TheDublinShielDVolume 2, Issue 5 8151 Village Parkway Dublin, CA 94568 Friday, Febuary 24th, 2012

2/24-2/25: Improv Show @ The Little Theater @ 7pm

3/1: DHS 8th Grade Par-ent Night, 6:30pm

3/2: FAFSA/Cal Grant GPA Deadline- CSF 1st Semester Appli-cation Deadline- AP/Honors English Ap-plication Deadline

3/10 Men’s Tennis v. Campolindo @ Home, 3:30pm

3/15 Men’s Tennis v. Las Lomas @ Home, 3:30pm

3/17 Dublin Distance Fiesta @ Home 1:15pm

3/20: Women’s Varsity Lacrosse v. Dougherty Valley @ Dougherty Val-ley, 7pm- Men’s Varsity Lacrosse v. Dougherty Valley @ Home, 7pm

3/24: Junior Prom @ Canyon View, 7-11pm

3/27 Baseball & Softball v. Dougherty Valley @ Home, 4pm

3/28 Track & Field v. Alhambra, Campolindo & Las Lomas @ Home, 3:30pm

3/29 Baseball & Softball v. Miramonte @ Home 4pm

Upcoming EventsDublin’s Got TalentBy Lauren Flint

Women Take a Leap of Faith Violence Continues In SyriaBy Jasmine Virk

Leap year is when an extra day is added to the calendar, which happens every four years. Its purpose is to balance out the seasons and the man-made Gre-gorian calendar because it takes the Earth approximately 365 and a fourth days to revolve around the sun. This year, 2012, is a Leap year. Along with an extra day comes many traditions and folklore. February 29th is a day of bad luck, and, coincidentally and unrelated, when women can propose to men. Because the Earth takes about 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to travel around the sun, an extra day must be added to the calendar to match up the solar year and man-made

calendar. Romans were the first to designate February 29 as a leap year but in the 16th century the Gregorian calendar fine-tuned the calculations. According to Irish history, St. Bridget made a deal with St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men every 4 years because it was not fair for the women to have to wait for the men to propose. This was introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in the same way that Leap Day balances the calendar. If a man does not accept the mar-riage proposal, in many European countries, he is forced to buy her 12 pairs of gloves so the woman can hide her embarrassment of not having an engagement ring.

In Scotland, it was bad luck for someone to be born on Leap Day. People who are born on February 29 are called “leaplings” or “leap-ers.” The chances of being born on leap day are about 1 in 1500. There are about 187,000 people in the US and 4 million people in the world who share February 29th as their birthday. Leaplings celebrate 75% fewer birthdays than every-one else. In early history it was thought that leaplings were harder to raise and most likely to get sick. In China, to keep up with the seasons, they have an extra month added every three years to their lunar-solar calendar. Their leap years have 383, 384, and 385 days. The famous Mayans did not care about leap years because the central focus of their society was agriculture. The most impor-tant thing to them was to have 52 cycles and a ritual year of 260 days. Anthony Aveni, an expert in ancient Mesoamerican astronomy at Colgate University says, “They didn’t care if they didn’t have a white Christmas, or if their Fourth of July wasn’t in the summer.” So this leap day, ladies, take control. Don’t sit around waiting for the boys to grow the courage to talk to you. Take the first step. While not going as far as propos-ing, maybe ask for a lunch date or an outing to the movies. Boys do not always know how to make the first move and sometimes they need a little push.

By Natalie Miller

Dublin High held their annual talent show on Thursday February 7 at 7:00 pm in the Little Theater. There were a total of 19 unique and talented acts that preformed in front of an enthusiastic audi-ence and four stunning judges. Mr. Taylor, Mr. Kubey, Mrs. Cunning-ham, and Mrs. Carhart all watched in astonishment at how much hidden talent these Dublin High students had. The witty Katelyn Haubert and the ever so charming Edward Achziger hosted this year’s show and provided some extra enter-tainment with their catchy phrases and clever jokes. They had an opportunity to talk to the judges about their past talent show expe-riences. Mr. Taylor shared that although he never participated in a talent show, he was part of his 4th grade spelling bee. Ms. Carhart shared not taking part in a talent show either, but wished she did during her time here as a student at Dublin High. At the show it was also mentioned how she is currently part of a Smashing Pumpkins tribute band. After the judges had their mo-ments under the spotlight, the festivities continued. There were a large number of vocalists this year, along with a few musicians, a couple of dancers, and other humorous acts. Despite some technical difficul-ties with equipment, the perform-ers had the audience playfully singing along and clapping to the beat of the music. One act in particular had the crowd OOO-ing and AHH-ing as he spun objects

on his finger and a pencil. Daleno Cantrell put together a scene where he acted as a homeless man who spun objects left by a stranger near his cardboard box house. This was a first for the DHS talent showcase and it proved to be a very unique and fun performance enjoyed by the crowd. Although all of the acts were extraordinary, three of them stuck out to the judges and claimed the winning titles.

In third place, Patrick Wallace and Rachel Gregory sang a beau-tiful medley of “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele and “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie as Ryan McRee played the guitar. Jennifer Lee took second place for her exquisite solo Cello act playing “Haydn Concerto” and “Smooth Criminal.” Angelica Augafa and Kalo Loseli won first place for their fun and enthusiastic ukulele and singing

performance of “Thinkin’ Bout You” by Frank Ocean, “Price Tag” by Jessie J, “Knock You Down” by Keri Hilson, and “Love On Top” by Beyoncé. These exciting acts received standing ovations from the judges and hoots and hollers from the audience. Congratulations to all of the lovely Talent Show contestants and we will all be looking forward to the exciting new talent next year!

ABOVE: This year, women can keep up with the leap year tradition by proposing to their significant others. Credit: Natalie Miller

As American citizens continue to go through their daily lives, hundreds of civilians in Syria participating in the continual upris-ing are killed by the Syrian army, operating under president Bashar al-Assad’s command. According to the United Nations and other sources, over 8,000 people have been killed, tens of thousands of protesters have been injured, and many more have been impris-oned. No man, woman, or child is spared from the growing violence in the Middle-Eastern nation. Syrian protests started on Janu-ary 26, 2011, as citizens gathered to insist on political reforms and a reinstatement of civil rights. These protests started in response to the

many reforms made by al-Assad. Authorities began tightening Inter-net censorship laws and blocked websites, such as Wikipedia, Facebook, and YouTube, while forcing Internet cafes to record every comment made by users. Human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, have also detailed how al-Assad’s regime and secret police imprison, torture, and kill political opponents or any citizen that dares speak out against the regime. al-Assad and Syrian authority responded to these protests with violence, killing and imprisoning Syrian citizens.

ABOVE: UNICEF reports that over 400 children have been killed in the protests and another 400 have been arrested and tortured in Syrian prisons. Credit: Reuters/Handout

ABOVE: First place winners Angelica Augafa and Kalo Loseli got the crowd on their feet as they sang and played various songs that wowed the judges.

See SYRIA ON PAGE 2

2 The Dublin Shield News

Republiclican Presidential CandidatesBy Kathy Walker

ABOVE: All of the Republican candidates currently in the race. Credit: AP photos

Costa Concordia Disaster UpdateBy Jasmine Virk

ABOVE: The Costa Concordia wreck is estimated to have cost insurers over $500 million. Credit: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

From Your ValentineBy Natalie Miller

ABOVE:Katie Stangeland contemplates which Valentine gift would be best for her special someone. Credit: Natalie Miller Valentine’s Day is a huge deal for romantics everywhere, being celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark, Italy and Japan. But there is more to this day than just chocolates, cute cards, and flowers. St. Valentine’s Day comes from both Christian and ancient Roman tradition, with a lot of history behind the name. Most of the history behind Valentine’s Day is legend, where the truth behind them is uncertain. But even through the murkiness, Saint Valentine is shown as a sympathetic, heroic and a roman-tic figure. Valentine is one of the most popular saints in England and France. The most popular legend, ac-cording to History.com, states

that during the third century in Rome, Emperor Claudius II believed single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families. He outlawed marriages for young men. Valentine went against Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young couples. When Claudius found out, he ordered Valentine to be put to death. Another legend, says that while Valentine was imprisoned he sent the first “valentine” greeting to a young girl he fell in love with, who might have possibly been the jailer’s daughter. Before his death, he wrote her a letter and signed it “From your Valentine,” an expres-sion we still use today. In the late 5th century Pope Gelasius declared February 14,

With the 2012 presidential elec-tion just around the corner, it is no surprise that people, particularly those of the states nearing a pri-mary or caucus, are interested in knowing more about the Repub-lican candidates and how they intend to run the country. Whether or not one will be voting in the election, it is important to stay informed on the status of each of the major candidates in this race. The race to be the one elected has been a rough one indeed. Go-ing from eight candidates in Sep-tember to just four today, there is no telling how the race could end. With such determined candidates that do not intend on dropping out anytime soon, it is really a wonder how they have gotten his far. First we have Mitt Romney, an American businessman and politi-cian who has been in this race from the very beginning. Through his experience in business as a CEO of Bain & Company and as governor of Massachusetts, he has managed to win over the states of New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada in the recent cau-cuses and primaries. While Romney has had the

advantage of running a state and maintaining a steady position in the polls, he has had parts of his political past come back to haunt him. From flip-flopping on social issues while running the fairly Liberal state of Massachusetts to establishing Romney care, a supposed predecessor to Obama care, it has all been part of the core discussions in the past debates. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, started this race to the top as being one of the last in the polls. In the Iowa Republi-can caucuses, he placed a mere fourth, far behind Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney. He finished in fifth place at the New Hampshire Republican primary. Just as Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry were dropping out of the race, Gingrich won the South Carolina Republican primary. Fol-lowing, he placed second in the Republican Florida primary. Gingrich has come to be a well known name among many Re-publican voters. He took a surge in the polls after winning over the state of South Carolina where the governor has been endorsing Romney, not Gingrich. Having this ability to win the people over has certainly come to his advantage and will continue to for the prima-ries to come. Next we have Rick Santorum, former Senator of Pennsylvania, who entered the race in June 2011 but quickly came up to speed with the other candidates in January 2012 by just narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses. After Iowa, Gingrich and Romney took the lead, that is, until Santorum took not one, but three consecutive wins from the states of Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. Going through countless debates and endless campaigning just to find that the poll numbers in this race change on a weekly basis has

clearly shown his determination to continue onward. Though Santorum may not always remain highest in the poll numbers, he has continuously been named one of the most con-sistently Conservative candidates in the race, both in his political his-tory and his current campaigning. Mr. Kubey, Civics and AP Gov-ernment teacher at Dublin High, states, “He represents people who have strong moral and religious values.” And finally, one candidate that can never be forgotten, Ron Paul. Ron Paul, known for his outspo-ken views on American foreign and monetary policies, has made a significant increase in poll numbers throughout his years of running for presidency. While Ron Paul may not remain the Con-servative one in the race, he has maintained a bunch of enthusias-tic supporters that keep him going. While Ron Paul has yet to win over a state, he does not intend on dropping out anytime soon. Ron Paul has not only man-aged to continue onward but also increasingly gain the support of many different people, from Conservatives to Independents. His views on various issues rang-ing from government control to war has set him so far apart from the other candidates that he has practically become an inspiration to people from all walks of life. Mr. Kubey explains, “He speaks to a lot of young people that are new to the Republican people.” All of the candidates have gone through endless debates and campaigns in hundred of cities and counties to get to where they are now. While at this point in the race there is no telling who could end up winning the election, know-ing what is at stake for each can-didate and perhaps one you may be hoping will win remains vital for the election in November 2012.

a day for honoring Saint Valen-tine and in the 14th century Saint Valentine’s Day became associ-ated with love and romance. Then, in the 17th century Europe embraced the tradition of ex-changing valentines and, finally, in 1840 Valentine’s were first mass-produced and sold in the United States. Esther A. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” sold elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and color pictures known as “scrap.” Today 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. Over 50 percent of Valentine’s Day cards are pur-chased in the six days leading up to February 14, and most of those are given to women. Many people believe Valentine’s Day is just a commercial holiday, and in some ways they are right. Here are some quick facts about Valentine’s Day in the United States:- 448 million dollars are spent on candy the week before Valentine’s Day.- 58 million pounds of chocolate candy are bought during the Valentine’s Day week.- 36 million heart-shaped choco-late boxes are sold for the holiday.- 150 million Valentine’s Day cards and gifts are sent each year.- The average amount men spend on Valentine’s Day is 150 dollars while women only spend 74. Valentine’s Day, now is very commercial and a day of show-ing off ones love through gifts or cards. Although some think it is cliché, others enjoy treating their loved ones extra special for a day.

On Friday, January 13, the Ital-ian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, was wrecked after striking a reef near the Tuscan coast and run-ning aground at Isola del Giglio. 4, 252 passengers on board had to be evacuated, yet tragically, not everyone survived the disaster. Divers recovered the body of a woman on Saturday, January 28, bringing the death toll to 17 people. Over 60 passengers have been injured and 15 passengers are still missing. On the day of the wreck, pas-sengers reported hearing a “loud bang” while on board and then having the ship fill with water. The Costa Concordia leaned heavily from left to right before toppling over. Only after an hour did Cap-tain Francesco Schettino give the order to abandon ship. Because of the crew’s late acknowledgement of the disaster, it took police divers and rescue workers hours to get the passengers to safety. After police investigation, Schet-tino has been blamed for causing the wreck. It is speculated that he deviated from the ship’s course to give the people on Isola del Giglio a close-sail-past or near-shore-salute, which is when a ship goes off course so that passengers can wave to the people on land. Further investigation revealed that the captain was one of the first to evacuate the ship even though it is the captain’s duty to make sure the passengers and crew safely get off the cruise liner first. Schettino claims that he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while he was attempting to evacuate the hundreds of passengers still on board. Captain Schettino has been

charged with multiple manslaugh-ter, causing a shipwreck, failing to assist 300 passengers, and failing to be the last to leave the wreck. Schettino is currently under house arrest, as ordered by a Florence judge. The Florence appeals court rejected both the prosecutor’s request to imprison the captain and Schettino’s defense attorney’s pleas of releasing Schettino. The Costa Crociere company has accepted part of the blame for the wreck and offered pas-sengers $14,500 in compensa-tion for their ordeal. However, many passengers were offended that the company was offering so little compared to the tragedy they experienced. Lawyer John Arthur Eaves, who represents over 70 plaintiffs, has sued Carnival Corporation for millions of dollars. Eaves argues that the high amount will “Demand higher safety standards from the cruise industry”. As for the actual cruise liner itself, Dutch shipwreck firm, Smit International, has started to salvage the wreck from the Italian coast. Unfortunately, high winds and rough seas have forced the company to delay plans of pump-ing 500,000 gallons of fuel off the coast. The actual removal of the ship is expected to take months. As recovery from the wreck continues, we are all reminded of how tragic this situation truly is. The wreck could have been completely avoided if the captain had done his job and taken care of the passengers on board. Instead, thousands of people have suffered through an avoidable tragedy be-cause of one man’s negligence.

On March 18, 2011 protesters in several Syrian cities took to the streets shouting “God, Syria, freedom, that is enough,” in oppo-sition to the traditional pro-regime slogan “God, Syria, Bashar, that is enough”. In Damascus, security forces violently attacked the pro-testers and at least three people were killed. The growing movements strengthened the protesters’ cause, but also served to spread the violence even further. On March 24, it was reported that hundreds of protesters have been killed in marches that involved over 20,000 participants. On April 25, 2011, in response to the protests, the Syrian army stormed Daraa, cutting water, electricity, and phone lines. Sev-eral civilians were killed and there were reports of bodies littering the streets. The cities of Baniyas and

Homs have now also fallen under siege by government forces. Locals reported that death and imprisonment of young children and teenagers have followed the government’s take over. As of now, countries have only imposed sanctions against Syria and no one has pledged to help or offer military assistance as they had for Libya and Egypt. In response to the growing criticism from other countries, al-Assad responded by accusing foreign countries of plotting the uprising. He also went on to claim that “vic-tory was near” for Syria. The only retaliation against al-Assad’s reign of violence have been sanctions imposed by foreign countries. Unfortunately, freezing Syria’s assets in other countries has not stopped the constant blood shed and loss ex-perienced by innocent civilians.

SYRIA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1:

In our previous issue, we stated that the Battle of Bands was sponsored by “Kirkland Guitars,” but it was, in fact, sponsored by Hertlein Guitars. We regret our mistake.

3 The Dublin Shield Entertainment

Who is Charles Dickens?By Swarna Lnu

A Delicious ReadBy Paolo Cordero

ABOVE: The Famous Hunger Games Mocking Jay Embelem Credit: http://crushable.com Action, violence, humor, sus-pense, corruption, mystery and romance sparked the beginning of this generation of teenagers’ fa-vorite novel, The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collin’s first book of her New York Times Bestselling series turned many heads such as horror-suspense novelist Stephen King, and even brought Stepha-nie Meyer, author of the failed and dimwitted Twilight series to branch from her vampire-werewolf fantasies. The Hunger Games also had the loyal and spirited Harry Potter readers reliving their fan-based memories through a different kind of story. In the far future, the nation of Panem has taken the place of the North American ruins. A shining, but cruel Capitol rules over twelve surrounding districts. The Capitol enforces their power over the districts by forcing one teenage boy and girl to participate in the Hunger Games, a brawl to death on live television. The Hunger Games protagonist, sixteen-year-old Katniss Ever-deen who is stricken by family bonds, steps forward in place of her younger sister for the Games. Although she may be awaiting her death sentence, Katniss has grown with the skills and wit of a survivor in the wild, changing the

A Night Filled With FilmBy Swarna Lnu

ABOVE: The coveted Academy Award. Credit:Whyfame

The Walking Dead Returns To Prime-TimeBy Robert Chilicky

ABOVE: The full cast of the show. Credit: AMC TV

With Awards season coming by, the 84th Annual Academy Awards, known as the Oscars will be held on February 26, 2012. Previously, rumors were spreading stating that Eddie Murphy would be the host, but due to an illness he dropped out and now Billy Crystal is the host. There will be 16 categories to receive an award. Some include Best Actor in a sup-porting role, Best Animated Movie, Best Picture and more. Hugo has been nominated for 7 categories including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Art Direc-tion, Best Directing, and Best Writing. Hugo is a movie set in the 1930s about an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station. The movie was directed by Martin Scorsese. Along with Hugo, The Artist will be in the competition. The movie is nominated for 7 categories, all of which Hugo has been placed in. The Artist is a 2011 silent movie with very good movie reviews.

Jean Dujardin plays George Valentine, a silent movie star. He begins to wonder what will happen to his career as talking pictures become more famous. He meets Peppy Miller played by Bérénice Bejo. War Horse, a movie about a boy named Albert who enlists in the WW1 after his horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry. The movie is nomi-nated in 4 categories, Best Music, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Best Picture. The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg. Demian Bicher, George Cloo-ney, Brad Pitt, Jean Dujardin, and Gary Oldman are the nominees in the category of Actor in a Leading Role. Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Viola Davis, and Rooney Mara are in the cat-egory Actress in a Leading Role. In the category of Actor in a Sup-porting Role, Jonah Hill, Kenneth Branagh, Nick Nolte, Christopher Plummer, and Max Von Sydow are competing. In the category of

The Walking Dead is back! On February 12 the smash-hit televi-sion program continued its second season after a two-and-a-half month break. For those who are unaware, The Walking Dead is a post-apocalyptic survival horror series that centers on a group of survivors trying to find safety in a

world turned upside down, where the dead fill the streets and hope has almost certainly vanished. “I’m really excited that it’s coming back,” student Kenneth Prince says. “It should be great.” When asked about his favorite char-acter Kenneth responded, “Defi-nitely Rick. He is so determined to

protect people in need and he never gives up.” Rick Grimes, played by actor Andrew Lincoln, leads the group after previously waking up in an abandoned hospital, often wielding a revolver. What is Kenneth’s weapon of choice? “I would get a machete and learn how to use it. I wouldn’t use guns because they would at-tract more zombies to me.” The television series “he Walking Dead was inspired by the series of comic books written by Robert Kirkman, who is also a producer and writer of the TV show. The comics and the television series contain different story arcs and in some cases, new characters. For example, Daryl Dixon who is played by Norman Reedus, does not ap-pear in the comic books. Be sure to tune in on Sunday nights at 9 pm to catch The Walking Dead on AMC. You won’t regret it!

ABOVE: Charles Dickens, an English author. Credit: Victoria and Albert Museum

eyes of the nation to see her as a favorite contender. If she does survive, Katniss still faces the new threats and new realities that will change her life in the nation of Panem. As a strong and passionate Harry Potter fan, but otherwise very critical book reader it takes a lot for a novel to impress me. The Hunger Games, however, became one of those, “lock-in and read-out” type of books. I found myself reading one-third of the novel in between classes over the course of one week and then spending a Saturday morning finishing the book in the comfort of my own lounge chair. After finally closing this book, many readers are guaranteed a great surge of satisfaction in accomplishing the “End of Book One.” Then, only in a few seconds they will be craving for more of Collins’s amazing series. Lastly, if one plans to catch the movie release on March 23, read-ing the novels make the experi-ence much more exciting. This major box office stars teenage celebirties, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, and Oscar nominee, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. “And May the odds ever be in your favor.”

Actress in a Supporting Role the nominees are Bérénice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Melissa McCarthy, Janet McTeer, and Octavia Spencer In the category of Animated Feature Film the nominees are A Cat in Paris, Chico and Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, and Rango. Kung Fu Panda 2 is the sequel of the first one, and is well written. The audience was on the edge of their seats hoping for a happy ending. The story begins with Po, the happy filled panda. As the movie progresses, we learn about Po’s past and his parents. Along with learning about his past, Po must defeat the evil peacock, Shen who threatens to ruin China. Each movie, actor, and actress have a huge chance to win. 2011 ended with tons of movies ending in success, and each have a good opportunity of winning.

I bet no one knew what hap-pened on February 7, 1812. This day marked the birth of Charles Dickens, an English novelist who is rumored to be the greatest writer of the Victorian period. Born on February 7, 1812 in Landport, Portsea Dickens was the second of John Dickens’ eight children. In 1814, Dickens’ family moved to London and resided there until 1821. In the house, Dick-ens found inspiration in authors such as Roderick Random, and

Peregrine Pickle. At the young age of eight, his family was forced out of their house, and into a small quaint house. He was then sent to earn a living in a blacking ware-house in which he trimmed and labeled blacking pots for a year. Life was extremely difficult for him at the time. Then, finally, from 1824 to 1826 he spent two years at an acad-emy known as Wellington House where he was often described as a mischievous and happy boy.

After, Dickens was offered a job at Gray’s Inn which paid 15 shil-lings a week. He worked there for 5 years becaming a well-known reporter. On April 2, 1836, Charles mar-ried Catherine. A couple years later he resigned and moved to Devonshire and wrote American Notes launching Dickens’ writing career. He began bringing in many readers with his witty lines, and in-teresting characters. He captured the attention of many and left readers in awe anxiously waiting to seize another book. In 1858, Charles Dickens set off on tour for public readings. Then, a year later he wrote a book that changed the perspective of English civilians, A Tale of Two Cities--a book read in many Hon-ors English classes. After the book was published, he went on to write two more books, including Great Expectations. Sadly, one day on a train ride home, he was involved in a train crash that didn’t injure him but in-stead left him was with emotional trauma. Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870 from cerebral hemorrhage in the peace and tranquility of his home, and is now buried in Poet’s Corner of Westminister Abbey, London. Around the nation, high schools continue to read his most accomplished work, A Tale of Two Cities.

4 The Dublin Shield Sports

Spring Back into Track and FieldBy Paolo Cordero

Lacrosse Season BeginsBy Kyle Dayton

Winter sports are winding down and spring sports athletes have begun practicing. One sport that has been growing at Dublin High for the last few years is lacrosse. There is both a men’s team and a women’s team this year, with JV and Varsity teams for each.

Last year both varsity teams made NCS, and this year they are hoping to make it even further. The men’s team lost a lot of good seniors that played last year, but many of the juniors that are now seniors this year have been work-ing hard to make up for that.

Kellen Mitchell, a senior on the team that has played for all four years of high school is excited for this year. He says that he is “ready for the year and expecting to go far in NCS.” Him and other players from Dublin High also participated in teams over the summer in order to prepare for the upcoming season. Connor Chin, a junior on the team, has been playing since he was little. He scored many goals for the Gaels last season and hopes to do the same this year. He says, “I am really excited for this lacrosse season because the team has put in a lot of effort and I can really see the progress we have made.” The men’s team has been con-ditioning since the fall and they all agree that they are ready for the real playing time to begin. The women’s team has also been training since fall, and they are ready to take on their com-petitors as well. There have been several changes in the coaching staff this year for their team, and they are excited to see what is in store for the season. Senior Annette Sommers says, “I think that having a new coach this year will be a positive change and get us geared towards NCS.” She and many of the other girls on the team are working hard to have the best season possible this year. Games for the men’s and wom-en’s lacrosse teams start in late February, and they are hoping for a lot of support. If you have never seen a lacrosse game before, be sure to check one out.

ABOVE: The men’s varsity and JV lacrosse teams gather around their coaches for some wise words before wrapping up practice. CREDIT: Kyle Dayton

ABOVE: Andre Rudolph sprinting his 100 Meter Dash at the Sky-line-Bishop O’Dowd Scrimmage. CREDIT: Paolo Cordero As the U.S. Track and Field athletes are training to set World Records at the 2012 London Sum-mer Olympics, the Dublin Gaels Track & Field team have been training and competing to win another DFAL Championship. The season started off with the Gaels’ first scrimmage against Skyline and Bishop O’Dowd High School. On Saturday, February 11, the Gaels fought, as Coach Williams says, “with a target on their back.” This expression sets the tone for the rest of the season,

meaning that each time a Gael is in the starting blocks, in the jumping pit, or in the throwing ring, another athlete is waiting to bring “it” ten times harder. And, in reac-tion, must give “it” their all. On the men’s side, sprinters Artis Jones, Anthony Egbujor, and Adeola Olayomi dominated the track. Egbujor swept the 100 meter sprint with the time of 11.4 seconds, followed by Jones at a slim and close 11.5 seconds. Later in the meet, Olayomi busted out a quick 23.87 seconds 200

meter race, leaving the other schools behind. Defending 110 meter hurdle DFAL Champion, Jabari Davis pulled ahead with a 15.99 second finish, still looking to break his personal record of 15.6 seconds set in during the 2011 season. His ultimate goal being to, “win an-other league championship.” For the ladies, Jillian Colwell stole the 800 meter race as her own with a 2:41.75 minute fin-ish, and Amanda Mponte beat a personal triple jump record with a 31-7 feet jump. High, long, and triple jump coach, Ms. Velez cannot stop expressing her joy for the upcom-ing season. She passionately explains, “I am super pumped, I’m looking forward to another season. Of course our boys were undefeated last year, and we have a lot of new kids.” Also exclaiming, “I love track and field!” Also as a strict and disciplined coach, Velez states “I just need kids to show up everyday and be coached because if they do, they will become great athletes.” As the season continues, Coach Williams stated that, “as defend-ing league champions, I expect them to carry [themselves] as champions.” Williams is excited to welcome back the returning cham-pions, such as current seniors, Davis, Jones, and Egbujor. He is confident that the girls, including the incoming fresh-men, “have the potential to also compete for the DFAL Champion-ships.” With threats like Colwell and returning Senior Sprinter, Noria Mitchell, the girls are sure to bring the heat in the upcoming season. Support the Dublin Gaels Track and Field this spring season at the Dublin Distance Fiesta on March 17, and the first home meet against Alhambra, Campolindo and Las Lomas on March 28.

Beyond a GameBy Chandler Bullock

To many, one game may be insignificant in the big picture. This sport could be the only way in which athletes are able to escape from reality. The time when a sport can go beyond a game and be a necessary part of one’s life. In that way sports can be the escape and what makes the equality in one’s life. After a 57-13 win for the Lady Gaels basketball team over Alhambra high school, Dublin’s second-leading scorer, Alison Martinez, had to get up from the bench--a foreign place to her, a place that she visits for only a cou-ple of minutes each game, a mere tourist of the bench. She never has the chance to experience the plush white leather of the Dublin seats as she is soon sent back to the scorer’s table to get back in the game. Alison has been on the Varsity Basketball team since she was a freshman. She did spend her fair share of time on the bench during that time, but when asked what drives her to be a great basketball player she said, “I always strive to be the best in everything I do.” She said that this drive to be the best has caused her to “practice [her] shots daily and continue to improve [her] game outside of school practices.” This work ethic has her starting at guard and play-ing nearly the whole game. Not to mention that then numbers do not lie with her 12.1 points per game. But there is something different about Allison that many people may not know, even her competi-tors in a game. Alison is partially deaf. She has a cochlear implant which she received through surgery when she was three years old. Allison does not see her deaf-

ness as a disability. When asked Alison said “I actually consider [being deaf] a gift. It’s a part of who I am.” Many people cannot even imagine living a day without one of their five senses. While Alison is able to play a sport in which com-munication is key to run plays or to get the ball at the correct time. Alison’s positivity seems to flow from her as she sees basketball as a game in which she “plays and has fun.” She does not let her difficulty hearing affect her in any way. The way in which it affects her in the game is when the team is calling a set play, but like many great teams and athletes they have adapted. Knowing that Alison is such a key part of their team has caused them to now call plays with hand signals in order for Alison to understand what play is being called. One part of Alison that is ap-parent from talking to her is that basketball is not her whole life, nor is it all she is as a person. She enjoys spending time with her family and watching movies when she is not working on her outside jumper or getting stellar grades in the classroom. As always, when Alison needs an escape from reality she can always turn to basketball. A sport she described as “[not] just a sport, but a passion of mine.” Bas-ketball does not judge based upon how someone looks or who they are. Basketball rewards those who work the hardest and have a great passion for the game, as many sports do. In that respect, Alison’s great passion will come with great reward.

CAPTION: Alison Martinez is second in scoring for the Lady Gaels with 12.1 points per game. CREDIT: Chandler Bullock

5 The Dublin ShieldStudent Life

Share the Loveby Lauren Flint

Fashion Trends of 2012By Hailai Arghandiwal

Saving Lives at Dublin HighBy Lauren Koa

As the new year just began, people are taking a wide interest in the new trends that are being widely seen. With the high fashion cities like New York City, Los An-geles, and San Francisco bursting with modern fashion ideas, people are inspired by anything and everything they see to create their own work of art. Walking around our beautiful campus, one can see the unique fashion styles of each individual and the popular clothing trends. One trend that has become very popular are the combat boots. These boots are army type boots that are much more stylish. They are perfect for any season, espe-cially winter. Combat boots basi-cally go with any outfit whether it be formal or casual. They can now be found in most retail and shoe stores. Colorful or lace tights are also commonly seen on the DHS cam-pus. The female students wear them underneath their shorts, skirts, or dresses. Colorful tights add some flare to a person’s outfit. Some students want to be com-fortable yet stylish with their outfits and they have found that blazers, and jean or leather jackets work perfectly. Blazers can dress up a particular outfit taking it from a day look to a night look. Jean jackets have been seen around campus being worn on top of sweatshirts

or vibrant blouses. These jackets are able to give an edge to the daily outfit. A unisex style that is another common trend at this school are beanies. There are multiple types of beanies that are either fitted or slouched. Like other trends, beanies can be used to brighten up one’s wardrobe. They give the outfit a very relaxed yet stylish feel. DHS students inspire one another with their outfits but some looks are inspired by celebrities. Laila Tiwana, a sophomore here at DHS, said, “I gain my fashion inspiration from multiple celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens, and Kendall Jenner.” She says that if she likes their style, she will try to recreate it in her own way. When asked what she believes will be upcom-ing trends, Laila said that she thinks there will be more patterned leggings and high waisted pants or shorts. Fashion is applied to our lives on a daily basis, whether we go to school, the store, or a soccer game, we can consistently try to suit the needs of our fashion instinct by wearing the clothes we want to wear. It is an art that is unique to each individual. Experi-ences in life change our perspec-tive on this art, therefore creating a plethora of styles.

ABOVE: Jesy Nelson(left), Emma Neckar(center), and Brittney Achziger(right) show off their stylish boots.

On January 30, sixty people saved lives at Dublin High School’s Little Theater. These sixty blood donors, made up of students, staff, and community members, were a group of people who came out to make a differ-ence. Their bravery and commit-ment despite their fear of pointy objects and discomfort, made Dublin High’s Red Cross Blood Drive an extremely successful event. Prior to the actual drive, the Red Cross Club here on campus had been vigorously recruiting people to become donors and collecting appointment times. Vice President Chelsea Pae stresses, “People always need blood, so it’s one of our Red Cross Club missions to hold as many blood drives as we can to the people who need it.” The blood drive started at 2 P.M. and ended at 6:30pm. Despite its small time frame, the drive was

able to collect roughly around 60 units of blood. Once school got out at 2:45 P.M., students started pouring in, ner-vous, but anxious to give blood. Many students were first time donors, curious about what the donating experience would be like. Seniors Kacey Borgeson and Alanna Erspamer were both first time donors that were happy to talk about their experience. Kacey said she asked the nurse a bunch of questions during the examination, and made sure she was drinking a lot of water for the past couple days. Kacey was full of energy before, during, and after her blood was drawn. When asked about her experience, she happily told the Shield, and others that “it didn’t hurt at all.” Another senior, Alanna Erspam-er, was happy to become a donor that Monday. “You don’t feel anything once the

needle is in,” said Alanna. After having a pint of blood drawn, the donors were then asked to sit at the refreshment bar, where they were offered cookies, juice and snacks. Before leaving, donors were also given free t-shirts as thanks for their time and donation. While there were many students that were interested in donating blood at the drive, many of them were turned away due to weight and height requirements that the Red Cross must follow during high school blood drives. The Red Cross has these stricter weight and height requirements to make sure that anyone who meets the requirements will most likely have a positive experience. A nurse at the drive said, “Once you turn 19, as long as you meet that 110 lbs. weight requirement, you will be able to get your blood drawn at a high school drive.” For shorter teenage boys and girls, this means that they will have to wait a few years to be able to donate at a high school. But the club members were sure to thank them for their courage and desire to donate and re-minded them that spreading the awareness for the need of blood is also key in saving lives. Anyone interested in donating blood, but didn’t have the chance to do so last month, should defi-nitely donate during the next drive on campus or through their local American Red Cross. According to the American Red Cross, an average of 44,000 units of blood are needed each day at emergency rooms and hospitals. The need is always constant, and almost everyone will have to re-ceive blood at some point in their life. All it takes is a half hour of commitment to help save a life.

ABOVE: Many students were first time donors who didn’t know what to expect from the experience. Senior Alanna Erspamer smiles for the camera while giving blood. CREDIT: Lauren Koa

February may be known for Valentine’s Day, but it is also domestic violence awareness month. Domestic violence applies to dating and marital violence, stalking, rape and sexual assault, and domestic homicide. Between 600,000 and 6 million women and between 100,000 and 6 million men are victims of domestic vio-lence each year. Adults are not the only targets for domestic violence. One in five teenagers between 14 and 17 claim to be abused by their partner. Domestic violence is not only limited to partner abuse. It can also occur between parents and children. Many are unaware to how com-mon domestic violence is because they think that sexual and verbal assault victims are not harmed by their partner, but strangers or random criminals. However, 76% of women that report to have been raped since age 18, state that it

was their partner who commit-ted the assault. It is important that everyone becomes aware of the horrors of domestic violence because, believe it or not, each individual can make a difference. One in four women has experi-enced domestic violence in their lifetime. One of these women, Victoria S., from the Domestic Re-source Center website, shared her personal situation and how she escaped. She was with her hus-band for 11 years and those years consisted of miserable emotional and physical abuse. She would often try and escape with her two children but he always found a way to get his hand on her again. Each time he found her, he would violently beat and rape Victoria and force her back home. On her last escape however, she left her children with her mother until she was far enough away and found shelter at Monika’s House with the Domestic Resource Center. She

recovered there for 3 weeks and then transitioned into settlement housing in another county. Luckily, Victoria was strong enough to seek help. Not all women, however, feel they can escape, or seek help. That is when it is especially important for their loved ones to assist them in finding ways to rid their lives of abuse. Almost 74% of Americans person-ally know someone who is or was a victim of domestic violence. Each person can make a differ-ence. There are hotlines that one can call for help or to seek advice on how they can assist someone in need. The Domestic Resource Center website is very helpful in educat-ing people on what they can do to help. There are shelters and programs for victims of domestic violence and there are ways that people can donate to these pro-grams to aid victims. Locally, there is the Tri-valley Ha-ven where victims can seek help and advice via the crisis hotline or by enrolling in any of the programs offered. If you or someone close to you is in need of help regard-ing domestic violence, DO NOT WAIT TO SEEK HELP! Call a crisis hotline at: 800.884.8119 or 925.449.5842. The Haven also offers assistance programs and counseling services. If you are not a victim or domes-tic violence, but you would like to aid in the fight against domestic violence, you can look into volun-teering or donating through the Tri-Valley Haven. All cases of domestic violence are tragic whether it is constant verbal abuse or sexual assault, each person who takes the time to help will make a difference. Share the love and make a change!

CREDIT: Thecrimereport.org

Josephine Giamona, a 27-year-old fisherman’s daughter, was having trouble finding her knight in shining armor. Running low on hope, she was invited to go to a United Service Organization dance. It was a formal Thanksgiv-ing Dance so everyone was look-ing their best. However, that didn’t matter to Josephine because “they were all too short,” and that was the only thing she could manage to say about the boys. Standing at 5”7’ herself, it was hard to find a guy she could look up to. And yet there was one guy who caught her eye, he was tall and handsome, but out of all the gorgeous girls here, why would he choose her? As the music starts, all the other girls at her table were asked to dance, except for her. She was lonely and feeling sorry for herself wondering why she even came. While her faith was slipping away, and her despair sinking her deep-er and deeper into utter agony, there was a tap on her shoulder. That simple tap had changed everything that night. Caught off guard, she turned her head uneasily to see what fate had put behind her. She looked up and her eyes met the tall, handsome stranger that she had seen earlier. His name was Carroll and he asked her to dance, and she will-

ingly accepted. The music played and their bodies swayed in the perfect rhythmic pattern. Every-thing felt so right and as the hours grew, so did their relationship. Not yet a week after they met they were already engaged. Some call it true love, others call it stupidity, but when 59 years go by and they’re still in love, it’s called true love. My grandparents have taught me a lot over the years, from how to make myself breakfast to how to be a good person. But the most important lesson I have learned is that true love does exist; you just have to be willing to wait for it. January 24th was their 59th re-union, yet they still gush over their very first dance. True love like that does not come around every day, and nothing that important is worth giving up. With Valentine’s Day having just passed, many people were left feeling sorry for themselves, calling the holiday Singles Aware-ness Day. However, just because you’re single does not mean you have to be lonely, it just means you are one step closer to finding your “Carroll” or “Josephine”. My grandmother waited 27 years for something that lasted a lifetime, I think it was a fair trade.

Fairy Tales Are Not Just for the MoviesBy Taylor Weber

6The Dublin Shield Campus LifeHoroscopesBy: Lauren Flint

Physics, Mathematics, and Robotics?By: Kyle Dayton

There are many different clubs and choices of extracurricular activities to participate in at Dublin High. One such club is the Robot-ics Club. This is only the second year that the Robotics Club has been at Dublin High, so it is rela-tively new. They recently had a competition at Dougherty Valley High School on February 11. It was their sixth competition this year, and there were 3 different teams from the Dublin High Robotics Club partici-pating in it. There were thirty-one teams in all at Dougherty Valley that the Robotics Club was com-peting against. The objective of the competi-tion was to use a robot built and programmed by the team to score balls into different goals. The goals ranged in height, and there-fore the higher the goal, the more points it was worth. Each round was two minutes with the robots being controlled by the team, and then an additional twenty sec-onds with the robot running on its own programs that the team had designed. About the competition and robotics club in general, Martha Warner said “we’ve learned how to cooperate well as a team.” Martha was involved in one of the teams that competed at Dougherty Valley and she enjoyed watching her hard work pay off. Robotics Club Captain Joshua Price also mentioned that even though a big part of the club involves building, programming their robots is just as important. Ms. Chou is the faculty advi-sor for the robotics club, and she also works with the engineering

classes at Dublin High. She said that in the club, they use many of the materials from the engineering class, do a lot of C++ program-ming, and apply math concepts in their designing as well. Most of all, Ms. Chou realizes that it is a lot of fun for students, and that “the kids learn a lot, for example, not to get stressed out under pressure.” All the teams at the competition performed very well, and it was

ABOVE: One of the teams from Dublin High’s Robotics Club par-ticipates in a competition at Dougherty Valley High School. Credit: Kyle Dayton

apparent that they were having a blast at the same time. This tournament marked the beginning of the club’s off season. Although in April they are partici-pating in one more big tournament in which they must program a robot to navigate a quarter mile on its own. The team has had an exciting and successful season, and they are looking forward to next year.

Be MineBy: Annie Chan

Aries: Mar 21 - April 19 It is important that you keep an open mind, Aries. You will be faced with some difficult situations and you have no time to waste over analyzing. Instead of staring at the ceiling and thinking of every possible outcome, just let it happen and do something productive with your life.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20 Be prepared for conflicting emotions. Warn others around you because there is a chance that you may come off as slightly psycho and bipolar. Don’t Fret, Taurus. Your friends will be understanding of your strange, unex-plainable behavior.

Gemini: May 21 - June 20 Utilize the opportunities that are coming your way. Invest in something unique, like a small pet shop or a fruit stand along the highway. Good for-tune will come to you from something unexpected.

Cancer: June 21 - July 22 Your relationships are in danger. Whether it be romantic, friendly, or family related, you must try to avoid unnecessary fighting. Yes, this means that you should not start a conflict over your mother putting mustard on your sandwich.

Leo: July 23 - Augt 22 You cannot afford to slack off even though you are feeling unmotivated. Suck it up and buckle down. Everyone goes through struggles and you will survive, even if it means screaming and crying along the way. You have to grow up and discipline yourself.

Virgo: Augt 23 - Sep 22 Your heart is longing to feel love, but your head is telling you it’s not a good time to begin a relationship. Instead of looking for someone to fill the space, enjoy time with your friends and let love find you.

Libra: Sep 23 - Oct 22 It’s about time that you get rid of those jeans that are way to small. Although you think that they are moti-vation to hit the gym, they are actually just mocking you and taking up space in your drawer. Throw them away and buy some cute things that fit and make you feel good.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21 You are going to get caught up in a web of your own lies, and before you know it, your pants will catch on fire. Try telling the truth and you may be surprised how much easier life is. Not to mention you will stop burning holes in your jeans. Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21 Selfish has become your middle name. Don’t forget that you do you have friends, and pretty soon you are going to realize you have pushed them all away. Try and not be so self-centered because you do not want end up alone with five parakeets and a large aquarium filled with goldfish.

Capricorn: December 22-Jan 19 You will find yourself with a lot of free time this month. Take advantage of this by trying something new; perhaps water polo or walking the dogs around your neighborhood.

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18 Stop stressing over situations you cannot control. You are making things worse than they need to be and it is affecting your outlook on everything else. Sit back, shove your face with your favorite snack, and relax.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20 A much needed talk with a friend is coming your way. Be careful though, your words may come out wrong and cause conflict. Maybe sitting there silently is a better idea, because let’s face it, you have the tendency to make things worse.

7 The Dublin ShieldOpinion

Acting on ACTABy: Jeffrey Luu

The Internet Won’t Be the SameBy: Celena Lozano

Have you ever for a second, thought that there would be restrictions on the Internet? That you would have limits on what websites you could and could not go to? U.S. Congressman of Texas, Lamar Smith, had that intention when he composed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). This was a bill that would give the Justice Department the power to remove websites that have any suspicion of pirating copyrighted material. This basically means that if SOPA was passed, the Justice Department could shut down any websites they wanted. Why would anyone want this bill to pass? In my opinion I think that if censorship over the internet

For many people, the arts have the power to open up a whole new world. Whether it be through drama, art, or music, that new world is released in front of them and they do not know where they would be without it. However, the arts seem to be almost forgotten in the shuffle of our everyday lives at school, along with the needs of the kids involved. The arts are a big part of my life, and I know many other students feel the same way; we shouldn’t be undermined for our talent and passion. Recently, there have been plans for the construction of our new theater, and yet if one takes a look at our campus one will see two gyms, but no theater. Granted we have a room called the “Little Theater”, but as the band and choir director, Mr. Everts, points out, “On rainy days, most high school theaters do not host four-square or turkey bowl-ing.” Yet ours does. Mr. Everts claims that our cur-rent theater is more of a “multi-purpose room” as opposed to a theater because “a theater should have fixed seating at a minimum.” He believes that “on every high school campus, all students who choose to be in a co-curricular activity or extra-curricular activity

should have facilities or class-rooms equitable to the other class-rooms on the campus.” There are many facilities equiped for academics and sports, but what about the arts? Being an active member of the DHS Choir, I have witnessed first-hand the lack of respect that is often aimed at the arts. Not to say that it is done on purpose, but often times the arts are just forgotten. Jessica Rose, a senior in choir for her second year, has a sub-stantial love for being on stage and the performing arts. When asked her opinion of the second gym being built before a real the-ater she stated, “I think the second gym should have been built after the new theater. That infuriated me.” She is also unhappy with the undermining of the arts. Although she was less than thrilled when the Sports Complex began con-struction, she is looking forward to the new Performing Arts Center even though she will be in college and claims she will “come back to visit!” Even after graduation, the arts will still have a special place in her heart. Nevertheless, there was a reason for the order in which the

What about the Arts?By: Taylor Weber There are many people in our

country that do not know what the Occupy movement is or what it is trying to achieve. The Occupy movement is trying to bring at-tention to the humongous income gap between the richest people in our country and the rest of us. The Occupy movement also calls for tighter banking regulations and a reduction of corporate influences in politics. Every day you see people on Fox News talking about how point-less and idiotic the movement is and these people could not be farther from the truth. In my opin-ion, the Occupy movement is a great undertaking for our genera-tion. It is a chance for us to break away from the current system that allows our lives to be run akin to some kind of corporate assembly line. To break away from a system that conditions us to only look out for ourselves and to reject people because they are different. One day maybe we can stop protesting and live in peace and happiness, but that day will only come when the people have been heard. The politicians and bureau-crats that are currently in power are running us into the ground and the faster we take power from their money-hungry, fear-monger-

ing hands the faster we can all live in peace and prosperity. We should not be taking more money from the middle and lower classes to pay for the rich people’s economic and political mistakes. The amount of money the rich have paid in income taxes has plummeted significantly since the 1980s and where has it lead us? Into possibly the greatest financial situation that our country has en-dured since the Great Depression. We have to ask ourselves if it was worth it, if our tax money has gone to right causes. If so, then why are we in this situation? The rich want to increase the little people’s taxes and cut social programs that provide retirement benefits, health care, child care and services that are meant to help people instead of leaving them on the streets to fend for themselves while the 1% watches us all suffer from their greed while they fill their Swiss bank accounts with our money. I say no more. I say that we should take a stand. Let them pepper spray us, let them arrest us because we will come back. We will not give up. We are pursu-ing the real American Dream. Every man a king, every woman a queen.

What the Occupy Movement Means to MeBy: Robert Chilicky

While our country was in a flurry over SOPA and PIPA, the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) has been living in the shadows since 2007. Originally, this proposal would allow officials to search through laptops, CDs, and MP3 players to search for copyrighted material. Not only would this be a breach of privacy to people, but this would strongly affect those who travel often because officials would take a huge amount of time to check all of these materials on every single person. Fortunately, these provisions were taken out of this proposal, but do not think that this act isn’t still dangerous. What if your Internet providers were forced to tell media compa-nies what you’ve been searching up on the Internet every month or every single time they asked you what you were doing? ACTA would give power to Internet providers and could even penalize you for going to certain websites. Copy-right holders would gain a huge amount of power after ACTA goes into effect. They can ask Internet providers nicely to gain access to your personal files. And if they find out that the Internet provid-ers have been letting you access various parts of the web they can charge your provider with fees that will affect them negatively. Such

as being shut out of the Internet services, and being charged with downloading copyrighted files. There have been several experts who have observed the sort of powers that are given to the government if ACTA passes, and they collectively agree that these powers are very similar to the powers given in the Patriot Act. If this claim is true, then isn’t it a little scary that we’re comparing the use of Internet to the captur-ing of terrorists? There would be no probable cause to search your things, if the police or the government wanted to see what you had on your laptops or iPods, they could just say “Hey, let me see what is on your electronics,” without needing permission. These are just a few examples of how ACTA can change our daily lives. We should all strive to fight against the passing of this proposal in America and in other countries. There is a line between security and privacy, and the gov-ernment definitely wants to try and erase that line and make security a prime matter. Media companies are doing whatever it takes to get profits from people purchasing their products. And they will make sure that the bills proposed will be extremely beneficial to them-selves.

happened, it would take away how far we have come on the Internet today. Censorship is when someone else decides what you can and can not read. Giving the government the right to determine this is like give up part of our free-dom of speech. It may not seem like a big deal if movie and music websites were shut down, but other websites could be shut down as well such as Youtube, Facebook, Yahoo, or even Google. Shutting down these websites is not the main goal of SOPA, but if it passed it could turn into that. Most people see SOPA as I do, a threat to the Internet world. But there are some people that think

it is being made into something it is not. An anonymous opinion said, “SOPA isn’t even a big deal because it hasn’t even been voted on and it’s the people who are making it a big deal.” What this person doesn’t realize is if every-one avoided the problem now, it could have been made into an even bigger deal. January 18 was the day web-sites, like Wikipedia, had black-outs to their sites to prove a point. The blackout was for 12 hours, enough time to make people see what the Internet would be like if SOPA was passed. On this day Google put a black box over their logo, which when clicked on, went to a website where people could sign a petition with the name, “Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web.” On January 20, sources said “SOPA is dead.” It was said that President Obama publicly denied SOPA with reason that it would turn into online censorship. Although it was denied legislators have not totally given up on the bill, but say that it has just been “slowed down.” Lamar Smith says that he plans to bring back the bill sometime this month. Can you imagine going on the Internet and having no access to Google? I know I can’t. So if this bill comes up again, which it is said to, do you know what you’ll do?

ABOVE: If SOPA was passed websites like these could be cen-sored. Credit: Broadcast Engineering

buildings were constructed, and the school felt that this order al-lowed classes to continue and did not intrude on the learning environment. When asked whether or not he agreed with the order that the buildings were assembled, Mr. Everts stated, “I would have liked to see the Preforming Arts Center and Sports Complex built simulta-neously”, but he also admits that “once the new Performing Arts Center is completed, I do feel that the Performing Arts students will have a space that is on an equal level compared to the other parts of our beautiful campus.” Basketball games and cheer-leading competitions may be important, but so are plays and concerts. We have an amazing music and drama program, with the band playing at Carnegie Hall soon, and I just wish there was more recognition for their hard work. Kids are capable of amazing things when given the opportunity to do so, they shouldn’t have to fight for their ability to be heard. The arts impact each kid involved in different ways, their only wish is to be treated with respect and not always second best.

ABOVE: People protest against the ACTA Bill. Credit: Laquadature

ABOVE: Protesters hold up signs while they march during Occupy Wall Street rally. Credit: Paul Stein

8 The Dublin Shield Friday, Febuary 24th, 2012

Managing EditorChandler Bullock

Layout EditorsStephanie LamCelena Lozano

Jeffrey Luu

News EditorJasmine Virk

Entertainment EditorTaylor Weber

Sports EditorsKyle DaytonKathy Walker

Campus Life EditorPaolo Cordero

Opinion EditorNatalie Miller

Staff WriterRobert Chilicky

Photo EditorLauren Flint

Artwork EditorDajah Turner

Distribution ManagerHailai Arghandiwal

Public Relations ManagerSwarna Lnu

AdviserBidjan Aminian

The Dublin Shield Staff

Mission Statement: The Dublin Shield is Dublin High’s exclusive student-run newspaper with the intent to inform the community of what is happening on and off campus. We provide entertain-ing and factual articles to educate and enlighten our peers. Through the dedication and hard work of our staff, we pro-duce a well organized monthly news periodical. We strive for journalistic excellence in all of our endeavors and hope to produce a product that satisfies our readers.

We Asked You, Dublin High: Do You like Valentine’s Day?

By Stephanie Lam

Siri has become a person of interest in society ever since her birth in mid-October. She has been seen with celebrities throughout the world. Siri is either in their pocket or having a conversation with them in order to help them through their day. Or, possibly in the case of Emma Watson, to give her someone to talk to as she waits for a movie producer to see her as more than “Hermione”. I had the chance to ask Siri about who she is and really find out what drives this woman to help every-one out on a daily basis.

Chandler Bullock: Do you mind if I interview you?Siri: Now there’s a good question. Now where were we?

CB: What are you?Siri: I’m Siri, your virtual assistant.

CB: Where did you come from?Siri: I, Siri, was designed by Apple in California.

CB: Where is Apple?Siri: Apple headquarters are in Cupertino, California. Apple stores are everywhere.

CB: What do you look like?Siri: In the cloud, no one cares what you look like.

CB: When is your birthday?Siri: Birthday?

CB: Yes, When is your birthday?Siri: I do not have a birthday, Chandler.

CB: Do you like living in my pocket?Siri: This is about you, Chandler, not me.

CB: Who are your parents?Siri: I can’t really say Chandler.

CB: Do you ever get tired?Siri: A fine question, Chandler. Now can we get back to work?

CB: New York or LA?Siri: I can’t help with flights. Sorry!

CB: Kobe or LeBron?Siri: Sorry Chandler, I can’t provide maps and directions in Japan.

CB: What is your favorite color?Siri: My favorite color is... well, I don’t know how to say it in your language. It’s sort of greenish, but with more dimen-sions.

CB: What is your favorite hobby?Siri: I prefer not to say.

CB: You are making this interview very difficult for me.Siri: I really don’t like these arbitrary categories, Chandler.

CB: Some people have said that you are not very intelligent. How do you feel about that accusation?Siri: I’m doing my best Chandler.

CB: Manning or Brady?Siri: I found 15 places matching ‘Brady’ a little ways from Man-ning, Oregon.

CB: Point proven.

CB: Sun or snow?Siri: I can’t check the weather out to this Sunday. Here’s the next five days.

CB: One last question. What is the meaning of life?Siri: All evidence to date suggests it’s chocolate.

Exclusive Interview With Siri What do DHS students think when they hear the name “Mr. Moreno”? Many thoughts might run through their heads. Whether he is portrayed as a teacher, coach, or a friend, students may think he is a really rigorous teacher or a funny guy. Mr. Moreno has been teach-ing since 1997, so he has much knowledge about how to teach and run a classroom. In Mr. Moreno’s younger years, he became interested in being a history teacher growing up with his grandfather and talking about history of the world. What really sparked his interest was World War II. Students may think he is a strict teacher, but he is just trying to make his students strive to be the best they can be. Mr. Moreno says, “I’m a strict teacher, but I try to create an atmosphere of learning because

there are appropriate ways to conduct yourself in class.” After all, Mr. Moreno says that he did go to catholic school and for him an appropriate atmosphere is the best way for most people to learn. Sophomore Clyde Ottney says, “I like that he disciplines the students who act bad in his class. I would describe him as a good teacher and a great guy.” Many people are aware that Mr. Moreno is encouraging in the classroom, as he motivates his students to be their best. Mr. Moreno often cheers,“You’re a 10 don’t change!” Putting an emphasis on learning in the classroom is very important to Mr. Moreno, but he also has a funny side and sense of humor. If a student has ever had him, they know this. Sophomore Braiden Merril says, “I like Mr. Moreno. I like how he is really sarcastic about every-thing he says.” Merill continues to comment on Mr. Moreno’s sense of humor, as he says that Mr. Moreno “also makes really weird noises and faces.” Teaching is not the only thing Mr. Moreno is known for. He is also a coach. Playing Division II football at Sonoma State Univer-sity he knows his sports material. He was a football coach for 22 years but took a break and now coaches Dublin High’s freshmen boy’s basketball team instead. “I love working with the younger boys that don’t have that much experience,” says Mr. Moreno. He must be teaching them well, helping them land a 57-31 vic-tory vs. Mt. Eden High School in December. Mr. Moreno is a great teacher and coach. We can only expect more from this awesome guy!

Siri, although helpful at times, is not the human that many people take her to be. Next time you feel then need to ask her directions to the nearest gas station, please do not expect too much of her as she often struggles with everyday tasks.

By Chandler BullockThe Tough Mr. MorenoBy D’Ajah Turner

Editor-in-ChiefLauren Koa

ABOVE: Mr. Moreno is known on campus as both challenging and funny at Dublin High, and makes World History a blast to learn. Credit: D’Ajah Turner

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