C
TheCampanileA&EMagazine
Paly students: Young and Makin’ Money
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Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto High School, CA 94303
NOVEMBER 2013
CONTENTS 10
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COVER STORY
PALY STUDENTS: YOUNG AND MAKIN’ MONEY
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These Paly students are starting their careers early, check out how they did it. CULTURE
BEST WAY TO FALL ASLEEP
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Are you under too much stress? Can’t sleep? Read about these simple remedies.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE EDITORS’ LETTER 04 MISSION PIE 06 Feel like you haven’t had much pie lately? Check out this amazing cafe in the Mission District.
AoM: GLEB P. 08 Learn about Paly Senior, Gleb Promokhov who uses his artistic mind to not only paint, but write poetry. SPIRIT WEEK COLLAGE 10 Missing spirit week? Reminisce by looking at some great shots.
Cover Photo by Bella Graves
OPINION: UNDER/ OVERRATED THINGS 13 Maggie Zheng shares her opinion on some very over/underrated topics. A DAY TO GIVE BACK 16 Get some great ideas on how to give back during this Thanksgiving Break.
MOVIE REVIEW: DON JON 23 Have you been out to the movies lately? Go check out this rather controversial movie revolving around the topic of pornography.
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The C Magazine
FROM THE EDITORS Dear Readers, We are proud to present you with the third edition of The C Magazine! In this edition, readers will get the opportunity to learn about the lives of two Paly entrepreneurs, Seniors Kian McHugh and Freddy Kellison-Linn, in our cover story, “Paly Students: Young and Makin’ Money.” The C Magazine got the chance to sit down with both Kian and Freddy and interview them about their succesful businesses. In this edition readers will also be able to read a review about a yummy pie shop located in the Mission District, San Francisco, in this edition’s “Mission Pie.” Remember spirit week? Well we do! And in this edition, readers will be able to view a collage of some of the best pictures taken throughout spirit week. If you are looking to give back this Thanksgiving season take a look at this edition’s “A Day to Give Back,” where readers will get the opportunity to learn more about what the non-profit organization, InnVision, is doing for the community. Furthermore, we would like to thank our staff and advisor Esther Wojcicki for making this edition of The C Magazine possible. We are incredibly excited to bring you our third edition of The C Magazine and we hope you are as well. Enjoy! -Caroline Moley, Sophia Moss and Samantha Newell Editors-in-Chief
STAFF LIST EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Caroline Moley Sophia Moss Samantha Newell
CREATIVE DIRECTORS Riya Varma Nikki Freyermuth
TEXT EDITOR Pauline Na
PHOTO EDITOR Bella Graves
AD MANAGERS
Carmelle Bareket-Shavit Kallee Bareket-Shavit
STAFF WRITERS Maggie Zheng Emma Low Olivia Vort Talia Brown
ADVISOR
Esther Wojcicki
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Fresh fruits from the local farmer’s market offer a refreshing snack for customers.
Text & photos by Maggie Zheng
Mission Pie 2901 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94110; (415) 282-1500 missionpie.com
Nestled on the corner of 25th and Mission Street, Mission Pie is the epitome of a café where you would stop by during the chilly Autumn months. Why’s that, you ask? Once you stick your wind-whipped runny nose and rosy cheeks into the shop, trust me, you will understand. Located in the Mission District, this petite café is concealed amongst the otherwise bright and graffitied sea of store facades. But once the treasure hunt is over and you’ve spotted the small sign on a Victorian townhouse-turned-storefront, donning Mission Pie, you know you’ve hit the lottery. The faint aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon waivers in the air and lures you further inside the quaint little café until your eyes are focused on the centerpiece: a glass display full of pies. As your eyes flicker across the
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counter, you spy pumpkin pies, pear ginger pies, plum frangipane pies, walnut pies and the ever so camouflaged, chicken pot pies. What’s more? There is also salad, coffee, muffins and quiches. But of course, the main selling point still rests in the brilliant array of pies that were practically invented for Autumn weather. Those with either embarrassingly small stomachs or who strictly adhere to their calorie counts, do not fret. Mission Pie offers their dessert pies by the whole or by the slice. Even better, the pies also come in miniature sizes, which are only a mere 5 centimeters in diameter. Anyone can enjoy these pies because the variety suits your every need. Oh, and one more thing? These are relatively affordable, too, ranging from $1.99 to $15.99. My experience at Mission Pie was enjoyable other than
Rating: Parking: Ambience:
the tedious journey there. But, all my hard work of trekking paid off as soon as I dug my central incisors into a piece of pie. To be exact, I was eating a slice of the banana cream pie ($1.99), as the young lad behind the cashier recommended it to me, for it was their monthly best seller. I gave him my full trust and began eating with the preexisting belief that it was going to be godly. But I soon found out that it wasn’t nearly as good as I expected it to be. To begin with, the one-inch layer of whipped cream piled on top of the equally dairy-filled and artery-clogging banana pudding was just too much. I may not be a pie connoisseur but the gelatinous and gooey banana pudding just didn’t pair well with the cream, for the two jiggly bundles of fat didn’t allow for a satisfying texture. After drowning my sorrows (of not enjoying the banana cream pie) with a cup of pear juice ($2) that tasted of mild ginger—me gusta—I decided to venture on to the
miniature pie that I ordered for the frank reason that I found it to be cute. Specifically, I’d ordered the raspberry pear pie ($7). The minute my teeth sank in the squishy mouthful of goodness, my brain clicked and recognized the distinctive taste of Bartlett pears. In fact, the amount of chunky, yet soft pears was so overwhelming that I had to dig around before I found where the raspberries were timidly hiding. The succulent chunks of pear flesh that were in contact with the
raspberries had been dyed pink and had absorbed the perfumelike aroma and seeds from the raspberries. It was a spoonful of heaven. But the fun didn’t end there; the crunchy granola-like crust on top was the perfect addition to the otherwise mushy pie due to its addition of texture and dimension. After I finished, I had to dust off a lot of flaky crust crumbs from my hair and face; it was hard to regain my posture after devouring so many pies.
While savoring the last crumbs, I came to the sudden realization of why these pies are more scrumptious than the other conventional pies on the market; the pies offered at Mission Pie are just right (with the exception of the banana cream pie), for they are not too cavityinducingly sweet. To put it simply, this café is the ultimate arsenal of baked goods, essential to pair with an aromatic pumpkin chai latte during the Fall season. So, drop by, hop in and grab a bite!
The cozy interior of the café is stacked with items such as magazines and books for the customers to read while indulging in their pies as well as large tables available for customers to use for work.
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Artist of the Month :
Gleb Promokhov
Text and photos by Nikki Freyermuth
“”
What you see are the better parts of me and the parts you cannot see I see best.
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While many artists work within the lines creating pieces of art that lack a fresh and unique sense, Palo Alto High School Senior Gleb Konstantinovich Promokhov is different. He defines the meaning of expression through art by experimenting with poetry as well as creating wild paintings and thought-provoking work. Promokhov’s style of art truly makes the spectator ponder. Born in Moscow, Promokhov moved to the United States at the age of 12, and lacked the ability to speak English. He was able to find himself through poetry and art and began to master his own techniques using stylistic writing and acrylic paints. Although it was difficult to adapt to the ways of an American adolescent, art helped Promokhov through those obstacles. “Art helps you transmit your thoughts into actuality, like writing helps [you] express [yourself] in language,” Promokhov said. “Art helps you express [yourself] with visuals and both with ideas.” Writing poetry comes naturally to Promokhov. He aims for a meaningful and deep style that truly grasps any reader’s attention, encouraging them to seek the significance behind his rhyming words. He generally writes about melancholy topics in order to convey a more profound meaning. At the age of 15, Promokhov found inspiration for poetry from “Ruslan and Ludmila,” a book by poet, Alexander Pushkin. He began creating works that he seldom shared with the public. Poetry seemed to be an outlet for him to express his thoughts in an artistic and interesting way. When Promokhov got to America he took a class for three years where he learned the basics of drawing and painting. This began his journey of art. Promokhov completely engaged himself in the class.
After learning the basics, he became his own teacher and, to this day, is till testing out new techniques while moving over to acrylic painting. Promokhov’s style consists of geometric and abstract shapes combined with realistic objects such as faces and plants. “I paint because it’s meditative and helps me reconcile [with] what I’m thinking about,” Promokhov said. He is inspired by Picasso, Kandinsky, and Mondrian. With Picasso’s distorted faces and Kandinsky’s shapes and bright colors, you can see a hint of each artist’s style utilized throughout his own artwork. Along with poetry and painting, Promokhov has spent a fair amount of time learning about InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Graphic design is something that he hopes to continue with throughout the next chapter in his life. Promokhov took the Graphic Design elective at Paly as a Junior. He explained that it was a “comprehensive class that [he] enjoyed.”
After high school, he hopes to continue his artistic ventures at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. “I want to fuse my interests of computer science and artistic design in a career of computeraided design,” Promokhov said. Not only does he wish attend college to achieve this goal, but he also hopes to further spark artistic inspiration by traveling to Nepal, Thailand and Germany before or after he attends college. “[Going] to Nepal and Thailand are not just random trips of sights I want to see.” Promokhov says. “The culture, people and religion [have] a style of life I want to learn about and possibly live myself. Spirituality is very important to me and I want to explore it as much as I can.” By traveling and expanding his knowledge of other cultures, Promokhov hopes to enhance his artistic mind and continue to create works of art that inspire onlookers and readers.
A word, a sputter, a heart a flutter a mistake, create, I am a blunder express, distress, I’m having trouble to say, decay, I’m lost in wonder your face grace My heart asunder My tumbling words, birds, deviate My concern, burns, trying to alleviate My curiosity of your odyssey, and in my wait I hope you reflect, feelings as clear
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SPIRIT WEEK Photos By Bella Graves & Lindsey Lam
Building the float is my favorite part of Spirit Week, and to show them off to the whole school is a great feeling.” -Kate Marinkovich
“I enjoyed the fair point system because it kept all the classes on their toes,”-Eli Weitzman
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I loved dressing up and playing musical chairs because that is just good old fun.”-Callie Walker
“Spirit dance or die.”-Becca Althoff
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“I actually think the new activites were both super fun to participate in and entertaining to watch.� -Maya Benatar
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The Frappuccino: What is it exactly that makes this coffee drink a cult favorite and life essential amongst teenagers today? Some beans boiled in hot water can be found anywhere, so why get it at Starbucks? Granted, Starbucks does offer some interesting blends that drift away from the traditional coffee tastes and lure teenagers into their stores. However, other coffee chains (mind you, better ones) have also begun selling atypical blends. For excelsior quality coffee and isotopes, check out Philz Coffee or Blue Bottle Coffee (newly opened in town!) After all, you wouldn’t want to be the basic girl instagramming Starbucks drink after Starbucks drink.
The Sandy Tanning Bed: Don’t flip me the bird just yet— hear me out. Tanning while sand slyly makes its way into your swimsuit not only chafes your private area, but also, having questionable sand-dwelling insects crawl around on your sand-ridden towel is quite uncomfortable.
Bath Salts: What’s the point of taking a bath (and, by the way, bath bombs from Lush are not easy on your wallet) if you have to jump into the shower afterwards just to wash off the bubbles? A long, steamy, hot shower is the better option.
Over rated things Under
Text & Drawings by Maggie Zheng
In pop culture, some things’ popularity can rapidly escalate and spread like wildfire—many times, without reason. Meanwhile, others don’t receive the credit they deserve. These are some of the neglected items that deserve more attention and a few of the holy objects of veneration that I want to scream “Get outta the spotlight!” to.
The Prima Donna: At the sound of words such as “turtleneck” and “underrated” being used in the same sentence, many cringe and wonder whether or not their ears deceived them. Though these tops are typically sported by either old ladies or engineers (say, Steve Jobs) and are no where near trendy amongst teenagers, they can be surprisingly elegant and prima donna-like. This is a refreshing top option in sharp contrast to the sea of low, cleavage-baring shirts which are everywhere you look.
The Lamb chop: A mouth-watering cornucopia of Greek salad, steak and lamb chops are not only some of the world’s healthiest cuisines, but they also do not disappoint in terms of taste. It’s surprising how many people prefer greasy animal lard over these dishes of ambrosia...literally!
The Louis Armstrong: Quirky and whimsical tunes take the stage in this music genre, which seems to be drifting farther into oblivion as time goes on. The vintage quality of jazz immerses the audience into the glitzy days of saxophones and tubas. When 1930s music comes on, it is inevitable that you will bust out some killer jazz moves.
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Can’t Sleep. graduation
UC a SAT ool hom h c S pplic ework APs ation s quizzes college deadlines
Text & Graphic by Riya Varma
P
alo Alto High School’s rigorous schedule causes many students to neglect their need for sleep. The majority of Paly students take part in several AP classes, sports, extracurriculars, and face crushing college due dates, leading to them forgeting how important it is to just collapse and get some shut-eye. The average teenager needs nine hours of sleep a night in order to be alert and ready for the next day. However, for the majority of Paly students, nine hours of sleep a night is seemingly impossible due to the outside pressures of schoolwork (ahem, teachers. Yes, you give
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too much homework), SAT/ACT, studying and college applications. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Stress causes insomnia by making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.” Without sleep, a person’s ability to listen, concentrate and problem solve is severely compromised. Lack of sleep can also increases acne breakouts and skin irritations among teenagers. A scarcity of sleep results in people being more stressed than they would otherwise be if they got at least nine hours of sleep a night. An inadequate amount of sleep can also greatly
affect appetite, causing the body to crave foods that contain excess sugar and oils. It can be hard to fall asleep, and with a long list of unfinished to-do’s looming over student’s heads, falling asleep seems hopeless. But, do not fear! If you are one of the many Paly students in need of some extra snoozing hours, we have got some ideas for you.
1. Chamomile Tea The most infamous remedy for not being able to sleep is Sleepytime Tea, a tea that consists of mainly chamomile. Chamomile is an herb that, when consumed,
helps soothe the nervous system and suppresses muscle spasms, therefore, making it easier to fall asleep. Drinking Sleepytime Tea, or any other brand of Chamomile Tea, is an easy and natural way to trigger sleep by reducing stress. Sleepytime Tea can be purchased at Whole Foods along with other markets. It is recommended that you drink Sleepytime Tea 30 minutes before you go to sleep.
2. Rhythmic Beats Another way calm your nerves when you are attempting to sleep is to listen rhythms or quiet muWhen trying to sleep, many people listen to nature sounds, such as waves crashing or crickets chirping. Senior Kian McHugh recommends listening to the sound of rain while trying to sleep. “When I’m having trouble sleeping at night, I turn on some nice rain sounds to soothe any stresses I have about school and life in general.” Some music is scientifically constructed to produce sound waves that calm you down and
to to sic.
help you rest. These rhythms make you relax as they enter into your auditory hemisphere by producing calm, repetitive and soothing sound waves. The Meditation Relax Club, which is an online blog, has created such music, and has uploaded it to YouTube. The video is titled “Sleep Music Delta Waves.” Check out the QR code on this page to access the video.
3. Washing Your Worries Away Many people claim that taking a shower wakes them up, however, it has been proven that a short, hot shower actually calms you down and makes you sleepier. After taking a hot shower and walking into a room with a cooler tempera-
ture, your body signals that it is time to sleep by dropping your body temperature and slowing your its functions. By dropping your heart rate, digestion rate and breathing rate, you instinctively feel ready for bed. Try a 10 minute shower, at a water temperature of 100ºF; You’ll find that rather than feeling energetic, you will feel drowsy and ready to crash into your covers.
4. Deep Breaths Even something as simple as slowing and regulating your breathing can make a huge difference. Stress often causes rapid or irregular breathing, which in turn results in over-activity throughout your whole body, making it extremely difficult to sleep. Inhales and exhales should last four seconds each, if your breaths are faster. Remember, do not to put sleep at the bottom of your to-do list. So, the next time you are lying in your bed, not able to sleep, try out some of these tips!
Don’t feel like finding the “Sleep Music Delta Waves” video on YouTube? No worries, we have the QR code here for you!
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Text by Olivia Vort and Samantha Newell Photos by Creative Commons
Design by Samantha Newell
A Day to Give Back:
Ideas for community service during your Thanksgiving break.
T
who are struggling with poverty and homelessness skills so they can lead happy and successful lives. hanksgiving is a time when people reflect on the past year You have the opportunity to help these families this holiday season and realize what they have to be thankful for. It is a time for family, through InnVision’s special holiday giving and volunteering opportunifriends and of course, food. However, there is more to Thanksgiving ties. than food and time with family; It Donate a Thanksgiving is also a time to give back to your community and help those in need. or Holiday Dinner Basket Food is a delicious way to bring In San Francisco alone there are a family together for the holidays. over 150,000 people who lack the Donate a gift card or dinner basket resources to feed themselves and to a family in need at IVSN so they their families. Therefore, it is important to volunteer at a local food can celebrate together and share a special holiday dinner. The recombank or homeless shelter. Read on and discover some fun community mended amount is $40 per gift card service ideas that can be done with or dinner basket. friends and family this ThanksgivPlan a Holiday Party at a ing. Shelter InnVision Shelter Network is the leading provider of shelter and Bring your holiday party to a housing services across Silicon Val- shelter near you. The excitement ley and the San Francisco Peninsu- makes the holiday merry and memla. InnVision (IVSN) offers people orable for those at the shelter.
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Decorate to a Shelter Get creative with a group of friends at a shelter near you. Get some craft items and turn the shelter into a winter wonderland!
Donate in Honor of a Friend or Family Member Give the gift of contribution and donate in honor of a loved one. If you make a financial donation to IVSN in honor of a friend or family member IVSN with mail a memorable holiday card with hand crafted artwork created by the children at the shelters.
Give Financial Contribution Donate any amount of money to IVSN to help provide housing and supportive services to the thousands of homeless children and adults. Any contribution is appre
ciated as it ensures that IVSN can continue to provide high quality, beneficial services year- round.
Host a “Party with a Purpose” or Gift Drive Throw a holiday party and ask your friends, family and coworkers to bring a gift for someone in need. This is not only an excuse to throw an awesome festive party, but it is also a great opportunity to help those in need. Examples of the most needed items include financial donations, gift cards, linens and bedding, new socks and undergarments, cooking supplies and dish ware.
Provide and Serve Holiday Meals
Take a few hours out of your day to come to one of IVSN’s shelters on either Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to provide and serve a special meal to clients in need.
Adopt-a-Family or Individual At IVSN every client involved in the housing services is given two holiday gift wishes. “Adopt” a family or an individual and make their wishes come true this holiday season. Put a smile on someone’s face and purchase a single gift, or shop for a whole family. The recommended amount is $30 per gift. QR code for InnVision’s website. Check out website for more information!
Are you a Paly student in need of community service hours? No need to worry, we’ve got your back. Whether you are a student looking to do something for the greater good or a student looking to earn the President’s Award (which looks amazing on a college application), volunteering is a great way to give back to your community. Here are some organizations we recommend for students looking to volunteer:
They offer volunteers the positions of dog, cat and rabbit attendants, office assistant and foster and special projects volunteer. With a maximum of working two hours a week (if you choose to be an animal attendant) and three (if you choose to be an office assistant), what do you have to lose? Loca1. Boys & Girls Club of the tion: 3281 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Peninsula Contact Information: As the Bay Area’s largest at-risk Phone Number: (650) 496-5971 youth development organization, E-mail: animal.services@cityofthe Boys and Girls Club serves paloalto.org 1,700 kindergartners through 3. Abilities United twelfth grader in order to close Striving to create a commuthe achievement gap. Locations: nity where everyone is accepted, East Palo Alto, Redwood City and Abilities United helps children eastern Menlo Park. and adults with disabilities by Contact Information: providing free adult and child Phone Number: (650) 646-6140 day care. Location: 525 E. E-mail: info@bgcp.org Charleston Rd., Palo Alto, CA Website: bgcp.org 94306 2. City of Palo Alto Animal Contact Information: Services Phone Number: (650) 494-0550 Looking to take care of some E-mail: lynda@abilitiesunited. adorable pets? Volunteer here! org CULTURE
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PALY $TUDEN YOUNG AND MAKIN’ MONEY. Text by Caroline Moley & Talia Brown Photos by Bella Graves Design by Samantha Newell
THE LIST OF common job occupations for high school students is brief and, in all honesty, not the most versatile. Today, most of our classmate’s jobs consist of serving ice cream sandwiches at Cream, life guarding at Rinconada or baby sitting the neighborhood kids. Nonetheless, there are two particular Paly Seniors, Kian McHugh and Freddy Kellison-Linn, who are currently defying stereotypical adolescent occupations by creating their own successful businesses. For those who aren’t familiar with McHugh’s popular website, Filthy Slaps—created by him and his friend, Ben Taft, a senior at Menlo School—is a promotional music website featuring a variety of playlists, EPs, remixes, music articles and artists who are “on the come up.” Filthy Slaps currently has 1,450 likes on Facebook, and distinguished artists such as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have given shout outs to the site via YouTube. “I [started] creating playlists for friends in middle school,” McHugh said. “I was always very passionate about music, so when I was contacted by [Taft] with the idea to start a music blog, I quickly agreed.” In addition to his blog, McHugh began writing for The Kollection towards the end 18
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Kian McHugh (left) and Freddy Kellison-Linn (right) are Palo Alto High School Seniors who have turned their passions into booming businesses. To put it simply, both boys are young and makin’ money.
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Kian McHugh’s music blog, Filthy Slaps, has received shout outs from a number of major artists, such as Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Mickey Avalon, Mike Stud, Freddie Gibbs, Wu-Tang Clan and Cypress Hill.
of his Junior year. The Kollection is one of the most prestigious music blogs in the industry and McHugh has been an avid reader of it ever since his Freshman year. Because of his love for The Kollection, McHugh quickly developed a strong 20
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relationship with the head of the company, Brian Lovin, and was soon after offered a role as a writer, which he swiftly accepted. “I can post music I thoroughly enjoy at whatever frequency I like. I am also in charge of the ‘Throwback
Thursday’ portion of the site, which is dope to run,” McHugh said. “It’s a really cool feeling seeing a lot of people [listen to] the music I want to share.” Unfortunately, it became difficult for McHugh to balance school, the upkeep of
Filthy Slaps and blogging for The Kollection. Therefore, around two months ago, he and Taft decided to sell Filthy Slaps to Fresh New Tracks, another major music blog in the industry. “We had contacted them a while ago, and they hit us up with a response and put up an offer, which we eagerly agreed to, because it was an opportunity to temporarily exit the industry and open up new opportunities,” McHugh said. Now, McHugh, like most seniors, is deep in the college application process. Luckily, he is already quite aware of the subject he wishes to focus on. “I definitely plan on pursuing a career in the music industry,” McHugh said. “I’m applying to a lot of schools specifically with the intent of majoring in the music industry.” Eventually McHugh hopes to either own a music label or manage musical artists. This seems like an achievable goal, seeing that he is already managing four artists from Atlanta under the name Lowkey Entertainment, as well as artist Sam Williams—who is now heavily featured on The Kollection because of McHugh. McHugh first heard from Williams when the artist submitted his recordings to Filthy Slaps in an attempt to be heard. At the time Williams only had around one hundred likes on Facebook, and little recognition, however, McHugh immediately
saw William’s talent and contacted him. Thanks to McHugh, Williams has now been featured on a number of major music blogs. There is no doubt that McHugh’s job comes with a variety of rewards. Ranging from press passes to unimaginable interviews with some incredible artists, yet, what McHugh values is probably the most selfless part of his work. “I really love to see my work effect an artist,” McHugh said. “I interviewed an artist when he had about
success,” McHugh said. “I really care about what I do and I never stopped trying, I never stopped sending out e-mails attempting to get bigger and better as a company, I met with lawyers and did whatever I could to help Filthy Slaps and the artists it featured succeed.” Another Palo Alto High School Senior who has found a way to turn an interest into a prospering career is Freddy Kellison-Linn. He and his friend, Adrian D’Urso, who is now attending UC Santa Cruz, created
then awards users with the ability to install apps through means other than the App Store. “It started as a hobby, something [Adrian] and I were doing for fun,” Kellison-Linn said. This hobby, however, turned into more than Kellison-Linn could have ever imagined. Both iPodUplink and JailbreakNation. com have become incredibly popular; as of now iPodUplink has 281,281 likes on Facebook as well as 431,280
“I’m open, and I do my best to be brave and not let the fact that I’m a teenager in high school affect my success,” -Kian McHugh, ‘14. one-hundred-fifty likes on Facebook. After the interview was posted, other blogs caught on to his talent and he has increased in popularity immensely.” Today this unnamed artist has tens of thousands of likes, and is performing at major venues nationwide. As a teenager, gaining respect in any industry can be difficult, but McHugh views this as a reason to work harder rather than an excuse to “give up and try again later.” “I’m open, and I do my best to be brave and not let the fact that I’m a teenager in high school affect my
IpodUplink (the name of their YouTube channel) and JailbreakNation.com, where Kellison-Linn and D’Urso cover news about Apple products, rumors and announcements. The significant focus of Kellison-Linn’s YouTube channel and website is how to jailbreak Apple devices. Kellison-Linn and D’Urso show their viewers how to adjust the operating system that runs iPads, iPhones and iPod touches. This makes it possible for users to gain control over their Apple products, including the capability to discard Apple’s appointed restrictions. This
subscribers and 34,765,924 views on YouTube. Therefore, by posting ads on his YouTube channel and website, Kellison-Linn is able to bring in revenue every time someone visits or clicks on a video or article, which, because of their popularity, happens quite frequently. Thus, Kellison-Linn’s hobby has now turned into a lucrative business that is bringing in more money than the average teen could ever dream of. Even though KellisonLinn’s friend and partner, D’Urso, is now in college, they still continue to run their YouTube channel and
website together. “[Adrian and I] are continuing work on the business, so I don’t think much will change,” Kellison-Linn said. “Running a business online makes it really easy to communicate remotely, so [Adrian and I] don’t have to be in the same physical location.” In the future KellisonLinn hopes to keep on managing his website and YouTube channel. “I would love to continue working on the site and YouTube channel, and as things are going, it looks as though that could be a viable career path,” Kellison-Linn said. Even though KellisonLinn has already created a successful business, he still plans to go to college. “My major will probably be computer science, though I have also considered majoring in business, so I may consider a combination of the two,” Kellison-Linn said. Both Kellison-Linn and McHugh demonstrate how teenagers don’t need to conform by having a stereotypical teenage job. Most teens have interests, however, Kellison-Linn and McHugh show how one can take their interest and turn it into thriving business. Kellison-Linn and McHugh are both supreme examples of young people who are making exceptional amounts of money. So Paly, look out for these two in the future, they will most likely create the next big things in the music and technology industries. COVER
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MOVIE REVIEW
Jon
Don W
ho would have thought that such a great romantic comedy would be built around the stigma of porn. Starring actor Joseph GordonLevitt, “Don Jon” is this season’s most controversial movie, telling the story of a man named Don Jon (Gordon-Levitt) who is addicted to pornography due to the fact that he can’t deal with the high maintenance women who end up in is his bed. The only things Jon cares about are his “body, pad, ride, family, church and porn.” This fuels the stereotype that men only need a simple list of things in order to be content. Jon is a bartender living in New Jersey and a regular at the local night club. He scans the room in search of the perfect girl, or the girl he sees as a “dime” on his crude system of evaluating women. Jon finally finds the “perfect” woman, Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson), who he deems as the most beautiful “thing” he has ever seen. Sugarman is different than any of the women Jon has taken home for one night stands. She is searching for the perfect man, the kind of man from sto-
rybook fantasies that girls dream about. Sugarman teases Jon, leading him to believe that he might want something more than just sex, but the plot takes a turn when Sugarman begins to demand that Jon needs to change himself for her. The most beautiful “thing” Jon had ever seen quickly becomes the most demanding “thing” in his life. “Don Jon” illustrates the idea that the media enhances romantic expectations in relationships and that men might not appreciate the emotional value of sex due to porn romanticizing it. Jon considers porn as the peak of sexuality and nothing can overcome the feeling he gets when he “loses himself.” When Sugarman enters his life, he thinks that he is in love, yet he is really only in love with her aesthetic qualities and what she gives him in bed. Jon fails to recognize Sugarman for who she truly is: shallow and selfish. The intense pressure which society puts on people to behave a certain way is what shapes the theme of this movie. “I would credit my parents a lot with prioritizing what I think is important: caring about what you do, working hard, thinking about how what you do
affects others. Not just getting what you can for yourself,” Gordon-Levitt said in an interview with USA Today. In a time where social media dominates, it is easy to judge a girl purely based on what she looks like on Facebook. I can appreciate how Jon came to the conclusion that in order to feel something special during sex, he must form a deeper connection with that person. It is about losing yourself in that special person and not purely basing the reputation on aesthetic qualities. I feel like this movie conveys that the true meaning of sex can be more than just a quick fling between two people, but instead something special. Gordon-Levitt proves to be a natural filmmaker, skillfully crafting a romantic comedy that is both humorous and compelling. This 90 minute R-rated movie is funny, relevant and thought provoking, yet simultaneously slightly inappropriate and raunchy.
ENTERTAINMENT
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