The Viper Vibe - Vol. 12, Issue 1

. 12 // october ‘12 vol

The merit of YA Lit Language studies shrink Football’s new coaches

Blake Jenner

A Varela alumnus’ journey to Glee

Bulletin Board

Viewpoints

We Say: Control is not the way School has become a vicious cycle where the powers that be, from administrators upward, continue to standardize just about every aspect of our lives.

We’re inclined to believe that at least part of this stems from a genuine belief that they’re doing what’s best for us. Still, intent does not change effect and the effects are dismal.

The latest examples include the College Board’s SpringBoard curriculum in English and math classes and new, healthy school lunches.

SpringBoard follows the sickening trend of an obsession with college readiness. Rather than making us learners capable of original thought and analysis, they’re making us students and nothing more.

What if more schools imple-

ment the College Board’s franchised curriculums? Is discussion truly discussion when everybody has been taught to think the same way?

Probably not. But that’s the situation schools like ours are fostering.

The new, purportedly healthier school lunch practices - ranging from no ketchup to no third-party pizza - are less college-inclined, which would be a relief were the situation not as ridiculous as it is. Perhaps students would learn better from actual information and advice rather than unexplained changes.

That’s just it - at the end of the day, it feels like actual learning is being phased out in favor of a standardized greater good.

Maybe we missed a few vital lessons along the way, but we’re not sure that’s the education we want.

by Giovanna Navas

The Editor Says:

vol. 12 October ‘12

New beginnings

I walked into room 228 three years ago and I fell in love. In joining The Viper Vibe, I found a home away from home - a place of headlines, deadlines and family.

I’ve grown immeasurably in my years here. So has the publication. Three years ago, I was part of a newspaper. Now we’re a newsmagazine, all glossy paper and color coordination. It’s a big, scary change, yes, but it’s incredibly exciting.

This issue, months in the making, is rough around the edges. But it’s ours. We love it.

Over the course of our production process, there have been arguments, soy sauce fights and nervous breakdowns.

We’ve declared each other the worst people ever - and the best - many times over. At one point, we may have actually threatened each other with Harry Potter spells. We’ve stayed at school until 9pm some nights, living off pizza and motivation.

And it’s been amazing.

Thanks to an incredible staff and adviser, we did it.

We look forward to producing the rest of this year’s issues with all the passion and dedication we can muster and we hope you enjoy this one. We definitely enjoyed making it.

Don’t forget to be awesome, Claudia “Ravenclawdia” Morales Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Claudia Morales

Manag i n g E d i t o R Janelle Malagon

Lifestyle Editor Giovanna Navas

Sp o r t s E d i t o r Suzanne Pontillo

Staffers Taylor Daley//James Hale//Raquel Palacios Kristian Quincosa//Cristian Rodriguez//Ciro Salcedo

ADVISOR Elizabeth Cardenas EDITORIAL POLICY The Viper VIbe is the student newspaper of Felix Varela Senior High (15255 SW 96 St, Miami, FL, 33196). It is an open forum for student expression. The opinions expressed in the publication do not reflect the official opinions or policies of the school. The Viper Vibe welcomes letters to the editor, but requires that they be signed and reserves the right to reject, edit and condense letters. The staff and advisor can be contacted at 305-752-7900 or thevipervibe@gmail.com

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thevipervibe@gmail.com

The Viper Vibe solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed obscene as to minors, defamatory, or materially and substantially disruptive of school activities.

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Viewpoints

YA Lit: The genre less Valued

by Claudia Morales Editor-in-Chief @ r av e n c l a w d i a Too often, Young Adult Literature (YA Lit) shelves are ones less travelled. The genre has been stigmatized everywhere - from literary communities to schools - largely on the grounds that it lacks merit.

What’s most troubling is that teenagers are encouraged to write it off with equal pretention. The idea that we can read YA Lit critically, then, is too often held as literary blasphemy.

In dismissing YA Lit, people dismiss a genre so new and diverse it can barely be categorized. Though most YA Lit books feature young main characters

and are, in prose and in plot, compulsively readable, the similarities tend to end there.

The genre features everything from fantasy to dystopia to surrealism. It can take readers to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or the “literal heart of Jesus” in Indianapolis, IN. While this diversity makes lower quality works inevitable, it’s important to understand that YA Lit is anything but a series of Twilights. And it’s not like there exists any genre devoid of its black sheep—Nicholas Sparks, anyone?

In fact, many works of YA

Lit share most qualities seen in works of universally agreedupon literary merit.They boast well-developed plots and characters, syntactical complexity, and topical depth, among other things. M.T. Anderson’s Feed incorporates a speculative colloquial rhetoric to bring his futuristic setting to life. In The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Anderson takes on the voice of a classically trained 18th century writer.

Writers like Anderson deliberate over every word, implementing techniques aged and new, creating something unique – something readers should celebrate.

Other works may favor a more traditional writing style but incorporate allusions to classic literature in significant ways. John Green’s New York Times bestseller The Fault in Our Stars features lines from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and T.S. Eliot’s The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock as presentations of pivotal ideas.

Books like Green’s introduce readers to literature in a genuine and impactful way.

When the authors love literature and write characters who

love literature, the audience will be invested in not only the characters but their interests.

These books present the subject without pretention and with great enthusiasm.

YA Lit approaches the difficulties and darkness of adolescence candidly and caringly.

Books like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls give teenagers dealing with disorders hope, while books like Green’s Looking for Alaska approach death, human significance and grief.

YA Lit introduces young readers to amazing literature, but it also is amazing literature itself. New books – new worlds – emerge every day, and communities form around them. Movements rise. Change happens.

Perhaps most importantly, YA Lit empowers. It makes activists of young readers through organizations like the Harry Potter Alliance and communities like Nerdfighteria.

Readers can participate in charity projects - the Harry Potter Alliance recently fundraised almost $100,000 in the name of social equality - while carrying on thoughtful discussion about literature and the world. YA Lit makes us better. That shouldn’t be dismissed

Hits and Misses The Viper Vibe’s new look.

We might be a bit biased.

“Keep Calm and Remember You’re a Viper” posters. We owe the British an apology.

The return of keyboard and creative writing classes.

by Giovanna Navas

“Run FVHS” t-shirts. What does that even mean?

4

The Viper Vibe

The demise of hall decorating. The paint isn’t worth it.

News

The Sitch

Language program dwindles

Giovanna Navas

Lifestyle Editor

@gioomaria

photos by Giovanna Navas

Varela’s annual Battle of the Bands was held on Sept.

13 with six bands performing.

Drama teacher Rey Bode was forced to kick several kids out due to poor behavior.

Sedgewick, the last band to perform, was disqualified due to crowd surfing and outwardly breaking the rules of the venue.

At the end of the night, West End with their EPs in hand accepted first place.

The Kreators, whose frontman won the crowd over by playing guitar with his teeth, took second place.

And Wide Eyes, standing out as the only act with a female musician, accepted third.

It was a night to remember and showcased the brilliant talent within Varela’s walls.

Written by Suzanne Pontillo

Should diversity end where college begins? There was once a time when Varela offered a wide assortment of foreign language classes. The school invested in the Global Studies academy and culturally enriched its students.

With the Portuguese program having been cut eight years ago and the Japanese and German programs not long after, the program has narrowed from what it once was. And while a few courses are still being offered, the few teachers left feel it is far from enough.

“This is a global world,” French teacher Florence Rouit said. “You need a window out to the world and if you only get that window through the internet, it’s just not enough to understand differences in culture and to learn to be accepting and tolerant of other people’s differences.”

Despite constant talks of diversity, cuts continue. The Italian program is already shrinking drastically.

“This year I have, for the first time ever in all the years I’ve been here at Varela - and I opened up the school - one Italian I class when I’ve always opened up the year with four,” Italian teacher Arcesio Jaramillo said. “So right there I have over 100 students that have vanished.”

These cuts are mainly due to the administration’s emphasis on Advanced Placement courses. Without the funding of the Italian Consulate, a type of embassy dealing

Past to Present: The Loss of Diversity

with minor diplomatic issues, the AP class is not offered.

“The problem with the Italian program is that there’s not an Advanced Placement test that goes along with Italian right now,” Assistant Principal for Curriculum John Galardi said. “The Italian Consulate used to pay for the AP tests. They’re not paying anymore from what we understand. So really, Italian does not have the AP component to it that Spanish and French do right now.”

Without that AP component, the Italian program as a whole is being phased out. According to Galardi, the administration feels that an AP course is necessary for full mastery of a language.

Programs without an AP test at the end of the tunnel, then, are cut.

“It’s a shame, I mean, it’s sad because the Italian program is like my baby,” Jaramillo said. “I came to open up the Italian program and at one point in time we had the biggest Italian program in Dade County.”

Despite the Italian program having once been extensive, with twelve classes divided between Varela’s two teachers, it will soon join the German, Portuguese, and Japanese programs.

“It’s possible,” Galardi said when asked if the Italian program would be cut altogether in the future. “Anything is possible. I think it really boils down to whether the Italian Consulate decides to fund the AP program. If the consulate comes back and they pay for it, then we can afford to run the program.

If not, we’ll have to take a second look at it.”

The problems do not

stop with Italian, however.

Even with its AP component, the French program has obstacles of its own.

“The higher levels [of French] are mixed together,” Rouit said. “Which makes it kind of difficult to teach because it’s not the same curriculum.”

This convergence of the French III, IV and AP level classes are, according to the administration, a direct result of a lack of student interest.

“I believe there are only eleven students that are in AP French,” Galardi said. “I can’t run a class with eleven kids. You have to maximize the resources you have. So in maximizing the resources that you have, you have to combine certain courses.”

This proved to be less than ideal, according to Rouit.

She is left teaching three different curriculums all at once.

“I cannot teach French III honors the same thing I teach for French IV and AP French.

There’s no way,” she said.

“These levels are completely different and I have to go flip from one side of the classroom to the other side of the classroom and then come back to the AP and French IV then go back to French III. It’s very challenging intellectually and physically.”

When foreign languages are cut, there may still be an option through Florida Virtual School (FLVS) labs.

However, many teachers and students agree that the experience is comparatively lackluster at best.

“I know that some students in French, especially French II, who are mainly involved in the iPrep program, have French II virtual,” Rouit said. “I know that because

When Varela first opened its doors in August of 2000, it offered six languages. Twelve years later, it only offers three.

The Viper Vibe 5

News they’ve come and complained to me. They didn’t want French II virtual. They want to be in the classroom with a teacher.� “Sometimes, it can get really annoying,�

FLVS senior Valentina Lantigua said after having taken foreign language courses both in Varela and virtually. “Teachers in public school are there to help you immediately, and when you have a virtual instructor, it takes some time to get a hold of them. You do everything on your own watch, which can make you finish later than a regular class.�

Of course, this is subjective. While some students feel virtual classes lack the fundamental resources a classroom offers, others do not mind it as much. “The whole debate of [FLVS] being more difficult or not is based on the student’s integrity,� senior Cristina Garcia, now in a classroom after taking a year of virtual Spanish, said. “One thing that I have always loved about virtual school is the second chances you get and how they correct you and let you fix what you did wrong - basically learning from your mistakes.�

According to department head of Foreign Languages Rodolfo Sanchez, other factors affecting cuts include direct relevance to the student body. Because of Florida’s heavy Hispanic influence, he feels the Spanish language holds a higher importance at the moment. “You have to see what’s the most important language aside from English in this part of the country,� he said. “That’s Spanish.�

l s ca tor ! o c i L u tr iam s In M in

With the college demand for fluency in to hiring Brazilian greeters and training Spanish coupled with the school’s constant team members in basic Portuguese. And yet, emphasis on college readiness, it seems the Portuguese was the first language to go.

Spanish program has little to worry about.

As more languages are cut, teachers feel While Spanish is still kicking, other forthe harm to students only increases. eign language teachers expressed that it just “We live in a global community,� Jarais not cutting it for an academy that claims millo said. “So if they’re pushing for a Global to give students a well-rounded education of Academy, they should have the languages to the world. come along with the whole program because In fact, the 2012 tourism season set it’s part of it. It’s the way it should be.� records for Florida largely because of the quick and steady rise of Brazilian tourism.

According to CNN, a projected 1.5 million Brazilians would visit Florida this year.

Those tourists take to Orlando’s theme parks, the state’s real estate market and stores, spending thousands of dollars each - they’re “loaded with cash,� as CNN puts it.

Some of the biggest names in the theme park industry, including Walt Disney World, are already taking measures to better welcome this demographic. This Despite Portuguese being the first to go, it is one of the languages becoming more and more necessary in South Florida as a result of goes from launching Portuguese webpages Orlando tourism. Statistics gathered from The Miami Herald

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The Viper Vibe

Drama teachers Ozzie Quintana and Rey Bode stand with former student Blake Jenner. Jenner won Oxygen’s The Glee Project this summer and will appear on Glee this November.

From Viper to Titan:

B Ake

by Claudia Morales (Editor-in-Chief)

On stage during the Glee Project season finale, Blake Jenner “summoned the power of Thor.” That’s how he explains the impossibly high jump he pulled off seconds after being declared winner.

8

Granted, the win was a pretty big deal for him: after eleven episodes’ worth of nonstop competition, Jenner’s victory meant a seven episode arc on Fox’s Glee.

His Glee debut as Ryder Lynn this November will be widely attributed to luck, talent, and the whims of show creator Ryan Murphy. In truth, it is the biggest stop yet in a dream-driven journey that began in suburban Miami.

That journey brought him to Varela before it took him to California.

It began with stories.

“I started getting bitten by the acting bug when I was in fourth grade,” Jenner said.

“I’d write little short stories, as part of our morning journals in class and then I’d act them out. I’d make people laugh and that was the hook.”

Once in Hammocks Middle School, Jenner enrolled in their drama program taught

by Susan Ryan.

“Blake was always the class clown,” Ryan said. “He enjoyed performing for anyone, anytime. Every acting assignment was met with enthusiasm.”

Even then, Jenner was already using his talent to the fullest.

By the end of eighth grade, he’d won a state-level critic’s choice award in the monologue category.

Jenner spent his freshman year of high

The Viper Vibe

school at the Academy of Arts and Minds before transferring to Varela as a sophomore.

“Blake had been at another school, an art school, that was giving him nothing,” drama teacher Rey Bode said. “He heard of the things we were doing here, since all his friends were here, and he was like ‘Wow, I need to be there.’ So he came here, but he was behind.”

Jenner’s freshman drama curriculum had left him unprepared compared to the students that had already been at Varela for a year.

According to Bode, however, it ultimately did not make a difference.

“Once Blake got it, he got it,” he said.

“And he really worked hard at everything.

Not just in acting, it’s everywhere—his work ethic is really strong. That’s what I think sets him apart.”

That work ethic extended to making an early graduation possible.

“When I was in my junior year, I really wanted to get to Los Angeles as soon as possible,” he said. “So I’d come here, do school during the day, and then go home and do my senior year coursework through [Florida Virtual School] at night. It became this everyday thing, just go, go, go until I finished.”

By the end of his junior year, Jenner was months away from moving across the country - a long-held ambition made real.

“As early as middle school, I knew I wanted to go there, to pursue my dream by any means,” Jenner said. “I’d tell my parents, hey, I’m not going to go to college. I’m just going to go straight into acting and I’m going to give it all I have. Of course, they were just like, ‘Yeah, Blake, sure, okay.’”

It turned out to be anything but a phase.

“When high school started, I guess they’d thought I’d matured and changed my mind, and they’d ask me what I ‘really’ want-

ed to do,” he said. “And I was like, uh, no. I’m going to act. I had to get out there as soon as possible—there are people who have been doing it since birth. In reality, I was late, and I knew I had to hurry up and go.”

Though the move proved difficult, it would ultimately lead him to Oxygen’s The Glee Project.

Jenner was up against 13 other contestants. Right off the bat, he felt weakest vocally. When asked about the singing experience he had before the show, Jenner said most of it involved singing in the shower.

“I was never vocally trained, so whenever I had to sing I’d just be like ‘please don’t crack, please don’t crack,’” he said. “The first day, we were practicing “Born This Way” and I was listening to everybody else and I was just like, ‘I suck. I really suck and this sucks and I’m probably getting sent home the moment they hear me. This is going to be terrible.’ It was something I was always very insecure about.”

As the show progressed, he benefited from the “master class” format.

“Straight away and throughout my time there, I learned more and more from the contenders and the coaches,” Jenner said.

“The Glee Project taught me everything that I know in terms of vocals. It opened my eyes, it stretched my range out—I was reaching higher and better notes. It really is a master class. It’s not just a show.”

His strength was acting. Jenner attributes this largely to his time with drama teachers Bode and Ozzie Quintana.

“Rey and Ozzie really made me love improv,” Jenner said. “That really helped throughout the show, especially in the ‘Actability’ episode, where we had to act but we didn’t have a script. And I know it’s going to help me on Glee, too.”

In his week back at Miami this August, Jenner performed with Bode, Quintana and several Varela alumni. The Impromedy troupe themed their season finale - dubbed ‘Impromeglee’ - around Blake and his recently announced win.

Even before the show began, the night was full of good-natured humor at Jenner’s expense. One of the cast members - likely Jenner himself - made a point of punching a projected picture of Jenner from behind the screen. Repeatedly.

It was a night that evidenced the bonds between Jenner and his hometown friends and how not even fame could shake that.

“Performing with Blake is a lot of fun,” Bode said. “He always throws a lot of curveballs at you and he’s willing to accept your curveballs. So when he came back and did Impromeglee, he was a great team player. We kind of geared the show around him, making it a bit musical and stuff.”

The other feature of the night was Jenner’s gratitude. Between countless thanks to all involved and some self-deprecating humor, actions spoke loud, too. After the show - which ended around 11 p.m. - Jenner made a point of taking pictures with every fan who wanted one. There were dozens.

“He is probably the most grateful per-

son,” Bode said. “In rehearsal, he says, ‘Man, I owe it all to you guys,’ and he meant Ozzie and I. He really did say that. It was really cool.”

That gratitude was evident throughout Jenner’s week in Miami.

“I think this is the best part, getting to come back here,” Jenner said, gesturing at the covered courtyard. “I love being here, just sitting here, because I remember sitting over there at that lunch table and eating with my friends. It’s crazy. And everybody’s been so supportive.”

From Jenner’s big move in 2010 through his big win this summer, many Vipers maintained support. He cites this as a vital factor in his success.

“It was amazing having all of my friends and family and everybody at school be so supportive,” he said. “I’d come back and visit all my teachers here and just everybody, they’d be like ‘You’re gonna do it.’ I think that was really important, everybody back home that’s been a part of my life, that’s what was keeping me going. I feel like without those people, without that love and support, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.”

As the school year began and the Glee Project finale approached, nerves ran high.

“It’s almost unreal, when you see Blake on TV and you’re rooting for him so much,” Quintana said. “But at the same time, you’re almost like a dad and you’re like ‘I know he can do it.’”

Perhaps most notably, this support helped Jenner through his struggles. At barely 18 years of age, a cross-country move all on his own proved difficult.

“I was terrified,” Jenner said. “The first day I was moving, I cried. I was really sad; it really hit me. I was trying so hard to stay strong, but I cried. It’s hard; hard being on your own, hard being so far from your family and everything you know and everybody that cares about you. You’re on your own and you’re so alone.”

After getting settled in L.A., Jenner began auditioning. He estimated he’d been to roughly “a freaking bunch.” The rejections were just as abundant.

“I was said no to so many times,” he said. “It’s the worst feeling. You have to keep your chin up, and sometimes that’s impossible. It was a series of no’s.”

Minutes before summoning the power of Thor, Jenner was ready to lose.

“I did not think I was going to win,” he said. “I was hoping so much and I wanted it like nothing else, but I did not think I was going to win. I was ready to be happy for whoever won, to hug them and support them.

When they said my name, I was like ‘woah, dude,’ and I run to the platform and I jump off it,” Jenner said. “It was like Super Mario 64. I was Mario. I couldn’t even explain the feelings I went through in that moment.”

In light of that success, Jenner thinks fondly of his struggles.

“I’m thankful for my success, but I’m thankful for the struggling,” he said. “I’m glad I know what rejection is like, because I get to value my success that much more. I know photos by Z. Garcia and Janelle Malagon

Quintana impersonates Jenner at Impromeglee. Bode looked on, confused.

Quintana aand Jenner perform musical improv. The theme was archeology.

failure. So I’m thankful for all the times I went to bed without eating dinner because I needed to save money. It showed me how much you have to appreciate what you do get, and how quickly it can vanish.”

Jenner drew on these experiences when visiting Miami.

“I think it’s such a blessing to get where you hope to be and I’m so happy to come and share my knowledge,” Jenner said. “I wish somebody had done it for me. I went out to L.A. knowing nothing. There are so many people out in L.A. that will try and change you. You’ve always got to be like, clear of drugs, clear of alcohol, clear of everything.

I would have loved for someone to let me know what I was about to get into, to let me

know how much I was going to have to reject people for my own good.”

It seems the hard work, dedication and character have paid off. Weeks away from his Glee debut, Jenner has already gotten a taste of fame and will only encounter more.

Those who know him, however, are confident that he deserves every bit of his success and that it will not change him.

“With Blake, he’s not famous by accident,” Quintana said. “He worked hard. He’s incredibly talented and he just dives into it. He’s not afraid to take risks. himself out there, but at the same time he’ll ask for criticism after. I think what [Bode and I] were happiest about was that he still maintains contact with us and he’s still very humble.”

The Viper Vibe 9

News

Who would you vote for and why?

At first I wanted to vote for Romney because my family has always voted Republican and I’ve been raised that way. But then I actually looked into Romney and a lot of [his platforms and beliefs are] just ignorant. So I decided that if I were to vote, I would vote for Obama.

Julianne Fernandez (12)

In this election I would vote for Obama simply because Romney’s views don’t apply to me. For example, he wants to cut away from funding for students.

Fernando Poschl (12)

I’m voting for Romney. My vote is not so much for Romney as it is against Obama. I do not believe in his socialist values or spreading the wealth. I believe you have to earn it. information gathered from isidewith.com

Vivian Lorenzo-Guerra (Teacher) I’m voting for Obama. Basically I belive in his policy. I believe in what he’s trying to do with healthcare and jobs. I’m willing to give him four more years.

Mayra Echemendia (Teacher)

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10 The Viper Vibe

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Lifestyle

technology Not a dream come true

by Suzanne Pontillo Sports Editor @smariepont The tenth anniversary of popular Square Enix franchise Kingdom Hearts brought a new addition to the franchise – Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS. This time around, developers had it easy because of the 3DS’s new addition of a circle pad.

They were able to recycle the well-thought-out battle system seen in its predecessor, Birth by Sleep.

Although they reuse that combat system, some new features as well, including the Flowmotion moves – which allow the player to glide through the area at a high speed. Players will begin to get the hang of it after a couple of fights. Flowmotion causes significant damage if it is done correctly; however, because it leaves the player open to enemy attacks, it can also be frustrating.

Reality shifts are more tedious and complicated. They allow the player to freeze time and either grab an object around the area to throw at the enemy or to grab the enemy itself to throw into the ground.

In this game, players get the chance to play as both Sora and Riku – both of whom are working toward passing their Mark of Mastery exam to become true Keyblade wielders.

To do so, they are sent to “sleeping worlds” based on both classic and modern Disney films. But instead of the traditional Gummi ships to take the player to the different worlds, as seen in the previous games, they go into “Dive Mode” to enter the sleeping worlds to awaken them and set free themselves from the Dream Eaters.

There are two types of Dream

Eaters in this game: the Spirits and the Nightmares. The Spirits are kind aids to the player’s quest of waking up the worlds while the Nightmares are the constant-spawning enemy.

Each Spirit offers a D-Link that powers up when attacking enemies and will allow the character to combine attacks with their Spirits to deal more damage. The D-Link takes a while to completely power up though so by the time it is full, the enemy has already been beaten or the D-Link had already been forgotten about completely.

One of the biggest flaws of this game, however, is the drop gauge.

During the game, the player alternates between using Sora and Riku and the way this happens is that when the time on the drop gauge gets to zero, they are forced to switch to the other character, even when in the middle of a boss fight. If this happens, when the game switches back to the character that had been fighting a boss, the fight will start over.

The biggest problem with Dream Drop Distance is the same one seen in all other Kingdom Hearts games – the storyline. Developers put in a valiant effort trying to correct their mistakes with the storyline from past games, but in doing so, they managed to turn it into an even more tangled mess that now deals with time travel and a handful of identities for one person.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance may not be a dream come true but if you manage to ignore the gaping plot holes, it can still be a decent one.

by Janelle Malagon Managing Editor @Janbydesign

Apple’s newly released software upgrade, iOS 6–the operating system that supports all of Apple’s new-generation products– has brought a whole new meaning to integration. iOS 6 no longer carries the built-in YouTube app, and Maps is not supported

by Google.

The main upgrade to Apple products’ operating systems is the heavy integration of Facebook. Want to share a picture of the awful traffic outside school but would rather not get arrested for texting and driving? Just have Siri post it directly to Facebook for them.

Among the other updates to already-established programs and apps such as Calendar, FaceTime and Maps, iOS 6 brought aboard Passbook, a ticketing and coupon application.

Despite the leaps and bounds made

by Apple, there have been countless problems with additions such as iCloud and Siri.

According to various iPhone users, iOS 6’s new version of Maps has errors.

Numerous locations and details on Maps have been completely erased save for a few landmarks such as airports. Some complaints on the Apple forums indicate that small towns and their respective businesses and landmarks are entirely incorrect.

“Although #ios6 may say differently, we can assure you that the Tacoma Narrows Bridges have not melted,” the Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted.

“It’s not an impossible problem to solve, but building, deploying and maintaining a sophisticated mapping service is not something that can be done overnight,” Brian Blau, an analyst, told Wired.

Follow the Viper Vibe on twitter @thevipervibe photo courtesy of Square Enix

The Viper Vibe 11

Lifestyle

Music

by Giovanna Navas lifestyle Editor @gioomaria

Living Things

In Living Things, their new musically complex album, alternative heavyweights Linkin Park pursue a new sound while staying true to themselves. It may even be the strongest they have ever been, lyrically.

Easy to grasp but difficult to forget, Living Things provides listeners with thought-provoking anthems. Leading single

With “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” her latest single, Pink lost her trademark individuality. While she retains her confident spunk, it ultimately falls short. The single is generic, lacking the depth and honesty that has defined Pink for her entire career.

Because the song is a carbon copy of every Top 40 hit on the radio, it’s still catchy and enjoyable. The melody – while a bit sloppy – is infectious enough to at least vaguely entertain its listeners.

Pink’s downfall is her accidental anonymity. If not for her distinguishing raspy vocals, “Blow Me” could be any other single on the radio.

The song isn’t bad for a top 40 hit, but it is by Pink standards.

“Burn it Down” speaks of the self-destructive world we live in. Meanwhile, “Castle of Glass” communicates vulnerability.

The noticeable electronic pop influence is lighter and more experimental than their previous work. It intertwines with their percussion-driven alternative rock to create something previously unheard of.

Opening track “Lost in the Echo” is one of the many stunning testaments to this.

Living Things may not be Hybrid Theory or Meteora, but it is incomparable to its predecessors. This record is different without being dishonest and it adds to their already dynamic discography.

Collide with the Sky

Electrifying post-metalcore band Pierce the Veil’s new album Collide with the Sky is unfortunately very lacking in comparison to their previous works.

Musically, Collide lacks originality. The record is influenced heavily by pop-punk—especially notable in “Props & Mayhem”—and gives listeners catchy melodies rather than the harsh and memorable ones characteristic of their previous work.

Of course, because they are upbeat, infectious, and pleasing to the ear, the songs still sound good.

Their experiments with more euphonious instrumentals along with various collaborations—Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens), Lindsey Stamey (Oh No Fiasco), and Jason Butler (Letlive)—ultimately make this album an enjoyable listen.

But knowing what they are capable of, it is disappointing that this mediocrity was what they delivered.

There are ways to make a statement by means of satirical humor and this was certainly not one of them.

Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” addressed the vapidity of modern lyricism in a way that was lyrically thoughtless and sloppy everywhere else.

The instrumental of the song was carelessly composed and poorly transitioned from verse to chorus, rendering the entire thing a choppy mess.

When making a satirical statement, an artist needs to be careful on how they approach it, but Swift carelessly tossed this song together. I seriously hope this single and my eardrums never ever get back together.

photos courtesy of Warner Bros, Fearless Records, RCA Records, Big Machine Records and Jive Records

Three Days Grace has nailed it with “Chalk Outline.” They’ve combined slight electronic influences with post-grunge to create something fresh while maintaining their musical honesty.

While there is clear pain within the song, lyrically, they’ve also gathered strength and speak of their subject without forgiveness.

It’s musically dynamic from verse to chorus while still giving a climactic and smooth transition. The song has an incredibly infectious melody that even gives a few pop songs a run for their money.

The Viper Vibe 13

Sports

SPORTS New coaches encourage team’s bonding said.

Not only does this close relationship make the game and the practices more enjoyable, it plays an important role in how the players do out on the field.

“It is important [to have that sort of relationship with the players] because if

With almost 14 years of experience, Payne has been head coach to a handful of Little Leagues and schools around the county. JV is the foundation upon which varsity is built, he said, and having that sense of family in the team will only make building

The close relationship often seen bea strong varsity team in future years, that tween a team and their coach much easier. can be compared to that of

But football a family, and this year the isn’t only about having football team – both varsity excellent head coaches; and junior varsity – has faced there are several other a change in coaches and a coaching positions that change in family. ensure that the team

A new addition to the is practicing as hard family, Carlos Mollinedo has as they can. There are 16 years of experience as an coaches for defense, assistant coach and an offenoffense, running backs, sive coordinator. Although he wide receivers, tight has never had the position of ends, as well as plenty of head coach, when the school assistants that make up offered him the job, he took it this large family. without hesitation.

Varela alumnus

“Any time you come in Ryan Mesh is the new and take over a program, offensive coordinator for photo by James Hale JV and coach for wide the kids are always going to Head coach Carlos Mollinedo goes over plays with his athletes during a game at Southridge Stahave concerns, questions and dium. Varela went on to lose the game 46-0. receivers on the varsity doubts ... I think early on, the team. This is his first kids and coaches built that family relationnot, they won’t play hard enough and when year coaching and his love for the school and ship or environment. They know we care a game is on the line, they need to not only the sport brought him back. about them. We coach them hard but have

Between JV and varsity there are ten win for themselves but for their coach, their fun and show them it’s more than football team,” Trelvin Payne, new head coach for coaches that are “expecting to work the – it’s academics, being a man,” Mollinedo junior varsity, said. players to be their best, to be competitive in

BY SUZANNE PONTILLO Sports EDITOR @SMARIEPONT

Gains and losses

After becoming worldwide champions during this summer’s Olympic Games in London and bringing home gold medals, the US Women’s soccer team began a national victory tour that consists of ten friendly matches against teams from around the world. The tour began in New York on September 1 against Costa Rica and the final game will be played in Connecticut on October 23 against Germany.

Pia Sundhage, who has been coaching the U.S. Women’s soccer team since 2008, announced her retirement at the start of the first game by belting out the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s song, “If Not For You.” Sundhage plans to go back to her home country of Sweden and coach the women’s soccer team there.

President of U.S. Soccer, Sunil Gulati has not announced any possible candidates yet.

14 The Viper Vibe

Dolphins hanging on

Former Green Bay Packers assistant Joe Philbin took the field this month for his first regular season game as the Dolphins’ head coach. The Dolphins started their season with a loss against the Houston Texans with a score of 30 - 10. New quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 219 yards. Receivers Reggie Bush and Brian Hartline had 6 receptions with 46 yards and 3 receptions with 50 receiving yards, respectively. In week two, the Dolphins came back and took over the Oakland Raiders, winning 35 - 13. Though Tannehill only threw 200 yards, Bush had 172 rushing yards and Hartline had an amazing 111 receiving yards and 9 receptions. Week three was a roller coaster ride. The Dolphins took on the Jets and came up short losing 23 - 20 on an overtime field goal.

Heating up for new season For the second consecutive year, the Miami Heat fought their way to the NBA Finals – this time against the Oklahoma Thunder – and on June 21, during the fifth game of the Championship series, the Heat won with a final score of 121-106. Although Lebron James walked away with the title of the NBA Finals MVP and the Championship ring he waited so long to receive, it was Mike Miller, who was 7 to 8 for three-pointers, that stole the spotlight that night. This upcoming season, Miami fans can only hope that the addition of former Boston Celtics player, Ray Allen, former New Orleans Hornets player, Rashard Lewis, and newcomer, Justin Hamilton will make up for the loss of Ronny Turiaf and set them on their way for yet another Championship title.

Sports every game, and to be in a position to win the district championship,�

Mollinedo said.

The players have indeed been working hard. They practice five days a week for almost three hours after school. After this much time with a group of people, one can’t help but get comfortable and allow them to gain your trust.

“As you get more into it, you just fall into the family. You’re with these people every day – you see them on the practice field and more [often] than your own family,� senior Zachary Deerr, linebacker and running back, said.

Whether it’s football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, wrestling, track or any other sport, in the end, that sense of trust and family doesn’t only make the game a bit more fun, but it turns the losses into a learning experience, and the victories into something memorable and gratifying. “That close bond within the team is gravely important. They need to believe in you and you in them, if that happens, the sky’s the limit,�

Mesh said.

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10/12: vs. Coral Reef @ Southridge Stadium 4 p.m.

10/19: vs. Sunset @ Tropical Park 7:30 p.m.

For more sports and schedules: http://47289.digitalsports.com

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