Countryside High School Paw Print NewspaperVolume 28 Issue 3 by Center for New Media

THE COUNTRYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

PAW PRINT 3000 SR 580

Friday, October 27th, 2006 - VOLUME 28, Issue 3

Clearwater, Florida

New study discredits effectiveness of homework

mollyHAYS

editor-in-chief

University, came to the conclusion that contrary to the common misconception that more homework equates to higher test scores, more homework actually will not have a major beneﬁcial eﬀect on students. After evaluating several studies, Cooper discovered students who complete more than two hours of homework in high school frequently perform worse on standardized tests and receive lower scores than students who complete less homework. Yet, not completing any homework will not make a student smarter or perform better on standardized tests. “ T h e purpose of

Homework; while mundane and repetitive for some, can at the same time be challenging and crucial for others. However, once factors such as classroom environment and a student’s desire to learn are set aside, studies show the amount of homework assigned is rising and standardized test scores are diminishing. In 2004, the University of Michigan published a national survey in which slightly over 2,900 American children and teens kept a time diary of their daily activities in 2002-2003. A similar study was performed in 19811982 where 322, six to seventeen year olds also kept time diaries. In the ’81-’82 study, children and teens six to seventeen spent 5.27 hours every weekday in school with 31.6 minutes of daily homework verses the 6.49 hours per weekday children and teens spent in ’02-’03 in school and the 47.6 minutes spent on homework. The study shows an 18 percent increase on time spent in school and a 34 percent increase in time spent on homework in just over a mere 20 years. However, the increase does not indicate that children and teens today are smarter. In fact, countries like Japan whose students traditionally do better than American students on student achievement tests assign less homework and nations like Greece whose students’ scores are lower than those of American Photo collage by Brandin Milton and Anna Ko students have been known to homework is to read, practice, and review new material assign homework in mass. After avidly researching the impact of homework for class discussions. I assign less homework now then I on students, Dr. Harris M. Cooper, professor at Duke used to. [Students] turn in the pages, but don’t necessarily

reflect on what the assignment entailed,” said science teacher Jennifer Luther. The University of Michigan also recorded a 7.76 percent decrease in the ‘02/’03 study in how many minutes students spent weekly watching television. In addition, students reported spending two hours and 45 minutes weekly on the computer in ‘02/’03 whereas computers were not household fixtures in the ‘81/’82 study. “I have a life and I do other things and I still get okay grades,” said junior Brett Harbauer who estimates he receives two hours and 15 minutes of homework nightly but admits to not doing any of it. Instead he spends his time outside of school playing guitar and with his girlfriend. “I think you should only have to do work in school because you’ll become a typical American stereotype that doesn’t enjoy life,” said Harbauer. Students who fail to do their homework are often labeled as being lazy. “I think [students being lazy] all goes back to they don’t find relevance, instead they find [homework] as just busy work and they’re right sometimes,” said math teacher Jill Rogier. Rogier only counts homework as ten percent of a students grade in the classes she teaches. “It’s required, but it’s not going to kill their grade.” “I think [homework] is not beneficial at times because the kids don’t see the relevance. However, if there’s relevance it can be very productive. Like if you give Mickey Mouse crosswords its not going to help them see the relevance, but meaningful homework builds skills to help them do better in class,” said Rogier.

Contemporary language evolves from everyday English tamikaMARTINEZ

copy editor

The English language—for most of us, is simply innate nature, for others it is a second or third language. However, the English language is more diverse than most people put a thought to, being that is a compilation of Germanic, Latin, Greek, and Anglo-Saxon elements. The English language can be separated into three different periods usually called Old English, deriving from the AngloSaxons, Middle English, and Modern English. The most archaic of them all, Old English, begins with the nomadic tendencies of certain Germanic tribes. That dialect of the language cannot be completely salvaged as it dates back to the fifth century A.D. Eventually Latin, Old Norse, and Anglo-Norman French had begun to have a substantial impact on the lexicon, and thus is the beginning of the evolution of the English language. Today, English is considered the universal language economically and technologically. With 322 million native speakers worldwide, English is the fourth most spoken language after Mandarin Chinese, Indian and Spanish. Furthermore, it is the most studied second language in the world (about 418 million people study English). It is officially the language of the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, several islands of the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean as well as in some African countries. However, as the years progressed, English has taken on two slightly different dialects of speech: British English and American English. While British English maintains its distinct nuances in terms of colloquial speech in relation to American English, the terminology is generally the same aside from nationally coined phrases such as “brill” which is to say “excellent” or “going to spend a penny” which means “going to use the toilet”. Americans however, have historically contrived a more modern form of speech with its “slanguage” of sorts. Even within the nation, Americans vary in pronunciation and slang. In New York, one could say “the both of you” and it would come out sounding like “da boat ah yews” or “Go ta

Joy-sey” which is to say “Go to Jersey” and it’d be rendered an insult. On the opposite side of the map, a “fruit and nut run” would simply mean a ﬂight into Los Angeles. Such phrases become regional and common among the populace of the area. Not only is it the evolution of the language that has taken place but speciﬁc words have experienced a change in meaning over the years as well as new words which have been added to the lexicon. One thing’s for sure, the language has been changing, adding, and deleting words since the beginning of America, and it doesn’t stop here.

Words That Have Changed Meaning Over the Years:

Ice

Literal meaning: Solid form of water Changed meaning: Expensive jewlery

Tight

Literal meaning: Firmly or closely fixed in

place Changed meaning: Very closely related friend; “cool”, “hip”, or “fashionable”.

Grill

Literal meaning: A grated utensil used

for broiling meat Changed meaning: A gold/diamond plate molding for teeth

Words Recently Added to the American Lexicon: Bling- Glamour; gaudy jewelry Indie- Independent music Shiesty- Suspicious in actions or character Spork- Combination between a fork and spoon

Baller- A person who finds success and

“UBER”

-Juniors Chase McDonald and Aeriel Peterson

wealth

Hoodie- Sweatshirt with a hood and a very large pocket in front

FEATURES

Volume 28

Trick-or-treating: appropriate for all ages? xanderURBEN

staﬀ writer

In a world where ten-year-olds are toting cell phones and iPods, there is an increasing pressure to grow up faster. Even less attractive is the idea of trick-or-treating as older generations scoff at the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy, rejecting the magic of Santa Claus and his North Pole elves for a cynicism that is harsh and unnerving. Going house to house is for ‘babies’ these days. Not even the most delusional of adolescents would be caught dead dressed up as a dragon. However, this attitude should be ignored, if not completely rejected. Where’s the fun in attending one of the many scareyour-pants-off attractions theme parks host, promising you will not be able to sleep for weeks are viewing their organized atrocities? Those who avoid events might instead vouch for an evening of juvenile delinquency, covering the neighbor’s trees with toilet paper. Others might attend a costume party, a good excuse to still dress up and not be socially ostracized in November. However, all alternatives are generally travesties to All Hallows Eve – because, to be frank, there is no age limit when it comes to trick-or-treating. The opinions of Countryside students seem ambivalent, their answers vague and flip-floppy – possibly due to the lack of back-up from their peers. They offer broken and jarred recollections of past costumes, as though embarrassed to admit that they ever dressed up as Genie from Aladdin. Yet, a light may shine in the dark – there are still people who rejoice in trickor-treating. When the question ‘when should you stop trick-or-treating?’ was posed to junior Robey Suriano, he responded bluntly, “When you can’t walk.” His past getups have included Hugh Hefner and the Chiquita Banana woman. “It’s a night to have fun and go crazy,” said Suriano. In history, pride has been the downfall of many brilliant leaders, and again, it brings ruin to the joy of Halloween. Why should people be ashamed to join their younger siblings in collecting candy? Why do teenagers feel no pang of regret when they indulge in alcohol and promiscuity, but their dignity gets riled at the mention of trick-or-treating? Arguments against the immortal practice of dressing up and collecting candy are many, but share a thread of hypocrisy and are based on double-edged, and easily contradicted opinions. Halloween will always be the night of candy and costumes, and should be a night where people defy social stigmata to enjoy themselves. So go on, dress up as a Power Ranger – there’s no age limit on trick-or-treating, no matter what your friends tell you.

missyWILLOUGHBY

copy editor

It is more common in the twenty-first century for high school students to indulge in Mischief Night (also known as Hallows Eve) than to prance around in masked apparel and knock on strange doors for chocolate. Most teenagers rightly believe they are too old for Trick-or-Treating nonsense! This revolution in thinking is the direct result of America’s desire for instantaneous satisfaction. Today’s teens can’t wait to grow up and break through the bondage and red tape set up by their parents. Holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter are repugnant reminders of the children they were only a few short years ago. When it comes to Halloween, teens demonstrate maturity as they bypass the former excitement of youth for more appropriate methods of celebration. Trick-orTreating becomes a daydream of the past as teenagers pursue more daring thrills such as haunted houses, theme parks, or costume parties. Parents generally feel safer finding the streets overrun with elementary and middle school aged children rather than riddled with adolescent punks who look suspiciously menacing next to their innocent babies. It alternates between worrisome and comical to open the door on Halloween hearing the usual chorus of “Trick-or-Treat” and find two adorable half-pint princesses, one baby pumpkin, and a towering life size power ranger all holding out bags with wide entreating eyes. Is it the “Peter Pan” complex that implores teenagers to revert back to their PreK roots during October? Or the fact that they can not face the years of adulthood looming ahead and instead of growing up they attempt to grow down? Or maybe it is the mythical powers of the full moon of All Hallows Eve that causes this temporary relapse into childhood. Whichever feeble excuse is used: it is simply inappropriate for teens to wander the streets with children. This Halloween, check out HowlO-Scream, a terror fest at the theater, or attend a costume party. There is plenty of fun after Trick-orTreating; you only have to find it!

PEZ dispenses more than candy to collectors feliciaASHBY

staﬀ writer

Batman, Jasmine and Papa Smurf all stand at attention waiting to be taken home. When it comes to choosing which comic book character, princess or miniature blue man to eat little fruit ﬂavored bricks out of, people are greedy and have started to collect them all. Crazed collectors such as Chris Skeene of Savannah, Georgia had been collecting strange items such as vinyl stickers, comic books and other things before his PEZ collection took oﬀ. Skeene has taken this collection to a whole new level. His wife’s collection began with seven PEZ characters, now the Skeene’s own over 900 and continue to add. Skeene will even be directing and hosting a documentary on PEZ collecting, due out this fall. His wife, Kendra, is lending a hand as designer and producer. Chris Marshall, who served as the production assistant on Swimfan, will direct. The documentary will feature interviews with Robby Takac (of The Goo Goo Dolls), Vinnie (of Less Than Jake), Joe Vittoria (PEZ USA President) and Wendy the Snapple Lady. “It was a lot of f u n hanging out with Robby. We spent the entire day with him. He invited us to the music video shoot for the band The Juliet Dagger. They were playing a

song he wrote which is the theme song to an upcoming PEZ cartoon. We had a bunch of fun hanging out with Vinnie from Less Than Jake also. We interviewed him in their rehearsal space in Gainesville, Florida which was covered in 80’s hair band posters like Twisted Sister and stuﬀ,” said Skeene on the interviews. PEZ was ﬁrst introduced to the public in 1927 in Vienna, Austria. Edward Haas created a compressed peppermint candy he called PEZ. He marketed the candy as an “Adult Mint” and considered it an alternative to smoking. Later PEZ was then brought to the United States in 1952, where the mints were packaged in canisters topped with retractable Disney heads. Today over three billion PEZ candies are consumed annually in the U.S. PEZ is constantly receiving facelifts to move with current trends. Some new PEZ for this year include, SGT. Frog, Open Season, and Asterixs. Whether it’s Simba or Yoda, Skeene declares that this fad stands the test of time.

Photo courtesy of PEZhead Productions

keene shows oﬀ his 900 plus PEZ collection, which will be the basis for his documentary. “You have to be pretty conﬁdent to collect PEZ. When people come over and see them you have to strand your ground and be proud of all these little plastic cartoon characters,” said Skeene.

NEWS

Issue 3

Myheritage.com uses face recognition rylieBURNS

staﬀ writer

The latest craze in society is to look like a celebrity. The best compliment to receive is to be compared to an “A-Lister.” Myheritage.com is a website that matches the face of an average person with a celebrity through advanced face recognition technology. Three steps are used to match the faces. The ﬁrst is to upload a self-photo into the site. Human faces are then detected. In a matter of minutes, a myriad of celebrity photo matches appear. About eight photos appear per match. The ﬁrst photo is the one that matches the most and the eighth is the one that matches the least by percentage. The similarity score, or the percentage match, indicates how much of a match occurred on each picture. Three Countryside students were willing to try the site for themselves, Kyle Gilliam, Laura Gerke, and Donté

Dawson. Kyle Gilliam, a “Hulk”-like junior, matched 63% to Zac Hanson, the youngest of the Hanson trio. “I don’t look like a girl,” Gilliam said about the match. Laura Gerke, the “girl next door” senior, matched 74% to Jacqueline Bisset, Golden Globe winner. “I have no idea who she is,” Gerke said about the match. Donté Dawson, a sophomore actor in the drama club, matched 58% to Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore’s famous boyfriend/fiancé. “Most people say I look just like Clay Aiken,” said Dawson. With over 4,000 celebrities on file, finding a face is quite easy. Stars ranging from the 19th to the 21st centuries in every area of fame from TV stars, models, singers, sport stars, and politicians are on the site. In addition to the celebrity face matching, there are also

Donte Dawson

celebrity quizzes. There are two forms of the quiz. One entails matching a face to a name where a name and four faces are displayed. The other is vice versa; matching a name to a face where one face and four names are displayed. Before the added bonus of the “Face Recognition” part of the site, myheritage.com was used primarily to ﬁnd ancestors and create family trees. To accurately create a speciﬁc family tree, the “Family Tree Builder” software has to be downloaded. The software is free of both cost and spy ware. Even the most technologically challenged can create a family tree or website in just minutes. The easiest way to trace family roots is through the internet. Myheritage.com provides a fast, easy, specialized search engine, called Myheritage Research. It searches numerous other genealogy sites for variations of names, spellings of those names, and true ancestors in a matter of minutes.

Laura Gerke

“ “ “Reality television ” past”and present” k

yle gilliam-“i don’t look like a girl.”

alexHARRIS

news editor

The seemingly new category of reality television, which has existed since pre-color game shows, has grown into a mass of pop culture and popularity. Retro reality television shows seem somehow archaic when compared to the cutting edge and controversial programs of today. The revolution that brought about the most admired reality shows of today arose from a show entitled An American Family, which aired in the 1970’s. An American Family wasn’t the first reality show; game shows have been around since the beginning of television, but it was the first reality show of its kind. Cameras were set up throughout a house filled with the stress of fights and the anguish of a marital separation. Ten million viewers watched in awe as the first ground breaking documentarystyle reality TV show was exposed to the world. This show is the postmodern Laguna Beach, and has since spawned a whole array of reality subdivisions. The massive growth arising from something containing coached contestants and artificial sounding hosts could never have been anticipated on such a phenomenal scale. But

ontÈ dawson-“most people say i look like clay aiken.”

there must be a reason for all of this new found popularity. This generation appears to prefer the unscripted lines of reality shows to the artiﬁcially lighten and scripted actors of the sitcom agenda. MTV is one of the biggest hosts of reality television, and it’s not very surprising that teens and young adults are the majority of the viewer makeup. The phenomenon is yet to reach the adult generations, and it most likely will never do so. “I like everything on MTV cause its all reality shows. I like them cause they are fun to watch and I enjoy them because they are entertaining and its fun to see how people react,” said junior Amanda Jones. Reality TV is not a new invention, but an idea being modiﬁed and progressing into this pop culture phenomenon. Most teens would think you are pretty strange if you haven’t heard of a show called Laguna Beach. If you haven’t the slightest clue what Project Runway is, well then you’re just not in with the generation. Flipping through the channels it is almost impossible to avoid a reality based show; from The Real World to COPS, reality TV is everywhere. More interest has probably come about due to the out-

aura gerke-“i don’t even know who she is!”

landish and dramatic base for the shows, but is this reality really real? Reality television since the beginning has been a hoax, at least as far as game shows are concerned. In the 1950’s the viewers of game shows were deceived to believe the contestant’s were operating off of their own intelligence. But this so clearly was not the case and there is a question to whether reality television today follows the same principles. Could directors be influencing cast members to create more drama and excitement on popular shows? “I don’t like most reality shows, because it’s not real like they say it is. Like Flavor of Love, where they have women competing to marry him or whatever, that’s not real. Reality TV is definitely planned out before they even put it on TV,” said senior Amanda Richter. Many people are absolutely obsessed over shows like Project Runway, setting their TiVo’s with such excitement it seems almost surreal. And why are teens so emphatic over all these eccentric shows? “It’s amusing to watch people make an idiot of themselves on TV and its fun to see normal people in unusual situations like that,” said Jones.

SPORTS

Volume 28

Get your ball out of the gutter shrutiLAKKANKIKI

staﬀ writer

Shoulders squared, back straight, knee bent and a tinge of fierce concentration in their eyes is apparent as the persistent players hurl their heavy bowling balls down the lanes. Countryside High School’s bowling team has been striking and sparing its way to victory this year as they aim for their ultimate target – to maintain their three year winning streak. So far this year, the boys’ varsity bowling team has placed first out of all the Pinellas county school teams with 94 points won and 32 points lost and the points keep on souring as the team continues to establish high standards for Countryside. Striving for success,the boys’varsity bowling team ventures to Countryside Lanes every Monday,at 3:00 P.M.for practice in an effort to better themselves in their bowling techniques. “They need to learn how to walk to the line, how to hold the ball, how to release the ball and how to follow through with their arm. Also, timing of all the steps above is very important,”said varsity boy’s head coach Pete Florio. Coach Florio has been coaching the team for over three years and he has been doing all he can to reach new heights with his team. “My main goal is for the bowlers to have fun and learn as much as they can about bowling,” said Florio. Together, the team is making a beeline to qualify for their final judgment: the position round, which determines who finishes first though last place for all south county teams. “Depending on how many games you win and points you

“M

y main goal is for the bowlers to have fun and learn as much as they can about bowling

”

accumulate when [the round] is over, you have your ﬁrst place winner,” said Florio. For the past three years in a row, the boys’ varsity bowling team has won the Spring League ﬁrst place trophy and now the fall league is aiming to keep up their winning

streak. With gifted and talented players, the team is a great success story this year. Jon Brady, 12th grade, with the most accumulated points in the team, was privileged to be named on ESPN for his outstanding achievements. In summer 2006, ESPN hosted a bowling competition open to all high school bowlers with over a 1000 people competing. In this prestigious Paw Print photo by Kaitlin Montgomery championship, Jon Brady has hile at practice at Countryside Lanes, freshman Erica Queen polishes her form. “I’ve really enjoyed placed second the bowling team so far this season. I hope to stay active on the bowling team throughout my time in with his high high school.” points and received a scholarship reward. “It was very competitive with all the other high school lactic bowling (bowling with lights and music) and a pizza party, the spring league celebrates their victory when they bowlers but it was fun,” said Brady. But, being on the bowling team is not all about win- receive their ﬁrst place trophy. ning. It is also about learning, experiencing and having fun “Since we have won the Spring League ﬁrst place troat the same time. phy three years in a row, our varsity team is a very happy The fall league celebrates their end of the season during group. I am also very proud of them for this achievement,” the Awards Banquet whether they win or not. With Ga- said Florio.

Safety Harbor Skateboard Contest Fundraiser On October 21, 2006 join The Ian Tilman foundation for a fundraiser at the Safety Harbor Skate Park. A skateboarding contest will be held with different age brackets beginning at noon and concluding at six p.m. Five dollar donation entry fee proceeds go to The Ian Tilman Foundation. A product toss will be held after the contest. Preregister at 650 9th Ave S. Safety Harbor 34695 or call 727.724.1530.

SPORTS

Issue 3

Crazy Cougs do their thing again christinaLUPI

features editor

The girls Varsity volleyball team has sweat glistening on their faces. The girls are abut to set up on the court as the game is about to begin. The twelve girls are ready to win and determined to keep their three losses the way it is. The team is anxious to release their pride; the other team had better be prepared. The girls Varsity volleyball team at Countryside has been doing better than ever before. They have only lost four games and won twenty. “Our record is great. The games we lost weren’t because we didn’t have the ability, it was because our heads got in the way,” said captain, senior Taylor Wilson. Volleyball is a tough sport. The team not only has to be good, they have to be mentally prepared for it. “Volleyball is 80% mental, 20% ability. To play the game, it’s all in your head,” said Wilson. The school’s volleyball team has become more aggressive, more dedicated and more of a threat. They have worked harder at practices after games so that they are able to win the next game. “Varsity is more competitive. You have to be good. We move at a faster pace and there’s a higher maturity level,” said junior Danielle Wright. Last year, the team had done extremely well and most of the team was made up of juniors. This year, those juniors have become seniors, including their captain. “I was captain last year and this year,” said Wilson. “We were young last year, but this year most of our returning juniors are back. We’ve grown together and stayed close. There

wasn’t a lot of drifting apart between us. We now can work harder together since we’ve grown so much,” said Wilson. Many of the players from the team have been playing since they were freshmen here. Taylor Wilson and junior Shelley Mitchell have both been playing it since their freshman year. “It teaches you from the beginning and you learn the ins and outs for the team,” said Mitchell. Every player has their own goals that they hope to achieve for the team each year. “I want us to make it as far as we can and work as hard as we can. I really hope that we can win districts,” said Wilson. “I hoped that we would have only one loss, but four is still really good,” said Mitchell. Changes are something that every team wishes to have. The opinion of each player is on if they would change anything, but for the most part, each team would like a little tweaking. “I think if we could get any ounce of attitude eliminated from our team, we could go further. If all of the attitude could be eliminated, we would do a lot better,” said Wilson. “I wouldn’t change anything. I think our team is great just the way they are,” said Mitchell. The team has come so far this year that it would seem near impossible to be proud of them. They work hard at practice and at games and they know what to do in order to win. “I’m really proud because we’ve come a long way. We’ve had a few losses that have hurt us a lot, but we’ve gotten past them and had several more wins. We deserve everything we’ve got. We just want to prove it to everybody,” said Wilson.

Paw Print photo courtesy of The Pride

uring a volleyball match, senior Gionna Disalvatore serves the ball, the only skill controlled exclusively by one player on a team.

Seniors set standard for soccer team nickSCHLERETH

uring preseason conditioning seniors, right to left, Mike Favero, Jeff Attinella, Eric Barnes, and Josh Kent lead the stretching exercises.

sports editor

Strong bonds formed between the returning seniors are what have propelled the boy’s soccer team to a state championship. The returning seniors main goal is to lead the team of defending state champions to another state title. The closeness of these players can be described as one where they have been playing together “since we came out of the womb” said senior, goalie, Jeff Attinella. “Playing with the same people means that you don’t have to think about when your teammate will make a run or where they are at on the field,-” said senior Mike Favero. Relationships formed on the soccer field over the years have also translated into solid friendships off the field. Additionally, these same players who go through adversity on the field are also the same people who are there friends off the field. “We all hang out together,” said senior Eddie Lopez. “We’re all really close.” “The younger players on the team look up to the older players,” said head coach David Sica. “These players have accomplished numerous feats that include playing twice in the state final four and winning a state championship along with putting Cougar soccer back on the map.” With the success of last season now history, it is up to this group of seniors to guide the team through the season. Having a strong core of leaders to guide the team is important “we’re all family and know each other, which eliminates guessing on the field” said head coach Sica. The coach does not have to worry about little issues such as, getting fellow teammates focused for games or practice, that could pull a team apart and prevent them from reaching their goals. “We have a strong core of ex-

Paw Print photo by Megan Hays

perience and leadership” said senior Josh Martinez. “There is a lot of senior leadership on the team,” said junior Karl Swan. “The leadership makes me want to work harder to win for the seniors during their last year.” With their sights set on winning another state championship, the Cougar boys soccer team with its core of senior leadership kick off the new season on October 17 when they start practice. “It will be hard to repeat because now we are the team to beat,” said senior Attinella. “It’s going to be a big challenge.”

Commonly Used Soccer Terms Breakaway: When an attacker with the ball approaches the goal undefended; this exciting play pits a sole attacker against the goalkeeper in a one-on-one showdown. Dribbling: The basic skill of advancing the ball with the feet while controlling it. Flick header: A player’s use of his head to deﬂect the ball. Marking: Guarding a player to prevent him from advancing the ball towards the net, making an easy pass or getting the ball from a teammate. Sliding tackle: An attempt by a defender to take the ball away from a ball carrier by sliding on the ground feet-ﬁrst into the ball.

The Academic Ep p Homework

r u o f r e b m s i u t N s e ! t y e h s H i l g n c E a r e a h h t c n n o i a m e . h l t l t a f u n o b w a o d s ter’

samanthaMALONE

staﬀ writer

Reasons for cheating differ from person to person. Whether it is to pass a class, achieve a higher grade, increase popularity, or merely a publicity stunt; cheating occurs everyday. Whatever the case may be, students learn to cheat at a young age. Cheating is a normal everyday classroom occurrence. A recent survey by the Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) of almost 50,000 undergraduates indicated that 70 percent admitted to some cheating. Over 75 percent did not think copying off the internet was a serious issue. One of the most often responses of those surveyed was they did not think they were doing anything wrong. “[Cheating] makes me so mad. I work so hard and other kids can get the exact same grade and do nothing,” said sophomore, Devon Lehman. The Margaret Mead Chapter of the National Honor Society does not accept applicants who have been caught cheating in school. “Cheating is certainly an indication of low character. Any incidence of cheating by a member will result in probation and subsequent review by the Faculty Council. They may determine that expulsion is required,” said National Honor Society advisor Mrs. McGovern. When a student is caught cheating, they must receive a grade of zero according to Pinellas County School Board policy. However, the school decides whether any additional disciplinary actions are necessary. Countryside’s student code of conduct states that on the first offense the teacher must record a zero on the assignment, contact the student’s parent, and write a referral for cheating. Upon the second offense the student will again receive a zero grade, the parent contacted, and another referral is written. Receiving two referrals for the same offense is considered a repeated misconduct and the student will receive a two day suspension or On Campus Intervention

Program, as a direct result of the second referral. Cheating is not found only in the classroom but in Hollywood and the corporate world as well. The Enron money scam involved the Enron Corporation being accused of accounting fraud. Lawsuits were filed against the company’s directors and the company later went bankrupt. Ashley Simpson’s lip-synching escapade was a highly publicized mishap. She had been singing along to prerecorded tracks that malfunctioned and played a song that she had already performed during her set at Saturday Night Live. Her voice was heard through the speakers, yet her mouth was closed. She then tried, though to no avail, to distract her audience by dancing the “hoe-down.” “She said she had throat problems, if that was true she shouldn’t have done the performance at all, it’s not fair to the audience. It made her look fake. She wasn’t true to her fans, she lied,” said freshman Kelly Montoya. Cheating is found and over publicized every day in pop culture. For various reasons, the rich and famous feel the need to cheat in order to further their fame and fortune. Former President, Bill Clinton cheated on his wife and retired Devil Rays player Jose Canseco used steroids to heighten his performance. After retiring Canseco wrote his controversial biography, Juiced; all of these occurrences made Clinton and Canseco infamous in their fields of work and in American pop culture. In the 2006 Tour de France, 56 riders were banned from the race for the suspected use of blood doping, the injecting of a substance to increase the number of red blood cells thereby increasing the amount of oxygen going to the athlete’s muscles. Floyd Landis, the winner of the tour and yellow jersey, is currently appealing to courts against the accusations that he used blood doping to win. There have been an insurmountable number of people who have cheated to get ahead in history. Adults cheat to climb higher in the professional world, date the person they are attracted to, or just to look good to their kids, and colleagues. Louis Bloomfield, a physics professor at the University of Virginia designed a computer program in which term papers that have long strings of similar or iden-

tical words are collated to better examine them for plagiarism. After running 1,800 papers, 60 matches were found and over 122 students were accused of cheating and faced expulsion or revocation of degrees they had previously earned stated in a news broadcast from CNN in 2001. “[Cheating] is pointless. If I cheated it would only help me right now but it’s [going to] hurt me in the long run. I might get the grade now but I won’t gain the skill or knowledge,” said senior, Angel S a n chez.

ocus

pidemic: Cheating What is your opinion on cheating? “Cheating is horrible and evil. When a student cheats, it begins small but it gets bigger and easier. Eventually, we{society} accept the variant behaviors that cheating provokes.” -Jennifer Luther, Chemistry teacher

“The worst offense a high schooler can do is to cheat. My students receive a zero on the asAl Capone: The notorious Depression-era gangster was finally brought down for his crimes such as the prohibited into NHS, a vigilance on his tax reSt.Valentines Day Massacresignment, and illegal alcohol bootleggingentrance through the governments constant turns. Because Copone put all of his earningand in charge of other menSchool and neveriskept accounting call home, a referral. about a records, the government had difficulty in finally fiding a link to bring him to court for conviction. student’s original thoughts and it is supposed to build character.” -Judy Vesey, English teacher

“Everything about cheating is wrong. It’s not fair to the people who do the work. Too many people are getting credit for other people’s effort.” -Diana Jones, Math teacher Paw Print photos by Megan Hays Paw Print photo by Scott Seel

Cheating

v. intr. To act dishonestly; practice fraud.

THE CORK-

Volume 28 er business manag

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CULTURE

Issue 3

Japanese rock hits right notes morganSWIM

artist

miered in Bonn, Germany at the German Anime & Manga Convention, AnimagiC. Another premiere performance in Germany was made by D’espairs Ray in Berlin, followed by a show in Paris in 2004 and in 2005 made a U.S. debut on their Global Infection Tour. Along the way they also made stops at Sugoicon in Covington, Kentucky and Megacon in Orlando, Florida. “I went to the D’espairs Ray concert at Megacon 2005. They have an original style about them, but Zero spit water on me twice and I wasn’t really fond of it but at the same time I didn’t want to wash my clothes ever again,” said sophmore Olivia Thomas.

“LYRICAL SHOW TIME - Full of ABILITY, it’s the blood red SHOW TIME!” screams Kyo, the vocalist of Dir en Grey, in lackluster English on stage at the St. Pete Times Forum. Die, Kaoru and Toshiya hold up their guitars, electrifying the crowd between songs while Shinya keeps the tempo behind his drum set. As the performance intensifies, so does Kyo as he thrashes about, scratching at his chest bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. Dir en Grey, a Japanese rock group, has recently completed their first joint U.S. Tour with Korn on the Family Values Tour and last March debuted in the U.S. on their Showcase tour, performing in Los Angeles, New York and Austin, Texas. Infamous in Japan, Dir en Grey is bent on taking over the world with their music, and have already infected Korea, China, Germany and France. Japanese Rock, more commonly known as Jrock, is rapidly becoming popular in the U.S. and around the world. Other Jrock artists have also begun branching out to international venues. Usually, bands perform at anime or comic conventions as many Jrock fans are also Japanese anime fans. Some Jrock bands do theme songs for anime a and gain fans in this manner. nz sta o The biggest international exrC he posure Jrock bands gain is from op t s ri Ch the internet and is sometimes the f o sy only source fans have of their bands. rte ou c Almost all Jrock bands have official to ho websites, thought they are aimed toward P Japanese fans, and include concert schedules, discographies, photo galleries, and personal diaries. Late last July, Gazette, a fairly new Jrock band that has rapidly gained popularity, pre-

Psycho le Cému debuted in the U.S. in 2004 and returned in 2005 for shows at Megacon, Katsucon in Arlington, Virginia, and AOD: The San Francisco Animation Convention in San Francisco, California. Certain cultural aspects of Jrock sometimes confuse fans new to Jrock, such as the appearances of the bands. Visual Kei is a term used to describe a certain sub-genre of Jrock that places emphasis on visual appearance almost as much as the music itself. Bands will release a new look with a new album, usually in matching theme costumes, which seem ridiculously dramatic to the common person. Unquestionably, the biggest confusion about Jrock bands is of the gender of band members. In most Jrock bands, there is a general feminine undertone to the members appearence and personality, and within the Visual Kei sub-genre cross-dressing is common. “They’re daring and bold in their attire and they aren’t afraid to be who they are,” said freshman Cassandra Valdez. Visual Kei has gained mass popularity since the 1990’s and accounts for a substantial portion of Jrock bands. Bands will sell photos books, post cards, posters, plush toys of the members, alongside their albums to profit off the visual aspect, as almost all of their fans consist of teenage girls. Although Jrock has elements of Rock, it retains uniqueness and cannot be simply placed in the broad Rock genre. Jrock varies greatly between artists and even from song to song ranging from heavy metal to indie rock. The same variation applies to song lyrics, with themes of death, pain, suicide and torture to love, friends, dreams and inner strength. As it originates from Japan, Jrock is not surprisingly sung in Japanese but many songs include an English line or two woven in. Sometimes foreign listeners are completely turned off to lyrics they can’t understand, which is always a problem for any band seeking international recognition. “I had one of my friends listen to Dir en Grey. She said it was annoying. I guerss she was kinda close minded,” said Thomas. Even with the cultural barriers, Jrock has many die hard fans around the world. For them, Jrock isn’t just about lyrics and beat. It’s about raw emotion and feeling, which transcends all cultures. Fans have created websites dedicated to their favorite band and usually include a translated lyrics section. In this way, listeners can understand what a song is about, if not word for word.

Foreign music invades America beccaMORALES

culture editor

Legions of music fans fill the arena preparing to snatch any clothing or accessories they can get their hands on. They want to arrive back home with a souvenir worth hundreds to sell it on eBay, if they decide to sell. The die-hard fans aren’t satisfied with just a mere trinket. These fans will hide in guitar and drum cases just to spend five minutes with superstars before security arrives. Musicians live for these kinds of fans and state so when accepting awards. Bands will go to any lengths to please their fans and secure their merchandise sales. Fans are why bands travel across the world. Musicians such as James Blunt, Sean Paul, and Shakira want fans to chant their songs and sway to their melodies, even if it means traveling thousands of miles. “I think it’s great that they (international artists) are sharing their culture with Americans. American culture is based on other cultures, so foreign bands just help to further shape it,” said junior Mark Diba. Successful artists are not just American made, like the All American Rejects, Mariah Carey, or Cassie but are also international superstars as well. Multi-platinum selling musicians from Latin America, Europe, and all corners of the world come to America to sold out venues just to get their music heard. Uploading and sharing music is now faster thanks to programs such as LimeWire and Bittorent. Websites like MySpace provide their users with the latest music from up and coming artists. “I heard of the London singer Imogen Heap from MySpace. What drew me in was her soft classical type of music,” said sophomore Rachel Ortiz. “I don’t think that bands will ever get discouraged by the fact that they might only have one hit. They will be happy if they get even one person to sing along with their sum-

mer hit and have it stuck in their head for about three months,” said junior Anne Stevens. The Latin pop band RBD found leagues of fans with the tween and teen fans. RBD has reached the Diamond level in album sales, meaning more than 850,000 albums were sold. The band found their success by portraying a group of teenagers trying to find success in the music world in a T.V. soap opera called Rebelde. “I like the Spanish band La Oreja de Van Gogh. Their lyrics and beats are very creative compared to the American subculture,” said junior, Mark Diba. Latin American artists are not the only ones invading the American music scenes as Europeans want a piece of the action too. Broadcasting day and night are artists like Keane, KT Tundstall, and Corinne Baily Rae that offer a unique outlet to mainstream American music. “American music has no unique style. They take the best parts from different countries, and just mix it in a giant blender,” said Stevens. Some American artists use influences from other countries to add a unique flair to their music. From Busta Rhymes to Lionel Richie artist have featured tribal music and African tribal dancers. Gwen Stefani has featured Japanese harujuku girls repeatedly in her music videos featuring songs from her first solo album titled, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Janet Jackson has gone back to using an Indian theme which she used early in her career for the music video “Call on Me.” “I don’t think that [international] bands care [about the music charts]. They will keep coming as long as there are people interested in them,” said junior Maria Dekarmen.

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OPINION

Volume 28

Speak Your Mind How do you feel about cheating? “Cheating is wrong, and I think penalties for cheating should be extreme.” Jade Goodloe, Senior

Cheating: Worth the consequences?

Staﬀ Editorial Composed by Paw Print Staﬀ

Climbing to the top of any mountain requires a vast amount of determination and hard work. Along the way it becomes increasingly tempting to use the easier footholds in life, self-titled simply as dishonesty, so as to quicken the process. This dishonesty appears in numerous controversial forms, one such example that presses on all of our minds: cheating. Cheating, which is a weathered and well-beaten road among all ages, races, and nationalities, is often considered an insignificant or a simply minor offense. In retrospect, everyone at one point in their life has committed an act deserving of the word cheating, usually without so much as a second thought. How many times, caught in a moment of unawares, has a student copied down their friends’ homework because they simply forgot to finish theirs the previous night? Such a small action, yet it creates a monster of laziness and falls directly into the category of “cheating.” Cheating carries a great deal of weight among certain prestigious organizations and activities. For instance, reliability of the press is of the utmost importance to the

public. Thus, the Paw Print and other journalistic papers ﬁnd it so important to always double check their quotes and to stay true to the facts of the story. Without the public’s trust, our work is meaningless. Sports are also very stringent when it comes to the rules and regulations of the game. NFL referee’s are paid anywhere between 25,000 - 70,000 dollars per season to guarantee a fair game. Steroids, which are used as muscle enhancers, are a common way of cheating in professional sports. “The emphasis of winning at all cost is becoming an epidemic,” said Bill Frolic an oﬀensive lineman with the Atlanta Falcons, and avid spokesman against steroid use. Closer to home, National Honors Society will consider refusing membership to students written up for cheating or plagiarizing. However, the faculty council use individual digression concerning all referrals. Once a member, if caught cheating/plagiarizing, the student will be reviewed and either given probation or dismissal from NHS. Cheating results in serious consequences on all walks of life. Not only is it unfair to your fellow students and competitors, but it is untruthful to yourself.

Trashing a tradition tamikaMARTINEZ

copy editor

Homecoming: A day of preparation with hair and nail appointments, tuxedo pick-up, limousines, accessorizing, dinner reservations, group and coupled photographs, and hours of getting ready. Homecoming is a magical night of dancing and friends in a socialite manner; classy and elaborate. Upon arriving at the long awaited gala, students scope out a group table and cluster together in the center of the dance ﬂoor. Almost immediately, the purses which girls spent hours agonizing over ﬁnding the “perfect” accessory, is long forgotten underneath a table covered in expensive shoes and suit jackets. It seems that it is not only the expensive dresswear and

accessories that are stripped immediately upon arrival- but taste as well. On the homecoming dance ﬂoor this year, students could be seen, not only provocatively dancing, but simply seem as though they were partaking in activities normally viewed on a crude adult video. Some call it innocent fun, some call it trash. But where is the line drawn between modern aged dancing and trashy forms of “being all over each other”? Homecoming activities seem to disregard the illusion of grandeur that is expected by the supposition of elegance in the styles of attire and the work put into such a night. Innocent fun and a “good time” or promiscuous activities between the sexes? Where do we draw the line?

PAW PRINT STAFF Countryside High School

3000 S.R. 580 Cleawater, Florida 33761 727.725.7956 ext. 146 Fax 727.725.7990 Editors In Chief Molly Hays & Scott Seel Design Editor Brandin Milton Copy Editors Tamika Martinez & Missy Willoughby Features Editor Christina Lupi Sports Editor Nick Schlereth Culture Editor Rebecca Morales Entertainment Editor Angie Forbes Technology Coordinator Andrew Tannahill Artists Bobby Marcellus & Morgan Swim Business Manager Alyssa Fortner Photographers Anna Ko, Kaitlin Montgomery & Megan Hays Adviser Joyce Dimmer Principal Gerald Schlereth Staﬀ Writers Felicia Ashby, Rylie Burns, Jessica Congdon, Alex Harris, Shruti Lakkaniki,Samantha Malone, Marissa Martin, Xander Urben, Alessandra Young

“I feel that cheating is ridiculous, obsurd, and an uncalled for act in getting good grades.” Matt Arace, Junior

“I think if you don’t get caught, then be careful about it. But it’s bad so don’t do it.” Erica Wagner, Freshman

Thank you to our Sponsors: The Dimmer Family The Seel Family The Lupi Family The Villa Family

Interested in becoming a Paw Print Sponsor or Advertiser? Call (727)725-7956 ext.146 or e-mail our Ad Department at alyssafortner_pawprint@yahoo.com

Photo by Paw Print Staﬀ

Florida Scholastic Press Association- All Florida Southern Interscholastic Press Association- Superior Quill and Scroll- International Second Place Award The Paw Print is published by the newspaper staff at Countryside High School. Advertising rates are available upon request by calling (727)725-7956 ext. 146. Advertising which promotes illegal products under Florida Law, or opposes any religion will not be accepted. The Paw Print has been established as an open forum for student expression as outlined in the Student Press Law Center’s model guidelines for student publications. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the faculty and administration but rather of the author or the newspaper staff and its editors. The Paw Print welcomes letters to the editor on topics of interest to Countryside High School and its surrounding community. We also welcome contributions from writers not associated with the newpaper staff. All freelance material should be submitted to room A-3. All submissions must bear the author’s name.

ENTERTAINMENT

The girl falls for the good guy... for once samanthaMALONE

staﬀ writer

Immortal vampire falls in love with the klutzy human girl, Bella. This may not be the most original storyline but thanks to Stephenie Meyer’s talent of manipulating teenage girls’ hearts and hormones, originality is not a problem. Her books, Twilight and New Moon are a hit. In Twilight,Bella, the protagonist, realizes that Edward and the rest of his strangely beautiful family are vampires it frightens and intrigues her. But Bella’s fear for her life is not strong enough to keep her from loving him. Bella soon ﬁnds herself in love with a family of vampires who refuse to drink human blood and feed only on animals. The plot takes a frightening turn when another group of vampires shows up, smell Bella’s sweet blood, and want a taste for themselves. In the sequel, New Moon, Edward and his family abruptly move away for reasons unclear to Bella. Just like any other girl who has gotten her heart broken by a vampire, Bella feels like an empty shell, trying to go on with her life, if only for her father who is horribly worried about her. Bella’s only chance to feel alive again is Jacob Black, an old family friend. Speeding down winding roads on a motorcycle and cliﬀ diving are just the thrill she needs. But life

gets strange when hikers are claiming they’ve seen a huge black bear in the woods, and some even turn up missing. All of a sudden Jacob Black won’t return Bella’s calls and she feels like she’ll never be happy again. Everything starts spiraling out of control when Bella ﬁnds herself being stalked and preyed upon by an old enemy who has the power to kill her in the blink of an eye. Without Edward by her side to protect her, she fears she’ll have to face her inevitable death on her own. Stephenie Meyer has truly outdone herself with this sequel and in case you absolutely can’t wait for the next book in the series visit her website at www.stepheniemeyer.com and read the ﬁrst chapter of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward’s point of view. Every vampire loving, klutzy girl who just doesn’t feel like she belongs, or just someone looking for a teenage love story with a twist should invest in these books.

Volume 28

Photos courtesy of www.stepheniemeyer.com

CUTE interview continued from page 12. PP: Do you have another tour after this? Jeﬀ: Hellogoodbye.

Interview: Molly Hays Editor-In-Chief

Photo courtesy of ThisProvidence.com

This Providence, not to be confused with local band Providence, recently finished opening for Paramore and like most Fueled By Ramen bands have been busy winning over fans. Drummer Ryan Tapert and bassist Phil Cobrea recently spoke with the Paw Print about touring. ***** PP: Your album just came out September 12th, how did celebrate? Ryan: We tried to go to a store and look at it on the shelves but they had already sold them all. We bought cigars, but they were cheap and didn’t light very well. PP: What has it been like touring even before your album dropped? Phil: It’s been good. We can definitely see a difference once our album dropped. More people are singing along, but it’s fun to see all the fans that have been here a while. PP: Have you seen an increase in the response? Ryan: Even today, we did an in store down the road and we only did one old song. We don’t really play that one live anymore anyways, but everyone was singing along to all the new songs. Each show more and more people sing along. PP: How is Fueled By Ramen different than other labels? Phil: Everyone there is amazing. Everyone there is incredible...They’re all just full of integrity and all honest. Just genuine people, it’s really cool…There’s pretty much no band on the label I don’t like. Ryan: It’s cool to have a label that really cares about your work so they make things happen then when you see the other bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! and the Academy is…you’re like, “Oh, that could be us in maybe six months.” The record label works hard for them. There going to put the same amount if not more into us. PP: What’s in your iPod? Ryan: Everything. I have a weird iPod. No one likes to listen to mine because I like to listen to weird music that no one listens to. I listen to a lot of jazz and stuff because I went to a college for jazz. Our merch guy likes to listen to a bunch of techno. You can pretty much think of any type of music and I guarantee someone will have it on their iPod. Phil: Everything else but polka. PP: How do you tour in a van and keep your sanity? Phil: Bathroom breaks, eating. It gets hard but its fun. You get to get really close to your friends and stuff, its really cool. And you get to know like everything about each other. Ryan: They’re not just like people you ride in a van with, they’re like your brothers or your best friends. PP: How’s it feel to play sold out shows? Phil: It’s awesome, I wish they were for us. Its been increadible. The fans that have come to shows have been awesome to us, treated us really good, gotten us excited. Its crazy. You kind of get spoiled, like we played a couple thousand people shows then a couple hundred people shows and like you get

this mentality like its not enough. I don’t know, its kind of hard to explain. Its fun. Every show has been awesome. PP: So you’re really involved with your online journal and MySpace? Ryan: Yea, we feel it’s important to hear what our fans have to say and if it’s something important we’ll respond to it. It’s important to us to not just be like a band where you hear all this stuff about them but they don’t do anything about it. We want to try and connect more. PP: How would you describe your record? Phil: Very diverse and honest. Ryan: Open. A little bit out there. It wasn’t what a lot of people were expecting. We kind of wanted it to be that way. We tried to reach out there and make a lot of unique and interesting songs that we had never really done before just because those kinds of styles of music always interested us. We’re like “Why not? We have an album to do lets do it.” If people like it cool, if they don’t, whatever. It’s their choice you know, but at least were doing something that we feel strongly about. PP: What’s been your most memorable moment on tour so far? Phil: We had a day off in Arizona and our tour manager’s from Arizona so he took us to this cliff and this lake and we went cliff jumping. Ryan: One was 30 (feet), one was 50, and one was like 70. We went off the one that was 50 feet and our tour manager’s crazy, he was doing like back flips and swan dives off of like 70 foot cliffs. We were just like, “Oh my gosh you’re going to die.” PP: What’s a typical day on the road like? Ryan: We always like to sleep in as long as we can, then we go to the venue, sound check, we play a show, and after the show we either drive to the next place or get a hotel and do the same thing over. It gets pretty routine so that’s why we try on days off to really go do something crazy. PP: Are there any interesting facts you would want your fans to know? Ryan: We come up with nicknames for ourselves. It’s funny because when we talk about each other around other people they don’t know who were talking about. Like we call Gavin Kevin. We’ll be like, “Wheres Kevin, oh Kevin our guitar player.” “I thought his name was Gavin.” “Oh yea, it is Gavin but I haven’t seen Kevin.” It’s fun to confuse people. Watch UPC for details on how to win a signed CD. This Providence comes back to St. Pete on November 25th.

PP: Are you excited for that one? Jeff: I am excited because as you know they’re really electronic. Tom: And techno, we love techno. PP: Do you take a lot of your influence from them? Jeff: Not really. Like I’ll be around techno, if you listen to it, like Zombies are us, so good. Tom: I’ll show you techno. (Whips out his sidekick and plays C+C Music Factory’s Gonna Make You Sweat, a.k.a. Everybody Dance Now) PP: What do you have to say to people who criticize your quick success? Jeff: We’re just like anyone else, we’re just working hard and we really have no control over what happens. PP: What has been your most memorable show so far? Tom: When Jeff came down from the rafters and was playing the “Stairway to Heaven” song. It was so good. Jeff: There were like 25 people there, we were like alright let’s just do it, whatever. I had a wireless and I just came walking down. Tom: They had like full pyrotechnics. It was pretty redick. PP: What do you think of the other bands your on tour with? Tom: I love techno, they all like techno. Jeff: This Providence is so into techno. Tom: Hit the Lights got us into techno. Paramore listens to techno. We all listen to techno. PP: Why are you so obsessed with techno? Jeff: Because it’s so good. Tom: It’s techno. PP: Aren’t a lot of people quick to write that off? Tom: Techno? Techno’s the best music ever made. Jeff: It’s so happy, like you can’t be sad. Tom: See, watch. (Again Whips out his sidekick and plays C+C Music Factory’s Gonna Make You Sweat, a.k.a. Everybody Dance Now) PP: Is that your favorite techno song? Tom: It is. PP: So your cell phones almost seem like an extra appendage. Tom: I’m actually not allowed to call [ Jeff ] because our moms don’t like each other. PP: Your families really fight? Tom: It’s pretty funny watching them fight. PP: Why? Jeff: They just fight over the stupidest stuff. PP: How do they feel about you guys being in a band together? Tom: They absolutely hate it. Jeff: But anyways, um techno. PP: Do you have anything to add? Jeff: Stay in school. Tom: Never, ever give up. And listen to techno. Watch UPC for details on how to win a Cute Is What We Aim For CD autographed by Jeff and Tom.

ENTERTAINMENT

Backstage Pass: Cute Is What We Aim For

Interview: Molly Hays Editor-In-Chief

Photo courtesy of Cuteiswhatweaimfor.com

When Cute Is What We Aim for came to St. Petersburg last month, cousins Jeff Czum (guitar) and Tom Falcone (drums) divulged to the Paw Print tales from the road. Neither could agree on the height of a fire they created, just how many stories Jeff went down via a bungee cord strung around his foot or the correct pronunciation of tomato. Yet, despite their contrasting personalities both Jeff and Tom agree on one thing: techno. ***** PP: What’s it like being in a band with a member of your family? Jeff: It’s hard sometimes. Tom: Our two families are fighting. Jeff: Kind of the Romeo and Juliet thing.

let him down from the top floor. PP: Are you serious? Tom: Yea, were dead serious. PP: How did you not die? Jeff: It was only the second floor, not top floor. Tom: It was the top floor, don’t lie. Jeff: It was a motel. PP: So you trash your motels? Jeff: We don’t trash them. PP: Come pretty close? Tom: Yea.

PP: Panic! At The Disco originally set the record for Fueled By Ramen for first week record sales, but you broke it. How does it feel knowing that you are the new record setters for your label? Jeff: It’s really weird, like I don’t consider us a record setter. Tom: I feel like Lance Armstrong, on top of the world. PP: What are your plans for Halloween? Jeff: I’m going to dress up as Braveheart. Tom: I heard his dad was going to put razor blades in apples. Jeff: I don’t know if that’s true or not. PP: How would you describe your record? Tom: Super techno. Jeff: Fun summer record. Tom: Techno. Jeff: Actually, it’s funny because techno really inspired a lot of the songs. Like you listen to “Moan,” like just the beat, it’s got, like a swing techno. Like, I remember listening to Bjork a lot, Bjork and Eiffel 65. It actually inspired me to write a lot of guitar lines.

PP: Can you tell me more? Jeff: Well, it’s funny, one time we were in our van and trailer and we had bungee cords and we tied them to the trailer and we had shopping carts and we were just riding around in the parking lot…We just like to have fun. PP: Did anything memorable happen on the tour? Jeff: Ah, getting arrested in Kansas. We were lighting fireworks. Tom: Like this huge forest fire, like it was a blaze. PP: You started it? Tom: Yea, dude it was huge. Jeff: It wasn’t that big. Tom: Aw, it was so big. Jeff: We didn’t know it but we were lighting roman candles off, you know how it’s really dry, and started a small fire. We just thought it would go out on its own. Tom: Then it started escalating and then it got that big (pointing to a two story building), and it was like “Uh, oh.” PP: Where were you, like Wichita, Topeka? Jeff: On our way to Wichita. We ended up getting not really arrested but we were in handcuffs. They just took us to jail and we had to wait in a jail cell for like three hours.

PP: Who else are your influences? Jeff: I am so diverse, like, I like everything from Eiffel 65 to Bjork to Yanni actually. I saw Yanni live, and Dave Mathews Band and all the Fueled By Ramen bands. Tom: I like this band called Justin and the Pink Tuxedos, so good. Justin and the Pink Tuxedoes and James and the Giant peaches, those are really good too. These are underground.

PP: Anything else happen? Tom: His mom punched my mom in the face. Jeﬀ: Slapped, yea. It was at my sister’s wedding which was bad. Our family does not get along. Like my family’s more Irish and his family’s like Italian, so… Tom: Doesn’t mix well.

PP: How has the tour been? Tom: It’s been fun. Jeff: A lot of crazy stuff has happened. PP: Like what? Tom: We bought bungee cords, you know those connect ones and wrapped it around his ( Jeff ’s) foot and then we

PP: Is it cramped in the van? Tom: There’s like four rooms in there. There’s like all these benches and we put blankets over the benches. Jeﬀ: Like forts. It’s awesome. I hate when people look at me when I sleep so I have to be enclosed. Tom: It’s cool, we put cardboard boxes in the back so it’s like two rooms. It’s big. CUTE continues on page 11.

Sunday

Tuesday

Monday

Wednesday

Volume 28

Music At a Glance Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveSounds

JT’s second solo album is a very diverse mix of rap, hiphop, pop, and R&B. The first half is amazing and consequently the only part worth listening to. After “Chop Me Off,” the album goes off on a tangent, becoming completely horrible. The worst song is “Losing Reviewed by Marissa Martin My Way,” which is about a crack addict trying to get reThe Bottom Line demption and makes TimHe brought sexy back but only berlake sound depressed and to the first half. suicidal.

Pharrell: In My Mind Pharrell’s new CD combines hip-hop and R& B with catchy tunes and meaningful lyrics, making this CD a new favorite. If you liked his old album, listeners will love his new one. Only Pharrell can mix metal with raggeton and shape them together in a one-of a kind style. You wont be able to get enough and with artists like Kayne, Gwen Stefani, and Snoop Dogg making an appearance, don’t be surprised if you can’t unplug the iPod.

Reviewed by Anthony Antonelli

The Bottom Line Perfect balance of R & B and Hip-Hop. Which makes this a CD to add to your collection.

Various Artists: Green Room Volume: 2 A combination of artists normally makes for a quite splendid listen, but take away the drums, bass, and digital mastering and what’s left is not too acoustically pleasing. Some of the selected songs and artists honestly were not meant for this raw, unaltered album. Although a selection performed amazingly, others missed the beat and the note! Those who don’t prefer electronically enhanced music might enjoy this album.

Reviewed by Alex Harris

The Bottom Line Rasp voices and oﬀ key notes make some of the songs on this album painful to listen to.

CD covers courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Friday

Thursday

Saturday

In 1638, Harvard University was

Teddy Geiger @ State Theater established.

Anberlin, Story of the Year

All Hallows Eve

Mischief Night

@ Jannus Landing

In 1935, Parker Brothers

Halloween

Skid Row @ Jannus Landing

In 1983, U.S. President

Badfish : A Tribute to Sublime @

Ronald Reagan signs a bill launches Sputnik 2.

Jannus Landing

creating Martin Luther King Day.

november In 2002, Wionna Ryder found

MTV $2 Bill Concert series @

In 1971 Led Zepplin releases

guilty of shoplifting.

Jannue Landing

“Stairway to Heaven.”

Brand New, Dashboard Confessional @ The St.

released Monopoly.

In 1957 the Soviet Union

Brooks and Dunn @ The Ford

Trick Pony @ The Dallus Bull

Ampitheater

Petersburg Times Forum

Cute Is What We Aim

For, Hellogoodbye, Reggie and

In 1990, the first world wide

All American Rejects, Gym Class

the Full Effect, Dave Melillo @

web page was written.

Heroes @ The USF Sundome

Opening day: Drama

In 1998, impeachment19

The Blood Brothers @ Jannus

Ampitheater

State Theater

Landing

through November 18th)

In 2003, Michael Jackson ar-

hearings began against Bill

Aerosmith & Motley Crue @ The

Deaftones @ Jannus Landing

rested for child molestation. Clinton

Jonezetta, Mute Math @ The

production of Grease (Runs

Jannus Landing

Jimmy Buffet @ The Ford

Breaking Benjamin, Godsmack The Hush Sound, This Providence

Ziggy Marley @ Jannus Landing

Ford Ampitheater

@ USF Sundome

@ The State Theater