Should You Follow the Crowd to Divergent?
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- Written by Deborah Skolnik
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Thrills abound, but the broad brushstrokes could use some finesse.
Beatrice Prior is 16—that's enough drama for a movie right there. But her adolescence is extra-angsty. She lives in post-Apocalyptic Chicago, where high walls shut out the world outside, and rigid social structure keeps order within. Citizens are divided into five so-called Factions—Amity, Erudite, Candor, Dauntless, and Abnegation—whose members embrace their group's named trait. (Yeah, some Factions' names are nouns, and some are adjectives; this movie's main trait may just be Sloppiness.)
Young Beatrice was born into the Abnegation clan. Its members live to serve others (in fact, they run the government), and wear silly, flowing frocks suggestive of community-theater directors; hardly appealing to a teen. Luckily, Beatrice can soon pledge allegiance to a different Faction if she wishes, after taking a test—think psychedelic S.A.T.—to suggest her best fit. Yet the exam (a scary sequence for younger viewers) finds that Beatrice is Divergent, fitting no Faction. She's urged to hide that fact; the Divergent are often hunted down for threatening societal norms.
On Choosing Day, Beatrice opts to become Dauntless, a group charged with the city's defense. Her Prior family literally becomes her prior one, as she renames herself Tris and masters stunts like jumping from a hurtling El train. Can she mask her Divergence and fit into her fierce new family of choice? This coming-of-age struggle is what makes the movie such catnip for teens (and so blatantly reminiscent of The Hunger Games, its superior cousin). Adults may also enjoy Tris's sizzling chemistry with her mentor, a chisel-faced hottie named Four.
Yet grown-ups will also struggle with the plot holes, some large enough to drive an El train straight
through. For example, don't all teens who abandon their born Factions show a Divergent nature? And if the Divergent must hide their identities, why does one character have a huge tattoo about it on his back—why not tattoo a bullseye on your forehead, dude? And how did the city's leaders fail to see that dividing society into Factions would invite rivalries and coups? I mean, have you ever heard the word "factions" without "warring" preceding it?
If you're able to keep those troubling questions at bay for 2 1/2 hours, though, sit back and enjoy the ride—your kids are dragging you to Divergent no matter what.
Rated PG-13. No sex, but violence and startling imagery may make this a tough watch for even Dauntless kids 9 and under.
This review was written by Deborah Skolnik, a Greenacres mother of two and the Content Director for Myron Corporation, a large business-gifts firm in Maywood, New Jersey.
Marijuana: Should it be Legalized for Medicinal Use?
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Though some think that marijuana is just for pot heads, a group of doctors, nurses, medical organizations and patients believe that if legalized, marijuana could be effective in treating symptoms for many seriously ill patients. People suffering from multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and chronic pain report that marijuana eases their symptoms. The Compassionate Care Act, a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for the treatment of a specified group of illnesses is now being considered by the NYS Assembly. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin held a press conference on Friday March 14 to support the bill and invited those who would benefit from legalized marijuana to tell their stories.
"The medical benefits that can be derived from marijuana are far too great to ignore any longer," Paulin said. "There are so many people suffering from a variety of diseases where medical marijuana would make a huge difference in their quality of life. We need to pass this legislation to help the thousands of patients that need specific strains of marijuana, such as children with Dravet's Syndrome."
According to New York Physicians for Compassionate Care a growing body of scientific evidence has demonstrated that marijuana is effective in controlling chronic pain, alleviating nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, treating wasting syndrome associated with HIV/AIDS, controlling muscle spasms due to multiple sclerosis and managing epilepsy.
Scarsdale's Dalia Kessaci attended the press conference with her 3-year old daughter Mellina to tell the group why she is passionate about the passage of the legislation. Mellina suffers from a severe form of epilepsy that is resistant to conventional drug treatment. She can have as many as 100 seizures a week. The anti-seizure drugs caused a different kind of seizure, severely delaying her development. Dalia learned that parents of children with epilepsy in Colorado have given their kids oil of cannabis to control the seizures and it has proven to be safe, effective and have few side effects.
The Hauser family of Suffern was also on hand with their nine year-old daughter Amanda, who is 
able to go to school and after school activities, but suffers from a seizure disorder called Dravet's syndrome. When asked what it feels like to have a seizure, Amanda replied, "it goes black." Her parents are not willing to purchase drugs illegally and attended the press conference to support the passage of this legislation. Her mother Maryanne said,"My family is faced with a choice no one should have to make – watch our child suffer needlessly or contemplate uprooting our family and moving to one of the 20 states where medical marijuana is legal."
We also met Dawn Carney of Mount Vernon who is living with HIV/AIDS. She showed us pictures of herself before her drugs started to work. She was wasting away and smoking marijuana helped to improve her appetite. She said, "It is wrong that New Yorkers living with serious and life-threatening conditions have to break the law to use a medication that can relieve their symptoms.
Learn more at www.compassionatecareny.org.
McGill Speaks Out Against High Stakes Testing
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It's no secret in Scarsdale what Superintentendent Michael McGill thinks about state testing, teaching to the tests and evaluating teachers on the results of their student's performance on these exams. Calling it "idealogical madness," McGill, who will retire in June after 16 years in Scarsdale, has just written an article in Education Week in which he speaks out against what he calls "corporate reforms" at schools which have produced "an obsession with numbers."
He says "a real education leaves room for teachers to teach what they love and for students to initiate their learning." He contends there is "no one solution to the different challenges that confront our schools." He asks for recognition that teachers are critical in the learning process and encourages investment in their professional development, rather than "naming and shaming" them when students don't measure up.
Read the entire article here:
Never Again
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Dr. John Gimesh, Holocaust survivor and father of Cynthia Samwick and Andrea Seiden, both of Scarsdale, will speak at the Holocaust Remembrance Program sponsored by JCY-Westchester Community Partners and Lincoln Park Jewish Center on Wednesday March 19 at 10 am at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center at 311 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers.
The program honors the memory of the 12 million victims of the genocide, and is open to Yonkers Public School students, as well as the entire community. Holocaust survivors will share their personal stories about how the Holocaust impacted real people. It is hoped that this living history lesson will promote empathy and underscore the importance of having respect for all people.
Dr. Gimesh will present his personal story of the terrible hardships he and his family endured before, during, and after World War II. After he escaped Hungary, he became a pediatrician in the United States Army and moved his family to Germany and eventually to North Carolina, where Cynthia and her sister Andrea grew up. Though the girls knew their father had a difficult childhood, he rarely shared details of this unpleasant past.
Along with seven other survivors, Gimesh will tell his story at the event that runs from March 17 – 21.
For more information, contact JCY-Westchester Community Partners at 30 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701.
Phone: (914) 423-5009
emails: [email protected]
Website: www.jcy-wcp.com
Junior League Invites SHS Juniors to Apply for Volunteer Service Awards
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Do you know a female junior in your school who is making a difference? Is she a leader in school or in her community? Is she someone who cared enough about an issue to take a stand and make a difference? However she has done it, she is making a contribution and the Junior Leage of Central Westchester wants to hear about her!
The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) is offering three $300 Volunteer
Service Awards to female high school juniors. The recipients of this award will be young women who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to volunteerism within their community and/or school. The purpose of this award is to promote volunteerism and to support the development of young women.
Award Criteria
The JLCW will consider all applicants who meet the following criteria:
• Female
• High school junior
• Student in Ardsley, Eastchester, Edgemont, Greenburgh Central, Scarsdale or White Plains School District
• Has demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism between September 2012 and February 2014
Application Deadline
All applications must be submitted by April 24, 2014.
To download an application, visit www.jlcentralwestchester.org
Questions? Email: [email protected]
About JLCW
The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is both educational and charitable. Headquartered at historic Wayside Cottage, the JLCW has served the communities of Eastchester, Greenburgh, Scarsdale and White Plains for over 65 years. Its approximately 250 active and sustaining members are accomplished collaborators who identify community needs and develop effective and responsive programs to serve those needs. The JLCW invites women of all races, religions and national origins who are committed to volunteerism to become members.
