The WarriorNiskayuna High School February 6, 2009 Volume 35, Issue 17

a student-run publication since 1974, now weekly

Inside this issue...

Seniors get sloppy

“Mirrors Edge” will leave you on the edge,page 6

How to fix the economy,page 4

By Daniel ClariDge

news

Today concludes a staple tra-dition at the high school: Senior slop week. This week, marked by seniors donning an assort-ment of bathrobes, sweat pants, slippers and pajamas, is seen as unofficially celebrating the arrival of second semester.

The event was organized and announced on Facebook, by Niskayuna user senior Jessica Graber. Information about the week was disseminated under the title “SENIOR SLOPP WEEK” which announced the official beginning of the event.

According to the event plan-ners, Monday marked “snug-gies day,” in which seniors

were supposed to sport their sleeved blanket-tops. Despite this pre-planned intention, Corey Guilmette made the fol-lowing observation: “There was a decided dearth of snuggies being donned by members of the senior class.” Even so, seniors showed their sloppy spirit by sporting an assortment of old pajama pants and weathered sweat pants.

Tuesday and Wednesday witnessed a similar sloppi-ness displayed by the senior class. According to Senior Samit Dharia, who wore a pair of snazzy pajama pants and Indian Navajo Moccasins, “Senior slop week is an exciting and convenient excuse to dress

comfortably.” Those obse rv -

ing from the bot-tom reaches of the educational hier -archy — namely sophomores and juniors — displayed a strong sense of jealousy. Accord-ing to junior Nick Farina, “many ju-niors, for instance, Lucas Lobe, despise the fact that only seniors get to par-ticipate in the fun filled week.”

Thursday marked bathrobe day, per-h a p s t h e m o s t memorable of the planned events. De-spite prospects of after-school activities, seniors sported elaborate bathrobes, removed from closet hangers and par-ents’ rooms.

Senior Slop Week, along with the clothing it encourages, also ushers in a series of ridiculous stories, some more realistic than others.

Most are familiar with the story of a student who slept in his jeans so that he could wash his pajamas or the stu-dent who stole his mother’s satin bathrobe to impress his

Indoor Track team is doing awesome,page 7

friends. Senior Slop Week is more

than just a week of greasy hair and equally greasy garments; it’s a high school tradition as important as it is disgusting.

Most importantly however, Senior Slop Week celebrates the beginning of second se-mester. For underclassmen and juniors, such an arrival is associated with increased academic pressures and a wealth of standardized tests. For seniors, however, it brings the opposite.

Snowball Dance

When: Saturday, February 7

8 to 11 PM

Where: Niskayuna HS, New Gym

Cost: $12 at the door, $10 in advance

Hosted by the Class of 2012

Tickets are on sale all lunches in the box office.

Get your tickets early!

2 February 6, 2009 The WarriorNews

Spanish Club shares tasty cultureBy lauren nieDBaleC

news

Spanish Club is planning on holding a bake-sale next week right before February break begins. This bake sale is planning to emulate the French club’s cultural extravaganza in which the Frenchies sold authentic crepes, fancy cheeses, baguettes and fruits. Overall, it was very exquisite and was a successful fundraiser for the club. Now, the Spanish Club is planning on holding a bake-sale full of its own Spanish flavors.

The idea of holding this spiced-up bake-sale belonged to Spanish Club treasurer, senior Emily Kasman, and club president, senior Hana Omiya. The rest of the club was right on board with the idea, and dur-ing homeroom on Monday, club members started signing up to bring in food to sell during the event, and to actually sell the

food during lunch mods. Due to all of the enthusiasm and all of the food people volunteered to bring in, it is sure to be a huge success.

Instead of serving the traditional clichéd brownies and muffins found at most bake sales, Spanish Club is going to shake things up a little by serving Mexican favorites such as little quesadillas, burritos, and for the ultimate desert, fried ice cream. The name of this crunchy, cold and sweet favorite is misleading, because the ice cream is not actually fried. Instead, the scoops are rolled in crispy cornflakes for a unique ice cream experience. The recipe for the fried ice cream is going to be supplied by

Spanish Club advisor Caroline Gardiner. Club members plan to get together the weekend before the sale to make the frozen treat.

Spanish Club holds many events throughout the year, including its trip to Boston coming this spring. Every year, Spanish club plans a trip either to New York City or Boston to allow students to learn more about Span-ish Culture. In Boston this year, the club will be taking a dance lesson from a studio aptly named “Hips on Fire.”

The members of the trip will learn a few salsa steps, then head on out to eat at an authentic spanish restaurant and then go for shopping in Quincy Market.

There are still seats left on the bus for this spring trip, so people who are interest-ed can still see Mrs. Gardiner and sign up.

Students don’t have to be in Spanish Club to go. Soon anyone will be able to sign up, even if they don’t take Spanish!

Al l that ’s n e e d e d i s an interest in Spanish Culture and a couple of dancing feet!

Senior Hina Tai, who went on Spanish Club ’s t r ip to New York City last year, said, “I’m not even in Span-ish Club, and I don’t even

speak Spanish, but I went on the trip last year as a Frenchie and I still had an amazing time! We got to hang out with friends all day and eat authentic Spanish food. It was great! And I’m definitely looking forward to eating some Spanish food at the bake sale! Yum!”

Whether it’s through the upcoming bake sale or in its annual cultural trip, Spanish club is planning to continue its tradition of sharing Spanish cul-ture with the rest of the high school.

By holding its bake sale and its trip to the city, the club tries to share Spanish culture throughout the rest of the school in tasty and fun ways.

Reminder Students! The AMC10 and

AMC12 competi-

tions will take

place in the morn-

ing on Tuesday

February 10.

Cap and Gown or-

ders must be sent

to Herff Jones

Company ASAP to

avoid late fees.

image courtesy : http://www.loscabosguide.com/

SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM: The high school’s Spanish Club will be hosting a bake sale with flavors from Mexican culture. Pictured above is a plate of fried ice cream, a frozen Mexican treat, that will be sold during the bake sale before the break.

3February 6, 2009The Warrior News

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the school community, and can be delivered toWarrior staff or sent via

email to: thewarrioropinion@gmail.com. The Warrior reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length, and content.

Signed opinion articles express the opinions of their creators. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus of the paper’s edito-rial board, consisting of the Opinion section and the Editor-in-

Chief.

The op-ed pages are a forum for students’ opinions and ideas.

The WarriorNiskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY, 12309

http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/nhs/warrior

For a one-year subscription to The Warrior, please send a check for $25.00 to: The Warrior, c/o Niskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309.

4 February 6, 2009 The WarriorOpinion

Editor-in-Chief:Daniel ClaridgeJulie Slotnick

News:Lauren Niedbalec, EditorAnagha Tolpadi, EditorHina Tai, Editor

Opinion:Sam Dharia, EditorKaela Bamberger, EditorNick Farina, Asst EditorLucas Lobe, Editor

Entertainment:Craig Dudek, EditorChris Murphy, EditorMarcelle Tuttle, Editor

Sports:Kevin Kurtzner, EditorCorey Guilmette, Editor

Magazine:Sarah Barry, EditorDinesh Kommareddy, EditorDan Stone, EditorRoshal Patel, Asst.

Additional Staff:Archith Murali, Copy EditorKelvin Lin, Asst. Copy EditorBrian Vedder, Business ManagerChris Rivadeneira, Advertising ManagerAmy Yao, Web ManagerNina Santiago, Distribution ManagerEmily Bartell, Graphics EditorAdvisors: James Edgar Russell McDowell

By sam Dharia

OpiniOn

The fiscal policy our govern-ment enacts in the early part of this year will have a major impact on how fast and how strong our economic recovery will be. Before discussing solutions, however, an analysis of the causes is necessary.

In order to ensure that we stop the recession, we must first and foremost boost our GDP. Doing so will help increase consumer confidence, the faith of inves-tors and eventually spur a full recovery. To do this successfully, it would be prudent to imple-ment large government spend-ing projects, such as improving bridges, schools and roads. These dollars will go directly to boosting our GDP, and will help the country where we need it as well. Investment in schools will help the future generation compete in today’s global market, while increasing the Government spending part of our GDP. It is something that will help in both the short and long term, while also improving the quality of life as a whole by increasing the national literacy. Furthermore, we must create jobs. This can also be done through government spending, as we will need people to build new bridges and other infrastructure.

Also, we can kill two birds with one stone by helping the environ-ment and investing in wind and solar power. These alternative sources of energy will help our GDP and our world as a whole. Paying for this won’t be easy, but there are a few things we must

do. First is raising the tax on upper class Americans. Though they may not like it, it will be a key part of ensuring that our gov-ernment has the money to spend. Also, we need to cut our military budget. Though it is nice to give our troops the money they need, $10 billion a month in Iraq is a lot of money that could be going to other, more worthy projects. While government spending is good, if done improperly, it will just be wasted.

However, just boosting our GDP won’t be enough. We need to get people back to work and we need to give the average American some spending money. Most people have seen little change in their wages (negative if any), while prices for daily goods are rising. Middle class tax cuts will be key to reducing the average American’s pain. However, tax cuts, as opposed to a tax rebate, will be necessary, as people are more likely to save the money if it comes in the form of a check than if it is a gradual decrease of their taxes. Also, we must have a program through which we provide companies the incentive to keep jobs here in America. Since we have rather strict labor and minimum wage laws, many large companies have moved production overseas, but we must do something to combat this. Lowering the minimum wage isn’t the answer. Instead, give tax credits for businesses that create and sustain American job. Only when people have their jobs and a stable source of income can we increase demand, which will eventually increase by causing a growth in production, which will

entail more employment, income, spending, etc.

One of the last, and most impor-tant things the government can do is initiate meaningful healthcare reform. With the huge layoffs and high healthcare costs, millions of Americans are walking around one injury or sickness away from a devastating economic situation. Focusing on lowering the cost of primary care is the first step. Many people who become sick only find out once the problem has reached its peak, which means that they must go to the hospital after the issue has become very complicated.

Preventative care will save Americans millions and the gov-ernment has a role in ensuring that this happens. Pass legislation to fix the insurance companies. Stop primary care physicians from getting paid based on the number of people they examine per hour, and instead focus on spending enough time on each patient. Also, make it easier to become a primary care doctor by increasing the amount of money given to medical school students. Many are forced to come out of school with over $200,000 in debt, which deters those reluctant to take up that kind of debt, or those whose families wouldn’t have the money to support their children even after the loans. Furthermore, there is a huge disparity between doctors’ salaries in different fields. Some surgeons make three times as much for a half hour surgery in which they implant a stint in an artery than a primary care doctor who talks with patients for half an hour about diet, exercise,

and stress related habits. This drives many students to become surgeons, rather than preventa-tive care practitioners. Give people incentives to become the doctors that are most helpful to our coun-try. Preventative care can save us millions in healthcare costs and cannot be overemphasized. All of these issues increase the cost of healthcare for insurance companies, but since people need it very badly, the burden goes to the healthcare buyers (since the producers can just raise prices), which are US citizens and busi-nesses. By making it expensive to insure workers, these increasing costs are another reason that many companies can’t afford to hire as many people as they once could. Furthermore, rising costs are leaving families with fewer options for spending, rendering some unable to pay their mort-gages or utility bills, something nobody wants to happen. In fact, according to the US Government Accountability Office, Medicare costs are expected to skyrocket, so we must do something.

As we continue upon this rocky journey that is the current eco-nomic crisis, inaction will be fatal, both literally and figuratively. Thousands lose their jobs each week, and it’s up to our govern-ment to do something to fix this. We must, first and foremost, in-crease government and consumer spending. To do so the government must ensure that they, and the people, are spending money in the right places. It won’t be easy and it won’t be short, but recov-ery is possible if we work hard and smart.

Our economy will take a lot of work

5Feburary 6, 2009The Warrior Opinion

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

By DaviD Kimmer

OpiniOn

If you took a quick look at my backpack, you would find that it normally seems quite unfilled. As far as school is concerned, at any one time I’m only carrying the binder for my current class, a pencil, a pen, and my calculator. But if you picked my backpack up when it appeared to be completely empty, you would quickly notice that it is much heavier than you expected. This is because stashed away in all the hidden pockets are all the things I think I need in order to “be prepared”.

Some of these things I actually do use rather frequently, like my cell phone. I use that thing all the time. In fact, I find it hard to imagine what it was like before I had a cell phone, and how much harder it was to communicate and coordinate actions with my friends. But that’s no problem nowadays because that device is now on me nearly 24/7.

Adding to the weight is my iPod. I don’t even

normally use it during school like some people do, but again, I find it difficult to see myself without it. I would feel almost incomplete without carrying that thing around. What would I do on the way to school? What about the bus ride home? Whether it’s a good thing or not, both of these things seem a lot better when I have my music to listen to.

And then there are things like scissors. In my “secret” pocket I have a pair of heavy, metal scissors that fold up and store in a very unique manner so that to most, they don’t even really look like scissors. One might think that scissors might come in handy in a school. But not a high school. I’ve used those scissors about 4 or 5 times this year, and come to think of it, I probably could have borrowed a better pair of scissors each time.

There are several more knick knacks like the scissors hanging around in my backpack, but the one thing in there I really think I should use is my wallet. As a guy, I almost

feel obligated to have one, but for me, a wallet is almost completely impractical. All it does is sit in my backpack 24/7 with the only important thing inside being my permit. Whenever I drive, and my mom specifically asks me if I have my permit on me, I simply take it out and put it into my pocket on its own. And whenever I have cash, it just goes straight into my pocket too. I have no trouble organizing and keeping track of my money and ID, so what’s the point of having a bulky piece of leather in my pocket all day to do it for me?

I’ve got a lot of things in my backpack, probably around 20 or so different items, and I’ll tell you, most of the time I do feel pretty prepared. I feel like the things I store in my backpack will be able to satisfy the needs of almost any situation I come across. I feel well equipped, but the truth remains that most of those things I barely ever use. Sometimes I feel that it might be in the best interest of my back if I took them out.

The things I carry... in my backpack

Laws should apply to everyoneBy arChith murali

OpiniOn

In the past few weeks, the public has come to learn about some officials who have some “tax problems,” These include Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, who was charged with tax evasion, and Tom Daschle, who has been desig-

nated to lead the Health and Human Services Department. Geithner failed to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for a number of years when he worked for the IMF (Inter-national Monetary Fund). On top of this, he also employed an immigrant housekeeper who lacked proper work papers.

Geithner later paid some of his taxes in November of 2008. Daschle failed to pay more than $120,000 in back taxes. These individuals may be perfectly qualified to serve their positions, and given the current economic quandary, it might be that com-petence needs to be valued above personal ethics and personal problems. However, in the long run, and if possible, right now, we need to reach a con-clusion about whether elected governmental officials ought to be held to the same legal standards as ordinary

citizens. At the end of the day, laws

are created to broadly apply to everyone, not just a certain section of the populace. The very purpose of laws becomes useless when a select group of individuals are allowed to vio-late the laws without any signif-icant repercussions. If we keep on letting some individuals get away with illegal actions, then it leads to a downward cycle as an endless amount of people can say that they should also be exempted from the law. This entire issue of not holding some people culpable for their actions is bad for a number of reasons. First, as stated before, it leads to a downward cycle where more people choose to disregard the law and more people may choose to violate a greater amount of laws. At best, the law becomes useless. Secondly, if ordinary people still obey and follow the law, but some high-ranking officials are allowed to sidestep the law, it leads to systemic oppression, where one section of society is allowed benefits not available to the common man. Now,

everyday, some people have benefits and advantages that are not available to everyone. However, when it comes to legal matters, legal standards should be applied equally, regardless of the amount of power that you possess. Doing otherwise arbitrarily elevates some people above others.

Right now, I can understand why the Obama Administra-tion supported Geithner and supports Daschle. It argues that the violations were minor, especially compared to the importance of the individuals, more specifically Geithner, in restructuring and boosting the economy. In the current environment, we need people like Geithner to solve the eco-nomic crisis. However, if real change is to take place, and ideals are truly to be upheld, then Geithner and Daschle should be punished like ordi-nary people.

Image courtesy www.wikipedia.org

TIM GEITHNER: He was let off the hook for apologizing for the “errors” he made, including ignoring a $35,000 tax.

not brand new, but what really makes it unique is the fact that it’s all played in a first person perspective. In addition to the urban running, Faith is sometimes forced into a fight with the Blues, although more often than not, it is more advisable to run from the cops than it is to fight them. Faith is rather frail, only taking two or three hits, but when you do fight, her fighting style is as seamless as her running. Taking on a group of enemies is almost guaranteed death, but if you can divide them and fight one on one, they stand little chance. Unfortunately, the smooth running often repeated as you play a segment time after time to get it just right, as one mistake usually sends you plummeting to your death on the streets far, far below.

The cityscape where the gamer runs is astounding, the part of the building being stark white, with small, brightly colored ac-cents contrasting the panorama, creating a game that looks like no other. The game is in no way linear, with usually three to four paths available that all take you to the same destination, all interchangeable. The game

6 February 6, 2009 The WarriorEntertainment

Gaze into “Mirrors Edge”By paul manning

entertainment

If you’re like me, you dream about running over rooftops and jumping around buildings carrying secret messages. Unfortunately, this can only exist in an alternate reality… or in video games! With the recent release of Mirrors’ Edge, your dreams can finally be fulfilled.

In a near future, a utopian city has evolved, with no crime, no corruption and no problems. But not all is well, for this perfection has come at the price of the city’s life. Everyone has become the same. It’s hard to differentiate one building from the next. There is no diversity. A secret group of messengers traverse the city undercover, carrying messages that the “Blues,” or city police, wouldn’t approve of. The player is put in the shoes of Faith, a runner who is quickly involved in a murder plot her cop sister was framed for. Faith resolves to clear her sister’s name in anyway possible.

Faith glides across buildings, flawlessly putting jumps, wall runs and slides together in a beautiful way. This type of game is

is short, but turns out to be a good thing, as it ends right before it gets too repetitive. It also has an online time trial/speed run mode with global scoreboards.

This game is great and stands out from the crowd. It is just different enough to be extremely fun, but still comfortably familiar. However, I would suggest renting it as opposed to buying it, due to the short length.

www.G4tv.com

LENS FLARE!: Faith, the main character of this game, takes time from her adventures in this game to look at herself in a mirror.

Editor’s Box - onE Man star Wars

“Taken”provides cheap thrillsBy Kevin BiBiCOff

entertainment

Last Friday, the movie ‘Taken’ came to theaters. It stars Liam Neeson, who you may recognize as Qui-Gon from ‘Star Wars’ and as the bad guy from ‘Batman Begins,’ playing Bryan Mills, an ex-spy. His daughter Kim (Played by Maggie Grace from ‘Lost’) and her friend are kid-napped in Paris while following U2’s European tour. Now he only has 96 hours to find her.

He quickly begins looking for his daughter whom he is on the phone with when she is taken and he leads her through the steps she needs to go through to survive, telling her to get under the bed and then he says this unforgettable line; “Now this next step is very important. They are going to take you.”

After that point the movie is fast paced because most of the movie is a mixture of car chases, explosions and torture scenes. However, this short movie only lasts 93 minutes.

Even though it is an action thriller, it did not lead me to the edge of my seat in suspense and most of the so-called “suspense” scenes are pretty predictable. Although some of the shooting scenes and car chases are done very well, they aren’t very long and seems like they were just teasing. They give you just a taste of a great movie, but don’t give you your money’s worth.

After the call from his daugh-ter, Bryan gets on a plane paid for by his ex-wife’s rich husband and heads for Paris. Using his excellent spy skills and his fighting prowess, he takes on an Albanian gang’s sex and slave trade, their corrupt moles in the French government and an evil middle eastern Sheik in order to find and save his daughter.

In the end, the action scenes make this movie good, but fairly disappointing because of how predictable the plot is and because it is so short. If the length isn’t a factor for you, go see ‘Taken.’

By Chris murphy

“One is the loneliest number,” wails the band Three Dog Night. Well, the performance artist Charlie Ross proved them wrong during his ‘One Man Star Wars Trilogy’ show last weekend at Proctor’s theatre. The peculiar play showed from Jan 22-25 and featured Ross performing, completely alone, a condensed version of the entire original Star Wars trilogy, and it was surprisingly entertaining.

To be honest, it was more like a stand-up act than a recital. Ross would break character occasionally to point out an in-consistency in the Star Wars plot or mock an actor’s post-Star Wars performances (specifically, the fact that Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker has had no post-Star Wars screen time). He occasionally would stop acting in order to wonder aloud about the metric system or chew out an audience mem-ber who had showed up twenty minutes late (which in One Man Star Wars time is about one ‘A New Hope’. I was a little disappointed by the lack of a ‘Spoiler Alert’ at the beginning of the show, as I have yet to see ‘Return of the Jedi’ but the entire film was spoiled for me. Still, the One Man Star Wars Trilogy was a great way to spend an evening (and $25).

Those who missed out on the OMSWT… missed out. But they may have another chance to indulge in Charlie Ross’ wit, as he also performs a one-man Lord of the Rings tril-ogy, which shall hopefully pass into Proctors. If you’ve ever quoted a line from the Lord of the Rings, this is a perfect opportunity for you to stop being a loser by paying to watch someone else be a loser.

7February 6, 2009The Warrior Sports

Indoor track emerges triumphant

Photo Credit / Ethan D’SouzaTRACKING THE OPPONENT: Sophomore Ethan D’Souza keeps pace with a runner from an opposing team. D’Souza competes in predominantly long-distance events for the Warriors.

Photo Credit / Louis Serafini

RAPID RELAY: Senior Connor Reilly hands off the baton to senior Louis Serafini in a relay.

By miChelle mOller

spOrts

Indoor track is a long season full of adjustment, starting in the first weeks of November and, for some athletes, not ending until the first weeks of March. The team practices ev-eryday, regardless of whether it is snowing, raining or extremely cold outside. Additionally, the team travels to Union College’s indoor facilities for practice about two times a week.

In practices, the team is split into three different event groups. Coach Mike Peters coaches the sprinting athletes in events ranging from the 55 meters to 600 meter race, along with the jumping and hurdling athletes. Coach Jason Derocco is in charge of all mid-distance and long-distance events, all the way up through the 3000-meter race. Finally, Coach Shana Keith is in charge of the field events, most notably the shot put. Each day, workouts

are designed to cater to the events and abilities of all of the indoor track athletes.

This year’s indoor track season consisted of six league meets. The meets took place at either Union College or Hudson Valley Community College and all athletes participated in them. Additionally, the team made two overnight trips. Ath-letes who achieved designated qualifying times traveled to Dartmouth College and Yale University on weekends.

Senior Connor Reilly placed third at the Dartmouth meet with a time of 6.68 seconds in the 55 meter dash and senior Louis Serafini placed sixth in the mile with a time of 4:21. On the girls’ side, junior Chelsea Trant placed fifth in the two mile, posting a time of 11:31.

Yale proved to be another successful meet for the War-riors. Reilly matched his Dart-mouth performance, posting the exact same time of 6.68

seconds and earning a fifth place f inish. Serafini also matched his time down to the second , running an-other 4:21 mile to again place s ix th . Many a t h l e t e s o n the boys’ side set new per -sonal records in the 3000-meter race and s o p h o m o r e Marshall Pa-gano led the charge with a time of 9:15. The personal records were not restricted on ly t o the track athletes; sen io r Mike Duffy threw a 45 feet and 5 inches in the shot put to

earn a new personal best. This is the first year that

both Freshman Championships as well as Suburban Council Championships were held. In the Freshman Championships, held at Hudson Valley Commu-nity College, LeighAnn Labate almost broke the school fresh-man record in the 1000-meter run, just barely missing the mark set twelve years ago. Her time of 3:18.2 was less than two seconds off this record.

Suburbans were held on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the University of Albany. Personal records were abundant at the meet, including top mid-distance runner sophomore Kerri Valero’s time of 3:14 in the 1000m race.

This year, The indoor track team consisted of a combi-

nation of many returning athletes as well as a number of new faces. Track and field is not often looked at as a team sport, but the success of many athletes this season, as always in Niskayuna track, can be attributed to the team’s camaraderie.

From the screaming on the sidelines, reading out laps and split times, and running together both in competition and practice, all runners on the team share a special bond. This bond is more than just a love for running; everyone is there to get better in his or her own respect. Niskayuna’s track athletes are pushed both by others’ desires to improve as well as by the unwavering sup-port of Coaches Keith, Peters and Derocco.

Congratulations to Louis Serafini

who placed first in the Suburban Council 3200 meter race and Caitlin Mills who place first in the Suburban Council 300 meter race. Serafini won the race in a school record time of 9:37 and Mills fell just six hundreths of a second short of the school record, with a time of 43.30 seconds.

8 February 6, 2009 The WarriorSports

The g r e a t e s t r i v a l r y i n spo r t s

Don’t forget to recycle this issue when you finish reading it!

By COrey guilmette

spOrts

Super Bowl XLIII proved to be a classic, pitting the great Pittsburgh Steelers’ de-fense against the air-attack of the Arizona Cardinals. However, this was not the only great matchup on Sunday.

While most Americans were still asleep, tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer renewed their rivalry in the Aus-tralian Open Final in a match that lasted nearly four and a half hours and went the full five sets.

The match featured two giants of the sport, who will probably go down as two of the top five tennis players of all time. The two have been ranked number one and two in the world for almost four consecutive years, with Nadal defeating Federer in the Wimbledon final in August of 2008 and taking over the number one spot. This victory snapped Federer’s record of 160 consecutive weeks at number one.

Nadal and Federer have won 15 out of the last 16 grand slam finals, with Federer having the most dominant four year run in tennis history from 2004-2007. Federer owns Open Era (since 1968) records for most consecutive wins on grass courts (65) and hard courts (56), while Nadal holds the record for most consecutive victories on clay (81). Even further heightening the rivalry is the fact each man ended the other’s consecutive win streak. This fact is very typical of the rivalry, with each man preventing the other from achieving utter and unprecedented dominance.

Their rivalry has been a tremendous boon to the sport, and watching Nadal and Federer play against each other is exciting. Their most classic match was last year’s Wimbledon final, where Nadal won a gruelling five set match in four hours and 48 minutes. The final score was: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 8-6, with Nadal emerging as the victor.

The final on Sunday almost superseded the classic at Wimbledon. Both men met at the Australian Open final. This was very special, as it marked the first time that the two players were playing each

other in a hard court Grand Slam event. On top of that, Federer was chasing his 14th Grand Slam title, trying to tie Pete Sampras’ impressive record of 14 Grand Slams.

The momentum of the match swung sharply. Nadal won the first set 7-5. The beginning of the second set was close, but Federer managed to break Nadal twice to win it 6-3. The third set went to the tie-break, which Nadal won 7-3. In the fourth set, Federer regained his dominance to pick up the set 6-3. In the final set, Federer basically let Nadal win. There were a number of uncharacteristic errors from Federer and his serve was not as good as it usually is. As a result of this, he lost the set 6-2. Federer was so hurt by this loss that he became very emotional and started to cry in the awards ceremony. One of the most touching scenes was when Nadal hugged and consoled Federer for his loss.

This victory was made even more impres-sive by the fact that only two days earlier, Nadal had eeked out a victory against fel-low Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, in five sets. This match lasted an astounding five hours and 14 minutes, leaving Nadal visibly exhausted and barely able to par-ticipate in the post-match interview.

Nadal, who boasts a 13-6 record against Federer, seems poised to further reinforce his position as the best tennis player in the world. After winning the last four French Open titles, it seems a good bet that Nadal will extend his championship streak to five. Nadal emerged victorious in last year’s Wimbledon final, giving him a good chance to repeat. Finally, Nadal’s success on the hard court at the Australian Open gives him hope that he can capture the elusive U.S. Open Championship, where he has never reached the finals. It seems as if the tide has turned and that Nadal has a legitimate shot at winning the holy grail of tennis, the grand slam. However, if the past is any indication of the future, it appears that Federer might have something to say about Nadal’s grand slam aspirations.

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rd Boys’ Basketball

1/20 vs. GuilderlandL 54-62

1/21 @ BethlehemL 58-61

1/21 vs. SaratogaL 57-60

1/30 @ ColumbiaL 48-60

Girls’ Basketball

1/20 @ GuilderlandW 47-30

1/21 vs. BethlehemW 56-54

1/23 @ SaratogaL 34-31

1/30 vs. ColumbiaW 57-48

Editors:Sarah Barry Dinesh KommareddyDan StoneAsst. Editor:Roshal Patel

Volume 11, Issue February 6, 2009SilverThe Warrior Magazine

Hello, Second Semester!Sorry, it’s a love/hate relationship...

The Warrior Magazine February 6, 2009SilverC r e a t i n g a f a n t a s y

Dear Readers,

Congratulations! You have successfully survived f i rst semester! Sarah Barry is actually crying with joy. Seriously, tears are coming out of her eyes and dripping onto the keyboard (ew)! Alas, her joy is bitter sweet as she realizes that second se-mester also brings about more regents exams, AP’s, SAT’s, finals, and other horrible stuff for under-classmen and juniors. While us seniors chill and relax in the spring, all the other members of the high school will be suffering in agony! But, don’t worry. We have gone through this, and as you can see, we came out alive and healthy.

More importanty, sec-ond semester means that amazing holiday: Valen-tine’s Day. Finally, you can get a chance to tell your loved one how much you love them!!! You need not be afraid of pouring out your emotions. Make sure that you show your love for your love, the high school, and everyone!!!

Sincerely, The Editors

Craig DudekMagazine

Some may consider it a night of clichés, but for me, Valentine’s Day is an opportu-nity to spend a night with that truly special girl, showing her how much I care. It is a day to celebrate love, passion and a little lust.

“This year I’m flying down to Tennessee to visit my girlfriend, Taylor Swift. It’s a surprise visit, so none of you crazy fans go sending her fan e-mail. At sunset, I’ll pick her up in our stretch limo and we’ll make our way to the classiest restaurant in town, Applebees, it’s Taylor’s favor-ite. After a luscious dinner of chicken fingers and fries, I’ll surprise her with chocolate and flowers awaiting her in the limo. After that I was planning on taking her for a ride in my 1969 Gran Torino on the coast. If I’m lucky, she’ll serenade me with singing Our Song or Love Story. At the end of the night, I’ll give her a diamond necklace and lean in for a kiss.” said.. one of my

friends, when asked about his plans for this upcoming Valentine’s Day.

Some of you may not be as extravagant as my friend. I know that this love fest with Taylor Swift is a bit over the edge, but there are many ways you can show that spe-cial girl you care.

Chocolate and flowers are overrated, if you ask me. When I really want to impress a girl, try making her a mix-tape of all those romantic songs you think she’ll like. “Ocean Avenue,” by Yellowcard is a personal favorite of mine along with “Swing Life Away,” by Rise Against and “Love Song,” by Taylor Swift.

Time is worth more than money these days, so try spending time making a special something for that special girl. Homemade condoms might sound like a faulty idea, but they work. But artwork, jewelry or even a poem might appeal to her senses. Ashley Vineyard has told me, “I would love it if a

guy stood outside my widow playing me a handwritten song on his guitar. I hate Valentine’s Day more than I hate calculus, but that might make my night.”

Then there is always the ol’ reliable: taking her out for a nice dinner. Now that has its advantages and disadvan-tages: quality time appeals to some girls and a nice dinner can be a good memory, but planning it out may be tricky. Make sure it’s at a quiet and classy restaurant, unless the place bears history. My sug-gestions would be The Melting Pot. I took my girlfriend there last Valentine’s Day and she loved it!

Valentine’s Day is quite a great holiday. Really, every-day should be a day for guys to proclaim their love to their girls, but they should on Val-entine’s Day at the very least. I know that my friend would spend all 365 days of the year lavishly showering Taylor with love. At least, I have a feel-ing he would. What’s wrong a few clichés?

F i n d i n g t r u e l o v e Sarah Barry

Magazine

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I took the time to think about the true loves in my life. I thought of many things, like chicken wings, but no love of mine is stronger than that I have for New Visions. I know it sounds crazy, a senior actually loving a busy year, but I’ve fallen head-over-heels for New Visions: Law & Government. New Visions, offered for law & government, journalism & media studies, health careers, human services & special/elementary

education, provides seniors with an alternate to taking all of their classes at the high school. While taking a specialized, integrated curriculum (giving students four high school credits and a various number of college ones), students intern with professionals in the field of their respective programs. There is an application process involving an essay, interview and teacher and counselor recommendations. Currently, I’m interning in the Claims Bureau of the Attorney General’s office in the Capital. I’ve studied a

curriculum including criminal law, tort law, Constitutional law, and political philosophy. We also take field trips, including one to Coxsackie Correctional Facility and a culminating trip to Washington, D.C. (Don’t get too excited; you can only go on the trip if you survive the U.S. Government & Politics AP two weeks before.) This course is undoubtedly my valentine. For juniors, I suggest you seek out true love in New Visions. In order to do so, contact your matchmaker (also known as your counselor) for more information.

The Warrior Magazine February 6, 2009Silver

xXenglish_gurlxX: Dear Love Guru, this boy in my English class is really cute and I can’t stop thinking about him. I remember this one time I accidentally dropped my pencil off my desk. He walked up to the pencil in his sexy strut, picked it up while flexing his muscular arms and ended up pocketing the pencil in his tight manly denim jeans. Though he stole my pencil, I couldn’t help but become more attracted to him. Does this mean I’m in love?Love Guru: Well xXeng-lish_gurlxX, it’s like what my favorite band Haddaway would say; What is love? Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more! What I’m gettin’ at here is that your

love is blinded by obses-sion. Should your obsession continue any further, there is a likely chance you’ll end up heart broken, alone and without a pencil.

dd21dd: Dear Love Guru, there’s this insanely hot, and slightly mature woman that I can’t stop thinking about. I just can’t get her out of my head! I mean she’s married and has three kids, all of whom are older than me! I agree, that’s creepy to think about, but I hope you’ll understand the feel-ings that I’m going through. I know I’ll never be able to have this woman, but I just need a way to get her out of my head!Love Guru: dd21dd, it’s per-fectly normal for you to have strong feelings for an older woman. In fact, this type of

infatuation is perfectly nor-mal for teenagers. Don’t feel embarrassed; there is noth-ing to be ashamed of; I’ve dated many older women in my lifetime, three of whom still remember the days back when Ronald Reagan was a beefcake.

math_dude314: Dear Love Guru, I know this might sound freaky, but lately I’ve been having this strong connection with my calcula-tor. I even nicknamed her Delilah. Nothing satisfies me more than computing a good ole math equation with my calculator. I love the texture of the buttons grazing across my fingers, the screen lighting up in a dazzling display of graphing madness and the oh so satis-fying feeling of pressing the equal button that makes my

heart erupt with joy. Lately, it’s been getting pretty awk-ward with Delilah. At night, when we’re both asleep, I try to put my hand over her buttons and when I wake up, I see this on her screen “9/*564+”. What does this mean? Is she trying to tell me she loves me?Love Guru: That’s a pret-ty subtle message math_dude314. Fortunately for you, I’m fluent in calculator language. It appears there is someone else in her life and feel it’s time that you and her go separate ways. Math_dude314, my heart goes out to you. I know this is not the answer you wanted to hear and I’m sorry you have to find out this way. On the bright side, I hear there is a shiny new microwave single and ready to mingle!

A s k t h e L o v e G u r u Dinesh Kommareddy

Fiction

Dan Stone’s Q and A with Charlie Heim

Charlie Heim is a junior at the high school. He enjoys playing football in the fall, skiing on the ski team in the winter, frisbee in the spring and gangsta leaning in the summer. Q: Godfather 1 or 2? A: Oh, I’ve never seen either of those, so, 2, I guess. Q: If you had to choose between unlimited fortune and eternal youth, which would you choose, and why? A: Eternal youth, because if I’m eternally young, I can amass wealth with my youth. I mean, I can amass a fortune and if I can’t die, I can do anything; I don’t have to eat. Q: if you could meet any historical figure, would it be Barack Obama or Michael Jordan?

Dan StroneMagazine

A: Barack Obama Q: Hip-hop or R&B? A: R&B is blacker than hip-hop and I choose it because of that. I consider myself a black enthusiast. Q: If Hans Solo fought Indi-ana Jones, who would win? A: I’m gonna have to say Hans Solo only because he’s thousands of years ahead of Indiana Jones. He’s got technology on his side. He’s also got Chewbacca. [wookie noise] Q: What do you look for in the ladies? A: All the normal body parts. All the hair, in all the right places, and not in the wrong places. Q: If you were a suit of card, which suit would you be? A: Probably diamonds, because they remind me of flowers and they’re symmetrical anyway you cut them. Which is weird, but I respect that.

I have a healthy respect for diamonds. Q: Some have compared you to a young Kanye West? How do you reply to that? A: Was he a troublemaker? Why do people say I’m like him? I think I’m like a young Biggie Smalls, I think. You know? But hopefully without the tragic end. Q: What’s your favorite class? A: English [editors’ note: Word up, Mr. Lester.] Q: Wolverwine’s claws versus light sabers? A: Wolverine’s claws, defi-nitely. I could really mess people up in a fight. Q: do you have any superstitions? A: I always hold my breath when I pass a cemetery until I see a white ho use. Q: What’s your favorite movie quote? A: “Yeah, I don’t want to sound like a queer or nothin’ but

the Detdche Load is a really good band.” Q: What’s your lucky number? A:7 or 22. My birthday is July 22nd. Q: Alright the big secret how do you grow your beard? A: it’s much like a KFC recipe, it’s full of ingredients not all of which are disclosed. You have to crush up the life of a dove and coonslang skin, with a little bit of lighter fluid. Q: Thoughts about Valentine’s Day? A: It’s pretty lame and exclusive only for people with loved ones and they’ve already got loved ones why do they need seconds? It’s unfair. Q: Got a valentine yet? A: Ha! Do I? I don’t know. I’m ap-prehensive about naming any names ‘cause some of their sons and daughters attend Niskayuna.

February 6, 2009

The Warrior Magazine February 6, 2009Silver

S h o p p i n g f o r y o u r s w e e t h e a r tRoshal Patel

Magazine

Gifts like chocolates in a heart shaped box, pajama grams and flowers are so generic and overused. If you really care about your girl, give her something wild and on the edge of awesomeness. Trust me, these gifts listed below have proven to make girls happy.

1) Nothing says that I care, like a nice piece of Hickory Smoked Ham. I mean, how can you go wrong with that? It is so tasty and juicy and smokey and freaking awesome. Just ask Steve Smith, he knows how great Hickory Smoked Ham is. Just picture this. You give her the ham placed inside a wrapped box; she opens it; she sees it; she is so bewildered at the gift, that she admires the courage it took you to give her that; she is happy.

2) A box of Crayola crayons should bring tears of happiness to your girl’s eyes. The moment she unwraps the present and sees the crayons, one of two things will happen. The first is that she will start eating the crayons, because crayons taste so good. Or, she will start crying because the crayons will bring memories of her drawing on her walls at home and she will remember the good old days, and thank you for bringing that joy back into her life.

3) An empty box. Just wait, you may think this is a bad idea, but it can actually work to your advantage. When she opens the box, and sees nothing there, she will start to questions whether you forgot to buy her a gift or if you are actually going

to give her something better later. She will realize that you are actually going to give her a gift later because she will see that you wrapped the present so well, that you must have done it at Macy’s. So, from there, she will be waiting for her real present later, which will make her anxious, which will make her even happier when she opens her real gift.

Guys are complex people which is why things that you might think that they would like for gifts

aren’t going to make them happy. 1) Guys are attracted to very simple gadgets like yo-yo’s or those multicolor clickable pens, which makes these gifts perfect for Valentines Day. Guys can spend hours clicking those pens

or yo-yoing those yo-yos. You really don’t need to go all-out to satisfy your man (or should I say boy because in the other article I said girl. If I say man, that would be sexist, so I’ll say boy).

2) Whether you girls know it or not, guys actually like jewelry. Now, you don’t need to go all-out and get expensive man jewelry, but cheap plastic jewelry will suffice. You must understand that boys will wear these cheap plastic rings and go around showing off their new “bling.” There is no

better way to boost a man’s ego than to get him cheap plastic bling.

3) Mugs or trophies with phrases engraved on them are also another great way to boost a boy’s ego and make him feel fan-freaking-tastic. I mean, just imagine how your man will react when he gets a coffee mug that says “second best boyfriend that I’ve ever had” or a first place trophy that says “we have been dating for one year, twelve months, thirty three days and fifty-two hours.”

Valentine ’ s Day around the worldSarah Barry

Magazine

We’re used to American Valentine’s Day traditions: corny cards, cheap chocolate, and awesome alliterations. But in Japan, the real, romantic fun begins on March 14. On Valentine’s Day in Japan girls give the apples of their

that take place after are sure to result in some Valentine’s Day fun, if not a marriage! Unfortunately, Iranian citizens cannot technically celebrate Valentine’s Day. The Iranian government does not consent to the holiday. But recently, American traditions have found their way into Iran.

the National Confectionary Industry Association. Single people of Scotland gather together on Valentine’s Day for a huge party. It’s almost like a big speed-dating service. The men and women write their names on slips of paper and choose a name of the opposite sex. Any matches

eyes a little present. (As opposed to America, where it’s usually the opposite.) Chocolates are the most popular gift. On White Day, which is March 14, those special boys return the favor by giving those girls (who suprised them on February 14) an even better present. The holiday was begun by

Warrior Photo / Sarah Barry