The Nationalist: October 31st by Courtney Miller

The

Nationalist

RHS Student Newsmagazine October 31, 2012

Inside this issue:

♦ Pro/Con - Should social media be blocked for students? ♦ 2012 Presidential election coverage ♦ Tech Page - What exactly is cloud storage? ♦ Halloween in an hour...How to pull it together ♦ Sports: Season wrap-up ♦ Paranormal Activity 4 - How real is it really?

Volume 4 / Issue 2

October 31, 2012

Nationalist Staff Co-Editors:

Napoleon Martinez Courtney Miller

Staff Writers:

Luke Herbert Kristina Ivanov Myriam Medina

Brittany Newman Chelsey Tate Cheyenne Zephier Adviser: Mary Gail Monahan

“The Nationalist” is published monthly by the newspaper staff of Roosevelt High School, 6600 W. 41 Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57106. Circulation is free to students and faculty. Letters to the editor, columns, quotes, polls and editorials are the opinion of the bylined author(s). The opinions expressed in “The Nationalist” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, administration or entire student body of Roosevelt High School. Signed letters to the editor of 200 words or less are welcome. Letters may be edited due to subject, length and decency.

Cover: Junior Robert Maggett participates in a physics experiment involving balancing pennies on an embroidery ring. Photo by Courtney Miller.

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The Nationalist - October 31, 2012

4 ...to the Sioux Falls texting ban. Recently, a city ordinance was passed prohibiting texting and driving. According to the city of Sioux Falls website, “violation of this ordinance is punishable with a $95 dollar fine or, if found guilty by a judge in court, a maximum of 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $200.” So watch out RHS, keep your phones in your pockets and your eyes on the road.

...to Miguel Cabrera earning the Triple Crown. Miguel Cabrera, third baseman for the Detroit Tigers, received the Triple Crown for 44 home runs and an average batting record of .330. Way to be Cabrera.

...to Facebook reaching one billion monthly active users. On Oct. 4, Facebook reached its biggest milestone in its entire history. It shows that the whole world is coming together and using social media to connect with people all around the world. Just remember RHS, to use it responsibly!

...to naming the event center the “Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.” Sanford has donated a lot to the Sioux Falls area and now he has decided to pay $20.75 million for the naming rights of the new events center with city council’s approval. The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center will be opened Fall 2014.

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

...to unemployment falling to 7.8% in September. This shows that due to the steady increase of jobs, more people in the country are getting work. This is the lowest it’s been since Obama took office in 2009. Let’s hope this is a sign of an improving economy and not just a temporary flux before a downturn.

Nationalist staff members weigh in on school, local, national and world events from the first quarter.

Complied by Staff

...to Foo Fighters going on hiatus. After 18 years together this

legendary band is going away to “put it back in the garage for a while.” This isn’t the end, though, according to lead singer David Grohl. He states that he is still working hard on his Sound City documentary and album and though he doesn’t know when they will play again he says, “I never want to NOT be in this band.” It’s sad to see this band out of the music scene but we can only hope for the best, for the band members and the fans.

...to rising gas prices. California hit its all-time high just this month with prices as high as $4.66 per gallon. This is leading towards the whole country paying $5 per gallon! So for all you drivers out there, it may be time for carpooling or even walking!

So, how ‘bout those Vikings? Recently I was able to watch the movie, “The Waterboy” for the first time in my life, and, you know what, it reminds me a lot about how well the Minnesota Vikings are playing this year. If they keep playing like this, they might make it as far as the playoffs this year--or not. Think about it, the Vikings started the season with the fans, including me, and all the sports analysts believing that this was going to be another year of rebuilding for the Vikings. That they weren’t even going to win five games. Well I think the “analysts” need to open their eyes because right now the Vikings are 5-2 and they are second in the NFC North. But most importantly to the Vikings fans, their record is higher than the Packers. Granted, the Packers may have a harder schedule than the Vikings, but it’s not the schedule planner’s fault that they blew a 20-point lead to the Colts after leading at halftime. How embarrassing! (By the way Packer fans, I think you need to bring Brett Favre back… again.)

Photo Illustration by Courtney Miller

Now I know that is early in the season, and it could easily back fire on the Vikings, which it probably will, unfortunately. Take the game in Washington, for example. When you consider that they were not only to beat the San Francisco 49ers, supposedly the “best” team in the NFL, but also beat them by 10 points, you start to think “Now, do the Vikings actually have a chance at the playoffs this year, or are they going to fall on their faces half way through the season?” If they start a losing streak again, well, we should be used to it by now. If they keep winning, then it’s time to bring out the purple and gold and put away the green and yellow, which never really looked good on anyone. Despite losing in an upset to Washington, the Vikings can easily make a comeback by winning their next few games before going into the bye week. If they keep playing like they have been in the first couple of weeks, then the Vikings can easily be a force to be reckoned with. By Zachary Waltman

Technological Informant

Your source for anything and everything techie

Is Blockbuster closing for good? The long time video rental chain, Blockbuster, has recently declared bankruptcy. Running side by side in the Film/Video Market, Blockbuster’s competitors Netflix and Redbox have come out ahead in the running. Blockbuster has always charged $2-3 for a movie rental but what made the company lose the public’s favor, was its extremely harsh late fees. Other companies seem more appealing, for example, Redbox only charges a $1.20 for a rental, even though its late fees are as harsh as or even harsher than Blockbuster’s ($1.20 every day you want to keep the movie) Redbox is more accessible. Redbox doesn’t have a small store; they simply have movie vending machines that are spread around town usually in convenience stores. Blockbuster only has small stores and limited points of accessibility. Netflix offers an even better deal. For a rate of $8 charged to your account monthly you are able to stream everything Netflix has to offer in its databases ( using cloud storage.) There are no limits on how much you can stream monthly so you won’t have any unexpected rates. The local Blockbuster store on the corner of 26th and Marion, due to a lack of sales, closed during the third week of October. “We only get around 50 people per weekday and 100 on the weekend,” said a Blockbuster employee. The store has been trying to sell as much as possible before they close, everything not sold, gets sent and distributed to stores up in North Dakota. Blockbuster hasn’t been doing very well, and hopefully it will learn from its mistakes if it ever plans to come back and compete with the film giants of today.

This Issue: Blockbuster Bankruptcy and Cloud Data By Kristina Ivanov

The Blockbuster store on the corner of 26th Street and Marion Road just before its closing. Photo by Kristina Ivanov.

Cloud: An easier, more efficient way to store data

The above illustration details how cloud storage works. First, data is sent from the computer to the virtual cloud, which stores information in a data center. It can later send you the information back to your computer. Illustration by Kristina Ivanov.

Cloud Computing was formed with the idea of making businesses easier to manage. It has evolved past that and has branched out and become more accessible to the general public. Instead of having a gigantic technical set-up that costs a decent sized fortune, you can just access the things you need using the internet. It doesn’t require much to use cloud; most gadgets of today already utilize cloud. Netflix is one example of cloud storage; Instead of having all of the movies and TV shows downloaded on your computer, you just tap into Netflix’s databases and you are able to stream the files that you want over the Internet. Instead of saving your data to a device you can see in real life, you store it to something called a data center. A data center is a technical set up that helps store the information, it’s a mess of wires and hard drives. You can access your files from the data center using the internet; the data center will either send you the information you saved, or it will even allow you to work with it inside the server. For example if you’re sending an e-mail to your teacher, you are using cloud storage. Your e-mail gets sent to many different data-centers and then when your teacher goes to open up your e-mail, a copy of your message gets sent over to him. The reason your e-mail gets sent to more than just one data center is to ensure that it will actually be sent. If it was only sent to one data center, your teacher wouldn’t get anything if something was to happen like a crash or server downtime. The information would be rendered useless. So how does this affect us? Most of us use cloud storage every day. Gamers use it whenever they save some data to their cloud on their consoles. Movie junkies use it every time they stream something off of Netflix. Because of cloud we manage to do things in a simpler fashion. The only downside to cloud is that it is easily accessible to anyone. Meaning if someone really wanted to, they could get personal information from your cloud. The only way to retrieve data is to use the internet. So if you don’t have internet you can’t get what you need. Cloud storage may be easier to use but it also has problems. It depends on the user and what you are accustomed to.

The Nationalist - October 31, 2012

Who will govern the United States for the next four years? The 2012 presidential election is in full force, and in less than one week, Americans will have the opportunity to cast their vote to either re-elect current President Barack Obama (D) or Governor Mitt Romney (R). The first presidential debate was Oct. 3.

Obama

RHS Has Spoken

Out of a random survey of a 175 social studies students, 91 voted for Obama to win, 33 voted for Romney to win and 51 students recorded they do not know enough about the candidates to have an opinion. The Nationalist spoke to fans of both candidates to find out specific reasons why they support each man.

“Romney, I feel the president’s job is to supervise our finances and military. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama didn’t do his job the last four years.” Mary Adams, Algebra II teacher

“Obama, because that is how I’ve been raised.” Miranda Barton, 12

“Romney, to follow my parents foot steps, and what he says he’s going to do, and try to make more jobs.” Dayne Versteeg, 9

“Obama, because he has the same beliefs as me.” Katlynn Paasch, 10

“Romney, because he’s made our economy worse and Obama is trying to control what we eat.” Hope Yount, 12

“Obama, because Romney will not carry the middle class and minority vote, and Obama tweets more.” Adam Rothenberger, World History teacher

By Myriam Medina Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is running against Barack Obama in the 2012 election. Romney made some key points in his first presidential debate and stated his beliefs on education jobs/economy, taxes, and health care. Education In the first presidential debate, Romney said that he thinks it is important to have great teachers and that everyone should help each other. He says we should not have cuts on education funding. But also, that each state should be able to make decisions over their students’ education. Jobs/Economy Romney believes that the country has to change its’ plans when it comes to increasing employment. In the first presidential debate he informed the country of his plan for us and divided it up into 5 steps. First, he plans to make us energy independent, he said “that creates about four million jobs” Secondly, he wants to open up more trade, particularly with Latin America. Third, to make sure that everyone has the right skills they need to succeed. Fourth, to get the country back on a balanced budget so that they don’t overspend on things we can’t afford to spend on. Finally, he wants to “Champion” small business because small businesses create many of the jobs in the world. He has declared that his number one priority is jobs; that if everyone is employed, than everyone is happy which he concluded in the first debate. Taxes Romney said that if he gets into office he will lower taxes on the middle class, without raising the taxes on high income families, and lower the rate of tax to small businesses. He hasn’t quite explained how he will go about doing it. Health Care Romney said in the first presidential debate that he wants to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act because it has cut money from Medicare and that has caused many hospitals and practitioners to start turning away from Medicare patients. Romney stated that 700 billion dollars was taken from Medicare because of the new Act. He wants to cut the Act and restore the money that has been taken away to Medicare. He says that each state should have the right to develop its own plan when it comes to Medicare like he has done in his own state. Mitt Romney wants to make changes because he wants to see improvements, and the course we are taking now, hasn’t made as much progress as he would have liked. As he said in his first presidential debate, “I will restore the vitality that gets America working again.”

Romney

By Cheyenne Zephier This year’s election is unlike elections in the past. “Historically, Obama should win this election,” said Jean Gill, AP Government teacher. Foreign Affairs Gill said that Obama’s take on foreign affairs is to negotiate with the enemy. “He tends to be more balanced for the Middle East,” she added. He [Obama] thinks that if we continue to build strong relationships with our surrounding countries or countries in a crisis, our own economy will benefit. Economy Before Obama took office, the country was losing 800,000 jobs each year. Since being in office there have been 5.2 million private sector jobs created according to Obama in the first presidential debate. Obama also informed us that he planed to make jobs for 100,000 more math and science teachers, as revealed in his first debate against Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on October 3rd. Education Obama claimed to be a man striving to improve our education system in the first debate. He backed this up by opening doors for scholarships. He emphasized that he stopped the No Child Left Behind initiative that was put into place by former president George Bush. Instead, he has created his own educational reform by moving forward with Race to the Top, a program which grants and rewards each state based on their performance. In the last four years he has also given $60 billion to loan programs so more students could attend college. Health Care In 2010 Congress passed Obama’s health care plan which is referred to as ObamaCare. His intent was to make sure that everybody in the US has health care. “The affordable health care is not exactly what Obama wanted; if he can he will tweak it.” Gill said. The first debate Obama said he acknowledges that changes need to be made to his health care. The president’s goal is to bring down Medicare cost by $76 million. Taxes Obama stands for the middle class. He has attempted to place a higher tax rate for people who make over 250,000 each year and considers anyone who makes over one million dollars ‘rich’. He promises to fight for the middle class and help improve our economy. “The Middle class is where our economy lays.” Obama said. “Four years ago, I said that I am not a perfect man and I would not be a perfect president... But I also promised that I’d fight every single day on behalf of the American people and the middle class.” Obama said, at the end of the first presidential debate.

Let us know who you want to win #RoughRiderNews

Social Media Blocking I’m My Own Media Monitor By Courtney Miller At the beginning of the year, students had access to Twitter and Facebook on the school computers. Students could access, during school hours, these two sites. In years past these sites have been Fortiguarded from us. After two weeks, the sites were back to being blocked. I, personally, think we should have access to them. Starting last year we have been allowed to use smart phones and tablets during school, if we used them on the school’s terms. Spanish teacher Sharon Moore’s classes are allowed to download translating apps on their phones/ tablets and are expected to use them if needed! Social media isn’t going away. Every year, kids are finding different ways to get onto the sites around the Fortiguard. More and more students are getting smart phones, which means they’ll be going on Facebook and Twitter during school hours anyways. If the school district unblocked these sites, they can at least monitor what students are doing on them. We’re high school students, teenagers who have cars, jobs, significant others…Some students are even voting in the upcoming election! We should be allowed at least the chance to prove to the administration that we can handle it. A lot of the faculty would probably argue that social media affects how much time students spend outside of school studying and doing homework. However, most students nowadays have jobs , play sports, have a social life along with maintaining good grades. As a student, I usually work 20 plus hours a week, am in two AP classes, help watch my younger siblings, have a social life, keep my grades up, and I use social media on a daily basis. As a journalist, I know firsthand of the need for social media being unblocked. A lot of times we get news faster, even if it may not be accurate from Facebook and Twitter. If something important happens at school or outside of school to an RHS student, it’s usually easier to find out from Twitter and Facebook. For example, when the shooting at Cost Cutters happened on Sept. 11, students were getting their information directly from Twitter, and then using that information to get onto Keloland and KSFY to find out more. Although some students may abuse the privilege of the sites, a majority of the students would use it appropriately. Why punish all of us for just a few?

Social Networks are Social Nightmares By Napoleon Martinez At the start of this year RHS students had campus access to social networks for the first time and, before we knew it, buzz spread like wildfire. Quickly, and almost thankfully, the flames were doused as suddenly as they had erupted. Soon after students found out the sites were blocked by Fortiguard again. The result though was a small spark of controversy over why social networks are blocked from student access in the first place. While I might argue the blocking of YouTube, there is no doubt RHS gains nothing from the use of Twitter and Facebook to students. Now you may be wondering why I seemingly revel in the reblocking of the websites. It’s quite simple, it’s annoying to hear about. People are so addicted that the simplest mention of Twitter, Facebook or, god-forbid, Tumblr be mentioned that conversations spew forth with no end in sight. Clearly the whole “if it becomes a distraction” guideline the school district always lauds is appropriate here. Social networking is just a huge distraction, and one can probably look to one side to see that. Tweets and status updates are as common as texts and notes these days. Sophomore year I took AP World History and the number of times a phone was taken for tweeting in class was so regular, student almost gave it up on their way into the classroom. Though there are exceptions, access to sites like Twitter would add little to no benefit to most classes at RHS and would only be abused, misused and honestly, overused. A study of Midwest university students in 2008 by psychologist Paul Kirschner showed that students who used Facebook while studying or doing homework earned a staggering 20 percent lower grade than those who not only did not have it in sight, but did not have it running the background of their devices. Further study showed 79 percent of students don’t believe that same fact. Information provided by Education Database Online (EDO) points to studies that show people who spend more time on Facebook have more attitude and are more excessively self-centered. Many only study and work one to five and zero to five hours a week, each respectively, as opposed to their non-Facebook using brethren who study 11-15 hours and work 15 or more hours. That’s a huge difference in grades, money and ultimately, time. We don’t use it for any vital aspect of learning and it only serves to hold us back. The administration is doing us a favor in the long run because we use it more for leisure than education or even the real fun we could be having. If we could find a balance things might be a little different. The EDO’s final remarks on social media show our situation clearly. “Social media is now a vital part of life, and academia needs to learn how to effectively take advantage.” The problem is, we haven’t learned how quite yet.

What do you think? Tweet about it! #RoughRiderNews The Nationalist - October 31, 2012

Pulling it together

Halloween in

Even if you haven’t had time to plan out your Halloween evening, here’s some BOO-tacular ideas to help you make the most of this most ghoulish of fall nights. You could whip up these recipes with items you may already have in your kitchen. And, if you dying to dress up tonight but can’t buy a costume, these festive costumes can be cranked out with items you can find around your house. Happy Haunting, RHS! Recipes by Chelsey Tate and costumes by Courtney Miller.

Recipes:

Bloody Lime Chillers

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of corn syrup •½ drops of red food coloring • 4 cups of pineapple juice • 6 ounces of frozen limeade concentrate • 3 cups chilled ginger ale • 10 wine glasses

Directions

1. Take the corn syrup and combine it with your red food coloring in a shallow bowl. Mix until it is well blended. 2. Take the wine glasses and dip the rims into the red mixture, one at a time, coating all rims. 3. Turn the wine glasses upright and let them stand to allow the red mixture to down the sides, resembling blood. (You may want to place paper towels around the wine glass base to catch the red drips, for easy clean up.) 4. Now, combine the pineapple juice, ginger ale, and frozen limeade in a bowl. Stir until the limeade is dissolved.

Mini Mummy Pizza

Ingredients

• English muffins • Pizza sauce • Pepperoni/ Canadian bacon slices • Mozzarella string cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Orange Cream Puffs Ingredients

• 2 packages instant vanilla pudding mix • 2 cups heavy cream • 1 cup milk • Orange food coloring • ½ cup butter • 1 cup water • ¼ teaspoon salt • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 4 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven 425 degrees 2. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream, food coloring, and milk in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate to set for about 15 minutes. 3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a

Caramel Apples

Try a twist on old favorite, the caramel apple by rolling the freshly dipped apple in M&Ms, gummy worms, or candy corn. Get really adventurous and roll in all three!

2. Cut the English muffins in half & spread the pizza sauce on the halves. 3. Cut the Canadian bacon/pepperoni into smaller pieces. 4. Put the Canadian bacon/pepperoni slices on the pizza where you would want the “eye balls” on the mummy. 5. Tear apart the string cheese for the “mummy’s wrapping”. 6. Cover the English muffin partly with cheese, leaving a small slit for the “ eyes” of the mummy. 7. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. 4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry. 5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

under an hour Wish you would have dressed up as the tin man last year for homecoming? Well no more wishing for you when you can just go to your kitchen and wrap tin foil all around your body. Use duct tape to secure it!

Did you just get done moving and have extra boxes lying around? Then become Box Man, the defender of cardboard. Take one box cut two holes in it for arms and cut one big hole for your neck. Take another box and cut two holes for eyes. Then you’re done!

Can you guess who these staff members are? A. Hazlett B. Kramer C. Lukens D. Bleeker The one ingredient to become the world’s scariest mummy is a roll of toilet paper. Just take a roll of toilet paper and have a friend, if you have one, wrap it around your whole body.

D. Do you ever think you can see ghosts? Well, now can you be one! Throw a white sheet over your head after you cut two holes for your eyes.

Americans spend nearly $2 billion on candy at Halloween.

Halloween Fast Facts:

Costumes:

9 billion kernels of candy corn are manufactured for Halloween each year. 900 million pounds of pumpkins are produced each year in the U.S for Halloween. 70 percent of people say the economy won’t affect their Halloween plans.

Tweet us pictures of your homemade Halloween costumes and you may be featured on our website! #RoughRiderNews

Places to visit on Halloween night:

Want a thrill? The JC’s Haunted House is still open tonight and tonight only! It’s open till midnight and if you bring a non-perishable food item, you’ll get a $2 discount off the regular $7 admission. Or, dress up in your Halloween costume and head downtown to the Sculpture Walk. It’s free and guaranteed fun to see all of the art and other ghouls hanging out on Phillips Avenue. The Nationalist - October 31, 2012

Fall sport seasons wrap up with senioritis Though many students have a while before their term ends, some seniors are already saying goodbye. In their own words, seniors wrap up their seasons and their feelings as they move through their final year at RHS, and as high school athletes. Written and compiled by Brittany Newman, Courtney Miller and Napoleon Martinez

Football

Photo by Tyler Lindgren

“This is my only season for football but it still is my first and last. It kind of changed me as a person; it kind of helped me see more of a team perspective. It was really cool to spend a chunk of my senior year doing something new and exciting like a football season. I also learned about hard work and dedication. You learn that high school sports are a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of commitment. So, it was a good learning experience.” Samuel Alfred, 12

Tennis “I think our season went really well. We started out really strong and we won some really good matches. We beat Rapid City Photo by Makayla Frye Stevens in the regular season, which was super exciting. We ended up getting third at JDC and at State we were only 10 points short of getting second place beating Stevens. We ended up getting third place. The end of our season went good. A lot of people were very sad because a lot of us seniors have been with our coach for a long time.” Kara Bunkers, 12

Girls Soccer Boys Soccer

Photo by Mary Monahan

“The season was great! We had a lot of shut outs. Photo by Christian Smejkal It was our first undefeated season, so I would say we did pretty well. I’m going to miss my teammates and the friendships we made. I’m gonna miss seeing them every day.” Olivia Schneider, 12

“The session meant a lot to me because of the way everything worked [out]. Even though we didn’t make it to State, we had fun; we had the chance to come together as a team and do the best we can do. Regardless of not making it to State, it was the best year I’ve ever had.” Niyonsaba Faustin, 12

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Soft Ball

Volleyball

“I love being part of the team and the sport in general. It’s very action-filled, I know some people don’t think so because you only get action every once in a while, but it is. It’s full of action and friendships and being part of the team. I’ve been on the team for four years so it’s a good way to have friends and meet people. The last game was kind of rough just ‘cause you don’t see any of the girls during school or anything. So just knowing it’s my last year being part of the team, it’s rough, but I know it will fun like Photo by Dylan Lechter coming back next year watching them all “Only one lost to O’Gorman. But play and grow up and stuff.” Brooke Baumgartner, 12 the season looks pretty good. We are ranked number one. Our team is pretty good. We work pretty well together. Our [hardest] challenge is overcoming that we were defeated and [that] we are beatable and having to work on that to be sure we work our hardest. Since I’m a senior I am going to miss my team because we formed this family bond. If you decide to play next year, just come focused and ready to work together because it’s a team sport. You don’t really need experience but you will have to work hard to gain it for us to keep our good reputation for the past years in a row.” Photo by Courtney Dougherty Ashley Beaner, 12

Golf “We got sixth place, for a team that was pretty good. That was one of our goals, to bring home a plaque. We’ve brought home a plaque for six years in a row now. It was tough walking up to my last hole. I played with another senior from Washington. [We both] talked it over and its crazy how time flies. It’s tough just knowing it’s your last one and [that] you’ll never play another tournament in high school and as a high school athlete. Tony Lanham is probably the best coach I will ever play for ... He knows what he’s doing.” Jeremy Eich, 12

Submitted Photo

Cross country

Photo by Tyler Lindgren

“The season is pretty important to me because it’s my last year running. This season we tried our best and ran our hearts out because we love running. Our most challenging part of the season was not getting first place. We were sadly defeated by Lincoln but our team never lost faith and never gave up.” Adam Kost, 12 “Our season started off pretty good with eight teammates but now it’s more challenging because I’m a senior. I’m really going to miss running because I’ve been running since I was a freshman.” Jessica Leat, 12

The Nationalist - October 31, 2012

Paranormal activity: Cinema hype or proof of life after death?

By Luke Herbert In response to “Paranormal Activity 4”’s premiere, I decided to have a marathon of the “Paranormal Activity” series in my not-so-haunted basement. By the end of the third movie, I began to wonder just how true the movies are. So I sent an email to Eric Moen, the founder of the Midwest Outer Realm Followers Inc., and asked him a few questions about his take on the movies and the paranormal in general. According to Moen, whose group works out of the Minneapolis metropolitan area and across the Midwest states, the “Paranormal Activity” (PA) movies are fiction. Paranormal cinema, like “Paranormal Activity,” “Poltergeist” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, are mainly popular due to humans’ natural capacity for curiosity. “PA is Hollywood. Fiction. Real haunted locations can feel uncomfortable, but paralyzingly terror filled? No,” said Moen. “The unknown is exciting. The unexplained is exciting. Hollywood is fueling this curiosity by dramatizing it.” After founding Midwest Outer Realm Followers Inc. two and half years ago, Moen said he typically investigates homes around one to two times per month; however, he prefers cases involving hospitals, asylums, hotels and bars.

Unlike the “Paranormal Activity” series, which are based around a demonic haunting, Moen, who has investigated over 50 cases, said he has never come across a possession. “That is not to say that they don’t exist,” said Moen. “…not once have I encountered anything close to demonic/bad news spirit possession.” He also goes on to explain how a spirit moves objects or interacts with the living. “…There is only so much available energy (strength) for an entity to utilize at any one given moment to manifest itself. It takes massive amounts of energy for these entities to reach through the veil into our realm,” Moen said. “But when an object is physically moved, the amount of energy from the existing area of movement is hugely depleted. In other words, the entity is akin to a battery being discharged. It takes a while for that battery to recharge.” Last but not least, those of you with unexplained footsteps or dare I say it, paranormal activity, in your house, can go to www.paranormalsocieties.com and look up active groups around Sioux Falls. “Make sure that they still have an active website and have been around for at least one year,” said Moen. After hearing all these different answers, I decided that my earlier train of

Paranormal Activity 4 came out on October 18.

thought was correct and that the PA movies were just cinema hype meant to keep us coming back for more ghostly scares.

Let the countdown begin; 16 days ‘til the bloodsucking thrill of “Twilight Saga” returns to theatres By Chelsey Tate That’s right...only sixteen days until “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2” opens in theatres on Nov. 16. Century and Carmike are showing a marathon of the four previous movies, leading up to the premiere of the new Breaking Dawn on Nov 15. For those who forgot about the drama in Forks here is a recap of the previous movies. Twilight - Bella Swan moves to about Bella and demand Edward to turn Bella into a vampire, but Forks, Washington and meets he’s reluctant to turn her into one. a vampire named Edward. She also finds out an old childhood Eclipse - Victoria is building a vampire army to attack Edward and friend Jacob Black is a werewolf. his family. Bella asks Jacob and his pack to help them when the atWhile with Edwards’s family, tacks. The fight is so huge that the Volturi shows and demand that they meet another group of if Bella doesn’t get turned into a vampire soon they’re going to kill vampires, who try to kill Bella. her.

New Moon - Bella and Edward break up, so she starts hanging out with Jacob. One day they went cliff jumping and Edward thought she died while doing it. Devastated, he went to the Volturi to kill himself. Bella ends up going to stop Edward. The Volturi find out

Breaking Dawn Part 1- Edward and Bella get married and go on a honeymoon. When they come home they find Bella’s pregnant. The werewolves decide to kill the baby after Bella gives birth.

Can’t get enough of vampires? Check out these recent thrillers

Ever since the Twilight series came out, more vampire books hit the shelfs in our school libraries. Here are a few popular books you should check out!

Morganville Vampires

Marked

The Morganville Vampires series is about Claire Danvers. She lives in a town completely controlled by vampires.

The Marked series is about sixteen year old Zoey Redbird goes to a school for vampires.

By Rachel Caine

By P.C. Cast

Paranormal Flop: Don’t waste your time or money By Luke Herbert As the lights dim, the excited, hushed whispers draw to a close and “Paranormal Activity 4” begins. Right off the bat, we are treated to a recap of the horrific ending of the second movie. From there, it goes nowhere but down. As the movies came out, the method of recording kept current with ages, from a handheld camera in the first movie, to security cameras in the second, and back to a bulky camera in the third; we now have moved into the age of Skype and the Xbox 360’s Kinect. After the woman across the street is hospitalized, her young son, Robbie, moves in with Alex, the teenage protagonist, and her semi-dysfunctional family. Unfortunately for Alex and her family, their new ward seems to have brought along an uninvited guest. Surprising? Not so much, considering this is after all, “Paranormal Activity 4”. As I mentioned earlier, this “found-footage” movie is shot mostly with recorded Skype chats from laptops scattered about the house, a hidden camera in the living room, and occasionally what I believe to be a phone, but could also be a handheld camera. In the previous movies, the chills and thrills were slow in building up and culminated in a spectacular ending. Those chills and thrills were genuinely disturbing, not to mention ghostly, and they

lingered in your mind long after the movie ended. I was honestly disappointed at how unoriginal this movie was. Most of the so called “scary” parts actually made me laugh. Unexplained footsteps, a few doors slamming, and disembodied breathing made up the brunt of the so-called “demonic activity”. And don’t even get me started on how the family reacts to the “demonic activity”. The cinematography was as good as it could be, considering it was mostly shot with computers and one hidden camera. Perhaps the most interesting thing in the movie was the trick Alex’s boyfriend showed her with the family’s Kinect early in the movie. The plot itself ties up some loose ends from the previous series, like what happened to Hunter and Katie. It also brings back the witch’s cult from the third movie, but only briefly. Unfortunately, like with the other three movies in the series, it leaves us at a cliff hanger, which could potentially pave the way for a, Heaven forbid, fifth installment in a dying, if not already dead series. My personal recommendation is waiting for the movie to hit the cheap seats, or even Red Box.

Rating: 2 ½ stars out of five.

New clubs emerge while veteran clubs thrive

Compiled by Staff Writer Luke Herbert and Guest Writers Brady Eichhorn, Taylin Dauphanais and Long Ha The list of ways to get involved at RHS has just multiplied within the last month. Three new clubs have found an audience among students and staff while those that have been around awhile continue to grow. Here’s what some are up to:

New Clubs

Veteran Clubs

Art Club gets together to paint •Yoga Club: From school and work, to •Debate: Coming up on Saturday, Novemfriends and family, no one can say that High ber 3rd, is the biggest event in Roosevelt’s an old snow plow. School is not stressful. One great way to re- debate season, The Round Robin Tournalax is by going to Yoga Club every Wednes- ment. Talk to Jackie Wilber in A106 for day at 6:30am in Gymnasium. Jackie Wilber more information. •Art Club: If you in Room A106 has more information. •German Club: Got a pair of lederhosen dream of being •Unaffiliated Club: Are you lost among the you never get to wear or have an urge to eat the next great Da crowded hallways of Roosevelt, trying to schnitzel? November 15th is the third meet- Vinci or Picasso Photo by Mary Monahan find a place where you can call home? If ing of German Club. Dawn Hellbusch in but don’t have a place to start, try checkyou’ve exhausted yourself trying to find A158 has more information on the ing out the Art Club in room C104 every one, check out the Unaffiliated Club which German Club. Wednesday at 3:15. Alex Costanzo has more meets at 3:10 every Wednesday in C104. •French Club: Do you have an undying love information on this colorful club. Alex Costanzo has more information. for food and enjoy meeting new people? •Drama/Theatre: Come one; come all to •Guitar Club: Have a guitar or uklele or Check out French Club on November 13th a very merry Pippi Longstocking’s Yo Ho something along those lines but no idea and the 27th. Talk January Johnson in A155 Ho- A Pirates Christmas on December 6th how to play it? Then Guitar Club is just for more information on joining. and 7th at 7pm and on the 8th at 2pm and the club for you! Guitar Club meets every •Spanish Club: Love a good fiesta? Then again at 7pm. Thursday at 3:10 in A209. check out Spanish Club which meets every other Thursday at 7:30 in Room A152 Sharon Moore in A154 has more information. •Oral Interp: Oral Interp has a busy month Seniors Zachary ahead of them. They’ll be having competiSteffan and tions on the 2nd at WHS and the 5th in Dell Alexander Rapids. On the 26th, they’ll be in the Showcase at 6pm here at RHS and we can’t forget Staebell enjoy the State Tournament on the 29th. Oral Interp the food at the Coach Jennifer Bergan Gabor in E120 can Photo by Brady Eichorn German and answer any questions about Oral Interp you Guitar Club founder, French Clubs’ might have. Kyle Dowling, Potluck. teaches students how •SALSA Club: Contrary to the title, SALSA has nothing do to with spicy chip dip. Instead, the students involved in this club willingly to properly play the give up their spare time to help volunteer around the Sioux Falls guitar. area. Rhonda Kemmis in room A142 has more information. Photo by Mary Monahan

The Nationalist - October 31, 2012

10 Questions with Dietician Ann Wipf Ann Wipf is a registered dietician in the state of South Dakota and for Hy-Vee Foods. She graduated from Fulton High School, attended William Woods Missouri College and has been a dietician for about 30 years. Staff Writer Myriam Medina sat down with Wipf at Avera McKennan Hospital, where Wipf also works as a Certified Diabetes Educator and Licensed Dietician.

Hy-Vee dietician Ann Wipf. Photo courtesy of Ann Wipf.

What made you decide to become a Dietician? “Well, I think it’s just that as I was growing up I liked working with food and I liked science and there is a lot of science behind a degree in dietetics.”

How do food choices differ today from your teen years? “Back when I was a teen, which was like 100 years ago, there were not as many fast food places. It was more like a treat; it was just starting to become popular to go out to eat or go get pizza on a Friday night. It was a real occasional thing. And now if you don’t go out to eat, you don’t eat. It was more not the norm, you would eat more at home, and you know, there was not as much soda. That was stuff that we didn’t even buy at our house. If you did have soda, it was if you went out on those rare occasions.”

How important is a nutritional lifestyle for a teen? “It is super important. It helps with a clear complexion and it helps with their activity level. It will probably

help you sleep better and also your brain with school work. It will also prevent you from weight gain.”

What are the negative effects of a non-healthy lifestyle? “Teens develop chronic diseases that normally people don’t get until they are in their 30’s or 40’s, so we are seeing more type 2 diabetes. Also, cholesterol and high blood pressure, things that maybe even your parents have.”

What is your take on teen obesity? “With teens, I think it is the less activity they’re getting these days. But the portions are also a lot higher in calories. What a small kid’s portion is today was the adult size back when I was growing up. So a lot of it is portion distortion.”

How can teen obesity be prevented? “I think a lot of it starts with eating breakfast because this is what jumpstarts your metabolism for the day. It is actually proven that teens that eat breakfast are slimmer. Another thing is to think your drink; the best thing is to drop the soda other than just occasionally.”

Teens love salty and sweet foods such as cappuccinos, chips, and candy. Are there any healthy alternatives you could

• • Did You Know... ♦ 81 percent of 10 year-olds are afraid of being • fat. (The National Eating Disorder Association) • ♦ 53 percent of American girls are not happy • with their figure. The number grows to 78 percent at the • age of seventeen. (National Institute on Media and Family) ♦ 90 percent of those who have eating dis• orders are women between the ages of 12 to 25 (The Center For Mental Health Services) ♦ 35.7 percent of American adults are obese (CDC)

suggest for a teen who craves these foods? “If you like the cappuccinos you could do a latte with fat free milk and lose the whip or ask for a skinny. Cappuccinos and frappuccinos are like the milkshakes of today. For salty snacks nuts are great and so are seeds. If you have to have a chip, get a baked one. If you really need to have chips, think serving size. And another great tip is to have another type of food with the chips.’

In your perspective, what do teens not get enough of when it comes to nutrition? “They don’t get enough calcium or vitamin D. Another very important thing are those two-to-three servings of milk a day. Teens also tend to have less potassium which is a nutrient one tends to get from fruits and vegetables.”

High school students tend to have a busy life schedule and skip lunch and/or dinner. How bad is it to skip meals? “Well, what that does is when you do get to eat, you tend to overeat and not make good choices because you are so hungry.”

What is Hy-Vee doing now to promote a healthier lifestyle? “Providing dieticians to help you go around the store and see your food options.”

♦ People between the ages of 12 - 19 have increased its overweight percentage from 11 to 17 percent. (The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) ♦ People who are obese are more likely to have chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. (CDC) ♦ Most children with type 2 diabetes are obese. (The American Academy of Pediatrics)

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