US Vetoes U.N. Security Bill to Call Israeli Settlements “Illegal” – Friday, Feb 18th, 2011

Alec B.

New York: U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Susan Rice, vetoed a Security Council vote to declare Israeli West Bank settlements illegal. The vote would most likely have resolved the entire issue and brought peace to the region.   The permanent Palestinian observer, Said Riyad Mansour, stated in a press conference after the veto, "The proper message that should have been sent by the Security Council to Israel, the occupying power, is that its contempt of international law and the international community will no longer be tolerated…. We fear, however, that the message sent today may be one that only encourages further Israeli intransigence and impunity. This must be remedied."  

President Obama, called Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas on the Thursday prior to the Security Council vote to come up with another solution other than a public hearing and vote in the UN. 

The situation has become “awkward” for the U.S. according to Mrs. Rice.  The U.S. is torn between its long-standing relationship with Israel and its newfound relationship with Palestine. "In recent days, we offered a constructive alternative course that we believe would have allowed the Council to act unanimously to support the pursuit of peace …. We regret that this effort was not successful and thus is no longer viable."  

Mr. Abbas, like other Middle Eastern leaders, is afraid to show weakness of character due to outbreaks of revolt seen in Mubarak’s Egypt, Kaddafi’s Libya, and other nations across the Middle East.  He does want to “move strongly from Friday’s vote,” said a source in the PLO after the meetings adjourned on Friday.

Rice reconfirmed the U.S. stance Friday, saying after the vote that Friday's veto should not be "misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity. On the contrary, we reject in the strongest terms the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity," she said.

After Friday’s vote, the Israeli and American governments announced new plans to begin talks after September’s peace negotiations fallout.

Solar Powered Skin?

By Mayze T.

Think about the robots of the future. Your mind might conjure images of futuristic robot maids, robotic cars, and other such fanciful items. These developments may seem like something out of a science fiction novel, set in the distant future. However, scientists are working on a variety of uses for robots that, although they seem fantastic, could become a reality very soon.

            One of these incredible inventions came, very recently, from a researcher at Stanford by the name of Zhenan Bao. He has developed a substance that could take the place of skin for people who have prosthetic limbs. Not only is this robotic skin flexible, but it is touch sensitive and even solar powered. This would allow people with prosthetics to actually feel when people high-five them or brush against their arm.

            This skin is made of a combination of elastic and rubber, molded in the form of very tiny triangles, which are not visible on the surface of the skin. The skins with the highest level of sensitivity can even tell when a fly lands on the arm. The purpose of the solar cells is to allow the skin to be stretched to cover the joints, and to bend with the limbs themselves. This is a remarkable progression in the field of robotics, and could have myriad benefits in the years to come.

The King’s Speech

Peter E.

Recently, The King’s Speech has amazed crowds everywhere.  This fantastic film is about King George VI of England,  He was born with a who stuttered and endured this  challenge all his life.  Although he

was not first in line to be king, he  ended up replacing his brother, Edward, who abdicated.  As King, George had to make many speeches to the general public especially in a time of war.  His stutter made this very difficult.  Although reluctant to do so, King George employed a speech therapist to help him.  This movie is the story of his struggles learning to speak without a stutter.  It is filled with inspiration, suspense, romance, history, and strong bonds of friendship.

Mine in Yours – Cold War Kids

Sarah H.

Cold War Kids has always been a favorite of mine – “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “Audience” have always been on my playlist. But with the release of their newest album, Mine is Yours, I realized how truly amazing the band is. Mine is Yours shows a deep side of Cold War Kids you probably didn’t know existed, as well does Bulldozer. Though most songs are quite new, “Royal Blue” and “Louder Than Ever” bring you back to the old stuff. Personal favorites are “Broken Up” and “Louder Than Ever.” From start to finish, this album shows how different a band can be but also how consistently wonderful. If you are a fan of the Kings of Leon, the Script or the Black Keys, you will probably enjoy this album as much as I do.

The Grammy Awards

Caroline F.

The Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 13^th were awesome! The results were very surprising and upsetting for girls like Avery Lowe, Jaz Rodriguez, and Charlotte DeLana, as Justin Bieber didn’t win a Grammy for Best New Artist. I was annoyed that Lady Antebellum won so many Grammys over a lot of other people who were better than them! Personally, I really think that John Mayer should have won a Grammy, even if he looks kind of like Johnny Depp when he hasn’t gotten any sleep. Charlotte Murphy liked how Lady Gaga came out of an egg during her show. There was a technical difficulty on the Red Carpet because apparently the egg was supposed to open on the Carpet so that she could walk in her awesome outfit, but the door was stuck and she was trapped inside the egg! She also liked when Mumford and Sons played. Jaz liked Justin Bieber’s “tuxedo outfit.” Charlotte DeLana loved the performances by all the musicians. Peter really liked the Black Keys and thought Lady Gaga’s new song was great.

Squash

By Lucy B.

If you are a squash player you have probably been asked the question, “So, squash is kind of like tennis…right?” Wrong. This question, or comparison, bothers me a lot, especially when people who have never played squash before say “yes.” This article is to set straight these false rumors about squash being like tennis.

Squash is played indoors. Two players are closed into a four walled, one ceiling, and one floored room. The back wall is usually glass so that the spectators can see what is happening on court. Each player has a racquet shaped like this:  (this is the type of racquet I have).

However, the racquets come in different colors,

models,and grip lengths. The players play with one

small black ball, which is only allowed to bounce once before it is hit, or it can be volleyed. The ball must hit the front wall before it hits the ground. However, the ball does not have to be directly hit to the front wall. Players can hit the ball off the sidewall or back wall to the front. Likewise, the ball can hit the front wall then the sidewall and bounce, or hit the front wall then the back wall before bouncing.

            There are boundaries to where the ball can be hit. The back, side, and front walls all have red lines on them distinguishing when a ball is hit out. A ball is out if the player directly hits the red out lines, or hits above them. The front wall has two other lines: one that represents the lowest area the ball can hit for the serve to be in, and one that marks the top of the tin. If a player hits a ball below the service line, or directly hits the service line, the serve is called, “down,” which means the point/serve is given to their opponent. If the ball is hit into the tin, the ball is down and the point goes to the opponent.

            The floor is split in half by a red line, and the half closest to the back wall is split in half again by another red line. The “T” that these two lines make is the center of the court, and the point that players run back to after every shot. In each quarter box there are smaller boxes called service boxes. At least one of the servers’ feet must be inside the box during the serve. The opponent stands in the other quarter to return the serve.

            Scoring in squash is very different compared to scoring in tennis. One player must win 11 points to win the game. However, if the score is 10-10 the players must win by two to win. Matches can have scores as high as 21-19 before someone wins. To win the match, a player must win 3 out 5 games. Some kids win 3-0, others win 3-2. Match length is very unpredictable, as is the length of the games.

            I hope this cleared up some of the rule

Congratulations to the winner of the

Spelling Bee, Alyssa T.!

Runner up, Matthew P.

The winning word for Alyssa was “luminescent”

Spelled l-u-m-i-n-e-s-c-e-n-t.

Some other words from the blockbuster round were “simultaneous” and “camouflage”

Ask Boris

Q:  My friends and I are fighting, what do I do?

A:  Sometimes you have to make decisions for yourself.  It will make you a stronger person.

Q:  I like popsicles.

A:  Good for you.  There are no popsicles in KGB. 

Q:  Why is there a Colbert and Boris?

A:  That is like asking why is there KGB… you do not ask, you accept. 

Q:  I think I love someone!  It’s you! Do you like me?

A:  Emotions make weak people.

Q:  Why is box smashing so dangerous?

A: Depends on what kind of box… Russian box very dangerous.  Other box not so much.

Q:  Why do only jocks play football?

A:   Because jocks are not smart enough to be in KGB

Q:  Who are you?

A: Who are you?

Q:  If you could be any animal for a week, what would you be and why? I would be a porcupine because they have spikes and they shuffle funny.

 – Porcupinia

A:  If you really want to know, I would be a chameleon… master of disguise.

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do in Russia? 

- Europe Guy

A:  Base jumping in Siberia.  Very cold there. 

Winter Break

Thomas S.

I spent my winter break working on applications. I know that my fellow ninth graders did the same.  For all the sevies and eighth graders that spent their time relaxing, I hope you enjoyed it! Next year you will be working on applications as well. I really don’t like to work, especially over breaks. I could have been sleeping or playing hockey. I cannot wait to find out where I’m going next year, which will hopefully relieve some stress I know we’ve all been feeling.  Some people also went on vacation; I didn’t go on vacation. I can’t decide if I’m glad I didn’t go on vacation or not. Although applications took a long time to finish, I know it will all pay off next year.

Ms. Oakes: Extreme Game Show Contestant!

Mayze T.

Ms. Oakes is acting as the director of secondary school placement this year, filling in for Mrs. Victor. Essentially, she is helping seventh, eighth and ninth graders find their next schools. When she isn’t helping all of us out, she likes reading, going to craft fairs and antique shows, and watching movies and TV. Her favorite shows include 24, Glee, Grays Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, and Friday Night Lights. Her all time favorite movies are Gone With The Wind, My Cousin Vinny, Dr. Zhivago, Schindler’s List, and Mr. Holland’s Opus. Before she came to NCCS, she was a chemistry teacher at Staples High Schoolfor ten years. She was in admissions at NCCS for seventeen years. Ms. Oakes says that she is “the proud mother of two Country School graduates.” Her son, Ryan, is a professional magician, and he has performed at school several times. Her daughter, Lauren, is currently in a PHD program at Stanford, studying environmental issues. Ms. Oakes also has two cats. Her favorite books are Three Cups of Tea, The Kite Runner, and Water for Elephants. Ms. Oakes says that this year she is enjoying working with the very students that she first met during the admissions process and “seeing how wonderfully they have grown and matured in their years here at Country School. That’s one of the most fun things about the job…being in the energy of the Upper School building and working with parents and students that I’ve known for years.” A little known fact about Ms. Oakes: in 1980 she was a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid!

Congratulations to the Middle School for winning the Green Cup Challenge!

We hope you choose something delicious for the special lunch prize!

The Ghosts of the Upper School

By Jack L., Brandon S., Maggie S., and Olivia S.

Unusual things have been happening recently within the Upper School. In Ms. Zamora’s room, mysterious sounds have been coming from the roof. We do not know for sure, but we think that there is a haunting going on. The other day, our sidekicks, Midge and Liver, noticed the lights flickering on Parents’ Day. We think that the ghosts are trying to hypnotize us and turn us into zombies, so that we will obey them and be their minions. The ghost is tampering with the clock and he is trying to make us stay at school longer. Many teachers helped us in our investigation, including Mr. Lilley, Mr. Giggi, Ms. Fri, Ms. Purcell, Mr. Delehaunty, and Mr. Fredo.

            Mr. Lilley said it was probably the ghost of a past Latin teacher. He told us to go down and check out the old building. We are pretty sure that he was just trying to get us to leave him alone.

            Then we went down to Mr. Giggi’s room. Mr. Giggi said that the lights had been flickering and that his printer was going crazy, printing things out that weren’t supposed to be printed. The light sensor wouldn’t go off till he was at his desk.

We then went over to Ms. Fri’s room. She said that there were no strange noises or occurrences, but there were strange people right in front of her. Despite this, she did say that things were disappearing from her room.

Then, we went over to Ms. Purcell’s room… Crazy things happen in this room every night. After school, she always hears noises from her room. Then Harry Potter flew by on his Firebolt. Aside from that, Alice Hudson has been shocked by lights. Ms. Purcell thinks that she is being watched by her dead animals, and they mingle in the middle of the night. She is pretty sure that there is a spirit in the science room. We are pretty sure that this spirit is a dementor, for dementors cannot be seen by muggles. Therefore, we decided that the Ghostbusters crew is a bunch of Squibs.

Our final stop was to Mr. Fredo’s room. We saw him out in the hallway and then we asked him “Have you noticed anything strange going on in the Upper School?”

He then replied, “The only strange things I’ve seen is you guys…”

“Too Much Caribbean Adventure”

Kate C.  

            Well, this was an amazing day. We woke up late, had an amazing brunch, and spent the entire day at the beach. Oh! And we found a sea turtle. It was a perfect day in the Caribbean. The only way to end it was to drive off a cliff. Wait, what?

            Five years ago, my family took an amazing spring vacation in St. John. We had a big house, we went swimming, and we went hiking and did all those other cool Caribbean activities. But we also had our not-so-cool moments.  One time we went on an Easter night hike to the top of the highest mountain in St. John and on the way down, all of our flashlights ran out of battery power and it was pitch black. My mom also fell on a cactus, but that was pretty funny. Not so funny for her, though. But the worst thing that happened was on the way to our beach house.

We were driving up the cliff that the house was on top of in our new rental jeep. My dad had to drive slowly because the cliff was extremely steep. The narrow, one lane dirt road was like a giant spiral staircase, and it was very scary to look out the window on the cliff side of the road. It wasn’t very pretty on the other side of the road either because there was a giant cliff wall there. Suddenly, my dad stopped. I was scared because, being seven, I thought we were going to roll back down the cliff. Then I rolled down my window and looked out in front of us. There was a giant cement truck blocking us! Now this doesn’t seem very bad, but the road was barely wide enough for one car, much less two.

            All of a sudden, everyone started honking and screaming and yelling. My mom started yelling at my dad to back down the cliff and let the truck through, and my dad was yelling at her that if he tried to do that we would fall off the edge of the cliff. The truck driver was honking at us to do something, and my sisters were yelling at everyone to “shut up.” So by now, being the youngest, I was crying. This was because I hated to see people yelling and mad at each other and because most likely, whatever we did, we were going to die.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: The New Egypt

By Alec B.

Cairo, Egypt - After 18 days of protest, President Hosni Mubarak decided to resign. The president, under fire because of economic failure and embezzlement of public funds, had created a dictatorship out of a democracy. After coming into power in 1981, he led his country through the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was the last of a long line of extended presidents. His predecessors had led the country to modernization. The opposition leader, Mohamed El Baradei, who led the UN search of WMD’s in Iraq, said, “it is a dream come true.” In an interview over the phone with Al Jazeera, he also said, "I can't tell you how every Egyptian feels today.  We have been able to restore our humanity ... to be free and independent."

Mubarak resigned on Friday, February 11, leaving many happy.  Tahrir Square, the home-base of the protest movement, was in absolute joy.  “Jumping, joy, crying, happiness and other emotions were present,” said NBC foreign news correspondent Richard Engle.   The end of an empire brings the dawn of a new one. The Supreme Council of Armed Forces  confirmed the resignation and “is analyzing the situation of the country before choosing the next leader.” In the front running are defense minister Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and Mr. El Baradei. 

The future of Egypt seems uncertain. There are several issues that must be considered. There are hopes that trade will come out of Egypt and turn the country back into a powerhouse. The issue of continuing friendship between Israel and Egypt is important.  Also,  the Muslim Brotherhood, sometimes called a terrorist group, has more power than before and it is possible, according to the Christian Science Monitor that  “Israelis are increasingly concerned that (Mubarak’s) departure will empower the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and threaten Israel’s longstanding peace treaty with Egypt.” “This is history in the making,” says NCCS’s own Mrs. Post. Only time will tell.  For now, it seems all the Egyptians can do is dance in the street.

Letter From the Editors

Welcome to The Column.  This is New Canaan Country School’s student newspaper, in case you’ve forgotten, because there hasn’t been a new issue since November.  Well, finally we have a new issue and it’s right here in your hands and fantastic. You should read all the articles from our dedicated writers.

Sally: Grandma's Hairless Cat

By Matt P.

You may or may not have a cat as a pet, but you have most likely seen one. While you were at your grandma's house observing her hairless cat, did you take the time to look at the magic of how he or she drinks? A recent paper has gone into detail of the wonderful complexity of just exactly how cats go about drinking. After reading those first sentences, you may be wondering what I could possibly be talking about. In your mind, you've most likely thought that cats drink in a simple manner. They form a ladle with their tongue and scoop the liquid into their mouth. Wrong. The method I just described is used by dogs, but cats employ a completely different method. Cats, being the intelligent creatures they are, take advantage of the liquid's inertia. Inertia is the laziness of an object, in simple terms. Inertia is the unwillingness of an object to change unless it is manipulated by another force. In this case, we will make the liquid milk and the manipulator gravity. As your grandma's hairless cat stealthily approaches the milk filled bowl (while wearing kitten mittens), he prepares to take full advantage of the inertia of the milk. Your grandma's cat, henceforth known as Sally, dips her tongue, which is the same color as her fur (or lack thereof), into the milk. Almost as quickly as the tongue enters the milk, she pulls it, yanking the milk up into the air. For a split second, the inertia of the milk suspends it in the air, and in this moment, Sally surrounds the milk with her mouth and swallows it. After that split second of suspension, gravity, the manipulator, kicks in, snapping the milk back down into the bowl. Still thirsty, Sally repeats the complex and intricate process again until her thirst is quenched.

The intricacy of this seemingly simple process was discovered by a team of scientists led by Pedro Reis. The team went about observing this by using high speed cameras, as cats dip their tongues down into the liquid an astounding three and a half times per second. Even more astoundingly, when the tongue shoots back into the mouth, it moves at a speed of seventy-eight centimeters per second. When Reis first began the experiment, he and his team figured that the roughness of the cat's tongue would play a role; a prediction that was drastically wrong. In actuality, the tip of the tongue that penetrates the surface of the liquid is smooth, and the smoothness is actually very good for lapping up the milk or water. Throughout the research, Reis and his team found that the viscosity of the liquid, and least between the bounds of what a cat would logically drink, did not affect the process. Rather, the determining factors were the inertia and gravitational pull. One may think that this is an odd thing to research or that somebody must have done it before, but as Rebecca Z. German of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine says, "What we know about mammalian feeding is woefully incomplete."

Here are some videos, one of a cat lapping up milk in slo-mo, and the other of a simulator demonstrating the inertia of water.


FAST LAPS from Science News on Vimeo.


TONGUE SUBSTITUTE from Science News on Vimeo.

So now you know, and next time you see your grandma's hairless feline lapping up some milk, you can explain to all your friends what Sally is really doing.

Source:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65379/title/Cats_drink_using_lap-and-gulp_trick
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-481062/Puss-Hood-Hairless-Sphynx-cat-keeps-warm.html

TIB: Christopher

By Shelby M.

I never really got to know my cousins until I was eight years old. That’s when

we moved to Connecticut from Washington D.C. and moved in down the street

from them. I had spent time with them over numerous holidays. However, I soon

got to know my cousins a lot better, particularly Christopher. I remember being

flabbergasted when I would see my ten-year old cousin watching Barney, clapping

his hands, and bouncing up and down like a four-year-old kid after drinking a Red

Bull. I didn’t understand why Christopher couldn’t ask for chicken fingers and would

instead grab them off some one else’s plate. He couldn’t talk; he could only groan. I

couldn’t understand why Christopher acted so differently than me.

Christopher has Down Syndrome and is autistic. He has trouble with things

that we take for granted. He can’t read, write, or talk. When I was younger, I would

pray to someone, anyone, that Christopher would get better. I would pray that he

would one day be able to say his brother’s name, tell his parents he loves them, or

thank them for everything they’ve done for him in his life and every day to come.

What’s worse than Christopher’s disability is the way that other people

perceive his inability. The easiest way to describe this is to reference a feeling I

know almost everyone in this room has felt. It’s the feeling of getting on an airplane

or any means of transportation, and seeing a baby in the seat behind you. For the

whole flight, you groan as you hear the baby wailing behind you, disrupting your

flight. However, as the flight lands, you play peekaboo with the cute little baby,

asking how old he/she is, forgetting about the disruption the baby created. I believe this is because once

 the flight is over, we realize that the baby’s behavior wasn’t its fault.

This is similar to the feelings my family and I endure whenever we are out in

public with Christopher. We get the same glares and quizzical faces. However, they

never see Christopher as I do, or as my family does. They can’t see the look on my

Grandma’s face when he hugs her. They just hear his moans, and nothing else.

In order to really understand anything or anyone, we have to look beyond

the surface. When I was in the second grade, I met Julia. I wasn’t afraid to look at

her, while most people had the tendency to look away from her as soon as they

realized she was different. Julia was confined to a wheelchair and suffered from

brain seizures. I wasn’t afraid of her or her disability, because of Christopher. From

my experience with Christopher, I wasn’t afraid to go up to Julia during class and

talk to her, although she couldn’t respond. When most people see Julia, all they can

see is her disability. Looking beyond her disabilities, I was able to see her for her

abilities. For example, I was amazed to learn that Julia was taking piano lessons.

However, I don’t think most people can imagine a person as severely disabled as

Julia being able to play the piano. I know I didn’t. I learned to see Julia for what she

could do, not for what she couldn’t do.

During the Special Olympics last year and this year, I was greatly affected by

the athletes. The goal of the Special Olympics is to make the athletes feel like they can do anything and

can succeed with their disability. Through the sense of hope

and strength, the athletes were able to feel special. We gave them the opportunity to

be special. Everywhere else, they are looked upon as different. However, we were

able to make them feel special.

The feeling of belonging is probably one of the greatest feelings in the world.

It is the feeling that you have a place in the world, and that someone else cares

about you. When people are different than we are, it’s easy to look the other way

and treat them as if they are invisible. Even worse is to see them only for their

disability, to see them only for their faults. I believe everyone deserves to feel like

they belong. In order to do this, I believe we have to accept people for who they are.

Everyone has been touched by someone who has some kind of disability, whether it

is physical or mental. There is no reason to hide or be embarrassed by it, and we

should instead embrace it. This I believe; everyone has a place in the world, and we

are all on our way to finding it.

Culture Shock (TIB)

Mayze T. 

It was certainly the longest time I had ever been on an airplane. Eight long hours, none of which I slept through. When we finally touched down, I was exhausted. As we disembarked, a man came up to us and convinced us, in our disgruntled state, to allow him to drive us to our hotel. Needless to say, we were ripped off and charged three times the usual fare. Despite the scam, the drive into Istanbul was beautiful. Here was a city where two thousand year old buildings stood alongside newly constructed skyscrapers. Smells of spices filled the streets, people were yelling to each other in the bazaar, and taxis were speeding down narrow roads. It seemed like something out of a movie, or an adventure novel. Turkey was culture shock, to be sure, but it changed my perspective on the world and often pushed me out of my comfort zone.

            Getting to Turkey was, in essence, an accident. If you remember, last spring a volcano erupted in Iceland. We were originally going to go to Sicily, to go biking and look at the ancient Greek ruins. Then, about two days before our plane was scheduled to leave, that volcano erupted. So my dad booked the last two seats on the last flight available to Turkey, an area unaffected by the ash cloud, booked got us a room in a hotel, and left. We had no plans and no understanding of the culture. The only thing that we had to tell us about Turkey was a guidebook, purchased that very day. But, one plane ride later, we were in one of the greatest cities on earth.

            One of the most difficult parts about being in Turkey was the language. The written language of Turkish has little resemblance to the spoken language, so the guidebook that we had was essentially useless.  Unlike some other European tourist destinations, it was very difficult to find people who spoke any English other than “Hello” This was more than a little uncomfortable and unnerving. I didn’t know anybody, and I couldn’t even ask for directions in Turkish. Throughout the trip, with the help of a few very kind taxi drivers, we learned a few basic phrases, although my intonation left something to be desired.

            There are many, many differences between Turkey and America. The language, the religion, the headscarves, and the foods, to name a few, but to me the most obvious was the bargaining.  Instead of going into a store, reading the price on a label, and paying for an item, most stores in Turkey are the sites of intense price wars. The first example that comes to mind was during a trip to the Grand Bazaar. We had made our way to the middle of the shopping area, to a t-shirt stall. There, we found a shirt that my brother would love. It was blue, with the word “Istanbul” on it, and a picture of a mosque and red fish. We went over to the man sitting behind the counter. “Melhaba,” my dad greeted him, “How much for this shirt?” he asked. The man gave us a once over, and said, “Forty Lira.” My dad just laughed. “How about ten?” he replied. There was a long back and forth in English and a smattering of Turkish that resulted in us walking away, the shop owner threatening to close down his shop, and us finally buying three shirts for twenty-five lira. Throughout the course of the day, we had tea with a Pakistani man, I was supposed to be married in two years, and we got free ice cream. Now that I had seen the “master” at work, it was supposed to be my turn to try bargaining. I was more than reluctant, because I was purely uncomfortable with the situation. However, my dad convinced me, and thus, we went over to the bookstalls. There I found a pretty neat Turkish cookbook that had English translations. This was where I learned that the one thing that you cannot haggle for in Turkey is a book. I went up to the owner, who looked very confused when I tried to haggle. Despite the fact that everything else has a negotiable price tag in Turkey, a book does not. Still, I’m very glad that I tried, because, let’s face it, there are not a lot of chances to argue over the price of things in New Canaan, Connecticut.

            After about five days in Istanbul, we took a plane down to the more rural area of Turkey, the area closer to Greece. A friend of my dad’s had a house here, and he let us stay in it for the few days that we were there. What struck me about this area of Turkey was the kindness and friendliness of the people. In case you didn’t already know, Turkey is a primarily Muslim country. We heard the Imams calling, saw minarets on the skyline, and I was one of the very few girls not wearing a headscarf. Thanks to Mr. McDonough’s World Cultures class, I already knew that the majority of Muslims were not radical extremists, but if you turn on the news, you’ll hear about terrorist groups and bombings in the Middle East. News giants, such as CNN, NBC, and FOX, seem intent on making all Middle Eastern Muslims out to be evil. Although the actions of terrorist groups are cruel and terrible, what these stations fail to mention is that the majority of Muslims are not evil. They are normal people, going about their lives and practicing their faith. They were perfectly fine with the fact that I was not a Muslim, and with the fact that I was an American.

            So on this trip I learned a few things. To start I learned smattering of Turkish and what not to haggle for in a bazaar. However, what Turkey really taught me was that, no matter what the newscasters have to say, and no matter where you are, people are able to get along. Muslim, or Christian, or Jewish, or Buddhist, or Atheist, we can overlook our differences, and accept each other. This, I believe.

Core Beliefs (TIB)

Aisha M. 

No matter where I may roam in life, I will always have my family. Family is the heart that keeps the spirit alive. Family will always be there no matter what situation a person may be in, cheering them on. My family has urged me to go out into the world and experience new things, to take risks that they thought were necessary for me to take. They give me all the love and comfort I could ever imagine in this world. But last year I had a true reality check.

Last fall was very hard for me. My grandfather passed away at the age of sixty-eight. I remember that when I was a little girl, my grandfather used to take me on some of his trips. One trip in particular sticks out most in my mind. My grandfather wanted to go to Pennsylvania to visit a friend. Of course, I went with him.  The trip there was very memorable. We were on the Jersey Turnpike and he stopped off at a rest stop. I was very thirsty and wanted a soda, so he bought me one. Little did he know that it made me EXTREMELY hyper. The rest of the way there was spent by me singing, screaming, and laughing randomly. That was his last time buying me a soda while I was in the car with him.

Before my grandfather got sick, he used to take my brother and me to IHop and then to Cherry Lawn Park every Sunday. He would chase us on the playground and push us on the swings. We would play hide-and-seek which was very fun, even though he would always find me. We would stay out for hours, enjoying the park and enjoying each other’s company. He would tell us stories on the way back home about the time he and his friend sued Richard Nixon for small businesses and won, as well as many other interesting and bizarre stories.  

 My grandfather had five strokes and was paralyzed on his left side. After his fourth stroke he also couldn’t speak and was placed into a nursing home. My family would go see him whenever we had the opportunity. Sometimes, we would take him out for a ride or sit outside with him, just so he could enjoy the outdoors. We would have many “remember when” times when we just sat down and reminisced about the good times we all had together. It was very hard to see him in these conditions and it hurt all of us deeply to see him that way.

After a while, my grandfather became very ill. He then had to be transported from the nursing home to Stamford Hospital. We went to visit him often because we all knew that the time that we could spend with him would soon be over. I remember the last time I saw him.     My family from Virginia came up to see him as well. Some of my family members left the room with tears in their eyes. I too started to cry. Before leaving, I kissed him on the forehead and said “I love you”. That was the last time I kissed him. A few hours later, I got the news that he died. It was very hard to accept that he was gone forever, and to this day, it still is. I love him so much and miss him a lot.  

I urge you all to enjoy the time you have with your family, for tomorrow is not promised and not a single human is immortal. Say “I love you” until you can’t say it anymore. Hug each other until your arms get tired. Laugh, cry, and smile about the good times. Be there for one another. My grandfather taught me that life isn’t promised to anyone tomorrow. He spent as much time as he could with my family and enjoyed each minute of it. He stressed the importance of family and told me that nothing comes above them. Although it took me a while to understand, I now know. Time with family is precious and should be cherished forever.   

Parents are on your side (TIB)

Matt E.

Parents seem like they are the bad guys all the time, but they are there to help you. All children at some point in time will get sick of their parents always being in their way. After fifteen years, I have finally come to a conclusion that they are there to help you. They tell you to get off Facebook or IM when you are supposed to be doing homework, and they nag you to do stuff that you don’t want to do. This is because they want you to do well in life and not fail. I believe if you take their advice 95% of the time, you will end up somewhere where you and your parents  want you to be.  

People can view this topic two ways. The first is that parents are not on your side and that they are there to just annoy you, and the other is that they are always on your back because they want you to do well.  I know everyone can relate to this and that everyone feels both ways about this at certain times. 

Obviously no one hates their parents; it’s just that on certain days and certain times of the day, parents tend to get annoying. If you are an only child, I feel bad for you. I feel bad because you get all of your parents’ attention. But if you are not an only child, you lucked out. You are lucky for several reasons;  you do not have to do all the chores such as dishes, and your parents are not watching you do your homework all the time. This can be good and bad.

 

Right when I walk in the door, my mom asks how my day was. I obviously say the same thing every time, “It was good, mom.” She then asks me what I learned, and I say “nothing.” Because I told her I had a good day, she expects me to do my homework right away and get it done. But what my mom does not know is that I say my day was good so I can go somewhere else and do other stuff. Thirty minutes later she will come upstairs and see how I am doing on my homework. She will usually find me on Facebook or playing a game. She then gets upset because I am not doing my homework. But those times she finds me on Facebook or playing a game are the days that I am upset or stressed out. It is a miscommunication problem. I know that if I told her I had a bad day and I wanted to relax and chill, she would be ok with that.  There are reasons I do not tell my mom about how my day went. First of all, she will ask me a lot of questions if I told her it was bad, and if it was good, she would ask why. Sometimes I tell her, but most of the time I keep it to myself because I am not in the happiest mood to get into a deep conversation. 

In the end, parents aren’t the bad guys. They are the good guys trying to help you succeed in life. They want to be proud of what their son or daughter does. They might be annoying a lot of the time, but if you listen and take their advice that 95 % of the time, I will guarantee you that you will have a good life. A good life to me is a life without stress or drama, and enjoying what you do. Parents can help with the stress part, if you let them, but they can’t help with the social aspect. No one wants parents knowing about your social life at school. It is not that kids are trying to hide it; it’s just that we would prefer to keep it to ourselves. Sometimes parents can give you advice about the situation if there is a problem, but the best thing to do is not to get your parents involved.  My last word to everyone is to appreciate your parents while you have them, later in life, you will wish you had them to support you.