The Epigraph Spring 2010
Staff Page Reporters: Emma Buck, Shanine Fischle, Ashley gebo, cora kendrick, Jennifer Mertel, Danielle RInker, Matthew Swope, and nikki vinson Artistic Director: Alex Stolze Text Editor: Carl Little Editors-In-Chief: Elizabeth Tompkins and Roberto Manjarrez
Class Advisor: Scott Kennedy
Table Of Contents Co
Cu Sports
Athletic Highlight, Matthew Swope
Girls Soccer, Danielle Rinker
Photo courtesy of CNN.com
Wrestling, Jennifer Mertel
News Battle of the bulge Nikki vinson
Cancer Cola Ashley Gebo
Google Wave Roberto Manjarrez
Phony Mail Alexandria Stolze
Entertainment Hats off to the movies: Emma Buck
Game Review: Mass Effect Two Carl Little
Book Review: My Sisters Keeper, Jennifer Mertel
A history of emoticons Jennifer Mertel
Features
T XSIJX Band Highlight a 10 extreme sports b Teacher Highlight l e Think Geek Cora Kendrick Emma Buck
: Four Male Teachers Carl Little
The Story Of Stuff: an editorial
Columns
c o n t e n t s
2012, is the end near? Marixsa Godinez
Cause of death, tantrums Danielle Rinker
Mac Vs. PC Matthew Swope
Hackin’ the sack Emma Buck
Phobias Emma Buck
Consumer Electronics Show Matthew Swope
Opinionation: Pro-censorship vs. Anticensorship Roberto Manjarrez & Elizabeth Tompkins
of
The Consumer Electronics Show
Letters From The Editors
Community and Society Influencing Eachother For this issue of the Epigraph, we decided to take on a new route. We pondered the thought of influence. However, we did not generalize this topic. We got down to how community and society jointly influence each other. Imagine the acts of our small town, or our even smaller school, creating an impact in society. Whether one of our residents ends up on television, our cheerleaders are competing at national level, or our tiny town being the first place where an evironmental and world-changing capmaign is launched. In one way or another we each contribute something that has the capability to change things. Like dropping a stone in a pond, we all individually create ripples. When those ripples collide and merge they can create a much larger force. So we got to thinking, what exactly do we do? What ripples have our names on it. Before long, we got the answer. We’ve been working on it this whole year. This magazine is our miniature tidal wave. We influence our community through words on the printed page. Not just ourselves either: Our entire staff helps to create this compilation. Their stories, photographs, and articles carry far. This is our imprint on the community, and hopefully, on the bigger picture of society.
Editor-in-chief: Elizabeth Tompkins
Editor-in-chief: Roberto Manjarrez
Athletic Highlight: Kyleigh Chadwick by Matthew Swope
What defines an athlete? In the minds of any volleyball player, it is strictly dedication and determination; especially in the minds of Yucaipa High schools’ own girls volleyball team. Freshman through varsity, the girls create a bond tighter than any relationship, and in the words of many varsity players “We bleed, sweat, and cry all together”. In the highs and the lows of any practice, game, or tournament the team uplifts and spirits each other to excel to new limits. A great middle blocker, standing high at five feet, eleven inches; Kyleigh Chadwick has climbed to the top, making her debut on the YHS Freshman team, and soon making her way to the varsity team her sophomore and junior year.
This season, she and her varsity team mates took down Redlands with a defeat, which was a first in four years for Yucaipa. Kyleigh has also participated in two years of club volleyball playing both for Yucaipa and Rancho Cucamonga. Number thirty-four has shown great sportsmanship throughout her years of playing the sport, and she has expressed her love for the team as “I love bonding with the girls, we get crazy”. This is a true athlete, committed and wholehearted to her love, volleyball.
Photography by Matthew Swope
Kicking it Old School
How Our Girls’ Continues to Strive for Success by Danielle Rinker Last year, after making it to the semi finals, the Girls soccer team is now looking for more. After being recognized in EPSN sports magazine as one of the breakout teams, this soccer team is building up their reputation to becoming the best and finally earning a name. “This is a solid group of girls that are coming back this year”, says Coach Huggins, “We are finally starting to earn a name and a reputation… a good reputation.”
of players that contribute to the team very well and we have no weaknesses!” During their practices, a lot of different drills are performed. They work on a lot of different things at their practices; it just depends on what they need to work on.
“Practices are very fun. We do a lot of drills to make us better and it also helps us with the team chemistry.” Kodi states, “It is really fun and all the girls get along very well”. Though the games The girls’ soccer season and tournaments be- get harder and more competitive each year as gin in December. One of the star payers is soph- these other girls become more skillful and stronomore, Kodi Lavrusky. This dedicated athlete ger, this team is very close and work hard to achas been playing soccer for a total of 8 years. complish anything that gets in their way.“This She has broken records and is back and ready is a very young group of girls, with only 2 or to compete this year. Tina Shoffeit, who will be 3 seniors, but this year should be great!” says one of the captains this year, is also a very dedi- Coach Huggins. cated player. “Our team is very skillful everywhere on the field.” says Kodi. “We have a lot Photography by Tom Slider
Photograph by Jennifer Mertel The wrestling team hard at work, at an afternoon practice
Taken to the Mat A Review on How Our Stellar Wrestling Team Did This Past Season. by Jennifer Mertel
This year’s season for wrestling was pretty awesome. With top dogs Mark Mascetti, Matt Soliz, and John Russo on the team, we did well. The members on this team have a lot of heart and passion for this sport. “The reason you wrestle is because it’s a lot of fun, I really like it, I like the mental aspect of it. It’s not just trying hard; you have to use your mind. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and it’s a lot of fun.” said Matt Soliz. Mark Mascetti: “I like wrestling because it’s the only sport you can push yourself beyond your own limit, you’re not relying on anybody, there’s no excuses, you either win or you lose. There’s no reason you can’t win. In this sport you have to have the most heart.” These athletes take their sport very seriously, and love the work ethic this sport requires. They have very hard practices, and extreme training. They constantly have to watch what they eat, because they have to make sure they make weight. They do a lot to prepare for matches and meets. Not only do they have to worry about if they make weight but they also have to mentally prepare for their upcoming match. This sport is very physical and that is what some of the players like most about it. “I love wrestling because of the physicality of the sport and the work you have to do to be good, also, the determination, self control and discipline.” -John Russo. This seasons wrestlers had a fantastic showing at the CBL finals. Six wrestlers were in the finals, and Matt Soliz took the championship at 145lbs. On February 19-20, eleven of our very own wrestlers qualified for CIF individuals that are going to be held at Chaparral High School in Temecula.
Photograph by Elizabeth Mortensen
Battling the Bulge: How our nations first lady is jumping on the bandwagon in the battle against childhood obesity by Nikki Vinson
Michelle Obama has announced the launch of the “Lets Move” campaign to end childhood obesity in the United States. Michelle Obama said, “A recent study put the health care cost of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion a year.” A ceremony at the white house to launch the campaign was attended by many people that are relating to the role of a government of Barack Obama’s cabinet. After the ceremony there was a signing earlier in the day. Mrs. Obama stated a long list of goals and things she hopes the campaign “Let’s Move” will help with the child obesity in the U.S. “This isn’t like a disease where we’re still waiting for a cure to be discovered—we know the cure for this.”Michelle Obama said “This isn’t like putting a man on the moon or inventing the internet. It doesn’t take some stroke of genius or feat of technology.” Mrs. Obama said they have everything they need to help kids lead healthy lives. One of First Lady Obama goals were to end the “food deserts” and replace them with a $400 million a year “Healthy Food Financing Initiative.” It will bring grocery stores to low-income neighborhoods and have convenience stores carry healthier food products. Obama will add $10 billion over the next decade to the Childhood Nutrition Act, which feeds 31 million children for school and it would add more funding to feed even more children. The food pyramid is going to be changing through the campaign so there would be new efforts to get manufacturers to add a “family friendly form-of-package labeling” that reveals a product’s nutritional value. Michelle Obama wants a healthier America because of her own life. Michelle used to feed her children fast-food all the time because she was always on the move, busy left and right. “So many parents desperately want to do the right thing, but they feel like the deck is stacked against them, they know their kids’ health is their responsibility but they feel like it’s out of their control.” Mrs. Obama said that is was a wakeup call and they need to see that their kids are victims of the epidemic. “And no matter how much they beg for pizza, fries, and candy, ultimately, they are not, and should not, be the ones calling the shots at dinnertime.” There is more information about this campaign at www.letsmove.gov.
Image Courtesy of TopNews.in
Cancer Cola
Could soda be a cause of pancreatic cancer? by Ashley Gebo
Photo courtesy of Kuda1610.com On average Americans drink fifty-seven gallons of soft drinks a year. People who drink two or more soft drinks a week double the risk of developing a deadly panceatic cancer. It has been estimated that 42,470 people have been diagnosed or have developed panceatic cancer in the last year. Noel Muller, lead author of a study appearing in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers Amp Prevention states “soft drinks are linked with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.” Some say the report should not cause undue alarm. Adult soft drinkers may also engage in other lifestyle habits, such as smoking, which could contribute to the elevated risk. Dr. Colin D. Weekes assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Denver says “It’s an interesting finding but if you look at the people who had the high soft drinks intake, they also had other issues that may also predispose you to have pancreatic cnacer.” He also says “We could argue that smoking could be the issue here and not the soda intake.” There was a study between the University of Minnesota and National University of Singapore. The analysis involved more than 60,000 middle-aged or older Chinese Singaporeans. Researchers calculated how much juice and soda the particpants drank on average and followed them for fourteen years to see how many developed pancreatic cancer. People who drank two or more sodas a week were eighty-seven percent more likely to develop this kind of tumor. Researchers did not find a link between juice consumption and cancer risk. Perhaps this is beacause fruit juice has less effect than sugary sodas on glucose and insulin levels, the authors noted. Drinking soft drinks have led to many other things besides pancreatic cancer. Eric Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society says “Drinking suger-sweetened soft drinks has been linked to weight gain, obesity and diabetes. Both obesity and diabtetes are associated with higher risk of pancretic cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States.” Still the belief remains that soft drinks do not cause cancer. You can be a healthy person and still enjoy soft drinks. The key to a healthy lifestyle is balancing meals in moderation and regular physical activity.
by Roberto Manjarrez Once again, Google is making headlines. Google has made major breakthroughs in the past with programs and applications such as Google Earth, G-mail, Chrome, and Gears; this time however, the revolutionary website is doing it with a new form of instant messaging. The Google Wave was first announced at the Google I/O conference on May 27, of 2009. It is described as a “personal communications and collaboration tool,� designed to combine social networking, e-mail, wikis, and IM. The concept was to create a new way in which users can communicate, and share information in real-time. This idea is a new twist on the instant messaging storm that has long subsided. With the ability to go into previous messages, change information, and reply to specific messages, this software is much more extensive than previous instant messengers offered. It also has the capability of keeping information organized in one spot. Google Wave is ideal for group projects because it can collect feedback, draft up information, and discuss all sorts of content without having to jump back and forth between phone, e-mail, and back to instant messaging. They have already launched a preview for the product that is available on the internet to just about anyone. Wave.Google.com has an area where you can type in your e-mail and just a few days later they will send you a message. In the e-mail is a link to the online version of Google Wave. This also allows the developers to gather information on any possible bugs the program may have. A downfall for some people, the software does not run well on Internet Explorer so it prompts you to download either Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. Once on the site, users can import wave contacts and begin a wave. While Google Wave may still be a little more complex than AOL Instant Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo Instant Messenger, making it a little less appealing than these, it definitely shows promise with all the extra benefits it provides that the others do not. It is still unclear as to when Google will be launching the Wave as a separate application free from the internet browser, or stick to the familiarity of the webpage. One thing is certain however, this new commodity provided by the company is sure to have people talking.
Phony Mail? Do Not Trust Your Inbox by Alexandria Stolze
You walk into your office, complaining you need more money. Your job is just not cutting it. You sit down, turn on the computer, and check your email. You look down and realize you have fourty-three new spam messages. You are about to empty the box, and suddenly you notice the subject line filled with something most appealing. “WANT TO EARN MONEY FAST?” it says, and you click on the email, wondering what you will read next. Reading the contents of this message, you see that this service will supply you with one check a month for two hundred dollars a month, if you send in your home address to the address provided. Two weeks later, you get a check in the mail for two hundred dollars. Excited, you rush to the bank to get your money. The teller sees the check and uses her phone to contact her boss. “We’ve got another one”, she says. Confused, you are about to say something, when a security guard comes up to you, grabs your wrists, and handcuffs you. What is going on...? Throughout the past year, America has noticed that scams have been getting US residents into misfortune. Have you ever read and paid attention to your spam mail? Have you ever seen an email with bright flashing lights saying that if you send in your address, they will send you a check for a large amount of money? Well many people have. With them paying attention to these emails and actually acting upon it, they receive these “checks” and attempt to either cash them or deposit them into their bank accounts. With these phony checks, the police have been investigating these checks for about a year, and taking each person holding them for questioning. It may sound ridiculous, but it is actually an extremely serious felony. So for future advice, do not take your spam mail seriously.
illustrated by Anna Contrares
Hats Off To The
MOVIES!
Leap Year
In this heart-warming romance,Anna (Amy AdBy: Emma Buck ams), aspires to ask her boyfriend to be hers forever on February 29th, as it is said to be good When God gets angry, those who have sinned luck in Irish myth. Howshall pay. This is the message and plot behind ever, what Anna is not the newly-released hit movie Legion. The fallen expecting is to meet Jerangel Micheal clips his heavenly wings to warn emy (Adam Scott) and and prevent a massacre of the humans who have find herself captured by so throroughly disgusted their forgiving God. his presense as he drives However, when the favored angel of the Lord, her on the way to her fuGabriel, is sent to put in place his disobedient ture. This heartwarming tale is sure to leave you brother (Micheal), the fight between the two is smiling. fierce, fun and fascinating.
Legion
The story is set in a little town, where everyone knows everyone, and the local diner is the hot spot. The cast features a bitter father, a pregnant teenage waitress, the son who plays the mechanic (and hopeful hubby to said waitress), a cook, and a miscellaneous crew of stranded bypassers, soon joined by the unabiding angel Micheal. Micheal arrives hoping to save their souls as he still has hope in humanity and feels it’s his job to not give the Lord what he wants, but what he needs. His actions hold true to his convictions, as he brings gun and a save-yourself attitude and gets the job done.
TheLovely Bones
A young girl murdered and a father left is with unanswered questions, only to find unsettling answers. This newly released movie is based upon a page-turning and captivating novel, one which captures the essence of how much a father can love his daughter. Through mystery and interesting clues, this upsetting murder is pieced together by the father of his late daughter. However, the story concentrates on the middle-life, which more specificically relates to the Salmon girls’ unfortunate death and journey to the next stage. This movies features captivate the audience in an entertaining and thought provoking way, leaving you enlightened.
My Sisters Keeper: A Book Review by Jennifer Mertel
My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, is a book full of emotions. It is tragic, inspiring, passionate, all while warming the heart. The Fitzgeralds consists of two very special daughters: one named Kate, who is struggling with Leukemia, and Anna who has been born for a specific reason: to save her sister’s life, scientists managed to hook her mother’s eggs to create a specific combination of precious genetic material. This procedure was done so Anna would be a direct match of blood for Kate, so whenever Kate needs blood, Anna is always there. There is Jesse. The oldest of the three kids, who is the outcast of the family. Brian, the father is a very hard working and compassionate person. While the mother Sara, is a stay at home mom, and an emotional mess. The two sisters have an incredible bond, and their love for each other is unconditional. They’re sisters by blood but best friends by choice. They share everything with each other, secrets, latest crushes and even makeup. The two sisters are always there for each other, and love each other no matter what. Every time Kate needs bone marrow, Anna is always there. Every time Kate is hospitalized, so is Anna. Anna really cannot have a life, because at any given moment, Kate can suddenly become ill and need Anna to be ready to donate. Jesse is the wild child who refers to himself as “a lost cause.” Jesse is on the wrong path in life, he’s involved with drugs, alcohol, stealing and is to blame for the recent fires around town. After many surgeries and trips to the hospital for her sister, Anna is expected to give up her kidney, finally Anna has had enough, and so she decides to sue her parents for the right to make her own medical decisions. It is not that she does not love her sister, but she just cannot go through the surgery. As you continue to read about the journey Anna is facing, when both Anna’s side and her mother’s side are presented you realize that there is no right or wrong answers to this unique situation. This lawsuit breaks this family apart, only to be brought together even closer by the end. My Sister’s Keeper ends in an unexpected tragedy, one that will leave you with tears in your eyes.
All Around Campus by Roberto Manjarrez & Alexandria Stolze “Our Actions, Words, and Ambitions Leave Our Mark on the World.”
by Carl Little It is difficult, more along the lines of impossible to simply explain the universe of Mass Effect, as the scale and quality of the first game was unbelievable. The first did not exactly present an easy stepping block for a sequel, butthankfully the developer Bioware delivered in spades. The first game was driven by a plot better than many best-selling books, starting from a seemingly predictable intro, to a mind bending mosaic of twists and turns with a shocking finish. Mass Effect 2 takes it to an entirely new level of polish and sends the player on a wild ride that does not let go until the credits roll. What makes this so much more is the fact that the grand events taking place are not just pre-scripted results; every player will experience it differently. Moral ambiguity is what creates this change in the experience and result. The gray area of morality that every human being on the planet views just a little bit differently. What seems a wise choice at one point may come back to haunt you in ways unforeseeable at the time. Even before you start the game these choices affect you. I had played through Mass Effect, where countless hard decisions were made. Those were not behind me. At the start of the sequel there is an option to load all the data from the first game, then all those choices truly expose themselves with a completely unique experience just for me, a personal connection to the very fabric of the plot. Keep in mind these effects are not small and superficial but huge and shocking. Most of the characters return from the first game but two important people were dead and gone, not because the game was designed that way but because I had caused it in the first game, choices that seemed so sound at the time. The opening scene is likely the most surprising I have ever seen in a game. You witness your own death in grand fashion, it is not a flashback or view into the future, it is the present. Drifting off into space, no air, burning, dying. No warning was given, no hint was dropped. At first thought it is no big deal, my character will survive, not exactly. I would be doing you a disservice if I were to tell you how that part played out.Let us instead get down to the actual nitty gritty of this review. Instantly what comes to mind is the graphics, and they do not disappoint. Every aspect of the game is filled with something interesting, even minor andunimportant areas are given the loving detail that the increasingly astounding set pieces receive.One of the few problems in the first Mass Effect was the countless boring planet’s that were open to exploration but for no particular purpose. The featureless hills are no more, instead any accessible planet will treat you to a unique sight that may even cause you to return at your own leisure.
Regardless of the lush worlds, but it pales in comparison to the detail put into every character in the game. Even people standing around or going about their business in various cities and planets look unique. Effects are given no less love, every light gunshot flame or drop of water has a polish to it that sets the bar for next generation of gaming. There is more than just show here as well. The loose combat of the first is swapped for a tight and responsive shooting system on par with the best games on the market. A regenerative health system prevents awkward stops but keeps the difficulty running high as you tussle with the many crafty enemies, from mindless zombie like husks to the organized ranks of the ruthless Geth. Even if shooting games are not usually your forte, the deep customization and RPG elements will please any genre of player. What really separates this game from anything else is not the graphics or even the game-play, it is the richness of the characters, how real the interaction between them feels. Every aspect and quirk of human interaction is put into play, deepening the experience for the player. Personalities are shown in subtle or obvious actions, and expressions or tone of voice often guide you just as much as obvious fact or gut instinct. Of all the interesting faces you will meet in this adventure, you will truly learn to love your crew, the squad in particular. The team assembled as you progress is as mismatched as it gets, but you will know and love them just the same. Every decision resonates with not only your character but theirs as well, and you quickly lean that you can not please everyone. Maybe that is what marks the Mass Effect series so distinctly, it mirrors life much closer than most games before it, despite its science fiction rich universe. Life is not a Hollywood happy ending, it needs to be earned. Even then it may not be enough. The best and worst of people is shown, and there is not always a clear answer. Life is not fair and Mass Effect 2 displays that poetically. One definate roadblock that one might have is the fact that they have not played the first game. Thankfully the writer’s at Bioware have made it so even new recruits will understand what is going on, but that is not to say it is simple. This game
will make you question what you really understand at every point possible until you reach the conclusion, and even that can change with every playthrough.
So go out as soon as you can to play this masterpiece. Buy it, borrow it, rent it, it does not matter, this is quite simply a game that would be a colossal shame not to play. You are commander (insert name here) Shepard, you fight for the lost.
10 out of 10
by Alexandria Stolze
Alternative Rock U2
When: 6/7/10 Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA Price: $64.00
Angels and Airwaves
When: 5/29/10 Where: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles Price: $100.00
Pop Lady Gaga
When: 8/11/10 Where: STAPLES center, Los Angeles Price: $107.00
John Mayer
When: 8/22/10 Where: Hollywood Bowl, Los Anegles Price: $147.00
Hip-Hop/Rap Country Lupe Fiasco
When: 5/2/10 Where: House of Blues, Los Angeles Price: $49.50
Brad Paisley
When: 9/17/10 Where: Chula Vista, CA Price: $69.00
Carrie Underwood
When: 5/20/10 Where: ARCO Arena, Sacramento Price: $42.50
Emotioncons: Western VS. Eastern
by: Jennifer Mertel Emotioncons are what many teenagers use nowadays on social networking sites, e-mail, and the ever popular text messaging. How did these simple little faces come to be? was first used by Scott Fahlman in 1982 to help separate the serious and not so serious subjects on his message board at his work. Now throughout the world Emotioncons are very popular and highly used. There are many ways to show emotion through colons and brackets, and many different combinations to show you’re happy, sad, angry and shocked.
Eastern Emoticons
There are many diverse ways people have expressed emotion in different part of the world. The Eastern and the Western Emotioncons are very different from each other. Western Emotioncons are more simple and basic; theirs being the simple happy faces and the sad faces, love or heart. While theses emotions are more basic, Eastern Emotioncons are more similar to the Japanese drawings Anime, Smiley, Frustrated, and Kiss. Also unlike western Emotioncons eastern uses them to describe not only mood and feelings but what they are currently doing. Sleeping, Smoking. The Eastern culture which consist of Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese, use more details in their Emotioncons such as using noses and making head shapes out of parenthesis, and even making letters and symbols into hands and clothing.
Western Emoticons
Illustrations by George Ly
The two very different styles are just some of what Emotioncons could be, there are endless amounts of combinations people can use to make smiley’s and flirty faces, also the crying faces and the shocked faces. Emotioncons are continuing to grow in popularity, being used by kids to teenagers, to employees, and parents. Not only are these little symbols used for social networking and joking on e-mail, these smiley’s and faces are even becoming cultural symbols of the modern world.
by Cora Kendrick xSIJx, otherwise known as Strength In Judgement, is a straight edge positive hardcore band from Yucaipa/Calimesa. This band consists of five teenage boys; Jake Dean, Chris Williams, Zach Requejo, Taeylor Lyons, and Tj Moneymaker. They started off by practicing in a tool shed and have since made their way up to playing shows almost every weekend, selling merchandise, and having fans sing along with them to their songs. Their band page is www.myspace.com/xsijx. They respect and love everyone, no matter what beliefs and lifestyle they choose. They are strongly against violence and want to bring more love into the music scene. They all choose to be straight edge by choosing to have a clean lifestyle without the use of drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex. Tj says “Straight edge is not a gang, crew, or a religion. It’s something you choose for yourself. You don’t judge people who are not straight edge and you don’t try to convert people. You say what you believe and hope it sinks in, and that’s it.” xSIJx wants to give a shout out to their manager, Harlan Kartchner. He runs a venue in San Jacinto called The Refuge. Harlan has helped out xSIJx in many ways and they wanted to thank him. He has helped them with their merchandise, booking their shows, and managing their band page. Ricky Sosa is the main guest vocalist whenever the band needs another vocalist. He is one of the two vocalists in the band Progress. Whenever he is not working with Progress he works with xSIJx. He used to sing along to the radio as a kid and realized he was a good screamer when he sang along to xSIJx’s song “We’re Not Done Yet”. Three things that brings happiness in his life is saying no to drugs, doing whatever his friends are doing, and playing PC games. His three favorite genres are traditional hardcore, acoustic, and some rock “Awake holy ones and overcome this world with love, even if it doesn’t love you back.” Photography by Cora Kendrick
Jake Dean is the Vocalist of the band. Vocals w assomething he was born for. He enjoys doing vocals and they are his specialty, so he tried out for the band and got in. For fun he likes to go paint balling, look at art, and study film. The music genres he enjoys the most are indie, folk, and screamo.
“How dare I call this love without bearing my cross to the end.”
Tj Moneymaker is the bassist in the band. He started off by playing guitar, but decided he liked the sound of bass better. His first bass was a Fender guitar strung with bass strings. In his free time he likes to hang out, go to shows, and play all different kinds of sports. His favorite music genres are hardcore, indie, jazz, and hip hop. “One strike, two spares, and a whole lot of meat.”
Zach Requejo is one of the guitarists in the band. He learned the guitar, but stopped playing for awhile. When he started to miss it, he started playing again and is now playing it in the band.. He fishes, plays video games, and plays sports in his free time. He listens to all types of music, but his favorites are hardcore, indie, blues, and hip hop. “It takes more to be a man than it does to see the future.”
Chris Williams is the drummer in the band. His father, which was in the band Mistreater that had toured the United States and some of Europe, influenced him to play the drums. He’s happiest when riding dirt bikes and hanging out with friends. The main types of music he favors are hardcore, trance, and some hip hop. “Just don’t knock it till ya try it.”
Taeylor Lyons is the other guitarist in the band; he just joined about four months ago. The band told him that he should learn the guitar so that he could be a part of the band, and he did. Walks on the beach, star gazing, being with friends, and working out are a few of his favorite things to do. His preferred music is hardcore, indie, old fashion rock, a little bit of metal, and some underground rap. “We could get the band back together!”
0.
Top 10
Most Extreme Sports
by Emma Buck
1.Piranha fishing (Brazilian Patanal)
2.Mountain biking (Bolivia)
3.Cheese rolling (England)
4.Chess boxing (Netherlands)
5.Motor Biking (Ulaanbaatar)
6.White water rafting (Zambezi River)
7.Bungee Jumping (Victoria Falls)
8.Ice diving (Antarctica)
9.Downhill mountain biking (Nepal)
10.Sand boarding (Swakopmund, Namibia)
Baseball has been said to be America’s favorite past-time, but can you imagine if your country was known for piranha fishing, or perhaps, cheese rolling? In these foreign places, they bring new meaning to the term extreme sports; they challenge the elements and place a true struggle and exotic thrill in the more unusual definition of the word sport. Let’s take a look at the top 5 and see what these places have to offer for their athletes. In the Brazilian culture, they get their thrills in piranha fishing; this activity involves not only a highly deadly fish, but the patience to fish! Not many can say they successfully caught a piranha for the joy of the experience, and then to eat it as the personal reward. Piranhas are noted as one of the most deadly fish and can strip an entire cow in less than one minute flat. With their fatal and razor-sharp teeth, in addition to their overwhelming hunger for meat, these aren’t the first of the fish variety one would want to play around with for memories and giggles. Let’s take a look at Bolivia, where they enjoy mountain biking. Us Americans also delight in that, so what makes their version so extreme? In their rendition, they include a rapid and rutted road that begins at the Bolivian Andes and plunges its way into the sub-tropical Yungas; after forty miles it’s completed in a sluggish town called Cororico. Leave it to England to find something as outrageous as cheese rolling, this intriguing sport may sound harmless, but competitors are expected to be in amazing physical condition. The event includes the “player” to roll their cheese down a large hill with bumps and dips, among other impediments while they chase after it in a race-like manner. Many have broken ankles, shattered elbows in falls and suffered head injuries from bad tumbles, however, don’t let this deter you- the winners’ prize allows them to keep their cheese. Number seven comes in as bungee-jumping off Victoria Falls, plummeting towards the Zambezi River in Africa. This jump has been recognized as the largest (and craziest) commercial bungee jump site, at a 365 foot drop, only to spring back up and be dangling over a large and ferocious river at the will of the wind. The people of Ulaanbaatar get their kicks out of motor biking. This journey is called to a 1,243 mile ride in the sand, sun, and harsh wind in a race across the Mountains, Grasslands and Riversheaded south into the Gobi Desert. This ride is not only long and hard to endure, but the rider must constantly be aware as camels, monks, harsh and unpredictable winds as well as countless other obstacles stick out in the way of crossing the finish line to safety and rest.
Think Geek Time to Get Geeky by Carl Little and Alexandria Stolze
Some deny it, some embrace it wholeheartedly, regardless of these actions our inner geek is still there. The title is a more positive connotation than first perceived, implying a love for technology and many other things strange and simple alike. There is a site on the net which feeds this little addiction and it is thinkgeek.com. It is a unique online shop with a huge range of items from solar powered phone adapters to terrifyingly fluffy plush ninjas. All around the board you will find something of interest from this quirky web shop. Additional charm is given to this site due to how personal it feels. Every page is made in a painstakingly witty light and tone, making it feel like you are listening to a friend describing his favorite new gadget instead of shopping on the internet. The site is split up into sections for navigation and subgroups for sorting. One that stands out in every section is the eco-friendly subgroup; no matter where you are there is something beneficial for the environment. Many times you stumble into something nature friendly without even knowing it. You can spend hours exploring the unique content of the site, laughing at, wanting or questioning the oddities they sell, but regardless, you will come out pleased.
Teacher Highlight: We Interview Four Male Teachers on Campus to Learn a Little More About What Makes them Tick
Mr. Woodside What is your favorite and least favorite aspect of this school? The staff has been friendly and helpful, especially when I was snowed in. My least favorite is the heat of California What is the strangest thing you’ve seen at school? I’d say it was the day we had a fire going on the hill, I never had to deal with anything like that before. What is your favorite part of the day? My favorite part of the day is my planning period because I can plan out the lessons and what we are going to do. What is the strangest thing that has happened since you moved here? The weirdest thing that has happened to me was when I had to throw a log at a bear to scare it away from my trash. It didn’t work. What is one thing you’d like to do before you die? I’d like to write a book
A rare candid moment with Mr. Woodside.
Mr. Brunette
Mr. Brunette after teaching.
What was your biggest inspiration growing up? Well, growing up I really looked up to my parents and my grandparents, but the person that I really tried to emulate once I started looking at what job I wanted to do was my counselor in high school, Mrs. Fisher. What did you like about her? She got me through high school. She knew all the stuff that was going on with me, and gave me a free pass to go see her any time; which I did all the time. She let me vent and she treated me like an adult, which was really nice. What made you want to become a teacher? Looking at all of the people I valued in life. I had some amazing teachers that taught me what I needed to know in life and really built me up. Were there any other careers you were considering besides teaching? I went to law school for a semester. I was a Political Science major in college -UC San Diego- and I kind of felt that the natural thing would be to go into law. But I realized law school was the last thing I wanted to do. I was having panic attacks about going to class. I just said “This is crazy. You’re paying money to have panic attacks.” So I decided to go into teaching.
Mr. Lachenlale How many years have you been teaching? Twelve Did you ever consider any other career options? Either a pharmacist, or an MD. I was in a nursing program. What influenced you to become a teacher? The hours and a former coach/principal. What part of YHS are you most proud of? The students and how they apply themselves. I’ve taught in other areas, so I know. What opinion do you think your students hold for you? Cool, laid_back, (here his students chime in) Asian, hungry! When you meet a new teacher, what advice do you feel like you need to give them? Stay organized, and steal everything from every teacher that you can. I heard you used to be a DJ... (here he chuckles) Yeah. DJ Korruption. What was the weirdest thing you encountered while DJ’ing? Um, the way people get into the music; people would go into trances, and become fanaticicle about the artists.
Mr. Mullen in his natural environment.
Mr. Lachenlale posing for the camera.
Mr. Mullen
What is your favorite activity to do with students? You know, honestly, as an english teacher, people may say i’m wrong in this, but, to read to students, really, I try to make it as lively as possible. I read to my kids at home, and I read to my students here, and they still like it. What is your favorite time of day? Its the last half hour of the evening, when the house is quiet. Everyone else is asleep, and I get to read. I usually spend a half an hour reading before I go to sleep. If you could have any other career, what could it be? Ive contemplated being a cook, and becoming a doctor of oriental medicine, acupuncture. Have you ever had any other career? Oh yes, I was a nurse for seventeen years, I was a psychiatric nurse. I did see scary things, It was emotionally draining, being assaulted, being under the threat of assault on a daily basis. So high school students are nothing in comparison now. Nothing, this is much easier. No ones ever taken a swing at me, let alone tried to stab me! Do you have any hobbies? I’ve been doing martial arts since i was a teenager, I have black belts in two different systems, and i still teach them.
Photography by Carl Little and Roberto Manjarrez
The Story Of Stuff: An Insight Into Humankinds Destructive Circle of Life.
It almost goes without question that we as responsible human beings must take care of our environment. The online video “the story of stuff” illustrates that point quite blatantly. Its content might put some people off, yet rally others on. Regardless of the viewers stance on the issue, the video comes across as pushy to say the least. Points are made and broken by the one sided views put forth by the woman fretting about on the screen. Ultimately, the issue comes down to if you agree with her in general. The pattern of consumption is a little oversimplified in their example, but undeniably true, illustrated as a vicious cycle through five defining checkpoints. It starts at extraction, and at this point, we were bombarded with shocking details of our natural resources being used for products in wasteful and excessive manners. Simplistic drawings show each step in an almost adorable fashion, with dark undertones leaking through as intended in a hard-hitting fashion. As we sat through the video, the cute penciled drawings were used to draw us in. It gave a unique spin on a normally dreary subject, but once the jeuvanile art appeal got old, those pencil drawings served a different purpose. A growing sense of recognition for the actions these little people performed were familiar, simplified summaries of our everyday actions with no sugar coating to be seen. They came to represent every section and form. From the common people to large company CEO’s, no group was left out in the faithful attempt at recreating our modern society. We all had a growing feeling in the back of our minds of unsettlement, regardless of whether we agreed with every point pushed forth by the exhuberant lady with the ponytailor not. The little people made their point, in a far simpler fashion than live footage or any claim by a reliable source could. It almost seemed to appeal to our inner children, as we sat, transfixed and wide eyed at the little cartoons, like kindergarteners at story time. Production took up the next section. A quick and smooth transition of subjects ensured no attention was lost in the jump. The chilling continuation of facts poured out, heavy numbers serving as proof for the angry accusations put forth. Careful placement of the facts prevented any disagreeing thought, in a flurry of justification a counter argument would be near impossible. Even if you could push back a part of the argument against our current production system, the undeniable fact that we can’t sustain it forever comes into play.
Staff Editorial Distribution is the gateway to our homes, and this third step in the ladder hit home just a bit more than the previous subjects. We have all been to the stores mentioned, grabbing products from the wall at far over or understated prices and bringing them home without a second thought. This section was centralized on the distribution of cost. The example in question was a five dollar radio, the point being that a five dollar radio could not pay all the people making it, let alone material costs, shipping and all the rest of the unnoticed expenses. This point resonated quite a bit. Five dollars could not feed a family, it could not pay bills, it cannot even buy a combo meal at most fast food restaurants. The most recognized step mentioned was Consumption. As she described in the video the “magical process of consumerism”, are processes that we eat, sleep, and breathe in the United States. Innocent illustrations continued to mock this habit by carrying hulking bags of stuff into little houses, enjoying their freshly bought goods only to toss them out nonchalantly into the trash; nearly new items, still functioning but now “outdated”. The parallel that comes to mind is the new IPod nano. What is so special about the new nano? It has a camera and you can shake it. That probably sounds a bit stupid, and the more you think about it the harder it is to justify why people would throw out the last generation for a little camera and a nifty song switcher. The final section wrapped up our cycle with Disposal. The actual dispensing of the trash we put out isn’t a pretty process and it is stressed unforgivingly, every side effect and tie in to what is wrong with it is used to an intense degree. Burning waste, dumping waste, forgetting waste, it is what happens to what goes in our trash bins. As the entire video drew to a close we were hoping for a solution, a fix of some sort, but nothing solid came out of it. Our wholly ineffective system was torn apart before us but not much was received as consolation. A timid “we need to change our ways” message rang through as the credits began to roll, the bad taste in our mouths still there from the enlightening message. This was the drawback that holds it back from pulling major attention. Perhaps the makers hope that someone who watches it will make a suitable solution, and for that, we can only hope.
Photography by Roberto Manjarrez and Elizabeth Tompkins
2012: Is the end near?
by Marixsa Godinez
The end of the world has been prophesized by many different people. Could this be coincidence, or is this really happening? Is December 21, 2012 “Doomsday”? Nostradamus was the only man thought to be able to predict the future. Nostradamus was from the 1500’s so most of his visions were on death and war. All his visions were written down in a journal by Nostradamus himself, in which he predicted the French Revolution, the birth and rise to power of Hitler, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, all of which came true. In one prediction Nostradamus said “In the City of God there will be a great thunder, two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb. The third big war will begin when the big city is burning” - Nostradamus 1654. Some could interpret this as “The city of God” meaning New York City, “two brothers torn apart by Chaos” might be the fallen towers of the World Trade Center, the “fortress” being the Pentagon, the “great photo by Alex Stolze, edited by Carl Little leader” succumbing to Chaos must be the United States of America, and “the third big war” might mean World War III. Nostradamus made many different predictions that came true, 9/11 possibly being one example. He believed that the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. Perhaps one should not doubt him; he has proved us wrong time and time again. He has proved to us that he can predict future events correctly. Not only did Nostradamus predict “doomsday” on this exact date, but The Mayan calendar has also predicted the same thing. The Mayan calendar is a large type of pyramid used as a calendar, consisting of four stairways, each with ninety-one steps and a platform at the top, making a total of 365, equivalent to the number of days in a calendar year. It is the most accurate calendar, and they made this according to an Aztec Calendar, which is a stone calendar the Aztecs made thousands of years ago, also ending on December 21, 2012. Many people now doubt 2012 being the end of the world. The world was also once said to end in 1999, due to the new millennium, and it did not end. It could have just been the beginning to the end of the world. Many global disasters have been happening in the decade of 2000-2010, maybe 2012 is when the last one will hit. A possible explanation is that on December 21, 2012 there is going to be a solar eclipse; three planets in the solar system are going to line up with Earth, and earth will start rotating in the opposite direction. With that happening, many disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, volcanic eruptions, and meteor showers may occur. Due to the eclipse, it will look like we have three moons instead of just one. With the three other planets lining up, it would affect the climate. The North Pole would be the South Pole, and the South Pole will be the North Pole. This date has been set off for a while, and therefore not very important to people; but now that the fateful date is approaching, rumors fly faster than before.
Stressed to Death
How Anger Affects Our Health
Anger is something that everyone has in their life. It is very strong emotion that can range from the slightest irritation to a strong rage. It is always a good thing to express your feelings and let them out rather than holding them in, but you should always express your feeling in a way that doesn’t harm yourself or others. There are reasons why people get angry; it could be the littlest things. It could start off from someone just annoying you, to the point where someone is driving you up the wall and you just want to punch them in the eyeball. There are healthy ways to calm yourself, but if you are not able to keep your anger in control or at least try, there are some issues that can occur. People, who are constantly angry, upset, have often outbursts, or angry for certain periods of time, are actually putting their health in a dangerous situation. This anger can lead to some serious health problems, like heart disease, eating disorders, high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression. Anger can also be linked to problems such as crime, and emotional or physical abuse, suicidal thoughts, and other cruel actions. Being angry constantly, believe it or not, can lower your immune system as well. It tends to make you heal at a slower pace. All the people in the world have different personalities. There are two different kinds. You have a Type “a” personality and a Type “b” personality. People with Type “a” personalities are more confrontational, hostile, and irritable. It is a more aggressive and hard working personality. Type “b” personality is more laid back more than anything. Having a Type “a” personality has its god side. You’re driven to succeed and won’t let anything get in the way of that, but there is a very bad side to having this type of personality. Type “a” personality people are at a much higher risk to having serious heart disease and other medical problems With anger, you are more liable to pick up bad habits like smoking, drinking, abusing the use of drugs. It causes you to have irregular heartbeats and breathing problems. Not only that, anger is a very stressful thing for your nervous and cardiovascular
by Danielle Rinker
system. On a positive note, however, there are ways to calm yourself in a healthy way. There are many techniques you can follow to calm yourself; it’s just up to you to find out which one seems to work the best for you. You could try deep breathing, positive self-talk; repeat a calm word to yourself, or even exercise. Try writing in a journal, listen or play some music, or just rest. My preference is talk to someone you really trust and will listen to you. Or talk to someone you know that could relate to and maybe you could be given some positive advice. If all else fails, you could always join an anger management class to see if that helps. Anger can lead to many serious problems that effect your mind and body; people who are able to manage their anger are sick less often and even feel better emotionally. It’s perfectly ok and actually really important for you to be angry sometimes. It should be released in the right way though. Anger is something that some people are able to use to stand up for themselves when they are in a situation where they are being treated unfairly or it is just something that people can’t control at all, and get angry whenever they feel the need to. The fact of the matter is, anger is simply an emotion to be controlled.
Illustration by George Ly
Mac Vs. PC by Matthew Swope
now, running the newest operating system Windows Seven, have been widely compared to the newest Mac OS X software, like always shooting and not hitting the target, but for a first, not being too far off. Microsoft has the advantage here, they are widespread and highly adoptable.
The rivalry has and inevitably will, never stop. The battle between Apple, Microsoft, Linux is an ongoing issue. You have a side right? Are you the Apple Cult Member, the Microsoft Fan Boy, or the Linux Open Source Junky? All three of these platforms do have their positives and negatives unmistakably; but who will be the last empire standing? Apple has an estimated eight percent market share, according to Gartner. These numbers do not sound promising; but while the company is number one for lap top and music play sales, their numbers seem promising, making them look recession proof in many ways. The Mac platform does have a leg up on all the companies with its top notched security keeping virus out and personal data in, apple also keeps it self up-todate easier and more efficiently than an other platform also keeping your speed maximized and security always on the prowl. Their sleek design and elegant boxing makes buying an Apple product an honor. Windows based systems are with out a doubt the market share, but that surely doesn’t mean they have won. With the recently slight downfall of Windows Vista and the stepping down of their chairman Bill Gates, Microsoft has been taking a beating this last year or two. Microsoft doesn’t create their own computers or mainly any products at all, mainly developing and coding software and webware that is sweeping across the world. Windows machines
The open-source crowd. Linux is an open, free operating system made for the people by the people. It can be manipulated by anyone who knows how to simply edit some code around and publish software. The nicest thing about this is new and more innovated ideas and concepts are coming out on this platform, but the thing that frankly holds the truly genius ideas back is the fact the software developer is not getting paid and is literally just doing work for fun. Linux had many different types of operating systems that are all free, each looking and running differently and are designed for diferent computers as well. All three of the companies these days are household names, they have created mass market shares and a social staus to those who buy them. It is your job to pick your side and stick to it, because eventually one will win and become the operating system.
Photography by Alexandria Stolze and Matt Swope
From coast to coast, nation to nation, hacky sack has been commonly played and universally loved. This easy going and enjoyable game has been tossed around all over, and has morphed a little each time a new part of the world contributes something to it. Hacking, also referred to as the game ‘footbag’, was originally invented in the ‘70s here in America, by two men with a lot “The key is repetition and to never give up. It’s truly an art form when you can of extra time. do whatever pops into your head. My
John Stalberger and Mike Marshall of Or- main goal in footbag is to do whatever egon where the first to kick around this usually I want whenever I want.”-Jorden Moir cloth, squishy beanbag, Stalberger had recently (Canadian Freestyle Hackysack Enthusiast/Champion) recovered from a knee surgery and was looking for a low impact yet fun way to exercise Hacking is no new scene, and it’s easily unhis knee, and thus hacking was born. At first the derstandable as to how it has stayed alive in men called it “hackin’ the sac” and later patented the Hackysack™. These were the original today’s culture. founders and celebrities of hacky sack; however, other cultures such as Thailand, China, and Native Americans influenced the game of footbag as well. Now you may ask, what is the objective of hacky sack? Well there are several ways to play. The game of Footbag Net, is a variation that includes a 5 foot net in which the players must hack the bean bag over, without letting it hit the floor. The most common method of playing however, is the good ol’ Hack Circle; in this kind of the sport, a group of anywhere from three to twenty stand in a circle and pass the hacky sack around the circle, trying not to drop it, and intertwining tricks here and there for extra flavor and style. Once the hacky sack has made it to everyone in the circle once, you yell out “hack!” and the point is to see how many full “hacks” you can get before someone drops the bag. Not only is hacking a fun past time, but also a great way of exercising. Playing hack for a full hour will burn anywhere near 273 calories.
photography by Emma Buck
Hackin’ The Sack
Not only is hacking a fun past time, but also a great way of exercising. Playing hack for a full hour will burn anywhere near 273 calories. Some take this leisurely activity to a whole new extreme however, and place in world record books or competitions in the NHSA (National Hacky Sack Association), the world record holder for consecutive “hacks”,skillfully crafted 63,326 kicks in only eight hours, fifty minutes, and forty-two seconds in June of ’97.
Written By: Emma Buck
You could eat snickers or a Starbucks Grande Latte, hack for an hour and be back to the same calorie level as you were before indulging in these delicious treats.
“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson by Emma Buck Fears have been around since the beginning of the beginning, but what draws the line between a phobia and just a fear? The difference is only one little word: unreasonable. A phobia occurs when a fear becomes unreasonable, and unrealistic. Many people who experience phobias have a common and even impractical fear to an extreme that is simply unhealthy. There are many ways to determine whether what someone is experiencing is a fear or phobia, including: dizziness and lightheadedness, sweating, knotted stomachs, nausea, shaking and trembling and a looming feeling of impending doom. Now, not all symptoms may be apparent, but this is not the only thing that seems awry in those who commonly experience these irrational qualms. Patients of this strange ailment also take many odd and out of the way precautions. One case of an extreme arachnophobia (fear of spiders), a woman spends hours and hours getting dressed so no microscopic spiders could seep through her clothing to possibly lay their teeth into her skin. In other cases, some are so paranoid and worried about things, they simply adapt their lives so they don’t have to leave their homes. In any scenario, a phobia can be a life changing and terrifying disorder to be afflicted with. Treatments are available, but often patients affected by these extreme fears are unable to receive help. For these select few who manage to ask for a solution and conquer their fears, counseling and medications are available to ease away the fear and anxiety they may feel in regards to these extreme qualms. So next time you look at a situation and see it is not to your liking because you are nervous or apprehensive, remember; never let a fear rule you. Conquer every moment and seize every day! For if you allow a moment in which you’re scared to overcome you, it just may be the beginning
Top 10 phobias
1. Arachnophobia 6.Acrophobia A fear of spiders
A fear of heights
2. Social Phobia
7. Emetophobia
3. Aerophobia
A fear of cancer
4. Agoraphobia
A fear of thumnderstorms
A fear of being evaluated A fear of vomitting and negatively in public, or in a vomit crowd 8.Carcinophobia A fear of flying
9.Brontophobia
A fear of being in unescap- 10.Necrophobia able situations A fear of death and dead 5. Claustrophobia things A fear of being in tight spaces
Photo by Alexandria Stolze
The Consumer Electronic Show
by Matthew Swope
With the largest international technology show just closing, CES or the Consumer Electronic Show enlightened consumers of all the wacky and somewhat mind blowing technology yet to be released. Amongst all the exhibitions, thirteen thousand to be exact; the 3D Television was the most publicized product of 2010. The 3D T.V. conceived by LG, Samsung, Panasonic made headlines with both good and bad reviews. The mixing of reviews caused myself along with many other consumers to really question what it is all about. The 3D is only visible with glasses, not those cheesy red and blue movie theater ones, but some that will make you look like just as big of an idiot. The whole idea of sitting on your sofa and watching TV with special glasses doesn’t seem all that impressive; it is understandable maybe to watch some stellar HD movies in 3D, but what if you have people over to watch some T.V. with you? With those questions still flying around it is truly unknown if this product will be one of the ones that falls off the face of the earth or the one that revolutionizes the face of home media as we know it.
Photography by Matthew Swope Every company attending was a “me too” company. Most of the E-Books I saw were poorly made, some with a look similar to a Kindle or a Nook, to something like a simple Japanese mom and pop technology company creating a e-book reader. Many companies in my opinion and many others have the outlook Tablets or “slates” as Apple is rumored to be calling their preconceived tablet P.C, and they appear to be all the new rage. Many companies in my opinion and many others are trying to get the upper hand on Apple, and the only way they are able to do this is to jump on the rumor mill and create and release it before Apple does. This does not really promise a perfect outlook, but many companies are willing to take that risk. CES was a crowded and redundant scene, many people, along with myself, longed for the originality to come back, but otherwise the show was excellent, with many companies rolling out some different, not better or worse, than most but something just to look at amd admire.
Opinionation : Con
by Roberto Manjarrez
In a society that is seemingly ruled by liberal teenagers, college students, and left-wing juniorpoliticians, censorship is practically considered a four-letter word; where the principles of freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly are taken to heart, and vigorously fought for to the end. Our forefathers founded this nation on principles of “freedom of assembly”, “freedom of religion”, “freedom of press”, and “freedom of speech”. These last two “freedoms” that we hold as a founding principle of the United States have been violated and censored on numerous occasions. The most famous case that I can think of would be of the comedian, Kathy Griffin and her Emmy acceptance speech. Her speech read, “Now, a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn’t help me a bit. If it was up to him, Cesar Millan would be up here with that damn dog. So all I can say is suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now.” This stirred up a lot of understood controversy and was inevitably banned from airing. However if someone cannot see that she was parodying celebrities who thank God for awards that they win, they need to take a second look at her humor. Griffin then goes on different late night programs to defend herself against the backlash. She even does this on one of her standup specials. She states that these celebrities act as if God has nothing better to do than to help someone win a People’s Choice Award, or help Kobe Bryant make a free throw. Like he does not have more important business in Iraq. So why, if the intention was out of humor, did the speech get banned from being aired? Merely because of uncomfort it caused. Now obviously, the religious allusion was not the favorite of many but we all have the right to express our opinions the way we choose, provided we are not incitinga riot. Even though some speech causes people to get uncomfortable does not mean it should be blocked. Nearly every student on this campus would be shocked and offended to have their right to say whatever it is they want, censored. So why should this be any different? It goes without saying that when ideas, images, or speeches, are suppressed for “the good of mankind”, more than just a few eyebrows are raised; more like an army. It leaves the question “why can we not make our own decisions?” unanswered. When information is being selectively put out, it becomes a challenge to make an educated decision because not all the facts and opinions are being presented. When all we are being subjected to is information that others want us to know, we end up having their same opinion. This is because the information is manipulated in a way that the purveyor wants us to believe.
Censorship Pro
by Elizabeth Tompkins
“Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the public or media organizations as determined by a censor.� Censorship is a word that automatically inspires fear. We are hand-fed from a young age to believe that anyone censoring our lives is stealing our freedom of expression, our right to free speech, and our choices in thought. What they do not understand is that censorship, like everything else done in life, must be done in moderation, and when utilized properly can be a necessary tool in society, not a harmful blanket to smother our thoughts and ideas. There are many types of censorship, each with a specific purpose. Blocking pornography, for example, is moral censorship. Some select few might not see this as a moral issue, but it is all a matter of perspective. For example, to a frisky teenage boy, it might not be an issue, but to a mother of two small children, it can be. These types of censorship do rely on who the censor is, but they are usually generally accepted rights and wrongs. To allow some materials to be readily accessible is a cause for danger. Censorship is a valuble tool when raising children as well. You want to protect their minds from being sullied with the dirt of adulthood too early, so censoring their lives in moderation, is, as most parents might say, a vital part of raising a child. Sometimes censorship is called for in situations that I had personally not even thought about previously. Military censorship is the idea of keeping military intelligence and plans confidential and away from the enemy. This is used to counter espionage. Without it, our nation could easily be endangered. Corporate censorship is when editors in corporate media stop information that could show their business, or business partners in a negative light, which is agreed upon universally as a nessecary business tool. Censorship does not have to have a negative connatation. It is simply a tool to use in many different areas of society to protect people. The use of censorship to silence undesired ideas is the work of corrupt people, not the actual act itself. If one can use censorship to a healthy benefit, and in a positive manner, one can see it as a optimistic process. Fear of the name causes fear of the object itself.
For every bag of coffee sold, Wild Goose Coffee Co. donates enough to purchase 5 lbs of food at a local food bank. For more information on how you can help those in need, go to www.wildgoosecoffee.org
World Class Coffee With a Worldwide Conscience
The Cause: To use coffee as a
means to give back to the community.
The Coffee:
The best-tasting, fresh-roasted coffee in the Inland Empire
The Result:
Over 15,000 lbs of food donated to a local food bank
iMatter
by Elizabeth Tompkins Photography by Roberto Manjarrez
If you have ever spent any amount of time thinking about the problems in our environment, you usually encounter the emotion of anger, as we see it as a problem created by our parents, grandparents, uncles, and great aunts for us to clean up. The other usual thought is one of hopelessness. The enormity of the world comes crashing down upon us, and we have distict feelings of impossibility.
When I, along with my fellow peers walked into the auditorium, I am sure that more than a few of us were expecting something along the lines of, “Pollution is killing our planet, save the polar bears.” The innovative young genius behind this organization, Alec Loorz, however, had different words in mind for us. “It’s not about global warming, or climate change, or whatever you call it (insert audience laughter here), but about sustainable energy.” He moves on to point out that, no matter the evils that come from using fossil fuels, they are also an extremely limited fuel source. So even if you do not believe the warnings of global warming, or acid rain, one can at least face the facts practically. If not for the planet, he points out, we would not have life, and we cannot survive without finding another solution.
When we think of solutions, our minds automatically go to zero. It is our first reaction. After all, when faced with a big word like “climate�, we think about the enormous problem, and how, if no adult has fixed it, how can we, as a kid, do anything about it either? When pressed with the subject, you are sure to find a few grudging words about it. Recycling, bike riding, solar energy; but these are not the only solutions out there. I was enlightened to find out that besides wind, and solar energy sources, we also have geo thermal energy, ocean wave produced energy, and even electricity from the movement of ourselves and our surrounding vibrations. This was astounding information. They actually have a device called a PEG, (personal energy generator), and by carrying it in your backpack, while walking, or bike riding, it can create enough electricity to power an iPod, or a phone. Imagine if you could power your iPod by dancing. This was created by a youth as well, a man not much older than ourselves. Through these types of technologies, we can power entire rooms and buildings through the vibrations we create by walking on the floor. This type of electricity is already being used in highly populated areas, like clubs, throughout the UK and Sweden.
Some of us left the gym with no impact on our lives. Others of us signed up to join the club forming on campus, The iMatter action team. The point of his presentation is clear, and it is a message that stays with me. We cannot allow this to continue on, until we become the ones to blame for the future population of earth being at a loss for energy. Maybe all we can do are just small things now, but as we all know, the small things add up.
Last Look
As The Lion King taught us, life is a circle. The world is not divided into the weak and the strong, but is instead a cohabitation of nature and civilization.