blizz Spring 2011 The Importance of Libraries Ponder East: A Jazz Musican’s Life The Luck of the Goal What Type of Fashion Are You?
Letter From the Editors Dear readers, We want to thank you for taking the time to pick up this magazine. Many hours of hard work were put into these pages, many hours of deliberating designs, picking the right words to write and searching for the perfect picture. And now, we present the finished product. Blizz is a conglomeration of all our interests. Primarily an entertainment magazine, it combines our loves of music, art, sports, literature and ocasionally food and fashion. We all have different hobbies and personalities and when you put them together, that is Blizz. We hope you enjoy the magazine! Sincerely,
Kendall G. Kebriana N. Abel C. Miguel P.
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Table of Contents Opinions
5
Students Marching Toward Successs
7
I Can’t Go Anywhere Where Did We Go?
9
The Luck of the Goal
10
Comparison Between Overtime Conditions in Soccer
Features
The Importance of Libraries
13
Blooming from Kickball
15
Ponder East: A Jazz Musician’s Life Flying Home
Good Eats
17
19
Coachin’ and Growin’
Extras
12
23
25
Public Libraries in Austin What Instrument are You?
28 29
What Type of Fashion are You? Album Reviews
31
33 2
Biographies Her name is Kebriana. She is 14 years old and goes to LASA. She plays sports and loves to help people. She has a passion for fashion and the sports that she plays. Kebriana also enjoys reading and listening to music in her free time .
Miguel is a 15-year-old freshman at LASA. He enjoys spending his time playing a variety of instruments. He spends much of his time on Gmail or Facebook when he is by the computer at home. He enjoys writing for “Blizz” magazine; it’s like a stress reliever. Other activities he enjoys outside of school are reading books, listening to music, and playing with his dog.
Abel is a 14-year-old freshman at LASA High School. He enjoys playing soccer, basketball, and many other different types of sports. In his free time, he also enjoys listening to music and reading.
Kendall is a 14-year-old LASA student. She enjoys reading, writing, photography, traveling and junk food. She hates it when people make grammar mistakes and her biggest wish is to become ambidextrous.
Opinion
Students Marching Toward
Success
[Why Marching Band is a Good Thing] by Miguel P.
5
Freshman Jeremy J. plays the saxophone in marching band. “It was hot and painful at first but fun and awesome at the end,� he said.
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s marching band really worth it? Do all those long hours pay off? Do your social skills really improve? While many parents believe that their child is suffering from this after school activity, the LBJ marching band members would beg to differ. Marching band is beneficial because it helps a student academically and socially and has also provided the students with a fun activity to look forward to every day after school. Students in marching band, particularly a freshman marcher, are able to make friends before school even starts. According to freshman marcher Cara B., marching band helped her spend a lot of time with the other marchers and allowed her to make friends with people she would have never met if it wasn’t for the activity. Anyone could make friends in marching band because there are so many different kinds of people who are all interested in a variety of things. Fellow freshman marcher Grace C. says, “marching band made the transition from middle school to high school easier because she had already spent so much time at the school and already had so many friends, that it made the transition a breeze.” This transition can be scary because the students are merely fish that were removed from a pond and put into an ocean. A non-marching student may often think “Oh my god this school is huge!” or “Am I going to be able to make any friends?”. Because of summer band freshmen marchers don’t have to worry about any of this. Another benefit to marching band is that it gives you a P.E. credit. According to the article “Does Marching Band = Physical Education?” by the
National Association for Music Industry, marching band gives a student plenty of exercise because “Addition to the warm-up calisthenics, endurance training, and marching for miles, some of these students carry an instrument that weighs over 20 pounds.” Even though I personally carry an instrument that doesn’t weigh that much, it became increasingly heavy as we performed more and more into the show. Because marching band practice was everday besides Tuesday, acrrying a heavy instrument became a physical task that required strenght and endurance. I can’t even imagine what it was like for people who play instrument like the sousaphone which weighed about 30 poudns. Grace C.
amount of work done in a lot less time and allows me to be involved in something else other than homework after school.” Little did the marchers realize that they were slowly improving their organization skills because they had to work a lot harder then non-marchers, but still had to have good grades. The organization skills they acquired helped a student with their grades overall because organization is key to success. Grace C. herself said that marching band was a motivation because “To be able to be in the marching band performances you had to have pretty good grades, and keep track of everything, it was a motivation.” The student can have a minimum of a 70 for a grade average in a class. If a student gets below the minimum requirement, they are not allowed to participate in any extra-curricular activity. This was often a pressuer on the students to do well in their classes. Even though some parents argue that marching band is having a negative effect on their child because of how much time it takes and how little study time a student gets, they are wrong. On the contrary, marchers receive a lot of positive benefits such as a P.E. credit, the benefit of making friends faster then one would if it was not for the after school activity, and also the opportunity to work on one’s organization skills. Marching band is truly worth all the struggles that come with it because it helps a student overall and provides the students with a fun activity to look forward to after a long and boring day of school.
“Band helped me make lots of new friends because it started before school, and because we had to spend a lot of time together during the summer, and after school.” -Grace C. says that she is thankful that marching band gives her a P.E. credit because she doesn’t have to take P.E. Marching band is equivalent to P.E. because of all the exercise one receives from the hot practices in the parking lot such as the weight of carrying an instrument, having to run laps around the aprking lot, and working on one’s leg muscles because of different marching techniques. Because marching band takes up so much time, the marchers HAVE to be organized with their time and also be able to earn good grades. According to Cara B., marching band gave her an boost of enthusiasm for homework. “With so much of your time in the activity you are forced to work harder and faster at your homework to get it finished in time for class,” she said. “This helped me get the same
OPINION
W
hen I was a kid, educational shows such as Reading Rainbow were very entertaining and helpful for me as a young reader. The show, showed me the true meaning for picking a book up and reading the story. It is less fortunate for the new incoming generation, for they will not get the chance to learn from the great experience of reading. The main concern of this is; would your child or any incoming generation of children be inspired to read and be interested in it, if educational shows such as Reading Rainbow are canceled? While reading can help someone learn at the same time it can show and entertain minds. I believe that if we have a educational show such as Reading Rainbow on air to teach our kids the knowledge and meaning of reading then we will not have the issue we have today of kids not knowing how to read.
state this because the children of many generations would actually have no choice but to watch a educational show such as reading rainbow. The show has helped many generations learn the interest and importance of reading this story what would help our incoming generation do the same? For our incoming generation is already lacking on the knowledge of and ability to read a story with the show we could somewhat help them.The show has been interviewed by many viewers and it is a shock and disappointment unto them to find out that the show was being off air, “the show has helped my children learn and become interested in reading and he is now 25. I believe that the incoming generation would not learn the importance of reading and the interesting side of it. The Texas educational system have the issue of children not knowing how to read although the problem may be coming from media of not having as many educational television shows.
“All the cartoons on air are really stupid so they should put educational television shows so children can actually learn from watching T.V.” -Rania D. The importance of educational shows being on air has declined to a low percentage, and it is time for a change in this action. The reading rainbow educational show has been off air due to lack of money. The show by itself was having tons of money put into it because they were getting permission to use different authors books within the show and for awhile they were spending a lot of money on the educational show that was not needed because the show was just broadcasting old episodes. Although I believe that even though they were broadcasting old episodes the children were still learning from the show. The money that was being used could probably have been lowered, or if not they could have gotten rid of some of the non educational shows that did not help our children learn how to read. I
The television shows that we have on air today are distracting instead of educational towards the incoming generation minds. There are shows such as Transformers and etc. that don’t help our children learn how or why one should read a story. I believe if there weren’t distracting shows that get in the way of the learning. In conclusion, the show should be broadcast on air because it helps young individuals learn the meaning of reading a story. Not only does it do that but it also teaches them how to read by their interest and connection within the television show. For it to be off air it is a heart break and I mind and knowledge disadvantage.
for more info about educational TV shows, go to page 9
7 art by alpinebutterfly.blogspot.com
I Can’t Go Anywhere With educational television shows such as Reading Rainbow off air, how is one supposed to learn and be entertained by watching T.V.?
Photo by Katiey Nacosia on Flickr
By: Kebriana N.
Where Did We Go? Some favorite educational T.V. shows of a bygone era.
Fetch with Ruff Ruffman: The television show Fetch is a scientific and critical deep thinking show that has inspired kids to experience life and taught them how to use the minimum of resources and achieve the goal that was trying to be reached at its fullest. The show was hosted by a dog known as Ruff Ruffman and was followed by a certain amount of kids. There were rewards offered for each child depending on how far and how much they try to use their creativity within the television show that was a competition. I personally believed that this show inspired a lot of creative science ideas for those children who had competed within the science fair that is locally held within Texas.
bloggingstocks.com
pbskids.org pbskids.org
by Kebriana N.
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: The television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was on air for a long time and for it to come to an end was misfortunate for most. The show taught young individuals as well as adults how to always be sure to use their manners and have fun at the same time. Although the show to me had seemed rather dull, the thought and concept had made the show more interesting and educational to most.
The Teletubbies: The well known show that all children love and remember is gone. Yay or nay? Good or bad? Happy or sad? There is no clue which to choose for this television show. The Teletubbies were aired to teach children about manners and colors although I personally do not feel that the show had absolutely achieved that goal, but the show did help contribute to most by using their surrondings and socialization to help young people. Many individuals say that the show Teletubbies was pointless, but others suggest otherwise and state that it has either helped them once before or their children.
The Luck of the Goal Why the golden goal rule should not be put back into professional play
Photo taken by Cygnus921
Opinion
.
T
he year is 2000, the location is Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. It is the UEFA (the UEFA is a major soccer organization in Europe) championship game between France and Italy. The “Golden Goal” rule is in effect for the game. This rule states that if a match goes into overtime, then the team that scores a goal first is automatically declared the winner. At the end of the match, the 2 teams are tied 1-1. In overtime, France scores in the 103rd minute of game play. Since the Golden Goal rule is in effect, France wins immediately, without giving Italy a chance to counterattack in the last few minutes of the first half of overtime. While the golden goal rule (which states that the first team to score in overtime wins) helps end long matches early, it can also lead to both teams playing defense the entire overtime period. After the 2010 World Cup’s unsatisfactory results, the FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, has stated on FIFA’s website that he is considering bringing back the rule for the 2014
World Cup. However, this should not be done, as the “golden goal” rule in soccer is too luck-based and should not be taken into consideration for the upcoming World Cups. The Golden Goal rule rewards teams for staying on the defense during overtime, as teams would rather try their chances in penalties then letting their opponents get a chance to score a goal. For example, in a game between example teams FC Minor and FC Major, FC Minor knows that its chances of winning the game is slim. Therefore, FC Minor also knows that it is a better idea to play defensively the entire game, including overtime, just to have a chance at winning in penalty kicks. In recent years, the rule had been taken out after the UEFA Euro Cup of 2004, as most teams played defensively, rarely attempting to score goals, and would not allow the opposing team a chance to score a goal. Again, the teams preferred to take their chances in penalties, letting their chances of advancing being determined on the ability of
certain players and the goalies, rather than the overall skill of the entire team. The rule also prevents teams from counter-attacking, and would’ve also led to the disappearance of eventful overtime matches. For example, a team that is scored early on in overtime would have no chance to counter-score to even up the game before the end of the first half of overtime. In his article, “Golden Goal Rule Not So Golden For Teams,” sports columnist Travis Pickens gives an example that occurred between 2 NCAA teams (the NCAA is a nation-based soccer organization, with one in the U.S., and several others similar to it around the world). He states that the NCAA must have teams must play the entire 30 minutes of overtime. “If a team scores a mere 20 seconds into the session, as Bridgeport did against SRU on Saturday, the trailing team would have time to even the match. Instead, the team that strikes first wins. End of story.”
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Art drawn by Chris D
Had the Bridgeport team scored in the last 20 seconds of the 90 minutes, then it would’ve been an intense score-breaking goal. Unfortunately, as it wasn’t the case, they instead scored less than a minute into overtime, giving SRU literally no chance to score because of the golden goal rule. Also, overtime matches such as the final in the 1970 World Cup would’ve been completely missed. In the 1970 World Cup final between Italy and Germany, the 2 teams were tied 1-1 at the end of match time. However, in overtime, West Germany quickly scores 4 minutes into the game. Without the golden goal rule in effect, Italy was able to make a comeback, as the 2 teams were constantly scoring on each other during overtime, ultimately ending in Italy’s victory 4-3 over West Germany. However, had the golden goal been in effect, then West Ger-
in order to receive points, since a scoreless draw would basically mean a loss. He also states that while a weaker team may “still be defensive, at least they will know they need to score.” With the removal of the scoreless draw point, one of the two teams would have to score if they wanted to receive points. If the FIFA officials want to have eventful matches, then having the silver goal rule in effect (which is the same as the golden rule, except that the team that scored has to keep the lead for the rest of the 15-minute period) with the removal of the draw point is enough to promote offense-oriented gameplay. This would lead to more offense-oriented games, without the need of the golden goal rule, despite what FIFA officials may believe.
With the removal of the scoreless draw point, one of the two teams would have to score if they wanted to receive points. many would’ve quickly won, without giving Italy its chance to come back the way it did in the intense 30 minutes of overtime. However, there is an easy way to stop teams from playing defensively without the golden goal. After the recent 2010 World Cup, FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated on the FIFA website that he was frustrated at the “lack of free-flowing soccer.” As a result of this, he is thinking about implementing the golden goal rule again for the 2014 World Cup. However, this would
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not help progress matches, since weak teams would play defensively the entire game, leading to uneventful, boring matches. Alternatively, there is a simple, yet possibly controversial solution to this. The reason that teams choose to stay on the defense during the preliminary rounds is so that they receive a point from games ending in draws. The golden goal makes no difference to this. According to columnist Patrick Runge, the only alternative solution to this is to “remove the one point awarded from a scoreless draw.” This would mean that a team would have to score at least once
If the golden goal rule is to be placed back into effect for the 2014 World Cup, then all these events must be taken into consideration. The way that matches are played in overtime currently is preferable than to having matches played under golden goal rule. This way, teams at least have a chance to counter-attack. Whether or not they do attack is up to them. While we cannot force teams to play offensively, we can at least attempt to make the game of soccer more enjoyable to watch.
Comparison Between Soccer Overtime Conditions “Golden Goal” Rule
Standard overtime has the teams play 30 extra minutes of gameplay. At the end of overtime, the team with the higher score wins.
Advantages
The Silver Goal rule states that a team that scores a goal in overtime must keep the lead for the rest of the 15 min. round to win.
Standard Overtime Explanations
The Golden Goal rule states that the first team to score a goal in overtime is automatically declared the winner.
“Silver Goal” Rule
The Silver Goal rule allows a team to score a goal to win, but at the same time, also requires the team to have enough defensive skills to keep the lead.
Standard Overtime gives both teams a fair chance to win. Since overtime doesn’t end early, a trailing team can make a comeback to win.
If a team scores early on into overtime, the other team has literally no chance to counterattack, since the game would be over. Also, teams may just play defensively during the entire overtime period.
Again, a similar situation as that of the Golden Goal rule can occur with the Silver Goal rule. If a team scores at the very end of an overtime period, then the other team has little to no chance to score back.
Teams may just play defensively the entire 30 minutes, as weaker teams would prefer winning through penalty shootouts than trying to score during overtime.
Disadvantages
The Golden Goal rule helps in ending long, uneventful matches early, depending on the amount of time it takes for one of the teams to score a goal.
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The of
(to find a library near you go to page 28)
photo by Kendall G.
by Kendall G.
photo by timtom.ch on flickr
opinion
W
here do you go when you need to look for books for a school project? When you need to use the Internet but don’t have access at home? When you just want a place where you can escape from everything loud and noisy and chaotic? The answer to all of these is, of course, the public library, an invaluable resource whose future is uncertain. Libraries all across the nation, and indeed, the world, are facing closure due to loss of funding. It seems they are not important in the eyes of the government, though millions of users would beg to differ. Libraries are places of learning, discovery and connecting and they should be valued and not closed. For one thing, reading is a fun and enjoyable hobby and at the library it is free. Libraries have books in every genre: everything from science fiction to poetry, fantasy to biographies. There’s something for everyone to enjoy. Reading isn’t just for fun, either; for some people, it is a way to escape from the problems of real life. Author Adele Parks said the highlight of her day when she was a kid was her visit to the library. “Libraries in those days were austere; still, I could be on an itchy carpet one minute, then be riding in Enid Blyton’s wishing chair, on Heidi’s Alp, or having tea with the Little Women in Massachusetts,
the next. My library was a haven, my visits there the high point of my day.” Books often provide comfort and solace to people when nothing else will. They can take you away from a world of suffering and into one where reality seems to melt away around you, where you can forget your problems and focus on the story for a while. Libraries offer many community events that can benefit all of society, like book clubs and story times for younger children.“Libraries can be meeting places; they can be debating halls; they can be places where lives
story times if the libraries were gone? The library also offers a wide variety of reference materials, everything from books and encyclopedias to computers. In fact, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, public libraries are the number one way for people without Internet at home, school or work to get online. Internet access is useful--if not vital--for almost everything these days, so by taking away libraries they are taking away tons of people’s only connection to the Internet. Libraries are also perfect for working on a project. Whenever I need time to work on something that’s due soon, or print something out at lunch, I head to the school They give -Ian McMillan, poet library. me the peace and can be enhanced and changed,” said quiet I need to focus and get through. Ian McMillan, poet and presenter of I would not be able to concentrate in ‘The Verb’ on Radio 3. Libraries can the crazy atmosphere of the halls or often be where an interest in reading the cafeteria. begins. I remember going to story Libraries have endless benefits. times at the library when I was much They can provide books to enjoy, younger and couldn’t read by myself. I events to attend, and computers to would listen to the words float off the use. They can teach us, entertain us, page and rearrange themselves into a help us and inspire us. Libraries are story. The kids wouldn’t just be read one of the most useful public resourcto, either; they would sing songs and es and they don’t deserve to be closed; play games to make it fun and engag- rather, the people who use them don’t ing. It is things like this that can instill deserve to have them closed. Pick in kids a life-long love of reading and something else to target, but please of the library. Where would you have don’t shut down libraries.
“Libraries can be meeting places, debating halls, places where lives can be enhanced and changed.”
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Blooming from Kickball by Kebriana N.
How playing kickball changed one girl’s life
Pictures courtesy of Kebriana N.’s kickball team facebook page
S
“Strike one, strike two, strike 3, kicker’s out,” the umpire had called. As Monesia slowly walked to the dug out in shame, she stumbled over a loss of hope. She just knew that she would be singled out by the best. As she had walked into the dugout, she was shunned by all her team mates but one. The next day, there was practice and the coach was demonstrating things that you should never do when you are up to kick, and Monesia was the example he had used from last night’s game. Although her reaction was unexpected, you would think one would be upset, but monesia was comical about the whole situation. It was surprising, but a great sight to see that after all that had happened her first game, she was willing to look over her front page news story and enjoy herself playing a sport that she knew if she worked hard at she would grow from. Throughout Monesia’s kickball experience, she has learned and grown in many ways. Monesia has learned due to her past experience that “playing the sport helped me learn how to get along with others and be supportive of people’s abilities, because not everybody is going
to be the best star player on the field,” Monesia had said. Although she had struggled with this issue through the beginning of attempting this sport, she has finally gained the opportunity to grow from that tragedy. Now Monesia works for Any Baby Can, a place where parents who have lost their children before to cps (child protective services) and others go to get advice and help on how to get their children back or how they could be involved in their lives.
understanding struggles and being discouraged, she could connect to the problems that the people and/ or parents she see come in everyday have. It reminds her of the night of the first game, how she tried her best but it just wasn’t as good of an effort so the consequence was the loss of friends or being ignored by many. Same as where she works, where the parents have either lost their child or they have been limited to visitations so they are unable to be in their lives as they should due to their decisions they made or either their best not being good enough as well. Monesia admits that “although I had played the sport, I didn’t realize until later that the problems and celebrations I had from playing has made me a stronger person, because now I understand how to deal with situations similar to ones that I have been through in an expanded matter,” she said. “I have been through situations similar to theirs so I know how to relate to their feelings.” This is an advantage that she have gained from being active in kickball where she had many obstacles and conflicts to go through, where she have enhanced good social skills and where she had grown.
“Playing the sport helped me learn how to get along with others and be supportive of people’s abilities, because not everybody is going to be the star player on the field.” -Monesia By her playing the sport of kickball and experiencing the down faults Monesia understood how it felt to be down when theirs no one there to give encouragement. Parents come in everyday with issues such as drugs around the child or harassment between the two parents. Although this is misfortunate for the child it contributes to the process of the child being able to benefit by being around both parents and by the child having a healthy and safe life style, from the counseling being done. By Monesia
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Picture of Mr. East goes here
Feature
Ponder East A Jazz Musician’s Life
H
e started out as an average child. He owned a piano that he occasionally liked to bang on. The banging slowly evolved into an interest in playing piano. As a teenager, his stepfather’s best friend had inspired him to learn saxophone, in 6th grade, of August of 1986, which opened up many doors. Who is this man? None other then Ponder East, who is now the LBJ Jazz Band Director. “My parents were all into music and taught and played it so I was just in it” says East. He had always felt as if he was born to teach. As a child, Ponder East grew up
East played saxophone all through out middle school and high school. He was always pretty sure of that he wanted to major in something that involved jazz music. As a matter of fact, the only problem Ponder had with his career choice was whether he wanted to teach or perform. “When I was graduating high school I wanted to lead my own band,” East said. “When I got to college I wanted to teach.” East said there was only one time where he ever doubted his music skills. He would audition and re-audition every semester for a local concert band. He failed to enter the band one
by Miguel P. val my first year and we went up there they didn’t have a strong 4A category, they didn’t even have a second band in 4A. Not only did our top ensemble win the 4A category, but also our second band entered the 5A second band category and got third place.” The numbers represent the size of the band. The bigger the number the bigger the band is. Besides teaching at LBJ, Ponder also performs a lot with four other groups he has. “[I have] one jazz big band, kind of like the bands we do here; contemporary rock and pop group, it’s really like neo-soul if you want to go with
“I have gotten to be creative in ways that I don’t think I would be able to be in another environment.”
photo by Ideal Light Photography
with parents who taught music and a very inspiring role model. “I was growing up with the saxophone professor at Stephen F. Austin and my step-father was a music theory teacher and piano composer at Stephen F. Austin,” East says. “So he was just a friend of the family who hung around. And I just thought he was cool. If he played saxophone, I wanted to play saxophone.” Even though his role model played saxophone, he first auditioned for drums. “I auditioned for drums and after trying to play the rhythms back at my band director looked up at me and said ‘So Ponder, what’s your second choice?’” East said. His second choice was of course the saxophone.
semester. East said that he thought to himself “well maybe I should change my major, maybe I’m not cut out for this”. Six weeks later he found himself attending an annual music convention. East says he “fell back in love with music, teaching, and playing.” East started teaching at LBJ as a band director in 2003, but had been teaching private lessons at the school and other schools two years prior, and still does. East is finishing his eighth year of teaching this year and is graduation his second group of seniors. Since East started teaching at LBJ, the jazz band has been able to perform at many gigs, one of the bigger ones being The Great Wall of China in 2007. Another great achievement that the LBJ Jazz Band had, East says, was when “We went to the TCU Jazz Festi-
-Ponder East
a trendy term and a rock band that my buddy leads,” he said. “I say rock but it’s got a full horn section, and it’s more of a southern blue rock. I also do straight ahead jazz in a quartet and trios.” He rehearses regularly and performs at places like the Elephant Room which is a big jazz band club in Austin, and at Momo’s, which is another big music club here in Austin. East has enjoyed his time teaching and definitely does not regret ever picking the career he chose. “I’m really glad I took the teaching route because you know teaching is in my family and I think I was sort of made to teach,” Ponder says. “Kind of like a part of my make-up, I wanted to teach.”
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photo by Q u e n t i n ² on Flickr
Feature
photo by Q u e n t i n ² on Flickr
L
ike most teenagers, Clarissa T. has a va-
and the Taj Mahal. All she really wants, though,
riety of interests including acting, mu-
is to settle down long enough to call one place
sic, and basketball, among many others.
‘home.’
Unlike most teenagers, fourteen-year-old Clar-
Clarissa’s father is a journalist for Reuters and
issa has spent her life moving from country to
his job requires the family to move every three
country. She’s been to four continents and more
to five years. They’ve lived in Washington D.C.
than thirty countries. She’s seen the Eiffel Tower
(where Clarissa was born), Moscow, Berlin, San
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flying home The story of a girl who’s lived her life moving from country to country. by Kendall G.
Francisco and now Belgrade, the capital of the
hideous, having moved from California,” Clarissa
south-eastern European country Serbia.
said. “But now I really appreciate it, and, well, I
When Clarissa and her family moved to Bel-
really do love Serbia.”
grade almost three years ago, she was hesitant to
There are many similarities and differences
leave California and start her seventh grade year
between Serbia and America. They both have a
in a new country.
McDonald’s, she notes, though the options at the
“When I first moved to Serbia, I thought it was
supermarket are not the same. continued on the next page >>
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“Walking into an American grocery store is mind-blowing for me; there’s so many options, it’s insane!” Clarissa said, adding, though, that’s she’s gotten used to the different food. “The food we have in Serbia is fine: I know what all my favorite Serbian junk foods are.” Clarissa and her younger brother, Adrian, attend the International School of Belgrade (ISB), where many of the students are like them, with parents who have to move around for their jobs. The students come from all over the world. “All my friends are from different nationalities, which I never re-
“When you’re international, it’s a lot easier, because everyone else is as different as you, and therefore [they’re] really open to new people,” she said. Clarissa acknowledges that one of the major down sides of frequently moving is having to saying goodbye. After countless times, she’s used to the flying, the packing, the culture shock. But there are some things that you never really get used to, she says, like leaving the people you’ll never see again. “I really, really hate moving because I’m constantly leaving friends,” Clarissa said. “I have too many friends and memories here that mov-
when you have a home to go back to,” Clarissa said. “But what shall I tell these Bostonians about where I’m from? The greatest qualm I have with being who I am is: I don’t have a home. Being born in Washington D.C., and having two American parents means I’m American. Yet, I have no idea where in America I’m from. I’m not Washington D.C.-ian (only lived there for 2 weeks or whatever), I’m not New Yorker like my Dad, or from Kansas, like my mom. Basically, I tell non-Californians that I am Californian, just because it sounds more glamorous than ‘Nope,
“I think traveling is fun when you have a home to go back to. [But] the greatest qualm I have with being who I am is: I don’t have a home.” -Clarissa T. ally considered special, but in retrospect, is totally cool,” Clarissa said. “I really love the international community, and meeting so many different people. When you’re in a foreign country, you know everyone (well, almost) in the foreign community, and even though people are always moving, we still have zillions of connections all over the world.” Adjusting to a new city, let alone country, can be tough, but Clarissa says the global community makes it not as bad.
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ing is going to be really painful.” Clarissa and her family will move next to Boston, Massachusetts, so that her father can attend Harvard University for a special one-year journalism program. Clarissa isn’t excited for the move; she says she hates the cold weather that come with living up north and she’s especially not eager to move for only one year. One of her biggest concerns about moving so often is the conundrum of where she’s actually from. “It’s true, I think traveling is fun,
I don’t really have a home, sorry.’” On the whole, though, Clarissa said she usually tries to ‘go with the flow’ and stay open to new places and new opportunities. “I really try to not be judgmental,” Clarissa said. “I also think it’s really important to be nice. I know it sounds incredibly cheesy, but really, it is. My life? Well, I’m always going to be the ‘different one’. Whatever, right?”
At the Taj Mahal. Clarissa traveled with her brother, parents and grandparents to India in February of 2010. Of the trip she says, “One thing you have to be is very open. I mean, I still have trouble being ‘open.’ I hated that I had to wear a headscarf when entering a mosque.” All photos on this page courtesy of Clarissa T.
The Eiffel Tower in the distance. Clarissa went with her school to Paris this spring.
Clarissa and her friend Bella W. in Montenegro, on another school trip.
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Picture taken by Becky G.
Coachin’ and Growin’
Into the life of one of LBJ’s well-known coaches
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len McNiel isn’t your average Geometry teacher. He’s far from it, actually. With 23 years of coaching experience, and many years of playing sports before that, sports have had a major influence in his life. “I spend part of my day, everyday, around sports, either playing it or coaching it,” says Coach McNiel. “Honestly, I love sports. They allow you to learn things that you otherwise probably would have never learned.” However, his experiences with
By Abel C. sports haven’t all been good. For the majority of his life, Coach McNiel has been involved with sports in one way or another. As a kid, he played several sports during school. As an adult, he still plays a few sports, but coaches many others. He’s been around sports since he was a little kid. Growing up, he would begin playing other sports as well. “I started playing baseball at 6, football at 10, basketball at 12, and soccer when I got into middle school,”
Coach McNiel remembers. According to him, there were many reasons he got into sports. “As a young kid, I remember seeing my 2 older brothers playing sports. We would always play together at the same areas. We lived around Reagan High School, so my brothers ended up playing for their team. Around the time I went into high school, LBJ had been built, and I ended up playing for the team,” he says. “Since we lived around Reagan, my parents figured that the best way to
Feature keep me out of trouble was to get me involved in after-school activities. This, along with playing with my brothers, and with help from the coaches at school, was what kept me playing for so long.” he mentioned. As he continued playing sports, both in and outside of school, Coach McNiel found that he had a thing that truly made him shine in one particular sport. “As I grew up and got bigger, I found it more and more difficult to play sports. However, the one sport that I still managed to keep playing in was football, and I loved playing it. I’d say that my talent really showed there, since my size and body weight allowed me to easily take down players on the other team. As a matter of fact, it was
enough motivation to begin playing sports again. It did take him a while though. “How did I get back into sports after the injury? Well, for one, I really missed playing them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play for the UT football team, since their players were simply too good. However, a local softball team at my church was being organized, and I was asked to join it. So, I got a bunch of friends together, and we joined the team. It was really fun, and I even ended up coaching the team at one point,” he remembers. “Then, once I started working here, my friends and I would occasionally go to the school’s gym and play basketball, since I had the keys to the gym. We would come in and play during the
my day every day around these sports, either playing them or coaching them. It’s gotten to the point where I only watch TV to watch a sports game. It’s crazy. Sports have helped me grow a lot and have taught me alot over the years.” “There are some things that sports have given me. For one, it’s shown me that even sick people can play sports and feel much better afterwards. Sports have also shown me that I can do things that I probably would’ve never imagined to do otherwise. Sports in general have given me a lot of confidence, and it was that confidence that helped me get into college. There are just some things that you can only learn out in the field, otherwise, you miss out on those experiences. Over the years, Coach Glen
“There are some things that you can only learn out in the field, otherwise, you miss out on those experiences.” -Coach Glen McNiel the thing that ended up taking me to college.” However, when he finally got to college with his football scholarship, Coach McNiel ended up running into an obstacle that would put all of his sports plans to a halt. “Could I have gone on to play football in the big leagues? I don’t know, to be honest,” he says. “While playing football in college, I ended up breaking my leg very badly, and that injury basically stopped me from playing sports for a long time. I ended up losing my scholarship at the school that I was at, and when I transferred to UT, my leg still hurt. I didn’t play sports for about a year, since my leg wouldn’t let me.” Eventually, though, he got
summer, and it reminded me about why I got into sports in the first place.” Now, a good 20 years after his injury at college, Coach McNiel still plays sports, just to show that he’s still healthy enough to play. “Currently, I play softball, and I’ve recently got into biking. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten a bit too old to play football and basketball. However, it feels good being able to coach all those sports,” he says. Even at his age, Coach McNiel still remembers the impact that sports have had on his life. “Indeed, sports have played a major part throughout my entire life. I’ve been coaching at this school for a good 26 years, so I spend some time of
McNiel has been through a lot. However, he now lives an ordinary lifestyle. During the school day, he teaches Geometry at LASA, and coaches several sports teams after-school. After reminiscing on his experiences with sports, he comes to an interesting conclusion on kids and sports. “I think that kids should be required to play some type of sport while in school. Even if it’s a recreational sport, band, or even choir, I think that it would leave kids with more experiences and memorable events. The more active you are, the happier and longer you live your life. It’s even a known fact.”
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good eats These are some of our very favorite foods. Warning: do not view while hungry.
photos by Kendall G.
Cheeseburger and fries from Burger Tex.
Grapefruit from H-E-B.
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On top: Homemade lemonade and a cookie. On bottom: Pepperoni and olive pizza from Central Market.
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(the dessert page) Below: Vanilla frozen yogurt with chocolate chips.
Below: A doughnut from Upper Crust Bakery.
Below: Cupcakes from Hey Cupcake.
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Public Libraries In Austin Austin has many public libraries; here you can find one that is near you. For hours and more, visit http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/map.htm
12. Old Quarry Branch 7051 Village Center Dr., 78731; (512) 974-8860
1. Faulk Central Library 800 Guadalupe St., 78701; (512) 974-7400
13. Pleasant Hill Branch 211 E. William Cannon Dr., 78745; (512) 974-3940
2. Austin History Center 810 Guadalupe St., 78701; (512) 974-7480
14. Recycled Reads Bookstore 5335 Burnet Rd., 78756; (512) 323-5123
3. Carver Branch 1161 Angelina St., 78702; (512) 974-1010
15. Ruiz Branch 1600 Grove Blvd., 78741; (512) 974-7500
4. Cepeda Branch 651 N. Pleasant Valley Rd., 78702; (512) 974-7372
16. St. John Branch 7500 Blessing Ave., 78752; (512) 974-7570
5. Hampton Branch at Oak Hill 5125 Convict Hill Rd., 78749; (512) 974-9900
17. Spicewood Springs Branch 8637 Spicewood Springs Rd., 78759; (512) 974-3800
6. Howson Branch 2500 Exposition Blvd., 78703; (512) 974-8800
18. Terrazas Branch 1105 East CĂŠsar ChĂĄvez St., 78702; (512) 974-3625
7. Little Walnut Creek Branch 835 W. Rundberg Ln., 78758; (512) 974-9860
19. Twin Oaks Branch 1800 S. Fifth St., 78704; (512) 974-9980
8. Manchaca Road Branch 5500 Manchaca Rd., 78745; (512) 974-8700
20. University Hills Branch 4721 Loyola Ln., 78723; (512) 974-9940
9. Milwood Branch 12500 Amherst Dr., 78727; (512) 974-9880
21. Windsor Park Branch 5833 Westminster Dr., 78723; (512) 974-9840
10. North Village Branch 2505 Steck Ave., 78757; (512) 974-9960
22. Yarborough Branch 2200 Hancock Dr., 78756; (512) 974-8820
photo by animalvegetable on Flickr
photo by Kendall G.
11. Oak Springs Branch 3101 Oak Springs Dr., 78702; (512) 974-9920
by Miguel P.
1) Which of the following activities do you prefer doing?
4) What is your favorite kind of food? A) Vegetarian food
A) Sleeping
B) Fast food
B) Playing loud music
C) Anything home-made
C) Writing
D) Protein shakes
D) Exercising
5) What do you think of sports? A) I play golf!
2) What kind of the following music genres do you prefer?
B) I play football or cheerleading
A) Soft rock
D) I play all sports!
C) I enjoy running
B) Metal C) Classical
6) What color do you prefer?
D) Hip-Hop
A) Orange B) Red
3) Where do you spend most of your time on the weekends? A) In your room
C) Green D) Blue
B) At a music concert
7) What is your favorite class?
C) Volunteering
A) English
D) At a park
B) All classes C) Debate
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D) P.E.
photo by Benjamin D.
Mostly A’s
You are a flute, shy, sensitive and quiet.
Mostly C’s
photo from dentonmusicstore.com
You are a trumpet, crazy. loud and outgoing.
photo from cremonasf.com
Mostly B’s
You are a violin, smart, chill, and a very relaxed person.
Mostly D’s You are a snare drum, energetic and sporty. photo from music123.com
What Type of FASHION are You?
photo by Ryan D. weido fashion flickr
By Kebriana N.
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Trends for the month, day, week and/or year. Teens are being judged for what style of trend that they pursue. Half of the semester one may wear all black everyday and the other half wear bright colors, They are usually gossiped about because of their major change. Well as for an individual such as I the type of clothing that we may pursue would be the style of non-judgement and living our life. Who cares what others have to say about our style of fashion? Whatever we wear we stick with it, and work it down the runway.
For the guys that are out there you are not forgotten. This is the fashion style of sports and school. When you are an athlete there are individuals around who are always watching and looking up to you to be the role model for others. These individuals often get most of the attention in school. Some have high expectations for them that can sometimes discourage one because of the way they may dress or the way one’s style of clothing may be. You are a athlete on the field, the court and in the game. when you are at school you are just like everyone with an addition of a talent and/or hobby. You are the style of fashion the various because you all are able to choose from all the different types of styles which ever ones fit you guys best.
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The Fast five is my style of fashion: just get dress and throw on the first five items you want to wear. Who cares what others think atleast you are wearing clothes. There are children out there who are unfortunate to not have much clothing and for you to have clothing, you should be grateful and wear any kind of clothing the way you want. No one should judge you by what you wear but because of the person you are to be. This style of Fashion is the Fast Five often known as grateful.
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LUCKY 7!
When it comes to an individual such as I we like to work the runway and wear the unordinary and unexpected. Yes, we see the fashion models on T.V and cover magazines that wear clothing that is big and NOT original. That’s I the Fashion style the unexpected.
Various
Unexpected
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I am three, meaning that I have three different kinds of styles that I wear all the time. Depending on the season, I can wear long pants with a long sleeve shirt, capris with a semi sleeve shirt or shorts and a tank top. I dress according to the weather. I don’t much care about the style but I do care about how comfortable I may be. I am the fashion style comfortable.
Fast Five
Comfortable
There is all types of fashion now a days. It’s just so hard to decide what to wear; should one wear a skirt with long socks or shorts with tights? The fashion line has grown tremendously and so have the trends. We are those who just want to fit in and try to wear all kinds of different styles of clothing. They say “You won’t know you like it until you try it.” It’s the same for clothing. “You won’’t know if you like the style into you wear it for a while”~ Pamela N. I’m the guinea pig fashion; we like to try new trends and styles to see what works best for us.
Live your life
The Guinea Pig
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The fashion style Lucky 7 is actually quite unique. This is the style of fashion that hardly ever gets judged. It is the original style of fashion your clothing express your calm personality. This clothing is often worn by majority of the people and is favored by many. You can never go wrong with this style of clothing. I am the fashion style the LUCKY 7!
By Abel C.
L
Photo taken by Fast Company
ast time Kanye was recording music, he was in an emotional breakdown, suffering from the death of his mother and the end of his 2 year relationship with his girlfriend. 808s and Heartbreak was seen by many people as his venture into another genre, and as such, was simply considered a side project as he vented out his emotions. However, in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (referred to as MBDTF from this point on), it’s clear that he has recovered from the issues that previously affected him. Instead, the tracks on the album cover several different topics, ranging from self-evaluation (“Runaway”, “Blame Game”, “All of the Lights”), to wealth (“Power”), praise (“Monster”, “So Appalled”), and social commentary (“Gorgeous”, “Who Will Survive In America”). When compared to his previous rap albums, MBDTF has a notably different sound. For one, a notable difference is present in his lyricism, which appears to have had major improvements. As far as singles went, while many other rappers would tone down the lyricism for them, West makes it clear that the singles aren’t just for a quick buck. A few have interesting themes in them, and all of them have the amazing lyricism present throughout the album. The songs in the album also use much more instruments compared to all his previous works. From the pianos and strings used in “Dark Fantasy” and “So Appalled,” the drums and bass used in “All of the Lights,” and the electric guitar instrumental used in “Devil In A New Dress,” the production on the album is also nothing to laugh
The alternate cover art used in most retails stores, after the original one was banned for showing nudity. at. While Kanye himself produced the majority of the album, he also got assistance from other famous producers such as The RZA, No I.D., and Mike Dean, and they don’t fail to impress. The guest list that West uses on the album also works as well. Ranging from high profile rappers (Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Raekwon), prodigies (Pusha T and Prynce Cy Hi), labelmates (Kid Cudi and John Legend), to unexpected collaborations (Bon Iver), they all fulfill their roles effectively. From Ross’s dark intro on “Monster”, his verse on “Devil In A New Dress”, Minaj’s verse on “Monster”, the entire posse cut on “So
Appalled”, Kid Cudi’s haunting chorus on “Gorgeous”, Bon Iver’s eerie vocals, to the use of narrations in some tracks (“Dark Fantasy” and “Blame Game”), at times, it seems like West is one-upped by his guests. To be honest, on an album as memorable as this one, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The album has received critical acclaim from numerous reviews, and this is rightfully so. It serves as an excellent example as to why a major d*******g such as West can be so loved and hated at the same time.
Rating:
W
Rating:
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Photo taken by Romany WG
hen this album was first being produced, T.I. was set to go to jail for having weapons without a permit. The concept behind it was that he was going back to his old ways, as he was writing down his lyrics again, rather than thinking them up on the spot as he done for his previous few albums. This is shown in the cover art, as it is a collage of his face using paper scraps. However, was the concept a good idea? Overall, it seemed to work well. The album starts off strong, with “56 Bars” and “I’m Illy” both showcasing his incredible lyricism, as well as showing off his rage that he was feeling at the time. This then transitions to “Ready For Whatever”, where he raps that jail will prove to be an easy obstacle to overcome, sounding confident. The following track, “On Top of the World,” which features one-time rival Ludacris and a young B.o.B, also works as T.I. shows that life has and will continue being good with him. However, from there, things get a little slow. The following songs afterwards are the two singles that could’ve worked out better. While both “Live Your Life” and “Whatever You Like” are both decent, they seem out of place in an album where the main theme is about his life. However, “No Matter What” allows the nice recovery from the previous two songs, as he raps about overcoming his obstacles. “My Life, Your Entertainment” is the standard “life’s a b****” song, and while it’s not the best song on the album, it works, especially with a cho- The cover art, which is a collage of T.I. made out of paper scraps. rus from Usher. With a similar case from the two singles, chorus, with lyricism from T.I. that ties back with the first “P*** Star” seems really out of place and shouldn’t have few songs. been on the album. The following three songs, “Swing Ya For an album that was produced while he was goRag”, “What Up, What’s Haapnin’”, and “Every Chance I ing through some hard times, T.I. makes it evident that Get” again, help make a good recovery from the previous those hard times weren’t going to stop him. The fact that song. most of the lyrics were written down, rather than thought The final four tracks on the album are probably up on the spot, also shows some of the lyricism absent some of the more memorable ones. “Swagga Like Us” is from his past albums. Overall, the album is good, but the posse cut track, featuring two good verses from Jaythere are a few rough edges, with songs that could’ve been Z and Kanye West, and memorable ones from T.I. and cut out. Lil Wayne. The final three songs “Slide Show”, “You Ain’t Missin’ Nothin’”, and “Dead and Gone” are the standard self-evaluation/dedication songs, but they all work. “Slide Show” has a very nice chorus from John Legend, “You Ain’t Missin’ Nothin’” really shows off T.I.’s emotional side, and “Dead and Gone” has a memorable Justin Timberlake
Looking for more Blizz? check out our blog at:
www.entertainment-mag.blogspot.com You won’t be sorry!
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Credit and Acknowledgements The Blizz staff would like to thank the following: -Glen McNiel, for taking the time to talk about his experiences as an athlete -Becky G., for providing a picture of McNiel -Monesia M., for telling us about the importance of kickball -Rania D., for being honest and giving her opinion about the cancelled T.V. shows -Ponder East, for taking time to tell his life story -Jeremy J., for reenacting his marching band skills -Cara B. and Grace C., for giving their opinions about marching band -Clarissa T., for talking about her traveling life experience -Adrian Zamarron, for providing helpful advice and critiques on our designs
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