2012 issue 2

November 12, 2012 Electorial votes: 303 Popular votes: 50%

Gra phic by

Oracle Graphic by Derek Phommachack

The

Romney Electorial votes: 206 Popular votes: 48%

North High School

501 Holcomb Ave

“I am a registered independent and I vote for the issuse, not the candidate.”

- She r r y Po ole

e ma] H a b O [ “ ss the will pa ct.”

A Dream Te l l o y - C i nd or ) (S eni

Cab eza s

A public forum for student expression Follow us on Twitter: @northhighoracle Visit our website: www.northhsoracle.com We are the voice of the North High School community

Des Moines, IA 50313

Who would you vote for?

Ingr i

Obama “seems to support everybody and not just the middle class. He’ll tell you the truth. He won’t change.”

- AJ Walker (Senior)

THE MOCK ELECTION RESULTS ARE IN! Date of mock election: October 12 Total Voters: 746 For complete results: visit northhsoracle.com

Sophomore Neico Greene particiapted in the mock election. “I voted for Obama because he speaks for everyone, and not just himself,” he said.

Romney Votes:

9.56% of students voted Romney Obama Votes:

85% of students voted Obama •Should hats be allowed in school as long as they are not covering the eyes? 599 voted YES! •Should athlete have to participate in P.E. if they play a sport that semester? 428 voted YES! •Should the dress code at North be changed to have the skirt length match the length of cheerleading dresses? 391 voted YES! •Should the first semester of school end in December before winter break? 544 voted YES! •Should same sex marriage be legal in all 50 states?

538 voted YES!

FIVE ISSUSE OBAMA WILL MOST LIKELY TACKLE FIRST: 1. Education 2. International Affairs 3. Drug Control 4. Gay Marriage 5. Immigration

Opinions

Time for you to step up, take action at NHS

2

Do you have what it takes?

by. Jessica Jensen Oracle reporter “Be a leader.... You are a leader....”. I have heard these words most of my high school career but never really knew the definition. What is a leader? This is the question I set out to answer. This journey isn’t just one week of research but is more a lifetime of understand, a definition that is continually changing. What I came to find surprised me and it just might surprise you as well.

A leader is someone who has the ability to speak and be heard. President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney are very good examples of this. Obama and Romney have the power to command the attention of almost half of the U.S. population if not millions of other citizens of the world by just the spoken word.

Think of the endless possibilities that you could accomplish by speaking your ideas to the student body. Take the initiative and become that leader of the freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior class. If no one stands up, who will?

A leader is not just an outgoing individual who speaks their ideas but they are also quite, introverted individuals who lead by their actions. I am an example of this. I am not outgoing or popular but by my actions I set an example for the student body.

For example, I think students should be more involved at North. So many kids complain about North not being good at anything yet they don’t take the initiative to change it. So by my actions I spoke my ideas and became a leader. Along with newspaper, I am involved in 5 different school activities, and I try and be the best I can at each one of them. Whatever you get involved in, don’t do it halfheartedly.

Take the initiative and get involved. Get your friends involved and make it something really fun. Before you know it, you have started a chain reaction.

Not everyone was born to be a leader.

Leaders need followers to make dreams and ideas become a reality. How will you ever know if you are a leader or follower if you don’t take the initiative? Step out.

Take a chance! Make a difference.

Government: for U.S. or against U.S.? by. Dakota Lupkes Oracle reporter

The Government is too powerful because we have no real say in what the government does anymore.

Have you notice the people of each state don’t get to vote for laws that congress pass? If Representatives are supposed to be representing each state and speaking for each state and the people in it then they need to have a vote to decide what the majority of the states opinion is. I have not ever heard of a vote in a state for saying yes or no to a law or bill that will effect us.

Quote The way I see it, the government is deciding what’s best for us and what is

“You must be the change not right. If we wanted someone to make

you want to see in the decisions for us then we would never world.” move out of our parents house, but we are all independent human beings that Mahatma Gandhi don’t want to be controlled by anything, especially the government. If the government is supposedly “by the people, for the people” then where is the peoples opinion

in any government activity? If you consider the representatives being the PEOPLE being able to have a say then I think that you are blinded by the government.

All in all, I think that the government is too powerful for its own good. We need to be able to step up and take the reigns out of the governments hands and lead our own country “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Examples of silly laws - In Mt. Vernon, IA, no person may pick a flower from a city park.

- In Fort Madison, IA, the fire department is required to practice fire fighting for fifteen minutes before attending a fire.

- In Iowa, ministers must obtain a permit to carry their liquor across state lines.

Source: www.stupidlaws.com

Features Teen pregnancy rates have dropped 45-percent since 1991

3

Many risks remain for teens; do you really know what you’re doing? What’s at risk?

by Sammi Linebach Oracle reporter Teen Sex. Teen Pregnancy. Just stating these two topics, you can probably think of someone, or multiple people, who have engaged in teen sex and/or are getting pregnant. There are also many who have chosen to wait.

Teenpregnancy.org, a site managed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, states that there are “750,000 teen pregnancies annually. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 81 percent are to unmarried teens.”

According to the site, 25 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys have had sex by the age 15. 80 percent of teens have had sex by age 19, and 55 percent of teens ages 1319 have engaged in oral sex. 21 percent of ninth graders have slept with four or more partners.

However, the site also shows how much teen pregnancy has decreased over the past twenty years.

Between 1991-2010, the U.S. birth rate for teens aged 15-19 declined 45 percent to 34.2 births per 1000 teen girls in 2010.

The U.S. has the second largest percentage of men and women who are sexually active before the age of 18 (73% of men, 63% of women). 22 percent of girls ages 15-18 who have had sex will become pregnant.

Getting pregnant and catching diseases aren’t the only ways that sex can hurt you.

Birth control fails more often than you probably imagine. In fact, there’s no such thing as completely “safe sex.” But even if you don’t get pregnant or get a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), sex before you’re really ready can leave emotional scars that you may feel for the rest of your life.

Sex means different things to different people. Your sexual feelings for one another may be strong, but not strong enough to keep you together for many years, or to help you stand by each other in case of pregnancy, an STD, or HIV/AIDS. People don’t always care about each other in the same way. When you trust someone completely, and then that person walks away, you may feel used in a way you never have experienced before. It doesn’t take a baby or a disease to make you feel bad. So why not wait? You may be surprised by how good it feels.

When you’re having sex with someone, it’s hard to tell what you love--the person or the sex. So it’s easy to wind up in a relationship with someone who’s wrong for you. Waiting to have sex lets you find out if the person you’re with is really someone you can love.

Why does our generation tend to have sex at such an early age?

SEX AND THE LAW -SOME BASIC FACTS 1. In Iowa, 29 of 1,000 teen girls give birth (2010). That number was 43 of 1,000 back in 1991.

2. Blue waffle and red pancake, two internet urban myths, are not real.

3. The Iowa legal age for having sex is 16. However, if you’re 14-15 years of age, you can have sex, but not with anyone 48 months older than you.

4. A minor has the right to consent to his/her own reproductive health care, including contraception/birth control.

Photo illistrated by Jerson Valenzuela

A few freshman say that they know a lot of their fellow freshman classmates have had sex already, simply “because it feels good.”

Junior Mariquita Ulrich, said, “They don’t know what they are doing....I see girls complaining that they are pregnant, and it’s like, well what’ja expect from having sex?”

Nurse Terri Kruse couldn’t give me an actual number or estimate on how many people have came to her about pregnancy, because the number varies every year, and because of privacy issues. Nurse Kruse realizes it happens and that teen pregnancy results in unplanned pregnancies even when people are trying to be safe.

It “totally changes peoples lives.” Kruse feels that people who are really going places are focusing more on school, which really is a smart idea. However, she adds that just because you are pregnant, doesn’t mean you cannot be successful. You can be successful whether or not you are pregnant or parenting. It’s often helpful to get as much possible support from family, friends and school to help with your sucess.

Her advice for people whom are pregnant, or even think they may be pregnant, is “to get medical help right away, and to get tested and/or get on prenatal vitamins.”

“Sexually active people should still get tested, because there’s a huge increase in sexually transmitted diseases. Oral sex can still spread STD’s and lead to oral cancer.

People aren’t aware of the risks that come with giving regular or oral sex.”

Many people mistake the fact that condoms don’t actually protect against everything. In fact, beware of the quality of condoms. Free, or cheaper condoms, can have a higher failure rate because of the

thinness and other characteristics.

Nurse Kruse has left this advice for all teenagers: “If someone is pregnant, go get help and/or advice.” Come here [the nurses office] or go to a trusted adult around the school, or home.”

Many people think there are only two STDs, syphilis and gonorrhea. The reality though, is that there are many other diseases that can be spread through sexual contact. Syphilis and gonorrhea are more widely known by our generation, but there are multiple STD’s that are harmful, that people are unaware of.

Others may not know about Chlamydia, HIV/AIDS, Genital Herpes, HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), Trichomoniasis, and PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease).

Today, there are 25 well-known STD’s, and some of the most common STD’s do not have a cure.

The typical use of male condoms has a failure rate of 14-15%. This means that 1415 people out of every 100 could become pregnant or get STD’s during the first year of use.

5. Other doctors are permitted, but not required, to notify a spouse, parent, or guardian of treatment given to a minor.

6. If an unmarried man has established paternity (proving he is the father), he may have a say in his child’s adoption.

Sources: The Center for Family Life Education; Planned Parenthood; teenpregancy.org

If you have a question, or need help, you can call these following hotlines: *Pregnancy: 800-230-PLAN 888-672-2296 *STD’s: 800-342-2437 *Sexuality: 800-246-PRIDE *Rape and Sexual Assult: 800-656-HOPE

A success story

Heather Chapman, age 21, a 2010 NHS grad, and has two kids. Pregnant near the end of freshman year, and throughout sophomore year, she is now successfully living with her boyfriend and her two girls aged 1 and 4, and also working a full-time job.

“Don’t ever let struggles get you down, turn it around and let it help you become someone you never thought you could be, not only for yourself, but for those depending on you now,” said Chapman.

$H3 S@ W I D UuH ! ?

Created By: Chanbopha Sam Samantha Phengsy Laura Abuhl

Have you ever been called “ratchet”?

Have you ever heard someone say, “on my mama bro” or “she crackin’?” These, and along with many others, are pretty common phrases used by over 50% of the students here at North High School.

I bet you’re probably wondering where this type of slang comes from. Most of it originated from music. Rap plays a huge part of it. Lil’ Boosie, aka “Torrence Hatch”, created one of the words you often hear which is “ratchet”. “Do Tha Ratchet” was one of his songs on his album Lava House, which

Yo u m a d b r o : I am aware that you are upset with me, but I am s going to ask you anyway to anger you even more.

came out in the summer of 2006. The word came back and became more popular when Emmanuel & Phillip Hudson sang their “Ratchet Girl Anthem” song. The video was posted to Youtube on January 16th, 2012 and already has over 35 million views.

Other ways this slang was created was from movies, dialect in different regions of the United States, TV, and the Internet. If you really think about it, where we grew up, what we listen to, and what we see plays a huge roll in how we act and talk.

I t ’s all Guc Every thing c i :

is all g ood.

On my mama:

I’m not lying! This is a true statement!

I’m about to go ham!:

If you say one more thing that disple ases me, I should be forced to take disiplinary actions.

My mom be buggin’:

My mother is being belligerent, so I will not be attending.

Sw

Yo u’v e r far e gon v e :S TO e too : P.

u Saving up money until yo become filthy rich.

We i n d e e z s t r e e t s : I live in the suburbs.

Fo’Sho:

Yeah, that’s wh at I was talkng abo ut!

Drizzle: Rain.

It just g o t rtaertianglto

Things are s nd because get out of ha just said. s g in th e th f o

Ratchet:

ty, A person, usually a woman, who is dir disliked. ghetto, unattractive or just generally

Check out our “Ghetto Translation” video on our new channel.

h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / NorthHighOracle

Stack ‘til I’m ballin:

Crackin’: That’s the coolest thing ever.

OMG! GIR L! I WISH YOU WOU LD!!: I am confident in my a if you cause an

Dang she got cakes :

bilities and I am sure that altercation, you would lose.

Let me ride in yo’ whip :

Her buttox is b igger than normal.

Let me ride with you in your vehicle .

AY O ! :

Hey, YOU! OVER THERE!!!

l: G e t o n m y l e vIejust did!

what Do something better then

Yo u g e t d o w n like that?!

I’m surprised that you partake in these actions.

For more translations, go to:

h t t p s : / / t w i t t e r. c o m / G h e t t o E n g l i s h

Truuu!: That’s correct.

6

Features

Lead singer Nick Lacina of the band The Impact of Reason dawns a batman outfit while onstage. Photo by: Cameron Fisher

Local band The Impact of Reason rocks the Underground Rockshop

by Cameron Fisher Oracle reporter Ever since I can remember, music has been a major part of my life. Music has the power to change your mood, give you hope in dark times, or do just the opposite. Music is my escape.

When I was a toddler my mother would take me to shows at local carnivals, fairs, etc. I had no idea though as a little kid of my love for local music.

Local music takes feelings and emotions to a new level. For many it’s pride in something so close to home, for other’s it is something deeper.

Local band The Impact of Reason captures your attention from the beginning of their set untill the end. TIR includes members Nick Lacina on lead vocals and programming, Matt Miltenberger on clean vocals and synths, Mark McDaniel on lead guitar, Tyler Sawyer on bass, and on backing vocals and drums, Jacob Gracey.

Lyrics like their song Convictions, strike a chord. They speak of pain.

“I found the strength to be, Everything that was meant for me.

I found a way to show you, I found a way to change.

I fought, bruised and bloody, To the fight, dark and muddy.

I found the will to prove, These scars, won’t define me.”

Jake Gracey, drummer of The Impact of Reason wears the clone trooper helmet after finishing his set. Who will we catch in the helmet next?

Like The Impact of Reason on Facebook!

Official bandpage: http://www.facebook.com/ theimpactofreasons TIR Street team: http://www.facebook.com/ TheImpactOfReasonStreetTeam Despite the somber tone in lyrics their music as a whole gives you a feeling of lightness. Their live sets back that up .

On their October 19 show at the Underground Rockshop, Lacina came out as the Dark Knight himself, cape and mask in all.

IR knows how to entertain, and unlike a lot of famous bands, they’re personal, they come right up to you, they will talk to you, and most of all, they are fans of music.

After their set they actually come into the crowd and watch and support their

friends bands; they will even get in the pits.

The most amusing thing is watching Gracey and Jacob Blobaum (lead vocalist for local band Buster Casey, which Gracey also drums for) scream along to a cover of A Day to Remember’s Homesick.

Local music seems to have a hypnotizing effect, sometime’s more than any Top 40 song can. Next time looking for something new to listen and relate to, think local.

And Follow them on Twitter! @TheImpactofReas

ALSO CHECK OUT

Visit northhsoracle.com and check out Arin Botkin’s review of three record shops, all right off of 6th Avenue and Euclid.

• Red Rooster Records • The Underground • Wayback Records

7

Technology

What is the Right System for You? The Fact Page to Help You Decide

By Christian Rundle Photo Editor and Reporter XBOX! PS3! Those are the two most commonly compared consoles in gaming. Others use the Wii or a P.C. But no other set of systems has a rivalry like the Xbox and PS3. So what system is better?

Is it the pay to play, high security Xbox, or is it the free but easy to hack PS3? Instead of asking actual people about what they prefer, lets just get the straight facts. This article will have as much English in it as humanly possible.

regular on PSN.

VS.

Xbox 360- Price-

$199, $299, $349, $399 Online Play- Pay per month or other plans.

Hardware: All games made for the Xbox 360 are required to support at least Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The console works with over 256 audio channels. A wide array of SDTV and HDTV resolutions are supported by the console hardware up to 1080p. While most games are rendered natively at 720p, the video from all games can be scaled by the hardware to whatever resolution the user has set in the console’s settings. Games are stored on standard dual-layer DVD-ROMs with 7.8 GB. The Xbox 360 uses standard 2.5” SATA hard disk drives. The new “Slim” model comes standard with 250 GB of storage and the special edition models come with 320 GB. Xbox 360 S introduced a new motherboard version called “Trinity” with a 45 nm integrated CPU.

Online: Xbox has its own unique online service called Xbox Live. There are two types of memberships; silver and gold. A silver membership gives you access to downloads and the ability to communicate with friends but you are not able to play online. The gold membership gives you access to

everything. This membership has multiple payment options. One month for $8 or twelve months for $49.99. With the gold membership you get access to all apps, online play and exclusive downloads.

The Xbox Live Rewards program also gives you other incentives for “going gold.” Both consoles online play is relatively the same.

Games: The Xbox is home to some of the best exclusive console games in history. The most known is Halo. The Halo franchise started on PC and Xbox but with the creation of Halo 2, the franchise was limited to Xbox. Halo is the best selling exclusive franchise outselling Uncharted and Gears of War. Most Xbox games run on a standard HD 1080i disc. All games can be downloaded onto the hard drive from disc for faster performance but you still must use the disc, or you can download them from the marketplace. Most games come with downloadable content. Skyrim and Call of Duty are popular in that category. The advantage Xbox has over PS3 is that most game companies release to Xbox Live Marketplace earlier than Playstation Network.

PS3- Price- $249, $299,

$399, $449, $499 Online PlayFree and a “Premium” plans.

Hardware: The PS3 uses the Cell microprocessor, which is made up of one 3.2 GHz PowerPCbased “Power Processing Element.”

The PS3 has 256MB of Rambus XDR DRAM. The PS3 uses the standard dual-layer 7.8 GB discs for games. The disc drive also has Blu-Ray compatibility. This is what causes the $100 price difference between the Xbox 360 and PS3.The PS3 can generate screen resolutions up to 1080i but most games are produced at 720i. The CPU is 45nm but Sony tends to keep it’s motherboard info a secret.

The Standard PS3 comes with 250 GB memory but the special edition comes with 500 GB memory.

Online: PS3 uses an online system called Playstation Network. Playstation Network is free for online game connectivity but to be a part of special offers, you must be a Plus member. With the Plus membership you get access to deals, demos, betas, games, apps and early release add ons. A twelve month subscription will cost you $49.99 but is worth it if you are a

Games: The Playstation has a couple very popular exclusive titles that can rival the titles on Xbox. The games are Little Big Planet and Uncharted. Uncharted is always the best RPG of the year behind whatever RPG giant Bethesda pushes out. The newer PS3 games come with HD 1080i discs. PSN also has a good amount of “mini” titles that come out two times a month. Also, you can download full games from their marketplace. Game companies do not release their add ons to PSN as quickly as they do Xbox Live because of recent security issues that caused easy free access to the add ons.

That is a lot to take in. The PS3 is more expensive than the Xbox 360 but is free to play online.

Well, here is a summary of what you should buy depending on what you do in gaming:

If you love to play games with friends online or family at home, the Xbox 360 is the way to go. It’s wide range of interactive features along with Kinect bring a lot to the table when you are with a group of people. If you are somebody who just wants to turn on your system, get on Call of Duty, and take care of some noobs in a team death match game, the PS3 is the way to go. It is not big on being with a group of people so if you prefer solitude, this is the system.

What About Me?

Arts & Entertainment

_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

8

Meet The Actors

Bao Luong, junior, plays Sweeney Todd and, “believes people will enjoy the Gritty nature of the play.”

Taylor McDaniel is a junior and plays the part of Mrs. Lovett.

She says “It’s a storyline that will keep the audience wanting more

Photo taken by Christian Rundle

Sweeney takes the stage this week

By Tyler Lowe Sports Editor

Drama students prepare themselves as the day of their performance comes closer and closer.

Junior Taylor McDaniel says “people will apreciate that a highschool is capable of doing a play of such a genre.”

The show “Sweeney Todd,” is about a barber that was wrongfully accused of theft and was shipped off for 15 years.

After escaping, he returns to England only to find out his wife poisoned herself and that his daughter is the ward of the same judge that accused him.

Believing his wife is dead Sweeney sets out to murder the judge and his assistant the beadle.

With the help of Mrs. Lovett, a pie maker who’s shop is going out of business, he kills his way to the Judge, having Lovett make their bodies into pies for her customers below.

Mellisa Sosa, a sophomore, believes that people will like the “bloody scenes,” in the play.

The show has a lot of technical compnents that assist to the show. The Robotics team supplied a fully functional chair, that slides the dead to the cellar.

Also, all actors will have blood squirt out as they die. The play is not recommended for anyone under the age of 12 years.

“Sweeney Todd,” is showing the days of November 13,15, and 16 at 7:30 pm.

There are two more shows on Saturday, Nov. 17 -- one at 2pm and another at 7:30 pm.

There will also be a pie eating contest during intermission. For $2, you can buy a raffle ticket for your chance to eat as much pie as you can in two minutes!

Careful, you don’t know who, or what, is in the pies!

So come on down and enjoy the show.

It’ll be a slice!

Bao Luong and Hatte Kelley practice their death scene.

Rebecca Ostermann, is a sophomore, and plays Johanna for the weekend evening shows.

Daniel Kanyavimonh, is a junior who plays the part of Anthony in the play who falls in love with Johanna.

Andrew Jero Plays

The cast prepares to start off second act by getting in places for the pie shop.

Photos by Tyler Lowe.

Merchandise

Performances this week:

The North High drama department also has a assourtment of merchandise avalable in the Woodchuck Theater. (room 1173).

They have T-shirts, Hoodies, and USB Bracelets.

Tuesday @ 7:30pm Thursday @ 7:30pm Friday @ 7:30pm Saturday @ 2pm Saturday @ 7:30pm

Prices T-shirts: $10 (long sleved: $15 Hoodies: $30 4gig USB Bracelets: $10

Mellisa Sosa is a sophomore and plays Johanna for the Tuesday and Saturday 2:00 shows.

the Judge. He is a junior And he thinks “people will enjoy the dark feeling throughout the whole show.”

Mike Xayavong, a junior who plays the Beadle, thinks people will enjoy the “killing and some of the messed up things.”