The Bull's Eye - December 2009

7/29/2019 The Bull's Eye - December 2009

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE III DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL

Brahma Foundation HostsEvening of the Arts

COLUMN ONE

Walnut ValleyUnifed School

District

AddressesBudget Crisis

During the forum, a total of12 ideas for generating revenueand helping out school budgetswere created. The ideas rangedfrom a used textbook sale to aWVUSD 5K run-a-thon.

Sharon LinEditorial Editor

The Bulls EyePAY-PER-HULU

How would you feel if youhad to pay for movies andtelevision shows that were

originally free? Read moreabout Hulus plan for 2010.Please see page 9.

MAN VS MONEYIn this current economy,students cannot affordto be extravagant. Read

about how long two peoplecan survive with just $20.Please see page 8.

GENES DONT LIETheres no denyingitparents affect theirchildrens future. Find out

how parents inuence theirchildrens academic choices.Please see page 4.

THE LAST LEAFThe fall sports playersnished their season offwith a bang. Find out more

about how the Brahmasdominated their games.Please see page 12.

INSIDETHISISSUE

SING: Presale tickets will be soldat lunch in the choir room ofce

and will cost $7 for students and$9 for adults. Ticket prices willcost $8 for students and $10 foradults at the door.

Laura MofttStaff Writer

Elizabeth LeeAsst. News Editor

Annual ChoirConcert to be HeldTomorrow

SHOWCASE: Auctioned itemsincluded a cello, private violinlessons for two months, tennislessons for four months and a giftbasket, professional Christmaslighting, and Christmas dinner.

ART: Members of Leo Clubsold handmade goody bagsand handmade angels used forChristmas decorations, whichcost $1 and $3 respectively, toraise money.

Eric LeeAsst. News Editor

City Presents AnnualCandy Cane Craft Fair at

the DB Center

Flick and swish... Senior Henry Liu conducts the Symphony Orchestra in their performance of

Greensleeves. Elizabeth Lee

SPIN: Dance students helpedorganize the concert and wereresponsible for selling tickets.Costumes were purchased,borrowed, or made for theconcert.

Megan QuiamasStaff Writer

Winter DanceConcert Held inDBHS Theater

Deck the halls... A vendor sets up a table of handmade accessories for attendees to purchase.

Ashley Chen

[Please see CRAFT

on page 3]

Dancin in the limelight... Taurian Co. dancers performs to

Twice by Little Dragon. Courtesy ofDiana Romero[Please see BUDGET

on page 2]

[Please see PERFORM

on page 3]

School budgets havesuffered and are continuingto suffer severely during thiseconomic downturn. This trendin the economy has called forimmediate action to solve thebudget problems that schoolshave been left with.

The Walnut Valley UniedSchool District hosted a forumdiscussing school budgetproblems in the multipurposeroom of South Pointe MiddleSchool on Saturday, November14.

Dr. Cyndy Simms, theWVUSD superintendent, hopedthat the forum would accomplishthree things: inform parentsabout the budget challengesschools are facing, gatherrevenue-raising ideas, andcreate plans that will generaterevenue in order to maintain thequality of the WVUSD.

As enrollment continuesto decrease, will we have aschool thats no longer needed?Thats the magnitude of these

problems, stated Simmsregarding the school budgetproblems.

The school districts budget

Diamond Bar High Schoolschoir department will host itsPeace on Earth choir concerttomorrow, December 10, andFriday, December 11, in theDBHS theater, at 7 p.m.

All ve DBHS choirs:

Chamber Choir, Diamondaires,Diamondtones, Marquis, andSolitaire will be performing at theconcert.

We have a large variety ofsongs about the holidays; someof the songs at the concert areeven in different languages.Theres dancing and costumesto get everyone into the holidayspirit, the concert shouldbe a wonderful experiencefor everyone, commented

sophomore Diamondairesmember Renee Danner.

The concert will featuresongs such as Breath ofHeaven, Carol of the Bells, andRockin' Around the ChristmasTree.

All ve choirs will perform

three songs together. Thesesongs will include YuletideFanfare, Christmas onBroadway, and the HallelujahChorus.

They will also perform a fewsongs about Hanukkah.

The songs we haveprepared, and the concertin general, will delight theaudience and ll them with

Christmas spirit! The showshould be jubilant and enjoyable

for everyone in the audience,said freshman Diamondtonesmember Adriana Ong.

Presale tickets will be soldat lunch in the choir room ofce

and will cost $7 for students and$9 for adults.

Tickets will also be availablefor purchase at the door and willcost $8 for students and $10 foradults.

Sophomore Marquismember Charlie Lubercommented, The winter concertis a challenge for everyonein choir because there are somany unique and difcult songs

to learn, and we are only givena brief time to learn them.

The theater and the lobbywill be decorated with holiday

decorations and the backdropof the stage will feature a winterscene.

Performers will wear winterholiday apparel. Each choir willhave an additional costumeitem varying from a Santa hat,a scarf, or a Christmas sweater.

[The concert] is a uniqueexperience that the audience aswell as the performers will love,commented senior Marquismember Simone Moss.

Diamond Bar High SchoolsDance Department held itsannual winter concert, Dancersat Work, in the DBHS theateron Thursday, December 3 andFriday, December 4, from 7p.m. to 9 p.m.

Performers includedstudents from the Dance Team,the All Male Dance Crew, andstudents from the advanced and

intermediate dance classes. Allthe dances were choreographedby students.

This concert was to showthe progress of the students andwhat they have been workingon. This was also for a grade.[The dancers] showed me their

dances that they have beenpreparing all semester, andthey have improved over time,explained dance teacher JannaLindenberg.

A total of 100 studentsperformed at this event. Therewere 23 performances, includingthree solos performed by seniorKrysten Dorado, senior BriezyRodriguez, and sophomoreBecky Traynor.

[The dancers] workedreally hard on perfecting theirperformances. What I enjoyedthe most was the collaborativespirit among the students. Itis not just a show made upof individuals, but a group ofdancers that have a shared

passion and support eachother every step of the way,commented Lindenberg.

Tickets cost $8 for bothstudents and adults and weresold in the dance room. Ticketswere also available for $8 at thedoor.

The Brahma Foundationhosted its 3rd annual Eveningof the Arts at the Royal VistaGolf Club on Friday, December4, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The main purpose of theevent is to raise money for the[Diamond Bar High School]Performing Arts Academy, andto also feature the outstandingyoung musicians of theacademy, stated Instrumental

Administrative Assistant AngelaJohnson. She added, This year,we also honored Diamond Barsformer mayor, Jack Tanaka,and his wife, Wanda Tanaka,for all of [their] outstandingwork within the community andtheir continued support [for] thePerforming Arts Academy.

The Evening of the Artsevent showcased the talent ofthe Performing Arts Academyat DBHS, including choir, band,and orchestra.

[This event was] anopportunity to connect our topperforming arts students withleaders in our community,explained Performing ArtsDirector Steve Acciani.

The DBHS Chamber Choirand Marquis performed several

pieces that included CantateDomino, and Its ChristmasTime. The DBHS SymphonyOrchestra played a variety ofpieces, including God RestYe Merry Gentlemen, The

Holy and the Ivy, and StilleNacht. Several solos werealso featured throughout thenight. These included solos bysenior choir member TiffanyLanning, junior cello player

Sydney Moss, freshman ute

player Michelle Sung, andsophomore pianist Austin Chen.Senior Henry Liu conducted

The City of Diamond Bars4th annual Candy Cane CraftFair was held at the DiamondBar Center on Saturday,December 5, from 10 a.m. to 5

p.m.Over 70 local vendors

featured hundreds of handmadeseasonal items for purchase,including candy, jewelry, andChristmas decorations.

Every good has beenhandmade by the crafters and istherefore unique, commented

Andee Tarazon, the CommunityServices Coordinator for the Cityof Diamond Bar. She added,All the vendors were wererun by local crafters, and weare helping them by providing[an opportunity] for them toshowcase and sell crafts.

In this years Candy CaneCraft Fair, a new station calledthe Santas Workshop was

added to the event. The stationwas recommended for childrenages ve to 12. The children

were able to create bracelets,ornaments, bookmarks, andreindeer ears.

There was another stationfor attendees to take pictureswith Santa Claus. I lovetaking pictures with kids. Kidsare the main reason we haveChristmas, said Roger Myers,the Santa Claus at the event.

Various clubs from DiamondBar High School attended theCandy Cane Craft Fair. DB4Youth sold snacks, such asdonuts, hot dogs, and nachochips.

I felt excited to be helping

out with the Candy Cane CraftFair. Its starting to feel likeChristmas due to this event,commented Melanie Rodriguez,


2/11

NewsNewsTHE BULLS EYE2 Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Friendly RemindersPlease do not stop or park your cars on Evergreen SpringsDrive from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days. Police are handingout tickets to those who do not abide by the trafc laws. To

pick up or drop off your student, drive futher down EvergreenSprings.

The Sheriffs Department has indicated that they havebegun issuing tickets to jaywalkers on Brea Canyon Road.

Barnes and Noble Book Fair RaisesMoney for DBHS Textbook FundPURCHASE: DBHS studentsperformed throughout the day.The two main locations for theperformances were the areasnear the caf and next to thecash registers.

Andrew John

Asst. Sports Editor

On Target

RENAISSANCE REWARDS

Are you tired of bringing that same, boring sandwich you hastilypack the night before? How about buying that same costlylunch that seems to be a burden on both your time and yourwallet? Well, mark your calendars because a RenaissanceGive Away will stop your boring lunch routines for just a day.You dont want to miss out on a tasty giveaway, so dont forget

to bring your ID card!Renaissance Give Away is on Tuesday, December 15.

HOLIDAYS HELPING HAND

Face it, youve been begging for another vacation eversince Thanksgiving ended and school started. Thanksto the holidays, you will nally have that mini-vacation and

some leisure time to catch up with your friends, schoolwork,and that precious sleep you never seem to get enough of.Winter break is coming around the corner to save you frombecoming overworked, not to mention the extra gifts that youwill receive. However, dont forget to also do that holiday

shopping beforehand!Minimum Day is on Friday, December 18. Winter Break is

from Monday, December 21 to F riday, January 1.

FINAL CHANCES

Are you satised with the grades you have in your classes

yet? If not, you better raise them as quickly as you can,becausebelieve it or notthe end of the semester is alreadyapproaching. Before these grades become permanentrecords, here is your last opportunity to change that borderlineB to an A. It will not be a wise choice to slack off at this time.The good news is that youll get to relax and have fun with

your friends during the three-day weekend!End of the semester and Non-Pupil Day is on Friday, January

15.

SNOOZE BUTTONHas schoolwork been lling your days with tons of work and

stress? Fear not, another late start day is coming! This is yourchance to sleep in and relax. You can begin your day by gettingout of bed without being rushed by an alarm clock. However,

if your parents force you to leave the house at the same timeyou usually do, console yourself with the fact that you actuallyhave time to stop by Starbucks for an early morning pick-me-

up!Late start is on Tuesday, January 26.

Pathways Hosts AnnualCanned Food Drive

Rock n Read... Sophomores Kenny Schmitt and David Chang play their electric guitars to entertain customers. Ashley Ahn

Continued from page 1BUDGET: Simms invited school board members, administrators, and everyone in the community.

Famous Last Words...A WVUSD parent spoke to the attendees participating at the forum.

Sharon Lin

comes from two sources:enrollment and state funding.However, revenue from bothof these sources is declining.This year, there are only 593kindergarteners in the district,but there are 1,514 high schoolseniors. Even the base revenue,the amount of money a schoolreceives for each student, isdeclining. Schools are receivingabout $680 less for eachstudent. In addition, the districtis receiving more than $11million less than it received lastschool year. These reductionsin school budgets create anunstable future for the district.

The accumulated nancial

losses this school year have

emphasized the need for thecommunity to step in and helpraise revenue. In an attempt to

resolve the budget problems,Simms invited school boardmembers, administrators, andeveryone in the community tothe forum.

During the forum, a total of12 ideas for generating revenueand helping out school budgetswere created. The ideas rangedfrom a used textbook sale to aWVUSD 5K run-a-thon. All theideas created during the forumhave the potential to help theschool district out of its currentnancial rut. However, revenue

from these events cannot caterto every school in the district forthe entire school year.

In order to permanentlysolve the budget crisis, the

district needs to nd a wayto continuously generaterevenue. Overall, the forum was

successful as it accomplished itsmain goal: to come up with ideasthat will help raise revenue.

Though the outcome of theideas created during the forumhas yet to be seen, the fact thatso many ideas have alreadybeen created slightly easesthe budget crisis. Sometimeswhen we talk about budgets, we

just sink lower and lower in ourchairs. Its wonderful to see thatthe community is so strong andpowerful, said Susan Arzola,the principal of Cyrus J. MorrisElementary School.

The forum was also a steptoward a more stable future forthe WVUSD. I was so pleasedwith our parents and our staff

members that were here. Thereis lots of hope for our schooldistrict, commented Simms.

Diamond Bar High Schoolhosted a book fair at the Barnesand Noble bookstore in ChinoHills from Saturday, November21 to Friday, November 27, tohelp raise money for the DBHSlibrarys textbook fund.

From this event, DBHSreceived nearly $4,000. Barnesand Noble donated a portion ofevery purchase that was madewith a mention of DBHS. In theend, the store donated about 25percent of the sales made. Thelibrary will store the money andspend it only when there is ashortage of books.

It was a smashingsuccess. We almost doubledwhat we thought we coulddo, commented Pam Hunter,school librarian and organizerof the event.

On Saturday, various groups

from DBHS held performancesat the store throughout the dayto promote business.

It wouldnt have been halfas good if the students had notgiven the time they did, saidHunter.

The Drama departmentpresented about half of the rst

act from this years fall play,Dear Brutus.

Early in the afternoon,Choir performed at Barnesand Noble, practicing many ofthe songs that it performed atits Winter Winds concert onSaturday, December 5. Mostof the songs sung by Solitairehad Christmas themes, such

as Sleigh Ride and WinterWonderland. A trio consistingof senior Tiffany Launing, senior

Alyssa Navaro, and junior EmilyTournie then sang How Can IKeep from Singing?

Its hard to sing in a new

place. Its their rst time singingthese songs in front of anaudience, so its good practicefor the concert, commentedchoir instructor Patty Breitag.

Students from Pei-YingChais Chinese classesperformed a few minutes afterChoir nished.

The Chinese studentsplayed instruments unique toChinese culture. SophomoreRachel Chen played a guitar-like instrument called a pipain which she used picks onall of her playing ngers to

play. Sophomore Kevin Suplayed a Chinese version ofthe dulcimeran ancestor of

the modern pianoby tappingstrings with two wooden sticks.

French teacher AnthonyTietz played the guitar andseniors Camille Tecson andNavaro provided the vocals fortwo French songs, Dernire

Danse and Comme desEnfants. The All Male DanceCrew and the Taurian Companydance team later performedtheir rally routines.

In the afternoon, membersof the DBHS Orchestra andPerforming Arts Academy playedin the store. The performersincluded a string quartet, a stringtrio, and solo guitarists. SeniorElmer Wu conducted a chamberorchestra. The last musicalgroup was a ute ensemble led

by junior Han Kim.The Barnes and Noble

representative told us that itwas the best book fair they hadever had, stated Hunter.

GIVE: PCA has held this eventfor four years and has deliveredthe canned food to the needyfamilies directly. Students not inPCA were encouraged to donatecanned food as well.

Nicole OngpoyStaff Writer

Food for thought... JuniorsMonica Salib and Landis Evangelista

collect boxed and canned food for the PCA Canned Food Drive.

Nicole Ongpoy

Diamond Bar High SchoolsPathways Communications

Academy held its annual CannedFood Drive, from Thursday,November 12, through Tuesday,November 24.

All cans and packaged

goods were delivered onTuesday, November 24 toneedy families. Turkeys werealso donated by staff members.PCAs goal was to donate atleast a gift basket to each ofthe families, and managed togive two baskets. Each donatedbasket consisted of traditionalThanksgiving dishes such asturkey and vegetables. Giftcerticates to local grocery

stores were also given.[I want the students to] gain

a sense of responsibility and asense of commitment to thecommunity, commented PCAteacher Julian Rodriguez, whosupervised the canned fooddrive.

PCA plans to donate two

more baskets to two otherfamilies during the winterholidays.

I have everything and [theless fortunate families] dont, soI feel its really important to help

the families, said junior MonicaSalib, an organizer of the drive.She added, We collect cansfrom the teachers and bringthem [to Rodriguezs room] toorganize them in baskets.

Students not in PCA werealso encouraged to contribute

to the canned food drive bydonating their food items inthe collection boxes of PCAteachers.

The importance is to garnerrespect for community and for

service-learning to help those inthis economic crisis right now. [Itis about] helping those who areless fortunate, who may not behaving a Thanksgiving, statedRodriguez.

Youre either helping, ornot. Theres no in-between. We

have so much that we needto share, and you get a goodfeeling on the inside when youknow you gave somebody elseyour food, said PCA teacherChristian Calero.


3/11

NewsNews THE BULLS EYE Wednesday, December 9, 2009 3

news bits

Senior NamedSiemensSeminalist

Holiday Gala Fundraises forthe City of Diamond Bar

ACHIEVE: Derek Chang wona prize bag containing a Kodakcamera, a Siemens folder, aSiemens Newsletter, a UniversalSerial Bus ash drive, and a

Siemens Competition t-shirt.

Matthew HapenneyContributing Staff Writer

Four men in Brisbane,Australia, were foundwashing themselves in thenude at a local carwash whiletheir female companionstook pictures of them. Thewash was fully paid for, butthe men have been chargedwith indecent exposure anddisturbing the peace. Theywill appear in court nextmonth.

The phrase Meep! hasbeen banned by administrationat Danvers High School inDanvers, Massachusetts. Themeaningless word originatedfrom the lab assistant, Beaker,

of The Muppet Show, andstudents waged a campaignon Facebook to encourage

fellow students to used theword. It has been deemeda distraction by PrincipalThomas Murray. Any studentcaught saying Meep!on school grounds will beconsidered for suspension.

Cheng Saelee, a 27-year-old man from Anchorage,

Alaska, was caught by policeholding a gun to his mothershead because she refused tohelp him pay the ne for his

$430 parking ticket. Saeleethen tried to call his motherfrom jail without permissionfrom the police and ask herto drop the charges against

him for threatening her. Ifconvicted, he faces up to 11years in prison.

Derek Chang, a senior

at Diamond Bar High School,was announced a seminalist

in the 2009-2010 SiemensFoundation Award in Math,Science, and Technology onSunday, November 29.

Out of the more than2,000 high school studentsthat entered the Siemenscompetition, an internationaloriginal research competition inmath, science, and technology,only 318 students were honoredas seminalists, including

Chang. There were 96 studentsthat moved on to be namedregional nalists. Together,

these 414 contestants camefrom 34 states and the Districtof Columbia.

When I nished the

research paper I was overjoyedand relieved. Just reachingthis point was an added plus initself, said Chang.

Changs paper was titledThe Role of Ammonia in

Christine SongStaff Writer

DINE: There was a silentauction to help raise money forthe community. Over $20,000was raised through the HolidayGala. All proceeds will go towardthe City of Diamond Bar.

Night at the Gala...Attendees gather at the Diamond Bar Center to fundraise for the Diamond Bar

Community Foundation. Ruby Hwang

The Diamond BarCommunity Foundation heldits 6th annual Holiday GalaFundraiser, with a theme ofThe Stars of Diamond Bar,at the Diamond Bar Center onSaturday, November 14, from 6

p.m. to 10 p.m.This event raised moneyto purchase sports equipmentfor Diamond Bar schools andto sponsor scholarships forstudents. Money was alsoraised to support Diamond Barevents such as the summerConcerts in the Park series,and programs such as the DB4Youth.

The Holiday Gala is kindof our signature event for theDiamond Bar CommunityFoundation and we haveestablished ourselves by elegantsit-down dinners. Overall, I think[the Holiday Gala] was verysuccessful, said Jody Roberto,the organizer of this yearsHoliday Gala and the president

of the Diamond Bar CommunityFoundation.

The event featuredDiamond Bar High SchoolsOrchestra, and a jazz bandcalled Pat Longos HollywoodBig Band. Mariah Wilson, afteen-year old Diamond Bar

resident who was featured inthe movie Dreamgirls, also sang

the national anthem.The attendees spent their

night listening and dancing to

music.Its been a well-attended

event. The money goes to allthese well-intended causes in thecommunity. [The Diamond BarCommunity Foundation] raised alot of good money for importantcauses in the community. One ofthe good things about this eventis that the money raised stays

in the community rather thangoing out of the community,stated Ed Hilden, the president

of the Walnut Valley WaterDistrict.

The attendees includedrepresentatives of thecompanies who had donated tothe Diamond Bar CommunityFoundation, several cityofcials, and Diamond Bar

residents.The princesses and queen

of the 2009 Miss Diamond BarPageant also attended thisevent.

The tickets for this eventcost $100 for a single person,$175 for a couple, and $850 fora table of ten.

It is a great event inDiamond Bar and I hope thatthis event can keep gettingbetter by year, said Ling-LingChang, a Diamond Bar councilmember-elect.

the Symphony Orchestraduring their performance ofGreensleeves.

A live and silent auction wasalso held during the night.

The proceeds raisedthrough this event, from thesilent auction, live auction, and

ticket sales helped to fund the[Performing Arts] Academy,explained Johnson.

An awards ceremony washeld to honor several importantfamilies of the city of DiamondBar. The awards were presentedby DBHS Principal Denis

Paul and Assistant PrincipalCatherine Real.

The Brahma Foundationarranged ticket sales andcompany sponsorships.Tickets cost $50 per person and$450 for ten people. The ticketswere sold by Jack and Wanda

Tanaka, DBHS administration,and students or staff within thePerforming Arts Academy.

[This event] was excellent.It surpassed our wildestexpectations, commentedBrahma Foundation VicePresident Alex Stewart.

Continued from page 1PERFORM: The Performing Arts Academy at Diamond Bar High School showcased their talent throughout the night.

Continued from page 1CRAFT: Over 70 vendors sold handmade items at the fair.

a DB 4Youth member. DiamondBar High Schools Leo Club alsoattended the fair.

Members of Leo Club soldhandmade goody bags andhandmade angels used forChristmas decorations, whichcost $1 and $3 respectively, toraise money for the DiamondBar Breakfast Lions Club.[DBHS] Leo Club is helping

out Diamond Bar BreakfastLions Club. The crafts that wesold are all handmade by LeoClub members, explained JackTanaka, a Diamond Bar citycouncilmember.

[Candy Cane Craft Fair is]such a festive and wonderfulevent. It starts the Christmasholiday season in Diamond Bar,stated Tarazon.

Aerosol Formation through SO2

Oxidation: A ComputationalQuantum Chemistry Study. For16 months, from the summer of2008 to the fall of 2009, Derekconducted laboratory researchat Cal State Fullerton to nd the

most efcient method to decrease

sulfur dioxide emissions.There were a lot of ups and

downs. I felt so confused at rst,but [the project] came togetherwell at the end, commentedChang.

The Siemens Competition, asignature program of the SiemensFoundation, is administered bythe College Board and can awardscholarships of up to $100,000 forexceptional scientic research.

Students submit either individualor team research papers. Thepapers are then judged to seewhich are most scientically

inuential to the world.

We do independent researchon our own and then submit it,said Chang. He added, All ofmy results came together andI could nd a conclusion for my

research.

What I regretted was notbeing able to nd time during the

school year to work on the project,but overall [the competition] wasdenitely worthwhile, stated

Chang.


4/11

EditorialTHE BULLS EYE4 Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Editorial

Weeding Out Weed

In the 21st century, marijuanahas been firmly established as

an illegal drug and is shunned

by society. Since the Obamaadministrations announcement

in March that medical marijuana

dispensaries that strictly follow

the state law would not beinvestigated by federal agents,

numerous legal mari juanastores have opened up in thecities of California. City officials

now fear that a concentration

of dispensaries will in factattract criminals. This boom of

dispensaries may be detrimental

to the cities and may be illegalas well, and therefore must be

closed down immediately.

In 2003, a Cal i forniaballot measure specified that

marijuana could be cultivated

and distributed to prescription-

holding patients through nonprofitcollectives. Ever since President

Barack Obama took a softer

stance on medical marijuana,telling federal attorneys not to

prosecute individual users or

dispensaries in states where

marijuana has been legalized,numerous dispensaries have

grown significantly. The negativeaspect of the decriminalization

of marijuana is that there is zero

law enforcement to regulate the

number of dispensaries. Andwithout any restrictions set by

the laws, a rise in the crime rate

is likely to occur.Californias city officials are

beginning to sue dispensaries

in order to drive them out oftheir cities. One of their main

reasons is that most, if not all,

of the dispensaries are operatedto gain profits. Under state law,

growing and selling medical

marijuana in order to gain profit

is strictly forbidden.The owners of marijuana

dispensaries, however, arguethat their profits come fromdonat ions given by thei r

customers. The fact that law

enforcement officials cannotprove that these funds are truly

donations and not profits madefrom selling marijuana may

simply allow the owners to be

legal drug dealers.According to some reports,

some dispensary managers

admitted that most of their clientssimply want to abuse marijuana.

One owner stated that the quality

and prices of his products attract

the drug addicts on the street.The legalization of smoking

medical marijuana allowsaddicts to smoke without fearingprosecution and encourages

non-users to start.

Ano ther loopho le in thelegalization of medical marijuana

is that the customers simply

need to provide marijuanaprescriptions in order to make a

purchase. A man interviewed by

a reporter from The Los Angeles

Times insinuated that only one

percent of his clients have a

genuine hospital note and the

other 99 percent come fromdoctors who set up offices for

the purpose of issuing marijuana

prescriptions. Furthermore, theseowners are not pharmacists and

cannot even identify whether

or not the buyer is sick; their

job is only to supply customerswith marijuana. Therefore, if

an individual brings a fakeprescription, the individual will

be able to purchase marijuana

as easily as a child purchasing

candy. Once people begin tomanipulate this negative aspect

of dispensaries, the public

will be granted a simpler andeasier access to marijuana

than an illegal marijuana trade.

Disturbingly, this method will becompletely legal.

To allow marijuana in the

already drug-infested communityis ridiculous, considering the

window of opportunities it offers

to drug dealers and marijuana

addicts who seek to escape thelaw. Especially in California, a

state full of drug deals, medicalmarijuana dispensaries shouldnot be legalized and must be

banned in order to prevent crime

and protect the population fromthe dangerous drug.

Eric LeeAsst. News Editor

Col leges seem to be

expecting more and more fromtheir applicants as the years go

by. They look for well-roundedstudents with perfect grade

point averages and a plethora of

extracurricular activities. For the

most part, college applicationsare very straightforward and give

all applicants the same chance

at admission, but there are a fewloopholes in the applications.

The most irrelevant component

of the applications is the partthat asks for the applicants

family education background,

a factor that plays unfairlyinto an applicants chances at

admission.

Having alumni in the family

usually works in favor of anapplicant who wishes to attend

the alma mater because collegesfeel that by having more familymembers attend the same

school, there is a bigger chance

that the family will donate largersums to that college and that

future family members will also

be encouraged to attend thesame college. This legacy

preference, however, is not

a reflection of the applicantsabilities or work ethic.

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d ;

applicants who are the first

generation in their families toattend college are also favored.

Though the system of admitting

legacies and those who lack afamily education history benefits

some applicants, it puts every

other applicant at an unfair

disadvantage.Applicants cannot control

their family history. The entireprocess of favoring applicants

based on their family education

history puts applicants who are

qualified to attend the schoolbut do not have such relations

at a blatant disadvantage.Acco rdi ng to the Educat ion

Department Office for Civil

Rights, a federal government

organization, legacies areusually less qualified than non-

legacies and tend to be less

academically driven. Becausefirst generation college students

are usually minorities who come

from poorer backgrounds,colleges favor such applicants

in order to ensure that education

is fairly distributed among allsocial classes. This, however,

ultimately decreases the chance

of a college education for those

who are not the first generation intheir families to attend college.

B o t h p r o c e s s e s a r econtradictory to the idealsthat modern colleges ought to

embody. When an applicants

family education history is takeninto consideration, the chances

of admission are not equal and

focus more on the collegespotential financial benefits rather

than the students chance at a

well-deserved education. Theprocesses are harmful to college

reputations and to applicants

alike as they give admission to

applicants who are sometimesless qualified than those who

do or did not have relations at

the college.Colleges should focus on

an individuals accomplishments

and potent ial for success

rather than an individualsfamily education history, or

lack thereof, in order to ensurethat all applicants are fairly

admitted.

On November 5, the presidentof the Palestinian National

Authori ty, Mah mou d Abb as,

declared indirect resignation bycalling for presidential elections

and subsequently announcing

that he would not rerun for office in

the upcoming election. A goldenopportunity for Israeli-Palestinian

peace will conceivably come toan end with Abbas departure.Past political irresponsibility from

both the Obama administration

and Israel are to blame forAbbas resignation.

In past years, Palestinian

refugees, displaced by Israelsrapid and illegal settlement

expansion, have been forced to

live in camps in the West Bank,

Gaza, and neighboring lands.

As a precondition to negotiationand peace, it was concluded

that Israel needed to freeze its

settlement construction.The Obama administration

first supported this demand

that Israel should impose a fullsettlement freezeand then

irresponsibly backpedaled on

that requisite, leaving Abbas with

an uncertain future by forcinghim to return to the negotiating

table. With such a spontaneouschange of American policy,the frustrated president has

been forced out of office after

becoming an embarrassment infront of his people.

Although President Obama

agrees with the outlawing ofIsraels settlement construction

program, Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton changed theadministrations previous position

by recently favoring Israel. Clintonpraised Israeli Prime Minister,

Binyamin Netanyahu, for showing

constraint on his illegal Israelisettlement building even though

zero tolerance was the policy.

After agree d condi tions havebeen lost because of the Obama

administrations sudden change

in stance, Abbas suffers a decline

in political credibility, all becauseof American inconsistency.

Some say that Abbas threatof resignation may only be apolitical maneuver to force the

Obama administration to readopt

the Palestinian precondition ofa settlement freeze. However,

being at a political dead end,

Abbas is prepare d to act onhis words while acknowledging

that his leave will likely lead to

the collapse of the PalestinianNational Authority, Israels and

Americas principle negotiationpartner, and give more radical

leaders the opportunity to rise

to power.In his announcement speech,

Abbas made it clear that although

he was encouraged by theObama administrations original

policy, he is now surprised by

the American inconsistency on

the issue and sees his efforts asa lost cause.

Abbas is unable to fill therole of directing Palestine towardpeace due to the rejection of the

agreed upon preconditions. As a

pivotal but unsuccessful leader,the hope Abbas had brought

initially into office and the burden

he has created from leaving ithave both become heavy issues

that the Palestinian people,

as well as the internationalcommunity, must bear.

A Shameful SurrenderCY TanContributing Staff Writer

Eye of the Editors

My mother and father

went to college and

because they went,

they put more stress

on me to do better

and it encourages

me.

Tess Charng,

Sophomore

Even though my

parents went to

college, I am not

affected at all. I know

its good to follow in

peoples footstepsbut I believe being

an individual is more

important.

Alex Wu,

Junior

My parents and

siblings went to

college. It is kind ofintimidating because

there are expectations

to be better than them.

It makes me nervous

that I wont be able to

excel.

Annemarie Branks,

Freshman

My sister graduated

from the University

of the Pacific and

since this is my dream

school, it encourages

me to do better and

be just as successful

as my sister.

Parth Kansagra,Senior

An unnecessary naval clash

occurred last month between

North and South Korea along

the western sea border of thetwo countries. It was seemingly

caused by an unauthorized bordercrossing by the North and has

heightened tensions between the

conflicting countries. Considering

the already precarious politicalsituation of the two countries,

both the leaders and the civilians

should be working on a way tofind peace instead of quarreling

over insignificant dilemmas such

as a border dispute.A current territorial dispute

leaves North and South Korea

in a very unstable state, andeven a small disturbance could

lead them into battle once again.

It would be unreasonable to

risk breaking the current trucebetween the two countries for

anything as trivial as a mistakein territorial sea borders.

As the first naval battle in

seven years, it is evident that the

clash could have been avoidedas has been done in the past.

The idea that such a dangerous

battle occurred simply because a

North Korean ship entered navalterritory that may or may not

have belonged to South Korea is

completely unreasonable.

The nava l ba t t l e hasprompted the strengthening

of South Koreas security,

which might initiate a Northern

reciprocation. Thus, it is vitalthat North and South Koreacreate peaceful ties in areas

like trade and travel between

the countries, to encourage apeaceful relationship.

Because trade between the

countries has been possible,

an official end to the KoreanWar requiring the countries

cooperation seems just as

feasible. However, since the

war has not officially ended, theNorth and South must continue

to make attempts at acheivingthe goal of peace.

Despite tension

in both North and

South Korea, anofficial end to the

Korean War is still

possible. I f thetwo countries put

in effort to achieve

it , they can putthis decades-long

animosity behind

them. Nonetheless,p e a c e i s o n l y

possible if incidents

like this naval battle

are prevented fromhappening again through mutual

understanding and trust.In spite of the ongoing

enmity, the North and South could

work to form stronger ties and

relationships through acts thatrequire close, nonviolent contact

to achieve lasting peace.

Reportedly, the naval battle

began after South Korea issueda warning shot to the North.

While many argue about who

was to blame for starting the

battle, it is not an issue of whostarted the gunfire exchange that

led to the naval clash; that facthas yet to be determined. The

responsibility was in the hands of

the naval crew of both countries

to understand the danger of sucha battle and to hold back their

forces. To do anything else was

simply reckless.Peace could be gained by

talking through issues instead of

battling through them. Throughsteps like building stronger

relationships, violence between

the North and South could be putto an end and their civilians could

live without fear of a war.

The time has come to discuss

a lasting peace treaty to endenmity between the countries.

Until they find a way to negotiatepeacefully, the North and Southsrelationship will remain an

unsettled issue impeding both

countries economic and politicalprogress.

Peace, Not WarRuby HwangStaff Writer

85% of DBHS students haveparents or siblings who wentto/go to a college or university

Of these: 67% are motivated to work

harder 7% are not motivated to work

harder 27% are not affected 15% of DBHS students do

not have parents or siblingswho went to/go to a college oruniversity

Of these: 70% are motivated to work

harder 3% are not motivated to work

harder 27% are not affectedResults are based on a survey of 448 students.


5/11

Editorial THE BULLS EYE

Editorial PolicyThe Bulls Eye is a public forum that welcomes the views of ourreaders. Letters to the Editor will be accepted only if they aresigned. The author may, however, request anonymity. The staffreserves the right to edit letters without changing content. Forwardletters to Ms. Chen, Room 250.

Sports Editor

Ryan DeVore

Asst. Sports Editors

Kevin Acciani

Rachel Halpert

Andrew John

Photo Editor

Ashley Chen

Asst. Business Managers

Andrew John

Eric Lee

Editorial Cartoonist

Katie Lee

Staff Writers

Marcel BoubionRuby Hwang

Laura Moffitt

Nicole OngpoyMegan Quiamas

Christine Song

Advisor

Connie Chen

Diamond Bar High School21400 E. Pathfinder Rd.Diamond Bar, CA 91765

Editors-in-Chief

Adeel Mohammadi

Desiree Wang

News Editor

Iris Li

Asst. News Editors

Elizabeth Lee

Eric Lee

Editorial EditorsSharon Lin

Adeel Mohammadi

Asst. Editorial Editor

Katie Lee

Feature Theme Editor

Justin Kong

A & E Editor

Jane Park

Asst. A & E Editor

Kevin Kang

Feature Editor

Desiree Wang

Asst. Feature Editor

Ashley Ahn

THE BULLS EYESTAFF

Editorial

Blazing Trails of Satire

Cracker Jack, Froot

Loops, and Coca-Cola are

only a few of the superbly healthychoice suggestions made by the

Smart Choices program for

consumers. Recently, there

has been a halt in this flawlessS mar t Cho ices p rogram

because members of the Foodand Drug Administration claim

that the system of approving

a product for a Smart Choices

label may mislead customers.The following will include an

elaboration of the three-step

process in order to repudiateany skepticism that may arise.

Step 1: Judges make an

initial list of products based on

bribery.

First, judges choose each

product wisely according toa list of industries that have

paid the most money for their

products to be marked as a

Smart Choices product. Attheir own discretion, judges

will also choose products thatwill benefit the Smart Choicesprogram the most and have

those products approved,

even without going throughsteps two and three. The more

A Smart Process for Smart ChoicesKatie Lee

Asst. Editorial Editor

money an industry offers means

more loopholes in the three-

step process because moneyisand ought to beeverything

to a company. Besides, as

long as the companies aresatisfied, so are the customers,

because customers only shop

and purchase products with one

purpose in mind: to help increasethe rich companies immense

profits.

Step 2: The amount of oilsand sugars in each product are

then measured.

The level of o i ls and

sugars must be very high inorder to ensure true customer

satisfaction. If the oils and

sugars of a product amount to

under 92 percent, the product willnot be approved. As a solution,

judge s use a fat-in jecto r and

apply with pressure to puncturethe product until the percentage

of oils and sugars reaches at

least 92 percent. However, on

some products, the judges mayuse the fat-quick injector to go

over 92 percenti n o i l s a n d

sugar to create

a wider grin on

the customerenjoying their

fat-basked and

oily products. Ofcourse, making

the soul happy

with extravagantt a s t e s a n d

wonderfully oily

sugars takespr io r i t y over

making the body

healthy.

S t e p 3 :

Ingredients of each product are

listed and tabulated to makesure ingredients do not go over

the budget.

It is essential to keep the

companies happy even if itmeans redefining nutrition. If

the ingredients of a product

total up to a cost of more

than 99, then judges takeout some of the unnecessary

ingredients. Green vegetables

and fresh fruits are usually thefirst ingredients to go if the cost

is over the set budget because

they are unnecessary and easily

replaceable with cheap, artificial,and fatty ingredients. Quality in

nutrition must be compromisedfor the better well-being of the

company budgets.

The Smart Choices program

clearly works hard to thoroughlycheck the legitimacy of each

product. By following these steps

before adding the label onto theproduct, the program creates

an efficient list of products

that are made for customersat isfact ion, guaranteed.

Every time there is a product

marked with a green checkmarklabeled Smart Choices at the

neighborhood grocery store,

it should be put into every

customers shopping cart withthe utmost confidence and trust

in the reliable nutrition-checkingprogram. All consumers arenow assured that they are truly

making a smart decision in

picking these Smart Choice-labeled products.

Out of the Box

The Editorial Board invites The Bulls Eye readers to submitoriginal commentary based on current events. All submitted workshould be in accordance with the Editorial Policy in the staff box.Selected entries will be published in a subsequent issue of TheBulls Eye.

Tramplings and laxatives...allin the name of Black Friday.

Elizabeth Lee

Last years main store for

Christmas shopping: Walmart.

This years: 99 store.

Hooray for progress!

Katie Lee

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 5

At to rn ey Ge ne ra l Er icHolder announced that Khalid

Sheik Mohammed and four

other alleged 9/11 conspiratorswould be tried in a federal court.

Holder made this decision with

the understanding that thefive accused terrorists are not

combatants, but criminals, and

should be tried accordingly. The

terrorists are not soldiers, andshould be tried in a federal court

where a verdict as severe as

the death penalty will be bettervalidated.

Holders decision is the only

just choice. Rather than trying

the terrorists with a militarytribunal, Holder is choosing to

allow Americas justice systemto handle the punishments.

Bringing the trial to New York

may seem rash and insensitive atfirst to those still gravely affected

by the attacks on September

11, but once the choice is moreclosely examined, it becomes

apparent that it is dignified, as it

reflects Americas Constitutionin the best possible way. A

military trial should be reserved

for soldiers who have committed

a crime in a wartime situation.These terrorists have not done

that and only warrant a federal

trial. The Department of Justicewill prosecute the terrorists with a

judge, a jury, and a lawyer; these

three components of a federal

trial will eliminate bias fromthe final sentencing. A military

hearing will have a military officerwho acts as both the judge and

a juror, and produce a ruling of

questionable equity.The judgment made by

Holder is backed up with the

belief in the strength of theAmerican judicial system. The

five 9/11 conspirators deserve a

fair, civilian trial where they willbe granted their Constitutional

rights. It is a triumph for American

law and should not be shadowed

by disdain held by a fear ofterrorism. Those who doubt the

effectiveness of a federal trial

have yet to realize the power of afair and just trial. A federal trial will

present all the evidence before a

judge and a jury whereas the

lack of multiple opinions in thecourtroom of a military tribunal

will inevitably create a biasedruling, leading to questions and

eventual skepticism about the

validity of any verdict.Holders choice mirrors

Ameri cas impartial ity towar d

all situations. The decision isa fair-minded alternative to the

hasty decisions of a military

hearing and will also promotethe American law system on

an international level. A military

tribunal might seem like an

easier choice, as the trial wouldbe quicker and more discreet;

but Americans need to take into

consideration the choice that isboth ethical and faithful to the

Constitution: allowing the federal

system to determine the role

played by the conspirators in the9/11 attacks.

Pro: Terrorist Trial in Federal CourtMarcel BoubionStaff Writer

T h e t e r r o r i s t s w h o

perpetrated the attacks onSeptember 11, 2001, will be

tried only blocks away from the

epicenter of the incident in afederal court. Holding the trial in

a federal court is a situation that

could potentially let the terroristsget away with murder. Holding

the trial in a military tribunal

would be a much more effective

and economical alternative.To keep the trial as efficient

as possible, the terrorists shouldbe tried in a military tribunal,and not a federal court. Having

had experience with terrorism,

the military men who wouldprosecute the terrorists would

pursue the fairest punishment,

a castigation that the men

rightfully deserve for murderingthousands of innocent people.

For example, the Nuremberg

Trials, which tried Nazi leadersafter World War II, were handled

by a military tribunal and the

suspected criminals were given afair trial. The tribunal also saved

thousands of people from the

pain of seeing the murderers oftheir family and friends treated

like petty criminals. Unlike

civilians whose opinions could

be swayed while in federal court,the military men will hold to their

convictions because of their first-hand experience with terrorism.

Not only will the people of

New York be emotionally unready

to look upon the men whomurdered thousands of people in

their city, but there might also be

violent repercussions to holding

the trial in the city. Terroristscould be tempted to strike the

city during the high-profile cases;

vigilantes could be driven to theextreme and threaten the lives

of the defendants. There is a

chance that innocent peoplewill be hurt, and that emotional

citizens will take the law into

their own hands, underminingthe American judicial system in

the eyes of the world. The time

and effort it would take to provide

security for the city as the trialtakes place in federal court would

become a huge issue all on itsown. With an enormous cost totaxpayers, having to worry about

public safety, city safety, and the

safety of the terrorists would costlarge sums of money and take a

lot of unnecessary resources to

coordinate properly.

If the government truly is assmart as it makes itself out to

be, the September 11th terrorist

case would be held at a militarytribunal. Holding the trial in a

federal court might cause conflict

and the people of New Yorkcould be put into danger. If the

trial were to be held in a military

tribunal, the location would beaway from that of the disaster,

saving everyone from worrying

about these issues. A military

tribunal would allow disciplinedmilitary men to conduct this trial

fairly. While the terrorists arehated, discriminated against, andunfairly treated by the majority

of the American population,

the military men would put anybiases aside and see the case

for what it truly is.

Con: Terrorist Trial in Federal CourtAshley Ahn

Asst. Feature Editor

Op-Ed: Fort HoodAmerica has exper ienced

several domestic acts of violence

that have caused its people to

begin doubting their safety andtheir government. Learning from

past experiences, the government

has taken some initiative toimprove communication within

government agencies, but it still

lacks an effective government-

wide system to share unclassifiedinformation.

The recent tragic shooting at

Fort Hood has emphasized theneed for an effective system of

communication; army psychiatrist

Nidal Hasan opened fire, killing

13 and wounding 31. Before theshooting, Hasan had expressed

suspicious views against thewar in the Middle East during

his t ime at the Uniformed

Services University of the Health

Sciences in Bethesda, Marylandand had received mediocre

performance evaluations at

Walter Reed Hospital, leavingmany wondering how Hasan had

made it to his important position.

However, no reports on hisunstable personality and views

were ever filed, and officials at

Fort Hood failed to recognizeHasans average profile. Any

other military base could make

the same mistake, and another

disaster could result.Former president George

Bush attempted to improvec o m m u n i c a t i o n a m o n ggovernment agencies after the

attacks on September 11, 2001

through the Homeland SecurityAct and the Intelligence Reform

Act. Bush later established the

Information Sharing Environmentand the Information Sharing

Councilforums that were to link

different organizations throughan accessible network of stored

information but have not yet

yielded positive results. Forexample, comments on Hasans

questionable behavior were

never filed in the network of

information by his Army-affiliatedschools, thereby making them

inaccessible to officials at Fort

Hood.Although all of the measures

taken to improve communication

between government agenciesappear optimistic, much progress

has not resulted. This is partly

because the responsibility for

establishing government-widepolicies of communication has

shifted between various agencies.Agencies originally selected by

Bush passed the responsibilities

to other agencies that were to

incorporate some system ofeffective communication. The

other obstacle that has hampered

progress is the inconsistency ofinformation designation. Hasans

poorly evaluated profile was

an example of inconsistentclassification; soldiers stationed

at Fort Hood would have probably

emphasized Hasans poor workethic, though his schools had not

put any emphasis on it at all.

The various departments

that are responsible for executingthe information-sharing policies

need to start improving theway information is relayed fromagency to agency. American

lives are at risk as long as

government organizat ionscannot communicate effectively

among themselves.

Andrew JohnAsst. Sports Editor


6/11


7/11

Feature

8 Wednesday, December 9, 2009 THE BULLS EYE Feature

Moms $20Ashley AhnAsst. Feature EditorMarcel Boubion

Staff Writer

Girl: Youre not fair!Teacher: I am fair. I teach youall poorly.

Girl: I have to eat goldfish inpairs or they get lonely.

Girl: Drinking milk with a strawup your nose is fun.

Teacher: This is the first time Iused a bad word.Class: Really?!Teacher: Yeah, in the last tenminutes.

Girl: I can beat you up with myleft foot!

Boy: I waited six hours inline on Black Friday to stealsomething.

Girl: I have to pass this classwith an F.

Boy: Whoever said winning isnteverything must have lost.

Boy: Our substitute teacherlooks like a white Obama.

Boy 1: I found out I can count allmy teeth with my tongue.Boy 2: Cool!

Girl 1: Are you using Bump-Its?Girl 2: No, why?Girl 1: Because your hair isverybumpin.

Girl: Macbeth killed the PowerRangers.

Girl: Dolphins make milk?Teacher: Yeah, only the male

ones.

Every month, we will bring you some of the most ridiculous,

hilarious, flat-out idiotic, and sometimes insightful things we hear

around campus. So bewarewell be listening.

Girl: Im sure theres someonein the world that loves her, butI dont.

Boy: Hating cheese is like hat-ing sunshine.

Boy: My best pick-up lines are

for guys.

Teacher: I looked around andI saw all the white people and

thought to myself, Im not usedto being in the majority!

Boy 1: Look at him! His face iswhite!Boy 2: Your face is white!Teacher: Stop it you two, both ofyou are beautiful.

Are you ready to travel tospace for a four-day vacation?Well, pack your bags; theGalactic Suites in outer spaceis set to open in 2012. Takevacationing to the next level byleaving this planet.

A four-day stay in this outerspace wonder will cost about$4 million. Because the hotel israther far (try outer space), andnot to mention expensive, the

Galactic Suites will only takeguests for four days at a time.The space hotel has a pod-like

structure with Velcro wallsinside for your sticking pleasure.Because there is no gravityin space, you can have theexperience of floating around

in a nice Velcro suit to stick tothe walls. You can finally be the

superhero you always wantedto be. Each day, you are able tosee 15 sunrises just by lookingoutside your own personal podwindow. In addition, the hotel

travels around the entire worldevery 80 minutes so youlldefinitely get your moneys

worth. Cleaning yourself wontbe a problem because whenyoure in the Galactic Suites,you can just enter your sparoom and float around in the

anti-gravitational bubbles.To get to space, you will

need to take a space shuttle totake you to the Galactic Suites,located about 280 miles abovethe Earth. But before you go,you must attend an eight week

Big Bird, Elmo, and theCookie Monster are only a fewof the names that have beenwired into our heads since theday we were born. The castof Sesame Street has been avital part of our childhood, andmost of us probably owe ourearly education to the fuzzycharacters. Last month, SesameStreet, the longest runningchildrens television show inthe United States, celebratedits 40th anniversary. Althoughthe shows main goal remainsthe same, a few major changes

have been made throughout its40 years in the spotlight.

1. Cookie Monster and

Obesity: Who knew that in2005, the Cookie Monster wouldhave to adopt a better diet due

to the reports of the CookieMonsters infatuation withcookies encouraging childhoodobesity? The cookie-lovingmonster now calls cookie asometime food. There waseven talk about changing theCookie Monster to VeggieMonster to promote bettereating habits. This is a bigchange from the first few

episodes of Sesame Streetwhich showed the CookieMonster gobbling what hethought was a cookie, but wasreally a pipe.

2. From Grover to Elmo:

Back in the day, Grover wasthe most popular character on

Sesame Streetand Elmo didnteven exist. Now, Elmo is thefavorite character and evenhas the ever-so-popular TickleMe Elmo modeled after him.

3. Story time: Sesame

Street used to tell a single storythroughout its one hour timeslot, but as the years went on,it became obvious that a childsattention span has decreased.Sesame Street now tells a storyin a 10-minute session followedby small segments such asElmos World.

4. Setting: Sesame Street

was originally created for innercity kids who did not attendpreschool. The first few episodes

were filmed in dark and musty

settings so that the inner citykids could easily relate. Now,the streets of Sesame Streethave been cleaned spotless.

5. Cast: Over the years,

numerous special guests havebeen invited to join the show.From Jason Mraz to JuliaRoberts, the guests on SesameStreet are proof of the showsrising popularity.

Sharon LinEditorial Editor

Prisca KimContributing Staff Writer

Unwrapped

training program on a tropicalisland in the Caribbean toprepare yourself for your trip.Here, you can buff up and getfit so that your body can survive

in a hotel lacking gravity. Dontworry; this training program isincluded in the cost of the entirefour-day vacation.

The richest of the rich have

already planned their trip to theGalactic Suites. Reservationshave been made for the nextthree years. It may not seemrealistic for a middle classfamily to go on this extravagantvacation, but one can dream.Who knows, maybe one of uswill find the cure to cancer, make

billions of dollars, and take atrip to the Galactic Suites in thefuture.

Out of This World

Christmas is right aroundthe corner and with the currenteconomy, students cannot affordto shop for each of their friends.

A practical way to survive theholidays without breaking thebank is to make homemadepresents. Though it soundslike a cheap idea, homemadegifts are more economical andpersonal. Handcrafted presentscan be edible, decorative, andpractical.

Though cake balls areeasy to concoct, many peopledo not have the opportunity

to enjoy them and have oftennever heard of them. Cake ballsare derived from the simpleconcept of having round ballsof cake covered in chocolate.To make this treat, you will need

Elizabeth LeeAsst. News Editor

an already baked cake, creamcheese frosting, and chocolate.To make them, mix together thebaked cake and cream cheesefrosting, scoop little balls of themixture with a cookie scooper,and place the individual balls ona cookie sheet. After refrigeratingthe cake balls, take them out,and individually roll them intomelted chocolate. Put the cakeballs back in the refrigerator toharden the chocolate. You canmix and match the cake flavor

and type of chocolate in orderto create your own, originalbatch of cake balls. Whetheryou choose to make your batchsimple or ornate, they are sure

to please any sweet-toothedfriend!

If you are more ofan aesthetic individual,scrapbooking is another simplesolution to your Christmas

shopping dilemmas. Though it ismore complicated than writing asimple card, it is more personaland only requires scrapbookcardstock and pictures. The restis up to you and your creativity.Experienced designers candecorate pages with quotes,glitter, and ribbons. But for theartistically challenged, pastingshapes and drawing bordersfor pictures are just as visuallyappealing. Remember: a pictureis worth 1,000 words!

The winter season is knownfor its chilly temperatures. Whynot give the gift of warmth?Hand warmers are surprisinglysimple to make. All that is

needed is cloth, some ceramicpie weights, and the ability touse a needle and thread. Handwarmers are as useful as theyare easy to make. Your friendsimply needs to microwave it!

High school students live their lives, Monday through Friday, on budgets that are generally too small to realistically get themthrough the week. Lunch money, school supplies, and tickets to school events are all expected to be paid for with this miniscule budget.But how much does it really cost to get a student through the week? Ten dollars? Twenty? We sent two students with twenty dollars inhand to find out if that was enough to get them through the week.

I came to school Monday with an empty stomach. At brunch I washungry as ever and decided to spend $1.50. I got hungry again,so I said good-bye to another $2.50 and said hello to my lunch.At the end of my day all I could do was shrug at my expenses,telling myself they were all necessary.

Boy: Is Thailand in India?

Boy: Ahh! Radishes scare me!

First day of the $20 challenge and Im excited as can be. Itsa coincidence that my Mom would make me buy lunch todaybecause I usually never buy anything with her money. Its al-most like she wants me to use it all. Goodbye $2.50. Hello spicychicken wrap!

Ive made it this far with $12.50 and I could see the light at theend of the tunnel. I was feeling good about this challenge, sogood that I decided to donate a dollar to a cause helping familiesreceive Thanksgiving dinner. $11.50, I got this in the bag.

I was down to $2.50 to spend for both Thursday and Friday.When lunch arrived on Thursday, I had a tough decision tomakeshould I save my money for Friday or spend it now?I listened to the grumbles of my stomach and I chose to have

lunch on Thursday.

Third day of the challenge and I have $12.50 left, still goingstrong. Ive brought lunch to school as usual and although I wascontemplating an ice cream purchase, I remained strong andrefrained. I was craving ice cream like mad, but I rememberedthat I was on a diet.

When I woke up on Wednesday I knew I didnt have the moneyto make it through the week, let alone buy breakfast at school.So, I grabbed a piece of toast before I left for school. This savedme $1.50 allowing me to only spend $ 2.50 for lunch.

With $16 left and four days to make the most of it, I figuredit was just enough to get me through the week. Wrong. I hadntrealized that I needed to buy a ticket to the choir concert, whichcost $7. After buying breakfast and lunch for a total of $4 inspending, it dawned on me that $20 might not be enough to getme through the week.

Yes! Im almost done with the challenge but, wait! Ive just real-ized that I owe my friend $12 for buying my tickets to NewMoon. Negative fifty cents, and now Im using my own money.Well, anything to see Taylor Lautner without a shirt on. Ithought for sure I wouldnt spend anymore, but I caved in andbought a cookie.I need stronger will power.

Today, things are back to normal, Ive brought my lunch toschool and I now have no reason to spend my leftover $17.50.That was until my brother came along. He looked at me withthat hungry face, and being the great sister I am, I gave him $5for lunch. $12.50 left.

Boy: The gym doesnt work,dont get scammed.

Boy: Albinos are so unattract-ive!

I found a surprise Friday morning as I went to turn my alarmoff. My dad left me $4 to cheat on my $20 challenge. My finalconclusion: unless I start brown bagging my lunches, I have tothink of some way to get through the week with only $20.

overheard

inDB

Ashley-Monday Marcel-Monday

Ashley-Tuesday

Ashley-Wednesday

Ashley-Thursday

Ashley-Friday

Marcel-Tuesday

Marcel-Wednesday

Marcel-Thursday

Marcel-Friday

Think: Would you pay $4 millionto stay in space for four days?


8/11

and pity. Though the beginningof the film moved slowly with

many unnecessary scenes, in

the end, the movie was still asuccess.

In contrast to the new hype of

imaginary vampires and heated

werewolves, the film takes ar e a l i s t i c ,

re f resh ing ,

and differentfocus on family

togetherness,

the precious

value of life,and the true

meaning ofs u c c e s s .

Rober t De

N i r o , w h o

plays FrankGoode, does

a phenomenal

j o b o fe x h i b i t i n g

a dynamic

character thatu n d e r g o e s

an internal

epiphany. Hetakes the audience into the

heart of his miseries with each

element of the plot.

Unlike the clichd happyendings of all fairy tales, Jones

creates a satisfying yet realisticending to the story of a truefamily that is imperfect. But still,

because they have each other,

as the title suggests, everybodyis fine.

Arts & Entertainment

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 9THE BULLS EYEA&E

Despite his major impacton pop culture, Osamu Tezuka,

a prominent Japanese artist,

remains a mystery to many.However, Helen McCarthys

biography of Tezuka, The Art of

Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga,

aims to shed some light on thefather of manga. The book is not

only packed with never beforeseen pictures of his work, butit also is packaged with a forty-

five minute documentary titled

The Secrets of Creation. Thefilm was created in 1986, but

was never shown or released

until now. Tezukas impact onthe world was phenomenal and

now with McCarthys biography,

he will earn his well-deservedfame.

Known as the Walt Disney of

Japan and as the father of manga,

Tezuka has forever changedJapanese culture with his manga,

or Japanese cartoons. His most

notable characters include Astro

Boy and Kimba the White Lion.Yet despite his extraordinary

influence on Japanese culture,

Tezukas name is still unfamiliar

to many, even manga fans.

In todays technology-based

world, one of the best gifts you

can give a loved one, especiallyif he or she is a teenager, is a

video game. Be careful: give

them a bad one, and they may

not be friends with you anymore.Here are a few of the top new

video games that are definitelysure to make your friends loveyou even more.

Call of Duty: Modern

Warfare 2(released: Nov. 10):Only one word can describe

this game: EPIC. The game

play is nearly flawless, as the

battle scenes and graphics areamazingly realistic. In most

cases, designers focus toomuch on those two aspects of

the game, causing the plot of

the game to suffer; that is not

the case for Modern Warfare2. The storyline is engaging to

the point that it could probably

be made into a successfulmovie. The game will leave

you guessing with all of the

twists and turns embedded inthe story. Be warned, you will

become addicted.

Guitar Hero Van Halen(release date: Dec. 22): Van

Halen is arguably one of the

most popular rock bands everand they are coming to your

living room! With Guitar Hero

Van Halen, you can play some of

the bands biggest hits spanningover three decades. In addition,

you can also play songs by

Queen, Weezer, Blink 182, TheOffspring, and Queens of the

Stone Age.

A s s a s s i n s C r e e d

II (released: Nov. 10): As asequel, Assas sins Creed II

hopes to build on the success of

its predecessor. TheAssassins

Creedseries has a very loyal fan

base and, so far, this game has

proven to be even better than thefirst. With a more fluid game play

and a greatly improved storyline,Assassins Creed II is definitelya step up from its original, which

was a very good game in itself.

This is definitely a game worthpurchasing for any loved one.

Tezukas dark childhoodhad an overwhelming impact

on his art. In his youth, he

was constantlyridiculed by his

peers for the

way he looked.H i s m o t h e r ,

h o w e v e r ,

encouraged him

by taking him tothe Takarazuka

T h e a t r e i nTokyo, where hefound inspiration

for much of his

future works.Tezuka found

comfort through

drawing and,be fore long ,

knew that he

would pursue anartistic career.

After World

War II, Tezuka created his first

manga, Diary of Ma-Chan. Diaryof Ma-Chan never became very

well-known, but it helped launch

the start ofTezukas

p r o l i f i c

career in

m a n g a .Al th ou gh

T e z u k ad r e w

hundreds

o f c a r -

toons, hegained the

most fame

through histwo works,

Astro Boy

andKimbathe White

Lion.

Kimba the White Lion ,created in 1950, revolved around

an African lion, Kimba, who

tried to live peacefully with all

the other animals. It eventually

became the first animated show,or anime, in Japan to play in

color. Kimba the White Lion

is also said to have been the

inspiration for the popular Disneymovie, The Lion King. After his

work with Kimba the White Lion,

Tezuka created his legendarymanga, Astro Boy. Astro Boy,

which ultimately led to the rise

in popularity of anime in Japan,

began as a manga in 1952. AstroBoy, which revolves around an

android named Astro Boy whofights crime, instantly became

a success and was made into a

television show. By the 1980s,

it crossed the language andcultural barrier when it became a

hit in the United States. This past

October,Astro Boywas releasedas a 3-D animated film.

Even after a lifetime of

achievements, Tezukas liferemains unknown to many. As

the creator of such influential and

original work, his immortalizationis justified. His biography will

undoubtedly shine some light

on the impressive but illusive

life he led.

TEZUK-ART

reality of his childrens seeminglyperfect lives catches up with

him. He eventually realizes that

he had created and pushed hischildren to an unattainable level

of success, which is ultimately

the cause of the shattered

relationships.

Jones masterfully weaves

aesthet ic and picturesque

images with mellow, sweet,

and always appropriate tunesto sweep the audience into the

same three-dimensional moodsand emotions that the actors soflawlessly present. Moreover,

in some cases, a chillingly silent

background to the meaningfulscenes further deepens the pain

Katie LeeAsst. Editorial Editor

Everybodys Fine, releasedon December 4, is the story of

a good-hearted, lonely father,

Frank Goode, who wishes to

reunite his broken family afterthe loss of their

understanding

m o t h e r .Director Kirk

Jones cleverly

p o r t r a y s a

b e a u t i f u lj o u r n e y o f

reality and truehappiness that

the father finds

as he travels

around t heworld to visit

each of his

children.After years

o f keep ing

d i s t a n trelationships

with each of

his children,Frank is inspired to reconnect

with the rest of his family. He

is driven by the obligation and

duty that he feels has beenpassed on to him after his wifes

death and also by his desireto feel the loving comfort ofhis once young and innocent

children. Frank, a hardworking

and retired utility pole engineer,is isolated in the past as the

Looks like everybodys fine... Except for Robert De Niro.

Courtesy of www.allmoviephoto.com

Kevin KangAsst. A&E Editor

Everybodys Fine

but well-known characters

and scenes will be shown ina different light. In Donald

Ducks case, he will be shown

as disemboweled and robotic.The beloved Disneyland ride

Its a Small World will also

be portrayed with a darker

perspective.Hoping to supply the

younger generations with a newtake on an old character, theWalt Disney Company is eager

to increase Mickey merchandise

sales in the United States.Changing Mickeys whole

outlook in the game is only theirfirst step. Disney is considering

starting up a project even larger

than Epic Mickey. They areconsidering rethinking every

fiber that makes up Mickey.

The characters personality,appearance, and way he carries

himself are all up for discussion.

How he will be portrayed ontelevision and even in theme

parks is being rethought.

Ultimately, the goal of the

Walt Disney Company is to rakein a larger profit. Although Epic

Mickey is definitely on its way,the permanent reinvention ofMickey is still in its brainstorming

process. Only time will tell how

successful this revamped iconiccharacter will be.

Red slacks, yellow

shoes, and white gloves, allaccompanied with a smiling

face. Who else could it be but

Mickey Mouse, one of the most

familiar icons in the world? Thischaracter has been catering to

generations with his goofy laughand quirky ways. However,as the morals of generations

change, so does Mickeys

popularity.To prevent Mickey from

losing his appeal, the WaltDisney Company has given

Junction Point, a Disney-owned

game company, the go-aheadto show a darker side of Mickey

and feature him in a game

called Epic Mickey. This game,made for the Nintendo Wii, will

be available in stores sometime

next fall.Epic Mickey will show the

cunning and selfish side of

Mickey that has never been

seen before. The new naughtyMickey will be represented as

bad-tempered and mischievousas he travels around a cartoonwasteland where the forgotten

creations of Disney waste

away. Not only will the forgottencharacters be seen in the game,

Ashley AhnAsst. Feature Editor

Welcome to the dark side... Mickey Mouses epic tale.

Courtesy of www.gamedaily.com

The Circle of Life... In the paws of Kimba the Lion.Courtesy of www.kimbawlion.com

Flying High... While fighting crime.Courtesy of www.animeforum.com

Kevin AccianiAsst. Sports Editor

Currently, the only thing

that is keeping the website

running is the money it gets from

advertising. Nevertheless, withthe adoption of viewing fees,

the advertisements will not be

gone completely; the numberof ads, however, will decrease.

Avid users of Hulu know that

the numerous advertisementsinterrupting shows are tiresome.

Though viewers will have to pay,

the decrease in the number ofads will be a welcome change to

those who choose to pay.

When Hulu does begin to

charge viewers, it is predictedthat the number of viewers will

drop. Hulu has a large audience,with the average show receivingover 10 million views, but when

they start charging, the numbers

will see a sudden decrease inviewers. The magnitude of the

drop, however, is impossible

to predict until the fees areimplemented.

Such a drastic change to

one of the most popular videowebsites may or may not be

accepted by its loyal viewers.

Because Hulu will be competing

with other companies such asApple, which sells shows and

movies to be put on its products,

the future and success of Hulu isuncertain.

As one of the most popularonline video websites, Hulu

has given countless hours of

entertainment to its viewers.Hulu has television shows, such

as Family Guy, and movies, such

as Speed Racer, available ondemand for viewers to watch at

their convenience. Traditionally

the content has been free, butthe site is going to start charging

its viewers beginning in early

2010. The prices have not been

announced, but the decision tocharge is permanent.

This past September, NewsCorporation, co-owner of thesite, held a press conference

in New York. The companys

Deputy Chairman, Chase Carey,explained that Hulu will begin

charging viewers to watch its

content. However, he stipulatedthat although viewers would have

to pay to watch most videos,

some content should still beavailable to for free. While Hulu

would like viewers to enjoy

and appreciate the websites

content, it also wants viewersto capture the real value of their

videos as the free content can be

construed as a cheapening of thehigh quality material.


Show Me

the Money

Good MouseGone Bad


9/11

Advertisement

AdvertisementTHE BULLS EYE10 Wednesday, December 9, 2009


10/11

Sports

Sports THE BULLS EYE Wednesday, December 9, 2009 11


The Los Angeles Lakersfranchise is filled with great

moments but it is difficult to select

the greatest one of all. The teamhas provided entertainment

with their talent for generations,

having had players like EarvinMagic Johnson and now Derek

Fisher, both of whom gave fans

goose bumps with their amazing

plays. Here are the seven mostmemorable moments in Lakers

history.Magic Johnsons Junior,

Junior Sky-hook Shot:

Johnsons dramatic hook shot

with two seconds left in thegame gave the Lakers a 107-106

victory and a 3-1 lead in the 1987

National Basketball AssociationFinals against the Boston

Celtics. The winning shot came

after Bostons Kevin McHale putthe ball out of bounds, giving the

Lakers the opportunity to score.

Kobe Bryants Behind

the Backboard Shot: Bryant

put another one in the highlight

reel against the Oklahoma City

Thunder on November 22 ofthis season. Late in the first

quarter, Bryant was cornered atthe baseline against OklahomaCitys rookie James Harden. He

then made a shot which went

over the backboard, thrilling thecrowd.

Kobe Bryants 81 Point

Game: The matchup between

the Lakers and the TorontoRaptors in 2006 is a night that

will be remembered for quite

some time. With the Lakers

capturing a 122-104 victory.Bryantss 81 points gave the

Lakers a sure win over the

Raptors and became the secondhighest single-game points total

in NBA history. Bryants feat was

a surprise to all in the country,

including himselfRobert Horrys Winning

Three Point

Shot: Robert

Horry gave the

Lakers a stunning

victory over theS a c r a m e n t o

Kings in 2002

with timeexpiring during

the Western

C o n f e r e n c eFinals. The Lakers were trailing

the Kings 98-97 during the

fourth quarter when the Kingsturned it over near the end. The

Lakers ran the ball across the

court trying to beat the clock. As

Vlade Divac of the Kings tippedthe ball out to the top of the key,

Horry grabbed the loose balland made the winning three-pointer as the time expired

Derek Fishers Three

Point Shot: The Lakers currentpoint guard Derek Fisher made

L.A. Lakers GreatestMoments

Kevin AccianiAsst. Sports Editor

Is there anything more

exciting than watching football?

Football is one of the few thingsthat can bring many different

types of people together.

However, many of these peopleare split over one hotly debated

issue: which is better, college

football or the National FootballLeague? While the NFL may

be the revolutionary apex of

the sport due to its high level oftalent, college football is much

better for multiple reasons.

1. Money: Unlike their

professional counterparts,college football players are

not getting paid to play. Dueto this fact, most players areplaying for the love of the game

instead of playing for money.

Sure, many players are playingtheir best to earn themselves

an NFL contract, but many

more players have no chanceto play professionally. Why,

then, do those who are not NFL

prospects play? They play for

Laura MoffittStaff Writer

Nations Favorite League

Since the National

Football League was

established in 1920, fans have

argued amongst themselveswhether the NFL or college

football is the preferable footballleague. However, the NFL is

clearly the victor, surpassing

college football due to these

top five categories:1. Player Talent: The level

of talent shown on the field is

undeniably greater with the NFLthan with college football. This

is because the NFL picks only

the top players from the collegeteams. By choosing the best

of the best, the NFL is able to

eliminate the players that diluteplayer talent in college football.

Also, because the players have

already played high school

and college football, they havemore experience by the time

they reach the NFL.

2. Playoffs: The playoff

system is a necessity in allsports because of the fact

that it showcases a teams

improvement throughout the

regular season.By using the Bowl

ChampionshipSeries to

decide who

advances to the

championshipin college

football, the fun

is taken out ofchampionship

games. The BCS

makes it impossible for teamsthat have improved throughout

the season to participate in

the championship. The BCSeliminates the opportunity for

the underdog to rise to the top.

3. Amount of Teams:

The smaller amount of teamsis another benefit of the NFL.

College football has too

many teams, with too great a

difference in the level of abilityof each team, making college

football difficult to follow. By

having fewer teams, the NFL

enables eachteam to garner

more fans.In addition,

fewer teams

hold significant

economic value.Because each

team in the NFL

has a greaterfan following

per team than

college football, they are able tosell more merchandise. This in

effect, allows each NFL team to

receive more funds.4. Entertainment: The

NFLs half-time shows on major

holidays also appeal more to the

fans than college footballs half-time shows. The NFL provides

higher quality entertainment

during its half-time shows with

performers such as the JonasBrothers, Janet Jackson, Justin

Timberlake, and The Who.

5. The Draft: The draft is

another plus for the NFL. Byallowing the lowest placing

teams from the previous year tochoose their new players first,

the NFL is able to balance their

teams and keep the season

interesting. Not only do fansget to witness their team turn

its newest member into a top

player, fans also get to watchplayers stress as they wait to

see what team they will be

playing for.Football fans have argued

over the NFL and college football

for years. However, it is clearthat the NFL is undoubtedly the

champion because of its player

talent, number of teams, playoff

system, en

The Bull's Eye - December 2009

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