Cricket diplomacy?

I'm sure that many people in our school are aware of the Cricket World Cup that is currently taking place. If you didn't, well now you do. Just yesterday, the highly anticipated semi-finals match between India and Pakistan took place and it is estimated that over a billion people worldwide watched India beat Pakistan by 29 runs. This match has been one of the most keenly anticipated contests between the two countries with many fans in both countries proudly displaying their pride for their team. Even the prime ministers of both countries attended the match. In Delhi, India, the skies lit up with fireworks for their teams victory and it was said to be like watching a rerun of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

                                    

          

         India wins much to the dismay of Pakistan fans. 

However, this match holds much more signification than just the outcome as it is also a key factor in mending the rocky relationship between Pakistan and India. Since the 2008 Mumbai attacks suspected to have been carried out by Pakistan-based militants, the relationship between Pakistan and India has been frosty and precarious. It is hoped that through this meeting and friendly competition, the ties between these two countries will improve. Already, India has said that an extremely positive and encouraging spirit has been generated as a result of yesterday's meeting. 

Do you think that Cricket or sports in general can actually mend relationships between nations? Or is this all just for publicity?

"24": Unwatchable or Unbelievable?

TVWatch Week 2

Ishaan Golding

      WARNING: SPOILERS ARE IN THIS ARTICLE.

     If you read my last column, you would know that I love reality shows. However, in the spirit of the season, I have given them up for lent (except Survivor, of course, I have to stay alive till lent is over!) I'll tell you right now- it's worse than heroin withdrawal. I know that for a fact- I'm a faithful viewer of Intervention and My Strange Addiction, and those people deserved what they got anyway.

     Moving on- TV has so much to offer that it's hard to know where to turn next. But I enjoy controversy as much as the next person, so I decided to profile 24. 24 is a revolutionary show, for many reasons. It pushes the boundaries of what you can and can't show on TV. Since its airing in 2001, it has captivated the minds of its viewers and given them a whole new perspective on law enforcement.

 

The cast of Season 1 of 24- Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert), Teri Bauer (Leslie Hope), Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), and Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke).

PROS:

     One of the best things about 24 is the format of the show. Each episode consists of one hour in the day of the Counter Terrorist Unit, a government agency dedicated to stopping foreign nationals from using their horrible nuclear/biological/conventional/kidnapping tactics on the unsuspecting population. In the meantime, each character has some sort of personal problem, which ranges from a heroin addiction to a secret baby hidden under a desk to being a mole (there is at least one mole every season, and it's always ridiculous when they're exposed, because there's no way they could possibly be a secret agent, but it's still great fun to watch anyway.) It's very smooth presentation all the way around, minus the fact that Jack Bauer can drive anywhere in southern California during a commercial break.

     Another fantastic part of 24 is the casting. Admittedly, it's not perfect (Janeane Garofolo is the. worst. FBI. agent. ever) and somehow all data analysts are women in their 20s, but for the most part, the casting is amazing. Kiefer Sutherland portrays Jack Bauer convincingly and with just the right emotional touch to make him tough yet sympathetic.

CONS: 

     Anyone can operate a gun, hack into government servers, and operate helicopters, boats, planes, and aerial drones, even when wounded. I'm willing to suspend logic for a while, but some of it is just too much.

I don't think so, blondie.

You're a senior data analyst? How old are you, 25?

   Some of the plot lines are a little shaky, too. I'm sorry- a small little African country cannot afford to bribe like half the secret service and the FBI at the same time. All government buildings are not, contrary to 24, easy to walk in and out of. Prisoners can be tortured for hours on end without anyone noticing (or caring). Sometimes, it's just ridiculous.


  Overall, despite some strange or ridiculous scenes, 24 is a fantastic show, and I give it 4 stars.

The Search For... Abomidable Snowmen?

The Russians are actually considering opening an institute to reseach the Yeti. This seems absurd to me but its their money so yeah. They argue that the 30 Russian scientists studying yetis could work together at the planned institute. 

They've got a photograph

Yetis, or Abominable Snowmen, are hairy apelike creatures of popular myth, that are generally believed to inhabit the Himalayas. 
But some believe Russia also holds a population of yetis, which it calls Snow Men, in remote areas of Siberia such as the mountains in the southern part of Kemerovo around Tashtagol.


Yahir

The Salt Craze

Hey people. Firstly, I want to give my condolences to Japan who are dealing with a disaster of mind-boggling proportions. Not only were they devastated by one of the strongest earthquakes ever measured in history followed by a huge tsunami, but now they have to deal with a possible nuclear meltdown. What I find great is that despite being hit by an earthquake, a tsunami and then finding out that a nuclear facility might explode, there have been very little reports of looting and crazy, psycho panic occurring in Japan. 

However, the same cannot be said about its neighbor to the West. So what are the Chinese so afraid of? Nuclear Radiation. Its funny that despite being 750 miles away and having zero reasons to fear (the wind from Japan blows to the East), the Chinese people are actually more scared than the Japanese are. They are absolutely terrified that the Japanese nuclear facility will explode and cause them to be infected with radiation poisoning. So, the Chinese decided to take preemptive measures, namely by stocking up on SALT. Apparently, the Chinese heard that iodine was useful in protecting against radiation poisoning and the only thing they could think of that had iodine in it was salt. And thus begins the salt craze. See the pictures and understand how crazy it actually got.

                                 

                           

                                

                                

Even in Chengdu which is over 2000 miles away, people were climbing over each other to buy cartons of salt. Salt got SUPER expensive, growing to a price over 1000 times the normal. With everyone getting enough salt to last around, say 100 years (see above picture), the supermarkets understandably ran out of salt pretty quickly. So, with salt sold out, desperate people started turning to stuff that are salty, like soy sauce...

                                                              

Soy sauce definitely has iodine in it...

I know that one of you is bound to say, "Oh, but salt does have iodine in it, so it is helpful." Yeah, if you eat 7 pounds of it. Good luck not dying in 1 week. With that said, how do you feel about this issue? Of course its funny but its also terrifying at the same time. The Chinese people didn't actually think as to why they are getting salt, its just everyone else was doing it so people followed in suit. Remember that this craze is over NOTHING. Radiation is very unlikely to affect or even reach China at all. Can anyone help explain this situation? 

d c

Why's there a crack on the road?

FYI, the biggest earthquake to ever hit JAPAN acually  hit JAPAN today. That thing made cracks in so many places and even had enough power to make a freakin' tsunami that killed a yet unknown number of people.
Even though the earthquake has stopped there is quite a bit of damage done to the country. The hardest-hit areas are the farms in the low-lands where homes were sweeped away and cars could now be used as boats.


The Fire Department is on their Way!
The PM of the country pulled the fire alarm and called both the local fire department and even the fire department in the next town.
President Obama announced that another U.S. aircraft carrier was en route to assist another warship already off the coast of Japan, and other U.S. naval vessels were poised to provide relief throughout the Pacific areas inundated or threatened by the tsunami that continued to roll across the ocean.

Japan has mobilized more than 8,000 troops and 300 aircraft to evacuate those stranded and move those displaced to areas where they can be sheltered and fed, Cabinet Minister Yukio Edano said. President Obama announced that another U.S. aircraft carrier was en route to assist another warship already off the coast of Japan, and other U.S. naval vessels were poised to provide relief throughout the Pacific areas inundated or threatened by the tsunami that continued to roll across the ocean.

Redemption or Remission? The Debate about "Beyond Scared Straight"

TVWATCH

WEEK ONE

     A&E's newest hit drama documentary "Beyond Scared Straight" doesn't fall far from the tree. After all, it airs on A&E, the channel behind the disturbing "Intervention" and the bizarre yet entrancing "Dog the Bounty Hunter". However, "Beyond Scared Straight" has attracted the ire of TV watchdogs and children's rights groups like no other program, for one reason: it features juvenile delinquents.

     In the most recent episode, which featured female juveniles in the Jessup Correctional Facility, the teenage miscreants arrived as you would expect them to- flippant, arrogant, and contemptuous. But their resistance quickly began to dissolve when they met the inmates. It was very fulfilling to watch these irritating girls (sans fighter/shoplifter Brandi, whom I identified with) have tearful meltdowns in front of intimidating women who gleefully informed them of their horrifically violent criminal backgrounds. "Green Eyes", an intimindating murderer with a life sentence took particular issue with the disrespectful youth, dragging at least 3 inmates off-camera and doing who-knows-what to them (they didn't have attitude problems after that, so I suppose it worked.)

As the California budget crisis increased, the stringent requirements for youth counselors became looser, and looser, and looser, until Green Eyes happened.

     The inmates' fear and intimidation tactics, such as locking poor Brandi in a solitary confinement cell and forcing her to sit on the toilet, introducing the juvenile delinquents to various insane prisoners who had lost it over the years, and forcing the inmates to walk through the graves of prisoners who had been murdered during their incarceration, were disturbing. I was beginning to think this show was just a shock-and-awe program with no real value.

See: programs with no real value.*

     I was wrong. After the juveniles left the prison, they went through what seems to me like an impossible metamorphosis. Brandi hasn't assaulted anyone since the prison visit. Kassandra quit selling marijuana and cut down on her truancy. Megan wrote a heartbreaking letter of apology to the owner of the store she shoplifted (full of spelling mistakes, but I digress). It was incredible to see just how far they'd come from their criminal backgrounds. It was truly inspirational, not to mention entertaining, and it is one of the finest television programs I have had the privilege to see. Overall, I give it:

     Don't forget to catch TVWatch next week- my review won't be quite as complimentary, but it'll still be enjoyable! Brought to you by Buy The Best PC, an extremely helpful website which allows you to compare and contrast computers and computer parts.

-Ishaan

     *I kid, I kid.



Long Live the Revolution!

So, let's cover the revolution in Libya, which is now the center of attention.

I think everyone should know about the situation in Libya. But if you are living under a rock or are just completely oblivious, here's a recap. Basically, the people in Libya are revolting against their leader (dictator) of 41 years, Gaddafi. Now, Gaddafi is kinda crazy and stupid. He has supported terrorist groups and have actually committed acts of terrorism (Pan Am Flight 103). Not the coolest person ever and definitely not the best leader ever.

Understandably, the people of Libya, inspired by the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, have rose up in arms. However, the key difference between the protests Libya and Egypt/ Tunisia is that Gaddafi has vowed to fight to the death and is not willing to step down. Protesters have been faced with extreme violence and bloodshed. Currently, the rebels have taken over the eastern part of the country and are approaching the capitol, Tripoli. However, Graddafi has counterattacked, using tanks and heavy weaponry. Curiously, the Libyan people have asked the West to not interfere, only asking for a no fly zone to help even the playing field. Odd if you ask me.

                                   
                                                                           Burn Gadaffi, burn... 

In the future the rebels will probably be pushed back as the militarily superior pro- Gadaffi forces begin to retake east Libya. However, all is not lost. If the Libyan people can get extensive foreign aid from other nations then they will successfully overthrow Gaddafi. Otherwise, the military power of pro-Gadaffi troops will retake all of Libya through force. Although the UN has placed some sanctions on Libya, the effects have been minimal, even negligible. If the UN is serious about helping the people of Libya, then they need to impose much harsher restrictions.

d c