February/March 2010

TOWER TIMES
Volume 85 Issue 4
East Side High School, Madison Wisconsin
February/March 2010
What’s Inside:
vs. Memorial Game
East Encore Show Choir East
page 2
Makes History
Show Choir Competitions
page 3
Nelson Auner Interview
page 4
Scott Wilton Interview
page 5
Haiti Relief
page 6
Solo and Ensemble
page 8
Facebook:
Friend or Foe?
Edward vs. Jacob
page 9
Facebook
page 11
Zoroscopes
page 12
Around East
The Proust Questionnaire
by Faith Lind
The
Proust
Questionnaire (the “ou” is
pronounced like the “oo” in
foosball) was popularized by
French author Marcel Proust in
the 1800s.
The answers to the
quiz are revealing of someone’s
personality. Each issue, Tower
Times features a prominent
person in the East community,
or someone we think will give
good answers. For this issue we
questioned Aza M., the voice
that helps deliver our morning
announcements.
Q: Where would you like to
live?
A: Los Angeles so I can spit
some game at Megan Fox.
Q: Who are your heroes in
fiction?
A: Power Rangers. They
fought together as a team,
and I had a crush on the Pink
Ranger when I was little.
Q: Who are your heroes in
real life?
A: My mom, she’s been
through a lot to get to where
she is today.
Aza poses thoughtfully for the camera. He has done
the East announcements for almost two years.
Q: What is your life motto?
A: ‘For every door that shuts in
your life, a window opens.’
Q:What is your present state
of mind?
A: I feel okay about myself.
Q: What do you value in
your friends?
A: Honesty and humor.
Q: What quality do you most
admire in a woman?
A: The ability to be sexy, a
good sense of humor; you
can’t go through life without a
laugh. And someone who likes
me for who I am.
Q: What is your favorite
color?
A: Blue, because I like Blue
Moon ice cream.
got a divorce.
Q: What is your main fault?
A: I talk too much, and I can
be annoying.
Q: What is your idea of
happiness?
A: Having friends and family
there to support you in
whatever decisions you make
in life.
Q:What do you regard as
the lowest depth of misery?
A: Probably when my parents
Q: What characters in
history do you most dislike?
A: Hitler.
Q: If you could pick your
name what would it be?
A: Mufasa Babba Muzzogandi.
Q: What is the natural talent
you would like to be gifted
with?
A: Singing.
East Boys Basketball Team Suffers Tough Loss Against
same sentence do not make
within 20 minutes of going
the game. Rumors flew about
Memorial
you cringe, consider yourself
on sale, leaving those without
the school, and the mayhem
by Claire
Brickson
It was nearly
impossible to set foot
anywhere at East High School
between February 22 and 25
without hearing ‘ticket’ or
‘Memorial game.’ If those
two phrases uttered in the
2
fortunate.
From the moment
students began lining up at
7:30 a.m. Monday morning
to buy tickets for the boys
basketball game against
Memorial on Thursday night,
the East community was in
a frenzy. The tickets sold out
tickets scrambling.
The ticket fiasco is an
excellent example of the power
of rumors and hype. While the
game would likely be exciting,
a win would give East nothing
beyond bragging rights.
This fact did little to
dampen the anticipation for
only increased when students
began selling copies of the
nondescript tickets.
After nearly a week
of mounting excitement, the
actual basketball game was
rather anticlimactic.
Continued on page 12
Around East
East byEncore
Show Choir Kill It In Competition
Analiese
Sigelko
January and February
mean one thing for the
members of East’s Encore
Show Choir—it’s competition
season!
After working since
September on a performance
made up of seven pieces, it is
time to show that all our effort
and long hours have paid off.
And we have done just that,
giving three spectacular shows
at competitions that ended with
a bang on February 6.
The set list for this
season is quite diverse, as has
often been true in previous
years and tends to elicit
commentary (both positive and
not-so-positive) from judges.
Our show
encompasses everything from
funk to Latin to classical
Broadway. It even includes
a ballad which was on the
soundtrack of the film Prince
Caspian, “The Call,” by
Regina Spektor. Regardless of
what style we are performing,
the show is packed with energy
from start to finish. This competition
season led off at Viterbo
University in LaCrosse, while
the second took place at
Monona Grove High School.
At both of these
invitationals Encore had
the opportunity to perform
alongside show choirs from all
across the Midwest, including
the well-renowned Cedar
Rapids group from Iowa.
The third performance
Show Choir members Alexis Evans-Kruger and Paula
Olson dance to one of their competition numbers.
Show Choir performed at Monona Grove High School.
was held in Sauk Prairie. Both
Mad City Swing and Encore
performed there, with Mad
City Swing raising the roof
and achieving third runner up!
Encore competed against 19
other Wisconsin groups and
truly shone, qualifying for
finals and ranking first among
all the groups for visual effect.
It was a great
experience to make finals, but
the best was still to come.
Our competition
season came to a brilliantly
successful end on Saturday,
February 6 at the New London
Invitational. Once again
Encore put on a stellar show
and was one of six groups to
continue to finals.
We were expecting
to receive sixth place, or
fifth if we were very lucky,
but despite this feeling our
group pushed through with
camaraderie and enthusiasm,
getting the whole gym up and
dancing before the winners
were revealed.
When the judges
announced that East had
received second runner-up,
the feeling was electrifying.
This is the highest ranking
ever received in the history
of Encore Show Choir
and definitely a cause for
celebration!
In addition to
the group show, at every
invitational East has several
students who participate in the
soloist competition. This year
the participants were Hannah
Meddaugh, Joseph Schuster,
Ivy Sanderfoot, Avery Young,
Jackson Eagan, AJ Becker
and Hannah Ripp-Dieter.
All of them gave fantastic
performances, whether singing
a musical theatre piece or
something more classical. We
have had the great honor of
seeing some of our soloists
receive recognition—Joseph
Schuster killed it at Viterbo
and was awarded an Honorable
Mention. Hannah Meddaugh
has astounded us all by
winning not one, but two solo
competitions and receiving a
runner-up position in the third.
Despite how exciting
and intense competitions
can be, the thing that defines
the East Show Choirs is our
team spirit. It takes a great
amount of dedication to be
part of this group—we practice
each day in class along with
two-hour rehearsals every
Monday night. This is not to
mention coordinating with our
fabulous band (who is known
at competitions as the Band
to Beat). With all the time we
spend together it is no wonder
that Encore Show Choir is one
of the most tightly knit groups
of which I have ever been a
part. From traveling two hours
on a bus together, to warming
up, to competing, this process
really makes the choir feel like
a family. Our greatest strength
is our spirit, the way we
support each other and cheer
not for what place we made in
competition, but for the simple
thrill of being together and
doing what we love. Look for
us come Cabaret season!
3
Around East
Nelson Auner’s Excellent Adventure in South Korea
by Liz Levy
Tower Times
interviewed Nelson Auner,
who spent the summer and fall
of 2009 in South Korea.
TT: With what program did
you travel to South Korea?
NA: I traveled to South Korea
with the National Security
Language Initiative for Youth
(NSLI-Y), a long name that
basically means that the
government wants people
to learn Korean because of
national security goals.
But in reality,
the actual programs were
contracted out to a couple of
different agencies. Most study
abroad organizations like AFS
do not send kids to South
Korea because of the school
system, so a little-known
company called i-Earn USA
agreed to set up the program.
It was the first year,
so things were a little hectic.
We started out with a threeday briefing in Washington
D.C. and met with the program
coordinators. Then, during the
summer, I studied at Seoul
National University. In fall,
I was transferred to a high
school.
I lived with two
different host families, one
during the summer and one
during the fall.
TT: Did you speak the
language before you arrived?
4
were so different from the little
nuances you hear about--say,
bowing instead of shaking
hands--and actually caused me
to form a completely different
mindset.
The school system
was one of the biggest
differences, and anyone who
goes to China or Japan will
likely experience the same
thing. The way I think of it is
that western education is, to
some degree, influenced by the
Socratic method of teaching
(open discussions). Korea,
however, is a Confuciustype education system in
that teachers were revered
as always correct, the
entire grading system and
college entrance system is
test based, and there are no
Nelson Auner is pictured on a typically crowded street
class discussions, ever. So
although East Asian countries
with school friends. He lived in South Korea for the
may outperform the U.S. on
summer and fall of 2009.
How did you prepare for your
standardized tests, I think that
TT: What were your thoughts
semester abroad?
there is some merit to the way
just off the plane?
NA: I was lucky in that I had
we do things here.
NA: Well, I arrived in South
studied Korean for about three
On the other hand,
Korea with forty other
years before I left. Korean
the students’ attitudes towards
Americans in the same
is an extremely difficult
school were completely
program, so I was having a
language, however, and I
different. Most students
lot of fun making many new
certainly wish that I would
studied not only during school,
friends. The feelings of panic
have been better. But I was in
but late into the night, and
didn’t really settle in until I
a better position than many of
went to high school for the fall. there were never any behavior
the other candidates, so I was
issues. One of the things that
lucky in that respect.
shocked me most upon my
TT: Did you notice any major
I didn’t really prepare differences between South
reentry to the United States
for my semester abroad besides Korea and the U.S.?
was the disrespect towards
the language study, although
teachers and lack of concern
NA: As someone who has
the camp where I learned
towards education that so
traveled to Mexico and Costa
Korean tried to mimic an
Rica, I thought that I had a firm Continued on page 10
immersion setting.
grasp on cultural differences.
But the cultural differences
Around East
Continued from page 7
Scott Wilton Rolls on a Single Wheel
in New Zealand
beautiful country, so my family
visited the main attractions, the
landscape, the oceans, and the
cities.
New Zealand is very
attractive to adventure goers,
there are extreme activities
such as bungee jumping,
river rafting and plenty of
other sports. Queenstown,
New Zealand is the adventure
capital of the world.
by Moises Diaz
East Junior Scott
Wilton traveled to New
Zealand for a unicycling
competition, a trip that
extended over a month.
Scott Wilton
competed in the 10 kilometer
criterion unlimited, and placed
first with a time of 22 minutes
eleven seconds, becoming the
World Champion in the 10
kilometer unicycle race for
2009 and 2010.
Tower Times
interviewed the athlete to
ask him about the sport and
about his experience in New
Zealand.
Why did you go to New
Zealand?
The primary reason for going
to New Zealand was for
the Bi-Annual International
Unicycling Convention, called
UNICON. The convention
has anything that can be
possibly imagined that relates
to unicycling. It is kind of a big
party. The convention is the
biggest in the world with about
750 attendees, 100 of which
don’t compete.
What sort of competitions
are there and how are they
related to other sports?
Of the competitions many
are races with designated
distances, and some are off
road. There are freestyle
Scott Wilton speeds partway through the Marathon race at
the International Unicycle Competition. He placed second
in his age group in this event and won the overall (across
age-groups) award for the 10k.
dances with choreography and
judged stunts. I found that the
competitors have very good
sportsmanship, yet there is still
pressure on the races and art,
some people perform just for
the sake of competition and
fun.
Which event would you say is
the most popular to compete
in or to watch?
Definitely the 10 kilometer
race, which at UNICON this
year had three laps, so the
audience could really watch
the entire race.
Is balance ever an issue to
you when you compete?
Balance is no longer an issue
to me, but when I change
elevation when I ride I have to
adjust my posture and also in
speed changes.
Since UNICON is only 10
days and you were in New
Zealand for about 30, what
did you do on the other 20
days?
Well, New Zealand is a very
What cultural differences did
you notice during your trip?
Well, in New Zealand,
especially in towns, not as
much in big cities, everyone
was super friendly. So we
didn’t have to worry about
locking our car or anything
like that. In the cities there’s
definitely more of a city
atmosphere.
They also have a
different accent, it’s kind of
a British/Australian mix, it’s
different and pretty funny; they
have a lot of different words.
What do you hope to
accomplish in the future with
unicycling?
I see myself always traveling
and using unicycling as a
mode of transportation. I like
to see myself competing less
and doing more fun rides with
people because there really
aren’t that many competitions,
and although I think there will
be more competitions in the
future, I’m more interested in
the community.
5
National/World
Haiti Still in Need of Aid After Earthquake
by Claire
Brickson
Since the earthquake
on January 12, 2010, Haiti has
been on everyone’s minds. The
pictures and reports coming
out of the ruins of Port-auPrince have been devastating.
As the poorest nation
in the Western Hemisphere,
Haiti was not prepared to
deal with a disaster of this
magnitude. With municipal
buildings razed, the
government was unable to
provide immediate relief or
organization and the situation
remains chaotic.
In the midst of
this tragedy, there has been
something to give us hope. In a
time when our own country is
struggling, people have come
together to help Haiti.
Americans may be
cynical about current politics,
but they have overcome their
bitterness to help those who
truly need it. From modest
bake sales to a benefit concert
broadcast on nearly every
television station, people all
over are raising money for
Haiti Relief.
This wave of
goodwill can be seen at East
High School. On January 27,
MESFAP aligned with the
Sophomore Student Congress
to hold a staff breakfast that
raised $450.
This money was
donated to the organization
Doctors Without Borders,
which has been working in
Haiti for almost two decades
providing medical care.
MESFAP is currently
planning a benefit dinner in the
next several weeks. There is
also a collection container for
donations for Haiti Relief in
the main office.
While support for
Haiti is strong, we must
work hard to make sure it
stays that way. When Haiti
begins to disappear from
national headlines, we must
not let it fade from our minds.
Immediate relief for Haiti is
crucial, but Haiti will never be
able to rebuild if its aid does
not stay strong.
To truly make a
difference we must invest in
the Haitian infrastructure, so
that Haitians do not remain
dependent on foreigners for
their survival.
Haitians needs us
now, but they will also need
us a year from now. Let’s not
forget that.
Reviews
Everything is Illuminated is A Rare Find
by Analiese
Sigelko
In my life I have
only read a few books so
honest and powerful that
they stay with me for weeks
afterward, nestling into my
skin and hovering between
each of my steps. Everything is
Illuminated is such a book.
I read it in a few days
over Winter Break and find the
words still ringing in my head,
as resonant as they were when
I first discovered them.
The debut novel
6
of Jonathan Safran Foer,
Everything is Illuminated
began as a research project
on the life of Foer’s maternal
grandfather who survived the
Holocaust.
Foer places himself
as a central character of the
book—a young Jewish man
who sets out to find the woman
who saved his ancestors from
the Nazis half a century earlier.
On this search he
is aided by an endearingly
dysfunctional Ukrainian family
that runs a travel business. The
most prominent members are
a hilarious teenager named
Alex, his self-proclaimedblind grandfather, who acts
as their driver, and the family
dog, Sammy Davis Jr., Jr.
Interwoven with the narrative
of this search, the novel recalls
in eloquent detail over 150
years of the history of Foer’s
family in the small Jewish
village of Trachimbrod.
Throughout the book
the perspective alternates
between Foer and Alex as
storytellers, also incorporating
letters written between the two.
These changes in viewpoint,
as well as in time period
and setting, are masterfully
entwined into a cohesive story.
One falls in love with
this book in the first paragraph.
It opens with a chapter told
by Alex, whose insights and
frankness coupled with his
use of wonderfully fractured
English send the reader into
fits of laughter. Alex has all
Continued on page 7
Reviews
Everything is Illuminated Shines
the delightful cockiness of
any teenage boy: Many girls
want to be carnal with me in
many good arrangements,
notwithstanding the Inebriated
Kangaroo, the Gorky Tickle
and the Unyielding Zookeeper.
If you want to know why so
many girls want to be with
me, it is because I am a very
premium person to be with. I
am homely, and also severely
funny, and these are winning
things.
While Foer is very
adept at writing humorously,
his remarkable talent is also
displayed in more serious
subjects.
The story of
Trachimbrod and its
inhabitants over the centuries
is a rich, profoundly human
piece of writing. Foer
depicts life in a tender yet
simultaneously heartbreaking
way, looking with sincerity
at the nature of humanity. He
illustrates myriad different
characters. From depicting a
young boy who has the women
of the town at his feet because
of a crippling deformity, to a
girl who counts all of life’s
individual sadnesses, Foer
beautifully examines love,
desire, tradition and the search
for meaning.
Certain passages are
so touching that one has to
pause while reading just to
let them sink in: It came as a
great surprise—not that she
didn’t love him, but that she
would say it. […] Women had
said I love you without his ever
speaking. The more you love
someone, he came to think,
the harder it is to tell them. It
surprised him that strangers
didn’t stop each other on the
street to say ‘I love you’.
There is a sense of
dread that comes while reading
this book, as comes with any
story about a great tragedy
such as the Holocaust. The
reader can feel, through all
the breathless descriptions of
life and fullness, that it is all
Continued from page 6
drawing closer to some point
of destruction.
Even with this
forewarning the book’s climax
hits like a blow to the face.
Ultimately this is the most
beautiful aspect of Everything
is Illuminated—the way it
begins by making you laugh
and ends by making you cry.
This is possibly the most
meaningful novel I have ever
experienced. It is an absolute
must-read.
Everything is Illuminated
Jonathan Safran Foer
Harper Collins Publishers 2002
276 pages
$13.95
Galapagos is a Comedy of Errors
by Liz Levy
In Galapagos,
Kurt Vonnegut (author of
Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s
Cradle) tackles an extremely
difficult question: What will
humanity look like in one
million years? His answer
is graceful, humorous and
completely unexpected.
Vonnegut’s tale opens
on familiar circumstances:
The world is in a crushing
economic crisis, crime is
rampant, and humans are
rapidly destroying the earth.
All logic points to
our species becoming extinct
within a few hundred years.
Galapagos is the story of
mankind’s serendipitous
survival.
An unlikely cast
of characters are thrown
together aboard an Ecuadorian
cruise ship, fated to sail to
the Galapagos Islands—that
critical place in human
history where Charles Darwin
conceived his theory of
evolution.
Through a comedy
of errors, these few men and
women will ultimately become
the parents of a new race of
humans.
Vonnegut writes
playfully, paying no mind to
the conventional structure of
a story. From giving away the
end result of mankind’s one
million years of evolution on
the first page, to starring the
names of characters whose
deaths are imminent, his antics
never cease to surprise and
amuse.
However, the real
reason to read Galapagos lies
within its characters. Vonnegut
weaves a complex web of lies,
flirtation and desperation that
drive the motivations of each
character.
Even the most minor
of his creations are realistic
and sophisticated. Truly a
master of human interaction,
he makes a highly unlikely
string of events believable.
Though not your
everyday novel, Galapagos is
well worth the read. Thoughtprovoking yet side-splitting,
Kurt Vonnegut has created a
captivating tale of what could
be.
Galapagos
Kurt Vonnnegut
The Dial Press
1985
324 pages
$15.00
7
Local
Solo and Ensemble Festival Strikes Again
by Erin
Carlson
The scene at Hamilton
Middle School was chaotic.
Nervous looking students
stood about the hallways in
dress clothes, tightly clutching
music and their instruments.
The sound of music was heard
and inside these rooms young
musicians were participating
in Solo and Ensemble, a
music festival sponsored by
the Wisconsin School Music
Association.
WSMA’s goal for
Solo and Ensemble is to foster
musical growth and interest
in developing musicians. The
set up is simple. Participating
Middle and High School
students register six weeks
in advance for an event.
Participation in these events
can range from be solos and
duets to large groups of fifteen
or more.
At the regional Solo
and Ensemble, all classes
of music were performed,
From the easiest, class C, to
the highest, class A. After a
performance, the musicians
receive a quick critique of
their performance and often
advice on how to improve. The
scores are then sent to the main
office and later posted on the
walls. These scores are based
on several categories, such as
tone, technique and expression.
The aim is to get the lowest
score possible.
Waiting for these
scores can be more nervewracking than actually
performing.
As with any
subjective competition, scores
can be drastically different
depending on the judge. There
are two main camps on how
to judge performers. The first
method is listening to see
if the performer is already
at a level that would allow
them to do well at the State
competition. The other judges
base it on how well they will
do given they have time to
improve before State. These
two methods can result in two
very different scores for the
same quality of performance,
a frustrating but common
occurrence.
While judges and
scores are often debated
after the competition, few
participants know that it is
possible to rate a judge. On
the day of Solo and Ensemble,
judge evaluations are available
at the administrative center
of the event. Unfortunately,
most participants are unaware
of this possibility. Very few
participants read rules other
than the guidelines for their
specific events. Also, since
Solo and Ensemble takes
place all day long, there is no
opening meeting where general
policies can be discussed.
While rating a judge cannot
change the score they give
you, it could help eliminate the
discrepancies in scores.
East High students
participated in the competition
this year, many of whom
will continue on to the State
competition in April.
Satire
Valentine’s Candy-Related Weight Gain Ends Relationship
by Terran Tout
For Valentine’s Day,
25 year-old Oliver Jones
bought his sweetheart an
enormous box of chocolates.
Not long after the gift was
given Oliver stated that his
girlfriend Amy Bradford
gained an alarming amount of
weight, a tragedy that lead to
their break up.
“It was pretty
obvious,” he said, gesturing
towards his own stomach with
a repulsive look. “I don’t know
8
how she didn’t see it.”
The weight gain,
which Jones estimated to be
roughly three pounds, has
reportedly turned her into
“kind of a chunker.”
“I knew she would
like the chocolate, but I didn’t
expect her to annihilate the
thing,” he commented. “There
was just no stopping her.”
Jones decided to get
her chocolates for the first time
on Valentines Day.
“I always thought it
was such a cliché, so I avoided
giving her chocolate,” he said.
“Breaking that tradition was
the biggest mistake of my life.”
Eyewitness accounts
confirm that Jones was
disgusted at the sight of Amy
stuffing her face.
“I’d never seen
anything like it,” he declared.
“Her lips were covered in
chocolate and messes of
caramel and coconut fell from
the corners of her mouth.”
Jones added, “I almost puked.”
The three-year
relationship was ended
with a quick text. Bradford
commented that she was
shocked at the sudden break-up
and “so upset I can’t eat.”
“If only she had
displayed this kind of selfcontrol earlier,” Jones said in
a follow-up comment. “Maybe
we would still be together.”
Editors Note: Satire’s intent is
to ridicule and move people to
change. This article’s intent is
to ridicule the preoccupation
many have with weight and to
change people’s attitude about
the “perfect” image the media
portrays.
Satire
Twilight ‘s Edward vs. Jacob Debate
Jacob is Just an
Ugly Dog
walked into the biology room
by Analiese
Sigelko
Anyone who has not
been living under a rock for the
past several years knows about
a debate currently circulating
through our society—a debate
that is more heated than the
fight over gay marriage and
more complex than the health
care battle. I am talking of
course about the issue of
Team Edward vs. Team Jacob,
the two opposing heroes/
heartthrobs of the Twilight
Saga.
While this dispute
has torn apart friendships
and caused many a teen girl
to buy unnecessary t-shirts
proclaiming their allegiance,
it is obvious who the rightful
winner is: Edward.
It was love at first
sight for Bella and Edward,
as was made clear from his
enamored twitching when she
on her first day at Forks High
School. This cannot be said
of Jacob, who just made some
stupid comment like, “Nice to
meet you,” instead of rushing
from the room in a lovestruck
panic when she sat down next
to him.
The chemistry
between Bella and Edward was
palpable as they sat next to
each other for the lab, and their
stunted conversations were
just more proof of their deep
attraction to one another. Even
the staunchest Jacob fan could
not deny hearing the hidden,
“I love you” when Edward
whispered “Anaphase.” From
the very beginning, he and
Bella were clearly meant for
each other.
Soon their initial
magnetism evolved into a deep
and meaningful connection.
Some people argue that there
is no real substance to the
relationship, pointing out
that Edward and Bella never
actually have a conversation
about anything except his
being a vampire and that in
the books he clearly does not
value her opinion at all. These
poor people have obviously
never been in love. When you
have such a profound bond
as Edward and Bella it is not
necessary to ever discuss
matters of substance.
By the end of three
weeks they each knew each
other better than they knew
themselves, without even
needing to speak. And anyway
they did talk about many
things together—why do you
think there were all those
musical montages showing
them deep in conversation?
All of this would be
reason enough to support Team
Edward, but there is still more.
No matter where Bella goes
she can totally trust that if she
gets into trouble, Edward will
be there to save her. When
she was in that random town
he saved her from the group
of men; when she was almost
hit by a car he once again
risked his life to protect her (of
course this doesn’t really mean
anything since he can’t die, but
it’s the thought that counts);
and when she went to the ballet
studio who do you think saved
her? Not Jacob, that’s for sure.
He’s too busy turning into a
werewolf all over the place.
Edward’s superhuman
powers are always at the
ready—he doesn’t need to
waste precious time morphing
into an ugly dog. Edward even
let her go to save her, which is
the one thing that hurt him the
most. It is easy to see that he
has her best interests at heart.
For all these reasons, Edward
is clearly the true hero of these
books.
act. Yes, it is true that he does
leave Bella and after, claims
to have missed her to the point
of depression, but how do we
know he wasn’t just dating
someone else? Perhaps some
immortal vampire babe or
another human.
Edward is constantly
leaving instead of actually
trying to work through his
relationship problems. And
who’s always right there for
Bella when she’s picking
up the pieces? Yeah, that’s
right, Jacob Black.
While Edward does
continually rescue Bella,
this only serves to deepen
the unequal misogynistic
relationship between them.
Edward is scared for her
safety to the point of overcontrolling. Every single time
Bella is in danger, Edward
Edward Cullen is An Over-Controlling, Creepy Vampire
by Liz Levy
The relationship
between Bella and Jacob,
though it might not be as
glamorous, contains something
we in the real world like to call
substance. Unlike the fickle
infatuation between Bella and
Edward, Jacob’s love for the
girl of his dreams is based
on long friendship and actual
conversation.
Readers of Twilight
who raise the supposed ‘love
at first sight’ argument have
clearly glossed through the
book and have completely
missed the complex history
between Jacob and Bella.
From small children
to hormonal teenagers, they
have always been part of
each other’s lives. Jacob and
Bella are true soul mates.
Edward Cullen may seem selfsacrificing, but this is only an
Continued on page 10
9
Continued
Edward vs. Jacob Debate
pretty much kidnaps and holds
her against her will. Even
before they were dating, he
spent most of his time stalking
Bella and breaking into her
house while she was sleeping.
While Edward was busy being
a creeper, Jacob was doing fun
stuff with Bella, like riding
motorcycles and going cliff
diving. He obviously cares
not just for her safety, but
her happiness. Edward may
be sparkly and immortal, but
not all of us are attracted to
things merely because they’re
shiny. Edward is pretty much
comparable to a piece of
tinfoil—he looks pretty in the
sun and doesn’t really have
Continued from page 9
any other redeeming qualities.
But tinfoil is not something
you keep around for a hundred
years. Tinfoil is also not
something you proclaim your
everlasting love to, marry, and
get pregnant with. Jacob, in
contrast, is like a puppy dog—
cute, loyal and furry.
We who participate
in the unending Edward/Jacob
debate must weigh our options
carefully. Who is the real hero
of the Twilight Saga? A creepy,
control-freak vampire or an
awesome werewolf? To quote
one of the foremost experts
on this debate, jacoblover406,
“OMG!! jacob is soooooo
much better than edward!!”
Nelson Auner Interview
Continued from page 4
many high schoolers have in
the US—I guess I became
accustomed to the student
behavior in South Korea.
TT: Was the different language
a hard barrier to overcome?
NA: The language barrier was
extremely difficult, and one
of the most frustrating things
was how slowly I felt I was
learning. Because Korean is so
different from English, there
are no shortcuts or learning
tricks, so the process was very
difficult.
I have plenty of miscommunication stories. One
day I was walking towards
gym class when a friendly
teacher asked me where I was
going. I replied, of course,
‘to gym classm,’ but I had a
flash of dyslexia, switched two
characters around and said
something that means, roughly
‘craving of the flesh.’ I had
never received such an alarmed
look from a teacher. 10
There are a lot
more too: After a week of
mispronouncing the word for
‘heating’ one of my friends had
the decency to tell me that the
word I had been saying was,
literally ‘underwear system’. A lot of other
miscommunication was
simply because things were
different. For example, on East
Washington Avenue, we have
those talking buttons that we
press to make the walk light
turn green. I thought they had
them in Korea, too, and always
made a point of pressing the
talking buttons, until my host
brother told me that they were
for blind people only, which
explained the stares I had been
getting.
TT: What was the best part of
your experience?
NA: Ooh, superlatives.
Meeting a bunch of amazing
high school students from
America was one of the
benefits that I hadn’t
considered prior to the
trip, but the people I met-
Nelson Auner stands on a mountain. He explored
the landscape of South Korea during his trip.
-from Kansas, California,
Pennsylvania and everywhere
else--quickly became some
of the best friends I have ever
had. Making Korean friends
was also really fun, and I hope
that I will be able to visit them
again. Besides that, Seoul is a
great city and the country was
gorgeous, especially in rural
areas.
TT: Would you study abroad
again? On the same program?
In South Korea a second time?
NA: I would like to study
again, and on the same
program. I would like to visit
a different country so I could
experience an entirely different
culture. At the same time, I
would also like to improve my
Korean so I feel more fluent. TT: Is there anything else
you’d like to tell us about your
visit?
NA: Impress a Korean by
knowing how to say ‘hello’:
‘Ahnyuhng hasayo’. Point/Counterpoint
Transmissions from a Lonely
Room
Continued
from page 7
by Jacob Fischer
Social networking,
specifically Facebook, is
screwing you over. It is an
entity more socially alienating
than short shorts, more
disruptive than Kanye, and
dangerously convenient. It
devours our precious hours
and assaults our solitude, and
yet it is entirely embraced.
It is subtly, but definitively
changing the way we
communicate, and not for the
better.
The problem that
people are most aware of,
or at least admit to, is that
Facebook wastes time. Over
the course of a week we spend
hours on the social networking
site, dedicating our efforts
towards status updates, picture
comments, and generally
reminding everyone that
we exist. It has the kind of
magnetic attraction found
in television combined with
more unfortunate side effects
than Viagra. A warning should
be posted before you log in:
If you are on Facebook for
more than four hours, seek
immediate medical attention.
By a similar token,
the website distracts us from
our responsibilities. How many
times have you logged on your
computer to write an essay,
only to be diverted by three
new notifications begging for
your attention? As the website
fills with more and more
inane groups and fan pages,
it becomes more and more
distracting. It has the allure of
information, communication,
the convenience of distraction
and the excuse to go along
with it. I find it ironic that
a website whose greatest
achievement is in fast and
convenient communication
is responsible for bogging us
down so much.
While social
networking does eat up our
time, it does not do so in a
meaningful way. The letter is
a means of communication
that has been savagely torn
to shreds by other media, but
to me, represents everything
positive about distanced
communication. The advent of
social networking has oafishly
trampled over the poor bits
of letter writing that remain,
and helped make a good
letter a rare commodity. To
write a letter takes care, and
a letter can be beautiful and
meaningful. Making something
meaningful occur on Facebook
is like trying to make tulips
grow in the desert. Imagine
looking back on your first love
by opening a shoebox full of
old wall posts.
On a separate, but
equally depressing note, I
would like to comment on
the exceptionally superficial
nature of Facebook. Consider
your birthday; the option of
notifying all of your Facebook
friends about it allows
everyone who sees it to send
you a wall post just chocked
full of heartfelt congratulations
like “happy birthday.” If you
are going to pretend that you
actually remembered what
day I was born and write
something as vapid as “OmG
hApPy BdAy!” the least you
can do is write it on a piece of
paper.
To go further into
the strange social problems
caused by Facebook, I must
mention its most astonishing
phenomenon, Facebook
stalking. Following your
acquaintances without their
knowledge and checking in
on what they’ve been up to is
mildly perverse. It embodies
two of my least favorite things,
gossip and vicarious living.
There are plenty of reasons
to Facebook stalk, loneliness,
pettiness, and discontent high
ranking among them, but it
doesn’t make it okay.
The all-too American
process of simplification
found in fast food, texting
and politics has triumphed
yet again. The worst part
about Facebook is that it is
completely socially acceptable
and even encouraged. My
greatest hope for it is that
its existence will allow us to
remember why communication
is important, but unfortunately,
I don’t predict seeing many
letters in my mailbox anytime
soon. Until then, I urge you,
lay off Facebook.
one called Facebook.
Started in 2004, this
social networking site has been
all the rage among college
students and teenagers.
With over 130 million
unique members since 2008,
Facebook has expanded and is
now used on cell phones and
even in political campaigns.
People can share
photos, videos, information,
and every day conversation
through Facebook. The
Australian Capital Territory
Supreme Court even found it
useful to send court notices to
defendants through the site.
Facebook has become
a tool to reach friends and
family, who can be easily
found by searching names or
email addresses.
Even many East
High clubs and organizations
Facebook Enhances Communication
by Moises Diaz
Our teenage
generation has gone through
many trends, such as boom
boxes, Pokémon, N64, and
MySpace. But one trend that
has stuck and made a large
impact on our generation is the
Continued on page 12
11
Zoroscopes!
by Ian Olson
Aries: The french fries in the
school cafeteria are warm and
tasty, Aries. That doesn’t mean
that things haven’t happened to
them. Dark, evil things.
Taurus: You will be caught
doing illegal things with a
monkey at church if you aren’t
careful, Taurus. Someone is
watching!
Gemini: Be on high alert this
week, Gemini. You never know
when that fantastically welldressed Mr. Borowski will
swoop in with a plastic bag and
steal your phone away!
Cancer: Pick up all of your
trash at lunch today, Cancer.
You wouldn’t want to look any
dirtier than you already do!
Facebook
have Facebook groups to
communicate with members,
notifying them of times and
locations for meetings or
events.
Facebook is our
common gathering place
because most people today
have one. It has made mass
communication among groups
of people far more efficient.
It is a place where
ideas and common interests
can be explored and where
social interaction can take
place. What is so negative
about that?
12
Leo: Pluto will align with
Saturn sometime soon, Leo.
When it does, look out - a big
pile of nothing will happen!
Virgo: You will crash your car
while trying to measure sunrise
azimuth on East Washington
Avenue tomorrow, Virgo. Good
thing you’re so smart!
Libra: Someone may be
watching Taurus, but Pisces
will be perched outside YOUR
window, Libra!
Scorpio: The Mayan calendar
is ending in a couple years,
Scorpio. That gives YOU the
right to look up “2012” online,
find some pseudo-scientist’s
website, read their crackpot,
outlandish theories, and then
tell us all about it. We care SO
much.
Sagittarius: You’ll look
even COOLER after you cut
your own hair in the third
floor bathroom this month,
Sagittarius. You’ll also gain
tons of respect for leaving balls
of dirty hair on the floor!
Capricorn: You must be some
kind of genius, Capricorn.
Rolling dice with the intention
of making money is the best
idea ever! Good luck getting
a job!
Aquarius: Your quest for a
cool place to eat lunch will
continue, Aquarius. However,
it will never end.
Pisces: Peeping through
windows is ILLEGAL, Pisces!
Leave Libra alone and go help
Taurus with his underground
monkey sweatshop.
Tower Times
Editor
Terran Tout
Contributers
Ian Olson
Claire Brickson
Analiese Sigelko
Moises Diaz
Jacob Fischer
Erin Carlson
Liz Levy
Photos
Scott Wilton
Terran Tout
Nelson Auner
Hannah Conley
Advisers
Beth Torrison
Greg Rittman
towertimes@gmail.com
Continued from page 11
Facebook is simply
one of the many changes that
come from an ever-changing
technological society. Our
new generation relies heavily
on technology, and we have
become more efficient because
of it. It is only natural that
our means of socializing and
communicating accomodate
this change.
Facebook, like much
of technology, is a blessing in
this world, and has only made
life easier for those who utilize
its benefits.
Basketball Game
Continued from page 2
The line outside the gym was
long, but with ticket serial
numbers being checked at the
door, those with real tickets
had no problem getting in.
After a very exciting JV game,
the East varsity team played
well, but could not pull off a
win.
With East basketball
entering the most crucial part
of the season, it is time for us
to put the counterfeit ticket
debacle behind us. After the
first two rounds, the Sectional
playoff games will be held
at Middleton, which should
make tickets more accessible.
East High students have
proved that they get excited
over basketball, so this time
let’s harness that energy into
cheering on our team.