Gay Rights Movement

Since its passing on January 1st, the FAIR Act has made it legal for middle schools to incorporate the teaching of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history in social studies classes.

The issue has been in the media as the center of controversy. Some parents oppose teaching LGBT history in schools because they assume that this is an introduction of political ideology concerning gay marriage. However, this is not the case. The LGBT movement is a huge part of history istelf.

Would there be a big difference in teaching about gay history beginning in middle school rather in high school? If we look at the big picture, there isn’t a very prominent or life-changing difference. Like many changes throughout history, the next generation improves on the acceptance of one another. The passing of this act would bring about more open minds and a more educated generation.

Not only is the act beneficial for the younger people, but the act itself is by no means promoting anything that is intended to enforce beliefs. Rather, the act provides informational background about gay rights and contributions. History is history, and it is better to be informed in order to prevent future mistakes, such as that of violence or discrimination.

This is what you're missing out on. Photo credit: http://kidzcoolzone.com/chinese-new-year/

We’re set to welcome in the Year of the Dragon earlier than usual this year; Chinese New Year falls on January 23, 2012 rather than during February.  With the stress of studying for finals and SATs, the holiday seems to have been dwarfed by heavy workloads and sleep debts.  It’s hard to notice all the decorations and preparations for the holiday when we’re drowning in all the pressure.  However, that doesn’t mean we should allow the Lunar New Year to pass us by.

Celebrations for the Lunar New Year have degenerated.  Typically, “Chinese New Year” is associated with “money” rather than the cultural aspect of the holiday.  The majority of high school students probably plan on receiving the red envelopes with pasted-on smiles and then going straight home to crack down on the books rather than going out to celebrate with family, much less bother to revel in the unique celebrations or listen to traditional folk tales behind Chinese New Year.

The problem itself lies in an ingrained cultural indifference.  As children, we were all awed by the pretty lanterns, by the elaborate traditional clothing, by the different cultural cakes, candies, and fruits put on display in our houses.  We’d all be fascinated and excited to hear stories of long ago, tall tales that told us more about our heritage than we realized.  However, as we got older, the music, the lights, and the sounds became less spectacular and more routine.  The stories we’d hear from our grandparents and our parents lost their flavor.  We became too old, too jaded to partake in the different games.  The moment we looked forward to Chinese New Year only for the cash it brought us, the apathy began.

Chinese New year is a holiday like any other.  It has its own unique origins just like any other holiday (although they’ve all been so thoroughly commercialized, we’ve ceased to think beyond each celebration completely), and it’s an excuse to spend quality time with family and relax like all holidays.  Don’t let that fact that it falls shortly before finals stop anyone from refraining from celebrations.  In fact, this year, try to partake in every single aspect of the holiday in order to fully grasp our cultural heritages.  Only then will the holiday be truly enjoyable.

Procrastination: taking over your life

Sometimes procrastination takes over our lives like a virus does to its host cell. Of   course, we face the consequences in moments of despair and cramming. Of course, if you had started studying three weeks ago, it would have been beneficial; but since you didn’t you are now desperate for any ways to save yourself.

You’ve already heard all the clichéd tips: get off of the internet, study in a quiet place, go to the library. But none of that stuff is helping at all. You find yourself back at your computer after two hours of failed attempts at studying.

The first thing you ask yourself is why are you putting off studying? Usually it’s because you feel overwhelmed by the plethora of work that you have. Take five minutes to arrange which finals are more important and which are not (meaning they will not have much effect on your grade even if you fail). After that set aside an hour for each subject, with one ten minute break everywhere hour; basically you are studying for 6 or seven hours in row, yet switching subjects each hour. The reason this for this is so that you do not get bored and completely give up or get distracted. Once you have studied all the subjects for an hour, take a longer break and start the 6-7 hour studying session again.

In actual studying, it is too late to reread all the chapters, but if you are a fast reader and can understand what you are reading, go ahead. For the rest of us, it’s a good idea to just read over any notes you have. Another good idea would be to divide up each subject into major topics and make sure you fully understand them. If you have study guides, definitely go over them. Redo homework problems for math. If you go back and cannot complete a homework assignment, chances are you need to go over that material. There are always chapters that you fully understand and those that you don’t. Don’t spend as much time on what you already know (if you can remember it after 5 months, chances are you won’t forget it in three days). Essentially, go over the stuff you forgot, go over homework, and study review packets or study guides that your teachers have, hopefully, provided for you.

On Tuesday night, simply study for the subjects you have the next day. If you have extra time, or if your subjects on that day are easy, or you don’t have finals in those classes, only then should you be studying other subjects. By then it is too late to continue cramming. Focus on the next day more than the whole week. If you didn’t get distracted, you should be going over the last couple of chapters.

Remember not to study all night (with any luck, you won’t have to) and eat a good breakfast. If you feel as if you haven’t studied enough, don’t freak out. At that point, there will be not much that you can do about it. Your best hope is to pretend you know everything, take a deep breath and take the final. Defeat procrastination. Happy Studying!

Proposed in October, the act is meant to stop the illegal downloading of online content – movies, music and all other things high school students like us don’t pay for. It sounds fine, right? Wrong.

“It’s basically the worst thing ever,” says FVHS student Meagan Faller (’13).

SOPA: not just Spanish soup

Backed by the huge media industry, the act gives these companies the right to block domain names of sites that may encourage copyright infringement. That means that sites everybody uses – Youtube, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter – can be shut down. If it’s possible to post pirated content on the site, or information that could further online piracy, a claim can be brought against it. Facebook could be brought down by one picture, Youtube by one song. Even just posting piracy-friendly comments in the comments section of a news site could have repercussions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation offers an in-depth analysis of the consequences of SOPA here.

But SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, wouldn’t be able to actually stop online piracy. While domain names could be blocked, it won’t block the numeric IP number address. That means pirates can still access these websites, but many users won’t be able to.

“I think that it’s a very well intentioned act, meant to fight a very big problem that we face today – internet piracy,” says another student, Adrien Ha (’13), “But the way it’s worded, it leaves too much room for it to be abused and it can have some potentially dangerous impacts on our freedoms.”

Brandon Khong (’13), agreed. “I don’t think it’s necessary… Personally, I find it to be ridiculous because if this act does go into effect, then YouTube might be at risk because the music that is uploaded on a daily basis will be taken off because apparently it doesn’t belong to the user. It’s basically censoring freedom of speech on the internet and I think it’s stupid.”

The internet and tech community’s staunch resistance to the act has so far kept the bill from being passed. Currently Twitter, Google, Reddit, Kickstarter, Tumblr, Mozilla, Yahoo, Craigslist, AOL, eBay, Zynga, Facebook, and several other sites have spoken out in opposition of SOPA. Reddit, a popular social news site is planning a blackout on January 18^th in protest, along with many other prominent sites.

The Obama Administration too has come out against SOPA and PIPA (the Protect IP Act, which has also been proposed, and is largely similar), but would agree to let it pass if Congress revises it slightly. Whether the act is altered or not, SOPA and PIPA remain dangerous pieces of legislation; they need to be quashed, not just changed.

But what can you do to stop SOPA?

First of all, we can spread awareness about the problem. SOPA has not yet entered the mainstream population’s public knowledge. In response to a question about SOPA, many of my interviewees responded with, “What’s that?”

We can talk to our representative, Dana Rohrabacher, in voting against it, by posting on his Facebook, or tweeting  him. (He’s already been given $35,300 by pro-SOPA groups to vote in favor of the act.)

We can also sign petitions. The Senate is scheduled to vote on Tuesday, January 24^th, and unless we find 41 senators to block the vote, it is going to pass. Already, our two senators from California, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer have come out in support of the bill.

For the free speech, for the health of the internet – of lolcats and Tumblr angst and dance parties alone in your room to Youtube playlists – do something about SOPA.

Cover of Time magainze for 2011 Person of the Year

Time magazine’s Person of the Year title is awarded to a person, group, or idea that “for better or for worse …has done the most to influence the events of the year.” This year, Time chose for its Person of the Year, “The Protester.”

The award focuses on the influence, rather than positiveness (or lack thereof) of the candidate. Past recipients have included not just great humanitarians, but those of questionable morals as well.

With this, “The Protestor” is the ideal candidate. “The Protestor” represents a collective group of individuals who stand up against a governing system. The year 2011 featured a slew of uprisings by the masses and overthrows of a few governments as well. Civilian uprisings occurred in The Middle East, Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, London, various Asian countries, and the Americas. In these regions, over 25 cases of riots erupted.

A key tool in the series of protests is the internet. Through various social networks and communication techniques in the modern day, organizing uprisings became much easier. News of riots appeared all over news networks, as well as Twitter and Facebook. People in underdeveloped nations found that underground access to networks and interviews were conducted by online communities. The protestors spread their influence even amongst each other.

The main difference among the protestors throughout the year, and around the globe, was their purpose. Oppressed nations fought to overthrow government, countries like London wanted to spread awareness of their lack of freedom, and Americans held Occupy movements to fight the maldistribution of wealth. Some probably did it for the attention, and some to follow the trend. They found varying degrees of success – some were praised, others criticized. But the ultimate result they all had in common is found in their influence spread of awareness. They got the media and the government’s attention, and at the end of the year, Time magazine’s attention.

The Wii

10. The Wii – Let’s go Back to the past November 19,2006. The Wii launches midnight with record sales becoming the fast selling console to ever hit the market with 33 games at launch.  World-Wide almost 1 million had been sold within the first eight days. The launch almost went without a hitch. However, the infamous Wii Remote scandal was prominent throughout the media after the launch,as it was here to stay until the recall happened and it was fixed.  The Wii was an anomaly in the industry for so many months that demand couldn’t keep up with supply. However, in 2009 the shortage broke and it ended. The Wii’s catalog of games are mediocre at best with only the best being from the 1st party sources. The rest are mainly advertising upcoming movies such as Alvin and the Chipmunks, MIB3 , even one for The Adventures of Tin Tin. The only notable 3rd party game I can think of is Rayman Raving Rabbids and that is just another party game. Another major flaw of the Wii is the 720p while all the other systems have upgraded to 1080p the Wii is still 720p, this is 2012 and my eyes are hurting. The Wii is just another dust collector.

Gap / Old Navy

9. Clothes – We’ve had them , we’ve received them, we’ve bought them, we’ve given them away, and they are what keep us a society.  Without cotton or fabric we’d all go insane and the world would end. I’ve heard a pretty wise saying one time that ,” It’s better to give than to receive,” for clothes that is very true. Clothes go out of fashion very easily. Nobody knows when style changes in and out. They just happen.  Have you ever opened that gift box and were thinking moments earlier with a smile,” I can’t wait to see what this is,” until BAM! You see that long sleeve GAP sweater and feel so let down. Then, two gifts later an Old Navy graphic tees sleepwear with something along the lines with Can’t Stop the Rock, Hockey All Stars, or maybe even Old Navy Est. 1984 sprawled across the top of the tee appears . It makes you seem like a walking advertisement. Or maybe that’s just me.

Price Tag

8. Gifts with the Price Tag still Attached – It’s cool in general for the gifter to leave the giftee the price tag to admire but do they have to really? Now the giftee has to look at it and realize Oh! Wow! One Buck! Uncle Jim..But you know what it’s the thought that counts but is it really?

Money

7. Money – This was a hard one because seriously, money does make the world go round. It really does, but as a gift card or anything in the monetary form it’s a really doozy. Let’s Think about it. It just ruins the entire experience of the idea of giving. What is the point? Shouldn’t you give something meaningful? Money just says “I don’t know you at all, here’s some dough.”

GPS Navigation System

6. A GPS/Satellite Radio Subscription – So many things are wrong with this gift.  What if you already have a GPS in your car, want to upgrade to a new car, or have a smart phone? When buying a GPS, you also need a subscription. Gifters beware, if you are prepared to buy a GPS then be prepared to also pay for the GPS service for the entire cartime of their car. Forever. This goes for the Satellite Radio Subscription as well.

5. Cousin George’s  Gift , the Gift with the Obvious Giftwrapping, or Last Year’s Gift- Explanation Not Necessary

Mysterious Gift

AS SEEN ON TV

  4. Infomercial Products – Have you ever seen the show,    “Pitchmen?”You know that one show with Billy Mays and  OxyClean along with all those random products that you wish you had? So now you’re asking why are infomercial products bad?  Well I’ll tell you. Have you ever seen the Hawaii Chair Infomercial? It’s that one where you sit on that chair that does 2800 RPM and makes you lose pounds. Yeah Right ,and supposedly you’re going to sit on that while your watching T.V or working?  Then, there’s the SlapChop. You want fruits and veggies with that Mister? Don’t forget Snuggie for Dogs.

Toys

3. Toys from Relatives - There comes a time when the Barbies or the next Power Rangers just has to cease. Toys in general, when you were upwards to age eleven were awesome but then they were mainly display pieces for your shelf to just ogle at and what point is there at that? Unless you have something super-collectible, toys are up to a certain age,frankly, not that special. It is only special in the eye of the beholder.

Pre-Wrapped Gift

2. In-Store Pre-Wrapped Gifts – They will know you bought a Pre-Wrapped gift. Nobody wraps anything like Macy can. Nobody can do a bow tie like Nordstrom can.  Nobody can make a pretty box like Bloomingdale’s can. Do not buy In-Store Pre-Wrapped Gifts.

1. Big Mouth Billy Bass – This list wouldn’t be complete without the animatronic singing fish, rubberized over a metal frame, what more could we want in a gift? Yes, truly, there is nothing more.

Big Mouth Billy Bass

Utter Torture

If you’re like me, the end of the semester means not only finals, but a barrage of projects you’ve barely started. And some of those are inevitably group projects.

Here’s the thing about group projects: they are utterly useless. At best, they are fun but inefficient: a group of really great people get together to do an hour of work and finish it in four. And then they all high-five each other at the end, and on their peer review they give everyone an A plus plus.

At worst, they can create lifelong feuds and make a person hate the breadth of humanity.

First, there’s the one-person-does-all-the-work-and-that-person-is-you project. The name pretty much explains it. But if you are a perfectionist like me, doing two to four people’s jobs yourself and spending long nights crying over some sad poster or model doesn’t sound all that bad, because there is an upside: you have total control over every mind-numbing detail. It’s a control freak’s dream come true.

Second, the project without direction. No one is taking any responsibility, no good ideas are made, and there is little communication between group members. Picture a book report where no one actually reads the book, and the students don’t meet up until the day before the project is due. They just pull something out of their rear and hope for a half-decent grade, consoling themselves with the fact that no one else tried.

Lastly, a manifestation of the group project so formidable I made it a proper noun, there is the “Butting Heads” project. Basically, two or more people have very different ideas about the direction of the project.

It doesn’t matter whether they both have good ideas or not; nothing can get done until one person submits to the other. The project’s deadline is approaching and the group can’t seem to agree on anything, so one gives in. The new leader goes stark-raving mad on a power trip and insists that their bizarre demands be met ( Patrick’s- Day- themed project in February?) just to exercise their will. The other person, in turn, becomes subversive and angry, writing articles in Baron Banner about how much they hate group projects, complaining to everyone they know, vaguely wishing they had the guts to sabotage their own project.

Their anger is warranted. Every bit of work they do, every suggestion they make is torn apart by the group project tyrant. When the peer review sheets are inevitably given to this student, they are going to ask for extra pages. No one is going to be spared—those who stood by and said nothing are accomplices by omission. Rubbing their hands together and smirking like some cartoon villain, they write a five-paragraph essay on the ineptitude of their group.

In any of the instances, did the students learn people skills? How to communicate effectively? How to synthesize bits of ideas from several people into something that will please everyone? How to do excellent work in shortest possible amount of time?

I’ve lived through all of these projects, and from these tragedies learned strangle my innate want to do the best work possible and feign apathy to the project, tell myself to not be so invested. I feel like Dr. Frankenstein; I don’t want to claim my own creation. So when I walk away from another disappointment of a project, I will curse every teacher who tried to convince me that group projects did anything but waste colossal amounts of time.

With all these different holidays in one season, how do we know what to say? Here’s my policy for getting through winter without offending anyone…

Instead of being totally insensitive of individual beliefs by saying, “Happy Holidays,” greet others with your own holiday greeting. For example, I would say, “Merry Christmas,” but the person I am talking to might reply with, “Happy Hanukkah,” “Happy Kwanzaa,” etc. and I would be totally comfortable with that.

Not only does it invite the recipient to respond with something other than, “you, too,” it also expresses to the world which holiday you in fact celebrate. If you want to get technical, we should all be greeting each other with “Happy Hanukkah” because it is the first holiday in December (chronologically), then “Happy Festivus,” then “Merry Christmas,” and then “Happy Kwanzaa.”

Now, regarding Christmas itself, all efforts should be made for it to remain “Christmas,” not “Xmas.” Without giving you too much of a Bible lesson, Christmas is really a religious holiday—the birth of Jesus Christ. “Xmas” eliminates the roots of the holiday, making it “X-mas” instead of “Christ-mas.” Using “Xmas” completely secularizes the holiday, all because some people are just too lazy to write out the whole word. I understand amusement parks and department stores using the phrase for that very purpose, but just on a regular basis, it shouldn’t “Xmas” shouldn’t be used. And come on, which sounds better “Xmas” or “Christmas”?

Making up a completely different greeting works too, such as “Merry Christmakwanzaakkus.” This is just a simple way to hear various greetings and even encourage some conversation…Merry Christmas!

Picture this: Instead of cramming for one to two chapters from each subject, you are cramming for eight to ten chapters before break. Not only that, but all your grades depend on these tests. These tests are worth more than other tests that were given throughout the year. What is happening? What have you gotten into? Finals. You are studying for finals before winter break.

On the plus side, winter break would be much more enjoyable because essentially, no one would have any school related things to worry about. People would get to completely relax, no winter break assignments, no thoughts nagging, “Study for finals. Study for finals.” But this is about as far as the pluses for finals before winter break go.

Having finals before winter break would kill students. Generally, teachers plan to do at least two chapters after winter break that will be included in the final. If finals were before winter break, everything would have to move faster academic wise, between September and the beginning of December. That is less than four months to provide the students with everything they need to learn for the first semester (as opposed to five months when including January).

It wouldn’t be impossible, but would be difficult for teachers to accommodate it into their lesson plans and would be a hit with a hammer on the head for students. But the issue is not whether or not this is possible (because it is), but instead is whether or not students can handle this. The answer to THAT question would most likely be a no. Especially the students with multiple AP and Honors classes, whose classes are already moving through chapters so fast, would have no time to breathe. The strain on students from school would heighten and students’ self-confidence would lower, along with many other negative side effects.

Finals before Winter Break, also does not work out because that would mean that the semester would end in the middle of December, not at the end of January. For those of you that are proposing the idea that we should have an extra month for summer, think about the AP tests that are given in May (and not in April). For finals to happen before winter break, FVHS would have to also drag along with it all the schools following the finals-after-break ruling.

Needless to say, finals are to stay for after break for the benefit of students, teachers, and school districts everywhere.

The logo for the Common Application, a system of which currently 456 private schools utilize, and a process some students dread.

For most students, winter break is a time for relaxing, chilling (excuse the pun), and spending time with family. However, the more ambitious minded individuals choose to enter into another round of college applications, this time, for private schools. Some may ask, why would people place that extra burden on themselves for more expensive schools? Why would anyone want to live (for most applicants) outside the safe haven of California weather? It all sounds like something that only appeals to an exclusive group of prestigious students, but for others outside of the stereotypical “AP bubble”, is it really worth it?

At face value, applying to private schools sounds like such a pain. Most involve letters of recommendation, additional essays, and even interviews. Most are due at the beginning of January, requiring applicants to spend much of their break on applications. And according to many, most are expensive and too much of a reach.

However, simply applying is rewarding. Teachers and counselors have always encouraged students to research different schools and keep options open, both key elements in the private application process. Many schools, notably the University of Chicago, have interesting, insightful essay topics. Even glancing over similar prompts stimulates a writer’s creativity.

Another advantage is the student faculty ratio. Some private colleges boast ratios as low as 1:3, while public schools hold classes with hundreds of students in one room. Student to faculty interaction plays a more important role later on, when graduate school and business factors come in to play.

As public school tuition rises, paying for a private college is increasingly less out of reach. With large endowments and generous financial aid, private schools may, in many cases, cost less than publics. Students tend to worry about the lack of qualification for both need and merit based aid, but those issues are usually taken care of by their school of choice.

When high school students think of private colleges, they imagine Ivy Leagues and single-digit ranked schools on infamous news reports. With a bit of research, the average student can find private schools all around the cities and environments they see themselves living in. Surprisingly, these schools are numerous and within reach. Suddenly, the obscure “dream” school mentality becomes a reality.