November 2007 Issue
By Christine Busaba and Anjali JacobFor the South American nation of Colombia, 39 years of violence
between the government and left-wing gorillas have left behind a trail
of 2 to 3 million internally displaced refugees.
In 2001 alone, 190,000 Colombians acquired displaced status.
Thousands continue to cross the Colombian border into Ecuador,
Venezuela, Brazil, and Peru.
By Chris Erspamer
While the majority of current School Committee and Alderman members held onto their seats after the November 6 election, one School Committee member and two Aldermen were voted out of their seats.
The most hotly contested race was between Gail Glick and Geoff Epstein for the School Committee seat in Ward 1. Epstein defeated Glick by a margin of about 1000 votes. Epstein previously lost to Glick in 2005.
Epstein believes that he was able to achieve victory mainly because of dissatisfaction among Newton residents over the funding for math and science programs in the schools. Epstein believes that the experience he gained from his previous campaign allowed him to run a more effective one this time.
By Margery Waldron
This summer, I was enslaved by this book not only by
its content but by the woman who wrote it. The story
behind this book is as interesting as the two stories
told within it.
The first novella is titled "Storm in June," which
describes the German occupation of Paris during World
War II, and the ensuing panic and chaos of the whole
city trying to flee to the country. Némirovsky uses
several different characters (a wealthy woman with
four children and her senile father-in-law, her
husband and his mistress, and a middle-aged married
couple who work together in a bank) and their
experiences to bring to life the harsh realities of
being a refugee on the road without food, money, or
shelter.
By Dan Friedman
Tension between junior and senior girls reaches its peak every year around Thanksgiving. No, it's not due to petty boy problems €“ those occur often enough throughout the school year without any outside provocations. Instead the tension can be attributed to the annual girls' football game, commonly known as powderpuff, which will taking place this afternoon.
Powderpuff in general is looked at as a fun way for the upperclassmen girls to compete against each other. Not all students or faculty, however, feel this way.
History department teacher Adrienne Stang feels "the name powderpuff is demeaning to women's athletic ability."
By Elizabeth Crowley
Seniors Courtney Chaloff and Helen Yuan are leading this year's girls' varsity volleyball team to the state competition for the first time in several years. Coming out of a transition between coaches, this is the first year Todd Elwell has coached the senior players for their entire four years of volleyball. Elwell adds a degree of consistency to technique and past teachings for everyone on the team.
With a regular season record of 11-9, Chaloff and Yuan, both playing the position of outside hitter, are confident in their team's considerable abilities. Leading a younger team, with an unusual amount of talent from the sophomores, a few of whom are setting and starting for the varsity team, has required a serious amount of dedication and commitment on the part of the captains.
By Taryn Valley
Judith Sharlin is a professor at Simmons College in Nutrition. Sharlin
has a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from Tufts University and is a
registered dietician. Her previous background was in comparative
literature, French, and Ancient Greek. She has written and illustrated
a cookbook that won a national book award. She owns a catering
business and is also a competitive swimmer.
By Rebecca GoldsteinIt is Friday morning, and we are out on the dock. We call the lake by its Hebrew name, agam. The Sabbath approaches and we can feel the holiness in the air. Eli, our counselor, passes out a sheet of paper.
"Be careful," he says, "these have G-d's name on them."
By Anonymous
In Liz Tigelaar's novel, Pretty Tough, two sisters, Charlie and Krista, are forced to get along when placed on the same high school soccer team.
The girls compete with each other for playing time and recognition from coaches, and eventually learn to put their differences aside for the good of the team.
Denebola Staff: What gave you the idea to write Pretty Tough?
By Nicole RepinaAs a result of World War II, Korea was divided into two parts; the
North, occupied by the Soviet Union, and the South, ruled by the
United States. The North and South Korean governments developed,
reaching a high point in 1948 when the United States and the Soviet
Union drew out their forces.
The resulting civil war created an unbreakable rift between the two
halves. North Korea, remaining under a Stalinist regime established by
the USSR, is still a communist country to this day.
By Ben Seifer
You're not in high school to find your calling in life. You're not in high school to achieve a high GPA. And you're definitely not here just to get into a good college.
When you're sitting in your least favorite class, or for that matter, any of your classes, do you ever ask yourself: "Why do I need to know this? Why am I even here?"