ThE MESSENGER - Franco-American School of New York

French-American School of New YorkThe MessengerTwo Cultures, Two Languages––One PaperVOL. X NO. II November 2012 FREEWhite Plains Council Holds Ridgeway HearingsBy Emanuel WickenbergOn Wednesday, October 17th, FAS-NY faced off against its opponents in WhitePlains for the second time. The school is continuingto fight for its dream campus in Ridgeway,still resisted by a concerned few. Everyoneat FASNY has heard about the acts of protestagainst our school in White Plains: the petitionsand letters, the FASNO bumper stickersand red signs lining the roads of GedneyFarms. But how many citizens of White Plainsare really hostile to FASNY’s project?The answer, according to Sosena Daniel(’13), is very few. Sosena was one of the students whocollected signatures from White Plains residents in favor ofthe Ridgeway project; together they collected over 2,500New Epidemic? Concussions on Our RadarBy Maddie King“Injuries” was, perhaps, one of the most controversialSpirit Week themes brought up during that particularlyanimated student government meeting. Most of thedelegates present there deemed that in terms of practicality,simplicity, and, well…general craziness, “Injuries day”was a perfectly fitting day forSpirit Week. However, severaldeputies contested it, pointingout the conclusive drawbackthat ultimately ruled the themeout: dressing up with a bloodybandage around the head, orany such injury-related propgoes against school spirit. Notonly could it have potentiallyearned us a bad reputation, butas Mr. Ellinghaus remarked :“Seeing that we’ve had a coupleof concussions at school alreadyand seeing as it’s being discusseda lot in the media, it might notbe the best idea to make lightof such a serious matter duringspirit week”.It’s true that there seemsto have been a lot of concussionslately. Should we be worried?Or are the actual cases of concussion not cause foralarm? It does take a relatively serious blow to the head inorder to be diagnosed with a concussion, after all. Could itbe that violence at school has suddenly become toleratedand/or overlooked? Is clumsiness unexplainably a resultof our two plus months of vacation? Are concussions thesignatures. According to Sosena,about 1 in 20 people living inthe area surrounding Ridgewaywere opposed to the project; “butthose who were against it werepretty aggressive,” she added.This passionate minoritythat slammed its doors onour petitioning classmates wasprobably largely composed ofmembers of the Gedney Association,our opponents at Ridgeway.Many Gedney Association members spoke at the lastWhite Plains hearing on September 19th, and they continuedtheir wave of protest on October 17th.Continued on page 5The hearing was so packed that peoplein overflow viewing sat on the floor.new school trend?I can assure you all that the answer we’re lookingfor is definitely not to be found in the above hypotheses(for those who hadn’t figured this out yet). Actually,it seems as though the measures taken to diagnose andreact to a concussionhave changed, ratherthan the actual causeof them.According toour school nurse,Mrs. Volpe—who,it should be noted,said the occurencesof concussions hasnot changed much atFASNY—once a personsuffers a blow tothe head, symptomssuch as headaches,nausea, dizziness,blurry vision, confusion,and fainting candetermine whetherhe or she might havea concussion. In responseto growingawareness of the dangers of concussions, the ConcussionManagement Act was passed in July, stating that any publicor private school students having been hit in the headand showing such symptoms have to be removed immediatelyfrom school.Continued on page 4SuperstormSandy WreaksHavoc AcrossNorth-EastBy Messenger StaffAlthough FASNY’s three campuseswere spared for once, much of the UnitedStates’ Eastern Seaboard suffered extensivedamage from the of Superstorm Sandy andthe Nor’easter that promptly followed.Even two weeks after Sandy hit, senatorsfrom seven states have only just askedPresident Obama for more federal disasteraid—such is the destruction the storms leftbehind that some members of the FASNYcommunity and elsewhere in the tri-state areastill don’t have electricity or, in some cases,heat and hot water.While the worst-hit state appears tobe New Jersey, New York City’s ManhattanBorough shockingly went dark below 34thStreet after a Con Edison substation on 14thStreet flooded, leading to a sizeable explosionand heavy damage.For FASNY families, the LarchmontManor and Orienta areas suffered the mostflooding, while downed electricity poles andcables led to power outages all over Westchester.While FASNY has been able to reopenwithout major problems, the death tollestimates across the North East continue torise, having now surpassed 110.Photo: Sarah Studley, Larchmont PatchA common citing in Westchester even twoweeks after Superstorm Sandy, a utility crewattempts to make repairs. Some New York Cityand Westchester residents still have no power.In this IssuePage 2Interested in unlockingthe secretsin your DNA?Easy!By Lea JabbourPage 6The Messenger’s jazzcolumnist reviewsAnat Cohen at theVillage VanguardBy Julian SalzCenter SpreadWe’ve got allthe highlightsfrom yet anothergreatSpirit Week

2SciencesNovember 2012Unlock Your DNA’s SecretsBy Lea JabbourDo you want to know if you have a geneticpredisposition for cancer? Or if you havean Alzheimer’s gene? Well now you can. Thanksto recent advances, decoding your entire genomemight become as routine as a physical exam. Thisis only possible thanks to the Human GenomeProject (HGP), put in place 22 years ago.In October 1990, the U.S. Departmentof Energy and the National Institute of Healthcoordinated the HGP in the hopes of identifyingall of approximately 20,000 to 25,000 genes inhuman DNA. In the process, they wanted toaccomplish numerous other goals, including thedetermination of all the sequences of the 3 billionbase pairs that make up DNA (A, C, G, T).Although ambitious, the project wascompleted in 2003, after 13 years of hard work,thanks to hundreds of scientists and roughly $3billion. Since the first genetic blueprint of 2003,scientist have been able drastically speed up theprocess of decoding genes.Thanks to a combination of new technologiesand increased computing power, it nowonly takes a matter of weeks, and potentiallyeven only days, to sequence a whole genome.Once doctors receive the genetic informationof a patient, they can find more suitablediagnoses and/or treat patients with mysteriousand clouded illnesses. This method is exceptionallysuitable for cancer patients, because itallows doctors to identify the cause of the mutationat the origin of the cancer and tailor drugsto treat it.Whole genome sequencing is also beingused in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) atChildren’s Mercy Hospitals to diagnose criticallyill infants. In this case, scientists use a more targetedapproach, allowing for the results to arrivewithin only 54 hours.The machines employed for sequencingare clearly evolving at an incredibly fast rate. Nowmachines are only about the size of a copy machine,requiring only a few lab assistants to workit. In the very near future, the sequencers usedwill only be the size of a big thumb drive, will fitinto a computer’s USB port, and will sequencegenes in a matter of hours. These advances arewonderful, but they raise an important question:is technology evolving faster than medicine?As a matter of fact, doctors today do nothave the abilities to understand the grand majorityof sequenced genes, which raises yet anotherquestion: does whole genome sequencingdo more harm than good? Because we are notcapable of interpreting most of the informationwe receive, accuracy becomes a huge concern.Misinterpretations or uncertainties can worry apatient more than an actual diagnosis.Sequencing your entire genome doesn’tcome cheap, of course. Today, the price variesbetween $4,000 and $10,000, but soon the priceis expected to drop to about $1,000, about thecost of an MRI.Before decoding genomes becomes aroutine procedure, many ethical questions needto be worked out. One of the most pressing onesis that of potential genetic discrimination by futureemployers. For example, if a person’s geneticanalysis reveals a genetic predisposition for cancer,they might get higher health insurance andlife insurance rates.Another ethical question has been raised:if you have an incurable illness, would you wantto know? For example, James Watson, one ofthe pioneers in genetics, recently had his entiregenome sequenced. He wanted to know everythingthe scientists found, except whether he hasthe Alzheimer’s gene or not.NPR radio recently did a survey, askinglisteners if they would have their genome sequencedif they could afford it. Almost 82% ofvoters answered yes, whereas only 9% answeredno. The rest of voters were undecided. Thispoll proves just how popular whole genome sequencingwill become, and urges scientists andresearchers to resolve any and all pressing issues.All in all, decoding DNA is an excitingadvance in the scientific world, although it is accompaniedby many issues and concerns. Wholegenome sequencing holds the key to your DNA’ssecrets, but it may tell you more than you wouldlike to know. After having read this article,would you decode your genes?Recently Extinct AnimalsBy Maxim MounierMany animals are extinct, but here are seven of themost recent victims, according to The Daily Green, a blogabout environmental issues created on Earth Day in 2007.In the forest of the Amazon lived the golden toad.Cause of Extinction: pollution, global warming, and fungalskin infection.Date of Extinction: disappeared from this planet in 1989.The Zanzibar leopard was lost because locals believed thatthese leopards were kept by witches.Cause of Extinction: These animals were seen as evil predatorsso they had to be exterminated.Date of Extinction: believed to be in 1996.On the island of Hawaii the bird Po’ouli that inhabited theslope of the volcano Haleakala, on the island of Maui. Thepopulation declined rapidly, and by 1997 there were onlythree known Po'ouli left.Cause of Extinction: Habitat loss, along with disease, predatorsand a decline in its food source native tree snails are allseen as reasons for the bird's demise.Date of Extinction: Efforts to mate the remaining birds failedand the species was formally declared extinct seven years laterin 2004.The stunning Madeiran Large White butterfly was foundin the valleys of the Laurisilva forests on Portugal’s MadeiraIslands.Cause of Extinction: loss of habitat due to construction aswell as pollution from agricultural fertilizers are two majorfactors.Date of Extinction: Around 2007.The majestic West African black rhino was declared extinctafter conservationists failed to find any in their last remaininghabitat in Cameroon.Cause of extinction: Poachers hunted the rhino for its horn,which is believed by some in Yemen and China to possessaphrodisiacal powers.Date of Extinction: 2006.Spix's Macaw, also called the Little Blue Macaw, was knownfor its beautiful blue feathers. While some still exist in captivity,these tiny blue birds are extinct in the wild.Cause of extinction: Habitat destruction and illegal trappingand trade contributed to the macaw's dwindling numbers.The last Pyrenean ibex, a kind of wild goat, died in 2000.However, cloned ibex, created from skin samples taken fromthe last Pyrenean ibex, was birthed in 2009. It died shortlyafter birth from lung complications.Cause of extinction: Hunting of the ibex had caused theanimal's numbers to seriously dwindle and conservationistsblame the Spanish government for failing to act in time tosave it.Date of Extinction: 2000.

Tech & Trends 3November 2012The Technology of Today:Zapata Racing: The FlyboardBy Hugo GastoneFranky Zapata, creator of Zapataracing, has started developping abrand new way to soar throughthe skies and swim like a dolphin.His experience in water propulsionand jet skis allowed him tocreate the new water sport apparatus:“The FlyBoard is basicallya jetski, ski, skateboard, andsnowboard crammed intoone”, says Franky.The machine is basicallydivided into two parts:the nozzle under your feetshoots out 90% of watercoming from the jetski attachedto your board to letyou control it. The other nozzleon your hands shoots out 10%of water coming from the jetskito allow you to balance yourselfwith the board. These two nozzleswill let you reach an altitude of30 feet up in the air. The price torent one for one hour is $350 —without forgetting the 3 hours oftraining you need to get for thesame price and that you have tocomplete before you are allowedto fly freely with the machine.On the other hand, the price tobuy one is $1000 if you take theinstructor’s course with the purchase.To complete both purchasesyou must be 18 or older.Windows 8 Arrives Sans MinecraftBy Matthieu AnconettiThe biggest news for Windows 8’s Markus “Notch” Perssonrefused to make the popular game Minecraft compatible for it. He announcedon Twitter: “I told them to stop trying to ruin the PC as an openplatform.” This is what he said a few months back when Minecraft cameout on Microsoft’s XBox and was a smashing hit; “Hey, Microsoft! Youmight be a big and scary American company that likes secrets and meetingsand such, but I love working with you!”In other news people think that Windows 7 is better then Windows8. 53% of people preferred Windows 7 and 25% preferred Windows8. Does this mean fewer people will buy Windows 8?Microsoft is also releasing the Asus tablet; it is a combination oflaptop and tablet. It is 11.6 inches and starts at $600. With a stand it willcost even more, running you $800.Something interesting also came out October 26th: you can nowplay Xbox live games on your computer! Here are some examples:Jetpack Joyride, Kinectimals Unleashed, PAC-MAN ChampionshipDX Edition ,DX Pinball FX 2.The Iphone 5: Is it worth it?By Sabrina ShermanOn September 21st, the newiPhone was released. Within three days,Apple had sold five million phones.Many people enjoy the new featuresthatcome withthe iPhone5. It is lighter,thinner,fits in yourpocket easier,and Siriis more capable.Shecan give youthe scoresof sportsgames, movietimes, andeven helpsyou make areservationat your favoriterestaurant in seconds.Many were upset, though, that theiPhone map quality wasn’t very good. Theexecutive chief of Apple, Tim Cook, apologizedfor this.People were also upset about aproblem that had started with the IPhoneIpod 5th generationBy Nour Aljowaily3G: the short battery life.When some opened their phonebox, they said that there were alreadyscratches.On the otherhand, manywere happythat the phonecould be usedoverseas.So far, henewly releasedSamsung GalaxyS III hasbeen Apple’sbiggest rival. Ithas outsold theiPhone 5 in theUK. Samsungmade a commercialfor theirnew phonethat mocks theiPhone. The Samsung Galaxy’s profits increasedby 15% the week that Apple announcedthe release of its new phone. Yet,during a drop test, the iPhone beat the GalaxyS III.On the whole, then, it’s not altogetherclear the iPhone 5 is really worth it.The iPod 5th generation by Apple is going was released October 14, 2012. Thelatest iPod allows you to shoot HD videos. If you prefer taking pictures then you arelucky because the new iPod offers a five megapixel lens, which is seven times better thanthe previous one.The iPod 5th generation will also comes with they call the loop, a kind of case.The loop’s color will match the color of your iPod. It is a cool way to keep your iPod safe.It will also include the new Apple earpods. These are very special because theyfit exactly into your ears.The new ipod is so light you won’t even notice it’s there. So who said iPods are adying breed? Another generation offers promise.The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!By Anatole Grablevsky and Declan WicksIn 2012 FASNY is welcoming moreand more Russians. In fact there are so manyRussians we have enough to fill a soccer squad.Already there are currently three Russianstudents in 6th grade: Matthieu Anconetti,Maxim Mounier, and Anatole Grablevsky.Maxim’s big brother, Daniel is in 7th grade.Mattieu Anconetti’s mom comes from Moscow,Russia while his dad comes from Paris,France. He speaks both Russian and French athome.Maxim and his brother Daniel’s momcomes from Irkousk (one of the coldest cities inRussia) while his dad is from Strasbourg. Maximand Daniel speak more English than Russianat their house but go to a Russian schoolon Sundays.“I speak Russian fluently”, says Maxim.“I go to Russia often and I love it.”Finally Anatole has a Ukrainian motherand a Russian dad. He only speaks Russian athis house. His grandma, who used to be a Russianteacher, teaches him advanced Russian.Anatole thinks there is a big differencebetween Russia and the United States.“There’s a lot of ‘freedom’ and the policedo almost nothing,” says Maxim.It might seem that most people in Russialive in small villages without supermarkets.In rural areas they hunt and fish. But 74% ofthe country’s population actually lives in urbanareas. And now the Russians are at FASNY!Five things that you might wantto know about Russia(stereotype alert!):-blini, Russian crêpes-kasha (a rice porridge)-polyushko-polye, a traditional popular quasi-propagandisticcommunist song)-teiremok (house for rich people made outof wood)-Teremok, meanwhile, is a Russian fastfood chain

4School LifeNovember 2012Concussions on the Rise?Continued From Front PageIf the symptoms persist after 24 hours,parents must bring the students to a doctor,who can then formulate a more precise diagnosis.Because the severity of the concussionsis pretty hard to identify and gauge (there areno external indications, and an MRI is generallyuseless) precautions must be taken.Rest is strongly recommended. Aggravatingthe condition by participating instrenuous and mentally challenging activitiescan have some very serious repercussions thatcan otherwise be avoided. After 7-10 days,the student is usually allowed to rejoin his orher Physical Education class and sports teams,if he or she is well enough to go to school atall. Of course, students must seek a doctor’sclearance first.In any given situation, a concussion isan undeniably serious injury. For students, itcan be even more problematic: children andteenagers are usually more susceptible to concussions,and usually take longer to recover,according to Ken Shapiro, a brain injury specialist.Also, apart from being rather painful, aconcussion can also affect one’s concentrationand memory.For students who are studying for theBAC, this can be very troublesome. Accordingto Lucas Zabotin (’13), “When I got a concussionback in March of last year, I couldn’tbring myself to work because it was so painful.”Armand Latreille (’13), who also suffereda concussion last year adds: “It messed up mywhole third trimester. I couldn’t concentrateon anything and was always making stupidmistakes, especially in math. Math was horrible.”FASNY has certainly kept up withNew York State’s growing concussion awarenessplan. Precautions have become more effectivein the last few years, especially whenit comes to sending kids with a head injuryhome. Not only that, but promotion of concussionawareness has developed in our schoolas well.Armand believes we can take concussionawareness a step further: “Every Americanschool in New York has their players takean impact test before the start of the season.The test evaluates their normal mental andmotor skills, so that when they take it againafter getting hit, the doctor can measure theseverity of the concussion. Our school doesn’toffer this test to athletes, but maybe it should.”A school-wide policy is being put inplace as this edition goes to print.Des vols à FASNY?Par Kiara Bernard &Emilie Matthews de BeaulieuEntre le 24 et le 27 septembre 2012, plusieurs étudiantsdes classes de première et terminale ont été victimes devols ou objets « perdus ». C’est le 24 septembre que cetteregrettable histoire a commencé lorsque vingt-deux dollarsà Albert Vasnouz ont disparu [n.b.: les noms d’élèves ontété changés]. Le jour suivant, cinquante dollars et des écouteursde la marque « Skullcandy » ont été dérobés à LaurenceKinchawi et puis le 26 Septembre Edwina Mazone des Balloness’est fait voler vingt dollars. Le 27 Septembre, le voleurs’est emparé d’un iTouch de 32 GB et des écouteurs de lamarque « Sony » d’Edwina Mazone des Ballones ainsi quecent quarante dollars appartenant à Paulina Sataraca.Ces disparitions successives sont peut-être liés et sontalors suspects d’être d’un même auteur. Les sacs ou portemonnaiesdes victimes étaient tous ouverts lorsque ces derniersont réalisé que leurs biens avaient disparu. Au total, lavaleur des objets et de l’argent disparus revient à 482 dollars.Nous n’avons jamais eu ce problème à FASNY auparavantet désormais l’atmosphère dans le « lounge » desélèves de première est assez pesante car la plupart des élèvesse sentent obligés de garder toutes leurs affaires dans leurs casiersou de demander à un amide surveiller leurs sacs s’ils s’envont pour un seul moment.C’est dommage; avant ces incidents,la confiance régnaitdans le « lounge ».Pour le student loungeen question il n’y a plus eu dedisparitions depuis ceux indiquésci-dessus, mais le coupablea certainement un poidsqui lui pèse sur la conscience.C’est difficile de penser qu’il yaurait un voleur parmi nous.Mr. Rosemblum suggèreque vous soyez vigilantsL’addition:- 22.00- 50.00- Ecouteurs Skullcandy- 20.00- iTouch 32 GB- Ecouteurs Sony- 140.00_______________≈ 480.00 dollarsavec vos affaires, et que « si quelqu’un a des informationsconcernant la possibilité d’un vol, contactez l’administrationpour qu’elle puisse lui apporter l’aide psychologique nécessaire».Mr. Ekotto recommande le conseil suivant :« La prudence exige que les affaires personnelles soient rangéesdans les casiers où le risque de perte est quasiment nul ».The French-American School Of New YorkMessengerEditors-in-Chief: Emanuelle Rizk & Olivier WeissManaging Editor: Emma GuyotSenior Editors: Armand Latreille & Julian SalzVOL. X NO. IISports Editor: Paul Castaybert Design Editors: David Guyot, Clémence Wassen, & Irène WooIn Review Editor: Irène Woo Drawings by Louis Le Jamtel and Emanuel Wickenburg.Reporting Staff: Nour Aljowaily, Matthieu Anconetti, Michael Anderson, Kiara Bernard, Tatiana Brochin, Joaquin Delmar, Jurnivah Désir,Thomas De Villemejane, Oriana Durand, Chloe Durland, Anatole Grablevsky, Zoé Guyot, Guillaume Horikawa, Maddie King, Zoe LaPomme,Alex Mason, Emilie Matthews de Beaulieu, Maxim Mounier, Sophia Nee, Hai Nguyen, Elizabeth O’csay, Eliwa Onanga, Mathieu Rizk, Jean-Baptiste Robert, Margaux Salz, Mathieu Salz, Oumou Sarr, Jacqueline Sarro, Alexander Sherman, Sabrina Sherman, Iona Sobral, Karim Tounkara,Emanuel Wickenburg, Declan Wicks, Camille Williams.Ecole Franco-Américaine de New YorkFrench-American School of New YorkFaculty Advisors: Mrs. Anne K. Culhane, Mr. Tom FaureSpecial thanks to Coach Taylor145 New Street, Mamaroneck, NY 10543(914) 250-0000 www.fasny.org

School Life 5November 2012White Plains Common Council Vets Ridgeway Campus ProposalContinued From Front PageWhile a four-hour-long common council meeting might notbe a particularly exciting experience, this one had an atmosphere ofpalpable tension. The audience was divided by an aisle into two opposingcamps; one side wore mostly green – tee-shirts representing FAS-NY’s project’s stated ecological benefits to White Plains – and some onthe other side wore their trademark red FASNO badges. Among thespeakers who addressed the weary White Plains mayor, Tom Roach,was Terrence Guerriere, head of the Gedney Association.Guerriere accused FASNY of “deploying their P.R. program todistract the city from the negative impact of the project” and accusedFASNY of mocking him, and called our school a “massive projectthreatening [their] residential lifestyle.”The Gedney association was created to represent the 400 or soupper middle class families of the Gedney Farms neighborhood, whichsurrounds the former Ridgeway country club. They have become animpassioned anti-FASNY group dominated by a few outspoken membersof the community who believe their way of life is threatened bythe Ridgeway project.Their main arguments are that FASNY would raise taxes forRidgeway inhabitants, would add to early morning traffic, wouldincrease noise pollution, and would affect the value of property rightnext to the new school. Our argument is that we will prevent harmfulcorporate development on the former country club, leave mostof the property as a natural preserve, and provide vast cultural andeducational benefits to the neighborhood.Along with concerns about pollution, many of the project’s opponents whospoke at the October 17th hearing described their current enjoyment of the Ridgewayarea for walking, cycling, and viewing the sunset.Supporters of FASNY’s project called attention to the lack of alternativeproposals for use of the former country club, and how this features in their concernsabout property tax, land use, etc.One White Plains resident cited the Draft Environmental Impact Statement,a 100-plus page survey of FASNY’s proposal. He questioned the Ridgewayopponents’ logic in citing their current enjoyment of the greenery, since FASNYhas pledged to convert over 80 acres of the land to a wildlife conservancy. FASNYsupporters repeatedly mentioned the DEIS and its proposed solutions to problemsof traffic. The opponents to the project also asked a traffic engineer to study thematter, and she spoke at the second hearing to raise questions about FASNY’s trafficproposals. FASNY representatives have repeatedly stated that they welcomed suchquestions and concerns, and that the school and its engineering teams would workto address them.Meanwhile, one opponent to FASNY’s plan seemed to view these promiseswith some skepticism, stating sardonically that he was very impressed by theschool’s “slick P.R. team.”Generally these were polite, mostly orderly, mostly prepared speeches. Offthe cuff, Sosena Daniel captured what some Ridgeway supporters might have beenthinking more privately: “At the end of the day it’s a school for a good cause, andthose who oppose us are honestly just being selfish.”Too Many Boys! A DemographicShift in 6th and 8th gradeBy Chloe DurlandLately you may have realized something: there are more boys thangirls in the 6th grade.So does this mean that the school-wide cooties equilibrium willbe thrown off balance at FASNY?It all started when I was told that there were five new boys and nonew girls! In the entire 6th grade there are 64 students. There are 27 girlsand 37 boys, 10 more boys than girls. Not much?Well, it looks as if in 8th grade there are only 26 girls and 47boys, 10 new boys and only one new girl! And this isn't the only yearit's happened:“We have had other years like this. It all depends on the birthrate,” says Mrs. Couty.Some 6th grade students believe this is a time to stand up: “It'sunfair that girls don't have the power to rule the school,” says TatianaBrochin.On the other hand, maybe this means each individual girl willstand out more? “It gives girls an opportunity to stand up,” says KozmoGeorge.Leandra Djomo sees this as both a negative and positive: “It canbe good because then we can have more friends that are boys, but at thesame time I was expecting to have some new girls in 6th grade.”Luckily in seventh grade there are only four more boys than girlsand there have been four new girls this year and only two new boys.Maybe soon balance will be restored.Various Countries CelebrateNational Coming Out DayBy Sabrina ShermanArt by Keith HaringOctober 11th was National Coming OutDay, which celebrates the rite of passage of “comingout” that is integral to the millions of peoplewho identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or queer.This day was not just about those alreadyidentifying with the LGBTQ communities, butalso aimed to create a safe space for those hesitatingabout coming out. NCOD was founded byRobert Eichberg, a psychologist from New Mexico,and Jean O’Leary, former head of the NationalGay Rights Advocates. The date of October 11thwas chosen because it was the anniversary of the1987 National March on Washington for Lesbianand Gay Rights, generally regarded by mainstream gay rights advocates as the “GreatMarch” that saw the most successful impact.National Coming Out Day is celebrated through rallies and information-sharingtables or stands in public spaces. The participants often wear “pride symbols” likepink triangles and rainbow flags.The celebration goes beyond the U.S. and is held in other countries like Australia,Canada, Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland,and the United Kingdom.Not all states have agreed to allow same-sex marriage. However, this ElectionDay, in Maine, Washington, and Maryland same-sex marriage ballot initiatives passed.

6In ReviewNovember 2012Anat Cohen Wows Village VanguardBy Julian SalzAnat Cohen, the Israelibornjazz clarinetist and saxophonist, wasat the Village Vanguard in New York’sLower West Side in September, performingcompositions from her 6th and mostlyrical album, Claroscuro, or light andshade. The Messenger’s new jazz columnistwas there, and will be presenting a newvisitor of the legendary venue in future issuesof The Messenger, in the hopes of enlighteningyou to the wonder and uniquenessof this purely American art form.Cohen’s new album is primarilyan elegantly composed exposition of herquartet’s wide musical and creative range.The quartet is led by Cohen, who effectively“sings” either on clarinet or altosaxophone, depending on her mood.She is joined by pianist Jason Lindner,double-bassist Joe Martin and drummerDaniel Freedman. They startedout the night with their interpretationof Artie Shaw’s Nightmare, a dark minor-keyswing which set the tone forthe rest of the evening which, like thealbum’s title song, alternated betweendelicious swinging dances and darklyrical ballads.Claroscuro showcases Cohen'sfluency in a global set of styles, from thecreolized Chanson of New Orleans andthe evergreen swing of an Artie Shaw tuneto African grooves and Brazilian choro,samba and more. It seemed in fact, thatevery band mate had an important degreeof influence and freedom of improvisationin every tune.The tune Anat’s Dance, composedby Jason Lindner, is titled for Cohen’s signaturestage presence, which is engagingand often ignored in a style that is seen bymany listeners and musicians alike as seriousand intellectual. The song has the feelof a standard, with a catchy melody thatfloats effortlessly over a swinging chordprogression. However, the feel is muchfreer, as if every solo pushes its lyricism toextremes, nearly escaping from the melodyand displaying each musician’s personalsound and agenda.Cohen also performed her quartet’stake on Louis Armstrong’s recordingof Edith Piaf’s popular classic, “La vie enRose.”Cohen’s sound suggests two alteregos which co-exist rather than jockey forpresence. Depending on the tune, she canbe in flight, soaring over the tempo anddiving into the heart of it, fearless andemotional. In her darker tunes, she exudesfrom her clarinet a rich and creamy soundthat pierces through the night like an agilecat prancing from rooftop to rooftop.I was also particularly impressedby her drummer, Daniel Freedman, whowas never once boring, never doing whatwas expected of him, always driving therhythm forward and always in perfect unisonwith his band mates.Pianist Jason Lindner manipulatedvamps and odd keys with a masteryand creativity that can only bring hope tothose who look pessimistically upon thefuture of jazz.Most remarkable, however, wasthe atmosphere in the club that seemedto provide a reciprocal joy to the musicianson stage. As an old and traditionaljazz venue, the audience at the Vanguardis a mix of aficionados and first-timerswho often dictate an uptight mood. WithCohen, rather, the audience was entirelycomprised of followers who seemed tobring a new life to the club, dancing alongat some points and rendering an energyand intercommunication between audienceand musicians which is often forgottenfor the sake of an “intellectual” vibe.Jazz has always had an identitycrisis, and the question of what jazz is andwhat it isn’t has been restated as the musicevolved from swing and bebop to cooland fusion. It seems that the music hasseen a rebirth in the past 15 years, withthe likes of Roy Hargrove, Fred Hersch,and Anat Cohen. The music of Cohen’squartet is not jazz because of the chordprogression it follows or the rhythms itimplements, but rather because of thedepth of expressionism that is pouredinto each solo, where, in my mind, thereal jazz actually starts.Nowadays its seems that every upand coming artist wants to be an innovator,searching for the next thing franticallyrather than coming upon it. The trendis to play fast and play in odd times. Ifjazz cannot be defined in musical terms,we can at least agree that it is a tradition,and to move a tradition forward, youmust first draw inspiration from it. In thissense, Cohen’s sound serves as a musicaldefinition of jazz, which is that it cannotbe categorized into one genre, that it containsmany different styles and influences.The end result, the feeling you get fromplaying and listening to it, will tell youwhether it is jazz or not.At the MoviesBy Eliwa OnangaTop family movies released in 2012Do you want to go see a movie?All over America, excellent movies have been released andacross all manner of ratings, from R to PG-13, to PG and even G.Several of the best are the following: Hotel Transylvania, TheHunger Games, Diary of Wimpy Kid, and Les Intouchables.Diary of a Wimpy Kid is about a young middle school boywho isn’t so popular; he always tries desperately to fit in, but failsinstead. He has a friend named Rowley and a crazy family whichincludes his mom, his dad, and his two trouble-making brothers.Will he ever survive middle school without permanent damage tohis face? Find out!Hotel Transylvania is a movie of courage and determination.Starts out with Dracula’s daughter who falls in love with the youngestof monster hunters. How will this work out for monsters againsthumans?The Hunger Games is a dramatic story about life and death.It starts with a teenage girl competing in a serious competition. Shegoes through a lot, and faces a lot of dangers.Will she survive this dangerous mission?Perfect choices for your family, yourself, and your friends.The Messenger would like to recommend to you some great movies.It’s always a great way to relax. And one of the best things to do isa movie. You can find yourself almost out of your seat thrilled withexcitement, or biting your nails, way too scared to know what’s happening,or else almost cry with laughter. There are many kind ofmovies out there. And there is a choice out there for you.It doesn’t always have to be funny or scary; you can also seea movie based on reality, about something that actually happened inpast history.The point is that movies are for relaxing and unwinding, sosit back and enjoy the movie!Profile Resto:The Cherry treePar Jean-Baptiste RobertNotre sujet cette édition: The Cherry Tree, une nouvelle boutiquede “Frozen Yogurt” dont beaucoup de monde nous ont vantésles mérites. Nous avons envoyé un journaliste goûter au nouveauproduit, il a temoigné pour vous:“A première vue, bonne impression. La façade est assez biendessinée; mais une fois à l’intérieur, c’est un vrai spectacle qui vous attend:12 parfums de yaourts différents et un choix parmi 36 toppings!Et en plus c’est du self-service; on peut prendre tout ce qu’on veut etc’est payé au poids. Là, j’étais impressioné! Mais il restait à goûter, etc’est ça le plus important.Je me suis donc servi un copieux yaourt et je l’ai gouté.Le constat:C’étaitD-E-L-I-C-I-E-U-X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”En conclusion, notreconseil, c’est “Thumbs Up”pour The Cherry Tree!

In Review 7November 2012Green Day Samples Old and New in “Celebration”By Alex MasonAs I pushed through the throng of impatient, ardent Green Day fanstrying to get a spot as close to the stage as possible, I realized that I was a littleout of place.Sure, I know about four or five Green Day songs absolutely by heart,but I hadn’t stopped to think about their other music. And let me tell you rightnow, they have plenty of those other songs. In fact, out of the five songs that Iknow by heart, they played only three of them: “Holiday,” “Wake Me Up WhenSeptember Ends,” and of course, “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.”They played forty songs, and it seemed like everyone else in the crowdknew the lyrics to every single one of them. Everyone had at least one arm up,and was flinging it to and fro in perfect synchronization with the staccato paceof their music. All I could do was try to mimic them as best as I could and tryto forget the fact that I was an imposter.There’s an expression that goes against everything that anti-conformitystands for: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” and since everyone else wasdoing the same thing, I decided to throw my 9th grade English class lessonsout of a metaphorical window, and decided that it was too bad if imitation wassuicide (Thoreau), because for the next three hours I was determined to have asmuch fun as possible. This wasn’t going to happen if I stood around awkwardly,so I took the road most traveled by, and that made all the difference. Well, exceptwhen there was a mosh pit, in that case, I just got outof the way.Alex MasonSo there I was, smack in the middle of a Green Day concert at IrvingPlaza, which isn’t too big, so I was closely pressed against sweaty, pumped up,young adults with beer bellies and no sense of shame whatsoever in using themto their advantage. Fortunately for me, I was taller than most every one ofthem, so I had a perfect view of Billy Joe Armstrong about ten feet away fromme. This unlike my little brother, who can only be described as substantiallysmaller than me. (He’s going to kill me now.)The concert finally started after a horrible opening act which I might kindlycharacterize as noise, and Green Day started off with a fast, upbeat, punkishkind of song, which is also the description for about 70% of the songs they played.Then, about 30-45 minutes into the show, Armstrong started rambling, the detailsof which I can’t really remember today, but he then asked the audience a questionwhich he repeated several times: “Do you want a party or a celebration?”The crowd didn’t really know what to answer, decided instead to cheer,maybe hoping that it could be interpreted as both answers. I didn’t really knowwhat to do, so I just looked down at my brother, who was also cheering, andwhen he saw me looking at him in obvious confusion, he just shrugged as ifto say, “I don’t know any better than you,” and continued cheering. So I stuckto my policy of following the crowd and started cheering as well, harder andlouder every time he repeated his question. Until finally, Armstrong, who wasobviously relishing his power over his audience just like every other showman,howled out his answer: “Cause I want a f****** celebration!”Right in his element, he exploded into the next song, “Holiday,” which,if you remember correctly, is one of the three songs I know by heart, so the nextcouple of minutes were my favorite of the whole concert. The song itself wascrazy because it was a crowd favorite and it fulfills the previous description ofthe 70% of the songs at the concert. But that wasn’t the truly mind-blowingevent of the night. That would come about 2 minutes and 20 seconds into thesong, at the end of the bridge between the last two renditions of the chorus.To the right of the already-elevated stage was a platform about 25 feet abovethe ground, and while the guitar solo was in full swing, Billy Joe Armstrongclimbed a couple of boxes until he arrived onto the platform normally reservedfor the photographers. Once on top of it he proceeded to yell out the a cappellabridge which has quite a revolutionary theme to it, with a tinge of anarchy. Andthen, he jumped. He landed on a crowd of astonished but eagerly awaiting fanswho had their arms outstretched to catch him.When I saw this, I thought to myself: “How on earth does this guywant a celebration? This is clearly a party.” But the moment that best representsthe concert came later, when Billy Armstrong yet again said something to thecrowd, but this time it wasn’t an order. “Shhhhh. Be quiet,” he said in a loud,raspy whisper, “Be quiet.” But this time, we all knew what to say: “NO!” Andjust like before, he repeated himself multiple times, getting louder and louder,and every time we answered with a same emphatic “NO!”, but louder as well.With a crazy, satisfied grin, he finally relented and started playing “Boulevardof Broken Dreams” which everyone sang along to—even my parents,who were also there. This was one of their favorite moments, along with thetimes Green Day played portions of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,”ACDC’s “Highway to Hell,” or Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” whichprompted Armstrong to chuckle: “Yeah, this is really happening guys.” Heplayed those songs in homage to the respective artists, to celebrate their legacy.Right then I realized, I understood why Billy Joe Armstrong wanted a celebration,because after having worked so long on their trifecta albums, “Uno!”“Dos!” and “Tré!” Green Day was back, and this was a celebration of that.Alex Mason

8Spirit WeekNovember 2012All photos by Mr. Faureand Allegra BrochinTuesday:Nation DayWinners :Paul Castaybertand Antoine VolardWednesday: Pajama DayWinners :Helia de Yrigoyenand Teddy Pochart

Spirit Week 9Spirit Week Sees MassiveParticipation This YearBy Tatiana BrochinSpirit Week was a great success! Class reps met to decidewhich themes they would choose for the fun week-long event. Asalways, prizes were given to the best dressed for the occasion—anda new prize this year celebrates those families who show the mostcreativity and spirit over the week.Many have expressed happiness with this year’s Spirit Weekcycle! “I like the fact that we get to get out of school at 2:45!” saidJurnivah Désir (‘16). Or as Margaux Salz (’16) said, “I like to seehow other people dress up!”This year’s themes were Nation Day, Pajama Day, HarryPotter/Hogwarts Day, and the recurring Blue and White Day. FAS-NY was as creative and colorful as ever.November 2012Thursday:Harry Potter DayWinners :Chloe Jacquenoud/Celine Karagozand Arthur RemyBest Faculty : Sophie LombumierBest Family : Bone and Guyot FamiliesBest Overall : Hector Sonnois andJonathan UbalijoroCongratulations to this year’s winners!Photo by Coach TaylorFriday: Blue and White DayWinners :Matthieu Anconettiand Joaquin Delmar

10CommunityNovember 2012L´innocence des musulmanset ses conséquencesPar Iona SobralL’innocence des musulmans, de son titre original, Innocence of Muslims, estun film crée en 2012 par Nakoula Basseley sous le pseudonyme de « Sam Bacile ». Ilaurait été produit, selon le réalisateur, dans le but de dénoncer les «hypocrisies» del’islam.Basseley est un Égyptien islamophobe résidant aux Etats-Unis. C’est un petitréalisateur de film. Il n’a pas été retrouvé pour le moment.La réalisation du film est obscure; les acteurs semblaient ignorer que le filmprévu avait un rapport direct avec l’islam, la première version du film ne serait pas islamophobeselon eux. Leur paroles auraient étés remplacés par d’autres. L’actrice CindyLee Garcia a déclaré que le tournage a eu lieu durant l’été 2011 et que la bande sonorede la vidéo avait été « doublée pour faire dire aux membres de la distribution des chosesqu’ils n’ont pas dites ». Elle a précisé « qu’il n’était d’ailleurs aucunement question duprophète Mahomet dans le scénario original, intitulé Desert Warriors ». L’acteur TimDax estime également avoir été piégé : « J’ai été auditionné pour un film intitulé DesertStorm censé parler des guerriers antiques. Je ne suis pas du tout islamophobe. »La bande annonce traduite en arabe a été diffusée sur internet et sur les chainesd’information égyptiennes, invitant des personnalités musulmanes à la regarder. Cesderniers, choqués, l’ont dénoncé.Pourquoi tant de bruit ? Une raison toute simple : L’innocence des musulmansmet en scène de manière satyrique des passages de la vie du prophète Mahomet, lefaisant passer pour un homosexuel, et un pédophile, entres autres.Les conséquences ? Les bandes-annonces du film en version arabe, dénoncéespour blasphème envers Mahomet, ont été invoquées comme raison principale desmanifestations et attentats anti-américains de septembre 2012, notamment les attaquesdu 11 septembre 2012 contre les missions diplomatiques américaines. L’uned’elles fut l’assaut contre l’ambassade des États-Unis en Égypte. D’autres, en Libye,ont eu pour cible principale le consulat des États-Unis à Benghazi et ont fait quatremorts—tout en notant que la CIA et le White House annoncent maintenant quel’attaque à Benghazi origine d’un complot terroriste et non pas des protestes contreL’innocence des musulmans. Des attaques contre les ambassades d’Allemagne et duRoyaume-Uni ont également eu lieu au Soudan. D’après les medias, la bande annoncene serait qu’un prétexte des organisations terroristes responsables pour les attentats.Une réponse excessive, soit. Mais si le prophète Mohamet avait été remplacépar Jésus Christ le résultat serait surement le même. La religion est un droit, et le respectdes autres croyances que les siennes est nécessaire.François Hollande:Une Bonne Décision ?Par Thomas De VillemeJaneQuand François Hollande a été nommé le nouveau président deFrance le 15 mai 2012, beaucoup de questions se sont élevées. Va-t-ilprouver qu’il est un meilleur président que Nicolas Sarkozy ? Ou va-t-ilfaire regretter au Français de l’avoir élu ?Apres quelques mois, on peut dire que le nouveau président estmal parti. En septembre, Hollande introduit une nouvelle taxe. Les ouvriersqui gagnent plus d’un million d’euros par an doivent maintenantpayer des impôts de 75%, chose très contentieuse pour beaucoup de français.Mais la plus grave erreur commise par le nouveau président a étésa décision de baisser le prix de l’essence de 3 centimes par litre. Le grosproblème est que ceci coûte à l’Etat 2 milliards d’euros pour mettre enplace. Depuis son élection en mai, les sondages montrent que Hollandea perdu beaucoup du soutient dont il bénéficiait.Par contre, ce n’est encore que le début de son terme. Je penseque même si Hollande a eu quelques mauvais mois, il lui reste encoreassez de temps pour justifier ses erreurs initiales et prendre des bonnesdécisions pour le gouvernement et la France.FASNY Students Join French Food Festival in ManhattanBy Emilie KehmThe last weekend of September the French Food Festival took place atPier 54, near the meatpacking industry in New York City.The pier was reserved for chefs and venders to set up stands, selling anddisplaying products from all of France. The pier was filled with the soft atmosphereof famous French songs and the many people from New York and outsidethe city enjoying the traditional culture of food and wine. The festival was an opportunityfor different people to come together and appreciate the divine Frenchtradition in one area.Some students from FASNY had the opportunity to have a taste of themarketing world by selling products at the BWR (Brands Within Reach) stand,selling Evian and Volvic water bottles, as well as new products such as organicenergy drinks, fruit smoothies, and portable apple sauce. The students learnedto persuade and appeal to different types of customers passing by, even throughsomewhat harsh conditions, such as strong, cold breezes blowing across the HudsonRiver.“I really enjoyed the experience because I was able to talk with workersand learn about types of marketing. The French festival was a really nice and newway to approach French products that are unknown to the American community,”says one of these students, Charlotte Bigotte. These students experiencedworking at a stand and selling products as well as the opportunity to enjoy thefestival, tasting different meals made by French chefs from the city.The festival displayed many different types of stands, from selling typicalFrench products from stores, to making meals for the people to try. Each personpaid for tokens named “Mariannes” to enjoy all that the festival offered. Eachstand was categorized by region of France, selling the specialty of that region.There were all types of wine and food, from salty meats covered with sauce, totiny sweets, crepes and chocolate éclairs. The atmosphere was very enjoyable, withFrench music playing in the background, an accordion and singer, and a sectionset up for the traditional French game played for generations know as “Pétanque,”the French version of bocce. There were also displays of works of art, and othertraditional French wares.The highlight of the festival had to have been the stand where the Frenchbulldog sat waiting for a French kiss for two “Mariannes.” The students were able toexperience a community coming together to display its traditions and values to peopleforeign to it and to appreciate their own culture and traditions.“It kind of reminded me of home and my childhood. I think one of the bestparts was the fact that not only French people came but people from other nationalitieswho took interest in what the French ‘had to offer’,” Victoria Decaux said.For the first year, the French Food Festival turned out to be a hit. Eventhough it was in a pretty secluded place, not expected to host many people, duringthat weekend many were interested in trying French food and discovering newproducts. It was a nice day to enjoy during the weekend among friends and familyand an opportunity to discover a new culture. This festival might even become atradition every year from now on with a little section of Manhattan converting itselfinto a small part of France brought back from overseas.

World 11November 2012The Legacy of theArab SpringBy Michael AndersonSparked by the hopeless act of self-immolation by a Tunisianstreet vendor, the Arab Spring became a mass movementfor the propagation of equality and democracy in the Muslimworld. The underlying causes of the Arab Spring include theabuse of human rights by dictatorial regimes, rampant unemployment,and corrupt governments. In fact, protests were sosuccessful that governments from Libya to Yemen toppled andlimited democratic reforms ensued. However, with a raging civilwar pursuing in Syria and the rise of religious tension amongstdifferent factions of the Muslim community, the Arab Springhas given way to a cloud of uncertainty and volatility over theMiddle East once again.The roots of the Arab Spring can be traced back to thevictory of the Israeli forces in the Six-Day War, at which pointArab military leaders began to set up dictatorial regimes in placeslike Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain. As with most dictatorialregimes, these governments became extremely corrupt andrepressive, prompting students and protesters to organize massive,well-organized demonstrations in 2011. The fall of theseregimes made onlookers assume that a smooth and peacefultransition to democracy would ensue in the Middle East. However,the power vacuum in the Arab world only fed the pre-existingSunni-Shiite divide. For example, in Egypt and Tunisia,Sunni Muslims quickly grabbed power— with the offering of amore fundamental brand of Sunni Islam due to the success ofthe Muslim Brotherhood in EgyptTo be sure, the most troubling development in the MiddleEast over the past two years is the ongoing civil war in Syria.Rebel fighters have been combating Bashar Al-Assad’s oppressiveregime in the wake of terrible massacres of entire Syrian villages.What most people aren’t aware of is the vision that these Sunnirebel fighters offer for the future of the country. Sunnis in thecountry have long been oppressed by Alawites, a minority sectindigenous to Syria of which Assad is part.The fear is that violence in Syria will ensue despite the fall of Assad’sregime because the rebel fighters are increasingly tyingthemselves with the Iranian government and Hezbollah, bothproponents of Shiite Islam, in hopes of overthrowing Assad’sgovernment. If Assad’s government falls, Syria is likely to becomea battleground for Sunni rebels, Hezbollah, and Iran.Complicating things further is the volatility of Lebanon,where Sunni Muslims preside over the north, Christians in thecenter, and Shiites closely tied to the Iranian government in theSouth. If Syria were to fall, Hezbollah is likely to take radicalaction in Lebanon in hopes of setting up a Shiite governmentmodeled after that of its Iranian counterpart.With the reigniting of bitter religious tensions betweenSunnis and Shiites in the Middle East, the Arab Spring has diedan unglamorous and unheralded death.Iran’s Nuclear Policy in QuestionBy Margaux SalzMost news concerning the Middle East has been centered on the Arab Spring countriesand Syria, but a new obstacle to peace in the area has begun to emerge. Israel, or more specificallyIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been raising red flags about whether Iran is usingits nuclear program for peaceful energy production or to create weapons of mass destruction thatmight possibly be used on the Jewish State.The reason the country’s nuclear program has been called under question is because ofIran’s unwillingness to subject its nuclear facilities to inspection by the IAEA, the InternationalAtomic Energy Association, and this reluctance has led to multiple economic sanctions that havebeen in effect since 2007. Even with these sanctions, which have started to seriously underminethe Iranian economy, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that he refuses to back awayfrom uranium enrichment, a process that can lead to nuclear energy and the production ofnuclear weapons.Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, a close ally of the US, has been campaigningfor stricter and stricter sanctions to try and stop Iran’s uranium enrichment. For the past fewmonths he has been talking to world leaders privately, especially Obama, about getting tougheron Iran, saying that they are only months away from producing a nuclear weapon. In a disturbingturn of events Israel has warned that it will not hesitate to bomb Iran’s nuclear facility if itis deemed that they have become too close to obtaining and weapon and too dangerous to theregion’s political stability.Although Israel has now toned down its threats to bomb Iran Netanyahu is still trying toconvince other nations to try new tactics in intimidating Tehran. He even used the United NationsWorld Summit as an opportunity to warn world leaders that such a weapon could be achieved asearly as next summer, and that the world must draw “a red line” to stop Ahmadinejad.Obama’s main goal in the past few months has been to try and restrain Israel’s fervor in usingmilitary force, and he has mainly succeeded in doing so. Sadly, he was only able to accomplishthis by promising to bomb the nuclear facilities himself if all else were to fail. In turn, the US andother countries are on the verge of starting new negotiations with Tehran, which will hopefullyenable them to reach some sort of compromise designed to avoid another war in the Middle East.The problem of Iran’s nuclear capabilities has been hard to solve in part because of America’sstrong alliance with Tel Aviv and Ahmadinejad’s unwillingness to compromise or even cooperatewith other nations. The reason Netanyahu is so worried about Iran’s nuclear facilities is becausethe mullahs have often said that they plan to “wipe Israel off the map” and that in its short historythe country already has many enemies in the region. Obama cannot simply refuse to help his ally,but he cannot commit himself to a full blown war either. The US has already been involved in acomputer virus that shut down Iran’s nuclear facilities momentarily, and there are suspicions thatAmerica cooperated with Israel in the killings of multiple Iranian nuclear scientists.Obama’s patience seems to be working though: Iran’s currency has fallen drastically and theeconomy has gotten so bad that riots have broken out in Tehran as merchants and small businessowners start to really feel the pain of the economic sanctions. Prices for food have nearly doubledsince last year, and the population is becoming more and desperate for relief from these hardships.Even with people rioting and taking to the street it is still unclear whether the mullahs of Iran willagree to any sort of compromise or stricter regulation of their uranium enrichment program, but itis certain that they cannot ignore Iran’s economy as it free falls. Sooner or later, the Iranian governmentwill have to face this question: Is nuclear capability worth the destruction of an already fragileeconomy and the pressure of international powers such as the U.N. and the US?

12OPINIONNovember 2012How Super PACs Are Changing The ElectionBy Mathieu SalzIntercoursA Column That Strives Not To Include Mature SubjectsBy Michael Anderson and Armand LatreilleWhy We Hate the First TrimesterSummer is but a distant memory as the first trimester rages on, dragging withit countless numbers of faceless and nameless victims. Here are twenty reasonswhy we hate the first trimester:During this past election, Super PACs hithard on both candidates. The Super PACs thatsupported Obama lashed on Mitt Romney becauseof a video made in May. As a direct result,Mitt Romney, feared that he would lose the voteof the middle class and the poor because of a videothat surfaced recently. The video quoted him saying,“My job is not to worry for these people [inreference to those who do not pay income tax].I’ll never convince them they should take personalresponsibility and care for their lives”. Super PACsthat supported the Obama campaign had beenspamming the airwaves with ads saying somethingalong the lines of “This man doesn’t care abouthalf of America, why should we elect him?”On the democratic side, multimillionairesand billionaires united against the president andspent a collective $390 million on Karl Rove’sAmerican Crossroads, filling swing states with advertisementsfunded by anonymous donors.Super PAC stands for Super Political ActionCommittee and they have the power to giveunlimited corporate money to a candidate. Theywere formed after The Supreme Court’s 2010Citizens United decision; which allowed independentorganizations to spend unlimited amounts ofmoney on a candidate. Today, they use this moneyto win over “Swing States,” which are states whereno candidate in an election has a real grip.An even closer margin developed this year:the newly-dubbed “Swing Counties,” the battlefielddistricts of a state that could tip the balancefor the entire state and change the elctoral college.They are very important because since no candidatehas a stranglehold on them, these parts of thecountry influence the election the most.Both of these scandals have been leadingvoters of each candidate to doubt their choice. SuperPACs are also an unfair advantage to the personthat discovers interesting information fromthe prior to election time. It is also unfair becausea rich man with Super PACs can considerable influencethe election and a poor man can not makean add and can have no influence what so ever.An example would be George Soros who gave onemillion dollars to the Obama campaign.And since the election was won not bypandering to Swing States but rather by targetingSwing Counties, this redefines the importance ofSuper PACs in the election of the man who willhave to fix a country in trillions of dollars in debt,Middle Eastern problems, bad diplomacy withsome countries and some amendments that bringsback progress to a couple of year. The election isan important one, one of the most important in acouple decades, and the man chosen must be ableto make good decisions, export good diplomacyand fix the economy. This is why Super PACs areunfair, giving an advantage to the one with the informationand the one with the money. And theycan drastically change the country by helping electthe wrong person using cut-throat political ads.The satirist Stephen Colbert has his own Super PACto raise awareness of the dangerous organizations1- Summer is a time of neuron-degeneration, meaning your brain has becomemuch less disposed to learning and retaining massive quantities of information.2- You forgot simple stuff like how to calculate l'hypoténuse or la derivéede f(x).3- You know that first DS de maths is coming up.4- It's so damn cold, but not that snowy idyllic kind of cold. You lose anysense of time as the days get shorter and you wallow in soutien as the sun sets.5- Having to listen to everyone's seemingly awesome stories from summer,how they went to Barcelona and had so much fun.6- The first trimester means new resolutions, means slaving over (useless)homework because it’s a new year and you’re a new person.7- After puberty, no one looks their best right after summer.8- You start off the trimester super organized, lose all of your pens after aweek, and it's back to the same old routine, hollering "who has paper" in classby week three.9- A new year means more work means less catching up on Mad Men andBreaking Bad.10- As you move up the ranks, you get more work and get one year closerto the Bac.11- First trimester, or, “Managing life on 6 hours of sleep.”12- That very long period between the 2nd week of school and OctoberBreak.13- Pumpkins. Freaking pumpkins everywhere. Geese. Geese everywhere atthe park.14- Waking up and pretending like people will actually care about whatyou’re wearing and whether or not you have bathed recently (except if you’rewearing sweatpants. Just stop it.)15- Cold hands when you come back from GC because of that icy wind.16- Going to the deli and having 15 people in line before you.17- Procrastination. Welcome back.18- Oh Starbucks— the joys and perils of caffeine life #bachelier S problems.19- That first wake-up call when you get 10 on your synthèse.20- The sad realization that many more all-nighters, horrendous math tests,underwhelming Saturday nights, mind-numbing classes, unimpressive gradeslie ahead.Yet, the second semester gets even worse. Until then, keep sipping thatcoffee, putting off that essay, and wishing it were break.

Games 13November 2012Double Crossword PuzzleArrange the letters into their columns for the letters to spell outwords horizontaly (Hint: it’s a famous quote).Tic-Tac-Toeserendip.brynmawr.edu energyquest.ca.govDoughnut MazeSudokuDifficulty: Mediumguardian.co.ukCharadesMon premier sert à couper du bois,Mon second est une partie du visage,Mon troisième porte les voiles d’un bateau,Mon tout est un art qui a commencé muet avant d’être parlantMon premier est une boisson,Mon second est une boisson,Mon troisième une boisson,Mon tout est une boissonCinemaCafe au Lait

14Aries (March 21-April 19)Something amazing recently happened to you that was lifechanging. You may or may not know what that is just yet.Don’t worry, though, it happened and you’re in for a realsurprise. If you consider giving up on school already, youprobably already have. C’mon! Get back on track before it’stoo late!Gemini (May 21-June 20)You’ve been working way too hard! Yes, there’s pressurefrom just about everywhere and everyone: parents,teachers, friends... But don’t burn yourself out toofast. It’s only the beginning. Pace yourself. If you findyourself too overwhelmed and stressed, pick a dayof the week that you dedicate to doing absolutelynothing. It’ll refresh and invigorate you in order to doeven better than ever!Leo (July 23-August 22)It isn’t summer anymore, Leo. No one can getamazing grades, have a crazy social life, AND enjoyenough sleep. Now you’re going to have to picktwo. This month will be financially better than everfor you. Keep your eyes open because sensationalopportunities will be around that you shouldn’t passup. Don’t hold back your strong opinions. It’s whatmakes you unique. There may be bumps on the roadahead. Keep your eyes open and slow down.Horoscopes byNovember 2012Taurus (April 20-May 20)You are a true protector: protector of yourfriends, belongings, family members. Butsometimes your forget to protect yourself.Remember not to let people hurt or takeadvantage of you. It will be a month of ups anddowns, highs and lows. Brace yourself.Cancer (June 21-July 22)You really never give up. Sometimes this can bethe best character trait of yours, but also the worst.You’re very determined and can do everythingyou set your mind to. On the other hand, you’restubborn. If you think you’re right, or are set ondoing something in particular, you are reluctant tochange your mind. Be wary and keep your guardup. You don’t want persistence to backfire. Tryacting on an impulse this month; see where it takesyou.Virgo (August 23-September 22)You’re a perfectionist and very hard to please.You are very kind, though, and you’re goingto have a special month. Your birthday wasn’tthat long ago. The birthday luck will continue.Another year older, another year wiser, they say.Hopefully, that is the case. This month, it’s finallytime go somewhere you’ve been meaning to go,do something you’ve been meaning to do, start aproject you’ve been meaning to start.Jacqueline SarroThe wisdom offered below by Ms. Jacqueline Sarro is for speculative purposesonly; The Messenger is not liable for any failures—be they financial, romantic,or other— incurred due to misinterpretation of Ms. Sarro’s clairvoyance.Libra (September 23-October 22)If you’re still gloating about what youaccomplished yesterday, you must have notdone much today. Yes it’s your birthday, andyou can do pretty much whatever you want.Nobody wants his or her birthday to end, buteventually you’re going to have to get back intothe everyday groove. This month will be greatfor you, as deserved. You’re high-spirited andpersonable; this is what is going to take you far in life.Scorpio (October 23-November 21)Happy Birthday Scorpio! If someone tellsyou how much homework they have, tellingthem how much more you have won’t makeanyone feel better. We’re all in the same boat.Instead of both of you whining and moaning,collaborate! Help others and they will helpyou back in return. It is always good toestablish strong bonds and relationships. Younever know when you’re really going to needsomeone’s help.Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)Show everyone how great you are this month,Sagittarius. Nothing is as cool as someone whoisn’t scared of being him or herself. Confidence iskey. If you believe you’re awesome, everyone elsewill too. Luck is also coming your way. Peopleare going to start recognizing your achievementsmore this month.Capricorn (December 22-January 19)A five minute break never hurts...unless youtake 12 in a row. You have mastered the art ofprocrastination to the fullest extent. The onlything driving you forward is your hopes. Strivefor excellence. Share your beaming creativeenergy with the people around you. Don’tsweat the trivial, unimportant stuff and startto care more about important things, whateverthey may be.Aquarius (January 20-February 18)Very few people have only loved one person. Ascliché as it sounds, there are TONS of fish inthe sea. I swear there is someone else for you outthere. But don’t expect to meet your soul mateeverywhere and anywhere though. Just be chill.Someone will come along when you least expectit. It might even be very unexpected. A newfriend, perhaps? Only time will tell...Pisces (February 19-March 20)If you already know you’re not going to read a book,be smart and make sure that there’s a summarysomewhere. “I’ll just spark notes it” doesn’t really workall of the time (especially with French books.) Be smart.This is your year. Right now, school is most likely youronly “job” so try not to cut corners. You will be veryhappy this month.

Quite possibly the most realisticsoccer experience you will ever getby simply using a controller. All you ProEvolution Fans, it's time to start buyingFIFA, because quite frankly, their new2013 edition is fantastic. All you FIFAfans will be extremely impressed by thenew features in this game. I've experiencedthe gameplay and it is amazing. Ihighly recommend this game.Before, one would always getfrustrated seeing how attackers wouldmake the most obtuse forward runs.Now FIFA has actually given your attackersa brain; they now make intelligentand dangerous runs behinddefenses. Before it used to be hard todefend in FIFA; now it's a nightmare.Start getting used to high scoring gamesin this new edition because FIFA stillhasn't addressed the fact that defendersare still terrible in this game. Nonethelessthe attacking experience is all themore realistic and you can enjoy scoringsome insane goals you would neverbe able to score in the older versions.Before any regular personcould walk up to a remote and startplaying FIFA. Now my friends it's evenhard to complete a pass. With the newShark Sports 15FIFA 13: Quite Simply, AmazingBy Joaquin DelmarJanuary 20121st touch system you can't abuse ofthe long ball strategy to extremely fastforwards. In order to benefit from thespeed of players such as Cristiano Ronaldoor the entire Ivory Coast team, youmust now make correct passes or elseyour player's touch will be disastrous.Before passes were just too perfect. Everyonecontrolled everything so easilyand it was impossible to win a ball onthe defensive end when your opponentliked to park the bus and continuouslypass the ball around. Now these peoplehave to actually have skill and makecorrect passes or else the ball will go everywhere;literally.Sounds like I'm presentingFIFA 13 as a downgrade, a way oflimiting users who enjoy a videogame experience by adding new features.The fact that its so realistic reallylets soccer fans and anyone playing trulyappreciate the beautiful game. The newseason modes and ultimate team set upare fantastic. Season modes are so realisticthat Messi might ask for a transferleave from Barcelona. When you'reforced to sell the best player in the worldoff your team, you know that FIFA is reallytrying to make your life impossibleor actually imitating how real life transfermarkets work.As new as FIFA sounds, it's stillyour same old game. You can still makeuse of your five star skill players eventhough dribbling has become harder.Ronaldo andMessi are stilloverrated, and,don't worry, allyou players wholove to use Barcelonaor Madridonline. Playerswith high sprintspeed still go along way, andNow, FIFA has actually givenyour attackers a brain.scoring crazy scorpion kicks or “rouletting”a goalkeeper is still possible. For allof you who own any other version ofthis game or swear by Pro Evolution Soccer,it is time to buy FIFA 13. It will beone of the greatest games you purchase,and you will waste so much valuablestudy time with this game! I highly recommendbuying it not only because ofthe game play but also because Rooney'sface is finally off the cover (sorry to allManchester United Fans). The greatestplayer in the world, the one and onlyMessi (sorry to all Ronaldo fans) has hisdeserved spot on the cover. Go to yourlocal store and buy it now!Election Special Edition RecapFASNY and Nation Agree, Re-elect ObamaAfter a grueling campaign that lasted well over a year, the United States haselected its next president: incumbent Democrat Barack Hussein Obama.Thanks to successfully mobilizing his base and a record turnout from minoritiesin key swing states, Obama beat out former Massachusetts governor MittRomney.If FASNY students had served as a focus group, this Election Day could havebeen a lot less stressful for anxious Obama supporters. In a poll conducted in Octoberby The Messenger with help from Mme. Gilet, a total of 312 students voted forObama, 27 chose Romney, and 38 declared themselves undecided.A few numbers stood out. Strangely, not a single 9th grader selected Romney.Indeed the 9th grade was by far the most undecided of all the classes.Obama’s most enthusiastic class was the 11th grade, with 88% in favor,while Romney found the most support from 7th graders, scoring 14% of their class.Check back in future editions of The Messenger for more detailed breakdownsof students’ votes!Election ResultsCandidate Popular vote Percentage Electoral votesBarack Obama 62,600,051 51% 332Mitt Romney 59,123,945 48% 206Control of HouseControl of SenateDemocratss 195 Democrats 53Republicans 233 Republicans 45As of November 13 - Source: APMerits and Pitfalls of ElectionProcess Evident in Mock DebateAs the 11th graders in Tuesday’s debate lined up in front of the studentbody, they knew they faced a serious challenge. Lea Jabbour as MittRomney, Mireille Bejjani as Paul Ryan, Olivier Weiss as Barack Obama, andAllessandra Moscatello as Joe Biden each had to appeal to the voters’ reasonand emotions. These debaters worked tirelessly over the October Break tobrush up on their knowledge of policy as well as to practice the contentiousart of debating.FASNY students were unanimous in their praise of the student-candidates’performance. The Messenger and administration held two separatevotes to see how the debate might affect students’ views. In both the Octoberpoll and the vote that followed the debate, the Obama/Biden ticket carriedthe day with the enormous 83% of votes.The second poll, though, also asked whom students thought hadwon the debate. Interestingly, the Weiss/Moscatello ticket edged the Jabbour/Bejjaniticket by a much slimmer margin: 60-40%. In this respectJabbour and Bejjani could rejoice in how many Obama/Biden voters theysucceeded in pursuading. But why did the 60-40 ratio not reproduce itselfin students’ pick of president?The democratic political process, we saw, is about more than onedebate. After all, Romney had thumped Obama in the first of their threedebates. Along with the disconnect between the debate and the vote, a numberof students did not fully understand the process, making contradictorychoices—circling Jabbour and Weiss, for example.Another classic issue was turnout. Since the vote was held at lunch,many students had gone “out to lunch” and did not vote. This matchedthe estimated 57% turnout in the U.S. presidential election. Finally, somestudents also complained that the issues were too complicated and that theywere still undecided, which echoed The Messenger’s pre-debate survey thatfound 10% undecided.

SharkSportsOur fearless mascot sees the pass...January 2012Varsity Girls: Lake Pontiac Preparations Pay OffBy Oriana Durand“Seniors! Gather around,” was Coach Palermo’sdemand during FASNY’s first Pontiac Camp.It was “Club Night” on the schedule, and despite Mr.O’csay’s determination to bring the teams together fora night of dancing, most of us sat on dumpsters andbenches outside of the room that glowed with multicoloredeffects. Coach Jennifer Palermo called uponher senior players and instantly demanded that we attemptto form a bonding experience, in order to startthe season “together.”This mere request resulted in the girls’ teamstealing the boys’ soccer equipment, including shoes,shinguards and clothes. Satisfied with the accomplishmentof delivering strongly as a team, we failed to anticipatethe boys’ possible revenge. The playful prankled to a rude awakening at 2 a.m. by the intoxicatingKenza Chamariq runs to the loose ball, outpacingtwo UNIS opponents.All sports pictures by Coach TaylorJuliette Clochard looks upfield for a decisive pass atthis year’s Homecoming Game.dispersion of Axe-brand deodorant in our previouslyrosey sleeping quarters.It is safe to say that Varsity girls have the teambonding down. Beyond the grueling drills and conditioning,Camp Pontiac was a success in unifying anew and diverse team. Simple requests, such as “CanI borrow your toothpaste?”, instantly helped us to becomefamiliar with one another. This essentially led tothe overall feeling of togetherness that set the foundationfor a great start. “I love our team, ‘nuff said,”says Amanda Zihenni (13’) when asked of her generalimpressions. Approaching the new season, it washard to tell what the outcome would be, consideringthe departure of valuable athletes from the previousyear and, in turn, the introduction of a new coachand players. Furthermore, there was FASNY’s joininga new league, which ultimately was source of worrywhether we would live up to expectations.However, despite these concerns, Varsity girlshave opened the season with a glowing start, deliveringfour stunning wins and suffering only one defeat.The team spirit has undoubtedly led to a strongfocus during practices and games, which reflects inthe gratifying results. “We’re like a small family,” saysLelia Kacha (14’).Since we’ve incorporated freshmen into theVarsity level, the girls have had a larger mix of agesand personalities than in the previous years, whichcould potentially prompt division in the team. However,as freshman Alexandra Chu explains, “we definitelybonded. We are all good friends and get alonggreat. We motivate each other and encourage eachother to do our best.”Despite a prospective winning season in sight,Varsity girls have suffered the temporary loss of twoimportant players due to early injuries. Jennifer Roux(14’) says, “I couldn’t play for four weeks because Ihad a really bad cough over the summer that led to amuscle rupture in the region of the ribs. I started againthis Tuesday and hope it won’t get as bad again.” Inaddition, Camille Williams (13’) hasn’t seen the fieldsince suffering an ankle sprain in practice followingthe team’s second game. However, both players are expectedto return soon and help the team pursue itsvictorious season.Ultimately, we have had a great season, losingonly twice and dominating most games. We finishedthe season top of our league!Homecoming Draws Top Crowd For Boys and Girls Varsity GamesSebastien Le Coz outmaneuvers a UNIS opponent.Theodore Pochart: FASNY HeroThe Boys Varsity team andthe Girls Varsity team lost their respectiveHomecoming games thisseason, and in both cases by justone goal.The opponent in bothgames was the United Nations InternationalSchool. Both our boysand girls will feel hard done by,having suffered some bad breaks infortune when, on another day, luckmay have leaned more on their side.The crowd that cheered them onwas one of the largest in memory,and most parents, students, staff,and alumni loyally fought throughthe cold temperatures to supportthe boys at midday and the girls inthe game that followed.Alex Adam jumps and heads the ball goalward against UNIS....keeps an eye on the football... raises fin/hands... ...to no avail!... ...second time around...MAKES THE CATCH!