szachik@pvs.org, Author at the bird on fire

Say What? Aphorisms make it brief, make it clear.

May 5, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

Henry exclaimed suddenly, “The Oxford Book of Aphorisms! Whoa! There is something I want to buy!” Now, Henry is in the process of slimming down his collection of books. He’s moving across the country to George Washington U and has no room for more books. So, we went on a hunt to compile a brief collection of these brief sayings for Henry.

An aphorism is, according to literarydevices.net, “a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles. To qualify as an aphorism, it is necessary for a statement to contain a truth revealed in a terse manner.”

What follows are our favorite found aphorisms on Advice, Respect, Love, Failure, Motivation, and Computers.

“Most people, when they come to you for advice, come to have their own opinions strengthened, not corrected.”

–Henry Wheeler Shaw

“Respect is greater at a distance.”

–Publius Cornelius Tacitus

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”

–Winnie the Pooh

20aphorisms5

“There are two kinds of failures: those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.”

–Laurence Johnston Peter

“All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.”

–James Thurber

“Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.”

–Steve Wozniak

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”

–Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Try an aphorism. Share it with us. Focus on brevity and clarity to find your way into an idea. For you Romantics out there, Henry has provided links to his favorite romantic aphorism cites: for romantic lines from Wuthering Heights, go to https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1565818-wuthering-heights; for the most romantic lines in the UK, go to http://uk.reuters.com/article/arts-us-books-romance-idUKTRE7198H220110210; and for Buzzfeed’s “43 Most Romantic Lines,” go to https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/most-romantic-lines-from-literature?utm_term=.nfR7yLN0w#.yhlnmYaxG.

Henry’s Odyssey: We Call It “Henryssey”

May 2, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Henry, two weeks ago, visited his future alma mater, George Washington University. The flight back to the desert was . . . tumultuous and trying. He was inspired to compose his own Odyssey.

In memory of my 15-hour flight from DC to Palm Springs (or DC to Chicago to Phoenix to Palm Springs), I wrote this parody of Homer’s Odyssey about my trip. I call my new poem “Henryssey,” and I hope men will cry and women will sigh.–Henry Huang

Henryssey

Tell me, O Colombia, of that oriental hero who travelled far and wide after he had visited the famous town of Washington D.C. Many airports did he fly by, and many were the unnamed airports with whose terminals and gates he knew not about; moreover, he suffered much by bad seats and whining kids while trying to fly comfortably and bring himself safely home in one piece; but do what he might he could not conquer the tiredness, for he suffered through his own sheer folly in sitting next to an 18-month-old baby, so his brain prevented him from ever taking a nap. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughters of Zeus, from whatsoever source you may know them.

So now all who enjoyed adventure in George Washington University and Smithsonian Museums had got safely home except Henry, and he, though he was longing to return to his sweet bed and windy desert, was detained by the American Airlines, who had got him into Chicago and Washington Reagan airport and wanted to detain him. But as hours went by, there came a time when the flights settled that he should go back to Palm Springs; even then, however, when he was on his flight, his troubles were not yet over; nevertheless all the factors had now begun to in favor of him except Mini Pretzels, who still denied him nary a peanut without a stop and would not let him have any other snack option.

AP in da House

April 28, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 4 Comments

–by Gaven Li

Gaven’s going into AP season. Seniors, juniors, and sophomores take their Advanced Placement exams the first two weeks of May. Many are feeling the pressure. A passing score can earn students college credit. Good scores certainly help in the college admissions process. To blow off a little steam, Gaven throws down a few lines.

So we’re back in April; next week is May.
That means we have the AP exams; yeah, that’s great.
Physics, English, Calculous and Bio–
I feel like these tests are turning me into a Psycho.

Had a quiz this morning, another test tomorrow.
I don’t even complain any more; I just sorrow.
Looking at all my worksheets and homework,
Oh, man, this is too much; I can’t swallow.

At the end of the day, everyone is quiet.
Oh, they ain’t studying; they’re just tired.
After the AP tests, I will throw a party,
Throw away all my papers, and clean my locker empty.

Chilling in the blog class, with my headphones,
Listening to 2Pac, I’m in my zone.
I don’t need to think; I just go with my flow.
Now you guys can sit down and enjoy my show.

Living Poem Day

April 27, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Our first ever Living Poem Day on Friday, April 15, was a rollicking success. Upper School students and teachers wore their favorite words to school: “coagulate,” “platitudinous,” “yield,” “enchant,” “love,” etc. That alone was a joy to English teachers. Then, at lunch, in Ms. Zachik’s room, students and teachers composed lines of verse with their words and
FullSizeRender-16 copy bodies (think of those Word Refrigerator Magnets we use to phrase and re-phrase). We used Applause-o’-Meter to determine the winners. 1st place? Adam McDonald and Elliot McGrew for their sung (yes, in harmony) haiku “Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (fear of long words) TABLE.” 2nd place went to a Dr. Carr-orchestrated “To enchant, to travel, to . . . fantasize.” Giant bars of chocolate were awarded the two teams. A bowl of taffy went to the Honorable Mention provided by the Baseball Team: “Hold on! Shake and Bake!” The delightful day was the brainchild of Mr. Griffin in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Why Am I Persecuted?!

April 27, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

–an Op-Ed* piece by Jordan King

Does anyone else remember the Kim Davis story? Well, if you don’t, she denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky even though it was her Job, and she was the only one in the county who could do that job. Well,… many people thought she was being unjust, but others took a different stance–most notably Ted Cruz who compared Kim Davis to Rosa Parks. After Kim Davis was arrested, Ted Cruz came out and said that Christians are persecuted in this country. So, are Christians persecuted in this country?

To better understand this topic, we should first see why some Christians think they’re persecuted. The main reason is something called “religious liberty.” Religious liberty is protected under the Bill Of Rights, the First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Religious freedom is necessary, of course. The problem lies in the fact that some think that religious liberty can be used to discriminate against people because of their belief. The problem with this discrimination… it goes against the Constitution, and against plain common sense. “…The concept of free exercise of religion is not self-defining. The boundaries of free exercise, like those of other rights, must be delineated as against the claims of society and of other individuals” (The Heritage Guide to The Constitution). What this is saying, is that religious liberty in the Bill of Rights is limited; it can’t go against the common good of society, and it can’t go against the law. Some believe that they are being persecuted because they can’t discriminate against gay people in their place of business. They argue, a baker who believes marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman should not be forced to make a cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding.

Note, 92% of House and Senate members identify as Christian (The Huffington Post). To put this in perspective, only 72% of the American public identify as Christian (The Huffington Post). Christians are extremely well represented in government and in the United States demography. Also knowing that there are far more people who say they are Christian in the House and Senate then in the general population goes to show that it’s more likely you will be voted into Congress if you are a Christian. Non-religious, unaffiliated, people only make up 3% of the Senate but make up 16.1% of the general population (The Pew Forum). Popular opinion and our legislative body lean toward the Christian.

I conclude, Christians aren’t persecuted in this country. Christians are treated like everyone else, if not better. Your religious rights give you the right to practice your religion; they give you the freedom to have particular beliefs and ideologies. You can’t, though, have your beliefs interfere with the good of society, or the law.

*The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of thebirdonfire.org, the Upper School Blog Class, or the Palm Valley School.

Celebrating National Poetry Month

April 22, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

The Palm Valley World Literature class, in celebration of April as National Poetry Month, read a modern poem called, “What Do Women Want” by Kim Addonizio. In this poem, the speaker longs for a red dress which serves as a metaphor for her passion to be understood and appreciated. Inspired by this poem, Ms. Zachik, as the class’s instructor, encouraged her sophomores to write their own poems of “What Do I Want?” The following poems are their unique interpretations of the topic. –Blog Editor Ashley Zhou

What do Women Want?

by Kim Addonizio

I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap,
I want it too tight, I want to wear it
until someone tears it off me.
I want it sleeveless and backless,
this dress, so no one has to guess
what’s underneath. I want to walk down
the street past Thrifty’s and the hardware store
with all those keys glittering in the window,
past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old
donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers
slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly,
hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders.
I want to walk like I’m the only
woman on earth and I can have my pick.
I want that red dress bad.
I want it to confirm
your worst fears about me,
to show you how little I care about you
or anything except what
I want. When I find it, I’ll pull that garment
from its hanger like I’m choosing a body
to carry me into this world, through
the birth-cries and the love-cries too,
and I’ll wear it like bones, like skin,
it’ll be the goddamned
dress they bury me in.

Peace – Harrison
I want peace.
I want no one to suffer.
I want people in the world to not have to worry about terrorism.
I want everyone in the world to be happy.
I want peace.

Anonymous
I want a paradise by my design. I want to ride a canoe down a winding
river teeming with bears and wolves and snakes and fish.
I want to ride that river until I reach a mountain. And I want that
mountain to scream a challenge to the world. I want that mountain to
loom over the world and blot out the sky. I want that mountain to
challenge ME. I want to meet that challenge and rise above the
mountain. I want to feel the spirit of adventure coursing through my
veins. I want to stand above the trees and the birds and the mountain.
I want it to be me against the mountain, and the mountain has it coming.

Anonymous
I want a day with no worries.
I want a day where I can just lie down and look at the sun and smile.
I want a day where I can relax and enjoy the outdoors.
I want a day to enjoy the world around me.
I want a day of peace and quiet.

Anonymous
I want to see things that aren’t real.
I want all of them to be revealed.
I want to see an iron dragon and giant serpent foul or fair.
I want to see a broken wagon, filled with gold that fills the air.
I want to see a castle great and two clashing armies filled with hate.
I want to see a dying man and save him with my life-filled hand.
I want a sea with oceans green filled with every one of my life-long dreams.

Christian Sadler
I have heard a quote–
“If you want to succeed
as much as you want to breathe,
you’ll be successful”–
I want to succeed
like I want to breathe.
But, now that I check,
I am losing air.

Anonymous
What does he want, everyone asks?
Maybe he just wants to be appreciated?
Maybe he wants to be understood?
Maybe that one cup of coffee is the only thing that makes him get out of bed.
Regardless, he goes on for no reason.
Regardless, he wants to reach his end goal.
He wants to say that he survived it all.

Cameron Cronin
I want a new car.
I want it sleek and stylish.
I want to ride it. I want to drive it until the end.
I want it clean and neat. I want to drive it everywhere I go, such
as Las Vegas, Universal, or even the Rocky Mountains.
I want it bad, the car.

Twark Main
I cannot think of what I want.
I cannot think of what I will flaunt.
I cannot think of what I’d choose.
I must find a compelling muse.
I do not want a car.
I do not want a bar.
Some may say I’d want a dog.
I respond–I’d rather a frog.

Sylvia Sheng

I want a cup of coffee
to keep me awake when
I have to stay up late for homework,
to make my eyes open when
I’m in the middle of the lesson.

Anthony Vincent
I want to travel.
I want to explore and unravel new spaces.
I want to stay in new places.
I want to meet new people and become familiar with their faces.
I want to understand new culture.
I want to see a vulture.
I want to travel.

Haley
What do I want?
I want a bad tattoo.

I want it so obvious, until my parents find it.
“Wipe” it all off me.

John
What does John want?
John wants to be home all day,
happy and content with peanut butter and Ritz crackers,
be with my dad and dogs,
but if John has to go to school,
I guess John wants to have awesome grades and
go to the Citadel to make my dad proud.
I kinda just want him to be proud.

Henry’s Award-Winning Speech!

April 20, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–an original speech by Henry Huang

Henry composed this speech on the given topic “Liberty and Justice for All: What Does It Mean to You?” and delivered through FOUR levels of the 2016 Lions Club Speech Competition. He began with the Palm Springs Lions Club-level competition, and the PS Lions supported him through the next three levels–all the way up to the District Level in Big Bear, California. Henry won $500 in the process and the devotion of his fans. Said Cathy Brant, Palm Springs Lion, “His speech brought tears to my eyes.”

In 1752, Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod. This invention protects a building from being destroyed by lightning. However, what is more important is Franklin, as well as other Founding Fathers, built a lightning rod called “liberty and justice for all” so that the new nation would always be protected from the lightning of tyranny and dictatorship.

Here, I want to share some ideas that I have about this universally acknowledged truth as a foreigner, as an outsider.

I know there are many people who will doubt the self-evident words: “Liberty and justice for all.” There are so many tragedies happening today. Fear, anger, nervousness could destroy all the faith we have in those words: “Liberty and justice for all.” However, I view these words as a guidance, something like a polar star. The idea of “Liberty and justice for all” will always give us faith and power to face whatever is in front of us.

“Liberty and justice for all” are not merely some words written on paper, repeated in the Pledge of Allegiance everyday. To me, “Liberty and justice for all” is a warranty, a warranty granted by the Founding Fathers so that people who live on this vast land in North America will never suffer the same pain and slavery of tyranny. The Founding Fathers ignited a torch, a torch of hope and freedom with these simple words. For centuries, people immigrated to the United States and believed this nation is “the promised land.” People move to the United States not only because of its vast natural resources and opportunities but also for the promise of freedom and the right to pursue happiness. That is the reason we have legends of immigrants in America like Kissinger, Albright, Schwarzenegger. That is also a part of the reason I have come to “the land of the free and the home of the brave” to further my education because with these powerful words, I believe that I can have the chance to be the person I want to be.

In the history of the United States, there are dark moments where this nation broke its promise to the world. The enslavement of African Americans, the trail of tears of Native Americans, the internment camps of Japanese Americans in World War II are some unavoidable blots on American history. However, the greatness of this nation is that it will look back to what it has done and do better and improve it. That is why this nation also gave birth to the Civil Rights movement and legislation so that such tragedy in history will never appear again.

Nowadays, there are events like injustice in the justice system, public figures spitting untruthful words about a specific ethnic group or a specific religion. It is a cause for concern. Yet, as President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” So, please see those protesters expressing “all life matters”; please hear the public outcry against those outrageous speeches; please feel the power of these emotions that will never die. Love, respect, peace. You will see that those who holds malicious thoughts are few; those principles that the Founding Fathers brought forth have not vanished. The enlightened people of the United States still treasure and protect the most valuable assets of this great land: “Liberty and Justice for all.”

Liberty and Justice for all, to me, is also like a nourishing loaf of bread. There is nothing lavish, nothing luxurious in it. However, its simplicity and power do provide vital nutrients to the United States. Some other promises made by other countries are like macaroons: full of lavishness and luxury. Macaroons are sweet inside, but there is nothing left after sweetness. I hope, and I truly believe, this nourishing bread will keep feeding the democracy and prosperity of the United States.

What is racism?

April 15, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 9 Comments

–by Gaven Li

We live in an extremely sensitive world. If people don’t use words like “black” or “colored” properly, they will be easily considered “racist.” I’ve been living in the United States as a Chinese student for about seventeen months and have met or heard many things that are a little “racist” but not hard to get over. So what is racism? In my very own opinion, racism is not the jokes that my friends often make about my eyes (sometime they are actually funny), or the fact that it took some teachers a year to stop calling me “Michael,” who is another male Chinese student in my grade. I don’t think these things are racist. They won’t even hurt my feelings.

The real racism is when mainstream media keeps conveying wrong messages to the audience that China is still a poor, rural country with uneducated people, while they never show the amazing changes China has made in the past thirty years. The real racism is the stereotype of “the smart Asian” or “the calculator,” without realizing how hard Chinese students study and how competitive it is to get into a good college in China. The real racism is claiming that “Chinese immigrants are taking over our land and our jobs,” while forgetting how European immigrants took land and livelihood from Native Americans two hundred years ago. The real racism is making fun of the Chinese internet blockade while praising the “freedom of speech” which was written in the U.S. Constitution while Edward Snowden has been hiding all over the world for three years. The real racism is laughing at China’s government system without even knowing anything about it, while the U.S. election system is about to let Mr. Donald Trump become the next president. The real racism is indignantly criticizing the child labor issues in China, while ignoring which country held slaves for two centuries.

Growing up in China, we are taught that the United States of America is an amazing country with liberty and democracy—Hollywood, New York, the NBA…it sounds a wonderful place. When I first came here, however, the one question that I was asked so many times was, “Do you eat dogs?” This really shocked me. I don’t know if it’s because of TV, newspapers, or the internet; it seems like most Americans’ knowledge and understanding of China is from the 1970’s. Even though I know the United States is probably so perfect that the people don’t necessarily want to learn too much about other countries, what really upsets me is the fact that so many people accept the wrong, misguided images of China or Chinese people without thinking or researching. The comic-strip caricature of the evil Fu Manchu, for example, was perpetuated by the media and politicians. I can live with all the racist jokes, but it is the disrespect and unfair judgement to my motherland that hurts me the most.

Because of cultural differences, Asian people usually don’t speak out for themselves or protest in public, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have feelings. I’m not pointing at anyone since most of my friends and teachers are nice to me and I really appreciate it. I’m just expressing how I feel about racism as portrayed in the media and internet. Indeed, Asians have small eyes, but they are big enough for us to see the unfairness and discrimination we are facing.

The most influential persons in history

April 8, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 10 Comments

–comments and summary by senior Blog Correspondent and future “Influential Person” Ashley Zhou

The other day when I was browsing the old bookshelf at home, a book caught my eyes: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael Hart.
I have thought about this topic but was never able to come up with my own list of influential persons.
The first names that popped out of my head were Isaac Newton, newton Jesus Christ, and maybe Sherlock Holmes. So, I opened the book. I was curious to find out who is the most influential person. Muhammad. The book said, “Muhammad.”
Ummm. I have to admit that I was a little bit shocked because I didn’t know a whole bunch about Muhammad. So I continued reading and tried to find out more about him. In the preface, author Hart admitted that ranking Muhammad first might be controversial, but he felt that from a secular historian’s perspective, this was the correct choice because Muhammad is the only man to have been both a founder of a major world religion and a major military/political leader.
As I kept reading the book, I find that the list was clearly dominated by religious leaders (implying that they were the most influential group of people). Next, came innovaters and scientists, and then political figures. The highest ranked political/military figure does not come until #17 (Qin Shi Huang, the first Chinese emperor to unite China), followed by Caesar Augustus (nephew of Julius, creator of a peaceful Roman era) at #18. This view would be consistent with the idea that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” jesus-christ-munir-alawi
But, why are the religious leaders the most influential group in history? Or, what evidence did the author use to support his point?
Firstly, the influence of religion is much more profound and widespread across the world than that of military or politics or fashion, etc. People nowadays still keep their beliefs and religions as very important parts their lives. In history, those founders went through a harsh, austere, and long process of establishing those religions. Hart explains religions lead their people to fight battles, teach them about the theories or save them from their sufferings. Religion wasn’t only a redemption but also a main support in people’s lives. A kingdom may last a century or so, but it doesn’t expand beyond its borders. Religions spread worldwide and last for generations. That is why religions and religious leaders have such widespread influence across the world.
Inventors and scientists bring us steam engines, paper making, electricity, the basic knowledge of the universe, pasteurization, magneto, airplanes, radios, telephones, photography, X-Rays and many other technologies to better our standard of living. These changes are tangible and practical, and, more importantly, these inventions and discoveries are the foundation of the progress of human civilization. So that’s why inventors and scientists are ranked the second most influential group in history.
As I mentioned, the highest ranking political/military figure doesn’t come till #17 on Hart’s list. Hart explains that’s because the influence of an empire usually doesn’t last longer than one or two centuries. Even though those kings and emperors were great leaders and fighters, they weren’t as influential as religious and scientific leaders. And, of course, Hitler is a member of The 100. He’s #35 (#39 in the revised edition).
As we enter the 21st century, there are many other notable and notorious individuals who truly influenced our lives: Steve Jobs, Ronald Reagan, FDR, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, even Benedict Cumberbatch. I am looking forward to the update of this book. In another 50 years, I hope I am on the list. Hehehe.

Who would be on your list of “The 100 Most Influential”? Mr. Sarkis? Kobe? Rihanna?

Tesla Unveils the Model 3

April 6, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Jordan King, Blog Auto Industry Correspondent, future driver who will probably get a Toyota Corolla because the Tesla 3 doesn’t come out until the end of 2017, and he can’t WAIT THAT LONG!

March 31st marked the beginning of a revolution: the electric-car revolution. Tesla unveiled the Model 3–the most mainstream electric car ever. Why is this so exciting? Well, first off, the Tesla 3 gets 215 miles of range for the cheapest model! All models (except the cheapest model) come with autopilot! What’s even more exciting is the price; the Model 3 is $35,000 at its cheapest, but after government incentives the price drops to $25,000. Also, just look at it!

teslamotors.com

teslamotors.com

Well… There are a few complications though. Firstly, if Tesla sells more than 200,000 units, there won’t be an incentive. Tesla already has over 270,000 pre-orders for a car that won’t ship for another eighteen months. Also the base model probably won’t have any of the features that people want. Autonomous features won’t be available unless you have a model for potentially $50,000 or more. Also the Model 3 isn’t expected to ship until the end of 2017. How can anyone wait that long? It’s madness! I’m betting, however, the Model 3 will disrupt the auto industry. It’s the first affordable electric car that gets over a hundred miles of range. Already, everybody wants one.

Right now, it may not seem realistic to drive an electric car every day, but soon it will. Tesla is doubling the amount of superchargers in the world. If you didn’t know already, the Tesla Supercharger fully charges a car in half an hour, and the charging time could be even less in the future. You’ll find Superchargers in malls, at grocery stores, at train stations, etc. So, hold onto your hats because this is going to be one heck of a ride.

Are you going to put a Tesla in your garage?