#trippin by LASA Ezine

#trippin MAGAZINE TOC

Dear Readers,

There are no words to express the gratitude we have for you, our beloved subscribers. This quarter has brought something totally different. We’ve revamped everything from layouts to style, and it’s only getting better. With exciting new topics and even a fancy new color palette, the print is ready for your eyes to feast upon. The new blog is up and running, and each editor has their own page. This blog is our future, and next issue our magazine will be totally electronic. We enjoy your reading this quarter, and hope to have your eyes next issue. Happy summer, The Editors P.S. In case you are wondering, we’re not stoners or anything. Our magazine is named after Tripi.

From the Editors

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inside Our Beautiful Faces...................................Page 4 Digital Battle..............................................Page 6 I Need A Doctor................................................................Page 8 Which Website Are You?..................................................Page 10 How Internet Addicted are You?......................................Page 12 Facebook a Legacy of Champions..................Page 14 Texting vs. Calling..........................................Page 16 Unofficial Holidays........................................Page 18 Trippin Trends...............................................Page 20 Caesura Connection.........................................................Page 23 Let The Games Begin.......................................................Page 25 So It Has Come To This...............................Page 28 Target Aquired.............................................Page 32 Thank You For Reading...............................Page 35

Trippin Magazine

Our Beautiful Faces A professional modeling spread

Courtney:

Courtney is a really nerdy tumblr fan. She really likes gifs, funny pictures, hedgehogs, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and Sherlock Holmes. As you can tell, she really likes Britain and plans to move there at some point. Almost all of her time that isn’t spent on homework is occupied by the internet. That sound really hermit-like, but she knows that it’s important to exercise, too. That’s why she plays volleyball, soccer, softball, ultimate frisbee, and basketball. Courtney also thinks that Disney movies are the best. She absolutely loves The Lion King, Pocahontas, Wall-e, Mulan, Toy Story, and many many more.

Sophie

Sophie is an amazing computer genius who loves writing, gardening, baking, shopping, and spending way too much time on the internet. Okay, the first part isn’t true persay, but in comparison to the rest of the people in #trippin, she’s like the Stephen Hawking of computers. She’s also a total nerd, but you could probably tell that just by the fact that she goes to LASA. She loves How I Met Your Mother, Doctor Who, Starkid Potter, The Bobby Bones Show, and The Decemberists. She’d spend more time outside trying to lose her pale shade, but there’s too much homework (and random internet time) to do.

Tripi:

Coming from an Indian background, Tripi Shrivastava is one special cookie. “Without me, the group would just be aweso,” she says. She enjoys watching popular TV shows, with How I Met Your Mother and Gossip Girl being her favorites. She enjoys dancing in her free time to Bollywood music with her friends. She enjoys looking up pictures of Zayn Malik (member of One Direction) and Tumbleing. Her favorite movie is Finding Nemo. She hates reading, The Bobby Bones Show, self-pics, yahoo, Hitler, toddlers, and cold showers. Tripi is the most talkative member of the group and is known for being loud enough to hear at the opposite end of the school.

Ray:

As the only male in the group, Ray has had to make plenty of sacrifices. “I really wanted the other font, but fine.” As a worker, he’s definitely second rate. “Yes I did it! No, it works fine! Well, I guess we’ll be getting zeros then... *slap*” He also has a peculiar taste in music. “Oh my god, this stuff sounds amazing! Tripi, just listen! *slap* Okay I’ll turn it off...” But despite these strange personality characteristics, Ray has a kind spirit that keeps the group together, especially in times of crisis. He manages to keep his cool, even when the magazine looks like crap and everyone’s angry at him.

Trippin Magazine

By: Tripi Shrivastava

ver thought what it would be like if you switched to a Mac? You might have heard the arguements for a Mac and PC, but have you really thought about the two and compared them? I’ll help you out there. The most common argument made against Macs are that they are more expens i v e t h a n normal P C s . If you think about it, the cost of a Mac is not out of range compared to computers of similar potential. According to the article, PC vs. Mac: The Straight Scoop, by Harry McCracken, the Microsoft-powered laptops most directly comparable to Apple’s MacBook Pro line, HP’s Envy models, actually costs more than roughly equivalent Macs. Macs have a lot of features that

a normal PC doesn’t. For example, Apple’s iPhoto and iMovie applications are among the most user friendly software out there. Macs already have a photo program installed in them, whereas some PC’s don’t. According to the MacEtc website, the iPhoto software comes with many features within it like enhancing photos, retouching blemishes, crop, straighten, rotate, and fixing red eyes. These features cannot generally be found in PCs. You have to pay much more to get these features onto a PC. From where I’m looking at it, Macs already seem amazing! Apple recently released a sneak preview for the new OS coming out. The new Mountain Lion OS 10.8.0 come with a Messages feature which comes with

“The Macintosh may only have 10% of the market, but it is clearly the top 10%.”

This picture is an example of a PC Photo by: Anonymous

DIGITAL BATTLE 6

MACS VS. PCS

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This picture is an example of a Macintosh computer. Photo by: HD Wallpapers

iMessage. According to Apple.com, iMessage in iOS lets you send unlimited messages to anyone on a Mac or an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 5. So you can start a conversation on your Mac and pick it up on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. And this is just where it starts! Another reason why Macs are better is because they have a restore button. If you have deleted something from the computer by accident, you can go back and restore it. How great is that! You’ll never have to worry about rewriting that English paper you spent hours writing, which got deleted by your sibling! I have been never able to do such a thing on my Windows laptop. “The best application on a Mac,” says Sean Gajjar, a Westwood student, who recently switched from a PC to Mac, “is iCloud. I like how I can put something onto my iPhone and then it can come up on my Mac.” Apple has come up with a way to keep all your information together on a system called iCloud, which allows you to automatically and securely store your content so it’s always available to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC (Apple.com). This requires no

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syncing or management. iCloud does it all for you. Apple has designed a touchpad, so that your mind can think that you are scrolling down on the computer. Using the two-finger scroll,

three-finger swipe to move the window you’re on, four-finger swipe to switch between apps, and the 5-finger swipe clean the desktop, add to the simplicity of a Mac. Reviewing all of these points, Macs seem like they are perfect. They have user-friendly software and incredible applications that make using a computer simple, which keep on improving every year. I definitely recommend a Mac the next time you go out to buy a computer.

DAVID TENNANT Screenshot From Doctor Who

MATT SMITH Stephen Broadhurst

The universe will sing you to your sleep. This song is ending. But the story never ends... “Here you are, living your life day after day. The one adventure I can never have.”

“Aw, I wanted to be ginger! I’ve never been ginger!” “I’m finding my own way, I usually do.”

“It’s gonna be fantastic!”

“I am not having one more death!” “One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel.”

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause-of-effect...but actually, from a non-linear, nonsubjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff.” “Humans decay; you wither and you die. You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can’t spend the rest of mine with you. That’s the curse of the Time Lords.” “Come on! We can all have a good flirt later!”

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

“Allons-y!” “I’m burning up a sun just to say goodbye.”

“I try to keep you away from major plot developments. Which, to be honest, I seem to be really bad at.”

“Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don’t tell people I travelled through time and space with her mother!” “Sweet, maybe... Passionate, I suppose... But don’t ever mistake that for nice.”

“If you come with me... nothing will ever be the same again!” “It’s bigger “Everything I am dies. Some new man goes sauntering away...and I’m dead.”

on the inside.”

“Oh, we were made for each other!” “Look at these people, these human beings. Consider their potential!” “Maybe that idea came from somewhere, bleeding through, a thought at the back of every sentient mind.” “I’d call you a genius, except I’m in the room.” “I’m a time traveller. I point and laugh at archaeologists.”

Trippin Magazine

I Need a Doctor A tribute to a brilliant man

man with spiky hair runs into a room and nearly careens into a younger man wearing suspenders. They stare at eachother for a moment, and then yell words familiar to any Doctor Who fan. “Eleven is so boring!” “Ten was a sociopath!” At least, that’s what it would look like if Doctor Who showed the kind of fights that go on between loyal watchers of the show. Instead, they have only acknowledged the disputes with subtle comments here and there, leaving it up to the viewer to decide who was the ultimate Doctor. Today, using my immense skills and knowledge of Doctor Who, I will inform you plebeians about which Doctor you should worship as the best. Doctor Who was originally a television show that started in 1963. It was about a mysterious old man and his granddaughter who picked up some humans to go traveling across space and time. When the original actor William Hartnell became unable to play the part, they came up with the idea of regeneration, so that each time the Doctor died a new actor would come take his place. As companions came and left and spe-

cial effects and costumes

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By Sophie Taylor-Burton got better or worse, the one constant was the same mysterious man. No matter who played the Doctor, he kept the show anchored. Doctor Who ended in 1989, and until 2005 there was only a mediocre TV movie to sate fans’ thirsts.

“Tennant brought a more fun-loving touch to the Doctor.”

In 2005, a reboot began, starting with an entirely new Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston, who left after one season. Then came a man so amazing, so entertaining, so attractive, that every viewer had him branded in their hearts and minds forever: David Tennant. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and after three seasons Tennant left. Then, a new contender for British and American hearts appeared: Matt Smith. However, Smith was considered a poor follow-up to Tennant by many fans. Even now, after two seasons, Tennant still tops polls of favorite doctors. In a poll done by The Escapist Magazine online, 73% preferred Tennant and 27% preferred Smith. In a poll I conducted of LASA students, 62.5% preferred Tennant. What could be

the reason for such a heavy following of Tennant over Smith? Many cite Tennant’s attractive features, especially his trademark messy hair, as wellas his high energy. While Smith is very energetic, even hyper, Tennant brought a more fun-loving touch to the Doctor. Also, people thought that he added more depth to the Doctor. Unlike Eccleston, who kept his pain on the outside, and Smith, who is always cheerful, Tennant acted happy but kept a tinge of pain in his attitude. This allowed viewers to identify more with the duality of his emotions. Some haters have more catty reasons and just dislike Smith’s outfit. It may be quite obvious to those reading that I prefer Tennant over Smith. However, I do not dislike Smith, and I have not met anyone who truly does. Smith brings a different perspective the Doctor. He is quirky and scatterbrained, bringing to mind an old man trapped in a young man’s body, which is exactly what the Doctor is. Smith may not be the fan favorite, but he is still enjoyable to watch, making Doctor Who a wonderful experience. # Plus, his bowties are cool.

Taken By Gripandword.com

Which Website Are You? An unbiased look at popular websites and the personalities that accompany them By Sophie Taylor-Burton

We’ve all been on the internet at least a few times. If you haven’t, feel free to visit Courtney’s quiz (page 12) to be mocked. On those few excursions on the web, you may have come across a few websites that caught your eye and made you think, hey, I can relate to this website. It’s just like me. If so, you are totally weird, but #trippin acknowledges that the majority of our audience is weird people, so here’s the double-page spread for you!

This is a very simple quiz. Simply summon all your mental effort and follow the lines to the next text box. Yes, there may only be two questions, but they are very important, fate-deciding questions. Don’t question the logic, just go for it. Once you finish the quiz, you may be thinking, Sophie, there are no complimentary answers to this quiz. You cheated me! You know what? Life is tough. Go on with your life and leave me alone.* *Please don’t sue me.

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START! You get free time in class. You:

Read a book or do your homework.

Chat with your friends.

Goof off and tell jokes.

Your friend asks you for help with studying. You:

What kind of jokes make you laugh the most?

What do you do on the computer?

Refuse. It’ll just be a waste of time.

Agree, whether you can help or not.

You are.... Facebook! You’re a friendly person, maybe too friendly. You’ll stick by your friends’ sides till the day you die, even if they’re already decomposing. You may annoy us with your constant statuses about hanging out with your girls/bros, but it’s kind of endearing... like a puppy that almost has a seizure greeting its owner every day.

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Inside jokes that only people in your group understand.

You are...

Immature humor.

Wikipedia!

Sure, you may know everything, but no one can tell whether your information is faulty or not. We may come to you for help on projects, but only because we know you’ve got nothing to do on yours - you’ve put it off till the night before. We all love you anyway, even though we’d never admit we used you - too humiliating.

Troll people or read random posts.

Browse or research for a project.

You are.... Reddit! You’d definitely be voted class clown if your humor was original, but most of what you say we’ve heard a million times before. Plus, you definitely have some misogyny that you don’t really own up to. You’re a fun waste of time when we don’t want to do our homework, but hanging out with you isn’t something we’ll be proud of. 11

How Internet Addicted are You?

By Courtney Garner

Courts ASF

CARL. You finally get some free time, so you...

LAPTOP TIIIME!

Your computer’s name is? Um, I didn’t name my computer.

Yes!

Grab a Book Do you use Google chrome?

Of course!

Do you have a facebook account? No...

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YES.

Do you prefer Reddit or Tumblr?

I like Tumblr better. Blogging is like, my life.

Who isn’t???

You need help. This kind of addiction can lead to severe lethargy and loneliness, and possible murder by your twenty-four cats, who are all named after your tumblr followers. Here, we have a simpler word: nerd. One day we’ll probably find you staring at the screen, with vacant eyes and cheeto dust all over your flabby body. We’ll cry at your funeral, but only because you ruined our Macbook.

You love the internet, and man, it’s creeping us out a little. You’re not addicted, per say, but there’s definitely something a bit disturbing going down. Late at night we find you stroking the computer screen, trying to comment on just one more facebook post, mu muring about how only the computer understands you. No relationship will ever be as fulfilling as the conversations you have on message boards, and no sensation will be as sweet as typing after vacuuming your keyboard. Text written by Sophie Taylor-Burton

Are you familiar with memes? Like “Mee-mees?”

No, I use internet explorer.

Meh, you don’t need the internet. You actually go hang out with people, and maybe even interact with nature. You have the trappings of an internet addict: an email, facebook, lots of bookmarks, maybe even a tumblr, but you have the willpower to resist their siren call. Seriously, why are you even doing this quiz? Do you really think you’re going to learn anything from us? Go play soccer or something and leave us alone with our bags of chips and giant sodas.

You’re either amish or some grandparent of ours who’s reading this to support us. You probably haven’t understood half of our babbling, and the half you did understand you couldn’t relate to at all. Like our peers with internet addictions, you have way too many cats, but they’re all named with endless puns based on endless synonyms of “cat”. Maybe you should go back to reading your first-run copy of The Great Gatsby (while petting “The Great Catsby”), because this magazine is clearly not targeted towards you.

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Facebook: League of Champions By Raymond Kuhn

Photo is taken by a cheap camera, and is therefore owned by Ray.

Ray shows his conservative views to the world.

he party was awesome. You met so many people, but one girl stood out. Her name was Sarah, and she gave you a piece of paper with her information on it. When you get home, you take it out of your pocket and get ready to put her number in your phone. But there’s a problem. She didn’t give you her number, but her Facebook address... and you don’t have a Facebook. You can only hope she has a Google+ account. A “social network,” as defined by dictionary. com, is “an online community of people with a common interest who use a web site or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources, etc.”

Social networks began in the mid ‘90s, as the information age began, but were unpopular due to the relative newness of computers. As computers became more widespread, Facebook, founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, soon became the largest social networking site in the world, with over 845 million users as of February 2012. Zuckerberg had no idea just how big Facebook would become at its inception. But he wasn’t alone. Other networking sites, such as Twitter, and Facebook’s direct competitor, Google +, soon sprouted up in defiance. Facebook allows users to add “friends” and communicate with them. The are able to post to each other’s “walls,” “like” posts, and comments on Trippin Magazine

them. Users are able to share pictures among many other things, chat in real time, and join independent groups. Google Plus, the newest of these sites, is a response to Facebook’s popularity by Google. It links users’ Google accounts with YouTube. It lets users “share” and “+1” posts, similar to Facebook. It also uses “circles,” which is a group of other users. Twitter, on the other hand, is more like microblogging than social networking when it comes to use. Users are able to “tweet” information, much like Facebook “posts,” except they are under 140 characters. Users can also use “hashtags” (#) as a way of mentioning or replying to other users or groups.

“Our goal is not to build a platform; it’s to be cross all of them. ” -Mark Zuckerberg What makes Facebook the greatest of these of these aforementioned sites?

Something that many people are looking for in a social network is being able to post special items, such as videos. Facebook let’s people post videos directly from YouTube and other sites, but so does Google+. Actually, Google+ makes it easier to do so with YouTube because of their close corporate relationship. But who does it better? In Facebook, you can type in a link (the new “Pre-

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Another big factor in ease of access is communication. Facebook has revolutionized the industry with their chat features: video chat, being able to “hide” from certain people, and group chat. Google+ has the same features, and even lets you go off the record. Just as before, Twitter does not have these features. In the end, Facebook has set the precedent for the social networking industry. Google+ probably got most of their ideas from them, but Facebook’s success comes from the legacy they’ve created. Twitter is more real time, but since it’s more like microblogging, it does not offer the same amount of features other companies do. Facebook is king, and I predict it will stay that way for a long time to come. #

Photo by Charis Tsevis

It has to be ease of access. Let’s say you want to post a status on Facebook, but you don’t want specific people to see it. Facebook has allowed users to change specific privacy settings. From your name to a status update, the user is able to decide who can see almost every aspect of their profile. On the other hand, Google+ only lets you select circles which you want to share with. Twitter has none of these. Some may say that nobody should ever say bad things about other people or post inappropriate things, but that is asking too much. People will always do that, and it’s better that there are proper privacy settings for this.

view” capability is nice), and you can view videos in site. Google+ lets you do the same thing, but it also lets you search for a video in YouTube’s database in site, which Facebook does not have. Also, you can directly upload from your phone or laptop and into a post. Facebook has a similar process. But would you really want to search for the video to post in Google+? It’s much easier to do so on YouTube’s website, and you probably already have the tab open and the link ready to paste in. Twitter, again, is not capable of any of this.

A collage of Zuckerburg’s success

TEXTING

By Courtney Garner

ver since the dawn of the cellular phone, there has been a growing number of elderly people sitting on their porches whining about the “youth of today” and shaking their fists at the children playing on their iPhones. Large numbers of middle-aged people complain about how easy the children’s lives have become with technology giving them all they could ever want at the touch of a button. Senior citizens have chastised teenagers

why texting is indeed better than calling. Many people believe that texting is one of the most annoying things that a person can do. They believe that it is impersonal and hard to carry on a real conversation that way. I know many business people who like to handle everything over the phone rather than texting or emails because it allows them to connect better with clients, or it makes it harder for the clients to say no.

know don’t text very often because they don’t want to learn! It doesn’t matter that it’s easier, it’s just that it’s different from what they’re used to. My own father complained about texting about texting because, as he said, “the whole idea seemed silly. I mean what is useful about sending short little messages to people when you can just call them?” He says that he now realizes the usefulness of “being able to send small bits of information because it is easier to remember and faster to respond.” As for the impersonality of texting, you have to look back to before there were even phone calls. What did people use to communicate? Letters. People wrote letters to each other! What is the difference between for texting at the table, claiming I believe that the people writing notes to someone and that “they never talk to people who find texting annoying are texting? Texting is faster than anymore,” which the pressured simply trying to avoid change. sending letters. Texting isn’t any teens respond to by getting tat- In our modern world, technol- less impersonal than writing toos and piercings and such. ogy is constantly advancing and someone a letter. We are simply However, the technology-ad- even with all of the new gad- modernizing an older form of dicted teens claim that texting is gets and social media, it is very communication. However one “like, totally just as good as call- hard to keep up and harder, concern of texting is the aning.” Being part of the tech-savvy sometimes, to want to keep up noying thing that people do generation, I am going to prove with the changes. Most adults I when they shorten words and

“[Texting] is simply modernizing an older form of communication - letters.”

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often have a very relaxed atti-

tude towards spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I understand that this is done in order to shorten the amount of time it takes to compose a text message, and society likes to think it has become a trend. Many people are worried that this will reduce the literacy of the people who text this way, but I think that is a bit of an exaggeration. They aren’t going to for-

get how to write because it just isn’t a skill that is so easily lost. Most of my friends are intelligent and don’t text like the other semiliterate teenagers. Instead of condemning texting for its lazy grammar, we condemning texting for its lazy grammar, we should encourage people to actually write coherently. Grammar is cool. I have been a participant in a lot of awkward phone calls in my life. My least favorite part of awkward phone calls is when I accidentally blurt something out and then neither person knows

VS.

what to say. Well, when you text people, you have the option to rewrite and edit something you want to say before you send it, so there is no accidental blurting or awkward silences. Not to mention awkward silences. Not to mention that texting allows you to really think about what you want to say. According to a study by Cornell Universityn people are less likely to lie to you through a text message than they are through the phone. I personally don’t like it when people lie to me. Plus, phone calls are

demanding. When your phone rings, you have to answer it immediately or else you have to check your voicemail, and we all know how annoying that can be. But a text can just wait patiently in your inbox until you have time to read it. Technology should never be in your face, and neither should phone calls. I believe that texting is far superior to phone calls because of its simplicity, its efficiency, and its editing capabilities.

CALLING #

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Janu

Unofficial Holidays By: Raymond Kuhn

ary: -11t -31st h: Milk D :Wor ld Laay ught Febur er Da -15th a ry: -F y : Wik irst Fr ipedi -12th: iday: Na a Da y’l We Darwi y n Day ar Red D Febru March: ary 17 ay 1 4 t h th: Ra :P ndom -Friday i Day Acts o of first f f Kind ull week ness D : Middl e Name ay April: -16th Pride D : Foursquar ay e Day -20th: 420 -25th: DNA day

May: -4th: Star W ars Day -25th: Geek Pri de Day

-26th: National P

aper Airplane Da

June: -18th: Autistic Pride Day -28th: INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY -21st: Go Skateboarding Day July: -First Saturday: International Free Hugs Day -Last Friday: System Administrator Appreciation Day y al Friendship Da n o ti a rn te In y: a nd August: -First Su rnational Beer Day te -5th: In y a Pirate Da e ik L lk a T l na : Internatiopid Question Day h t 9 1 : r e b Stu Septem 28th: Ask a DAY #2 K C O L S AL CAP N O I T A N : INTERef Night d n 2 2 : i ay tening October -30th: Misch s D i ’ L s t f n o e l Stud ational Day a n o i t a N Intern nksgiving: : h t 7 ber: -1 y after Tha m e v o N -Da y y Da m e k n Mo rgas : O h t l 4 a er: -1 nd: Glob b m e -22 Dec 18

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Pic by: Varin Tsai

Look like everybody else.

TRIPPIN TRENDS

Photos and article by: Tripi Shrivastava

Trippin Magazine

Toms are seen everywhere you go. They cost about $38, and look great on every outfit you can imagine. Whether you are going on a walk with a friend or wearing a fancy dress, Toms will match your outfit.

High-waisted skirts are often seen around LASA. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a simple and classy way to dress anywhere you go.

Colored pants add the perfect prop to your outfit for summer and spring. Not only are the comfortable, they look like you put more effort into your outfit than you actually did! Pair it with a nice and flowy top.

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TT contd

Plaid Shirts are back in style, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just a hipster thing anymore! You can wear them for a special occasion or just a regular day, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter. Plus, they look great on anyone!

Snapbacks are often seen around here. There are many popular brands. Snapbacks include hats of favorite sports teams, brands and styles.

Nike shoes have been around forever. Whether you are going to play basketball with the guys or just out to school, Nikes are great for any occasion!

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CAESURA CONNECTION By: Raymond Kuhn

Michael F, entranced in his playing.

he conductor raises his baton, and the students raise their instruments. He counts off, and seven beats later, with a swift stroke, the music begins. The students follow his every move. If he slows down, so do they. If he speeds up, so does the music. There are over 200 students involved in the LBJ band, and it grows every year. More and more people want to be involved in playing music, and band makes it easy. At the Liberal Arts and Science Academy high school (LASA), which shares a campus with LBJ high, students make band a huge part of their lives. Students will often have to choose between band or another extracurricular activity. But to most, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth it.

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The middle school Michael went to is the Kealing Middle School magnet program, which feeds about half the students at LASA. Kealing educates students from all over the city, and Michael was the only one from elementary school to attend, so naturally he had to start over with making friends. This is where band came in. It allowed Michael to share the same musical experience with his peers. Michael says, “Band is like of family. It’s all about a sense of belonging, and everybody knows everybody. That’s what I like about it.” But being in band is a big commitment, as Michael can vouch for. “You have to spend a lot of your time [in band] that could be spent doing homework.” Many students feel Michael’s pain. Especially during marching band season, students can get home as late as midnight, even if there’s school the next day. Players learn to balance school and band as efficiently as possible. But aside from making friends and balancing academic life, band gives people the opportunity to develop other traits, so long as they’re committed. “When playing performances, you have to be courageous. This year I had quite a few solos in songs we played, and I got really nervous, but you have to give it all you got. You can’t chicken out at the last

second. It really taught me to be myself. Everybody has their own unique way of playing. If we’re all one uniformed mass of singularity, music wouldn’t be interesting.” Michael speaks for all musicians everywhere when he says how important uniqueness in music is, but sometimes the bigger picture gets a bit blurry. Don Haynes, the head band director at the campus, says, “it is near impossible to go an entire day without hearing music, unless you live in a cave.” In homes, businesses, and even on the streets, music is everywhere, and the importance of it is greater than ever before. At LASA, located in Austin, Texas, music is a huge part of many students’ lives. Teens are especially influenced by popular culture, something that music is very prevalent in. “All you have to do is turn on the radio or TV, and you’ll hear music pretty quickly,” says Haynes. “Madonna and others like her are excellent at staying popular with their followers because they have learned to adapt.” Haynes is talking about the way popular musicians-people that greatly influence every aspect of pop culture-have to learn to change their styles to attract to the ever changing generations of Americans, especially teens. Michael says, “LASA is a breeding ground; you really need to talk about music in that sense.” Many students embrace a culture rich in music. Because LASA is located in Austin, a city dubbed the “live music capital of the world,” teens will have mu-

sic on their minds all the time. You see evidence of this everywhere: the hundreds of clubs and bars that offer live music. “A lot of people talk about music that’s popular now, you’d think that it’s mostly Justin Bieber, One direction, Taylor Swift, but really, music is more than just that. Socially, you talk about it. It’s sort of like a trading game. You talk and then trade.” But some people will try and claim that music isn’t important. Haynes doesn’t believe this to be true. “I think they would be shocked to discover how empty their lives are without any kind of music to serve their mental and psychological needs. ” Michael agrees. “Society wouldn’t have a lot of things to talk about without music. Anybody can listen to a recording of Justin Bieber. One person in the US listens to something, and another person in Japan listens to the same thing. It’s sort of like a gateway for connection between people. “ Even though people may not listen to music religiously, it is still a large part of their lives. Haynes says, “It can and does bring fighting cultures together. It makes for a common bond when allowed.I am thrilled that America embraces music at every level.So many various functions and good uses of music... I would consider them all a very important gift to man from the Almighty.” So the next time you hear music on the street, in your car, or in your ears, thanks musicians everywhere, and all they do to keep us listening.

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“When I was first in band, I was kind of a shy kid,” says Michael F, a freshman at LASA. “I didn’t know anybody at [my middle school], so I had to make friends quickly. Band sort of opened me up to everybody.”

Trippin Magazine Gale Hawthorne Photo by: Annonymous

Photo by: Jill Pantozzi

Katniss Everdeen

Peeta Mellark Photo by: Annonymous

Hunger Games Poster Photo by: Annonymous

Let The Games Begin

May the odds be ever in your favor.. by Tripi Shrivastava

he lights were flashing, the carpet was glistening, and everything was set. The fans in their costumes, holding books, posters, and cameras, screamed in excitement as the stars walked the red carpet. They were dying to get a touch of Josh Hutcherson’s hands, as he walked down the line with Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence. This overthe-top movie premiere was for the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, getting a bigger response than any other book-to-movie, as close as the Harry Potter level. The movie took in a record $155 million in North America and set up what promises to be one of the biggest film franchises of this decade. Students at the Liberal Art and Science Academy High School are no different from the rest of the crowd. They have been going crazy about the Hunger Games series like everyone else since the announcement of the movie release. The book first came out in 2008, where only a few, like LASA Student Mehraz Rahman read it. “Nobody ever listened to me when I told them to read it,” said Mehraz. The book became popular, however, when it was announced that the movie is coming out, in 2012. Readers like Jackie Singer, a fresh-

at LASA, were influenced by her friends as they started to get involved into the trilogy. “I thought I should read it, so that I know what was going on when they were talking about it,” Jackie explained. The book was enjoyed by a wide crowd and was a new experience. “I really thought it was a new idea that nobody had ever come up with before; it wasn’t a take on another story, and it was very well written with a lot of emotion,” says Melissa Porter, another LASA freshman. Courtney Garner, freshman, had the same attitude towards the book as Melissa, in the

the movie was made.” Sophie further explains her views from her feminist point of view. “Around the time when the publicity for the movie was starting, I read a lot of critiques of the morals and ideas presented in the books,” she explains. “Now I find the protagonist-centered view-

sense of the plot. “It was exciting and compelling, in the way that anything could happen and anyone was in danger of dying,” says Courtney. “The characters were very strong, brave, and admirable. They all really felt like heroes.” Others, like Sophie TaylorBurton, had a hard time enjoying it. “I did [like the book] when I first read it. However, over time, my opinions of [the book] have darkened,” Sophie said. “When I first read The Hunger Games, I loved that there was a ‘strong female character’. I read it when I was 12, so it was a few years until

point horrendously biased, and I wonder why such a supposedly female-friendly series had so few female characters, and the ones who are there either fit basic stereotypical female archetypes or are disliked because, as other girls, are considered ‘rivals’”. The book’s plot’s origin left a mark in people’s hearts. “I found it really interesting that the book was inspired by the war in Iraq, so realizing that young soldiers are fighting for their lives right now, makes me respect them a lot more than I had,” says Ashvin Roharia, a junior at LASA. Although many loved the book, there were parts that didn’t

“I even surprised myself when I felt the sensation of ‘not being able to put the book down’” --Ashvin Roharia

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make sense to a few. “I feel like they may-be played up the romance a little too much during the games, considering her thoughts really shouldn’t have been about love, they should have been about surviving. I figure that might have been the book a little more real,” says Melissa. In addition, the book’s social commentary has evoked powerful thoughts for many at LASA. “If someone or anyone has to control at such big level, such as the government, I [think] it’s just really dangerous for everyone,” says Mehraz. “Not just for the people who are in the government, or in the games, and not just the people who are directly involved, but also the people who are indirectly involved as well.” The barbarian actions of the book disgusted many and left them in thought. “Suzanne Collins was showing how life would have been in the ‘Gladiator’ Era, where it resembles the violent hunger games, where the less wealthy were thrown into a fight to the death for pure entertainment,” says Ashvin. “Also, she’s trying to get across how easily a government can control people, forcing them to be content with even the most inhumane things. For example, the capital forces all the district members to view these hunger games for pure

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entertainment.” The movie met the standards of many LASA students, although some were still disappointed. “There’s definitely some let downs,” says Mehraz. “[For example] President Snow’s casting was just not good. I wish they could have put the fight scenes in more focus, but they couldn’t otherwise it would have to have been rated R. I guess I understand, because the book was meant for a PG-13 audience anyways.” The competition between Peeta and Gale will always be in Katniss’s life. But it caught the attention of many at LASA too. Hands down, Peeta won by a landslide. “I like him the best because despite all of the danger and hatred, he was always selfless and kind to those he loved, even if they didn’t return his feelings,” says Courtney. “I also liked him because he had a unique skill that the rest of the characters didn’t even come close to having. He could use his words so effectively as to move a crowd to tears, which he did, and I think that it is important to show that words can sometimes be even more effective than weapons.” “In terms of being with Katniss, I would definitely pick Peeta because he’s just so calm, and tranquil, and he’s so sweet and thoughtful and selfless,” explains Mehraz. “And he’s just so good for her. They’re not really alike. But Gale is just too brash and violent and I don’t understand how he can be like that because not only is he

responsible for his own family, but also for his Katniss’s at the same time. And Katniss and Gale are too alike, it just wouldn’t work.” Despite the different opinions on the book, the Hunger Games won the heart of many readers. “After watching the movie and noticing how interesting of a story it was, I gave the book a chance,” explains Ashvin, who doesn’t see reading as a pleasure. “I usually don’t do this, and rely on the movies to keep me up-to-date with the story (ex/ Harry Potter). I even surprised myself when I felt the sensation of ‘not being # able to put the book down.’”

So It Has Come to This.... An Ode to the End of the Harry Potter Era by Courtney Garner

Owned by: Warner Brothers Studios

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ine years ago, theaters were crowded with thousands of kids dressed in dark cloaks with scarves of maroon, yellow, blue, and green, eagerly clutching their magic wands. They were awaiting the moment when the mystical world inside of their books would come to life on the big screen. Last summer, those same children, some now adults, still dressed in wizard robes, marched to the theater to see their beloved Harry Potter series reach its end. “I’ve been reading it since first grade and I would buy every book as it came out, and I’ve read all of books and seen every movie,” laughed Sophie, a student at LASA high school and an avid reader. “So yeah, a lot of my childhood involved Harry Potter.” Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, have been a huge influence on the lives of children in the last fifteen years, encouraging children to read, and learn the value of friendship, loyalty and love. The story follows three children who are destined to fight the most powerful and evil wizard in the world. The plot definitely follows the readers, as the books keep getting darker as the audience grows up, introducing more

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pics such as death and betrayal. In a way, the readers mature along with the characters, creating a stronger love for the world inside the books. Many students at LASA high school are especially fond of the series, with them wearing Harry Potter shirts to school, carrying the books around, and even putting on a play called A Very Potter Musical. “I fell in love with the characters. I think I liked Hermione the best because she was such an independent and intelligent girl,” explained Sophie. “I think in books, there need to be more smart female characters,

girls to read about those kind of characters.”

you know, ones who actually contribute and are an integral part of the group, and I think it’s i n spiring for little

opened in 2010 and it is still so popular that you have to get up at five in the morning and wait for two more hours just to get in,” said Melissa P., another student. “It was definitely worth it though. It was crazy! It looked

The originality o f those characters and story have also sparked a lot of fanfiction, such as “A Very Potter Musical,” a play written by a group called Starkid, which was performed at our own LASA high school in January. The series even has its own place in the Universal Studio’s theme park, called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. “The whole park was

“She created an entirely new world inside the book with her own language and people.”

just like it did in the movies.” Even with all of this new memorabilia, it is proving difficult to let go of the series, but Harry Potter, like everything, must end. “Immediately after finishing writing, I was very upset. The first two days were terrible. Terrible,” said J.K. Rowling, the author of the book series told Meredith Vieira on the ABC show Dateline, “But I feel as though I know what he’s doing now. So he’ll always be a presence in my life really.” Although the books and movies are finishing up, many devoted fans believe that the series will continue on. “People read these books as a kid, and when they grow up, they read them to their kids, so yeah maybe not the next Shakespeare, but yeah, It will definitely be popular for the next few generations,” Sophie said. The Harry Potter books have made a large impact on almost everyone who read them. For many people, it got them more interested in reading and literature. “I’m sort of a case in point, really, of somebody who didn’t really read at all,” stated Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who has portrayed Harry Potter in the movies since he was 11, to Will Lawrence from the Telegraph, “And I read the Harry Potter books 30

and have been, from then on, been devouring as much literature as I possibly can-- which is, I think, the effect they’ve had on everybody.” J.K. Rowling could not have been more pleased. “The most flattering thing that I’ve ever been told -- and I have been told it quite a lot -- is that the Harry Potter books were the first that made people interested in reading,” said Rowling, “And there’s nothing better than that. If that’s what Harry did, then that’s the best thing I could possibly, possibly hear.” The most profound things about this book are the complex characters that Rowling conceives and their purpose and message in the story. They are the things that will stick with readers forever. “She really created her own world inside the book,” said Zoe K. a fellow student at LASA. “She has her own language and people and it’s so fascinating to see them grow. I really learned a lot about friendship. I feel like I went along with them throughout the books.” Many of the actors who had devoted so much time to the characters feel the character’s personalities have, in turn, rubbed off on them. “Parts of my personality have slipped into Hermione and parts of her personality I’m sure have unconsciously affected me,” agreed Emma Watson, who plays the part of Hermione Granger, “I’m sure. I’m positive.” It is a sad time all around, for the audience to have nothing Owned by: Warner Brothers Studios

left to wait for, and for the actors and producers and author to say goodbye to. “It’s really sad that kids nowadays don’t have something like Harry Potter,” Sophie said disappointedly, “Something to be excited about and something to wait for and read. I do feel hopeful though, that someone will feel inspired to write a new series, so maybe something else will come out of this.” And while the story is over, it will continue to be read and remembered by millions of its fans. “But aside of the writing-it staggers me that so many people have loved them and what’s better than that? Nothing’s better than that,” sighed Rowling, as she explained how she felt about her career. As we say our own goodbyes to Harry and his friends, we# will always remember their story.

Owl Photo By: Bob Fila Castle Photo By: Chris Kohler

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Google. Just kidding. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need ads.

Target Aquired How The Media Perpetuates Stereotypes About Girls By Sophie Taylor-Burton

Taken by: gossipfreak.blogspot.com

Ugly! Slut!

Miniskirts!

Whore!

Thighs!

Prude!

Chubby!

Makeup!

Fat!

Diet!

Calves!

Skank! Heels!

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n the TV, two girls in skirts and tops that barely cover them fight over a boy who shows little but a passing interest in them. Tripi turns off the TV to start her homework. She is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. “On TV they wear ridiculously short skirts and tiny tops,” she says, laughing a little. “I don’t dress like that, and neither do my friends.” Some of the most popular television shows with teen cast members are Gossip Girl, Glee, and Pretty Little Liars. While the girls on these shows may have slushies thrown in their face or nearly get raped, many students feel they still look unrealistic. “I don’t like how [girls on TV] all look really put together,” said Courtney, a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. “It’s always really obvious that they just spent four hours in make up fixing their hair and clothes and face. Real life is messy and not always so perfect.” Even some male students, after thinking for a while, expressed similar opinions. “Girls on TV are obsessed about the way they look to other people,” said Michael Foelker, a fellow freshman. “Girls I know don’t care as much about relationships or looking as great,”

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agreed Ray Kuhn, his friend. Courtney expressed distaste about the personalities, or lack thereof, of most teen girls on television. “A lot of girls on TV seem to have a more stereotypical personality, and are more one-dimensional than people in real life,” said Courtney. “Having quirks is what makes a person memorable and unique.” Mehraz, a self-described feminist freshman, feels that girls on TV are too perfect to be real. “I don’t really believe that people can be so well-rounded,” Mehraz said. “That kind of perfection doesn’t exist.” Mehraz feels

opinions, she could name lots of different stereotypes right off the bat. “There are so many different stereotypes out there, like ‘girls don’t do the same things boys do, girls don’t have the same jobs, girls don’t want to engage in the same activities.’” said Mehraz. “Stereotypes lead to hurt because they lead to people drawing conclusions.” Guys that Mehraz know often dismiss her because of her gender. “They have this mentality that something they talk about we won’t understand.” Mehraz said, looking exasperated. “It’s just that ‘you wouldn’t understand, you’re a

that teens not paying attention to issues with the media is part of the bigger problem. “I feel like most teens have become used to problems portrayed by women in the media,” she said. “I think people say that nothing’s wrong because that’s what’s expected of them to think.” Mehraz doesn’t feel able to talk to others about issues she recognizes. “Most of my guy friends just get really annoyed at me, and they don’t really see that there’s a problem,” Mehraz said. “Most of my girl friends don’t really want to think about it.” While Mehraz can’t even talk to her strict parents about her

girl’ attitude that most of my male friends have and it’s because I’m a girl.” Tripi agreed, though a little more hesitantly. “They think I’m not as strong, that I can’t play soccer as well as them,” she said, trailing off a little. Courtney feels that stereotypes create expectations for people that they can’t always meet. “The more that we use stereotypes and sexist jokes, the more that we subconsciously put people in a box, and expect them to conform to the stereotypes,” Courtney said. Michael feels that girls often try to meet such expectations,

“I think people say that nothing’s wrong because that’s what’s expected of them to think.”

with varied success. “The same behavior can be found in the regular world because girls will watch TV and then have that same sort of mindset,” Michael said. “They think that if they wear makeup and get thin that all the boys will like them.” Even students who had previously dismissed stereotypes began to parrot them when pressed. “Well, they get that ‘gift’ once a month, and whenever they do they get really mad, and whenever they get mad it’s because that’s happening,” Ray said with a nervous laugh. “It seems like sometimes they make a big deal out of nothing.” Television doesn’t just affect attitudes, it also affects how girls view their appearance. While some girls think they will get past middle-age before they become unattractive, Mehraz named a much lower number. “It’ll be my late twenties/early thirties [when I lose my looks], just because of the idea that to be beautiful you have to be young,” Mehraz said. “ I mean, there are beautiful older women in Hollywood, but most of them are beautiful because of makeup or surgery, because they have a personal trainer.” Many students feel that stereotypes are so ingrained in our culture that 34

there is little chance of change. “Honestly, I don’t think [stereotypes] will ever end, because there will always be that one person who might say it as a joke,” Tripi said. “They might not mean it, but the fact that they are saying it as a joke implies that they somewhat support that statement.” Mehraz has some ideas for how change can occur, but doesn’t feel that change will happen fast enough. “I think the first step towards combating stereotypes is trying to show people examples of women who don’t really follow the conventional ways that people think women are like,” Mehraz said. “I think that change depends completely on the media, and when the media stops showing girls that are all perfect and dolled up and wearing so much makeup and the perfect body weight, and when models stop being so skinny, that’s when we can start telling people that the way you are is okay. Maybe in a couple of generations we can train our kids to not be like that, but it’s really hard to combat stereotypes because of how we’ve grown up. It’s going to be a long time from now.” #

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--Sophie Taylor- Burton -- Courtney Garner

--Tripi Shrivastava --Ray T. Kuhn

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