Recently in Misc Category

I like money. Who doesn't? But the reason I like money is because I collect coins and paper money. Over time, I have collected many old and unusual coins, including many wheat pennies and a coin from Malawi.

But recently, I got a rare dollar bill. The dollar looked exactly the same as any other dollar except for the fact that the serial number of this dollar did not have a letter at the end of it. Instead, there was a small star after the serial number. Bills like this one are called "star notes" and are not printed as often as regular bills.

When an inspector finds a bill that is is printed with a flaw, the bill is removed and destroyed. However, in order to keep the same number of bills, the flawed bill is replaced with a star note. Because not many bills are printed with errors, star notes are not used much and are therefore rare.

My church had a bazaar this past weekend, following a Christmas theme. It was great to see all the members of our church come together to produce a success. This year, as in past years, I volunteered in the gingerbread house room. Children, and adults, came to decorate gingerbread houses with candy, using icing as 'glue'. The houses themselves were made of graham crackers held together with icing. It was neat to see how the minds of some of the kids worked, whether they placed each piece of candy methodically or threw everything on. I know when my brother and I used to make them, mine had to be symmetrical. Also, volunteering means a lot. I get more out of the work I'm doing knowing that I don't get paid, than knowing that I do. It was enjoyable for everyone.

As the son of two Naval Academy graduates, I always cheer for Navy football. Every year we watch the Army-Navy game and cheer for Navy to win.

Even though Navy is not the biggest team, their heart makes up for their lack of size. It's like cheering for a whole team of players like Rudy. They put everything into the game even though their opponents are almost twice their size.

Navy has been playing Notre Dame ever since Navy helped Notre Dame financially by sending men to train at Notre Dame during World War II. Notre Dame usually wins these games and that is not surprising because Notre Dame has money and can recruit players that are taller and heavier than Navy's players can be because of size restrictions. However, even with these advantages, Notre Dame still loses to Navy occasionally.

Last Saturday, Navy beat Notre Dame, ranked 19th, for the second time in three years.
Notre Dame's loss to Navy was bad for Notre Dame. They were planning on a BCS bowl and a 10 win season. Jimmy Clausen, who is in the running for the Heisman Trophy, was repeatedly stopped at the Navy end zone, was sacked in the Notre Dame end zone for a Navy safety, and was penalized 15 yards for shoving the Navy player after throwing an interception.

The game was very exciting and I hope it helps Navy get ranked before the end of the season.

7.08 seconds is the world record for solving a Rubik's Cube. Why is this little toy cube puzzle with six colors on it initially so enticing to everyone, only to quickly be thrown aside in frustration? Why is it always assumed that people who can solve a Rubik's Cube are geniuses? All they are doing is following a bunch of algorithms (sequences of moves) that come in the package with the puzzle. Still, even though it may seem like cheating to follow the algorithms they are hard to learn, so solving the puzzle is still pretty difficult. I can solve the 3x3x3 cube in about ninety seconds. It took me a very long time to get there, but it was very satisfying. If you have a long car ride coming up, bring a Rubik's Cube with you and repeat the algorithms over and over until they become easy. Who knows, maybe by the time you step out of the car everyone will think you are a genius.

By KIERSEN HOFFACKER
Spring Grove Area High School

Elizabeth Kyde,18, started lighting up when she was 10 -- just a few years after teachers begin to drill into the minds of their students the message that smoking kills.

A Spring Grove Area High School senior, Kyde is addicted to cigarettes.
She's among the 20 percent of all high school students who are smokers, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Youth.

"(Students) obviously know the health consequences (of smoking), but it doesn't seem to affect them enough to make them want to stop or not start," said Vicki Bortner, Spring Grove Area High School health teacher.

Last week on the way home from a wedding in Penn State, my Dad and I saw an unusual site. As we were waiting for the light to turn from red to green, I looked behind me and saw a car with some unusual passengers...Clowns!

I'm not sure if the circus was in town or if they were headed to some crazy Halloween party but either way look out 'cause there are Clowns on the loose!

I was watching Degrassi: The Next Generation on TeenNick the other day when I came across an interesting commercial.

These two girls where at a boutique trying on clothes. The girl asked her friend, "Do you like this top?" And the other replied , "That's so gay." Then Hilary Duff stepped out and told the girls that they really should not say that and that it's offensive to say "gay" when you mean "bad". The commercial ends with this question and statement:
When you say, "That's so gay."
Do you realize what you say?
Knock it off.

Now, I don't get to watch TV that much anymore, so maybe this commercial has been around for awhile but, this is the first time I've seen it.

I am so happy that this issue has been addressed this way. The whole issue of "thinking before you speak" is important. We always say thing without thinking about them. We say mean and offensive things without the intent of being offensive because we say them without thinking. Thinking before you speak is essential.

I'm human, definitely not perfect, so I'll admit I've said this before. I've said stuff like, "That's retarded." I never really thought about how offensive it would be. One day someone really just opened me eyes. How would I feel if I was someone with a mental retardation and people said, "that's retarded."

I have a very diverse group of friends. They are all important to me and I love them no matter what. I know for a fact that I would never want to hurt or disrespect them by being inconsiderate and offensive. If everyone could have this type of mentality to everyone, and not just their friends, maybe there would be more peace.

For complete information go to: ThinkB4YouSpeak.com

Check out the commercial here:
http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/psa.asp?play=tvspots&video=TV_FittingRoom_30

Today, October 23, is the most exciting day of the year for a chemist because today is Mole Day. Mole Day is not about the furry animal but Avogadro's Number.

Named after Amedeo Avogadro, Avogadro's Number is 6.02x10^23 things per mole and is a very important number in chemistry.

Every year on October 23, from 6:02am to 6:02pm, chemists celebrate Mole Day. The day also helps get students interested in chemistry.

REACH is a play that was started at Central York High School three years ago. I am privileged to be apart of the original cast.

I was a 15-year-old sophomore when REACH was created. In tenth grade, for me, things were so complicated and such a mess. REACH helped me with that mess.

REACH has had such a profound affect on me. REACH opened my eyes to the world around me and helped me learn so much about myself and others. I realized that I am not alone and there are people here for me I can turn to. Most importantly, it helped me find my voice.

Ever since the creation of REACH I've wanted to contribute to the script. I wanted to share my story. Eventually, after one year I found the courage and voice to do so. I co-wrote the scene Letting it Go with Mr. Hodge, my acting teacher and the co-creator of REACH.

Writing this scene was one of the hardest things I had to do, but I needed to do it. After I wrote this scene I felt such relief, such a release of something I had been holding onto for so long.

REACH is truly one of a kind. I can honestly say that REACH has touched and changed my life. Everyone needs to hear the message of REACH. You may never know just how REACH will affect you. I know that REACH has made a huge impact on me.

You don't hear much about going green these days. At least, not as much as we used to. It's still a great idea though, and there are many people trying to help, some being closer than you may think.

For example, I know someone who has sold her car and either walks or rides her bike anywhere she needs to go. It isn't always easy for her, but that's okay.

Even my school district, West York, has picked up on the effort. Recycling bins are in all of the classrooms and students readily make use of them. In addition, what used to be a printed school newspaper is now digitally made, accessed by a website. Not only does this save paper, it allows you to expand with the variety of things you can do on the computer.

Maybe we can't do that much to "go green", but every effort counts for something. Even if it's the smallest of things such as recycling one can instead of throwing it away. If you do that again, and again, and someone across the city is doing the same, all of the little things that you do that you don't think matter will add up.

Halloween is a busy time for most people. Almost everyone is buying candy, decorating, and making costumes. But one family in our neighborhood (Olde Field Drive, West Manchester Township) takes decorating to the next level. They start decorating their yard near the beginning of October and keep adding to the decorations throughout the month.

Just before Halloween, they put most of their decorations up. The yard is almost completely covered with different kinds of decorations. The most impressive is a large box with a scary image floating inside. Smoke machines complete the Halloween atmosphere.

Although I have never actually seen the finished product on Halloween night, the amount of work the family puts into the yard is proof that the end result is amazing.

Half empty classrooms, the sound of coughing fills each room, and hushed talk of who'll be the next to have swine flu; these are the things that my day contained.

I must be oblivious, because I didn't have any friends who skipped school because they wanted to close it for a week. Would you like to know why? Because none of us were naive enough to think that was true, and none of us wanted to come back for a week in the summer. I had ten people in my English class today, in a class which usually has 18 people. The field hockey team had to cancel a game because half of them were sick. Do we see a pattern? Central York has a flu problem.

I personally am one of the lucky few who are avoiding catching the flu from those who come to school sick. People who come to school functions sick, such as homecoming, are the reason nearly 25 percent of my classmates were absent today. Contrary what the school district told reporters, this had nothing to do with some freshman trying to get people to skip school.

So Central students, drink your orange juice, cover your cough, and avoid sick friends; but don't worry we don't have a flu outbreak. Apparently, we all had planned to get the flu so we could come back for a week of school over the summer.

A couple months ago, we decided to attempt to make root beer. The soft drink isn't difficult to make. All we had to do was heat a gallon of water, add root beer flavoring and activated yeast, and then put the liquid in two two-liter bottles to sit for about two weeks.

Part of the two weeks is spent in a warm place until the bottles are completely full of carbon dioxide from the yeast and they have no give. This is when the bottles can burst. If the bottles sit too long in the warm place, they will overfill with carbon dioxide and explode.

Once they were full of CO2, we placed the bottles in a cool place for a week. When the week was up, we put them in the refrigerator to get cold. Once it was cold, we all tried the root beer. I thought it tasted bad. The root beer was way too strong and left an odd taste in my mouth.

Two weeks ago, we tried to make root beer again. This time the root beer came out a lot better. The aftertaste was gone and the root beer was a lot less strong.

"Stargate Universe," the newest television series in the Stargate franchise, premieres on Friday, October 2 on Syfy at 9pm with a two hour episode. The show is about a group of people who are sent through the Stargate, a large, ring-shaped wormhole generator that allows people to travel to any planet with a Stargate on it, to the Destiny, an abandoned space ship in the outer portions of the universe. The people are stuck on the Destiny as it travels through space.

The show sounds like a combination of "Star Trek Voyager" and "Stargate Atlantis." From what I've seen from commercials, "Stargate Universe" looks like it will be darker than its predecessors.

Did you know, Roberto Clemente was the first Hispanic player to serve on the Players Association Board and to reach 3,000 hits? He was the first Hispanic to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Did you know, Desi Arnaz was the first Hispanic to star on a network TV show, "I Love Lucy".

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Hispanics or Latinos are people who classified themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino categories. These categories include; "Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano," "Puerto Rican", "Cuban", and "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino."

In September of 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week, which was observed during the week of September 15. In 1988, it was expanded to a month-long celebration.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a way for America to celebrate the culture and traditions of residents whose roots come from Spain, Mexico, Spanish speaking countries of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15.

The York Fair is back and Barney Fife has come with it. Deputy Fife walks around and interacts with the people of the fair. He is very inconspicuous and quiet.

However, his friend and fellow deputy, Gomer Pyle, is the exact opposite. He is loud and annoying. Everywhere we went, Gomer Pyle was behind us yelling the phrases "Golly," "Shazam," and "Surprise, Surprise." Even though having Gomer Pyle and Barney Fife at the fair is an interesting idea, the man playing Gomer Pyle took his part too seriously.

When we visit my grandparents in Kentucky, we usually buy bottles of an interesting soft drink called Ale-8-1. Ale-8-1 is only sold in Kentucky and parts of the surrounding states. The beverage tastes a little like ginger ale, but it has more flavor.

The most surprising thing about Ale-8-1 is the fact that not long after we got back from Kentucky, we saw someone at the West York Target who was wearing an Ale-8-1 t-shirt. We had not expected to ever see someone outside of Kentucky with an Ale-8-1 shirt.

By MELISSA COLON
Central York High School

One in three.

One-Third.

Thirty-three percent.

No matter how you read the statistic, it's still the same.

One in three teenagers report being sexually abused, physically abused or threatened, according to Stacy McDonnell of Access-York.

"I tell teens that domestic violence can be any type: family member to family member, intimate partner, formally intimate partner," said McDonnell, who is the Community Education Specialist for Access-York, a program of the YWCA of York with the goal of eliminating domestic violence in York County. It offers services, including a 24-hour hotline, shelter and education.

Friendship... Friendship is defined as the state of being a friend. A friend is defined as "a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard," according to Dictionary.com.
I define a friend as someone who is just like you but at the same time your total opposite. You complete each other, yet you can stand alone whole.
This is someone who you can tell anything and they can do the same.
A friends is loyal, trustworthy, and most of all kind.
I'm grateful that I have some of the best friends in the world.

I am a member of the York County Heritage Trust's Junior Curator program, which is composed of York County students who would like to learn about making a museum exhibit.

The Junior Curators and I have worked for ten weeks in order to complete the exhibit, "From Artists to Athletes: A History of Entertainment in York County." I have learned many interesting facts about museum work and have enjoyed searching for artifacts for the exhibit.

The exhibit opening is on Thursday at the York County Heritage Trust Museum on East Market Street from 6 to 8pm. The exhibit, "From Artists to Athletes: A History of Entertainment in York County," showcases entertainment in York County throughout its long history. There will be refreshments and live music at the opening.

The York County Heritage Trust is having their 9th annual Book Blast used book sale. The event is held at the Agricultural and Industrial Museum on West Princess Street on Thursday and Friday from 9am to 6pm and on Saturday from 9am to 1pm. The Book Blast has many books from different genres. Most books are two dollars or less, except for a group of more valuable books.

If you are planning on stopping by on Thursday, I will be working at the sale all day.

Every year, usually at the end of the summer, Kreutz Creek Valley Library holds a reptile day. The staff schedules a reptile expert to come in and teach kids and parents about the unique creatures and how we can protect them in our enviornment. As a volunteer of the library for many years, I try to know exactly when this day is so I can stay away. Why? I'm deathly afraid of snakes. This year, however, I couldn't stay away.

Having just returned from vacation, I feel an inclination to express my joy for the fact that I am home. I enjoy going to new places and spending time away from home just as much as the next person, but at the same time I feel apprehensive to be going someplace I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I went to the beach and had a great time, but the familiarity of home is quite comforting. Call me sentimental (or crazy, I suppose either one fits), but I think what Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz is true: "There's no place like home."

How would you like to be driving down the highway and pass a tank going down the road right beside you? That's what happened to us when my family and I were going to visit my grandmother. We were around Quantico, Virginia when suddenly we passed a tank going down the road.

Of course, the tank was on a flat bed truck. But it was still an amazing sight to see. The tank was mostly covered up, but we could see its massive barrel and saw that the tank was tan. What made it even more interesting was that a few minutes later we passed another flat bed truck carrying another armored vehicle. We could not tell exactly what it was. All I know is that it was big.

If that was the end of the armored vehicles, this would be an interesting story. But the next day, we saw another tank. This time, the tank was not covered and we could see that it was an outdated tank. I was very happy that I was able to see these three armored vehicles.

What is North American Youth Congress?

An event where UPCI(United Pentecostal Church International )Churches all across North America come together for fellowship and spiritual growth.

Taking place this year on August 5-7 with three night services, two jump start sessions, and two spilt sessions tens of thousands of "Apostolic's" filled the seats of the Sommet Center in Nashville, TN.

This year was my first time attending NAYC, which occurs every two years. I have attended Pennsylvania District Youth Camp and Convention, but never Congress.

Let's just say, it blew my mind.

Thousands of teens gathered together in once place for the same reason with a passion like no other.

The atmosphere was one like I have never felt.

This experience is one that I will never forget and I look forward to attending NAYC in 2011.

By LAURA DZWONCZYK
Susquehannock High School

I wrote my first book in kindergarten.

This debut masterpiece consisted of few sheets of paper stapled together with words in clumsy Crayon writing: the story of a flower I planted through the course of a year. No one read it but my family, my teacher and my classmates, who were forced to sit through a reading during story hour (poor souls). But it was my book, my creation, and I loved it.

Through the next dozen years or so, I filled up an entire desk drawer with notebooks, half-filled with my fanciful stories about magical water fountains and British orphans with mysterious pasts. Almost all my book reports in school found form in skits and alternate endings that I wrote. I completed term papers and poetry assignments dutifully. I even--I admit it--went through a fan fiction phase in middle school. (Some of it is still out there--if you find it, you're free to pass it around for a laugh.) In short, I have never really stopped writing since kindergarten. Besides my family, friends and teachers, though (and, I suppose, fan-fiction readers), no one else read what I wrote.

The Teen Takeover staff was the first time my opinions were in the public eye. At first, I was thrilled: the world would know all about me! They would discover my love for baking, care about my college decisions and get to know what I thought about EVERYTHING. And they would love what I said!

I usually write my Facebook status about once a week, letting people know what's going on in my life while trying not to breathe down their necks (did you notice I baked banana muffins? Did you? DID YOU?!). Problem is, this week there's way too much--and too many emotions-- to fit into one status.

Yesterday's thunderstorm reminded me of a thunderstorm a few weeks ago. I don't remember very many thunderstorms worse than that one. But I thought that nothing bad would happen during that thunderstorm because we were inside and had surge suppressors on our computer and other electronic devices that could be harmed by the thunderstorm. But the thunderstorm had another way to get at us. When an especially bad lightning bolt struck near our house, the electricity traveled through the phone line to the phone jack in the wall. The electricity from the lightning came through the phone line and fried the modem in our computer and made it useless.

The next day, we went to Wal-Mart early in the morning to get a new modem. They didn't have any. We then waited until eight for the other stores to open. We went to several other stores before we finally found any modems that would work with our computer. There were several at the store to choose from. We bought the modem that said advanced lightning protection on it. We finally got the modem installed and working that afternoon. This was a very interesting and annoying experience that I hope never happens again.

OK, listen. Everyone has their obsessions and stuff that they are into. For some of us, it's "Twilight".

Why are we so obsessed?

Because when we read these books we thrown into a whole other world that's not our own. We can lose ourselves, fantasize, and enter a place where we can shun the outside world and create our own.

Stephanie Meyer's description of Edward Cullen is simply irresistible and what girl wouldn't fall in love?

Many books can ignite our imagination and there are plenty of hot hunks in books girls fall all over.

That's just it.

Everyone has their own obsessions and their own taste.

So maybe one wouldn't understand why we'd like characters like Heathcliff, Romeo or Edward. Some would probably disagree to put these three in the same category.

But that's just it.

It's our obsession and our taste.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

That's just how it is.

Yesterday was a great day for science. It was also great day for Thomas Jefferson. Or it was at least a great day for a certain nickel that his head is on. But you wouldn't know it was a nickel if you saw it. You see, yesterday I electroplated the nickel with copper. I got the idea from my chemistry textbook which has a picture of an electroplated nickel in it. The nickel now has a copper coating that completely covers the normally silver colored nickel.

I electroplated the nickel by taking a 9-volt battery and connecting a wire with the nickel on it to the negative side of the battery and a wire with nothing on it to the positive of the battery. I then placed the ends of the wires in a copper sulfate solution. The electrical current from the battery took the copper ions out of the copper sulfate solution and the copper was attracted to the nickel. The nickel was quickly covered with copper and now looks like an oversized penny.

"Eureka," one of SyFy's hit shows, returns tonight at 9pm to start the remainder of its third season. The show is about Jack Carter, a sheriff who comes to work in Eureka, a small town in the Pacific Northwest that is home to the world's smartest people. Sheriff Carter has to fix all of the problems that the geniuses of the town make. This plot makes "Eureka" a great show and its third season should be exciting.

It is sad that a man who transformed the music industry, broke down racial barriers, danced like no other and was a true humanitarian has to leave the earth. Of course I am talking about the legendary Michael Jackson.

Over the past two decades Michael Jackson has been negatively portrayed in the media through instances such as his ever changing face, "false" sexual allegations and dangling his own child over a hotel railing, but underneath I believe that MJ was a good man with good intentions.

I am not just saying that without reason. I learned recently that Jackson supported at least 39 charities either through donations or participating in silent auctions. He is even in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for the "Most Charities Supported by a Pop Star." Additionally, Jackson would take time, even while he was touring, to visit sick children. In Neverland Ranch he had rooms set aside for sick and terminally ill children to stay the night.

I think that it is even sadder that it took such a tragedy for the younger generations to listen to his music. I remember I, not looking for his CDs, went to Wal-Mart the day after he died and there was a huge empty spot on the CD rack where Michael Jackson's name was. A few days later I went to the Itunes Store and there were nine of his songs in the top twenty. I just think for such an iconic and inspirational artist it is sad that he has to die for some people to appreciate his music.

Hey everyone I'm Kayla Strayer. I go to Dover Area High School and I'm going to be a junior this year. I run cross country and long distance in track and I'm not exactly good at it. But I always finish the race so I guess that's something haha. I work at Infinitos and I make the pizzas. It's not exactly a fun job. I go fishing a lot and I spend a lot of time outside. I want to be a journalist or an english teacher one day. That's pretty much all there is to say about me.

Jealousy leads to insecurity. Insecurity leads to self-doubt. Self-doubt leads to loss. Jealousy is losing at it's best.

Hello my name is Donte Grim I also go by Booder, anyway I enjoy riding/racing, dirtbikes. I am trying to become a successful man and let things flow into place. You know what I am saying? I have a dog named Gage, weird but rad. He looks crazy because his eyes are different colors one green and one blue. I enjoy writing stories and poetry I will even give you the prologue my first official story here she is...

Read in "The Great Change" about my brothers and me turning our lives around and venturing the world learn about our lives in this realistic fiction novel.

what you "{tink}." sound like something you want to check out of ya local library and read? feel freeeeeeeeeeeeeee to respond to "[dat]" rhetorical question. JK JK just kidding ha ha. Anyway i am 12, and I go to Hannah Penn. Now you know about me.

I love the countdown of the last days of school...5 more days of classes for me, but untill i graduate there are 8 days!!! That's CRAZY!! I also had my last gym class EVER today. The 5th is class trip day, but it's to Six Flags, which no one is going on, so I'm going to Hershey with a bunch of friends. Super fun! Where was everyone else's class trips? And what are the rest of you seniors doing after school?

Oh and P.S. in case anyone cares Julie now pulls herself up all by herself! She is smiling at me as she holds onto the couch right now.

After months of searching, I finally got a job at Rita's on Queen Street. What a relief! For anyone who is still looking for a job, I heard that Big Apple Bagles on Grantley (near York College) is hiring and so is the Yorktowne Hotel.

Congrats to all the schools who preformed at the Rosies at the Strand this evening. You all did very well. Except a few schools concerned me. I am so very sorry, but I got excited when, I think it was Surburban, maybe, said they were preforming from Footloose. But whatever they sang and wore was interesting, to say the least. And Annie! That rocked! My favorite, for sure. Also, Laura, Teen Takeover staffer, I saw you onstage, and you sang very well!!! Good Job girl!

And my school's musical, High School Musical won the best overall award!! It was really great! Again congrats to all participating schools!

When I was doing some more research on Darfur a few nights ago, I came across this article. I have been thinking about it ever since.

What is exactly is the best term to apply to the crisis occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan? Is it genocide in the traditional sense, or is it some new breed of genocide? Is it really genocide at all, or is it tribal warfare?

Well, yesterday I stopped fasting. I wrote up a nice, little entry attempting to explain exactly why I decided to do that... but I apparently didn't save the entry properly. I am very sorry I unknowingly left you un-updated on a day that turned out to be rather significant.

Here's what you missed:

I was sitting around after school, hungrier than I had ever been in my entire life (I hadn't eaten any of my rations since around 11 am) and with a really weird sort of stomach ache (I had been eating only grains.) I was tired and irritated. My planned group of fellow fasters had ceased to exist. I didn't feel as though I was accomplishing anything.

So I had a peach smoothie, and it was the best peach smoothie I ever tasted. And I later paid for that fine, fruity concotion with the guilt that I experienced.

Today I started the refugee rations fast, and aside from the fact that the food is tasteless, and I felt somewhat light-headed and hungry, things didn't go badly at all. In fact, I felt pretty guilty.

Much of the point of the fast is, after all, to go through what the people of Darfur are going through. Since most of the international aid organizations have been expelled, rations are much less readily available, and many people are starving. To be more in touch with this reality, I think that I will stop eating my rations after noon for the rest of the week. I should be able to get through school while still learning what it is truly like to be hungry.

It is now after 8 PM, which means that it has officially been over 24 hours since I last ate.

As someone who normally struggles to get from one meal to the next without snacking, the past 24 hours have not been easy.

So, you probably wonder, why I am depriving myself of my oh-so-beloved food?

The answer is simple -- it's Darfur.

If anyone is interested, Suburban will be doing the musical, Footloose, this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and Saturday afternoon at 2 PM.

The weather has really taken a new direction! Last week I was looking for hoodies. This week I pulled out my shorts and Julie's sandals. Speaking of which there are some pictures included =) I am loving this sunshine. I helped at my church's yard sale yesterday, I was the cahsier. I'm also trying to figure out how to raise money for Mini Thon at my school. It's for Four Diamonds, which helps pay for all sorts of things for families of kids with cancer. And at my school we hold a smaller version of THON which Penn State does every year. We only dance for 12 hours. They do 48. So I need to raise 75 dollars. So if anyone has any ideas or wants to contribute, please let me know!!

I got my letter the other day.

I'm going to York College!!! I was also accepted to Ship, but I want to remain local and obviously can't live on campus.

I'm going to study psychology. And that's my exciting news!

This has been one of the most exhausting weeks. Right now it's past midnight and my eyes can barely stay open. It seems like teachers purposefully plan all of their projects at the same time. All I can say is six more weeks and I'm done!

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm extremely stressed out right now. I just finished one project, I have two more next week, I have to read two novels, and I have musical practice. I am definitely looking forward to the summer!

If you're a you're a York County Teen who loves writing and getting to know your community, then you might be a good fit for our Teen Takeover staff.
Staff members are responsible for the upkeep of this blog, as well as writing stories monthly for the York Daily Record/Sunday News.
Click here for application information.

Area teens are selecting dresses and tuxes, scheduling hair appointments and booking limos. As they prepare for prom, it's also time for people to reflect on their own experiences at high school dances.

My friends are drawing up a chart to determine where we should sit for Prom. God help us.

I'm really not that worried about Prom; I'm just going for a fun senior memory and a good time. A friend and I have even decided we're going to dress 1920s style, so my dress isn't even that traditional.

But a CHART? Good lord. Is it just me, or is this going off the deep end?

I came to a couple of conclusions today.

1. Everyone should make a tye dyed shirt

2. Prom is too much planning

3. Dad's should never, and I mean NEVER, try to pick out clothes

With such a dramatic episode last night and only five episodes left until the Season Finale, I believe it's time to start predicting the future and reviewing the past of our dear Desperate Housewives.

Wow. Two weekends. Six shows. When Red Lion does a musical, we do it right. Not saying other school's are bad, and not to talk my school up, but really, if you saw our show, you have to say it was rockin. We had professional lighting, just like on Broadway, our actors and actresses that are seniors are mostly all going off to an acting school, and we just plain rock.

Today I visited the University of Delaware. The campus was really pretty. We went on a walking tour and even though I was freezing, I enjoyed it. You could really tell how proud everyone was of their school.

Imagine going to work and seeing every color of the rainbow. There are reds, blues, yellows, pinks, and purples of every shade and kind. Imagine the smell of a thousand fresh roses sitting right in front of your nose. That is the reality for one Central York High School teenager.
"I love the emotion, when someone sends flowers to the person they love, that's my favorite part," Erika Felty, 15, said about her job at Royers Flowers and Gifts in Springettsbury.

This sophomore is a saleswoman and is charge of the front of the shop. She takes care of customers, takes and processes orders, and cleans. Felty normally works 15 to 20 hours a week after school and on Saturdays.

Felty expressed that she is happy to be making some money of her own.
"I normally save half and spend half."

When asked about why she enjoys working with flowers, Felty said that it brings her joy to see people excited to surprise a friend, loved one, or relative with a beautiful bouquet.

Flowers do not always bring a pleasant experience.

"I hate the funerals," she said, "it's so hard to see people cry when they are arranging for flowers for a funeral."

The best time of the year for this teen is the Christmas and winter holiday season.

She said that her best day at work occurred a about week before Christmas. All of her costumers were very happy and cheerful -- no one was stressed out. There were very few complaints and everyone seemed very relaxed.

"My favorite flower?" Felty said, "definitely an orchid or a Gerberadaisy."

Some people get songs stuck in their heads. I get lines from movies and plays stuck in mine. (Well, songs too.)

Here's Amber's Plain White T's video:

With the PSSA's this week, I was just wondering what other students thought of them. Are they a good idea or a waste of time? When I took them last year, they seemed never-ending. New tests are constantly being added, like the new science PSSA. Will there come a point where students will be tested too much?

I've never had a recurring dream, but it seems there's a first time for everything.

I don't know if I will ever look at the moon the same way again. That's how powerful "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks was. It's about two people trying to find love, facing times good and bad, just hoping to make it work.

I was in Wal-Mart the other day when my mom and I were intrigued by the bin of DVDs that they always put out. We began to look through the random titles and were standing there for a good 20 minutes. My mom became really excited when she found "Walking Tall" and she tossed me the box. I noticed that the box didn't have the frustrating security sticker at the top that all CDs and DVDs have. I opened the case to notice that the disc was not there. Not only was that DVD not there, but there were several other DVD cases that did not have a disc in them either.

It made we wonder what this country is coming to if people feel compelled to steel DVDs. I know that seems like something very minor compared to murders and frauds, but it affects the younger generations. First, the person who stole the DVDs is more prone to commit another or bigger crime because they were able to get away with it. Also, it does not teach the younger kids a good lesson when the find empty DVD cases.

Yesterday I felt like I was blind. Seriously, I couldn't see anything, it was terrible.

For my English class, we did a unit on advertising, and analyzed techniques of advertising before writing a paper analyzing a specific advertisement and the methods it uses to sell more than the product. As a introduction to the unit, we chose two advertisements and described them; the first as a story and the second as a very detailed description of everything we saw. I will never look at ads the same way again, for sure. Here are my two descriptions, see if you can picture what the ads look like:

Sometimes I feel this way...

I could wile away the hours
Confer them with the flowers
Consult them with the brain
And my head I'd be scratching while my bolts were busy hatching
If I only had a brain
I'd unravel every riddle
For any individual
In trouble or in pain
With the thoughts you'd be thinkin' you could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain
Oh I could tell you why the ocean's near the shore
I could think of things I never thought before
And then I'd sit and think some more
I would not be just a nothin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain
I would dance and be merry
Life would be an ingudarry
If I only had a brain
Gosh it would be awful pleasin' to reason out the reason
For things I can't explain
Then perhaps I'll deserve ya
And be even worthy of ya
If I only had a brain

So, as some of you know, Susquehannock is performing the challenging musical Les Miserables this spring (known affectionately as "Les Mis" by many). A lot of us have had our reservations about putting on a stellar performance...until we found this on Youtube.

Suddenly, anything Susky performs feels like a Broadway show.

We've all seen the show, but how many of us wonder if our friends are secretly conspiring to get Stacy and Clinton to set us straight? A few basic guidelines can get people wishing they had your style.

1. When in doubt, be modest.
These are not the streets of Las Vegas. If your grandparents would be ashamed of your outfit, don't wear it! I once saw a girl wearing a T-shirt with "modest is hottest" written on the front. She was right!
2. Dress to your size.
Girls who are size seven should never try to squeeze into a size three. Clothes are meant to be comfortable, not unbearable. Always dress to your size. And remember: Designers always, unfortunately, cut their clothes differently, so a size 10 in one store might fit like a six in another. If it feels too tight, it ain't right!
3. Dress to the occasion.
In other words, never wear jeans to a black-tie occasion. I once saw a girl wearing 5-inch stilettos and a satin party dress to a fair. Yes, a fair -- as in crowded and messy, with people wearing jeans and T-shirts to feed the cows. Needless to say, she looked ridiculous.
4. Dress your age.
Basically, pigtails and Winnie the Pooh have no place on girls older than 10; however, I see so many teens and adults dressed like Pippi Longstocking. On the other hand, I am not condoning young girls wearing fishnets and stilettos. Inappropriate dress, whether too young or too old, will never be tolerated in a professional office setting.
5. Dress nicely!
When in doubt, skip the T-shirt and sweats. A nice outfit goes a long way in showing you respect yourself, which in turn encourages other to respect you.

I saw "Yes Man" in theatres yesterday, and I was just a tad doubtful that after such a long break from the funny side of the movie spectrum, Jokester Jim might not be so hilarious. But, fortunately, he proved me wrong; the movie kept my interest and kept me laughing from its Sandstorm start to its fashionable finish. (You'll see what I mean). If you are in need of a good laugh and an uplifting plot, this is the movie to see.

I finally saw "The Dark Knight." But I was sorely disappointed. My expectations were obviously much too high, for the movie was certainly not my cup of tea. I'm just curious why America was so quick to slurp it up.

The Joker symbolized a twisted mind, a very sorrowful one. His maniacal grin still sends chills up my spine. And a child's hero was beaten down, forever sneered upon by an imaginary society.

I would much rather watch silver screen greats such as Cary Grant and Joan Crawford as they appeal to the intellectual, not the violent. But everyone's different, I suppose.

It's high time I wrote about my college and future plans.

I am so excited for Christmas! I know that this is what everyone is thinking, but seriously, I am bouncing of the walls. I decided to make a little list of the things I love most about Christmas....

I was in borders the other week and I was reading a book about New York where I discovered one of the top things to do in New York City was to dance on the key board in FAO Schwartz. Me and my friend went to the city on our annual trip and I was thinking there is no way that i am going to be able to get on that keyboard. Sure enough we go into FAO and locate the keyboard and we were able to dance on it. It was quite the experience and was a highlight of the trip.

Even though the book was right about that experience. I still think that one of the top twenty should be taking your picture with the Abercrombie and Fitch model. Those guys are ridiculously good looking.

Yea so i just came across this video where George Bush barely misses being hit by a shoe, not once, but twice! He was in the middle of a news conference with an Iraqi Prime Minister when a reporter hurled his shoes at him. He jokingly said, " If you want the facts, it was a size ten." In the Iraqi culture throwing a shoe is a sign of contempt. The man yelled out statements that Bush was an orphan killer and responsible for many deaths.
All that aside, Bush has some pretty good reflexes for an old guy. I mean this guy threw those shoes with Serena Williams strength. So, I'd like to say, good job President Bush.....I guess dodging all those attacks on Capitol Hill have finally paid off. To see the video clickhere.

So I am in a bit of a pickle. It's about 10 days till the last day of school before holiday break and I am stuck. I want to get presents for my friends but I don't know what to get. I've lingered over the basics, but I just can't think of anything good.

It's been a crazy week.

Speaking of crazy, I'm going crazy! Auditions for the school musical (Les Mis!)were earlier this week, and we all know the cast list is done...it just hasn't been posted yet. Gah! It doesn't help that I have no clue how I did. People check the theatre website every five minutes, and we're all as insane as shopping nuts on Black Friday. Everyone's got that wild look about them.

Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnn Will Jenkins (he's the director). This is worse than trying to fall asleep on Christmas Eve.

OfficeMax and JibJab sponser a holiday hoot called Elf Yourself.

On the site you can upload your photos and put your face, your freind's faces, or even your favorite celebrity's face
After you create your elves, you can choose dances for the elves and send them to friends and family.
It is a great way to send the spirit of the holidays.
Go try it! at www.elfyourself.com

Thats right.

I decided to join the high school swim team after being inspired by Michael Phelps in the Olympics. I was like "eh, it cannot be that hard. He makes it look easy and how hard can swimming really be." Trust me it is a lot harder than it looks.

On the second day of practice the coach asked my name and I swiftly replied "Miss. Phelps." The coach went on to crack jokes about my swimming ability and how he got all of the genes. And was he right. I now have a new appreciation for all swimmers and especially Michael Phelps and his accomplishments in the Olympics.

My swimming is awful....

As I am sitting here, I can't help but think that its almost over. Not the end of the world or anything, just Thanksgiving break.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I have been reminded of the cost of my eyes. I developed an eye infection, therefore had to take numerous trips to the eye doctor, as well as use eye drops. It just makes me realize I must take nothing for granted, especially good vision! I also realize nothing in today's soceity is free! I have summed up my costly eyes below:

Glasses: $150
Contact Lenses: $100
Eye Doctor: $32
Eye Drops: $60
20/20 Vision: Priceless

Everyone needs a bit of motivation when prepping for these busy holidays days ahead:

1. Make a wish list
Nothing can promote holiday spirit or provoke your parents more than an endless list of goodies that have the potential to wind up under your tree.

2. Go shopping
Indulge in the spirit of giving; think of others as you cruise through the crowded stores, seeking out the perfect gift for that special someone. Plus, the overdone, erratic store decorations are likely to inspire a holiday mood.

3. Decorate your own house
Use that crazy store décor to motivate the interior designer inside you; throw itchy tinsel, sparkly lights, and scratchy garland like it's nobody's business. You're guaranteed to feel that holiday spirit.

4. Listen to holiday music
There's nothing like a few spirited carols to spark a holiday sing-a-long. Explore iTunes for everlasting classics such as "Grandma Got Run-over by a Reindeer."

5. Go ice skating
You can't beat a cold seat!

Joanna Myers. Female. Age seventeen. Available to work between the hours of nine AM and nine PM.
Again and again, I wrote this information, wondering each time if I might get lucky.
Yet on August 27, the day before twelfth grade, I still saw no sign of a summer job opportunity.
So much for that.
Although I filled out applications galore and contacted several store managers, I remained unemployed the entire summer.
Yet should this surprise me?
The current status of the economy should have cued me in. A few red flags were Wall Street's slippery slope and the perpetual loss of American jobs. If adults are losing jobs, why would businesses hire inexperienced teenagers?
So I entered the new school year with a shortage of money and a desire to go shopping. But with cause there must always be effect. I had to start watching my spending.
No more Fourbucks. (Oops, I mean Starbucks). But weekly four dollar coffees are no way to save.
Saving is something I had to learn, especially If I wanted to set money aside for my upcoming college education. I started a bank account so the money I did have could be removed from the temptations of my wallet. The more difficult it is to access the green, the less likely I am to grab some and frivolously spend it.
I also began taking on more chores around the house, earning money from my parents. From this I feel a great sense of accomplishment. But at the same time, vacuuming the floors does not earn thousands of dollars. I must be more careful with where my money goes. Before I buy anything, particularly clothes, I must ask myself: "do I really need this?" If the answer is no, I simply put it back on the rack, and congratulate myself on being a savvy spender.
I now resist the four dollar coffee, go to the matinee showing of the movie, pack my lunch, and walk away from the clothes I don't need. But I don't mind doing this. If in the long run I have extra money for college, that is what matters. And it's really ok not working. I can focus on my last year of high school without the distractions and stress of a job, and I know that the position can be filled by a mom supporting her family, which is much more important than a teenager wearing new shoes.

So what's up with all of the Christmas stuff? Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but really? I went to the mall last night and all of the Christmas decorations were already up. It hasn't even been Thanksgiving yet.

York County Trend and the City of York are looking for teen bands to perform as part of the "Best of the Bands" showcase on New Year's Eve. Find out how you can enter the competition here.

C-SPAN is sponsoring a documentary contest for students in grades six through 12.

The contest challenges students to produce a five- to eight-minute long documentary on the topic, "A message to the new president: What is the most urgent issue for the new president to address after taking office, and why?"

Sometimes I wish the sun could just shine a little bit longer. If there was only more time in a day - but there isn't.

I wrote this for a college application about how I make a difference in my community:

Local communities are essential. They bond complete strangers with a commonality, building friendships and creating relationships to last a lifetime. This is why I choose to continually volunteer at my local library. Each day I volunteer I meet dozens of new people, each with a different story to tell. I enjoy talking with patrons, even if only for a few minutes, to hear a bit of their story and reveal my own. Whether I aide an elderly patron with understanding our new technology or help a small child with choosing the perfect book, I feel a sense of accomplishment each time I help our community in this small, yet vital way.

Today I was walking over to Valley View from our high school-Valley View is a school that houses kindergarten and first grade in my school district-when an ice cream truck came into the parking lot. I thought the man driving the ice cream truck was my youth pastor, so I started waving enthusiastically. I'm not sure why my youth pastor would be driving an ice cream truck-I didn't think through that part. The man pulls up alongside me and my friend and rolls down his window...

To most people Cross Country is a really dumb sport where people just run around in circles. Those people are wrong. Cross Country takes a lot of guts and hard work. Believe it or not, running (that's what cross country is) is very competitive. That is why I am very proud of the Central York Girls Cross Country Team for qualifying for states!

I adore fall! Seriously, it's so pretty! The leaves are changing, the sky is an alluring shade of blue...it's great! It makes me want to go make some apple cider or go outside and eat an apple. Apples and fall go great together.

Hey hey kids of York PA!! Have not written for a long time! But I'm here....and so is Julianna. 6 weeks old already.

I love to write. In fact, I would like to pursue it as a career. But at the moment I am experiencing the infamous writer's block. It is possibly because of the amount I must write at the moment: two stories for my school newspaper, a paper for a college course I am taking, and an essay for my college applications. My ideas are running thin. My biggest worry is the college essay: how much consideration does the college put into the essay? If it is too "fluffy: while they think I am a bad applicant? Anyway, I just need inspiration...something that relieves the WRITER'S BLOCK. Maybe something that will write the perfect essay for me...

This weekend was Homecoming for me. On Thursday, the night before before the Homecoming Game, we started we a new tradition.

Move over, Big Apple: Beantown has stolen my heart.

With the threat of global warming and melting glaciers looming, it seems as if everyone is wanting to go green and improve the environment.
Wearing the Go! Green bracelet offers a way to do your part.

How do you want to get to 60 mph?
Do you crave lavish leather?
Are you the manual type, slamming your V-8 to the red line with every mash
of the pedal?
Do you need navigation, a moon roof, maybe even a six-disc CD changer all
crammed into a turbo-charged sedan?
If so, keep reading.
1. Volvo's midsize sedan, the S60, with a starting price of $30,975, is now
available with front or all-wheel drive. Volvo mates the turbo-charged
five-cylinder with an automatic transmission that gets 17 mpg in the city and 26
mpg on the highway. It comes with either a 208 or 257 horsepower engine.
2. The slightly more expensive Saab 9-5, at $37,685, comes in a sedan
version (Linear, Arc or Aero) or as a sport-wagon (SportCombi). All models are
powered by the same 260-horsepower, four-cylinder, turbo-charged engine.
Inside the 9-5, XM Satellite radio comes standard with MP3 capability, as
well as a six-disc in-dash CD player.
Eight-way power adjustable leather-upholstered seats with memory settings
come standard as well.
3. Japanese automaker Acura also competes in the midsize luxury sedan market
with the $38,225 TL.
The base TL comes with a 258-horsepower V-6. Acura's optional navigation
system boasts voice recognition on an 8-inch display screen that connects to a
backup camera. Airbags encase the TL's occupants, while brush-aluminum trim
accents the button-clustered dash.
4. Your pocket's deeper, eh? Take the $56,775 Audi S4 for a spin. German
engineering has given it exuberant performance, stemming from its Quattro
all-wheel-drive system. With 340 horsepower, the S4's V-8 handles and rides
well.
A Bose premium sound system surrounds the interior, available with satellite
radio.
Xenon high-intensity headlights flank the Audi's grille while a sport-tuned
spoiler rests on the rear. Audi claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds.
5. Nissan's luxury division, Infiniti, offers the M35/M45, distinguished by
the 3.5- or 4.5-liter engine that powers each.
The M series, starting at $43,900, comes available with a 275-horsepower V-6
or 325-horsepower V-8. The M sedans offer lane- departure prevention, which
keeps the car in its lane if it begins to wander astray. Unique to the M45 are
rear-reclining heated seats. The rear-wheel or all-wheel drive M comes with
push-button start, leather-appointed seats, Bluetooth wireless connectivity and
an in-dash six-disc CD changer.

Sometimes you don't know what you're looking for until you find it.

So far Dallastown's varsity football team is undefeated. This week we play Central, which will apparently be a real test. I've heard they're good this year. Any thoughts?

I don't watch The O.C.. I don't think I'd like The O.C.. But I sure do love the YouTube videos spoofing their "Dear Sister" episode. For some reason, I find this one especially funny. Maybe because it's Disney.

It's about that time. Girls are shopping for that perfect dress. Guys are thinking about their dates. Girls are planning what to do with their hair, nails, and makeup. Guys are listening to them worry in confusion. Girls are freaking out about which group they want to be seen with. Guys are sitting back, watching. Girls are worrying. Guys are confused. Yep, it's Homecoming. (Dramatic music plays).

Flipping through the channels on any evening, a person is guaranteed to find at least a dozen reality TV shows. Why does viewing America constantly need to see people competing against one another on national TV trying to earn money or some other type of ludacris prize? Yes, some of these shows are amusing, but the arguing, anger, and nastiness of the players is incessant, and gets old extremely fast. And the enormous irony of it all is its name: "reality TV." I don't think TV can get any farther from "real." Do people in the "real" world live on a deserted island for months on end like heathens to compete for money? Do people in the "real" world gossip about their roomates to a camera to be watched by millions of people? (Ok, YouTube might make that possible for real people, I admit.) Oh, and one of my favorites, does one "real" man date a dozen girls at a time to see which one he likes best and gets rid of the ones he doesn't? Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but this ridiculous form of TV doesn't seem very real to me; I would much rather interact with the real people in my life than watch the lives of others on my TV.

Today, September 11, 2008, I hope for peace, understanding, and acceptance between all nations of the world, namely the US and our "enemies."

Maybe I'm a dreamer, but maybe I'm okay with that.

Support our troops; bring them home.

Tis the season to get excited for the Holidays. Every year around this time I get anxious for Christmas. The holiday season is the best time of year. Not only is everyone so full of joy, but also the music played is feel good music. I have already begun to make my list, due to a traffic jam on the way back from dropping my brother off at UNC. My list contains several items such as: Chocolate Ugg boots (those boots are the most comfortable shoes ever made, the best way to describe them is heaven for your feet) and the entire Friends collection.

105 days until Christmas!

Tuesday evening, members of the Teen Takeover staff had the job of judging a new kids' cupcake-decorating contest at the York Fair.

There were nearly 50 entries in two age categories, and some were downright awesome. Talk about creativity! I don't know how they were able to choose just three in each age group. All I can say is at least they didn't have to taste each one -- that might have been sugar overload!

For all you high school haters out there, never fear, it gets better.

Despite the constant talk of college and the dreaded SAT, as a senior this year I have many freedoms; and if you take the right steps, you will too. I've got a press pass for newspaper (which includes free entry to football games), a senior aide pass, and a priveldge pass for NHS. Oh, and my classes end at 12:00 because I take a course at Penn State twice a week, so my afternoons are free. Basically, I can do what I want, when I want. (Well, besides skip class, but who would ever want to do that? hem hem) Anyway, so basically, if high school is giving you a hard time, just wait it out, it gets much better.

"You got a lively bunch in there today," YDR editor Jim McClure remarked as I slipped from the conference room into the newsroom Sunday afternoon.

I'm not sure if he was referring to the thundering running, the dinging bell, or the victorious cheers. No matter which, I wonder if he would have believed me had I told him that members of the Teen Takeover staff were learning grammar during this latest monthly staff meeting.

Grammar and fun in the same room? The same sentence?

Yep.

AngelaMarie Flynn, Laura Detter, Corinne Elliott, Sean Ramirez and Amber Routson prepare to run from one end of the YDR conference room to the other to grab the next question in Sunday's Grammar Smackdown.

Smackmaster Amy Gulli (white top) watches as the teens grab their papers and take off.

What do you get when you take more than a dozen teenagers to a ballpark?
Photographs taken through holes in potato chips.
Efforts to rescue miniscule spiders.
An empty skybox fridge.
In an effort to get out of the office and interact a bit with the community, the York Daily Record/Sunday News Teen Takeover staff held its August meeting in a skybox at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

When the official business of the staff meeting concluded, they dispersed in discovery of all that a night at a York ball game has to offer. Of course, we asked them to write about their experiences. 



As a student of Central our school starts on Tuesday. Yes, this Tuesday. I am not to excited for school to start back up. I don't mind school itself, but I need more time. Summer hasn't lasted long enough.
In other words, I am not ready for new teachers, new binders, new classes, and new work. Can't summer just last one more month. Can't there be a Groundhog Day at the end of summer, where some animal decides if there will be a few more weeks of summer?
Well, at this point, I think it is about time that I accept that school is arriving. I can't wait till Homecoming to get my head in gear. It's time to put on my thinking cap. It's time for school.

Here are a bunch of Teen Takeover staff members getting a visit from York Revolution mascot Downtown during a special staff outing to Sovereign Bank stadium yesterday.

The gang got to chill out in a skybox and watch the Revs beat the Maryland Blue Crabs. Below are more fun photos from the evening.

I was supposed to camping with some of my friends. However, we did experience some difficulties.
It rained all morning on the day we were supposed to go. We decided to tough it out and go to the camp site. When we arrived it was still raining pretty hard, but we thought it would blow over. We would set up the tent and come back later. However, when we went to set up the tent, the only place big enough to fit it was suddenly a lake of water. When we checked the weather and found that it was supposed to storm all night, we figured it probably wasn't worth it. In the end, we camped out in my friend's living room. It wasn't exactly what we had planned, but it was still a ton of fun.

I going camping soon and as a first time camper I am a little nervous. I like to be outside and do adventurous things, but I have never been camping. I know a lot of people go camping and nothing ever happens, but then you hear those stories on the Today show about the guy that was attacked by a bear. I'm sure everything will be fine, but you never know.
I know it will be fun and I will be with experienced campers, but if you don't hear back from me in a month... well something might be up. Wish me luck!

I am currently sunk in a leather chair that I have spent the past week sitting in. While at volleyball camp two weeks ago I badly sprained my ankle causing me to be on crutches for two weeks. For all of the lucky people who have never been on crutches, after two days it is no longer fun to swing around on them.

as much as i want to tell myself that im "going to bed early tonight so that im not tired in the morning when i have to wake up at 6am for work", it never fails that im still up passed 11 every night...i cite this entry as example #1 that i cant follow through with self-discipline.
youd think my being tired in the AM would cause me to want to go to bed earlier...but i dont.
i get side tracked, by the dumbest of things: myspace, facebook, youtube, saabusa.com, aol...oh yeah and this lovely site too. i dont know, its weird to me that all of that seems to be more important than getting rest, which i desperately need. anyone else ever feel the same way? (and sorry Sue and Jen for not using any puncuation at all, its late:P)

Yesterday I went to downtown Chicago for a food festival called Taste of Chicago. You got to sample foods native to Illinois and the great city.

Tonight I went to dinner at The Thai House, a new restaurant on Market Street. I had a fabulous duck that was in a mango sauce - yum! And the decor is absolutely amazing; it feel really realistically Thai! So if you want a unique and delicious meal, go try it.

Any Southeasterners have opinions on that fancy new Steinway you're getting?

When I picture the board's meeting in which they decided to buy a $97,000 piano, it goes a little something like this...

The 2008 superhero flick "Iron Man" is a box office banger and is definitely going to be a hard movie to surpass. In its opening weekend, it raked in $98,618,668, ranking No. 1 in the box office, and making it the 10th biggest movie opening weekend of all time.

The cabin we stayed in was supported by cinder blocks and sticks. Enough said. I tried to walk straight and I ended up running into the wall on the far side. There were two tiny beds, a minifridge, and a bathroom twenty feet away. The spiders were as big as me.

Next time we go to New York, I'm staying with my grandparents. It was my cousin's graduation and everyone was in the house, so my family rented out a cabin by Lake Ontario. The website explained the view and how nice it was to stay in such a quaint place. I will never believe the internet again.

As most of you know, I quite enjoy drawing, and my latest self-assignment was to artistically tackle this season American Idol's Jason Castro....Here's how he turned out :)

Exactly as it says! I had a softball game today and the umpire (guy who makes the calls strikes or not) and he was making the most bogus calls.

Today the music department of Dallastown Middle went to a huge competition...

It’s hard to get a high-school diploma without experiencing the kind of education you can only get from time spent in the school cafeteria.

You learn basic principles such as: If you can’t identify it, don’t eat it. A packed lunch is always better when some of its components have been traded with friends. Where you sit often says something about you.

Some things change over time. Nutritional fads and programs influence the offerings. Increasing enrollment and scheduling issues might have you eating lunch at 10:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. Brown bags and metal lunch boxes give way to fashionable, temperature-controlled sacks.

Other things, however, seem to withstand the test of time. The cafeteria has always been a key setting for the social dramas of school life to play out. And the chicken pattie that the lunch lady plops on your plate probably isn’t all that different than the one your mother ate when she was in school.

Below, we asked members of the York Daily Record/Sunday News Teen Takeover staff to share some of their best tales from the cafeteria.

Hopefully, it will make you nostalgic for pizza day, not the food fights.

Last night The Rosie Awards was held at The Strand Capital Theatre. 12 schools from all over the county showed a slide show of their performances throughtout the year and performed one or two pieces from a musical they performed. Some performances included Central performing a piece from "Crazy For You" and Kennard-Dale performing a number from "South Pacific." Towards the end of the show, a combination of students from each school performed the musical number Can Stop the Beat from "Hairspray."
My school, William Penn, performed Dance of the Robe from "Aida"........

There's been a lot of discussion the past couple weeks about students at York Catholic being caught drinking underage. Some of that discussion has revolved around the pictures posted to social networking sites of teens who appear to be at parties where alcohol was being served.

In an article in the York Sunday News, education reporter Nichole Dobo wrote: Experts say many teens don't realize why or how posting images online can hurt them. There are countless stories about young people losing jobs, internships or school privileges because of information they posted about themselves on Internet sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

The Daily Record received photos (sent anonymously) of teens at what appear to be drinking parties, with notes expressing that the sender hoped the photos would be published.

What do you guys think. Is it fair for jobs and schools to punish you for things published on your Facebook and MySpace accounts?

How careful are you when posting to these sites?

To me, a good song needs personal experience. Whoever writes a song needs to have experienced the events he or she is singing about . . .

When a singer has experienced what he or she writes/sings about, it adds a whole new meaning to the song. A good song also needs the obvious beat and combination of good vocals/instruments.

But the most important part of the song in my mind is the lyrics . . . then the music. The music can sound good, but if the song isn't backed by good lyrics then it's just OK.

- Joseph Savinell, senior, York Catholic High School

The central PA pop rock band will be parting ways after the final show tomorrow night at the Strand Capitol. Local favorites have played numerous times in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and will end their two year successful run. The band has split due to altercations between the band members and will not announce what the altercations were.

Strand Capitol
7:00 p,m.
Friday, April 25th

Martin Library is sponsoring a talent contest for York County high school students, as part of its National Library Week Program Series: Street Lit, Hip-Hop, Reading and Writing at Martin Library April 13-19.

The theme of the contest is finding your voice, the real you, by sharing a personal experience or the life story of someone who made a difference in your life.

So today I went and saw the musical Chicago at the Strand-Capital Theatre. Amazing!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, passion permeates the air. It fills the drugstore greeting card aisle, oozes from jewelry stores and bombards you during the commercials of your favorite TV program.

If you don’t have a significant other, it can get a little annoying.

What about using V-Day as an excuse to celebrate other types of passion?

Honestly, tons of people are just as passionate about their causes, careers and hobbies as they are about any love interest in their lives.

Below, members of the York Daily Record/Sunday News’ Teen Takeover staff share their passions. As you read through them, think about the passions in your own life, and make a date with one this Feb. 14.

So I'd love to upload a beautiful picture of a palm tree or the beaches or from the plane of beautiful clouds or even the Hollywood sign...but it won't upload anything...so I guess I'll just have to tell you about my amazing trip to California, which I will call Cali for short....

THE POP/ROCK BAND FROM CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA THAT HAS A FAN BASE THAT RANGES FROM BOSTON TO VENICE CALIFORNIA, 40 YEARS OLDS TO 10 TEN YEAR OLDS. THEY HAVE BEEN NOTED IN THE VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES , AND HAVE BEEN HEARD ON 105.7 THE X!

42 FOR SHNOZZ IS HOSTING A FREE ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS SHOW AT BEYOND COFFEE WEST TONIGHT (DECEMBER 22ND) FROM 7:30 TO 9:30

800 N. Highland Ave.(near york fairgrounds)

COME AND CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH US!

Hmm.. hairspray is a nightmare

Recently, members of the Teen Takeover staff answered the question, “What are you thankful for?”

Choice

I am thankful for my ability to choose. I live in a country where I can choose who I vote for, what religion I want to follow, what I want to wear, what I want to eat.

I can be a Democratic Catholic who wears pearls, pops her collar, and eats extra-cheese pizza. Or, I can be a Republican who listens to Britney Spears’ “Oops, I Did It Again!” and eats those amazing cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera.

Choice is a powerful thing. I am thankful I can decide who I want to be and where I want to go. My choices may not always be right, but they are all mine, and I am certainly thankful
for that.

— By ABIGAIL STOLLAR, Spring Grove Area Senior High School

So, I'm scrapping this rant together after a true hell week.

Better late than never, right?

Here are the pictures from Sunday afternoon's awards ceremony, wrapping up a month-long blog-off between the York Daily Record/Sunday News Teen Takeover staff and editor Jim McClure. To read a related entry explaining more about this, click here.

What a shame Sue couldn't turn to her right and hand off that handsome plaque for blogging excellence to Rachel Bragg.

Oh well.

Walk past Jimmy Mac's office and you'll see he has it proudly on display for the whole newsroom to see.

(To view any of these photos larger, double click on the picture.)

I have to apologize in advance, Laura, because I completely disagree with you. Personally, I think that Facebook is much better than MySpace.

By Lauren Amoros
West York Area High School

Across York County, diversity has grown in large numbers in recent years.

Students are responding to this new growth in unexpected and positive ways.

Junior Jimmy Locke helped found the Ena Raza Club at West York Area High School. Ena Raza, which translates to “one race” in both Spanish and Greek, promotes the acceptance of all cultures and individuals.

A long long time ago (like maybe 65 minutes ago) in a land far far away (the YDR conference room) a group of young scribes-in-training sadly conceded defeat to a middle-aged newspaper editor in a 31-day battle that resulted in:

A) Tons of outstanding material on both this blog and the editor's blog (which we won't mention here for fear of sending more traffic his way)

B) Great insights into the lives and minds of York County teens

C) A precedent to be upheld and even improved upon

You see, the young scribes and the newspaper editor had challenged each other to a duel, to see who could get the most page views on their blog during the month of October.

The results?