2

<Table oF Contents>The View From Lazy Point Mr. Schmidt- Page 1

And the Oscar Goes To... Brendan Connell- Page 4

Youth Under Attack Abbey Ramey- Page 5

Printed Media is Dead Scott Geldzahler - Pages 6, 8

The Real Awards Joaquin Dominguz- Page 7

Dear Florence Knight N. Gill Rachel Sherman- Page 8

The Crisis in Egypt Jessica Raia- Page 9

Thoughts on Being a Senior Malcolm Dey- Pages 9, 13

Arizona and Civility Abhi Gupta- Page 10-11

The Meaning of Special Daniel Sonnenberg- Page 11

The Life of a Democracy Brett Sleyster- Page 11-12

Assorted Photography by:Matt Brookman, Mr. Ripton, Sam Rosenthal

2

The Voice StaffEditors in ChiefRachel Sherman Scott Geldzahler

Technical EditorsAbhi Gupta

Nathan Holland

Arts EditorJoaquin Dominguez

Photography EditorSam Rosenthal

ContributorsMatt BrookmanBrendan ConnellMalcom Dey Joaquin DominguezAbhi GuptaBrendan McLellanJessica RaiaSam RosenthalRachel ShermanBrett SleysterDaniel SonnenbergKylie StephensonPaul Wells Morgan Young

Faculty AdvisorMrs. Wengel

The View From Lazy Point Mr. Schmidt One advantage of the weekly snow days this January and February is that I have had the opportunity to read a few books that have been beckoning for the past few months. One book in particular, The View From Lazy Point, by Carl Safina, may be the best book I have read on the subject of global climate change and the change of consciousness that will be required of all of us if we are to sustain a healthy relationship with a living planet.

In the tradition of uncompromising naturalists and conservationists from Thoreau to such contemporary voices as Wendell Berry, David Orr, and Terry Tempest Williams, Safina’s prose is both powerful and poetic. Though the book chronicles a year spent living at the boundaries and borders of humanity’s often consequential interactions with the natural world—he spends a month in both the Arctic and Antarctica, among other places—it also is a reminder of Marcel Proust’s words that “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” The bottom line for Safina is that we must enlarge the circle of compassion to include all of life if we are to survive as a species. “Whether things are worthwhile for survival or whether they make survival worthwhile are two quite different things,” he writes early in the book. He then spends several chapters explaining the importance of a conservation ethic which is built upon reverence for life and stewardship of our fragile planet.

Until we understand that the problems of the environment are matters of practical justice and morality we will continue to ignore our common plight, argues Safina. I offer a few of his most emphatic points for our consideration:

“Though the human is a social, empathetic, altruistic creature, market-ing disfigures human nature by trying to focus all of our attention on desire.” (Safina, p. 272)

“The Arctic is warming two times faster than the rest of the planet and is changing more rapidly than any place in the world. During all of human civi-lization, neither the sea level nor the rate of its rise has ever been higher or faster than both are now.” (Safina, 235)

“We can harness energy without setting fire to the world. The moral must guide the technical. Better we be threads that strengthen the fabric, rather than that we pull the rug from those who will come next.” (Safina, 352)

In order to expand a conversation about this brilliant book we have several copies available for interested students and faculty in the GSB Library. I would love to hear what others have to say about The View From Lazy Point.

3

4$10.44 billion.

Interestingly enough, however, 2009 had total domes-tic ticket sales of 1.42 billion, which is 5th lowest in the past 15 years, and 2010 sold only 1.32 billion tickets, a sharp drop from the previous year. 2010 had the 3rd lowest ticket sales of the past 15 years. So what does this all mean? Does this mean Hollywood is dying? Have the Oscars thrown artistic merit to the wind in favor of promoting commercial successes? The an-swer to all these questions is a very blunt no. These fluctuations in ticket sales are linked directly to the rise of 3D and IMAX movies. Types of tickets such as these are worth much more than the standard ticket, so, when purchasing one ticket for an 3D IMAX movie, it still counts as purchasing one “normal” ticket, but adds more to the total box office results. The past three years have low tickets sales, but the highest box office returns exactly because of these new types of movies.

Ever since Hollywood award season began this year, a lot of critics have claimed that the organizations behind these awards (The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Screen

Actors Guild, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) have highly favored commercially successful films that necessarily didn’t deserve to win. This was espe-cially prevalent when The Tourist, regardless of the fact that it was criti-cally ripped apart, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes because, as some theorize, itʼs total box office gross to date is $224 million. This

year for the Oscars, there were 55 nominations given to 15 of the top 50 grossing movies of 2010. This statistic garnered much skepticism from critics, but there is one simple explana-tion: the media.

The media buzz surrounding movies such as Black Swan, True Grit, and The Social Network did nothing but help boost their total box office sums and caused ticket sales to skyrocket through the roof. Black Swan had a production budget of $13 million and to date, it has made $145 million worldwide, which is eleven times more than the production budget. The media buzz surrounding the psychological nature of the movie and Natalie Portman’s career-defining perfor-mance was perhaps the defining factor that drove people to the theatre is massive mobs. People can say the Academy has been unfair in their nominations this year, but people need to real-ize that the effect of the media buzz is one that has the power to make or break any movie.

So to sum up the main, important points: Hollywood is far from dying and is healthier than ever, The Academy, the HFPA, and the SAG aren’t skewing their nominations to favor those movies that made hundreds of millions over those that made hundreds of thousands, and perhaps most importantly,

And the Oscar Goes To...Brendan Connell Well! It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again: HOL-LYWOOD AWARDS SEASON! With the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards behind us, the entire world is debriefing from the mother-of-all-award shows: The Oscars! Now, as it is every year, most of the categories had an obvious and predicted winner. Natalie Portman was predicted without a doubt win the Oscar for her chilling performance as a deranged, obsessed ballerina in Black Swan and Christian Bale was hands down the winning pick for his role as a coke-addicted boxing coach in The Fighter. Colin Firth will won for playing a stuttering King George VI in The King’s Speech and Melissa Leo was the favorite to win for her turn as a determined mother and manager of her son’s boxing career in The Fighter. And, of course, Aaron Sorkin will win for his amazing screenplay for The Social Network.

However, this year’s Oscar ceremony had one thing that none of the previous eighty-one ceremonies have had: money. This year, for the second year in a row, more movies were nominated for Oscars that are considered “blockbusters”. 5 movies nominat-ed for at least one Oscar this year are amongst the Top 10 highest grossing movies of 2010 (Toy Story 3, nominated for 5 Oscars, is the highest grossing movie of 2010 at $1,063,161,943 at the worldwide box office, Toy Story 3 is the fifth highest grossing film of all time now). Alice In Wonder-land was nominated for 3 Oscars and was the second-highest grossing movie of 2010 with worldwide box office sales of $1,024,299,722, and is now the sixth highest grossing film of all time. Disney made both of these movies (No surprise there, Disney always churns out hits). These statistics are impressive enough on their own, but they speak of a surprising trend that is uncharacteristic today’s economy.

Of the 10 movies that were nominated for Best Picture this year, the average gross per movie was $119.3 mil-lion dollars domestically. The domestic box office results of all 10 movies was $1.2 billion dollars. Billion. With a “B”. Now granted Toy Story 3 and Alice In Wonderland did achieve this feat on their own, this was still incredible on an international scale. A domestic return of $1.2 billion dollars for 10 movies is something unforeseen in a time where people are focused on saving money. In terms of Oscar history, this is the second highest total. The 2009 nominees for Best Picture had a total gross of $1.5 billion. Overall, 2009 is the highest grossing year for movies in terms of domestic box office returns in the past 15 years with $10.65 billion and 2010 is right behind it with

Have an OPinion

You Want to Share?

SubMIt to the VOIce!

5

Youth Under AttackAbbey Ramey Why is America’s youth facing more regulation than ever before? Why has no one intervened to reverse or even just slow the enactment of unjust laws against younger Americans? State governments are far more efficient at passing laws regulating the lives of youth than any other involving appropriations or education standards. The count-less number of driving restrictions currently in place severely limits the freedoms that younger drivers once enjoyed. Purchasing alcohol has also been outlawed for those under 21, even though only one genera-tion ago college students were given limitless purchasing power. There is an observable trend of legal efforts to rule the upcoming generation with an iron fist, and the growing number of limitations on our generation is not only unnec-essary but is in fact becoming counterproductive.

Under the premise that 16-year-olds are hazards on the roads, a score of new driving laws were put in place in 2001, described in detail on The Official Website for The State of New Jersey. Twenty-three states (including New Jersey) and several Canadian provinces implemented a multi-stage driver licensing system (the GDL, or Graduated Drivers License) that rose the unrestrictive basic driver’s license age from 17 to 18 years old. Although for some 16-year-olds, the inability to drive unaccompanied is just an inconvenience, for others, driving alone would relieve a large amount of family stress, and improve their lives exponentially. For working parents with multiple children, students who cannot drive are unable participate in any type of after-school activity if their school is further than walk-ing distance from home. In addition, under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 16-year-olds are permitted to work 18 hours

in a non-school week and 40 hours in a school week. (These rules apply to 14 and 15-year-olds as well.) This same group of minors is not permitted to drive at all or only with a licensed adult over the age of 21 in the front seat. Apparently, work is allowed but getting to work? That’s another story.

The new multi-stage system triples the number of times a person trying to obtain a license must make the long, dreaded trek to the Department of Motor Vehicles. There is already so much overcrowding at the DMV and the centers are so unproductive that people often wait outside in lines stretch-ing around the building during the freezing winter months and scorching summer season. The influx of anxious teenagers waiting to get a permit, restrictive license, or nonrestrictive license has only contributed more to this overflow. These exacting processes required by law are to, once again, further restrict the rights teenagers once had. A 16-year-old driv-ing home from play practice or the mall poses a significantly less amount of danger than a 90-year-old with cataracts and diabetic retinopathy trying to exit off the parkway.

Even our own sheltered school community is not im-mune from this outrageous trend. Up-per school students at Gill St. Bernard’s are coping with a new array of restric-tions which were not in place just a few years ago. Off-campus lunch privileges for seniors have been revoked. What was once a notable advantage to at-tending GSB is no longer available since the adoption of the new schedule a year and a half ago. Also, even the freshmen are not entrusted with the

responsibility of spending their free periods in the library; freshmen study halls have become a restriction on new high school students and a slight burden to proctoring teachers. Fear of a ninth grader completely homework independently is surely the result of paranoia on the part of the administration.

There is no clear explanation for why teenagers are slowly being stripped of liberties past generations enjoyed. CIA statistics show crime has not increased in the younger age group. Youth have not become increasingly reckless or uncontrollable. On the contrary, the inordinate number of rules dutifully followed proves teenagers to be more control-lable than ever. Objections should be raised as the injustice continues. as a tool to spread their positive message and to bring people together through a tough social time. This event was effective because of the large number of participants and to promote outlets for gay teens or teens in general in which they can discuss problems.

the Oscars still remain a magical evening eighty-three years later. Its a night where a fourteen year old girl can beat a woman four times her age for one of those sacred trophies and where first time nominees can take trophies from seasoned veterans of the historic ceremony. Hollywood has been and always will be one of the most important and lucrative businesses on the entire planet, and even though times have changed, the Oscars will always award the best and deserving movies of the year that little gold man.

6Printed Media is Dead

Scott Geldzahler I have a question for you. When you first heard that that there was a revolution going on in Egypt, where did you look to find out more information? Accord-ing to sources such as CNN, Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Techrunch.com, and countless other sources, if you are like three quarters of Americans, you will either reach for a mouse or a remote. Now, answer me another question. When is the last time that you honestly read through a newspaper? And not just the front page, but also the business section, the international section, the arts section? If you answered anywhere in the ballpark of “around a month ago” I applaud you. If you could tell me the secret of how you manage to make that much free time that would be fantastic! Yet, as for the majority of you who answered, “It was so long ago that I can hardly remember,” then I would like to welcome you to the future, one without printed media.

In today’s world, there are a multitude of sources in which one is able to consume media. Yes, there are news-papers and magazines, but when you need a “quick fix” of what’s going on in the world, where do you turn? You flip on the TV, change the radio station to a news chan-nel, check the trending topics on Twitter, or go to a news website such as Huffington Post. If you want to learn more about something you see or hear in the news, do you go to the local library to read a book about it? If you’re not Mrs. Schmidt, than most likely the answer is no. You Google it. Instantaneous results. And that’s the type of world we live in, one where everything that you need to know is literally at our fingertips. Some may say that’s a bad thing, and maybe it is, but the fact is, once you introduce something convenient to a society, they don’t want to go back. Why travel to the bookstore when you can get the book you want without leaving the couch? Why wait hours to find out something when you can just type in twenty letters into a magical box and find out everything about it? There is no reason why, and that is why printed media is dying.

No form of print is safe. Newspapers have been on the decline for several years now, and magazines are panick-ing about their futures. But it doesn’t stop there. Recently, Amazon.com announced that it has just surpassed a signifi-cant milestone; it has sold more e-books than paperback books this quarter (it has been selling more e-books than hardcover books for a while now). When it first began, the Kindle seemed like it was destined to flop; other companies have made eReaders before and it has been a largely unsuc-cessful business. Yet look at the eReader business today. The Kindle has spawned many competitors, such as the Kobo eReader, the iPad (yes it is an eReader too) and even the

Barnes & Noble Nook. Doesn’t it seem odd that a company that’s main source of revenue is hard copy books is endorsing an eReader?

But the executives at Barnes & Noble are smart to promote the Nook; they see the way that the business of print is heading; straight off a cliff. For example, the New York Times, which recently announced that they will dis-continue their printed edition sometime in the near future (Yes, I will repeat that: the New York Times plans to end its printed edition), gets 30,000,000 unique visitors a month to their website. For those that are unaware, that is 30,000,000 individual people visiting the website, not a smaller group of people visiting the site 30,000,000 times. Compare that to the roughly one million copies they send out on a daily basis. Then, subtract the amount of people that don’t actu-ally read the entire thing. Getting the picture? Here, let me help you along. Did you know that according to Business Insider, sending out daily issues of the New York Times cost twice as much as if the times were to give every subscriber a free Kindle? And lets not forget about the amount of trees it would save if the Times decided to stop printing the over seven million issues of the paper it currently circulates on a weekly basis.

The way news spreads has changed drastically over the past 10 years, and an even more drastic change has been taking place for the past four years. The way that informa-tion is being spread is shifting. As already stated, we live in a society where everything is instant. Instant coffee, instant messaging, instant movie streaming, heck, there is even a product which lets you “instantly create fine, aged tasting wine.” And while, five or six years ago, the Internet satisfied our hunger for “instant” things, it was only the appetizer, as the real change happens with the main course: social media. That’s right, the things that are killing printed words are Facebook and Twitter. News sources, be they printed, tele-vised, or online, all utilize social networks to get out news, as do politicians, companies, and pundits. Need proof ? During the State of the Union Address, government officials actu-ally hired people to tweet (yes, the fact that I can use “tweet” in a news article without cringing shows the power these sites have) their opinions on what the president was saying.

Well, it’s not only Twitter and Facebook killing print. Go to the website of your favorite news channel or newspaper. Click on a story, and scroll to the bottom. What lies in wait there? Why it’s none other than the comments section. Look on forums, look at comments on news stories, look at Tweets, reTweets, status updates, wall posts, video responses, you name it, and you will find dialogue between people. While it may not always be intelligent, this dialogue is another nail in the coffin of print media. Perhaps the most important change of the “social web” is the way that human-

(Continued on Page 8)

7The Real Awards

Joaquin Dominguez As February comes to a close, so does the award ceremony season. From January to February, accolades for films, television programs, and music are awarded based on “merit”. From Sundance to the Grammys, these two months are chalk-full of award ceremonies. However, the ones who really play off each other and are watched and taken the most seriously are the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. Obviously, one of these show is known to upstage the other. Many find that the Oscars are genuinely better and more official and legitimate; it is a bigger venue, more people come from around the world, and the ceremony is watched by a large international body as well as a large por-tion of Americans. Also, something to note is the fact that, as the Academy’s members are actors, the Oscars seem to bring in more media for their yearly event.

On the other hand the Golden Globes, run by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), is a much more intimate venue. With a more loose and relaxed feng shui than the Academy Awards, actors, directors and producers feel noticeably more at ease with drinks in their hands and laughter in the air (The Academy Awards does not allow alchohol). In fact, the founders of the HFPA are journalists who originally came together to not only celebrate the talents and skills of all those involved in film-making, but to also entertain the community and help them take their mind off their busy lives and other worldly issues. When first founded in the early 1940’s, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s journalistic creators recognized the worry and fear in the eyes of their citizens due to the impending war. Thus, these reporters banded together to create the HFPA. Unfortunately, many find that the Golden Globes are a major step down from the Oscars, a fact with which I greatly disagree.

                  Growing up, this time of year was always my favorite. I could watch a new ceremony each week, and my family and I would sit and watch it together; it was just the best. However, my favorite ceremony was always the Oscars. From the big red carpet to all the media that was there and everything else in between, it was always so amazing to see these big name actors and actresses dolled up in their fanci-est clothes and ready (or hoping) to win an award; an award that would change their careers forever. That eight pound gold statue would have any studio drooling to work with any actors, writers, and directors that owned it. The whole concept behind the Academy Awards, and the importance it served just fascinated me. But as I started to mature, I started to really take notice of the “other awards show”, the Golden Globes. A much more low key event including not just movies, but television as well, the Golden Globes were

nothing like the Oscars. And even though it didn’t cover a wide range of nominations, it still was able to include both the best of television and movies in just one night. It was like two for the price of one. I loved it. And slowly but surely, I started to realize why the Golden Globes are in fact, better than the Oscars.

              Now, even though both award shows have the same basic idea and criteria for picking a film/television to be awarded, the people in charge of the picking are in fact very different. The Academy’s members are actors, editors, pro-ducers, writers, directors, cinematographers, etc., who are all determined as the best in their field and show outstanding skill and talent. The HFPA are just journalists and critics. Members of the Foreign Press are in fact usually internation-al journalists, and therefore end up picking edgier films. The Oscars are usually known for big upsets and not nominating the right people, while the Globes never disappoint and always surprise. For instance, in the Globes, there is always a category for comedy and musicals. Films that are not always recognized in the Oscars have a place in the Golden Globes. Also, both comedy and musicals are separate from dramas, so they actually have a chance at winning a big prize. An-other good thing is, as stated before, television programs are represented as well and celebrated and therefore, in an enter-taining three hours, one can watch both the great categories of television and films.

However, even though I find that it covers only the good categories, the Academy does do a great job of acknowledging the guys working behind the scenes. They work just as hard as those who get all the credit for a film, if not harder. Still, it is a sacrifice; if one wants to watch both television and film you can’t celebrate every category.  But why in the end do I believe the Globes reign supreme over the Oscars?

            The Globes are simply more fun. Kind of like that fun uncle at a stuffy Thanksgiving dinner who cracks jokes and just lets loose. It’s a more relaxed atmosphere. And not only that, but the journalists pick better films in my opinion and more controversial films because they see the talent no mat-ter what. Although the title of “an Academy Award winning _____” weighs more than a Golden Globe, the Oscars just seem to be a lot more “political”, up tight, and restricting (I feel they refuse to take the risks the Globes do). It isn’t the same. As a viewer, one wants to see enjoyment, not actors and actresses forcing fake smiles.

8 (Continued from Page 6)ity interacts with each other. The ability for one to discuss something interesting whenever one chooses is changing the way that humanity as a whole communicates. Now, anyone with a broadband connection can discover what is going on in the world, and anyone with a keyboard is able to com-ment about what they think about something. The internet (more specifically the social internet) is arguably the greatest advance in the way that mankind communicates, and, ironi-cally, it is killing off the previous great advance.

Recently, in response to the Egyptian revolution, a YouTube celebrity by the name of Phillip DeFranco stated that “any revolt in our time will come with a rock in one hand and a camera phone in the other”, and I believe that this statement couldn’t be any more true. The will of the people combined with the power of instant news can topple governments, and what is going on in the Middle East is a testament to that. Without the instant news in place today, perhaps the Egyptian protestors would not have been able to gain as much attention as they did, and would not have been able to fight for change as they are doing now. Think about it; if we did not have the Internet, there would be no such thing as an “update” on a situation, as we would have to wait until the morning to hear the latest news. Now, with instant communication, people can find out what they want, when they want, and news stations are able to quickly scan the web for any new information, rather than having to wait for a journalist to brief them. This revolution is being “live streamed”, and it relies so much on instant media such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook that when the internet was blocked, many people delved into the ethical dilemma of whether or not the internet is in fact a human right. And in today’s modern world, I believe it is.

Look, this transition is going to happen in our life-time, and it’s going to happen soon. Still don’t believe me? Look at the FIRST image on this Google search: http://tinyurl.com/4sqh78e. Now I know this transition won’t be easy for you, but there are ways that you can cope with the loss of your beloved written print. For example, smell-ofbooks.com sells a “new book smell” spray that you can purchase for 30 dollars. Those 30 dollars net you 1500 uses (because that’s how many books can fit on a Kindle). Oh, and did I mention that eBooks can be a fraction of the price of written ones. Want to share that new book with a friend? Both the Kindle and Nook have that function, and I’m sure that it is on the way for the iPad. Want to check out a book before you buy it? Look up the preview on Amazon.com, or walk into a Barnes & Noble with a Nook and just sit down. Missing the glory of lugging around a 354-page epic? There are plenty of cases that disguise the svelte and beautiful form of an eReader in the body chunky novel. Thinking that reading the New York Times on an iPad just isn’t “getting the full experience?” There is a solution for that too: Just dip

your hands in some black ink, rub them on the edge of the paper so you get cut up a little, and throw that iPad out in the snow so that it becomes so soggy that it borders on un-readable. Oh, and while your at it, why don’t you wrap it up in a very permeable plastic bag that will either be instantly thrown away or used to pick up dog poop.

(Yes, this entire article was written using only online sources, with no printed words at all. It is the author’s request that this document be published without using any paper whatsoever.)

Dear Florence Knight N. GillRachel Sherman I first heard about your blog about a week ago and have been hooked ever since. Each post is hilarious and shock-ingly positive towards the student body and GSB as a whole. When I entered the site for the first time, I was expecting a “Gossip Girl-style blog” that would expose everyone’s dirty little secrets. Happily, I could not have been more wrong. Your blog may be the best thing to happen to our high school com-munity in a long time. It has brought a majority of the student body into the same virtual space and has created a shared experience across each grade.

Throughout the senior class, there have been bursts of laughter following a viewing the section on your blog entitled “Go To College and Stuff.” It’s a great way to laugh at the whole college process for a minute or two and put things into perspective. Your attitude towards all things GSB is so contagious that it even brought some school spirit out of my Grinch-like heart.

My final question is: Who are you? Please don’t re-spond with that typical, Gossip Girl-esque “Who am I? That’s one secret I’ll never tell.” If the student body knew your identi-ty, they could award credit where credit is due for this amazing blog and all the hard work that clearly goes into it. It may be just a fun a little page for your followers, but it has bridged the gap between the underclassmen and the upperclassmen, which is always a good thing. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s hilarious, friendly, and overwhelmingly nice, which is always a welcome change. I’ll be the first one to compliment you in person on your work when or if we find out your identity.

Sincerely,

(Your Biggest Fan) Rachel M. Sherman

9The Crisis In Egypt

Jessica Raia On January 25 2011, civil unrest became appar-ent in Egypt after thousands took the streets in protest to the poverty, unemployment, and government incompetent under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for the past thirty years. Such protests, having never occurred on this large of a scale, led the govern-ment to block social networking sites, such as Twitter. The government attacked these sites to prevent protesters from using them to organize.

The extent to which the government reacted to the protest not only enraged Egyptian citizens, but also brought attention to the uprising on a international scale. Over the course of a couple of days, Egypt proceeded to block other networking sites such as Facebook, while police took the streets, wreaking havoc upon the country. They arrested hundreds of individuals, while attacking those in the streets with batons, tear gas, and water cannons. Protests occurred not only in Cairo but also in other major cities such as Alex-andria and Suez.

On Thursday January 27, protests continued to rage throughout the country. Former head of the Inter-national Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed Eibaradei, returned to Egypt declaring that he was ready to lead the protests. As such, Eibaradei is viewed with distrust by the government, since he is thought of as a potential Egyptian leader, if Mubarak was to loose power. Along with this, The Muslim Brotherhood, a fierce opponent of the Mubarak regime after having been officially banned in Egypt, rallied behind protesters. The largest of the riots were planned for Friday, at which the government responded by blocking all Internet services in the country. Following this, email and text messaging were also shut down. Yet, protestors found other ways in getting information out to the general public, thereby defying government’s means of punishment.

The military was called in to take over security, a move that protestors made evident was welcome by all means necessary. The U.S government announced that in response to the ongoing protests, the Obama administration would be reviewing polices such as substantial aid, including both military and non-military to Egypt. Though Obama said, “We’re committed to working with the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people,” he has not addressed the issue of keeping Mubarak as President. He made it clear that any other attacks on protestors would resolve in ending any form of American support. Egypt is the second largest recipient of American aid, right after Israel. With that said, Obama appeared to suggest that if Mubarak is in fact serious about reform in his country, then he should have U.S sup-port.

Thoughts on Being a SeniorMalcolm Dey Too often people refer to senior year as a time to relax compared to the rest of high school. That’s the way my friends and relatives described it to me, but I felt a strong sense of skepticism about their claims, and I am now more thankful than ever that I had my doubts.

The best way to describe senior year so far, is to say that it is like playing the classic video game, Tetris. The es-says, projects, tests, and college application assignments keep piling up. Just when I finished my pile of work and hope I will not suffer another avalanche, it happens again. The blocks keep falling and the horizontal lines keep vaporizing the workload, but the cycle never ends; or so it seems.

Granted, this all sounds quite intimidating, but psychologically damage is not the goal of this article. That is a job strictly reserved for the AP Physics and AP Calculus classes so many brave souls have decided to take simultane-ously this year (God bless them).

But all banter aside, I have and will never stress enough about all four years of high school here at GSB to affect my life, due to one key thing; getting extra help from teachers. Take this opportunity whenever possible, as it only serves to make learning easier, it makes getting higher scores on tests a much smoother process. Some teachers may even be willing to glance over a rough draft of a college supple-mental essay and give some quality feed back.

Which brings up the next point: college. We all know that applications can be a major pain, but that’s only if you wait until the last minute. Never have I been so glad as to have gotten a head start on anything related to school than I have to the common application and its supplement this past August. Although it may look simple at first, fill-ing in every single box and uploading every essay can take quite some time, and be quite tedious. Not to mention, the entire process seems much easier when there’s more time to edit your work, and it is a major confidence boost knowing maximum effort was put into writing essays with plenty of time to spare.

While having free time in senior year is great, without a healthy and effective form of stress relief, insanity will most likely ensue. Perhaps you could exercise daily if only for thirty minutes. Do pushups, paint a picture, or play a musical instrument. Anything that you enjoy and allows your mind to recess itself into a state of direct focus on your hobby (and take it off of school) is a good thing to do. Find your own escape, make sure it works well, and stick to it. It will pay off in indescribable ways down the road.

(Continued on Page 13)

10Arizona and Civility

Abhi Gupta In our divisive media environment, where over sized personalities scream their grandiose conspiracy theories at a viewership all too enthusiastic to embrace their messages of fear, perhaps it was foolish to believe that we as a society could find a little civility in the days following the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Giffords. Across the political spectrum, respectful mourning quickly yielded to traditional partisan bickering as the event made the inevitable transition from a national tragedy to a mere talk-ing point. This raises an inevitable question that the Tucson tragedy helps illuminate: why is civility so hard to maintain?

One of the first responses by the media was, as always, to try to discern the motivations of Jared Lee Lough-ner, the accused killer. While much of the banter was mean-ingless conjecturing, it did serve to highlight the widespread belief that the actions of crazed individuals like Loughner are not the product of broader trends in society, but derived from personal failings and delusions. This belief, while ap-parently innocuous, can be turned to a much more sinister purpose. A reverence for the power of individuals runs deep through our society, to the point where it is unpopular to even discuss the relationship between an individual’s actions and the dominance of certain ideas in our society. Sarah Palin provided the best example of this tendency when she said “Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own” and that by attributing Loughner’s actions to the heated rheto-ric of her and some of her fellow Tea Party enthusiasts that the media was “manufacturing a blood libel.” “Blood libel,” which refers to the alleged use of the blood of Christian children in Passover rituals, has traditionally been employed to culturally marginalize Jews and as an excuse for violent repression. Through the use of this divisive and wholly inappropriate term Palin sought to stifle any discussion of the link between the violent imagery she embraces and the actual violence of Loughner by equating her opponents’ views with anti-Semitism.

Palin is not by far the first American public figure to idealize violence. As is inevitable in a country whose basic freedoms were first established in armed rebellion against the British, generations of politicians have appealed to the ever popular “people rebelling against tyranny” thread in American history. War runs through the personas of our greatest presidents, from the Washington to Lincoln to FDR, all of whom are identified with wars fought in the name of freedom. Today, this identification of justified violence with patriotism is most loudly vocalized, though by no means exclusively tied to, more conservative politicians. The various strands of the Tea Party movement are easily the most overt in their use of war imagery, such as tricorn

hats and Revolutionary War flags, and similarly inspired rhetoric, including cries of “Don’t tread on me!” and inces-sant talk of “fighting tyranny.” These exaggerated, colorful terms, while drawing on a larger cultural history, are part of a broader, more dangerous growth in divisive, delusional rhetoric.

The line between appealing to historic greatness and incitement to violence is one that all responsible public figures ought to be wary of. When taken individu-ally, the decision by Palin to put out a map highlighting congressional districts that needed to be “taken back” with crosshairs would simply be an extension of her frontier-gal persona that she cultivates. The appeal of the Tea Party and many of the politicians associated with it, like Palin, is not based so much in their concrete policies as much as their cultural symbolism, evinced in their invocation of older, “truer,” more idyllic American values like self reliance, small government, etc. With politicians like Palin, these values are also overlaid with a “western” folksiness that gives them a grittier twang. Giffords herself was a large user of such symbolism, as it helped her connect to her constituents.

The image and culture surrounding the idea of a “lone gunslinger” is one of the most prominent parts of this tradition, and one of the most problematic. It combines the historical appeal to violence with a righteous pursuit of what is “right” regardless of the consequences, leading people like Sharron Angle, the GOP candidate for Senate in Nevada, to assert that Americans might exercise their “second amendment rights”.

This call to violence, while made by a fringe poli-tician with little actual significance, is simply the most brazen example of a broader trend in politics. From Glenn Beck crying about tyranny to Sarah Palin’s “lock and load” politics to the ads depicting Congressional candidates shooting the new healthcare law, there are a multitude of politicians willing to embrace violent imagery. For all its storied history, their use of such rhetoric undermines the health of our political system. As people begin to see the normal affairs of government as a threat to their very existence, they enter a paranoid mindset that resists com-promise and rationality. By portraying their opponents as un-American agents of tyranny, these politicians under-mine the effectiveness of the government by fostering recal-

11citrance and irrationality. When this happens, people come to see their government as illegitimate, foreign, or tyran-nical simply because they are not in the majority, then the democracy cannot function. Palin and Beck bear some of the responsibility for this, for their rhetoric encourages their supporters to seek redress for their grievances not through the existing political system, but through use of weapons and violence. When armed resistance becomes equated with political expression and freedom, it is no wonder that a civil political discourse remains outside our reach.

The Meaning of SpecialDaniel Sonnenberg Why is it that there is never a perfectly accurate way for people to be compared?  Yes, everyone does have his or her strengths and weaknesses, but where does this endless affirmation end?  At what point does little Billy go from being “a creative force” to “disruptive in the classroom”?  Are all creative people therefore disruptive, or are all disruptive people creative?  This distinction does not work for all cases, so why do we continue to apply the same standardized tests and indicators to our behaviors and qualities?   Scientific or not, the means by which human beings evaluate ourselves are constantly shifting their meaning, and soon enough, we wont know where we stand.  Let’s say that little Billy, while disruptive in the classroom, is the star of the basketball team.  Then how do we feel about Mary, the little girl who is paying attention in class, and who gets good grades?  Is she equally as special as Billy?  Which one de-serves more praise or is deemed more accomplished?  Then what about Chet, who is in a band, captain of the swim team, and who is in all the advanced classes?  Does he have a right to think he is better than Billy and Mary just because he is more “accomplished”?  Is Billy’s ability to overcome his hyperactivity to access his creativity more special than Mary’s intelligence, or Chet’s swimming abilities?  

Parents and mentors alike are constantly searching for ways to allow more people to experience the feeling of achievement and to not have their feelings hurt by the suc-cesses of others.  The ultimate goal is to have people direct their energy towards their strengths, instead of into doubt and self-pity.  But, as these achievement horizons expand, those of us who define or used to define ourselves by the existing standards begin to lose our sense of who we are, be-cause the way we define ourselves ceases to exist or changes its meaning.  Of course, things like emotional intelligence have their place in society, but I would like to know where and when it will all end. 

If things continue the way they are, if a child is

told he or she is smart, what will it mean? Will it hold any water?  Will there be so many types of multiple intelligences that simply being “smart” won’t mean anything?  Will there ever again be a definitive “best”? Humans make sense of the world by classifying their surroundings and creating catego-ries.  It makes sense then, that we would have so many ways to classify ourselves.  However, we must be careful to not categorize ourselves into a corner, or we might find that one day nothing has any significance any more.

The Life of a Democracy Brett Sleyster “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictator-ship, then a monarchy.”

It is said that this quote come from a man named Tytler, and I think it is a quote that need to be noted in today’s society where people consistently ask for more and more free meals. The trend for people to get more and more from their government has been slow and steady, and with recent fiscal crises this trend becomes unsustainable. This has become brutally clear when looking closely at the Eu-ropean Union, who has been hit harder with this recession than other countries. If you do not know a great example is Greece. They had created a clearly unsustainable system and there deficit outgrew the GDP. For those of you who do not know what the GDP is, it is the gross domestic product which is the total value of all goods and services bought and sold over the course of one year. This happened because of reckless spending and government benefits that cannot be provided and sustained. There are many things that gener-ally cause a budget to get out of control. Some of the things that can cause major issues are healthcare, charity, and defense spending. In the U.S healthcare (Medicare and Med-icaid), Social Security, and Defense Spending are about 85% of the federal budget. First let’s take a look at Social Security, it’s a very good program, but let’s look at it origins. When it was first instated I believe that social security was given to anyone over the age 65, but the average lifespan at the time was about 66. Now I’m not sure I have all the facts exactly right, but I believe the age people can begin to receive social security is 67 and the average lifespan is about 80. This is created an unsustainable imbalance between what we are

(Continued on Page 12)

12

Taken by Mr. Ripton

(Continued from Page 11)giving and what we are able to give, or the amount that is going to be given to people will have to amount to almost nothing as the age of the population is getting older. Social Security is currently still generating a surplus, but in the near future the baby boomers are going to get Social Security and the system may not sustain itself. Next look at healthcare spending aka Medicare, Medicaid and in the near future the Healthcare plan. Medicare in particular provides healthcare service who are over the age of 65. The cost of Medicare has constantly gotten greater ever since it was put into place, and its cost could certainly become unsustainable. It cost hun-dreds of billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money. The system could cost less if they limited the amount of coverage that any given person received. Medicare only covers about 80% of any costs that a person on Medicare has, but if a person has a million dollars worth of coverage in the two months before they die, not only is the taxpayer paying for the eight hundred thousand dollars worth of coverage, but they will end up paying for the other two-hundred thousand because the person dies before they have to pay. If there are no limits on what Medicare can spend it will only continue to create an unsustainable system. Now there is defense spending if it gets out of control, it has to be cut, it is a little more simple. It needs to be given a budget, and it needs to stick to it. Also any expenses that are for wars have to be prepared for and financed within the federal budget instead of pay now worry about the cost later. The most important thing is that overall the budget should be no more than the government is taking in. In the news cutting spending is called cutting the deficit even when the budget is still more than taxes are receiving. It is not cutting the deficit unless the government is going to owe people less money afterwards, because of this the government has not yet started to cut the deficit even though in some areas it has cut spending.  Anyway, back to the quote. The U.S. is going down a slippery slope. While I really don’t believe we are headed toward a dictatorship, I think the idea that people should receive things from their government has been taken to a point that it will be unsustainable, and eventually something has to give. I am not saying that The government cannot provide Medicare to a point, but maybe person needs to have a limit on how much they can spend. Maybe defense spending still needs to be cut; it would not be where I would want to cut the budget, but when one area is taking a hit it should not be the only area cutting back. The most important thing is that we do not keep electing leaders that promise more and more benefits as the quote suggests will happen. If things keep headed in that direction it could be very bad when something end up giving way. An unsus-tainable system will break down, and going further in debt constantly is unsustainable, so something has to give soon or the future will not be as bright as it is hoped for. 

<>

<>

13Photography

A Special Section Showcasing the Artistic Work of Faculty and Students

Taken by Matt Brookman

Thoughts on Being a Senior(Continued from Page 9) In summary, I wrote this article because I wanted to inform the junior class that senior year, or at least the

first semester of it for some students, is without a doubt going to be the most rigorous part of your high school career. However, the feeling of knowing that I will finally be moving on to a place beyond the world of GSB has me riddled with excitement. After six years here, I’m ready for something new; and that is one of the great joys of senior year, knowing that no matter where you or your friends end up at college, everyone will be happy and make the best of it.

Sure, everyone has that number one choice college they want to attend, but sometimes the glitz and glamour of that first choice fades quickly just because people change their minds over time. I got deferred from my first choice, and then realized that compared to other schools I got accepted to, it didn’t seem like the best social environment for me anyway. Academic reputation is a great concern for me, but even more important is knowing that no matter where I go, I will be happy with the social scene and student body diversity.

Am I nervous about heading off to college? Aside from the base anxiety everyone feels before going somewhere far away for a long time (like summer camp), not really. Even though no matter where I decide to go to school, it will be at least a six-hour drive from my parents, I’ve encountered nothing beyond the understandable fear of the unknown everyone else feels from time to time. All I know is that no matter where I end up, there will be a select few teachers and friends that I will never forget here at GSB, and I hope all my fellow seniors and junior friends are just as successful in the grand scheme of the college process as I feel I have been this year.

14

Taken by Matt Brookman

Taken by Sam Rosenthal

Taken by Sam Rosenthal

15

THE VOICE IS OPEN TO ANYTHING

YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH OTHERS

Taken by Matt Brookman

Taken by Mr. Ripton