Seniors’ year in full swing with college applicationsAs the school year gets into full swing, Brooklyn

Tech seniors are all rushing to complete their college applications on time. For many Technites, college is an integral part of their educational career, and getting into the best colleges often means filling out applica-tions perfectly.

“The college application process is the best we have,” says Peggy Blau of the College office. Seniors are required to bring several stamped 9 by 12 inch enve-lopes, each addressed to the schools they are applying to. Each envelope contains letters of recommendation, as well as a transcript and school profile provided

See COLLEGE APPLICATIONS page 2

By Jacky Xie and Jun Hao Zhu

Each year, every sophomore has to decide on a major which they will pursue for two years. Many students find it difficult to settle on a major because most majors focus on a particular subject.

Last year, the International Arts and Science major was added to the list of available majors. “This is for students who want to take AP classes, but don’t know what to major in, so they get a

taste of everything,” said Ms. Maureen O’Hara, the AP of International Arts and Science, as well as the AP of Health and Physical Education.

There are a great deal of AP courses offered by the International Arts and Science major. English, World Languag-es, Mathematics, Science, History, and Social Science are all under the umbrella

See INTERNATIONAL page 2

International Arts and Science Major offers an alternative

By Courtney Chui

Police belong in the streets, not in our schools

By Katie ZavadskiNew York City

schools chancellor Joel Klein—hand-picked by Mayor Michael Bloom-berg in 2002 despite lacking any classroom experience—isn’t particu-larly popular these days. Klein’s heavy emphasis on testing, budget cuts, and a cell phone ban have caused his approval rat-ings to slip—from 46 per-cent in 2003 to 33 percent last year. Yet among the many criticisms of Klein and Bloomberg, one is too often left out of the pic-ture: the criminalization of schools and classrooms by the excessive presence of school safety officers.

Even a brief glance at the relevant statistics reveals the depth of the problem.

The number of safe-ty officers in New York

schools exceeds that of other major cities in the nation. In fact, data com-piled by the New York Civil Liberties Union in 2006 shows that there are more school safety agents per student in New York City than there are police officers per citizen in some other major cities.

While the benefits from their presence are dubious—crime in New York schools was up in 2007 but down in 2008—it’s easy to see how these officers abuse their power.

For instance, take the case of 5-year-old Dennis Rivera. In January 2005, when Rivera—a kinder-gartner at a Queens public school who is barely over four feet tall and suffers from attention deficit dis-

See POLICE page 6 Students meet with a college representative during one of many meetings.

Although the budget cuts have af-fected Brooklyn Tech adversely. The funds are all being used to provide new calculators, lab equipments, and a sepa-rate personal library.

“I think the TI-Nspire calculators are pretty cool because you can do lots of things on them,” Anmol Sajjad a fresh-men Gateway student stated. Using these calculators will help the students expand their knowledge about the mathematic field.

Not only were TI-Nspire calcula-tor brought with the new funds but also, new lab equipments was provided for the students in the Lab Rooms. The Gateway organization puts a lot of money into the program at Tech so that they can provide the students with what they need. “Well the material, like the TI-Nspire, are a lot better than the other equipment they gave us in middle school and they have been

really fun to use and learn from,” Bryan Thai a gateway student, stated.

Brooklyn Tech, also helped open up a separate library for Gateway students. The library is currently small and needs more books as Dr. Jeffery states. “I do-nated some of the books to the library. The library’s main goal is to provide the students with good resources in medicine and anatomy. Bryan Thia also added that “getting a library for gateway is good be-cause now we have more access to more information,”

Without the monetary help of the Alumni and the Gateway organization, Brooklyn Technical High School might have struggled in providing the necessary guidance for the Gateway Program. Thus the funds are greatly aiding the Gateway program produce future doctors and re-searchers.

New funding provides new resourcesBy Michelle Gorbonosov

Members of the Tech community weigh in on the election.

Feature: 2008 Elections

85th Anniversary Gala taps into alumni support for TechBy Katie Zavadski

Tech principal Randy Asher and school chancellor Joel Klein.

The New York Hilton – Brook-lyn Tech’s 85th Anniversary Gala kicked off at 6 PM on October 22. In attendance were a multitude of well-known alumni, as well as current Tech students and faculty. Held at the New York Hilton, tickets to the event went for $400 each with tables selling from $5,000 to $100,000.

The fundraiser, honoring Her-bert L. Henkel ‘66, sought to raise money for Tech’s new 21/21 Cam-paign, an initiative that aims to raise $21 million by 2012 to usher Tech

into the 21st century. The event raised $1 million. The 21/21 Cam-paign has already led to several new computer labs and other renovation in Brooklyn Tech.

Emcee Jeanine Ramirez ‘88, a reporter for New York One News, took the stage in between other hon-ored guests. Principal Randy Asher opened the night with a heartfelt speech about Tech’s strong alumni network and Tech’s forward path.

Speeches were interspersed with performances by Brooklyn Tech’s

own chamber chorus.Among the alumni in attendance

were Leonard Riggio ‘58, Chairman of Barnes & Noble, Inc, as well as Congressman Anthony Weiner. Non-alumni guests included New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Klein praised Tech, deliver-ing a proclamation from Mayor Mi-chael Bloomberg declaring October 22, 2008 Brooklyn Technical High School Day in New York City.

Tech students in attendanceSee GALA page 8

Volume 86 No. 1 www.bthssurvey.weebly.comOctober 2008

Entertaiment Review: The Secret Life of Bees Page 7

Editorials Police searching of our property, pointless? Page 6

Photo by Katie Zavadski

Photo by Katie Zavadski

Hard News October 20082

The Survey29 Fort Greene PL.Brooklyn, NY. 11217

Shelly Bendit & Katie ZavadskiEditors in Chief

When students arrived to school on Monday, Oc-tober 6th they were greet-ed with long lines and an invasion of privacy. The NYPD surprised the stu-dents with a random metal detector search.

This was Tech’s sec-ond scan in two years. Even though the scans are supposed to be at random, there were two reasons that caused the scanning to come to Tech. The first reason was a knife was found in one of the bath-rooms after the New York City High School Fair. Due to the large number of visitors to Tech dur-ing the NYC High School Fair, it was impossible to trace the knife to a Tech student. Another incident which triggered in scan-ning occurred after a stu-dent was found with the possession of a knife.

As students entered the building they were asked to remove all jew-elry, belts, and devices and place them in their bags. Students that arrived first period were placed in the auditorium after be-

ing scanned; the purpose was to have cell phones collected. According to chancellors regulations, cell phones and other electronic devices are not allowed in school. Since the devices were picked up by the metal detectors, they had to be confiscated by the schools administra-tion. After first period, most students weren’t brought into the auditori-um because there wasn’t a sufficient amount of facul-ty to supervise everyone.

Students weren’t the only ones that had to be scanned. If any teachers or visitor went through the center west entrance, he or she also had to be scanned. Most teachers decided to go around and avoid get-ting scanned. William Kahn was one of the only teachers that went through the scanners. “It seemed fair for me to go through,” said Kahn. “I also felt it was an interesting expe-rience because it was the first time I saw metal de-tectors in our mural lob-by,” he continued. “I also felt it would be interesting

for my criminal procedure class and I was curious to see how the whole process was arranged.”

The scan was con-sidered a success by both the administration and the NYPD. With over 4000 students scanned, six knives were found and one arrest was made. Nearly 1000 cell phones were

confiscated and almost all of them were returned at the end of the day in an orderly manner.

With Tech’s second scan over and done with, it is unclear if there will be another one anytime soon but students should be aware that the metal de-tectors can return any day without warning.

Starting this school year, a new system of distributing textbooks has been implemented. This system matches a barcode from a textbook with a student ID as opposed to the old one which consisted simply of distributing book receipts. The new system should increase efficiency in distribution and accountability for lost textbooks.

With a student body of nearly five thousand, the cost of replacing textbooks can be quite expensive. “We currently spend $250,000 per year on textbooks,” said Principal Randy Asher, adding “most of which goes to purchase replacements for lost books. If our return rate (or

collection of lost book money) im-proves, we can allocate our book money to purchase newer materials and provide additional instructional resources for classes.”

With the new system, students had to leave class in order to get their books, for which the waiting time varied. Dilon, class of 2011, waited approximately 20 minutes for his Spanish II textbook. “I don’t mind. It’s actually more efficient for the school because kids don’t get to ‘steal’ textbooks,” he said.

In response to complaints about the long lines and waiting time, Mr. Asher stated, “The system is new so we are still discovering tricks for better implementation, but we now have it down to approximately four

minutes per class for distribution. This is much faster and more accurate than the old method, and provides far greater account-ability. Nothing is perfect but it is improving.”

Even though the system is de-signed to make

book distribution more efficient, many teachers were upset with the amount of time it took to get them. Some classes didn’t receive text-books until the end of the second week of school because there were departments that didn’t have bar-coded textbooks.

Now almost two months into the school year, there are still problems with the new system especially with English books. All students will have to return their books this week even though they received them late and may not be finished reading them.

Although it has always been the policy for English teachers to return their books at the end of a mark-ing period, there was always some built in flexibility amongst teach-ers. Some teachers may have no problems with completing one book per marking period but others find it difficult because they also have to teach other mandated items such as grammar, vocabulary, and other skills necessary to improve students’ writing. Now, teachers will have to finish at the end of the marking pe-riod, regardless.

Even though this system has its pros and cons, the true efficiency of it will not be uncovered until books are returned in June.

By Luyi (Lucy) WuNew textbook scanning system

By Shelly Bendit

• November 3rd – Masquerade Ball aboard the Queen of Hearts

• November 4th – End of High School Musical 3 Contest

• November 8th – Wong Fu Productions Performs at BTHS, $7 admission

• November 10th – 14th – Senior Dues Collection• November 12th – 13th – Spirit Game - NBA 2k

video game• November 14th - Lil’ Mama will take the stage at

BTHS, $20 admission • November 17th – 21st – Spring Trip Deposit • November 20th – 22nd – Sing

Metal detectors surprise students

INTERNATIONAL from page 1

of options available to students in this major. In addition to this combination, students are re-

quired to take two courses in Project Lead the Way. As juniors, students must take a Principles of Engineering class, and as seniors, they must choose from a set of electives, which include aerospace engineering, bio-technical engineering, and digital electronics.

One of the great advantages of this program is that it costs the school close to nothing to establish such a diverse major. “It’s an advantage because they (the stu-dents) melt into pre-existing, established classes,” Ms. Maureen O’Hara explained. “Students in this major will be more rounded,” she continued. “Which makes them more marketable.”

This major is a definite advantage for those sopho-mores struggling to decide which major to choose, be-cause this major features a little of everything. “I chose International Arts and Sciences as my major because I was undecided on which major to choose.” Nicky Chan ‘11 explained.”Although this major is hard and highly rigorous,” he continued. “It is totally worth it at the end because it allows you to explore all different subject ar-eas at a college level.”

International Arts and Science Major offers an

alternative

COLLEGE APPLICATIONS from page 1

by the college office. Though this may seem like an arduous task, the integration of the Internet into the college process has helped tremendously.

The Common Application is an online application accepted by most colleges and universities. The appli-cation, often referred to as the Common App, requires students to fill out basic information that all colleges require. The information requested includes choice of academic interest, extra-curricular activities, volunteer hours, essays and information regarding family back-ground. Although the majority of schools accept the Common App, there is still the issue of application sup-plements, which have to be filled out for many schools in addition to the Common App.

Daniel Lu ‘09 says, “Stop looking at the brand name Ivy League schools. Everyone in Tech is applying to the same schools.” Lu refers to the fact that schools want to have a wide range of students-- they want students from

all different schools, states, and backgrounds. Since there is a great overlap of applications from Brooklyn Tech students to highly competitive schools the like-lihood of admittance is slim. Lu also mentions, “Uni-versities in New York State want more diversity in the student body.”

As the days go by college education is becoming more and more costly. However, scholarships and need-based financial aid can help alleviate the burden of educational costs for families. Students apply for need-based financial aid by filling out two forms: the FAFSA for government aid, and the CSS profile.

Amidst all the stress of financial aid, choosing col-leges, writing essays, and obtaining recommendations, students have to keep up with their schoolwork to grad-uate in order to finally attend college. “The process of applying to colleges is very stressful and hectic,” says Violet Fermin ’09. The stress promises to ease up, how-ever, as application deadlines pass in November and early January.

Saila MuktaHard News Editor

Leah PersuadEditorials Editor

Nico GrantFeatures Editor

Anna HuArts & Entertainment

Editor

Dylan WattonSports Editor

Janille JumalonLayout Editor

James DeAngelisCopy Editor

Diana KongSecretary

Alexandra MangaTreasurer

Gennine SawwanTreasurer

Sebastian ChoiPolls Editor

Elizabeth YuenPolls Editor

Seniors’ year in full swing with college applications

David LoAdvisor

Tracy Atkins - ZoughlamiAP English

Randy AsherPrincipal

You can contact and write letters to the editors of The Survey at survey.bths@gmail.com and

through www.bthssurvey.weebly.com

Tech students sit in auditorium after going through scan-ners. Many Technites had their phones confiscated.

Photo by Violet Fermin

The 2008-2009 school year at Brooklyn Tech is seem-ingly going to be a exciting year! The Office of Student Activities is planning to do memorable things. A huge ac-complishment for Student Activities is that we now have four Coordinators of Student Activities (Kecia O’Neal: Freshman COSA; Mary Schiff: Sophomore COSA; Jac-queline Manduley: Junior COSA; and Marc Williams: Senior COSA). A major setback though was the loss of $30,000 in student activity funding. But we are working on two major fund raisers. The senior class is hosting a show that will feature a group called WongFu Production. The show is on Saturday, November 8th at 4pm. The tickets are $7. Two dollars from each ticket sold will go towards student activities. We need our students, faculty, and par-ents to support. Also, on Friday, November 14th, Student Government and the Harlem Dance Leadership Program is hosting “A Celebration of the Arts & Entertainment”. The show will feature a performance by recording artist Lil’ Mama. And Lil’ Mama will choose a group of Brooklyn Tech student dancers who will perform with her in a show-case in the Bahamas in March. The show will also feature our Step Teams and our Chamber Chorus. There will be two shows: one at 3:30 and the second at 6pm. The tickets will cost $20. Five dollars from each ticket sold will go towards student activities. Our goal is to sell 5000 tick-ets which would raise $25,000 for student activities. We need our students, faculty, parents, friends, and family to support.

Student Notice

Student Activities Bulletin

By Mr. Marc Williams

Features October 20084

“Obama,” he states, like it is a complete sentence. We’re on the sixth floor, walking towards the social studies department office. “Keep talking,” he says when I meet him early on a Friday morning, “I just want to get some coffee.” I confirm his answer, making sure I’d heard it correctly. “Obama,” he says again with a slight nod as if confirming it to himself.

Sid Kivanoski is a Global History teacher here at Brooklyn Tech. He’s been teaching at Tech for a while now and is the advisor for the Progressive Student Awareness club. It focuses on issues of social justice. We’re in the somewhat gloomy social studies office now and it’s very cozy thanks to the endless stacks of paper and filing cabinets. Kivanoski starts up the coffee maker and then takes a seat.

The election, looming on the horizon,

has everyone concerned. With the economy having the reliability of a faulty heart, and the war in Iraq still going on, there is a lot to think about. Kivanoski feels that both candidates “are claiming to represent change but there’s really only one that I see.”

Obama is often chastised by the political right wing for having a lack of experience in foreign policy. That’s probably why he selected Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, but Kivanoski feels that Obama’s lack of experience isn’t a drawback.

“He has much better judgment than McCain. McCain supported the war. Our standing in the world has collapsed [in large measure because of the war],” he replies, as he pours milk into his thermos. The office is getting busier now, with teachers filing in, making copies, and greeting one another. Kivanoski says that all aspects of

the race are important now because every issue is tied to the others. For instance, he believes that it’s impossible to “totally divorce the [effects of the] war from the economy.”

Teachers aren’t the only ones concerned about the outcome of this election. Adrianne Cesar ’09 is also very concerned. An Obama supporter, she feels that other issues have “taken a backseat to the war and economy.” The issues, though, aren’t the only things receiving attention. The vice presidential picks have also become a topic of interest, particularly McCain’s pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Palin was allegedly picked to garner female votes. The idea of her being a feminist or a “true maverick” is up for debate. Kivanoski feels that she is neither. “Just being a woman doesn’t make you a feminist,” he says firmly. “There are ideals

to it,” the topic of abortion being one of those ideals.

Abortion has been a controversial topic long before the election, but in Palin’s case, it’s become even more important. “They [Republicans] trash teenagers for having children; they say they are the sleaziest people on the face of the earth mercilessly. They have no shame,” Kivanoski fiercely proclaimed when asked about Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy. “They say that she [Palin’s daughter] is keeping the baby and that it’s great, completely ignoring the other part of it.”

Adrianne Cesar seems to feel the same way. “I don’t believe she can truly claim that she will represent the majority of women that well. Some of her beliefs are [the result of] her religion. An example would be that in the case of abortions, Sarah Palin is pro-life. That is great and all [for her], but many women

are pro-choice. Therefore, she would not be able to represent that demographic [of women]. And in many cases, although I’m a Christian [as well], Palin blindly uses God as a justification for her actions.”

Palin’s lack of experience has been a huge detriment on the Republican side. “It was politics,” says Kivanoski, gripping his blue thermos. “They made a political decision [when choosing her].”

Cesar feels that Palin wasn’t the correct choice either. “I personally didn’t agree with McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin because she has no real experience with foreign policy, or large populations for that matter. Although she may have been successful in running Alaska, I doubt she’d be able to run the country if anything were to happen to McCain.”

But should Palin be expected to understand foreign policy? Kivanoski doesn’t seem to think so. As many have

noticed, Palin has been kept away from the media when possible, refusing to do interviews. If she isn’t able to take on the media’s questions, how will she run the country? “They don’t want her to answer questions. She just doesn’t know these things and nor should she be expected to,” says Kivanoski. He then brings up the ludicrous idea of Palin understanding foreign policy because “Alaska is near Russia... That doesn’t make sense. That’s like saying the senator from Maine understands foreign policy because Maine is near Canada.”

Kivanoski brings up McCain, comparing him to President Bush. He mentions that Bush had said something close to “I’ll be anything you want me to be,” at the convention before his election. “He was just desperate to be president. McCain’s the same way, principles don’t matter.”

Cesar agrees that McCain won’t be able to bring reform to Washington because he’s too similar to Bush. “I believe that McCain is more like Bush than we think. I feel that we don’t know what McCain will do because in many cases, for instance, the debate, he draws on his reputation and actions in the past, instead of informing the public of what he feels will help the country most [in the present].”

This election is more than just about the issues. It is about the candidates themselves. It’s possible that in the end, this election might just come down to age, race, and gender. Kivanoski partially agrees. He thinks that age isn’t the biggest problem here, but in the case of McCain, it is a problem.

When asked whether race was a significant variable in the election, Kivanoski replied, “Oh you betcha, and I don’t think it’s talked nearly as much

about. I think, absolutely, if Obama loses, the main reason will be [his] race. And people don’t want to talk about it because they don’t want to talk about how racist America is. There are a whole lot of white people who simply will not vote for a black man. Secondary to that is this idea that he’s Muslim, [which] is still out there… It’s insulting to Muslims.”

In the end, this election may just make or break America. It will end up determining what America will be in the future. Kivanoski agrees. “This is the most important election in my lifetime. Much is at stake. Our constitutional rights have been eroded over the past seven years...more then seven years now. I think it’s really, really important that people make their voices heard. This is the most important election in my lifetime,” he repeats. “The most important.”

By Hasiba Haq

Firm Obama support found in Tech

Tenth period on a Friday. The only noise heard is the murmur of club members across the hall as Patricia Desiano finishes giving advice to a student. Desiano, a longtime U.S. history teacher at Brooklyn Tech and advisor of the Model United Nations club, smiles as she sits down beside me in her empty classroom.

“I’m a Democrat,” she starts as she shifts into a contemplative mode, her hands folding in front of her, “because I care most about social services.”

Everyone is talking about it, everyone is worrying about, and everyone agrees it is one of the most important decisions Americans will ever make: The 2008 election. The United States is facing a lot of turmoil, with an economy straining under debt, the financial crisis, and a society emotionally drained by worries over education, mortgages, and the War in Iraq. Very soon, the American people will cast their ballots and decide who will lead us during these troubling times for the next four years.

Desiano supports Barack Obama, but when asked about Republican nominee John McCain, she replies, “I respect McCain’s military career, but I’m not sure if he’s honest or just doesn’t know what’s going on,” referring to the suspicious relationship between Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, and Freddie Mac, as well as the extent of McCain’s knowledge of this matter, or lack thereof.

According to The New York Times, Davis’s firm, Davis & Manafort, received monthly payments of $15,000 from Freddie Mac, a major mortgage company deeply involved in the financial crisis, from the end of 2005 to August 2008—right before its take over by the government in September alongside Fannie Mae. This revelation by The Times came only two days after McCain stated that Davis had not been involved with Freddie Mac for “several years.”

Desiano adds that this concern does not only deal with Davis, but Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, and her Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, as well. Desiano stresses that “both parties have been connected to major corporations involved in the financial crisis.”

Amy Lucisano, both a 10th grade Global teacher and an 11th grade Social Science Research teacher, believes “there is little reason to believe that McCain will come up with viable solutions to our economic ills,” but, as a Democrat, she also agrees that, “Democrats are not completely inno-

cent.”On the topic of the vice presidential nominees, Lucisano believes that Biden was a “pragmatic

choice” on Obama’s part because of Biden’s long political history. Desiano acknowledges Obama’s lack of experience as a weakness, but also says she is impressed by Biden’s history. “He’s been excel-lent on all economic issues I’m concerned with, and he has had excellent voting [on these issues].”

McCain and his campaign have often times used his history, both as a soldier for the United States and a longtime politician, as leverage over Obama. While Obama often fires back that change is needed, Lucisano wonders, “If the roles were reversed and [Obama and McCain] switched creden-tials: how many would vote for McCain?” This question is interesting to note because while race is not often discussed in conversations between Obama and McCain, race has had an influence on many voters, consciously or not.

Both social studies teachers, however, feel that Palin was a poor choice. Lucisano feels that if, unfortunately, something were to happen to McCain if he was elected, Palin’s presidency would be “devastating,” both because of her opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, and her apparent resistance to the separation of church and state, “one of the fundamentals of U.S. politics.”

Yet in regards to the whole campaign, the discussion of the issues is a topic that seems most wor-risome. Desiano remarks, “If they could actually say something specific, that’d be great.” Lucisano reflects that campaigns in general have increased the importance of political rhetoric to the point that questions are left unanswered in the presidential debates. No politician—Bush, Obama, Biden, Mc-Cain, or Palin—is innocent of this in their speeches on health care, the economy, war, or the environ-ment.

With this aspect of politics kept in mind, both teachers strongly encourage Brooklyn Tech’s young (and old) voters to do unbiased research on each nominee’s voting history and past decisions when forming opinions on the election.

Lucisano’s advice: “Talk to each other about the issues. It’s how [we] can make sense of poli-tics.”

By Brenda Duman

Making sense of the election brings teachers back to the issues

2008 Elections

Senator Obama’s Education Policies:- Opposes using public money for private school vouchers.- Would invest federal funds in the research and development of science, math, and technology education.- Would expand summer learning oppor-tunities for disadvantaged children and support college outreach programs. Would also double federal funding for afterschool programs.- Will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools ac-countable for making sure these students complete school.- Will increase pay for “accom-plished” teachers whose students consistently excel in the classroom, and who are mentors to their students.- Would fully fund No Child Left Behind, and reform it so that there was less of an emphasis on testing, and moving away from the heavy-handed penalties.

Sources: AFL-CIO, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Teacher, www.barackobama.com and www.johnmccain.com

Class of '09: Which of the following issues do you consider most

important?

2% 7% 4%14%

9%9%4%

47%

2%2%

HomelandsecurityIraq War

UniversalHealthcareEducation

Same-sexrightsEnergy & Oil

Immigration

Roe v. Wade

Dealth Penalty

The Economy

Class of '12: Which of the following issues do you consider the most

important?

0% 14%

10%

10%14%

0%

32%5%

10%5%

Homeland securityIraq WarUniversal HealthcareEducationSame-sex rightsEnergy & OilImmigrationRoe v. WadeDealth PenaltyThe Economy

Which presidential candidate would you vote for?

80%

6%14%

Obama/BidenMcCain/PalinOther

FeaturesOctober 2008 5

The vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin aired on October 2nd 2008. Over 60 million American voters tuned in, taking the opportunity to consider the presidential candidates through their vice-presidential choices. As McCain and Obama vie for president, I discuss the upcoming presidential election with Elena Gladoun in the social studies office. Three boys pal around carelessly as she considers the two candidates, thinking about the heavy outcomes this election could have. Gladoun is an 18-year old senior who will be voting for her first time.

At Tech, there is a mix of opinions about our country and the election. Some students have negatives and positives to say about both Obama and McCain. Others have their takes on the current economy and war in Iraq. Few Tech students, however, get the opportunity to voice their opinion by stepping behind the curtain and casting their ballot.

Janille Jumalon, 18, appreciates her chance take part in the election, viewing voting as “an integral part of the tradition in the United States.” Gladoun also takes her right seriously, but expresses concern over the Electoral College system.

Both seniors are considering the different issues facing the new president. Their top concern is the economy. Jumalon stresses how important the economic future of our country is, especially being a “college bound student who

plans to join the work force while studying.” However, other issues like abortion,

healthcare, environment, energy, immigration, and welfare weigh their decision. The war in Iraq is also a big issue for voters wondering when the war-with-no-end will end. Sarah Palin called withdrawing troops on a timeline raising “a white flag of surrender.” Many Americans do not agree, however. As we spend 10 billion dollars a month, according to Joe Biden, the occupation in Iraq grows increasingly unattractive to the American public. Gladoun understands it is “a slow process,” but is hoping to see the war “start pulling back slowly.”

In the room we are in, social studies textbooks sit on the shelves, holding the history of our country, along with records of the choices made by past presidents. We judge these past leaders on the choices they made, and we judge our current candidates on their current choices, including running mates.

Gladoun feels Biden is the better candidate. “Sarah Palin dodges questions all the time,” she explains. Regarding Palin’s interview with Katie Couric, Gladoun comments, “It was a joke. She didn’t speak in full sentences.” She also strongly disagrees with Palin’s views on abortion, describing them as “so rigid.” Gladoun feels McCain’s choice was merely political pandering to disgruntled Hillary supporters. While this pandering should be insulting to many female voters, she says there

are some who were swayed. “I know some females who are like, ‘No, I still want to vote for a female.’”

Jumalon and Gladoun both seem to be leaning towards Obama. Though Jumalon did not disclose whom she plans to vote for, she stated, “Both have plans to tackle the issues. Barack Obama, however, seems to have a much more appealing plan of action.” Gladoun feels “we don’t really have the best choice. I’m leaning more towards Obama because I like his policy of government and he wants to do a modern fireside chat. I think that’s really important.”

With just a week to Election Day, Americans anxiously wait to see who will be the next Commander-in-Chief. There is no doubt the next four years will be arduous. There are a lot of issues, stated and unstated, to address. It took more than 8 years to get where we are, so it will take more than 4 years to correct. Gladoun hopes to see troops start to come home on a timeline, while Jumalon hope for changes “to benefit the economy and removal of the society from over priced gas, milk, and SAT tests.”

We wrapped up our interview, ready to head home. I inquired who Gladoun is most likely to vote for in this election. She answered firmly, “I’ve thought this through. I’ve researched. I’m thinking Obama.”

By Violet FerminThe voting Technite

“Obama,” he states, like it is a complete sentence. We’re on the sixth floor, walking towards the social studies department office. “Keep talking,” he says when I meet him early on a Friday morning, “I just want to get some coffee.” I confirm his answer, making sure I’d heard it correctly. “Obama,” he says again with a slight nod as if confirming it to himself.

Sid Kivanoski is a Global History teacher here at Brooklyn Tech. He’s been teaching at Tech for a while now and is the advisor for the Progressive Student Awareness club. It focuses on issues of social justice. We’re in the somewhat gloomy social studies office now and it’s very cozy thanks to the endless stacks of paper and filing cabinets. Kivanoski starts up the coffee maker and then takes a seat.

The election, looming on the horizon,

has everyone concerned. With the economy having the reliability of a faulty heart, and the war in Iraq still going on, there is a lot to think about. Kivanoski feels that both candidates “are claiming to represent change but there’s really only one that I see.”

Obama is often chastised by the political right wing for having a lack of experience in foreign policy. That’s probably why he selected Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, but Kivanoski feels that Obama’s lack of experience isn’t a drawback.

“He has much better judgment than McCain. McCain supported the war. Our standing in the world has collapsed [in large measure because of the war],” he replies, as he pours milk into his thermos. The office is getting busier now, with teachers filing in, making copies, and greeting one another. Kivanoski says that all aspects of

the race are important now because every issue is tied to the others. For instance, he believes that it’s impossible to “totally divorce the [effects of the] war from the economy.”

Teachers aren’t the only ones concerned about the outcome of this election. Adrianne Cesar ’09 is also very concerned. An Obama supporter, she feels that other issues have “taken a backseat to the war and economy.” The issues, though, aren’t the only things receiving attention. The vice presidential picks have also become a topic of interest, particularly McCain’s pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Palin was allegedly picked to garner female votes. The idea of her being a feminist or a “true maverick” is up for debate. Kivanoski feels that she is neither. “Just being a woman doesn’t make you a feminist,” he says firmly. “There are ideals

to it,” the topic of abortion being one of those ideals.

Abortion has been a controversial topic long before the election, but in Palin’s case, it’s become even more important. “They [Republicans] trash teenagers for having children; they say they are the sleaziest people on the face of the earth mercilessly. They have no shame,” Kivanoski fiercely proclaimed when asked about Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy. “They say that she [Palin’s daughter] is keeping the baby and that it’s great, completely ignoring the other part of it.”

Adrianne Cesar seems to feel the same way. “I don’t believe she can truly claim that she will represent the majority of women that well. Some of her beliefs are [the result of] her religion. An example would be that in the case of abortions, Sarah Palin is pro-life. That is great and all [for her], but many women

are pro-choice. Therefore, she would not be able to represent that demographic [of women]. And in many cases, although I’m a Christian [as well], Palin blindly uses God as a justification for her actions.”

Palin’s lack of experience has been a huge detriment on the Republican side. “It was politics,” says Kivanoski, gripping his blue thermos. “They made a political decision [when choosing her].”

Cesar feels that Palin wasn’t the correct choice either. “I personally didn’t agree with McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin because she has no real experience with foreign policy, or large populations for that matter. Although she may have been successful in running Alaska, I doubt she’d be able to run the country if anything were to happen to McCain.”

But should Palin be expected to understand foreign policy? Kivanoski doesn’t seem to think so. As many have

noticed, Palin has been kept away from the media when possible, refusing to do interviews. If she isn’t able to take on the media’s questions, how will she run the country? “They don’t want her to answer questions. She just doesn’t know these things and nor should she be expected to,” says Kivanoski. He then brings up the ludicrous idea of Palin understanding foreign policy because “Alaska is near Russia... That doesn’t make sense. That’s like saying the senator from Maine understands foreign policy because Maine is near Canada.”

Kivanoski brings up McCain, comparing him to President Bush. He mentions that Bush had said something close to “I’ll be anything you want me to be,” at the convention before his election. “He was just desperate to be president. McCain’s the same way, principles don’t matter.”

Cesar agrees that McCain won’t be able to bring reform to Washington because he’s too similar to Bush. “I believe that McCain is more like Bush than we think. I feel that we don’t know what McCain will do because in many cases, for instance, the debate, he draws on his reputation and actions in the past, instead of informing the public of what he feels will help the country most [in the present].”

This election is more than just about the issues. It is about the candidates themselves. It’s possible that in the end, this election might just come down to age, race, and gender. Kivanoski partially agrees. He thinks that age isn’t the biggest problem here, but in the case of McCain, it is a problem.

When asked whether race was a significant variable in the election, Kivanoski replied, “Oh you betcha, and I don’t think it’s talked nearly as much

about. I think, absolutely, if Obama loses, the main reason will be [his] race. And people don’t want to talk about it because they don’t want to talk about how racist America is. There are a whole lot of white people who simply will not vote for a black man. Secondary to that is this idea that he’s Muslim, [which] is still out there… It’s insulting to Muslims.”

In the end, this election may just make or break America. It will end up determining what America will be in the future. Kivanoski agrees. “This is the most important election in my lifetime. Much is at stake. Our constitutional rights have been eroded over the past seven years...more then seven years now. I think it’s really, really important that people make their voices heard. This is the most important election in my lifetime,” he repeats. “The most important.”

Firm Obama support found in Tech

Tenth period on a Friday. The only noise heard is the murmur of club members across the hall as Patricia Desiano finishes giving advice to a student. Desiano, a longtime U.S. history teacher at Brooklyn Tech and advisor of the Model United Nations club, smiles as she sits down beside me in her empty classroom.

“I’m a Democrat,” she starts as she shifts into a contemplative mode, her hands folding in front of her, “because I care most about social services.”

Everyone is talking about it, everyone is worrying about, and everyone agrees it is one of the most important decisions Americans will ever make: The 2008 election. The United States is facing a lot of turmoil, with an economy straining under debt, the financial crisis, and a society emotionally drained by worries over education, mortgages, and the War in Iraq. Very soon, the American people will cast their ballots and decide who will lead us during these troubling times for the next four years.

Desiano supports Barack Obama, but when asked about Republican nominee John McCain, she replies, “I respect McCain’s military career, but I’m not sure if he’s honest or just doesn’t know what’s going on,” referring to the suspicious relationship between Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, and Freddie Mac, as well as the extent of McCain’s knowledge of this matter, or lack thereof.

According to The New York Times, Davis’s firm, Davis & Manafort, received monthly payments of $15,000 from Freddie Mac, a major mortgage company deeply involved in the financial crisis, from the end of 2005 to August 2008—right before its take over by the government in September alongside Fannie Mae. This revelation by The Times came only two days after McCain stated that Davis had not been involved with Freddie Mac for “several years.”

Desiano adds that this concern does not only deal with Davis, but Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, and her Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, as well. Desiano stresses that “both parties have been connected to major corporations involved in the financial crisis.”

Amy Lucisano, both a 10th grade Global teacher and an 11th grade Social Science Research teacher, believes “there is little reason to believe that McCain will come up with viable solutions to our economic ills,” but, as a Democrat, she also agrees that, “Democrats are not completely inno-

cent.”On the topic of the vice presidential nominees, Lucisano believes that Biden was a “pragmatic

choice” on Obama’s part because of Biden’s long political history. Desiano acknowledges Obama’s lack of experience as a weakness, but also says she is impressed by Biden’s history. “He’s been excel-lent on all economic issues I’m concerned with, and he has had excellent voting [on these issues].”

McCain and his campaign have often times used his history, both as a soldier for the United States and a longtime politician, as leverage over Obama. While Obama often fires back that change is needed, Lucisano wonders, “If the roles were reversed and [Obama and McCain] switched creden-tials: how many would vote for McCain?” This question is interesting to note because while race is not often discussed in conversations between Obama and McCain, race has had an influence on many voters, consciously or not.

Both social studies teachers, however, feel that Palin was a poor choice. Lucisano feels that if, unfortunately, something were to happen to McCain if he was elected, Palin’s presidency would be “devastating,” both because of her opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, and her apparent resistance to the separation of church and state, “one of the fundamentals of U.S. politics.”

Yet in regards to the whole campaign, the discussion of the issues is a topic that seems most wor-risome. Desiano remarks, “If they could actually say something specific, that’d be great.” Lucisano reflects that campaigns in general have increased the importance of political rhetoric to the point that questions are left unanswered in the presidential debates. No politician—Bush, Obama, Biden, Mc-Cain, or Palin—is innocent of this in their speeches on health care, the economy, war, or the environ-ment.

With this aspect of politics kept in mind, both teachers strongly encourage Brooklyn Tech’s young (and old) voters to do unbiased research on each nominee’s voting history and past decisions when forming opinions on the election.

Lucisano’s advice: “Talk to each other about the issues. It’s how [we] can make sense of poli-tics.”

Making sense of the election brings teachers back to the issues

Senator McCain’s Education Policies:- Supports using public money for private school

vouchers to low-income families.- Favors school-level funding for teacher

merit pay.- Favors federal funding for virtual schools and online courses as part of a larger focus on school-choice initiatives, using $500 million to develop these courses and $250 million to support state programs expanding online education opportunities.- Would commit full funding to No Child Left Behind, but wants it reformed because he doesn’t support total repeal.

Sources: AFL-CIO, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Teacher, www.barackobama.com and www.johnmccain.com

Class of '12: Which of the following issues do you consider the most

important?

0% 14%

10%

10%14%

0%

32%5%

10%5%

Homeland securityIraq WarUniversal HealthcareEducationSame-sex rightsEnergy & OilImmigrationRoe v. WadeDealth PenaltyThe Economy

Which presidential candidate would you vote for?

80%

6%14%

Obama/BidenMcCain/PalinOther

Editorials October 20086

The 2008 presidential election is one of the most significant events in American history. Rarely does a presidential election come with so much turmoil surrounding the country at one time—there are two wars the US in involved in, national security is still (and will always be) a threat, and the entire global economy is in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The people are preparing to elect a new leader, and they have the choice of either Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) or Senator John McCain (R-AZ). For us at the Survey, the choice is clear.

The Bush supply-side (a.k.a. trickle-down) eco-nomic policy has been a colossal failure—this is not up for debate. Too many major companies to name have filed for or come close to filing for bankruptcy, leading to a $700 billion bailout plan that the future taxpayers (us) will have to pay. Millions of homes are under or are threatened by foreclosure, and there may still be more to come. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, and the unemployment rate will only increase as the crisis gets worse. So for Sen. McCain to even suggest that cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans (again) and the major corporations is unthinkable. Sen. Obama

has pledged that anyone who makes under $250,000 annually will not see their taxes increase, and 95% of these people get a tax cut. This seems like a far more intelligent and needed plan.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been greatly overshadowed with the problems in the economy, but they are still very important issues. Another colossal failure under President Bush has been the War in Iraq—what was supposed to be a one-month deal in which the US would be greeted as liberators has turned into a 5-and-a-half year debacle in which the US is seen on a global scale as completely inept. The War in Afghani-stan has been very poorly executed, and the man we went in there to capture and kill is still on the loose. Sen. McCain argues that bringing the soldiers home from Iraq in defeat would be doing them a great disser-vice, but frankly letting them die fighting a meaningless war is doing a bit more of a disservice to them. Barack Obama has suggested that the troops in Iraq should be out within sixteen months, and then the focus should be on Afghanistan, where the criminals of September 11th are based. Not only this, but ending the war sooner will free billions of dollars that can be better spent on domestic causes.

But we can argue all of the issues we want—from health care to gay marriage and from how to deal with Russia to Guantanamo Bay. To turn our attention to the potential vice presidents, Joe Biden (D-DE) has been in the Senate for 25 years, is a very well respected statesman, and has been the chairman of some of the most prestigious committees in the Senate (currently chairman of Foreign Relations Committee). Sarah Palin (R-Governor of Alaska) is, we feel, highly under qualified. Sarah Palin, who could not name a Supreme Court decision other than Roe v. Wade that she did not agree with, and whose claim to experience in foreign policy is that she can see Russia from her backyard is not a woman we feel can help maintain the United States in a time of such turmoil. Sarah Palin, a gover-nor for not even half a term, claims to be more quali-fied to be president than a man who has served not only in his community but also his state legislature as well as the higher house in Congress. Sarah Palin, as charm-ing and witty as she may be, is not qualified to hold the second most powerful position in the world.

It is for these reasons and others that we at the Sur-vey endorse Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden to become the next president and vice president, respec-tively, of the United States.

Staff Editorial

Obama best choice for White House

Police belong in the streets, not in our schoolsContinued from page 1

order—threw a temper tantrum, security guards responded by handcuffing him. They then sent him to a hospital psych ward for evaluation. Following that inci-dent, Rivera was too scared to go back to the school and has been transferred. “I asked him, ‘Do you want to go back to that school?’ He broke down in tears,” his mother, Jasmina Vasquez, told the Daily News. “He said, ‘I don’t want to go! I don’t want to go!’”

Another example is 13-year-old Chelsea Fraser. She was handcuffed and arrested in her Brooklyn middle school for writing the word “Okay” on a desk. Fraser was charged with criminal mis-chief and creating graffiti. At the police station, she was chained to a pole. “It was really embarrassing because some of the kids, they talk, and they’re going to la-bel me as a bad kid. But I’m really not,” Fraser said in an interview with CBS. “I didn’t know writing ‘Okay’ would get me arrested.”

One simply cannot justify handcuff-ing a 5-year-old. If every time a student threw a temper tantrum we handcuffed him and sent him to a psych ward, the schools would be empty. Similarly, while perhaps not exactly model behavior, scribbling on a school desk should not warrant arrest. It probably doesn’t even warrant a suspension.

Even in Tech, a supposedly “elite” high school, officers patrol the hallways like prison guards. As soon as the first

passing bell rings, they start shouting and herding students into their next period. After school, they try to usher students out of the building as soon as possible, paying no regards to afterschool activi-ties or duties s t u d e n t s may have to attend to.

“ I ’ m kinda an-noyed at them,” says Kait Geirlich ’09. She and other stu-dents point out that the security guards at Tech appear to play favorites, admonish-ing some students for being slow in the hallways while laughing and joking with others. Morris Fung ’09 says that while there may be some psychological effect making students feel safer, “in reality, they don’t do anything.”

To be sure, no one wants unsafe s c h o o l s . And there’s no doubt that the in-t e n t i o n s behind in-creased se-curity were good—the aim was to protect stu-dents. However, it is impossible not to see how the efforts have missed the target. The ACLU’s analysis of 2004-2005 An-

nual School Reports found that in schools with metal detectors, 77 percent of police involvement focused on non-criminal in-cidents. Only four percent involved ma-jor crimes against other persons, and just

two percent concerned major prop-erty crimes. Those who claim that the officers are there to

deal with crimes cannot ignore the sta-tistics.

Bloomberg and Klein’s policy sug-gests a vision of schools as impenetrable steel fortresses. Schools are meant to be supportive environments for the trans-mission of knowledge, not prisons. Such a militarized atmosphere—where iron-jawed security guards peer over kids’ shoulders as they walk from class to

class, hur-rying them along and d e m a n d -ing to see IDs—is not conducive to a good learning en-vironment.

The sit-uation is particularly troubling for blacks and Latinos, who are well-represented in New York’s public schools and are dis-

proportionately likely to end up in prison at some point during their life. With one in 15 black adults in prison, as well as one in 36 Hispanic adults, we must consider the possibility that excessive policing at a young age contributes to what some call the “school to prison pipeline.”

Most troubling is the fact that the system lacks any mechanism for raising criticisms of officer behavior. Even if one could justify the heavy presence of school safety officers, the need for a transpar-ent review process to handle complaints cannot be disputed. As it stands now, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the body that oversees grievances against the NYPD, does not accept complaints about school safety officers. If the current po-licing system is to remain in place, the city must provide an adequate complaint review process. In fact, our commitment to democracy demands such a process.

Though Bloomberg and Klein con-tend that their policies are promoting school safety, the excessive force used by these officers only diminishes stu-dents’ sense of security. Instead of turn-ing schools into prisons, the mayor and the chancellor should work to reduce overcrowding, increase funding and give every student the personal attention he or she needs. When it comes to school safety, the answer isn’t locking up five-year-olds.

Today as you’re waking up, you feel a breeze of warmth coming from the window. Today will be a good day. During your three hour train ride to school, you were stuck sitting in between two gargantuan people, but it’s okay. Today will be a good day. As you whistle down Fort Greene Place, you see that the line to get into school seems a little longer than usual. Your best friend sent you at least seven text messages, writing in full caps: “LOLOLOLOL LEAVE UR FONES AND STUFFS AT HOME LOLOLOLOL.” But no, how could such a terrible thing happen at Brooklyn Tech like to deliberately make their students give up their possessions?

As you’re herded through the doors of the school like sheep and forced into the auditorium like Polish Jews in a ghetto, it doesn’t seem like today is going to be a good day. You’re asked to go into awkward and uncomfortable positions like a poodle being judged at the Westminster Dog Show. No, today is not a good day at all. Was this really necessary? Was the fascist takeover of our school really worth it just so that they could stop us from calling from the bathroom? The answer is yes.

The liberal, biased media would have you believe that cell-phone related deaths have gone down over the past few years, but that is an utter lie perpetrated by those commie pinkos. From 1987- 2007, there has been a steady increase in the number of cell-phone related accidents. Not just any cell-phone related deaths, but people getting into auto accidents because of their cell phones. This atrocity must stop. Don’t you people see? All our school is really trying to do is teach us that having a cell phone on us at all times will only lead to an overwhelming desire to get into automobile accidents. Don’t have a car? Studies have shown that 1 in every 42 vehicles are stolen in New York every year. Clearly, the logical connection is there. If we have phones, we will be compelled to steal cars and get into accidents.

Brooklyn Tech community, I implore you, just give in to the constant oppression that’s fed to us by the Chancellor everyday. Give away your valuables, embrace the police invasion, and watch how money is literally vacuumed out of the programs we love. It’s for your own good.

Isn’t it?

Police searches of our property have a point. Really.

By Aleksandr MichudaThere has long been a question about

whether to extend the academic year for students. The public is equally split when it comes to their opinions on the matter, but those who will be the most affected by the longer school year are teachers and students, many of who are against the plan.

The Department of Education wants to increase the school year by at least 20 days (although the exact date that the school year will be ending has not been decided) to ensure more time for the increasingly longer curriculums. Some students are alarmed by this suggestion. “They [Department of Education] do not have the right to take away bits and piec-es of our summer vacation. We’re already buried neck-deep in homework from our teachers for the school year!” said An-drew Ong ‘12. It is clear that education is of a great importance in life. However, students need a break from being cooped up in often-stuffy classrooms, especially in the summer months.

The summer months are the great-est issue for the Department of Educa-tion to consider. It often gets too hot and humid in June for kids to study or work in classes, let alone July and August. In-stead, students spend the majority of the month sitting at their desks and suffering from the heat. Twenty days may not seem that long to some, but there aren’t many

schools with air conditioning in every room, which is what will be necessary if the teachers and students are to survive the later days of June and early days of July.

As the summers continue to get hotter it is becoming harder for students to con-centrate on their schoolwork, even as the length of the school year stays the same. Students need a break from schoolwork and teachers need a break from students.

“It’s really unfair that the school year is getting longer and the summer vacation is getting shorter every year,” comments Jason Huang, ‘11.

Despite many students being against the idea of a longer school year, some feel indifferent towards the subject. “It doesn’t matter that much. I think the breaks are longer,” says Gilbert Joa, ‘10.

Although they are still unsure about the increase of the number of school days, students and teachers have already taken it into consideration and are not thrilled by the idea of more work. Curriculums are not always finished by the end of the year, but it’s pointless to try and cram ev-erything that’s left in a matter of weeks.

Countless students who spend nu-merous hours on homework daily don’t deserve to have their vacations shortened. The school year should stay the length it currently is, not being made shorter but certainly not being lengthened.

By Pei Chan Ma and Ilona Melamed

School year extension scares students

•••••“I’m kinda annoyed at them,”

says Kait Geirlich ’09. She and other students point out that the security

guards at Tech appear to play favorites.•••••

•••••Most troubling is the fact that

the system lacks any mechanism for raising criticisms of officer behavior.

•••••

EntertainmentOctober 2008 7

She’s no Rachel Zoe, nor is she a Rachel Ray. This is Rachel Maddow. Who is she? Well, she’s the host of MSNBC’s newest talk show, “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Every week, Maddow offers intelligent insight on politics, particularly on the 2008 Presidential Election. Her catchy smile and booming voice bring her one of the highest ratings in her time slot.

At first glance, Maddow does not seem a likely television show host. An out lesbian who dresses like an adolescent boy when not on air, she was a teenage AIDS activist who first got into journalism by entering a contest. Then, this Stanford student-turned-Rhodes scholar quickly climbed up the journalistic ladder. The PhD holding foreign policy junky quickly got her own radio show on Air America and became a regular analyst on MSNBC, eventually becoming the regular fill-in for Keith Olberman. With her unique background, Maddow has been a great addition to the network with her fresh new perspective on American government. Her sassy attitude has allowed her to make quite a number of provocative assaults on Republican missteps.

Her “Mind Over Chatter” segment is especially engaging since she dissects each issue with extreme detail and explanation. Take one report on John McCain’s “Bad Week.” She begins, “I am not a person who plays golf. I’m no golfer, but I know enough about the rules of golf to guess that John McCain wishes he could take a mulligan now…Senator McCain, this was your week.” Maddow goes on to reveal McCain’s mishaps each day of the week, starting with his statement that the “fundamentals of economy” were strong, during the week of the Wall Street meltdown. Her analytical

ability can be seen through the various wry comments on McCain’s campaign speeches, and she keeps her viewers entertained.

Maddow’s views are left-leaning, and her guests are often left of center, although not for lack of trying otherwise. Republicans, particularly those involved in the McCain campaign, appear to ignore her interview requests. Nonetheless, she frequently condemns the Republicans (John McCain and Sarah Palin) while hardly ever, or rather never, denouncing Democrats for their mistakes. Fortunately, there is one conservative who is willing to step up and debate her: Pat Buchanan, referred to jokingly by Maddow as her “fake uncle.” The “It’s Pat” segment is one of Maddow’s most interesting, allowing both sides to spar intellectually.

Rachel Maddow is confident, articulate and humorous. It is no wonder why the show has high ratings. She is professional yet quirky, intellectual yet down to earth, and she is quite capable of seizing your interest in politics. Be sure to catch her show on weeknights at 9pm (ET) on MSNBC and on weekdays at 6pm on Air America Radio.

For the first time in eleven seasons of America’s Next Top

Model, a transgender model made it to the top fourteen

girls. Isis King, 22, from Prince George County,

Maryland tried out for Top Model twice before,

but this is the first time she has made it to the show. She considers her-self “a woman born physi-cally male.” The other fe-male contestants who made it to the finals were curious about Isis’s condition, but generally accepted her. Sheena, 21, a fellow model on the show from Harlem, New York said, “For Isis to be so brave and secure about who she is and be-ing able to not let anything bother her – It’s very com-mendable.” Tyra Banks,

hostess and creator of the show, said Isis was a “fierce

girl who can do couture,” after watch-ing Isis pose, before knowing that Isis was a transgender model.

In my opinion, a transgender indi-vidual can be a model, or anything else for that matter. The sex an individual is born with should not matter as long as they meet a modeling agency’s require-ments. Modeling agencies are always looking for unique, confident looks, traits that transgender models can pro-vide as easily as biologically female models.

During sixth period lunch, I asked students if they thought a transgender woman could model and if they would hire one. There were people open to the idea, while other were not so opti-mistic. Davidas Kolkinas ’10, 16, said, “If enough people find her attractive, I guess. To me it doesn’t make a differ-ence. Although I’m not sure it’s fair to the competition since they didn’t have surgery to change their appearance.”

Naturally, there is some prejudice against transgender people, but that has not stopped many of them from being successful. Georgina Beyer, of New

Zealand, became the first openly trans-sexual member of parliament in 1995. Melissa Skiarz was the first openly transgender public official in New York State. There are even transgender indi-viduals in today’s pop culture. Alexis Arquette is a male-to-female trangen-der actress and a musician. (She is also the sister of the better-known David Arquette.) Candis Cayne, also a trans-sexual actress, appears on the ABC primetime show, Dirty Sexy Money.

Religious and moral values often conflict with the idea of transgender in-dividuals. While polling students dur-ing sixth period, there was one outburst of, “Stay with what you’re given!” Re-gardless, there are success stories sur-rounding transgender individuals, in-cluding that of Isis King, who made it to the top ten models before being elimi-nated. In any case, I hope that there can be less hatred and intolerance towards the transgender individuals, and more acceptance and openness. The least we can do in this world is respect each oth-ers’ choices.

By Iris Sze

New MSNBC show a witty delight

Metallica, arguably one of the greatest metal bands of all time, is back, crushing the souls of the unworthy. Their new-est album entitled “Death Magnetic” was released on September 10th, bring-ing more of their musical genius to their undying fan crowds.

Get ready for some fast paced guitar shred-ding and wonderful sharp vocals that will make you nostalgic of the times

when metal was the tri-umphant genre of music. All the songs are an av-erage of seven minutes, but still retain the regular Metallica fashion of four-minute head banging solos and instrumentals. Not all the songs include heavy metal harsh tones and vo-cals. “Unforgiven III” is a slow-paced melodic bal-lad with a piano intro and with touching lyrics, but the two-minute fast drums and guitar solo is not miss-ing in this song either.

Metallica sets the bar for the album with the first song, “That Was Just Your Life,” using some of their greatest guitar solos and compositions yet. In “Broken, Beat & Scarred,” the hard, low toned, pow-er-hungry intro leads to a melodic guitar shredding song with some of the most aggressive lyrics in the album, repeatedly yell-ing out “Please die hard!” Another melodic song that captures everyone’s at-tention is “The Day That

Never Comes”. This song fills listeners with sad, then furious feelings, as Kirk Hammet strums the beautiful guitar chords.

Since their debut in 1983, Metallica has been practically dominating the charts with every studio album release. Metallica’s debut album, Kill Em All, introduced them to the masses, receiving a 3X platinum certification. With a Kerrang! Award, Three Billboard Music Awards, and seven Gram-

my Awards, Metallica has blown every-one’s expec-tations into oblivion, mak-ing each forth-coming album even more popular than the previous.

“ D e a t h Magnetic” is the first Studio album by Me-tallica to star Robert Trujillo as the bassist, even though he has been touring with the band since

2003. I am personally im-pressed by his abilities, as well as by the performanc-es of Lars Ulrich, founder and drummer of Metal-lica. Hetfield’s vocals are as thrashing as ever and the guitar solos are catchy and memorable.

This album makes Metallica the group with the most consecutive al-bums to be released as #1 in the charts. “Death Mag-netic” sold over 450,000 copies in its first three days, and is expected to quadruple that amount by the end of next week. 29 Official Billboards have deemed this album as the number one album for the past 3 weeks, and has been awarded several gold, double, and even triple platinum certifications, bringing Death Magnetic to the top of the “Must Have” music list of any music lover.

Metallica is back, with an even bigger album, and it seems like music critics 25 years ago were right: “The Metal Gods are here. And they are here to stay!”

Metallica’s Death Magnetic reviewBy Iris Pepa

The Secret Life of Bees is a movie based on a best-selling novel written by Sue Monk Kidd. Set in South Carolina during the Civil Rights period of the 1960’s, it is the story of Lily Owens (Dakota Fan-ning), a 14-year-old girl haunted by the memory of her mother who died when she was only four. Lily lives with her abusive fa-ther, T-Ray and her stand-in-mother, Rosaleen, a black worker on her fa-ther’s peach farm. Since her father is verbally abu-sive, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) tries to help her cope with the sense of loss she feels for her mother. When Rosaleen gets beat-en up by a group of racists on her way to register to

vote and is sent to jail, Lily succeeds in getting her out and they both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina, her mother’s home town.

When they arrive at the town, they meet the Boatwright sisters, a trio of black women named August, June, and May, played by Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo, who allow them to stay at their home. Lily lies about her identity and tries to find the truth about her mother’s death. Each sister has her own story to tell. Later, she finds herself falling for Zachary Taylor, August’s godson, played by Tristan Wilds, who helps her through many obstacles along the way. Every good movie has to have a good romance, af-ter all.

Be sure to see The Se-cret Life of Bees when it opens on October 17.

To Bee or Not to Bee?

By Priscilla Cheng

Rachel Maddow is the host of MSNBC’s newest political analysis show.

Transgender model has what it takesBy Monique Matthews

Sports October 20088

Things seemed to be looking up for the Brook-lyn Tech’s boy’s soccer team. The tech team was on a winning streak, winning their last three games, or so it seemed. After a hard defeat Brooklyn Tech should go back to the drawing board.

On October 6th, Brooklyn Tech faced James Madison High School (also in Brooklyn) at the James Madison HS Field. Their spirits were high, and everyone was ready for thos match. But after the first marking period, where James Madison HS was leading 3-nil, it was clear that things weren’t going to be so easy.

Tech battled hard, but with Madison scoring three more goals in the second half, the lead became insurmountable, and they ended up losing 6-nil dis-appointing the fans. Madison’s defense was very difficult to overcome—Tech mustered just 4 shots

on goal the entire match, as compared to 23 for Madison. It should be noted that Madison is the best team in the Brooklyn West division, 9-0 at the time.

After a 2-1 loss to Midwood the next day, Tech’s record is now 4-5-1. After defeating Franklin D. Roosevelt HS and playing Fort Hamilton to a 1-1 tie on October 15 and 17 (respectively), Tech soc-cer made into the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Facing up against #2 seed Susan A. Wagner HS (tech being the #7 seed in a 8-team format) in Staten Island, there was a very unlikely occurence.

In the 97th minute in double overtime, mid-fielder Roy Getsis, the team’s leading scorer, scored a header from a corner kick, breaking 0-0 tie and sending Tech to victory 1-0. After this upset, Tech now faces # 3 seed Brooklyn International on Octo-ber 29th in the second round of the divisional play-offs.

A hard hit to defeat

GALA from page 1spoke well of the event. “It was a fabulous event that opened our eyes, as current students, to successful Tech alumni have become,” says Diana Cheung ‘09. “And it was a wonderful opportunity to network!”

The evening seemed to impart positive sentiments on most in attendance, and the night ended with alumni and current Techies taking to the dance floor.

Look for more coverage of the Gala and other 21/21 Campaign efforts in upcoming issues of The Survey.

FOOTBALL (VARSITY) SCHOOL WINS LOSSES POINTSPort Richmond 7 0 627Curtis 7 0 582John F. Kennedy 6 1 495Fort Hamilton 7 0 473Sheepshead Bay 5 2 381Dewitt Clinton 5 2 372Boys & Girls 5 2 351William E. Grady 5 2 336Flushing 6 1 326Bayside 5 2 326Susan Wagner 4 3 318New Dorp 4 3 301Campus Magnet 4 3 293Beach Channel 6 1 292Tottenville 4 3 285Canarsie 4 3 283Erasmus Hall Campus 4 3 276Thomas Jefferson Campus 5 2 265Long Island City 4 3 208Midwood 3 4 201Brooklyn Technical 2 5 164John Adams 4 3 146August Martin 3 4 138Jamaica 3 4 138Harry S. Truman 2 5 120New Utrecht 1 6 95Abraham Lincoln 1 6 95Herbert H. Lehman 1 6 95William C. Bryant 1 6 57Christopher Columbus 0 7 45Grand Street Campus 0 7 45James Madison 0 7 45South Shore 0 7 45Samuel J. Tilden 0 7 27NOTE: Power points are the playoff ranking system combining preseason stats as well as stats from throughout the regular season. Visit the PSAL website for more information.

BOYS BOWLINGSCHOOL WINS LOSSESBrooklyn Technical 6 0HS Telecommunication Arts & Technology 6 1Brooklyn International 4 2George Westinghouse 2 4Clara Barton 1 5Automotive 0 7

BOYS SOCCERSCHOOL WINS LOSSES TIES POINTSJames Madison 10 0 1 31Midwood 6 4 1 19Sheepshead Bay 5 5 2 17Brooklyn Technical 5 5 2 17Fort Hamilton 5 6 1 16Abraham Lincoln 3 7 2 11Franklin D. Roosevelt 2 9 1 7BTHS CLINCHES PLAYOFFS

GIRLS SWIMMINGSCHOOL WINS LOSSESFort Hamilton 5 1Midwood 4 1Brooklyn Technical 3 0Leon M Goldstein HS for Science 3 3HS Telecommunication Arts & Technology 2 2James Madison 2 3Abraham Lincoln 1 5New Utrecht 0 5

85th Anniversary Gala taps into alumni support for Tech

Redi Rahmani ‘08 Salutatorian Honoree Herbert Henkel ‘66

Alumni hit the dance floor.Jeanine Ramirez ‘88, Emcee

By Elina Sigal

Photo by Alexandra Archangelskaya

Photos by Katie Zavadski

Photo by Alexandra Archangelskaya