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Learning to write with purpose
PULSE MAGAZINE
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WOLVES
Members of RSHS Journalism Team 3
January 2013
• Snow Day theory-6 • Beat the Boredom-7 • greek life-8 • cold weather comfort food-10 • Movie Remakes-12 • Movie Stars from the area-13 • WHat you don’t know can’t hurt-14
Matt Locke- graphic editor Bob Lynch- writing editor Mackenzie Mattix- asst. graphic editor Lacey Curtis- asst. writing editor
In This Issue
• concert venues-15 • thrift stores-18 • restaurant revieiw-20 • movie review-22 • game page-24 • final thought-27
Designers: Annie hale Jason bainter Ronnie Fuller
Photographers: Amelia fisher Sabrina durham
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Freshman Focus Writers: Taylor Byler Courtney Parham Kristin Minturn Emily Highfill Tyler Miller James McFerron Eden Branstetter Joey Longstreet
Callie Thomas Glenna Dement Autumn Ward Emily Gilderson Marrissa Peebles Kylee Goddard Kerrigan Arnold
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Snow Day theory
Emily Gilderson
A c cording to the forecast, Southern Stone County could have a few snowy days this winter, but could you and your fellow school mates be an underlying factor in actually getting a day off from school? According to Kessinger, you could in fact have an impact on whether or not we get some snow on the grounds of Reeds Spring. In Kess’s theory of snow days, he makes it a point to let everyone know that the underlying goal in the snow theory is not to create a snow day but to make the most optimal snow day possible. On the other hand, Kess’s theory on snow days will not miraculously create weather. Instead, it states that the weather can only be affected, and whether it is affected in a positive or a negative way is up to you. When the meteorologist on your local news station is calling for a winter weather filled night, there are two approaches you can take in reacting to the news. From what he is saying, you are feeling almost 100% positive that you will be off from school. By following the first approach, the first thing that pops into your head would be… “Why would I do all of that homework that was assigned today? There won’t any school tomorrow anyways!” Being said, you don’t do your homework for your classes, you decide that you’ll wait to do your chores over this pretty much guaranteed snow day, and you’ll stay up till the crack of dawn
playing video games or “snapping” via the ever so popular snapchat. With having this attitude towards the hopeful snow day, Kess states that you are creating an abundance of positive energy. One might think that this positive energy would have no impact on the outcome of the weather, but what if it did? Many people will associate positive energy with warm energy. Collectively, all of the warm, positive thoughts given off by a multitude of hopefuls in the area will create a warm pocket per say in the air. This warmth deposited into the air causes the snow to move around more rapidly in the sky, creating a separation in the cold front. More often than not, when a snow day is over celebrated in advance, the snow always seems to miss good old Reeds Spring and school remains in session. Now, being in the area that we are in, we all know that a good snow day seldom happens. Being said, do you think there would be another way you could help this change?
sphere brought on by the winter weather and decrease the chances of the air warming up as it does when excitement begins to become overwhelming by the snow day hopefuls. One who has this appropriate negative approach will do their homework like normal, do the chores their parents expect them to have done, and will go to bed at their normal time, preparing themselves for the next day. By following all of the normal routines, you are creating a more optimal, desirable day for yourself when you learn that there will be no school the next day. You won’t have any homework to do, there will be no chores to be done, and you will be well rested for your free day off from school.
The purpose behind sharing this Kess-approved and supposedly Kessproven theory is to prepare you for any upcoming possibilities for snow days. Do not over celebrate the weather that has not yet arrived, you will put the weather at risk for warming up with everyone’s warm, posiThe second approach to the tive thoughts. When your friends, peers, snow theory Kess has proposed sug- or otherwise seem to be filling the air with gests the methods for creating greater their warm wishes, be sure to tell them possibilities for a large enough amount of that they need to be more focused on the snow fall in our district to allow for that de- lack of possibility for the snow day. Winter sired all-call at 6 a.m. announcing school lasts until Tuesday, March 19 of this year, will not be in session for the day due to theoretically saying Punxsutawney Phil the weather conditions. When snow is in doesn’t see his shadow on February 2nd. the forecast, you should never over cel- Until Winter is over, or at least the winterebrate. Actually, having an almost nega- like weather, keep this theory in minde tive outlook will maintain the cooler atmo- and abide by it whenever necessary.
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beat the boredom
We all have this awful problem with never having anything to do even though we have so much advanced technology all around us. This is the time of year where we all get stuck in our houses for long periods of time, and are almost past the age where it’s no fun to just go out and play in the snow. Warning, if you think it’s illegal it probably is, so please refrain from entertaining yourself by breaking the law. Also, don’t eat your way out of boredom, you’re allowed to cook but distribute the treats to other people. You know the saying “If you can’t make yourself skinny, make your friends around you fat.” •
Invite friends over on a snow day and have a legit snow ball fight.
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Make a couple of playlists to listen to for things like when you’re driving, running, or trying to pretend you’re in a movie and that’s your soundtrack.
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Go ice skating.
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Blow up your friend’s phone with a ton of texts telling them how you’re bored. I guarantee you that they’ll love you if you send them the entire alphabet.
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Go do a random act of kindness!
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Like, buy a complete stranger’s dinner, mow someone’s lawn, wash
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Go window shopping.
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Make a whole meal for your family or friends, even include dessert!
• Paint your nails, and if you’re a guy, paint your girlfriend’s nails.
• Play video games with your friends. • Read a book, whether it’s for an English class or just for recreational purposes.
someone’s car, or buy someone groceries. We’ve all seen the movie “Pay it Forward”, now is the time to. •
Go to Starbucks with friends and enjoy the time you have with them before you all end up in another state going to college. Clean. Really, your room smells bad. Along with your car… my goodness! Crumbs are everywhere! Nasty! • Volunteer at an animal shelter!
Exercise, even if you don’t end up exercising you’ll find some way to preoccupy yourself.
Go look up the grumpy cat on Twitter and Google. You’ll be entertained for at least thirty minutes.
• Apply for jobs, obviously you’re bored, might as well make some money doing something.
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Marrissa Peebles •
• Go people watching, its way more fun than bird watching and some people are really just so strange in public. Pretend like you know what they’re saying and make up their life stories. •
Get a head start on homework.
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Make a brownie in a mug using the microwave.
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Watch TV, maybe turn on those old cartoons you watched ten years ago.
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Go on a date with someone, even if you don’t really like them that much. They may end up being someone you can become really good friends with.
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Make a bucket list of things you want to do before the year of 2013 ends.
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Play Uno! Or solitaire if you’re alone.
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Write a speech for if you ever were to win an award, it might help you work harder towards things.
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Write a song, even if you’re not good at it.
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Look up interesting facts that have no importance whatsoever.
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Sleep, because obviously you thought all my other ideas were awful so maybe you should just go back to bed and wake up on the right side this time.
Greek life Colleges try to make living on campus as fun as possible, so they have a lot of activities that you can do. Even if it’s book clubs, dancing clubs, or sport clubs. One organization, however, that everyone knows is the Greek Life. People join Fraternities and Sororities to meet lifetime friends and to help out communities. T h e first step to the Greek life is Recruitment, also known as Rush. Recruitment is the beginning of Greek life, and any man or woman can be qualified to be in a Sorority or Fraternity. Potential members are known as Rushees. Rush usually consists of a few rounds, or days. It all depends on what size of campus you have.
Eden Branstetter
This is a time to go around and meet all of the sorority sisters and learn about all of them so you know what fits you best. Bidding is a lot like the fraternity bidding.
sisters encourage as much as possible to keep your academic potential. As a Greek member you are offered tutoring programs, study skills workshops, established study sessions, and grade point requirements. Many of your favorite memories in college will be developed through social interaction. It provides a way of meeting new friends all the time and having fun while doing so. Some activities that are very common among all of the Greek organizations would be chapter retreats, Homecoming, fraternity/sorority exchanges, parents’ weekends, and even winter or spring break trips with your brothers/sisters.
You get a formal invite from the sorority that thinks you could fit in very well.
There are some people that go to college and don’t even consider joining a fraternity or sorority. In my opinion, Greek life could be for anyone. You would be surprised. I’m writing this because instead of not even considering it, you should look at all the plus sides first. Maybe it is something you want to do, but you never know until you do research, or you can even attend the first day of Greek Rush. It’s something that could honestly change your life in a way you wouldn’t know until you were actually part of it. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Greek life.
There are many benefits for being in a sorority or a fraternity that a lot of people don’t think about. One benefit is leadership. Joining the Greek life gives First, we are going to talk about many students opportunities to improve Fraternity Rush. Rushing a fraternity is their leadership potential. You are basiusually more informal than rushing in a cally the leaders of the college in many sorority. During a formal rush event, a ways. For many students, they join for potential new member would meet with the lifelong friendships you have. The fact all the different fraternities on that cam- that they call each other “brother” and pus and visit the houses, depending on “sister” shows a form of a family bond. the university’s guidelines. Informal rush A very important feature of events are usually parties. If someone’s father, grandfather, or other male rela- Greek life is community service. Particitive was a part of a certain fraternity, that pation builds character through the unperson usually would want to be in the derstanding of othsame one because of special consider- er’s needs. Greek ation. This is a time for potential members organizations are to get to know all fraternities and to pick very involved in acout which ones you would fit in the most tivities like tutoring with. If the brothers of a fraternity think children, organizing that you are fraternity material, they will funding events or extend a formal bid. The new member activities, or even becomes a pledge if he accepts the bid. sponsoring blood drives. You would Sorority Rush is a little bit dif- be surprised by ferent than a fraternity. Most of the time, how much commuit is more formal, to where girls are run- nity work they do! ning around in the heat in high heels A major and dresses. In some smaller schools, it is more of a laid back event to where goal is the academthey tell you what to wear, if it’s shorts ic support you get. and a t-shirt, or a cute, summer dress. Your brothers and
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cold weather comfort food The best foods to eat in the blistering cold month of January are the warm and toasty ones that your mom usually makes. There’s nothing like coming in from a nice snow day or coming home from school and having something filling to eat. Now, when you are at home from school, you can make these favorites all on your own or with friends!
Chili when it’s Chilly! Grab the shredded cheese and crackers ladies and gentlemen, chili’s what’s for dinner! Chili is a good meal for someone who doesn’t want to worry about a lot of ingredients, a lot of cooking talent, or spending tons of time of preparing a meal. Chili can have plenty of hardy ingredients, but it can also have as little as three ingredients. Ingredients: Ground beef Chili beans Seasonings *Optional Ingredients* Tomatoes Onions Tomato sauce Garlic
*Amounts of each ingredient depend on how much you would like to make. A large can of chili beans will make enough for around twelve servings. With the large can, add around three to four handfuls of ground beef and a small can of tomato sauce. The other ingredients, such as onions, are added in amounts to your own liking. Directions: Start off by browning your meat in a skillet at medium heat. Make sure you stir and ground it up to avoid large chunks of meat, unless of course that is what you prefer in your chili. You can cook your meat with a seasoning of your choice to add flavor to your meal. While you are browning your meat you can be stirring your chili beans and tomato sauce in a separate pot. After your meat has been completely browned and cooked all the way through and your chili beans have simmered, add your meat to the rest of the chili mixture. At this time, continue to stir your chili and add any additional ingredients you wish. If you prefer to cook your onions, do so before adding them to your meal. Remember, add additional ingredients in moderation. You can always add more if you wish, but after adding too much, it could possibly be unfixable, and you don’t want to jeopardize your pot of chili! Allow your pot of chili to cook at a low-medium to a medium heat until completely hot. This may take twenty to thirty minutes, depending on the amount of chili you are preparing, the heat you choose to warm your chili, or the consistency of your stirring pattern. Serving Ideas: When you are serving your chili, few like it plain and bland. Try adding Ritz veggie crackers, wheat saltines, or seasoned croutons. Also, other popular toppings are shredded cheese and sour cream. You can add any of these into your bowl of chili. In fact, you can try something different for every serving you eat!
Great Garlic Pasta
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Emily Gilderson
There’s nothing better than a recipe that is very lenient! A nice bowl of pasta in the winter always sounds good. The best part about a well put together garlic pasta is that you can eat it with almost any other food or veggie and the tastes won’t clash and one won’t over power the other. Another advantage to garlic pasta is that you can add ingredients such as chicken, broccoli, or a variety of other veggies into the pasta and it will still be absolutely delicious on your taste buds. Ingredients: Pasta *This can be angle hair, elbow macaroni, shells, wheat, or any other pasta you would like to use. 1 TBSP of butter for every 2-3 servings made 1 TSP of garlic for every 2-3 servings made (or as desired) Optional Add-Ins: Broccoli Green Beans Peppers Peas Chicken - Baked or slow pan cooked *You can season your chicken as desired. Make sure it is fully cooked before you eat it or touch it to anything else you will be eating.
Directions: Place a pot of water on the stove on high heat until the water comes to a boil. Turn down the heat to about medium and place in the desired amount of pasta. Keep in mind, a serving of pasta is only half of a cup. Cook the pasta until tender. A tip, if you add a small pinch of salt to your water with the noodles, you will have less of a chance of your noodles sticking to the bottom of the pan as long as you do not neglect to stir your pasta every so often. While your pasta is being cooked, you could have already started to cook or bake your chicken if you wish to
just a little bit of time out of your day you can create one of the best tasting meals made from a combination of two of the most delicious foods out there.
Ingredients: 1 lb. Ground beef
add it to your pasta. You do not want to wait too long to start your chicken because you don’t want to have your noodles set too long allowing them to cool and you don’t want to improperly cook your chicken by cooking it too fast or not cooking it all the way through. DO NOT use the same utensils to cook your pasta that you are using to cook your chicken, this is known as cross contamination. Also, if you would like to add any vegetables to your pasta dish, you can cook them as desired in a separate pan while your pasta is being cooked. After all of your ingredients are fully prepared, get them ready to be mixed together. Add your butter and garlic into your pasta and stir thoroughly until all of the butter is melted. Add in any of your vegetables and chicken you have prepared, if you so desired to add these tasty extras into your meal. Mix together and serve. *A nice side to this pasta would be a slice of whole wheat bread served with water or a light juice. You don’t want too many heavy sides or drinks served with your past!
Pizza Burgers Burgers and pizza. Two of America’s favorite foods. So, why not make a delicious meal out of the two? Well now you can! With four simple ingredients, a few seasonings, and
1-2 Small cans tomato paste 4-5 English muffins 1 Bag mozzarella cheese Directions: Preheat your oven to 350°. Cook your ground beef in a pot or pan deep enough to allow space for the tomato paste you will later add in. Allow the meat to brown on a mediumhigh heat. Make sure you consistently stir the beef to ensure that none of the meat sticks to the bottom of the pot or pan and to allow you to ground it into small bits. After your beef is fully cooked, turn the heat down to mediumlow or low and add in the tomato paste. Simmer the meat in the tomato paste until the mixture is thick. When you add in the tomato paste, you can add in your seasonings. Think of seasonings you would use when you make burgers or pizza, these will add more flavor to your meal. Remember to use the spices and seasonings
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in moderation; you don’t want to overdo it. You can always add more, it’s much harder to take away spices. You will notice when the tomato paste is less saucy than when you first placed it into the pot or pan. While your beef is simmering, cut your English muffins in half, leaving you with two circles and lay them, uncut side up, on to a baking sheet. When your meat is done simmering, place a couple of spoonfulls of the meat onto each of the English muffins, completely covering the exposed side of the muffin. Next, cover the muffin and meat with the mozzarella cheese, creating a complete covering. Place your trays into the oven and allow them to cook until the cheese is completely melted on top of all pizza burgers. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes less. Let set a few min to cool and… voilà! You have successfully made pizza burgers. *For a healthier alternative, use ground turkey meat instead of ground beef. Lean ground turkey is made from white meat or lean dark meat. Also, the turkey will give the pizza burger a different flavor. *For a twist on flavors, you can use BBQ meat instead of meat cooked in tomato paste. This could be pulled pork or assorted meats cooked in BBQ such as chicken, beef, or turkey. Also, smoked meats will add a wide variety of flavors. If you use any of these substitutes, continue with the same procedures as before with placing on the English muffin, covering with cheese, and baking.
Movie Remakes There are so many movies that have been considered classic, whether it be for their age, plot, actors, or the impact they have had on their audiences. Some of them have been remade, and whether they are successful or not, people cannot wait to see them. Some of the remakes have been done pretty well, and others have been complete flops. It almost seems like a curse to remake a movie, because if people love the first movie, they tend to watch the remake and compare. However, many directors have taken the challenge and ran with it.
Emily Highfill
some of the classic dances. The plot stays makes this movie hilarious. It also stars the same, but this one fits modern time Kevin Kline and Jean Reno as main charmuch better and is a little more relatable. acters and has the same basic storyline. Directed by Shaun Levy, this remake Another movie that has been re- follows Clouseau as he tries to find the made is The Pink Panther. The original killer of France’s soccer team. When the was released in 1963 coach’s Pink Panther diamond goes missand starred famous ac- ing, the inspector must find the jewel and tors such as David Niven, the murderer at the same time. This is a Peter Sellers, and Robert hilarious comedy that actually outdid the Wagner. It too was very original with a few surprises along the way. successful in its time. It won an ASCAP award for Anyone who likes action movies will The Pink Panther theme surely love the new movie, Red Dawn. song and was also nomi- However, what you may not know is that nated for an Oscar, Gold- it is actually a remake of the classic 1984 en Globe, and Grammy. film. The original, directed by John Milius For those of you unfa- stars Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howmiliar with the story, The ell, and Lea Thompson. The film follows Pink Panther is about young high school students as they try to an eccentric inspector fight off the Soviet troops attacking their whose job is to find The hometown. The Soviets attack their high Pink Panther, a missing school football field, sending them rundiamond. The clues lead ning into the woods with no adults, food, him to “The Phantom”, a or shelter. The only things they have are notorious jewel thief who hunting rifles, arrows, bows, and pisalways leaves a glove at tols. Not to mention, it’s the middle winthe scene of his crimes. ter and these teens do not only have to Inspector Clouseau is a fight their foreign attackers, but also the little clumsy, nutty, and bitter cold they are stranded in. When all-around crazy, giving they manage to kill a squad of Soviet off the vibe that he has fighters, trouble arises for them. Eventuno idea what he is doing. However, he ally the “Wolverines” have a big target actually succeeds and his attitude makes on their back and reality starts to set in.
One of the most recently remade movies is Footloose. The original movie, starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer, was released in 1984 and it had a lot of success. It was nominated twice in the Best Music, Original Song category at the Oscars that year for “Footloose” and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”. The song “Footloose” was also nominated at the Golden Globes and at the Grammys. Footloose follows the story of Ren McCormack (Bacon), a teenager who moves from Chicago to an extremely small town, farther west. Unfortunately for Ren, this new town has outlawed music and dancing. However, he does find a way to enjoy himself: chasing after the preacher’s daughter, Ariel Moore (Singer). She’s a troubled and lonely teen with a very jealous boyfriend tagging along. Ren tries to get rid of the ordinance that has outlawed the song and dance by the time the senior prom comes along. In order to find out if Ren can get the ban lifted in time to truly enjoy prom, you can catch this movie even more enjoyable to watch. the original movie, or the remake, starThe remake, also titled The Pink ring Kenny Wormald as Ren and Julienne Hough as Ariel. The new version modern- Panther, is just as funny to watch. Steve izes the tracks and puts a new spin on Martin plays Inspector Clouseau, which
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The remake, starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Connor Cruise, Isabel Lucas, and Josh Hutcherson is a very close interpretation of the original movie. Director Dan Bradley stuck close to the original film, but was able to put a modern spin on things. Hemsworth plays a marine returning home while on leave. As the Koreans attack his hometown, he leads a group of brave high-schoolers, including his brother (Peck) on a mission to take down the Koreans. There is no definite ending to the movie. Bradley left the end of this movie a cliffhanger, but we do see the Wolverines start to succeed in the take down of the Koreans.
Movie stars from the area
James McFerron
Movies and TV are some of the best ways to entertain yourself at any time of the day. However, these movies or tv shows would not be possible without the actors. These actors are some of the most famous people in the entire world, but has anyone ever wondered where these huge stars came from? Here are a few names of some stars that lived and grew up in our own are. The first star that grew up in the southwest Missouri area was the one and only Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma but soon moved to the Springfield, Missouri area. He took drama classes at Kickapoo high school, where he also participated in golf, tennis, wrestling, and swimming teams. Brad Pitt has gone on to star in many famous movies like Fight Club, Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Moneyball. He is now married to Angelina Jolie and they have six kids together. The next famous star is the actor John G o o d man, best known for his role as Don Connor on the hit television show Rosanne. John was born in St. Louis, w h e r e he spent the early years of his life. He soon moved to Afton, Missouri, where he attended high school. While at Afton high school, John participated in football where he received an offer to play college football at Southwest Missouri State University, now known as Missouri State. He attended Missouri State, where he pledged to the Sigma Phi Epsilon. While at Missouri State he took drama classes along with other stars, like Kathleen Turner and
tor. After two months of living there, Grabeell got his first television role in a commercial for toothpaste and then eventually went to star in other commercials for Lego and Hot Wheels. He soon got his first television role as one of the main characters of another Disney movie series, Halloweentown. In 2006, he was cast in the role of Ryan Evans, the twin sibling to Sharpay Evans (played by Ashley Tisdale) in the hit television movie High The next School Musical. He actor to reprised his role in the c o m e sequels High School from the Musical 2 and the Springfield motion picture High is Lucas School Musical 3. In Grabeel. 2007, he joined coLucas is stars on the 51-date in a memthe High school Musiber of the cal Live Concert. Durextremely ing his time in High School Musical, Grabeel (along with his co-stars) had a total of six tracks chart in the Billboard hot 100. Furthermore, he was p o p u l a r the first artist to debut in the Billboard hit tele- Hot 100 with two different new entries in v i s i o n one week. He now is on the ABC Fammovie se- ily television show Switched at Birth. ries, High The next star from our area is the School M u s i c a l . legendary game show host himself, Bob L u c a s Barker, host of the Price is Right. Barker was born was born in Darrington, Washington, and in Spring- spent most of his youth on the Rosebud field, Mis- reservation in South Dakota. In 1931, the souri on family moved to Springfield, where BarkN o v e m - er graduated from Central High School ber 23, in 1941. Barker attended Drury College 1984 and (now Drury University) in Springfield on grew up in a basketball scholarship. While attending the Springfield area, where he first attend- college in Drury, Barker worked his first ed Logan Rogersville until high school “media job” at KTTS-FM Radio. After that, before transferring to Kickapoo High he left Springfield and worked at a radio School. He regularly attended Harmony station in Florida. In 1950, Barker moved Baptist Church, where he was a part of to California in order to pursue a career in the children’s and youth groups. During broadcasting. He was given his own radio the summer of 2002, he attended the Mis- show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran souri Fine Arts Academy at Missouri State for the next six years out of Burbank. On University. After his graduation, Grabeel September 4, 1972, Barker began hostmoved to Los Angeles to become an ac- ing the CBS revival of The Price Is Right. Tess Harper. After College he starred in the hit show Rosanne which aired from 1988 all the way to 1997. Goodman went on to make movies like The Flintstones, The Emperors New Groove, The Artist, Monsters Inc., and The Big Lebowski. J o h n G o o d man now lives in California and New Orleans.
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what you don’t know can’t hurt mackenzie mattix
Often on nutrition labels we see wood pulp in chemicals to get powdered Everyone loves to go eat, right? Normally we don’t think about what is ac- a jumble of ingredients that we don’t un- cellulose and, in some cases it is exposed tually in the food. Everything that is in the derstand and pay no attention too. Next to acid to break it down further. So if you food that you eat isn’t necessarily on the time, look for silicon dioxide because it don’t mind wood in most of your food then ingredients list on the wrapper. You may is the fancy name for sand. Not only is you don’t have to worry about this one. be shocked to know that some ingredients silicon dioxide used to make glass, ceOne of the favorite flavors of come from disgusting and odd sources. ment, and optical fibers but it is used as an anti-caking agent in your food. candies, ice creams, and other treats is raspberry. You might want to rethink that There though. A popular way, which has been are a lot of used over the past 80 years, to get this foods that are flavoring, comes from a place that is seridyed red or ously so disgusting. The mixture known as pink. Most of Castoreum is a combination of anal secreus don’t know tions from a beaver mixed with its urine. I where the red didn’t believe it at first either, but as I recolor comes searched it I can’t deny that it’s true! Casfrom, though, toreum is an orange-brown color that has and we don’t an oily substance to it, which is also used give it a secwidely in perfumes as it is in desserts. ond thought when we see We have all heard the rumor of that something there being animal hooves in Jell-O. Alis colored natuthough this isn’t exactly true, it isn’t far rally. One of the from being correct. Companies that promain sources duce gelatin, as well as frosted cereals, of this red dye is carminic dye and it comes from the Co- Many meats, such as beef and chick- yogurt, and some sour creams, use colchineal beetle. The beetle is crushed up en have this ingredient to keep it from lagen as a thickening agent. Collagen to get the red color and goes into foods clumping. Wendy’s and Taco Bell use is mainly extracted from animal skins, like candy, meat, jellies, drinks, bakery it in their chili too. I don’t know about ligaments, and tendons. To make gelatin products and a ton of others that you you, but I find that a little bit disturbing. mainly cow and pig bones, connective tissue, and skin is boiled to form the gel. wouldn’t expect. This particular beetle Everything from salad dress- Collagen isn’t just found in Jell-O though, comes from the family that companies get their wood primer and varnish shel- ing to muffins and cheese, to practically but it’s also in taffy and marshmallows too! lac from. On the ingredients wrapper the all fast food beetles will be disguised as confectioner’s restaurants All across celglaze, pure food glaze, or Lac-Resin. use the board, lulose in many of There’s nothing better than soft, their food. the gross warm bread right? Too bad the bread gets It may not ingrediits softness from some pretty nasty sourc- sound like ents come es. When bread is massed produced the much since from cows companies that make it use an amino acid its practiand pigs. called L-Cysteine to soften the bread. cal use is to Well here’s They get this amino acid from human hair thicken and a n o t h e r, or, in most cases, duck feathers! The main stabilize the but you’ll source used to be human hair, but today food, rebe glad to about 80% is derived from duck feathers. duce fat and know that McDonalds in particular, although other add extra fiit isn’t used fast food companies to use the method ber in additoo, uses the duck feather version in their tion to eliminating costs on more pricey in- as often in America as it is in other counbaked goods like the Baked Apple Pie gredients like flour and oil. This cellulose tries, but it is still used. Rennet, which and the Warm Cinnamon Roll. Accord- is actually another name for wood though! comes from the mucosa of a calf’s fourth ing to CNN, small chemical processing Even though there are a few benefits to stomach, is used to make cheese. Norplants bought hair from Chinese women using cellulose, like cutting down on fat mally, the enzyme is used in the calf’s who were looking for a way to support and adding fiber, it is still wood and pro- stomach to digest food. When it is mixed their families. So, if you look at it that way, cessed and all that not so desirable stuff. with milk it produces curds and whey and I guess it’s a win-win situation for them! To get the cellulose, companies cook virgin then put right into the cheese you eat!
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Concert Venues One of my favorite things to do when I have some extra money to spare is to go see concerts. You might think that the only good places to see you a concert are too far away to be worth it, but you might be surprised at some of the great venues that Springfield, Missouri has to offer. Enjoy these reviews on some of the different concert venues, and maybe you’ll be inspired to go see more concerts!
people, so it’s easy to be close to the stage. Part of the venue is the stage area and the rest includes couches, merch tables, and a bar with plenty of minor friendly drinks. The sound system and the acoustics are nothing short of amazing. With a wide variety of bands that play there, from a number of local Springfield bands to big names like Forever The Sickest Kids and Never Shout Never, it doesn’t matter who you are, you will enjoy yourself at the Outland.
• Remington’s Downtown
• Outland Ballroom Downtown Springfield isn’t exactly a cheery place, but there’s a little slice of heaven tucked away on South Avenue. Right across from the coffee shop The Mudhouse, the Outland Ballroom looks a bit run down on the outside. When you walk through the first door, you have to scale your way up a dark staircase until you reach a little counter. Here, you pay for your concert experience. I would recommend paying up front if you’re a minor. The ‘will-call’ system that they use isn’t very efficient, but the fees for their concerts are cheap enough that it doesn’t matter much. Once you’ve paid (and if you’re a minor, they’ll mark you with an ‘M’) you go through another door and now you’re in the actual concert venue! It’s a lot larger than it looks from the outside, but it’s not big enough that you’d get lost; there’s a max of 325
Not to be confused with Remington’s Entertainment Complex on Republic Road, Remington’s Downtown is also, of course, downtown, not too far from the Outland Ballroom. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but this venue looks grungier than the Outland from the outside. They split up the lines according to what kind of tickets you have: a physical ticket, a will-call ticket, or if you’ll be purchasing your ticket at the door. Once again, the will-call isn’t really necessary. I stood in that line and watched the line of the people paying at the door move much quicker, and if you paid beforehand with a credit card then you need the cardholder with you in order to get the tickets. Once inside, there doesn’t feel like there’s much room to move around. The stage is at one part and there are support beams and metal fences around where you’ll be standing. The sound system they have is absolutely amazing, though. Still, if you don’t go to many concerts and aren’t as familiar with the concert scene, this will feel like a dark, dank little place without much room to move around.
• Remington’s Entertainment Complex
Although they do not show as many concerts as they used to, Remington’s (this is the one on Republic Road) is a lot bigger on
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lacey curtis the inside than you would think. The stage is pretty large as well, and it’s overall a great place for any sort of big event. The sound system rocks the whole place, and if you ever get the chance to see any artist here, do not hesitate to attend it! I promise that you will not regret it.
• JQH Arena and Juanita K. Hammons Hall
Both of these concert venues are on Missouri State University’s campus. They are a bit more family orientated than the other venues listed, and they also host a wider variety of performances, not just concerts. Juanita K. Hammons. Out of the two, JQH Arena tends to host more concerts, with names like Kid Rock and the Zac Brown Band gracing the stage in the near future, as well as the annual Rock and Worship Roadshow, and Winter Jam, both with big name artists. Out of all the venues reviewed here, these two are the only ones that have seating. However, I do not know anyone that has sat all the way through concerts at either of these venues! So there you have it! If you are ever in the mood to go to a concert but you are unsure where they are held or what kind of venue you would like to
go to, your best bet is just to Google it and do as much research possible! You never know, you might just stumble across your new favorite concert venue. Good luck, be safe, and have as much fun as you possibly can!
Freshman Focus We are a semester into the school year and we have all gotten to know our freshman class pretty well. Now that they have almost made it through their first year in high school, the freshman can start thinking about their futures if they haven’t already. The young men and women can be what they dream as long as they use the talents that they have been given, and nobody knows better than themselves what their special talents are and how they can fulfill their future aspirations by using them. When I grow up, I want to be a rock star… Everyone has been caught jamming out to the song on the radio, singing in the mirror with your hair brush microphone, or rocking it out to the newest hit from Justin Bieber in the shower. Although not everyone was born to be the next pop sensation, the freshman class still shows off their skills even if it means just being silly and having fun. As a whole, the freshmen are all pretty lively and have a great set of lungs. They have proven this to the upper classmen multiple times when cheers are being screamed at pep rallies and games, being a singing act in the talent show, or singing along with a familiar song at a dance. Katie Deberry knows what we’re talking about. Aside from any of her other extracurricular activities, Katie is a very talented singer in the freshman class. Like many others in her class, she has been given the gift of iron lungs that have the potential to blow you away. Who knows, maybe our talented singing freshmen could be the next American Idol or contestant on The Voice! I picture myself as the next Ludwig van Beethoven… Do you rock the air guitar? The invisible drum set maybe? Deep down, we’re our own favorite musician, but many people have their favorite guitarist from some crazy 80’s hair band or their favorite drummer from the newest
band on today hottest hits list. So many people envision themselves pursuing a career in music when they are little, but for our freshmen, numerous of them have the talent and capability to take their music to the next level and make a career out of it. Take Tyler Gamblin for example. As a freshman in the Reeds Spring Wolf Pride concert and marching band, he currently holds first chair over ten other trumpet players, all ranging from beginners who just started this
Emily gilderson Serena Williams. These are all terrific team sport athletes. So, when you are alone or with your friends, do you practice the ultimate dunk? Or maybe the most perfect batter’s stance you could ever dream up? Ever since kids have been old enough to understand what the NFL, MLB, WNBA is, they have dreamed about playing for and with the best of the best. Just imagining what it would be like to have your name on a baseball card or to be a household name can give someone hope for someday making it with the big shots. Krystin Fitzwater is one freshman who has been adamant with her sports career and could be up there with the big names someday. Playing on the Reeds Spring High School team may not seem like a big deal now, but it could help her build her skills for when she gets her time to shine. The freshmen class has plenty of sportsgeared talent, on or off a team, and these potential sports heroes just might have more talent than what meets the eye.
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo… From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to Broadway’s Wicked, acting and plays have been around for centuries. Face it, when you have just pulled off one of your best acts yet, you find yourself stuck amidst the clouds of your imagination giving your thank-you speech for the Grammy Award you’ve just received. This year, the freshmen class has shown that they year to your are very enthusiastic towards becoming more sea- involved in the drama department, whethsoned members who have been in the er that would be taking a lead role in a program for eight or more years. The play, being a back-up singer for a scene greater majority of the high school band or two, or working their tail off backstage is freshmen and an even greater majority moving props and making sure things role of the freshmen class has music talents as smoothly as possible when the show that will do them wonders in the future. must go on. Ethan Greiner is one of the many freshmen who likes the taste of the Lebron James is my idol… Mi- spotlight and can’t seem to get enough chael Jordan, Albert Pujols, Venus and of it. After snagging a role in this year’s
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play, Football Romeo, Ethan worked a bee… Setting a goal, having self-dishis hardest at giving his all, using every cipline, and following through. We have emotion he could, and really becom- all done it whether it was for a short term ing his character. Being able to conform goal, like aiming for into a given character good grades all year, can give these freshor a long term goal, men the opportunity of like getting accepted a lifetime. Maybe, just into the college of your maybe this gifted bunch dreams. The freshmen of role-playing freshmen bunch this year show can land a spot on stage great motivation and and have their name on dedication to the goals their very own playbill. Two words. Van Gogh… How many “masterpieces” have you hung on the fridge? The real beauty in art is that all art is different. There are no rules and each piece has its own story. Many artists, past and present, have been recognized for their intriguing paintings, captivating sculptures, and other fabulous works of art. Individuality is a huge part of art and is also very well displayed among the freshmen class whether it be by their style, their music, or their way of going about things. Some of these freshmen students express their individuality, talent, and creative mind through art. Freshman, Megan Strayer has been getting her “Van Gogh” on for some time now and has become quite the artist over time. Allowing the freshmen to express themselves through art is a great outlet for them. It gives them the chance to put their feelings, ideas, and attitude together into their project and have free range to create a work of art that nobody else could ever copy, not completely. Megan has grasped her talent and is still learning new techniques and skills, and who knows, maybe we have a freshmen class full of Leonardo Da Vinci’s on our hands!
Float like a butterfly, Sting like
they have set and the different sports and activities they have committed to. Things such as college prep classes, volunteer work, and sports are just a few ways these freshmen show their desire for success. Freshmen such as Broden LeMaster know all about setting goals, self-discipline, and following through. As a matter of fact, self-discipline might as well be his middle name. As a freshman wrestler who took first in his 152 lb. weight class when he successfully beat a senior at Branson High School on January 12th, Dedication to the team, practice, and willingness to learn from others
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and his opponents has helped him in his success so far this season in wrestling. Maintaining weight, attending every practice, and listening to the coaches keeps Broden at the top of his game when he steps on the mat for his matches. Just taking the time to study, attending school every day, and asking the appropriate questions in class have set up the freshmen class for success this year. The habits this class has started to develop will ensure them with the brightest future possible. E=MC²… You’ve got it Einstein! Ok, so maybe you didn’t invent a new equation that helps solve a long mathematics problem, and maybe you didn’t make a new gadget that can do your homework for you, but there’s no doubt that great things will come from this bright freshmen class. Albert Einstein, George Washington Carver, and Steve Jobs were all average people who made huge contributions to society. Aside from their inventions, what did all three of these fellas have in common? They were each really smart! Freshmen this year have impressed everyone with their smarts. Answering questions in class, studying for tests, and acing appropriate in class… Delaney Mattix is one of many freshmen who has been at it for years. Using her knowledge in and out of class, Delaney is a role model for many. Along with her fellow classmates, the freshmen set an example for the other classes to follow based on their learning ethics. It’s no secret that this freshmen class will excel in and out of school. From sports to creativity to performing arts and just plain smarts, it is obvious that the freshmen class offers more than exceptional work to themselves and others. After getting used to the flow of high school and finding their niche, they have really blossomed and branched, out allowing them to shine in the activities and classes they do best. The students in the Reeds Spring High School freshmen class have a lot to offer, so, where do you see them in the future?
Thrift stores I think it’s safe to say that shopping at a thrift store is unlike shopping anywhere else. You never know what you’re going to find when you take a step into a store like that, but that’s what makes it fun. As lame as that sounds, don’t dis it till you try it! Whether or not you’ve been to a thrift store, let it be known that it’s at these stores that you will find the craziest things. Now, here in Reeds Spring, Kimberling City, Branson West, and Branson there are a few thrift stores worth checking out! In Branson West there is the most common store that almost everyone goes to, and that is Christian Associates. In Reeds Spring there are a few thrift stores in downtown and a few over by Sears and Dollar General. The one by Sears is definitely worth checking out! Although it’s small in size, once you get inside you’ll see that it’s got quite a lot to choose from! Then down in Kimberling City you have a plethora to choose from! There’s one down by the little bakery across from the Bearded Clam, there’s a flea market next to Shirley’s Diner, and a thrift store right behind it, and there’s also one over by the Kimberling Inn. Now in Branson, well, downtown Branson, there are many thrift stores and flea markets. If you just walk down the downtown strip you’ll come across at least 5 or 6 stores! I’ve been to almost every thrift store in town, and I’ll be honest, some are a little hectic on the inside, but if you take the time and look around, you’ll be sure to find something of your liking! When I went searching to find what deals people found on clothes and items, I was amazed at what I
Kerrigan arnold
found! Here are some of the more you can find on your own by just bargains people fell upon! taking a step into one of the thrift stores here in town! Now, if you’ve never been • - Armani Suit - $12.00 in thrift store and you aren’t sure how it works, here are some guidelines for you! • - Anne Taylor cashmere sweater new w/tags 1) Go in with a plan!-Know what $2.00 you’re looking for, unless of course you’re just going in to • - Baby Grand Piano w look around with no intentions bench - $200, then additional of buying anything. Although, if 30% off you go into a thrift store, you’re bound to leave with something! • - Dooney and Burke handbag - $4.00 2) Be open-minded!-Don’t just dis the store because it’s not some • - DKNY tank dress high class store, because you new w/tags - $6.00 then adnever know what’s hiding in ditional 50% off those clothes racks and shelves.
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- Large dog kennel, like new - $14.00
• - Chanel suit - $23.00 • - Mountain bike - $10.00 • - 50 gallon aquarium and stand - $20 sale then additional 50% off
• - Vera Wang style formal dress new w/tags - $1.98 then additional 75% off
As you can see, you can find some amazing things at a thrift store, but along with those great finds, you’ll find some crazy things that you didn’t even know existed. When looking online for the things people have found at thrift stores, you better prepare yourself because, well let’s be honest, people find some pretty weird stuff. Here are some of the weird items people found!
• - A cat shaped lotion dispenser
• - A cat-lovers guide to working out
• - Pig necklace with
baby piglets eating
• - Plate of fake green beans and carrots
Now, that’s not much, but there’s so much
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3) Look for quality brands!-When
you first go in, it’s nice to look for brands that you’re used to and you know that you like but also keep an eye out for clothes that catch your eye in general!
4) Try new brands!-When you’re
looking through the clothes, you’ll see things you like that don’t have the big brand names, but that’s okay! It’s never bad to try new things.
5) Try things on! -When you come
across something you like, but you aren’t 100% sure you want to buy it, try it on! Most thrift stores have a dressing rooms, although, if the one you’re at doesn’t see if they have a bathroom you can try it on in!
6) Find ways to repurpose! -When you go to a thrift store, be open -minded and think creatively! You never know how you could re-use something to your advantage!
7) Go often!-If you don’t find
something the first time you go, don’t lose faith, just go again some other time and I’m sure there will be new items!
After reading this article, hopefully you’ll find some treasures of your own at some of the local thrift stores!
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Restaurant Review Anyone around here who loves Chinese food knows that the best place to go is Chopstix. They have great prices, friendly staff, and excellent food. Ask any of the high school students here in Reeds Spring and they will tell you that Chopstix is their go-to place for great Chinese food. The prices are perfect for us high school students who have to work around our tight budgets and the location is perfect for the people in our district. Located next to the Mule gas station, right before you get to DD highway, Chopstix offers a great selection of food at a reasonable distance from anyone who lives in the Reeds Spring/ Branson W e s t a r e a . They offer the Chinese style food that we are used to, not exactly authentic, but it’s perfect for our taste buds. We are all used to the Missouri style Chinese offered by many other restaurants around here, but Chopstix does it a little bit better. When you walk into Chopstix and see those familiar red booths, you might not immediately think that you’re in a Chinese restaurant. However, pretty soon it becomes hard not to notice the Oriental lanterns, lights, and pictures hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. The white walls and bright lights give off an air of cleanliness in the restaurant which is always a welcome feeling, but it does seem a little disjointed with plain white walls and a few oriental decorations. The
red booths, while they are all too familiar to the regular customers, do unfortunately take away from the feeling you get from other Chinese restaurants. The decorations are kept to a minimum, making it seem as though they put all of their effort into their food and less on the decorations. Their food definitely proves that theory.
Emily Highfil
you whatever you need. The Hans, the owners of Chopstix, whom you can often see in the back of the kitchen, are always friendly to everyone who walks in the door. You can definitely tell it’s a family business and that makes the atmosphere a little more welcoming for everyone.
Upon walking in the front door, you walk up to the front counter where a friendly staff member greets you and takes your drink and food order. Sometimes there is a short wait if other people are in line, but overall, it is almost an immediate process once you walk in the door. Once you have ordered, you can choose your own seat, as far or as close as you like and sit down. The waitress will bring you your drinks shortly and you can relax and enjoy the relatively short wait for your food. Most the dining area up for privacy. You can of the time, they will bring your food to you see most of the other guest that are eat- in less than ten minutes, sometimes even ing in the restaurant, but there is enough about five minutes. The short wait time space between the tables and enough ta- makes this a good place to go for a quick bles that odds are you won’t be sitting too and yummy bite to eat if you are in a hurry. close to anyone else. This gives an overChopstix is always clean and all feeling of openness in the restaurant, seeming more inviting to the guests. The family-friendly. The tables are always atmosphere is always friendly whether or wiped off and you never see a dirty table not you know the people there. The staff when you are eating. The cleanliness is is always kind and very openly friendly a big plus of going to Chopstix. The floor towards everyone in the restaurant. The always looks swept and mopped even if waitresses bring your food with a smile you go in close to closing. The counter up on their face. They are always happy to front always looks stocked full and cleanly help in any way that they can and bring organized. You never have to worry about One good thing about the tables is that they are not far from the front counter and the only walls are the ones separating the dining area from the kitchen and a short wall in the middle breaking
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the cleanliness or sanitation at Chopstix but the sour side comes out as well, the because the staff is always on top of things. more that you eat of it. The egg rolls are always hot and the filling is perfectly sea The menu at Chopstix is rela- soned, never too little or too much. When tively large and boasts all of the favorites it comes to ordering your entrée, there from categories including pork, chicken, are a few things that I would recommend. beef, and vegetables. They have every- The first is the General Tso’s Chicken. thing from sautéed vegetables to general Anyone who likes spicier food would find chicken and different kinds of soups. Since this dish highly enjoyable. When you first the menu is pretty extensive, anyone who bite into it, it has a sweet, honey kind of goes to Chopstix can find something that taste. Then the spice comes. It’s not too they are sure to enjoy. There are dishes spicy to eat, but it’s spicy enough that it’s for people who enjoy spicy food, sweet enjoyable for people accustomed to the food, and even more mild and savory fla- taste. The General Chicken comes with vors. Their prices are pretty enjoyable too. rice and vegetables used to make the Their appetizers range from about three sauce. It is definitely more than enough dollars to about eight dollars. The entrees for one person, almost two. Another enrange from about seven dollars to about trée that I would recommend is the Sweet twelve dollars. These prices are feasible and Sour Chicken. The pieces of chicken for anyone from high school students are covered in their sweet and sour sauce to families with children. Anyone with a and served with rice. The sauce, again, tight budget who is looking for a good is very sweet but packs a sour punch as quality meal that won’t break their bank you start to eat more of it. For people would most definitely enjoy Chopstix. who like more of a sweeter sauce, and less of a spicy or savory taste, the sweet While their prices may be cheap, and sour chicken is the way to go. If you the quality of the food is definitely not. It like more of a savory taste, the best is always comes out steaming hot and you option for you would be the Kung Pao can tell it was freshly made. If you get an chicken, vegetable, or beef, depending appetizer, I would definitely recommend on your preference. This sauce has a either the Crab Rangoon or the egg rolls. little bit of spice, but not enough to really Both are excellent. The Crab Rangoon is be considered spicy, it has a little bit of filled with the cream-cheese and crab fill- a sweet taste as well, but overall it is a ing and the outside shell always has the mild dish for people who enjoy too spicy perfect crunch. It comes with a side of or too sweet. Most of the entrees come sweet and sour sauce that’s made very with their fried rice and vegetables. Their well. It is definitely a sweeter style sauce, fried rice has egg and vegetables in it,
giving it really great flavor which is great considering that rice is a really bland food. If you like plain rice, you can always ask for white rice, which is great if you cover it in the leftover sauce from your meal. As you can see, overall Chopstix is a great restaurant. What it lacks in decoration, it makes up for in the flavor and quality of the food. Going to Chopstix is a fun experience and it’s perfect if you are in a hurry. Even if you are hanging out with friends and don’t want to drive all the way to Branson or Springfield, but are craving Chinese, Chopstix is the best place to go. If you have the chance to go there, you definitely should.
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Movie Review During the Christmas break, there are always some of the year’s top movies out in theaters. This year was no different with the releases of Django Unchained, Les Miserables, and Parental Guidance. I was able to go see these three movies and form an opinion on how good they were. Django Unchained Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Quentin Tarantino is known for is over the top action, his clever and corny scripts, and deep and intense characters. This is no different in his latest movie Django Unchained. Set in the south two years before the civil war, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners ends up face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. From there they are on a quest to hunt and take down some of the biggest and baddest outlaws around. However, after all the outlaws are taken care of, Django and Dr. Schultz start their mission to rescue Django’s wife, who is being held captive a land owner named Calvin Candy. My favorite part about this movie was that usually Quentin Tarantino films get out of control and break out
James McFerron
into violent chaos. In Django, however, the story progresses just fine with just little bits of cool action sequences every 30 minutes and then finally in the last 45 minutes of the film, Django lets loose and gets his revenge. Another thing I enjoyed about this film was that Tarantino played tribute to a lot of older western movies that he was a fan of when he was a kid. My favorite thing, though, was the writing for the movie. The dialogue is smooth and sharp between Dr. Schultz and Django as they make their way to Calvin Candies estate. What people may not be fond about of this movie though is how Quentin Tarantino depicts slavery in this film. There are times that Django (played by Jamie Foxx) is beat up pretty bad for being a slave. The slave
scenes really make you think and realize how slaves were treated back then. Another thing I was not as fond of was that I felt that Django was overshadowed by Dr. Schultz. Christoph Waltz, who plays Dr. Shultz, does most of the talking for the duo for the first hour and a half of the movie; he was great, it just felt that his performance was so good that little was left for Jamie Foxx. However, when Foxx finally gets his time to shine you are behind his character one hundred percent. With great performances by its leads, an interesting story, and great action, Django Unchained is one of the top movies of the year and one of Quentin Taratinos best films. Les Miserable Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway
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Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars Les Miserable is known as one of the best musicals ever and this year Hollywood decided to bring the classic musical to the big screen. The stars really bring this movie from another average musical to a great film that is enjoyable to watch. The story follows a man named Jean Valjean, a former criminal who has served his time and is now a free man. Although he is free, he has to carry around a paper saying that he was a former criminal, making it very hard for him to make a living. So he decides to get rid of his papers and change his identity and live a new life. When Jean Valjean doesn’t appear to one of his court dates, a man named Javert is sent out to hunt him down. Years pass and after a young woman dies, Jean Valjean vows to take care of her daughter while he spends the rest of his life on the run from Javert. By far the best part of the movie is the songs. The movie doesn’t have one line in it, it is all singing. Most of the time people can get really tired of listening to singing but with interesting fun stories, it makes the movie more exciting. Another exciting thing that is a first for movies is that they did all the singing live. This means that the actors can give the best performance possible for the song and the movie. At times this works great, but at times you can tell that some of the singing is off key, but that keeps the live musical aspect of the film. At times the movie can get a bit slow but Hugh Jackman, who plays Jean Valjean, puts the movie back on track with a tremendous song. He has tremendous range with his previous roles on Broadway and was a perfect fit for this role. However, Anne Hathaway steals the movie with really her only song of the film, ‘I dreamed a dream’. Her emotion in that song makes you feel for her character so much despite her only
being in the movie for fifteen minutes. One thing I didn’t like about the movie was the casting choice of Russel Crowe. Although he is a tremendous actor, his performance was wooden and his singing was a bit off. He just felt out of place during this film. Another thing I didn’t like was the live singing. I know I mentioned earlier that it brings out a lot of emotion in the performance, but you can definitely tell if someone doesn’t sing very much because they are usually off key. Overall with solid performances from two out of its three leads, and a tremendous scope and great songs to listen to, Les Miserable is a great movie to go see and enjoy.
Parental guidance Starring: Billy Crystal Rating: 2 out of 5 stars Billy Crystal is one of the most loveable, funny actors in Hollywood, but hasn’t done a movie in a while. This year though, Billy Crystal stars in the family comedy Parental Guidance. The story is about a couple of grandparents who have to deal with their twenty first century
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grandchildren and have to adapt to their old school methods of raising children. There are few things I enjoyed about this movie. The thing I enjoyed the most was the performance by Billy Crystal. Even though he plays a grandparent, he is extremely relatable and fun to watch on the screen and is the only support for the few jokes in the film. The next thing I enjoyed about this was the casting of the kids. So often now movies hire kids that are annoying on screen and you wind up not feeling for those characters by the end of the film. In Parental Guidance I thought they did a good job making the kids act like kids, but not so annoying that it takes away from the film. The major thing that held this movie back was the script. With a good script I honestly believe that this could have been a decent movie, but the jokes usually fall flat leaving the movie theater completely silent. The only exceptions are the few jokes Billy Crystal pulls off because of his comedic timing. Another problem I had with this movie was how predictable the movie was. I found myself figuring the movie out when there was at least forty five minutes left to go in the film. This is happening a lot now to films, companies are releasing movies that could be potentially good films, but they want to release the movie on a specific date so they could make the most money possible. These are things that bring Parental Guidance down, if someone would have just taken their time with this film and with the addition of Billy Crystal, this would be a good movie. Those are just a few of the big movies out in theaters right now. Hopefully these reviews help you decide if you want to see this movie in theaters, or just wait until it arrives in your local video store.
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4. “Joe, quit throwing crap!” 5. “Little buddy” 8. “I don’t think so scooter!” 10. “Shut up.” 11. “I’ve got more important fish to fry.” 12. “That’s not true.”
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Across
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EclipseCrossword.com
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Down 1. “Bull-butter” 2. “Boom!” 3. “Oh my!” 6. “Walk it off, you’ll be fine.” 7. “What day is it? (obnoxious song blasting from classroom)” 9. “Will the following students please come to the office?”
double take
See if you can find the differences between the two pictures
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CHANGES KEEP SCORE
Designed by amelia fisher 25
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final thought
It’s a typical Monday morning in Reeds Spring…thankful the tourists aren’t here to make traffic a nightmare, and wishing spring break was here already. As I walk in the front door of the high school I see the same old scene; Mr. Levingston standing by the office talking with a few coaches…officer Rakestraw exchanging jokes with some senior boys. As I round the corner to get my breakfast I see something that will change my life forever…Mr. Barr, with a .50 caliber Desert Eagle hand-cannon strapped to his side! “NOT IN MY SCHOOL!!!!”, he shouts as he draws his pistol, spins it on his finger twice, and proceeds to take out a few freshman who left trash on their lunch table. OK, maybe not too realistic, but arming teachers does raise some interesting questions. After the Sandy Hook School shooting in Connecticut the new hot topic in the news is gun control and school safety. How do we protect ourselves here in the school from an intruder who intends on shooting teachers and students? Is arming teachers the answer? Arm them all? Arm just some? Make the
front door of the school an impenetrable steel door with the latest retinal scan technology for gaining entrance? Just how far do we need to go to make sure we’re safe? Let’s talk a little common sense for a minute. According to some experts, the odds of being killed in a school shooting are less than the chances of being struck by a meteorite. So maybe we should all spend our energy and money on really heavy-duty umbrellas! Yes, the recent shootings in schools across the country are very disturbing. And yes, we DON’T want that kind of event here in Reeds Spring! But what can we really do to stop this from happening? Is the answer arming some well-qualified teachers? Is it hiring more resource officers to patrol our campus? More security cameras? ID badges? Metal detectors? These things can all be argued as a possible solution, or at the least as deterrent, to the problem of school violence. But is the cost of time, energy, and resources really worth it? The chances of it happening are so remote, yet the thought of losing one life of a Reeds Spring High
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matt locke
School student or staff is just unimaginable. One thing we can all agree on, trying to avoid this kind of tragedy is a good thing.
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