Northside`s Principal Selection Process

Northside College Preparatory High School
November 2006
HoofBeat
Vol. 8 No. 3
The
News
pages 1-3
• Debate team crushes
competition
• Freshman friday
Features pages 4-5
• Northside’s German
visitors
Editorial pages 6-7
•Beresoufflé: I hate the
College Board
•Topinka vs. Blagoevich:
who’s got the better hair?
Centerfold pages 8-9
• Election hot topics
• Rich Whitney for the Green
Party
A & E
pages 10-13
• Black Eyed Peas rock
Chicago
• Radkowski: How did your
parents let you out of the
house?
Sports
pages 14-16
• Northside women take city
in volleyball and golf
Pages 10-11
Pages 8-9
Chicago
International
Film Festival
Centerfold:
Election 2006
campaign trail
Who will take his place?
Northside’s Principal Selection Process
by Ashraf Abbas
Dr. James Lalley,
Northside’s principal, will
retire at the end of this
school year. While this fact
saddens many of Northside’s students and staff,
the Local School Council
(LSC) has promised to find
a principal that will be just
as qualified as Dr. Lalley.
Northside’s LSC is
made up six Northside
parents, teachers Mr. Tim
Devine and Ms. Mulligan,
two community members,
student representative
Olivia Henry, Adv. 803,
and Dr. Lalley. The LSC
possesses powers that allow
it to make many decisions
that greatly affect Northside. Perhaps the most
important of these powers
is to select a new principal
if the current principal is
ever either fired or chooses
to retire. Upon realizing Dr.
Lalley’s retirement plan in
early July, the LSC started
to exercise its power. It created a Principal Selection
Committee, which consists Dr. James Lalley and Ms. Martha Mulligan carefully discuss the Principal Selection process and its recent
of the LSC minus Dr.
progress.
Lalley and Olivia Henry.
Photo by Maxwell Brown
The reason for shutting
bring in as many candidates as possible. They
to cut down the list of candidates to those best
out members is due to guidelines that specifically
sent in requests to organizations like Golden
suited for the job.
state that Dr. Lalley, as acting principal, is not alApple Awards (and their winners), and the AssoSometime in November, the Committee
lowed to vote for his successor, and Olivia Henry,
ciation for Gifted and Talented Educators. They
hopes to invite their list of potentials to Northas a student, cannot vote on personnel matters.
also posted articles and ads in the CPS e-bulside for a formal interview. This interview will
“I think we’re really blessed to have such a
letin, the New York Times, Education Weekly,
include a 30 minute writing prompt and a 40
hardworking, cohesive group,” Dr. Mary Lou
Principal.org, and Agent K-12.org (a website).
minute interview by the entire principal selecSchmidt, LSC Chairperson, said. “It’s an amazApplication deadlines were set for October 6,
tion committee. Although the 30 minute writing
ing privilege because I do think that our school
2006, but the committee did not receive many
prompt may seem unnecessary to those lookknows what we need more than the people
applications.
ing in from the outside, the Committee wants
downtown.”
“The problem was that some candidates
to make it clear that they are looking for a very
Before anything was set in motion, the comcalled the Principal Selection Office saying that
well-read candidate and that an on-the-spot
mittee had to decide on a viable list of criteria by
they were not allowed to register as candidates
prompt is one of the best ways to do this.
which to assess candidates. The list, as posted on
because they were not part of CPS,” Dr. Schmidt
The final candidates from this round will
the LSC website, states that the optimal candisaid.
then be invited back to Northside in January for
date will possess traits that include 1) dedication
This was not supposed to happen, as the plan
a public forum. The majority of the forum will
to the creation of an atmosphere of nurturing,
was to pull from a national pool of candidates. A include Northside students, faculty, staff and
supporting, and challenging gifted-talented adofew calls to Arnie Duncan, CEO of the Chicago
parents asking each candidate what it is they plan
lescents, 2) technological adeptness, 3) significant
public Schools system, who happens to be very
to do as Northside’s principal.
teaching experience, 4) demonstrated innovative,
supportive of the Committee’s efforts, fixed the
After this forum, the Committee will come
visionary, and effective leader ship abilities in
issue. The LSC then extended the application
together and make its final decision. The contract
secondary education, and 5) a deep understanddeadline to October 27th, encouraging all applifor Northside’s new principal will start July 1st
ing of multiple pedagogies appropriate for gifted,
cants to re-apply. On October 28th, the Commit2007, and with all of the work done up to that
talented learners.
tee, finding themselves with 23 applications, went point, the LSC can only hope that their chosen
Soon after, the committee started to advertise
ahead with their plan and quickly assessed the
candidate will be a good fit for the Northside
on both local and national scales in an effort to
applications by using the aforementioned criteria
community.
Peer Jury programs suit Northside
by Zlatana Alibegovic
Northside’s Peer Jury program
will be reinstated this year. Assistant Principal Lisa Moreno says
the program is intended to allow
students to play a bigger role in the
Northside community.
“The program is supposed to
give students a voice and to see that
their actions can have a greater impact on their surrounding environment,” Moreno said.
The main goal of this program
is to offer the “Referred Student,”
or the student who chooses to
violate school rules, an opportunity
to recognize the consequences his
or her action has brought upon the
learning environment and then allow the student to fix the problem.
The student discusses the issue with
a jury of their peers and together
they develop a written proposal, or
contract, in which they agree to fix
and learn from their mistake.
Each student who falls under a
Level One to Level Three violation, as specified in the Uniform
Discipline Code, will either be given
a suitable punishment by the school
administrator or offered the opportunity to participate in the Peer Jury
program.
“Ideally, you won’t see them in
vital questions: Does the student
acknowledge accountability for his
or her actions? What skills does the
student need to learn or develop
Peer Jury for the same crime because they know how their actions
impact their environment,” Moreno
said.
Before a plan of action can
be proposed, the court asks three
in order not to break the same rule
in the future? Will the agreement
that the referred student completes
enhance the safety of the school
community? The responses to these
questions are then used to estab-
lish a plan of action in which the
student has great input.
“Everyone will respond better
because the student has a voice in
the punishment,” Moreno
said.
Ms. Moreno has seen a
very positive response from
Northside students. She has
received at least 15 emails
from students who are
interested in participating,
and has recruited a moderator, Dr. Peggy Murphy.
Moreno hopes to have, at
the very least, two rotating
juries so that no student is
overwhelmed. She is optimistic about the start of this
program, especially with such
wide student interest.
“I want to join because
I was wronged in the past,”
Benjamin
Continued as “Peer Jury”
on pg. 3
Page 2 News Freshmen frenzy
“Freshie Friday” takes its toll
by Nadir Rashid
men friends, not be discouraged by them.
He also stated that upperclassmen and
freshmen have to learn to bond and that
they cannot have differentiation. Lalley
is against the hazing and states that it is
unacceptable to make life miserable for
freshmen.
“Students should reflect on their own
actions, shun inappropriate behavior, and
challenge one another
to act responsibly,”
Lalley said. “Northside
College Prep defines
itself as a community of learners, a place
where students support
one another in learning
and living. Hazing, intimidation, bullying are
inconsistent with the
ethos of the school. No
student should suffer
the indignity of being
pushed around, circled,
or ridiculed. The mutual respect, trust, and
support that students
have for one another
make Northside a safe
and secure place for
everyone.”
Most of the freshmen that have been in
this circle have not been
affected emotionally or
physically because they
Freshmen took quickly to the hazing events and had strong feelings on the topic.
understood the joke.
Photo by Ashraf Abbas
Still, teachers and the
administration do not
take hazing lightly, and
Hazing has never been a serious prob- Molokwu, Adv. 010, said. “But if I were
the perpetrators face major consequences,
lem at Northside until this year. Many
an upperclassman, I probably would have
such as suspension, for their actions.
freshmen wonder why the attacks are
done it myself.”
Teachers plan to stand in the halls in an
beginning now.
Principal Dr. Lalley cites Northside’s
effort to find out who is starting these
“It was pretty hateful of the upSurviving Freshmen Year program as a
hazing instances. Those who break these
perclassmen to throw pennies,” Forrest
means for freshmen to get over the barrules and initiate or participate in hazing
Cortes, Adv. 010, said.
rier of entering a new environment and
incidents will be punished.
Some people see hazing as a transihow senior leaders played a big role in
tion into high school. Many freshmen
helping freshmen. This event was used to
who have not been affected by the “upboost freshmen confidence and to make
perclassmen circle” actually seem to be
it easier for them to make upperclassDuring the first few weeks of the
school year, upperclassmen hazed freshmen on several occasions. This hazing,
also known as “Freshie Friday,” is an
upheld tradition in many schools. This
year, upperclassmen have thrown pennies
and pushed freshmen around in a circle in
the Second Floor Atrium.
amused by it and get a good laugh. Those
who have experienced this form of hazing
may see it as a simple joke at first, but
actually start to fear or dislike the upperclassmen.
“At first it was quite scary because the
upperclassmen were screaming ‘freshmen!’ and they threw me in a crowd
and pushed me to the back,” Khayin
Only as good as they feel
Northside’s Student Connection Survey 2006
results
by Ashraf Abbas
Northside students who have participated
within a very acceptable—and perhaps
The Student Connection Survey
in at least one extracurricular activity.
even universal—range of standards.
was set up by CPS in an effort to gauge
Each category has a very sensitive
Many people, both students and staff feel
student’s perceptions of their respective
meaning to one aspect of the school’s
the same way.
school(s) in four categories: Safe and
success.
“I agree with the results, but I wish
Respectful Climate, High Expectations,
As a supplement to the survey, there
it would carry over to other schools,”
Student Support, and Social and Emois a section called “Suggested Next Steps” Andrea Garcia, Adv. 707, said.
tional Learning. With this information,
written to assist those schools with issues
Of course, just because Northside
CPS hopes to help all of its schools immade relevant by the survey’s results. The
scored so well does not mean there is no
prove their services to their students. The
suggestions include reviewing the report
more room for improvement. Dr. James
general idea is to provide the lower-scorwith administrative bodies, conducting
Lalley, Northside’s principal, hopes
ing schools with something to look up to
student focus groups, and implementing
to discuss the results with both faculty
and model.
some sort of action plan for improving
members and members of Northside’s
Approximately 86 percent of
student connection.
LSC. Hopefully, by working together as
Northside’s students responded to the
The idea here, as mentioned above,
a school, Northside can go above and
survey and rated Northside very well
is to have all CPS schools functioning
beyond what it already is.
in every category. In total, 99 percent
of Northside’s
students said that
Northside had a
safe and respectful climate; 92
precent agreed
that teachers
encourage them
to both think and
work their hardest; 90 percent
agreed that, as
students, they
feel listened to,
cared about, and
helped by teachers and adults in
the building; and,
finally, 91 percent
of students agree
that they care
about others,
work productively with one
another, and have
good social skills.
Along with
these four major
categories, the
survey also acStudents like Christina Khou, Adv. 703, and Joanna Stack, Adv. 708, feel comfortable about
asking teachers like Mr. Jeff Solin for help.
counted for the
Photo by Ashraf Abbas
93 percent of
The Hoof Beat
Northside College
Prep High School
5501 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
Tel: (773) 534-3954
Fax: (773) 534-3964
Principal: Dr. James Lalley
Assistant Principal:
Ms. Lisa Moreno
Advisor: Mr. Chester Tylinski
Editors-In-Chief: Damon Beres,
Aliy Markowski
Copy Editors: Maxwell Brown,
Natalia Emanuel
Managing Editor: Kana Yoo
Assistant Managing Editor: Rachel
Hautzinger
Chief Layout Editor: Geethi Abraham
News Editor: Ashraf Abbas
Features Editor: Elizabeth Jose
Centerfold Editor: Abir Usman
Editorial Editor: Muamera Hadzic
Satire: Liz Born, Damon Beres
Arts and Entertainment Editor:
Patricia Radkowski
Sports Editor: Geethi Abraham
Photo Editors: Neha Alam,
Zenobia Gonsalves
Art Editor: Vasiliki Mitrakos
Polling Managers: Shoaib Ali, Mohammad Kahleelullah
Reporters: Zainab Bilfaqi, Sejla
Dizdarevc, Muhammad Actar,
Mohammad Khaleelulah, Karolina
Maslanka, Nadir Rashid, Michelle
Zacarias, Liz Born, Sonya
Dekhtyar, Sejla Dizdarevic, Ahmed
Imtiaz, Farrukh Mukhtar
Junior Reporters: Zlatana Alibegovic, Andrea Ljevar, Mohammad
Rahman, Riaz Shaikh, Sarah Jose,
Helen Liutongco, Bridget Illing,
Jordan Garcia
The Hoof Beat is a monthly publication
produced by the Northside Prep Journalism
Class. As a student-run newspaper, your
opinions are important to us. If you have
any comments, corrections, critiques, or
questions, please e-mail Mr. Chester Tylinski
at [email protected].
November 2006
Missing Northside alum
Paul Shuman-Moore disappears from Grinnell
Campus
by Muamera Hadzic
Last seen on Monday, September 25th, Paul Shuman
locations. The buses take the students on a two day
Moore, Northside alum and Grinnell College alum, is
admissions visit. Each student is paired up with a host
still missing. Authorities report that he last entered his
student from the college and spends those two days under
Lazier Residence Hall at 1:23
their supervision. It was
a.m. From that point on,
clear from the atmosphere
his whereabouts have been
on campus that students,
unknown as he did not take
especially those who
his wallet, ATM card, any
attended had attended
such personal identification,
Northside, were worried.
or his bike, Grinnell students’
“It was so sad that
primary mode of transportato see someone we used to
tion.
see everyday in the halls
Students report that he
now plastered all over the
had been in good spirits that
school on those ‘Have
weekend. Early that Sunday
you seen this person’ postevening, he played at Bob’s
ers we have everywhere,”
Underground, a popular
Elizabeth Born, Adv. 705,
student-run café. He particisaid.
pated in a Frisbee tournament
The student hosts
in which his team did really
at Grinnell did not talk
well. He also attended two
much about the disapparties, the second which he
pearance but did reveal
returned from that Monday
common concerns.
night.
“We didn’t really
About a day after his
know him; but when we
disappearance, his roommate
found out he was missbegan to worry and contacted
ing, we were all worschool officials for help. The
ried,” Anna Friel, Grinell
main concern became the
College, said. “I mean, I
note Shuman-Moore had left
joined a couple of search
behind. Authorities have not
parties and helped out.”
released the contents, and
These students remuch public speculation has
vealed a great deal about
deemed it a suicide note. His
the type of community
Paul Shuman-Moore
parents argue that it is not
established at Grinnell
Photo courtesy of www.grinell.edu
a suicide note: it is simply a
College.
revelation that he needed a
“We are all really close
‘break’ of sorts.
and everyone here seems to have some core group of
Regardless of much guessing and assumptions, the
friends, so lonliness, seculsion and such things are not
note still has not been released. However, search efforts
really a problem around here,” Stephanie Potts, Grinnell
have been initiated. Searchers are branching out across
College, said. “So we were all very confused.”
the Iowa campus and Chicago area. The main searching
He was an accomplished student, an active athlete
in Chicago has been taking place around several univerand musician and desipte his quiet demeanour, Shumansity campuses. Northside has taken part in these search
Moore established strong relationships with teachers.
efforts by recruiting volunteers to be placed at designated
“He just needs to come home soon,” Ms. Dianne
locations to put up posters and inform the communities.
Malueg, English Department, said. “Not even come
A few days after Moore’s disappearance, on Septemhome, call someone, let us know he’s okay.”
ber 28th, many Northside students visited the college
Searching has been temporarily halted in Iowa due to
campus for Grinnell’s annual “Discover Grinnell” prothe beginning of hunting season and concerns about the
gram. The college sends a coach bus to several Chicago
saftey of the search parties.
News
Page 3
“Peer Jury”
Continued from front page
Garcia, Adv. 909, said. “I was given a punishment
that didn’t fit the crime.”
No official date has been set for the program to begin,
and a meeting between Dr. Murphy and Moreno is still
pending. Training for the program should begin by the
end of October. On-site training will be provided by Alternatives Inc. and Safe Schools, from where the peer jury
programs originate.
Northside’s already respectful environment will be
allowed to grow into an even better environment with this
program, Moreno said.
“The peer jury program would provide me with a
unique opportunity to make very important decisions, and
it would allow me to grow as a leader,” Garcia said.
“I think that this knowledge will stay with me past
my high school years because in the real world, I will have
to make decisions similar to these everyday so in a way,”
Garcia said. “This will give me a head start on life.”
First year debate success
Northside steals first through fourth place at
CPS debate tournament
by Muamera Hadzic
The year’s first Chicago
Public School debate tournament, held on October
7th, welcomed Northside as
a new competitor. As a first
year competitor, Northside managed to win first
through fourth seat overall,
as well as the first and second place individual speaker
awards. Although Northside
does not have a debate team,
the Speech and Debate
class contains a competitive
section in which much time
is spent preparing for the
structured CPS debates.
Northside competed
at the junior varsity level,
as it is new to the Chicago
Debate League. The tournaments are divided into multiple rounds in which two
teams debate in front of a
judge. Teams consist of two
people, and in some cases
one. The debate rounds are
extremely structured, which
was something that most
Northside competitors had a
hard time adjusting to.
The rounds revolved
around a set of “Core Files.”
These Core Files revolve
around a single resolution
which all of the arguments it
contains need to support.
The rounds take the format of alternating speeches
followed by cross-examinations, and later, a set of
rebuttals. The affirmative
provides their first argument
in what is called the Affirmative Constructive Speech
(1AC). This argument is
provided in the Core Files
and needs simply to be read.
However, the challenge is
reading with enough speed
to remain coherent within
the eight-minute time limit.
After this, the negative
side has the chance to crossexamine the evidence provided. Each side is allowed
two constructive speeches,
after which they are allowed
two rebuttals.
The speeches follow
that exact order in that the
negative and affirmative
alternate speaking and cross
examining until the second
half of the round. From
then, the rebuttals are simple
and straightforward with no
cross-examination. The rebuttals are vital in any round
as they are the team’s last
speeches and their only way
to stress why their respective
side should win the round.
This is done quite explicitly,
and at times, maliciously.
The above general format includes various other
smaller rules that the contes-
tants need to be extremely
familiar with as technicalities are what can sometimes
win a round.
In addition, contestants
are awarded individual
speaker points. A speaker
must exhibit proficiency in
reading quickly to include
all necessary information
while simultaneously showing that he/she can speak
comfortably even without
evidence for the second half
of the round. The Core Files
can only include so many
pieces of evidence until
logic and cross applications
are brought up during the
rebuttals.
Naturally, a speaker
must also display coherent
speaking ability, volume,
and eye contact with the
judge at some point. Speakers are not allowed to address their opposing side and
speaker points are deducted
should that happen. They
must only address the judge
as they speak because the
judge determines the round;
in addition, addressing your
opponent directly leads to
increased volume, hostility
and confrontation – all of
which warrant a reduction
in speaker points.
Five teams, 10 com-
petitors in total, represented
Northside on October 7th.
The competitors were both
anxious and apprehensive as
they walked into the competition. After two rounds,
however, the competitors
slowly started to relax
because they realized how
prepared they were.
“We were all nervous at
first because we were expecting amazing teams because
it is junior varsity, but we
then realized there was nothing to worry about since we
were more than ready to
compete at this level,” Patricia Mazur, Adv. 701, said.
Northside was granted a
spot on “AA Junior Varsity”
because although they were
new competitors, their status
warranted a higher placement. Despite the bump,
however, there was a general
discrepancy as most of the
participating schools had
been involved for several
years and had an established
junior varsity and varsity.
“It was interesting because a lot of the time, judges and contestants would
tell us how we were reading
and competing at ‘varsity
level’ simply because we
were able to read faster and
took advantage of things
like strong decision calculus
in our rebuttals,” Elizabeth
Granato, Adv. 706, said.
Northside expected to be
able to leave the tournament
early, as schools that do
not win are not required to
stay for the final exhibition
round, which determines
who the first place winner
is (meaning it becomes possible for the first place team
to drop down to second).
Out of fifty-three
competing teams, Patricia
Mazur, Adv. 701, and Muamera Hadzic, Adv. 702, took
first place overall with 119.3
points. Trevor Woodland,
Adv. 706, and Elizabeth
Granato, Adv. 706, followed with 115.5 with
Andrew Mark, Adv. 700,
and Michael Florian, Adv.
708, taking third place with
115.0, just half a point short
of second. Idris Okere, Adv.
703, and Ryan Jansen, Adv.
700, won fourth with 114.5.
Finally, Michelle Porcelli,
Adv. 902, and Zlatana Alibegovic, Adv. 902, took eighth
place with 114.0 points.
True to its nature, the final exhibition round yielded
a switch in first and second
place. Trevor Woodland,
Adv. 704, and Elizabeth
Granato, Adv. 706, became
the new first place team with
Patricia Mazur, Adv. 701,
and Muamera Hadzic, Adv.
702, following in second.
However, speaker points
remained as originally
awarded. Out of a total of
106 competitors, Muamera
Hadzic, Adv. 702, ranked
in first place and Patricia
Mazur, Adv. 701 followed
in second. Michael Florian,
Adv. 708, was ranked in
fourth and the remaining
competitors ranked above
20th place.
The success of this
first competition has many
Northside competitors
looking forward to their
next tournament (to be held
on November 4th – 5th).
This tournament is different, however, and will allow
for elimination. The lowest
ranked schools are eliminated after a certain amount
of losses, leaving the top
seated teams to compete for
top rank.
“I am extremely excited
for our second tournament
and hope that we do as well,
with all this practice I can’t
see us not performing as
well as we have in the first
one. Hopefully we’ll bring
home first once again,” Idris
Okere, Adv. 703, said.
Page 4 Features
The Hoof Beat
Jammah Club jams lunchroom
Club hosts 8th annual dinner
by Mohammad Khaleelullah
As the balloon
and streamer-filled
cafeteria buzzed
with excitement and
hungry students and
parents, the Northside
Jammah Club’s Ramadan Dinner began.
On Friday October 20,
2006, the eighth annual dinner took place
at about 6:00 p.m. in
the school’s cafeteria.
The Ramadan dinner
is one of two dinners hosted by the
club each year. The
Ramadan dinner, held
during the Islamic
month of Ramadan, is
held to help increase
Islamic awareness
throughout the school
of the meaning behind
the holy month and
how it affects those
who observe it. Every
year, the event has
many returning attendees who come
back for the food and
atmosphere as well
as new comers who
come and enjoy the
food and program.
“The turnout for
the dinners is always
great,” Saif Rahman,
Adv. 803, said. “The
crowds are usually
very diverse, range
Guests of Jama’ah Club’s Ramadan dinner serve themselves to platters of food. from many differPhoto by Kana Yoo
ent ethnicities and
religions, and are a
it because the atmosphere is just
The program began as Salim
mix of students and faculty. We are
amazing with so many different
Patel, Adv. 800, introduced the
usually satisfied with the attentypes of people there.
Islamic prayer, which Muslims use
dance, but we certainly would not
“We want to make sure we get
to open their fast, followed by a
mind more.”
a lot of different types of people,”
translation into English. The fast
The club extends their invitaIrfan Hussain, Adv. 808, Public
is opened at sunset with a date and
tion to the entire Northside student
Relations Director of Jammah
some water. Both items were passed
body and staff.
Club, said. “Because Islam is so
out to the guests. Right after open“I attended the dinner last
diverse, we believe the dinner will
ing their fasts, it was time for the
year,” Joseph Kanikunnel, Adv.
flourish under the circumstances of
fourth of five daily prayers for Mus807, said. “I knew I could not miss
diversity.
lims. The prayer, which is called
“Magrib,” was prayed in the gym
and auditorium while the guests
either watched or stayed behind in
the cafeteria looking over some of
the posters the club had made about
the Islamic religion.
After returning from prayer, the
guests had a chance to sample one
of the dinner’s highlights: the home
cooked food.
“I love how we all prepare the
food from home and bring
it,” Farrukh Muktar, Adv.
801, said. “It allows each
member in the club to add
a personal touch to the
dinner.”
The club arranged
dinner for all their guests
by serving a variety of delicious cultural courses. The
courses covered everything
from appetizers to desert.
Members believed the
courses were prepared to
represent the diversity Islam
has within itself pertaining
to its diverse followers.
“The food was different,” Lizelle Maricelle, Adv.
807, said. “Different in a
great way.”
Guests were urged to
try some of the food that
was specially prepared in
order for them to get a feel
for the many ethnic backgrounds of the club members. After everyone chose a
few food items, the program
continued. Mr. Tylinksi, the
club’s sponsor, spoke to the
audience about the club and
its prominent history. Salim
Patel, Adv. 800, co-President of the club, then went
on to welcome the guests
and inform them about the
importance of Ramadan
and fasting in a Muslim’s
life. Abir Usman, Adv. 806,
spoke about the meaning
of Jammah Club and its
activities.
As the dinner came to
an end, the club members were
satisfied again with the turnout and
hoped “at least one person left with
some knowledge of Islam,” according to Saad Ahsan, a 2006 graduate
from Northside.
The club is currently looking for
open feedback about the dinner and
can be reached at [email protected].
An afternoon at the Goodman
Northside students attend production of “King Lear”
by Helen Liutongco
Festive music resonated throughout the
theater. On the stage, smoke rose from lit cigarettes. A crowd of people in suits, fur coats,
and evening gowns cheered in celebration,
drank wine, and danced the night away. So
went the opening of the Goodman Theater’s
production of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
Dramatic Literature students and Mr.
Snow’s AP Literature classes attended a matinee performance of “King Lear” on October
18, 2006. The production ran from September 9 through October 26 and was part of
Goodman’s Student Subscription Series, an
educational program designed for literature
students. The program includes free tickets
for three Goodman plays, scripts of each play,
educational DVDs, and a post-show discussion with the students.
In the early afternoon, students from
schools all over Chicago arrived by school bus
at the Goodman, located at the heart of the
Theatre District in downtown Chicago. The
play began exactly at noon. The live performance of “King Lear” brought out aspects of
the play that would not be seen through the
script alone. The audience laughed at Lear’s
comical gestures and inflections, jumped at
the sounds of gunfire, and winced at the
scenes of graphic violence.
“I think the graphicness, like
the violence, was very powerful,” Carla Padvoiskis, Adv.
809, said. “Mostly in
the second act, the
violence really
drove the point
home.”
Some parts
of Goodman’s
“King Lear”
were modernized. The set-
ting was changed from
eighth century BC to
1990’s Serbia. This shift
in setting was accentuated by the look of the
sets and the scenes of
warfare in the second
half, which included
using body bags
as props and using
sounds of aerial bombardment in the audio
track. Rap beats and
the Rolling Stones’s
“Gimme Shelter” were
used as background
music during pivotal
scenes, sword duels
were replaced with
gunfights, and characters wore fur coats and
business suits instead of
the Elizabethan outfits
appropriate in Shakespeare’s time. Other
than props and
costumes, the
Goodman’s
production
took
artistic license with other characteristics of
the play. For instance, the character Goneril
was often involved in sexual acts not included
in the original script. The play also included
pop culture in-jokes, such as a character that
dons a wig with dreadlocks as a disguise.
Some attendees, however, disliked these
changes.
“There were a lot of things thrown in
for humor and comedic effect, like the scene
where smoke came out of the car or the
weird, random dance scene. It detracted from
the power of the play,” Robin Tholin, Adv.
801, said.
The conduct of fellow audience members
also caused displeasure amongst attendees.
At the start of the second half of the play, a
student sitting on the balcony shined a laser
point pen onto the stage. During several instances, the student shined the laser onto the
face of an actor onstage.
“Whoever was pointing the laser pointer,
[it] was a shame” Jose Choto, Adv. 804, said.
A post-show discussion was held immediately following the performance. During the
discussion, the main cast members returned
to the stage and discussed the themes of the
play with the students. Students asked questions about the set and if the actors were able
to relate to the characters they played.
The next play of the Student Subscription Series is “A Christmas Carol,” which
Northside students will see on November 29.
The final play of the program is “Oedipus
Complex,” a retelling of “Oedipus Rex,”
which students will see in the late spring.
“I’m really looking forward to the
other plays because I enjoyed ‘King
Lear’,” Mari Yamagiwa, Adv. 808, said.
November 2006
Guten Tag
Features
Page 5
Northside welcomes German exchange students
by Brenda Ha
On September 30th, 25 students
a significant amount of time to
ater, playing sports, or just spending attractions: Millennium Park, the
from Hamburg, Germany arrived in planning.
time to get to know one another.
John Hancock Tower, and the
Chicago to participate in North“They’re only here for two
“I ride with my host family to
Lyric Opera House. The exchange
side’s student exchange program.
weeks, but it’s an all year process,”
the forest,” Gasance Nashin, one
students also visited the HemingThe entire program consisted of not Apel said. “Because when they
of the visiting German students,
way Museum, the University of
only Northside, but Lane Tech Colleave, then we start planning to go.” said. “It was quite like in a fairy
Chicago, and even Amish Country
lege Prep, Amundsen High School,
One of the most important
tale because it was kind of foggy
in Shipshewana, Indiana.
Lincoln Park High School, Mather
As the GerHigh School, and St. Patrick
man exchange
High School. Dr. Lowell Culver
students exorganized this program through
plored Chicago,
the Chicago-Hamburg Sister Cities
they discovered
Education Subcommittee.
many differThe exchange students spent
ences in educatwo weeks in Chicago, residing
tion, lifestyle,
with host families for the duration
and culture. In
of their trip. The basic duties of
Germany, there
the host families included providare less large,
ing shelter, meals, and transportaflashy cars.
tion. The program also encour“Every
aged hosts to partake in activities
student nearly
outside the designated itinerary
in this school
to expose the German students to
has a car—an
American cultures and pastimes.
expensive car. I
When staying with a family,
asked a student
guests can gain insights on how
and they said it
Americans handle situations and
was $17,000 for
what values they maintain.
a car,” Gasance
“It’s really important to live
said.
with a family because in your adult
From an
life, you’re going to travel and live
American
in a hotel or motel,” Ms. Virginia
perspective,
Apel, Northside’s German teacher,
some hosts did
said. “It gives you one perspective
not encounter
of a country.”
cultural gaps or
The idea of interacting with a
major differstudent from another country apences.
pealed to many of the hosts.
“I was
Mary Claire, Adv. 703, Meghan, Adv. 808, and Martin Schmit, Adv. 906, visit Buckingham
“It’s just really interesting to fountain with the German exchange student they were hosting.
surprised at how
speak with this teenager from the Photo courtesy of Megan Schmidt
many ways the
other side of the world,” Sarah
Germans were
aspects of planning the trip involves and leaves in the wind kept falling
Winters, Adv. 905, said. “I learned
just like American students,”
the day-to-day agenda. During the
down.”
about Germany and their culture.”
Winters said. “I think some teenage
weekends, the host families and
The weekdays were packed with ideals are universal—she [Philine
To ensure a successful and
guests can do as they please. Some
interesting and informative activienjoyable experience for the stuGehrmann, guest student] was like
of the activities families do with
ties. Some of the events included
dents and host families alike, the
an American in the way that she
their guest include going to the thesightseeing at famous Chicago
coordinators of the trip dedicated
was so funny, always teasing my
friends and just joking around, and
she always wanted to have fun.”
The exchange program not only
grants learning opportunities about
different cultures, but also forges
friendships and bonds.
“Some of them will email back
and forth all year. But from this
program, a lot of times, the contact
continues,” Ms. Apel said.
The Student Exchange program
bases itself on reciprocity. Plans
have already begun for Northside
students to travel to Germany.
This program is not only limited to
German students, since enrollment
in a German class is not a criteria.
The most important characteristics
of an interested student are a good
personality and an open mind.
October
Editorial
Page 6 2006
Editorial Mark My Words
College application checklist
by Aliy Markowski
The college application frenzy begins
again. Rolling deadlines for college admission
have already begun. Applications for early
decision and early action were due to most
colleges on the first of this month, and the
season of applications will continue until as
late as February for some schools. As a senior
already in the midst of the craze, I’ve decided
to share a few pieces of advice with next
year’s rising seniors—a few notes of interest
that, had I taken into account, might have
made the past month slightly more tolerable.
Write your essays early. You’ve certainly
heard this tidbit countless times before, but
the essay matters more than you may think.
According to Nancy L. Nolan, Ph. D., author
of “Ivy League Admission,” 70 percent of
college applicants fall in the category of
borderline candidates for the schools to which
they are applying; for these students, the essay
may make or break their shot at getting into
their dream school. Write your essays early
and rework them time and time again. Have
as many people read over them as possible,
and listen and respond to your readers’
feedback. You may think your writing
is superb, but if something sounds
awkward or unclear to a peer or
teacher reviewing your essay, it’s
likely something worth fixing.
You’re better off spending
the time
clearing
up these
mistakes
than risking
confusing
a college
admissions
officer with
incoherent writing.
Take
“Reading
and Writing Across the Disciplines,” formerly,
and I think more accurately, known as “College Reading and Writing.” But only take the
course if you plan to take advantage of the
opportunities to get a huge jump start on your
essays. In this senior class, you’ll spend the
first six weeks writing college essays, one essay per week. Senioritis will be hard to avoid;
it’s hard to balance a class load as heavy or
heavier as junior year with the burden of
handling your entire future weighing heavy
on your shoulders. “Reading and Writing
Across the Disciplines” creates a timeline for
you in writing your essays and ensures that
in the midst of daily assignments from other
classes, your college essays don’t get pushed
to the side. On the flip side, taking this course
if you don’t plan to put effort into the essays
you write each week is pointless. Churning
out 500 thoughtless words you’d never let an
admissions officer see just to complete the assignment each week is not really a step in the
right direction; take the class, but don’t waste
the class.
Sign up for standardized tests early. You
may end up needing to take both the ACT and
SAT, as well as several SAT subject tests. The
SAT and subject tests are administered on the
same dates, meaning you must choose to take
one or the other on any given day. Therefore, if you wind up needing
to retake tests,
make sure you
give yourself
time for as many
re-takes as are
necessary. You
wouldn’t want to
miss the opportunity to improve
your score simply
because you waited
too long and ran
out of testing dates
before the application deadlines.
If a school accepts both the SAT
and ACT, take both.
The two tests are
very different. It is not
uncommon for students to do significantly
better on one than the other. Give yourself the
opportunity to show colleges your very best
performance. Use every outlet, and both tests
in this case, to do so.
Visit the schools where you plan on ap-
plying. Any and every college looks spectacular with lush green quadrangles and brand
new buildings in the view books they send
out to applicants. National Public Radio’s
Wendy Kaufman recently reported that the
nationwide average for marketing costs of
schools trying to attract students reaches into
the thousands. That’s thousands of dollars
spent creating the most appealing catalogues
to stack at your doorstep; for that kind of
money, those quads better look green. But in
reality, not every school is picture perfect. The
dorms at some schools are less than livable.
And beyond the facilities and the mere physical appearance of the campus, the atmosphere
matters the most. Each school will have a very
unique feeling. This may depend on whether
the school is in an urban or rural setting, or it
may simply be defined by the attitudes of the
students. Regardless, this is an overall sentiment you need to know. Make sure it’s a place
where you’d be comfortable spending the next
four years of your life.
If you fall in love with a school, apply
early. Schools may claim that early action
or early decision candidates have the same
chances for admission, but the numbers show
otherwise. Almost every institution accepts
significantly more applicants applying early
decision than regular. Many colleges attribute
the percentage discrepancy to a stronger early
admission pool, but that argument has little
statistical support. At the least, applying early
shows a school you are truly interested and
that school is your top pick. If you get an
early acceptance in December, you may also
avoid the craze of uncertainty that fills second
semester for most high school seniors.
Finally, don’t apply to too many schools.
Filling out 15 applications will not only be
utterly exhausting, but it is also likely to
deteriorate the quality of each application in
the stack. Instead, focus on a smaller number
of schools and pour your efforts into polishing those applications to guarantee your best
chances for admission.
The college application process is stressful
and chaotic. Follow my advice and the load of
your future may feel just a bit lighter.
Beresoufflé
I hate the College Board
by Damon Beres
They’re responsible for standardized tests like the SAT and
SAT II. In their free time, they eat
the souls of high school students
across America. “Satan’s harem
of demon harpies” is a close approximation, but no, I speak of
the College Board. I can accept
that most institutions of higher
learning would require students
to take the SAT, but the fact
that more and more colleges are
recommending and even requiring
that students take SAT II subject
tests is really what bakes my eggs.
Freshmen and sophomores might
as well hurl themselves from
some sort of edifice now, because
applying to college is going to be
a nightmare by the time they’re
doing it.
First, it was the AP tests.
Students pay $83 per test for the
privilege of sitting in an exam
room for hours just so that they
have the chance of getting some
sort of college credit. Of course
it isn’t good enough to merely
spend the whole year in the class
itself; students generally must
score fours or fives (out of five)
on the AP examinations for most
colleges to give them credit. Some
upper level institutions won’t even
accept credit for certain classes.
So why take them to begin with,
and why spend that $83 (which
could mean $415 a year for a
student taking five AP classes)?
Because even though they may
not give you credit, if a college
sees that you were “slacking off ”
by “only” taking honors classes,
they’ll deem you a less competitive applicant.
Now, in addition to AP tests,
colleges want to see SAT II subject tests. New York University,
my top choice, decided to require
two subject tests starting this
year. Harvard requires three. It’s
becoming a trend for colleges to
recommend or require these tests,
and as the years go on, it wouldn’t
be unthinkable that most schools
would want at least two. These
tests also cost money ($18 registration fee plus $8 for the tests
themselves, and an additional $19
if the test is a language exam that
requires a listening component),
and require a lot of preparation.
And why is that? Because they
are, for all intents and purposes,
as rigorous as AP tests in terms
of the material they cover,
just shorter and without essay
components. It’s ridiculous, and
redundant, that students would
need to take both SAT II subject
tests and AP tests.
Here’s where the College
Board comes in. Obviously the
AP tests and SAT IIs are quite
similar, and taking both can be
rather costly. Perhaps it would be
fathomable if both tests were from
separate companies. They’re not.
The College Board manages
both the AP and SAT II tests,
and they want us to think they’re
a “not-for-profit organization.”
Surely they must be doing something with the $83 AP exam fee,
or the SAT II fees, or the $41.50
SAT Reasoning Test registration
fee (let’s not even get into the
$21.50 late registration fee, or the
$36.50 standby testing fee). Let’s
say Northside has 1,000 students.
If each student took only one AP
test, one SAT II, and one SAT
reasoning test across their entire
high school career, the College
Board would rake in $150,500.
This is a figure from Northside
alone, and it’s a low-estimate at
that, as I’d be willing to guess that
the average Northside student
probably takes three AP tests over
the course of their high school
career.
According to my calculations
based on data from the “Public
School Review” (http://www.
publicschoolreview.com), there
are about 110,000 high school
students just within Chicago
alone (which is just a part of
Cook County, which is just a part
of Illinois, etc.). While it wouldn’t
be fair to assume that students
from every school in Chicago all
take an AP test or SAT II Subject
Tests, I think it’s reasonable to
say that most students will take
the SAT Reasoning Test once
(and even if they don’t, the mere
fact that many students who take
the SAT take it twice, sometimes
three times, makes it fair to use
this as an average). Remember,
$41.50 registration fee. Times
110,000.
$4,565,000 from Chicago public high school students alone, just
from the SAT Reasoning Test.
I doubt the College Board
needs to pay their machines very
much money to grade filled in
circles, and while it assuredly
has a large staff to grade essays,
handle marketing (which, you
know, really calls the whole “notfor-profit” thing into question on
its own), etc., obviously they don’t
use all of their income to pay said
staff. The rest is probably going to
those who head the company, and
considering the money they rake
in just from the SAT Reasoning
Test, they’re getting paid a lot.
And if the College Board is making millions from Chicago alone,
what about the state of Illinois
itself ? Or the other states across
America?
In other words, as high school
students, we’re being exploited.
It’s a smart business: any high
school student that wants to go
to college has to take the SAT.
Many, many students will take
AP tests and SAT IIs, as well.
Honestly, the government should
probably tax these tests, seeing
as they’re essentially inelastic
goods: the SAT Reasoning Test
could cost $100 and people would
still have to take it, though there
would be more incentive to do
better the first time around if that
was the case.
While the College Board
doesn’t hold a monopoly (which
I’m not sure is even possible
for not-for-profit organizations,
which don’t have stock) as the
ACT gives them direct competition, it’s still an undeniable fact
that every single year, a huge
number of American high school
students will take these tests and
engorge the College Board with
money. We’re merely the bleating
sheep led to the inevitable slaughter. What choice do we have if
colleges are going to continue
to require these tests and if the
College Board is going to charge
obscene prices for them? Honestly,
it’s not like they’re printing the
questions with gold ink on some
sort of Egyptian papyrus.
Page
The7 Hoof Beat
The Hoof
Beat
Student
Newspaper
Lower the
voting age
Education funding reform stands as a
pivotal issue in Illinois’s close gubernatorial election this November. Yet among
the voters who will head to the polls on
Election Day, teenagers, who are directly
affected by the state’s ongoing funding
crisis, will have no say in the outcome of
the election. 16 and 17 year-olds should
have the right to vote on policies such as
education that affect their present and
their future.
The Revolutionary War slogan of
“taxation without representation” rings
true for American teenagers today. While
the National Youth Rights Foundation
reports that 80 percent of 16 and 17 yearolds work and pay federal taxes on their
earnings, these teens have no say in how
much tax is taken and where this money is
used because they cannot vote. The surfacing social security problems will affect
today’s teens in the future.16 and 17-year
olds should have the opportunity to vote
to ensure that the taxes they pay to the federal government now will remain available
to support them when they retire.
State and federal governments treat 16
year-olds like adults in several respects. At
16, teenagers can drive in 48 states. Courts
in many states try 16 year-olds as adults
for serious crimes. If a 16 year-old can be
punished as an adult, he or she should be
granted the voting rights of an adult.
Teenagers have needs that differ from
other segments of the American population. Politicians often overlook these
interests because youths have become a
voiceless constituency. The American
political system is designed to allow the
people to determine how society is run by
voting for politicians who represent their
interests,
yet teenagers have no
ability to
influence
politicians
to take
action on
policies to
serve them.
Critics
of lowering the
voter age
question
whether
youths at 16 and 17 years-old are mature
and informed enough to vote. The answer
to this question is that Americans in this
age group are as capable of voting as
adults. The Voting Rights Act of 1965
stated that voters must have completed the
6th grade to be qualified to vote. Most Illinois teens have completed the 10th grade
by the time they reach 16. These students
must pass the U.S. Constitution Examination during high school and must also
enroll in government and history classes to
learn about the American political system.
According to the National Youth Rights
Program, students taking high school
constitutional law program courses scored
better than adults in knowledge of government and politics. Therefore, high school
students do not lack adequate political
knowledge to cast a vote.
American 16 and 17-year olds face
many burdens of responsibility of adults.
Yet when it comes to the controversial political issues of today that affect teens both
now in the future, this critical youth constituency has no voice. If these teenagers
are not granted the right to vote, America
will continue to backpedal on the progress
of the Founding Fathers by stifling these
American voices.
The previous article is an editorial written by a member of the Hoof
Beat staff. Letters to the editor are
welcome. Please e-mail questions
or comments to [email protected].
November 2006
Editorial
Page 7
Judy means beauty!
Rod’s luscious locks
by Damon Beres
by Liz Born
Judy Baar Topinka: I’ll tell you what
she’s thinking. She’s thinking about being the
most beauteous governor this state has ever
laid eyes upon. Illinoisan voters need to get
their act together and pull themselves away
from the mud slinging on the television. They
need to focus on what is truly the most vital
criterion in electing a politician. No, not their
environmental policies, and certainly not their
education funding plans. What we need to
focus on is, quite simply, their hair.
It’s more than just dead cells and an
obvious beacon of aesthetic concern: looking
at a haircut is like peering into the innards
of the human soul. With politicians from all
viewpoints clashing on the veritable battlefield
known as American bureaucracy, it’s impossible for voters to make a sound decision on
policy alone. Perhaps one might agree with
Topinka’s desire to build a casino in Illinois, while simultaneously concurring with
Blagojevich’s thoughts on gun control. When
voters look to the filament adorning the candidates’ respective heads, however, it becomes
far easier to cast votes.
While Rod Blagojevich prefers the “I’m
three-years-old and mommy still dresses me”
style, Judy Baar Topinka elevates herself to
an indefinable elegance. Her hair is short, yes,
which lets voters know that she means business and doesn’t need to waste hours upon
hours primping herself in the morning. No,
she’d rather spend that time refining her “Budget Rescue Plan,” or feeding orphans. Most
of all, her cut suggests that she’s a contending
burst of femininity in what is stereotypically
viewed as a man’s world.
But there’s also a tender kindness to her
flowing locks that dear Rod simply can’t
compare to. Her hair bunches up in the back
in wizened tufts, a style reminiscent of dear
Aunt Betsy down on the farm. While she
means business, she also looks as though she
could take you into her warm, caring bosom
on a cold day and whisper “I made some
apple crispers” into your ear. Mr. Blagojevich
offers none of that comfort, and, if anything,
his haircut simply makes the statement of
“Come into my van, I have candy.” And re-
ally, wouldn’t voters prefer some toasty apple
crispers? Of course they would.
Even more glorious than the bunches
of tufts is the big JBT’s (that’s Judy Baar
Topinka) choice of color. Too good for a
natural hair color, hers is a most pungent burgundy. It’s sexy, passionate, romantic, and yet
formal all the same. Such a strong color goes
a long way in spicing up political debates,
and from an aesthetic perspective, it blends
elegantly into the shades of fall. It is almost
as if Topinka
is a spirit of
Mother Nature
herself as she
stands behind
the podium on
a crisp autumn
morn. The burgundy luster
also compliments her
juicy lipstick
choice, thus
letting voters
across the state
know that even
62-year-old
Republican
candidates can
have the vibrant allure of
plucky youth.
Blagojevich’s
dark shade of
terror is far
too severe and
tyrannical.
Voters,
particularly
teachers and
those in the senior class: you know what
you must do. Don’t succumb to voting based
upon extremist policies that would be forced
on you. Follow your heart, and vote for the
candidate whose hair could support American
needs: the big JBT. Remember, she has apple
crispers!
Rumors of corruption and scandal
seem to follow governor Rod Blagojevich
wherever he goes, and it is high time that
he dropped the act and gave us a truthful
answer to the question that plagues us all,
day and night: Just how does he manage to
get his hair so shiny?
Governor Blagojevich, on the other
hand, treats his locks with dignity and
respect. He is a shimmering beacon of
hope caught in the harsh flashbulbs of the
media. Behind that million dollar smile
and those adorable puppy-dog eyes is a
man who strives for perfection, and who
pulls through, persevering in the face his
enemies. And underneath all that luscious
hair? More hair, just as luscious as the hair
on top. Because he recognizes the value of
every hair, and treats it with dignity and
respect, just as you or I would want to be
treated. After all, aren’t the citizens of Illinois just like the hairs in a scalp? Together,
we make up this mane of tradition and
integrity that is our fair state.
Perhaps Blagojevich hasn’t done the
best job balancing the state budget, and
he may or may not have accepted bribes,
but let’s face it: hairs make mistakes. They
break and get split ends, sure, but with a little trimming, they grow back even stronger
and more beautiful than
before. If he is re-elected,
I have full confidence that
Blagojevich will shampoo
and condition, and this
time, he won’t forget to
repeat.
Recently, Governor
Blagojevich has announced his plans to expand his children’s healthcare program, “All Kids,”
by enlisting faith-based
groups to help provide
care for Illinois’ youngsters. Blagojevich is giving
them that extra boost, that
pro-vitamin formula that
will help them grow up
strong. Not only that, but
he’s also working with religious groups—that’s like
getting a priest to sprinkle
your hair with holy water.
Garnier only wishes they
could develop a formula
like that.
So this election season, we mustn’t lose heart,
for when we stand united,
we all benefit. One hair may be easy to
pull, but a whole ponytail of hair can be
very painful when it is yanked upon. This
Tuesday, when Rod Blagojevich battles Republican candidate Judy Barr Topinka at
the polls, you can be sure that he is going
to comb those tresses all the way to victory.
Choosing extremes
No middle ground in American politics
by Muhammad Akhtar
A few years ago, President
Bush and the Republican Party
proposed a gay marriage amendment that would prohibit homosexual couples from marrying.
After its failure in the Senate, many
predicted the Republicans would
abandon the anti-gay rights agenda
and focus on other, more pertinent
issues for the upcoming mid-term
election. In actuality, the gay marriage plank was nailed even harder
into the conservative platform.
At the other end of the political
spectrum, Democrats pursued
equally radical measures, including
attempts to censure the president
after some downturns in the Iraqi
conflict.
These occurrences illustrate the
massive ideological rift between
American political parties that
gained momentum following 9/11.
Ideological extremes, however, are
not exclusive to the political parties
alone; contemporary media outlets
also seem to be politically polarized. With the midterm election
in close-sight, there seems to be
no room in American politics for
moderates.
Campaign platforms for both
incumbents and challengers reflect
this trend of polarization. For
example, Senator George Allen (RVA.), now renowned for his racist
remarks against an Indian man at
one of his campaign rallies, is running on a platform that is pro-Iraq
war, pro-tax cuts, and “pro-Virginia
values.” On the other hand, Harry
Reid (D-Nev.) is campaigning for
exactly the opposite. He proposes
a quick withdrawal of troops from
Iraq and looser immigration laws.
With these senators leading their
respective parties, a basic principle
seems to be suggested here: democrats must be liberals, republicans
must be conservative, and there is
no such thing as a middle ground.
Historically, candidates and
voters alike have preferred political moderation. Even after the
“Republican revolution” of 1994,
many of the legislatures elected
into Congress were not the ideologists that they are today. However,
with the advent of increasingly
powerful lobbies (like the NAACP,
a now highly liberal political
faction) and the current War on
Terror, choosing extremes seems to
be the norm.
To make matters worse, compromise seems to be completely
out of the question. Both parties
wage war against each other, and,
with a Republican majority in both
the House of Representatives and
Senate, it seems that every legislation passed is in favor of a far-right
political faction. For example, the
appointment of John Roberts, a
highly conservative intellectual
from Buffalo City, pleased many
pro-life political organizations.
Liberal groups, such as MoveOn.
org, responded with the backing
of democratic legislators. Among
these legislators were Senate minority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
and Illinois Senator Barack Obama
(D-Ill.). It should also be noted that
MoveOn.org contributes millions
and millions of dollars to liberal
Democrats.
All these instances have, of
course, left moderate voters in a
rather sticky situation.
“The candidates for this election are such opposites and there is
almost no compromise. If I could
vote, voting for one would be most
difficult,” Gabe Aliaga, Adv. 803,
said.
Some have even come to
believe that American democracy
has now become a spectator sport,
with radical political organizations
being the base of both the Democrats and Republicans.
“All these radical groups are
deciding what is right for America.
It is like I have no say,” Salim
Patel, Adv. 800, said.
Websites such as MoveOn.org,
GiveEmHellHarry.com, and MediaMatters.com preach liberalism
to their visitors and donate millions
of dollars to Democrats to see the
policies they favor implemented by
Congress. The National Rifle Association and the American Conservative Union do the same for
Republicans. An effective moderate
fund has yet to be discovered.
Political
radicalism
is not only
limited to parties
and platforms; news
channels, television
shows, and even films
are beginning to promote
extreme beliefs. The News
Corp., which owns Fox
News Channels, is a
classic example of
an ideologically
charged television station.
“Every time I watch Fox, I see
some guy ragging on Democrats,”
Brennan Depriest, Adv. 806, said.
In fact, a recent study conducted by fair.org, concluded that 89
percent of guests on Fox’s “Special
Report” held conservative beliefs.
CNN Headline News has followed Fox’s footsteps by introducing Glenn Beck, a self-proclaimed
libertarian who dedicates much
of his air-time propagating a
conservative system of beliefs.
Radio show host Rush Limbaugh
is another example of partisan
hackery at its finest; more than half
of his radio talk show seems to be
devoted to liberal bashing.
The topic of “culture wars”
(or ideologically-driven aspects of
politics and public policy) has
also become increasingly
popular among journalists.
Bill O’Reilly, a Fox News
talk show host who is
well known for his
catchphrase “liberal
pinhead,” routinely
examines the negative impacts of current events on the
cultural foundations
of America. For example, when some
corporations decided
to alter the phrase
“Merry Christmas”
to “Happy Holidays”
last year, Bill O’Reilly
harshly lashed back,
stating such actions
were not only an attack
on Christianity, but
on the moral fiber of
America itself.
“All these conservatives wanting to instill
Christian values into our
country and all these liberals trying
to make America a drugs-booze
bonanza are a real turn-off for me,”
John Mota, Adv. 707, said. He
plans on voting this year.
At the other end of the political spectrum, talk show hosts and
filmmakers such as Michael Moore
circulate the liberal point of view.
“Fahrenheit 9/11,” an “exposé”
of the Bush administration and its
response to the terrorist attacks of
September 11th, appears to be more
of a political assault than an honest
analysis of events. Even public
radio stations, such as NPR, have
been criticized for serving a hidden
liberal agenda.
“I consider myself a moderate
when it comes to politics and when
I watch the news, I see radicals
from the right or left being praised
or shunned,” Michal Garbacz,
Adv. 800, said. “The conservatives
argue that the Democratic Party is
driven by atheism. Liberals say that
the Republican agenda is a product
of wild, religious zealotry. I have
no clue who I would vote for.”
With the majority of the American population leaning neither
radically right nor radically left,
this lack of moderation is negatively influencing a well-founded
political system by decreasing voter
turnout and lowering national
interest in politics.
As Ikram Khan, Adv. 800,
stated, “If the state of politics does
not improve in the following years
and more moderate politicians do
not run, I plan on not voting at
all.”
By not working to better incorporate moderate politicians into
our political system, these American extremists run the risk of wide
spread accordance with the above
sentiment.
Page 8 Centerfold The Hoof Beat
Elections 2006
What’s the big
difference?
America’s present
political parties
by Vasiliki Mitrakos
The major political parties in the United States
government are the Democratic and the Republican parties
(with the exception of the Libertarian party as the third largest, which is commonly known as the Green Party). But what
is the political perspective of each party?
The Democratic Party, which is generally considered
liberal, promotes social and civil freedoms, equal rights and
opportunities, and a partially free economic system with
government intervention. The Democrats believe that the
government should play a large role in social services, such as
aiding the poor, even if it must raise taxes. On recent issues,
Democrats are opposed to the torture of military prisoners
whose natural rights have been taken away. On the subject
of same-sex marriage, most Democrats support it, but a
few members disagree based on religious and humanitarian
morals. The Democratic Party is against wire-tapping and
supports the privacy of U.S. citizens.
The party also believes that all women should have access to birth control and abortion rights though it has helped
reduce the number of abortions by creating awareness of the
issue through prevention programs. Democrats focus on ways
to prevent problems such as crime and murder beforehand
and want to improve the communities as a whole. To carry
out this method of prevention, many Democrats support
gun control. The Democratic Party also favors preserving the
environment and natural resources. Democrats advocate affordable health care for everyone and believe the government
should have a larger role in securing this issue.
The Republican Party is considered to be more conservative on social issues,
while promoting greater economic liberties. The Republican Party supports
Who Would You
large corporations as well as small businesses while advocating
the importance of personal responsibility, limited government,
and business expansion. The Republicans also believe that the
Judicial Branch should have less influence over constitutional
matters and more power should be allotted to local or state governments. Republicans believe that personal spending from businesses will lead to economic well-being, therefore there should be
less government intervention with trade. The income tax system
is detested by many Republicans because they consider it unfair
to businesses that create jobs and promote the economy.
The majority of Republicans oppose abortion and same sex
marriage because of moral and religious views, and support
prayer in schools. Many Republicans support stricter punishments for various crimes yet still advocate the ownership of
guns. The party supports the accessibility of school for everyone
through projects like the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and
support a measure of aiding the welfare recipients, though at a
lower cost to the government.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Republicans’ views
on controlling terrorism have altered. They now support neoconservative policies regarding the War on Terror and have increased
attempts to spread democracy in the Middle East. Generally,
many Republicans support the reduction of illegal immigration and accepting new immigrant into the U.S. looking for new
jobs. The Democrats, on the other hand, support programs of
immigration and programs that reduce the level of protection of
America’s borders by reducing the number of troops positioned
there.
Of the numerous alternative political parties in the U.S.
government, the Libertarians rank as the largest. They support
complete individual freedom on issues such as gay marriage, legalizing drugs, home schooling, and free trade. In other terms, the
party’s principles are based on a “laissez faire” government which
basically
means little to no intervention or restrictions on trade by the government.
Libertarians are split between
two factions; the moderates,
who focus on popular issues,
and the “hardcore” libertarians who believe in an entirely
free government. Today over
four hundred Libertarians
hold various offices
in the government,
though they tend to
be
minor.
Mudslinging alive and well in ’06
by Ahmed Imtiaz
“Judy Baar Topinka - what is she thinking,” or some variation of the phrase is present in the majority of governor Rod
Blagojevich’s campaign ads. This particular expression is used
in commercials by schoolchildren and senior citizens alike to
collectively oppose Judy Baar Topinka’s bid for Governor of
Illinois. Mudslinging is an injurious tool when running for
public office, but many politicians consider it necessary to
get people’s attention. The repetition of the Topinka’s slogan
continues the petty exchange of insults between the two candidates.
Mudslinging is traced back to the presidential election
of 1828, in which both Andrew Jackson and John Quincy
Adams were at the center of political scandals, and both devoted their campaigns to ruining their opponent’s reputation.
Although this is only a gubernatorial race, which generally do
not garner as much coverage, this trend is still observable in
Illinois.
Topinka responded to Blagojevich’s negative ads with
slanderous advertisements of her own. One ad depicts Blagojevich under fire for accepting a 1500 dollar check from the
husband of a state worker. The distraught governor in the
commercial was inept at answering questions.
“The way I saw him didn’t change much,” David Ramirez,
Adv. 708,
said. “I
just assumed
the
whole
thing was taken
out of context.”
Instead of
defending their
reputations and
focusing on their
campaign
platforms,
both
candidates continue to criticize each
other, hoping to draw
support away from the
other candidate.
“Topinka was a mediocre treasur
seeing the commercials, and learning
wants to cut health care for kids, I’m
towards Blagojevich,” Hammad Faro
905, said.
Since Governor Blagojevich has a
more campaign money than Topinka
afford to run several more ads, which
Topinka’s shortcomings as well as his
butions to the state. Given that Topin
limited finances, she does not have th
ity to produce numerous ads. She has
the ads she can afford to produce on
the Governor instead of defending he
acts and protecting her image. As of
Blagojevich had collected more than
lion while Topinka had only $1.5 mil
campaign funds.
“There is negative media hype as
with both these candidates,” Gabe Al
803, said. “I am not in support of eith
they can use the advertising funds to
November
2006
Centerfold
Month Year
Page 9 Page Category
Hot topics
on the
campaign trail
Vote For?
rer, but after
g that she
turning
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amassed
a, he can
h focus on
s contrinka has
he capacs focused
assaulting
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June 30,
$12 milllion for
ssociated
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her. I think
actually
by Aliy Markowski
As politicians race
for control of Congress
this fall, a few controversial issues guide their campaigns.
Voters will cast their ballots on Election Day on the basis
of economic, foreign policy, and domestic concerns.
Economic policy, the War in Iraq, moral issues, and immigration have moved to the forefront of debate.
“This is the first Election I’m going to be able
to vote in,” Liza Tullis, Adv. 705, said, who will
turn 18 just a week before the November 7th Election. “There aren’t really any perfect candidates to
me whom I agree with completely on every issue.
Everyone has their flaws, so I’m just going to have to
decide who the better candidate is overall.”
As approval ratings continue to decline for the War
in Iraq, this controversial issue is likely to be the greatest factor influencing voters’ decisions on Congressional
candidates. While the Republicans maintain that a strong
presence in Iraq is still needed, Democratic Party leaders
call for a timetable for removal of American troops.
“I think some people see the upcoming election as an
informal referendum on the war,” Ana Haggerty, Adv.
708, said.
Haggerty says the country’s huge financial input into
the war keeps the issue at the height of political debate.
“If you’re going to spend so much money and lives
on waging a war, then the government should constantly
be held responsible for it,” Haggerty said, “justifying
continued occupation, updating on progress, and creating
a timetable to pull out.”
Aisha Taylor, Adv. 708, agrees that the financial burden of the War is a tremendous strain on the American
economy.
“It costs our country so much to destroy a nation and
then rebuild it,” Taylor said. “It’s a senseless waste of
money, and it should have been over years ago.”
Ben Ortiz, Adv. 708, says politicians must find a
middle ground solution to the War in Iraq.
“Candidates need to have a legitimate plan,” Ortiz
said. “I don’t support the ‘keep ‘em there ‘til it’s done’
plan or the ‘pull ‘em out as fast as we can’ solution. We
have to set up a stable government in Iraq and then get
out.”
Trevor Woodland, Adv. 706, says domestic economic
policies on gas prices, taxes and minimum wage will be
a key issue for voters. A recent CNN survey reports that
Americans list health care costs, wages and soaring gas
prices as top economic concerns.
“The economy in the U.S. has the greatest impact on
citizens and the status quo,” Woodland said.
CNN reports that 65 percent of Americans listed
increased gas prices as a financial hardship. Politicians
on both sides of the political spectrum have seized the
gas price issue to grab the attention of American voters,
calling for increased energy research and short-term price
reductions.
Immigration control has also become a popular topic
in election debates. Huge pro- and anti-immigration
rallies have been held across the country, demonstrating
America’s interest
in the issue. Congress’s recent divide
over the issue has created more
controversy. The Senate passed an
immigration reform including a
guest-worker program, while the
House created a bill subjecting illegal immigrants to felony prosecution.
Both Democrats and Republicans are
now wary to compromise on the guestworker debate because of the potential
damage to candidates and their
advocated positions on the issue.
“Immigration is a big issue
because Americans think that it
has a large impact on their jobs
and their wages,” Piotr Maniak,
Adv. 701, said. “It’s going to
be especially important in
the South because it’s about
America’s close relationship
with Mexico.”
Moral issues will also hold a high stake in the November
Election. Americans are not only in disagreement over positions on stem cell research, abortion, and same-sex marriage,
but many voters are also divided over whether moral debates
should play a role in politics at all.
“I don’t think moral issues should play as much of a
role,” Haggerty said. “Imposing morals and religion on
people is really not the government’s place.”
Maggie O’Connell, Adv. 807, disagrees.
“Moral issues should definitely influence someone’s vote,
and they will,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell says the discrepancy in American morality
necessitates government intervention in moral debates.
“I don’t think the government should have to have a say
in moral issues,” O’Connell said. “Ideally, we would hope
everyone would just make the right moral decisions. But with
so many differing opinions, as a community we have to draw
the lines somewhere.”
Ortiz says politicians utilize moral debates to hit issues
that are close to home for many Americans, even if the government has little control over the outcomes of the controversies.
“I see that there are just so many people that you can
pander to their homophobia to get them to vote saying things
like gays will move into your neighborhood,” Ortiz said.
“Like any gay would want to live in a trailer park home.”
“Moral issues are only going to be brought up to get the
most liberal and conservative voters,” Maniak said. “They
aren’t the key issues, but they are the controversies where
many people have deep-rooted opinions.”
Voters will cast their ballots on November 7th choosing
candidates based on any and all of this year’s hot campaign
topics. Until Election Day, candidates will continue to address each of these issues to gain wide and cross-sectional
American support.
Candidate Profile: Rich Whitney
by Zenobia Gonsalves
help people rather than demean each other.”
Television may be a useful tool, but there is a fine
line between presenting facts and blatantly damaging
someone’s reputation. The cost of advertising is expensive and there may be other uses for the money if
it were not spent on slandering the opposition on TV.
“It seems like it’s just a big battle between all of
the candidates to see who can taint their opponent’s
record more,” Kaitlin Renkosiak, Adv. 806, said.
“The ads focus too much on attacking the other
candidate and do nothing to show the voters why
they should vote for the candidate sponsoring the
ad,” Preston Buehrer, Adv. 809, said.
Television ads may be highly effective at capturing a voter’s attention, with the number of televisions per household at an all-time high in the United
States. Yet the focus on slandering and sensationalizing the scandals of opponents has turned many
Americans away from considering politics in the
media at all.
“The media is tearing this country apart,” Aliaga
said. “Tearing it apart.”
Rich Whitney is the Green Party candidate running
for Governor of Illinois for the upcoming election. He
is an attorney and partner in the Carbondale law firm of
Speir and Whitney who practices in employment law,
civil rights, and criminal defense. Born in Connecticut,
Whitney received a Bachelor’s Degree in telecommunications at Michigan State University in 1977. He graduated
from Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Whitney has supported labor, environmental, civil
rights, women’s and antiwar movements for years, but
he is running on the platform of clean energy, universal
health care, and full employment at a reasonable wage.
The primary issue he feels Illinois citizens are facing today is the budget crisis and the lack of school funding. He
believes that the first steps towards fixing other problems,
like rising energy prices, is finding solutions to the flaws
of the tax system.
He claims that the current tax system relies too heavily on property taxes to fund schools because they charge
the lower and middle-income classes twice as much as
the upper classes. Whitney is proposing a tax reform
based on House Bill 750, claiming that it would make the
system more progressive, which would reduce taxes for
the lower and middle classes and raise enough money to
adequately fund Illinois schools. Whitney’s plan would
provide property tax abatements of approximately 20 to 25
percent per school district, which would provide necessary property tax relief for many Illinois homeowners and
farmers.
Whitney has continued to stay active in other political
battles such as the conservation of the environment and the
war in Iraq, which he does not support. He has taken on
many cases in the past concerning the protection of First,
Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights by combating
political patronage in employment and the harassment
and unfair dismissal of employees, such as coal miners
and police officers. He is known for his opposition of the
construction of another Wal-Mart in Southern Illinois, due
to his belief that it would result in urban sprawl, and his
involvement in the regulation of tobacco advertisements.
Whitney has also stayed involved in organizations like the
ACLU and NAACP and is a member of Voices for Illinois
Children and the Midwest High Speed Rail Association.
Whitney has an extensive history with the Illinois
Green Party. He was a founding member of the party and
wrote part of the party’s platform. In 2002, he won enough
votes to legally establish the party in the 115th District when
he ran for state representative for the party. He was able
to preserve the Green Party’s status when he ran again in
2004 and gained 3,800 more votes than in 2002 in a predominantly conservative district.
Page 10 Arts & Entertainment The Hoof Beat
Blame the subtitles
“The Collector”
by Rachel Hautzinger
“Kormonik,” or in English, “The Collector,”
is a Polish treasure of a movie made in 2005 by
director Felix Falk starring Andrzej Chyra. It
was up as a main competition film for the Gold
Hugo award at the Chicago 42nd International
Film Festival and was shown Monday, October
9, Tuesday, October 10, and Thursday, October
12. The film is the general change of heart story
that talks of an extremely successful tax collector whose morality levels are extremely low, but
after a series of disheartening events he finds
his former almost non-existent values reversed.
Although the details of the plot are hard to follow
due to bad subtitles, the filming is quite impressive and the plot will warm the heart.
Set in modern-day Poland, the story begins
with Lucek Bohme, a small town’s main tax
collector, humorously attempting to collect a respirator with his former neighbor still hooked into
it. As the story continues, one sees how Lucek
does not have very high moral standards and is
thriving in a struggling time. However, a series of
events cause his life to take a turn for the worst.
He is reunited with a former love only to be later
caught trying to repose her sick daughter’s accordion, one of his clients kills himself, he is beaten
badly for attempting to give money back, and he
is put to trial for accepting a bribe which he then
gave away. In the end, Lucek realizes that even
though life has its hardships, giving is better than
taking and the law might not always be right.
This is the basis of the plot, but for many the
not so vital components of the plot were extremely difficult to follow. The subtitles are partly to
blame. They do not distinguish who is speaking
and the dialogue moves so fast, it is hard to keep
track. For example, at the beginning of the movie
the filmmakers jump right into the plot, without
giving any background. By the time one can
distinguish who is who and what their purpose
is, the movie is almost over. There were many aspects to the story that the meaning is still clueless,
and one should probably watch this movie twice
to fully understand it. Another complaint would
have to be that even though there is a sort of dark
comedy aspect to the film, the subtitles don’t fully
succeed in conveying it.
Although the plot is difficult to keep track of,
the joy of the movie comes out of comparing it to
American films. The director did an excellent job,
and many of the shots are artistically pleasing.
The setting shows enough that one catches onto
the political undertone: Poland is still struggling
economically. The music constantly sets the
perfect mood. There are also some truly amazing
scenes, such as the one were Lucek finds the only
item worth repossessing is a sick girl’s accordion
that she loves very dearly, and he enters a physical
struggle with her to take it. The scene reaches
pure genius when the next shot is of his former
love’s face in shock at the door, who happens to
be the sick girl’s mother and the previous owner
of that accordion. The movie also tugs at everyone’s heart strings when Lucek attempts to right
his wrongs by giving the money back, only to be
beaten severely for it. The traditional basic story
of reform manages to catch viewers’ attention.
Though touching and with good filming, the
story is too basic and the plot details are hard to
follow. Overall, “The Collector” is a worthwhile
film if one is looking for something different with
a familiar story, but fails in the details due to
subtitles.
Be a kid again:
“Summercamp!” stirs feelings of nostalgia
by Kana Yoo
Grab a sleeping bag, a flashlight,
and some bug spray and take a trip
down memory lane with “Summercamp!”, a documentary about
Swift Nature Camp in Minong,
Wisconsin. Even for those who have
never been to a summer camp, the
film covers issues that all children
may encounter when growing up,
like popularity, self-image, and the
opposite sex.
This documentary may not
be the first of its kind, with “Bug
Juice” and MTV’s “True Life” as
predecessors, but the film offers a
fresh and enjoyable viewing experience. The children are charming
in their antics: one boy reads Tom
Clancy, and another goes around
giving wedgies. In addition to the
typical problems that many children
face, the film tackles the more recent
issue of prescription medications
for ADD and ADHD. The children
speak candidly about their disorders
and their medications, while one
counselor offers her opinion on the
matter. According to the counselor,
parents are too quick to get their
children diagnosed and medicated;
all children need is a day filled with
physical and social activities, which
summer camp can provide. Though
it is not a dominant issue, the film
offers key perspectives on the matter.
The children, ranging from ages
six to fifteen, are surprisingly open.
Their honesty is at times amusing,
and at others touching and sad.
The cameras, manned by Bradley
Beesley and Sarah Price, follow
their subjects everywhere for three
weeks, catching priceless moments
by the lake, in the dining hall, and
in the cabins. The filmmakers form
a special relationship with two
children, Cameron Schmidt and
Holly Stephenson, who become
the focus of the film. Cameron is
an overweight boy who
struggles to get along
with his cabin mates,
and Holly is a serious
young girl who has an
obsession with chickadees (the significance
of this obsession is later
revealed in an emotionally stirring scene).
This film fell under
the “Docufest” category
at the Chicago International Film Festival
and was probably the
most lighthearted one
of the 13 films that were
featured. “Summercamp!” did not receive
any awards at the competition, losing out to
more serious films with
significant reflections
on politics and culture.
The Gold Hugo for Best
Documentary Feature was awarded
to “Iraq in Fragments,” a film
directed by James Longley about
the schisms in Iraq. The Silver Hugo
was awarded to the Exile Family
Movie, directed by Arash, about a
split Persian family that reunites at
Mecca.
At the last screening of “Summercamp!”, the film’s directors and
several children, including Schmidt
and Stephenson, were available for
questioning at the end of the film.
For the audience, the opportunity
to see the children more grown up,
three years later, was a surreal and
pleasing experience. Many of the
children at the screening returned to
Swift Nature Camp in subsequent
years, some becoming CITs (Counselors In Training). When asked
how it felt being taped, Stephenson
responded that she did not understand the cameras and only saw
people. This would account for the
natural footage that was captured.
All about the 42nd Chicago International
Film Festival
by Damon Beres
Greece, Central and South America, and the world at large showcased
their cinematic prowess at Chicago’s 42nd International Film Festival. The
festival opened October 5th with the premiere of Marc Forestor’s (“Finding
Neverland”) new movie “Stranger than Fiction,” which sold out as soon as
tickets went on sale. However, most audiences flocked to the independent
films that would be impossible to see elsewhere.
Highlighting these foreign, indie flicks was “Fireworks Wednesday,”
an Iranian film from director Asghar Farhadi, which won the festival’s
Gold Hugo award for best film. The film was a dramatic piece about a wife
who suspects her husband might be having an affair with the beautician
next door. Of course, the basic plot could be construed as misleading, as
the film has been praised for its perspectives on “infidelity” and “social
hierarchies” (as detailed on the official Chicago International Film Festival
website).
Iran was, of course, far from the only nation recognized in the film festival. There was an entire spotlight on Greece, with films such as “Buzz,”
“Face Control,” “Soul Kicking,” and “The Wake.” South Korea had
quite a showing, with films like “The Host,” “A Dirty Carnival,” “Host
& Guest,” “Invisible Waves,” “King and the Clown,” “Time,” and “The
Unforgiven.” Many other countries, such as Mexico and Japan, were also
represented. Forget the UN, the league of nations was right here.
Also of note in this year’s festival was Chicago’s first “Anime Focus,”
which featured a trilogy of films from director Yoshiyuki Tomino, who was
also given a lifetime achievement award for his work in the field of animation. The trilogy was based upon the “Z Gundam” series, which was made
by Tomino in the late 1980s. Fans that came for the films were treated to a
live appearance from Tomino himself, who stayed after the screenings of
the films for a question and answer session. Other films also had director
appearances, such as “Summercamp!” which was from the United States’
very own Wisconsin.
The festival came to a close on October 19th, but will, of course, return
next year.
November 2006
Arts & Entertainment
“Mobile Suit Z Gundam” trilogy storms
CIFF’s Anime Focus
Countless nerdlings follow suit
by Damon Beres
There’s probably an unwritten rule that science fiction
animation from Japan has to be needlessly complicated,
frantic, and over-the-top. These aren’t complaints, necessarily, but with such examples as 1988’s “Akira,” and
1995’s “Ghost in the Shell,” coming to such a conclusion
is all too easy. Appropriately enough, the tradition continues with the “Mobile Suit Z Gundam” trilogy.
The three films were part of the Chicago International Film Festival’s inaugural “Anime Focus,” and were
screened for legions of otaku (a Japanese pop culture
term for someone who is obsessed with something).
Better yet, director Yoshiyuki Tomino was present for
all three screenings (the three films, “Heirs to the Stars,”
“Lovers,” and “Love is the Pulse of the Stars,” were
shown consecutively), and stayed around afterwards to
answer questions from the audience.
Just as Tomino’s interpreter spoke in broken English
and detached thoughts, the films were a bit disjointed and
difficult to follow. Perhaps this stems from the fact that
the series is, in fact, something of a sequel to the original
“Mobile Suit Gundam” series that first aired in Japan
in 1979. Perhaps it’s because the trilogy was actually a
retelling and immense condensation of a 50-episode T.V.
show, also entitled “Z Gundam.” Perhaps the script,
which introduced tons of characters in a short amount
Gundam says “Hello.”
of time, never really established the plethora of settings,
Courtesy of www.gundamofficial.com
and used far too many technical acronyms, contributed
somewhat to these flaws.
nowhere, and settings come and go. Much of the trilogy feels detached,
Or perhaps, just perhaps, the answer we’re looking for
and while it is characteristic of the “Gundam” series, as well as science
is “all of the above.” For those uninitiated to the “Gundam” series, the
fiction in general, to have a huge cast of characters as well as an array of
“Z Gundam” trilogy will prove confusing, convoluted, and challenging to
locales for them to travel in, it is just a bit too disconcerting in this case.
follow. While the core of the plot isn’t too overwhelming to keep track of,
But so what? Surely what was confusing on the first viewing would be
the script is otherwise oversaturated with references to the vast history of
a bit clearer on the second. What should truly matter is whether or not the
“Gundam” that new audiences simply won’t be able to follow. Characters
plot, for all of its complexities, was riveting and compelling, which it was.
such as Amuro Ray and Char Aznable are introduced and referenced as if
While it was difficult to get a handle on the specifics, the basic intrigue
everyone has already seen and worships the original “Gundam” series (set
eight years prior), which is problematic because they’re as important to the wasn’t too difficult to follow, and it was certainly interesting.
More important were the animation and fight sequences, because
plot as Kamille Bidan, the protagonist of all three films.
while the story is of course of great concern, one doesn’t go to a trilogy
Layers of pre-“Z Gundam” history aren’t all that convolute the films,
however. The entire violent conflict that ties the trilogy together is sparked that features gigantic fighting robots without expecting some fantastic
action sequences. In this regard, “Z Gundam” succeeds. There is a great
suddenly and carries on without much build-up. Characters change allegiances like dirty underwear, grand fight sequences occur seemingly out of deal of action in all three films, and the animation is, for the most part,
crisp and well-done, even though much of it is
taken directly from the original 1980s television
series. Those who would approach “Z Gundam”
simply because of said action might be a bit disappointed by the frequent, long-winded bouts of
dialogue. For anyone else, the reprieve found in
these sequences is an absolute delight.
If the films were satisfactory, more or less,
then the main disappointment in the experience
came from the festival itself. The sessions with
director Tomino that came at the start of every
film seemed a bit disorganized, and his interpreter
did leave something to be desired. Even worse
was the question and answer session that came at
the end of the trilogy. The festival’s founder gave
a surprisingly haphazard speech before presenting Tomino his award, which was upsetting
only because it made the entire experience, and
privilege, of having Tomino at the screenings seem
unremarkable.
Further instilling this feeling was the audience itself. Filled mostly with loud-mouthed men
in their 20s, some of them woefully in cosplay
(dressed up as their favorite characters from the
anime), their questions were insultingly direct and
generally didn’t have anything to do with the “Z
Gundam” trilogy itself. No, many members asked
about other “Gundam” series instead, which
confused both the translator and Tomino himself. These questions wasted the brief time that
Tomino had, and he wasn’t even able to answer
most of them (“You’ll have to ask the studio,” was
a favored answer). It was surprising to witness
such blatant disrespect from both the audience
and the festival itself.
Interestingly enough, there are also a number
of typos in relation to the trilogy on the Chicago
International Film Festival’s website. “Suit” is
spelled “Suite,” and director Yoshiyuki Tomino’s
name was spelled incorrectly on the awards section of the website. I’m sure such mistakes would
hardly be acceptable in the context of any other
major film of the festival, and it seems suspect
that these sorts of things are allowed to slide on
the Japanese animated film series. Perhaps they
aren’t taken seriously because they are indeed
works of animation, or perhaps the Japanese is
simply too much to handle for the festival staff. In
any case, it’s surprising and disappointing.
But alas, such things cannot be helped, and at
least the movies proved entertaining. Hopefully
they’ll find their way to DVD sometime in the
near future, because they’re surely worth at least a
rent. Just realize that overwrought political drama
and confusing plotlines come with the territory.
Film poster for the “Z Gundam” trilogy.
Courtesy of www.chicagofilmfestival.org.
Page 11
Page 12 Arts & Entertainment The Hoof Beat
A man with a mission
Citizen Cope communicates global affairs through
his music
by Mohammad Rahman
Citizen Cope has been revolutionizing
the music world by integrating different
types of music genres into one album. His
new album “Every Waking Moment,” debuted on September 12, 2006. It is his third
album, following his first album, “Cope
Citizen,” in the late 90s and his second
album, “Citizen Cope” (2002). His previous
albums have not been very successful.
Citizen Cope, whose real name is Clarence Greenwood, was born in Memphis,
Tennessee. Cope got an early introduction
to music my playing the trumpet in his
school band. This led him to appreciate
music, but not the trumpet, so he began to
teach himself to play the guitar. Now, in
addition to playing the guitar, he sings and
plays the keyboard. His intense love for music caught the eye of many prominent music
organizations. His first experience with
professional music was being a DJ for a hip
hop act, “Basehead.” This had an enormous
impact on his music because his style as a
solo artist includes many hip hop style beats
and topics.
Citizen Cope is a singer for all types of
music enthusiasts because he is not just a
rock or a country singer; he sings everything
that he feels is necessary for the topic of his
song. Whenever his songs have an urban
setting, he uses hip hop and R & B. For
example, when he is talking about earning money in an illegal manner in order to
survive in the city, he uses hip hop styles. To
respect his brother who has passed away, he
uses more solemn tones seen in rock.
On his website, Citizen Cope claims that
he had a passion for music in his days as a Citizen Cope’s “Every Waking Moment” CD cover.
child. His songs acquaint the listener to the Courtesy of www.amazon.com
vitality of current events that they might be
ignorant to such as the violence in Sierra Leone. He also
lets the listener enter the labyrinth of his mind by telling
his feelings for his wife in his song, “Son’s gonna rise.” An-
other particularly emotional song is “Pablo
Picasso,” in which he utilizes symbolism to
portray his love for a woman. He does this
by comparing the paintings of Picasso to his
beloved. In “Bullet and a Target,” he sings
about the town of Freetown. In that town
men are not really free as the town’s name
suggests. Death because of street violence
looms on the mind of every Freetowner;
discouraging teachers squelch the dreams of a
young child who wants to go to college where
he can be free.
Citizen Cope includes all types of people
in his songs from many different backgrounds. This is good for marketing his new
album because the listeners will be able to
relate their own lives to his songs. In his song
“200, 000 (in counterfeit 50 dollar bills),”
he talks about how a new immigrant makes
his living by trading counterfeit money. He
does not emphasize immigrants sometimes
engaging in illegal activities, but instead the
hardships and the risks immigrants often go
through if they are not well-educated or have
no experience in technical jobs.
Citizen Cope’s songs are well written and
express their intended meaning utilizing the
fewest words possible. The listener is never
left with only a vague idea of the theme of
the song; the message is clear. A recurring
theme in his songs is that of a hero’s journey
and Citizen Cope introduces that protagonist
in the beginning of his songs to minimize
any ambiguity. By singing about the lives of
the less fortunate, most of Citizen Cope’s
songs can be used to support raising funds for
humanitarian aid to places where people have
less opportunities or their livelihood was destroyed by a natural disaster, such as the disaster
efforts seen in response to the recent tsunami in
the Indian Ocean.
With Citizen Cope’s managers’ intense advertising and
the quality of his songs, “Every Walking Moment” has the
potential to be highly successful in the music market.
“Pump It” louder!
Black Eyed Peas concert rocks the Windy City
by Patricia Radkowski
The Black Eyed Peas punched out Saturday night boredom for Chicagoans at their
Charter One Pavilion concert on September
23rd. Despite forecasts of showers, it did not
rain on the Black Eyed Peas’ performance,
and it certainly did not rain on the crowd’s
parade. The Black Eyed Peas stimulated the
audience with their antics and revered songs.
Rihanna, their opening act, also shimmered
on stage, but nothing could interfere with
the audience’s blind love for the Black Eyed
Peas.
Rihanna opened for the
Black Eyed Peas’ show with
songs from both of her albums,
“Music of the Sun” (2005) and
“A Girl Like Me” (2006). The
smooth choreography mixed
with the energy of her dancers
and the sway of her gentle, yet
strong voice created the perfect
entry into the show. Rihanna
put on a brilliant performance
with her hypnotic hits, “S.O.S.”
and “Pon De Replay.” Singing
some of her new songs like
“We Ride” and “Unfaithful,”
both of which have an unusually slow tempo in comparison
to her other hits, the Barbados
native twinkled like the rising
star that she is. Despite her best
efforts, the crowd gave Rihanna’s performance a lukewarm
reception. The people wanted
to see the band they came for:
the Black Eyed Peas.
As soon as the Black Eyed
Peas’ voices boomed through
the brisk night air, the crowd
was ignited. The energy of the
audience gushed forth as people
got up to dance, sing, and wave
their hands/cell phones. The
passion of the fans combined
with the zeal of the band and
became one. Whether performing hits from “Elephunk”
(2003) or singles from their
newest album, “Monkey Business” (2005),
the crowd took it all in, loved it, and always
wanted more.
The Black Eyed Peas urged fans to
“Pump It” with them, warned them not to
fall in love with ladies at the “Disco Club.”
The audience was taught the meaning of
the rule “Don’t Lie,” asked to answer the
popular question “Where is the Love?” and
then told to “Shut Up” as the Black Eye
Peas continued jamming. The popular songs
“My Humps,” “Dum Diddley,” “Let’s Get
Retarded,” “Hey Mama,” and “Gone Going
Gone” did not miss the BEP (Black Eyed
Peas) routine that night. During “Don’t
Phunk With My Heart,” one of the other artists handed Fergie money, which she threw
into the crowd. Disgusted with the fake bills,
Fergie took time out of her lyrics to express
her disappointment, slipping back into the
song with ease.
When the first beats of “Bebot” sounded
across the stands, it became a very simple
task to find the Filipino fans. Every person in
the audience was suddenly from the Philippines and those that were not, pretended they
were. As Apl.de.Ap, the Filipino member of
the Black Eyed Peas, rapped in Tagalog, the
language of the Philippines, Filipino flags
waved in fervor.
Apl.de.Ap was not the only band
member to have his moment with the fans.
William and Taboo amazed the audience
with their on-the-spot raps and
scats. The crowd was thrilled
with their impromptu tricks.
Aspects like those are the line
between hearing songs and seeing songs being preformed by
their talents.
Fergie put her first solo
album, “The Dutchess,” on
store shelves just last September
and did not fail to mention it
at the concert. The Black Eyed
Peas promised their fans that
they were not splitting up and
encouraged the crowd to support the development of their
lead vocalist. Despite having
three fabulous songs on her album that are bound to become
classics, Fergie only preformed
“London Bridge”. The crowd
treated Fergie’s single as one
of the Black Eyed Peas’ songs:
they adored it.
The Black Eyed Black Eyed
Peas concert eliminated Saturday night blues for a ton of
Chicagoans. Two songstresses,
Fergie and Rihanna, launched
their careers into prosperity.
With an unparalleled fusion
of energy from the band fusing and enthusiasm from the
crowds, the Black Eyed Black
Eyed Peas concert was a success.
Page 12 Arts & Entertainment Tell me what you’re
thinking about
Pharrells’ “In My Mind”
hottest album yet
by Michelle Zacarias
Pharrell Williams has
sex appeal and unbelievably
good looks, but Pharrell also
has new tricks up his sleeve.
His new album “In My
Mind” displays a new side
to his music, offering catchy
beats and flowing lyrics.
One of Pharrells’ new
songs is already a hit on the
charts. “Can I Have it Like
That” is currently the most
popular song in this new
album. The track is a duet
with Gwen Stefani, and
though she does not add
anything to the song, Stefani
moves the audience with a
memorable chorus. It’s a
slow but surprisingly danceable song, which is just a
slice of what “In my Mind”
provides for its listener.
Though Pharrell has had
just one hit song so far, there
are many excellent songs
on Pharrells’ new album.
“Raspy **** ” had an amusing beat, something that
one would expect to hear on
a Nintendo Video Game,
which is appropriate because
the album cover is a cartoon
video game version of Pharrell. The song is upbeat and
likable, though it does not
necessarily add to Pharrells’
image as the “gangster” rapper that he sometimes tries
to be.
Another strong track is
“You Can Do It Too.” The
song is both smooth and
unique, a combination of
slow jams and hip-hop. The
song’s beat is very similar
to some of Pharrell’s other
beats. Although it is very
simple, it captivates listeners
through its combination of
lyrics and tones. The song
“Keep It Playa,” featuring
Slim Thug, adds a spicy
twist to the album. Slim
Thug performs a small rap
in the song. The rap creates
a nice contrast to Pharrells’
buoyant background music.
Pharrell does better on this
album with duets than he
does alone.
Pharrell leaves room for
hopeless romantics in the
album with the duet with
Snoop Dogg in the song
“Girl.” The most romantic
song of the album reaches
towards a female audience,
drawing the listener in by
talking about the search for
the one girl that would be
his. The only other song that
comes close to romanticism
is “Angel,” another track
about Pharrell finding the
one girl with whom he can
share his dreams. However,
this song has more of an
old-school beat to it as opposed to the modern “Girl.”
The biggest disappointment of the album was
“Number One,” featuring
Kanye West. The song was
Pharell’s “In My Mind” CD cover.
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com
not bad, but it did not meet
the expectations of Kanye
and Pharrell. Both artists are
amazing music producers,
but they did not have the
chemistry one would expect.
Surprisingly, Pharrell’s duet
with Nelly in “Baby” was
a great deal better than the
song with Kanye West.
“Baby” is catchy because
it has a very similar beat to
some of Michael Jackson’s
older songs. This similarity makes sense because
Pharrell cites Jackson as one
of his biggest influences for
starting his music career.
“Baby” mixes hip-hop
techno and soul music. The
drums for the “Baby” song
are sensational.
Pharrell has done it
again: he has revived his old
fans by feeding them even
more of himself and has
managed to captivate new
fans at the same time. His
catchy beats take his simple
lyrics a long way. From old
school remixes to modern
techno, Pharrell is able to
experiment with all sorts
of new sounds and tones in
his album “In My Mind.”
This album is amazing and
unique and has listeners
interested to know exactly
what is on Pharrells’ mind.
The Hoof Beat
Radtrocity
How did your
parents let you
out of the house?
by Patricia Radkowski
Walking down the halls of Northside has
become dangerous. With fashion sense running stagnant at the lowest low experienced
in the last two years, accessory atrocities, bag
blunders, clothes catastrophes, and downright
dress disasters have become more and more
frequent. Let’s address the issues, layer by
layer, starting with layers themselves.
Are you an onion? No? Then why do you
feel the need to layer? Two shirts are understandable. You have permission for three only
if you weigh less than one hundred pounds. I
can understand that you don’t have body fat
or a sweater and you get cold. The rest of you
have no excuse for five shirts, especially when
they don’t even match.
Haven’t you learned from the laboratory
safety video what to do in case a chemical
spills on your clothing? Most girls in our
school would die from chemical burns, not
due to modesty but due to the fact that they
would not be able to take those layers off fast
enough. You are a walking, talking hazard.
Your safety should be incentive enough to
take some shirts off before you leave the
house.
Haven’t you ever been told that “less is
more?” I’m certain that you have. Is your
ignorance still bliss when I point at you and
laugh? Your seven bracelets, five necklaces,
eighteen rings, backpack, purse, gymbag,
lunchbag, coffeecup, and extra shoes, since
you know that you can’t make it through the
day in those heels, are a little excessive for a
six hour school day.
Did you catch that? School day. It’s
school. You are not going clubbing. You are
not going to a Metallica concert. You are not
in Hawaii. So obviously you shouldn’t look
like you are about to get your groove on,
about to bring out your inner Satan, or about
to go to the beach. Flip-flops and snow don’t
make you cool, but they do cause frostbite.
Heels don’t make the cut either. Although
better than flip-flops in the winter, it is unnecessary for your feet to announce your
coming five minutes
before you arrive.
The click clack noise
is annoying. Most of
you don’t know how
to walk in them anyway, so why bother?
You’ll have plenty of
occasions to torture
your feet later on in
life. Enjoy your youth
in comfortable shoes,
but please, no grandma slippers. Those
hideous material
things without soles
supposedly belong on
your feet; however,
the best place to put
them is in the trash.
Your photogenic,
blonde, blue-eyed
best friend might look
good in that shade of
green, but you certainly don’t. Mirrors:
use them, preferably
before you buy an
item. Just because
that skirt looks great
on the organ-less,
anorexic mannequin
in the window does
not give you the right
to buy it. Why do
you think that fitting
rooms exist? It is not
to figure out your
size, but to see if
this specific piece of
clothing works with
you.
Sometimes, store
clerks are bullies.
Don’t let the hot
Abercrombie & Fitch
guy talk you into buying something with
cheap compliments.
Be mindful that the
saleswoman could
be smiling at you for various reasons. Her
smile may not be an indication of how
good you look in those canary yellow
pants; she might just be thinking about her
commission.
Above all else: love yourself. Treat
your body well. Dress it to your advantage. Does pink or blue look better on
you? It’s a simple question, yet most
Northsiders fail to respond to it correctly.
Here is another question whose answer
you cannot copy during lunch: do those
jeans still fit you without cutting off the
circulation to your legs?
Find out what skirt cuts are good for
you. Are your knees kind of cute or do
they need to be hidden from the world
by another three inches of fabric? The
miniskirt used to be a classy item found in
every woman’s closest. Ask your history
teacher when the race for the shortest skirt
began. I urge you not to be the winner.
Sisqo may have made “The Thong
Song” a hit, but honestly: leave those
undergarments at home. Further commentary on this subject did not make it
into this high school publication. So use
your imagination.
Some people come dressed as if Physical Education was the only class they
were going to that day. Guys especially
consider workout clothes as proper attire
for the whole school day. It is not hard to
buy two polo shirts, four tees, three pairs
of jeans, and a pair of khakis that you can
just alternate throughout the week. Really,
you just might get a “yes” the next time
you ask a girl to a school dance.
NCP halls are not a track, a dance, a
rock concert, or a runway. By all means,
have good posture, walk with poise, and
let your stride express your soul, but do
not rap yourself in rags just because somebody else is doing it. Wear what looks
good on you: this is the easiest and most
effective way of creating your own style.
November 2006
Sports
Page 15
Freshmen girls spike the competition
Girls Freshmen Volleyball Team wins City Championship
by Vasiliki Mitrakos
Practicing three hours a day, five
times a week, the Freshman Girls Volleyball Team was prepared to do their best
this season. The girls ended their season
off in victory on October 21st when they
won the City Championships. They defeated George Washington at their home
game - two games to nothing.
The competition was not too aggressive, and the team achieved victory.
“[The competition] was challenging
enough, but it wasn’t that bad,” Jessica
Roldan, Adv. 010, said.
With such practice and determination, the Freshman Girls Volleyball Team
has been undefeated in the conference
games for the past five years. Anticipating every move during the championship
game, they were able to gather their team
spirit and play with motivation.
“There were moments where they
had some problems, but overall they
played strong,” said Nicole Flores, Head
Coach of Girls’ Volleyball.
There was a strong audience turnout
as many of the varsity players along with
the players’ parents came out to support
the freshman team.
“There were a lot of varsity players,
and it actually was a big crowd,” Coach
Flores said.
The Freshmen Girls Volleyball Team
was not the only team to earn such a
title this season.
“It was pretty cool that all levels
went to city championships,” Jessica
Roldan, Adv. 010 said. The team felt
that they had to have learned a lot over
this season in order to win such a game.
In a team member’s opinion, the team
displayed their optimum talent during
the game.
“It was an amazing game; we all
played our best,” Jeri Mcinerney, Adv.
018, said.
“The game was really great. I’m
really proud of all that the girls have
accomplished this year. I been at almost
every game this season and at each successive game, the girls have played better
than the last,” one of the player’s parents
said.
With the end of the season the team
can only hope to improve their game for
next year.
Close, but no cigar
Northside defeated in playoffs
by Farrukh Mukhtar
Coach Mike Keane commented
on the performance of the team and
on the crucial game against Roosevelt.
“I felt we improved a lot this year
compared to last year,” Keane, head
coach of the men’s varsity soccer team
since 2002, said.
The team made it farther in the
playoffs this year than ever before.
“We had more leadership this
year and more experienced players
than last year,” Keane said.
The strategy at the game against
Roosevelt was to use the wings, put
the ball on the outside, and to use
speed to overcome their opponents,
Keane said.
After the game with Roosevelt,
Northside played against Glenbrook
North in a state playoff game on
October 18th. Northside lost the game
7-0. Along with the game with Glenbrook North, they also lost the game
with Payton for the Fire Extinguisher
Trophy on October 25th, which the
coach was eagerly anticipating.
After this year’s 9th place finish,
the team can only look to next year,
for which coach Keane is already
strategizing.
“We need to just continue to play
more together,” Keane said.
Northside’s Men’s Varsity Soccer Team
took the field at Montrose and Lakeshore
Drive October 5th with high hopes against
Roosevelt High School. After making it to
the playoffs for the second year in a row, the
team was eliminated in the second round
of the playoffs. The competition was fierce
for the Northside team on the brink of
elimination.
Roosevelt scored late, with around a
minute left in the first half. With so much
riding on the game, Northside needed
the victory. Early in the second half, Cole
Frankel, Adv. 808, scored to tie the game.
With about ten minutes left on the clock,
Roosevelt scored yet again, with a header, a
goal scored with the use of a player’s head
instead of foot. In the remaining minutes of
the game, Northside was unable to deliver
and lost the game 2-1.
“We felt terrible that we lost,” Eric
Ullrich, Adv. 809, said. “It was disappointing because we knew that we could have
beaten them, but I felt that we played a
good game.”
Along with the players, spectators of
the game were also upset with the loss.
“I felt that the team played a good
game,” soccer fan Eric Serrano, Adv. 805,
said. “It was disappointing that they lost
because I felt that the team had great dynamics and a strong coaching staff.”
Teeing away
Northside Women’s Golf does it again
by Zainab Bilfaqi
On September 29, 2006, at city competitions, Northside Women’s Golf Team proved
that they do not settle for second best. In the
three years of their existence, Northside’s
Women’s Golf Team has yet to lose a city
match. Their record for this season in the city
league was undefeated. In the regional competition this year, the girls placed fifth out of
11 teams, which is an improvement from last
year’s tenth place out of 14 teams.
“In the regionals we go against suburban
schools, who have a lot more experience and
resources than us,” Tanya Nagatani, Adv.
802, said.
The Women’s Golf Team consists of
five players: Tanya Nagatani, Kristie Hack,
Adv. 800, Kaytlin Hack, Adv. 703, Kathryn
Johnson, Adv. 803, and Kate Pettinato, Adv.
709. The girls are coached by Nick Demitropoulos, a teacher at Mather High School,
who has been coaching Northside’s women
golf team since 2004.
In the city competition only the top four
schools go against each other. Northside
faced Walter Payton High School, King
College Preparatory, Morgan Park High
School, and one individual competitor from
Taft High School. It was obvious that in city
competition Northside would conquer due to
the fact that most city schools are not well-
funded and because of the girls’ skills and
practice.
“In the city, the team does not have good
competition,” Coach Demitropoulos said.
“That is why next year we will play more
suburban schools, so we can face stiffer
competition.”
“I was not surprised about winning city
competition because I knew my teammates
were good,” Pettinato said.
Pettinato said all of the girls put in many
hours outside of practice to work on their
game.
“Tanya Nagatani, our team captain, has
developed her short game,” Pettinato said. “I
think she is the best in the city now. Kristie
Hack has great enthusiasm and Kaytlin Hack
helps keep us all focused. Our newest team
player, Katie Johnson, has dropped twenty
strokes off her game and I know we will see
great things from her next year.”
Besides the complications, such as rain
and frigid weather, the girls still proved they
are number one.
“The course we played on was really bad
and just the day overall was nasty with rain
and clouds,” Nagatani said.
Nagatani started the game by teeing
off. Pettinatto placed first in the individual
competition. Nagatani, who had the best record for the season prior to city competition,
placed third overall.
Pettinato, a rookie to the game, has been
playing since July 2005.
“I had my first golf lesson in July 2005
and fell in love with the game,” Pettinato
said. “I have been playing golf ever since.”
The team practices took place almost
every day after school, and there was commitment, hard work, collaboration, and fun
involved in all their victories.
“This year was definitely the most fun,”
Kristie Hack said. “Our entire team, while
having a majority of the
same people since 2004, has
changed so much.”
Hack said the addition
of Kate made a big difference.
“She was playing nearly
as well as myself, and she
had only been playing for
about three months,” Hack
said. “Her improvement
has been the greatest. Katie
Johnson this year helped us
out when we only had four
people and could not attend
a match without another
player.”
Pettinato participated in
the Sectional Competition
at George Dunne National Golf Course, and
she is the first girl from a Chicago Public
School to advance to the sectional level.
Although she did not proceed to the state
competitions, Pettinato says she is proud and
honored. She wished her teammates could
have been there competing with her.
The team’s practice and hard work paid
off this year, and many of the girl’s have
ambitions to play golf in college.
Page 16
Sports
The Hoof Beat
serves Von Steuben
No Mo’, Northside
Women’s Varsity Takes it to the ‘ship
Ali or
Nothing
by Zainab Bilfaqi
and Zahra Lalani
Real-life
Deal or No Deal?
by Mohammad Khaleelullah and Shoaib Ali
Mohammad Khaleelullah: As I switched off my
television in light of yet another Bears victory in week
8, I began to ponder the ultimate prize of the four major
sports in America. I literally heard Vince Lombardi
calling. Sorry, this victory was not just another victory;
it was a slaughtering on national television. The bears
set or tied two franchise scoring records in the first half
alone in week 8, most points in the first quarter, and tied
the most points scored in the first half. The offensive
explosion carried the Bears to their 7th straight victory
and best start since winning the first 12 games of the
1985 season. These Bears are no less then real.
The Bears so well known for their signature daunting defense for the past few seasons have found a groove
on the other side of the ball. There was no doubt it was
the defense that carried the Bears to a winning season
last year. But because the offense lacked they were sent
home losing 29-21 to the Panthers in the divisional playoffs. A strong quarterback and a decent offense is what
was holding them back from bringing Vince home.
That’s where superhero Rex Grossman comes in.
He was the man in Florida and caught a couple of bad
breaks in the NFL but I never doubted him. Even Claire
Swisher never doubted him. Now that he has the whole
town behind him he has taken the 29th ranked Total
Offense and 26th ranked scoring team from last year
and turned them into the 14th ranked Total Offense and
1st ranked scoring team in the NFL. These Bears are unstoppable now, crushing Super Bowl dreams with their
utter dominance, plowing through teams like the Packers and last year’s NFC champions Seattle with ease.
Combined with their continuing dominance on the
defensive end, 2nd in the
NFL, these Bears are the real deal. With a force at
offense and an ever present defense, what is to stop the
bears now? Now I am not talking about a perfect, as any
team is bound to have a few mishaps, but when it comes
down to game time this team brings fear into opponents
and leaves them feeling in despair, in the Keirkegaardian
form of despair that is, after a sorry loss.
The worst and best form of despair was only recently shown by Dennis
Green, coach of the Arizona Cardinals, during his
blowup at a press conference. “If you want to crown
them, then crown [them],” yelled Green. Well said
coach.
Shoaib Ali: Well of course they’re not less than real.
I can see them, so of course whatever is occurring is truly happening. After I switched off my television screen,
I, too, was astonished at another extraordinary half
played by the Bears. I say ‘half ’ and not ‘game’ because
the team did not nearly play its best for all four quarters. In fact, Chicago did not score a single point in the
second half of this so-called ‘slaughter.’ A true slaughter
would have been a shut-out, yet the Bears allowed 10
points in one quarter to the league’s 20th ranked offensive unit. A unit that’s led by Alex Smith, a second
year quarterback who’s made even less career starts than
our own quarterback, the fragile and inconsistent Rex
Grossman. Does this mean the Bears can’t be dominant
throughout an entire game? How the hell do you allow
a touchdown and a field goal in the last quarter after
preventing a single score in the first three quarters?
Now let’s take another look at the man you call a
‘superhero,’ the supposed savior of the Bears, quarterback Rex Grossman. When you say he’s turned the
Bears into the #1 scoring team in the NFL, are you
referring to the same young and inexperienced kid that
had nothing to do with the 24 points scored by the
Bears in Arizona? The same guy that single-handedly
accounted for six (yup, six) turnovers versus the defense
that gives up more points than any other team in the
NFL? You need to get your facts straight son, and the
truth is that Grossman is still a relatively undeveloped
quarterback and tends to make terrible decisions when
feeling even a small amount of pressure. The game
against the lowly Cardinals is a prime example of his
inexperience, and shows how he will end up hurting
the Bears in the postseason when the team faces much
tougher opponents. Instead of taking what the defense
was giving him and working with short underneath
routes, Grossman repeatedly tried to force the ball
downfield and made mistake after mistake.
Please don’t praise the Bears when most of their
wins are after playing teams less than .500. The Bears
have an interesting road trip as they face the New York
Giants, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
Don’t forget that a majority of the 7 games already
played were home games.
The results of the next three contests would then be
enough when deciding to crown them. We all hope for
the best for the Bears, but just wait until the eggs hatch.
Last, but not least, it’s about time I get a football jersey.
Wasalaam.
As the 2006
volleyball season
winded to an end,
the Northside
Varsity Women’s
Volleyball Team
prepared to play at
the game that would
determine them as
winners or losers
of the city competition. On October
21, 2006, Northside
Women’s Varsity
Team’s hard work
and practice paid
off with their victory in the city wide
championship.
While the team
prepared for their
game against Von
Steuben, Coach
Flores, optimistic at
the idea of playing
for City Championships at University of Illinois at
Chicago, said, “We Women’s Varsity Volleyball Team celebrates their city championship victory.
felt really prepared Photo by Zainab Bilfaqi
heading into City
varsity volleyball team
As the referee blew
Championships from
Championships, since
at
Northside,
lead
her
whistle,
Von
SteuVon Steuben.
we had lost to Whitney
her team in pre-game
ben took the lead by
“At the beginYoung and then to
stretches.
The
stadium
serving
first.
However,
ning
of the season we
Morgan Park the last
echoed with their
the direction of the
had trouble coming
two years. Heading
chants, and the bleachgame was turned and
together and collabointo Saturday’s game,
ers quickly filled with
Northside finished off
rating as a team, but
our team felt like they
numerous
Pep
Club
the
first
game
with
a
in the end we really
knew better what had
members; some were
stunning lead, with
came together both
to be done to win
even
bareback
with
several
hits
from
the
seon and off the court,”
against Von Steuben,
maroon and purple
niors co-captain Alyssa Courtney Konow, Adv.
since we had already
paint, spelling “M-U-S- Walther, Adv. 710,
801 said.
beaten them twice in
T-A-N-G-S”.
and Kimberly Ables,
“I think we ran
the conference.”
“It
helped
that
the
Adv.
709.
Following
them
over pretty hard
“Although we
Pep Club was there,
the first Mustang vicand we kicked butt,”
beat Von before, we
and we had people
tory, the players took
various members of
still knew that we had
cheering us on because
a water break, while
the Varsity Volleyball
to put effort and work
both
the
crowd
and
the
coaches
created
Team said.
hard in order to beat
players were pumped
a line-up. Charisse
As the post-game
them in the city comwhich
helped
us,”
Eschmann,
Adv.
700,
rejoicing
began,
petitions,” Stephanie
Sanders said.
a setter on varsity, lead
Walther commented,
Saunders, Adv. 801,
“The crowd was
her team into yet an“After being on the
said.
loud and never stopped other victory. With two team for three years, it
On Saturday, Octoshowing their pride for
wins in one hour, the
was satisfying to snag
ber 21, at two o’clock,
their school,” Liliana
Mustangs sweep away
the title.”
Angelica Nizio, Adv.
Leon,
Adv.
804,
said.
the
2006
Chicago
City
Standing nearby,
710, co-captain of the
Pom-Pon’s bring spirit to the
upcoming winter season
Poms Team co-captain, Stephanie Arias, Adv. 703, leads the team in streches.
Photo by Sejla Dizdarevic
by Sejla Dizdarevic
the season is to gain back the
choose who to put on the
Many people begin to fall
title they lost last year.
team because all the girls were
into the mood slump around
“This year, our goal is
talented in their own ways,”
this time of year as winter
to add new genres into our
Mascar said. ”We have put
is quickly approaching. The
dances, such as ballet, jazz,
together a very diverse team
Northside’s Pom Pon’s squad,
etc.” Mascar said.
and plan to go a very long
however, is bringing the spirit
“We want to attend more
way this year.”
back this season with new
games in school and sponsor
Northside’s Poms squad is
routines and surprises that
school events as well,” Arias
a popular conversation theme
will hype up their audiences.
said.
in many middle schools.
This year, Captains StephOn the day of tryouts,
Freshmen coming into Northanie Arias, Adv. 703, and
many girls auditioned for the
side this year were excited
Kristina Mascar, Adv. 806,
team. Out of the 40 girls who
about joining a team with
plan to change everything the
tried out for the team, there
such a good reputation. Elizaschool has seen the squad do
were six new girls who made
beth Smarz, Adv. 015, now a
thus far. The two captains
the Poms team.
member of the team, says she
both say the ultimate goal for
“It was very difficult to
loved the tryouts even though
Nizio added to
Walther’s previous
statement, “We had a
rocky beginning to our
season; however, going
into city, we felt our
intensity level increase
from the fluctuating
level at the start of the
season. In this game
we worked more as a
team, for each other,
versus just striving for
personal glory.”
In the regional
competitions against
Guerin College Prep,
Northside varsity also
experienced victory.
However in sectional
competitions when
Northside faced off
the number one school
in their section, Niles
West, their impressive
season came to an end.
some aspects were difficult.
“I love to dance; especially
for a team as good as Northside’s,” Smarz said. “Tryouts
went very well. I was nervous
when I did the technicals, but
otherwise, I did well. I am
expecting an organized team
this year and loads of fun
along with all the work.”
The Poms squad’s former
coach Ms. Martha Mulligan,
Mathematics Department, has
high hopes and expectations
for the girls this year.
“I am hoping they will
regain the city championships
in which they got second last
year,” Mulligan said. “It will
take hard work and much
effort to get first place, but
they will do it. Also, I have
passed the torch down to
former Northside student and
Poms Squad member, Denis
Agular.”
The Poms team is ready to
bring all they’ve got to competition this year. The year is
filled with excitement for the
team members, and they will
be bringing this excitement to
the rest of Northside’s student
body as well. They have high
hopes of taking back the title
as the first team in the city
and will do whatever it takes
to achieve this goal. New routines and new genres will be
performed, and Northside will
see Poms do what the team
has never been done before.