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MIAMI LAKES EDUCATIONAL CENTER’S
5780 N.W.
158 th St.
Miami Lakes, FL
33014
Inside
this
issue
A:News B:Health C:World
News D:Feature E:Opinion
Google Images
A2: Pot Soda
Controversy
By Daniella Candurra
Google Images
B6: Media and
Eating Disorders
By Lisabet Esperon
Google Images
C10: Chinese
Leader vs.
Government
By Shelsy Aragon
Google Images
D12: “A Shore
Thing” Review
By Crystal Serrano
Taken by Alfredo Ramos.
E16: “Teen Mom”
Glimpse Into
Reality
By Cosette Pérez
www.mlecharbinger.com
The Harbinger
March 2011 / Volume 11 / Issue 4
Mr. Eichelbaum, Retiring
After 38 Years of Teaching
By Aileen Velasquez
THE HARBINGER
Neil Eichelbaum. Taken by Aileen Velasquez.
Mr. Eichelbaum -- who taught
Government, Economics, and World
History since Miami Lakes Education
Center opened, and later founded the
diabetes-testing program -- retired after
38 years in education.
After graduating college with
a degree in education, Mr. Eichelbaum
planned on entering law school. Yet the
US’s involvement in Vietnam meant
that he could be drafted if he attended
law school. By explaining the critical
teacher shortage at the time, he was
allowed to remain in civilian life.
Once in the teaching career,
Mr. Eichelbaum found it interesting to
teach teenagers and children.
“Mr. E. was a good teacher. The
textbook wasn’t his bible. He inspired
us to be ‘good apples.’ He wasn’t one
of those ‘I’m just here for the money
‘teachers. He was real,” said Vanessa
Perez, a sophomore.
He began teaching in Homestead
at a middle school and then
transferred to Miami Edison Senior
High. He taught in Ocala for three
years, but afterwards, left teaching
for a while. During this period, Mr.
Eichelbaum became involved in real
estate sales and then joined a personal
finance and management company
handling insurance, to which he later
became a regional vice president. He
said working in those financial markets
gave him a great deal of knowledge,
which he was later able to share
with his Economics students.
AP Exams Call for a Change
By Melissa Cuellar
THE HARBINGER
Changes have been made to
the Advanced Placement exams and
College Board is still in the process to
improve them more.
Perhaps the most important
change occurring with the exams are
the questions being asked. College
Board has decided to reduce the scope
of the content to promote conceptual
understanding. In other words, in-
When the financial market collapsed,
a friend of Mr. Eichelbaum who
was an administrator at Miami Coral
Park Senior High, convinced him to
return to South Florida to teach at the
high school. He worked there for ten
years and left to open what was then a
new high school: Miami Lakes Educational
Center.
Mr. Eichelbaum not only
taught, but greatly participated in
school activities. He helped found the
diabetes testing program with Mrs.
Algaze. The idea came to him when
Dr. David Satcher, the former surgeon
general of the US conducted a press
release about the serious rise of diabetes,
especially among the nation’s
youth.
He realized that many of his
students were likely to be ill in the
future due to their diets and minimal
exercise. Knowing of the Health and
Nursing program within MLEC, he began
to visualize a program in which
students could be tested for glucose
levels and identify those who could
benefit from a change in lifestyle.
With the support of Mrs. Algaze,
Mr. Eichalbaum made the program
a reality and helped forge a
partnership with Nova Southeastern
University. The diabetes-testing program
has saved several lives so far. It
was found that one of four students
tested to suffer from hypertension, at
risk, or already diabetic. For over six
years, more than over 3,500 students
CONTINUED ON A3
stead of focusing on asking several
questions about various things they
would ask more in-depth questions.
According to the New York
Times, “[The] board will slash the
amount of material students need to
know for the tests and provide, for the
first time, a curriculum framework for
what courses should look like.”
For the most part students
MLEC
High
School
Division
Oh, Where Have
all the Good
Songs Gone?
By Giselle Señas
THE HARBINGER
When one turns on the radio,
it’s obvious that dance music is the
defining movement of our generation.
The likes of Kesha, Lady Gaga,
Deadmau5, and newly renamed (yet
again) Diddy Dirty Money are taking
the reins of the music world and taking
it to the club.
What makes a popular dance
track? Take pop chart-topping hits
such as Pokerface by Lady Gaga, She
Will Be Loved by Maroon 5, Apologize
by One Republic, and even Let it Be,
by the infamous greats themselves,
The Beatles; all diverse in their own
way yet all played with the same four
chords. It doesn’t take much to write
a hit song.
Back to the initial question:
what makes a popular dance track?
Not much. Crank out a computer that
makes magical musical noises and
blend those synthesized noises into
a catchy
beat arranged
at
the proper
tempo.
Take anyone
off
the street
( j u s t
make sure
they’re attractive,
or at the
very least
someone
with attri-
butes that
one can-
Giselle. Taken by Alfredo Ramos.
not stop staring at. Can you say Nicki
Minaj?), whether they have musical
ability or not; and finally, lyrics (preferably
about drinking and partying).
It begs the question: are catchy tunes
superior to actual artistic talent and
ability?
Take Kesha’s song, Tik Tok.
“Wake up in the morning feelin’ like P.
Diddy…” Let me tell you: If you wake
up feeling black and you find you’ve
grown a penis overnight when originally
you were a white blonde beach
gal from California, you were doing a
lot more than just drinking a “bottle
of Jack” last night.
What about Flo Rida’s song,
Club Can’t Handle Me? If “the club
can’t even handle me right now,” I
would say I’m about ten seconds
CONTINUED ON E16
would like this change to occur.
“I honestly never liked the
idea of so many questions about different
things. I always had a hard time
remembering so many things,” said
Raysa Llinas, a senior in Telecommunications
and Information Technology
academy. “This, in my opinion, gives
students the advantage of not only
learning the material that is truly im-
CONTINUED ON A2

A2 March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
News
AP Exams Call for a
Change
portant.”
However, there are many
others who believe this would only
make the exam harder, even make
them more stressful than they already
are.
“Asking more in depth questions
will result in a lot of cramming
for students due to the amount
of specific things taken into account,”
said Brian Muñoz, a junior
in the Health academy. This isn’t a
problem only concerning students
inside our campus but also other
Scantron testing sheet. Google Images.
As America’s stash of blackmarket
Four Loko falls, there is now
a new form of intoxicating soda that
has risen in popularity—pot soda.
A Colorado soda company has developed
a line of sodas that have an
unusual ingredient: marijuana.
The creator of such soda is
Clay Butler who has developed a
line of soft drinks that will hit the
shelves of medical marijuana dispensaries
in Colorado in March and
California later in the year. The pot
Cola will not be distributed by Butler
due to legal issues; instead, it
will be produced by medical marijuana
dispensaries.
The 12-ounce beverage will
come in a variety of flavors such
as Canna Cola, Doc Weed , Orange
Kush, Grape Ape and Sour Diesel
costing from $10 to $12. Each will
contain 35 to 65 milligrams of the
psychoactive ingredient found in
marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC).
Many people prefer “medibles”
because they are better on the
body than smoking or prescription
drugs. The use of marijuana-infused
cola allows them to stay away from
the prescription painkillers.
“I don’t believe this weed
soda is a good idea because not
only do people smoke marijuana
illegally, but now they are going to
be able to drink it and it is going to
high-school students.
“Biology for example, there
is a lot of material to get through,
all of which is important to know
to understand the general ‘big picture’,”
said Daniela Guerrero, from
Alonzo and Tracy Mourning High
School.
Whether this is the right
choice or not, the College Board’s
goal is to clear students’ minds to
focus on bigger concepts and stimulate
more analytic thinking, according
to New York Times.
Pot Soda Controversy
By Daniella Candurra
THE HARBINGER
become popular especially amongst
teenagers,” said Andrea Tamayo, a
concerned mother whose child has
The infamous marijuana soda. Google Images.
been offered marijuana.
Yet this drink will not be
available to everyone in Colorado
only medical marijuana users in
Colorado. The product will be available
on a trial basis to those prescribed
medical marijuana. Based
What’s in Our Fast Food?
By Gabriella Nuñez
THE HARBINGER
Americans spend about a
fifth of their lives consuming fast
food. But most will find more harm
than good in eating these foods
once they are conscious of the ramifications
to their health the ingredients
in these foods produce.
Trans Fat, usually labeled
as “Partially Hydrogenated Oil” or
“Vegetable Oil”, can really endanger
the heart. Eating fried foods aids in
poor cardiovascular
health and
even premature
heart attacks.
Another
common food additive
that consumers
should
avoid is artificial
coloring. Mostly
found in sodas,
this additive contains
absolutely
McDonald’s logo. Google Images.
no nutrients, vitamins, or minerals.
Typically seen on food labels
as Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3,
and Yellow 6 these “enhancements”
have been linked to various tumors
and cancers.
There are almost 30 ingredients
found in McDonald’s chicken
nuggets and over 35 in Burger
King’s nuggets. Consumers generally
find the nutritional label too confusing
to understand.
Something as simple as a
milkshake in reality contains about
15 ingredients, mostly guar gum,
cellulose gum, and carrageenan.
These components are added mainly
to thicken the drink, rather than
flavor it. They add to diseases such
as obesity and diabetes.
The ingredients on a Nutrition
label are listed in descending
on law, the common American can’t
take Canna Cola unless they have
specific medical reasons.
While the majority of Americans
would support using medical
marijuana to treat chronic conditions,
the drug is only legal in 15
states. If California voters decide to
make recreational marijuana legal,
people may start seeing pot sodas
order in quantity. In most fast food
burgers, “controversial ingredients”
such as artificial flavors and
high fructose corn syrup are usually
in the top 20 ingredients out of
about 100.
“I’ve cut back on eating fast
food for about 2 years now because
of the dangerous risks that come
with consuming it. Americans eat
it because it’s quick and it satisfies
their hunger only
for a while. With
every opportunity
I have I choose
home cooked
meals over fast
food because it’s
better for your
body. I know Mr.
Eichelbaum was
a big advocate
when he was here
and people should
really follow his example,” said Michelle
Wilson, a sophomore in the
health academy.
Sometimes it’s hard to get
the entire ingredient label for all
the fast food that one buys. This is
probably why consumers aren’t really
aware of what they are eating.
Thanks to websites like www.foodfacts.com,
information on just about
any food item is available. There are
even iPhone apps like Eat This, Not
That! that help consumers acquire
this information on the go.
Fast food restaurants will
always be hiring chemists to increase
the flavor of their food as
long as they have customers. If consumers
take the time to weigh the
risks of these harmful ingredients,
these fast food chains would be
forced to change for the better.
in grocery stores and liquor stores
right next to brand sodas such as
Pepsi and Coke.
“Marijuana soda is an amazing
asset to the now expanding
consumer-able THC products since
the soda will facilitate medical use
of marijuana and with this great
product it will change the way people
think of it in the U.S,” said Jorge
Campa, a junior at Miami Lakes Educational
Center.
The dosage in a Canna Cola
is high, and might be even higher
than it seems when compared to a
joint. When people usually ingest
THC orally, it is much more potent
than when smoking it.
Companies have never used
more than 30 mg of orally administered
THC, which makes the 35-65
mg in a Canna Cola a pretty high
dose for a single beverage. The effects
of orally ingesting marijuana
take a while to set in depending on
the absorption level leading to nausea.
Dixie Elixirs is one of the
companies in Colorado that has begun
the distribution of marijuana
drinks. Their drinks are available
to anyone with a prescription for
medical marijuana. Home grown
in Colorado, Dixie Elixirs beverages
provide an organic alternative for
patients seeking a refreshing but
equally potent alternative to smoke.

March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Mr. Eichelbaum, Retiring After 38 Years of Teaching BLURBS
have been tested.
“I hope this procedure will
spread across our state and around
the nation,” said Mr. Eichelbaum
about the diabetes testing program.
While teaching at Coral
Park Sr. High, he began to take students
to meet survivors of the Holocaust.
He did this for over twenty
years and took over 5,000 students.
“It has always been my
hope that when one of these students
hear someone deny that such
things ever happened, they would
speak up and tell their meeting of
a person that lived through that
horror,”said Mr. Eichelbaum.
In MLEC he produced a film
with a survivor and a WWII liberator,
so that the story can be shared
in the classroom as well.
He believes in hands-on
learning so he takes his students
out to experience history and government
first-hand. He has taken
students to “Medieval Times” in
Orlando to experience that era, to
the King Tut exhibit in Ft. Lauderdale
and to the Close Up program
in Washington D.C. where students
met with governing officials.
“In all of the years that
I’ve known Mr. Eichelbaum, what
What’s Next for MDCPS?
By Lisabet Esperon
THE HARBINGER
“We are not a failure district,
in fact, we are a superior district,”
said Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent
of Miami-Dade County Public
Schools in response to questions
about penalty fees for failing to fully
meet class size laws this past January.
Miami-Dade reached about
96% compliance with the class-size
amendment which was passed in
2002 and put in effect this year. The
county was estimated to be penalized
with a $6.6 million fine.
In a meet-and-greet in January,
Carvalho said, “the total value
of the penalty is about 1.5 million
dollars,” the 1.5 million dollar difference
being caused by a plan submitted
to the state by the school board.
“We deliberately stopped at
a certain percentage…to go beyond
A worrying outbreak of bird
flu among the chickens in Japan has
been confirmed. The Agriculture
Ministry confirmed the outbreak was
indeed bird flu, in farms in Southern
Japan, including farms in Tokyo and
Miyazaki.
A state lab analyzed samples
of over 3,000 chickens that died from
a form of the flu in Hyuga in Miyazake
state, which is Japan’s main chickenproducing
region; the birds were
found to be infected with H5N1, or
avian flu.
In addition, another 4,000
chickens died in another town in
Miyakazi. As a precaution, authorities
were forced to slaughter the
he has always cared about are the
kids.” said, Mr. Moffi, social studies
department chair at MLEC.
Since his retirement Mr.
Eichelbaum has begun to work
with the circuit court as a mediator
and spends his spare time engaging
in recreational activities, such as
traveling, competitive swimming,
and mountain hiking. In response
to his retirement, Mr. Eichelbaum
said, “I’m not sure it has hit me.
Teaching has been such a large part
of my life. Helping our next generation
to learn how things work and
what to expect as they go forward
is a rewarding experience.”
Bush Administration Broke Election Law
By E’Monique Williams
THE HARBINGER
The Bush White House constantly
violated a federal law that
prohibits the use of federal tax dollars
to be used to pay for political
events.
A report filed in late January
2011, based on about 100,00 pages
of documents and interviews with
80 Bush administration officials in
an investigation (of more than three
years) documented how the violations
of the election law accelerated
before the 2006 midterm elections.
The reason why we are finding
out about this now is because,
according to the report, in February
2007, OSC (the Office of Special
Counsel) received a complaint that,
among Director J. Scott Jennings
conducted a political briefing at the
that would’ve wreaked havoc in our
school system,“ said Carvalho. It
would be cheaper than to hire new
teachers since state funding was
lacking.
However, the Superinten-
49,000 chickens that remained at
the Hyuga farm. By Saturday, January
22nd, around 21,000 birds had been
killed and another estimated 50,000
are expected to be slaughtered in
a neighboring farm, just in case the
disease has spread.
In Indonesia, two human
deaths were reported as a cause of
bird flu. Evidence of bird flu in the
chickens and native birds has been
found in Hong Kong as well.
Since 2003, the H5N1 has
forced the slaughter or killed off millions
of bird across Asia, and caused
an additional 163 human deaths
worldwide, according to the World
Health Organization. So far, Japan has
U.S. General Services
Administration. During
this briefing, Jennings
presented PowerPoint
slides, dated
January 26, 2007, that
summarized the 2006
midterm elections and
identified Republican
incumbents whom the
White House considered vulnerable
in the 2008 elections.
When the Republicans started
losing control of the house, they
needed to make some events that
supported their party; you know,
wooing the late voters. The Bush
administration repeatedly broke
the law by using federal funds to
send Cabinet secretaries and others
dent tried to focus on many of the
improvements that have occurred
since Rudy Crew’s leave in 2008.
Miami-Dade county ranks
amongst one of the biggest school
districts in the country. That fact
alone makes it surprising that our
district has improved tremendously
in the past few years putting it at the
top of the bar in the state.
With Miami-Dade county
contributing 13% to the total student
population in Florida, it is no
wonder that Florida is now ranked
amongst the top 5 states for education
in the country.
Miami-Dade is also amongst
the first districts in the state to reach
70% graduation rates. However,
what goes up must come down and
regression is a clear worry for the
school district as well as the state.
Bird Flu Outbreak in Japan Confirmed
By Iqra Ahmed
THE HARBINGER
Alberto Carvahlo. Google Images.
George Bush. Google Images.
confirmed only one human H5N1 infection
and no human deaths.
Bird flu in humans has typical
influenza symptoms, including fever,
sore throat, cough, muscle aches,
as well as pneumonia, acute respiratory
distress and viral pneumonia.
However, bird flu typically occurs
naturally within the bird population
and there are very few cases of human
cases of bird flu.
Even though the bird flu
remains hard for humans to catch,
scientists and experts fear that it
will mutate into a form that can easily
spread like wildfire amongst humans,
much like H1N1, or swine flu,
and possibly kill millions.
to congressional districts
of GOP (Grand
Old Party, a traditional
nickname for the Republican
Party) candidates
in tight races,
according the report.
The administration
– overseen by
Karl Rove – developed
something of a “target list” of Congressional
races and organized
events to send party candidates and
Cabinet officials to boost campaigning.
The report also found that during
the years of 2001 to the year
2007, the Office of Political Affairs
violated the Hatch Act by organizing
75 political briefings in effort
for the Republicans to get elected to
What Will
the School do
Without Our
Library?
By SaraH Castellanos
THE HARBINGER
A3
The MLEC library is closed
for remodeling and when it reopens,
it will be have new floors.
For now, Mr. Green and
Mrs. Chavez, along with other library
staff and volunteers will relocate
to a room in Building 3 (C
Building), so that students can still
check out library movies. In the
mean time, all library books will
be packed up and put away while
the remodeling goes on.
Teachers and staff alike
have informed the student body
that they should check out enough
books if they want them to last a
month and find a new place to
print their assignments.
The lack of available books,
computers, and printers is going
to affect everyone. Our library is a
great resource to students; therefore,
students should obtain local
library cards and learn how to use
those library systems.
“It saddens me mostly because
the kids are the ones who
suffer from this. It’s the kids that
worry me,” said Mrs. Chavez, our
school librarian.
Soon, we will have our
own renewed library back.
SECME
By Hilary Higgins
THE HARBINGER
MLEC’s Science Engineering
Communications Mathematics
Enhancement Club, sponsored by
Mr. James Williams attended the
annual SECME Olympiad held at
Miami Dade College North Campus
on January 22, 2011.
The Math Bowl team comprised
of Arturo Martinez: 12, Lazaro
Chavez: 11, Ant’quanique Dancy:
10, and Hilary Higgins: 12 won
first place in the district competition.
Avery Cohen, a ninth grader
in the Communications and Entertainment
Academy took third
place in the water bottle rocket
competition held at American Senior
High School.
For more information about
SECME, visit secme.webs.com.
Congress and take control.
“Because those trips were
classified as official, funds from the
US Treasury were used to finance
the trips and reimbursement was
never sought,” stated a report by
the Official of Special Counsel, an
agency that enforces the Hatch Act
restriction on partisan political
activity within the federal government.
The Hatch Act is a law whose
main provision is to prohibit federal
employees from engaging in prejudiced
political activity, according to
Wikipedia. If you go against it, you
are punishable with a maximum
penalty of dismissal. This can’t be
put into effect since those involved
left the government.

A4 March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Project Desertec
By Iqra Ahmed
THE HARBINGER
Even though we often hear
about renewable energy resources,
most of the world remains a gas
guzzling, carbon emitting, fossil-fuel
burning entity. But a new project,
Desertec, plans to change this.
The Desertec Industrial
Initiative (DII) plans to open the
largest solar energy project in the
Sahara Desert in order to provide
sustainable energy for Europe,
North Africa and the Middle East.
The project is gaining momentum
and just recently gained the support
of the US Company First Solar,
as well as both the Tunisian and Algerian
governments.
Desertec first announced
its plan of the Joining of First Solar
March 16th of last year, and this
announcement has propelled Desertec
to become a reality in providing
solar energy. If the project is
completed by the projected date of
2012, it would provide up to 15%
of Europe’s energy with renewable,
pollution-free resources as well as
create a network of sustainable energy
in the regions.
DII will use carefully positioned
mirrors in the Sahara desert
(whose temperatures can reach
120�F in the summer) to boil water
and activate turbines. The technology
of the solar project is based on
a concentrated solar power plant,
called a CSP. This power plant
works exactly like a coal steam
power plant, but instead of using
coal, the powerplant operates solely
on concentrated solar power—an
eco-friendlier alternative. The mirrors
reflect and concentrate solar
energy, which are then transmitted
to Europe and Africa by means of
a super grid of high-voltage direct
power cables.
Professor Udo Unheheuer,
the Chairman of the Management
Board of SCHOTT AG (one of the investing
companies) told MediaGlobal,
“Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
technology is a crucial element of
the Desertec project…we consider
outselves to be the global leaders of
both technology and market share
with our solar receivers.”
The program launched on
July 13, 2009 with a budget of $550
Is Caffeine Deadly?
By Laura Paklin
THE HARBINGER
To a high school student
hitting the books and cramming
for a test the next day while getting
minimal hours of sleep, drinking a
warm-roasted coffee to stay awake
may sound like a good solution.
However, caffeine is not a healthy
solution.
But don’t lock up your coffee
pot just yet; an estimated 80-
100 cups of coffee would have to
be drunk in a rapid sequence to
achieve a malady. Caffeine is considered
a safe food substance and
is widely popular. In North America,
90% of adults consume caffeine
daily.
“Yes, I drink caffeine on a
daily basis because I love tea,” Nniza
Grant, sophomore, Communications
and Entertainment, Graphic
Design.
But pick your poison because
the beverages people most
commonly drink such as coffee,
soda, energy drinks, and tea all carry
a psychoactive stimulant, which
Caffeine advertisement. Google Images.
Scientists talking among solar panes. Google Images.
stimulates your mental and physical
activity. When a small dose of
caffeine is ingested it can increase
alertness but it also causes headaches
and nervousness. It can even
lower motor skills, increase your
heartbeat and a give a bad case of
the munchies.
“I drink a lot of caffeine
because it’s bad for you, laughter
is caffeine plus I’m aware how it’s
bad for you,” said Elissa Urbina,
sophomore, Entrepreneurship, Finance.
A major consumption of
caffeine can cause damaging effects,
but it would take a lot of it to
kill you. However, even low doses
of caffeine can slow down your
brain’s learning process and impair
long-term memory. Caffeine
intake can also elevate your blood
pressure, which increases your
heart attack risk factor. Instead of
seeking caffeine as a “wake me up”,
the cure for sleep deprivation may
just be some well-earned sleep.
billion and has gained momentum
and support from countries in the
MENA region (Middle East, North
Africa) and companies from Morocco,
Tunisia, Spain, France and Italy.
The Desertec Industrial Initiative
was launched by 12 European companies
in Munich (including Munich
Re, TRES, Deutche Bank, Siemens,
ABB, Abengoa Solar, E.ON, HSH Nordbank,
Cevital, M&W Zander Holding,
Schott Solar and MAN Solar Millennium)
and since the time of its
launch, the focus has been creating
demonstration projects in Morocco
and working with governments to
enforce laws over the export of renewable
energy.
The chief technology officer
of the Renewable Energy Division of
Siemens stated that “the main challenge
is the political framework.
We need strong political support in
Northern Africa, Europe and in the
Middle East. In 2012, we want to
present a politically approved concept
of how this vision can become
reality.”
The many advantages to DII,
if it is successful, include battling
climate change, creation of jobs and
thus, improvement of the economic
development of local communities
in these areas that didn’t have these
opportunities before.
“For some countries, it can
lead to the reversal of capital flows
in the energy sector. They will get to
sell power and to generate income
rather than having the need to buy
coal, oil or gas. Other countries no
longer have to exploit their fossil
resources and they have the option
of leaving these resources to
future generations without loss of
income,” said Alexander Mohanty,
Spokesman of DII.
The main criticisms of DII
are concerns that the project is too
ambitious. However, the project has
generated an astounding amount
of money as well as interest from
prominent leaders and companies
outside of Europe. The idea is beneficial,
plausible and taken seriously
by the international community.
Not only will it help the economy of
these regions, it will help the environment
and our earth.
Benefits of Extracurriculars
By Melissa Cuellar
THE HARBINGER
Student partaking in extracurricular activity. Google Images.
Extracurricular activities
have been proven to help students
develop skills, improve academics,
relax from school stress and
increase the chances of college entrance.
“We’re looking for a commitment
to and a passion for an
activity outside of the academic
setting — we’re looking for depth
rather than breadth,” said Nanci
Tessier, a college admission director,
to the College Board.
According to Montana State
University, the students involved
in extracurricular activities tend
to become leaders, are more willing
to complete tasks, and are more
likely to voice opinions.
Doing activities outside of
the academic setting can help students
develop socializing skills and
leadership skills. Matt Craft, president
of the Iowa State University
Government of the student body,
stated that being involved teaches
students organization, and time
management skills.
Participating in extracurricular
activities also help students
relax from the quizzes and exams.
Simple things such as painting,
dance and even chess can help a
student take a break from the six
hours spent in school.
“I do Taekwondo… [and]
its sort of a way for me to get away
from all that school stress that
teachers drop on my shoulders,”
said Jorge Diego, a sophomore in
the Information and Technology
academy.
A study conducted by Darling,
Caldwell, and Smith (2005),
found that adolescents who participated
in extracurricular activities
reported higher grades, more
positive attitudes toward school,
and higher academic aspirations.
Colleges are looking for
students that show commitment to
an outside activity besides school
related things. Activities reveal a
lot about the person; extracurricular
activities show that you are able
to make a meaningful contribution,
maintain a long-term commitment,
manage your time and priorities.
“I never knew having activities
outside of school could be
so beneficial to me personally as
well as academically,” said Daniela
Serra, a sophomore in the Entrepreneurship
academy.

B6 March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Health
Lack of Sleep Killing Teens
By Cosette Pérez
THE HARBINGER
Teenagers are drowsy,
tired, and slow in their work and
recent research shows that the
reason is lack of sleep. The modern
American teenage life demands
far too much for teenagers
to get their recommended nine
hours of sleep a night. With homework,
social life, jobs, and parents,
teenagers have a challenge just
getting into their bed in time for
their brains to be fully rested.
This is nothing new. Teenagers
have been lacking sleep for
many years, and the numbers
have increased recently especially
this past year. Parents are ignorant
to their children’s sleeping
habits. A recent poll shows that
most teenagers believe that they
are not getting enough sleep at
night, while 90% of parents are
under the impression that their
Sleepy student. Google Images.
children are getting enough sleep
at night.
Lack of sleep cause teenagers
to have trouble concentrating
in perfunctory tasks, especially
in school. Their health is also
at risk. Metabolism slows down,
causing dangerous weight gain,
memory problems, a drop in test
scores, mood swings, and a greater
inclination for risky activity.
High school students are
getting an average of just six hours
of sleep a night. More children are
stumbling to get up in the morning
to try to get to the bus at an
appropriate time. Due to the work
load that children have at this day,
they have even less time to sleep
at night.
Sleeping is the source of a
teenager’s health. Without it, they
cannot properly develop.
Media and Eating Disorders
By Shelsy Aragon
THE HARBINGER
From television to magazines
to computers and cell phone
apps, teenagers are constantly
connected to the media and social
networking sites. A mix of both is
proving to be a contributing
factor towards teen eating
disorders.
Researchers such a
Dr. Ann Becker, a Harvard
professor, have been studying
these effects within our
Western culture and in other
remote areas.
Dr. Becker conducted
her study in Fiji, where in
some secluded areas an average
10% of girls own a TV.
In more densely populated
areas close to 87% of teen
girls own a television.
These Fijian teens
were then asked questions
to analyze their self esteem
after being introduced to
western media. The questions
were based on how
they felt about themselves,
whether they were content
with their bodies, and if they
were limiting their food intake.
“Our study showed the
strength of social network exposure
to the risk for eating disorder symp-
toms,” said Becker in an interview
with TIME Magazine.
These results are not only
true for television or movies, but
also with social networking sites
Young girl showing symptoms of eating disorder. Google Images.
such as Facebook.
Facebook has had an increased
number of pro-Ana, or proanorexia
nervosa groups. In 2008
Anger More Likely in
Left-Handed People
By Daniella Candurra
THE HARBINGER
Researchers found that in
left-handed people, the two hemispheres
of the brain communicate
more with each other, producing
more interaction with the hemispheres
and giving way to negative
emotions. The study found that the
halves of the brain in lefties and ambidextrous
people are more interlinked
with each other as well.
Before the study
was made, left-handed people were
thought of as sinister and indicated
demonic traits and were forced into
right handedness due to cultural
impact.
“We are angrier people because
it seems that we have to adapt
to the world rather than the world
adapt to us and it frustrates me that
I have to learn to do something in
the most uncomfortable way”, said
Melissa Lopez, a freshmen at Flanagan
High School.
There are a number of people
who display the dominance of
the left-hand more than the right
from childhood, but are forced to
learn to dominate the right instead,
which in turn leads to Left-Hander
Syndrome. It is a condition that is
seen in left-handed people who
are forced to write with their right
hand; thus causing a mental state of
confusion.
It is believed that
life holds many frustrations for left
handed people mostly in part from
everyday items designed for right
handed people, and to being called
descendants from the devil which
could be the result of negative emotions.
Everything from can openers
to garden tools to knives and scissors
tends to be designed without
taking them into consideration.
“I am left handed
the website shut down a page under
the name Ana Boot Camp where
mostly teens would undergo a 30
day weight loss program.
The diet consisted of low-
ering the members’ caloric intake
from 500 a day, already well below
half the daily recommended value,
down to none. The website was said
and I don’t really agree with this
study since I don’t believe I get easily
angered or frustrated. I never
even think about the world being
designed for right handed people
since I’m already used to it,” said
Alyssa Blanco, a junior at Miami
Lakes Educational Center.
Even though left
-handed people are considered to
have a temper, many of the frustrations
drive many lefties to succeed.
Researchers have found that lefthanded
people are high achievers
due to their brains being structured
to widen their abilities, an attribute
that is genetic. Tests conducted by
Alan Searleman from St. Lawrence
University in New York, found there
were more left-handed people with
IQs over 140 than right-handed
people.
People such as Albert Einstein,
Isaac Newton and Benjamin
Franklin were all left-handed
and became known as some of the
smartest men in the world.
Left-handed people tend to
have many sicknesses or neurological
disorders like autism, epilepsy,
dyslexia, and Down Syndrome. They
also have a shorter lifespan than
right-handed counterparts since on
average right-handed people survive
9 more years than lefties. This
is in part to accidents that happen
over the design of utilities to accommodate
the majority.
Life brings many
challenges to left-handed people,
but they have surpassed throughout
it all over the years. Though they
are considered to have anger issues
and demonic traits, many are in fact
happy and say they don’t suffer from
anger over how different the world
is to them.
to provide support for everyone following
this strict regimen.
Though the site was shut
down, the constant exposure to the
“perfect image” is haunting 1 in every
10 teenagers in the country.
However, the eating
disorders don’t just go
one-way. Apart from the
commonly known anorexia
and bulimia, an increasing
amount of teens are being diagnosed
with a binge eating
disorder which is also linked
to societal expectations.
In print media such
as fashion magazines, both
ends of eating disorders are
being addressed. Not only
are incredibly thin models
being Photoshopped into a
slimmer, almost non-existent
figure, but now some designers
such as Jean Paul Gaultier
are reinforcing voluptuous
beauty, the other extreme in
the issue.
“I don’t understand why
they always go to the extreme
ends,” said Jessica Herrera, a
sophomore in the health academy.
“It [should] show that anyone could
look good in anything, and not just a
specific “type” of people.”

March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
B7
LEARN fOR LIfE !
Breast Implants Linked to
Rare Form of Cancer
By Crystal Serrano
THE HARBINGER
The Food and Drug Admin- implant maker and serving in the others among the field Dr. Maisel breast implants have been the comistration
has announced that there company’s scientific advisory board emphasized that only women who mon culprit for many autoimmune
may be an “association” between researching ALCL reports in those are having difficulties with their im- disorders and other systemic dis-
breast implants and aneases,
the medical comaplastic
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still regards
phoma MIAMI-DADE (ALCL), a very TECHNICAL CENTERS these augmentations as
rare type of cancer.
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scientist in FDA’s Cen-
ago. Breast implants are
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diological Health, Dr.
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William Maisel, made
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SPREAD8
By E’Monique Williams
THE HARBINGER
Tony, the heartthrob, Michelle,
his clever girlfriend, Sid, the sidekick,
Cassie, the mental one, Jal, the mom,
Chris, the rebel, and Anwar and Maxxie,
the best friends are some of the characters
that many young adults in the UK
fell in love with in 2007.
SKINS is a provocative drama
that follows a group of teenagers in
Bristol through junior and senior year
of high school – or in their case, college.
The series, now in its fifth season, finally
came to America – with a remake. Is
this a new addiction for American teens
or is this a change that shouldn’t have
come?
Even though the North American
adaptation is filmed in Canada, it’s
nowhere far from other racy American
TV shows, like Jersey Shore, The Secret
Life of the American Teenager, Teen
Mom, 90210, etc.
The US version features a cast
of amateur actors and fresh writers –
just like the British version - along with
different plots and themes. Brian Esley,
one of the creators of the original show,
said that it’s very important to [them]
that the kids aren’t seasoned professionals.
SKINS is overdramatic anyway,
so why not fill it with new actors and
call it a soap opera.
Aside from the fresh faces and
name changes, a major issue to fans of
the UK series is the end of Maxxie and
the beginning of Tea. Tea is the “toocool-for-school
lesbian” who replaced
the original SKINS character, Maxxie.
Part of the cast of Skins UK. Google Images.
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Even after Maxxie got a sex change
and dyed his hair black, the persona is
equally energetic to me.
Another characteristic of the
show that many viewers don’t enjoy is
the censorship of the show in the US. In
Canada, were a lot of the filming takes
place, their networks don’t censor anything.
Yet, only in America, we censor
things to protect our children’s ear
from the negativities of the world.
Overall, the show has been successful;
despite major companies pulling
ads for the show and parents bonding
together to form a behemoth and
telling you “you shouldn’t watch this
because other parents say so”. Do people
still play Dead Space even after the
commercial clearly says “YOUR MOM
WILL HATE THIS”? I think so.
With people, you can’t always
expect the feedback to be positive – or
negative; you have different sides. You
have one side that applauds the show.
“It’s not as good as the UK one
but it’s entertaining and dramatic,” said
Miguel Insignares, a sophomore.
“They are either really upset
that it’s similar or really upset that it’s
different. Or both, which is weird, says
Sofia D’Elia, who plays Tea in the US adaptation
of the series.
The difference is that on E4 –
your basic HBO – you can do so much
more than MTV. Even with the already
controversial shows on MTV, Skins still
lives up to its reputation, regardless of
the country.

March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
By Emily Rodriguez
THE HARBINGER
Skins has been named the “most
dangerous program” by the Parents
Television Council. As the controversy
surrounding the show grows, advertisers
have begun to remove commercials
from the shows time slot.
The TV show, based off the hit
U.K. series of the same name, follows
a group of experimental and sex-obsessed
teenagers in their last years of
high school in Baltimore. The biggest
problem concerning the show is that
the actors casted to play the roles of
these teenagers range from the ages of
15 to 19 and some scenes may violate
federal child pornography statutes.
Legal definitions of child pornography
say that it is any “visual depiction,
including any video, picture or
computer-generated picture. . . of sexually
explicit conduct, where the production
of such visual depiction involves
the use of a minor engaging in sexually
explicit conduct.” Anyone younger than
18 is considered to be a minor.
The Parents Television Council
condemned the show for its “graphic
content involving high school children
on a scale never before seen on TV”
and called on Congress and the Justice
Department to open an investigation
regarding child pornography and exploitation.
They also began to criticize
Taco Bell for advertising and sponsoring
“a program that glorifies teen drug
and alcohol abuse in addition to sexual
The cast of Skins US. Google Images.
content involving minors that could actually
be illegal.”
Taco Bell, a public company,
pulled its advertisements to avoid any
sort of controversy. The company stated
that it shifted to other programs because
Skins was “not fit for [the] brand.”
“The American version is way
cleaner than the U.K. version,” said Ivan
Montoya, a sophomore in the Health
Academy, “if Skins gets censored even
more, then there isn’t really a point to
the show.”
Ever since the sexual content
of the show came under scrutiny, a
half-dozen advertisers have publicly
distanced themselves from the new
provocative series including General
Motors, Wrigley, H&R Block, Schick,
Foot Locker, and Subway.
To make up for the loss, MTV
has rearranged the length and contents
of their commercials. The commercials
will now primarily consist of promotional
spots for MTV’s own shows like
Teen Mom, their own public service
announcements against online harassment
and anti-gay language, and film
trailers, especially ones that are for older
audiences to counter complaints that
advertisers in controversial shows are
looking to reach younger consumers.
Companies that haven’t pulled
out their ads, like Red Bull and Zeno
Hot Spot, are still being urged by the
Parents Television Council to do so.
SPREAD9

C10
Duvalier’s Return to Haiti
By Crystal Smith
THE HARBINGER
After 25 years of exile from
his home country Haiti, Jean-Claude
‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier
made a
surprising return
on Sunday
January 16, a surprise
many Haitians
weren’t too
pleased about.
Duvalier’s
return comes as
the country slowly
recovers from
last January’s catastrophicearthquake,
a deadly
cholera outbreak
and a political
crisis stemming
from November’s
flawed elections.
Several thousand
people gathered
outside the international
airport after the news began
to spread through the capital.
According to the Miami Herald,
local journalists who talked
with Duvalier inside the airport said
he told them that he ‘‘came to help
his country.” It was unclear how he
intended to do so or what his immediate
plans were.
With Duvalier’s past issues
of stealing hundreds and millions
of public money and the overseeing
of thousands of murders in Haiti,
many Haitians are puzzled about his
return. Few knew of his plans.
Sources said he traveled on a diplomatic
passport that he received in
2005. Duvalier’s return could have
unpredictable consequences for the
country, Haitian experts said.
“It’s such a critically important
moment for Haiti and this guy
Jean-Claude Duvalier in crowd. Google Images.
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
World News
to drop in from nowhere is very
strange,” said Robert Maguire to the
Miami Herald,
associate professor
of International
Affairs at
Trinity University
in Washington,
D.C. “What
does he bring to
Haiti, aside from
a lot of confusion.
Does he
come back with
political pretensions?
We just
don’t know.”
Garaudy
Laguerre, a presidentialcandidate
who grew
up under Duvalier,
was among
those expressing
shock of Duvalier’s
return. “He cannot be arriving
for a good reason,” Laguerre
said.”This can only bring instability
to Haiti. This is bringing fuel to the
fire in terms of the political crisis.”
Haitians say that Duvalier’s
return could lead to the return of
other exile presidents, especially
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was
forced out in 2004 and now lives in
South Africa. Some of Aristide’s supporters
have already started calling
for his return, many chanting
his name at the airport as Duvalier
sped away according to the Miami
Herald.
According to the NY Daily
News, Martine Theodore, of Haitian
Women of Miami said “Duvalier’s
regime brings a lot of fear and emotional
aspects to the equation that
we may not need right now.”
Chinese Leader vs. Government
By Shelsy Aragon
THE HARBINGER
Prime Minister
Wen Jiabao showed up
at the nation’s petition
bureau in Beijing, where
grievances are generally
filed, to encourage citizens
to criticize the government
and push their
cases towards justice.
The national petition bureau
is known for its anger
over official corruption,
illegal land seizures
and labor disputes and
complaints of all sorts.
These are the kinds of
problems that show China’s
ongoing weakness of
the rule of law.
China kills out
signs of rebellions or
challenges to the Communist
Party, where the
government believes it
is appropriate to arrest
petitioners by force and
if necessary, send them
back home. The staterun
news showed images
of Prime Minister Wen
Jiabao, meeting with a
small group of petitioners
at the bureau, two days earlier,
where it is officially known as the
State Bureau for Letters and Calls.
Wen Jiabao. Google Images.
State-controlled media reports
said that the prime minister
encouraged some government
Former B-2 Stealth Engineer
Sells Secrets to China
By Crystal Serrano
THE HARBINGER
A former B-2 stealth bomber
engineer has been convicted in
Honolulu by a federal jury for selling
military secrets to China and
assisting them with the design of a
stealth cruise missile.
Noshir Gowadia, 66, is accused
of forming
an illegal
business alliance
with China
and gaining
$110,000,
which Fox news
stated was allegedly
used
“to pay the
mortgage on his
multimilliondollar
ocean
view home he
built on Maui’s north shore.”
However, Gowadia’s case is
not one of a kind. It is only one of
many in which Chinese spies have
been convicted of conspiracy, of exporting
U.S defense technology to
China.
In November of 2010, Gowadia
was sentenced to life in prison
after being in federal custody since
October of 2005.
Prosecutors are in belief
that Gowadia not only betrayed his
country by selling U.S technology
secrets to China but also demonstrated
the technology effectiveness
to China.
FOX news reported that
Gowadia was convicted on 14 of 17
counts, including conspiracy, violating
the arms export control act,
tax evasion and money laundering.
Gowadia was also charged for purposely
releasing National Defense
Noshir Gowadia. Google Images.
workers to take charge of the petitioner
cases. Since the founding of
the Communist state in 1949 this
information.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken
Sorenson utilized this case to send
a message: “No, you can’t do that,
and we can take care of our business
here in American courtrooms when
that happens.”
Gowadia’s
attorneys
are advising
him to
appeal on
the basis
that the information
he held
was available
to the
public.
“Mr.
Gowadia provided some of our
country’s most sensitive weaponsrelated
designs to the Chinese government
for money. Today, he is
being held accountable for his actions,”
said another Assistant Attorney
General, David Kris.
Born in India, Gowadia became
a U.S citizen in the 1970s. He
retired from Northrop Corp, where
he helped design the “propulsion
system,” two years before the public
release of the B-2.
Gowadia worked with the
Chinese government through email
and during five trips to the country
between 2003 and 2005.
FOX news stated that Gowadia
would also be charged for attempting
“to sell secret stealth technology
to the Swiss government and
businesses in Israel and Germany.”
Gowadia will serve a life
sentence in prison.
was the 1st time a prime
minister had appeared at
the bureau to meet with
petitioners.
“I think it’s admirable
that the minister is
siding with common folk,
since in communist governments
the people’s
voice is not often acknowledged,”
said George
Linas, an 11th grade student
from Information
Technology.
In the past couple of
months, Prime Minister
Wen Jiabao has appeared
to push for political reform.
There were some
people that praised the
prime minister but there
was also some criticism.
Mr. Wen had become
proficient at showing his
worry for the poor but
with the nation’s legal
system, the work to help
the poor out was still ineffective
which is the main
reason why petitioners
travel to Beijing.
“Even if his attempts
are inept, it still shows that at least
someone cares to listen to petitioners,”
said George Linas.

Arab World in Chaos
By Hilary Higgins
THE HARBINGER
Major protests and uprisings
have been occurring since December
2010 in North African and
Western Asian countries, especially
Tunisia and Egypt. The rebellions
are against the Arab leaders in
power and have mostly been led by
youth using social media sites and
television to gather people and incite
dissent.
The majority of Arab leaders
that were in power before the
protests began were longtime US
allies, like Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak. However, the Obama administration
has been supporting
the protests as they call for freedom
of speech and of assembly.
The Tunisian Revolution
dubbed by the media as the Jasmine
revolution started the waves
of rebellion across the Arab world,
helping to create a domino effect.
The self-immolation- a form of martyrdom
that includes burning- of
a street vendor on December 17
initiated the protests. Mohamed
Bouazizi sold fruits and vegetables
and was the sole income provider of
his family. After a policewoman confiscated
his goods and slapped him,
Bouazizi burned himself in a form of
political protest.
28 days after the self-immolation,
on January 15, the standing
president for more than 23 years,
Glaciers Melting in Peru
By Daniella Candurra
THE HARBINGER
The glacier melt occurring
in Peru is another effect of global
warming. High in the Andes, rising
temperatures and changes in water
supply over the last 40 years have
killed crops as well as fish stocks
and forced villages to question their
future survival.
Peru is home to 70 percent
of the world’s tropical glaciers,
along with Bolivia, Ecuador and
Chile. Peru’s 18 mountain glaciers
includes the
world’s largesttropical
ice mass.
The region
depends on
these glaciers
for drinking
water, irrigation
and elec-
tricity. More
than 2 million
Multiple glaciers. Google Images.
people get their drinking water from
rivers fed by glacier runoff from the
Cordillera Blanca mountain range,
which has lost 30 percent of its glaciers
since 1970.
“I had the privilege of going
to the Cordillera Blanca mountain
range a while ago and now with the
pictures shown I cannot believe so
much of the ice has melted. It was
not like that when I went to visit
over four years ago,” said Pilar Barcos,
born in Peru.
The scientists did not think
the glaciers would melt this fast and
they now predict that the Andes will
disappear in ten years due to rising
global temperatures.
Without international help
to build reservoirs and dams and
to improve irrigation, the Andean
Glaciers could disappear within five
years, leading to a social and economic
disaster.
“It’s sad to see what the
world has come down to and now
all the natural beauties it has are
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted
from power. He moved to Saudia
Arabia after officially resigning.
According to an article on
BBC News
on February
1, 2011,
“At least 219
people died
during the
protests that
toppled Tunisia’sPresident
Zine
al-Abidine
Ben Ali last
month, a UN
team has
said.”
The
reasons for
the protests
have economic and political motives.
High unemployment rates,
inflation of items especially of food,
political corruption and poor living
conditions are some of the grounds
for the protests. The inability of the
Tunisian government to censor information
that appeared on cables
of WikiLeaks of government corruption
also contributed to the protests.
Starting on January 25,
known as the “day of anger” or “the
day of revolt,” thousand of protest-
slowly disappearing. With this glacier
melting and many more all
around the world it’s safe to say that
the next world war is going to be
based on finding water supply,” said
Joseph Foley, an environmentalist.
The United States spent millions
of dollars on climate change
assistance in Peru in 2010. However,
the funding went mostly to
preserving the Amazon rainforest
in Peru.
The Peruviangovernment
is asking
its allies
for money to
build the reservoirs,
dams,
and improve
the irrigation.
Japan, Australia
and
Switzerland
are just some of the allies that have
offered assistance, but the United
States holds the greatest responsibility
due to its close trade alliance
with Peru.
The Pentagon dedicated
$600,000 to facilitate Latin America
and the United States sharing information
about climate change risks.
Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia
are also threatened by glacier
melts. Colombia’s coastal and riverside
cities have been wiped out by
floods and landslides.
These glacier-fed rivers in
Peru also support the nation’s largest
hydroelectric plants, especially
in Lima. Lima is dependent on Andean
rivers from the Cordillera Central,
where some mountains have
lost more than 60 percent of their
glaciers in the last 40 years.
The issue of glaciers melting
in Southern Peru has escalated to
even bigger conflicts that will affect
the future of South American countries.
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Chaotic Middle-Eastern people. Google Images.
ers took the street in Egypt. On
January 28, known as the “Friday of
Anger” or the “Day of rage,” Egyptian
government shut down internet
services
and mobile
phone operators
were told
to suspend
services.
In this way,
the government
wishes
to control
the protesting
and limit
the their effects.February
1 dubbed
“March of the
millions.” The
same organizers
of these days have dubbed
February 4 the “Friday of Departure”
and have made that day their
deadline for President Mubarak,
who has been in power for 30 years,
to step down from the presidency.
Mubarak announced February
11, that he would be stepping
down from power and Egyptian military
took over the country’s leadership.
The major opposition organizations
and individuals that have
been leading the protests include
The Muslim Brotherhood, Moham-
C11
med ElBaradei, April 6 Youth Movement,
We Are All Khaled Said Movement,
and the National Association
for Change.
“We urge the Egyptian authorities
not to prevent peaceful
protests or block communications,
including on social media sites.” said
Hillary Clinton, secretary of state.
While the Egyptian protests
occurred, a wave of protests began
in Algeria on December 25 over the
lack of housing available. Bouazizi’s
self-immolation set of a wave of
more than ten self-immolations in
Algeria. As a result of protests in
Libya over housing and corruption,
the government will initiate a housing
and development program. The
online Oea newspaper reported
that the government would set up a
$24 billion fund for investment and
local development.
Minor protests in Jordan
caused a change in government on
February 1, 2011. There were also
minor protests and cases of selfimmolation
in Mauritania, Sudan,
Oman, Saudia Arabia, Syria and Morocco.
The protests occurring in
the Arabic region have been aimed
at the presidents in power and due
to the protestors’ dissatisfaction toward
political and economic conditions.
Holocaust Goes Digital
By Gabriella Nuñez
THE HARBINGER
Israel’s Holocaust memorial
teamed up with Google to release
the world’s largest collection of Holocaust
documents on the Internet.
With standard keywords, the desired
information is now easier to
locate on the world wide web. This
collection is expected to expand to
other parts of the memorial’s archives
in the future.
A new project and an addition
to the memorial’s new digital
outlook, will be a social networklike
component that allows viewers
to contribute to the memorial’s
archive. Viewers will be able to add
their own stories, comments, and
documents about family members
who appear in online archives. This
feature could be misused to post
anti-Semitic comments; the benefits
seem to outweigh the risks.
After fully perfecting their
online archives and their socialnetwork
site, the memorial’s next
priority is to digitize its collection
Star of David. Google Images.
of survivor testimonies.
“Creating a social network
for Jewish families affected by
the Holocaust could lead to great
things like the reunification of families.
Despite this risk, the array of
stories we could uncover would be
amazing,” said Javon Brown, sophomore
in the Cambridge academy.
This project started about
three years ago in the Tel Aviv
skyscraper that houses Google’s
research operations in Israel. It
was inspired by a Google initiative
encouraging employees to spend
20 percent of work time on projects
they feel are important. It is
Google’s way of making their employees
give back to the community.
Google claims that technology
should be used to help better
the world and seeing how it is one
of the most popular search engines
this seems to be a step in the right
direction.

D12
New World Symphony
By Shelsy Aragon
THE HARBINGER
New World Symphony stage. Google Images.
The New World Center is the
new home of the New World Symphony
in Miami Beach. Opened on
January 26th , the $154 million center
contains a performance space
that has an inviting public arts complex
of twisting architecture and
a huge video projection onto the
building’s exterior, all part of Frank
Gehry’s design. The performances
by the orchestra are headed by Michael
Tilson Thomas, the academy’s
founder and artistic director.
The orchestra was founded
in 1987 in the old Lincoln Theater
at the Lincoln Road Mall. This new
concert hall has 756 seats in small
groups around the tall and spacious
auditorium.
An orchestral concert is
not all the New World Symphony is
about. When Mr. Gehry was hired
for this project, he wanted Mr.
Thomas to explain what the young
musicians of his academy really
needed for training.
“It shows how dedicated the
school is to improving the performance
of their students and setting
them in an environment that will
prep them for what they need,” said
Natalia Fernandez, a freshman from
the Cambridge academy.
Mr. Thomas wanted to have
the building open radically to the
public. On the ground floor there are
several soundproof windows that
are rehearsal rooms and recording
studios. From those rooms the musicians
from the orchestra will prac-
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Feature
tice in total view of the public, who
will be free to enter the hall when
the building is being used.
The visitors of the atrium
won’t hear the music, but the visibility
should demonstrate the
music-making process by showing
the routines of working musicians.
On the second floor, there are sufficient
private practice rooms, where
the musicians will do some of their
work. There are interactive video
screens, so the academy’s musicians
can be coached by master musicians
and composers from around
the world.
“I think that their openness
towards the public is very good,
helping the students get an even
further feel for what it’s all about,”
said Natalia Fernandez.
Most of the performances in
the concert hall will be shown live in
a section of the adjacent park called
SoundScape, where video images
will be screened on a 7,000-squarefoot
projection wall. It is promised
to have outstanding sound conveyed
through speakers that are in
the sculptural matrix of pipes.
Open concerts are held for
free on select Saturdays at 7:30
p.m. that are to be ``Wallcast’’ live.
They will be performing within the
building’s architecturally and technologically
astounding auditorium.
The New World Symphony and Miami
Beach have achieved the goal to
show that the city is a serious player
on the world’s cultural stage.
A Shore Thing Review
By Crystal Serrano
THE HARBINGER
There are sooo many new
celebrity books on the market that
it’s safe to say just about anyone
can get published. The latest example
is Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, from
“The Jersey Shore.” While she may
be more recognized for her hairstyle
than her literary style, it hasn’t
stopped her from putting her particular
brand of ignorance to paper.
Unfortunately I’m not kidding.
This self-described “guidette”
has written a novel titled “Shore
Thing,” the “fictional” tale about
a hopeless romantic searching
for love on the boardwalk. Snooki
promises her story has lots of “big
hair, dark tans, and fights galore.”
You can always depend on Snooki
for deep insights.
Although Snooki provides
light humor on her “reality” show, I
think I can live without this embarrassment
of a novel. And I quote “reality”
because I’m not even sure that
any of the things happening on the
“Jersey Shore” show are legit.
The trash “tawking” author
says she’s excited about her book.
“I’m pumped to announce to my
fans a project that I’ve been work-
If Your Parents Hate it, You’re Going to Love it
By SaraH Castellanos
THE HARBINGER
The advertising technique
that many entertainment companies
are using is “if your parents
hate it, you’re going to love it.”
Advertisements and promotions
are now showing the kind of
subject matter mothers would be
appalled at and fathers would lecture
about. They mock parents’ reactions
and use it to attract kids.
Teenagers expect that the
activities their parents like will be
boring or unentertaining; therefore,
the image of horrified parents acts
as a magnet for teenage interests.
“When I was a teen, I certainly
didn’t want to do what my
parents want. It’s a process of grow-
ing up, but in the mean time that’s
what we’re here for,” said Dan Isett,
Director of Public Policy for the
PTC.
The Parents Television
Council (PTC) is one of the greatest
enemies for all the shows, programs
and games that so many kids and
teenagers love. There are 1.3 million
members of the PTC fighting
for the same goal.
Their mission is to protect
kids from sex, drugs, violence and
profanity in entertainment and inform
parents of the sort of entertainment
products that aren’t “appropriate”
for children to view.
“Media companies play it
Cover of A Shore Thing. Google Images.
both ways. They tell the parents
that they want to work with us and
protect the kids from seeing inappropriate
things, but then they start
using our complaints as promotional
material. That’s when we get vocal
about things,” said Isett.
The question becomes
whether or not they have the right
to decide or judge these programs.
They believe it is their responsibility
to limit and take care of children’s
viewing habits.
But no matter how many
parents or PTC-type of organizations
argue the violence or explicit
sexuality in shows like Gossip Girl
or Dexter, teenagers will continue
ing on for some time. This book will
have you falling in love at the shore.”
I’m sure it will, Snooki.
And “poof”--just like that—
Snookihas her own book. She joins
Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Edgar
Allan Poe in literary history. Mind
you, this is the same girl who tweeted
with great enthusiasm: “I have
mind blowing news! I am officially
reading my first bo! Lmao! Nicholas
Sparks ‘Dear John!’... I’m proud of
myself.”
Snooki also seems to have
trouble figuring out where reality
TV ends and true reality begins. She
said on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show”
that she woke up in a garbage can
after a long night of drinking. “The
events that happened in the book,
it’s not exactly what happened to
me,” she says. “But it could happen
to me, and that’s the funny part
about it.”
Next Summer Snooki says
she will be brainstorming for her
next “novel.” “It’s definitely one of
my goals to write a sequel.” Sequels
are usually far worse than the original.
Hard to imagine. It’s a “shore
thing” I’ll skip it.
to watch them.
“Our issue isn’t with the
shows themselves but with the content,”
said Isett.
The content of the shows
on ABC Family, CW Network, etc.
are all what a teen would call “juicy
drama.”
The more restricted a teenager
feels, the more curious they become
and thus, they become more
prone to watching the restricted
material
“It’s like a pornographic site
telling you: If you aren’t 18, don’t
click this. I don’t know of any under
18 kid who wouldn’t click it when
they see that warning,” said Isett.

Sondre Lerche Review
By Giselle Señas
THE HARBINGER
His undeniable boyish charm
often times makes him impossible to
resist. Together with his innovative,
whimsical indie-pop infused with
animated guitar progressions and
his melodic voice, Sondre Lerche is
the perfect candidate for every teenage
dream.
Born and raised in Bergen,
Norway, Sondre Lerche (pronounced
SON-dreh LAIR-key), started playing
guitar at eight years old and singing
acoustic gigs at the local club where
his sister worked.
Lerche might most notably
be recognized for writing the score
for the movie Dan in Real Life, featuring
funnyman Steve Carrel, but
it’s only the cusp of what Lerche has
to offer. In 2001, he released his
debut album, Faces Down, which received
critical praise in Norway and
the United States.
He released his sophomore
album, Two Way Monologue, three
years later, showcasing a more diverse
sound varying from spunky
upbeat pop tracks to more sweet
steel-stringed guitar melodies. The
album also received rave reviews
from Rolling Stone.
Devoting tribute to his jazz
roots, Lerche released Duper Ses-
The Cove Review
By Iqra Ahmed
THE HARBINGER
One of the most haunting,
thought-provoking and enlightening
documentaries, The Cove is an
ocean conservationist produced
documentary about the annual dolphin
slaughter that occurs every
year in Taiji, Japan, from August to
March.
The film highlights how
over 2,000 dolphins and porpoises
are killed in Japan every year for the
country’s whaling industry. 23,000
dolphins have been slaughtered to
date.
Migrating dolphins are
herded into a hidden cove by methods
that play on their hypersensitive
hearing. Since dolphins are
extremely sensitive to sound, fishermen
herd them by sticking metal
poles into the water and create a
chaos of sound by hitting the poles
with hammers. As a result, the dolphins
become terrified and flee
wherever they can; in this case, the
dolphins head straight into a cove
and a giant net enclosing it prevents
them from escaping.
From there, some dolphins
are examined by representatives of
dolphinariums (such as Seaquariums)
who choose the ones they
want to take into captivity, where
they will be trained to perform
tricks in small tanks for cheering
audiences. The rest are killed, by
spears and knives driven through
them over the sides of small fishing
boats.
Ric O’Barry, a once renowned
dolphin trainer, helps lead
the mission to get word out about
this. O’Barry explains how he spent
ten years on the hit TV show Flipper,
working and training with dolphins.
One day, one of the dolphins
he trained with on set committed
suicide from unhappiness. He explains
that every breath a dolphin
takes is a conscious, voluntary effort.
This particular dolphin decided
to end her life by not taking the
next breath. Since then, Ric O’Barry
sions in 2006, a bona fide jazz album
featuring The Faces Down Quartet
and pianist Erik Halvorsen.
A year later, he took a turn
towards a more aggressive rock pop
sound in Phantom Punch. The album
most notably features effortlesssounding
chromatic progressions on
the guitar paired with energetic vocals.
His last album, Heartbeat
Radio, (released in 2009), is said to
be his greatest and boldest compilation
to date. Lerche really digs deep
into his foundation of vast musical
influences as he mixes acoustic guitar
with elements of orchestral pop
(most notably seen in the title track),
fifties jazz, sixties and seventies Brazilian
psych-folk, and eighties pop.
Perhaps one of Lerche’s
greatest attributes is his ability to
hold a show on his own—using only
a guitar. His complicated guitar progressions
and infectious witty lyrics
compliment his energetic stage presence
and they make for an enjoyable
performance. It’s hard not to listen
to his one man show.
For more info on Sondre Lerche’s
tour dates and the release of
his new album (due out later this
year) visit sondrelerche.com.
has dedicated his life to freeing captive
dolphins.
O’Barry initiated the docu-
Documentary poster for The Cove. Google Images.
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Sondre Lerche. Google Images.
mentary. He knew about the slaughter
that occurred in Taiji but could
not expose the world to it because
D13
photographing and videotaping are
not allowed by the government in
the area and voluntary fishermen
taunt and ward off anyone that
tries.
A team, composed of activists
and experts, went under the
cover of night to plant cameras and
microphones disguised as rocks and
underwater cameras in the area.
The team describes feeling helpless
because they could hear the
despairing noise from the splashing
dolphins that would be dead by
morning.
Further research was conducted
as to where slaughtered
dolphin meat ends up. The team
sampled fish meat sold in Japanese
markets labeled as whale meat or
other types of fish meat, and found
that some of it was dolphin meat.
Not only is this false advertisement
but dolphin meat contains high levels
of mercury; high levels of this
element in our systems causes conditions
such as cerebral palsy and
mental retardation.
Since dolphins are on the
smaller scale of the cetacean group,
the International Whaling Committee
does not have certain laws
against dolphin hunting. Furthermore,
Japan pays countries to side
with them to keep it that way. The
end of this documentary shows Ric
O’Barry with footage from the hidden
rocks walk into an IWC meeting
with a large screen revealing the
horrors that take place in the cove.
The documentary itself
is “an act of heroism,” says one of
the reviews and it is true. Very few
people were aware of this annual
slaughter, and this documentary
sheds a light that infuriates, enrages,
disappoints and enlightens you.
The Cove won the U.S. Audience
Award at the 25th Annual Sundance
Festival, out of 879 submissions and
won the Academy Awards for Best
Documentary Feature at the 82nd
Academy Awards (March 2010).

D14
“Die-Hard” Fans
By Kehmaneh Griffiths
THE HARBINGER
Sports, like family, are one
of the few things that people fight,
cry, laugh, and celebrate over but
can fans die over sports? A recent
longitudinal study done by doctors
from the Good Samaritan Hospital
and University of Southern California
showed some shocking results.
Studies are based on losing
teams of sport championships and
results show that these cities tend
to have higher cases of sudden
heart related deaths in the months
of championships. Scientists also
compared the losing city’s results
to years that the teams weren’t in
championships and results show
that there are less sudden heart
related deaths in those years.
“This is understandable,”
says John Stallingori a football
coach for Killian high school. “Fans
have a lot invested into these
games; they’re expecting a lot,”
Stallingori commented.
Sports are emotional especially
to true fans. They invest time,
money, and pride into these teams
and they don’t want them to lose.
Fans see themselves on the field
and they want to be “winners”.
Constant stress and adrenaline
from intense games cause
permanent changes to the body.
“Stress and adrenaline change
heart rate, contraction of the
Excited fans. Google Images.
Reading on Screen
By Laura Paklin
THE HARBINGER
Books have been used for
ages as the primary literary access
we use. Books have a new young
threat that may be more convincing
than just physical books. The Kindle
carries advances not found in books
such as a dictionary at your disposal,
increasing and decreasing text,
and adjusting brightness. Books,
however, are timeless and still preferred
by most people.
According to the New York
Times, there is an increase in teen
e-readers and how teenagers are
glued digital books. Even schools
are opening arms to e-readers, creating
an easier access to books and
less weight to carry. The Kindle is
even introducing the classics to
young e-readers as free downloads
and many are taking interest in stories
such as Little Women and Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn.
“The Kindle has so many books,
it’s much easier, and it saves a trip to
the library and bookstore,” said Jose
Paredes, freshman, Health, Medical
Assistant.
The Amazon Kindle is a
portable e-reader that can display
books, textbooks, and the newspaper.
The Kindle can store up to 3,500
heart, blood pressure, and a need
for more oxygen,” says Dr. Kloner
of the University of Southern California.
These changes make normal
things like walking and talking
more difficult because the
body automatically assumes a
game-time situation. However, the
changes aren’t devastating and
cannot cause death but can be contributors.
With losing comes depression.
When depression is added to
stress and adrenaline you’re asking
for trouble,” says Dr. Kloner.
Likewise, the study
showed that cities like Detroit,
Oakland, Washington, and Tampa
Bay have higher cases of depression,
obesity, and cholesterol. Ironically,
all of these cities are hosts to
losing sport franchises.
To clarify the study is not
saying that all losing teams’ fans
have heart attacks, but there is a
correlation between losing championships
and heart attacks for
that year. Other contributors like
heredity, weight, blood pressure,
level of exercise play deep roles as
well.
Let this be a reminder to
all of the hardcore fans of any team
since the term “die-hard fan” has
acquired a more literal meaning.
books, has a long battery life and
is actually easy to read so it won’t
cause eye-strain. The battery life
is so long Wired Magazine said it’s
long enough for space shuttle missions.
The Amazon Kindle DX (the
latest Kindle) isn’t cheap though,
valued at $379.00. The Wireless one
is available smaller at half the price.
“I prefer books over the Kindle
because it takes away from good
old traditions, and these times are
changing so fast, I think some things
should be kept the way they are.
Also I’m so scared about newspapers
disappearing,” said Sue Zamora,
sophomore, Health, Pharmacy.
Some however, might argue
that by using the Kindle, you save
trees and may replace textbooks in
the classroom but there are other
arguments. What happens to the
Kindle two years from now? Electronic
waste is a growing concern
in society; it isn’t recycled but incinerated
or dumped in a landfill
spreading toxic waste which eventually
leak into the ocean. Besides, if
books become obsolete where will
the bookstores go and where will
we slip our papers for easy carrying?
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Same Face, New Place
By Kehmaneh Griffiths
THE HARBINGER
This season in the NBA fans
might find that their favorite players
on the move to different teams.
Teams are looking to get better,
faster, and stronger during the All-
Star Break to make final half of the
season a winning one.
The contract situations of
many NBA stars
have been favorable
to these
trade rumors and
signings. Many
players have contracts
that are up
within the next
year or two or
have the option
to opt out and decide
the numbers
of the deal and
who they want to
play for.
Fans have
already seen this
action. This sum-
mer, we saw
“blockbuster
deals” that brought Lebron James
and Chris Bosh to the Miami, Amare
Stoudemire to the Knicks, Carlos
Boozer to the Bulls, and Shaquille
O’Neal to Boston.
Funnily enough, the trend
is continuing. On December 18th,
the Orlando Magic, Washington
Wizards, and Phoenix Suns made a
blockbuster deal of their own. This
trade involved 8 players most notably
Gilbert Arenas and Rashard
Lewis switching teams, Lewis now
a member of the Wizards and Arenas
now a member of the Magic.
This trade made a big impression
on the league. “Orlando
has gotten much stronger now and
can now compete with teams like
the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics,”
said Chris Broussard, an NBA
analyst on ESPN.
It seems that teams are
continuing the pattern. Teams like
the New York Knicks, Los Angeles
Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and
Denver Nuggets have plastered
The new Amazon Kindle. Google Images.
their names all over trade blogs
and rumors. Each team has the
same purpose: to get better, make
the playoffs, and win a championship.
The biggest rumor and negotiation
of the season so far has
been the talks of superstar Small
forward Carmelo
Anthony
leaving the
Denver Nuggets
to go to his
hometown New
York Knicks or
join Kobe in Los
Angeles.
Just to clarify,
as much as
NBA fans would
love to see Kobe
and “Melo” play
together its not
going to happen.
When Carmelo
was asked
about the ru-
Carmelo Anthony. Google Images.
mored Lakers
deal, he replied “I never even knew
that was being talked about.”
Although, Melo has proclaimed
since last year that it
would be a dream to play for his
hometown New York Knicks. The
Knicks and the Nuggets have been
negotiating for some time now and
sources say that a deal is very possible
and close to happening.
“Expect Melo to be gone by
the All Star Break,” Broussard commented.
The deal could mean shift
the NBA completely from a longtime
Western Conference-dominated-
league to an Eastern one.
Melo is not the only one on
the move. Blogs and sources cite
that stars Ron Artest, Andre Igoudala,
and Richard Hamilton may be
on the move to new cities as well.
The trade deadline ends on
February 24th and teams are currently
underway of making some
interesting deals that can turn the
NBA upside down and change the
order of the league.

March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
2011 Spring Fashion Trends
By Aileen Velasquez
THE HARBINGER
Right off the runways of New
York City, London, Milan, and Paris,
the Spring’s biggest trends are starting
off with a bang. Styles like Asian
inspired tailoring to translucent layering
are making big statements on
the runway.
Chambray, denim’s lighter
cousin, had a strong showing on
spring runways. Designers from Celine
to Thakoon showed this relaxed
true blue fabric usually reserved for
California cool girls in dresses, suits,
or scrublike silhouettes.
Houses from Christian Dior
to Miu Miu engaged in pattern play
for spring. These hypnotic geometries
and watercolor blooms would
look great as wallpaper- but they are
anything but wallflowers.
Patterns took a cue from the
ever-popular Rubik’s Cube puzzle
this season, with strong strokes of
bubble gum bright and rich jewel
tones creating a bold color blocking
on shifts, dresses, and tunics.
Designers also indulged
By Emily Rodriguez
THE HARBINGER
I Am Number Four: (PG- 13)
John is an extraordinary teen, finding
his true identity and passing as a
typical high school student to avoid
a deadly enemy seeking to destroy
him. Three like him have already
been killed . . . he is Number Four.
Big Momma’s: Like Father,
Like Son: (PG-13) FBI agent Malcolm
Turner and his 17-year-old
son, Trent, go undercover at an allgirls
performing arts school after
Trent witnesses a murder. Posing
as Big Momma and Charmaine, they
must find the murderer before he
finds them.
Hall Pass: (NR) Best friends
Rick and Fred have each been married
for a long time, and they are
in their primal instincts, getting in
tune with their wild side featuring
far beyond the classic leopard print,
with animal shapes, jungle and tribal
themes, and feathered skirts proved
that fashion’s animal magnetism is
still going strong.
Lace was everywhere, but the
message was more daring then doily.
Full body lace in sophisticated feminine
silhouettes is fresher than anything
you would find in Grandma’s
trousseau.
Designers also played “peekaboo”
this spring by layering transparent
separates over solids, which
demonstrated varying levels of modesty,
and could certainly be useful for
rising Miami heat.
Lastly, the designers got
down to business, featuring monochromatic,
modern takes on men’s
suiting, but instead of using the classic
proportions, they mixed it up. Gareth
Pugh using futuristic cuts, dress
suits at Margiela, and fluid satin
shapes at Bottega Veneta.
2011 Movies Make up for “Tweens”
Movie for I Am Number Four. Google Images.
showing signs of restlessness. To
revive their marriages, their wives
grant them one week to do whatever
they please, no questions
asked. At first, the deal sounds like
a dream come true, but soon these
two best pals discover that their
expectations are wildly out of sync
with reality.
Drive Angry 3D: (R) A vengeful
father escapes from hell and
chases after the men who killed his
wife and kidnapped his daughter.
Shelter: (R) A female forensic
psychiatrist discovers that all of
one of her patient’s multiple personalities
are murder victims. She
will have to find out what’s happening
before her time is finished.
Spring fashion trends. Google Images.
By Gabriella Nuñez
THE HARBINGER
Varied make-up. Google Images.
The new ‘Geo-Girl’ is an
anti-aging, mother-approved
beauty line aimed at the 8-12 year
old ‘tweens.’
The line includes blush,
mascara, face shimmer, and lipstick
that are specifically designed
for young skin.
According to the marketing
team, ‘Geo-Girl’ is eco-friendly
and contains natural ingredients
like white willow bark, chamomile,
lavender, and anti-oxidants,
which are said to prevent aging.
All 69 products will exclude
the heavy chemicals such
as paraben, phthalate, and sulfate,
which are also found in the popular
Mac or Revlon products. Synthetic
colors and fragrances are
also evaded to reduce the risk of
consumers developing skin allergies.
“GeoGirl is about teaching
this generation about beauty care
in a responsible way,” says Carmen
D15
Bauza, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s vice
president of beauty and personal
care.
Joel Carden, executive
vice president of marketing and
sales for Pacific World shares the
same sentiment. “This line is a
great learning experience for us
to determine how to communicate
with this generation,” said Carden.
“It’s the first door to beauty for the
next generation.”
Although Geo-Girl has
good intentions, others don’t have
the same views.
“They haven’t been off the
umbilical cord for a decade yet the
need aging cream? Their parents
shouldn’t allow them to feel so
insecure of themselves at such a
young age; it’s simply bad parenting,”
said Michael Krug, a sophomore
in Information Technology.
Geo-Girl plans on releasing
their new line later in February
expecting consistent sales.

E16
Oh, Where Have all the Good
Songs Gone?
away from a cardiac arrest.
Now, I do agree that this
shift to dance music has its benefits;
it’s great to listen to when one
is wound up from life’s anxiety and
troubles, dance with one’s friends,
or to just let loose and dance in
your underwear like no one’s in the
room. But when it manages to steer
respectable performers like Shakira
and Black Eyed Peas away from
their original styles because it’s simply
not what people want to listen to
today, I can’t help but question the
majority of people’s taste level.
Ke$ha. Google Images.
Newspaper Staff
Iqra Ahmed
iahmed.harbinger@gmail.com
Shelsy Aragon
saragon.harbinger@gmail.com
Daniella Candurra
dcandurra.harbinger@gmail.com
SaraH Castellanos
scastellanos.harbinger@gmail.com
Melissa Cuellar
mcuellar.harbinger@gmail.com
Lisabet Esperon
lesperon.harbinger@gmail.com
Kehmaneh Griffiths
kgriffiths.harbinger@gmail.com
Hilary Higgins
hhiggins.harbinger@gmail.com
Lorena Mejia
lmejia.harbinger@gmail.com
Gabriella Nuñez
gnunez.harbinger@gmail.com
ADVISOR
Neyda Borges
PRINCIPAL
James V. Parker
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Hilary Higgins
LAYOUT EDITOR
Cosette Pérez
PUBLICATION POLICY
I’m not saying there aren’t
artists that come up with clever
beats; but let’s face it-- there are
some popular tracks that are less
than satisfactory when it comes to
being creative. And these are the
ones that reign highest simply because
they’re catchy.
But hey, the fact that music
is becoming more generic with each
passing day is nothing to sweat. This
shift is all for a good cause right? So
good George Clooney will be hosting
a telethon next week to raise money
for it.
Laura Paklin
lpaklin.harbinger@gmail.com
Cosette Pérez
cperez.harbinger@gmail.com
Alfredo Ramos
aramos.harbinger@gmail.com
Clarissa Rodriguez
crodriguez.harbinger@gmail.com
Emily Rodriguez
erodriguez.harbinger@gmail.com
Giselle Señas
gsenas.harbinger@gmail.com
Crystal Serrano
cserrano.harbinger@gmail.com
Crystal Smith
csmith.harbinger@gmail.com
Aileen Velasquez
avelasquez.harbinger@gmail.com
E’Monique Williams
ewilliams.harbinger@gmail.com
PHOTO EDITOR
Emily Rodriguez
WEB DESIGNER
Iqra Ahmed
MLEC’s Harbinger staff pledges to: Publish articles that
will not disparge any individual and will not interfere
with rights of privacy. We publish this newspaper for the
student body, faculty, and community members. No articles
will convey bias or be based on personal motives.
We will not take credit for the work and publication of
others. Any opinions expressed in this publication are
not necessarily those of the faculty and administration
but rather those of the author or the newspaper staff
and its editors. MLEC’s Harbinger is intended to inform,
entertain and communicate to the public.
March 2011/Volume 11/Issue 4
Opinion
“Teen Mom” Glimpse Into
Reality
By Cosette Pérez
THE HARBINGER
Maci and Amber from Teen Mom. Google Images.
As young girls all over
the country are increasingly taking
part in un-safe sex and ignoring
their opportunities for birth
control and a better future, concerned
parents are considering
what the best method for reducing
this epidemic is. In the conservative
and republican nation of the
United States, many people think
that the best method of reducing
teen pregnancy rates
is by ignoring the fact
and having abstinence
only education.
“They taught
me abstinence only
education at my
school,” said Emily
McKenzie to Dr. Drew
Pinsky in the 16 and
Pregnant: Life After
Labor special. People
want to ignore the fact
that more and more
teens are becoming
sexually active these
days, especially in the
United States. However, two very
controversial shows have broken
out from behind the right-leaning
curtain: 16 and Pregnant and its
spin-off series Teen Mom. The two
shows follow the lives of young
women that became pregnant at a
very young age.
The show opens the door
to these girls’ struggles with
school, friendships, parents, relationships,
and even weight loss,
not to mention the challenge of
having to carry and raise a child
when they are still trying to grow
up themselves. But some people
find this to be working on the teenage
population negatively. Critics
and parents are concerned that,
rather than portraying the challenges
of parenthood, the show is
going to idolize these girls for being
“promiscuous” and ignoring
the promise of their future.
Teen pregnancy rates have
increased over the years. Teenag-
ers seem to be more and more curious
about sexual activity, and abstinence
only classes do not seem
to be helping either. These classes
only teach teens that they should
not have sex, but fail to teach them
how to protect themselves.
These shows are some of
the few things currently showing
the struggles and dangers that
teens can go through from having
unprotected sex.
Therefore, there really
should not be any
grave reason why so
many traditionalists
have been offended by
the content of these
short documentaries.
If these shows really
are showing the effects
of having children
at such a young
age, then they would
a positive thing. But
many still disagree.
Sarah Palin has
Cosette. Taken by Alfredo Ramos.
been trying for the entirety
of her campaign to pass abstinence
only classes in all schools.
She shares in the belief that by
completely ignoring sex, teens
will suddenly become less curious
about it. However, statistics seem
to disagree. The Center for Disease
Control shows that one third of
women in the United States will
become pregnant by the age of 20.
On the other hand, places that are
more liberal about the ideas of sex
(like countries in Europe) have
much lower teen pregnancy rates:
less than half of rates in America.
Despite the facts and the
numbers, people in the U.S. still
have trouble conforming to sex
education. Until our great nation
sees the dangers of ignoring serious
topics revolving around teen
pregnancy, shows like 16 and
Pregnant and Teen Mom will continue
to be the only sex education
many American teens will ever be
able to get.