Indy Behr Archives - the bird on fire

What Happened in France Doesn’t Always Stay in France . . .

May 19, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

. . . not if ace reporter Indiana was there. Indy gives us the inside scoop of what was eaten, who paid, and who missed the boat on the PVS France trip.

By Junior Indy Behr

On April 6, nine Palm Valley students arrived at Palm Springs International Airport at 4 a.m. to begin a week-long journey through France. Levi, a fellow writer for the Bird on Fire, as well as myself, were part of these nine. Levi had several… incidents… during our trip. Despite their inconvenience, I knew all of them would help make a more interesting blog article, even if Levi had to sacrifice a terrarium, jar of jam, a river cruise in front of the Eiffel Tower as the sun set, and most importantly, our time. Just wait until you hear about flam.

For our trip, we were chaperoned by MUS Assistant Head Mr. Killeen as well former Palm Valley Head of Middle School and French teacher Mrs. Mule. We got to the airport, and after not too long, before the sun had even risen, we were off to Salt Lake City, Utah. In Salt Lake, I got Starbucks for myself and three others, including Levi. Levi promptly judged me for ordering a small drink for myself despite me paying for his much larger beverage. I then reminded him his sizable drink and two sous-vide egg bites were more expensive than the rest of our order combined, which I covered, and yet he still had the audacity to judge my drink size. This sentiment would be repeated throughout the trip.

Then, we left Salt Lake City for Minneapolis, Minnesota. When we got to the Minneapolis airport, we were all hungry, and I took these same people to the Smack Shack and got several baskets of fried shrimp. Levi, of course, while enjoying the food I generously gave to him, mocked me for only drinking water. Then, we finished up and went to the gate and began by far our longest flight to Paris. Frankly, this was the best flight of my life. My section was in the middle where there were four seats, yet only one other person on the aisle joined me. So, I got to take my pillow out and lie down for almost the whole flight. I slept as we crossed the Atlantic. When we arrived, it was around 8 a.m., and we met our tour guide as soon as we exited the airport after going through customs (where Levi, of course, was stopped by French authorities and questioned).

Our tour guide introduced himself as Froggie, which feels offensive in France, but I was not going to argue with him. We got on a bus where we first went to our hotel and dropped off our luggage, and then went back into Paris and to a cafe where we had coffee, which we certainly needed since we were already so jetlagged. Then we walked… and walked… and kept walking. We were exhausted by the end of this. We went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, but we were jetlagged and miserable. None of us were happy by this point.

Eventually, we made our way to Versailles where four of us, including Levi again, dined on beef tartare, duck confit, and escargot. We were taking our time before we had to return to the palace. Mr. Killeen found us and told us to hurry up. So we never got dessert…. The Versailles palace, to be quite honest, was not particularly fun because of how tired we were. The gardens were a little better. We walked some more, had some more coffee, and then, as soon as we reached the hotel, we slept.

The next day we walked more and went to the one and only Flam’s. Try approaching anyone who went to France and just say “flam.” They will roll their eyes and probably tell you a horrifying story. Long story short, flam is a flatbread style pizza with cheese, a savory cream sauce, and ham. It is sickening. Seriously, it is the worst thing I have ever tasted. They promised a mushroom variation, that actually was the same thing but with a couple slices of canned mushrooms. Then dessert. I didn’t even taste it, and, based on others’ opinions, I made the right call. It was the same thing, but instead it had melted chocolate and caramel, but still the savory cream sauce. We were on the metro towards the Eiffel Tower station when Levi realized he left his bag at Flam’s. Mrs. Mule and he both missed our river cruise and the Eiffel Tower as a result.

The next day, we got up at around 5 a.m. and went to the train station to take the TGV high-speed train. I was excited, as I like high-speed rail so much I even wrote an article about it (See thebirdonfire.org). The TGV felt like a typical train until I looked out the window and saw how much faster we were going compared to a normal train. It was pretty cool to see, and unlike a lot of trains I have been on in the US, we did not stop once all the way from the top of France in Paris to the very south along the Mediterranean Sea. We were there in just over three hours.

We arrived in Avignon and took a bus into the city before we went to some big church. We then had some olives from a local market and strolled around the area. We were then given some free time. Levi, I, and some others went to a small cafe, and we ordered coffee and a plate of beef carpaccio (thinly pounded raw beef). It was very good, and then Jerry showed up after visiting the church, and ordered coffee and steak tartare (minced raw beef). Jerry ate a lot of tartare throughout the trip. After the cafe we went to our new hotel, and, because it was Easter Monday, everything around was closed, so the end of the day was not particularly exciting.

By the next day, we were once again on our bus continuing our tour. We continued exploring this new less urban part of France. We got to visit a lot of cool places that were way more laid back than the more populated areas we had seen previously. Visiting Monaco was pretty fun, though in hindsight I would’ve explored more rather than just visiting the aquarium. We spent our final day in Nice. We got to eat ice cream and have lunch, and then before dinner we went to the beach.

The next morning, we got up at around 3 a.m. to get to the airport in Nice. On the first flight, which was only about an hour, we went from Nice to Amsterdam. Once we boarded, we could not take off for a long time because of some mechanical issues. Unfortunately, many pictures of me sleeping were taken. Once we got to Amsterdam, we had no time between flights. We jolted to the Customs line. Because people who are neither American nor EU Citizens like Jerry have to wait on a much longer queue than us, we had to wait a while, and then Levi got stopped because of how suspicious he appeared with a jar of jam that had way more liquid than is allowed. We finished going through Customs, and we ran, and I mean ran, to our gate. We just made it. They were already almost done with boarding by the time we got there. We returned to Salt Lake City for a couple hours, and flew to Palm Springs. It was a really fun trip, and I am glad I chose to go.

My Three-Michelin-Star Dining Experience

March 29, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

The Blog Staff wanted to explore FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD. We’ve examined the best fast-food chicken-sandwich, the best street food, wagyu, fish, and the mercury found in fish (thank you, Levi). Indy takes us inside a Michelin-Star restaurant–the world famous Le Bernardin.

By Junior Epicurist Indy Behr

The Background

Le Bernardin is a seafood restaurant that was founded in 1972 in Paris, France, by Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, and they received their first Michelin star four years later, and then two more stars four years after this. In 1994, Le Bernardin relocated to New York. Eight years after the move, Gilbert Le Coze died, and his widow continued operating the restaurant. After this, Gilbert Le Coze’s former student Eric Ripert became a co-owner of Le Bernardin. Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert continue to co-own the restaurant today.

My Visit

I am very much a foodie, but until February 20, 2023, I had never been to a restaurant with a Michelin star. On that day, I visited Le Bernardin in New York City, which has three stars, the most a restaurant can get. Normally, getting reservations for this restaurant is very difficult, as it is relatively small despite its popularity. As a result, because we only decided to go a week before our visit, the only reservations my family could get were for a Wednesday night at 8:45 p.m. Though it was almost midnight before we returned to our hotel, it was all worth it. My whole family got the eight-course tasting menu, and I am going to go course by course and review each one. In the end, I will give each course a rating out of 10.

The Courses

The first course is called Tuna-Urchin, and it entails a tuna tartare, essentially minced raw tuna, on a small wafer. The tuna is topped with a small amount of sea urchin flesh. I have had many tuna tartares, and this was unquestionably the best take on it I have ever had. It was minced to the perfect size and seasoned very well. I had never had sea urchin before, and it was actually pretty good. It has a pretty strong flavor, but there was not too much of it, so it did not overpower it at all. This course was an 8/10.

The second course was the Scallop-Caviar. This had a slightly warm tartare made with scallops. The dice was much larger than with the tuna. It had a very rich texture and was sweet, and our waiter explained scallops are the only seafood that caramelize due to its sugar content. It had a scoop of Osetra caviar on top, which is one of the best forms of caviar money can buy. I have had caviar before, but never such a fancy type. These two parts of the course worked very well together, and the caviar was definitely what sealed the deal for me. I rate it an 8.5/10.

After this, we had the Lobster course. It was small pieces of lobster with a salad made of grapes and fennel. Fennel is a vegetable with a similar texture to a carrot but with a flavor kind of like licorice. The lobster was very good, but, honestly, I think the grapes were a little too ambitious. The big bold berry overpowered the lobster. The fennel, however, worked really well with the lobster. I am giving this course a 7/10.

The fourth course, the Langoustine course, was absolutely my favorite course. The langoustine was like lobster but so much more tender. It just melted in your mouth. It had an egg-white-based wild mushroom sauce and aged balsamic vinegar, and both of these sauces were great and complemented the langoustine. This was a 10/10… at least.

The fifth course was the Dover Sole, which had a very traditional buttery almond topping, and it has a sherry wine emulsion. Dover sole is really tender, and it’s one of my favorite fish dishes. The sauce went with it really well, and I enjoyed the crunch from the almonds. I rate this course 8/10.

The sixth and last entree course was the Halibut. It had really nice baby root vegetables. The tiny carrots were definitely my favorite of the vegetables. However, the best part of this course was the bourguignon sauce. If you have ever had beef bourguignon, it is the same as this. The beefy red wine flavor actually goes shockingly well with the very meaty and flaky halibut. Thanks to this sauce, this was a solid 9/10.

The first dessert course was Pistachio. It was a pistachio praline, and, to be honest, I was not a fan. I do not really like pistachio flavor that much, so I am biased, to be fair. However, the sauce was also not my favorite. I liked every other course, but I would have been fine with only one dessert course. This was a 3/10.

Lastly, we got a pear sorbet. The sorbet had a very nice presentation with a perfectly round scoop. It had delicious chunks of pear sprinkled throughout that really added a nice textural component. This was an incredible way to close out the meal. I only wish this was our only dessert course. 10/10

Overall, I really enjoyed Le Bernardin. It’s a big investment, but if you have the chance, next time you’re in New York, I recommend you visit.

Stop Taking Your Pets Everywhere!

February 16, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 10 Comments

By Indy Behr (who, it should be noted, thinks his cats are cool–but not transportable)

The Blog Staff opted to take a deep dive into Pets. While several of our bloggers write with great affection and sentimentality about pets, Indy has a . . . pet-peeve. He doesn’t want to see your pets in public.

Over the last few years, I have observed an incredibly frustrating trend.

People have started to feel comfortable bringing their pets everywhere, especially dogs. I genuinely cannot walk down the aisle of a grocery store without walking next to a mini poodle. I once witnessed a small dog defecate in the aisle of a Gelson’s. I have never been all that much of a dog person, but, if I encounter a dog in my neighborhood, I will absolutely tolerate it. However, now people can take their pets on AIRPLANES without cages for “emotional support.”

I would firstly like to make a very clear distinction: service animals for those with visual impairments and/or other physical disabilities are entirely necessary, and I will never have any issue with them being wherever they need to be. Service dogs are considered something that most places are rightfully required to allow by the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, ada.gov publicly states that “emotional support dogs” are not service animals, period. Service dogs are required to be trained. With training, they don’t bother others or lick them at random. I know there are some people reading this who are going to think how insensitive I am, but I am not the only one saying this. I am sure for many people your flight or trip to the grocery store will be more fun with your dog, but that does not make bringing Fido along a medical necessity.

When airlines let untrained dogs sit out in the open on planes, it can be downright dangerous. One man needed twenty-eight stitches after an emotional support Labrador attacked him on a Delta flight from Atlanta to San Diego. And, now, there’s a get-around even for airlines that require documentation stating pets are necessary. Many websites will let you pay and get a “certificate” that makes your pet an emotional support pet. This can include pigs. This can include, somehow, horses. You can say that you have panic attacks without your duck on planes, and, bam, you are able to fly across the country holding a bird in your hands that can poop and quack whenever it wants.

The whole idea of emotional support animals being helpful in almost any case has nearly no scientific evidence. The Journal of Applied Developmental Science has said the only research on this issue is much too early to reach any conclusion (washingtonpost.com). Previous studies often had other issues–like not controlling other causes for increased or decreased stress in the presence of animals. I don’t think that we should be letting emotional support animals everywhere until we know they actually work.

If you are reading this and thinking, “But I know my dog makes me happy!”–I am not doubting that this is the case, but if there is still no actual evidence that your dog does things like lower anxiety in the long term, I do not think it is worth it to allow your untrained dog into all public areas. If you are considering paying someone online to say that your animal is for emotional support just because you want to take them out in public, please do not.

Dianne Done-stein?

February 15, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Political Analyst Indy Behr

Note: Yesterday morning, Senator Feinstein announced she would not run for reelection in 2024. This article was completed prior to this announcement. The announcement proves, “Indy was right.”

California’s Class 1 Senate seat is up for reelection in 2024, and this race is already getting interesting. This seat is currently held by Dianne Feinstein, and she has held it since 1992. She is now 89 years old and still active in the Senate. Typically, new candidates hold off on making announcements regarding candidacy until incumbents state their intentions on filling again their seats.

Then, just a few weeks ago, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA47), who represents parts of the Los Angeles suburbs including Irvine and Newport Beach, announced her candidacy for the seat. NBC news reporter Alex Seitz-Wald stated that an ally of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA30), who represents an urban Los Angeles district, told him that the timing of Porter’s announcement–amid major floods across California–indicated Porter was “playing politics.” Just a few weeks later, however, Schiff himself jumped into the race, even as Feinstein refused to state what her plans are.

Many have been concerned about Feinstein’s cognitive health for nearly a year (NPR.org). In October, her home city newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, reported that colleagues of Feinstein believe that she “is now mentally unfit to serve.” They stated that an unnamed Democratic member of Congress from California, who had known Feinstein for 15 years, had to reintroduce himself to Feinstein multiple times during a conversation (sfchronicle.com). The Chronicle stated that the colleagues then began discussing ways to get Feinstein to retire before her term ends. This is why many are so surprised that Feinstein, who would be 97 at the end of an additional six-year term, is still not saying she will retire.

While two prominent candidates are in this race already–Porter and Schiff, it is likely that more will join them in the coming weeks. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA12), who represents the city of Oakland and several smaller surrounding cities, was reported as having told members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which she chairs, that she was planning to run for Feinstein’s seat. Lee is 76, and though she is 13 years younger than Feinstein, questions about her age have been raised. The San Francisco Chronicle stated that a source close to Lee told them she would plan to be in the Senate for just one term, and their message to donors now is that she would be a “trailblazer for six years.” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA17) said in January that he too was exploring a run for the Senate seat. Khanna represents the Silicon Valley area.

Of the two candidates currently in the race, there is a stark difference. Porter is a noted progressive and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as are roughly half of Congressional Democrats. Schiff is somewhat more moderate in his policies and is not a member of the Progressive Caucus. While Porter’s announcement video proposed drastic policy changes when it comes to healthcare or taxes, Schiff focused on his record opposing Trump in the House as a member of the House Intelligence Committee and his concern over MAGA Republicans posing a threat to democracy. Barbara Lee is a former co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, and Khanna is a member. Lee was the only member of the House to oppose a bill allowing the US to invade those believed to be responsible for 9/11. Khanna and Porter are two of only six House members who do not take any money from corporate Political Action Committees.

This early in a race, fundraising is a good metric to see where each candidate stands. Though Porter did beat Schiff in terms of fundraising on their respective days of announcement, Schiff already had over $20M in his campaign account, whereas Porter had $7.7M. Schiff amassed a lot of this money during the Trump-Russia investigation, which made him more prominent as a national figure, and he has not had to spend much money campaigning as he is in a safe Los Angeles district. Porter lives in a much more conservative district and won reelection by less than 1% in 2022. Lee has just $54K to her name, as she is both in a safe district and lacks name recognition, for now. Feinstein has nearly $10M currently, yet from October to December 2022, she reported to the Federal Election Commission that she had raised just $558.91. The only poll we have seen so far is a head-to-head between Porter and Schiff, and though Porter is leading by 9%, 37% of California voters remain undecided. In terms of endorsements from members of Congress, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is Porter’s only endorser, whereas Schiff is already the favored candidate of most of the Democratic House delegation for California, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA11) (sfchronicle.com).

I went to watch Schiff get interviewed live at the Rancho Mirage Writers’ Festival just last week. He was asked about whether he thinks Feinstein will run and in the event she runs, whether he’ll position himself as a challenger or drop out. I was planning to ask him this very question. I should have expected that he would give a politician’s answer. He explained that he had let Feinstein know he was planning to run and said that he thought “Feinstein would make the decision she thinks is best for California.” When pressed on whether he would run in this hypothetical scenario, he acknowledged that the audience would be “unsatisfied” with his answer and essentially repeated what he had just said.

Blog Reporter Indy Behr and Adam Schiff at the Rancho Mirage Writers’ Festival last Friday.

All in all, even a year and a half before the election itself, I think this race is already turning out to be quite interesting. In the coming weeks, we should see at least one candidate join the race, and likely by the Spring, Feinstein will state what her intentions are. If I had to guess, I don’t think she’s running, especially based on her raising essentially no money over the last few months. I am looking forward to seeing more endorsements, polling and fundraising reports in the coming weeks.

Coffee Around the Globe

February 2, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Indy Behr, Coffee Connoisseur

Indy suggested we blog about coffee, so it’s only fitting he travels the world offering up and explaining the many varieties of coffee we can ingest.

There are many different countries that produce coffee across the globe. I wrote an article delving into the culture and origin characteristics of Ethiopian coffee, but there are countries across Africa, South America, and Asia that produce significant amounts of coffee as well, all with their own growing processes and naturally occurring flavors. I will explore a few coffee producing countries from all of these regions.

Kenyan Coffee

Kenya is an African nation. Their coffee characteristics are somewhat similar to Ethiopian characteristics. The coffee has bright, fruity flavors. There is much more natural acidity present, and when the coffee is left to dry naturally before roasting, this acidity is even more prominent, and the flavors are reminiscent to tropical fruit, like mangos or pineapples. I have seen people describe these Kenyan dry-process coffees as Tropical-Skittles-flavored coffee. The coffee has a heavy body, and its mouthfeel is creamier than coffees grown in South America.

Ugandan Coffee

Uganda is another major coffee-producing nation in Africa. Ugandan coffee is similar to Kenyan coffee, but there is not as much natural sugar. This means there is not quite as much sweetness. Their coffee production used to be much less than its neighboring countries, but over the last few years, coffee has become their top earning export (tradingeconomics.com). Initially, they were producing low-quality, high caffeine, cheap robusta coffee, but they have now entered the arabica game, leading to more attention from the specialty coffee industry.

Indonesian Coffee

The biggest coffee-producing country in Asia by far is Indonesia. If you’ve ever had an espresso beverage from Starbucks (a latte, cappuccino, flat white, caramel macchiato, etc.), you’ve had Indonesian coffee. Asian coffees like these are relatively earthy, meaning they kind of taste like what can best be described as dirt or grass. Plenty of people enjoy this as evidenced by Starbucks’ popularity. Even when roasted lightly, it has pretty high natural bitterness. Personally, I am not a fan of these types of coffees that typically come from Asia. I like fruitier and more acidic ones in general. That being said, when your coffee is roasted nearly into ashes like Starbucks, any type of bean will taste like the same thing: carbon.

Panamanian Coffee

Panama is a major coffee producer in South America that produces coffee with intense fruity flavors and sometimes even a peppery spicy note. Panama is the producer of most gesha coffees that are found throughout the world, even though this variety is actually native to Ethiopia. Geshas are one of the most expensive varieties of coffee, but they are generally some of the highest quality coffees you can find. Geshas often have the scent and flavors of honey and jasmine tea.

Panama is the largest producer of the expensive Gesha variety of coffee (sprudge.com).

Brazilian Coffee

Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world by far. More than 7.8 billion pounds of green coffee beans were exported by Brazil in 2020 (elevencoffees.com). Because Brazil is one of the largest coffee-producing countries in the area, the characteristics of their coffee significantly vary by region and growing altitude. Generally, their coffees are not especially acidic, though the higher they are grown, the more acidic they are. Their coffee often has really nice chocolatey notes, and they are usually more of sweeter, lighter milk chocolate notes unlike the intense dark chocolate notes found in coffees from places like Indonesia.

A large Brazilian farm grows coffee (ictcoffee.com).

Hawaiian Coffee

Of the fifty United States, only Hawaii grows coffee. This is because it is the only true tropical state. Hawaiian coffee is very naturally sweet, with molasses or brown sugar notes. There are also a lot of fruity notes found, especially berry ones. Hawaii also produces the very high quality Kona coffee variety. Kona has very pleasant nutty notes, like toasted almond or hazelnut. This variety is grown on the Big Island of Hawaii on the slopes of volcanoes. These areas are of relatively low altitudes, and this means Kona has very little acidity compared to coffees in places like Africa.

The Kona variety of coffee thrives in the Hawaiian sun (https://www.lovebigisland.com/).

Overall, I think that comparing the origin characteristics of different coffee-producing countries is really fun. Personally, my favorite coffees are acidic coffees from places like Kenya and fruity coffees from places like Brazil. I encourage you to try two single origin coffees from two different continents and try to tell what is different or similar between them. It’s a really fun way to explore coffee from around the world and find your preferences and dislikes.

My Return to Broadway…

January 12, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Indy Behr

I have always enjoyed seeing shows on Broadway. I saw my first performance of The Lion King when I was seven years old. Since then, I have returned about eight times to see several shows. Because of COVID, I have not been able to go back since November 2019 when I saw Beetlejuice at the Winter Garden Theatre. My first show since COVID shut down Broadway was also Beetlejuice, yet it was very different from my first visit.

The Original Production of Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is a musical based on the Tim Burton-directed film of the same name. Though the basic plot is relatively similar, there are some major differences. It’s also, of course, a musical, making it very different from the initial work. It initially opened for tryouts in Washington, D.C., in October 2018, where it developed itself over time before moving to the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in April 2019. Initially opening to somewhat mediocre reception and lackluster sales, its reviews and finances drastically improved within a few months, partially thanks to popularity on TikTok. On the site, hundreds of people danced to Beetlejuice’s “Girl Scout” song.

I initially saw Beetlejuice in December 2019, just a few weeks after the Winter Garden Theatre announced it would be ending the show, or as Beetlejuice’s promotional material framed it, evicting the show. The show’s run was scheduled to end abruptly in June 2020 (like all Broadway shows, it ultimately closed in March 2020). It was closed to make way for an adaptation of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman. This move was very controversial, and instantly the Beetlejuice the musical publicly shared their attempts to move it to a new Broadway theater. Ultimately, the musical announced after two years of searching for a new home that it would be re-opening with a near-identical cast at the Marquis Theatre on April 8, 2022.

The Return of Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice resumed performances on April 8, 2022. This was always intended to be a limited run, and it closed on January 8 after eight months of shows. That being said, it will be going on tour and will be hitting Los Angeles in July and San Diego. I should probably note this musical is recommended for those thirteen and above.

An Ode to Levi’s Hoodie

November 29, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

I asked PVS bloggers to find a captivating photo. Indy was captivated by Levi’s new hoodie. In these 60-degree days, an alpaca hoodie is surprisingly appealing.

By Junior Indy Behr

Levi stays cozy in his alpaca fiber-based hoodie in blog class, risking a potential dress-code violation. Note: No alpacas were harmed in the making of Levi’s sweater hoodie.

When I was assigned to write about a photograph I considered long and hard what sort of a piece I should author inspired by this prompt. It did not take me long to find what I wanted to discuss. Recently, a hoodie has come into my classmate Levi’s possession. To put it nicely, it is all he has talked about over the last few days. It is certainly not inexpensive, so I wanted to see why he said it was so worth it, and why he thinks it’s so special. Inspired by Pablo Neruda, I am creating my very own An Ode to Levi’s Hoodie.

An interesting story that inspired me to write this article is an incident wherein Ms. Zachik inquired to Levi whether his hoodie was made of cashmere. Levi was borderline offended at even the insinuation that his hoodie was made with cashmere, and he quickly interjected that it in fact was made of alpaca fiber. Several of us in blog class described Levi as pretentious, and his recent article regarding beef that costs $200 dollars per pound did not help him defend himself against these accusations. Levi’s blog colleague Luke went so far as to give him the nickname, “Princess Levi.”

The hoodie is Paka Apparel’s appropriately named The Hoodie. It is made up primarily of royal alpaca fiber, recycled nylon, and pima cotton. It is handwoven in the southeastern Peruvian city of Cusco. Paka Apparel describes The Hoodie as casual but also functional. It is very lightweight, coming in at less than 10 oz. It is said to be appropriate for climates both cold and warm. Though it is not cashmere–which is obtained from goats rather than alpacas, Paka claims it is just as soft. I have felt this hoodie, and I can confirm it is amazingly soft.

I was shocked to see how positive the reviews for this hoodie were. Reviewer Julia B. said, “It’s comfier and cozier than I ever could have thought.” Levi echoed this sentiment. Though some reviewers expressed their disappointment regarding the fact that The Hoodie does not have a pocket, Levi told me that the quality more than makes up for the lack of such a pocket.

This hoodie may be $139, but Levi does not even question its worth, and he wouldn’t let us question it either. When asked what his favorite part of The Hoodie is, Levi told me he appreciates that he can wake up everyday to dress himself in the fur of a Peruvian alpaca. He has said that his self-confidence is boosted when he sees “pitiful” students wandering donning “makeshift polyester hoodies with their logos and capitalistic designs.” In a sophisticated manner, Levi explained he values the cusqueña alpacas who do not provide their fur for profit, and he is of the belief that the alpacas “are honored” to provide their fur for such a noble cause as his hoodie.

All in all, I can very much understand why Levi treasures this hoodie so very much. Evidently, its price point is understandable once one factors in the quality ingredients that it is composed of, as well as the fact that it is handcrafted by experts in the Urubamba Valley who oversee the stunning views of the surrounding Andes mountain range (just look at Paka’s website, really). I think it is safe to say that Levi has successfully made me want to purchase The Hoodie.

You can find The Hoodie at pakaapparel.com.

Note: This hoodie is not considered dress code. Levi has been dress-coded and will only wear his alpaca during free-dress days.

Indy’s Outlook for the Midterms

November 8, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Junior Political Pundit Indiana Behr

SPECIAL ELECTION COVERAGE

The midterms are today, and the outlook is…. unclear. In the age of more political polarization than we’ve seen in decades, electoral prediction has gotten much harder. This election’s results are likely to greatly affect our country’s political future, with issues like crime, abortion, taxes, and the Biden administration’s political agenda being in play. I am going to show some of my predictions and some interesting info about what’s to come. I am going to start with some competitive Senate elections, an unlikely gubernatorial standoff, and the swingy Congressional race in a new district that covers Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and La Quinta.

Pennsylvania Senate

John Fetterman (D) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) debate in the general election (abcnews.com).

One of the most prominent Senate races in this cycle is the Pennsylvania Senate race. The incumbent, Pat Toomey (R), announced his intention to retire last year, and almost immediately, a bitter Republican primary broke out. The initial frontrunner was the Trump-endorsed former House candidate Sean Parnell, but after a child custody battle with his estranged wife made its way to the media, he withdrew, and shortly after, television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz and wealthy businessman Dave McCormick entered the race. Oz initially lost several polls, and the race seemed to lean in McCormick’s favor… until Trump endorsed Oz. He experienced a surge after this, and after a long election with threats of recounts, Oz won by just 0.07%, less than 1,000 votes.

The Democrats saw this seat as a potential flip in their favor, especially with the incumbency advantage gone. John Fetterman, the incumbent Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania, created an exploratory committee early on, and later officially entered the race. Then, a few months later, Rep. Conor Lamb entered; however, he failed to gain traction even when Fetterman attracted criticism for an incident where he chased a Black jogger with a shotgun in 2013 while mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Fetterman stated he believed the man was connected to a recent shooting, but the jogger was not. Though Lamb received a multitude of endorsements, including three members of the House in Pennsylvania, and over thirty State Representatives, that ultimately was not enough, and Fetterman won with a margin of 32%, sweeping every single county.

Days before winning his primary, John Fetterman suffered a stroke. This has become a central point of the campaign. Due to this, Fetterman has publicly required the use of closed captioning devices to speak with reporters, and he used these devices during his debate with Oz. He has struggled to speak at times as a result, and this showed during the debate, where he occasionally struggled to get words out. Oz has been criticized for being out of touch with Pennsylvanians. Many people have claimed that Oz lived in New Jersey prior to the election, and he has also been called out for promoting medical practices not approved by the FDA on his show. Initially Fetterman led all polls by wide margins; however, it has gotten much closer over the last several weeks. Now, a couple polls show Oz with the lead. FiveThirtyEight has moved their prediction from “Lean D” (barely Democrat) to “Toss-Up.”

Georgia Senate

Another high-profile Senate Race is Georgia’s, where incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) is defending his seat against former football star Herschel Walker (R). The primaries for this race were not very contentious, and both won by very wide margins with no serious competition. The general election, on the other hand, has been the most controversy-filled this year in my opinion.

Almost all of these controversies surround Walker, yet he is still tied with Warnock in several polls, and he has even won several. Several news outlets have alleged that Walker paid for a woman to terminate her pregnancy, and on Monday, the New York Times reported that they had spoken to the anonymous woman, and she reportedly told them that two years after that incident, he unsuccessfully lobbied her to terminate another pregnancy. Walker has denied these allegations. Many have accused Walker of hypocrisy, as his campaign platform states that he has a pro-life stance. Other parts of his past, such as his unsubstantiated claim that he was an FBI agent, or his admittance that he played Russian roulette have also come under scrutiny. Walker may struggle in the general election due to these scandals.

New York Governor

On the left is Lee Zeldin (R) and on the right is Kathy Hochul (D)–the two wrangle for governor of New York (static01.nyt.com).

New York, a typically blue state, is seemingly facing an unlikely competitive race. After two competitive primaries, polling has indicated this race is down to the wire, with most showing incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul (D) ahead. Hochul, the former New York Lieutenant Governor, became governor following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo due to a sexual harassment scandal. The race instantly had a shake-up, as several candidates jumped into the Democratic primary for the position. Attorney General Letitia James launched her campaign early, but withdrew due to polls showing her trailing, and she is now running for reelection. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and New York Representative Thomas Suozzi also ran, but both candidates did not do well, sometimes polling in the single digits. Ultimately, Hochul won the primary by nearly 40%. This indicates that the Democratic electorate is firmly behind her, but the question is whether turnout will be enough to bring her across the finish line in the general election.

On the Republican side of the aisle, a race that initially seemed competitive ended in a landslide. Representative Lee Zeldin, 2014 New York Governor GOP nominee Rob Astorino, and Andrew Giuliani (son of former New York City Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani) were the three main candidates in the election. Despite previously aligning himself with Trump in the House, Zeldin painted himself as a moderate in contrast to other candidates. Polling showed the race was within single digits; however, this proved to be false when Zeldin won by over 20%.

New York is normally a solid Democratic state. After all, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by over 23% in the Presidential election. Despite that, this election has been uniquely close. One of the most prominent topics in this election is crime, and this is an issue where Hochul has attracted severe criticism. Crime has risen in New York City, and she has taken a hit for this. Hochul has criticized Zeldin’s support for the pro-life movement, and he deflected this by saying that he would not make any attempts to change reproductive health laws in New York if elected, a state where 63% of people have said they support expanded abortion rights. The latest poll from Emerson College shows Hochul at 52% and Zeldin at 44%, with 3% being undecided at this time.

US House CA-41

Incumbent Ken Calvert (R) and challenger Will Rollins (D) vie for the newly-drawn 41st district (gannett-cdn.com).

Following California’s redistricting, the incumbent Representative for Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, and several other parts of the Coachella Valley switched from Raul Ruiz (D) to Ken Calvert (R). This race has become very competitive, as this is now a district that Trump won by just 1%. Trump endorsed Calvert, stating that he is, “a leader on National Security and Strongly Supports our Brave Military and Vets.” Calvert’s opponent is Will Rollins (D), a former prosecutor who received the second most votes in California’s nonpartisan jungle primary system, where all candidates are on the same ballot, and the top two candidates move to the general election regardless of party affiliation. Rollins has very effectively established his presence in the district. In fact, his signs are planted right outside of our school, and I see his television and YouTube ads daily. While I have seen the occasional Calvert sign, his presence is much less significant in the valley. The latest poll showed Calvert up by just 3 points, and Cook Political Report predicts this race as “Lean R,” their closest ranking after “Toss Up.”

I hope you found some of these races interesting, and I encourage you to do more research about our local Congressional race and other local races, and, for any senior students, teachers, administrators, parents, or anyone else reading who is eligible, please vote!

The Annual Decoration of the Doors

November 3, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

A summary of the Halloween contest as seen through the eyes of Indiana Behr.

By Junior Indy Behr

It was officially Halloween season, and so began the annual Palm Valley tradition of classroom-door decorating. Last week, I wanted to see this tradition in progress, so I went around to several advisories throughout the Upper School to see what was up and what was being taped up.

Ms. Zachik

Ms. Zachik, a 9th-grade advisor, showed me what the ultimate plan for her door’s decoration is. Her advisory’s door was expected to be a scene from Angry Birds. When I saw it, they had a sky background on the door with several cutouts ready to be added. I asked myself, Will this be enough to win? We shall see…

Ms. Maguire

Ms. Maguire’s 10th-grade advisory was the runner-up in the door-decorating contest last year, and her advisory is known to be very competitive when it comes to their door decoration. So far, when I saw it, nothing had appeared on the advisory’s door. As most of the preparations were done inside of her classroom, Ms. Maguire said confidently, “We’re ready,” and time will tell if they can come out on top.

Mr. Jowett

Mr. Jowett is a 10th-grade advisor as well, and so far his door has been seen to have several skeletons on it. They even had several skeletons peeking out at those crossing the halls through the window in the door. It seemed that a lot of effort had been put into these decorations. My thoughts were This door could definitely be a serious contender.

Mr. Satterfield

Mr. Satterfield’s 11th-grade advisory had a large amount of purple pieces of paper attached to the inside of his door. He told me that Christina and Alyna were collaborating on decorating their advisory’s door, and that the end result was going to be three-dimensional in some way. If this was executed correctly, this door could definitely have had a shot.

Ms. Castellano

Ms. Castellano is an 11th-grade advisor (and my advisor). Her door was covered by a huge spooky octopus, with tentacles sprawling all across the outside of the science building. I may be biased, but I think that our door was one of the best, and I was very hopeful that we could pull it off.

Mrs. Bernstein

Mrs. Bernstein, a 12th-grade advisor, attributes college counseling on Tuesdays and Fridays as the reason for which her advisory had not been able to decorate their door this year. Hopefully next year her class will have an opportunity to participate!

After administrative judges scoured all of the competition, on October 31st, the winner of the Upper School was declared. The winner was my own advisory, Ms. Castellano! What was the secret? Ms. Castellano said, Go beyond the door. Think outside the box.

The Case for Poetry Out Loud

November 1, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Indy Behr

It’s that time of year when PVS students wander the halls mumbling lines of verse under their breath. It’s time, again, for the annual Palm Valley School Poetry Recitation–something we’ve done at PVS for fifty years. Parents have told me Poetry Recitation Finals are their favorite PVS assemblies. And, English teachers seem convinced the world is a better place with poetry in it. Students, however, don’t . . . always respond with joy at the prospect of reciting poetry before crowds. Indy Behr argues poetry reciting is good for us–kind of like taking your vitamins.
Blog Advisor Zachik

Recently, Alyna Llapitan authored an article, “An Ick I’ve Had,” advocating for changes to Palm Valley’s annual Poetry Recitation Competition–a competition that, in the Upper School, segues into the national Poetry Out Loud competition. Personally, I enjoy this annual tradition, and I also think it offers valuable learning opportunities for students.

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition that occurs annually. About ten years ago, Palm Valley melded its 50-year-old Poetry Recitation with national Poetry Out Loud standards. While students in nearly all grades still participate in Palm Valley’s Poetry Recitation, in the Upper-School English classes, students pick primarily poems from the Poetry Out Loud anthology. Typically, guest judges are brought into classes for one day. They choose 2-3 winners per each class, depending on class size. Those winners move on to the Upper-School finals.

I think that Poetry Out Loud is great because it teaches students two very valuable things that will be useful throughout their lives. Firstly, it teaches students how to speak with confidence. I understand that some people really dislike speaking in front of others, and I have had that fear myself, but if you go through high school without attempting to combat this, you will face many hurdles in your career. Speaking with confidence is a skill that is crucial in almost every career imaginable. Secondly, Poetry Out Loud teaches students about not just the value of poetry, but the value of literature as a whole. Though perhaps not all careers involve it, being familiar with literature and having an appreciation for it is something that will help everyone in my opinion. Cultural context and exploration can effectively be taught through these poetry recitations, and we learn about many poets as well as different types of poetry through this program.

Alyna made the point that Palm Valley should consider having students perform only in front of the judges rather than having to perform in front of their entire class. While I understand where she is coming from, I think this defeats the purpose of this competition being a way for students to feel more comfortable performing in front of several people. When you have to present a plan to your office at a job later in your life, you will be doing it in front of thirty people, not three. She is correct that in 9th grade we opted for performing solely for judges; however, this was due to the pandemic, and this is the reason we reverted to the original system the following year.

Overall, I do very much sympathize with those who are against the Poetry Recitation continuing in its current form. Despite this, I still think that these opponents could still learn several valuable things from this competition, and I wholeheartedly support it remaining in place.

*Join us the the Upper-School Poetry Recitation Finals on Friday, December 9, at 2:15. Do you have middle-school recitators you want to cheer for? Join us for the Middle-School Poetry Recitation Finals on Tuesday, December 6, at 1:10.