With each passing year in the new millennium, the music scene grows progressively worse. This year is no exception. Only a handful of recent artists (Wilco, Beck, The White Stripes, Kanye West, Citizen Cope, Ben Harper) can be hailed as excellent contributors to the world of music, while other “critically artists” (The Decemberists, TV on the Radio, etc.) are only gaining recognition because there are no others worthy of applaud. In other words, critics are praising sub-average artists because they sound exemplary compared to other recent lack-luster releases. I hate to sound like the stereotypical modern-day music basher, but the truth of the matter is, music just isn’t what it used to be—at least not for the past few years. Maybe I’m being too harsh on modern music, by comparing contemporary bands to the powerful music of the 1960s and 1970s. Are ideas running out? Or are artists too lazy and/or incompetent to create worthwhile music?

At 11-1, the East Varsity Wrestling team has surprised many of their fans and critics thus far this season. Ranked 13th in South Jersey by the Courier Post, East is following up a spectacular, district-winning season with yet another tremendous performance.After...

After letting the lead slip following a mediocre performance in the volleyball competition, the juniors took back the overall spirit week lead, by coming in first place in the crab soccer event and picking up second place finishes in both guys and girls tug-of-war for a grand total of 450 points on the night. The seniors, who were grasping to small lead coming into the competition, only gained a total of 350 points on the night, thus dropping to second place in the overall standings.

What a night it was for the seniors. After an upsetting loss in perhaps the most prestigious spirit week event, the all-mighty spirit week dance, the seniors regained their pride and the overall lead after stellar performances by both the senior guys and girls. The freshman guys had the comeback of the night, after they were losing 8-2 to the juniors late in the game. It seemed as if Alex Saltzberg (’08) and Adam Zaken (’08) were going to dominate the much smaller freshman team, when Andrew Pursell (’09) and his teammates took control of the match leading their team to a 15-12 upset.

Many have compared the heated rivalry between the class of 2007 and the class of 2008 to the brutal hostility between the perilous L.A. street gangs, The Bloods and The Crips. Others have speculated that the gap separating a victor from the lowly position of second-place might be so indiscernible that a recount, similar to that conducted following the 2000 Presidential Election, is ultimately inevitable. Nevertheless, comparisons and speculations aside, the events that occur during this scholastic year’s Spirit Week will undoubtedly alter the lives of all of those involved. A plethora of students and teachers alike have devoted hundreds, nay, thousands of tedious, back-breaking hours, to make sure that every final detail of every single event is intact. For the student not deeply involved in these activities, Spirit Week may present itself as a sequence of trivial events, whose official outcome is just as meaningless as the means of getting there. However, this is simply not the case. What is at stake is much more precious than one’s grade-point-average (GPA), or even one’s SAT scores. The only feeling other than happiness that can be held to such a high level importance is pride. That feeling you get, looking over the disappointed faces of your defeated nemeses is obviously worth more than that perfect 7.0 GPA or that faultless 2400 SAT score. Pay no attention to the strident warnings of 18th century novelist Jonathan Swift, who argued in his satirical masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels that pride is mankind’s most appalling and unforgivable flaw, because eventually Swift lost his mind and expired soon thereafter. After all, having a high opinion of one’s self is truly necessary. Brace yourself. With this much pride out on the table, it is almost a certainty that we are all about to witness a battle of the ages. The only question left unanswered is, who will be Bush and who will be Gore? To listen to some fun interviews and more information on Spirit Week, listen to the audio clips attached to this story.