Tattoos

TATTOO’S

By: Jordan

The sound of pulsing needles pricking your back two hundred times a minute, blood creeping its way out trickling down your back, as a drop of ink is forced permanently in seven lairs deep of your skin, and a masterpiece is being created with your body as the canvas. Some people cringe at the thought and the pain of tattoos, some think that only thugs and gang members have them, some say that your body has to be intoxicated with tons of alcohol to even think of getting one, others claim that it is an addicting feeling having an art piece that portrays your embodiment. Getting a tattoo comes with some consequences; some people will look at you different, sometimes with disgust while others will disown you, while others will favor you as a god or an icon for having the undisputed guts for doing something that people cringe at the thought of. Others will not hire you unless you can hide your embodiment behind pieces of fabric, but if this does not bother you then I have something to explain and if your body wants to be covered in the best custom work your twisted, morbid head can think of . Then you need to go to THE EMPOREUM OF DESIGN. It is the first tattoo parlor/emporium in Denver history. The owner is the world renowned tattoo phenomenon; he was the first tattoo artist in Sturgis without him there would be NO Sturgis. He is the owner of the original and only Road Kill Café, and has been declared the best artist to have ever come in to the tattoo game. He is the only one that will put ink in my veins, his name is SUGER BEAR and he is my Pablo Picasso.

If your body wants a life-like portrait done, so detailed that the hair it looks like it's blowing in the wind, then your “canvas” needs to go to THE BLUE DOOR ALTERNITIVE SPY. There you will find the second and only person that will tattoo my mom. She is the owner of the spy and yet again a world rewound artist, and is related to Sugar Bear, her name is Sister Bear. She does the most beautiful custom memorial ink portraits this world has ever seen, so if your body wants to be panted and you want ink to pump through your veins, here are your pain cringing master artists.

WARNING: YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR HAVE PARENTAL PERMISSION TO GET TATOOS

Emporium of Design

(303) 333-4870

2028 E Colfax Ave , Denver , CO 80206

The Blue Door

(303) 282-8290

562 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80209

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! NO! It’s Senioritis!

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! NO! It’s Senioritis!

By Kiah Vandergrift and Melissa Camp

Spring….flowers are beginning to bloom, the sun is shining, animals are waking up from hibernation, and senioritis is sweeping the nation. Senioritis is a medical term regarding the laziness and apathy seniors often posses in the final months of the school year. Even now as we write this article, we are flooded with the symptoms of this devastating disease. Senioritis attacks even the most prestigious and high achieving students, it has no mercy. Contrary to popular belief, some seniors may believe that their grades during their last semester of high school do not matter, considering that they have already been accepted to college. Think again! Many colleges require the students to send a copy of their final transcript, and if they do not approve of what they see, they can put you on academic probation or even deny you admission. Also, if one slacks off at the end of the school year and all summer long, they may struggle when faced with the harsh realities of college. Symptoms of this condition include slowness, procrastination, apathy regarding schoolwork, increased drug use, changes in sleep patterns (like napping in class), and overall decreased motivation to do well in their studies. If these symptoms are feeling a little too familiar, you’re not alone; over 83.9% of seniors feel the same way you do. But it’s not too late the change your feelings towards school. There are a few ways that a student can keep themselves on track, preventing a slump in their schoolwork. First, keep challenging yourself. Take classes that push you and prepare you for more rigorous college courses. This will keep your mind busy and not allow it to start slacking off. Next, take advantage of your last year of high school. This may include attending school sporting events, prom, graduation festivities, and involving yourself in clubs. Arguably the best way to make yourself immune to Senioritis is by just gathering the gumption and getting all your work done. Keep in mind that you’ll have all summer to relax without the consequences of Senioritis. So, finish up that Senior Paper, study for your A.P. Tests, and get that passing grade in economy, because in the long run, it will all pay off. Now let us go take a nap while Mr. Miller gives us an important lecture on the Ethics of Journalism. Just kidding!

Live your Dream

Live your Dream

By Michael DelVecchio

The most influential experiences in my life I experienced through acting. At the age of 13, I traveled to California to pursue my childhood dream. I found out fast that acting required a lot of hard work and memorization. My agent sent me on a variety of movie and pilot auditions where I learned to sell myself to all the casting directors I met. Many of the times I would receive callbacks to meet the directors and producers of many shows. I grew up fast introducing myself to all the well-established people and learning how to present myself. Presentations at school became routine and while presenting I easily took command of the audience.

I received my first taste of success from an international Burger King commercial. I acquired skills in the areas of shooting commercials and the hard work put into every shot. The knowledge gained gave me great confidence in my acting abilities. A couple months, later I picked up a Hitachi commercial that filmed in Japan. It introduced me to a whole different culture. Everything my eye could grasp fascinated me. The Japanese producers enjoyed my group so much, they flew us back a second time to do another Hitachi commercial. My next venture brought me to the Tehachapi Mountains in California.

Out of thousands of teenagers around America, JD Roth chose me to be one of 20 finalists on a showed called Endurance Tehachapi that plays on Discovery Kids and NBC. On the show, teenagers showed courage, integrity, heart, and strength. I was the shortest one on the show, but I competed very well. The first challenge I beat out the rest of the competitors and earned the right to stay on the show. I made it to the last 5 remaining teams on the show and proved to be a tough competitor. The best time of my life was shooting Endurance and meeting friends that I will forever keep in touch with.

AAAHH! Real Monsters!

AAAHH! Real Monsters!

By Melissa Camp and Kiah Vandergrift

Loch Ness . Bigfoot. These names are usually recognizable to the average person, but have you ever heard of Stalin’s Ape Man? Urban myths are all around us, ranging from the depths of the Amazon to the swamps of Louisiana and Florida . Can they be explained? Or are they just exactly what they seem…legends?

We start the quest for truth in the Scotland ’s Loch Ness. The Loch Ness Monster, more commonly known as “Nessie,” is rumored to inhabit the freshwater loch since the first public sighting in 1933. On July 22, 1933, George Spicer and his wife saw an unusual animal cross the road in front of their car and walk towards the loch over 20 yards away. Their recap of the creature consisted of large body and a long, narrow neck about the size of an elephant’s trunk. Only one month later, a motorcyclist, Arthur Grant, almost hit the creature while driving to Avriachan in the middle of the night. He also described a small head and long neck. The most well-known photo of Nessie is called the “Surgeon’s Photograph” which shows the head and neck of the creature. Unfortunately, the photo was proven to be a hoax in 1994. There has been no physical evidence of the beast such as skeletal remains, capture of the species, or definite tissue samples. If you ask us, this one can go down in history as just an urban myth.

The popular “ape-like” creature known as Bigfoot is said to linger around the forests of the Pacific Northwest United States and British Columbia . It is rumored to have some close relatives around the world, such as the Yeti of Tibet and Nepal , the Yeren of China, and the Yowie of Australia. Bigfoot is supposedly around 9 feet tall and is covered in a thick, dark brown coat. He has similar features to those of a gorilla but walks in an upright position on two feet. Numerous sightings have been reported throughout history dating from 1840 all the way to last year. Beloved Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt is among those who have reported an encounter with the beast. The most common explanation of these sightings is a misidentification between other animals. In our opinion, if the species really does exist, then there should be a bigger population of the creature, which would result in more sightings, making this one just another fairy tale.

Stalin’s Ape Man? Most people are skeptical of this particular legend, but did you know that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin actually did try to genetically engineer a “super warrior?” Stalin’s mad obsession with creating invincible armies gave him the idea to create half-man, half-monkey soldiers by manipulating the DNA of the two species. Stalin knew that spreading Communism around the world was no easy task, so he hired Ilya Ivannov, one of Russia ’s top animal breeding scientists, to create the Ape Man. The project was given the budget of $200,000 per soldier, a hefty amount of the economy in the 1920’s. After many experiments in creating the “super warrior,” the mathematics of the genetics did not add up, creating a doomed failure for Stalin. Since we were not around in Russia in the 1920’s, we cannot say either way that this did or did not actually happen, however, because of the genetic miscalculations, we do know that Stalin’s Ape Man still remains a fantasy for Joseph Stalin.

Some people may think that these “freaks of nature” are explainable and may be lurking among us, but as of now, we remain unconvinced.

Future Plans

Future Plans
By: Jared Black

Since I was young my best friend and I have been involved in and around the local fire department. We have been able to see first-hand what goes on behind the scenes in the station, in drills, and even when dispatch reports a call on a fire or car accident or any other incidents in which the department can respond to. All of this exposure has greatly encouraged me to follow this profession once I graduate from Platte Canyon in May.

Beginning in May I will begin my seven month term on a Type Two AI Crew based out of Platte Canyon Fire Department. We will travel across different parts of the country responding to major wildfires and will for most of the summer be away from home. However, when at home the crew will be on call as we are the first response unit for any wildland fire that occurs in Park County and a few of the surrounding counties. Among fighting fires we will also be reducing fuels on private land.

Alongside my best friend there are two other rookies that will be participating on the crew until November. We will work beside very experienced crewmembers that have fought wildland fires in the military, the forest service, and on other hotshot crews.

I will be able to learn the aspects of fighting fire from some of the best squad and crew bosses in the country.

After I finish with the crew I will be attending a fire academy to further my knowledge on fire prevention and suppression. With my knowledge gained from wildland suppression this summer, I will be able to include it into a wide range of knowledge that I will hopefully gain from a fire-science degree. This knowledge will help to present me with opportunities for a future in structure and wildland fire suppression.

Growing up with the department has really encouraged me to be a part of it. Now that I am old enough I am employed with the department and will be participating with the crew this upcoming summer. It is something that I know I will enjoy now and will enjoy in the future.

Gobble, Gobble, OUCH!

Gobble, Gobble, OUCH!

By: Tyler Graves

In Madison , Wisconsin postal workers are being pestered and attacked by wild turkeys in the nearby area. Many of the postal workers claim to of been attacked by the turkeys under odd circumstances. One day they are fine and the next day they’re fuming. Biologists seem to believe that the reason the turkeys are attacking them is because of the colors of their uniforms and the color of the trucks. Apparently, it is mating season and the turkeys are reacting on instinct. Come to find out, the male’s heads turn from a bluish color to red and that has a huge impact on turkeys during the mating season. The red, white, and blue exhibited on the trucks and their uniforms kinda-sorta tick the turkeys off. Some postal service workers claim to of had a turkey actually jump in the truck and scratch and peck at them. Many also claim that the turkeys have actually come up to them and scratched them with the very sharp spurs on the back of their legs. Funny thing is, the mail carriers carried a water pistol to fend off the birds, but after awhile it stopped affecting them and they started to appreciate it. Here’s a thought, they should cover up or take off a specific part of their trucks and uniforms in that general part of town so that way the turkey don’t notice the colors. If that doesn’t work, then the mail carriers should just put the mail in the resident’s P.O box and then they can go get the mail themselves. Who knows? Maybe the mail carriers can just threaten the turkeys by saying it’s almost Thanksgiving and you’re going to eat them. Maybe they’ll get the picture.

between 0000-00-00 and 9999-99-99

Mmmmmm.... Lunch

Mmmmm... Lunch

By Harmony Beck

Everyone’s favorite class of the day is lunch, and when that first or second lunch bell rings the sprits of high school students are lifted. When entering the Canyon Room the mission of each student is the same. First go to your regular lunch table, gather your lunch for the day, and last catch up with your favorite friends. For most PCHS kids their lunch is pretty regular, and variety is not always present. Everyone sticks to their own table, and if table stealing occurs conflict will erupt. Despite the size of our Bailey school it is full of labels and cliques. Some students find themselves using the derogatory label dirt kid more excessively. Lunch is a crucial part of a high school student’s day and perfection is necessary.

At Platte Canyon the school has its own cliques, but that doesn’t prevent students from having conversations. Most of the time the jocks talk to the popular girls and the speech kids talk to the nerds, but sometimes kids just talk to each other despite cliques. In school variety creates a more diverse and interesting environment, but at the end of the day each student wants to know which group they belong to. When at lunch there are students that are floaters because throughout the period they will sit at five tables all throughout lunch. These students are rare because having the satisfaction of a constant table is the satisfaction that students always want.

Labels are a big part of high school. At least since the fifties labels have been common through high school. Popular labels are jock, nerd, geek, prep, goth, emo, gangsta, wangsta, redneck, skater, and recently at PCHS the label dirt kid has become a common amongst the students. Oddly enough labels have nothing to do with a person or their morals, beliefs and personality. Usually labels are based on the person’s income, clothing, and residence. People can’t affect how much money their parents make, the clothes they can afford, or the location of their house. Labels just make students fight against them or accept them. Many students accept their labels in high school because by then they have an idea of who they are. Usually labels focus on how the person talks, GPA, music preference, attitude towards life, and goals. When surveying the lunch room students use the basic labels to name cliques, since our school is small. Labels like preppy girls, cool kids, jocks, speech kids, loners, and wierdos are mentioned. While talking to each table at the lunch room the label they gave themselves was often different from the label other tables gave them. Some tables were being labeled as the smart kids or weirdos and calling themselves the cool kids. Other tables were labeling themselves as the nice table, but other tables labeled them as the table with no friends. Obviously labels are only an opinion and there is no correct label for someone. PCHS students have come up with new labels because some of the cliques with a majority of people get renamed. For example speech is a very popular activity and has about seventy members on the team. Most of the kids on speech are friends, so when they hang out in a big group they are labeled the “speech kids”. This label is not as cruel as another label that has lately grown popular in Platte Canyon . The label “dirt kid” is heard all throughout the halls of the high school when describing a student with low income suggesting that they can’t afford a shower. This seems like the middle class students are trying to segregate themselves from the lower class students. Maybe that is what labeling is all about.

All most every high school student at Plate Canyon would say that the lunch to be at is second lunch. First lunch is full of freshmen and sophomores and second lunch is upperclassmen. The hubbub about second lunch is that the upperclassmen are mature and easy to get along with. Some students have changed their schedule to get the lunch with their friends. As long as the students have lunch with their friends then the canyon room would be calm. Maybe when the total number of students decreases there will be one lunch. Then the students would have to be integrated and learn to peacefully go through school.

High school can be a scary environment and for some students their cliques are a sage haven. Although high school should be about meeting new people and have more than one type of friends. The labels at PCHS are hurtful and they are probably going to have long term affects. Variety at Platte Canyon is slim and it could hopefully grow over time. As for now the canyon room will continue to have its labels and cliques.

Censorship

Censorship

By Travis MacDonald

Have you ever tried to go onto a favorite site and it was censored? If you ever wanted to go onto a shopping site to get a present for your family or friends you couldn’t do it. The system that the school uses is a special box that regulates the websites called a fire wall which is mainly used for businesses to help keep the workers on track and stop spies from relaying information. Our school uses this to try and keep the students off of game sites and non-appropriate sites, but many of our students have found ways around this Sonic Wall. The computer security isn’t able to keep up with the knowledge of the students. I will only give away a couple of the tricks students know. One favorite way is to use a proxy site to bypass the Sonic Wall altogether. A proxy site is a type of internet program that you can use. What it does is reroute your website address through a “proxy” server, which is just someone else’s computer, and lets you bypass the Sonic Wall. The staff has tried to stop the proxy site usage but has failed many, many times, because we use another program to bypass the security for the proxy sites. The way some bypass the other security for proxy sites is to ping the web site address. What this does is transfer the normal wording of the website into a number format that the internet recognizes as the same address. Another popular way is to just completely stop using blocked sites and use other site with the same stuff. Like if one game site is blocked there is always another site with the same games. Another one I have heard of is a way to directly disconnect a computer from the Sonic Wall. There are many more ways that students do know but these are the most popular.

Calling Home

Calling Home

By Tyler Graves

Master Sgt. Morris Hill called his son Brandon from the battlefront while Brandon was in class. Brandon answered his cell phone while he was leaving the classroom. The teacher had the audacity to tell Brandon to cut the call short even after he told him that it was his father calling from Iraq. The teacher pulled Brandon into the principal’s office where he then was suspended for a couple of days. All the school administrators could say was that it was against the rules to use a cell during school hours and on the premises. Apparently the school board and Sgt. Morris Hill had talked about the matter at hand when he was deployed in Iraq. The school board agreed to let his son answer the call if he called and be able to do it with no consequences. Their deal which apparently was never valid resulted in huge controversy. Brandon’s mother brought up an idea that suggested Mr. Hill could be dead or dying. With this being said she “came out swinging” claiming that if something had happened to her husband and that were to be his last phone call home, she was not going to let a bunch of school board idiots take away that privilege. I believe if a soldier is away from home on long tours and barely having enough time to come home and readjust with his family, he/she has al the right to call home to catch up with his family. According to Hill, this was the only time that he could use the phone to call home, so he did. If any of those board members had some family serving in Iraq right now, they would probably think twice about their decision. I don’t care if you support the war or not, but support the troops they are over there fighting for their lives so that way people back at home have the privilege to run their mouth about what they want.

Going “Freegan?”

Going “Freegan?”

By Kiah Vandergrift and Melissa Camp

You drive down the streets of downtown Denver, and see the homeless people scavenging through dumpsters, but what would you say if we told you that some people choose to find their food that way? It’s called being a “Freegan” and lately, it has been all the rage.

“Freeganism” came about when groups of environmentally conscious people chose to live an anti-consumerism lifestyle. They “dumpster dive” not because they do not have the financial means to buy products, but because they choose to take advantage of others wasteful ways, as a political statement. Everyday, thousands of perfectly consumable products are thrown away without a second thought; however the “Freegans” have adopted a lifestyle which consists of relying only on others waste. It’s like the old saying, “One mans trash is another mans treasure.” Due to expiration dates on food, grocery stores are legally bound to dispose of products that go past those set dates. This results in perfectly packaged food tossed into dumpsters, and left to rot, but not if the “Freegans” have anything to say about it! They prevent all the wasted food from ending up in landfills and give the gift of food to others who might otherwise die of starvation. The Food Not Bombs group does just that, salvaging food and preparing meals for the needy based solely on the food they find while foraging.

“Freegans” not only gather food from wasteful sources; they also recover various consumer goods. Things such as books, electronics, clothing, appliances, musical equipment, games, toys, and artwork are only a few of the many treasures that can be found in the dumpster treasure chest! In fact, they share their discoveries with each other in events such as “Freemeets”, where “Freegans” gather and exchange products without ever exchanging money.

Some people may think that “Freegans” are living a dirty lifestyle, mooching off what others are finished with; however, we like and approve of the political statement they are making, even though it is a bit extreme for our personal liking. So slap on your moms’ old tye-dye shirt, put that Grateful Dead album, slip on those Birkenstocks, and eat your sisters leftover meatloaf! Peace out, dudes!

Track

Track

By: Jake Engelkes

This season in Track we have so far dominated most of our competition. At our last meet on April 19 at Roosevelt AJ Mellilo qualified for state in the 200 meter run, Thomas Hoffman qualified for the 1600 meter, Katelyn Houghton got 2^nd in the 100 meter low hurdles, and lastly Sydney Seifert placed first in the Pole Vault. They arrived 30 minutes late and had only 10 minutes to warm up, but it was warm so their muscles were warm and almost all of our athletes ran some of their best times all year. Last Wednesday, April 23^rd, Platte Canyon hosted a track meet with three teams, including Clear Creek. We swept most of the events including Katelyn Houghton in the 100m hurdles, Jake Engelkes in the 110m Hurdles, Thomas Hoffman in the 800, and AJ Mellilo in the 100m dash. Coming up we have our League Meet Saturday May 3^rd and one week after that we have our regional meet where top three places overall go to the State Meet.

Extreme Alternative

Extreme Alternative

By: Jon Bellomy

Many of you Platte Canyon Students snowboard during the winter, but with summer coming fast you don’t have anything to do. So what is an alternative that’s fun, dangerous, and looks cool? Well you could try another extreme sport: mountain boarding. It’s a great alternative to snowboarding and skateboarding.

Mountain boarding, or All Terrain Boarding (ATB) or dirt boarding, is a cross between skateboarding and snowboarding. The board itself is longer than a skateboard and about the same size as a snowboard. Your feet are securely fastened as if you were riding a snowboard, but the board has four wheels that are customized to work well on all terrains. The rider’s gear consists of a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and of course, the board.

ATB was invented in California in the year 1992 by two men named Patrick McConnell and Jason Lee, who both were avid skiers and snowboarders. They wanted to create a board that they could ride anywhere, and no matter what time of year it was. In 1993 they set up the company Mountain Board Sports LLC and moved to Colorado Springs . In the US more than 100,000 enthusiasts participate it camps, and mountain boarding is not only present in the US , it’s also big in Canada , and throughout the UK . Some of the US Snowboard train on Mountain Boards in the off season. In 2001, nine official Maxtrack centers were operating and since then the numbers have tripled in the UK .

So if you think you want to try mountain boarding, go online and search for mountain boards, dirt boards, or all terrain boards and look for gear that you need. Prices range from $50 to $300. So if there anything in your price range go ahead and try it.

Television, a Gateway to the World or an Evil Empire Run by Ted Turner

Television, a Gateway to the World or an Evil Empire Run by Ted Turner

Nick Wiford

The modern age is connected by the little box in your living room (or in most homes today the giant flat box). While at the same time, the same box has control of your life. Think about it, you live around what is on T.V. I once asked my girlfriend out and she said that Beauty in the Geek was on and could not. My sister has been grounded many times because she didn’t do her chores and she was watching T.V. I have also experienced wanting to watch a show and then was up late working on my homework, due to watching the new Rock of Love. But wait, thank God for TIVO and D.V.R. That allows for people to record their shows and watch them on the weekend or when they have spare time. In this terrible age where people are addicted to their celebrities and famous people on the T.V. we have a hero that we can all look up to. TIVO will be the sole provider for helping the human race be taken down by the evil television.

Aliens or Something Else?

Aliens or Something Else?
By: Nigel Kelly

Aliens. Are they real, or are they a figment of the human imagination? Unidentified craft, floating and incredibly silent, have been seen all across the globe. Strange patterns of lights have been seen hovering over vast cities. Black smudges in the sky have been spotted to have achieved speeds greater than Mach 7. The list goes on, yet nobody seems to know what these strange craft are. The funny thing is: almost all of the sightings have occurred after the 1950s. What does this mean? Most people believe ‘aliens’ have merely become fascinated with us in the late 20^th century. But I beg to differ. I believe these “aliens” are in fact experimental craft developed by leading world powers such as the United States and Great Britain . Ever since the end of World War II, new technologies gleaned from the exotic technologies of Germany and Japan have accelerated western countries and especially the United States to great power, but some technologies discovered were kept secret and even to this day have not been revealed to the public. Most in my opinion speculate that a form of antigravity has been discovered but kept secret by people in power.

Former President Meets With Enemies

Former President Meets With Enemies
By: Thomas Suiter

Founded in 1987, the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist militant organization as well as a political party. It currently holds power in the Palestinian Authority giving it significant military and social influence over the Middle East . On Thursday, former United States president Jimmy Carter met with senior officials of the Hamas in Cairo , Egypt to discuss with them peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. Since the Hamas is recognized as a “terrorist organization” by the Unites States, Israel, and the European Union, Carter received significant flak for his meeting with both Mahmoud al-Zahar and Saeed Seyam. The majority of their nearly three hour conversation regarded the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the West Bank being a landlocked territory mostly bordered by Israel but Jordan to the east. The Gaza Strip is a twenty-five mile long region running along the Mediterranean Sea , and both territories are target to frequent Hamas militant rocket attacks as well as suicide bombings. Israel seized and annexed the West Bank from Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967. Although under Israeli jurisdiction, the West Bank is home to an Arab majority populous, and you can see why there might be civil unrest. Like the West Bank, the Gaza Strip was also a prize taken from the Palestinians by Israel in 1967. However, the Israeli thirty-eight year occupation ended in 2005 with the IDF still controlling airspace and territorial waters while the Israeli government runs the tax system, entry of foreigners, and imports/exports. September 12, 2005, marked the day that the Palestinian Authority took complete administrative authority over the Strip as well as its citizens, but lately on the Strip as well as the West Bank, the powerful Hamas has not been only clashing with Israel but another Palestinian insurgent group known as Fatah, or the Palestinian National Liberation Movement. The two are rival political parties who often take their disputes to guerilla warfare in the streets. The worst of the fighting has taken place in the northern region of the Gaza Strip and in 2007 Gen. Muhammed Gharib, the commander of the Fatah Preventative Security Force was killed when a Hamas RPG rocket hit his home. Hamas militants didn’t stop there as they presumed to gun down Gharib’s two young daughters as well as his bodyguards. As most people can see just by turning on the news at night, lately the Middle East, especially the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been a bloodbath with near constant fighting between the IDF and rival Islamist factions. This was all incorporated into Carter’s conference with al-Zahar. Although the two left on good terms, many are doubtful that this will change anything even though the future is never certain. Carter responded to the U.S and Israeli criticism by returning it, questioning why the United States or European Union has never bothered to even attempt a conference with Hamas officials to settle disputes face-to-face. Will Carter’s efforts as peace bear results, or will it be just another hopeless waste of time and words to try and fix a problem that seems unsolvable? Many speculate that there will never be genuine reconciliation in the Middle East between Israel and its enemies, but you can never be certain.

A Start to a Healthy Life Style

A Start to a Healthy Life Style

Americans struggle everyday with making nutritional choices that will benefit them throughout the day. Fast food lurks around every corner with added sugar and fat. The key to staying healthy is getting the right amount of exercise mixed with discipline and nutrition. Super foods are extremely beneficial to the body and they fight of major disease. Most diets don’t work because the person is not eating a well balanced meal and there concentrating on one food group. With these super foods and getting a little exercise you’re of to a healthy life style.

Super foods are one of the most important foods to eat because of all the benefits they carry. Tomatoes decrease the chance of cancer and help fight heart dieses. It’s most effective when the tomatoes are cooked because it releases the antioxidant Lycopene. Blueberries help break down fatty cells and contain a lot of vitamin C and fiber. Broccoli, the major cancer fighter, was found to help women fighting ovarian cancer. For people who are having trouble seeing well or losing their vision, kale increases protection of the eye and vision. Omega 3 rich fish help lucubrate the joints and decrease pain in arthritic patients. A lot of people might not guess that dark chocolate is a super food because it is packed with antioxidants. Make sure you’re getting a well balance diet grains, dairy, meats and bean, wholegrain, fruits, vegetables, and oils. Combined with super foods exercise needs to be worked in you schedule.

A lot of Americans eat well, but bypass exercise entirely either because they’re too busy or just don’t like to work out. People need at least an hour and a half of aerobics a week combined with lifting weights to keep fit. If you absolutely don’t have time to fit in aerobics in your schedule find some alternatives to traveling such riding a bike to work, walking to working, parking the car further away so you have to walk, and much more. Get involved in an active sport that you play with your friends. This is a good way to burn calories with out feeling the stress and pressure to work out. Exercising also helps depression and self esteem. During running the runner will experience runners high because of the rush of blood and the production of powerful hormones.

The start of a healthy life style does not have to be hard and well thought out. All you have to do is make sure you’re eating a well balanced meal, exercise, and try to eat as many super foods as you can. It will improve your stamina, energy, memory, and every part of your body. If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you.

Hey, Control Your Jets

Hey, Control Your Jets

By

Evan Campbell

The country of Georgia blames Russia for shooting down an unmanned spy plane or a UAV was shot down over separatist region Abkhazia in Georgia. After a claimed Russian Fighter Jet takes off in Georgia. The Pro-western government of Georgia brings these claims up during a tension between Russian backing the separatists movement. A video shot by a camera on the UAV shows clearly a fighter jet come in behind and launching a missile at the UAV. (A link to video below) Then also in the video released by the Georgian Air Force the fighter is shown on radar to fly back to Russian airspace. But the disturbing part is the Fighter takes off in Gudauta in Abkhazia, Georgia. That is an illegal act set by the negotiation set up in 1994.

The negotiation set up 1994 is at risk of going to the trash dump. This negotiation was set up by Russia to stop the fighting in the disputed territories of Georgia. During the fighting some 250,000 Georgians were ethnically cleansed in genocide by the Abkhaz separatists. Russia stepped in and created a ceasefire agreement between, backing separatists and Georgian forces. The ceasefire requires no Russian Forces entering the disputed area.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/22/georgia.russia/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Back With a Vengeance

Back With a Vengeance

By Kyle Grabowski

Starting only a few minutes after the first film ended, Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay is a delightful, yet coarse, film about two friends and their evasion of justice. The first Harold and Kumar film has been anointed as one of the greatest “stoner” comedies of all time and the sequel does not disappoint. Sadly, contemporary critics disagree with my assessment. Rotten Tomatoes said the film is “A cut below the original, but still funny and smart.” Only 57% of critiques rate it positively. While there is an extreme amount of marijuana and humor based off of it, subtle themes manage to poke through. Incompetence within the government runs deep as well as the superiority of the middle class over the snobby. All teenage males over 17 should drop what they are doing and drive down to see this film. It is easily worth the $7.50 in terms of not only frequency, but volume of laughter. Grab your buddies, a big bucket of popcorn, and a portable toilet seat just in case when you go to see Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, in theatres everywhere.

Violence in Video Games

Violence in Video Games

By: Jared Black

On Tuesday April 29, 2008 a truly controversial game was released to the American Public. This video game released to PS3 and X-Box 360 fanatics is a highly debated topic, and many wish for the game to never be released due to its high gore content, strong sexual themes, criminal activity, and strong language that is rampant within the game. The game itself has gone through many delays when trying to debut which was supposed to occur nearly a year ago; however, on the 29^th of April Grand Theft Auto IV was released.

Debated by many to be one of the most violent games unveiled, numerous amounts of people wish for the game to not be released. They believe that it corrupts today’s youth and influences and teaches the young people and adults who play the game how to do murder and pursue many other criminal activities. So if this is true the world is in for a shock because the fourth installment of the Grand Theft Auto series is predicted to be one of the largest debuts in gaming history. That means that all the masses that buy the game will now become murdering sadistic criminals because they played a video game. Even though most know that Grand Theft Auto will surely be released countless wish that the youth be unable to get access to the game. Many lawmakers and parents know that minors will still be able to obtain the game even though it is intended for adults and has an ESRB rating of mature. Scores of parents think that the game will teach their children to kill and pursue violent criminal activities.

If this were at all true then most of my friends, part of my school, and myself would have all been engaged in criminal activity since around the sixth grade. That’s when Grand Theft Auto was released in 2001 for PS2 consoles. I was eleven when I first played the game and that seems to be the age in which kids can be most easily influenced. I have bought every Grand theft auto released since then and I have yet engaged in any criminal activities nor has anyone else I know. While playing the game I have no sudden urges to deal drugs and then murder somebody however lawmakers think that they have proof that the game influences people to become violent. There was a case in which and eighteen year-old killed a cop and blamed it on the game. However if you have the wit to murder a human and then blame murdering them on a video game then it seems that almost anything can influence you and you were in trouble from the beginning. If parents are so worried that their kid could become a killer due to a video game either put them in strict counseling or don’t let them play such games as Grand Theft Auto or even watch movies or TV programs with any resemblance of violence or misconduct of any sort. If this approach doesn’t work restrict their media intake to the Disney Channel.

Fiji Water and a Suffering Country

Fiji Water and a Suffering Country

By: Nick Wiford

The country of Fiji has the Fiji Water bottling company located there. Ironically, the nation has trouble getting water for themselves. The country has a tiny population. Fiji is a series of over 300 islands. They have a GDP per capita of $5,500. Although the islands are surrounded by water it is salt water and they do not have a useable amount of fresh water. The people have to ration their water use and many days have to go without water. At the same time David Gilmour is raking in the money. Fiji water is found in grocery stores and gas stations and is the most expensive water sold at an average retailer. The company sales water that is just water, with nothing special about the water except that it is bottled in Fiji. I would understand if the water was some miracle water or tasted amazing. But, I have tried it and do not tell a difference between Fiji and Aquafina, who recently was under fire for taking tap water and then filtering it over and over. Next time you pay over $2 for a bottle of Fiji water remember a few things such as the fact that you could have bought a bottle of Aquafina or Dasani for well under the price of Fiji by about 50 cents or more. Also, think about the people in Fiji who can not afford fresh water to survive.

Find It!

Losing Knowledge

Losing Knowledge

By: Jon Bellomy

Summer is coming fast and the knowledge that you gained throughout the school year is bound to be lost because of all the fun you’re going to have. So, if you don’t want to come back to school next year with lost knowledge and spend three weeks of school, then take my advice and use it to your advantage.

Statistics show that one kid can lose up to three months of knowledge in one summer vacation. One way to stop this nonsense is go to Sylvan. You’ve seen those commercials of kids learning with tutors that are trained for any subject. Sylvan works and it can also help with school. Another helpful way is to give yourself a quiz. Every morning when you wake up, or every night before you go to bed make up a quiz of five to ten questions and take it to see how well you remember the facts, then grade it with the answers and if you got one wrong, read up on it.

A very simple way is to keep all your notes from the previous year and every day review one page of notes. It’ll only take about ten to fifteen minutes and you’ll have the rest of the day to yourself. The final way to not lose knowledge is to look things up. While you’re on the internet waiting for the next “Bets Online Game” to install, open up a new window and look up things that you learned the previous year that you may have forgotten. In all losing knowledge is the worst thing that can happen over summer, but it’s an annual thing. So try my tips and won’t lose knowledge, but you’ll still have a great vacation.