Page 9that some of the most profound human interactions -- for exam-ple, participation in a deep and meaningful conversation or the composition of truly emotional art -- are defined by the inti-mate revelation of ones internal identity. So how does all this highbrow discussion of human identity relate back to Face-book? Well, Facebook intro-duces a third, unnatural di-mension to the dynamic of identity: public identity. I would define public identity as an artificial sub-sidiary of one’s external iden-tity that comes about through impersonal in-teractions with a mass of pas-sive observ-ers. Previously, only people of at least minimal fame had to deal with this phenomenon, but now, with Facebook, it’s some-thing that almost a billion users have to manage. Public iden-tity causes a number of severe complications in the identity dynamic. Firstly, public iden-tity creates another layer of ab-straction that works to simplify one’s characteristics; it repre-sents us multidimensional crea-

tures as definable by our likes, posts, interests, and pictures. Simplification feeds into a more pernicious issue posed by pub-lic identity: there is an inherent duplicity pervading every Fa-cebook profile. Consider your pictures, for example. Unlike photo albums, which one cracks out every once in a while to in-dulge in a nostalgic trip through the past, your Facebook photos

are always on display and work to constantly define your public image. But can these pictures ever accurately represent who you really are? A photograph captures a moment in time: at that given moment you could either be engaging in an act that improves your public image or you could be caught acting in a way that casts you in a negative light, perhaps partying wildly in a state of complete intoxica-

tion. In either case, these pho-tos cannot ever accurately rep-resent your true character; they can only represent one fleeting moment in your life, though, now with Facebook, that fleet-ing moment permanently and perpetually masks your true identity. Now, I don’t want to sound too alarmist in my as-sessment of Facebook’s affect

on society. I wouldn’t rec-ommend that you immedi-ately go out and delete your ac-count in a fren-zied attempt to regain control of your iden-tity. The simple truth is that Fa-cebook is now an inextricable component of our way of life and continues

to gain users and expand at an awe-inspiring rate. Truthfully, there are myriad ways in which Facebook positively influences our ability to communicate and interact. I do, however, hope to encourage the critical and bal-anced observation of Facebook and other services that influ-ence our culture so profoundly, especially when something as precious as our identity is at stake. ■

“facebook intro-duces a third, un-natural dimension to the dynamic of identity: public identity.”

Page 11

The deal was worth it. At least Benjamin Netanyahu, the current prime minister

of Israel, thought so. As you may have guessed, I am referring to the dilemma Israelis faced when they were forced to decide whether or not the release of Gi-lad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured in the 2006 Lebanon War, was worth pay-ing the shockingly expensive price of one thousand, twen-ty-seven Arab pris-oners. Initially, this seemed like a com-pletely ludicrous pro-posal to many. How-ever, to examine this decision from a dif-ferent perspective, step into the shoes of an Israeli soldier for a moment; how would you feel if the government was not making much progress in bringing home a fellow soldier, a soldier who was captured fighting for his own country? Next, picture yourself as a relative or close friend of Gilad Shalit. He was with you one day and then gone for five years of his life, isolated from the world. You live day to day uncertain of whether or not he is healthy or sick, alive or

dead. Lastly, put yourself into the mindset of a parent who, G-d for-bid, has lost a child or family mem-ber in a Hamas terrorist attack. You feel the utmost hatred for the mon-sters who murdered your loved one, and jail isn’t a severe enough pun-

ishment; you want them dead. Then, you hear about this proposal to free thousands of prisoners who are just like the blood-thirsty animal who killed your innocent child, in your mind all without shame or regret, and you are enraged by the fact that these monsters are not just allowed to live, but that when they are freed they will be welcomed home as he-

roes and encouraged to commit yet further atrocities. You and all of Is-rael are worried for what may come from a pack of wild murderers on the loose. On the other hand, we as Jews have the mitzvah of pidyon

shvuyim, redeeming prisoners...but where does one draw the line? Potentially, wouldn’t there be more lives lost from this rampage than just the one boy, Gilad Shalit, in captivity? This question was not for us to answer, as there is a Hebrew phrase that goes as follows: “where there is a certainty versus a possi-bility, we choose the certainty. The

DEAL OR NO DEAL?By Shoshana Frend

Page 13

basket. New strategies involved posters with messages such as “miss,” or painted with famous fac-es, or swirls that are spun to throw off the player’s sense of balance. One might think this is just a normal part of sports, and that players have to learn to ignore such behavior. However, neuroscien-tists believe some of these tactics can actually fool the player’s brain into thinking the body is moving and can defi-nitely interfere with aim. Fur-thermore, cer-tain physical responses have been built into the human brain for a very long time. In re-sponse to noise and commo-tion, a warning signal goes to the part of the brain that warns that something bad could hap-pen, which triggers the re-lease of adren-aline, which then increases the heart rate and causes the pupils to dilate. Again, such physical responses can dis-rupt the thrower’s aim. Going to such lengths to help a team “win” is just another example of what happens when identity is too heavily linked to winning. I am not entirely naive and understand that sports generates money for colleges and profession-al teams, and that losing doesn’t attract donors or ticket buyers or make high school coaches look

very competent to students’ par-ents. I also understand in the school context that the stakes are high when it comes to competing for the precious few slots available at the top colleges, and that is why some students feel driven to cheat. Recently, a number of peo-ple were arrested in Long Island for being part of a scheme to cheat on the SAT. One student received up to $3,500 to take the SAT for

other students. Two of those arrest-ed attended North Shore Hebrew Academy, and another attended St. Mary’s High School (both re-ligious schools in New York State, where presumably students are be-ing taught ethical conduct, as well as science and humanities). One of the attorneys representing the accused students said, “When we glorify Wall Street guys who make money cheating and baseball play-ers who take steroids, how can we condemn kids trying to achieve

the same success?” Personally, I find something missing in the attorney’s logic. Does he really think the kids did not know they were doing something wrong? Rather, I agree with the prosecu-tors that punishment is appropriate for those who “scam the system,” and victimize their own friend and classmates, among others. My point is not to remind ev-eryone that cheaters are only cheat-

ing themselves, as the trite saying goes. I leave that to the teach-ers. The theme that runs through these examples is that the cheater is hurting his classmates, team members, and others who have worked hard and compete fairly. Additionally, in sports, the cheater is not only proving to himself that he’s not good enough to win fair-ly, he is also preventing his team from winning based upon their own skill and talent. Maybe we just have to re-define a winner. ■

Page 15ly guarding the numerous Maver-icks shooters. The Mavericks shot over forty percent from behind the three-point line in three of the four games and capped off the series with an outstanding 62.5% from the three-point line. Mike Brown’s teams have been stellar on the defensive end, as his Spurs and Cavalier defenses routinely

finished as a top five defense in the league. Mike Brown is coming to a Laker team that expects to win every game and plans to make it to the NBA Finals. In order to be successful, he must quickly iden-tify the team’s notable weakness-es, such as inconsistent play at the point guard and forward spots, and

try to build an identity for his team. By utilizing the numerous and tal-ented big men on the Lakers ros-ter, Mike Brown can establish his team as a hard-nosed and physical squad. However, if Mike Brown fails in his attempt to win his first championship as a head coach, he will likely be on the market for an-other job by season’s end. ■

LA Burger Bar. Burgers Bar in Israel. Coincidence? I think not. This past September, the

L.A. Burger Bar opened in an at-tempt to replicate the popular Israeli restaurant chain. The manager, a former Israel Burgers Bar employee, stated that though LA Burger Bar is modeled after its Israeli counter-part, it is a totally separate business. When I decided to write this review on LA Burger Bar, I must admit, my expectations were not high. Another burger joint, I thought to myself. However, once I tasted the delectable burgers, I was pleasantly surprised: the food had far surpassed my expectations. Upon first entering the res-taurant, loud sounds reached my ears and mouthwater-ing scents tickled my nose. With an ambiance similar to Schnitzly’s (also on Pico), LA Burger Bar has a coun-ter with a variety of veg-etables and sauces in front

of its grill; it also has a spacious dining room - a great place to meet and hang out with friends. When I visited, the indoor seating was filled with both eager and satisfied faces so, I moved to the outdoors. I chose a quiet table in the restaurant’s pa-tio, alongside a heater, turned on in event of a cold night. After waiting

for just a few minutes, I heard my order number called and moved up to a bar-like area where I was al-lowed to choose both my toppings and sauces. On that day and subse-quent ones, I ordered many dishes, including a “Spicy” Burger (though there was no bite to the burger and in fact, no hint of spiciness at all);

Resturaunt Review: LA Burger Bar By Asher Naghi

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and we both feel we fit in. The first Shabbat, we hung out with friends and met people at Shul; they’re all really amazing people and we hope to stay friends with them forever! SF: How is the lingo different in London compared to America?SD&DD: The lingo is very differ-ent in London. For example, peng or fit means hot, butterz means ugly, jumper means sweater, trou-sers mean pants and pants are men’s underwear! Carpool in London is called a Rota, Wellies are rain boots, rubber is an eraser, trainers are sneakers, bathroom is a toi-let or a loo, cinema is a movie theatre, chips are crisps and French fries are chips! It’s all really confusing actually... SF: Those are hilarious, it’s like a whole other language!What do you think about YU-LA’s technology compared to your old school? Do you like the laptops?SD&DD: Our old school wasn’t as modern. The only laptops issued by the school were for those who had special needs, for example, dys-lexia or dyspraxia. Our old school was much bigger, had more people, and had much less homework. Ev-erybody in YULA is serious about their studies, which is a completely different attitude than that of our old school. The laptops that have been issued to us at YULA are of great help, and it’s easier to get on with our studies on the laptop. SF: I agree, the laptops are great!How does the uniform at YULA compare to your old school’s uni-form?

SD&DD: In our old school we had a grey quilted skirt, a pink shirt and a maroon jumper (but-terz!). We had to wear black shoes and socks and tights in the win-ter. Just this summer they issued a white polo shirt like at YULA. The YULA uniform is more informal as you can wear jumpers over your tops and different types of shoes and socks each day! SF: That is pretty bad…So, is the accent weird for you to hear? Is it harder to understand

Americans?

S D & D D : It’s hard to understand, but the ac-cent just makes us feel like we’re in a movie! SF: Speaking of accents, which American words give you trouble and cause people to make fun of you? SD&DD: Harry Potter, Water, Doctor, Chips, Crisps, crumpets...and apparently squirrel! SF: I have to admit, squirrel in an English accent is pretty funny! Did you have block scheduling in your old school? Do you like it at

YULA?SD&DD: We think lessons get a little long, but its okay. In our old school all the lessons we had were 50 minutes long, we had break and a lunch break too. Our schedule was the same for everyday except the lessons were different. SF: As far as lessons, what is one class your old school offered, that you wish was offered at YULA?DD: Textiles-designing and mak-ing clothesSD: Music syllabus

SF: Textiles sounds really in-teresting! We do have a mu-

sic class, but you missed it in tenth grade...Overall, what do you miss most about Lon-don?SD&DD: Friends!!! We

miss the school like crazy! Most importantly we miss

our family (cousins, grand-parents, uncles and aunts), as

we are extremely close! Usually we spend time together on Shab-bat, singing and having fun, shar-ing a few funny stories and jokes and just having a laugh. Pesach is when we all come together and fly to the states or somewhere in Eu-rope to spend time together, just as a family. This is what has made the move to L.A. very difficult due to the time difference of 8 hours. We really hope they come to visit us often! SF: One last question, how long does your family plan on staying in the U.S.?SD&DD: Hopefully three to five years, or more! ■

Page 19

Sophmore By Micah HymanMy nights in tenth grade

are long, arduous affairs. Tenth grade’s difficulty is incom-parable to ninth grade. In ninth grade, two honors classes were offered; Tenth grade, on the oth-er hand, allows a student to take four honors classes and an AP. In order to stay afloat, students must work harder and learn to use their time efficiently. The daily life of a tenth-grade student also changes day by day with more compacted schedules. Math and Hebrew, now three periods a week, great-

ly increase the homework load that dominates each night of the week. Another big change is the frequency of tests, as well as their difficulty. Almost every week, one or two tests are given. If a student puts in the necessary time and effort, the fruits of his labor will be greatly rewarding. However, since the workload is much greater, one must maintain a committed schedule, in order to succeed Tenth grade, though, does have its silver lining. It is the second year at YULA for the

tenth grade class, so the stu-dents are already familiar with the school, the teachers, the rules and most importantly their friends. This silver lining is im-perative for the true test of tenth grade: learning how to learn. Frequent tests, large amounts of homework and difficult classes force the students to cooperate, plan ahead and try hard. While learning how to learn may be rough, with friends and teach-ers doing their best to help, all a student must do to succeed is try his best. ■

Page 21

It’s 6:30am and that darn buzz-er starts ringing. It’s time for

yet another day of school. As I get out of bed and stumble into the shower, I begin to contemplate the day ahead of me: that chumash test that I just don’t feel prepared for; the math homework that I for-got to do; that first-period history class that I just can’t stand. Then it’s off to school. I walk from class to class, sit through hours and hours of lecturing, just trying sur-vive the day. But then there’s that one class, that one teacher, that one extracurricular activity that makes all the monotony worth it. Junior year personifies the meaning of an identity quest. Who am I going to be? Will I be the one skating through high school without giving my future a second thought? Or, will I be the one involved in my commu-nity, whether it be through sports, newspaper, Chai Lifeline, Yachad, drama, Model U.N., Israel Advo-cacy Club, eBay Club, YULA Kollel, or the Ethical Leadership

Seminar (to name just a few)? Eleventh grade is said to be one of the most, if not the most, impor-tant year for colleges. It is the year that colleges look at the most for grades, community involvement, and character development. With that said, I believe that junior year is so much more than SATs, AP classes, and extra-curricular activities. It’s so much more than a time to build up and polish off your resumé. Junior year is the time to find yourself: to discover who you want to be, where you want to go, and what you want to do with your life. It’s a time to find what you are passion-ate about as a student, as a person, and as an individual. Maybe it’s a love of biology or Torah or public speaking or the performing arts or anything else that may interest you. Now is the time to find out what that niche may be. There is another very im-portant part of being a junior, and that is planning. Now that I have discovered my passions, what will

I do with them? Is such and such a possible career for me, or is it simply a very important hobby? Is it something I can explore more in college? Yeshivah? At home? With friends? Out of state? I know that I want to be the student to show up at my col-lege interview, or my job inter-view, or whatever it may be, and really be able to explain how I made a difference, whether it be in my own personal life or in the world around me. I want to be a part of something. Eleventh grade is a critical time to get involved in something important to you; something to which you truly connect. And now, as I drive home after a long day at school, I think of that great Chessed opportunity, that incredible drama rehearsal, that invigorating practice, or that gripping lesson I had today, and I consider, where can I go from here? I urge you to ask yourself the same question: who do you want to be? ■

Junior By Joe Shuchatowitz

activities. Whether it is helping starving children in Africa, par-taking in a sport, or participat-ing in Model U.N., many elev-enth graders have found a niche to which they have committed themselves to their interest and

activity. To add to the overwhelm-ing load of challenges that elev-enth graders face, most try to pass their driver’s license test so that they can have somewhat of a so-cial life when they are not doing

homework, studying for SAT’s, or saving the world. While eleventh grade has been difficult up until now, it has not yet proven to be impos-sible. However, as the year goes on, that may change. ■

Page 23

I didn’t really think it was possible that a minyan could go through the entire daven-ing without a single person talking. But, as we launched into the first song, Esa Einai, I could tell the Happy Minyan would be different. It was more than the fact that everyone was davening and no one was talk-ing. As I looked around, I saw a look of enjoyment on ev-ery-one’s face. We were having fun; we were bonding; and we were expe-riencing a spiritual breakthrough. As daven-ing flew by I was impressed by the absence of talking. It even seemed as if people forgot how to speak, and as if the davening, and the davening alone only was on every-one’s mind. Finally, we finished the last song and looked at the

clock. It had been fifty minutes. In other words, the main minyan

in the Bais Midrash had been over for approximately fifteen

minutes. However, every single person who davened at the

Happy Minyan felt as if time had flown by; it felt as if no more than five minutes had passed. Clearly, the Happy Minyan was something special. Needless to say, I was hooked, and because of my original experi-ence, I had decid-ed to attend every Happy Minyan since. Each time we meet, the fervor of our prayers seems to increase. Ev-eryone knows the words to the songs slightly better; everyone davens with amore focus; and the whole ex-perience is more spiritual and up-lifting. The Hap-py Minyan has far surpassed its goals, and it has created a

place for prayer that is second to none. ■

On June 9th after we had given our speeches, said our prayers, and crossed

our fingers, we were thrilled to hear our names called out-- we were the ones chosen to represent YULA as

Student Council 2012. We never let our excitement wane, but instead kept that passion to make sure that we would easily be the best Stu-dent Council that YULA had ever elected.

A week later we, just a few seventeen-year-old kids, rented a U-Haul, drove it all the way to Calabasas, and purchased three vending machines. Not only are we now able to eliminate the competi-

STUCO 2.0 By Ethan Youssefzadeh

Page 25

on a given topic. Then, the par-ticipants are given a “crisis ques-tion,” where participants must give a thirty-second speech on an emergency that has just taken place. All this is done without preparation. Three judges, who make their decisions based equal-ly on the prepared speech and cri-sis question, select winners. With the members care-fully selected, the team, which comprises of a total nine boys and nine girls, along with two alternates, practices for the next five months. At first, before re-ceiving our countries, commit-tees, and topics, we practice our speaking skills and debate top-ics of interest to us. However, after we receive our countries, committees, and topics, the real

work begins. We are expected to research our topics to death, be-come experts on the issues, and formulate ingenious solutions. Once the beginning of February rolls around, we leave for New York on a Thurs-day night and spend the week-end with friends or family. On Sunday we leave for Stamford, Connecticut,and arrive at the conference. Sometime after 10 P.M, actual committee sessions be-gin. Committee sessions consist of delegates getting up and speak-ing about topics and using diplo-macy, persuasion and charisma to pass one’s own resolution. After over fifteen hours of this debate, all delegates and faculty advisers gather for the awards ceremo-

ny. Committee chairs, co-chairs, and administrative assistants choose two honorable mentions and a best delegate from each committee. Honorable mentions are worth one point and best delegates are worth two points; however, the team with the most points does not automatically win. The team with the most points in proportion to the size of team itself wins. We were sad that we did not win the gold, but we did win silver medal, one award shy of first. Our hard work and count-less hours paid off. Not only did we win second place, but we also bonded together as a team and had an incredible experience that we will take with us for the rest of our lives. ■

Page 27

ple could not compare to the in-dustry giant Microsoftand could not take a large stake out of the computer indus-try. On Oc-tober 23, 2001, Jobs revolution-ized the way we listen to music when he intro-duced the iPod. However on August 1, 2004, Jobs had sur-gery to remove a cancerous tumor in his pancreas, and, although the surgery was suc-cessful, Jobs’s battle with can-cer would be as important to him as his com-pany. The next year, Apple in-troduced the tiny iPod Shuffle, iPod with video, and iPod Nano. C o m e January 9, 2007, Apple took the biggest leap in its short history when it rein-vented the phone. Built on the shoulders of the iPod, and using a revolutionary touch interface, the iPhone capitalized on the mobile phone industry. Millions bought the device, and it became the main portion of Apple profit. Based on the same iPhone oper-

ating system, Apple released the iPod Touch, with built in Wi-Fi and the same magical touch in-

terface. With these additions, Apple began to gain tremendous momentum in the tech industry. Unfortunately, Jobs’s health battle continued, and he was forced to take a six-month medical leave in January 2009. After returning to Apple, Jobs

released the renowned iPad in January 2010, again built on the shoulders of the iPhone, with the

same intuitive touch interface. Once again, in January 2011, Jobs took anoth-er medical leave after Apple be-gan to sell the iPhone 4 via Ve-rizon Wireless, ending AT&T’s exclusivity to the smart-phone. On March 2, 2011, Jobs made a surprise visit to announce the iPad 2. On June 6, 2011, he gave a keynote speech intro-ducing iCloud, his last public Apple Keynote. On August 9, 2011, Apple’s shares edged Exxon Mobil’s to become the most valuable U.S. Company, weighing in at $337.17 billion. On August

24, 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO. After a long battle with pancre-atic cancer, Jobs passed away at age 56 on October 5, 2011. Although Steve Jobs is no lon-ger with us, his legacy is, and it will continue to live on for many years to come. ■