The Brearley School's September 2013 edition of The Zephyr.

1. THE ZEPHYR
VOLUME LII, NUMBER 2 THE BREARLEY SCHOOL September 2013
Bill de Blasio Wins Democratic Primary,
E-Cigarettes: Harmless
Gadget or Sinister Trend?
BY JULIA
SAKOWITZ, XI
NEWS EDITOR
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
The Rain Room at MoMA
One afternoon in late
July, I decided to visit the
highly-publicized Rain
Room exhibit at MoMa,
and see what all the fuss
was about. On the MoMa
website, I had read that
the Rain Room was “a
field of falling water that
pauses wherever a human
body is detected”. The exhibit was created
by Random International, a company of
artists based in London, which creates
exhibitions meant to explore human
behavior. The artists hoped that visitors
would use Rain Room as space to perform
and reflect on the effects of human
innovations, science, and technology on our
environment. It was exhibited in a lot next
door to MoMa.
I approached the information desk to
inquire about obtaining a ticket, and a staff
member informed me that, although it was
only 2 pm, the line was already at capacity
for the day—because the artists insisted that
there not be a time limit for viewers once
inside, there was an average wait of five
hours for each viewer to get in. There was,
however, a separate line for those interested
in observing Rain Room but not actually
walking under the sensors. As I knew I
would not have the
patience to return
the next day and
wait 5 hours to get
in, I opted for this
line.
During my
wait, I observed
those in the other
line, who had
already waited for
hours in the
summer heat, and
were now sprawled
on the sidewalk. I
sped past them,
and within half an
hour was inside the room itself.
Rain Room was a large, dark, space
that resembled a warehouse. The exhibit
took up most of the room, leaving a narrow
perimeter along the edges for those in the
viewing line to witness others enjoy the
“rain”. It was quite curious to watch those
but at What Cost?
On Tuesday,
September 10th, New
York City held the
Democratic and Repub-lican
mayoral primaries.
On the Democratic side,
the field was packed,
with seven candidates:
Speaker of the City
Council Christine Quinn, Public Advocate
Bill de Blasio, former Comptroller Bill
Thompson, former Congressman Anthony
Wei n e r , cur r e n t New Yor k Ci ty
Comptroller John Liu, Pastor Erick
Salgado, and former New York City
Councilman Sal Albanese. Meanwhile,
former MTA chairman Joe Lhota,
Gristedes CEO John Catsimatidis, and The
Doe Fund founder George McDonald were
the candidates on the Republican ticket.
On Elec t ion Day, New York Ci t y
Republicans made their choice clear; Lhota
beat his nearest rival, Catsimatidis, by 12
percentage points, winning 52.5% of his
party’s vote.
The Democratic election was much
more tumultuous. Initially, Speaker
Christine Quinn was the frontrunner of the
race, polling consistently above 30%, but
as summer came along her lead began to
dwindle. Anthony Weiner pushed Quinn to
second place with his unexpected entrance
to the race in late May. In July, amidst a
second round of revelations regarding
Weiner’s illicit online affairs, Bill de Blasio,
the underdog of the race, became the new
frontrunner--a position which he managed
to maintain throughout the rest of the
primary campaign. On Election Day, Bill
de Blasio crept past the 40% needed to
avoid a runoff between the top two
performing candidates by a mere .3%;
Thompson and Quinn were far behind him
with 26.2% and 15.5%, respectively.
In This Issue: The Glass Menagerie
p.5
Katie Fittinghoff
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
A Brearley Girl vs. Wisconsin
p. 7
Claire Kozak
Summer Reading
p.3
Isabella Altherr
BY SARA FARUQI, XI
STAFF WRITER
BY JULIA PRESS, XI
CONTRIBUTING
WRITER
Most modern teenagers
know about the health risks
of cigarettes, but what about
t h e i r sleek, e l e c t ronic
counter-parts?
Appearing around the
world in 2006 and 2007,
electronic cigarettes have
recently spiked in popularity,
with approximately 50,000
users in 2006, but 3.5 million in 2012. Earlier
this month, Sabrina Tavernise reported for
The New York Times that the ever increasing
number of e-cigarette users includes a
significant percentage of teenagers. As the
number of users multiplies, the e-cigarette
becomes ever more controversial; some praise
it as a safe alternative to tobacco products,
and others denounce it as a harmful drug-delivery
product that entices non-smokers and
young adults.
Electronic cigarettes are not cigarettes,
but they deliver the same addictive chemical,
Photo by Julia Press, XI
Visitors experience the Rain Room firsthand.

2. 2editorial
!
The Zephyr
Staff
Tom March
Faculty Advisor
Printed by Jupiter
Communications, INC.
Bridgeport, Connecticut
September
Letter from the Editor
THE ZEPHYR
Chloe Lacour
Editor In Chief
Katie Fittinghoff
Managing Editor
Section Editors
Julia Sakowitz
News Editor
Isabella Altherr
Features Editor
Nina Zweig
Sports Editor
Staff Writers
Sara Faruqi
Rebecca Magid
Katherine Mann
Saskia Pedersen
Tessa Pelzman
Sara Sakowtiz
Contributing Writers
Ruby Doyle
Claire Kozak
Julia Press
This summer seems to have sped by in a whirlwind of
headlines and news stories, and it’s hard to find myself back in a
classroom after witnessing just how big the world can be. Sitting in
the comfort of my own home I witnessed the entire world
seemingly transform over the past few months with new and
exciting reports popping up nearly constantly. I celebrated the
Supreme Court’s rejection of DOMA, stayed up until 2 in the
morning watching Wendy Davis filibuster Texas’s abortion bill, fervently followed
the revolutions that seemed to be happening all across the Middle East, guessed for
weeks at the name of the royal baby (Philip was a personal favorite) and tracked
Snowden around the globe. Thanks to online news sources like The New York
Times and The Huffington Post-- and some less official but still entirely culturally
relevant news sources such as Twitter and YouTube--I was able to follow new
stories up to the second and watch as my view of the world expanded to encompass
the onslaught of new headlines.
Being back in the everyday routine of school can seem a little lackluster after
watching what seems to be the entire world change in a few months, but I know
that Brearley, a little world in its own right, has just as much intrigue and
excitement. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for the Brearley
community and the world as a whole.
I hope you all enjoy this issue as much as Chloe and I do; it’s been so much
fun to put together. Our writers and editors have shown a fantastic diversity in
interests, including everything from politics to sports to fashion, and I think there’s
something here for everyone.
Sincerely,
Katie Fittinghoff, XI
Managing Editor
The Rain Room at MoMA
under the “rain”, who used the rare
opportunity to its fullest. A woman in the
center of the room was doing a dramatic yoga
pose with her arms over her head, while a man
she was with documented it with a photo. Two
other men stood with their eyes closed and
their arms raised skyward, as if they were
trying to absorb the experience, or perhaps
praying. Even stranger to see were those who
stood normally, chatting with their friends
under a veil of water.
I admit it was mesmerizing to see
people using cameras, posing, and walking
around in the “rain”, and remaining
completely dry. However, by speaking to some
people in the room, I found out that they did,
in fact, get a little wet. “I stayed mostly dry,”
one girl told me. “I think it just takes the
sensors a minute to recognize you and turn off
the water.”
In the end, while I did not have the
experience of being surrounded by the “rain”, I
did experience the other aspect of Rain Room
that the artists intended—watching complete
strangers perform and interact with each other
and their environment—a captivating sight.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

3. THE ZEPHYR 3
Introducing The 2013-2014 Zephyr Staff:
Summer Reading
The summer months are great for relaxing, working, connecting with friends and
meeting new people. But one of the great joys of the free summer months for many of
Brearley’s students, including those on the Zephyr staff, is the opportunity to read
BY ISABELLA ALTHERR, XI
FEATURES EDITOR
voraciously. For this summer each staff writer sent in a short recommendation of a book they read over the
summer; we received all different genres of books. The list of reading materials compiled here will appeal to a very
diverse community of people; there is bound to be a book, whether fantasy or biography, to please everyone. Our
goal in writing this list is to inspire the entire Brearley community to continue reading into the winter months, a
task that can be hard given heavy courseloads, but that is vital to any student’s sanity and grounding. While reading about college
track stars, dystopian cities, and real-life Iranian teenagers experiencing unimaginable hardships, you will find yourself in a different
world, and with any luck you will leave it for the better. And after all, is that not the real beauty of reading?
Claire Kozak, X, Staff Writer
Divergent, Veronica Roth
A dystopian novel set in a desolate
Chicago, in which people are sorted into
five Factions that define their personality
and choices, Divergent follows Tris Prior
as she chooses which Faction she wants
to belong to. The twist: Tris is one of the
small group of persecuted people, known
as the Divergent, who have an aptitude
for more than one faction. A compelling
story about finding inner strength to
fight for one’s beliefs, featuring a girl so
imperfect that she seems truly human.
Nina Zweig, XI, Sports Editor
Once a Runner, John L. Parker Jr.
The novel tells the inspiring story of a
college track star's quest to become a
champion. If you are any sort of athlete,
you will enjoy this book about one
person’s dedication and love for a sport.
Rebecca Magid, XI, Staff Writer
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop
Cafe, Fanny Flag
The book follows the story of two women
who live in Alabama; one, an unfulfilled
and unhappy housewife in the 1980s and
the other, an adventurous young girl in
the 1920s. The book is filled with
wonderful humor, heartwarming
friendship and exciting adventures. I was
so enthralled with the book that I could
not bring myself to put it down until I
had finished it completely. I would
absolutely recommend this book to
anyone who wants to read something fun
that will lift their spirits.
Tessa Pelzman, X, Staff Writer
The Birth House, Ami McKay
This book is set in early 20th century
Nova Scotia and follows a young woman
named Dora Rare. She is apprentice to
the midwife Miss Babineau, an elderly
woman who i s isolated by the
community, yet valued immensely by the
women to whom she lends her care. The
introduction of Western medical care,
embodied by imposing and often brutal
Dr. Thomas, uproots the practical need
for Miss Babineau’s services. I admired
Dora, a fiercely strong-willed young
woman, and the loving care she gives the
women of her community. McKay’s
language is as lovely and complex as she
describes her protagonist.
Katie Fittinghoff, XI, Managing Editor
Every Day, David Levithan
This book tells the story of A, a teenager
who wakes up in a different person’s
body every day and has to live their life
for 24 hours. It made me think about the
idea of self and personal identity from a
whole new perspective, and it was so
engaging I finished it in two days. It's
definitely one of my favorite books of the
summer.
Isabella Altherr, XI, Features Editor
Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury
Sara Faruqi, XI, Staff Writer
American Dervish, Ayad Akthar
My favorite summer read was Ayad
Akthar's American Dervish. The book
follows a first-generation Muslim boy
growing up in the Midwest during the
1980s. I highly recommend it to anyone
interested in reading about the struggles
of Muslims attempting to assimilate into
American culture while retaining a sense
of identity.
Julia Sakowitz, XI, News Editor
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
This is a thrilling, heartbreaking, and
beautiful true account of the author's
childhood during t h e I r a n i a n
Revolution, told in the form of a graphic
novel. Marjane sees momentous change
in her surroundings, as the Islamic
government invades every aspect of
Iranian life and poses strict controls on
clothing, entertainment, and conduct.
Her story of growing up as an ordinary
girl in extraordinary times is a saga of
loss, danger, and fear, but also of
kindness and love; the book is
enjoyable and genuinely funny, and I
could not recommend it more.
Sara Sakowitz, XII, Staff Writer
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-
Moon Marigolds, Paul Zindel
This Pulitzer Prize-winning play tells the
story of sweet, intelligent Tillie, her
embittered mother Beatrice, and her
epileptic teenaged sister Ruth. Tillie
completes a science experiment in which
she exposes marigolds to gamma
radiation; though some of her marigolds
die, Tillie finds that sometimes radiation
actually leads them to become even more
beautiful and unique. Like the
marigolds, Tillie faces obstacles (her
mother’s abuse, her sister’s instability)
that attempt to stop her from growing,
but ultimately rises above her grim
surroundings.
The title of this book about a small
Illinois town comes from the Spaulding
family's tradition of steeping wine from
dandelions; this, along with many other
time-honored traditions, is what makes
up the summer for the twelve-year-old
Doug Spaulding. Through the course of
the summer of 1928 he experiences
these traditions as well as completely
new experiences, turned into small
miracles through his eyes. This is the
epitome of the summer book, and I
recommend it to anyone who wants to
relive the summer over the winter
months.

4. news 4THE ZEPHYR
E-Cigarettes: Harmless Gadget or Sinister Trend?
nicotine, through water
vapor. The different types
of E-cigarettes vary, but
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
they consist of the same basic components: a
cartridge, sometimes including a separate
mouthpiece, which holds the nicotine liquid and
serves as the mouthpiece for the device, the
atomizer, which heats and vaporizes the nicotine liquid, and the
battery, which powers the heating device. E-cigarette liquid, called
e-juice or e-liquid, is sold in the disposable cartridges, which come
in various flavors and concentrations of nicotine, some liquids
nicotine- free. E-Cigarettes are used just like cigarettes, by
inhaling through the mouthpiece, and are thus easy to use for
smokers or anyone familiar with classic cigarettes. Many e-cigarettes
are also designed to look like regular cigarettes.
Proponents of e-cigarettes argue that they provide an
invaluable tool for nicotine addicts to break their lethal habit by
transitioning to inhaling nicotine vapor. It is undeniable that
nicotine vapor is less harmful than the tar and chemicals of
regular cigarettes, but electronic cigarettes are not being marketed
to or used solely by current smokers.
According to a CDC poll of 20,000 American middle and
high school students conducted in 2011 and 2012, one in ten
students said they had tried an electronic cigarette last year, while
only one and twenty reported use in 2011. Seven percent of these
high school users said they had never used a traditional cigarette,
as did one in five middle school students who tried e-cigarettes.
Many states have quickly put restrictions on minors’ use of e-cigarettes,
but some argue that e-cigarettes are designed to appeal
to the young. First, electronic cigarettes are interesting gadgets,
with an attraction similar to that of smartphones or iPods. The
nicotine liquid comes in flavors that appeal to young users, such
as chocolate, mint, and peach. Electronic cigarette companies
have also employed aggressive advertising tactics, including
commercials featuring celebrities. Finally, electronic cigarette
companies insist that their product is completely harmless.
The electronic cigarette may not be as harmful as tobacco
cigarettes, but it is far from harmless. E-cigarettes, which are
made to look and act like tobacco cigarettes in order to attract
tobacco users, might encourage teens to try traditional cigarettes.
The e-cigarette itself seems to be damaging to one’s lung. In a
2012 study presented the same year at the European Respiratory
Society’s Annual Congress in Vienna, scientists at the University
of Athens asked smokers and nonsmokers to use an e-cigarette for
ten minutes. When screened using spirometry tests to test their
breathing, both groups had increased airway resistance for ten
minutes after using the e-cigarette.
Nicotine’s extreme addictiveness makes it hard to quit,
even when smokers know the health risks of smoking. Electronic
cigarettes are just as addictive as regular cigarettes, in fact,
smokers who switch to e-cigarettes can end up using them for
prolonged periods of time.
The studies mentioned in this article suggest that
electronic cigarettes may be far less harmful than other nicotine
products, such as cigarettes or cigars. However, as a product that
delivers a powerfully addictive drug, they should be regulated in
advertising and sale similar to the way tobacco products are
regulated.
BY JULIA SAKOWITZ, XI
NEWS EDITOR
The Glass Menagerie Shines in Its Broadway Revival
When the
lights come up on the
stage of the Booth
Theater’s revival of
Tennessee Williams’s classic, The Glass
Menagerie, the entire audience looks
up. And up, and up. While the whole
play takes place within the small
apartment of the Wingfield family, the
focal point of the set is the fire escape
tethered to the right of the apartment,
which seems to extend upwards
infinitely, growing smaller and smaller
until it disappears into the darkness of
the rafters. The symbolic resonance of
this never-ending staircase is clear, as
the main character, Tom, struggles
throughout the play with his desire to
go and search for a better future in the
great unknown.
Cherie Jones and Zachary Quinto
star in this masterful interpretation of
the 1944 drama, bringing a thoughtful
new interpretation to a well-loved
classic. Quinto entrances the audience
with his portrayal of Tom, the moody,
poetic warehouse worker with high
aspirations of a writing career, as he
takes care of his disabled sister, Laura,
played by Celia Keenan-Bolger. With
his lilting southern accent and wry
smile, it is easy for the audience to see
something promising in Tom, even as
they watch his family life fracture
around him.
Cherie Jones, who plays Amanda, a
faded Southern Belle and the nagging
mother of Tom and Laura, adds
dimension to a character who could
easily be portrayed as one-sided. Jones
confronts every turn of the play head-on
and takes them in stride as her
character transforms from a giddy,
micromanaging mother awaiting the
arrival of a “gentleman caller” to an
emotionally scarred widow with no
vision for the future and a difficult past
brought to the forefront all too quickly.
Celia Keenan-Bolger delivers an
equally enthralling performance as
Laur a , Amanda ’ s agoraphobi c
daughter, who is characterized by her
fascination with her “glass menagerie”
and her innocent disposition. Laura is
the glue that keeps the family together
as they try to get by during the trying
times of the Great Depression. Keenan-
Bolger brings clarity and compassion to
Laura’s character, and brings clarity to
the Wingfield family’s confusing
dynamic.
Supplemented by great staging,
expert lighting, and score adding
emotion and pace to the already
wonderful production, I was in tears by
the end of the first act. This is most
definitely not a play to be taken lightly,
and, be forewarned, you may see some
parts of yourself reflected even in its
most unsightly scenes. But in the play’s
darkest moments there shines a
glimmer of hope as Tom looks back on
the defining period in his family’s
history. As the staircase pushes up, and
up, and up, we can see just how far
we’ve come, and continue moving
forward.
BY KATIE FITTINGHOFF, XI
MANAGING EDITOR

5. news THE ZEPHYR 5
Bill de Blasio Wins
Democratic Primary,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
However, Bill de Blasio’s
victory came with a hefty
price tag. Throughout the
last month of the campaign,
Bill de Blasio’s new position
as the frontrunner made
him the prime target of his
opponents’ attacks. Christ-ine
Quinn labeled de Blasio
BY SARA FARUQI, XI
STAFF WRITER
as a “flip-flopper” on the issue of term limits as
de Blasio opposed them during his tenure as a
city councilman, but then vehemently
advocated for limits in 2008 when Bloomberg
sought a third term. During the televised
debate hosted by New York 1, Bill Thompson
also poked fun at de Blasio’s flops, quipping,
“Will the real Bill de Blasio please stand up?”
The competitive
Democratic primary could
adversely affect
Democrats in the general
election.
Both Thompson and Quinn criticized de
Blasio for being a lobbyist for the real estate
industry. As Public Advocate, Blasio reportedly
took large campaign contributions from
landlords that he had originally placed on his
“Worst Slumlords List.” Subsequent to
receiving the donations, de Blasio allegedly
moved these landlords to the list designated
for improving buildings. Christine Quinn used
the incident as an opportunity to accuse “Bill
de Blasio [of] talk[ing] from both sides of his
mouth.”
De Blasio decided to come out in
support of the plan to build a dump next to
Asphalt Green. The Republican mayoral
nominee Joe Lhota has already begun to pit
himself against de Blasio by recently signing a
pledge to “dump the dump.”
In short, the competitive Democratic
primary could adversely affect Democrats in
the general election. As November approaches,
Bill de Blasio and his campaign staff will have
to work harder to not only reverse the damage
done by the primary, but also adjust to
running against Joe Lhota.
50th Anniversary of the March on
Washington
President Obama delivers his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Photo copyright Associated Press, 2013
It has been fifty
years since thousands of
Americans participated in what
President Bill Clinton, in his speech at
this year’s anniversary march, called
“one of the most important days in
American history”: the March on
Washington. Taylor Branch, author of
the 2,912 page trilogy America in the
King Years, said that the march gave
the final push necessary to “open the
stubborn gates of freedom” and
precipitated the Civil Rights Act of
1963, the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
Medicare, Medicaid, and many other
initiatives the government took to
bring justice to African Americans and
other American minorities subject to
discrimination.
On August 28, 2013, Americans
gathered for the fiftieth anniversary of
the march. But the march was not only
a time to remember the civil rights
movement and its leaders and to
celebrate their extraordinary progress,
but also an opportunity to reflect on
how much more needs t o be
accomplished before there is equal
opportunity in America. A little over a
year ago, Americans of all skin colors
expressed shock and outrage at
Travyon Martin’s murder.
Today, African Americans are
incarcerated at nearly six times the rate
of white Americans. According to the
NAACP criminal justice fact sheet, “one
in six black men had been incarcerated
as of 2001. If current trends continue,
one in three black males born today
can expect to spend time in prison
during his lifetime.” Speaking at the
march anniversary, President Obama
observed that “inequality has steadily
risen over the decades; upward
mobility has become harder.” The
speech focused more on what is ahead
for Americans searching for equal
opportunity rather than glorifying the
heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.
Obama advised people to escape
poverty by uniting together as
Americans did fifty years ago and
making America change both socially
and politically rather than looking to
the government to find a solution.
Americans classify the Civil Rights Era
as a period that extends from the
Brown v. Board decision of 1954 to the
early seventies. But as the Fiftieth
Anniver s a r y March cer emony
demonstrates, the fight for equal
opportunity in America is far from
over.
BY REBECCA MAGID, XI
STAFF WRITER

6. 6news THE ZEPHYR
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
On February 21, 2012, five
members of a Russian feminist
performance art group, Pussy
Riot, mounted the altar of the
priests-only section of the
Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow, a place where
women are prohibited and sang. Pussy Riot’s one-minute
song, called “Mother of God, Drive Putin
Out,” was about the relationship between the
Church and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Since then, two of the five women who performed
have been arrested, put on trial, and now face up to
seven years in one of Russia’s harshest jails.
These young women are part of Pussy Riot,
which was founded in October 2011, and has
around 10 anonymous members. These women,
known for wearing balaclavas and colorful clothing,
hold peaceful performances at various public
locations in Russia. They perform their own songs,
voicing how basic rights are under threat in Russia
today. They also express the values of gender
equality, democracy, and freedom of expression.
The two arrested women, Nadezhda
“Nadya” Tolokonnikova, 23, and Maria “Masha”
Alyokhina, 25, who both have young children, were
convicted of “hooliganism driven by religious
hatred.” Both were refused bail. A third member of
Pussy Riot, Yekaterina Samusevich, was also
arrested, but was released on appeal and is now on
probation and “restriction of movement.”
After their arrest, the women were sent to
remote prison camps. Masha Alyokhina was sent to
a women’s prison camp in Perm, a Siberian region
notorious for hosting some of the harshest camps.
Nadya Tolokonnikova was sent to Mordovia, a
region that also holds a high number of prisons.
Both have inadequate medicine and no hot water
despite freezing cold winter temperatures. In an
interview conducted by Reuters in December of
2012, Masha Alyokhina described the prison:
“Prison rules are learned...in a special room where
a security camera ensures inmates do not fall
asleep. There is a workshop where women sew for
12 hours a day in the hope of earning a maximum
wage of 1,000 roubles [$30] a month.” She also
referred to the camp as a “dead world” and an
“anti-life” where prisoners feel “discarded”. In her
closing statement of the trial, she said, “I've been
locked up for almost half a year and I realized that
prison is Russia in miniature.”Despite the unjust
trial and harsh conditions that the women have
been facing, public reaction has been astonishing.
“Free Pussy Riot” is a worldwide movement that
was started when the women were arrested—
undertaking protests, marches, benefits and other
public performances. Artists like Madonna, Sting,
and Yoko Ono have stood in solidarity with Pussy
Riot.
Pussy Riot has become a symbol of the
country’s opposition movement, as Russia
continues to act unjustly towards its people. On
June 30 this year, President Putin issued a law
banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual
relations to minors”. In short, this law banned any
mention of non-heterosexual relations of any form.
Russia’s effort to suppress the LGBT community
has increased dramatically and frighteningly over
the last few months. In August, Russian police
actually issued raids on gay people’s homes. A
notice from the government states: “Any person
who suspects that a neighbor has exhibited
homosexual propaganda should contact the police
immediately.”
The Russian government’s reaction to Pussy
Riot and these two women demonstrates the lack of
democracy, equality, and justice in Russia today.
Despite the frequent protests for freedom, the
Russian government continues to oppose their
people. However, Pussy Riot is one of the many
groups who have fought back and continue to make
a difference in Russia today. As Tolokonnikova said
in her closing statement, quoting a Pussy Riot song
“Death to Prison, Freedom to Protest,” “‘Open the
doors, off with the uniforms, join us in a taste of
freedom.’”
BY RUBY DOYLE, IX
CONTRBUTING WRITER
Pussy Riot performs at the altar of the Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow.
Photo copyright Associated Press, 2013
Syria:
The “Equation”
Changes
BY CHLOE LACOUR, XI
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Wee k s a f t e r t h e
d e a d l y c h e m i c a l
weapons attack in
Syria, an agreement was finally
reached between the United States
and Russia on Saturday, September
14th, calling for the removal or
destruction of the Syrian chemical
weapons arsenal.
Ever since August 21st, when
the Syrian government allegedly used
lethal gasses to kill more than a
thousand of its own citizens,
including innocent civilians and
children, the international comm-unity
has debated whether or not to
intervene militarily in Syria. The
British Parliament voted against
intervention, while France’s Pres-ident
Hollande advocated it, Russia’s
President Putin opposed, and
Germany took no firm position.
P r e s i d e n t Obama, who had
announced in a news conference on
August 20th recorded by the White
House Office of the Press Secretary
that a “red line” would be drawn at
the use of chemical weapons in Syria
—as he put it, “[t]hat would change
my equation”—deliberated at great
lengths before asking Congress to
authorize a targeted military attack in
Syria.
In a speech to the American
people on September 10th, Obama
called the Assad regime’s use of
chemical weapons in Syria “a crime
against humanity, and a violation of
the laws of war.” Yet the deal Obama
reached with President Putin seems
to respond only to the “violation of
the laws of war” and the “danger to
our security”, as he put it later in the
speech. The Syrian rebel forces, many
of whom pleaded for a military strike
in response to the massacre,
denounce the initiative. As reported
by The New York Times’ Michael R.
Gordon on September 14th, General
Salim Idris, head of the Syrian rebels’
military command, said in response
to the deal, “[a] crime against
humanity has been committed, and
there i s not any mention of
accountability.”

7. THE ZEPHYR 7 culture
What’s it going to be?
Maple syrup and bacon ice
cream slushies, a double fried
bacon wrapped corn dog, or
just plain old cheese curds?
This is not a normal
question. However, it is one I
encounter every summer I
spend in Wisconsin, where my
family has owned a lake house
for over four generations. The
town of West Bend, Wisconsin,
is a great place. The people are friendly; the
sidewalks are clean; and quaint old Mainstreet
looks like a town that time forgot. But they do
have some traditions that are truly unique.
Take Germanfest for example. You’d
never guess it, but everyone in West Bend
seems t o become a s German a s a
Midwesterner can get for one weekend a year
in late August. I myself discover my German
roots and indulge in a polka or two on a dance
floor where the average age is 87. During
Germanfest the venders are lined up in a
never-ending stream of fried food, a string of
indulgence ending with a waiting ambulance,
doors wide open.
The county fair is another sight to see.
From animal judging and cow prizes to crate
after crate of bunnies, it is certainly an
experience that cannot be found in New York
City. And for all of the unusual sights one
might encounter in the West Village, nothing
could top the Llama Dress-up contest, an
event that speaks for itself.
And then there is the food. Only in
Wisconsin could you order a pizza and receive
a twelve-inch circle of crust with hot peppers,
chicken, chili, sesame seeds, goat cheese,
mayonnaise, bacon, and peanut sauce. As an
appetizer. The food at a fair is an adventure in
itself. Nowhere else can you find such an
abundance of fried everything. Not just your
regular old fried-bacon-wrapped-double-cheese
burgers. Oh no. Their specialty is fried
butter on a stick. I have never tried this
delicacy, but the smell is enough to make me
think of heart disease.
Most important of all, Wisconsin is a
dairy state. When the state government
considered changing the license plate slogan,
the most innova-tive
phrase sug-gested
was “Eat
cheese or die.”
Needless to say,
they stuck with
America’s Dairy-land.
But we can-not
f o r g e t t h e
cheese. My father,
a native, raised me
to believe that it
was illegal to serve
pie in restaurants
there without a
slice of cheddar.
I’m still not sure if
this was a joke.
When I was
seven, we stopped at a diner, and I mistakenly
ordered macaroni and cheese without asking
for a quarter of the famed topping. I counted
about four noodles in the bowl of liquid
cheddar I received.
The state takes its reputation seriously
– you can find cheese heads available in any
self-respecting store, and there are four booths
selling fresh cheeses at the weekly farmer’s
market in West Bend.
And I can vouch for the classic
Wisconsin cheeses. A Brearley girl knows her
food. And theirs is pretty good.
Just don’t ask me about the fried
cheese curds. I’m not touching those.
BY CLAIRE
KOZAK, X
CONTRIBUTING
WRITER
A pair of contestants competing in the Llama Dress-up contest.
Photo by Claire Kozak, X
It's very difficult
to define "art" in
a way that will
please everyone.
Some believe that the only "real"
art is an aesthetically pleasing,
traditional representation of some
thing. Others are moved by
something more surreal and
abstract because it speaks to their
emotions. "Art" is entirely
personal.
Despite such a range of
opinions, The International Center
of Photography's current exhibit,
A Different Kind of Order: The
ICP Triennial, has such a wide
variety of artists, subjects,
mediums and messages that it is
bound to entice anyone willing to
consider every layer of a visual
image. The exhibit, which opened
at the beginning of the summer,
displays artworks created now, in
the present chaos of our world.
The concepts evoked by the
collection range from the satirical
to the evocative. In one display
of five televisions, a faceless
person performs seemingly
random activities—crushing
carrots with the sole of a shoe;
stepping out of a mucky swamp in
a pair of rain boots; putting on and
taking off a rubber glove.
Protected by anonymity, the artist
stoically mocks sexual fetishes.
Another installation is silently
disturbing: massive photographs
in gradients of color. Is it a sunset?
Upon further inspection, a
miniscule blip emerges from the
smooth expanse: a drone.
"Proof", Jim Goldberg's
collage of over 600 tiny pictures of
people serves as proof of their
existence—without his exposition,
these migrants, refugees, would be
invisible to the world. Sohei
Nishino, a Japanese artist,
constructed a similar collage. His
subject is not people, but places—
hundreds of miniature images of
one city, organized in the shape of
a civilization. His "Diorama Map"
of New York is not geographically
correct, but its winding curves give
an explicit sense of New York's
constant movement.
Several installations are
"primary sources," so to speak.
Inspired by a friend's comment
that, as the violence in Syria
escalated, Syrians determined to
expose their horrific experiences
were indeed filming their own
deaths, Rabih Mroué created
Pixelated Revolution. A blurry
video of a soldier raising a gun. A
bang. The camera twists and falls
to the ground. One experiences a
death from the standpoint of the
victim.
One of the most evocative
and original pieces in A Different
Kind of Order was a set of three
light boxes, each the rectangular
shape of a large apartment
building. Mikhael Subotsky
photographed every television,
door and window in one apart-ment
building in Johannesburg
and imposed each on the
lightboxes, creating a unique
perspective of the often anon-ymous
organization of urban life.
One can see how system-atically
the building is organized: each
family has one television, one
central window, one door each; yet
within the rigid confines of this
organization the starkly con-trasting
characters of each family
stand out.
As Frida Kahlo said, "I
never paint dreams or nightmares.
I paint my own reality." An artist,
creating a piece of work, displays
their reality, their truth, to the
world. No one's realities are the
same. By this logic, is someone
else's art a lie? Perhaps someone
else's art might just change your
reality. With brutal honesty, A
Different Kind of Order did just
that.
BY TESSA PELZMAN, X A Different Kind of Order
STAFF WRITER
“Eat Cheese or Die”

8. 8features THE ZEPHYR
Athlete of the Month: Eve Galen, XI
It’s no secret that
every Brearley girl
looks forward to
summer because
it provides a res-pite
from school-work.
For Eve
Galen, XI, how-e
v e r , summe r
vacation also gives
her the chance to do the sport she
loves. Right after school ends, she
heads to the small town of Castine,
Maine, with her parents, where she
sails on the Atlantic.
Eve continues the sailing
tradition in her family. Her father,
who was born and raised in Maine,
grew up sailing
t h e r e . H e
passed on his
love for sailing
to his daughter
at an early age—
Eve began to
sail when she
was only five or
six years old.
Eve has fond memories of sailing
with him when she was young. “My
mother and father rented an old sail
boat for the week, and took me out in
it,” she recalls. “My father was the
only one who knew how to sail, and
the boat ended up having a hole in
it…but it is definitely one of my fond
memories of sailing at an early age.”
Eve regularly participates in
sailing competitions, called regattas.
She races in a league called the Down
East Junior Sailing Association and
has competed locally in their Junior
Championships. Her team has also
participated in the Maine State
Junior Olympics for the past few
years, and last summer they qualified
for two larger regional regattas. She
also enjoys racing in her town’s
weekly regatta, called the “Castine
Class.” In these competitions, Eve
normally races on small dinghies
called 420s but has also sailed on a
variety of larger boats. Her most
exciting race is the annual Egge-moggin
Reach Regatta, a three-day-long
event that includes boats from as
far away as Nova Scotia, Rhode
Island, and Massachusetts.
Although large competitions
can be nerve-wracking, Eve still has
an intense love for her sport: “There’s
a feeling that I get when I am
controlling a vessel. When I move
the tiller [the device that steers the
boat] even a few
millimeters I can
feel the boat sailing
differently with
every movement.
It’s an amazing and
e m p o w e r i n g
moment, yet I am
still completely
powerless to the
wind and the weather. Sailing brings
you closer to nature, which is part of
what makes it such a beautiful and
invigorating experience.” Part of
Eve’s passion for sailing stems from
all of the close friends she has made
through the sport. Many of her
closest friends sail with her during
the summer in Maine, and she also
went to sailing camp this past
summer in France, where she made
friends from all over the world who
love to sail as much as she does.
Eve hopes to sail in college if
she has the opportunity, and she
looks forward to sailing for the rest of
her life. After all, “[she] wouldn’t
want to do anything else.”
BY NINA ZWEIG, XI
SPORTS EDITOR
Hidden Treasures of the
Family Closet: Sweaters
While the fashion world has just delved
into the spring of 2014 through a slew of
runway shows in Milan, Paris and our
own New York, we Brearley girls are only
now embracing the colder temperatures,
stronger wind and lower humidity.
September is the beginning of the new
year in fashion. We too have finally
settled into the new year and have
BY SASKIA
PEDERSEN, XI
STAFF WRITER
reached the time to pack away our crop tops and hot
pants and rediscover our jeans and jackets. As the leaves
change color and even 610 gets a little frostier, there is
one important item that cannot be missing: the sweater.
Sweaters are wonderful things: they are soft and
comfortable, cute and cuddly, though unfortunately this
loveliness also often comes at a mighty price. Fear not
fellow beavers, I have a plan!
As the new school year begins, it is also the time
when my mother, and I’m sure many of yours too,
decides that the whole family must go through their
closets and sort out all clothing that is either: a) too
small, b) moth-eaten, filled with holes, or torn and c) too
hideous to be borne – this includes Christmas sweaters,
airbrushed bat-mitzvah t-shirts and some old PE shirts.
As this occurs, it is important to follow my life motto:
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! So sneak into
the piles of all family members, paying special attention
to things discarded by any male members of the
household. Snatch up your father’s sweater, the likes of
which costs 80 dollars at Urban Outfitters, and those tiny
sweaters that are too small for your younger brother.
Why, you might ask, are we saving these leftovers, these
discarded items, some might even say trash? Because, my
friend, everything (or almost everything) can be
combined with something else, and end up looking
fantabulous! I encourage you to ask your fathers and
brothers if you can borrow one of their sweaters for a day.
I can assure you that these oversized and mini
sweaters can look fashionable. If you act like these
sweaters are “cool” and “edgy” and strut your stuff, no
one will question--they will stare in awe (in the best
possible way). I will to disclose my styling tips but feel no
need to follow them. The most important thing is that
you like what your wearing and are having fun with it.
Over-sized sweaters I would pair with short pleated skirts
--your old Brearley skirts will work very well with this--
some over the knee socks (or bare legs if it is warmer that
day), a pair of combat boots, maybe a beanie or a
necklace, et voila--you are the most stylish girl in town.
For the mini or cropped sweaters I would recommend
rolling the sleeves up to about your elbow and pairing
with something high-waisted, as they probably do not go
past your belly button. I would use a short skirt that goes
to your waist, a briefcase (or tote bag), a pair of sneakers,
and a beanie for the cold.
“Sailing brings you closer
to nature, which is part of
what makes it such a
beautiful and invigorating
experience.”
Photo courtesy of Eve Galen, XI
Eve scales the mast of her sailboat to fix a problem during a race.