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[6/2] The Oracle staff takes a look at some of the local beaches.
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[Centerfold] Imagine this: you're forced to stand upright for what seems like ages while baking from a brutal combination of heat and heavy military garb. You struggle to keep your back pin-straight as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shouts at you in Hebrew. Oh, and it's your summer vacation. —Maya Itah
[Centerfold] Taking care of screaming kids for a whole summer might sound like a nightmare to some, but junior Jacqui Black is unfazed and even excited about her summer job as a camp counselor. Black will be working as a kayaking and canoeing specialist at Camp New Moon, where she will teach small groups of campers basic knowledge about boats. —Jocelyn Ma
[Centerfold] For juniors Akifumi Kobashi and Stephen Ge, the start of summer means working 40-hour work weeks at the Lockheed Martin Solar Astrophysics Laboratory (Lockheed) in Palo Alto. —Eric Johnston
[Centerfold] Watching soccer in the soccer capital of the world is one thing. Playing soccer in the soccer capital of the world is something completely different. —Sasha Guttentag
[Centerfold] The Oracle staff takes a look at some of the local beaches. —Amarelle Hanyecz
[Centerfold] The first step in getting an internship is deciding what kind of internship you are looking for. Are you looking for an internship dealing with medicine, law or business? Do you prefer a paid internship or a non-paid internship? How many hours do you plan to work? These are just a few of the questions you should be asking before you start your search. —Ryan Tan
[Centerfold] For those of you staying in Palo Alto this summer, do not despair; fun awaits you around every corner. Productivity and determination is the key to making your summer interesting right at home. The Oracle staff presents some ideas you can use for this summer. —Bauer Wann
[Centerfold] Surviving senior year is quite simple outside of college applications, which are hell. It’s probably too late to do anything about improving your transcript or extracurriculars, so don’t worry about those things. Keep your grades up at an average GPA and colleges won’t care. Relax! Get a prep. Get two preps!—Jane Huang (Gunn alumnus)
[Centerfold] You’re panting and heaving as you push yourself through labor for the third hour in a row. People around encourage you, telling you to “push harder” and that you’ll “get through this.” Your face contorts and you break into a sweat as you finally finish and relax. In a couple days, a person with many years of education lets you take your many hour’s work back home with you. Why yes, I am talking about junior year—the most true to form “best of times, worst of times” year you’ll ever have in your academic career.—Misha Guttentag
[Centerfold] It’s back to the bottom of the food chain. After ruling from the coveted eighth grade throne, middle school graduates must accustom themselves to the formidable presence of upperclassmen and life at the bottom of the high school hierarchy.—Vivien Tsao
[Centerfold] I never thought that family was of any importance. To me, and to many others, quality time spent with family could have been time spent talking with friends or watching a movie. Yet there are certain moments when spending time with your family is actually important. Most teenagers usually do not get to witness such a moment. I was lucky.—Alex Lee
[Centerfold] For sophomore Jara Montez, winter break doesn’t signify time off for Christmas but for her favorite holiday, Kwanzaa. Montez’s parents, Stacye Montez and Roqua Montez, decided to celebrate Kwanzaa after Montez’s birth. This year they will be celebrating the holiday for the 15th year. “Kwanzaa allows us to celebrate the African-American culture in our suburban environment,” Stacye Montez said.—Sasha Guttentag
[Centerfold] With winter approaching, so comes a variety of winter holidays celebrated by different faiths. For Buddhists, in particular, Bodhi Day (also known as Roast) and New Year’s Eve mark occasions to be observed. For the Montgomery family, the winter season boasts a full roster of holidays to be celebrated, from Buddhist holidays that they celebrate as members of the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, to the more well known holiday of Christmas. As devout Buddhists, the Montgomery family celebrates Bodhi Day, which is held on Dec. 8 or the closest Sunday prior to the date. This holiday marks the anniversary of the day when a young prince of Northern India named Siddhartha Gateman meditated beneath a fig tree until he achieved the ability to appreciate selfless beauty and thus became Buddha.—Vivien Tsao
[Centerfold] This winter senior Caroline Binkley plans to celebrate Christmas with her family. Each Christmas, her family of 18, including cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, join together in the Binkley residence to participate in a family tradition. —Fi Kazi
[Centerfold] For senior Rodina and sophomore Ahmad Fayad, this winter will be a time for cathartic reflection. —Libby Craig & Nathaniel Eisen
[Centerfold] In recent years, sleep experts have warned teenagers of the dangers of sleep deprivation. Most experts recommend getting nine hours of sleep per night. Despite this, a 2007 poll by the National Sleep Foundation on teen sleep patterns found that only 20 percent of teenagers get the recommended amount of sleep every night. The study also showed that 50 percent of those polled get drowsy at the wheel, 25 percent sleep in class and 38 percent nap on average twice a week. 14 percent were late or absent from class due to oversleeping. "Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis," according to the National Sleep Foundation's Web site. Although the negative effects of drowsiness and lethargy are well known amongst students, the necessity of sleep remains a question for many teens. —Emily Glider
[Centerfold] Antonio Chan, M.D., a specialist in cardiology and sleep medicine at Chanwell Clinic in San Jose, offers tips that can get you the most sleep out of your night. —Jeffrey Wang
[Centerfold] Dreaming is an activity shrouded in mystery, filled with seemingly meaningless events. Methods of unlocking dreams are often branded as unreasonable, but one approach is accessible to anyone with pen and paper: keeping a dream journal. It may seem simple, but to many, including creative writing teacher Tarn Wilson, the results are priceless. "Keeping track of my dreams, I have been able to watch how my dreams have changed over the years," she said. "And they only get more specific and exciting."—Maya Itah
[Centerfold] Although dreaming is now a common, everyday occurrence, dreams were actually viewed as important messages from supernatural beings in ancient history. Usually considered prophetic, those with special powers were called upon to interpret their mysterious messages. These priests and interpreters based their interpretations solely on symbols that appeared in others' dreams. —Andrea Yung
[Centerfold] Q&A featuring Maurice Ohayon, Stanford Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences—