The WarriorNiskayuna High School January 11, 2008 Volume 34, Issue 14

a student-run publication since 1974, now weekly

Inside this issue...Life in a board game,page 5

Sweeney Todd is wonderful,page 6

Foreign language holiday partypage 2

Nisky says goodbye to Michele Foxby Chris Murphy

News

On Friday, December 21, Michele Fox had her last day working as a food service cook and manager at Niskayuna High School after 26 years of employ-ment. Fox was one of the most beloved of all the high school employees by both students and staff, and her retirement was no small event. Through-out the entire day there were many events to commemorate her leaving planned by both the students and staff.

Fox began her day with a bang, picked up by a limou-sine provided by the staff of Niskayuna High School. “Which was amazing,” Fox said of it later. Once at the school, she

was provided with a scepter, tiara and cape. “I was so regal today!” said Fox. During the fist mod, students in the new cafeteria study halls, dressed in aprons, sang a song to her as she was presented with an enormous vanilla cake.

Throughout the entire day, Fox was presented with other gifts, although none tasted quite as good. By the end of the day, Michele received a pearl pendant with matching pearl earrings, a journey necklace, gift cards, wine, and a scratch box.

One of the biggest surprises of the day, a surprise even to Fox, was made during the morning announcements.Ni-skayuna declared, December

21, 2007 to be ‘Michele Fox day.’As a final good-bye, students

were let out early from fourth block class. They lined the hallways, reaching from the new cafeteria to the pool exit. As Fox left the building for the last time, all the students of Niskayuna High School were there to wish her good-bye. As she walked down the halls, scepter in hand and tears wan-dering down her face, she could be seen waving and making the occasional rock-and-roll ‘devil horns’ with her hands.

After her retiring, Fox plans to spend much more time with her family, including her re-cently retired husband. Imme-diately after leaving NHS, Fox went on a trip with her family to Atlantic City. She promised

to visit NHS now and again. “You guys are family! I can’t stay away from my family,” she explained. When asked if she had some parting words for the students and staff of NHS, she replied, “Thank you. It’s been an amazing part of my life, and you will all be forever in my heart.”

Fox’s position will be filled by Bob Depot, the newest ad-dition to the high school’s food service staff. Fox wished him well, and had this advice for him: “He needs to make sure the kids are first in his heart. If he embraces the kids, his life will be as amazing as mine.” Bob said he would try his best to fill in Fox’s shoes, but in his own words, “They’re big shoes to fill.”

Warrior Photo / Chris Nelson

Warrior Photo / Chris Nelson

TUNNEL OF LOVE: Students lined the halls to give a last goodbye to Michele Fox. One of the most beloved staff members, Fox devoted all of her 26 years at NHS to the students, whom she fondly calls, “my kids.”

SAYING GOODBYE: Michele Fox recieved many honors on her last day. She was transported to and from NHS by limo courtesy of fellow staff members, and December 21 will henceforth be known as ‘Michele Fox day.’

2 January 11, 2007 The WarriorNews

S t u d e n t s d a n c e i n o p e r a

Foreign language clubs host party

by DeNise Lobo News

The opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” took place Dec. 20 to Dec. 23, 2007 at the GE Blackbox Theater at Proctors. Two Niskayuna High School students, seniors Lauren White-head and Emily Lnenicka, graced the stage as they danced in this opera. The show was performed along with “Brundibar,” another opera presented by younger children.

“Amahl and the Night Visitors was a special Christmas event,” and was the first opera created for television. It tells the story of a crippled boy named Amahl who lives with his mother. One night, three kings come to his house wanting to stay the night. They possess several gifts of gold to bring to baby Jesus. The opera explores lessons of forgiveness, giving and sharing in depth. For instance, Amahlí’s generosity changes his life forever as he gives his crutch to the baby Jesus. Above all, this heartwarming story speaks of the importance of love.

Numerous different groups participated in the operaís production, including Schenectady County Community College and the SUNY Albany. Whitehead and Lnenicka represented Niskayuna.

Whitehead has been dancing for 13 years, and Lnenicka for 12 years. Both girls currently take dance lessons at Orlando’s School of Dance and take part in the dance company “Debbie’s Dancers”. Whitehead’s dancing

experience also includes her performance in last years musical “Beauty and the Beast,” as well as her upcoming dancing role in “Pippin.” Lnenicka has also done a few shows before, but this is the first time that she has been a part of an opera production. Their dance teacher, Debra Pigliavento was asked to cho-reograph a dance for the opera, recruited the two. Two other dancers from Whitehead and Lnenicka’s company took part in the show as well. The dancers involved in the show began practicing in September. Whitehead explained her reason for taking part in it, “I just wanted to be something different, and it was a good chance to meet new people.”

The show itself was a success but the participants also came away with great, new experiences. Lnenicka exclaimed, “It was really fun to be in that environment. I met a lot of great people doing this. It was a really good chance to make good friends.”

Although this opera has been performed in other areas, this was the first time “Amahl and the Night Visitors” was presented at Proctors. Hopefully, this opera will not be the last of its kind at the theater. ìIt got good reviews in the Times Union,” Whitehead said, “It went really well. Every show went smoothly.”

by ANAghA ToLpADi

News

On Monday, Dec. 17, the For-eign Language Department held its annual holiday party in the foods room after school. All four foreign language clubs, Span-ish club, French club, German club and Latin club, spent an afternoon eating, singing songs in their respective languages and sharing culture.

Each club brought in different snacks. French club supplied la Bouche de Noël, a pastry represen-tative of the Yule log. “I’m glad I attended. It was the first time I got to try la Bouche de Noël. It’s not a really colorful cake but its really sweet,” said sophomore Lizzy Ha. German club brought Stollen, a traditional Christmas sweet bread from Dresden Germany, that contains fruit and candy. Spanish club brought chocolate caliente, or hot chocolate, and Latin club brought pizza.

As the attendees ate food, each club shared some information

about the homeland of their re-spective languages. “Some clubs made the students present the culture, whereas other clubs just had the teachers slip in some his-tory that had really no impact. It would be much more factual and memorable if each club showed a short cultural movie clip or slide-show with images that caught our attention,” stated junior Hana Omiya.

French club members dis-cussed how Christmas is much less secular in France than it is in the United States. German club spoke of the little Christmas mar-kets throughout Germany that sell many homemade items. Span-ish club shared that the Spanish typically go to Mass on Christmas Eve and start dinner at midnight. Jan. 6, the Epiphany, is another important day for Spaniards. The tradition for that day is to bake a cake with a toy in the middle, with the person who gets the slice with the toy receiving good luck. Members of Latin Club went on

to share that Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a week of feasting and partying that started on Dec. 17. During this week, there was an abundance of lights and gifts, and all businesses were stopped. The master and slave also exchanged roles during this holiday tradition. “I suppose the little snippets of culture will come in handy one day,” said Ha.

After people finished eating, lyrics to foreign Christmas carols were distributed. “The Christmas carols in the foreign languages were a riot,” commented Ha. The first song was “Tintez Cloches,” the French version of “Jingle Bells.” “I may remember the lyrics to “Tintez Cloches” so I can serenade holiday shoppers in Montreal,” said Ha. Next was “Tinniat, Jingle Bells” in Latin. “It’s very heartwarming to hear Magistra Miller lead the Latin version of “Jingle Bells” in her robust alto pitch because she rarely sings in class,” said Omiya. The next songs were “Les Douze

Jours de Noël,” the French ver-sion of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” and the German “O Tannenbaum,” or , “O Christmas Tree.” In subsequent order came the Spanish song “Feliz Navidad” or “Aquafolia Ornatis,” the Latin version of “Deck the Halls, Aqua-folia Ornatis,” and the French and Latin versions of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Overall, the Foreign Language Holiday party was a great hit. “I personally liked the experience; it brought me a good laugh. I could see the people around me enjoying themselves too. Snacks, hot cocoa, and singing? They’re [people who did not attend] truly missing out,” said Ha. Omiya echoed Haís sentiments. “The more the merrier the wise one says, and the party could sure use more delicious holiday dishes and good singers. Plus, it feels good to cuddle up with friends with a cup of hot cocoa during the winter season.”

Photo Credit / Emily Lnenicka

DANCING DUO: Lauren Whitehead (left) and Em-ily Lnenicka represented Niskayuna at Proctor’s presentation of “Amahl and the Night Visitors”

3January 11, 2007The Warrior News

Winter concerts a special treatby heLeN wiLLis

News

In the week before the winter break, Niskayuna High School was treated to the winter portion of the annual concert series. Two assembly concerts were held at the end of the school day on Wednesday, December 19. These concerts gave students the chance to see their peers perform. Performing at the as-sembly were Bel Canto Voices, Studio Singers, Concert Cho-rale, the Wind Ensemble (which is comprised of members of the Symphonic Band), Jazz En-semble and Chamber Strings. Most groups performed part of their program for the evening concerts. For example, Cham-ber Strings performed one move-ment from Dmitri Shostakovich’s Sinfonia for String Orchestra, and it played both movements at the concert. The Wind En-

semble played the traditional “Sleigh Bells” that it plays at the Holiday Assembly every year. Presented at the evening con-certs on Tuesday, December 18 and Wednesday, December 19 were much more extended programs. The concert that had been scheduled for Thursday, December 13 was cancelled due to bad weather. Therefore, the groups that had been scheduled to perform that night were add-ed to the concerts the next week. Most memorable, though, was Symphony Orchestra’s perfor-mance of two movements from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Said Sweeney, “Playing the Plan-ets was so awesome!” Sopho-more Marcelle Tuttle echoed her feelings of enthusiasm poetically saying, “Concerts are great, con-certs are good, they’re fun to go to, so more of you should!”

by sAM DhAriA

News

On Thursday, December 20, Niskayuna alumni Anya and Noah Lee came to the high school to tell the sad story of their brother, Travis Lee. A former Niskayuna High School student, Travis committed suicide at the age of 22 in April of 2007. During all lunch mods, Anya and Noah spoke to students about drug abuse and the mental illness of depression. SADD scheduled Anya and Noah to present before students went away on the holiday break. Charisse Steinberg, the adviser of SADD, ex-plained how during vacations and holidays, teens are in situations where they may take higher risks or make poorer choices. Stein-berg hoped that when students are in such situations, they would remember the mes-sage and think differently. Anya and Noah had requested to come speak in hopes that Travis’ death would be able to help an-other person who suffer from depression. Travis entered high school as a very nice and trusting freshman. However, by the age of 15 he became an alcoholic and attempted suicide. Anya, his sister, found him and im-mediately brought him to a hospital where he recovered after trying to cut his wrists. As Travis experimented with more danger-ous drugs, he drifted further away from his

family, eventually being kicked out of school. He began experiencing deep bouts of depression. Noah and Anya stressed how Travis was a nice kid who just fell into troubles. Travis tried to re-cover, earning a GED and attending SCCC. He was accepted as a transfer student to SUNY Potsdam, and all of his loved ones were amazed by his change and newfound passion for a life without drugs and al-cohol. But when Travis began attending SUNY Potsdam, he fell back into similar troubles. In college, he began taking a mul-titude of hard drugs and subsequently was kicked out of school. He attended rehab and came back with a new outlook on life, but once again, he began using drugs and al-cohol when he went back to Potsdam. On April 24, 2007, Travis committed suicide. “The story really made me think about how valuable my life is,” noted sophomore Nick Farina. At the end of the tear-filled presen-tation, both Anya and Noah made it clear that those who need help can get it, and they should not be ashamed to ask for it. Anya and Noah also spoke about the or-ganization ‘To Write Love on Her Arms,’ a non-profit organization that is dedicated

to helping those with depression, drug addiction and self-injury. The organiza-tion has a group of people that respond to e-mails and give advice to teens who suf-fer from depression. “That’s the most im-portant piece, that interaction and being in a place to encourage people who are hurting. In so many cases, those are folks talking about these issues, sharing their struggles, asking for help, for the very first time,” the organziation stated on its website. Many students responded to the presen-tation, saying they could relate to the sto-ry. Adolescents tend to react very quickly, which is one of the reasons suicides are so common among teens. With all the stress from school, family and friends, teens feel a lot of pressure. The presentation empha-sized that there is always someone to help. Instead of struggling alone, one should talk to someone. Anya and Noah hoped that students would realize that even though things look bad, there are always people who care. Those in the counseling center and close teachers are always willing to talk.

D r u g T r a g e d y

EDITORIAL POLICIES

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4 January 11, 2008Opinion

Editor-in-Chief:Elizabeth HeldManaging Editor:Christopher NelsonNews:Vanessa Lobo, EditorJulie Slotnick, EditorSteven Tang, EditorDiane Kim, Asst. Casey Mullaney, Asst.Helen Willis, Asst.

Opinion:Kaela Bamberger, EditorSam Grondahl, EditorJenna Lohre, Asst.

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The Warrior

by sAM groNDAhL

opiNioN

The primaries are in full swing, with results from Iowa and New Hampshire (and Wyo-ming for Republicans) already in. Quite a few news articles and television spots have been dedicated to covering the sur-prising rise of Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama coming out of Iowa, where both candidates enjoyed victories, though the margins or victory are nearly meaningless in the context of the entire primary election.

In the current system, many voters find themselves virtu-ally disenfranchised nation-ally. If a given candidate does not meet 15 percent viability, he or she may not receive any delegates to the national convention.

Even on the local level, cau-cuses, in particular, discour-age turnout in several ways. On the most basic level, they are a significant time com-mitment, one which many citizens cannot meet. In Iowa, a state where the caucuses are popular relative to those of other states due to the emphasis put on them as the first of the election cycle, fewer than one-tenth of the state’s citizens actually participate. Though far from a tight-knit group of political elites, the participants do enjoy signifi-cantly more influence than any other equally sized contingent throughout the country.

Moreover, they are influ-enced by an even smaller

group of individuals who lead support for each candidate at the caucus. Because the candidates themselves cannot make it to every single meet-ing place on the night of the caucuses, there is extreme variability in factors external

to the candidates’ personal qualities and beliefs, factors which have great influence on the outcome of the individual caucuses, the aggregate of which can have a significant impact on the primary election as a whole. Looking at this much smaller group of activ-

ists and their power to change the course of the election, it becomes apparent that the election procedure is not as fair or transparent as many would like to believe.

Even if the delegates for each major party were selected

Primary, general election procedures unfair

fairly, real political change and adequate representation the views of the constituency would never be achieved due to procedures intrinsic to the political system legally and traditionally. For one, we do not directly elect the presi-dent, rather going through

the Electoral College, in which delegates are selected in state-wide elections that are abso-lute. That is to say, a Democrat in West Virginia might as well not show up to the polls. And despite it being little more than a tradition, the direct elec-tion of the president and vice president is carried out by a very small group of delegates to the Electoral College.

But suppose that significant changes were made to the system, providing for more equitable election procedures – suppose party candidates and presidents were elected by national popular vote. Many would hail this as a great change, evidencing our country’s greatness and its value as a land of opportunity. But we still only have the choice between two parties. Or maybe three, if you count independents, who are often just moderates who take a bit from each party (at least those who are viable candidates have such views). Either way, modern American politics are little more than entrenched tradition that prevents any significant change from tak-ing place. Perhaps we need no change; perhaps life is as good as it can be. But the possibility of change needs to exist so we are not trapped in such a singular focus. And that is why we need to change not only the way we participate in politics, but the way we think about it.

Warrior Art \ Katie Nottke

5January 11, 2008The Warrior Opinion

ALL OPINIONS expressed on the op-ed pages represent the individual viewpoints of their authors. The content does not necessarily represent the views of The Warrior, the high school, the school district, or the Board of Education.

by DANieL CLAriDge

opiNioN

Over the recent vacation, I quickly became bored with the cheerful attitudes of those around me. Suffering from a Christmas hangover, I decided to head over to the local Target to check out the post-holiday shopping deals. I found myself drawn to the board game section for whatever reason, and soon noticed the colorful box labeled “The Game of Life.” I wondered, how could a board game possibly encompass all the vagaries of life? With the money received from my returned jean jacket (given to me by my 70s addicted uncle), I pur-chased the game, eager to explore its myriad of possibilities.

I raced home after calling my friends and quickly prepared my house for a night of games and drinking (apple juice, of course). After the traditional raillery, we settled down with plastic cups in

hand to commence play. We drew professions, houses and salaries: I ended up as a teacher, with a miniscule salary, four children, no wife and a minivan (the only property the game ensures). My house was satisfactory – a spacious log cabin with afford-able insurance – but my luck wasn’t. I lost all my money on my children’s educations (the buggars didn’t even go Ivy), and I suffered from an expensive mid-life crisis.

Thus I ask: how can that board game be entitled “Life”? Where was my quality Niskayuna High School education to offset my lack of financial infelicity? Where were my SAT scores to improve my dwindling self-esteem? Where were my birth control methods, preached so ardently in health class, to prevent the unwanted growth of my immediate family? These essential factors of life were not aptly considered in “The

Game of Life”. Besides, I couldn’t even choose my own profession: I’d never want to be a teacher! I mean, have you ever met a cool teacher?

The fact is, “Life” is a scam, meant to cheat uneducated Target shoppers and reduce our existence to a black and white system of spinners and cardboard. As junior Alexandr Yepikhin correctly stated, “Life sucks. And so do board games. Where is my sports car anyways? I mean seriously? Where is it? Wait, are you gonna use this quote in your warrior article? Please don’t use this quote. You’re a real jerk. Life sucks.”

Upon the conlcusion of “The Game of Life”, it became apparent that Hasbro, the manufacturer of this pathetic game, robs our young minds, while cozening our money like the mountebank it is. I Thus, I propose a boycott of all Hasbro products, which serve

The Game of Life® oversimplifiesonly to destroy our community. “Candyland”, its most popular enterprise, preaches subliminal messages of common ownership, an essential constituent to the political virus known as com-munism. “Monopoly”, Hasbro’s other profitable product, pro-poses the opposite, supporting child labor to fuel a profit driven society. Lastly, “Roller Coaster Tycoon 2: Wacky Worlds” teaches children to torture illegal immi-grants who work as handymen at amusement parks, alluding to the atrocious acts that are committed at Guantanamo Bay (… that are not committed).

In conclusion, the game of Life merely deludes the perspectives of our youth, destroys families with unwanted children and depresses its players with its profit driven principles and anti-religious doctrine. Take my word for it, and save yourself the effort: “Life” sucks.

U n w r i t t e n l a w s p r e v a i lby LiAM KeLsh

opiNioN

Every single person in this school, and else-where feels a universal instinct; this instinct tells individuals that they need to identify and associate with some specific group of people. This is understandable. We all need friends. We all need social human interaction to survive.

But it’s what happens to us when we be-come members of these social “groups” that interests me.

Individuals seem attracted to particular social groups based on the behaviours and interests that these groups express. Why? The group of people that an individual is compelled to belong ususally attempts to be part of an “ideal” image. This is the image that each person wishes to convey to others as their own. The individual, then, embraces the group identity and becomes part of it.

The self image an individual builds is defined by the individual’s actions within the group, and therefore allows everyone else to recognize the individual as a member of that group. I believe this is contradicting: the individual creates and “performs” a self-image using the group’s identity as a base. And the individual proclaims that self image to be “unique.” I think that in reality, one’s self image is not

unique but rather a function of the “group” identity.

Of course, the identity gives the individual his or her very own sense of belonging or place in society and this is why the human being clings to it.

Group membership means following group rules. Every single individual in this school follows a designated set of rules. This is a truth, and everyone knows it, lives it and breathes it. These are the rules that keep the (group) “image” in place and in doing so keep the real individual safe from (individual) pain and truth and other poison devils. But one group’s rules are often in conflict with another group’s rules. So in this way, the group rules one follows isolate each of us, as members of a group, from the whole school community. They push us back into the isolation we wanted to escape from in the first place!

Realistically, of course, the only pain that would come from breaking the rules, the rules that bind the individual to the group and the image of the group and thereby separate the individual from the school community, is maybe, being made fun of for a few minutes for daring to break the group rules (you know – the pain that comes from the inaudible but haunting behind-the-back whispers: “Did you

know that. . .”). And that’s the worst case scenario, usu-

ally. More often, the only pain that would come upon breaking the (group) rules would be minimal: a few glares that suggest the individual belongs to a “lower” class group that the individual seems to think is not the correct placement.

Whatever pain one feels blocks any and all truth. We think too much about what others’ opinions of us are, and this keeps us from breaking a group’s designated set of rules. Such compliance with group rules subse-quently holds us from opportunities that offer truth through new experiences. All I have to say to every single individual in this school is, “I get it. But can we be members of a group without building walls between them?”

This new year of 2008. Let’s not shut doors. Let’s open them.

This is just my opinion, you don’t need to agree with it. However, if you disagree please retaliate with a letter to the editor is response. The author of this article is interested, please spark discussion!

6 January 11, 2008 The WarriorEntertainment

‘Todd’is a demon masterpieceby sohAiL syeD

eNTerTAiNMeNT

The world is a great black pit, and Bur-ton’s remake of the play “Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street” doesn’t intend to lighten it up one bit. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp pair up to deliver another visually stunning and supremely disturbing performance, the kind that Burton is lauded for. The movie begins with the arrival of a boat in a harbor and at once the viewer is harassed by the bleakness of London. Burton’s use of heavy visuals is made clear by the absence of any bright colors from the dreary London. As first few pieces of dialogue are spoken and we nearly forget that this movie is a musical. Seeing and hearing Depp sing as the deranged Todd is definitely interesting, especially given that Depp has never sung before and yet delivers a great performance. His partner in crime, Ms. Lovett (played by Helena Bonham Carter of ‘Fight Club’ fame), is also equally adept at singing and her always eccentric appearance and acting makes her character delightful. Other familiar faces grace the film, including two actors who have shared a very recent big screen appearance. Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall (Snape and Wormtail respectively from “Harry Potter”) play the antagonists of the film, the crooked judge and his right hand man. Sasha Baron Cohen, from the “Ali G Show” and “Borat,” appears briefly as the

comical Senor Pirelli. The ability of such a star studded cast to also deliver a solid musical experience added to the overall experience even for someone like me who generally hates musicals.

Burton, true to form, presents a de-ranged tale. Like his “Beetlejuice” or “Edward Scissor hands,” “Todd” is truly bi-zarre. Sweeney Todd, or Benjamin Barker before his arrest, was a barber who had a beautiful wife and baby daughter. One day, the Judge caught sight of the barber’s wife and took swift action to have her husband removed from the picture. Distraught, he used her sadness to manipulate her and drove her to suicide. In a ruse of kindness, he took in her daughter as his own. Now Barker, under the name Todd, returns to London to have his revenge. Without spoiling too much of the movie, we can just say that his methods are very color-ful: bright red.

The movie works on so many levels. With Burton’s direction it manages to be appealing to a variety of crowds, balancing violent scenes with tasteful contrast and shooting. Burton’s counterculture image also lets him appeal to fringe groups who loved his “Corpse Bride.” The acting is organic; Johnny Depp pulls of the cold desolate wasteland that is Todd and Rick-man, the morally repugnant bureaucrat par excellence, undoubtedly aided by his experience playing Snape in the “Harry

Potter” films. Audience members can feel the moral grime that constitutes the “Sweeney Todd” world; the whole experience though fake is authentic. There are plot holes that can be picked at like how so many people can be killed without suspicion, or why Lovett would just take up Todd without any hesi-tation, or how a Todd’s daughter (Joanna) can trust a boy she has never met with her freedom. The movie doesn’t give the viewer much time to ponder these questions as it keeps the dialogue rolling and keeps the audiences attention with the personas that grace the screen.

If anything can be derided about the movie, it is that it is a musical. My brother was ex-tremely upset once the singing started. When Depp let the first notes ring my brother’s face formed a frown and he looked over at me, visibly pained. If musicals are not your thing, then this movie will probably not make your list, I myself would have avoided it if I had known earlier! Other than that, the violence may not be for everyone. The movie is very bloody, and graphically so. There is probably more spraying of blood then there are main characters, and Burton makes sure to let the bright red fluid dramatically fill the screen.

However, if you can get past the violence and the singing (if you can bear it), the movie itself is a wonderful experience. In fact, you may find yourself humming or singing along to a song long after the curtains fall.

‘No Country for Old Men’disappointsby sALMAN syeD

eNTerTAiNMeNT

Everyone I know keeps tell-ing me about how great “No Country For Old Men” is. I’ve even heard several people talk about how it is the best movie they have seen in years. I couldn’t disagree more. I actu-ally hated the movie. But I also understand how it is a good movie all at the same time.

Let me start by saying that I thought all of the actors are great; the casting was perfect for this film. They deliver their lines in such a way that the movie brings to life Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same title. Tommy Lee Jones is able to deliver a performance with restrained emotion while still

coming off as passionate, a talent that he is renowned for. Each glance Javier Bardem makes adds to how creepy his character is – in fact he is perhaps the most evil man I have ever seen in a movie ever.

The cinematography is also something to be compliment-ed. Each shot and display of color truly makes west Texas come alive. It emphasizes the size and dusty climate beauti-fully without going over the top. The camera work helps maintain the chase elements into what is ultimately a char-acter driven story. And therein lies the rub.

I don’t like movies where nothing happens. If it has

dialogue with nothing for me to grasp onto, I get bored. Don’t get me wrong, I like most of the Coen Brothers’ movies. In fact, I think I enjoy all of them but “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and for many of the same reasons. Something about the story keeps the chase and thriller aspects under such constraint that it is as if nothing really happens. Sure, people are being murdered by an air compressor powered cattle stun gun, but in a way that fails to shock me. And perhaps the lack of shock is what makes Javier Bardem’s performance believable. The story manages to make action seemingly nothing and any build up of anxiety completely disappear. It fails to suck me in

to care what happens to any of the characters. I neither want nor hope against what any of the characters are trying to accomplish.

This film confuses me in that I think it is great as a film but also find it to be absolutely boring. The problem for me is the story. All of the cinematic elements are as perfect as anyone could have made it. The music, the editing and the directing are all spot on. I appreciate “No Country For Old Men” as a body of cinematic art, but just hope to never waste what feels like an eternity to me watching it again. But then, I also don’t like any of Cormac McCarthy’s novels. If you need something more than dialogue and subdued action in a movie as I do, then steer clear away from “No Country for Old Men.”

7January 11, 2008The Warrior Sports

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by ALiK VersACKi

sporTs opiNioN

Some people believe that wres-tling is not a real sport, although most wrestlers, including myself, would beg to differ. The wrestling team is dedicated to athleticism and sportsmanship just as much as the other sports teams in Ni-skayuna. Wrestling requires a high degree of intelligence and strength and involves a great deal of strategy, rather than just stamina. Unknown to many, the actual point of wrestling is to pin your opponent as quickly as possible. Only when both of the opponents shoulders are flat on the ground for a certain amount of time will a referee blow his whistle and declare a pin.

Wrestling seems to be one of the lesser appreciated sports, but it is harder than most people think. When you are on the mat, your one and only goal is to get your opponent down, but

he wants to do the exact same thing to you. The whistle blows to start off the match. You cannot go into a match without a plan and once it has started, you have to be prepared to come up with solutions very quickly. A wrestler cannot afford to waste too much time thinking; he has to react quickly and with the right move. If you do not, you end up on the ground, with your back to the mat. You lost and everyone saw it happen.

There is a ton of pressure in wrestling because it is a one-on-one competition and everyone is watching you during your match. If you win, you feel great, but if you lose, you feel like you let your team down. Wrestling requires a lot of commitment from the indi-vidual athlete and without each athlete’s hard work, the team as a whole would fail. There are practices everyday after school, during which everyone has to

physically and mentally push themselves in order to make it to the next level. Because wrestling is a weight class sport, athletes have to weigh-in every week and they therefore have to have a steady handle on their diet and exercise plans.

So far this season, the wrestling team has excelled in all of our duals, including Mohonason, and tournaments, in which we were able to come out close to the top. One of our biggest opponents will be Shenedehowa, but the Niskayuna team is also looking really promising. Senior Jake Newcomb,who placed fourth in the state last year, has returned to the team this year. His expertice will help his team to move forward in their new seaon, and he will set an example for all of those arond him. Other team leaders this year include juniors Colin Selin and Joe Twitty, seniors Gary Chris and Eric Espina, as well as fresh-

man Alex Espina and Kevin Selin. All of these athletes have been competing in wrestling from a young age, and are therefore very experienced and ready to carry the school team to all new heights. We anticipate that Niskayuna will be able to pull off numerous victories in their upcoming meets, as well as throughout the season.

The team constantly derives in-spiration from the legacy of former Niskayuna wrestling coach, Joe Bena, and Niskayuna graduate and former Olympian wrestler, Jeff Blatnick. As these athletes work towards their futures in the world of sports, they are constantly reminded that they are wrestling on the same mats that great wrestlers before them started out on. Together, as a team, with a great deal of dedica-tion, training, and pure skill, the Niskayuna wrestling team will be on its way to victory. We have high hopes for our demanding

8 January 11, 2008 The WarriorSports

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Boys’ Basketballvs. Burnt Hills W62-60

Girl’s Basketball@Burnt Hills W 43-38

B o y s ’ b a s k e t b a l lby MATT grifferTy

sporTs

The boy’s basketball team’s record might show the signs of mediocrity, but their schedule sheds light on their record on their 3-3 Sub-urban Council record. They’ve to this point beaten Bethlehem, Shaker and Burnt Hills, their most recent victory. They’ve also endured losses to Averill Park, Shen and Guilderland, the current leaders of the three Suburban Council divisions. They’ve also been away at all of those games, which no doubt gave their opponents the advantage. But Niskayuna may have turned a corner on their “average” season last Friday night, with a huge, momentum swinging, overtime victory against division rivals Burnt Hills.

They went into the game 2-3, coming off a non conference victory against Glens Falls in the consolation game of the Hilliard Tour-nament. The home crowd was large, with Niskayuna’s Zone showing how important they have become to the teams success over the past few years.

Niskayuna came out slowly, scor-ing only six points to Burnt Hills 13. But they fought back on the heels of their newly in-stalled 3-2 defense. Forcing Burnt Hills to the shot clock on multiple occasions, and causing some difficult shots, the defense led to a number of offensive movements, and Ni-sky came out of the second quarter ahead, albeit by very few.

If momentum was supposed to be on Nisk-ayuna’s side, Burnt Hills paid little attention, taking the reigns in the third quarter, and caus-ing some turnovers themselves, and finishing the quarter up 38-31.

But Niskayuna was not about to back down, and came out in the fourth quarter with some quick points. Senior Alex Olbrych picked up the scoring slack, and began to, in many cases, single handedly demolish the Spartans “D”. The offense was working, with open shots of plenty, and a number of scores that caused dents in Burnt Hills steady lead.

As Niskayuna’s coach Mike Black predicted, with four minutes to go it was literally anyone’s game, but Niskayuna, with the roaring Red Zone behind them, had a definitive edge.

Down 45 to 50 with only minutes to left, Ni-skayuna turned the game around. Burnt Hills

defense, which was effective for most of every possession, was worn down by Niskayuna’s ball movement, which led to two open shots that Nisky converted.

Niskayuna’s tireless defense was working tre-mendously hard, but it couldn’t prevent the free throws from Burnt Hills guard Jaret Falkowitz that seemed to seal the game. There were eight seconds on the clock, and up by three, the game seemed to be over.

But Niskayuna, who have been in a number of tight home games this season, had the perfect counter to the Burnt Hills man to man press. Calling the play “Win”, a full court pressure breaker they had practiced the previous evening, they pushed the ball the length of the court. Senior Alex Olbrych beat his defender down the court, and found Garrett Bush on the right side of the court, waiting at the three point line. He hit him, and Bush put up a shot.

It appeared to be off, and Niskayuna’s hopes dashed, but the shot hit the back board, and swirled around the rim, dropping, and sending the game to overtime. If there had been any

question of who m a i n t a i n e d momentum, it had been an-swered.

Overtime be-gan 52-52, and Niskayuna and Burnt Hills trad-ed blows for the duration, with a number of key free throws by Olbrych. And it was he who sealed the deal

with a drive to the hoop with nearly ten seconds left in the game. He crossed his defender, and drove to the hoop, Burnt Hills defenders jumped out, but Olbrych was not fazed as he jumped backwards, and hit the five foot floater.

It was 61-60, and Burnt Hills only hope was a Falkowitz floater that glanced the front of the rim. Olbrych pounced on the rebound, and was fouled, and proceeded to ice the game with a free throw, before intentionally missing his second, allowing Burnt Hills to pull no heroics as the shot clock expired.

Olbrych and Bush have no doubt been the headliners of Niskayuna’s team this year, but they are supported by a core of upper and un-derclassmen, such as seniors Matt Grifferty, Joe Privitera, Joe Schwendler and John Moore, and also including juniors Dan Peters, Greg Rahn, Josh Powers, Kevin Nunez and Kevin Hoerold, and sophomore Guy Waltman.

Warrior photo / Chris NelsonTOUGH DEFENSE: Niskayuna Warrriors prevent the oppos-ing team from scoring in a recent game.

Volume 10, Issue 6 January 11,2008

Silver

Sarah Barry R.J. KosineskiKatie NottkeAsstronaut Editors:Stefan DoschDaniel StoneJohn Qiao

Editors:

GALACTIC GREETINGS

The Warrior Magazine

CAN YOU HEAR ME MAJOR TOM?

The Warrior Magazine January 11, 2008Silver

By Daniel StoneFiction

O u t e r S p a c e , I n n e r S p a c eDear Readers, We are on Uranus. We

miss you a lot. Uranus is on it’s side! Scientists think that an asteroid hit it and it turned to it’s side. Uranus is the seventh planet. Tell the dogs we miss them.

Love,The Editors

P.S. We’re Hanging off the rings, but we’re attached to a bungee cord.

.... This Space is Empty....

.... Just Like Space....

P.P.S. Katie Nottke wrote this in second grade. We didn’t change a word.

Most people have heard the tales of modern space travel: the epic race between the cold, heartless Soviets and the brave, free-thinking Americans to jettison their own best and brightest into the dark, endless abyss and then, hopefully, bring them back again. But few know the 100%, completely and totally true story about the first man to ever reach the region known to the Eskimos as “Los Cielos Largos,” or as we call it, Outer Space. Percival George M. Treatherbee the 9th was born July 2nd 1886 in the then French colony of Alger. Although he was largely an unremarkable student, he showed an early affinity for cooking. And astronomy. He spent many nights cooking outside beneath the stars, with only a blanket and a spatula to keep him warm. He abandoned his desire for cooking after a surprising incident involving some paprika, a telescope and seven mature bullfrogs. “Young Treatherbee!” his mother would call, “If you lie out there all night, you’re sure to catch a cold! Come inside soon!” But Treatherbee-George would not come inside. Somewhere, deep in his heart, he dreamt of climbing high into the sky, of reaching his hand out before him and plucking the stars from the sky, like so many strawberries in the summertime. However, he would not achieve his dreams for some time. Tired of his penny-loafing and general waywardness, his parents sent young Treatherbee-

George to a boarding school in London, where he would remain for four years. In 1875, his mother died tragically when an ordinary game of “hoop and stick” went horribly awry. Treatherbee returned home only long enough to attend her funeral, then departed quickly, telling his father only, “There are matters to which I must attend. When the wolf swallows the moon, walk seven paces east and there you will find the Grey-Bearded men.” His father never fully understood this mysterious message, and he died a short four years later (but not before marketing a series of successful Tru-SharpKitchen Knives). Of where Treatherbee traveled next, little is known. A photograph purchased recently by the Historical Society of North Ireland may or may not contain the image of Treatherbee sitting atop a horse next to the Great Wall of China. Historians debate the authenticity of the photo, but many claim that it dates to 1903, a mere four years after the death of Treatherbee’s mother. A page torn from Treatherbee’s journal (dated 9/6/02) contains only the cryptic phrase “GET OFF YOUR BIKE.” Much speculation has arisen about this period of Treatherbee’s life, but one thing is certain: Treatherbee arrived at the 1905 World’s Fair in Paris claiming the impossible: that he had visited space and that he would do it again. Most historians agree that it is unlikely that Treatherbee had gone to Outer space before. Most

likely, he only made the claim to stir up excitement for his plan. In any case, his claims were met with a storm of controversy. At the turn of the 20th Century, men of science were revered as little less than gods, and many believed that with science, anything was within man’s reach, even the stars. Still, most learned men were skeptical. When asked to present exactly how he planned to reach outer space, Treatherbee refused, claiming that he feared others would try to steal his secrets. However, from the accounts of one of Treatherbee’s few close friends, we know the basics of his plan. “Percy seems to think that he’ll get about 40,000 feet up by balloon alone, and for the rest of the trip he plans to use some sort of dynamite to, as it were, blast him up into the stars! What this means for his personal safety, he had no comment...” And so, on the fateful day of August 11, 1907, Treatherbee set out for the stars in a large, wicker bask et attached to nine, helium-filled balloons. Jerry-rigged to the bottom was over 80,000 pounds of dynamite. Treatherbee brought with him only two canteens of water, a gasoline lantern, a blanket and six normal house-cats. He was never seen again. You may be wondering, my astute reader, how it is we know that Treatherby actually ever reached Outer space? To you, my fair and perceptive reader, I would say, how don’t we know he made it to Outer space? The End.

The Warrior Magazine January 11, 2008 Silver

C l a s s C o m m e n t a r y

by Stefan DoschMagazine

Throughout the centuries, man has wondered what was in the sky above his head, spending countless hours questioning the space surrounding his home planet. In only the last few decades, man has started to explore these unknown cosmos, bouncing around in metal tubes and stopping at the places he looked up at from the earth and waving to his planet and eating m ms upside down without worrying about the reprecautions. After thousands of hours of work, millions of dollars and more math than anyone ever even thought of doing, ever, they have discovered that it is really

“When I was in second grade, I really wanted to be an astronaut, because we read a Time Magazine once, kind of like how I read Warrior Silver Magazine now, and it was about outer space, and it said that by the time we’re all old, like 70 years old or something, people will be living on the moon, but I don’t really think it will happen that quickly, but we’ll probably colonize the moon eventu-ally, and anyway, I have asthma and wear glasses, so I’m pretty sure I can’t even be an astronaut, which is kind of lame, but it’s okay because I have a telescope.” -Mick Donalds

“There’s a starman waiting in the sky, he’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds. There’s a starman waiting in the sky, he told us not to blow it cause he knows its all worth while. He told me ‘Let the children lose, let the children lose it, let all the children boogie’” - David Bowie

“Sometimes I wonder what the moon is really made of. I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is cheese. That’s the first thing we learned the moon to be made of, so why question it? But I can’t help pondering wheth-er or not this tall tale is true. I guess we’ll never know.” -Megan Mormino

“Outer space is amazing. I think it would be so cool to be an astronaut because I would love to have no grav-ity. It would be awesome just to float around all day and drink water that is really floating droplets. Also, Pluto is a planet, and I can’t believe it could ever be downgraded. I mean, what’s going to happen to the whole ‘My very energetic mother just served us nine pizzas’? We can’t have that say-ing without the pizzas. I don’t think there are any aliens in outer space, though, even on Pluto (the question-able planet). But you can never be too sure.” -Cindy Elliott

black in outer space. Also, they have discovered that when you fly really fast in a tube, people die sometimes and other things burst into flames and might land in the ocean. Humans in the last half-century have sent people into orbit, people to the moon and have even placed large pieces of metal into orbit around our planet so that we can all be looked over. This development has been the cause of a major shift in thinking, giving the men of science, also known as “them” or “they”, the idea to send people into the sky in a little metal tube with fire coming out of the back and then, when they don’t come down in one piece, they are very confused. Honestly, I am amazed

that they even make it back here at all. The fact that some of them live through the experience is even more incredible to me. It is extremely impressive considering the astronauts train in pools by doing little flips and then ride roller-coasters and egg scramblers while hooked up to huge ipods until they throw up. I think we should all applaud these men and women. At 3:00 on Feb. 3rd, I would like all of you to stop what you are doing, look to the sky and applaud whoever is floating out there in the cold in some ridiculous outfit and surrounded by suspended m ms. After all, they are doing it for science. On the other hand, as we look to the future, explore the universe and

think of “what is,” we should not forget about what “was.” As you are waving to the astronauts in the sky, remember that the dirt you stand on contains the ancestors that thought of the sky before you. Those ancestors are cool because they lived a long time ago. And without them, we wouldn’t have dirt. We wouldn’t have snakes either because snake’s live in dirt. So thank them. Every day thank those who gave you snakes and dirt. They are the building blocks. They were the first to think, the first to decide to kill each other and the first to stare into that sky and wonder what it would be like to not have to hold their mammoth meat chunk while they ate it. Space is carrots.

“It’s a cold blue lake effected snow storm. A cold blue lake effected snow storm. Sometimes I wish that my body’d float away. Why am I in space where’s my ticket home again? Did I ever ask to be here all alone? Why am I in space? I don’t ever remember ever coming here.” -Stefan Dosch

“Why am I in space?” -James Lyons

“Space... hmm. Space... I’ve always wanted to drink water while it was floating around up in space because I think it would be sooooo cool. Plus I heard that Jim Carey came from out-erspace and Jim Carey rocks!!!”-John Qiao

“If there’s one thing I hate in the world it’s space. But since space isn’t really a part of the world that’s ir-revant and I rebuke that statement... nah I’m just kidding. I love space.”-Joel Shapiro

G i v i n g T h a n k s t o O u t e r S p a c e

The Warrior Magazine January 11, 2008Silver

Do you believe that aliens exist?

Poll Planet!

Who is the best astronaut?

Which is better: perihelion or

aphelion?

What is the best planet?

What is your favorite

constellation?

Do you agree that Pluto should not be

* Perihelion: When Earth is as close to the sun as it

can be in its orbit

* Aphelion: When Earth is as far from the sun as it

can be in its orbitPolls are taken from a group of 40 people, so never fear, journalistic

integrity is here!