he Delbarton Courier

Mr. Pieracchini’s
Interesting Vacation
Page 3
Do Video Games
Really Cause Violence?
Page 6
The Delbarton Courier
October 19, 2013
230 Mendham Road - Morristown, NJ - 07960
Lanschool: An Old Tragedy
By: Charlie Niebanck ‘14
Several months ago, as the
2012-13 school year came to a close,
the school hallways were awash with
rumors of an imminent change in
Delbarton life. Surprisingly, almost
every student was single-minded in
his opinion of the coming institution: they all felt contempt. Comments about the change flooded the
elections last spring, and the faculty
warned the candidates to keep their
remarks tasteful.
LanSchool, of course, was
this topic of such controversy last
year. Practically every time a student
took out his laptop, a complaint
about LanSchool quickly followed.
Students often cited LanSchool’s
ability to, “have access to remotely
use the mouse and keyboard on a
selected student’s machine,” among
other features.
Admittedly, the scope of
LanSchool’s capabilities was largely
over exaggerated before any student
actually downloaded it, and students
typically accepted some of the more
farfetched claims as further injustices.
The advent of this school
year marked the actual introduction of LanSchool at Delbarton, as
the administration required every
student to both have a laptop and
The glossy pages of the
“Archway” yearbook are always a
thrilling trip down memory lane,
but how will this year’s Editors- inChief, Ryan Connors ‘14 and Matthew Gambetta ’14, make a difference in the long line of beautiful
books? It is simple: they are out to
make history.
When asked what makes this
yearbook special, they responded
enthusiastically, “That’s a very big
question… It will be the largest production ever: the most pages ever,
the most yearbooks sold.”
Topping last year’s sales
numbers will be quite a feat, considering the 2013 Archway sold over
375 copies—selling out for those
who neglected to pre-order in the
fall. This year, the team is planning
on ordering 450 copies to ensure
iOS7 R
By: Shan Rizwan ‘17
On September 18, 2013,
Apple released the seventh version
of its mobile operating system,
popularly known as iOS 7. The system is compatible with all iPhones
made after 2011 – from the iPhone
4 up to the current iPhone, – as well
as the iPad 2, 5th generation iPods,
and the iPad mini.
Apple boasts about iOS
7’s many new features like, “Control Center, AirDrop for iOS, and
smarter multitasking.” Indeed there
are certain aspects of iOS 7 that
are useful, but the only noticeable
change for most is the creative interface.
Control Center adds the
download LanSchool. However,
the anti-LanSchool sentiment has
surprisingly decreased with the program’s integration.
The scarcity of teachers
implementing LanSchool contributes greatly to the rise of its reputation among Delbarton students.
Although every student technically
needed to download the program,
few teachers actively use LanSchool.
Obviously, LanSchool has limited
applications in a number of math,
science, and term courses, but even
that the supply meets the demand
come Finals Week.
Their legacy as editors, however,
will be more than just a series of
statistics. Gambetta wants readers
to admire the book and say, “‘Wow,
Continued on page 3
2014 Yearbook Set to Break Records
By: Will Nixon ‘15
Vol. 74, No. 1
Continued on page 4
Make sure to preorder your yearbook today! Courtesy of the Archway Staff
“iOS 7 is not exactly what I expected.
You would think they
could put more actual
improvements in it.
There are some nifty
features but otherwise
it is just another case
of Apple releasing a
new product that only
looks prettier”
-Greg Kacergis ‘15
most value to iOS 7. In Control
Center, the user is able to quickly
have access to a flashlight, calculator, camera, timer, and brightness
settings, all with a single swipe. It
has a simple design yet serves a
great purpose.
With the exception of Control Center, Apple put too much
emphasis on the appearance of the
iPhone rather than adding useful
features. There were by far way
more aesthetic changes in iOS 7
than were necessary. All the pre-installed apps were given cleaner and
simpler icons. For the most part,
these apps were also updated.
The iPhone camera now
has eight built-in photo filters. As
Continued on page 2
Page
The Delbarton Courier
2
The Delbarton Courier
Faculty Advisors
Mrs. Loveday
Mr. Wyatt
Editors-in-Chief
Timothy Welman ‘14
Will Agathis ‘14
Greg Kacergis ‘15
Delbarton Life
News
Opinions
Paul Shuler ‘15
Nicholas Serratelli ‘14
Charlie Niebanck ‘14
Arts
Visions and Voices
Sports
Tommy Cusano ‘14
Will Nixon ‘15
Seamus Craugh ‘14
All rights reserved. All contents © 2013 The Delbarton Courier. Please recycle after use.
A Letter from the Editors
The Courier is now led by a triumvirate, and with change comes
progress. Though learning from experience in past years, we are
proud to begin this year with a clean slate, with which we will strive
to put our best effort into supplying the news, Delbarton style. No
other school has our spirit, so this is no small feat. One needs look
no farther than the Wave Rave (WRAVE) mentality that sweeps us
all this time of year, though unfortunately the Courier is unable to
provide coverage on such an event. We look forward to an exciting
year, and you can expect our editions to deliver monthly for you,
our readers.
Timothy Welman ‘14
Will Agathis ‘14
Greg Kacergis ‘15
Is it Worth Upgrading to iOS7?
Continued from page 1
of now, these new photo effects
are somewhat disappointing as
the iPhone’s eight new filters fail
to compare to Instagram’s almost
twenty. However, Apple will definitely add more in the future. Furthermore, you can now take square
photos, which just so happens to
be the most useless add-on in iOS
7 because you can crop a photo to
make it square.
After taking enhanced
photographs, one will want to take
a look at the end result. The “Photos” application now keeps track of
when and where photos were taken.
This is helpful in locating specific
photos faster.
Besides the app updates, the
Control Center, and the new design,
there is nothing else worth highlighting in iOS 7. Overall, it is not a
huge change from iOS 6, but does
have a few nice features. It is free, so
there are no drawbacks to installing
it. If iOS 7 was not free, I would not
recommend it, as for the most part
it provides no essential features.
The sleek new design of iOS 7
Courtesy of www.imore.com
The Odyssey
By: Tommy Cusano ‘14
The Abbey Players’ production of The Odyssey promises to
deliver the classic story that readers
have celebrated for centuries while
bringing novel theatrical techniques
to Delbarton’s stage.
Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of
Homer’s epic poem breaks boundaries, and actors, under the guidance
of director Mr. Corica, have begun
experimenting with new ways of
telling stories on stage.
The show features about
two-dozen young performers from
Delbarton, Villa Walsh, and other
neighboring schools responsible for
dozens of roles. Almost every actor
must master at least four characters.
In fact, the only two students cast in
Continued on page 4
Page
The Delbarton Courier
Delbarton Life
3
Are You Sleeping Well? Mr. Pieraccini’s Journeys
By: Tim Sienko ‘16
The daily feeling of sleepiness usually creeps into the Delbarton student before 8:15 AM. You
just thought you would shut your
eyes for a second and, the next thing
you know, a teacher calling your
name awakens you. Well, you are not
alone. Today’s American high school
students face an epidemic of sleep
deprivation, and Delbarton students
are not immune from this serious
problem.
According to the National
Sleep Foundation, teenagers require
about 9 hours of sleep to perform
at their best each day, but only 8%
percent of them are getting it. At
Delbarton, the numbers are even
worse, with less than 2% of students logging nine or more hours
of sleep during the week. Although
some may find this number alarming, it really should not come as a
surprise. After all, there are only so
many hours in a day. We pack our
days with meetings before school,
classes during the day, and practices
and rehearsals well into the evening,
leaving homework and studying to
be done at night and sometimes into
the wee hours of the morning.
So how much do Delbarton students sleep? On the bright
side, just about 20% of students are
getting eight hours of sleep, while
sadly, close to 4% of students sleep
five hours or even less. The overwhelming majority of students at
Delbarton need at least two more
hours of sleep per night with 75%
of students sleeping only 6 to 7
hours a night.
How serious is not getting
enough sleep? Lack of sleep in teens
has been linked to lower levels of
physical growth and brain development, as well as higher rates of
anxiety and depression. And while
students often pat themselves on
the back for having the dedication
to stay up until 2:00 A.M. to finish
their homework, research shows that
high school students who do not
get enough sleep, do not perform as
well during the school day. So, while
staying up to revise an essay may
get an A+, it will most likely result
in missing most of what is being
taught that next morning.
When asked how often they
feel tired in school, close to 50%
percent of Delbarton students said
some of the time, and a staggering
40% said most of the time. Even a
number of students (6%) reported
that they feel tired all of the time.
And, although most students are
not getting nearly enough sleep, the
good news is that more that 75%
of students report that they either
have no problem or it only takes
them 5 or 10 minutes to wake up
during the week. However, there are
those students who need a bit more
help waking up with 14% reporting
that they need two alarm clocks and
10% admitting that they need to be
dragged out of bed.
So how do Delbarton students make up for lack of sleep? Although coffee, tea and energy drinks
can give students a quick boost,
close to 80% of students do not
make up for sleep loss with caffeine.
Instead, they make up those lost
hours by sleeping in on the weekends, when nearly 75% of students
sleep 9 hours or more. However, the
other 25% of students are still getting less than recommended 9 hours
even on the weekends.
So how can students get more rest?
Other than performing the impossible and adding more hours to the
day, try to make sleep a priority. This
may be easier said than done, but
you will feel a lot better if you try.
By: Ryan McLaughlin ‘15
While many members of
the Delbarton community embark
on exotic vacations during summer
break, no one may have had an experience quite like English and Italian teacher Mr. “Prof ” Pieraccini.
Professor Pieraccini has
been travelling ever since he was a
young child. He was born in Italy
and shortly thereafter moved to
America. His constantly moving
family allowed him to embark on
various trips, effectively sparking his
interest in travelling and adventure.
With his love for adventure,
Prof embarks on enthralling journeys each summer. He lives humbly
on the road, evidenced by his stories
about eating from local supermarkets and sleeping in hostels. In
addition, Prof has no qualms about
spending the night in a train station
or airport.
This past summer, Prof P
tries.
However, Prof is not your
everyday tourist. He often travels
to all of the countries by himself
and tags along with a new group of
friends whenever he can. When travelling to Georgia (the country), he
joined up with a local band and they
eventually played for a US military
base.
When he went to France,
in a planned event, Prof P played a
large concert for special needs children. He has ridden camels through
the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt,
swum in the Dead Sea in Israel and
run with the bulls in Spain.
However, Prof P’s experiences are not always as safe as they
are exciting. Throughout his travels
he reports being mugged multiple
times, which resulted in the loss
of multiple wallets and passports.
He recalled one specifically thrilling incident that occurred while he
was in Israel. Along with a group of
Is LanSchool Bad?
Continued from page 1
some History and English courses
avoid it altogether.
According to Patrick Agnew
’16, “Only my English and Spanish
teachers use LanSchool, and only
to blank our laptops and show the
class their computer screens.” In
many classes, teachers do not utilize
the feature of LanSchool that allow
them to spy on students’ laptop
screens, and some students don’t
even take a class where LanSchool is
used.
Sid Balaji ’14 sums up most
of the current attitudes toward LanSchool in saying, “All the uproar has
been for naught, as most teachers
have not bothered with the technology.”
“All the uproar has
been for naught, as most
teachers have not bothered
with the technology.”
-Sid Balaji ‘14
Ultimately, although the
regime of LanSchool was made out
to be a gross injustice, the reality of
its introduction has proved to be, so
far, largely benign.
Climbing the Buddhist temple Borobudur
traveled to Morocco, among many
other countries, in what he called
his most interesting experience of
the summer. He explained how he
believes that Arab culture is the
most unique culture that he’s seen
throughout the world.
Morocco was just one stop
of an entire life of travelling. He is
well on his way to his goal of visiting as many countries as he possibly
can. He has been to almost every
European country along with a
majority of Asian and African coun-
Courtesy of Mr.Pieracchini
friends, they attempted to cross the
border from Israel to Palestine at the
Gaza Strip. Officials thought one of
his travelling partners was Jewish,
which almost caused a huge predicament.
These thrilling events are
what keep Prof on the road every
summer, looking for new places,
new people, and new adventures.
His incredible journey will definitely
continue next summer, when he
plans to travel throughout South
America.
Page
4
The Delbarton Courier
ARTS
The Abbey Players Present: The Odyssey
Continued from page 2
only one part are Oscar Lopez ’14,
performing the lead role of Odysseus, and Kate Roland, a junior at
Villa Walsh and the production’s
Athena.
While most of Delbarton’s fall
dramas have included somewhat
traditional sets and a realistic style
of presentation, The Odyssey prides
itself on its minimalist set design.
The show spotlights the actors’ ability to evoke each setting—from the
court of Ithaca to Cyclops’s cave—
through movement and expression.
In rehearsal, Mr. Corica has
forced the young actors to view
performance in completely different ways. One exercise has students
in a circle on stage jump as high as
possible and land simultaneously.
The key to succeeding at the task
involves employing “soft focus”—
absorbing all visual stimuli at once
without honing in on any particular
person or object—and trying to
sense the initial jumper’s preparatory
motions.
“The first few tries did not
go too well, to put it lightly!” joked
John Sciales ’14 with a hearty snort.
“But we kept at it and pretty soon
it became impossible to tell who
started the jump in the first place.
Courtesy of Ms. Fiddes
ity to the ground).
The result was a hodgepodge of
actors each navigating their own
invisible obstacle course. The activity was not built for aesthetic appeal,
however; rather, it intends to build a
set of skills in internal and external
consciousness applicable to each
student’s later performances.
Mr. Corica and the tech crew
also plan to incorporate advanced
work with lighting into the show.
For example, the crew intends to use
hologram-like projections to capture
the ghostlike characters that populate the underworld.
Alex Baumann ’15 looks
forward to the introduction of such
techniques into the show: “I hope
that these ‘Lights,’ in the words of
Ellie Goulding, turn out to be a
major success!”
Performances of The Odyssey run from November 1st to
November 3rd at the tentative times
of 7:30 P.M. on Friday and Saturday
and 2:00 P.M. on Sunday.
senior Editors- in- Chief, Ryan
Connors and Matthew Gambetta.
Their challenges lay ahead of them,
but they are certainly equipped to
overcome old successes with greater
ones. Before this reporter left the
air- conditioned cubbyhole offlimits to all those students not on
Archway’s staff, Gambetta managed
to sneak in one final dig: “The Courier doesn’t have its own room.” No,
Matt, it does not.
We were all moving as one unit.”
Another more difficult task
involved each student walking in
their own grid-like pattern—only
turning at right angles—along the
stage, gradually becoming attentive
to tempo, duration (of each straight
path), and levels (height, or proxim-
Last year’s fall production, The Tempest
What to expect from the 2014 Yearbook
Continued from page 1
that was a design masterpiece, these
people really knew what they were
doing.’”
In fact, both Connors and
Gambetta felt that the yearbook
editors often went unrecognized.
Gambetta went so far as to declare
that the Archway was, “the most important publication this school can
offer, and yes, that’s slander about
the Courier.” He neglected, however, to slander the school’s other
literary magazine: the Delta.
Getting their staff to be productive and getting the “stupid seniors
to take their senior page pictures”
aside, the room in which they work
frees them to mock-up any design
their right-side brain can lay out.
Featuring a gleaming new iMac,
obsessive-compulsively organized
to- do lists, and plenty of Photoshopped memes, their office on the
third floor of Trinity is a publisher’s
heaven.
All of these tools fit well
into the arsenal of the two new,
Here is a sneak preview of the 2014 Archway.
Courtesy of the Archway Staff
Creative Writing with Mrs. Brown
By: Connor Moran ‘15
This year, Delbarton English
teacher Mrs. Brown started her first
year teaching Creative Writing, an
elective offered to seniors, at Delbarton. The elective, which started
out as relatively unpopular and
taught only by Mr. Carr, has grown
throughout the years. I interviewed
Mrs. Brown about the class and her
goals for the year.
Mrs. Brown has always been
interested in creative writing; she
studied it throughout college and
says she is eager to teach the class.
She enjoys it because she believes
that seniors, at this point in their
schooling, are very trained in English, and the elective offers the
opportunity to stray from the norm
and play around with the language.
She hopes to help students discover
genres they normally thought they
would not enjoy. She wants students
to be emotionally engaged in their
writing and to utilize their imagination. In this way, she hopes her
students will find and define their
own voices.
What is her philosophy for
the class? She believes that in the
fast-paced world we live in, creative
writing is more valuable than ever.
Time to stop and to reflect and dig
into yourself is essential. Creative
writing is the perfect medium in
which one can do just that. It forces
the students to slow down, look
inside themselves, and explore their
minds.
She believes creative writing
can appeal to all different types of
students. There are so many differ-
ent genres that offer the opportunity
for personalization. “Any student
who wants to open his mind can
find pleasure in creative writing.”
Lastly, I asked her if she had
any advice for any aspiring creative
writers, who are not taking her class,
or who hope to take it in the future.
“First, read as much as possible,”
she responded, “and read a diverse
array.” She believes it essential to
keep an open mind about every
book and genre. “Second, just write.
Don’t make excuses. Find time to sit
down and write.”
The Delbarton Courier
NEWS
Broken Peace in Nairobi, Kenya
By: Rushi Patel ‘14
5
Courtesy of www.salon.com
terrorist attack commenced this past
Saturday around noon when gunshots and explosions began in the
mall. This attack was deadly: Sara
Head, a witness, recounted that the
supermarket’s floor was stained with
blood. The action eventually ended
on Tuesday but left 68 people, 61 of
them civilians, dead.
Currently, US intelligence
and the Kenyan government have
undertaken an operation to locate
the escaped terrorists and find
those responsible. These efforts
have resulted in the Kenyan forces
detaining a British national. However, there is no clear link between
the national and the terrorist attack.
Thus, the search continues and the
Kenyan leader proclaimed that they
will not stop and that, “these cowards will meet justice, as will their
accomplices and patrons wherever
they are.”
real estate prices plummeting, the
government felt it had to intervene,
which is another topic for debate.
The solution the government came
up with was to bail out some of the
bigger firms that it felt were too big
to fail. However, the Federal Reserve
came up with something of its own
to restart to whole economy: it began to buy billions of dollars worth
of bonds, consequently lowering
interest rates.
A basic principle in finance and economics is that when
the price of a bond – essentially a
purchased I.O.U that accumulates
interest (and money) for the buyer
– goes up, interest rates go down.
Ultimately, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates to help jumpstart
the economy. Lower interest rates
allow people to borrow money for
a business, loan, mortgage, etc., at
very low rates.
Since the beginning of the
program (named quantitative easing
or QE), the economy has improved,
but slowly. The job market is still in
dangerous waters, but unemployment is slowly decreasing.
There have been talks of
lowering the $85 billion monthly
bond-buying program by $5 billion
to $15 billion. These talks turned
out to be mere speculation, proven
on September 18 when Ben Bernanke, the Fed chairman, announced
that the Federal Reserve reviewed
all economic indicators and decided
to keep buying $85 billion in bonds,
monthly.
The stock market actually
moved down over the summer when
Bernanke talked about lowering
amount of bonds the Fed buys each
month. To many, it was acceptable
for the Fed to lower the quantitative
easing, even if only by $5 billion.
Because the market adjusted in anticipation of Bernanke announcing
a slowdown in bond buying, stocks
likely wouldn’t have dropped that
much more, if at all.
In the next few months,
there will be more news regarding
what the Federal Reserve will do.
It will be interesting to see how the
Fed will act in the coming months
as it continues its efforts to help the
economy improve.
action on October 26, 2001. The
Patriot Act was put into place for
counterterrorism purposes. The
actual tactics enacted by the Patriot
Act were not known for eleven and
a half years until Snowden released
them.
Snowden released the information regarding the court order
for Verizon to turn over all of its
call records to the US government.
While the concept of wiretapping
by the government has been evident
for some time, this news is sure to
make any American question his or
her liberties.
Moreover, Snowden released
the existence and tactics of PRISM.
This program collects worldwide
Internet communication data, based
on demands made to Internet companies. PRISM, however, cannot be
used on domestic targets without a
warrant. Around the world, PRISM
has been used mainly for anti-terrorism purposes, and the utilization
of the program has been concentrated in the Middle East. However,
“Boundless Informant,” a technology that provides the summary of
the amount of surveillance, shows a
few problems.
The Middle Eastern countries are all labeled with red or
orange; the actual validity of the
surveillance on suspected terrorists
is unknown, but the information
received is most likely well worth
it. Whereas most of the countries
around the world are labeled with
green, the U. S. is labeled with yellow, along with Russia, Germany,
and China.
The debate between whether
or not this security is warranted will
not be resolved quickly. There is a
choice between personal safety and
national safety, and the latter seems
to be the winner in the eyes of the
US government.
There is no way to exactly
know how much surveillance is active on our technology. In addition,
the large rise in technology in the
last half-century certainly gives the
government an advantage over citizens. The average American life has
been left unscathed by the NSA but
its presence will undoubtedly make
many American citizens feel violated
by their own government.
If any observation can be
made from all of this, it is that the
line between liberty and big brother
politics in America is growing thinner and thinner.
Now, the proxy has moved to larger
scale attacks.
The terrorists were committed to attacking only Kenyan or
American Non-Islamic adults. Prior
to the attack the terrorists escorted
every Muslim from the mall. Furthermore, during the attack, the
terrorists allowed all of the children
to leave. In addition, one terrorist told a four-year old British boy
named Elliot, “Please forgive me,
we are not monsters,” after Elliot
told the terrorist, “You’re a very
bad man.” However, actions speak
louder than words. Particularly, the
Page
On September 23, 2013,
the lives of hundreds of Kenyans
changed forever. Somali based
terrorist group Al-Shabaab, an Al
Qaeda terrorist proxy, attacked the
luxurious Westgate Shopping Mall in
Nairobi over a 4-day period. There
were approximately 10-15 attackers:
3 from the US, two from Somalia,
one from the UK, Canada, Finland,
and Kenya, and the rest were unidentified.
Following the onset, the terrorist group took responsibility via
Twitter and stated their motivation
through the message, “When justice
is denied, it must be enforced.” Particularly, the terrorists are referring
to the Kenyan attacks against AlShabaab in 2011. Al Shabaab initially
retaliated via grenade attacks and
explosions that claimed few lives.
Kenya security personale take position
Federal Reserve Decreases Bond-Buying
By: Nicholas Serratelli ‘14
Recently, there have been
talks of the Federal Reserve slowing
its $85 billion a month bond-buying
program.
For those of you who don’t
know much about what’s going on
with the economy, a global recession
started about five or six years ago.
This recession, labeled the Great
Recession, began with the downfall
of huge investment banks such as
Lehman Brothers. The collapse of
these banks marked the transition of
the global economy into a state of
recession.
With the median household
income lowering, unemployment
reaching extremely high levels, and
Snowden’s Revelation
By: Liam Gannon ‘16
Though 9/11 happened
over twelve years ago, its effect has
indeed been present: in our hearts,
our minds, our...smartphones?
This past May, former NSA
employee Edward Snowden exposed
the National Security Agency’s
tactics that impinge on privacy both
within the United States and around
the world.
Snowden has been called a
patriot and traitor, and has been a
recipient of excessive praise as well
as criticism, but the main lesson to
be learned is that citizens have been
investigated by their own government – for quite a while now – with
the aid of the Patriot Act.
The Patriot Act was put into
Page
The Delbarton Courier
OpinionS
Do Video Games Cause Violence?
6
Yes, They Do
By: Seamus Craugh ‘14
Every year, innocent civilians are ruthlessly slaughtered in
coldblood by video games such as
Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty.
And I’m not talking about cyber
civilians, but real life people. Okay,
maybe that statement is a tad misleading and exaggerated, but there
actually is an undeniable correlation
between video game playing and violence. Let’s look at the facts. Each
of the killers involved in the Sandy
Hook elementary, Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater, Columbine
and Navy Yard shootings immersed
themselves into virtual worlds of
depravity and extreme violence.
If we focus on Grand Theft
such as the shooters involved at
the aforementioned sites, extremely
vulnerable to the savagery of today’s
impressionable video games. What’s
worse than an impressionable young
man being taught how to murder
through video games? A psychopath
being taught how to murder through
video games.
Friends and roommates
of the Navy Yard shooter, Aaron
Alexis, claimed that he would play
shooter games like GTA and Call
of Duty for 16 hours a day. Alexis
would return from an 8-hour shift at
No, They Do Not
By: Greg Kacergis ‘15
I have killed countless
creatures on my computer, mostly
creations of fantasy, like caricatures
of humans that portray them as
mindless beings of evil or onedimensional nobodies. I will admit
to that. This is often accompanied
by eating breakfast, chatting with
a friend, or listening to whatever
music I am in the mood for, which
is usually something somewhat
mellow. It may seem odd to have an
air of nonchalance at this time, but
yet throughout my and my friends’
consumption of this kind of media
we have not the slightest inclination to take such actions in real life.
Neither blades nor bullets entice us
to violence of any sort.
You could make a point that
we are imbued with some sense of
morality that conflicts with what we
see on the screen, and so prevents
us from turning it into reality. But
I would argue that there is no such
conflict. We simply recognize what
is on the screen as on the screen,
where it has no applicable value to
reality. Fantasy has always had that
element, and video games are no
different than the books and shows
that have crafted rich environments
that, indeed, contain violence.
“Let’s look at the
facts. Each of the killers involved in the
Sandy Hook elementary, Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater,
Columbine and Navy
Yard shootings immersed themselves
into virtual worlds of
depravity and extreme
violence.”
“They are a form of
media; though interactivity brings a certain closeness to the
action that most gamers do not get from
other forms, there is
conceptually no difference. If one seeks
violence, they will find
it. ”
Auto, particularly the most recent
GTA, it becomes easier to believe
that these video games have desensitizing effects on our young people.
In the trailer for GTA V (Grand
Theft Auto V), viewers are introduced to the “heroes” of the game,
all of whom are merciless, murdering crime-lords. A few seconds later
these “heroes” can be seen stomping the foot of a dead body into a
toilet, mowing down innocent civilians with machine guns, and abusing women and children, all while
screaming expletives.
Now, I can say with confidence that the children of our society would be emotionally affected
by these graphic images. Furthermore, the effects are even more
serious on teens still struggling
through their formative years. Even
worse, recent studies have shown
that the male brain has not finished
developing until the mid-twenties.
This leaves young male figures,
They are a form of media;
though interactivity brings a certain closeness to the action that
most gamers do not get from other
forms, there is conceptually no difference. If one seeks violence, they
will find it, be it in their games, their
books, or, for lack of a medium, the
unhealthy mind that gives a more
concrete form to such thoughts.
Such violence cannot satisfy. The
people on the screen are comprised
of codes, not cells. No true killer’s
relief can be attained by killing one;
no matter how much they may seem
like humans, they only take that
shape.
Humans do have a shadow
of a dark side, and it is fine to entertain its fancies on the screen. In
any rational being that is where they
stay, where they have little effect on
actions taken with real people in real
situations. Daydreams never had to
be pretty, so long as they stayed in
the mind.
work, disregard sleep, and play video
games for the remaining 16 hours
of his day. That is, until he was lucky
enough to be fired, freeing up some
time on his schedule for other hobbies, like sleeping and eating. After
putting in so many consecutive
hours of cyber-murder, it wouldn’t
be unlikely that Alexis lost his grasp
on reality. Maybe he thought he was
just going to get bonus points for
the butchering of innocent pedestrians, just as his video games had
rewarded him for the same exact
actions over and over again.
Illustrated by Timothy Welman ‘14
I feel no great guilt from watching
pixels die. Is that a problem?
Graphics have improved;
our shooters aren’t Goldeneyes any
more, and in more than one way–
though that point can be saved for
another day. Realistic violence pops
out of the screen. Dead Space 2’s
advertisement slogan was “Your
Mom Hates This.” She probably
did. Games like Saints Row have
the moral depravity to make Miley
Cyrus feel like her career leaves
something to be desired. That is,
to her, and not her admirers. And
The Delbarton Courier
VISIONS AND VOICES
The Crucifixion in Madrid
By: Aidan McLaughlin ‘17
Cam was walking through
the Prado, praising the masterpieces
that hung before him. There was
an ear-shattering screech, and then
the loudspeaker came on. “The
museum will be closing now. Please
make way to the exit. Thank you!” a
peppy young woman piped into the
mic. Cam stayed behind to get one
last look at a portrait before he left.
His flight back to Vancouver was
the next day. Cam started towards
the exit, but just as he got to the
door…it locked. The boy pounded
on the door, but it was to no avail.
Cam stepped back and examined
his surroundings. He walked up to a
picture of Jesus pinned to the Cross
(Francisco de Zurbaran). Suddenly,
the world spun and Cam landed
Courtesy of www.dailypainters.com
Page
7
on his knees. He fainted. When he
woke, Cam was kneeling in front of
Jesus on the Cross! He fell back in
shock and rolled right into the feet
of a group of Roman soldiers. They
jeered at Jesus but didn’t seem to
notice the teenage boy lying prone
at their feet. Cam got up and immediately lightning struck. Jesus called
out “Father forgive them, they know
not what they do!” (Luke 23:34)
Cam woke in a puddle of sweat in
his hotel bedroom. The time was
10:17 A.M. He was going to be late
for his flight. Cam zipped to the airport and went home thinking he had
had one crazy dream. Yet no one
working at the Prado could explain
the young man in Nike apparel,
kneeling at the foot of the Crucifix
in the portrait of Christ.
Miscellaneous Poems by Nate Osemeha ‘15
Departure: jersey, Destination: greatness
I don’t mean to sound heinous, I’m allergic to
fakeness
I don’t mean to sound famous, but there’s no way
else to say this
I’m sicker than pneumonia, and my words are just
contagious
I hope this don’t sound like a cliché or something
I can’t hear the criticism, are they saying something
But in exchange for nothing,
I’ll paint you a good picture; I’ll tell you a good
story, the pain and the glory
But honestly
The truth hurts now and I’m sorry for my honesty, I never needed Homer ‘cause I wrote my own
odyssey
Redoubtably forget what you should or what they
think you ought to be, no Achilles heel, now I’m
done with Greek mythology
Ok, come mi chiamo?
Parlo Italiano con professore Del Guercio
Mamma mia, lei parla? It all just makes me wonda
the things we’d do for a dolla.
In the age of pre-Madonna’s where education is
key and not having it is a problem
…Maybe nursery rhymes can solve ‘em like
Jack and Jill went up the hill to look for work
and pay their bills and when they went they came
across, an old tyrant who was their boss, now
should they go and pay their dues? They’ll never
know you snooze you lose, but then they met Peter
Piper promised to pay for their retirement, even
though he makes millions Jack and Jill raise debts
to ceilings, Piper wins, tax convicts ‘em, another
victim of the system to ease the stress they’re popping pills, this life’s a mess kill or be killed, now
should we blame Jack or Jill because they came up
the hill?
Illustrated by Timothy Welman ‘14
Page
8
SPORTS
The Delbarton Courier
Preview on the Varsity Football
By: Brandon Gaceta ‘17
Two weeks into the start of
the regular season the Delbarton
Green Wave varsity football team
is looking as strong as ever. With
nineteen returning seniors, this is
an experienced group that has been
tested numerous times in both the
playoffs and the regular season.
Having faced teams like
Paramus Catholic and St. Joe’s of
Montvale (in a scrimmage), this
team is no stranger to the high level
at which the top New Jersey high
school football teams play.
On the offensive side of
the ball, they have tight end Matt
Oplinger, who was an integral part
of the offense’s big play ability last
year. The offense also features a
stable of running backs, including senior Robert Arancio ‘14, who
alternates between tailback and
fullback, filling Jamie White’s shoes
as the featured back. Guiseppe
Bevacqua ’14 steps in at quarterback
for the graduated Michael Bicknese,
and has shown off his accuracy and
mobility in the pocket in the past
two games.
The defense, led by senior
linebackers Michael Parowski ‘14,
Aaron Slodowitz ‘14, Conor Mackie
‘14, and Josef Johnson ’14, is stout
against the run, and has shown its
ability to get to the quarterback us-
ing the complex schemes of defensive coordinator Mike Beach.
Matt Oplinger ’14 and Ian
Lodge ‘15 are rangy, hard-hitting
safeties that have helped this formidable defense cause several turnovers already this season.
Andrew Papantonis, the
freshman cornerback, is starting opposite senior Daniel Murphy, while
senior JJ McBride and junior Matt
Mandelbaum rotate in as well.
Special teams, headed by
coaches Dennis Mikula and Dan
Desplaines, is a talented bunch, featuring Andrew Papantonis back as
returner for both the kickoff return
and punt return units. This exciting freshman has already returned
a kickoff for a touchdown against
Paramus Catholic in the football
team’s home opener.
The coaching staff returns
with some slight changes, as Dan
Desplaines moves to defensive
backs coach while new outside
linebackers and special teams coach
Dennis Mikula provides contagious
energy and great enthusiasm for the
game. Head coach Brian Bowers is
back at it again after receiving the
Coach of the Year award last year
and leads the offense while defensive coordinator Mike Beach returns
to coach his impenetrable defensive
scheme, which limited opponents to
average less than twenty points per
game last year.
Can the New Jersey Devils Make a Recovery this Season?
By: Will Agathis ‘14
Making the playoffs used to
be a small feat for the New Jersey
Devils. As a result of making the
playoffs in fourteen consecutive
seasons, the players knew how much
effort was needed, and provided
just enough to find their way into
the playoffs. However, everything
changed in 2009 when the Devils
spent their entire offseason trying
to re-sign their Russian goal-scorer,
Ilya Kovalchuk, simultaneously
losing players that made up their
foundation.
At that point, the Devils had
two superstars, a couple of solid
players, and, primarily, a hodgepodge of utility players. Therefore,
it was no wonder when the team
missed the playoffs both in 2010
(missing American superstar Zach
Parise) and, after losing Parise, in
2012. What was the problem? How
come one superstar could not carry
the load?
It appears that there are two
ways to be successful in the NHL
nowadays. The first option would
require a great number of mid-level
talents, effectively providing depth.
The second option, which the
Devils tried from 2008-2011, was to
build a team off of a few stars, with
less emphasis on depth and a greater
focus on firepower.
In this past offseason, highlighted by the loss of Kovalchuk
and Clarkson, the Devils decided
that they would try to abide by the
first option, which used to be the
root of their great successes in the
1990s. Signing talent like Michael
Ryder, Jaromir Jagr, Damien Brunner, and Ryane Clowe will help to
replenish a team that was barren of
firepower in July.
But as of now, the Devils
play has been, to put it mildly, underwhelming. Mainstays like Dainius
Zubrus, Adam Henrique, and Travis
Zajac are having trouble finding the
back of the net, while the defense—
namely Peter Harrold, Adam Larsson, and Bryce Salvador—have had
trouble making their presences felt
on defense. The Devils have held
the lead in four of their games this
season, yet lost all of them.
If the team wants to be successful, secondary depth at forward
(Zubrus, Henrique, Zajac) must step
up and find some sort of rhythm.
Meanwhile, the defense needs to
find its collective identity. The
Devils defense used to be notorious
for preventing shots on the goalies.
Nowadays, the goalies face an average of 27 shots a game, three more
than last year’s rate.
The Devils have to turn
their season around: that much is
obvious. The real question is when.
And with the New Jersey’s offensive
and defensive woes still affecting its
play, hopefully that day soon comes
when the team realizes that it is
flirting with a dangerous territory,
irrelevance.
players. Fans can draft a combination of quarterbacks, running backs,
wide receivers, tight ends, and a
defense and special teams, and a
kicker.
During the regular season,
the stats of each player are tracked,
which are converted into points for
each fan’s team. Every week, two
fans have their teams face off in
a contest of who can rack up the
most points. In the last week of the
season, there is a league championship where the top two teams play
each other for bragging rights and
sometimes money.
As a fantasy football user
myself, I have to say that it was definitely a time consuming and exciting
hobby. Would Peyton Manning be
able to put up big numbers against
the vaunted Ravens defense? I bet-
ter play it safe and start Alex Smith
instead, who would have a good
matchup against a bad Jacksonville
Jaguars team. It is very exciting to
feel like part of an actual team,
managing actual players and starting
or benching them on your fantasy
team based on how they are doing in real life. In these new fantasy
football websites, there are features
where you can see the projected
stats of each player as well as the
overall projected points of your
team based on who you have starting at the moment. There are even
analysts just for fantasy football that
give you inside looks at how players
are doing and who may be someone
you want to trade for or bench each
week. Fantasy football has taken
over the NFL fan base with its
exciting inside look at the NFL, and
should be a staple of the league for
years to come.
Is Fantasy Football More Than a Fad?
By: Brandon Gaceta ‘17
Fantasy football has taken
the NFL fan-base by storm ever
since CBSSports introduced it in
1997. Other companies such as
ESPN, Yahoo, and the NFL created
their own fantasy football websites
soon after. Nowadays, there are over
15 million fans playing fantasy football, and it is the NFL’s best marketing tool.
But what makes fantasy
football so appealing? It is a sure bet
that every fan has a different opinion of what a team should be doing,
whether it is to start the rookie
quarterback or trade the star linebacker. Fantasy football allows these
fans to take a team into their own
hands, giving them the power of a
real NFL general manager. Fans are in organized leagues that
they can either create or join on the
website, and each league has its own
draft from a pool of all current NFL
Who will you draft?
Courtesy of www.michaelshuemaker.com