fault inside the half circle. The Mission goal near the end of first half partially made Irvington players more pressured, and this was when Irvington decided to press more on attacking.

Just three minutes after the goal, Irvington sent their come back by an attack on the left wing, with junior striker Josh Rebello. Ten minutes later, senior midfielder Oscar Leon again challenged Mission goalie by a skillful powerful diagonal shot

from the left wing. Both of those attacks did not transfer into a goal, but everyone could see Irvington’s forming of a strategy and waiting for a come-back in the second half.

J o s h again impressed the audience with a well-p l a n e d attack on the left wing and e n d e d with a strong shot right after the second half started, even though his attempt wasn’t rewarded with a goal. Irvington, pressured by the small amount of time left, pushed their team more to the Mission field with Jose and senior midfielder Oscar Leon showed skillful attacks and coordination with other players.

However, a connection between the midfielders and the strikers still seems to be missing, as the passes were usually

School with a resulting score of 0-5 for varsity and 0-2 in JV. Castro Valley High School also proved to be a challenge. Varsity girls lost 0-6 on Nov. 11th, but still put in outstanding effort. Their hard work paid off during the last preseason game against Dougherty High School. Varsity proves a good win with a score of 2-0. In addition to the huge numbers of new players coming out to play this season, the JV and Varsity coaches are new to the team as well. Coaches Lynette Cooper and Nicole Mangiardi are confident in the girls and have no doubts in a great upcoming season. The preseason games have been tough ones for the girls, but the coaches are not worried. “We have a great group of girls this year and I hope that

disconnected right after they left the midfield. Despite extremely hard attempt to make a tie game in the last 10 minutes, Irvington still had to accept the loss of 0-1. The team leaves TAK with a lesson about consistency throughout the game.

“In the first half we were really flat. However, in the second half, we came out and put a lot of pressure on them,” said coach Joe Piexoto. “The only thing that we need to practice for the next game is to be consistent.”

By Phi Nguyen

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Varsity’s boys soccer lost 1-0 to Mission with key players missingby Tuan Dang

By Selina MahesriGirls’ soccer has victories under its belt

L A D Y V I K IE S K C K T O F FJunior Kimme Denny prepares to steal the

ball away from an op-ponent.

Photo: Selina Mahesri

M S SI GI N T H E C H A N C E A G A NI

the challenging teams we played in preseason have prepared us for league games,” said Coach Mangiardi Girls’ soccer had their first official season game against Logan on Dec. 9th. Varsity came out victorious with a score of 2-1 and JV tied 1-1 in an extremely close match. With more games to come, and more hard work to be put in, the girls’ soccer team shows promise in future victories. History is bound to repeat itself with another great season for the Lady Vikings this year.

Senior Jay Shah leaps for the ball as he surpasses

another player.

Photo: Rachel Heng

‘ SI T P U C K I N GA E S O M !W E

SSPORTDecember 2008 | 11

STEP 1|| Spread the peanut butter evenly on the tortilla. You may use crunchy peanut butter if preferred.

For this recipe, you will need: 1 tortilla 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 1 apple Honey

STEP TWO|| Carefully cut half the apple into slices. Place the apple slices on top of the peanut butter. They should all face the same direction for easy wrapping.

STEP THREE|| Lightly drizzle with honey, and add extra around the sides as a glue to help keep the tortilla wrapped.

STEP FOUR|| Grab the ends of the tortilla, roll tightly, and enjoy! The wrap should stay put with honey.

R E A D Y S E T IF G H T, ,

Of all the winter season sports on campus, wrestling has the most new additions going into a season for both coaches and players alike. The head coach for this year is Mr. Cliff Olson, a teacher at John Hopkins Middle School. The assistant coach, Mr. Gary Goodrich, is a seven-year returning volunteer who helps coach the team of 36 people. Although it is too early in the season to determine who is most likely to win matches for the team, the wrestling team as a whole hopes to beat some of its biggest competitors. Their top competitors are the teams that they lost against last year, such as James Logan, Mission San Jose and Newark. To prepare for the new season, wrestlers a r e

practicing everyday in the new cafeteria for their upcoming matches. “Practice isn’t the same without Coach Jackson,” said junior Greg Huey. “But the team is still going strong with the new coach—he’s teaching us new techniques that we can use in matches. Hopefully we’ll have a good season this year.” The wrestling team’s first tournament for novice wrestlers was on Thursday, December 11th. Two of the four girls on t h e team won

their

The wrestling team seeks victory this season on the matby Sri Ravipati

A simple recipe for students, athletes, and teachers on the goby Rachel Li

by Yu-Hsuan Lin

FALL SEASON MVALs RESULTS

Cross Country

Football

Water Polo

Gymnastics

Awkward Question #1: How do you wrestle a girl?

Your available moveset can uickly become very limited

Win or lose, the outcome will inevitably be unpleasant

The best recourse will be to surrender, and hope she doesn’t spread any embarassing rumors

E AT L I K E A N O LY M P I A N

AWKW ARD Q U E STI ONS

matches in the tournament. Returning wrestler, junior Renee Tran was one of the girls and the other was sophomore Jodie Lee. That same Saturday the JV players had a tournament as well. They won 3-2 in a dual meet, defeating Los Gatos and Cupertino, two very difficult teams. Harrison Smith, aso called “Stud” by the rest of the team, won 5-0 undefeated. Overall, the team is looking forward to a better season with its new additions. The Viking wrestlers are

ready to give it their all once

again.

Varsity Girls: 1st/6

Varsity Boys 5th/6

Varsity: 5th/7

Varsity Girls: 5th/6

Varsity Boys: 3rd/6

Varsity & Varsity: Elite: 1st/6

Junior Greg Huey pummels his opponent to

the mat in his 5-0 undefeated victory.

Photo: Greg H

uey

Humor12 | The Voice 17.4

Rap Star Fables

Rick Astley: Because he’s never gonna give you up…

Steve Carell: Who could hate the man who brought “That’s what she said” into our lives?

Chuck Norris: Because he created the list.

T.I.: Well, he can do whatever he like.

George W. Bush (Finally): It’s been a long eight years, but you’re fi nally gone!

Will Smith: After 20 years, he still remains the cleanest rap artist in history.

10. I returned it because I didn’t think you would like it. 9. The dog ate it. 8. Your gift is coming and will be here next Christmas. 7. I was getting it, but there were too many security cameras. 6. Wasn’t Santa bringing your gift? 5. You’re the one who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, right? 4. Uhh…economic crisis? 3. I thought about buying it. It’s the thought that counts, right? 2. Didn’t you want the gift donated to charity? 1. It’s Christmas already?!?

Directions: 1) Cut out box on dashed lines 2) Fold solid lines (horizontally, then vertically) 3) Sign card and give to friends =)

Naughty

Naughty or Nice:Celebrity Edition

By David Lo

By Karishma Patel

By Rebecca Warmack

Top Ten Reasons for Not Having a Christmas Gift

By Yu-Hsuan Lin

“I ain’t saying she a gold digger,” explained Kanye. “But she ain’t messing with no broke—” “Yeah, yeah, I know, you told me,” says the fortuneteller. “Now, what do you want?” “I wanna touch the sky,” replied Kanye. “No. No, that’s not what I meant. What do you want to fi nd out? Why are you here?” “I want to talk to God,” admitted Kanye. “But I’m afraid ‘cause we ain’t spoke in so long.” “O.K., you know what? Your time’s up. That’ll be twenty-fi ve dollars.” “Na-uh, you can’t tell me nothing,” retorted Kanye.

Moral: He’s got the skills to pay his bills.

Kanye West and the Fortuneteller

Lil’ Wayne was clubbin’ one night when a tornado ripped the building off its foundations. Stepping out from the wrecked strip club, Lil’ Wayne found himself surrounded by a set of strange characters. “I have no brain,” lamented the Scarecrow. “I have no heart,” said the Tin Man. “I have no courage,” whimpered the Lion. “I have the golden leaf,” said Lil’ Wayne. Problem solved.

Moral: Don’t do drugs, unless you are using them to treat genuine medical problems.

Lil’ Wayne and the Wizard of Oz

“Listen Timbaland, the beats for the last song were sick. But I need you to do a small favor for me.” “Yeah?” “Do a cameo. Say some-thing in the song, preferably something monosyllabic.” “Like Lil’ Jon?” “Yeah, like him.”

“Ehh,” said Timbaland.

Moral: A syllable speaks more than a thousand words. Wait…

Timbaland and the Monosyllabic Cameo

Appearance

By Rachel Li

Four Things Worse Than Black Friday

Holidy Greeting Card

PS: Santa has diabetes

Happy Holidays

Have a SWEET Holiday Season, kids. . .

Santa Photo: bearskinrug.co.ukCookie Photo: goodeatsblog.com

Front

Inside Inside Reverse

Back

Free Space

NiceLindsay Lohan: While all of us are living normal lives, she’s been in and out of rehab more times than the number of stupid movies Adam Sandler starred in.

Miley Cyrus: So she can’t sing and she can’t act. What can she do?

OJ Simpson: GUILTY! Er…I mean naughty.

Jonas Brothers: If they couldn’t sing before puberty what makes them think they can sing now?

Robert Pattinson: The dude spends his nights watching girls sleep.

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Beware, girls. He watches you. Every night. [not pictured: his hands]

Jonas Brothers Certifi edas Pimpin’

By Salman Qasim Upon discovering that singer Joe Jonas had hooked up with actress Camilla Belle, 16 year- old Bolina Ajibola decided to conduct some research into the entire Jonas Brother’s band and their relationships. “Omg,” she told reporters, “they are TOTALLY pimpin’!” The study took several factors into account. First was general appearance. The Jonas Brothers are known for their skinny and very un-masculine ties, deliciously tight jeans, designer shoes and vests. “The vests are a huge part of their pimpin’ desirability. Girls see those vests, with those skinny ties tucked inside, and think ‘Is there room for one more in that vest?’” said Bolina. Also high on the pimp charts were the brothers’ smoldering facial expressions. Nick, 16, possesses a subtle half-scowl that has been documented as the leading cause of heart attacks in girls under 17, while Kevin, the eldest, has the baby-face of an angel. Bolina also studied past trends, and found shocking results. “Wow, I so did not know that Nick dated, and then broke up with both Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez! It’s like he dated them just to say he did, and that

is the sign of a true pimp,” said Bolina. Cyrus and Gomez are currently the Disney Channel’s highest earning female stars. Joe Jonas was found to be even more notorious, having dated singer Taylor Swift and swiftly dumping her over the phone in a 27 second call. Within those 27 seconds he had already moved on to actress Camilla Belle, who will no doubt fi nd herself sad and alone soon. Kevin Jonas, meanwhile, was quoted in an interview as saying, “I don’t think I’d ever reject anyone.” “Since we can assume that his security would only let pretty girls through to see him,” said Bolina, “we can modify his statement to be ‘I don’t think I’d ever reject pretty girls’. We know from past studies that pimps NEVER reject pretty girls, even if they’re already dating, and the Jonas brothers seem to follow that trend.” Although pimps are generally looked down on in American society, Bolina’s results were met with surprisingly little backlash. The consensus among most girls seemed to be “I’m glad they are pimpin’ so many girls at once; it raises the chance that one of them will date ME eventually, after running out of other girls!”

Studies show high level of pimp radiating from young boy band

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