Wednesday, April 29, 2009 VOLUME XXVII, ISSUE VIII DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL

Fourteen Students from France Visit Diamond Bar High School

NEWS ANALYSISObama Chooses to Delay Immigration Reform

Contrary to Obama’s campaign promises, immigration reform has been pushed back because of the economy. New immigration policies will not be implemented this year.

Desiree Wang Asst. Feature Editor

Bonjour et adieu... French students and a chaperone smile for the camera. Leanne Fan

DANCE: Today is the last day to purchase date passes. The Prom Expo will be held tomorrow in the Upper Quad. Prom attendees can make appointments from businesses present. Diana Romero Contributing Staff Writer

The Bull’s EyeA LI’L ENTERTAINMENT

So, what’s goin’ down between Abner and Daisy? Read a review to find out what happens to the citizens of Dogpatch.

Please see page 10.

SHOW AND TELLThink recycling is as green as you can get? Learn about the different APES projects and see how each group will make a big impact.

Please see page 7.

CHANGE HAS COME Budget cuts will help balance the state of the economy, but are they beneficial for students and teachers? View different opinions.

Please see page 4.

BRAHMAS ACEVarsity tennis had an epic match against the Damien Spartans, winning with a final score of 18-4. Find out more about this victory.

Please see page 14.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

TOUR: During their two-week stay in California, the French students and chaperones visited many tourist attractions such as Disneyland and downtown Los Angeles.

DB Celebrates Arbor Day at Pantera ElementaryPLANT: After the tree planting demonstration, fifth-grader Li-Ting Chu was announced as the winner of the 2009 National Arbor Day Foundation Poster Contest. Eric Lee Staff Writer

[Please see “FOREIGN” on page 3]

From the roots... L.A. County Fireman Scott Gardner instructs the attendees on how to plant trees. Tiffany Huey

[Please see “DELAY” on page 3]

Elizabeth Lee Staff Writer

Class of 2010 Hosts “Finding Neverland” Prom

Saturday night fever... Prom 2009 will be held at the Anaheim Marriott. James An

[Please see “HOTEL” on page 3]

[Please see “MONEY” on page 3]

Brahma Foundation Raises Money through Casino NightGAMBLE: The night will feature gambling, dinner, auctions, and raffles. Tickets cost $75 for both adults and children. The funds from this event will go toward DBHS. Pamela Lewes Contributing Staff Writer

The 9th annual Casino Night, hosted by Diamond Bar High School’s Brahma Foundation, will be held on Friday, May 8, from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Diamond Bar Center.

Casino Night is DBHS’ biggest fundraiser of the year. This year’s theme will be “Camp Run-A-Muk.”

The purpose of the event is to raise money for various programs at DBHS. The admission cost is $75 per person or $750 for VIP tables for ten guests. The event will include gambling, live and silent auctions, raffles, and dinner.

The auction items will consist of autographed sports photos, flat-screen televisions, Scholastic

Aptitude Test tutoring, prom tickets, homecoming tickets, and other items not available for purchase anywhere else. Raffle tickets will also be sold for $50 each and the maximum number of tickets sold that night will be about 600.

A casino will be set up for gambling and attendees will have the opportunity to choose from roulette, poker, blackjack, and craps. Winning chips can

The City of Diamond Bar hosted the annual Arbor Day Celebration at Pantera Elementary School from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, April 24.

In honor of the city's designation as a Tree City USA, Pantera Elementary School students, officials, parents, and community members helped plant trees on school grounds as part of the celebration.

The Arbor Day Celebration began with Todd Riffell, the principal of Pantera Elementary School, and Ron Everett, the mayor of Diamond Bar, presenting opening statements on why trees are needed and why taking care of the earth is important.

At the event, the Los Angeles County Fire Department performed a tree planting demonstration.

The forestry department donated 400 pine seedlings so that each student could take one home. Scott Gardner, who is with the LA County Fire Department Forestry Division, demonstrated to the students how to take care of the pine seedlings and plant them at home.

This is Diamond Bar’s

eighth consecutive year as a Tree City USA, an honor bestowed upon cities that meet strict requirements regarding per capita spending, tree ordinances, and citizen advisory committee meetings.

Andee Tarazon, Diamond Bar's community services coordinator, stated, “I think it is wonderful; we have just come out of our eighth year being a Tree City USA and are already moving forward to become one again for our ninth year!”

Tree City USA is a foundation that promotes effective and well-organized tree care programs, recognizes communities that effectively manage their public

tree resources, and encourages the continuation of community tree management based on Tree City USA standards. Tree City USA is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Tarazon commented, “Arbor Day is a great event. It’s not everyday that you take time out of your day to be thankful for trees and the earth.”

She added, “It’s especially nice to share this experience with the youth from Pantera Elementary School since they are the ones that can make a difference.”

On April 16, President Barack Obama made a trip to Mexico in order to discuss issues such as drug violence, gun control, and immigration reform policies. Contrary to President Obama’s campaign promises, the White House is not pushing to reform current immigration policies by the end of this year. President Obama finds the matter of America’s worsening economy to be a priority over immigration reform. What he does not realize, however, is that immigration reform is tied inextricably to issues regarding the economic recession.

Unfortunately, the topic of immigration reform is being pushed back, and will only be dealt with when the state of the economy permits. Both Republicans and Democrats have criticized Obama’s delay and advocate a change in immigration policy as soon as possible. With the economic downturn, supporters of a speedy reform policy believe that improvements in immigration will in fact benefit the economy. By allowing illegal immigrants

Diamond Bar High School’s Prom will be held at the Anaheim Marriott on Saturday, May 16, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The theme for this year’s prom will be “Finding Neverland.” The setting in which prom will be held is described as a large ballroom.

In order to attract more students to the prom, the Prom Expo will be held tomorrow in the upper quad. There will be

raffles for gifts that were donated by businesses as well as for a free prom ticket.

“Basically, we are doing

this event to promote the prom and get people excited and

Fourteen French students and three chaperones attended classes at Diamond Bar High School from Tuesday, April 14, to Friday, April 17.

Last December, DBHS French teacher Anthony Tietz was asked by his friend, a Catholic priest who has a French congregation, if he wanted to help host students from France who wanted to experience American schooling during their spring break. Tietz discussed it with his classes and picked a week when the French students were on break for them to attend DBHS. “I [didn’t] know if the opportunity [would] rise again,”

Tietz commented.The fourteen French

students were Anthony Aubry, Xavier Branger, George Evrard, Felix Ferdinand, Laetitia Gabillet, Justine Gillet, Alexandre Lebroton, Jade Lecordier, Marine Lepain, Jerome Morland, Arthur Poidras, Tiphany Retiff, Guillaume Roche-Bayar, and Leandre de Schynmakers. Each French student had a different reason for coming to America.

Gabillet stated, “I wanted to discover the west coast of America. [I have] heard a lot of very good things about [it]. The Americans are very generous.”

Lebroton stated, “[I wanted to come here] to improve my English.”

The foreign students were hosted by DBHS students enrolled in French that volunteered to house them for a week. The hosts were freshmen Steven Lian and Jamila

McKnight; sophomores Joseph Daniels and Giovanni Li; juniors Jasmine Chai, Evelyn Chia, David Donner, Colin Farabee, Taylor Harb, Caleb Lau, Bree Moag, and Maria Sia; seniors Frida Cruz and Nicholas Neel; and DBHS French Teacher Lina Lahham.

All host students had a variety of reasons why they wanted to house the French

NewsNewsTHE BULL’S EYE2 Wednesday, April 29, 2009

On TargetTHE SMART AND TALENTED

Your desks are filled with practice Kaplan tests and your parents have high expectations for your future. Put your best foot forward because you are not going to let them down. Remember to always have faith in yourself, and that if you dream it, you can become it. Instead of worrying the night before the test, kick back and relax your mind. Don’t forget to eat a nutritious breakfast that is

high in carbohydrates and get many hours of sleep!The SAT will be on Saturday, May 2.

HIGH FIVEEver since the moment you signed up for that class, you knew about the inevitable test in the future. Set your goal high and never stop trying to reach it. Greet the test with a big smile on your face, roll your shoulders back, and get ready to dominate the test with a five. Just relieve yourself of those last-minute test

jitters and you’ll do fine.AP Testing will be from Monday, May 4, to Thursday, May 14.

FOR THAT ONE SPECIAL PERSONWho was always there for you when you came home crying in kindergarten because someone threw a rock at you? Who listened to all your complaints and caught you when you fell? That’s right– your mother, the one who will always have your back. Here is your chance to show your appreciation for everything she has done for you. Whether it’s baking a cake or making a card, spread the love to all of the mothers in the world.

It’s time to show your mom just how much you love her.Mother’s Day will be on Sunday, May 10.

A GAME OF LUCK AND CHANCEThe grains of sand in the hourglass are falling faster and faster. Before you know it, you will be moving on to the next stage of your life. Don’t be too upset if your registration date is later than others; everyone will get a chance to register for next year. However, if you don’t show up at the amphitheater that day at all, you definitely won’t get the summer class you want, so make

sure you’re there!Registration Lottery Day is on Tuesday, May 12, for the class of 2010, Wednesday, May 13, for the class of 2011, and Thursday,

May 14, for the class of 2012.

Sweet Sixteen Wine Soirée Held at the Diamond Bar Center TASTE: During the event, live and silent auctions were held. Attendees were able to enjoy a variety of food and drinks. Thank you letters were sent out to the contributors of the event. Elizabeth LeeStaff Writer

Showstoppers... AJ Rafael and Andrew Garcia perform in the amphitheater to support the Pennies for Patients Drive. Ashley

Food for thought... Contributors provide a wide selection of food and wine that attendees are welcome to taste. Ashley Chen

City of Diamond Bar Hosts 20th Annual Birthday CELEBRATE: DBHS’ Leo Club and Key Club volunteered at the event. Leo Club was presented with awards during the Recognition of Outstanding Community Volunteers.

Ruby Hwang Contributing Staff Writer

The City of Diamond Bar held its 20th annual City Birthday Party at Pantera Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. The city-sponsored event was titled the “Spirit of Diamond Bar.”

Food such as kettle corn, cotton candy, steak sandwiches, and funnel cakes were sold at booths around the park. Later during the birthday party, a cake was cut and distributed to attendees of the event.

The booths at the event

were run by groups and businesses to raise money for their organizations. Other activities included rock climbing; the video game, Rock Band; roller coasters; horseback riding; and a ferris wheel.

Businesses such as the Sylvan Learning Center had the opportunity to provide the community with information about themselves through information booths and a tent for business showcases. A car show was also held at the event, with different cars on display for sale.

“The food is great and the rides are exciting. It was fun,” commented freshman Crystal Tam.

A Teen Action Zone was added this year, with rides aimed at teens and adults rather than

children. The Teen Action Zone also featured a band that played at the end of the event. For younger children, there were activities such as a petting zoo that featured llamas and goats.

The birthday event also featured an extended emergency-p reparedness program with booths around the park and an equipment demonstration.

Entrance was free and wristbands that allowed attendees to have unlimited access to rides were sold for $10 at the birthday event.

“I think that it is a wonderful event for the community to bring the community together and to showcase the diversity of our community,” stated Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager for the City of Diamond Bar.

The Friends of the Library hosted their 16th annual Wine Soirée at the Diamond Bar Center on Friday, April 19, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The money raised from this fundraiser will go to the Diamond Bar Library.

The funds will help the Diamond Bar Library continue programs in the library, replace worn books, add to the best-seller collection, and purchase videos, books on tape, and foreign language books.

“We worked on the event throughout the year,” commented past historian Kathleen Newe, the creator of the event.

A variety of wines were offered for tasting by the Jerry Mead New World International Wine Competition.

Eateries that included Aljibani Halal Market, Champs Elysees Bakery, Chipotle, Cold Stone Creamery, Dante’s Italian Deli, Diamond Bar Golf Course Catering, and Kentucky Fried Chicken provided food for the event.

Kyala Sushi and Japanese

Cuisine, Graber Olive House, Hilo Hilltop Suites Catering, Holiday Inn Select, It’s A Grind, Mandarin Taste Restaurant, Mimi’s Café, Round Table Pizza, and The Whole Enchilada also provided food for tasting at the event. Dale Bros. Brewery also

offered samples of beer. Silent and live auctions,

along with a silent book auction, were also held.

“I started the Wine Soirée 16 years [ago] because we were looking for a fundraiser to help keep the Diamond Bar Library

open [for] as many hours as possible. At that time, there was a budget crisis and we wanted to help,” explained Newe.

“[The Soirée] was a great success. We had a record turnout and everyone had a great time,” stated Newe.

NewsNews THE BULL’S EYE Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3

news bits

Continued from page 1DELAY: Obama plans to remove illegal immigration incentives.

Science Olympiad Participates in State Competition KNOWLEDGE: The Science Olympiad team participated in 23 events, including Ecology, Chemistry Lab, and Forensics. The team will not be proceeding to the national competition.

Adeel Mohammadi Asst. Editorial Editor

Diamond Bar High School’s Science Olympiad team placed 18th overall at the 24th Annual Southern California Science Olympiad Competition held on Saturday, April 18.

The competition was held at Cal State University, Long Beach and was a full-day event.

The team is jointly coached by science teachers Rachel Fonseca, Irene Frank, Richard Goya, and Angela Jensvold. Members include sophomores

Orrin Belden, Henry Chen, Nimisha Ganesh, Max Hung, and Brandon Sim; juniors Aaron Ahn, Derek Chang, Austin Chen, Jusuk Lee, Gary Li, Katherine Liu, Diana Mar, Emily Miller, and Yui Toyama; and seniors Eugene Chao, Sweet Song, and Eric Wong. Because a member could not attend the state competition, junior Roger Huang joined the team as an alternative.

Fonseca commented, “This is only our third year competing in Science Olympiad and it’s our first time having gone to state. With each year we have more experience and the students are better prepared.”

“It is only our first time, so I think we did fairly well. There were actually a lot of experienced schools competing, so we had

a disadvantage. We worked really hard, but I guess we could have worked harder and not procrastinated,” said Liu.

Because the team scored 18th place overall, they will not be able to proceed to the national competition. Only Troy High School from Fullerton, who won first place overall at the state competition, will be invited to compete at the nationals that will be held in mid-May in Augusta, Georgia.

The competition included 23 different events in all fields of science, including exams, labs, and physical tests of previously built mechanisms, such as a model electric car and bridge.

The team is only allowed to have 15 students, so most members participate in more than one activity. The

competition was the culmination of a year of preparation by the Science Olympiad team.

After having qualified for the state competition on February 28 at the Los Angeles County regional competition, the team prepared for the state competition throughout March and April.

Much of the team’s activities are student-driven. Frank commented, “It’s completely up to the students. We [teachers] provide them with space to meet, but they have to do the studying or building or experimenting on their own.”

Ahn stated, “We weren’t expecting much at the state competitions. We just had a good time. It’s about the experience. The competition was pretty intense.”

In a Los Angeles nursing home, a woman named Gertrude Baines celebrated her 115th birthday on April 6. She was recognized as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records. Baines received a letter from President Obama and spent her birthday at the Western Convalescent Hospital.

An Australian cattle dog went missing four months ago after falling off a ship. The dog was later found on a lone island earlier this month. During the four months that she was on the island, she ate feral goats. The dog is now safe at home with her owners.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a 23-year-old woman in Boulder Creek, California was driving her boss’ Ferrari when she drove too fast on a curve and flipped the car. The woman received no injuries, but the car ended up with damages of an estimated $125,000.

In Yunlin County, Taiwan, a highway lane was shut down and speed limits were lowered to help ensure the safe migration of thousands of milkweed butterflies. Safety nets were also used to help the butterflies cross the highway so that they could continue to migrate north of the island.

the opportunity to legally become citizens of the United States, the government would further stimulate the economy. Immigrants would be able to attain legitimate jobs, start their own businesses, and pay taxes to the government.

Reform in immigration policies would allow immigrants to legally purchase houses, fueling the housing market and, in turn, the economy. With immigration reform, the government could potentially gain access to an enormous pool of workers and their taxes, thus feeding the economy.

Leading President Obama’s list of priorities and deterring him from current immigration reform is the state of the economy. Also heading his list of priorities are

the war in Iraq and other foreign policy issues. Until these matters are stable, Obama will continue putting off immigration reform.

There are currently 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., many of whom do not hold legitimate jobs, which creates a substantial deficiency in the amount of annual tax dollars. Many Americans also believe that immigrants are taking job opportunities that should instead go to American citizens.

His good intentions to fix the economy, by putting aside immigration reform, would benefit from a wider scope—one that includes immigration reform. Until then, American citizens will suffer the consequences of an inadequate immigration policy and a dwindling economy.

Continued from page 1HOTEL: Prom nominees will participate in Prom week.

Continued from page 1FOREIGN: Each French student expected different learning experiences from their visit.

talking about it,” commented Class of 2010 Advisor Shari DeCambra.

The Prom Expo was arranged to make the students’ prom preparations easier. There will be three salons, five limousine companies, two florists, one tanning company, and three tuxedo rental businesses at the Prom Expo. Any proceeds from this event will go toward prom. “It’s a day for students to make appointments so they don’t have to drive all the way [to the vendor],” stated junior class Historian Agnes Lee. The prom court will be announced at the Prom Expo.

Throughout this week, tickets will be $170 with two activity cards, $174 with one activity card, and $178 without activity cards. The last week to get tickets will be from Monday, May 4, to Friday, May 8, for $174 with two activity cards, $178 with one activity card, and $182 without activity cards. Tickets are available in the USB room.

“I picture Prom as the most amazing night in high school history. When you walk through the door, everything sparkles; it’s something that you want to make last [and] never forget,” commented freshman Vanessa Yniguez.

be exchanged for gifts. Lady Chairperson of the

Brahma Foundation Susie Vernon organized preparations for this event. “I hope we raise a lot of money,” commented Vernon. “It’s a first-class event [and] everyone that goes has a wonderful time.”

The Brahma Foundation consists of parents and community members who help organize Casino Night. This fundraiser occurs once a year, usually in the first week of May. About 300 people attend Casino Night each year.

“I think all the parents from DBHS should come to [Casino Night]. Without Casino Night,

[we are] not going to raise enough money for things we need this year,” said Vernon.

Last year, Casino Night raised $75,000 for DBHS. The money was used to create a computer lab, renovate DBHS’ stadium, build an air-conditioning system in the gym, and pay for all of the computers and sound systems at DBHS.

“[Casino Night] is a really fun event. I expect to just have fun and I hope to have a lot of parent support. We put in a lot of care into the details to make [this event] really special,” commented Secretary of the Brahma Foundation Susan Craig.

Continued from page 1MONEY: About 300 people attend Casino Night each year.

students.“I wanted to be able to

expand my French and to experience another culture,” Harb stated. “There’s a huge language barrier, but it was a lot of fun.”

The students were from Notre Dame des Blanches

Lycée Catholique de Pontlevoy, a Catholic school in Pontlevoy, France. It cost about $1,430 for each French student to come to America. They stayed in California for a total of two weeks and left Diamond Bar Monday, April 20.

Throughout their last week in

America, they traveled to places like Palm Springs,San Diego, and Laguna Beach.

“The whole experience was really fun and interesting because I got to experience a lot of the French culture even though they were staying with us in America,” said Lau.

EditorialTHE BULL’S EYE4 Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Editorial

The proliferation of so-called “sex education” in abortion centers makes it no surprise that America’s abortion rates are among the highest in developed countries. With clinics like Planned Parenthood providing a system of education that condones sexual promiscuity and encourages over-reliance upon fallible contraceptives, it is no wonder that there are an astounding number of unwanted teen pregnancies. Only recently has Orange County been one of the few counties to suspend a funding contract with Planned Parenthood. This move was rightly executed and other counties in California should follow Orange County’s example and likewise suspend whatever contract or affiliation they have with abortion centers.

The youth of today are ironically encouraged to engage in sexual activity when they are taught to depend upon contraception as a safety net.

Abstinence and marital sex—topics only slightly touched upon in sex education—are believed to be obsolete and irrelevant. This reality is unfortunate, for abstinence and marital sex are the only fool-proof methods to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Because no birth control is fail-proof, teens feel that they are always welcome to come back to “remove” the problem. Contracts with the government that allocate funds for abortion centers only reinforce the idea that something as horrendous as abortion is an acceptable way to solve the problem.

Abortion, a topic subject to much controversy, should play no role in the government. Ultimately, abortion clinics should not be able to list the government as one of its financial sponsors. Just as there is a separation between church and state, there ought to be a partition between government and something as morally questionable as abortion. Orange County was irrefutably correct in its act

of severing financial ties to Planned Parenthood, ending the endorsement of a dubious organization.

There is something wrong with the idea of having pro-life advocates’ hard-earned tax dollars going towards abortion centers like Planned Parenthood. The sensitive subject of abortion has both adamant supporters as well as pro-life advocates who strongly disagree with abortion. It is unfair for non-supporters to have their tax money put to use on something that they do not at all support.

Planned Parenthood’s false ideology condones sexual promiscuity by offering a quick, simple, and utterly emotionless solution to the problem by killing an innocent child, and it is truly the source of many social ills. It is unconstitutional to use taxpayers’ dollars towards an objective in which many, especially in a conservative district like Orange County, may not support. Teens that are educated about safe sex at an

Pro: OC Clinic Contract SuspensionDesiree WangAsst. Feature Editor

abortion center will no doubt feel that they are able to return in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. The government must tread carefully around matters such as abortion, being careful not to intrude upon the personal concerns of the American taxpayer.

With much support from Orange County residents to back the decision, the Orange County Supervisors made a prudent choice in suspending the contract which provided finances to Planned Parenthood. As a mostly conservative county, Orange County’s decision to end the contract only reflected the views of the residents. Orange County’s suspension of the Planned Parenthood contract is a byproduct of the voice of the people who have the right to nullify that which contradicts their morals. The entire country would do well to follow the example of Orange County by severing whatever legal ties are holding them responsible for the death of infants.

Justin KongAsst. Feature Theme Editor

A New Coat of Paint

America seems to be going through some of its worst times, and is no longer the once highly respected nation it once was. Actions that America has taken over the past years have caused foreign countries to question American goals and intentions. In order to maintain a positive global image and reestablish international trust, President Barack Obama has made sever-al changes in foreign p o l i c y . M a n y have ar-gued that Americans i g n o r e the global opinion of the United S t a t e s . However, the Ameri-can im-age is crucial and changes to the worldwide image of America have become necessary.

It is essential for the US to maintain a positive image on the global stage. George W. Bush’s call for the invasion of Iraq in 2002 as a “War on Terror” was unsubstantiated as Iraq did not hold WMDs like he had reasoned, causing the loss of thousands of innocent American and Iraqi lives. Before the invasion, America was respected by countries worldwide, but this respect gradually diminished as foreign countries increasingly opposed America’s tactics against terrorism and caused foreign nations to question America’s true intention for the war. Under the Bush administration, America was not the iconic country it used to be, but rather a giant bully desperate to display its role as a superpower. As our image and reputation faltered, America began to feel problems internally.

The US economy is experiencing one of its worst downturns in history. We are facing much opposition and skepticism concerning its power in the world. Vladimir Putin, the prime minister of Russia,

criticized America for its inability to deal with the global financial crisis. Various nations may refuse to make any transactions or connections dealing with America. Without the projection of a positive image, America’s foreign relations and policies will gradually crumble. As the face of America begins to lose its high recognition of leadership and power, America falters in its dominance worldwide, making the reestablishment of a positive American image crucial

to America’s survival.

Americans who argue against the need to main-tain a positive image are pro-moting isola-tionism, or the d e t a c h m e n t from affairs out-side of the na-tion. Because America is de-

pendent on foreign countries, America will suffer without prop-er communication with other countries. To repair the nation’s image, the Obama administra-tion has removed the phrase “War on Terror” entirely from its vocabulary, replacing the term with the euphemism “Overseas Contingency Operations.” By doing this, Obama is attempt-ing to create a renewed global respect for the country. Before our nation’s positive reputa-tion ceases to exist altogether, Obama must make the neces-sary steps to building better re-lationships with foreign nations. This is crucial for America’s role as a respected superpower and for its welfare.

The foundation of America and its policies relies heavily upon how the world views the U.S. and its institutions. As America prevails through these times of hardship, now more than ever, the formation of a positive American image is vital for our country’s prosperity. Improving the American image is the first step in recreating America as the highly respected nation it formerly was; it is essential for our country to be recognized as a powerful and peaceful one all around the world.

In light of dismal economic conditions, educational fund-ing has been cut to such a de-gree that as of the 2009-2010 school year, Diamond Bar High School students will not be allowed to take more than six classes. Elective courses have been slashed and class periods have been reduced. Schedule cramming has long been a staple for the over-achieving, overburdened stu-dent, and these elective cuts are a blessing in disguise that removes some pressure from an increasingly competitive college application process.

It is understandable that all public sectors should feel the strain of a nearly bankrupt California, and while sacrificing education seems to indicate a lack of foresight, the funding cuts will only be temporary and will not prevent students from taking core classes. Even without district enforcement, elective classes such as band and orchestra would still be downsized since much of their funding comes from outside donations, charity which can be ill-afforded in today’s hostile economic environment.

University of California officials have officially reported that admissions selectivity at most UC campuses has increased this year, and acceptance rates have reached an eight year low.

Under different circumstances, college-bound students would have become so frenzied by this news that school administrators would have been bombarded by requests for 8-period days and extra weekend sessions. But with yearly schedules capped, a decrease in summer school courses offered, and the funding for community colleges trimmed, students seeking to get ahead will be denied, allowing them to balance their lives out with more community service and more time devoted to friends and family. Less schoolwork means time for a job, more attention to extracurricular activities, and the opportunity to explore the adult world. Students will be challenged to think of more innovative ways to increase their appeal to college admissions officers, and the community will indubitably benefit from this. A balanced, well-rounded high school career is precisely what colleges are looking for, not transcript stuffing.

Until the global economy stabilizes, everybody—Diamond Bar High School students included—will have to adapt to changing conditions. There is a silver lining to these budget cuts; students should take a step back, stop their complaining, and rise up to meet the challenge.

The topic of abortion has always been subject to controversy. Though there are many different beliefs surrounding the issue of abortion, religious beliefs and moral qualms should not interfere with county politics like it did when Orange County supervisors suspended a contract with Planned Parenthood because the facility provided abortions. This decision needs to be reevaluated because it was clearly based on personal religious beliefs without any regard to the health benefits of Orange County residents whatsoever.

The grant mentioned in the contract was part of a $7.5 million agreement with the Orange County Coalition of Community Clinics. It had been issued earlier without any opposition until supervisor John Moorlach realized that Planned Parenthood was one of the clinics receiving the grant. None

of the supervisors had spoken of any disagreements to the contract before Moorlach raised his voice, and nobody had shown any disapproval to the contract eight years ago, when it was first instated. After a long debate, two other supervisors cited their Roman Catholic beliefs as their reasoning and voted on suspending the contract. Supervisors should look beyond moral superiority when dealing with county politics.

The issue of abortion should not play a part in this situation at all because Planned Parenthood is not just an abortion clinic, as seen by the supervisors; it is a nonprofit organization that provides abortions when necessary as one of their many health procedures. They provide breast examinations and sex education for teens and preteens as a valuable service. Planned Parenthood is a vital part of the community that will not be able to fully complete its purpose without the money provided in the contract.

The most important aspect of Planned Parenthood is the sex education program. This program is meant to reach out to younger citizens and prevent unwanted pregnancies before it is too late. Without the financial support guaranteed in the contract, Planned Parenthood will no longer be able to provide citizens with this valuable education. This sudden contract breakage came with no warnings and was only brought up to appease the conservative mindsets of Orange County supervisors. Contrary to the supervisors’ belief, suspending the contract will not lessen the demand for abortions. Without the education that Planned Parenthood offers, young adults will be more likely to engage in sexual activities without any protection. It is unacceptable for county representatives to act according to their religious beliefs without first considering the consequences. The unwarranted suspension will cause citizens to lose faith in the county’s decisions and provoke

Con: OC Clinic Contract SuspensionSharon Lin Asst. Editorial Editor

future backlash against the board.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is overstepping its authority and allowing their fear of promoting an imperfect image to interfere with the contract. Supervisors are not looking out for the county and its citizens; they are abusing their power to stop a procedure that they personally view as immoral. However, what it comes down to in the end is that supervisors should not allow their religion to interfere with county politics. It seems as though the Orange County Board of Supervisors has abandoned their responsibilities as respected officials in order to create a county that meets their religious standards. It is unfair for any America citizen to have religious beliefs pushed upon them. Supervisors need to open their eyes to their responsibilities as unbiased, civil servants and carry out their duties so that citizens can once again enjoy the many benefits Planned Parenthood offers.

Eye of the Editors “I have to take more classes than I want next year because they do not have a lot of classes for summer school. I also dislike the fact that some good teachers are being fired because of the cuts.”

—Camille Tecson, Junior

“The cuts are not really affecting me, but I am sure that there are people that are getting affected. Maybe some of the athletic programs will be cut.”

—Rocco Rizzo, Freshman

“It is unfair how some classes and programs like Photography and French are being cut back on while others are not.”

—Jack Zhai, Sophomore

“I am forced to drop either dance, drama, or French: all things that I love. I am also forced to give up certain academic classes that might be important for me to get into good UCs.”

—Megan McMillan, Sophomore

“It gives us less electives to choose from because that is what they are cutting back on. Classes are also going to be bigger, which I do not like because I feel like I will not be able to get the help I need.”

—Victoria Leung, Sophomore

“It causes the learning environment to feel uncomfortable, but I do not really mind the cuts otherwise.”

—Henry Chen, Sophomore

Editorial THE BULL’S EYE Wednesday, April 29, 2009 5

Editorial PolicyThe Bull’s Eye is a public forum that welcomes the views of our readers. Letters to the Editor will be accepted only if they are signed. The author may, however, request anonymity. The staff reserves the right to edit letters without changing content. Forward letters to Ms. Chen, Room 250.

Asst. Sports Editors Ryan DeVore Andrew John Photo Editor Leanne Fan

Asst. Photo Editors James An Ashley Chen Eunice Lee

Business Manager Eliza Pan

Asst. Business Manager Eric Su

Editorial Cartoonist Katie Lee Staff Writers Kevin Acciani Elizabeth Lee Eric Lee Iris Li

Asst. Copy Editor Reshma Patel

Advisor Connie Chen

Diamond Bar High School21400 E. Pathfinder Rd.Diamond Bar, CA 91765

Editors-in-Chief Gina Hong Anahita Namaki

News Editors Tiffany Huey Jennifer Shin

Asst. News Editor Genesis Keller Editorial Editor Yufeng Luo

Asst. Editorial Editors Sharon Lin Adeel Mohammadi Feature Theme Editors Leanne Fan Lisa Park

Asst. Feature Theme Editor Justin Kong A & E Editor Janice Yu

Asst. A & E Editors Kevin Kang Jane Park

Feature Editors Pia Kochhar Eliza Pan

Asst. Feature Editors Pauline Phan Desiree Wang

Sports Editor Phoebe Hua

THE BULL’S EYE STAFF

Seize the Seas

It sounds like a story from centuries ago: unsafe seas for sailors, pirates boarding merchant ships, sailors fending off maniacal, armed pirates. It is happening now off the coast of Somalia, and the stories are unfolding on the news. Recently a U.S. merchant ship was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia, and the crew and captain were held hostage. Clearly, action must be taken to protect international citizens from falling into the hands of these wanton criminals. The only tenable solution is a multi-pronged attack comprising of a military attack and a concurrent political component backed by the United Nations.

The lack of government in Somalia enables the pirates to control the coastline and domestic industry. The United Nations must support a strong Somalian government so that the pirates will be held in check and will receive appropriate punishment. The pull is the money and the push side of this equation is the extreme poverty that forces Somalian youths to become pirates. These factors have converged to conspire against law and order off the Horn of Africa, thereby spawning the attacks of pirates. Action must be taken to aid innocent Somalians and protect them from organized crime.

Governments around the world are twiddling their thumbs and being indecisive, fearing that military intervention will turn North Korea into the UN’s Iraq. Of course, military action by itself would be ineffective because pirate territory extends 1.1 million square miles. A blind

military incursion attacks only the symptom, not the disease, namely the lack of a functional government. The proposal to solve the problem solely through diplomacy is also untenable. Not only is it sound to deal with a government infiltrated by the pirate menace, political change with all its red tape and compromises, takes time. The solution must be a multinational, multi-pronged approach with concentrated military efforts along with a plan for political reconstruction of the Somalian government. The UN must oversee the iniative because the pirate problem involves many nations that utilize these shipping lanes and would benefit greatly from stability in Somalia.

If a functional government does not exist, international pressure and aid are not possible. Hence, multinational, UN-backed political sanctions are necessary to ensure that the warlords, who obtained their power through fear and oppression, become ineffective and are purged. Thus, an effective strategy must involve the execution of targeted Special Forces’ military attacks at sea and bases on land, along with the international political pressure and rebuilding of the Somalian government.

One rogue nation could disrupt trade and the economic wel l -be ing of many other countries, including that of the global superpowers. Swift action must be taken to restore law to the Horn of Africa through multinational solidarity. The pirates’ land bases must be effaced; the assets frozen, and their livelihoods threatened. The UN must let these criminals know that the world will not let their atrocious behavior go unpunished.

Katie LeeEditorial Cartoonist

Blazing Trails of Satire

Don’t Show Them the Money

With the tough economic times our country—for that matter, the whole world—is exper ienc ing, Amer icans have become less stingy and have sacr i f iced elements from their restrictive system of individualistic capitalism, rejecting obstinate individualism and, in modest steps, accepting domestic humanitarianism. However, they are still wary of international humanitarianism. S ta rv ing Amer i cans a re reassured when they see the good intentions of their compassionate neighbors. The worst of times truly brings about the best in people, and we can see that we have no need to worry about economic instability when we are surrounded by so many who are willing to give up their capitalistic ideology to help their fellow countrymen,

but have enough self-respect to never stoop low enough to donate to international causes.

Americans have seen a surge in domestic humanitarianism; we are willing to forfeit our pigheaded capitalism to aid our

fellow Americans. We proudly contribute to causes that will help our country, like “American Cancer Society” and “Doctors without Stethoscopes.” Even

Adeel MohammadiAsst. Editorial Editor

Out of the Box

The Editorial Board invites The Bull’s Eye readers to submit original commentary based on current events. All submitted work should be in accordance with the Editorial Policy in the staff box. Selected entries will be published in a subsequent issue of The Bull’s Eye.

Apparently, wealthy Texans are used to going 180 hours without sleep. Torture? No...

—Adeel Mohammadi

Going Ballistic

Since North Korea’s long-range rocket launch earlier this month, the rogue nation has forcibly removed United Nations weapons inspectors and has threatened the international community with “merciless punishment.” While that is most certainly an empty threat, pigheaded saber-rattling is no longer a method of diplomacy and should neither be appeased nor tolerated by the United Nations. Governments around the world, especially the United States, China, and Russia must make a unified, hard-lined stand against this malicious and deliberate disturbance of global stability.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il is no doubt trying to make a show of force to the new Obama administration, attempting to earn fearful respect for himself and his regime. But with a starving,

oppressed populace, the North Korean government cannot be accepted let alone respected by the global community. The fact that Kim Jong Il and his cohorts hold nuclear armament above feeding the people paints the North Korean government as a tyrannical establishment that must not be appeased any longer. While any foreign operation aimed at invading and “liberating” another nation is improbable, the world powers have the clout to pressure North Korea into backing down.

Following a similar 2006 missile launch, UN sanctions were laid out to restrict trade between North Korea and surrounding nations. However, neither China nor Russia followed through with these sanctions and both nations have been reluctant to castigate North Korea for its recent behavior. It is foolish of the Chinese and Russian governments to sacrifice global

Yufeng LuoEditorial Editor

stability for economic gain, and now that North Korea is that much closer to nuclear proliferation, the Eastern powers must realize how dangerous it is to have a potentially belligerent nation at their doorstep. Not only should they take measures to stringently enforce the UN sanctions, China and Russia—usually North Korea’s allies—must take a clear stand against Kim Jong Il. If the North Korean government has chosen to escalate the conflict by threatening neighbors and rebuffing negotiation efforts, then perhaps seeing former allies arranged against it will force these instigators to rethink their position.

The media attention and inconsequential UN censure has only reinforced the North Korean government’s mentality that by creating a crisis, the world will let them leave the negotiation table with more than they came with. There needs to be no negotiation

Donald Trump has gotten involved by donating a few cents to the “Pennies for Patients” cause.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l humanitarianism before the economic meltdown can be

blamed for the tough fiscal conditions we are seeing now—because Americans put money in to overseas charities, they took capital from the American h o m e l a n d a n d instead fostered t h e g r o w t h o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l economies. But now that we have learned from our mistakes, we need

to worry about our poor pets, who suffer silently from our fiscal negligence; they are perhaps the neediest of all victims, far more deserving of our money than starving villagers in some remote village.

In spite of all the suffering we see around the globe, we proudly immerse ourselves in our own domestic suffering. While desperate high school seniors are despairing about the prospect of not receiving university financial aid, millions of destitute, famished individuals are dying around the world. But we should not let that bother

with Kim Jong Il on this, the third occasion that North Korea has threatened the world. Restrictive sanctions need to be laid down and obeyed by all nations, and increased political pressure must be exerted to make sure that UN food and medical supplies are reaching the starving populace instead of being seized and sold at an inflated price by corrupt officials.

North Korea cannot make threats and expect the civilized world to give it free rein. Be it a cry for attention or a plot to inspire respect and recognition from other nations, North Korea has crossed the boundary of tolerable conduct. The United States, China and Russia must realize that it is up to them to follow through. In this post-Cold War era, there is no place for nuclear standoffs or rogue nations taking on the rest of the world, and North Korea must be made to understand this.

us—capitalism has taught us to let nature do its selection, to weed out the unfit and leave behind the fiscally strong. And so, while we watch the hungry die, we do so knowing that we will be enhancing the gene pool for future generations.

Individualism also makes Americans feel competitive and accomplished. Seeing other people die makes Americans feel good—in an interview, a desperate American housewife explained, “When the economy suffers, I find it difficult to keep my luxury car from being repossessed and my suburban house from being foreclosed on. But since hungry children in Africa are dying by the minute, it makes me feel better thinking that at least I’m not dead. Their suffering is my solace.”

Americans are a resilient and ingenious people—we will find ways to survive the economic crisis, even if we have to resort to stealing or utilizing government bailouts. Our unfaltering allegiance to the capitalistic motto “looking out for number one” has manifested itself in our disregard for foreign sufferers, unworthy of our dynamic dollars. It would be downright un-American to help international sufferers when Americans proudly assert “Ask not what you can do for them, but what you can do for us.”

It’s better that our president talk to leaders than follow the “diplomacy” of certain former cowboys.

—Jane Park

Editorial

Letter to the EditorI am offended about the [Out-of-the-Box quote] that you printed

in the paper about Jewish people and their stereotypes [in the previous issue]. I am sure you would not have printed a [quote] on African American people or Asian stereotypes in the paper. I think the small population of Jewish students and teachers on our campus deserves an apology.

—Anonymity Requested

Afghan woman: rape me once every four days.

—Gina HongYou think you can eliminate me? Take me off Microsoft Word? I’ll never go away! Everywhere you look, resumes, posters, AIM fonts...I’ll be there! —Comic Sans

Angela Merkel is Germany’s prime minister, Hillary Clinton is secretary of state, and Afghan women are forced by law to have sex with their husbands. Sweet progress.

—Yufeng Luo

body odditiesFeature

6 Wednesday, April 29, 2009 THE BULL’S EYE Feature

secret societiesAshley Ahn Contributing Staff Writer

A huge nose, small eyes, and a longer second toe—these are all physical features that can be found on people, but what do they really mean? Is it possible that something as common as an attached ear-lobe is actually a looking glass into a per-son’s per-s o n a l -ity, hopes, a n d d reams? Is it pos-sible to in-terpret all this by just looking at body fea-tures? Baloney! Or is it…

Over many years, people have come to believe that body features can reveal an in-dividual’s personality. Although many accept this as true, just as many doubt it. According to the art of body reading, the physical attributes of a person can reveal their character, at-titude, and sometimes even destiny.

For most people, when looking at someone, the fi rst thing they notice is a person’s face, recognizing a person’s nose, hair, eyes, and ears fi rst. Some believe that those who have big noses are hardwork-ing and energetic. If you have a small nose, you’re endearing and very thoughtful.

Nowadays, changing your hair style is as common as changing your clothes, but you should think back to your natu-ral hair because it can reveal a lot about your personality. Fine

and straight hair means that you are sensitive and cultured while thick and wavy hair means you are strong-willed and have high principles. You might want to think twice before you change your hair now.

Many people are big on eyes, but what do you think they reveal? Those that have large eyes are friendly, open, and

warm-hearted, and those that have small eyes are direct but not very outgoing.

Have you ever been caught playing with your ears? Do you fl ick your earlobes

as a source of fun? Those with detached earlobes are believed to have more fun, but it doesn’t mean that those with attached lobes can’t have fun too. Those with detached earlobes are also said to be harmonious while those with attached earlobes are said to be skilled with han-dling delicate situations.

In today’s culture, the phrase, “Never judge a book by its cover,” does not exactly pertain anymore. With so many people in society linking body features to personality traits, the prospect of judging a per-son based solely on their looks may seem intriguing, but make sure to actually get to know the person before you make any major decisions. All this infor-mation could be true, but there are always exceptions. So the next time you look at someone, make sure to take a good look because you never know what their features could reveal.

UNC Chapel HillLegend has it that on a gloomy day in 1833, Pe-ter Dromgoole inexplicably disappeared from the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, never to be seen again. The Order of Dromgoole was formed in his honor. According to one of the founders, William W. Davies, the name was later changed to the Order of Gimghoul “in accord with midnight and graves and weirdness.” Apart from preserving the legend of Dromgoole, the Order upholds the ideals of chivalry and knighthood. For a meeting place, nothing regular would do for such an exclusive group. So the Or-der built a castle on the site that Dromgoole was rumored to be murdered. But as with all secret societies, not just anyone can join the Order. Sor-ry ladies, but membership is limited by invitation only to males, juniors or higher, and faculty.

Nicole OngpoyContributing Staff Writer

Girl: That sounded like light-ning.

Girl: What the heck is a naval war? A war against bellybut-tons?

Boy: I don’t need to take biol-ogy to become a doctor!

Boy 1: Where do white people come from?Boy 2: I don’t know where they come from. Boy 1: I guess they come from Whiteland.

Boy: Wait, are you fl uent in eb-onics?

Boy: Fish can have babies?!

Teacher: In Spain they have a tradition where they throw to-matoes at each other. Boy: We’re in a recession and they’re throwing tomatoes at each other?!

Boy (to girl): You’re short and you’re Irish. That makes you a leprechaun.

Girl: Can I throw a churro at her?

Boy: I like you cause you’re Asian.

Girl 1: You know, she’s ordinary pretty not pretty pretty.Girl 2: Yeah, but isn’t she so pretty!

Boy 1 (on the fi rst day of STAR testing): Good luck on your test!Boy 2: What test?

Boy 1: I got in a fi ght yester-day...Boy 2: Awesome!

Girl: If one person kicks a per-son and that person kicks an-other person, then that will start a chain reaction of people kick-ing each other.

overheard

in DBEvery month, we will bring you some of the most ridiculous, hi-larious, fl at-out idiotic, and sometimes insightful things we hear around campus. So beware—we’ll be listening.

Boy: Dude, mucus smells good.

Boy 1: What about the mosses that grow on bread?Boy 2: Isn’t that mold?

You don’t hear the phrase, “Hey guys, let’s go to the swap meet!” very often. In fact, most people only go to swap meets maybe once or twice in their life because they would rather hang at the mall. When it comes to swap meets, people think of used clothes, irritating stall owners, and cheap and hol-ey shoes. However, there is some charm to swap meets that I have uncovered after visiting two in the surround-ing community, but not with-out some disappointing experi-ences as well.

Azusa Swap Meet A swap meet that you

should never visit, under any cir-cumstances, is the Azusa Swap Meet in La Puente. The whole place was just rather terrifying. For one thing, I was parked next to a rundown pick-up truck with a hobo sleeping in it. There was also a restaurant nearby with creepy men standing outside smoking. The whole market was deserted and it was only early afternoon. It was so small and

shabby; I nearly pitied the stall owners. I would have stuck around for a little bit longer,

but scary gangsters started following my mom and me. We swiftly made our way to the nearest exit and walked to our car without speaking a word. All I can say is that the Azusa Swap Meet should only be visited if you were dying on a nearby street and the only way to survive was

to visit the swap meet. So, in other words: never.

Pomona Swap Meet Much better than the

last swap meet, the next one I attended was located in Pomo-na and there were no signs of creepy people. This swap meet mostly ap-peals to young guys, as it has items such as neon skateboards and cheap accessories for the Xbox360® and the Wii®. And if you are in desperate need to improve the look of your car, many acces-sories for your seats

and steering wheel are avail-able at really reasonable prices. The most enjoyable stalls of the whole swap meet would have to be the food stalls. After a long, hard day of haggling with stub-born stall-owners, turning toward food stands, fi lled with cheap nachos and other Mexican de-lights, is the perfect relief. The stalls not only had the typical sugary and sweet, long churros, but also Mexican, wheel-shaped churros. An affordable snack that cost only $1.25 was also available; you could add lemon juice and chili powder to make spicy yet delicious chips.

Sure, you can’t com-pare the air-conditioned and branded shops at the mall to swap meets, but swap meets have a special lure about them. They al-low you to explore a wide range of affordable clothes in a small area. Find-ing a great pair of shoes or a fabulous blouse in a shabby, old wooden stall is like fi nding a diamond in the rough, and you get the

same feeling too. Go out and adventure into one of the many swap meets in the surrounding community and you will be sur-prised!

SWAP ‘TIL YOU DROP

Boy: I wonder what your dog would look like without a face.

Do you have...

- Attached or detached earlobes

- A big nose or a small nose

- Big eyes or small eyes

- Straight hair or curly hair

I’ve been on Youtube for the past ten minutes replaying Vitamin C’s “Graduation” song over and over again in hopes of arousing some sort of sen-timental feelings about high school, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like high school completely sucked. It only kind of sucked. But I’m not going to sit here and just whine about teachers who can’t teach and people who walk slowly in the hallways (but seriously, that ain’t cool) be-cause frankly, I think I’ve been doing enough of that these past four years.

I now present to you the new and improved Pia. The OP-TIMISITIC Pia!

Who knows how long this new mindset will last. A year? Five minutes? Whatever. But as of this exact instant in time, I am SO excited for life! Despite the fact that America seems to be going down the pothole, I just know that everything will be okay in the end. You see, that’s just the way optimistic people think.

Seriously though, I can’t wait for college. I can’t wait to study abroad. I can’t wait to meet new people. I can’t wait to learn how to surf (I mean, um, swim). And the list goes on and on. And as crazy as it sounds, “I can’t wait to get out of Diamond Bar” is not on my idealistic list of crap. Because if it weren’t for DB I would drink chai lattes in-stead of boba, I would be happy with a B+ on my report card, I would think student government is dedicated to making the world a better place, and I would not be so freakin excited to actually meet WHITE people in college!

Okay, I lied. I seriously can’t wait to get out of Diamond Bar, but I don’t hate it.

High school would be noth-ing without the people, even the stupid and ignorant ones, because they make you feel smarter and boost your self-esteem. Here’s to more of these people in the future, so my in-fl ated head can get even big-ger.

To the people I like: Maybe our paths will cross again some-day.

To the people I don’t like: I hope you become better at life.

Then to the special people:Mr. Roubian, I’m sorry I’m

such a horrible person and I’m sorry for using you; Mr. Moran, I want to be like you when I grow up; PAP, I miss our tea parties. We need to watch Love Actuallyagain and do yoga. Journalism Girls, The 90s will NEVER die in our hearts! Late night karaoke, random adventures on deadline nights, therapy sessions, “Don’t Stop Believing” with the win-dows rolled down, $5 striped v-necks at Old Navy, and FOOD! Thanks for all the memories.

Ever since I was a fresh-man, I couldn’t wait to write my senior column. It was sup-posed to be this brilliant piece of work that would defi ne my high school experience. It was practi-cally the reason I joined journal-ism. But now, I don’t really care so much. High school is what it is. There’s no need to analyze it all. I had good times. I had bad times. And now, I’m just ready to move on to that fabulous life awaiting me.

Pia KochharFeature Editor

Boy: I’m suddenly attracted to dark-skinned women.

Yale UniversityPerhaps the most famous of all secret societies, Yale University’s Skull and Bones has inspired books, movies, and even Simpsons’ episodes. Formed in 1832, the society has produced many notable alumni, including U.S. senators, CIA mem-bers, and presidents of this here United States. All “Bonesmen” are given secret names to use only within the society. Examples include “Magog,” as-signed to George H.W. Bush for having the most sexual experience, and “Temporary,” given to George W. Bush. Meetings are held in a building called the “Tomb,” where the “Bonesmen” uphold traditions like singing special anthems, discuss-ing their sex lives, and talking about themselves. The Skull and Bones members even go by their own time when inside the “Tomb”—fi ve minutes ahead of the rest of the world.

University of VirginiaIt was a football game like any other at the Uni-versity of Virginia; that is, until a man in a black cape parachuted onto the fi eld and presented a $14,777.77 check to the class presidents. A letter instructed students to submit written proposals as to how the money should be spent to have a meaningful impact on the university community. The culprits? The Seven Society. Not much is known about this society—members are revealed only after their deaths, as Robert F. Kennedy was after his assassination. The apparent goal of the society is to promote learning and morality, as evidenced by its past gifts. So it’s not just about secret handshakes wearing secret costumes in the secret clubhouse with secret passwords—it’s about actively promoting and encouraging schol-arship and philanthropy.

Feature Staff

CornellSecretly creating a society to “create and main-tain a stronger feeling for Cornell” and to promote “closer and stronger friendships among members of the senior class,” certain young men in the Cor-nell class of 1890 decided to call themselves the Sphinx Head Society. Since the founding of the society, membership has been “reserved for the most respected” members of the senior class. It is no surprise that a majority of the Sphinx Head Society’s members have honorary membership, a.k.a “fi rst dibs,” to the highly esteemed admin-istrative, faculty, and Board of Trustees positions offered at Cornell. While the Sphinx Head Society claims to have “closely guarded secrets and tradi-tions,” it has created the Dragon Day and Slope Day Celebration, which are among the many school-wide events that Cornell holds annually.

Boy: Caucasians are Asians.Girl: Almonds grow on trees?!

FeatureFeature THE BULL’S EYE Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7

No Mo’ Fro!Laura Moffi ttContributing Staff Writer

Word has already spread around the school like wildfi re, but for those people who have not heard the news yet, I, An-drew John, the “Asian boy with the afro,” have fi nally cut my hair. Remember back in October when I said that I would donate my hair? Well, that time fi nally came. Sure, it was defi nitely a pretty big change for me. But I think I am starting to get used to life with ordinary, short hair.

It used to be that everyone would say to me, “Oh my gosh! I love your hair!” Now ev-eryone is saying, “Oh my gosh! Your hair!” Sure, they sound alike, but actually, the fi rst phrase is talking about my afro, whereas the second is about my afro being gone.

At fi rst, it was harder for other people to get used to my new hair cut than it was for me. Some of my friends did not even recognize me. I would see a friend during passing period, greet him, and he would greet me back quickly and without much thought. However, after we had separated for a few steps, he would suddenly real-ize that it was me who greeted

him, turn around, and fi nally shout, “Hey Andrew!” I did not mind that my friends did not rec-ognize me. I was not really sur-prised. I mean, I probably would not have recognized myself with short hair.

I am defi nitely going to miss all of the funny questions that I constantly received about my afro. I will no longer get the “Can I touch it?” questions, and espe-cially the unforgettable “Are you half-black?” questions. And I am

unfortunately going to have to fi nd new ways to start conversations with new peo-ple, especially girls. They al-ways seemed to be the most f a s c i n a t e d with my hair.

The other aspect of my hair that I am going to miss is the big chunk of my identity that it made up. Before, when a person did not know who I was, that person at least knew who the “Asian guy with the afro” was. Now there is only regular Andrew. Now I look like any normal Asian kid, except maybe for the fact that I still have curly hair. But it is sad knowing that I will not stand out in a crowd anymore.

Even with all of the negativ-ity, I think I will get used to this fro-less life. My hair will even-tually grow back. Until then I guess I’ll have to be “the Asian kid who used to have the afro.”

Andrew JohnAsst. Sports Editor

Who says you have to be of royal blood to be an offi cial princess? These Diamond Bar princesses strut their stuff all over town and they are just like you and me.

This year, Miss Diamond Bar, senior Chelsea Tadros of Saint Lucy’s, and her princesses junior Crystal Myung; past Diamond Bar High School graduate Ju-lia Chu; junior Jac-quelyn Abad; and senior Ivania Perez stand tall as the roy-al court of Diamond Bar. To earn their crowns and sashes these girls had to go through formal gown and swimsuit com-petitions, individual interviews with a judge, and stage questions. The court was crowned on March 29 in Diamond Bar High School’s theater, with over 250 onlookers adding to the pres-sure.

Now that the girls have made it through the pageant, they will begin their work for the city. They must not only keep up with their intense class work, but also go above and beyond to act as positive role models. “[I want to] set a good example for the younger people and in-spire others in the community

to give back,” Abad said. The princesses must keep up their appearances, always behaving appropriately and giving back to the city.

The girls all continue to learn from the experience. “[The pageant has given me a] differ-ent outlook on life, more confi -dence and knowledge, and has helped me to grow as a person,”

commented Abad.Myung said, “[I have

learned] how to walk in heels—that’s a big thing—and how im-portant a fi rst impression is be-cause your fi rst impression will always be the one that people remember.”

The girls will attend over 50 citywide events and act as am-bassadors for the city. They will participate in events such as the city’s Easter Egg Hunt, the Dia-mond Bar Birthday Party, and

the Concerts in the Park. “[I hope to] give back to the

community, meet a lot of new people, adults mostly, and just have fun.” said Perez regarding her term as a princess.

Both Abad and Perez have been involved in community ser-vice for several years. “[I partici-pated in the pageant] because I have been involved in com-

munity ser-vice since I was 13 and as you get older it gets harder to fi nd ways to help out. Miss Dia-mond Bar and her court do tons of communi-ty service so it seemed like a great way to give back to the community,” said Abad.

The girls are presented with many opportunities by being on the court. Tadros will receive $1,600 in scholarships.

“[Being on the court] re-ally sets you apart, not just on college applications but just in meeting people,” commented Abad.

The girls have just started their term but have al-ready participated in several city events and are sure to be wonderful princesses.

Justin KongAsst. Feature Theme Editor

Jane ParkAsst. A&E Editor

POWER RANGERS

Here come the Power Rangers! These Power Rang-ers are from Mr. Hong’s sec-ond period class; but instead of fi ghting crime with robots, they are fi ghting the overuse of electricity, paper, and water on campus and in the community. They’ve done away with the body suits in exchange for re-cycled paper, which they use to create posters advertising their cause. The members hope to help redirect school funds from being spent on the overuse of amenities, Cut down on the amount of electricity you use and always ask your teachers if you can use both sides of the paper for school assignments so you too can become a Pow-er Ranger!

”Energy and water con-servation is really important. I feel like Power Rangers can really have a big impact on our community and our school by saving money. We can help the earth while we help ourselves too,” said Power Rangers member Jacqueline Wongso.

REPLAYRemember when the only

way to get the latest music was to actually go into a store and buy a CD? Did you know that they’re non-biodegradable and harmful to the environment? Mr. Hwang’s fourth period class has formed Replay, a group that helps people dispose of their CDs in an environmen-tally conscience way. You’ve probably seen a few of the members in the Upper Quad on Fridays during lunch. They collect your CDs to send to a recycling center. So go ahead and turn in one of your CDs, not just because it will give you the chance to win a trip to Dis-neyland or Knott’s Berry Farm, but because you will be helping to keep our environment safe.

“REPLAY could defi nitely have a large impact on the Diamond Bar community and surrounding areas as well. Be-cause the use and discarding of CDs is so widespread, the proj-ect we run could be extremely successful,” said Replay CEO Megan Simmons.

DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION

Did you miss the huge clothing exchange event of the year? Students sub-mitted clothing such as old dresses, ties, and vests, from April 13 to April 17. These students then re-ceived a voucher allowing them to pick out a “new” snazzy garment on April 19 that they could use for prom. The event was host-ed by Dress Dress Revo-lution. The group was cre-ated in order to help reduce the pollution caused when making formal dresses by recycling and exchanging old dresses. Each formal dress that is created con-sumes a lot of water and fossil fuels.

“I really liked this proj-ect because you get to learn about different environmen-tal things not put out in your textbook. It’s really cool and has a twist on it so that you can really make a impact on your community,” said DDR CEO Ava Jahanvash.

EARTH2KIDS

The “next generation” needs to be environmentally aware and help the world around them. This is what Earth2Kids, an educational organization created to spread awareness about the environment, is seek-ing to achieve. The mission of the organization is to teach el-ementary school children the importance of a better envi-ronment, because good hab-its are formed at a young age. Earth2Kids presents material to students in hopes that the children will grow up informed about the environment and will make environmentally-con-scious decisions. With weekly lessons on environmental top-ics, Eath2Kids is reaching out to childrenin hopes for a better future.

“Our group is really coop-erative. We’re making an im-pact by teaching the kids about the environment. It is a reward for us too, because it’s fun to watch the kids learn and to have the opportunity to interact with them every Thursday,” said Earth2Kids Advertisement De-partment Leader Gimin Shon.

BATHROOM BRIGADE

Did you know that DBHS spends a whopping $1,719.64 just on paper towels every year? The paper towel con-sumption and waste hurts the environment and DBHS is pay-ing big bucks for just paper towels. Thus, the group called The Bathroom Brigade has stepped up to address this is-sue. They are trying to solve this attack against our friendly trees by trying to get Diamond Bar High School to change from using paper towels to using air dryers. The ultimate goal of this group is to get all of the schools in the Walnut Val-ley Unifi ed School District to switch from paper towels to air dryers.

“I think our group has been trying really hard to help our money troubles because we recycle every other week. Our group is working really hard and hopefully we will be suc-cessful and change DBHS for the better,” said Bathroom Bri-gade CEO Karen Tan.

Green Revolut ion

Lacking locks of love... Andrew poses without his afro. Leanne Fan

Eliza Pan Feature Editor

Sum up high school in 550 words. Gotcha.

I’m so glad that DBHS has been what it’s been. Thank the USB gods and goddesses for the little mercies they grant us: membership cards we are pres-sured into buying in exchange for Sour Patches and cheese-burgers and Korean-drama-weep-story-motivational-speak-ers at rallies, etc. Oh, I can’t possibly write it all down. And I’m not being sarcastic. At all.

But wait; don’t think I’ve for-gotten you students! Thank you, girls who wear Hollister t-shirts on cloudy days and then com-plain about how cold it is. Thank you, girls groupies who A) walk slowly or B) stop walking sud-denly and snap at people who push past you in crowded hall-ways. Thank you, boys and girls who say they are 110% Obama supporters! because OMG, HE’S BLACK! Thank you, LOL-ers, ROFLcopter-ers, <3-ers, and the latest, FML-ers. There are a lot more of you out there; I love you all, and I am not being sarcastic about this either.

Just a few more shout outs to those I love: collegeboard + me = BFFs and besties and FRIENDS FOREVER, college grail quest = cheaters + suck-ups + “hard” workers who work for the sake of “learning” + “in-telligence” = Diamond Bar. Oh, and I’m still not being sarcastic.

If there were no stupid things to make fun of, how bor-ing would life be? So I’m truly grateful for the stupid things at DB—they’ve given me some-thing to make fun of and showed me that the best is yet to come.

Now for the good stuff. I’ll remember the little things

about high school: procrastinat-ing by reading a Wikipedia ar-ticle about jam and then clicking on a link to kiwi jam which leads to an article about a famous child named Kiwi which leads to an article about the migration patterns of turtles which leads to an article about the assassi-nation of some D-list Bollywood actress which leads to an arti-cle about how Eliza Pan spent hours on Wikipedia, trying to get people to understand my Ross-unagi references, wasting time untagging unfl attering pictures and cyber-stalking “friends,” de-stroying self-esteem by reading College Confi dential for hours, and that’s what she said.

And the things that give me a tingly feeling inside (gimme a loud AWWW): trying on ugly outfi ts, shouting and screaming at various book/movie openings, taking cute-as-crap photo booth and stair pictures, screaming car rides and grocery store visits, making other people carry crap on beach trips, loving/hating concerts and musicals and mov-ies, kidnappings and vandalism on birthdays or special events or just because, exploring L.A. and Lone Pine and Santa Mon-ica and various parks, resort-ing to violence at fi rst available chance, talking (trash and philo-sophical) while on the phone or lying in the grass or watching the clouds or gazing at stars or staying at a restaurant for hours and hours or resting in a car or falling asleep or sitting out in the hallway or sliding down the ban-isters.

It’s all good.

Princess Diaries...The new Miss Diamond Bar court strikes their fi rst pose. www.missdiamondbarpageant.org

DB Royalty

Arts & EntertainmentTHE BULL’S EYE10 Wednesday, April 29, 2009 A&E

There are literally millions of people all over the world who play video games, yet the term “gamer” often receives a negative connotation. This term is often taken far too seriously, as if playing games automatically means that you come with all the positives and negatives of the label “gamer.” Being a “gamer” can mean many things, but it doesn’t make you less than a person or dictate your personality in any way.

With this generation, and likely the one before it, the term “gamer” was quickly denounced after it was established. However, nowadays, it is rather easy to find someone who has, at the very least, played a game. Furthermore, it’s frequent that someone can be found that owns a console or computer, used for gaming.

Video gaming can be considered a hobby, a passion, a reprieve, or a career; none of these things are negative in any sense. It is undeniable that some gamers have social issues, or phobias, but these phenomena occur within any person with any affinity, be it academics, exercise, or reading.

Gamers often hold negative reputations; they’re seen as a group of people who cannot socialize easily with others and are often disparagingly viewed by society. However, several aspects of our daily lives were once things that were looked down upon, such as reading

for pleasure when you could be working, or having a job when your family had a high-society reputation. Eventually, society got used to these activities, which have come to be not only accepted, but encouraged.

As gaming becomes more and more common and develops pract ical i ty beyond simply entertainment (such as Wii Fit and fitness awareness, or the fact that many Korean generals are Starcraft professionals), it will be easier to accept as common culture, instead of exclusive culture.

Some gamers play games to a hazardous degree, but that doesn’t mean that they do not have any other interests; gamers have just as much to bring to society’s table as movie-goers, readers and bloggers; it is merely a matter of time before they are called to eat.

Todd SchlickberndContributing Staff Writer

An exciting culmination of both comedy and satire, this year’s spring musical, Li’l Abner definitely takes on a whole new approach in bringing entertain-ment to our campus. The musi-cal’s upbeat tempo and comical quips will definitely keep the audience thoroughly engaged and laughing uncontrollably.

The play centers on the char-acter Li’l Abner and the events that go on in his hokey little town, Dogpatch, USA. Deemed the most unnecessary town in the continental US, the government plans to use the town as the test-ing ground for nuclear weapons. The fun-loving, uneducated, and hillbilly characters of Dogpatch at first are ecstatic to be assisting the US government, but later realize that they do not want to leave their beloved town. They use this news as the perfect opportunity to come together and find something worthwhile in their town that will save them from total nuclear destruction.

As the audience watches the play, they will begin to fall in love with the naïve, hillbilly characters that are so different from us. “The characters are just so incredibly funny. I guarantee that this play will have the entire audience laughing,” commented junior Dylan Parra.

Desiree WangAsst. Feature Editor

The en-t ire play is larger than life—it is a giant cartoon with skewed proportions i n t he se t pieces and designs while also having exaggerated charac te rs with quirky p e r s o n a l i -ties.

T h e spring musi-cal combines all of the per-forming arts to produce a final product. Many of the props and set designs were designed by s tage pro-duction, and also by many of the casts’ own fathers. There will also be a live orches-tra to accompany the cast in the pit of the theater. “It’s definitely fun working with live orchestra as opposed to practicing with a recording,” commented Taylor Harb.

The cast has been rehears-ing relentlessly for the opening

night. “We practice three or four hours everyday after school. It’s strenuous but we know it will pay off,” stated Harb.

The actors anticipate the mo-ment in which they will showcase all their hard work. “Being able to act in this play is just indescrib-ably special to me,” commented

Parra. “It’s true, there is never enough time to rehearse. We always run out of time. But we make it work and in the end, it be-comes something memorable.”

This unforgettable play will not only be entertaining to watch, but will also be a learning expe-rience. The play is relatable to

Andrew JohnAsst. Sports Editor

In today’s age of advanced technology, ideas that seemed impossible only a few years ago are now becoming a part of daily life. In-ventors are constantly developing ways to en-hance people’s lives with convenience and efficiency. Now, inven-tors have come up with an electronic book, two of which are the Kindle 2 from Amazon.com and FLEPia from Fujitsu. Like most electronics that have two rivaling manufacturers, the two types of e-books per-form the same basic functions yet still have unique features. So what makes one better than the other?

As an e-book, each one lets a user “read a book” by displaying a page of text on its screen. Each uses “e-ink” on “e-paper” with special no-glare technology to display a page almost exactly how it would appear in a real book. Both have wireless Internet connections that allow the reader to browse through a vast collection of books

online on the manufacturers’ re-spective websites and download books straight onto the e-book. After successfully downloading a book onto the e-book, the reader can then start reading or search-

ing through a book for a certain page or a certain text.

FLEPia has a few significant features that really set it apart from the Kindle 2. First off, FLE-Pia uses a 768x1024-pixel touch screen and very few buttons; Kindle 2 has several little buttons and a non-touch 600x800-pixel

screen. Another major difference is

that FLEPia has color. Amazon boasts that its Kindle 2 has a 16-level gray scale for a sharp-er, crisper image, but FLEPia

humbles the Kindle 2 in the display cat-egory with its range of 260,000 display-able colors. How-ever, Amazon can be proud in that Kindle 2 has a text-to-speech feature, which allows the e-book to literally read the book aloud to the reader, while FLEPia doesn’t.

Besides a few more minor differ-ences, the two e-books are not very d i f fe ren t . They both weigh about a pound, and they are only as thin as a pencil. The main deciding factor for a

reader interested in e-books is the price.

If one is willing to pay around $1000 plus shipping costs from Japan for a FLEPia, one will be able to enjoy the advanced display of it. Otherwise, the ap-proximate $360 for the Kindle 2 looks pretty tempting.

Kindle or FLEPia..no need to flep through the pages. Ashley Chen

A l k at E-bks

the audience as it involves a love story and politics. But more than that, it is also a very daring and beautiful musical with an under-lying theme of remaining true to yourself. “As actors, we can only really hope that our musical will somehow impact people’s lives,” stated Parra.

Testing nukes...not on Li’l Abner’s watch. Eunice Lee

More than Meets the

Ashley ChenAsst. Photo Editor

Playing Footsie

Amidst all of the sneaker junkies (sadly, myself included) at Diamond Bar, there is sure to be some discreet competition to see who has the best pair of kicks. But why quietly boast your style when you can show off the pride and glory displayed

on your feet to the vast online community? Enter Sneakerplay.com, an online social network founded in early 2006 where hundreds o f co l lec to rs , des igners , enthusiasts, and many more gather to share their passion for sneakers. Users can upload, tag, and share photos with fellow trendsetters as well as browse a large gallery of originals.

Members engage in some friendly competition as they face off against others for the best style in sneaker-to-sneaker

battles. Original pictures are posted and voters decide the winner based on creativity, originality, and overall style.

Competition isn’t limited to sneakers—members can show off their toys, collectibles, and gear as well. Other design contests, blogs, and forums on the site provide yet another medium with which to

share your imaginative ideas. However, because Sneakerplay is a referral-based sharing community, you must receive an invite from an existing member to join in the fun.

Sneakerplay serves the purpose of providing a platform for trendsetters and creative geniuses alike to share and learn about innovations in fashion, sports, entertainment, and more. It depicts the lifestyle and street culture that is embodied by the individuals that drive this innovative side of society.

Sneak a peek...at my sneaks.Courtesy of www.sneakerplay.com

Let Them

Play

-E-book readers are more fragile than paper books and more susceptible to physical damage

-A single e-book reader is easier to carry around than the same books in printed form.

The Advantages & Disadvantages of E-BooksDisadvantagesAdvantages

-E-book readers are more likely to be stolen.

-Font size and font face can be adjusted.

Arts & EntertainmentWednesday, April 29, 2009 11THE BULL’S EYEA&E

THEBUZZmore about Nathaniel’s past, his wish to cure Nathaniel of his mental symptoms changes to a desire to become his friend.

The pace of the movie is

rather fast, but this resulting sense of urgency matches the emotional tone of the film. The sad and unfortunate life of Na-thaniel inspires grief and mel-ancholy within the audience as flashbacks are used to develop the plot. The storyline is only enhanced by the proficiency of

Joe Wright, the director of Pride and Prejudice and Atone-ment, has directed a movie so compel-ling and captivating that the audience cannot help but become entranced w i th though t fu l sympathy for one of the main char-acters, Nathan-ie l Ayers Jr.—a schizophrenic. The African American musical prodigy, played by Jamie Foxx, chooses to dedicate his l ife to music, specifi-cally his cello stud-ies. Steve Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., is a journalist for The Los Angeles Times.

Lopez encounters the trou-bled individual by chance on the streets and learns that the homeless man was once a tal-ented student from Julliard. The journalist, whose paper faces financial difficulty and is laying off journalists, decides to write

Justin KongAsst. Feature Theme Editor

a column on Nathaniel, which spurs a relationship between the two. Lopez feels sympathetic for the lonely, homeless man and sets out to help fix his mental

disability by providing Nathaniel with a cello and a place to stay. The journalist even goes so far as to give Nathaniel the chance to live his dreams by arranging a recital at Disney Hall to boost the musician’s confidence, although the event ends badly. While Lo-pez continues to learn more and

The Soloist

Jane ParkAsst. A&E Editor

the actors, who convincingly play their roles with a startling authenticity. The structure of the movie and the quality of the performances reflect the

experience of the renowned actors and director. The screenplay is also commendable: di-alogue is eloquent, frequently giving into suspenseful, smooth t rans i -tions.

However, near-ly every movie has a pitfall. Despite the quality of the performances and the heartwarming story, the action is anticlimactic.

The f i lm i s spec tacu la r i n that it allows the viewers to access a wide range of

emotions, but this is unsatisfac-tory because the movie does not bring the viewers to a high point. Thus, at the end of the movie, the audience may be impressed with how the film is presented, but disappointed with the fact that the plot fails to meet expectations.

Finding a way home...one beat at a time. Courtesy of www.soloistmovie.com

Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, two bands among many, has formed yet another group with Alison Mosshart, frontwoman of The Kills. The Dead Weather is a blues quartet that features White on drums and vocals, Mosshart

on vocals, Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and The Greenhorns on bass, and Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age on guitar.

The band debuted on March 11, 2009 at Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee. They performed for a crowd of 150, including Sheryl Crow and The White Stripes’ Meg White, at the opening of White’s new head-quarters.

The group performed songs from its upcoming debut album, Horehound, which is due June 9. The songs for the album were recorded in late February and were produced by White in his new studio.

A recording of their debut

single, “Hang You From the Heavens,” was given out at the debut event along with a cover of Tubeway Army’s, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”. “Hang You From the Heavens” sounds like a typical White Stripes’ song, with a fuzzy garage undertone and Mosshart’s watery vocals singing over White’s drumming.

The band has come a long

way from a three-week recording session as they near the release date of Horehound. The Dead Weather started spontaneously and with low expectations. “The idea was to do a seven-inch single and be done with it, but we started writing songs and some-thing happened,” White said in an interview for the Alternative Press.

With an all-star group of members and a soulful sound, The Dead Weather is sure to be a hit among mainstream and underground listeners alike. Though they began with little plans or ambitions, The Dead Weather is planning to sup-port Horehound with a tour this June.

Banding together..in The Dead Weather. Courtesy of www.dose.ca

Jane ParkAsst. A&E Editor

It is impossible to sum up all of Phoks’ work in a single word. The French art director and pho-tographer mixes reality with everything--vibrant, glowing colors, robots and UFO’s, and cartoon characters-to create art that is truly mind-blow-ing. He creates pieces that make you turn your head and question what it is you are exactly see-ing. Phoks is an artist in the digital realm. Using singers, athletes, and Nike sneakers as his canvas, he creates wild art that pushes you to ac-cept digital art as actual art. He uses his photos and is able to add color and unreal elements, blending reality with fantasy into a seamless whole. In what is just another one of his ventures, Phoks took pictures from French label Hype Means Nothing’s new line of tee-shirts and sweaters and added his own personal touch of color to them. All of the tops feature

black and white pictures of both the famous and the infamous; Barack Obama, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, The Beatles and numerous others wearing finger-glasses. Phoks transformed the

pictures by adding in his own brand of color, deep purples with glowing blues and yellows, to create pieces that began as or-ganic and straightforward, turn-ing them into pictures of whimsy, popping with color.

Most recently, Phoks has

created a series of photos con-veying his love for his sneakers, more specifically his Nikes. In what he has named the “Nighkee Series”, each piece of the se-ries not only reflects his distinct

imagination but also exhibits his fascination with sneakers. In one called “Nighkee Wonderland”, Phoks creates a fairy tale setting imitating the classic old lady who lived in a shoe, but with a twist. With a sun reminiscent of the Teletubbies, a squirrel in a laser

space helmet, and a Cheshire cat-like kitten sitting in a spooky tree, the piece takes your brain on a whirlwind adventure and makes you wonder what this piece could possibly be about.

This is what makes his art stand out among oth-er digital art. Each of his pieces has a meaning; in the case of the won-derland piece, there is a clear commentary on the subject of good versus evil. On one side, the picture is warm; oranges, reds, and yellows mix smoothly to create the good, with an apple on the side that glorifies health as the best route. It is completely differ-ent on the other side. Dark blues, the menac-ing kitten, a chilling tree, and a sign that reads “fast food” points out the importance of staying

healthy. With over thirty different se-ries under his belt and with many more to be expected, Phoks will undoubtedly continue his reign as the pioneer of digital arts, as will his love affair with his sneakers.

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe...with the robot squirrels she did not know what to do. Courtesy of www.phoks.fr

Elizabeth LeeStaff Writer

Over the decades, cameras have gone from bulky to sleek. Some companies have tried to bring back old photography trends while others have tried to come up with the most advanced photographic technology. Photographers can now appreciate the newest models from their most beloved

companies.Fujifilm has brought the

Polaroid back with their Fujifilm Instax Mini Cheki 25. This small camera can instantly print out credit-card sized pictures on standard or custom film. Not only has Fujifilm brought back an old trend, it is trying to create a new one with the introduction of a three-dimensional digital camera, the FinePix Real 3D. Its prototype uses two lenses

to produce a 3D image by blending two shots into one. The company plans to release this 3D technology before Christmas of this year in Japan, but has not given a specific release date.

“Point and Shoot” cameras are not the only ones with new photography concepts, “Digital Single Lens Reflex” cameras are also churning out new features. Last year, the Nikon D90 came out as the first one with video capabilities. It can record clips in both standard and High Definition. The Canon

EOS Rebel T1i will be released this May, competing with the Nikon D90 as it has similar video capturing capabilities. Though HD videos from DSLR cameras sound fantastic, problems with low frame rates may not support smooth recordings. Nevertheless, the concepts that are being presented show how far cameras have come since the first Kodak camera was introduced.

These developments in photography can be appreciated by both avid and beginning photographers everywhere.

All the

Dancing has always been a way to celebrate or enjoy moments, whether it is through a winning touchdown goal or at school dances. It has been recognized as a form of art, something to admire and idolize; however, over the years, dance has become a competitive sport. At the Pomona Fairplex, on April 4, 2009, danc-ers from across the world participated in the World of Dance Tour, the largest West Coast dancing competition; it consisted of group dancers such as Quest Crew, and solo dancers such as Born.

The World of Dance Tour, hosted by DJ Ren-egade, boasted a con-test of thirty-two dance crews who battled off in a tournament style competition. Sixteen invited crews came, including Main Ingredients and The Company; the other sixteen crews, such as Breakthrough, were selected amongst hundreds. The winner of the Dance Crew was awarded $1,500. Not only did crews dance off, but solo dancers did as well. Lil Rock, a breaker from America, battled Born, a breaker from Korea, in a five round battle; the winner was Born by a small

Kevin KangAsst. A&E Editor

margin. The best solo breaker won $1,000 and a trophy. No-table dancers were awarded prestigious acknowledgements and sponsorships. Designer clothes, accessories, and shoes were also sold at the event; over 250 brands were invited to sell their merchandise.

Think you missed out on the

biggest dancing phenomenon of the year? Don’t fret—the WOD is being featured again on June 19, 2009 at the New York Roseland Ballroom, on August 29, 2009 at the San Diego Convention Cen-ter, and on October 3, 2009 at the San Mateo Expo Center. Think you have what it takes to dance amongst the best dancers in the world? Get your groove on and bust out your dancing moves for the next World of Dance.

Flip the world...with your dance moves. Courtesy of www.worldofdancetour.com

Refocus the Lens

Pheet Phettish? Phlaunt Your Phocks!W RLD’s A

Surv iv ing the Dead Weather

Stage

AdvertisementAdvertisementTHE BULL’S EYE12 Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Athlete of the Month: Erica Miller

SportsSports THE BULL’S EYE Wednesday, April 29, 2009 13

DB Smashes League

Ryan DeVoreAsst. Sports Editor

After capturing the franchise’s third best record, this season’s Los Angeles Lakers are poised and ready to make yet another championship run. This postseason, the team plans on getting the job done as they enter the playoffs with the embarrassment of the blow out massacre in game six of last year’s NBA Finals still fresh in their minds.

With the veteran leadership of Kobe Bryant and a fi nally

healthy Andrew Bynum, the Lakers are playing for redemption, because it would be a monumental disappointment if they came up empty handed once again. There are two keys to success for the Lakers that, if executed, no team in the league stands a chance against them.

1. The Big Men - Last year, it was the Lakers’ inability to

establish a physical presence in the paint that led to numerous second chance opportunities for

the other team. With the

return of a healthy B y n u m and an

improved Pau Gasol, the front

court will be crucial in rebounding,

as well as in point production. 2. A Patient Kobe- The

stats show that the Lakers are

Andrew JohnAsst. Sports Editor

Diamond Bar’s varsity bad-minton team defeated West Covina High School 18-3 on Wednesday, April 15. The game was a strong way for the team to end the regular sea-son.

F r e s h m a n Bonnie Chan played well de-spite her inexperi-ence at the varsity level. She won both of her girl’s singles games. Senior Jennifer Wang and junior Sandra Chang fol-lowed in similar fashion and won both of their girl’s doubles matches. Senior captain Josh Kuang and his partner, junior Ryan Sin, won two more points

for the Brahmas with their two wins in boy’s doubles. The other boy’s doubles team, consisting of senior Justin Junus and se-nior Edward Tsai, also won their

doubles matches. DBHS did not have to play at their best level in this match because of a large talent gap between the Brah-

mas and West Covina. “Very few of our players

played the normal positions they play,” commented coach Kemp Wells. “But we still won

pretty easily.” The game

was the team’s last league match; they then entered the Coaches’ Tournament, a playoff system equivalent to CIF except that school coaches orga-nize it.

The Brah-mas did very well in league, losing only two games the whole season and

having almost no challenge in their games. They hope to con-tinue their success throughout postseason.

Lakers Keys to SuccessKevin AccianiStaff Writer

Baseball, unlike many other sports, makes everyone, fans and players alike, feel as if they are part of a great big family. When the team is doing well, the whole family is content. When a team is going through tough times, however, a strong fan base can fi nd solace in each other. The tragic death of 22-year old Nick Adenhart has caused many people to need that solace.

Adenhart was a rookie pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, and on Wednes-day, April 8, he pitched the game of his life. Although the Angels didn’t win, he did not give up an earned run over six in-nings, proving that he was ready to play in the pros.

After the game, he and his friends were going to go dancing in celebration of his success. However, their car was hit by a speeding minivan at around 12:30 A.M.

The driver was on proba-tion after pleading guilty to Driv-ing Under the Infl uence in 2006. His blood-alcohol level was .24, triple the legal limit.

Adenhart and two of his friends were killed in the crash.

The fourth passenger was tak-en off the critical condition list at UCI Medical Center on Satur-day, April 11.

The league postponed the scheduled game between the Angels and the Oakland Athlet-ics that Thursday but resumed their schedule Friday against the Boston Red Sox, which im-mediately became one of the most emotional games in fran-chise history. In front of the sta-dium is a memorial to Adenhart, with letters and candles empha-sizing the love Angels’ fans hold

for their play-ers.

Before the game began, a moment of silence took place that was incredibly deafening. In honor of Ad-enhart, every Angel is wear-ing a patch on their uniforms with Adenhart’s number, 34, and a picture of Adenhart was put on the cen-ter fi eld wall. A f t e r such a painful tragedy, there was no way the Angels were going to let this game slip away from them. Af-

ter a hard-fought battle, the An-gels won 6-3.

While Adenhart may not have been a star pitcher yet, his loss will hurt the team, as they are always plagued by injuries. He was signed by the Angels when he was 18 years old, and now he will be an Angel forever.

Fallen Angel

Laura Moffi ttContributing Staff Writer

On Thursday, April 21, the Diamond Bar Brahmas softball team faced off against the Ayala Bulldogs at home. Despite their efforts, they fell short and lost 8-0.

Although the Brahmas played well and did their best, they struggled with getting the “big hit to score,” in the words of coach Roberta Garcia. Sophomore Stephany Larosa had three hits while senior captain Erica Miller and freshman Julie Walters each had one, leaving the Brahmas with only fi ve hits during the game.

Larosa was one of the top performers in the game. Senior captain Asha Prithviraj said, “Stephany was really on fi re [in both] fi elding and hitting. Courtney Bagwell was doing really well [too].”

Garcia felt the same way saying, “Larosa played a great game—a great defensive game.”

Larosa made a great play in the top of the sixth, throwing the ball to Bagwell who proceeded to make the out.

Senior Tiffany Koyano did a good job as well. “ T i f f a n y is a hard worker and it really showed in our game Thursday,” s a i d freshman L i z z y McCabe . In the top of the sixth, K o y a n o made a d i f f i c u l t catch that was crucial to end the inning.

Garcia also said, “I wish the game could have gone better, we [had] people in scoring positions, but couldn’t get the big

Pamela LewesContributing Staff Writer

As a striving, hard-working senior, Erica Miller is an excellent role model for young softball players, as well as fellow students. This talented and committed individual started developing and testing her skills at softball at the early age of fi ve and has been playing for 12 years.

“I really have a passion for

Bulldogs Shut Out Brahmas

Smashing the birdie...Junior Ryan Wong makes a jumping effort to win the point. James An

at their best when the entire team is involved in the game. Despite the team’s 65 game win season, Bryant averaged his lowest points per game within the past fi ve seasons. However, there will be a time when he must assert himself and remind everyone that he is one of the best scorers ever to play the game.

If the Lakers are able to achieve these two keys, there is no doubt that they will be hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy at the conclusion of the postseason.

hit to get us on the scoreboard. Ayala is a really good team, they are top 10 in CIF, and they are very competitive.”

The Brahmas hope to do better in their next g a m e . “[We need to improve by] playing more as a team, c o m i n g t o g e t h e r a n d w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r. [So f tba l l ] is a team sport and w o r k i n g as a team is the only way to

succeed,” said Miller. The Brahmas fought hard

and are very excited for their upcoming home game on April 30 against Chino High School.

[softball],” commented Miller. “I love playing it and I can’t imagine not playing it.” Her biggest inspiration is her older sister, whose passion for swimming motivated Miller to try as hard in softball.

Miller puts her whole heart into the

game and always tries her hardest. “I am a very competitive person. I get really into the

game [and] I have that drive to do better,” stated

Miller, the pitcher for the softball team.

Miller has been the captain of the varsity team throughout her junior and senior year, and has won

many awards for softball throughout her four years

on varsity. She won the All League Honorable Mention Award as a freshman and the First Team All League Award her sophomore and junior year. She also won the team’s Most Valuable Player Award and the All San Gabriel Valley Second Team Award her junior year.

Miller is planning to attend Iowa State University on a softball scholarship. “I plan to go to college and play softball all four years at school there. I will

try to make [a] club team and [participate in] nationals each year,” said Miller. She plans to major in business marketing.

In spite of the large amount of time softball takes up, Miller excels in school and takes r i g o r o u s c o u r s e s , such as AP B i o l o g y.

She has maintained a 3.8 GPA by managing her time wisely. “I try to have good time management. [When] I’m assigned stuff, I do it right away and [do] not wait,” commented Miller.

Miller does not settle for second best and always tries to be on top. With her continuing passion for

softball, she will keep on improving her softball skills and be the best she can.

“[We need to im-prove by] playing more as a team, coming together and working to-

gether. [Softball] is a team sport and working as a team is the only way to

succeed.”

An angel forever...Nick Adenhart will be remembered for many years to come. courtesy of www.blogspot.com

the Lakers are playing for redemption, because it would be a monumental disappointment if they came up empty handed once again. There are two keys to success for the Lakers that, if executed, no team in the league stands a chance against them.

the paint that led to numerous second chance opportunities for

the other team. With the

return of a healthy B y n u m and an

improved Pau Gasol, the front

court will be crucial in rebounding,

as well as in point production.

SportsSports THE BULL’S EYE Wednesday, April 29, 2009 14

Brahmas Dominate Sets in VictoryMegan QuiamasContributing Staff Writer

The boys’ varsity tennis team was victori-ous in their match against Damien on Tuesday, April 21. Battling through tough weather con-ditions, the Brah-mas only lost four sets out of eight-teen.

“We knew we were going to win today, but our team still played their hardest and so did Damien,” commented senior captain Maiki Kita-gawa.

Right from the start, the Brahmas played an excellent match. By the end of the fi rst round, they had only lost one singles match, and fi nished with a team score of 5-1.

The team controlled the fi rst round, both winning 6-0 in two singles and doubles matches. Senior Henry Lee won his fi rst

match, 6-0, making his debut. “Henry has been a fi ghter all year. He does not get a lot of opportunities to play but today he did very well,” commented

Coach Hamel.In the second and third

rounds, the varsity boys’ ten-nis team continued to excel.

Losing one singles and one doubles match, the team score was 4-2 at the end of second round. Sophomore Jonathon Lee fought hard during his sec-

Rachel HalpertContributing Staff Writer

The varsity baseball team beat Ayala High School 9-3 in their home game on Thursday, April 23 bringing their record to 5-4 in league and 11-8 overall.

After a slow start with the score tied at one, the Brahmas’ bats fi nally came alive in the bottom of the third inning and remained hot for the rest of the game.

Junior Chester Pak’s triple brought in the go-ahead run, and two more runs were driven in during the third inning, making the score 4-1 in favor of the B r a h m a s . “Hitting is contagious,” commented Coach Eric Shibley.

B o t h teams suf-fered a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, but the Brahmas were able to generate an-other three in-surance runs in the fi fth. Pak tripled for the sec-ond time and then scored on sopho-more Jona-than Munoz’s off- the-wal l double to left fi eld. After sophomore pitcher Ken-ny Mathews hit a single to left fi eld to drive in Munoz, junior Hyun-Woo “Tiger” Chang also drove in a run, making the score 7-2.

Both Senior Jake Urban and Pak were safe after an error by the second baseman. With run-ners on the corners, junior Jeff Crowe hit a line drive into cen-ter to score Urban. Now with the

bases loaded, Mathews hit a sacrifi ce fl y to deep right-center to bring in the fi nal run for the Brahmas.

In addition to a strong of-fense, Mathews’ pitching also came through for Diamond Bar. He threw a complete game al-lowing only fi ve hits. He struck out eight Bulldogs and gave up only one earned run, and he is now 6-1 for the season. “All my pitches were working,” stated Mathews. Considering the 14-13 loss at Ayala the previous

T u e s d a y , Thursday’s win was a huge im-provement.

T h e B r a h m a s really turned it around, from giv-ing up 19 hits to only fi ve hits. “It is easi-er to play d e f e n s e behind a pitcher who e x e c u t e d like Kenny,” said Shib-ley.

O f -f e n s i v e l y, M a t h e w s went 3-4 with 3 RBIs contributing to the pow-erful run production.

P a k also played a n o t h e r good offen-sive game. He went 3-3 with a single and two triples. He got on base four

times and scored three times. “Practice makes perfect and it showed today,” Pak said, “Ev-eryone hit, we came through on defense, and Kenny pitched a great game.”

The Brahmas are sched-uled to face Chino High School tomorrow at home.

DB Slugs Bulldogs

Laura Moffi ttContributing Staff Writer

The Diamond Bar track team competed against Damien and St. Lucy’s in an away meet on Thursday, April 23. The team put forth their best effort, and many personal records were set. But the competitors were simply more experienced, and the Brahmas lost the meet.

A l t h o u g h the team did not win, they worked hard throughout the meet. Many personal bests were set in various events. The lady Brahmas’ fi eld scores in particular were exceptionally better than before, with Diamond Bar High School placing fi rst in both shot put and discus throw.

Junior James Grigorian placed fi rst in shot put, throwing

over 50 feet. He broke his own personal record as well as the junior shot put record. Senior Joel Baez placed second for male shot put. Sophomore Ifeoma Kpaduwa also excelled,

placing fi rst in girl’s shot put. Junior Zuri Brooks placed fi rst in discus throws.

For the 800 meter, junior David Donner came in fi rst, with freshman James McCreary fi nishing closely behind in second.

“We ran very well and broke lots of personal

records,” said head coach John Martin. “We did well in sprints, jumps, fi eld, everything. Everyone did very well as a team.”

The team did well and rose above their normal levels, but Damien and St. Lucy’s athletes performed at even higher

Team’s Broken Records Fall Shortlevels. “A lot of people broke their records. We competed at our best but we still lost,” said junior Freddie Peng.

“We didn’t step up as [much] as we could have. St. Lucy’s is a great school,” c o m m e n t e d s o p h o m o r e shot put thrower Kezia Adh idharma. “We need to be more concentrated and focused.” P l a y e r s g e n e r a l l y agreed that the team needs to come together and work more as a team.

“[The meet] was great; everyone was doing great. The team is really solid and young,” said Grigorian.

However, from the very start, the Brahmas did not

ond round and although he fell behind early, he came back to win 7-5.

The Brahmas played very well through-out the match, and in the end both singles and doubles won.

K i t a g a w a and junior Austin Chen decisively defeated their opponents, win-ning all of their matches 6-0. In the third round, Jonathon Lee was not able to fi nish his last game because of the heat.

With an undefeated re-cord in the Serra

League, the team now has a re-cord of 9-0. The Brahmas have an enormous amount of talent and the ability to successfully defend their CIF title.

A short drop shot...Senior Henry Lee volleys the ball over the net in an attempt to win the point. Ashley Chen

show the usual confi dence they have when they compete. “You could see right away from warm ups, [Damien and St. Lucy’s] knew what they were doing,”

stated freshman N o e l a n i Salvador. Despite the loss DBHS suffered, the Brahmas look forward to their next meet. Sierra League Pre l iminar ies will be on Saturday, May 2, at DBHS. C o m p e t i t o r s who place within the top nine in their respective

events will move on to compete at League Finals on Thursday, May 7, which will also be held at DBHS. The best athletes at Finals will then proceed to CIF Preliminaries on Thursday, May 21.

Megan QuiamasContributing Staff Writer

The varsity swim team competed against 34 other s c h o o l s on Friday, April 24, at the Mt. Sac Invitational.

T h e B r a h m a s participated in many races but fell short in several of the races.

J u n i o r Nicole Torres swam the 100 meter butterfl y race. During the race she had the lead in the fi rst 50 meters, but she eventually

lost her position and ultimately placed third.

“The team is racing [well]. They are swimming their own races and dropping their times,”

c o m m e n t e d head coach Eric Schubel.

F reshman Crystal Wang placed fi rst in the 200 meter i n d i v i d u a l medley with a time of 2:38.

F reshman Melinda Wang swam the 500 meter freestyle

and also fi nished in fi rst place with a time of 5:47.

“Crystal and Melinda are really good swimmers and they

Swim Falls Behindseem very determined to do [well], especially since they are freshmen who made varsity,” stated junior Laura Yateem.

In event eleven heat three two swimmers got disqualifi ed. Junior Misha Ghader had an illegal move in the 200 meter individual medley.

When asked how the team could improve, captain Tami Ige stated, “We can all keep supporting each other, and we will try not to get intimidated by other schools.”

The end of the season is nearing and the Brahmas plan to improve on their overall times. The team’s next meet is this afternoon against Chino Hills High School at Walnut High School, starting at 3:15 P.M.

“The team is rac-ing [well]. They are swimming

their own races and dropping their times.”

Ryan DeVoreAsst. Sports EditorJared AquinoContributing staff writer

The boy’s varsity golf team defeated the Ayala Bulldogs with a fi nal score of 197-210 at Los Serranos Country Club on Tuesday, April 21. Despite diffi cult conditions, including extreme heat and sporadic gusts of wind, the Brahmas were able to outplay their opponents and remain undefeated at the top of the Sierra League.

The medalist of the match was sophomore Kevin Liang, who shot an impressive even round of 37. Following Liang’s brilliant performance was the consistent junior Gavin Duarte who shot a one over par: 38. The south side of Los

Serranos Country Club is a long course that is extremely diffi cult, especially with unexpected gusts of wind. With a couple of par 4s that are well over 400 yards, and deep bunkers that are similar to Scot land’s l e g e n d a r y St. Andrews golf course, low scores were hard to fi nd.

H e a d coach Ty Watkins commented on the team’s performance by saying, “They did fantastic. In horrible conditions, they were still able to pull out with the victory.” Watkins stressed the importance of the

DB Remains Undefeatedmatch on the way to the course, and the team responded to their coach and proved why they are the top team in the Sierra League.

Team captain Paul Dresser stated, “I am very pleased with our p e r f o r m a n c e . Overall, we have been very successful, and honestly, I can’t ask for a better team.”

Even though the team’s sights

are set on becoming Sierra League champs, the Brahmas are always looking to CIF to ultimately prove themselves against teams outside of their league.

“They did fantas-tic. In horrible

conditions, they were still able to pull out with the

victory.”

Off the Field: Which NBA team will be the greatest threat to the Lakers?

Bringing the heat...Sophomore Kenny Mathews makes his delievery against the Bulldogs. James An

“A lot of people broke their records.

We com-peted at our best but we still lost.”

“We ran very well and broke lots of personal records. We did well in sprints, jumps, fi eld,

everthing. Ev-eryone did very well as a team.”