World number five and Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev was defaulted in the semifinals of the ATP Dubai Championships after supposedly yelling obscenities at a line judge. During Rublev’s semifinal match against Alexander Bublik, the score was dead even in the third set at 5 games all when Bublik won a key point to consolidate the game to pull ahead at 6 games to 5 in favor of Bublik. Rublev believed that a shot hit by his opponent was out, causing him to lose a key game, and consequently, screamed at the line judge for not calling the ball out. Nearby, a Russian speaking official, heard Rublev’s outburst reported to the umpire that Rublev screamed obscenities in Russian to the line judge. Following this claim, the umpire and match supervisor then defaulted Rublev for unsportsmanlike conduct, although Rublev repeatedly insisted that he didn’t even speak in Russian to the line judge; Bublik also asked if the match could be continued. Rublev was then forced to forfeit all of his prize money won from the tournament and ranking points.
On April 8th, a total eclipse is coming to Buffalo, New York.
A total solar eclipse is an extremely rare event. It occurs when the moon passes directly in the path of the sun to Earth, completely obscuring our view of the star. All that will be visible will be a corona, a ring of light that surrounds the moon. While a total eclipse is proven to happen every eighteen months, the rarity lies in the fact that it occurs at a specific geographical location about once every four centuries. Finally, this April, the long wait will be over and a total solar eclipse will occur in Buffalo.
However, not all will be fun and games. Because its path of totality is traveling through only a few spots, the US will be swamped with tourism we have never seen before. According to the Buffalo News, hotels in the region are expected to be booked full at least a month before the actual event occurs on the eight.
Traffic will also be unparalleled, rendering it very difficult to travel. Stadiums and popular parks will be filled, so it is advised to make a plan for viewing it in advance.
Since totality will occur at 3:18 PM, some people would normally be in school, on buses or in cars, or at work. To accommodate, the Williamsville Central School District has canceled school and school-related activities for that day.
The effects of this event will be felt community-wide, with animals acting as if it were night and automatic street lights turning on.
To watch the solar eclipse take place, special glasses will be needed. This is so, before totality, you can look at the sun and not burn your eyes. During totality, the sun will be fully covered, and you will be able to safely remove your glasses for about three and a half minutes.
Glasses will be provided by the Williamsville Central School District. Each student will be provided with two pairs of glasses appropriate for viewing the eclipse before spring break.
Make sure to plan out a space to view the eclipse with good visibility so you can enjoy this amazing astronomical event!
Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans recently announced that he will partake in the dunk contest if he makes it to next year’s All-Star team. This was brought up during the New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors game, where Zion scored 16 points in 26 minutes in a 138-98 win over the Raptors. After the game, a reporter asked if he could see himself participating in the dunk contest. Zion responded, “If I’m in the All-Star Game, I’ll do the dunk contest,” he said. “But if I’m not, I’m not doing it.” Zion has been an All-Star twice (2021, 2023) since the Pelican drafted him in 2019. Yet, he didn’t dunk during either of those weekends (excluding the fact that he got injured during 2023 and could not participate). Nonetheless, his 2024 season looks to be going quite well; he is healthier in the 2023-2024 season, having played 51 of his team’s 62 games.
Regardless, if Zion were to compete in a prospective dunk contest, he would potentially only have a competition with two NBA players this season: Jaylen Brown and Heat’s rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. In the 2024 dunk contest, Jaquez was the first player eliminated, while Brown was booed after nearly every dunk in an evident sign from fans that they felt his scores were too high for the dunks he performed, especially when compared to the reigning two-time dunk contest champion Mac McClung. Yet, this can further imply that there may be a possibility that neither may want to participate after the dunk contest this year, if NBA players Jaylen Brown and Jaime Jaquez felt that they didn’t enjoy their experience in the dunk contest. In addition, Mac McClung never confirmed if he wanted to do a third dunk contest and is hesitant to do so, so the future of the dunk contest is still being determined.
Yet, some people believe Zion might forget about it and continue his NBA career, as it isn’t guaranteed. For instance, Lebron James declared he would participate in the 2009 All-Star weekend dunk contest, only to change his mind later. However, the fact that he states he would like to participate could mean that he feels thrilled and optimistic about his NBA career. Considering some of his plays, being a big man around the court while also dominating the paint, and considering the Pelicans have a chance in the playoffs. Overall, the Pelicans and Zion have done much work to get where they are today, and the future of the dunk contest would be much more enjoyable if Zion partakes in the event.
It’s no secret the last few months have been difficult for the forty-sixth President of the United States. Questions over Biden’s economic policies, handling of classified documents, and, above all, his mental fitness have been repeatedly raised. But a recent transcript of the Delaware native’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, as well as March 7th’s State of the Union Address, are, to supporters of the president, glimpses of the classic Joe Biden that was elected President.
The transcript was of an interview last October, part of an investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. The interview, led by special agent Robert K. Hur, led to testimony by Hur that critics of the President have used as ammunition–questioning Biden’s mental fitness for the highest office in the land, citing his “poor memory.” Hur, in his testimony to congress, even labeled Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Some argue that the transcript of the two-hour interview tells a different story. At times Biden comes across as good-natured, conversational, and humorous. He jokes about his love of architecture, imitates the sound of a car engine, and pokes fun at his own age. At the same time, he appears serious, boasting of the achievements of his administration, including a submarine deal in Australia and curbing Chinese influence in African countries. At one point, Biden even discusses the death of his son, Beau, from brain cancer. The transcript doesn’t make Biden’s memory seem amazing–on multiple occasions, he even asks staffers if he was still vice president during certain years. But he also appears far from the completely confused old man that some have described him as.
As the ramp-up to the 2024 Presidential race heats up, Biden’s State of the Union was a bright point for Democrats who can’t help but wonder if a younger candidate would be the smartest option. Facing opponent Donald Trump’s landslide victories in the GOP primary, Biden delivered a sharp and thoughtful speech that reminded voters why he won the 2020 election in the first place. The eighty-one year-old seemed energetic and competitive, going toe-to-toe with Republican hecklers, urging them to reach across the aisle and pass legislation. It seemed like a photograph from another, earlier time, as Biden seemed to thrive off of debate and opposition. Much like Hur’s interview, Biden also addressed his age, but in a much more head-on manner, arguing that his age isn’t a problem; rather, it’s an indicator of his experience.
Biden went after the seventy-seven year-old Trump as well, reminding voters, “My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th. I will not do that. This is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Here’s the simple truth: you can’t love your country only when you win.”
Naturally, the President addressed the Israel and Hamas conflict, attempting to illustrate his efforts to help civilians disturbed by the fighting. He mentioned the current American operation to build a pier in Gaza to allow for larger shipments of humanitarian aid, but emphasized, “No U.S. boots will be on the ground.”
While initial polls don’t show a huge jump in support for Biden after both the transcript release and the State of the Union, they are still a glimmer of hope for the President’s supporters, and perhaps an indication that the past was not quite so long ago.
Eurovision, the competition that marked the beginnings of the careers of musical artists including Celine Dion and ABBA, is once again starting up across the pond. This year of Eurovision marks the 68th edition of the competition. Each year, the nations who compete will personally select a representative to compete with an original song, which is typically selected through a national level musical competition in early spring. The actual competition consists of the nationally selected musical artists competing for the digital popular vote of Europe, with creative and borderline atrocious acts resulting from the competition for people’s hearts. The competition is typically held in the nation of the previous victor. The competitors this year consist of 37 nations, mostly in Europe with the exception of Australia and Israel. This year’s competition will be held in Malmö, Sweden due to Sweden’s previous victory with “Tattoo” by Loreen during May 7-11th. At this point, nations have begun submitting their representatives and their original songs, with most already announced and the minority promising a response by the end of March. The show will be presented by Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman.
The current favorite to win is Croatia, with a 17% chance of winning with their representative of Baby Lasagna and the performance of “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”. “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” consists of a humorous and light hearted approach to the ongoing issue of many young Croatians leaving the country for better opportunities elsewhere. In a close second with 15% chance of winning is Ukraine. They are represented by Aylona Alyona and Jerry Heil and will be performing “Teresa and Maria”–a song using Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary as symbols of hope in the ongoing conflict to represent the survival of “charity, love, and unification”. Battling for an assumed third place is Italy’s “La Noia” (In English: The Boredom), being sung and performed by Angelina Mango. This is Mango’s interpretation of time and how to live life. When asked to explain the meaning behind the song, she says, “It is time that you dedicate to yourself, it allows you to discover yourself. Between a life of highs and lows and one of boredom, I will always choose one of highs and lows, but I will always leave myself time for boredom as well.” Some other representatives of note include The Netherlands’ submission of Joost Klien with “Europapa” and Greece’s Marina Satti’s submission of “Zari”.
While Americans proceed to ignore the entirety of the competition, we have enjoyed many previous Eurovision winning songs on the Billboard and our radios. While Celine Dion (Switzerland’s representative in 1988 with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi”) and ABBA (Sweden’s representative in 1974 with “Waterloo”) can arguably dedicate their careers to the international competition, many singular songs you may recognize also stem from Eurovision. Such examples of previous winners include but are not limited to: “Fairytale” by Alexander Rybak (Victor of 2009, representing Norway), “Euphoria” by Loreen (Victor of 2012, representing Sweden), “Toy” by Netta (Victor of 2018, representing Israel), “Arcade” by Duncan Lawrence (Victor of 2019, representing The Netherlands), and “Zitti E Buoni” by Måneskin (Victor of 2021, representing Italy). However, not all of the memorable submissions won first place. While “SNAP” by Rosa Linn, the 2022 Armenian choice, placing 20th; “Queen of Kings” by Allessandra Mele, the 2023 representative of Norway, placing 5th; and “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä, the Finnish representative of 2023, placing 2nd, may not have won the competition, they, and many others, most certainly won the people’s hearts.
Former member of One Direction, Niall Horan, began his first tour since 2018 this past month. “It’s been a long time since I last toured and I cannot thank you enough for welcoming me back with open arms and selling out all these dates,” says Horan in an Instagram caption. The tour is titled “The Show: Live On Tour” in regards to his new studio album, The Show, which was released in June 2023. The tour for his last album, Heartbreak Weather, was completely canceled due to the pandemic. However, Horan is back now–better than ever–and ready to rock the stage!
The tour begins in Ireland and heads to the UK, honoring his Irish roots. Horan is scheduled to complete the European leg of the tour in early May and arrive in the U.S. in late May. Following this, he will complete his Latin America leg from late September to early October. “We are going to have a lot of fun together this year. Can’t wait to see all your beautiful faces soon,” Horan says.
Due to the cancellation of his previous tour, Horan pleases fans by including lots of “oldies” on the setlist. These songs have never been played before live. Additionally, fans were also shocked and pleasantly surprised by Horan playing One Direction songs, as they are rather nostalgic. With no expectation of a reunion anytime soon, this is the closest they will get to hearing the tunes live in the near future. Due to numerous hits that need to be included in a ninety minute timeframe, there seems to be no apparent set-list. Fans jokingly speculated that Horan just plays whatever he feels like in the moment, to which Horan responded in a TikTok video, “That’s pretty much how it goes when it comes to the setlist!”
On March 14th, 15th, and 16th, Williamsville North High School performed the musical Legally Blonde to resounding success.
Legally Blonde, which is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and musical in 2001, tells the story of Elle Woods, a blonde sorority girl at UCLA whose boyfriend breaks up with her for not being serious enough. She follows him to Harvard Law School to prove she can be serious, and her experience pursuing law and how that eventually changes her character ensues. It’s fun, it’s loud, and it’s very upbeat.
Auditions took place for the musical in late November, following North’s play Dracula in October and a series of vocal and dance workshops throughout November. The musical’s vocal ensemble was directed by Mr. Young. The cast list did shift a little since it originally came out, but in the end, the actors for the leading characters Elle Woods (Anna Campanella), Warner (Jairus Drayton), Emmett (Patrick Schule), Professor Callahan (Salvatore DeFranceso), and Paulette (Charlotte Levine) were all very confident and really got into their parts.
Vocal and blocking rehearsals began after the holiday break. Some of the numbers of the musical were basically directed through dance and movement, particularly the cheerleading sequence in “What You Want” and the exercise sequence in “Whipped into Shape.” The Delta Nu sorority members, a.k.a. Greek Chorus, featured in a lot of the more performative choreographies–one of them was Kai Park, who played Margot of Delta Nu and also performed in two of North’s previous musicals. Regarding the rehearsal process, they said, “Our choreographer, Ms. Cavanagh, would teach us the choreography once and after that we typically just practiced it on our own time. Rehearsals were generally a bit tiring, but seeing the musical come together in the end makes all of our hard work pay off.”
The pit orchestra had also been hard at work since January, conducted by Mr. Buckle and consisting of the drumset, auxiliary percussion, guitars, keyboards, violins, cello, bass, flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe, trombone, trumpet, and alto sax. Mrs. Salvatore and Mr. Parisi also played in the pit. According to senior Swapnil Roy, who played the drumset and has a plethora of pit experience, Legally Blonde’s repertoire was quite difficult to assemble for many reasons, including the difficulty of the string instrument parts. Leading up to the show, though, he said that they “settled into a groove… and it [sounded] terrific thanks to everyone’s hard work!”
A great deal of the musical experience was also created by the stage and the set, which stage crew managed, as directed by Mr. Percy. The physical set that was moved on and off the stage was made out of wood by the construction crew, which they build entirely from scratch each year. The paint crew then brought each of the pieces to life. The overall construction took a month to complete, but it was well worth it, as the largest set piece, the Delta Nu sorority house, was two stories high and featured functional windows, doors, and stairs that could be danced upon. All of the set pieces were also moved very efficiently on and off stage by the backstage crew.
Tech Week, the week of March 4th, was when these three components were put together. For the ensemble, this meant getting accustomed to the sound of the pit orchestra rather than a recording, and for the pit, this meant getting used to actor cues and the leads’ voices singing along. Rehearsal certainly wasn’t easy, with many of them ending at around 9 P.M.. “We had to change certain things last minute to help the show flow better,” Kai says in retrospect. It was also difficult “having to move slowly… and going back to do scenes over and over again because of all the lighting cues and scene changes.” Practice makes perfect, though, and it showed in the final performances. On the other hand, for stage crew, it was a lot of “Monster [energy drinks], crying, and yelling at each other,” according to junior Brady Cline, who helped run backstage mic wrangling and set handling; he has also run the construction crew and worked the sound board for previous North productions. Despite all of the stress, “at the end of the rehearsal we always come out better than we [were]!” Kai adds, “[It] gets us hyped for the show because we finally get to put the cast, pit, and crew together.”
Of course, all of that hard work paid off. The shows were amazing, with multiple nights selling out. The choreography was amazing, and the jokes were well received–Kyle the UPS man, who was played by Joseph Sankoh, was a hit with the audience, as were the real dogs who played Elle and Paulette’s pets. The pit sounded fantastic, and the stage crew did an amazing job with the gorgeous lighting. There were next to no microphone errors, either. Brooke Wyndham (Jillian Goehle)’s singing during her exercise sequence kicking off the second act was also particularly impressive.
Of course, it’s not just the final performance that matters–the community that musical season creates every year is invaluable. As someone who had been in the pit all four years of his high school career, Swapnil says, “I [looked] forward to it every year and it [was] always a blast… I know that it’s time for other people to replace me next year but it holds a special place in my heart.” It’s not just within the pit, or within the ensemble, that such connections were made–for Brady, the most memorable part of the show was “working with friends to have our show running as smoothly as possible, even with all of the hiccups we can have during rehearsal.” It was a team effort that was only made so successful thanks to the cooperation of the ensemble, crew, and pit. Legally Blonde was a labor of love, and in case you missed it, mark your calendars to go to North’s musical next year! You are sure to adore it.
Can we determine the shape of a drum by analyzing the sounds it produces? This has been a longstanding question in mathematics for the past 70 years. In 1954, George Polya, a renowned Hungarian-American mathematician, proposed a conjecture suggesting a link between the vibration frequencies of certain geometric shapes, including rectangles, triangles, or disks, and their physical shapes. While Pólya’s conjecture had been confirmed for shapes like triangles and rectangles, it remained unproven for disks, despite their seemingly simple nature. Recently, Iosif Polterovich, a professor at Université de Montréal, and his international team have made a significant breakthrough in spectral geometry by confirming a part of Pólya’s conjecture regarding the eigenvalues of a disk by using mathematical computation.
The Pólya conjecture suggests that the vibrational frequencies, or eigenvalues, of a drum when it is struck are directly influenced by its shape and size. Each distinct frequency corresponds to a specific mode of vibration of the drum’s surface as shown above. If the frequency is high, the drum tends to produce higher-pitched sounds. Shapes that correspond to higher frequencies include smaller and more compact configurations, such as narrower and shallower drums or those with more convex surfaces. These shapes allow for shorter and faster vibrations, resulting in higher frequencies.
By studying the relationships between these vibrational frequencies and the geometric characteristics of drums through advanced techniques from spectral geometry, mathematical analysis, and computational mathematics, the researchers successfully confirmed the validity of the conjecture for disks. This insight has implications not only in mathematics but also in fields such as acoustics, where the study of drum vibrations plays a crucial role in understanding sound production and transmission. Polterovich expressed, “Trying to prove a long-standing conjecture is a sport. Finding an elegant solution is an art. And in many cases, beautiful mathematical discoveries do turn out to be useful–you just have to find the right application.”Do you agree with Polterovich’s comparison of proving mathematical conjectures to a sport and finding elegant solutions to an art? Why or why not? Additionally, do you consider proving the similarity of triangles as a sport? Why or why not?
The gradual increase in seawater levels has contributed to the gradual sinking of coastal cities in the United States. This problem continues to be a silent problem that risks flooding and the livelihood or lifestyle of locals in these cities. Researchers from different universities in the US, Canada, England, and India have all reported and created a study to examine the potential impacts of subsidence in 32 cities along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts. For instance, New York City, San Francisco, and many other U.S. coastal cities, are at risk of sinking into the ocean. The study showed that hundreds of thousands of residents will eventually be displaced by 2050 when sea levels are projected to have risen by at least 10 inches.
Most of this subsidence occurs along the Gulf Coast, most likely because sea levels have risen over the decade and are happening more quickly than in other regions. A recent reporter who reported the study states, “Even if climate change mitigation efforts succeed in stabilizing temperature in the future decades, sea levels will continue to rise due to the continuing response of oceans to past warming.” In addition, the study later found that the 32 cities are projected to have a population of about 25 million by 2050, along with about 10 million properties valued at roughly $12 trillion. Moreover, along the Gulf Coast, subsidence is projected to account for nearly 30 percent of total flooding by 2050, a more significant rate than on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The study states that airports and refineries are anticipated to be among the exposed infrastructure along the Gulf Coast.
Although some precautionary measures, such as flood-control structures, have been placed, many claim they will only be practical in the short term. Their effectiveness is only partially guaranteed and is only a temporary solution. However, a more proactive approach that individuals that were part of the study recommend is to limit the impacts of sea-level rise. Methods include using nature-based protections such as marshes and mangroves, structural protections such as the Ike Dike, land-raising and subsidence control, strategic land-use planning to reduce vulnerability, and stringent climate-change policies that keep carbon emissions low. Nevertheless, land subsidence continues to be a problem in our world and needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Following the post-pandemic trend of everything digitizing, College Board’s SAT exam has gone digital for the spring of 2024. Juniors taking the exam soon are likely already aware that they will be foregoing the pencil and paper for a laptop or tablet, but for the underclassmen planning out their high school careers and just in case you didn’t know, here’s a run down of the new exam.
The new digital SAT has been revamped for the screens. First of all, the exam is now 100% digital. Students still have to go to the testing center to take it, however, and they must bring their own device with the Bluebook app installed. This is the app on which the exam is administered, fit with a timer and built-in calculator for the math section. A list of compatible devices and versions is available online; if you don’t have one, you can borrow a school chromebook or request College Board ship you a device at least 30 days in advance.
The SAT is still made up of the same content: math and English. Two adjustments, however, include the fact that the entire math section is calculator-based, now, and the English section will contain short passages, as opposed to the long ones you may be used to seeing in practice tests’ reading sections. The exam has also been shortened to take only 2 hours, as opposed to 3, so enjoy getting to leave that non-air-conditioned room sooner in the middle of the summer. Students are also allegedly supposed to get more time per question, on average; this is for the purpose of decreasing stress on students, according to the College Board. Finally, students can get their scores back much faster in mere days, as multiple choice questions are easy for a computer to calculate the score to. Thus, students who need that last minute score in the summertime for college applications and students who need to know whether or not they need a retake will be on less of a time crunch.
Why go digital? As previously mentioned, the College Board wants to decrease stress on students, and the digital version of the SAT has, according to prepscholar.com, produced lower stress levels for 80% of students based on data from the digital exam’s pilot in November of 2021. The idea of digitizing has been in the works for years, so this gradual transition shouldn’t be a huge surprise.
Students are advised to still treat the SAT exam with the same level of preparation as with the more intimidating pen and paper version. Make sure you study and bring your device with the app already installed, a charger if necessary, your entry ticket for the exam, an ID, a physical calculator if desired, a watch to make sure you get back from your breaks on time, and a snack and water for your break. The next test dates that registration is open for are May 4th and June 1st. Good luck to the underclassmen and juniors taking the SAT soon!
