Winter driving is a necessary skill for anyone living in Minnesota

with a driver’s permit or license. As the inches of snow pile up, driving requires a greater understanding of weather con-ditions, the vehicle, and how to respond to certain situations. Furthermore, resid-ing in cities that surround Minneapolis that range from Chaska to Woodbury, Blake students often have to commute lengthy distances to get to school. With commutes that can take over twenty minutes, students are faced with consid-

erable driving in icy road conditions at least twice a day. Unfortunately, many students do not know how to adapt their driving to winter weather or how

to react to dangerous road conditions. Before getting into the car, there are several things you can do to prepare for winter driving. First of all, have the mechanics of your car checked at the be-ginning of the season and consider snow tires. Also, according to AAA, a winter driving kit (including a flashlight, a can-dle, an ice scraper, booster cables and a blanket) will be invaluable in the case of an emergency. It is recommended that you never travel with less than a half-tank of gas because cars are less fuel

e ff ic ien t in cold w e a t h e r , and in order to avoid gas line freeze-up. When driving, one of the most important skills is to be aware of your surroundings: a winter driver must be extra prepared to anticipate problems. Always adjust your driving to the weath-er conditions. For example, double your usual braking distance since icy streets reduce 80% of tires’ grip. And normal following distances (usually three to four seconds) should be increased to eight to ten seconds (AAA.com). Also, take it slow because abrupt acceleration

can cause the brakes to skid if you suddenly need to stop. If you start to

skid, do not panic, and avoid slamming on the brakes, which will only make it harder to regain control of your vehicle. In the case that the rear end of you car does begin to slide, steer the front wheels in the direction the rear wheels are mov-ing. In the opposing scenario, if you are stuck on ice, try to create traction with a grainy material such as sand. Avoid spinning the wheels with sudden accel-eration, as you should instead be patient and slowly initiate movement in second gear, if possible (The Star Tribune).

VOLUME XXXV ISSUE 03 “your voice in print” December 2007

511 Kenwood Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55403

The s p e c t r u mTh

eBlake Upper School

10 141204

Students Face Treacherous Winter Driving

StudentsHelpWithLearningWorks.

Zanny Lannin

Kate Morton & Lucy LitmanEditor in Chief and Managing Editor

A recent accident outside of the school.

LoyceHoulton’sNutcracker

Fantasy

Masqueradevs.SadiesDance

StudyTechniquesforMidterms

Many Blake Upper School students agree with the College Board

survey that indicates 95% of American teens have parents who are either “very involved” or “involved” with their various activities. Overall, parent involvement in students’ lives is not only useful, but also necessary. The real question involves where to draw the line: how much is too much? “Helicopter parents” are those who relentlessly hover over every area of their children’s lives in hopes of ensuring the best possible outcome for their children. Although parents have good intentions, often times these protective measures are more detrimental to a student’s development than they are helpful. It must be noted that parents do not hold sole responsibility over this syndrome and that students hold equal responsibility for not asserting themselves. Parents are important for keeping students on the path to success, but they cannot hold the students’ hand in every step taken and deflect the obstacles in the way of each student. Students, not parents, need to take charge and make

themselves aware of deadlines, rubrics, and test scores. For seniors, the college counseling office at Blake specifically

suggests not to allow parents to proofread college admissions essays in the beginning process to avoid losing the writer’s true voice. Many parents will go as far as suggesting topics or writing the essay themselves to better their child’s candidature for admission. The underlying issue here is that parents frequently have a disillusioned view of what is better in regard to college applications. Rather than exercising complete control, parents should take a step back and support their student’s

academic decisions. The college admissions process allows every student to practice responsibility, maturity and independence. In the end, every student will be admitted or denied, and it is a parent’s job to love their child unconditionally and allow them to grow. It is ultimately the students’ responsibility to speak up for themselves and make it known that they are well on their way to becoming mature and capable young adults. All parents may at some time be helicopters. The key to a healthy student-parent relationship is for both sides to work towards a more receptive relationship.

spectrum 02 opinions dec 07Spectrum Staff

Editor-In-ChiefKate Morton

Managing EditorsLucy LitmanBillie Pritzker

Layout EditorAlfred Yeung

Page EditorsChloe Browne: Opinions

Joy Lee: OpinionsBen Gitis: News

Kelly Grant: SportsThomas Wheeler: Sports

Zanny Lannin: Student LifeKeegan Dubbs: Variety

Ummul Kathawalla: VarietyClaire Brown: A & EKip Dooley: A & E

Copy EditorsLily ConoverKaty Marshall

Michael Mestitz

Business ManagerLauren Gellman

Staff WritersJoe Ali

Ellie AlldredgeKasey Boyd

Mihika HemmedySutton Higgins

Seth Jurgens (Cartoonist)Camille KrollAllie MalechaSusie MarshallHannah Page

Jo-Dean Seymour Liza Winton

Contributing WritersDrew GabbertLaura HellmanSarah HoopsMax JohnsonBen Pobuda

Kylie Potuznik

AdvisorScott Hollander

The opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writers and not those of The Spectrum or The Blake School.

Letters to the EditorLetters to the editor are strongly encouraged and should be emailed to spectrum@blakeschool.org. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit letters for length and content.

Exposing Generation Y-awn

Staff Editorial: Helicopter Parents

We are all part of the millennial generation, more commonly

known as “Generation Y.” However, when contemplating any distinct accom-plishments of our generation, nothing comes to mind. Think back 50 years to the group of people called the “Greatest Generation.” People as young as Blake’s current seniors and juniors sacrificed their lives on the shores of Normandy, while families sacrificed certain luxu-ries for the good of the nation at home. Today, the majority of our gen-eration has been plugged into their own lives to the point of refusing to acknowl-edge those who sacrifice in the present and those who sacrificed of the past. In history class last week, while we were watching a film on the accom-plishments of the previous generation, my eyes diverted from the film screen to see several of my fellow peers texting on their phones. I then realized that if we continue to follow this path of apa-thy towards everything that does not directly concern us, we will become a doomed generation where our perspec-

tive of the world would be severely lim-ited to matters that simply involve us. Our apathy extends in many different directions. According to the US Census Bureau, only 36% of people ages 18-24 voted in the 2000 presidential

elections, compared with a average 71% percent of people ages 55-74. Why does our generation not feel a need to par-ticipate? Much of our generation can’t even “sacrifice” the time to explore dif-ferent candidates. Many of our parents were heavily involved in governmental protests in the 60’s, but we tend to shy away from even the basic right and in-

volvement in voting. Although a war is going on now, as it was 65 years ago, only a few of us really seem to notice. It is only by turning on the news in the morning that we hear about the course of the war. We are not having to make sacrifices at home- we still guzzle gas in our cars. In fact, many of us get angry at petty things like when we don’t have the newest version of the ipod or the new-est, smallest, cell phone released. Many of us truly do not know what sacrifice means, because we have never been placed in a situation where complete sacrifice is necessary. Ac-cording to Dr. Larry Rosen, a renowned author, “This generation [Generation Y] is different in so many ways. They grew up in the lap of luxury, in one of the best economic times in the last 100 years, and everyone started living very luxuriously: two-plus cars, dinners out, etc.” It isn’t that we shouldn’t be enjoy-ing these privileges, but that we should rather maintain the important value of awareness that previous generations have emphasized.

Chloe BrowneA student texts in class.

Lucy Litman Managing Editor

Seth Jurgens

spectrum dec 07 opinions 03

Taking the Self-Initated Challenge

The Star Tribune is Minnesota’s larg-est newspaper, one widely read and

known among the Blake community. In recent months, there have been sev-eral management changes at Star Tri-bune, and these changes in management have led to controversial changes in the newspaper itself. McClatchy Company owned the Star Tribune until last month when Avista Capital Partners bought the paper. The most drastic change in the paper is the new emphasis on local top-ics as opposed to national or global is-sues. This change is apparent not only on the front page of the newspapers, where main articles have become pre-dominately local, but also on the edi-torial page. Susan Albright was a key writer for the Star Tribune editorial page up until a few months ago, when a disagreement about the new local con-centration led her to stop her work for the paper. The new owners of the paper wanted few if any articles written about important and widespread issues such as global warming or the Iraq War. They

also expressed concern over some view-points of the editorial writers, wanting to make the tone of the editorials more “educational” and less opinionated. This leads us to the question, “What really is the role of a local news-paper, as well as of an editorial page?” Should national and global news be a prevalent part of the Star Tribune? I think so. While it is important to pro-vide readers with information about lo-cal events, including large-scale topics in the paper gives readers valuable per-spectives and a balanced viewpoints on current events. The Star Tribune is not a small town paper; this Sunday paper is the 11th largest in the country. In my opin-ion, this obligates it to focus on a broad-er spectrum of issues. Similarly, I think that the editorial page should include opinions on issues that have great ef-fects on a multitude of people. Editori-als are a way for citizens to speak out and give feedback to the government and other powerful organizations. It’s a critical part of our society, and limiting the editorial writers of the Star Tribune is detrimental not only to the readers of the paper, but to the public as a whole.

Laura HellmanContributing Writer

Still a Shining Star? Cartoon Corner

Seth Jurgens

Earlier this year, an administrator told me my schedule was easy.

Excellent! How inspiring it is to have validated, by someone in power, the fact that I’m an underachiever! While the good students choose to stuff their schedules with AP’s and CIS’s, I prefer the contentment of knowing that this easy schedule suits me, because of my laziness, stupidity, or both. Surely, this isn’t what the ad-ministrator meant... right? I believe he meant that A’s are more common in my classes than in others. So if I apply the too-familiar student attitude that grades are a legitimate measure of one’s intel-ligence and/or effort, maybe it is what he meant. Thankfully, I don’t define my schedule or myself on such terms. The assessment of my schedule as easy? I disagree completely. John Gulla recently referenced William Butler Yeats in an article for Parent News, stating that education

should be “not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” As a student in Blake’s cutthroat environment, I know how hard it can be to focus on passion and learning instead of grades. Our col-lege obsession has us spinning… there’s pressure from par-ents, classmates, the school, and ourselves. It’s un-derstandable that the student body is so fanatical about grades, but we are capable of so much more! Students shouldn’t cheat themselves out of enjoying learning and should view grades as feedback. Schedules should reflect students’ interests. In accord with Blake’s core value of love of learning--“Curiosity, discovery, a sense of awe, creativity and a passion for knowing are all central to our mission at Blake. Scholarship, academic excellence, su-perior teaching and a climate of active

intellectualism mark our work”--it is this self-initiated challenge, not the A to F ratio, that should define the difficulty of our schedules and the meaning of our grades. Practically, an objective rank-

ing system seems necessary. But it is dangerous. Upper School physics teacher Dr. Rand H a r r i n g t o n writes, “love of learning is intrin-sic, an internal at-titude about what it means to be human. Grades

are extrinsic, a motivation derived ex-ternally (through fear of doing poorly).” Psychologically, this extrinsic motiva-tion can result in a suppressed natural love of learning. Dr. Harrington ex-plains, “however, if we view grades as a measure for what we know and what we still need to learn, then they can be very valuable.” He concludes, “Instead

of ‘how can I get more points on this test?’ I would rather hear ‘can you help me understand this concept better?’” Focusing on grades either as the purpose of one’s Blake education or as a measurement of one’s intelligence transforms that passion-fire to an infer-no, into which we can deposit our time, our efforts, and, most significantly, our love of learning. My proposal is not the abol-ishment of grades, but a changed ap-proach to them. The countering of this external motivation with the recognition that grades aren’t the ultimate goal, but rather, a sometimes unreliable mode of feedback in reaching this ultimate goal. My challenge to myself and my fellow students: create an individual-ized self-grading system to use along with regular grades, one that fosters your personal love of learning, supports you in risk-taking and passion-follow-ing, and utilizes letter grades not as the ultimate goal, but as a tool you can use for something bigger. Create your own easy schedule.

“It is this self-initiated challenge, not the A to F ratio, that should define the difficulty of our sched-ules and the meaning of our grades.”

Sarah Hoops Contributing Writer

spectrum 04 news dec 07

Max JohnsonContributing Writer

A few years ago the Blake commu-nity changed the traditional “Sa-

die Hawkins” dance to the “Snow Days Dance.” Sadie Hawkins was a homely female character from a famous 1930’s cartoon that dreamed of having a boy-friend. She finally went out and found a man by herself, something that was against her father’s customs. In more re-cent years, Sadie Hawkins Day has been celebrated as a day when women are supposed to ask men out on a date or to a dance. Many schools around the coun-try celebrate Sadie Hawkins by hosting a dance where girls are suggested to ask boys. The administration felt that the name of the dance was controversial for a couple of reasons. One, the theme of girls asking guys implies that this is the only time that girls can ask guys to a dance and that guys are supposed to ask girls the other times. Therefore, it is con-sidered to demote women’s rights. An-

other reason is that the Sadie Hawkins theme could be offensive to gay students because girls may not ask another girl or the same may apply to guys. Many students have found this upsetting. Addie Adams ‘11 stated, “I wish we were allowed to call it Sadie’s. I personally am not offended in any way with the concept. When my parents went to Blake, they had a Sa-die Hawkins dance! I guess times are changing.” Some students argue that Sa-die Hawkins discriminates against ho-mosexuals and women. Other students might argue that it is a tradition and the girls ask guys “rule” is really only a sug-

gestion. “The whole girl asking guy tra-dition will still live on as long as students

keep it up, no matter what the dance that they do it for is called,” says Tim Walden ‘08. Tim, along with other se-niors were in high school when the change first took place. Tim states

that it “seems to generally make people less excited about the dance because they feel a huge administrative influ-ence hanging over them.” Recently, a Facebook group called “Masquerave for Sadie’s” came up with the idea of having a Masquerave for the dance’s theme, a combination of a traditional Masquerade and a modern

day Rave. The administration compro-mised with the sophomore planners by allowing the dance to be called “The Winter Masquerade.” Rave was taken out of the title because the definition of a Rave implies drug use. Founder of the group Shorty Bullock ‘10 said, “As far as letting students choose and be in charge of the dances I think its great. It lets us become leaders by making us or-ganize and publicize the dance by our-selves. Our effort will really show in the final product by how fun the dance is in the end. We haven’t really had any is-sues with referring to the dance as Sadie Hawkins so far. It is just like any other dance. Anyone can ask who they want, but there is an emphasis on changing things up and getting people who nor-mally wouldn’t ask someone to take a risk and have fun with it. It’s all about having fun.”

The history of stepping begins from the early African-American

slave communities to the historically black sororities and fraternities in the 1960s. STEPPS was introduced to the Blake community in 2003, and since then it has established itself as one of the most anticipated performances in school events. There have been many changes to STEPPS over the last four years: more members, new songs, different steps. One of the biggest changes STEPPS has encountered oc-cured after Thanksgiving break, when it started to reward athletic credit. STEPPS co-captains, Kristyn Bridges ‘08, Leola Sears ‘08, and Tenisha Williams ‘08, made an ath-letic credit proposal at the end of last school year. STEPPS is officially a winter club that rewards athletic credit from Thanksgiving break to the end of the basketball season. STEPPS’ sea-son matches that of basketball teams because STEPPS will perform dur-

ing half-times at ten men and women basketball games, adding more incen-tive for students and faculty to come to the games. The team will not only perform at Blake functions, but also compete in tournaments in Minnesota. STEPPS co-captain, Tenisha Williams ’08, further explains what this transi-tion entails, “It’s going to be more rigorous. We’re already really serious about STEPPS and we want to take it to the next level. This will let us work with the dancers more and give more room for individual work.” Whereas before the credit, the team met two days a week before school, it can now meet 3-4 days a week after school. In practices, potential members can ex-pect to train in both stepping and danc-ing while honing new techniques.

Students Put on Their Mask For Snow Ball

STEPPS RecievesAthletic Credit

Joy Lee Page Editor

On Friday, November 30, The Wall Street Journal listed Blake

as one of the top 40 schools in the nation for sending students to top colleges. Blake was ranked 32nd. The ranking process was based on the percentage of Blake Alumni in the current Freshman class who are now attending some of the top col-leges in the nation.

Student Directed Plays are well underway and performances

will take place on Thursday, Decem-ber 13. Student Directed Plays, also known as STDs, give juniors and se-niors the chance to write and/or di-rect their own short play. This year there are seven plays. The direc-tors are. Ellen Abram ‘09, Charlie Dolph ‘09, Solveig Ellingboe ‘08, Anne Feuss ‘09, Ben Gitis ‘09, Mi-landa Landis ‘08, Emily Mitchell ‘09, Kate Morton ‘08, and Thea Traff ‘09.

Many may have heard screams coming from the lounges and

hallways of our school, as a small fruit bat was spotted inside the build-ing last week. The bat created more chaos and mayhem as it flew from the Junior lounge to the Sophomore lounge where dozens of students were looking on. It flew in and out of lounges and halls at eye level until a Blake mother stunned it with her folder. Max Markusen ‘08 covered it with a trash can. The bat was not harmed.

This year Deepa Chari ‘08 was the only femail student in Min-

nesota to recieve the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement. Deepa re-cieved this award for recieving the most 5’s on eight AP math and sci-ence exams in the state. She scored a 5 on the Statistics, Calculus AB and BC, Chemistry, and Physics C exams.

News In BriefBen Gitis

Page Editor

Ben GitisA Masquerade mask.

Blake graduate, Michelle Conlin’s ‘85 husband, Colin Beavan, de-

voted himself to an environmentall fre-indly life style and became known as the No-Impact Man. Many read about New York City’s No-Impact Man in the New York Times last year for commit-ting to live one year with “No garbage. No greenhouse gasses. No toxins. No water pollution. No air pollution. No electricity. No produce shipped from distant lands. No impact.” Colon’s blog recounts the no impact plan. It began as a one-week commitment but after the family dis-covered there was something appealing

about the lifestyle beyond the environ-mental aspect, they decided to expand the project to a full year. “We got the glimpse of a life with an entirely different rhythm. We began to think that, by depriving us of our Madison Avenue addictions, the no impact ex-periment might actually make us happier,” says Co-lin. The Beavan-Conlin family, until last year, was just like any other

New York City dwelling: a caffeine-addicted, Chinese take-out loving, newspaper read-ing family. Now they have no TV, milk cartons, cars (this includes taxis), non-lo-cally grown food, or even toilet pa-per. However this opens up more time for reading, board games and family bonding.

What started out as an experiment and possibly a burden, is now considered to be beneficial by the whole family.

Now, one may not be ready to make as large scale of a commitment as the No-Impact Man, but everyone can all follow Colin and Michelle’s lead and take small steps to reduce the amound of energy used in the world. Two steps that Beavan suggests on his blog are to “smash your cell phone” and to “let your TV rob some-one else’s time.” If you want to learn more about the no-impact philosophy and Colin and Michelle’s experience you can go to Colin’s blog at noimpact-man.typepad.com/blog or wait for his new book to be published. The No-Im-pact Man documentary will be released along with the book in 2009.

spectrum dec 07 news 05

Staph Infection Grows to an Alarming Rate

Staph infections, preciously linked with places such as nursing homes

and hospitals, are recently reported to have spread to various schools na-tion wide. Staphylococcus, commonly called “staph,” is a group of bacteria that have the ability to advance several diseases. Staph-related diseases, such as staph infections or staph aureus (food poisoning), range from minor irritations to severe and potentially fatal illnesses. People with a greater risk for contracting this form of bacteria include infants and those with chronic health conditions. The media has confirmed that some of the outbreaks have been fatal. Shar-ing clothes or towels, borrowing sports equipment, or involving in skin-to-skin contact can spread a staph infection. It was recently reported that a senior at a high school in Richmond, Virginia died after being hospitalized for over one week with a staph infec-tion that was antibiotic-resistant. All 22 schools in Bedford County had to shut down in order to stop the disease from spreading. This scenario has been hap-pening in schools across the country. North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Mary-land, and other states have witnessed outbreaks and admit that their cases stem from their locker rooms and train-ing rooms. Superintendents and admin-istrators have been working to enforce better sanitation in these areas. Students are also reminded to wash their hands frequently and to cover open wounds to

prevent spreading the illness. At Blake, “they [the athletes] receive their own equipment. Their own personal hygiene is very important”, says hockey coach, Mr. Hamre. The athletes are responsible when it comes to avoid-ing situa-tions where they need to share items. Still, the coaches and the school take certain p r e c a u -tions to secure cleanliness. Mr. Hamre asks “the arena staff to periodically clean door handles, faucets, mirrors, the showers, washrooms, and all bathroom facilities to ensure sanitation.” Another step of precaution is “to keep the locker room air circulation in order to dry out equipment properly.” Blake has been taking the necessary safety measures to stop any type of illness from spreading throughout the school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that the reports of increasing staph infections at various schools correspond with doctor reports that estimate approximately 19,000 people died from a staph-related disease in 2005. There are more staph-related deaths each year than deaths from HIV/AIDS, emphysema, Parkinson’s disease, and homicide. One in four staph cases are MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staph-ylococcus aureus) infections. It initially appeared in health facilities with chron-

ic or elderly patients, but the disease has extended outside of the hospital com-munity. This strain can be resistant to antibiotics and is usually identified by a shallow infection on the surface of the skin. Sometimes, it can progress to

a threaten-ing stage of a bone or blood infec-tion, which can be fatal. N e w s s o u r c e s claimed that the disease

is on a deadly rise in several schools. However, our school nurse, Audrey Geissinger, believes that “the media has started alarming people by calling it the ‘super bug’ when it is something that has been around for many years. People should be aware of it, but on their own, and before the media alarms everybody and makes us think it is a new disease which it is not.” She acknowledges that it could spread here, but she hasn’t heard of any students with the infection at Blake. Ms. Geissinger is not worried about it and feels that we’re getting a very biased opinion from the media. “A lot of the time,” she says, “the goal is to get the best story to alarm people to a ‘new’ situation.” Ms. Geissinger feels that it is bothersome because this bac-teria is not so recent; there have been deaths from staph-related diseases for years. Ms. Geissinger states that the best and easiest way to prevent an in-

fection is “to wipe the bacteria off with soap and water. It stays on surfaces for a very long time. The most important form of prevention is just washing your hands.” An individual should worry if they “have a problem healing or getting better.” The Blake athletic director, Jim Lindsay, also states, “the athletic department, including Valerie Wolf our Head Trainer, is very much aware of the recent attention that has surfaced in the media regarding outbreaks of staph infections.” In agreement with our certified school nurse, he believes it is “important to note that this is not a recent development as staph infections and other infectious diseases have been prevalent and a cause for concern for a long time.” Other than paying close attention to one’s hygiene, he advises students and athletes to always “see the trainer or doctor if you have any skin rash, cut, or abrasion.” Whether the recent outbreaks at numerous schools are truly alarm-ing or have been happening all along, Blake athletics and health officials feel that the school has a good handle on the cleanliness of our school, especially in the weight and locker rooms. Students and athletes should still remember to take the necessary steps of precaution by avoiding the distribution of personal items and by washing their hands regu-larly.

The No-Impact Man Raises Environmental Awareness

Jo-Dean Seymour Staff Writer

Liza Winton Staff Writer

www.mass.gov.htmAn example of the Staph Infection

www.abcnews.go.comColin Beavan’s (The No-Impact Man) method of transportation.

Now that fall sports are finished, winter sports are in full swing at

the Blake School, including the girl’s varsity basketball team. Lead by Coach Heinecke and captains Sarah Hoops ‘08 and Claire Goebel ‘08, the team hopes to make it farther than last year in conference play. The team finished off the 2007 season with a record of 10-17, ranking 4th in the conference overall. What does captain Claire Goe-bel ‘08 have to say about the upcoming season? “I’m really looking forward to playing with this group of girls- every-one knows they must work hard, but

it’s going to be a fun time!” The team lost four players this year, but with six returning seniors, they are sure to be destined for greatness. The team this year also consists of Rachel Neil ‘09, and three underclassman, including new varsity additions Maria Brunette ‘11 and Nina Kelly ‘10 and returning fresh-man Rachel Hoops ‘11. According to Goebel, one im-portant aspect of the team are the re-lationships the players have with the coaching staff. Claire says, “team chem-istry will be key on and off the court, and that will take us far.” The team finds fun ways to hangout off the court, including “hitting up Chalet pizza, sleepovers at the Hoops house, and Marie Scrunchie

day.” Last year, the team had some key wins against Breck, which was huge since that “hasn’t happened in years.” Another highlight of last years season was their win at the Edison Tournament. This year, they will compete against Minnehaha, who finished last year with a 24-5 record, and DeLaSalle, who fin-ished first in the Tri-Metro last year with a record of 28-3. Blake finished fifth in Tri-Metro, behind Brooklyn Center. This season’s game lineup will include games against Minnetonka, DeLaSalle and Breck. Goebel says that one goal they have this season is “stepping it up in our conference.” Support for the girl’s bas-

ketball team is one of the ways people can help the team be successful. The girls will have to play some diffiucult teams throughout the season, but they also have many returning play-ers that have experience and know how to perform under high pressure situa-tions. The girls have already prepared for this season starting with their cap-tains practices. However, with a lot of coaching and hard practice the girls can accomplish a lot. The girls will play off each other, and help each other to im-prove their games to get the most out of each practice.

spectrum 06 sports dec 07

Along with the snow and cold weath-er that comes in the winter, hockey

also tends to dominate students atten-tion. The Blake Men’s Hockey team is looking toward to another promising season, one which hopefully will lead to another MSHSL state tournament appearance. But it won’t be easy. Af-ter playing in the past two state tourna-ments, other teams are aware of the tal-ent that Blake has and many teams will be out to beat them. The Bears lost six seniors to graduation, and with them a great deal of offensive leadership from last year’s club. The Bears hope to be as good or better than last season, and will work to achieve this goal through hard work and determination. Led by captain Jack Barnes ‘08 , who recently committed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, and assistant captains Jor-dan Seivold ‘08 and Blake Dressen ‘08, also soon to be college athletes, the Bears won’t have to worry about strong leadership. This leadership, coupled with the return of five more seniors and five juniors, means the Blake Men’s hockey team will be much more seasoned than last year. On the defensive end, the Bears only lost one senior to graduation, and will be older and more experienced than last year. The defense will be anchored

by goalie Peter Johnson ‘08, a second year starter who brings a great deal of experience and leadership. The defen-sive skaters will also be lead by Dressen, Sean McMahon ‘08, and Blake Doer-ring ‘09. The offense, although gradu-ating almost half of its goals, it could be even better than last year. Though Mike Louwerse ‘07 has taken his scor-ing ability on to Minnesota State Uni-versity-Mankato, this year’s offense brings more depth and scoring ability. Josh Birkholz ‘09, who committed to the University of Minnesota earlier this year, is a two year letter winner who will add speed, size and stick work to an already solid offense. Along with Birkholz, Charlie Devries ‘09 and Ben Hughes ‘08 both bring strength and size to an already big team. With Barnes’ leadership, Seivold’s speed, Birkholz’s scoring ability and the overall size of the offense, the Bears shouldn’t have any trouble putting the puck into the net this year. Led by head coach and math guru John Hamre, the team will have a very strong coaching staff. Coach Hamre is joined by accomplished assis-tant coaches, including Jesse Bull, and former Orono head coach Brad Ryan. The 2008 Blake Bears hockey team with strong leaders, experience, maturity, and great coaching will look towards anoth-er successful season, a state appearance, and maybe more.

Andrew GabbertContributing Writer

Hannah Tieszen Staff Writer

Bears Achieve Depth and Strength on the Ice

Bears Shoot for the Hoop

Everyone knows the hot shots of the Varsity sports, and is always asking,

“Who’s on Varsity, how many goals did they score, what was their time?” But what about the JV players? The kids who play JV put in just as much time and effort as the Varsity players, but they lack the same support the varsity gets at competitions. JV sports may not end in a high-profile championship game but they still play. Each sports season starts with a series of tryouts for each sport, which is followed by the announcement of the teams. Even though the main question that people ask is “who made varsity?”, that doesn’t mean that it’s the only ques-tion that matters. Playing on a JV team allows the athlete to develop their skills and learn more about the sport. The athletes that participate in the JV sport teams are the future of Varsity. There-fore, it is important to recognize the im-pact they have on the team. The Varsity coaches watch the younger players and their dynamics on and off the playing field to see how they would react or play in different envi-ronments, and around different players, specifically more experienced players. The point of middle school sports is for the players to get to know the other people in the sport, and to represent the

school. Representing the school is a huge part of what all school sports are about. Therefore, sportsmanship and leadership is important on the JV court as well as the Varsity. However, besides representing the school, playing sports is meant to be fun. Athletes who feel like they maybe want to play a sport, but don’t want the pressure of being on varsity or are afraid they don’t have the time to commit are always welcomed on JV. JV helps hone skills that will be needed on Varsity, but is fun as well. So next time you don’t have much home-work or are thinking about going to one of the varsity games, maybe leave a lit-tle early and go support your classmates at the JV games.

blakeschool.orgSupport your Blake Bears.

Page EditorsThomas Wheeler & Kelly Grant

JV Athletes RepresentBlake Athletics

Coming out of the tunnel for your Blake Bears is, the one, the only,

Mystery Athlete! At six feet tall, Mys-tery Athlete was built to dominate on the basketball courts and the track. Mystery Athlete brings authority wherever she goes. Our Mystery Athlete is a very busy person. Although if there is a full moon out and the mood strikes her just right, she may sit down with a friend and watch a Dog the Bounty Hunter marathon. Not to be cliché, but Mystery Athlete’s greatest hero is her father. Blake School gentlemen, it is time to perk up those ears. Mystery Athlete is a Scorpio and her dream date would not require anything spectacular. The key to winning her heart is to make it fun. She wouldn’t mind if you took her to Tuttles for bowling, and she isn’t “high maintenance.” She will have a good time doing whatever as long as it is low key. When it comes to the pre-game, Mystery Athlete has quite the list of things she likes to do in order to men-tally prepare herself to dominate her op-ponents: she loads up on carbs by eating bagels with her teammates, and she gets down to a large variety of tunes includ-ing, Spice Girls, maybe some Crime Mob (“Stilettos” to be exact), techno (like 99 Red Balloons), and even fitting

in a Mortal Kombat remix. With eyes and classifying skills like Charles Dar-win, she will observe the opposing var-sity players and make up nicknames for them. Like the curiosity of a small mon-key named George, Mystery Athlete enjoys exploring the schools at away games-even the secret bowling ally at St. Bernards. When asked if Mystery Athlete could own any car, she let me in on this

little fun fact: she is the only senior to take the bus in the morning. While any car

would be nice to own, she knows that she is help-

ing the environ-ment.

From this sit-uation Mystery Athlete has the luxury of being a per-manent shotgun rider. It is here that she finds time to practice her mad DJ skills that may one day rival Jazzy Jeff and Khaled. Who is the fiction-al character from whom Mystery Athlete draws her inspiration? From none other than famous wizard and our rivals at The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s former headmaster, Albus Dumb-ledore. Movie midnight openings accounted for some of Mystery Athlete’s highlights of Summer 2007. Mystery Athlete’s favorite books

are, “Life As a Daymaker” or “The Travel Book.” Sorry, maybe next time Albus. In ten years, Mystery Athlete says she may be the proud owner of an automobile, but other than that, she wants to be enjoying what she does best, “laughing a lot, helping others, maybe starting a family? I have no idea what I’m going to end up doing but figuring that out is going to be the fun of it all.” Are there any Risky Business (1983) fans out there? When no one else is around Mystery Athlete likes to blast loud music through the house and dance, but claims that it’s more fun with other people. As a senior on the Blake Wom-en’s Varsity Basketball team this year Mystery Athlete is nothing short of very excited about the long upcoming season.

Only few weeks in, Mystery Athlete said that it is

certainly going well, “Our first game was against Minneton-ka, which was said to be “unfair” but it was actually a very good game: we were within single digits at the half!

Hoo-rah! I think we have a good team this

year.” Mystery Athlete’s

modesty permeated the room when I asked her my famous

trademarked question, “How did you

get to be so good?” Instead of providing me with some sort of magical formula, perhaps devised by Dumbledore, or a strategy laid out better than the Min-nesota Wild’s Jaques Lemaire, she gave me a simple answer that anyone in The Blake School can learn from: “Practice and hard work, but the credit goes to my coaches and teammates for pushing me.” Perhaps that is the only strategy or magical formula necessary for Mystery Athlete. Can you guess who she is?

The issue of steroid abuse has been a “cloud” over professional sports

this year. The alleged use of steroids now almost defines Barry Bonds, who broke the homerun record. Most re-cently, USA gold medal winner Marion Jones admitted to using steroids during the 2000 Summer Olympics. She was then forced to give up all of her med-als. A USA TODAY study shows that at least 32% more major league baseball players have gone on the disabled list in the last 10 years because of joint, tendon or ligament injuries. It is suspected that this is because of the over development of muscle tissue from steroids. There are many reports from research univer-

sities about the risks of increasing mus-cle mass using synthetic drugs. When you go to the Major League Baseball website, there is a good chance that one of the top head-lines has something to do with steroids. Today a title reads, “Barry Bonds has been indicted by a federal grand jury seated in San Fran-cisco on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for allegedly lying when he said he did not use performance-enhanc-ing drugs” (MLB.com). The problem is

creating controversy for the game. While steroids may improve

the performance of players, the question has to be asked, “at what cost?” Barry Bonds broke the homerun record and many speculate that there will always be an asterisk next to his name indicat-ing alleged steroid use. In addition to the damage to its reputation, Major

League Baseball loses credibility and trust with its fans. As Hall of Famer Rod Carew said, “If you want the fans to re-spect what’s left of the game’s pureness,

you’re going to have to start testing.” Steroids has an impact not only professionally but at the college and high school levels as well. The Minnesota State High School League has a video where athletes talk about their “loss of health due to steroids, and representa-tives from the NFL speak out against steroid use.” MSHSL emphasizes “mak-ing the right choice” (MSHSL.com). It is important to the Blake Community to uphold the MSHSL rules. Kip Dooley ‘08 says, “Steroids ruin the integrity of the game.” Blake has had a strong tradi-tion in athletics, which can be seen as it has won the challenge cup two years in a row. Blake takes pride in the hard work and dedication of its players.

Last edition’s Mystery Athlete:Peter Johnson ‘08

Were You Right?

spectrum dec 07 sports 07This Month’s Mystery Athlete Takes it to the House

Ben PobudaContributing Writer

Kasey Boyd Staff Writer

www.blackstate.comBarry Bonds past and present.

A Students Perspective: Roids Go A-Raging

Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, the Three Wise

Guys is an amazing sushi roll of tuna, salmon and yel-lowtail, wrapped in tempura flakes and topped with smelt roe. If you are not up for fish eggs with your sushi, try the hot Dynamite roll of yellow-tail marinated in chili-garlic sauce, which is bound to leave you feeling satisfied, even if with a fiery mouth. For the more adventurous, we recommend the Sunrise roll, filled

with seared tuna and wrapped with man-go and grated ginger. While the Three Wise Guys, Dynamite and Sunrise rolls

are solid staples, make sure to also order whatever is fresh, no

matter how daunting the spe-cial roll may seem. Lo-

cated in a somewhat unknown neigh-

borhood in South M i n n e a p o l i s , Bagu’s contem-

porary ambiance and fantastic sushi

rolls make it the per-fect place for a night with

friends, first date, or dinner with the parents.

spectrum in-depth08

For those of you who enjoy a good burger

but don’t eat meat, the Good Earth restaurant in Edina has the perfect option for you. The “Good Earth Planet Burger” is made up of organic grains and vegetables. Served on a large, puffy bun, this burger has a nice, hearty taste that is perfect for a cold

winter day. Unlike other veggie burgers, this Good Earth Planet burger has flavorful whole vegetables as well as whole cashews—which add a nice texture, in the burger patty. Also available to compliment this burger is cheese, avocado, sprouts and the basic

condiments to give the burger a bit

of a kick.

Although several Twin Cities restau-rants claim to be the masterminds

b e h i n d the “Jucy Lucy” c h e e s e b u r g e r , Matt’s Bar and Grill in South Minneapolis is the only one to produce a story to back up the leg-end. For t h o s e

of you who haven’t experienced the bliss of a Jucy Lucy, it is a ham-burger that is grilled with cheese in-side the meat patty. The sensation of bit-ing into a hot, supple burger filled with molten cheese is simply indescribable. Matt’s legend behind the Lucy started with a young regular in 1954 who asked the cook to make his burger with cheese in the middle instead of on top. Upon biting into the burger, the customer exclaimed, “that’s one juicy lucy!” Al-though the 5-8 Club, 23 blocks South of Matt’s, has their own version of the Lucy, Matt’s soft, thin buns and cara-melized onions, grilled to perfection, set Matt’s apart from the pack.

Best Burger:

Best Sushi:

B e s t Cupcake:

Food:

Best Chili:

For the cold weather, treat yourself to a

hearty helping of the Turkey Chili from

the France 44 Deli & Market

located on the corner of France

and 44th Street. This delicious

chili is no wimpy soup, but a chunky

meal that is sure to fill you up. It consists of tur-

key meat, three types of beans, an assortment of vegetables, such

as peppers and onions, all mixed into a slightly spicy soup base. You haven’t

had chili until you’ve tasted this. Pick up a quart or two and enjoy this hot treat with friends or family!

Zanny LanninPage Editor

Lucy LitmanManaging Editor

Kip DooleyPage Editor

The best cupcake in the Twin Cities can be found at the appropriately

named bakery Cupcake, located off of University Avenue. Cupcakes are the con-

fection of choice at this hip café and bakery, which proudly serves

over thirty different vari-eties each day. While Cupcake is known for its more creative cup-cakes, like Banana Pudding or S’more, I was able to satisfy my

sweet tooth with the sim-ple, yet delectable, Rich

Chocolate Cupcake. Each cake is carefully frosted and perfectly

sized. Cupcake is a great inde-pendent bakery that gives a classic

dessert a new and delicious twist.

Billie PritzkerManaging Editor

Kate MortonEditor in Chief

Best Veggie Burger:

Spectrum’s Best of Awards

Lovingly known as the The South-west Regional LRT Trail, the LRT

is a trail that spans from Chaska to Vic-toria. The trail was created with the land put aside for the future Light Rail Tran-sit Line that will eventually go through Minneapolis and St.. Paul. This path can take you from Eden Prairie to the Tin Fish on Lake Calhoun with just a short 13-mile bike ride. The trail is a mix of tar, and crushed limestone in other parts of the trail. As you walk or bike, you can enjoy a mixture of views from scenic areas of the Minnesota River and Downtown Excel-sior. If you are interest-

ed in trying out the LRT, you can eas - ily pick it up right by the

Middle School where it runs parallel to the rail-

road track.

spectrum in-depth 09

Alfred YeungLayout Editor

Ummul KathwallaPage Editor

Billie PritzkerManaging Editor

The best local out-doors outfitter is

Midwest Mountain-eering, spanning a

solid block of Cedar Avenue on the West

Bank of the U of M. The store opened as a rock-climbing outfitter in the early 1970’s and has since expanded to sell equipment and clothing for skiing, backpacking, canoeing and camping.

The employees are both knowledgeable and helpful, and the selection of Pata-gonia, Marmot and North Face clothing is unsurpassable by the larger sporting goods stores in the area. With a rock-climbing gym in the basement and gear repair services on the second floor, Mid-west Mountaineering offers the best in customer care. Their motto: “Ask Us. We’ve been there” speaks to the expe-rience and adventuresome spirit of all Midwest Mountaineering employees. Midwest Mountaineering is a local enterprise worth supporting; the staff knows their stuff, the prices are fair and the gear is the best in the Midwest.

Best Outdoors Store

Best Gift Store

The Walker Art Center has always been know for its unique artwork,

and the center’s gift shop tries to extend this characteristic into their products. According to Nancy, a manager at the gift shop, the store tries to “support the mission of the Walker.” Many of the goods involve contemporary design much like their collection of artwork. Their gifts are also clever, eco-friendly, and useful. The store sells both smaller and larger gifts, and houses a wide variety of books about many different art forms. There are both cheap and expensive gifts for younger children, teens, and adults. One of the most popular gifts is a set of notebooks that come in neon colors, accompanied by neon pen-cils. Some other attractive, functional gifts are the eco-friendly pencils made from recycled newspaper and the graf-fiti art coloring book. The environmen-tally friendly bracelet made from an old record is also a perfect item for some-one who cares about the earth and the way she looks.

The Walker is specifi-cally carries some gifts that one can-not find elsewhere. One such brand is Alessi, which specializes in household accessories that are relatively inexpen-sive. These cooking utensils, including a spread container with a built-in knife, are useful and whim-sical at the same time.

T h e gift shop also

has a collection of attractive watches

and radios. One of the available brands of watches is Nooka, which has an interesting way of show-ing time instead of the traditional digital or analog. The Walker Art Center gift shop is clearly the best because of the extremely wide variety of interesting, unique, modern and useful products that are sold there.

Best Biking/Walking Path

A bargain hunter’s dream, Rags from Riches is located in the heart of

Wayzata and is the best women’s con-signment boutique in the Twin Cities. Specializing in almost-new jeans and trendy tops, Rags from Riches is a great high-end consignment store for wom-en. Any bargain hunter is sure to find a fashion-forward deal. The store also

sells jewelry and handbags. (We have spied a Louis Vuitton bag and a few Da-vid Yurman pieces in the past.) The boutique also accepts fashionable, gently-used, hand-me-downs from the fashion elite. To do this, one must call ahead for an appointment. A good alternate to expensive, mainstream stores, Rags from Riches is a chic boutique for any trendsetting chick.

Best Consignment Store

Keegan DubbsPage Editor

Places:Spectrum’s Best of Awards

Hypotheticalsituation–You’rebeingchased by someone on the street.

InAmerica,youhavetwooptions:runor turn around and fight them. In Japan, you nowhaveathirdo p t i o n ;you cand i s g u i s eyourself asa vendingm a c h i n e .Aya Tsuki-oka, a To-kyo-basedfashiondesigner, recentlyunveiledherlatestdesign:aneonorangeskirtwhosefrontfoldopensuptorevealavendingmachineprint. By wearing this skirt, you canbe disguised as a Coca-Cola machineinthecaseofanemergency.ToAmeri-cans, the idea seems implausible and

ridiculous. To the Japanese, it is a good solution to the growing anxiety aboutstreetcrime.Suchananxietyissolvedbypepperspray in the U.S. However, the Japanese arelookingforcreative,novelsolutions,all of which reflect the Japanese mental-

ity.Somei n v e n -tors cite adesire toavoid con-frontationas a cul-tural moti-vation.Theskirt is on

sale for about 800 dollars, and so fararound 20 of them have sold. No onehasactuallypreventedacrimewiththecrime,but it is, afterall, anew inven-tion.

Weall knowwehave them, thoseodd little idiosyncrasies that

make us who we are. The time hascometobeproudandletyourweirdnessshow!IaskedTrebleand Blaker’s Dozenabout some of thethings that makethem unique. Hereareafewoftheirin-nerweirds.Canyourelate?

“I need to step onALLthecrackswhenI amwalkingon thesidewalk.”

“WhenIamlaughingreallyhard,Icloseoneofmyeyes.”

“I speak gibberish when I am flus-tered.”

“WhenIamhomealone, I turnoffallthelights,gotothebasement,andwatchscarymovies.”

“WhenIambored,IgoonYouTubeandwatch Olympic gymnastics… I can’twaitforthesummerOlympics!”

“When I sing high,I lift my left eye-brow.”

“The color orangemakesmethirsty.”

“I have to go toWendy’s before aconcert.”

“We feed each otherReddi-Whipbehindstagejustbeforewegotosing.”

“IclosemyeyeswhenIsinghigh.”

spectrum 10 variety dec 07

Ummul KathawallaPageEditor

Susie Marshall StaffWritter

Tacky? In Tokyo,Apparently Not

Yes, ladies andgents, it’s that timeofyearagain.Whileyourlittlesib-

lings are out building a snowman andyourmomisdoingsomeholidaybaking,yourbooksarepiledfromdesktoceil-ingandyourhandissorefromwhip-ping out studyguides. Theremustbesomewaytomakethisseeminglyinsurmountableload more manageable, something tohelpwiththesefrighteningthingscalledfinals. Sadly,thereisnomiracleprod-uct that canguaranteeyou an “A” ev-erytime.Aluckyfewarebornwiththeuncannyability to lookatapageonceand remember its contents forever,butfortherestofusmeremortals, studying re-quiresabitmoretimeandenergy. First of all,don’t freak out, thisactuallyhindersyourabilitytostudy.Secondly,ashardasitmaybe,trytogetagoodnight’ssleep.There’snothingworsethantryingtode-codeShakespearethroughableary-eyed

deliriumbecauseyou’refunctioningoffoftwohoursofsleep. Althoughstudyingcanbeaverypersonalized thing, you can strive tobecome a better studier by first finding outwhatkindoflearneryouare.GraceFleming, on “about.com,” an advicesite,statessomecharacteristicsforeach

learning type:visual, auditory,andkinesthetic. Visual learn-ers are charac-

terized as those who need extra timeto process verbal lessons, like charts,dreamincolor,andlikeart/fashion.Forthose who fit into this category, good studytechniquesincludemakingcolor-coded outlines/diagrams (e.g. historytimelines, science models), watchingvideos, and making flashcards. One suchacademicallyinclinedjuniorstates,

“I always make studyguides because typingout the material makesmerememberit-usingsomeone else’s doesn’tcount!”Thosewholikepub-

lic speaking, enjoy teaching, like mu-sic/movie sound effects, read slowly,and are generally chatty, are auditorylearners. Thesestudentsstudybestby

memorizingwithmnemonics(wordas-sociation, e.g., acronyms, key words),repeatinginformationwithclosedeyes,andreadingnotesaloud. Lastly, kinesthetic learners arethose who are often fidgety, play sports, likedoinghands-onworkinschool(e.g.,sciencelabsorskits),needtostudywithother noise, and likeaction movies. Nick Brunette ’09 says, “Istudyforshort20min-uteperiods, otherwiseI get overwhelmed,and I don’t study the things that I al-readyknow.”Othertipsaretostudyininteractive groups, utilize flash cards, or even study while working out or pac-ing.Ifyourmindstartswandering,takea fewminutes’break torefocus. Then, there arethings thathold trueforeveryone. While manyare skilled in the art ofprocrastination,swallowthe urge to put study-ingoff.Startwithsmallbites; take 10 minutesa day to go over yournotes from that day’slesson and the one be-fore. Accordingtowww.academictips.

org,ina24-hourperiodyoulose80%oftheinformationyoutakein.Secondly,takeclear,concisenotes.Chancesare,ifyouhaveapageofscribbledphrasesandunlabeleddiagramsyou’lljustskipitandmightmisssomethingimportant.Thirdly,repetitioniskey.Themoreyoureview,thebetteryourchancesareatre-

tainingtheinformationlonger. If you’re lostforaplacetostart,be-ginwithafewtextbookreview questions fromeachchapter.Thiswill

helpyourealizetheareasyouneedthemostworkin.Anothergoodideaistostudywithafocusedfriend.Onejuniorsays,“Byrepetitivelytestingeachother,wecanlearnthematerialfaster.When

I’m alone I inevitablyenduponFacebook.” So go ahead,grab a sugar cookie,take adeepbreath, andde-stressbeforedelvingintoquantumphysicsorEuropean history. Re-member,smallstepscantake you a long way,while diving in blindlymight result in excessstress.

Allison Malecha StaffWritter

Experts Share Proven Study Techniques

Treble and Blaker’s Dozen Inner Weirds

www.switched.comThe Japanese skirt/Coca-Cola machine disguise.

UmmulKathawalla

Treble Choir practicing Thursday morning.

MichaelMelamedA study group is a good way for learning for kinesthetic learners.

Visual Learners learnwellbyusingcharts,andcolorednotes.

Kinesthetic Learners learnwellinstudygroupsand using flash cards.

Auditory Learners learnwellwithmemorizationbywordassociationsandacronyms.

spectrum dec 07 variety 11

This holiday season, Blake students, like all high school students, want a

little bit more than their two front teeth. Our sampling of Blake Upper School students reveals that students are look-ing forward to a long and relaxing win-ter break. Although presents are a plus, everyone is eager to partake in family traditions and to simply enjoy the holi-day spirit. If parents are in need of further inspiration, clothes and electronics are always classic options. According to comscore.com, a global internet infor-mation provider, the online purchase of video games, gaming consoles and ac-cessories has increased 134% this holi-day season compared to 2006. Furni-ture, appliances, and equipment are up 36%, and consumer electronics, sports and fitness items, and apparel and ac-cessories have increased 21%, 20%, and 17%, respectively. Toys “R” Us CEO Jerry Storch reported that popular toys include those related to Hannah Mon-

tana and High School Musical (Disney appears to be doing well this holiday season), as well as video games and consoles, radio-controlled vehicles, and even an interactive parrot, courtesy of Hasbro Inc. And remember, simple gifts can go a long way too. But students aren’t the only ones with impres-sive holiday wish lists. Ms. Lincoln says she wants a digital camera to re-cord all those quintessential holiday mo-ments, and Mr. Teslow modestly asks for ski socks and turtlenecks to supplement his favorite hobby (after photography, of course). Intangible items are also on the agenda. Profesora Runyon wants something that will ben-efit everyone - when asked what present she wanted most for the holidays, she replied, “I would like to read the news and see that no more families are losing

loved ones in this war.” Others hope to take advantage of the time they have at home. Says Ms. Larson, “I would love to just… spend time with family and re-lax.” One big question on everyone’s

minds as the holiday shopping sea-son gets into full swing: what will

be the holiday gift craze of 2007? In 1996, the original

Tickle Me Elmo was introduced by Tyco, and im-mediately became the essential gift for young children all over America. Fights

broke out between par-ents to purchase this popular holiday gift,

which was in short supply, and multiple toy-store clerks were injured by stam-peding shoppers. According to People magazine, some Tickle Me Elmos, originally priced at $28.99, sold for as much as $1500. However, sociotimes.com, a socioeconomic commentary site, says these toys actually went for as

much as $10,000! Last year, in 2006, this phenomenal craze was repeated once again when TMX (Tickle Me Ten or Tickle Me Extreme) was released as a tenth anniversary edition of the popu-lar toy. This new and improved version actually rolled around on the floor in fits of laughter. Tickle Me Extreme could not be viewed in its box. Instead, one looked through a flap in the box to see Elmo’s eyes and hear “Ah, ah, ah, ah! No peeking!,” accompanied by laughter. Like with the original, demand for TMX was enormous, and prices were hiked. Some TMX toys sold for up to $5000! At a Target store in Tampa, Florida, a man with a loaded pistol threatened the life of another shopper when he couldn’t get his hands on one of the dolls, which retail this year for just under $40. And that’s no laughing matter. By the way, still not sure what to get? Among the students we talked to, we found there’s one gift that nev-er gets returned – love. After all, our friends and family are the best presents we can possibly get.

Most Wanted:Popular Presents this Holiday season

Hannah PageStaff Writer

I barely have enough time to do my homework at night, but I feel

like I’m not doing enough outside of school for colleges to like me. What do I do? Busy

Dear Busy: Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat as necessary. Believe me, I know about packed schedules. The thing is, I par-ticipate in my mass of extracurricular activities because I genuinely enjoy it, and it’s right for me. I can’t speak as an expert on college admissions, but I am sure the counseling office will tell you that you don’t need to be superhuman in your daily life to find your match. The application process aims to look at the whole you, not just your day plan-ner. Plus, you need to find your own level of comfort in the amount of time you spend on school, extracurriculars, and relaxing. Remember: Breathe in, breathe out.

My best friend and I had plans last weekend, but she backed out saying that she had family obligations. I just found out that she actually went to a party the night she ditched me. Should I approach her? Upset Friend

Dear Upset: Even if it may be hard to do, you probably ought to approach your friend calmly and respectfully to talk about where you two are as friends. If your friend really did misrepresent her plans to avoid you, continuing to hang out without addressing the issue isn’t go-ing to make anything better. Be careful not to say anything you’ll regret before you get the facts straight; you don’t want to go ballistic on your friend over a simple misunderstanding.

When you find yourself sitting in front of the TV watching the first

season of Grey’s Anatomy for the third time this winter, it’s probably a clue that you need something else to do. Spec-trum suggests that you go outside and enjoy winter, and we have composed a list of great places to go. Their ratings are on a five snowflake scale based on location, cost, variety of activities, and the times they are open. Get up, get out, and have fun this winter!

Centennial Lakes Park Set in the heart of Edina , this charm-ing skating rink seems like a movie set. This long string of connected ponds is groomed daily into a skating rink. It is just minutes away from Southdale Mall, yet it seems miles away from the busy suburban life. Ice skate rental is avail-able in the warming house for just a small fee; otherwise, this skating rink is free. One downside to this activity is that the rink cannot open until the ponds are completely frozen, so it may not be available until January. 7499 France Ave. S, Edina

Lake of the IslesConveniently located near Blake, this is the perfect place to hang out after school. A section of Lake of the Isles is groomed every winter into a public skating and hockey rink. You can play around on the ice, get a game of hockey going, or just hang out inside the warm-ing house once you get too cold. This is the perfect place to hang out with friends and get out of the house on a cold winter day. 2500 Lake Isles Parkway, Minneapolis

Theodore Wirth Park This 742-acre park is filled with activi-ties all year round, but in my opinion, the winter activities are the best. Theo-dore Wirth Park offers ski runs for ski-ers and snowboarders, snow tubing, and cross country skiing. Along with these activities comes beautiful scenery that is visible from the many trails and paths. This park also crosses the 45th paral-lel, the point at which you are exactly in the middle between the equator and the North Pole. For skiers and snowboard-ers looking for a less-expensive alterna-tive to Buck Hill, Theodore Wirth Park is a great option! 1339 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Minne-apolis

Let it Snow!

Please send your questions for “M Squared” to spectrum@blake-school.org or leave a question in room 351 in the “M Squared” box. All questions are welcome. *Note: “M Squared” is Michael Mestitz ‘08.

Advice From M2Ellie Alldredge

Staff Writer

Ummul KathawallaHand-wrapped gifts for theHolidays.

spectrum 12 life dec O7

Thomas WheelerPage Editor

Click and hold to fly, release to freef-all (or use the spacebar). What

could these few, yet, significant words mean? What am I to click? Where am I to fly? Well, for those who do not know, these are the words displayed upon the infamous Jetman screen. They relay directions to one of the most addicting internet Facebook games of its time. No longer are kids running around “Comparing People” or absentmind-edly “Graffiting” walls, but rather, true aspirations are being achieved. Picture the lone individual, sit-ting at home on his computer. He/she types facebook.com into the address bar, types in his/her username and password, then, expecting 10 new notifications, sees none. What are they to do? They have no friends, no one who cares, their wall has been stagnant since summer,

how will they gain popularity? Well, they scroll down the page and BAM! They see their Jetman, the one and only “High Octane Fool,” saying, “Hey, play with me.” From that moment on, they are lost

in a world of little obstacles.

Now, most of you may think, but who actually plays Jetman: the worthless game on facebook? Well I am here to say that Jetman is the fastest growing sport in the school. Basketball supposedly has the largest number of particpants of any program in the school with about 48. Well, Jetman has 39 par-

ticipants, which is only nine away from tying basketball. It accounts for about 8% of our student body. Within the past

two weeks the game has shot

u p from 4% to

8%: double! I have not heard numbers like that since…well I have never heard of numbers like that! It is a new era in the Blake world and I am ex-cited about the hype. Look at the enthu-siasm coming from the school: Grant Laco ‘11 is ranked number one at Blake

with a personal best of 8216. Avid gamer Peter Johnson ’08 adds, “But can skill really be determined by personal bests? Anyone can sit on there computer for hours and become good, but what about game time? What about when reputation and respect is on

the line? Can we really forget about pressure and skill?” Peter’s point makes me attribute true mastership to Max Markusen ’08 whose skillful tap atop the mouse led him to 14 arena

wins and an arena score of 9. Jetman will continue to fly and fire his rocket for years to come. I rec-ommend each of you to sit down and see if you can become the best. See if your name can appear number one on the of-ten envied “Scoreboard.”

This summer, a handful of students will be traveling to Sierra Leone in

West Africa for a service project. Much like the goal of other service projects in other countries, the students will be working to make living conditions bet-ter for locals in a village selected for the project. So, where is Sierra Leone? Si-erra Leone is a small country on the northwestern coast of Africa. Isn’t that the setting of Hollywood’s thriller, Blood Diamond? Yes, but Sierra Leone has stabilized well beyond the war-torn country depicted in the movie. Sierra Leone held peaceful elections in 2001 and since then has not had political problems. It’s not the country of civil conflict, driven by the turmoil of the diamond industry that it used to be. The trip leader Jeff Hall, a former member of the Peace Corps, has been to Sierra Leone several times in the last few years and has reported encountering nothing quite as danger-ous as in the years prior to 2001. But, safety is still one of the top priorities of the trip. As described by Mr. Kaback, a trip chaperone and Blake physics teach-er, “Safety is important to all of us.” He later explained, “[Sierra Leone] is as safe as any other Blake service trips.

It should be acknowledged that [Sierra Leone] was formerly unsafe and that safety is paramount to the success of the trip.” The trip is thirteen days long, but five of those days will be dedicated to traveling. Students will land in Free-town, the capital of Sierra Leone, after leaving from Minneapolis and connect-ing in London, England. In Freetown, the students will get acclimated to Af-rican life, spending a day and a half seeing the local sights. Then, students will drive to Jokibu, the village where students will spend the bulk of the trip. Everyone will stay with a local family in Jokibu during their service work. In Jokibu, the students and staff will help build schools and housing, help with farm work and assist with other physi-cal work. Mr. Kaback describes the trip as a “rugged international experience.” Students will also spend a day sitting in on international committees intended to further the economic and social devel-opment of Sierra Leone. Overall, students should look forward to a great international experi-ence, helping others, and learning about other cultures. Although it is past the deadline to apply this year, Mr. Kaback expects it will be an annual service trip available to Blake students in coming years as well.

Facebook’s “Jetman” Takes Off

Blake Travels to Sierra LeoneDrew GabbertContributing Writer

Students Teach for LearningWorks

As LearningWorks’ teachers and di-rectors Scott Flemming, Heather

Jackson, Jaimee Bohning, and Patrick Barry will tell you, LearningWorks truly is “all about the students.” In ad-dition to the summer LearningWorks program, there is also a School Year Program every other Saturday. Seventh and eighth graders from the Minneapolis Pub-lic schools apply to the program for an academically en-riching experience. The LearningWorks students then en-ter a vigorous high school program. Student teachers arrive on Sat-urdays at 8:30 am and discuss their les-son plans for the day. Students arrive at 9:00 am and stay until noon. They par-ticipate in film, journalism, marketing, theater, and hip-hop/spoken word work-shops. Each student is in one workshop and is responsible for creating a final class project alone or in a group, which will be presented at the LearningWorks’ graduation on April 26.

The students in LearningWorks are racially diverse and have varying so-cioeconomic backgrounds. In the School Year Program, seventh and eighth grad-ers are exposed to smaller class sizes and a closer teacher-student relationship. The LearningWorks’ newsletter, Slate, states, “It’s no secret—students need

structure, freedom, and perhaps most importantly, atten-tion. When students get individual at-tention, they feel recognized. Rec-ognition enables for students a sense of empowerment, and empowerment

in turn manifests the acquisition of knowledge through

personal responsibility and self-direc-tion.” Sophomores, juniors, and se-niors are eligible to apply for a teaching position in the LearningWorks’ Summer Program. LearningWorks gives high school and college students who may wish to become teachers more insight. Jaimee Bohning shares her insight, “L-Dub students rock … [and] young teach-ers amaze [and] inspire me each day.”

Camille KrollStaff Writer

Patrick Barry

Eva Smith ‘10 teaches some Learning-Works students.

spectrum dec 07 life 13

Quiz Bowl co-coaches Mr. Sachs and Mr. Zalk are very pleased

with the progress of the two teams. Quiz Bowl practices began in September and occur once a week before school on Wednesdays for the eleventh and twelfth grade team and on Fridays for the ninth and tenth grade team. A regular practice ses-sion consists of about forty minutes of toss-up practice questions. Both of the teams compete six times a year and also participate in a few tournaments on weekends with other high schools from all across the state. Team one is made up of co-captains Katy Marshall ‘08 and Russell Steinberg ‘08, plus Dhruv Hemmady ‘08, Fred Zhang ‘08 and Deepa Chari ‘08. They currently have a record of 3-1, as does team two. Mr. Sachs, who has been coach of the Blake Quiz Bowl team for eighteen years, says

of how he got involved in Quiz Bowl, “I always liked trivia and the TV show Jeopardy; it was my dream to appear on the show. So, when the coaching job was open, I applied.” He advocates

Quiz Bowl as “a fun experi-ence for all, especially trivia lovers! Anyone is welcome to come out and try it.” An activity the Quiz Bowl team has the privilege of participating in is the an-nual Teacher-Student quiz bowl assembly, which will be on Friday, January 11 this year. Both Quiz Bowl teams will compete against the faculty; Mr. Sachs warns that the teachers participat-ing had better be ready for the assembly because “Katy and Russ have the team fo-

cused on a victory this year.” Mr. Sachs also hopes the faculty remembers that they needed a parent’s help to claim the victory last year and they shouldn’t hope for the same luck this year.

Quiz Bowl Hits the BuzzerSutton Higgins

Staff Writer

For the first time in recent Blake his-tory, mid-term exams will be the

week before winter break. No more stressing while students are supposed to be relaxing and enjoying the few unhurried moments we get during the school year. However, this presented a problem for the administration: what to do with the one extra week after winter break? Mr. Bogursky had the solution. This lone week will now be called the Project Week. In the past, many classes, such as English and art, had used exam blocks to present or compete projects instead of tests, while classes like math and science had traditionally adminis-tered actual mid-term exams. Now, Mr. Bogursky is separating these two forms of assessment into Exam Week and Project Week. Classes with exams would get a block during the exam week, the week before winter break. Then, classes with projects would get

blocks during project week, or the week after. During the Project Week, all classes will meet on Monday and Tues-d a y . T h e n , e v e r y c l a s s will have a two-h o u r b l o c k on either Wednes-d a y , T h u r s -day, or F r iday. T h i s present-ed yet another issue. What would the classes that already took exams do during this week? For the solution, I went to the teachers. Some classes will be taking field trips, and other classes are plan-ning to bring in speakers. In Mr. Wool-

man’s English classes, the 9th and 10th graders will use this week as valuable time to get started on their upcoming

Histo-ry Day p r o j -e c t s . A r t classes m a y go see nearby art ex-hibits. S t u -d e n t s w i t h f r e e blocks o r

study halls will be treated to entertain-ment in the auditorium or be able to choose an activity of their choice out of the many opportunities that will be set up in different rooms around the school. Anyone taking band or choir? Your semester isn’t over either. There

will be an in-school band and choir assembly performance that could act like a final project for the classes to show off their hard work to the stu-dent body. The fun also doesn’t stop, as the Monday after Project Week the students will be treated to grade ac-tivities, which include the traditional Sophomore Reflection Day. This new schedule is sure to relieve some of the exam stress that many students felt in the past before, during, and after their breaks. Now we will have time to really enrich our learning and interest in our classes, and slow down our hectic lives for a week in order to really enjoy our the subjects that we are taking. With many impor-tant changes, Project Week is sure to be a very educational and enjoyable experience.

“My mom buys us gifts and says

they are from our dogs.”-Sam Pritzker ‘10

“I am borderline obsessive com-

pulsive over our Christmas lights.” -Mr. Menge

“Every year I sit in a hot tub, and then jump out and roll in the snow.”

-Anne Feuss ‘09

“I go sledding with my grandkids on Christmas eve.”

-Mr. Anderson

“I hibernate.” -Dafina Bobo ‘11

“I play Ultimate Frisbee in the snow.”

-Ben Gitis ‘09

“On Christmas Eve, I make scallop potatoes with my grandma.”

-Mr. Delgado

“My neighbors and I have a compe-tition over who can make the best

snow sculpture and it’s basically me against a bunch of toddlers.”

-Joy Lee ‘08

“My dogs dig themselves into the snow and I lie with them.”

-Katie Benson ‘08

“I go for a joy ride on Lake Minnetonka.”

-George Faegre ‘08

“I get the chocolate syrup that hardens,

make a snowball and pour syrup over it.”

-Lucy Lit-man ‘08

“A lot of hot choco-late.”

-Sutton Higgins ‘11

What’s Project Week?

Special Winter Traditions

Mihika HemmedyStaff Writer

Ellie AllredgeStaff Writer

Keegan DubbsMarc Bogoursky solves a problem.

Quiz Bowl has a very respected reputation.

Zanny Lannin

Elle Gilmore-SzottStaffWriter

Georgia O’Keefe is a symbol ofgreat20thCenturyAmericanart

andoneofthemostwellknownfemaleartists of all time.The paintings offlowers and skulls are O’Keefe’smost recognizablepaintings. I wentinto this exhibit atthe MinneapolisInstituteofArt,ex-pecting to see thatstyle;however,theselection of worksurprises. This isnot a show of hergreatesthits.ItisaviewofO’Keefe’sexploration intotheevolvingworldof abstraction. Abstraction in hertime focusedon thegeometric. Sherebelled against this trend and usedorganic shapes and curves. Manyoftheworksinthisexhibitshowherstyle of using rounded shapes. Formany artists, abstraction is a phase,but for O’Keefe it was a genre thatshereturnedtothroughouthercareer.Theworksinthisexhibitspanfrom

the1920sintothe1970s. This exhibit has some fair-ly consistent content and methods.O’Keefe has done lots of experi-mentationwithchangingthepointofview with which a mundane object

is viewed. In terms ofsubject matter, you canexpect to see bones, flow-ers, and fruit; althoughthe exhibit contains sev-eralpaintingsthatdonotfit with this generaliza-tion.Therearepaintingsfromthebeginningofhercareertothelateryearsofherlife.Thisspanallowsthe viewer to follow thematuration of her style.Herlaterworkisadepar-turefromobservation.Itis more expressive andfocuses on gesture andshape. Her works are

introspectiveanddemure. Theyfeelvery intimate; the paintings commu-nicatewithanaudienceofone. Hersimplisticstyleconsistsofafewcol-ors that are perfectly blended. Theunrealistic scale creates an intimateexperience.Thisexhibitiseasytogetthroughinlessthananhour.Thereisan entrance fee of five dollars, but is definitely worth the price.

It’sjustcomingintotheholidayseason,and what better

way to get in thespirit than by goingtoseetheNutcrackerwithyourfamilyandfriends? The storyof the Nutcrackeris a classic holidaytale of a little girlwho falls asleep onChristmas Eve afterahugeChristmasEveparty, and dreamsabout her nutcrackerpr ince , sugarp lumfairies, flowers, mice and the Evil RatQueen.PerformancesoftheNutcrackerareknownfortheimpecableholidaymusicandbeautifulballetdancing.IfyouhaveseenthisshoworheardthisstorybeforeyouknowwhatIamtalkingabout,butifyouhaven’t,Ithinkthisistheyeartoexperience your first Nutcracker. There are several differentperformances of the Nutcrackerthroughout the holiday season in the

Twin Cities area. Loyce Houlton’sNutcracker Fantasy runs fromDecember20ththroughDecember24th.This Nutcracker is performed by the

Minnesota DanceTheater Companyand School atthe HistoricState Theaterdowntown. It’s anhonored classicwhich holds thedistinctionofbeingthelongestrunningarts event inMinnesotahistory!This production isprobablyyourbestbet if you want totruly enjoy yourholidayexperiencethisseason.BalletMinnesota also

hasaperformanceattheO’ShaunesseyTheaterDecember12th-16th. Try to get a group of friendstogether or bring your family to see aproductionoftheNutcrackerthisyear!You will have a great time and it willaddonemorememorableeventtoyourholidayseason.Toorderticketsfortheseproductions,callTicketMaster.

Kylie PotuznikStaffWriter

With the two-week gap of

winter break comingup, you may be look-ingforagoodbooktocurl up with (roastedarechestnutsoptional).Hereareafewsugges-tions:

Brave New World byAldousHuxleyHere’s one of my fa-vorite books of alltime.“Adarklysatiricvision of a ‘utopian’future- where humansare genetically bredand pharmaceuticallyanesthetizedtoservea

rulingorder,”asthebackcovercallsit.Evenifitwaswrittenin1932,itremainsan astonishingly relevant novel aboutthecostofhappinessandstability.

The Stuff of ThoughtbyStevenPinkerThe leaseholder of theWorld Trade Centersheld insurance that en-titled him to maximumreimbursementforeachdestructive“event.”Was9/11 a single event (asone overarching plot),ortwoevents(giventhattwo towers collapsed)?Steven Pinker sets outto use examples likethis toexplainhowourlanguage itself reflects humanunderstandingoftime, space, force, anddomination.Foranyone

wholoveswordsasmuchasIdo,it’samust-read.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pull-manIt didn’t start as amovie, you know!I read this bookyears ago, and ev-ery so often I pickit up and read itagain. It’s anotherone of my all-timefavorites. Anyonewho loves magicalrealism will surelyadore this stun-ningly well-writ-tenbook. (The twosequels, The Subtle Knife and The Am-ber Spyglass, arejustasgood.)

Conned Again, WatsonbyColinBruceBruceuseslayman’stermsandtheim-mortalcharactersofSirConanDoyle’sSherlockHolmesseriestoillustrateun-usual cases where our common sense

falls far short of the truth withregardstologic,math,andprob-ability.Certainly,everystatisticsstudent shouldpick thisoneup.Thankstotheeasynarrativeandinteresting subject matter, it’sgreatfornerdslikeme,too.

Me Talk Pretty One DaybyDa-vidSedarisAscreaminglyfunnycollectionofshortstoriesfromthewittyDavidSedaris, in which he chronicles,among other things, his adven-turestryingtomastertheFrenchlanguage. Even though my par-ticular stumblingblock isSpan-

ish,Ifeelforhim.

Winter Break Reading Warms the Soulspectrum 14 a&e dec 07

Nutcracker Fantasy Hits the Twin Cities

Georgia O’Keefe’s Circling Around Abstraction

The Golden Compasswordpress.com

Nutcracker Fantasy Posterwww.rosecentertheater.com

www.pocanticohills.orgO’Keefe’s “Cow Skull, Red, White, and Blue”

rcjgraves.wordpress.com

Brave New World

Michael MestitzCopyEditor

spectrum dec 07 a&e 15

Every year, there’s one holiday com-edy that everyone should see. From

“Elf” to “Bad Santa,” to “Surviving Christmas,” these movies put a new and humorous spin on old holiday stories and traditions. This year, that movie is “Fred Claus.” Made by the produc-ers of “Wedding Crashers,” this light-hearted film tells the tale of Fred Claus, San-ta Claus’s older brother. S i n c e birth, Fred (Vince Vaughn) was the “naughty” child; never able to live up to his younger brother’s (Paul Giamatti) genuinely kind and saintly nature. As Nick Claus grew up to become St. Nick (Santa), Fred grew apart from his family. The entire Claus family is cast under a spell of eternal life and Nick is made a saint, while Fred lives in the heart of Chicago, spending his time gambling and devising schemes to make more money. But his luck runs awry, and he is forced to stay with his brother while helping in the toy shop to earn money. Though originally negative

and selfish, Fred’s character develops over the course of the movie to reveal a kindred spirit after all. However, his change of heart comes a little too late, as Fred has already brought about a series of hilarious problems that could jeopardize Christmas itself!

Vince Vaughn plays Fred’s Scrooge-like role with his trade-mark sarcasm. Paul Giamatti bal-ances Vaughn’s cynicism with classic, good-na-tured humor, often dwelling on his character’s weight problem (an on-going controversy

between Santa and Mrs. Claus). The highlight of the movie comes when Willie (John Michael Higgins), who plays Santa’s head elf with a charming demeanor, takes center stage. As a mi-nor character, Willie steals the spotlight as he transforms from a shy, love-struck loner to a self-confident hero. Fred Claus” is a creative ad-dition to the holiday season, and it’s a laugh-out-loud family classic that you shouldn’t miss!

“Saves The Day” ~ AtmosphereMinneapolis rapper Slug talks about being that everyday hero to all of us. I love the lyrics and beat, so it’s one of my favorite songs to listen to whenever and wherever.

“Crush”~ Dave Mat-thews BandEven though this is an 8-minute song, I never get bored of it. I sing and hum just about every tune or lyric. It’s a great song for late night car rides or when you just want to chill out. I don’t think I’ll ever go a day without listening to it!

“Represent”~ NasWhen I was 10, I started to really get into rap. When I went out east to visit my cousins at college, they learned of my interest in rap and decided to show me some real rap. They got in trouble for letting me listen to songs with swear words, so they had me listen to this song because it had a “happy feel” to it! I’ve been listening to it ever since and it’s always been a song that I hum out of the blue!

“5ves”~HeiruspecsI love local rap, I love feel good rap, and I love this song! There are five things that make these guys happy. When I lis-ten to this song, it tells me that I’ve got to relax and just sit back and enjoy those simple things in life. Oh, and my favor-ite number is 5.

“Everlong”~ Foo FightersI first heard “Everlong” when my neigh-bor played it for me on his guitar. Since then I’ve fallen in love with it. It starts mellow with great vocals and builds into a very climactic rock song. I got to hear this song acoustic when I went to the Foo Fighters concert two years ago, and there wasn’t a person in the crowd not singing along with lead singer Dave Grohl.

“Around The World”~ Daft PunkEveryone needs one techno song in their life so they can break out into a

random dance party sometime. This is that song!

“Rodeo Clowns”~ Jack Johnson & G. LoveA close friend of mine burned this on a summer mix for me and I fell in love with it right away. I was in Montana one time without an ipod. This

CD and country, which I hate, was all I had. It turned out to be one of my favor-ite songs that summer, and I always try to sing along to it, but it’s so fast I can’t really keep up, so I just whistle instead!

“Breaking Free”~ High School Musi-calThis song completes me.

“Changes”~ 2PacEveryone needs that one “emotional song,” and this one is mine. 2pac is probably the greatest lyricist ever, and with the sample of Bruce Hornsby’s, “That’s the way it is,” this is instant-ly a classic in my mind. He doesn’t rap about

killing people, but rather the everyday struggles he has gone through or wit-nessed. It’s the one song I don’t hesitate to belt out at the top of my lung wher-ever I am!

Soundtrack of My Life: Joe Ali ‘09

Upcoming Concerts

Fred Claus Brings Good Cheer

Laura HellmanContributing Writer

Heiruspecswww.twincitieshiphop.com

www.last.fm80’s Techno Band Daft Punk

Dave Grohl and Foo Fighterswww.letraz.com

Paul Giamatti and Vince Vaughn in “Fred Claus”

www.imdb.com

Lorie Line Saturday 12/15, Orpheum Theatre, 8PM

Wu-Tang Clan Sunday 12/16, First Avenue, 8PM

Dosh Friday 12/21, 7th Street Entry, 8PM

Soul Asylum Friday 12/21 First Avenue, 8PM

Robert Randolph and the Family Band Saturday 12/22, First Avenue, 7PM

Mason Jennings Thursday 12/27 First Avenue, 6PM

spectrum 16 backpage dec 07

Second Annual Winter Coloring ContestSubmit your final project to the Spectrum box in Rm. 351 after Winter Break. The first place winner will

recieve a Caribou gift card for his/her own cup of hot chocolate!

Drawing by Alfred Yeung ‘08