ThE MESSENGER - Franco-American School of New York

French-American School of New York
The Messenger
Two Cultures, Two Languages––One Paper
VOL. X NO. IV Ma rc h 2013 FREE
Obama Takes Stance on Firearms
By Margaux Salz ’15
On Wednesday January 17th, President Obama
unveiled his much anticipated gun control plan. The legislation,
which is comprised not only of laws that must be
approved by Congress but also of 23 executive orders, has
been expected ever since the Newtown, CT. shooting that
brought the death of 20 schoolchildren and 6 adults. The
fallout from the mass shooting and Obama’s proposal is yet
to be determined, but there is no doubt the issue of gun
control and the Second Amendment has risen back into
the national spotlight.
Obama’s 23 executive orders cover a wide range
of issues that aim to reduce gun violence in the US, which
currently has the highest rate of shootings in the developed
world. These provisions include improving the background
check system, funding more health care programs
aimed at helping those with mental illnesses, providing
first responders and teachers with more training on how to
handle situations involving firearms, and making sure that
those who are mentally ill cannot legally obtain any dangerous
weapons. Obama also lifted a ban on federal agencies
conducting studies on the cause and prevention of gun
violence. Finally, he also asked Congress to approve 10
million dollars in funding for such research, which hasn’t
been studied in almost twenty years.
Among his other proposals to Congress, Obama
outlined his desire for background checks on all gun sales,
including those in gun shows or by private sellers. Incidentally,
Westchester county used to hold such shows at the
County Center, but those scheduled were cancelled in the
wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
The President also proposed reinstating the ban
on assault weapons that had previously expired in 2004.
He also hopes to outlaw the possession, manufacturing,
transportation, and import of armor-piercing bullets. In
addition, he is seeking a 10-round limit on ammunition
magazines, effectively outlawing the high capacity gun
magazines that allow shooters to fire almost continuously.
As the plan begins to be debated in Congress and
amongst the American public, there is already strong opposition
from the National Rifle Association, or NRA.
The group initially aired TV ads that criticized Obama’s
gun control law and denounced him as an “elitist hypocrite”
for having armed men guard his two daughters. The
White House replied with a statement that called the ad
“repugnant and cowardly.” Political underhandedness aside,
though, there are many legitimate concerns being voiced by
both Democrats and Republicans against Obama’s plan.
Indeed, the NRA is not the only one opposed
to Obama’s stricter gun laws. Often citing their Second
Amendment rights, detractors often decry government
intervention in private life. At the heart of their fears,
though,is self-protection and general safety. They argue
that criminals will find access to weapons regardless of gun
control measures.
Interestingly, the percentage of Americans who
own guns has dropped, a recognition perhaps of the risks
involved. Research suggests keeping a gun in the house
doubles the risk that a household member will kill himself
or herself. Or, the drop in gun ownership may be
due to the overall drop in violent crime in the country, as
CNN reports.
In general, various polls have suggested that many
Americans believe that the President and Congress should
focus less on restricting the sale of guns and ammunition and
more on implementing stricter background checks. Many
also turn to the mental health angle, calling for more government
funding for mental health programs for youths.
Through these new executive orders, Obama has
staked a major claim to the issue of gun control, but there
are many obstacles ahead in ensuring the safety of children
and the public. The national focus on the Newtown tragedy
masks the fact that people die from misused firearms
everyday. Many of the killers obtain their weapons legally,
and it will be no easy feat to devise a solution to keep people
safe without infringing on their Second Amendment
rights. The fact that, of the 11 deadliest shootings in the
U.S., five have happened since 2007 suggests that Obama,
his cabinet, and Congress still have a lot of hard work to
do. They need to buck recent trends and cooperate to try
to transform the gun debate into meaningful change.
Documentary or Fiction
Zero Dark Thirty Raises
Questions On Torture
By Emanuel Wickenburg ’15
Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow’s
new film about the capture of Bin Laden, is
one of last year’s best rated, but most controversial
films. It was nominated for Best
Picture at the Academy Awards but garnered
much attention for its depiction of the CIA’s
“enhanced interrogation” program during the
Bush administration, and many have accused
it of inaccurately justifying torture.
Sony Pictures
In any case, the Oscars have spoken.
As many predicted, Zero Dark Thirty did not
win best picture. The film lost out to Argo,
another piece of historical fiction and one
that—unlike Zero Dark Thirty, according to
conventional wisdom—did not claim to be
accurate like a documentary. Bigelow’s film
was actually almost completely snubbed at
Sunday’s Awards, snagging only a split win,
for sound editing—hardly among the most
glamorous of award categories.
So was the film merely an accurate
portrayal of the events leading up to Bin Laden’s
capture, or did Kathryn Bigelow emphasize
the torture segments to make the story
more dramatic
The first half hour of the film graphically
depicts suspects associated with Al Qaeda
being tortured into revealing valuable information,
which is shown to be very useful
in tracking down Bin Laden’s courier, who
leads to the man himself.
Continued on Page 5
In this Issue
Page 2
Middle School
Messenger
Living In
Space
By Lorenzo
Vitale
Les Yeux et L’âme
Par Maddie King
Page 4
Science
Page 5
Arts
Breaking Bad &
Walking Dead
reviews
By Mathieu Salz
Back Page
Sports
Two Weeks
of February
Madness
By Thomas De
Villemejane

Maxim Mounier ‘19
By Chloé Durland ’19
Once upon a time, the tale
of Hansel and Gretel was a
bloody and scary story. But as
it was retold, some of the more
gruesome parts were taken out
because the adults thought they
might be too scary for children.
Eventually, Hansel and Gretel
became just a boring story of
a boy and a girl getting lost in
the woods and meeting a witch.
However, thanks to Adam
Gidwitz, in A Tale Dark and
Grimm we can once again read
the original tale of Hansel and
Gretel... and it is truly awesome!
The story is about
the twin children of the king,
Have you ever wondered
how people live in space Some
people think that astronauts
live in rooms in the shuttles,
with bathrooms and all of that.
They think that living with zero
gravity is totally cool and you
could go wherever you want.
Well, it could be annoying too.
You can’t really decide where
you go except if you hold onto
something. Because of the
gravity, you can sleep anywhere
you want but you could bump
into the different operating
systems. Living in a space shuttle
is completely different from life
on earth.
In the Apollo era in the
1970s, the food supply onboard
began to increase. Spaceships can
now carry 150 different types of
Middle School Messenger
Ma rc h 2013
Grab a Flashlight! A Book to Keep Reading After Bedtime:
A Tale Dark and Grimm Book Review
Hansel and Gretel. They ran
away from home because they
were scared their parents would
--wait - are there little kids
around Coast is clear ...no one
is watching --try to cut their
heads off ...again! Awesome.
This technique of speaking
to the reader directly is how
author Adam Gidwitz pulls us
into his wonderful storytelling.
But as the adventure goes on,
each parent met in the story
reveals flaws; one wants to eat
the children, another wishes
his sons into swallows, a third
gambles away his son to the
devil. Hansel and Gretel meet
a lot of danger and adventures
in their path, like going to hell,
getting a finger cut off, and
even fighting a dragon. It’s an
exhilarating story!
Gidwitz, a Columbia
University graduate and former
English teacher at Brooklyn’s St.
Ann’s School, tells great stories.
He has a clever way of making
this seemingly depressing story
very funny. From time to time,
he interrupts the story to make
side comments and pretends
to remind the reader that the
story shouldn’t be for children.
And he has a funny habit of
disclosing the end too early,
such as when he asserts, “I
won’t even bother saying ‘The
End’ anymore. You know it
isn’t.” Gidwitz also makes sure
that at the end of each chapter,
the suspense makes the reader
want to read and discover more
unexpected surprises. You just
can’t put the book down!
This is the kind of
book that makes you want to
borrow your father’s flashlight
Packing For Mars: or, What is Life Like Living in Outer Space
By Lorenzo Vitale ’19
food, and astronauts can eat the
same food as would be eaten on
Earth, although it may need to
be prepared by adding hot or
cold water or putting it in the
oven (although foods such as
nuts and fruits don’t need to be
“revitalized”). Food is stored in
plastic containers.
The astronauts wear
orange suits during launch and
reentry. During the trip and
the stay at the International
Space Station (ISS). They
wear normal clothes like us. It
is impossible to wash laundry,
though, so they have to bring
extra pairs of underwear and
many shirts and pants.
If they want to clean
their faces or hands, astronauts
have to clean them with alcohol
or using a wet towel. To wash
their hair, they need to use
waterless shampoo, a shampoo
that does not need to be rinsed
off. Astronauts use towels to
dry themselves. To clean their
body, they use a wet towel and
wipe themselves.
The toilet looks like a western
style toilet on Earth. Astronauts
fasten themselves onto the
toilet so they do not fly upwards
Game Review: Call of Duty Black OPS II
By Howard Cravens ’19
& Daniel Mounier ’19
The big, bad, bold new
sensation and sequel to the
previous edition, Black Ops
2 is a single-player campaign
which includes two connected
story lines which are each set
in different times; one is set
in the 1970s and 1980s while
the other is set in 2025. The
protagonist, Alex Mason (no,
not the FASNY student!),
returns to the cold war section
of the story to rise against the
antagonist Raul Menendez. The
game was released November
13, 2012. The trailer of the
game is titled: “Surprise.”
IGN, a popular gaming
review website, says: “This game
has many new improvements
and the Zombie mode is very
realistic and fun. With these
combined improvements, Call
of Duty Black Ops 2 is also better
and is one of the best games of
the modern century.” You can
play Black Ops 2 on these game
consoles: PlayStation 3, Xbox
360, Microsoft Windows, and
Wii U.
In the 2025 section
of the story David Mason,
Get your Zombie On:
Black Ops II video game
rids the world of the future
Zombie takeover.
(because of the absence of
gravity) and use a vacuum tube
to suck up the waste.
The astronauts sleep
wherever they want. But because
it is not fun to be floating while
sleeping, they tie themselves
loosely in a sleeping bag to sleep
calmly. Sometimes the many
Alex Mason’s son, rises as the
protagonist. Black Ops 2 will
be the first Call of Duty video
game to feature branching
storylines. The failure or
success of a mission affects the
game plot of other missions.
In the game’s Zombie
Mode, there is an eight player
cooperation, while on the old
one there was only room for
four. The new Zombie mode
will be part of the main story.
The story of Black Ops 2 has
several endings, all depending
on which missions the player
has failed or successfully
completed. The followers of
Menendez will riot, destroying
Space .com
Author Adam Gidwitz
so you can read the story under
the covers in bed, scared to
death of the dark. A Tale Dark
and Grimm captures the reader
under its spell, and it is very
hard to put it down and not
lose a lot of sleep. A review of
the next book in the series, In A
Glass Grimly, will appear in the
next issue of The Messenger.
machines and air conditioning
systems make it necessary to use
eye masks and ear plugs in order
to sleep soundly.
In the shuttle, there
is a Medical Officer. Not only
is he trained for usual first
aid treatments like cuts and
sicknesses, but he is also trained
for big wounds and injections.
All astronauts are trained for
emergencies such as heart
attacks, and an onboard first
aid kit contains many medical
instruments and medicines.
So now that you’ve
learned what life in space is like
and how astronauts feel with
zero gravity, you know what
a career in space will be like.
A bathroom with seatbelts,
sleeping bags that are attached
to the floor…completely
different from life on earth.
cities if the player kills him
in the end. If he does not die,
there are several other scenarios
involving death, all involving
problems. One of the scenarios,
however, resolves all problems.
In Strike Force mode,
you can control unmanned
aerial vehicles, robots or jet
fighters, for example. The strike
force missions may also change
the plans of Raul Menendez in
the story. This game has very
good reviews, many calling it
an amazing game, with major
improvements. Game Spot says,
“The new types of missions are
fun and so are the dramatic
decisions.”

Middle School Messenger
Maxim Mounier ‘19
Ma rc h 2013
Russia’s Next Big Export: Weapons of Mass Distraction
By Anatole Grablevsky ’19
Guess who’s back…your Cold War friend; the former Soviet Union now called Russia. And the Russian
creativity that gave the world the Kalashnikov rifle (AK-47), Sputnik, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky invents a twosided
cell phone. Russian-based Yota devices are ready to challenge an American icon, Apple with their new
powerful double screen smart phone, YotaPhone.
It looks like just like any other but when you flip it over, the device has two screens one like your
present phone but on the other side an electronic reader such as one like an e-book.
Created in Moscow by Vladislav Martynov the handset measures 4.3 inches and it has a resolution of
1280 x 720. The camera is 12 mega pixels, which is very accurate and good. Also the phone has 32GB or more
expensive 64GB of internal storage. The phone’s battery life is 24 hours.
The black side screen gives users the ability to display pictures of their family or favorite movie star,
screen grabs of maps and airplane boarding passes or even weather updates without ever having to touch the
phone. The images remain in place even if the phone runs out of power. It is said to cost 500 dollars.
Apple will need to seriously consider its new competitor because Yota’s ultimate goal is to beat Jobs
and his inventions. Will the YotaPhone be just as good or will this be another victim to the Apple Empire
Striking Back
Posture and School Chairs
By Alexa Jakob ’19
What is an object we use every single
day and that we hardly ever talk about Our
school’s chairs.
Some physicians are worried about
what school chairs are doing to kids’ bodies.
It is true that slumping down in chairs can
ruin a person’s spine alignment, but some experts
claim that chairs are “made for students
to sit up and for students to be working”.
The chairman of the Nickerson Corporation,
Bob Keller, holds this to be true. However,
students are not likely to be sitting up
as much as they should. In fact, they have
been sitting this way for such a long time
that their backs have almost “frozen” into
a slouch. This is a problem for the development
of young students.
Should we upgrade our chairs to
benefit our students’ backs, or should we
A lot of kids have cell phones now. Is that a
good or bad thing
Of course, like most things it’s more complicated
than just saying “good” or “bad.” According to
the National Consumers League 6 out of 10 American
parents raising 8-12 year olds pay more than
expected for phone service. The suggestion is that
this would be due to their children having phones.
But aren’t cell phones for adults
‘’As long as you are old enough, I think that
you should be able to have a cell phone because it
can be very useful,’’ says David Guyot ’15.
A recent Youth Beat Survey reported that age
12 is the most common time children begin using
a cell phone, while 13 percent of children between
age 6 and 10 already have one.
Pro-cell phone advocates are saying that, because
of after-school activities, it is important to be
able to contact children in case of medical emergencies
or just for the sake of keeping in touch with
them. Some cell phones are designed as “kid friendly,”
meaning they carry features such as parent-control
settings that aim to give parents the ability to
keep them this way to encourage students to
sit up properly
Many schools in New York City
use “super stacker” chairs. Some use newer
designs with a curvier seat. Our school uses
neither of these.
According to FASNY Building Manger
Carmen Arminio, the school purchased
our chairs for around $34 each and the
Mamaroneck campus alone has about 400
chairs. There are more chairs of varying sizes
on the Larchmont and Scarsdale campuses.
What should FASNY do to fix this
problem At the moment, Mrs. Arminio believes
the school would transfer our current
equipment to the new Ridgeway campus
without purchasing much new furnishings.
FASNY could order new chairs, but, this
would cost a lot of money.
In the meantime, sit up straight! It’s
for your own good.
Should Kids Have Cell Phones
By Eliwa Onanga ’19
restrict their children’s usage of the device.
While plenty of FASNY parents would seem
to agree with this logic, some detractors argue that
children shouldn’t have cell phones. One of their
main claims is that it is not ideal academically for
kids to have cell phones, because such devices could
distract children from school work and cause them
Not Boring, It Is: YotaPhone with
two screens is set to launch in the
United States later this year.
2 Much Texting
By Matthieu Anconetti ’19
If u cn read ths u cn txt. Txting could end bcause 2 many ppl
hve smart phones, tho.
Apparently texting might be getting pink-slipped, according
to The Huffington Post. According to MarketWatch, overall texting in
the U.S. is down 3 percent to an average of 678 texts per month per
person. MarketWatch suggests this trend might be due to the increase
in usage of other messaging services proliferating through the smart
phone market.
That said, some say the text message isn’t going anywhere soon.
Neil Papworth was one of the first people who started texting. He told
The Huffington Post that he knows texting will end someday, but he
does not see it getting a pink-slip soon.
Even if a lot of people have smart phones, Papworth said, “Not
everyone has a smart phone, and smart phones usually rely on an Internet
connection, which isn’t always available.”
Using apps like Skype, iMessage or other free apps to talk to
friends is tempting. But one could ask: Why waste a great way of talking
to friends for a little money
to have bad grades.
Many schools, including FASNY, have policies
in place detailing when and where a student
may use a mobile phone during the school day. Such
standards can limit potential distractions.
“I think it’s a good idea to have a cell phone,”
says Tatiana Brochin ’19. “One of the reasons is for
safety, and the other one is just so you can text and
call your friends to have fun!”
The question of fun aside, safety does seem
the most important concern for parents facing the
cell phone question.
“I think having a cell phone is not necessary
when you are below 12,” says Chloe Durland ’19.
“When you are nine it’s not like your mom is going
to leave you alone on the street. And you can always
call from the school telephone in the office.”
Americans have different opinions about
whether cell phones are appropriate for children.
But one thing is for sure: you can’t roam the FASNY
halls long without seeing a student pulling out a
phone—often of the “smart” variety—and plugging
away at some post, tweet, or text.

4
Science
Ma rc h 2013
Just Scratching the Surface: Decoding the Nature of an Itch
By Léa Jabbour ’14
Why does everybody have an itch to scratch
Scientists have been asking themselves this very question
for centuries, to no avail. Scientists all over the
world have long debated whether a separate itch network
exists or whether itch-signals pass through other
existing nerves, such as those that transmit pain. In
fact, scientists know that itching and pain are somehow
related, because suppressing chronic pain often
leads to chronic itching. Both sensations are important
as they allow us to take note of unpleasant activity and
thus prevent tissue damage or irritation.
Pain is a widely understood mechanism that
scientists can treat on various levels. On the other
hand, when it comes to itching, researchers have long
been stuck in heavy fog. However, very recent studies
done at Johns Hopkins, Yale, and in several Chinese
universities have brought us a step closer to decoding
the mystery. The researchers participating in the project
studied mice and were able to identify itch-specific
nerves for the first time in history. Xinzhong Dong,
a neuroscience professor at Johns Hopkins, explained
that these sensory neurons serve to relay itchy sensations
from the top layers of the skin to the spinal cord.
Surprisingly enough, there are many genetic similarities
between mice and humans, so it is very probable that
humans have a similar itch-system to that of mice.
The fact that dedicated itch nerves exist reinforces
the theory that this horrible sensation is an evolutionary
advantage and therefore plays a more or less
important role in our survival. In this way, the recent
studies on itching are allowing scientists to better understand
its role.
To take the experiments further, Dr. Dong
and his colleagues genetically modified the mice’s itchspecific
nerve cells to bind to capsaicin, a chemical
that generates a hot chili pepper’s burning sensation.
When capsaicin was rubbed on the mice’s skin, instead
of feeling pain, they scratched themselves. The mice’s
«Les yeux sont les fenêtres de l’âme.»
Par Maddie King ’14
«L’univers pénètre en nous par les yeux, mais nous n’y comprenons rien tant
qu’il n’est pas descendu dans notre bouche. » -Paul Auster
Fenêtre de l’âme ou astre nébuleux, les yeux ont été, depuis toujours,
l’objet de la pensée d’innombrables poètes et rêveurs amoureux pour la simple
raison que, foncés ou clairs, aveugles ou voyants, ternes ou incandescents, ils sont
marqués par une beauté sibylline et intemporelle. Par le regard, on est capable de
communiquer d’une manière qui transcende émotionnellement la parole ou le
toucher.
Bien qu’au cours du temps nos yeux peuvent changer de taille, de couleur
et même d’intensité, la structure de l’iris ne change pas pour autant. Quel que
soit notre âge, les motifs de notre iris restent uniques au monde et immuables
au cours de notre vie. Et c’est à cause de ces particularités que, d’un point de vue
biométrique, l’iris est donc un outil morphologique idéal pour la reconnaissance
et l’identification d’individus.
Les fameux
portraits du
National
Geographic
sciencemag.org
brains therefore received the signal “Itch me!” instead
of “Ouch!” This proved that the neurons were transmitting
only the itching, not the pain.
As The New York Times explained in an article
in January, identifying itch-specific nerves
could help pharmaceutical companies suppress an
annoying side effect that accompanies the intake of
many drugs : itching. Today, many people in Africa
refuse to take a certain malaria drug because it induces
people to scratch. Experiments performed by
Dr. Dong’s team determined that a certain chemical
found in the drug, chloroquine, is responsible for
this irritating side effect.
With a little more research, scientists could potentially
suppress the itchiness induced by chloroquine
and even help people with skin diseases that cause a
chronic itch.
Scientists are still puzzled by the specific role
of itching and its place in evolution. Many hypothesize
that scratching removes irritants found in the skin
or that it is supposed to serve as a warning to avoid
irritants such as mosquitoes. Furthermore, there is a
certain psychological aspect to itching, called empathy.
This represents the urge to itch when one sees another
itching or even reads about itching. For example,
some people will have an itch to scratch many times
while reading this article.
Needless to say, we still have a lot to learn
about the nature of itching and its role in our lives.
However, for the first time in history, scientists have
made discoveries regarding itch-specific neurons and
are starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
D’ailleurs, les yeux sont devenus, à notre époque, une facette intégralement
importante à l’identité d’un individu, ou du moins bien plus que nous
aurions pu le penser auparavant. En 1994 est apparue une nouvelle technologie
biométrique: la reconnaissance de l’iris.
Apres plusieurs années d’authentification et de raffinement, cette procédure,
bien que critiquée lors de son invention, présente ses avantages: à partir de
données d’un œil déjà intégrées au système, un ordinateur équipé d’un matériel
spécifique est capable, en effectuant une série d’algorithmes complexes, de com-
bbc.co.uk
parer les deux iris, et de confirmer
s’ils sont bel et bien les
mêmes.
C’est cette technique
qui, en 2002, conclut définitivement
la recherche pour la
fameuse « jeune fille afghane ».
Prise en photo lorsqu’elle
n’avait que quatorze ans, la
fille afghane, maintenant reconnue
comme étant appelée
Shabat Gula, devint, en 1985,
l’emblème du magazine National Geographics, et le symbole de la souffrance des
afghans. Mais, bien que son visage fusse connue autour du monde, son identité
resta un mystère jusqu'à ce que les recherches de son photographe, Steve McCurry
qui, auparavant avait étés en vain, portèrent leurs fruits. Mais même après l’avoir
retrouvée, il restait encore pour McCurry et son équipe à prouver au monde que
la femme de trente et un ans qu’il avait photographiée dans un petit village en
Afghanistan était bel et bien la jeune fille qu’il avait immortalisée dix-sept ans
auparavant dans un camp de refugiés au Pakistan.
Pour cela, McCurry, de retour aux Etats Unis, analysa les deux photos, en
conclut que les motifs de l’iris de la fille était identique a celle de la femme (bien
qu’à première vue ils ne se ressemblent pas du tout).
Maintenant, la reconnaissance de l’iris en tant que technologie récemment
fiable, est surtout utilisée comme outil de sécurité. En effet, depuis 2011,
la demande pour des systèmes de sécurité basés sur cette nouvelle technologie
se fait de plus en plus grande. Il est infiniment plus commun de soumettre à
un scan de l’iris pour avoir accès à un bâtiment, de circuler dans un aéroport, et
même de déverrouiller un ordinateur en 2013 qu’il ne l’était il y a deux ans. En
ce qui concerne l’identification criminologique, la reconnaissance de l’iris commence
à présent à prendre le dessus. En effet, grâce à ses nombreux avantages,
l’iris présente une utilité bien plus pratique et plus fiable que les empreintes digitales,
qui, elles, requièrent la coopération du suspect, et peuvent, très rarement,
changer au cours du temps. Certains considèrent que la reconnaissance de l’iris est
même beaucoup plus précise que tout autre système d’identification biométrique
qui existe aujourd’hui, et soutiennent très fortement l’épanouissement de cette
nouvelle technologie dans le futur.

Arts 5
Ma rc h 2013
Congratulations! FASNY Students Earn Recognition at Mamaroneck Artist Guild
Once again FASNY students displayed their artistic talents in the selective Mamaroneck Artist Guild’s “Young Artists on the Rise”
exhibition. Congratulations to Ms. Gisondo, Mr. Murray, and all the students whose work was chosen for recognition. The following students
won further praise:
Photography: Jennifer Roux (2nd), Victoria Cassar (Honorable Mention);
Drawing: Chloé Jaquenoud (2nd), Clara Martin (Honorable Mention);
Mixed media: Romane Mizeret (1st place), Mathilde de Bretteville (2nd place);
Sculpture: Camille Williams (1st place), Victoria Decaux (Honorable Mention)
Two Addictive, Obsessive Television Series
By Mathieu Salz ’19
The Walking Dead is really a show that will make you obsessed with it
because of its greatness. Every episode ends with you on the edge of your seat,
rapt with suspense. The show’s basic premise is that the world is run over with
zombies, and the main characters must survive and try to
find a place they can call home. There are a lot of interesting
characters such as Deryl, the nature man who had
a troubled childhood, and Rick, an ex-police officer that
leads the group of survivors. There are also many other
fantastic characters, but sadly in every season, some characters
die. Occasionally, they will encounter new people,
their intentions unknown, making for mystery about the
character. They have also made three videogames including
one made by Activision, and there is also a comic book
series, for those who don’t have the time to watch TV or
play video games. The story is incredibly well-planned
and everybody that is missing out on The Walking Dead
is missing out on something amazing, terrific and plainly
fantastic. They have had two complete seasons and
they cut season three in two parts; the second part
came out on Feb. 10, 2013. Every minute of this
show is priceless, so buying the show on DVD is a
steal. In this series you will see the amazing makeup
work for the zombies and the actors. Sometimes
you might be disgusted and sometimes you might
even shed a tear. It will provoke many emotions and
this is something that makes it amazing. You should
watch this series and be forever amazed.
Breaking Bad is a great show that is really under-appreciated.
Many people assume that it is just
about drugs, but it is about so much more. Breaking Bad will draw you into its
amazing episodes. This show will make you think a bit harder and will make you
scratch your head to figure out what just happened on your TV screen. Its amazing
plot is wonderful and it makes everything worthwhile. The show is about a man
Oscar Snub Follows Criticism Of Zero Dark Thirty Torture Scenes
Continued from the Front Page
The film depicts torture in its full brutality,
making no attempt to sugarcoat it, and Kathryn Bigelow
has argued that it was simply a neutral, objective
portrayal of a brutal, unpleasant episode in the hunt
for Bin Laden.
The only problem is that it is somewhat inaccurate:
while the CIA certainly did torture for information
during the War on Terror, for which they
were recently condemned by the European Court
of Human Rights, torture was by no means crucial
to Bin Laden’s capture. The original leads were not
provided by CIA detainees as shown in the movie;
actually, many believe that torture as an interrogation
method, in addition to being morally questionable
to say the least, is ineffective, as the victim is
just as likely to lie or just blurt out the first thought
on his or her mind for the pain to end. The CIA
used many other methods to obtain information,
such as bribery, espionage, surveillance and other
interrogation methods, but these were not shown
named Walter White, who is a normal, boring teacher until he is diagnosed with
cancer. As soon as he learns he has cancer, he realizes that the he can not afford
chemotherapy. He does not have a lot of money. The only way that he can make
fast cash is by making 100% pure methamphetamine, a
powerful and devastating drug. During the show he will
go on drug runs with his former student, Jesse Pinkman
who is already into selling drugs. Throughout the story
Walter White starts changing and becomes something
truly ‘evil’, and Jesse lives a difficult life with problem after
problem. Walter White also nicknamed Heisenberg has to
keep his secret from his family. He is also greatly over qualified
for being a high school teacher, and was cheated out
of a luxurious life. So as you can see Breaking Bad is truly
a story about more than just drugs. There is drama, action
and more. Currently there are four seasons on Netflix and
the fifth season is still going on. Occasionally, you might
also learn about chemistry (not about how to make drugs,
that’s a bad idea). One bad effect of the show is that
since Breaking Bad has aired, “blue meth,” a signature
trademark of the show, is now being produced.
Overall, though, this series is well worth watching.
These two AMC TV shows are successes. They
have generated massive profits for their content. You
can see these two shows on either Netflix or whatever
you use to watch shows. Please, do not use Pirate’s
Bay to illegally watch these shows; that’s like punching
all the actors in the face, especially the child actors.
Both these shows are great, and they are among
the best in their genre. These two shows are very
different because The Walking Dead is an apocalyptic world while Breaking Bad is
more a bucket list with more crime, drama and suspense. These great shows are
incomparable because of their great differences. But these are both entertaining
for any genre lover so, you should watch them.
Sony Pictures
in the film, with the exception of a brief scene
in which a Lamborghini is used to bribe someone.
The question, then, is: why did Kathryn
Bigelow blow the role of torture out of proportion
and exaggerate its importance in Bin
Laden’s capture
Probably for a very simple reason: to
add drama to the story. If you ask anyone who
watched the movie (which was excellently directed
aside from this controversial historical
inaccuracy) what part they found most memorable,
they will probably mention the harrowing
torture scenes of the beginning, and
without these scenes, the film would probably
be much less powerful and, callous as it sounds in
this context, entertaining. Kathryn Bigelow emphasized
these scenes to add drama to her film, not
to make any political statement about the CIA’s
practices, or to justify torture.
The issue of the morality of torture is a serious
one that must be addressed and not taken
lightly, and it is important that people know the
truth about this issue. However, I believe that a
film should be judged on its merit as entertainment
or even Art, not based on a political statement it
is believed to espouse, and as a film “Zero Dark
Thirty” is certainly a success.

6
U.S. & World
Le Mexique: Plus Qu’un Burrito!
Par Iona Sobral ’15
Tout le monde a probablement
déjà entendu parler, vu ou mangé un
burrito dans sa vie. C’est un plat, soidisant
le plus connu du Mexique, qui
est composé d’une tortilla (crêpe de
maïs) et de viandes, salades, riz, etc…
mélangés à l’intérieur.
Pour ma part, je viens de passer
cinq ans au Mexique, profitant du
soleil, de la plage, de la jungle, des
pyramides, du soleil, de l’humidité et
des moustiques (si, si !) sans jamais entendre
parler de « burrito ».
Nous avons pourtant, ma
gourmandise et moi, profité (peut être
trop ) de tous les plats typiques possibles
et imaginables… Plongée, donc,
en plein dans ce mystère, je me suis
mise à farfouiller sur internet. J’ai fini
par découvrir la seule, l’unique vérité.
Laissez-moi vous raconter l’histoire…
Au nord du Mexique, près de
la frontière avec les Etats-Unis, vivait
Juan Mendez. Ce méxicain était un
fervent adepte de cuisine typique de
son pays et tenait un petit restaurant
où il vendait sa spécialité : le « tacos »,
en fait une tortilla garnie de viande,
souvent accompagnée de riz, de salade
et de purée d’haricots noirs (aussi nommée
« frijoles »). Or ce mets devenait
de plus en plus populaire, notamment
parmi les voisins du Mexique, dans
le Texas. Juan, soucieux de répondre
aux demandes des deux pays, acheta
un petit âne -ou « burrito », en espagnol
- pour traverser la frontière et,
pour garder la nourriture chaude lors
Ma rc h 2013
du voyage, il mit toute la nourriture
dans la tortilla et l’entoura de papier.
Les clients, ravis de cette nouvelle
idée, décidèrent de nommer
cette nouvelle recette « burrito » en
l’honneur du petit âne qui transportait
la nourriture sur son dos. Le
burrito était né !
C’est sans doute cet échange
qui initia le développement d’une
nourriture mi mexicaine mi américaine,
connue aujourd’hui dans le
monde entier sous le nom de Tex-Mex
(pour raccourcir Texas-Mexique).
Mais le burrito n’est pas le
seul cliché que l’on trouve à propos
du Mexique, et je me dois de vous
mettre dans le vrai. NON, les mexicains
ne se baladent pas à dos d’âne
dans la rue (ou alors dans les petits
pueblos). NON, personne ne fait la
sieste allongé sur un cactus avec un
immense chapeau. Je tiens d’ailleurs à
signaler que les cactus ont des épines
très piquantes, et que personne de sensé
n’irait se planter volontairement des
épines dans le dos.
Mais OUI on peut encore rencontrer
trois mariachis sous leur sombrero
dans les rues de Mexico prêts
à vous pousser la chansonnette pour
30 ou 50 pesos et OUI à chaque coin
de rue on peut s’offrir une délicieuse
tortilla de maïs blanc ou bleu fourrée
de fleurs de courgettes ou encore du
délicieux fromage de Oaxaca. Le Mexique
est un pays avec une culture, une
histoire et une nature incroyables que
je vous invite à visiter, sans sortir des
sentiers battus, bien sûr !
Freedom of Speech More Complicated Than It Seems
By Josephine Kehm ’15
Watch what you say, even if you’re allowed to
say it. You never know who is listening.
Freedom of speech is a right given to most
people in the world and in the case of the United
States it is protected under the Constitution. This
right is fairly basic and seems innocent, but what
many don’t realize is that it can also be dangerous.
Restrictions have been put in place to ensure
maximum security. The First Amendment does not
protect citizens’ rights to certain kinds of speech such
as: that which poses a “clear and present danger” (will
this speech present a dangerous situation), “fighting
words” (will this speech spoken face to face inflame
a certain danger), and “obscenity.” The decision that
“obscene” material is not protected under the First
Amendment is just one of many examples of how complicated
the issue is. Who defines what is obscene
These restrictions to the First Amendment
have not stopped the continuous debate over whether
or not the freedom to speak should be limited or even
if this right is dangerous in the first place.
Some of you may remember that in 2010 the
American Reverend Terry Jones threatened to burn
the Koran, proclaiming that Islam is heretical. Saying
this obviously provoked the Islamic community. Some
also claimed that his statements endangered troops
in Afghanistan and other countries where American
forces were based. Reverend Jones defended himself
by saying that his First Amendment rights protected
him. This is technically true but what he was saying
was provoking a danger to numerous lives and
was inflaming a possible conflict between the Unites
States and other Islamic countries, his critics claimed.
This man has the right to believe what he wanted, as
radical as it may seem, but creating danger for others
is not the same right.
On September 11th, 2012, Christopher Stevens,
the United States ambassador in Libya, and
three others were murdered. The attack has since been
deemed an act of terrorism, but initially the motivation
for the murders was believed to be revenge for
an inflammatory video uploaded in the United States
that portrayed the Muslim prophet Mohammed as
an evil person causing great suffering.
How was Ambassador Stevens implicated in
this Of course he had nothing to do with the video.
He was just the American representative in an Islamic
country. At the time, though, it was believed that he
received the brutal treatment from Muslims who were
offended by the video. And while those killers were of
course condemned for their actions, many still turned
to this video and sought to vilify its creator.
It should be noted and reemphasized that
the Muslim community did not want Stevens dead;
it was in fact Libyans who found him still breathing
and attempted to save his life. After the murder,
demonstrators in Libya held signs that read, “Chris
Stevens was a friend to All Libyans,” “Thugs are killers
/ don’t represent Benghazi /nor Islam,” and “Sorry
people of America this is not the behavior of our Islam
or Prophet.”
This is just one example, though. The problem
with freedom of speech is that one can post
something provocative in a flash and someone’s life
can also be taken in a flash. But citizens’ rights are
crucial and should not be restricted without very
careful thought.
Freedom of speech should be limited when it is provocative
and might possibly cause an eruption of war
between two countries. Stevens’ murderers deserve to
face consequences, but many also claimed that, in the
first place, the murderers were provoked on purpose
by someone in the US, in which case should this person
face consequences as well for creating this whole
mess On the one hand, it would seem fair if they
did, because someone has to pay for Stevens’ death
for the sake of his family. On the other hand, did the
creator of the video really create this whole mess
The restrictions to certain freedoms of speech
are generally a good idea, and their boundaries can
be augmented. Each case that will arise involving this
intricate topic will have its own particulars, and, depending
on the court, a different consequence. Overall
freedom of speech is not something people should
take advantage of because our ancestors have fought
long and hard for us to acquire this right but not with
the intention of abusing its power.

Games
March 2013
7
Valentine’s Day Crossword Puzzle
By Jean-Baptiste Robert Credits to: Guillaume Gillain
D M N O I T C E F F A P E G V F C D X S Z O
U H R F V B N E J H Y T F T C F B N J K G J
G R F D S A S D E R S S D A A R Q S R H I K
H D R J T D F W D H D W Q U A L R R H F Q H
N T R A E H D H F S R T I Q S C O S U N G T
B R G N J N K R K D I S G A Q A O C S J G G
G M L N J U I D D X B O U Q U E T U O D M R
T D A S N B S T P O E M H D F S N Q P H L F
V C S Q K D S L N X V W L D S W B X N L C E
F G O Z I O F J O E O Q M Y R W W Q A N E D
R H P A N G E L D F L B L W C F E A S B V W
E J O F G H G Y I F S A O E E R F E Y V F S
D N R O S E D F Q B G L V R C F F M T X V Q
C M P F G S D E W T V L E R D S V G H S V A
X K F G S J Z I E G J A R F B H R M L M V T
S L Y F G C J K R V E D R F U A R R I N O D
W F G K J H D J T J R W A Z H G F S U B A E
Q Y D N C N J H Y O W A C F G B G G G O C X
A T S I N N V B U U I O P A S Z X C V G M H
Z T S P A R T Y G Q E T E F V G D I P U C A
WORD BANK: VALENTINE, LOVE, HEART, KISS, LOVEBIRDS, BALLAD, PINK, PARTY, AMOUR, FETE, ROSE,
PROPOSAL, COUPLE, CUPID, SWEETS, BOUQUET, HUG, ANGEL, CHOCOLATE, AFFECTION
Sudoku
See if you can crack the code!
Maze
Begin
The French-American School Of New York
Messenger
Editors-in-Chief: Emanuelle Rizk & Olivier Weiss
Managing Editor: Emma Guyot
Senior Editors: Armand Latreille & Julian Salz
Assistant Editor: Emanuel Wickenburg Sports Editor: Paul Castaybert Design Editors: Clemence Wassen & Irène Woo
In Review Editor: Irène Woo Copy Editor: David Guyot Drawings by Louis Le Jamtel
VOL. X NO. IV
Reporting Staff: Nour Aljowaily, Matthieu Anconetti, Michael Anderson, Tatiana Brochin, Thomas de Villemejane, Joaquin Delmar,
Jurnivah Desir, Oriana Durand, Chloe Durland, Anatole Grablevsky, Zoé Guyot, Léa Jabbour, Alexa Jakob, Emilie Kehm, Josephine Kehm, Maddie
King, Zoé LaPomme, Alex Mason, Maxim Mounier, Hai Nguyen, Eliwa Onanga, Mathieu Rizk, Jean-Baptiste Robert, Margaux Salz, Mathieu
Salz, Jacqueline Sarro, Alex Sherman, Sabrina Sherman, Iona Sobral, Karim Tounkara, Lorenzo Vitale, Declan Wicks, Camille Williams
End
Ecole Franco-Américaine de New York
French-American School of New York
Faculty Advisors: Mrs. Anne K. Culhane, Mr. Tom Faure
145 New Street, Mamaroneck, NY 10543
(914) 250-0000 www.fasny.org

Sh a r k
Sp o r t s
Despite Big Changes, Varsity Girls Net Big Wins
By Oriana Durand ’13
New season, new coach, new players and new expectations. With only one
Senior still on the team, a few wins would have been enough, but a 6-8 record
proved to be a successful first season for a fresh team whose primary goal was uniting
its players and evaluating different alternatives to match this objective.
“Avec le départ des quatre joueuses qui représentaient les piliers de l’équipe,
cette saison s’annonçait plutôt compliquée,” said longtime player Marianne Rouche,
’14. But the team surpassed all obstacles, Marianne said:
“Une toute nouvelle
équipe qui
n’était pas habituée
à jouer ensemble, un
nouveau coach, une
nouvelle ligue, bref
tout avait changé et
nous ne savions pas
à quoi nous attendre.
Contre toute attente,
un esprit d’équipe et
une bonne ambiance
s’installèrent
rapidement. Les débuts
furent plutôt
durs, mais ce fut la
patience, les conseils, et les nombreux entrainements qui construisirent peu a peu
l’équipe. Nous voilà, fin de la saison avec un bon résultat final.”
The Varsity girls basketball team is essentially formed of different personas,
talents, and interests. At the end of the day, however, each individual comes together
for a 5:30 pm practice and has only one thing in mind: the game of basketball.
Throughout a long season of exhibition and 14 league games, late weekday and 8
a.m. Saturday practices, these girls put aside all tensions and differences to identify
each other’s strengths and weaknesses and improve as one.
With the team made up primarily of guards, the main objective was finding
the open player and creating opportunities for a drive to the paint. The “Varsity
Girls Playbook” has stood as a sort of bible, using different plays and formations for
particular situations, methods to break the opponents’ press, and various inbound
strategies. While shooting may not always have accumulated the necessary points,
Coach Faure advocated throughout the entirety of the season the use of quick passes
and triangular positioning, aiming to create space and allow for a desired drive to
the basket. Good defense and transitions have undoubtedly stood as frequent and
significant opportunities for quick points, and ultimately allowed us to control the
movement of the game. These fundamentals have intertwined and have led the
In the world of sports, February represents the most dramatic and exciting
period of the year: it includes the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star game.
The first event, the Super Bowl, gives the participants
plenty of time to trash talk and elevate the hype.
The San Francisco 49ers took down the Atlanta Falcons
28-24 in a comeback win to represent the NFC in the
championship. On the other side of the country, the
Baltimore Ravens took down the New England Patriots
28-13. This sets up an incredible Super Bowl match
up, as the 49ers and Baltimore Ravens being coached by
brothers Jim and John Harbaugh made it even better.
Despite a compelling second-half comeback
attempt by the 49ers, the Ravens held on to win the
vaunted Lombardi Trophey.
After four hours of hard-hitting football, we
traveled down to Houston for the NBA All-Star game, where the best players of
the country faced off. Representing the East were Rajon Rondo, Dwayne Wade,
Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett. In the West, Chris Paul,
Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Dwight Howard starred. However,
a devastating knee injury now has Rajon Rondo out for the year, so Brook Lopez
stepped in for the East. This should have been a great game and, historically, the
Lady Sharks toward a good season and a promising future.
“C’est en grande partie grâce à notre coach Mr. Faure et notre capitaine
Oriana, donc bien évidemment un grand merci,” added Marianne. “Pour ma part,
encore une saison qui rime avec rigolade, bonne ambiance, détermination. La saison
de basket était, certes, différente mais remplie de super moments que cela soit sur le
terrain ou en dehors.”
A day in the life of a Varsity girl is, quite simply, thrilling. Locker room conversations
prior to a practice range from the latest gossip to a trip down memory lane
to a mere request for deodorant. Characteristic of high school girls, the lady sharks
troop with determination into the
pony tails. The motivation for game
day generally begins the previous
night by virtue of the many enthusiastic
Facebook posts on the “Varsity
Girls Basketball” group, and carries
on throughout the next day, with
strong support of fellow classmates
and faculty. Bus rides generally allow
adequate time to remove all jewelry,
distribute bobby pins and take care
of other last-minute preparations.
Despite displaying quintessential attributes
of lady players, these Varsity
girls nevertheless manage to capture
the true essence of unity and team
work through the determination
and perseverance they put into the
program. On November 24, bystanders
witnessed and appreciated
Two Weeks of Hype, Two Weeks of Game
By Thomas de Villemejane ’16
gymnasium in their mini shorts and high
Ten Girls To Carry
On Oriana’s Legacy
- Melisande Bal (11th)
- Mireille Bejjani (11th)
- Kiara Bernard (11th)
- Jennifer Roux (11th)
- Juliette Clochard (10th)
- Sixtine Fleury (10th)
- Clémence Rivoire (10th)
- Zoe Lapomme (8th)
- Alayna Bierly (8th)
- Gabriella Swartz (8th)
a two hour practice on the outdoor court
of FASNY’s Larchmont campus. Organized by the girls themselves, each individual
coached each other, and touched on virtually every aspect of the game—passing,
screens (écrans, as the team likes to call them), shot form, defense strategies, rebounds
and overall patience.
“We really improved during the season, coming together to support each
other on and off the court,” said Mireille Bejjani ’14. “The organized, quick passes
and strong defense that we achieved by the end of the season looked nothing like the
way we started out, and I look forward to making even more progress next year.”
Competing in two separate leagues, the girls faced different levels of basketball,
but displayed consistent improvement not only in game strategy, but also in team
chemistry and overall results. The Lady Sharks have set the bar high for future seasons,
but guarantee nevertheless the potential to surpass this year’s outcome. A successful
season with expectations reached, and many talented players left for next season to
push those expectations further.
All-Star Game is the highest scoring game of the season. Also, this year’s game presented
some of the best players in NBA history. Kevin Durant and Lebron James
are now the top two stars in the NBA, and are looking to make it all the way to
the Champtionship series. Something else that makes this game fun is the trade
deadline, where teams make last resort trades
to attempt to make the playoffs. It’s always interesting
to see how some players play knowing
they’ve just been traded.
The West won the game 143–138, and
Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers was
named the game’s most valuable player.
While these two games matched the amazing
hype, it was especially exciting considering
Ray Lewis, a defensive player on the Baltimore
Ravens, and one of the biggest trash talkers in
sports, was playing in his very last game. A nice
way to go out, with a second Super Bowl ring.
These games risk being overshadowed by the famous Super Bowl half-time
Photo by Chuck Cook, USA Today
show. Last year 140 million tuned in to see Madonna and, scandalously, M.I.A giving
the camera the finger. This year, Beyonce took to the stage and was joined by her
former co-singers from Destiny’s Child: Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.
Even despite this reunion and a now-infamous power outage, sports were
what we talked about most this February, which is really what it’s all about.
T
he
F
uture