Recently in Rants Category

By no means is being a teenager an easy task. With conflicting emotions, constant drama and concerned parents, kids are often left feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

In today's world, teens are in an ongoing struggle to maintain grades, friendships and juggle as many activities as they can fit into their schedule. Apparently, it has become unacceptable to be anything less than perfect.

From personal experience, I can testify that there are many days when I don't get to start working on homework until 9 at night because I've been on-the-go since waking up at 6 that morning. Society has developed the unspoken idea that everything must be done as fast and efficiently as possible. While this might be ideal when it comes to fast food and texting, this way of thinking only leaves teens feeling burnt out.

A combination of pressure from both parents and peers to compete both academically and athletically can only add to the stress, which accumulates over time. Now, more than ever, kids are being pushed to excel and expand their knowledge and skills in numerous areas of expertise. Teens have become so goal-oriented that, at times, it seems their only drive is to beat their peers in as many things as possible.

More often than not, teenagers lose sight of realistic goals and instead, extra stress is added because we fail to live up to an impossible standard. But what happens when the pressure becomes too much to handle? Often, breakdowns and rebellion can be associated with the idea that teenagers are simply overworked and are looking for an outlet in which to find comfort.

At the end of the day, the solution to this stress is to just step back and take a break from it all. Watch a little TV, update your Facebook profile, eat some carbs. After all, being a teenager should not only be about growing up and taking on responsibility but also having fun.

Unfortunately, this idea is often forgotten when it comes to trying to plan out your future. Although prepping for a higher education and a successful career should take precedence over watching the latest episode of "Gossip Girl," the reality is that everyone has limits. The question then becomes, how does one find a happy medium between their breaking point and success?

-- By MADISON SUMMERS, Susquehannock High School

Seniors at my school were allowed to nominate songs for class song. I'm not sure how the system for picking the songs worked, but I would assume that the songs with the most votes would appear on the ballot. I received said ballot today and the songs listed were:

"I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelley
"You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Atkins
"Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" by Green Day
"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts

My first thought after seeing this was "Wow. What a crap fest," or something along those lines. My senior class was able to pick the most generic group of songs I've ever seen. To be fair, "I Believe I Can Fly" is not an awful song, but I certainly would not say it is good either. Modern country all sounds the same and the songs have terrible lyrics that try to mean something but fail by being completely unoriginal or by sounding like they were written by a ten-year old child. Believe me, I have no issue with country music like Johnny Cash or Townes Van Zandt, but Rascal Flatts is probably one of the worst bands of all time. The main problem with "Time of Your Life" is that it is most likely a nomination at every school every year since the song was released. It's an okay song, but I got sick of it long ago.

I have decided that I will either vote for "I Believe I Can Fly," the lesser of four evils, or do a write-in vote for something better, but that's probably not allowed. My advice to Dallastown's Class of 2010 would be to broaden your minds beyond the modern mainstream music that is played on the radio, and see what happens next.

Well Fall has finally arrived and that means one thing...the Homecoming Dance! During this time the hallways are usually filled with endless chatter about finding that perfect dress, which then leads to the just the right shoes, jewelry, and so on. Every other girl is freaking out about what hairstyle looks best with her features and of course what guy will ask her to be his date. While there are some benefits to going as a couple such as discount tickets and corsages galore, the reality is having a date just adds unessasary tension and stress. My school just had our Homecoming over the weekend and while a couple of my friends went with dates most of us decided to go as a big group instead. In particular, the hostess of the pre party I attended was asked by an upperclassman to the dance. This of course led to the dilemmas of what color corsage looked best, finding a tie to match her dress and how high her heels should be. Of course all those weeks of planning and prepping didn't really matter once the actual dance began. Her date ended up being painfully shy and she spent the whole night avoiding him instead of just jumping on the dance floor and having fun. Even though she was guaranteed a dance partner for the slow songs it appeared that the girls without dates ended up having the most fun after all. Just think a roomful of single guys who may be too embarrassed to ask a girl out, but not to dance. Without a date, no one is obligated to hang out with only one person; in fact, you get the pick of the dance floor! It's much more casual and low key to be able to dance with multiple guys as friends instead of being tied together by the waist all night. Chances are twenty years from now you won't even remember your date's name but the memories and friendships you make that night will be the stories you'll tell your grandchildren. Honestly, why go with a date when it's just as cool to go stag?

I am one of those athletes that will have to choose between two fall sports next year due to the move of girls' soccer to the fall season. I would just like to defend that I am making the most reasonable choice for me between soccer and volleyball. At 5'3", I have determined my chances of playing college volleyball are slim, considering while watching a match recently the announcer informed the viewers that 5'9" is deemed short for the sport. As a soccer player for over ten years, I've devoted much of my time to that particular sport. Soccer is also the only sport for which I have been contacted about by college scouts. So, my choice for next year is soccer. However, just because I picked soccer doesn't mean I have to stop liking volleyball. In fact, I love volleyball. Even though I chose to direct my focus to another sport I love, doesn't mean I'll stop playing. I apologize if that is a problem for anyone, and I don't mind if I am turned away from every team I ever try to play with. I will always enjoy the sport. No coach, player, manager, or anyone else can ever take that away from me.

So I wake up to a newspaper filled with stories about Woodstock. To say the least, I was ecstatic. But I turn to the Viewpoints section, that being my favorite section, to see an article title "Woodstock: Get Over It Already". The whole tone of the article put me off. He went on to say that people don't talk about the Grateful Dead almost getting electrocuted or how people took loads of drugs or that lawsuits were produced by the festival. My least favorite part about the article was that he mentioned he didn't go. He didn't experience it just as I never will. How can he have such an angry opinion if he didn't go or perhaps he has an angered opinion because he doesn't get to go. Leonard Pitts on the other hand wrote a lovely article and put Woodstock into perspective. I personally knew these things, but the positives of the festival outweigh the negatives by a mile. It was three days of peace, three days of 400,000 people in a dairy field listening to music. The situation could have been a catastrophe but it wasn't. 400,000 people at a semi-free concert got along, that would not happen today. And the music is a whole other story! Jefferson's Airplane, Janis Joplin, The Who and Crosby Stills and Nash; all on the same stage for $18, thats amazing. It was the best time for music, worthy of such a festival.

I have to ask: why do people get so obsessed over politics and most recently our last Presidential election? What is the point of debating (or even worrying) about politics and government actions if people in this country do not ever get to vote on anything?

It is quite laughable when people in this country preach about how we have democracy when reality shows that is not the case. What democracy do we have in this country, really? Every two years we get to vote for our congressmen and every four years we get to vote for our President. But really, this is nothing more than voting for our own rulers. Once we vote for our President (ruler), the person that is "elected" can do whatever he/she wants and only has to abide by the Constitution (which a lot of times is also ignored). But where is the accountability in our "elected" officials?

Another myth is that the people we elect serve to "represent" us, which again is super hilarious!

In response to a question about how 2/3 of Americans say the Iraq War is not worthy fighting, former Vice President Dick Cheney was quoted as saying, "So?". The Interviewer followed up by asking, "You don't care what the American people think?" And Cheney then responded by saying, "No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluxuations of the public opinion polls."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SypeZjeOrY4

This disregard of of public opinion by Dick Cheney should just further prove the lack of care our "representatives" have of our opinions. In addition, to say that our new President Barack Obama does not think the same as Cheney would be very naive, in my opinion.

So, I ask everyone here: why bother debating any kind of political issues if we as a people do not hold any power to vote on laws and policy?

It's safe to say that most of us have been riding in the car with our parents when their fingers have wandered to the radio.

A "classics" station of some sort is chosen, and the following sequence of events unfolds:

There is a brief, yet slightly out of tune, verse sung by one -- if not both adults. Then comes the comment, "what a great song," followed by the ever-predictable flashback moment when someone says, "I remember dancing to this in high school" or "This was the anthem of my college days." Sometimes even a declaration like "This band really defined the rock era."

It's moments like these that leave me questioning what bands and songs today's teens will remember 30 years from now as our "classics."

Punching people for no reason just doesn't register on my laughter scale.

On that note, neither does describing how you would perform lewd acts "like a boss" during a job interview, and neither do cats shooting lasers from their mouths.

3 Reasons To Hate Soulja Boy

As anyone familiar with the music industry should know by now, hip hop died when Biggie and Tupac took their last breaths. Every form of rap today is commercialized, with an emphasis on irrelevant lyrics over a somewhat catchy beat. The biggest advocate of this catastrophe is, of course, Soulja Boy, or as he is known on iTunes by his much cooler name, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. If you don't hate him already, here's something to think about:

1. Lyrics - Not everyone can share Eminem's assonance or Method Man's flow, but Soulja Boy's lyrics are equivalent to a childhood nursery rhyme and his flow is reminiscent of an inebriated hobo shouting at pigeons to get away from his shopping cart of recycled cans. His latest, "Kiss Me Thru the Phone," is another exercise in incompetency. First of all, I'm not sure how you kiss someone through the phone, but I can imagine it's very awkward for all parties involved. However, Soulja Boy really felt he had a sentimental love ballad on his hands, so for about three minutes, he repeats different variations of the words "I miss you," his phone number and, of course, the title of the song. Brilliance.

2. Money - Interscope Records (the biggest of the many labels to which he belongs) pays Soulja Boy millions of dollars to be an idiot. The average salary for a brain surgeon is about half a million. To put it in perspective, Soulja Boy's incoherent rambling earns him about four or five times what the most challenging profession in medicine makes. The message? All you members of the middle class who are struggling to pay the mortgage or put your kids through college should take out a notepad, stare around the room you are currently in, and write down the first object you see about 20 times. Find some white kid who thinks he's black to beat box while you babble that word for roughly four minutes, and you should be a millionaire. Given, you might not have Soulja Boy's distinct creativity, but money is money.

3. The Fact That He Is Single-Handedly Helping To Kill Music In General - Hip Hop is dead, but thanks to people like Soulja Boy, all sorts of genres are trying to be more commercial with their music. Current music is garbage. I gave up my iPod for Lent and was forced to listen to the radio. By Easter, I was ready to harm myself. Pop, rock, alternative -- everything is more Nickelback than Nirvana, more Flo-Rida than Wu-Tang. I realize money rules everything, but if idiots like Soulja Boy are successful, bands and rappers altogether will stop trying to write good lyrics and produce catchy beats and resort to spitting out some piece of crap that gets all the 12-year-olds at junior high dances to grind on each other like a rottweiler going to town on a stranger's leg. And all the 90-pound boys in wife beaters will throw their hands in the air and go "Woooo! Soulja Boy's lyrics are insane, yo!"

Soulja Boy is the devil. He needs to be stopped. His music has insulted our intelligence and made us cover our ears for too long. Hopefully he will fade away before people stop listening to music altogether.

-- By SEAN RAMIREZ, Susquehannock High School

A few months ago, movie director M. Night Shyamalan announced the cast of the main characters of his new movie "The Last Airbender," based on the popular Nickelodeon show.

Every one of these actors were white even though the characters they are playing are of Asian and Inuit descent.

Fans started advocating a letter-writing campaign to Paramount Pictures to voice their opinions about the picks, and some protested at open casting calls.

Then suddenly, Jesse McCartney, who was cast as the antagonist Fire Nation Prince Zuko, announced that he was going to drop out. Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire" star and a British Indian, would take his place.

Now don't get me wrong. I love Dev Patel and I loved "Slumdog Millionaire." However, the more I think about it, the more I realize how wrong it is -- how wrong all of this is.

Did anyone else see the House episode tonight!?

Someone come cry with me!!!

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

As I approached the purse section of the quintessentially teenage store, I was pleased to see that a few organic cotton tote bags with decals of phrases about being green were included in the collection. I picked up a bag to admire, and that's when I saw it - a tag bearing the words "Made in China."

Israeli Defense Force Reserve Major Elliot Chodoff, a Middle East scholar and military strategist, spoke at the York Jewish Community Center in January about the Gaza conflict. Here are a few major facts he stressed that are essential to understanding Israel's position, especially in light of the recent media bias against Israel.

Often time's kids don't like to listen to teachers. Teenagers have an opinion about school, that its "boring" and we aren't going to "use" any of the stuff that we are learning. Harrisburg Area Community Collage (HACC) begs to differ. The local collage is saying that the kids that come in aren't coming to collage well prepared. Often times they need remedial help in areas that they should have learned in high school. HACC has decided to turn away students who need help in these areas. Not to be cruel to students who actually need the help, but for students who come to collage thinking that it will be a big party freshman year. Many students who were originally at HACC went there specifically for remedial courses. Then the students went to Millersville.
his affects the nation because students often like to go to collage for other reasons then to study hard for the future. Then again not all students go to just mess around, some become great people because they work hard to get there. Students at Harvard or Yale won't be there partying all the time. But, then again this all goes back to high school when kids aren't taking the future seriously. They think that it's not going to affect them. Also the extra remedial courses are costing collages more then they need.

There aren't too many things that get under my skin, but one of my biggest pet peeves is when people put down other people's dreams. Lately, people I know have been facing situations in which somebody told them they weren't able to do something or tried to hinder them from doing something they wanted.

My school is performing the musical adaptation of "Annie" this spring, and a combination of students from my school and surrounding schools tried out. Some faced opposition.

I was upset to hear a student from another school told that if she auditioned, she could be assured she would not get a lead role in any of her school's musicals. I was even more upset to find out the immature comment came from the mouth of an adult.

Adults should never put students down for trying to further their experience by taking part in a production.

As an adult, you are responsible to further children's learning and inspire them to excel and work toward a successful future, not to make crude comments that do nothing but diminish your character. Being an adult means being grown up. If you make childish remarks, then you might as well be a child.

Sometimes I don't think adults realize how much power their words have, and how severely those words can affect a child's life. Their words can be the stepping stone to a child's bright future, or a stumbling block which will hinder their growth. Another student's friends and family made remarks about her coming into the city and being around "all those black people."

Wow.

The fact that people can make mindless comments such as that amazes me. It's 2009. Racist comments just make you look dumb. Trying to ridicule your friends for not being as foolish as you makes you look even dumber.

Channel your energy into something more positive. Do yourselves and those around you a favor and ditch the negativity. Trust me, life will be so much easier.

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

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

:( it needs corrections
My name is spelled wrong and it says that that I am from Susquehannock High School...

I go to Spring Grove Senior High School.
And my last name is spelled Routson...

just for reference.

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.

I read the news and watch tv. I know about the Caylee case. Today I read in the paper Kara's column and I really wanted to comment on it. I also watched MSNBC's "when Caylee disappeared". Almost in tears at what really happened to that poor little girl. Throughout this whole incident I kind of followed it but really we see this stuff all the time. Overall this was a very confusing one though. Casey(her mother) was spinning a web of lies. The most important lie is that she let her child go missing for almost a month without saying a word! A quote that is from the MSNBC story is,"when you loose your child in a store, within 5 seconds your panicing. Then when you find them you are hugging them saying don't ever leave again". How could a mother go out and party for almost a month and not even wonder where her child is? Casey is getting alot of publicity about this. Her side of the story is to be respected too. Apparently Casey left 2 year old Calyee with a babysitter. Police looked into this "babysitter" and she doesn't exsist. But, in reality the babysitter could be real and she could have changed her name and fleed the country. It is obvious that police went round and round about this speculation. Last week sadly enough the remains of what to be a small child right out side of the Anthony home were found. Now call this Ironic, so far the facts are the cadavar dogs are alerting in her car. Casey is sitting in jail. The grandmother said there was a funny smell. Oh but, get this Casey asked to borrow her neighbors shovel a few days before Caylee disappeared. Peice it together. Who is guilty? Who is innocent?

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.

The other day at work, the cutest little kid came into work.
I mean, when I say cute, I mean just plain adorable.
First, she asked me for balloons, I had three in my hand, and when I went to give one, she took...

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.

Well, it's been awhile since I've actually posted anything on the blog, so I suppose I'm overdue. I'm stuck at home with a sore throat anyway. Oh yeah, and I have an Honors Choir concert tomorrow. Fabulous.

Have you ever been so concentrated in school and your stomach starts to growl? I think that we as freshman should be able to eat in between classes. Because it just so happens that i forgot to eat breakfast today and I am so starving. I just happened to walk by the Family and Consumer Science room not too long ago and the sweet smell of sugar cookies was teasing me!!!
Just ranting....

This week is Homecoming week! (I go to Spring Grove....Rocket pride, baby!) I'm so excited, but the beginning of this week isn't going to well. People's ignorance about certain issues that affect MANY people's lives and is nothing to be a "mean girl" about has been unexceptable. Even if they do not like me or not.

Fads are fun to observe: huge sunglasses that cover every part of the face except the nose, tunics and tights, flats, peace signs, conforming to nonconformity, MTV, dying one's hair to some new hue of rebellion.

The list never ends.

One of the intriguing things about fads is that they occasionally steer toward humanitarian pursuits.

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.

By ALY OWEN

In a time when new forms of communication arise as quickly as the latest trend becomes obsolete -- multitasking phones, online forums, video broadcasts -- personal interaction sounds more oxymoronic by the year.

Also in this system of information super-highway, a problem of any sort can be immediately classified and "dealt with," "taken care of," or "put on hold." Once the complication is identified, people can, as the standard states, "move on."

With the endless lines of communication available, it's strange that problems are rarely said to be "fixed."

Instead of confronting and accepting problems, some people distract themselves with another task rather than facing the adversary; any challenge, whether it occurs in a business or social setting, can be forgotten or ignored by way of an alternative coping method.

Take, for example, a simple iPod malfunction. Why fix it? It could take more time and money -- two of the most common motivations -- to fix than it would take to buy a new type of MP3 player or export the iPod's music collection to another database.

Problem solved, but not fixed.

In an argument between friends, the typical solution includes forgetting and forgiving whatever disagreement preceded the quarrel. Forgetting might be the easiest and fastest way to reach an accord (problem helped), but in some cases, forgetting prolongs the anger or hurt, but does not diminish it. Being able to accept the discrepancy while still being aware of it signifies complete reconciliation (problem fixed). Both concepts allow the friends to leave the fight in the past, but only one supports a clear conscience.

Of course there are situations where, in terms of economics, the risk is more than the gain.

If the iPod were thoroughly destroyed, finding a replacement would be better than moping over a lost cause, and if the friends' argument concerned something shallow, shrugging it off and laughing about it later would be preferable to a drawn-out debate and discussion.

However, sometimes people get lost in a plethora of easy-outs. A serious conversation can be a bunch of text messages, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's can "fix" any lingering discomfort. A frustration at the office can be "fixed" by a mind-occupying, busy schedule and acting like everything's OK.

There might be plenty of ways to avoid fully addressing an unpleasant situation, but that doesn't mean those alternatives are always ideal. If a car has an obvious nick, chances are a responsible owner won't just slap some paint over it and keep driving.

Unless the solution includes a trip to Staples, fixing a challenge doesn't always come with an easy button.

Annoying, right? Okay, here goes.
Yesterday morning, I woke up way too early in the morning, to wait in line for about 47 minutes with shoes that didn't fit, squirmed into bleachers filled with yelling fans, tossed Aquafina bottles, babies and reporters. After a bunch of people in suits were done talking, they announced "John McCain!" and after talking and lots of pictures, I scrambled down from the bleachers to enter the wave of people, cameras, reporters with microphones and desperate women. I didn't get an autograph from anyone, but it was all the same. Like a rock concert. I was waiting for the mosh dancing to start out to the bluegrass band. Except I wouldn't be able to dance because my shoes... whatever, It was amazing, not only McCain but all the people. Amazing.
Now that's not amazing that every single channel on TV is broadcasting the story about Edwards and his affair. I know that everyone MUST know about the secret lives of these wonderfulllll people, but really. I do think that Edwards was really wrong to do it, I mean, if his wife has cancer, he shouldn't go looking after other women. I'm kinda embarrased that a guy who's running for president should eve

Anything that has to do with school really isn't a lot of fun. Except the dances well here were I was wrong. Homecoming for me this year was a lot of stress. Where are we going to eat? What color will be my dress? Pictures or no pictures? Who are we going with? At all this stress I thought that my head was going to explode! Well on top of all this my relatives decided to have a wedding the day of my dance. To be exact on hour before my dance. I was crunched for time, and time wasn't the only thing that was crunched. Stupid I decided to wear Steve Madden shoes. Now Steve Madden it's really new and really pretty. But if you read the fine print their made of wood! So basically it's like walking in Dutch shoes for 6hrs. But, after all the fiasco of the wedding I had the time of my life at dinner. My date I and four of my besties went to Al Dente which is Italian food. I wasn't really sure how I would like it considering I really only like Olive Garden. But my date and my friends insisted on this place. I had so much fun and took a ton of pictures, I will remember this amazing evening for the rest of my life I guarantee it!

Talk about annoying. The only other thing that isn't as annoying as life's many challenges is the fact that we live in a country with powerful media. Don't get me wrong, living in a democratic country is a privilege and the kind of thing you got to live up to, like standards. But it seems the media has no standards, sometimes.
Whole story summarized: Ahem, we don't care that much.

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...

Just wondering...what is going on with the trend nowadays? I mean, like with Disney channel for instance. Disney channel is geared towards kids, not teens. Are they trying to attract teens? In lots of the shows, they dress and imitate rock stars. Like when Hannah Montana dresses up in a punk-ish outfit; but when she gets on the microphone, she sings pop.

Are they trying to water down punk or trying to grow kids up?

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.

Hi,
My name is melanie! I personally think that myspace is the best Web site ever! I also think that you should check mine out!
www.myspace.com/girlyand_lovingit84
thanks!

I still have an entire year left of high school, and I'm already sick of talking about colleges!

PETA should back off of horse racing

Twenty years ago, a filly named Winning Colors took the first jewel of the Triple Crown. This year, another young horse tried to do the same.

What ever happened to "Mike's Super Short Show"? Even though that show was atmost 6 minute long it was pure entertainment for me as a kid. When I look at Disney Channel now, I see this crappy, "The Short Report" or whatever it's called, it not even fun. It's amateur "entertainment" that not even funny. fhajkahajghajlgah I want "Mike's Super Short Show" to come back on!

I got my boyfriend to dance.

Trust me, it's a big accomplishment.

Over the weekend, a party attended mostly by students of York Catholic High School was raided by the Pennsylvania State Police. Unless you have being living under a rock, you know this.

It seems that a lot of attention has been paid to the incident because it involved York Catholic students. This is most unfair. It could have happened to any high school in this county, because they all have parties where illegal activity occurs.

This might be a bold move on my part, considering this is York County and all, but I feel like ranting.

Well, might as well put this out there: Yeah, I'm an atheist.

Excuse me while I dodge the horde of rotten vegetables.

The fact that I pretty much get hit with a bunch of hypothetical rotten vegetables every so often is the reason I'm tired of atheists giving other atheists a bad name.

It hasn't been the first time...

Lately, the American political scene has been dominated by the presidential primaries, each candidate vying for a place in the Oval Office. But to get to that coveted office, he (or she) must have the approval of the American people. That approval is sometimes difficult to get, especially when citizens have information (both true and false) pushed at them from every newscast.

One of the resounding themes of the presidential campaign this year is change. So what is different? A black man and a woman are contending for the Democratic party's nomination. Whoever wins that nomination will likely be a serious contender for the presidency.

It also seems like many more teenagers are getting involved in the political process.

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

...but is anyone else getting frustrated with the hypocrisy of high schools? In an effort to help teens make healthy choices, the soda and snack vending machines were dismantled. (A gatorade machine remains, because I guess only kids desperately in need of a sugar/electrolyte rush after work-outs will use it.) And yet, the main meal usually consists of a small amount of meat, usually on a bun, some sort of starchy side, and a roll----also read as "a bit of protein and many carbohydrates."

Don't get me wrong, a salad and soup bar and other healthier choices exist at many of the schools, but there are other options that could be used to compile better hot-meal choices.

Meals aren't the only demonstration of self-contradiction.

Universal healthcare is one of the heavily-debated topics of the 2008 presidential election. But, until now, it's been one of those topics that I view apathetically. I agree it's important, and I also have an opinion on how it should be acquired (and, no, a mandate isn't the best way). It was today I realized the dire need of a universal healthcare plan in America.

Ask any of the presidential candidates about our current energy situation and they'll say "we've got to be energy independent."

I'm having an "aha moment." Not a good one. I go throughout my life, gaining and losing friends. I just realized my one good friend is not worth my time. And another guy I thought was a great new addition to my life...he is on the same level as her. They're both those women of Babylon. Don't you just hate that/when you realize who your real friends are, by tossing out the old ones?
Oooh, I'm very angry.

Most teenagers are not fond of waking up early; in fact, many would prefer sleeping until the morning fades well into the afternoon. Studies show that teens need at least eight or nine hours of sleep per night. They also show that more than half of American teens are only getting seven hours of sleep or less per night.

Come on...we all know we have one in our lives. It's that relative you just can't stand.

Who doesn't enjoy an early dismissal? I think I'd be hard-pressed to find any student who opposes missing their last few classes of the day to instead go home and enjoy an afternoon off. So, the snow is enjoyable--for the most part.

Students at Susquehannock High School aren't taught math. That would be too conventional.

Now, I am completely aware this is going to sound extremely similar to Dylan's rant, but I want to make it anyway.

Political correctness always seems to have its issues during the holiday season.
This holiday season, “political correctors” are targeting none other than jolly-old Saint Nick.

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

I am completely sick of hearing about how awful technical schools are. This is not because they, like all schools, aren't without their problems, but people who talk trash about vocational schools are narrow minded snobs who fail or refuse to see the many wonderful things that schools such as York County School of Technology have to offer.

Well, I'm quite upset right now and I thought I'd share my current situation with everyone.

Most people who read this blog are either teenagers or involved with journalism in some sort, so I feel that people can relate to my predicament.

There's a song that's sweeping the nation, and it comes in the form of cheap
drum beats, a touch of reggae and the incomprehensible thoughts of a rapper
nicknamed Soulja Boy.

So I was sitting here thinking...Why do schools always have such extrodinary expectations when it comes to writing essays and the what nots for english class?

Almost three months of my computer being ridiculously out of order and then back up, I'm finally able to post.

Seth Black is back!!!! Whoooo!!

After months of not blogging and ages of missing meetings due to Marching Band, I am finally reemerging on the journalistic scene!

On the topic tonight-reforming policies.

Recently in my Yearbook class, we have taken notice to the obscene point bars that we must reach in order to receive the appropriate grade.

This is not ment to offend anyoneone. I'm just simply making a statement.

Ever idolized the newest European fashions? Appreciated the finest of Asian cuisine? Danced to the latest club music from South America? Listened to the distinctive African drums? Admired styles of foreign architecture?

In our multicultural society, everything is easily accessible and easily shared, whether food, fashion or fine arts. Between school, technology and a desire to explore, teenagers escape into other cultures on a daily basis. Magazines inform us of "it" couture. iPods allow us to hear music from around the globe. Millions of restaurants offer endless types of dining.

But do most teens understand these surrounding cultures? Do they attempt to learn about them?

I barely go clothes shopping in York. If I need new clothes, my family and I usually head out of town, sometimes to Park City and occasionally to King of Prussia. The same goes for dress shopping, so this year, my mom and I decided to go down to Towson.

And we were incredibly disappointed.

I guess this has come to my attention this week, although it's been "going on" for about a year now. At Central we have this amazing state grant called "Classrooms for the Future" or CFF. Basically we get MacBooks and electronic white boards (SmartBoard) that collaborate with computers and do all kinds of fancy things.

Well, today I was doing homework for my Language Arts teacher. We're doing this whole thing on fairness versus justice (picking apart stories we've read). What do you think? What's more important?

Lately, there's been a lot of speculation on Britney Spear's opening perfromance at the 2007 VMA's. Many people have been saying that they were displeased with her performance and that it lacked energy.
There have also been harsh comments made about her weight and her body image. I think that people should back off and think about the situation before they start yapping their jaws.
First off, for someone who just gots out of rehab for drugs and drinking, I think she did a pretty good job. Secondly, it's always easier to criticize what someone does when you don't have to do it yourself.
As a celebrity people pick out every little flaw in what that person does wrong....................

Oh yes, I'm going there.

Ugh! I've been sick for the last four days! It's driving me mad, but then, I'm always driven mad when I get sick.

Chevy Suburbans + big oil + evil conservatives = melting polar ice caps, Hurricane Katrina, and 20-foot sea level rises.

This is global warming according to Al Gore.

Right now I am sitting in "academic prep." It's just one of the latest and greatest ideas from the Central York High School administration. Every year we get more rules, and quite frankly, I am tired of it. Academic prep is the new version of study hall...but we must stay in the class we are in for that day. So if I have nothing to do in this class (which I do not, hence why I am writing this) I can't go to another class that I actually have work for. If I don't have anything to work on it becomes an "SSR" period. Third grade, please?

Along with academic prep, sophomores can now drive to school.

You know what? Straightening hair takes a long time. Girls take time out of their day to make their hair look good. We take time putting on makeup. And shaving. And pulling ourselves together. So all you guys out there, you should be grateful that we don't come to school with hairy legs, bedhead, and puffy blotchy faces.

And you're just part of the reason we want to look good. We do this to make ourselves feel better.

So there. I just had to say that.

Oh, and I shouldn't speak in behalf for all females, as some of us could care less about our appearance...and those of us who do care have days where we don't either.

I'm feeling like Peter Pan right now. I don't want to grow up...only to deal with jobs, and money. I'm working on my 'big deal' main article on student debt...so I am drowning in words like 'mortgages' 'credit rating' and 'credit to debt ratio.' I just want to fly away to never-never-land.

I won't grow up.
Not a penny will I pinch.
I will never grow a mustache,
Or a fraction of an inch.
'Cause growing up is awfuller
Than all the awful things that ever were.
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up,
No sir,
Not I,
Not me,
So there!

Returning things is a pain. The other day I went shopping, and ... needless to say suffered from impulse buying. So there I am, walking around the mall, admiring my clothes, when I realize I don't want them.

Central just sent me my schedule for junior year. They never get it right!

The whole John Edwards-Ann Coulter feud had been old news for a while. Until Coulter decided to add yet another inappropriate remark to her long list of tactless verbal pollution.

*sings* Summer work...summer work...I just LOVE summer work!

YES! *jumps up in the air* Today was my last day of the job from hell! I'm done! No more! I walked home (like I always do) which took 30 minutes, but I had a spring in my step. I showered like I had never showered before, and ate like I had never eaten before. WHEEE! Okay, my rant here is done.

Does anyone really know the true story behind any of the various chocolate candies that one eats everyday? Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for me) I have the inside story of one of Hershey's newest innovations, the Caramel Hershey Kiss. The story is a saddening, and heartwrenching, 3 month epic that ends in a poor seventh grader's dreams being crushed. This is how one stupid seventh grade project ended up in my disgust for Hershey chocolate.

Scene:
It's a perfect summer day, bright rays of sunshine like fingers touching my skin, a cool breeze blowing without reservation. The sky is clear as can be, a bright cerulean canvas. I'm driving around, listening to songs that must have been written just for the purpose of putting your windows down and going for a drive to anywhere (or nowhere). Cartel's "Honestly" blares out of my speakers, and it's moments like these that I know life doesn't get any better.

Until...

My favorite band used to be Fall Out Boy. Their music was catchy, and I loved the lyrics. I spent hours comparing Stump's vocals to the actual lines. [If you have heard "Dance,Dance" and then looked up the lyrics, you should understand what I mean.] By the way, if you are not familiar with the rock music genre, this article could be more than a little confusing. Then again, rock is becoming pop. So nevermind.

Hershey has an interesting way of celebrating it's one-hundredth anniversary.

They built a "boardwalk." Not to mention the largest water play structure in the world.

When I think of boardwalks, I see Virginia Beach with children playing along the wood paneling of the walkway. I smell cotton candy, the local pancake houses, and the salty air. I can almost feel the sand between my toes. I hear seagulls, waves crashing, afternoon conversations, and children's laughter. Which is ironic, considering Hershey's website for the boardwalk has seagulls and waves playing in the background.

As an aspiring physicist, I thought I'd share some facts about the environment.

Hopefully, these will make you stop and think before supporting some radically disproportionate plan for saving the earth from supposed doom.

From the time we are young, we students spend nearly half of our waking hours in a school. For 13 years — through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood — we are herded into buildings and contained in classrooms, with only other students of like age and one adult who directs how our time will be spent.

I don't see what the big deal is about ID cards at Dover area high school.

Johns Hopkins (and every other college, I bet) requires all its incoming freshmen to get college IDs.

Maybe people are just tired of those two letters.

I have been going to a private Catholic school since first grade, so you would think I would be well-adjusted to the strictness that the teaching authority at my school feels the need to enforce. But a new issue came to light in this past month that made me extremely happy I only have 2 weeks left until "dress codes" and detentions become a thing of the past.

Two students at my school spent months creating a tuxedo and prom dress completely out of duck tape. Their goal was to enter into the scholarship that offers money to couples who wear a duck tape attire to prom. This is a nationwide contest that gets highly competitive and super creative. My fellow classmates, however, were shot down by my principal and were not allowed to wear these extemely well-done pieces of art to prom.

As an active part of the Internet generation, I think many teens can relate to my MySpace obsession. Most people, including myself, can honestly admit to spending hours online checking comments, new music or updating blogs.

MySpace.com is such a popular site with teens that it seems typical that adults and the media give it such a negative reputation. Many schools have banned any access to MySpace and similar sites. The news warns of the danger of revealing too much information.

Here is one of my school projects, which I am mucho satisfied with the final product. We had to observe an area 7 times and take pictures and write up an essay. Being as green as I am, I immediately thought about how the place was being littered and ruined.

In the end of the project, we had to make an iMovie, that went along with out thesis for the essay, using the picture that we took. It was very fun to do, and, once again, I am very satisfied with my final product.

(yes...Silent Spring is about pesticide pollution, but the beginning parable is universal in my opinion)

This is the story of a girl whose boyfriend beat her up. He beat her up many times, until one day he took it too far. The girl called the police and had her boyfriend arrested for domestic violence.

This made him mad. The boyfriend made his bail within 24 hours and showed up at the girl's door the next night, with a loaded 9 mm gun.

The girl did not live to tell her story.

It's that time of year, the time when schools charge exhorbitant amounts of money for a dance, and girls spend even more on dresses, nails, shoes, and hair. But is prom really worth all this trouble?

EW. I feel like moldy bread. Soggy moldy bread.

(A trivial rant)

If I got to choose who the Republican candidate for president would be, I would pick someone who isn’t even running – yet: Newt Gingrich.

I don’t see anything wrong with the Republicans running now; Rudy Giuliani would probably be a good president. But if the federal government is to function properly, I think the country needs someone like Newt Gingrich.

Last fall, I applied to eight colleges, three of them in Pennsylvania. If York College had a physics program, I would have considered applying there also - but I wouldn't have looked forward to the application process.

Why?

Because I'm home-schooled.

In the experience of myself and home-school families throughout York County, York College often has a bad attitude toward home-school students.

For those who feel like giving up
Their passion because of criticism
Strive on

It seems as if , more and more, it is becoming taboo for a person to have actual feelings towards certain things, and life in general. People generally tend to hide their feelings from public, and this apathy invades into the personal life. Perhaps people in society are losing their touch on what it means to be sad, happy, and content. Here are some steps to, once again, get in touch with yourself and the world around you.

My computer is being a dork. (Oh. And random aspects of my life.)

Nancy Pelosi placed her hand on the Bible and was sworn in as the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Democrats took both the House and the Senate in a majority sweep that even the most seasoned political strategist would not have predicted. The message was crystal clear - the American people wanted a change.

In November 2008, I'll be able to vote in a national election for the first time in my life. This is also the first time I have truly observed a presidential election take shape: Politicians joining the field of candidates, major issues on the table and commentary on each candidate's chances of winning. And the election is still nearly two years away.

As a dual enrollment student at Penn State York, I can take part in the college’s student readership program. So every morning I go to class, I pick up a free New York Times.

My sentiment on The New York Times is summed up in two statements. One: I agree with Bill O’Reilly when he says the paper should just put a big headline that says “We Hate Bush” in its opinion section. Two: I wish I had a daily subscription.

I love him. Or rather, his work. Words can't describe. Well, they can, but I'd rather just link to Youtube!

By SOPHIE BUSHWICK, York Suburban Senior High School

Languages always have, and always will, evolve.

The meanings of some words may change, as when “gay�? went from meaning happy to describing homosexuality. Other phrases, like “I’m not gonna lie,�? may suddenly work their way into almost every sentence, only to — with luck — fall out of favor just as quickly.

We may like or hate these linguistic changes, but ultimately, we have little power to delete them from our friends’ conversations. This is a pity, because I truly loathe the phrase “my bad.�?

By Jake Mokris
Teen Takeover staff

At this point in my life, I’m waiting for the month of April. That’s when colleges release admissions decisions. Recently, I’ve been thinking about Princeton: its Ivy-League awesomeness, top professors, great opportunities for physics research (my interest), and Paul Krugman.

Yep, Paul Krugman: the anti-conservative New York Times columnist. He teaches Princeton’s introductory economics class – minus Adam Smith, I bet. I haven’t decided whether Krugman goes onto my pro or con list.

By KATHERINE HARTMAN
Dallastown Area High School

My relationship with the College Board began two years ago, in 10th grade, on a beautiful fall afternoon. My mother decided that I should take the SATs, “just to see�? how I’d do, and I, in my naiveté, consented.

So my mom and I sat down at the computer and registered for the SAT, paying the $41.50 fee online with her credit card. It seemed to be an expensive method of wasting almost four hours of my life (I could buy a pair of shoes or almost 19 boxes of Pop Tarts for that much money, and not have to wake up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning), but I figured that the cost (and the loss of four precious hours of my life) wasn’t too terrible, as I would only have to pay that fee (and sit through four hours of testing) a few times.

Two years, three SAT Reasoning Tests, two SAT Subject Tests, one AP test and many more than four testing hours later, however, I have become quite disillusioned, at least as far as the College Board is concerned.

By JAKE MOKRIS, home-schooled

I am going to say something that probably will not surprise those of you who have read my articles: I watch Fox News. I enjoy the “O’Reilly Factor,�? and when I come downstairs to eat breakfast, my mom often has the TV on “Fox & Friends." But the Fox News show I find the most interesting is “Hannity & Colmes."

On the one side is Sean Hannity – he’s very conservative, and his arguments are somewhat simplistic. Alan Colmes is on the liberal side – his thought processes are more complex than Hannity’s, but Colmes can take his arguments on some weird turns. Imagine these two together, commenting on the news for an hour. What happens?

Who cares? I’ll answer that later, but really, you have to watch this show – it comes on weekdays at 9 p.m. Hannity and Colmes just go from one issue to another and have completely opposite viewpoints every time. When they have three or four guests, the show can become hilarious: One person talks, then another, and Colmes says something like, “But, isn’t it like this…�? The liberal guest completely agrees, and then Hannity says they’re both absolutely wrong. But neither side listens. They might even have conflicting facts or reports of events. It’s like watching a broken Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots game – it never ends, and no one wins. Of course, the debate is always civil.

I had a purpose for this long description: I’m trying to get more people to watch Fox News. Not exactly – I think there’s a tendency today for people to constrict themselves within their paradigms.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a paradigm as “a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.�? Paradigms are like worldviews or belief systems.

The idea of paradigms and “paradigm shifts�? came in the 1960s from physics graduate student Thomas Kuhn. Kuhn’s original idea was to apply paradigms to the way scientific theories are constructed: Instead of simply gathering the facts and watching them automatically turn themselves into an objective scientific framework, scientists hold paradigms – assumptions based on culture, opinion and previous scientific knowledge – through which they understand the facts.

One of the properties of paradigms is “incommensurability." It’s hard to explain; it basically means that paradigms are incompatible as interpretations. But incommensurability means a little more than that: Since different paradigms have different assumptions and definitions, someone in one paradigm might not completely understand someone who holds another paradigm.

When people debate using opposing assumptions, the debate will eventually become stuck around one of those assumptions. This seems to me exactly what happens on “Hannity & Colmes�? and in many debates, especially over political issues. Too often, liberals think only within the liberal paradigm, and conservatives stay in the conservative paradigm. I believe the intelligent design debate is stuck on the definition of science within different paradigms – but I don’t want to discuss that now.

The way to get debates “unstuck�? is to move to a deeper level, to examine the assumptions that are made. That doesn’t mean pondering the foundations of paradigms; just check if someone is assuming something unnecessary or unproven. That’s what Hannity, Colmes and everyone else should do.

It was about a year ago that Judge Jones handed down his decision in Kitzmiller v. Dover, that intelligent design couldn’t be taught in Dover Area High School. I know this issue brings up confusion, resentment and some very big headaches for a lot of people, so I will try not to defend creationism too much. I just have one thing to say: creationists aren’t idiots.

The one thing that upset me the most last year, when the debate over intelligent design was most heated, was not that I disagreed with the court’s decision. What upset me was the way some local opponents of intelligent design verbally attacked creationists, ridiculed us and portrayed us as idiots because we did not see things the way they saw it. They either attacked creationists’ personalities instead of the arguments for creationism, or they didn’t even deign to discuss the issue, simply dismissing us as insane.

By MICHELLE RENN, West York Area High School
Teen Takeover staff

’Tis the season for boycotts, bickering and belaboring the pointless.
What is supposed to be a season of joy to the world and peace on Earth has disintegrated into a meaningless squabble over the very words intended to convey such messages. Because of our nation’s recent inclination to be adversarial, the simple season’s greetings “Happy Holidays�? and “Merry Christmas�? find themselves facing each other on the battlefield of our sensibilities.

In yet another incident of students vs. school, two Central York students are protesting – in court – their punishment for hacking into the school district computer. According to the article “Students fight suspensions�? in the York Daily Record on Nov. 22, the students were suspended for several months. Their attorney says the punishment is too long – longer than school district rules allow.

Interestingly, the attorney brought the Constitution into the debate: He argues that the punishment “violates [the students’] constitutional rights of due process and their statutory rights to attend school,�? according to the article. The article also quotes the school board president as saying, “This is a student disciplinary matter, and those are highly confidential.�?

I don’t have the details, so I don’t know which side is correct. If I had to decide how to punish the two students, I would give them more work to do, not let them take a vacation. ...

By Jake Mokris
Teen Takeover staff

It’s easy to be cavalier about some issues, especially important ones. Censorship is one of those issues. In debates about censorship, statements like these abound: “This book corrupts our children.�? Or, “If you ban this book, you have to ban Clifford (the big red dog) too�? (these aren’t real quotes). Or, “All restrictions violate my freedom of expression.�?

I don’t like it when people don’t stop to think about what they believe. To deal with issues like censorship, thinking is mandatory. So here I go:

Before you vote this Tuesday, let me remind you of the wisdom of John N. Fishel, as displayed in his Oct. 19 letter to the editor of the York Daily Record: “Put quite simply, a vote for a Republican, any Republican, is a vote cast by a certified damn fool.�?
How about that? I hope you don’t agree. Fortunately, I am exempt from Fishel’s judgment: I’m not old enough to vote.

By Jake Mokris
Teen Takeover staff member

For decades, the SAT reasoning test has tormented high school students. For a high school senior applying to colleges, a bad SAT score could mean ... nothing.

Increasingly, colleges are beginning to question the usefulness of a standard college entrance exam, for reasons like these: some students, even those with straight A’s, might not “test well�?; wealthier students can pay to be coached; scores aren’t as important as character. So some colleges, including Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall, have gone “SAT optional�?: instead of submitting SAT scores, students can send in graded schoolwork for review. This, such colleges believe, allows students to better reveal themselves and their personal qualities.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

Is it always like this? You know, elections: Have they always been accompanied by so much viciousness? Scandals here, accusations of racism there, finger-pointing, arguments raging, and oh so much speculation: Did Speaker of the House Hastert ignore Congressman Foley’s e-mails to the student pages? Did former President Clinton plan his outburst in his recent interview? Some on each side even portray the other side as having an evil plot. And how long can we debate about Iraq? The point isn’t to set some sort of record.

We are right in the midst of sports season. Times are exciting, a crisp Friday night for high school football, a breezy afternoon for a soccer game, volleyballs bouncing in gyms around the county, and parents fighting each other over their kid's games? Whoa, hold on just one minute. I thought we were talking about kids having fun and maturing playing sports while growing up.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

In 10 years, when I look back on the month of September 2006, I will remember it as the month my life belonged to various colleges. I had to put off reading for leisure, skip jogging, forget about a few chores, and give much of my free time to one difficult task: filling out college applications.

JAKE
MOKRIS

Monday night, I attended my first political debate. I was not sure what to expect as I arrived at the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center at Penn State York. I didn’t even know if I’d get a seat: All the parking lots were full. Fortunately, not everyone parked went to the debate.

I had never heard of a debate with three participants, but all three candidates running for House of Representative of the 19th District were there: Phil Avillo, political science professor at York College, was the Democratic candidate; Todd Platts, the Republican incumbent; and Derf Maitland, of the Green Party.

By BRITTANY PRESTON, Central York High School
Teen Takeover staff

As an avid news watcher, I can say that it is quite disheartening to see day after day that another young soldier was killed by a roadside bomb or insurgent attack in Iraq. It is beyond my comprehension as to how any legislator can watch the news and still feel that we need to “stay the course�? in Iraq. How many more service people need to lose their lives for our lawmakers on Capitol Hill to realize that we are traveling down a dead-end road?

We have heard over and over again that U.S. troops must stay in combat because of the threat to Iraq that is posed by our withdrawl. Has anyone considered the threat and consequences that are being suffered here in America because of this war? Has anyone realized that there are potentially disastrous situations brewing in North Korea, Iran, Israel and other countries?

Recently, the Princeton Review (not affiliated with Princeton University) updated its college rankings lists. This means changes in lists such as “Happiest Students�?, “Dorms Like Dungeons�?, “Professors Make Themselves Accessible�?, and “Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid.�? http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/regional/methodology.asp

One of the functions of the Princeton Review is to help high school students find the right college. The Princeton Review’s website contains profiles of hundreds of colleges in the U.S. The “Rankings and Lists�? and the “Students Say�? section of each profile are based on college students’ opinions of their college.

The result is, as the Princeton Review says, “that which a college admissions viewbook by its very nature can never really achieve—an uncensored view of life at a particular college.�? And they’re right. I’m a senior in high school, and I’ll be applying to colleges this fall. The Princeton Review has been an important aid to my college search.

Early in my search, I considered a certain college that had a good physics program. But the college is on the lists “Professors Make Themselves Scarce,�? “Campus Is Tiny, Unsightly, or Both,�? “Least Happy Students�? and “Long Lines and Red Tape.�? That collage of bad qualities decided for me: I wasn’t applying there.

For a while, I planned on applying to Swarthmore. According to the Princeton Review’s profile, Swarthmore’s student body is very liberal – it’s on the “Students Most Nostalgic for Bill Clinton�? list. I thought that wouldn’t be a big deal. But when I remembered that I’m the person who wants FDR off of dimes, I dropped Swarthmore from my college list. Of course, I had another reason: the distributional requirements at Swarthmore wouldn’t allow me to study physics in depth.

Sometimes I ignore the lists: I’m applying to Johns Hopkins, and I don’t care that it’s fourth on “Is It Food?�?. I attended Johns Hopkins’s pre-college program last summer, and I thought the food was good.

These lists have affected my college choices. Warning to colleges on the bad lists: students and parents will use the lists. Parents whose children are considering Warren Wilson University will want to know that it’s number one on the “Reefer Madness�? list.

Somehow, a few schools are on all the bad lists: Penn State is second on “Party Schools�?, third on “Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid�?, third on “Lots of Hard Liquor�?, sixth on “Lots of Beer�?, and ninth on “Their Students (Almost) Never Study.�? State University of New York at Albany has horrible rankings. The top colleges tend to be on all the good lists. The lists say all sorts of great things about Princeton, which is part of why I’m applying there. Go online and look at the lists; they’re worth seeing.

If the Princeton Review’s lists become as well known as I expect – they were a topic in the national news – then colleges on the bad lists might soon be unpopular. Maybe good will result. The colleges could try to improve themselves. Some colleges take the lists seriously: Johns Hopkins is changing its food service in an attempt to get off of the “Is It Food?�? list and onto the “Best Campus Food�? list. http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/04/06/44382ad03b221?in_archive=1

I wonder what would happen if the Princeton Review ranked high schools.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

I have finally been convinced: I now know that public schooling is better than home-schooling. According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey on public school spending in 2003-2004, the state of Pennsylvania spent more than $9,900 on each public school student in Pennsylvania. With all that money going into their education, public school students must be way smarter than I am.

By TONY McCLURE

It is a common occurrence in many school districts today that when a school cannot balance a budget, it looks to drop a program. This program serves as a scapegoat for the school’s problems, sometimes falling on the music department. Basically, music is the reason for American public school failures. Instead of dropping gym or other worthless curriculums, music programs are deemed nonessential. There are several reasons why this happens and why this needs to be stopped.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

According to a recent poll, 36 percent of Americans believe it is “somewhat likely�? that the government either allowed or carried out the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11.

I don’t know if that many people actually believe 9/11 was an “inside job.�? But there are people who believe in conspiracy theories like this. It’s not a good idea to trust such theories, because they generally don’t make any sense.

JAKE
MOKRIS

Back-to-school shopping lists consist of two major types of items: supplies and clothes. I’m home-schooled, so I don’t have to worry about any big shopping trips. The supplies part of back-to-school shopping I can understand; the clothes part is a mystery to me.

Again, I’m home-schooled, so maybe I don’t understand the world of fashion or the social conventions on acceptable school clothing. But home-schoolers wear clothes, too. I thought that the goal of clothes-shopping was to find something decent to wear. At least, that’s my aim when I go clothes shopping. That aim is becoming harder for me to carry out:

JESSICA GRIMM, West York Area High School
Teen Takeover staff

“Teenagers should stick to writing about iPods or computer games, things they know about, and leave the political commentary to those of us who are old enough to have some perspective on the situation.�?
The above quotation is taken from a letter-to-the-editor that was in a June edition of the York Daily Record/Sunday News. It was written by Turk Pierce in response to an article by Teen Takeover writer Jake Mokris. The rest of Pierce’s letter was written just like any other letter by someone who disagrees with a writer’s opinion, but that final sentence disappointed me.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

Sometimes, I hear someone make a claim or an assumption that can’t really be known to be true. For example, some Americans claim that President Bush lied about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. That’s something people say today, that the president is a liar because he lied about this issue. I don’t think that there’s a good case for that.

When the United States went to war in Iraq, we all believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, or at least a program to create such weapons. That belief was incorrect. Why did we think that there were such weapons in Iraq? The intelligence at the time supported that belief. Why was the intelligence wrong? I do not know. We obviously didn’t have the right information. Maybe someone made an error.

By LINDSEY EPLEY

All over the country, seemingly well behaved, sometimes straight-A students are winding up in the principal’s office. These students, often first-time offenders, can be treated like criminals for making what might seem to the average person, a minor mistake. The reason behind this forceful treatment is the often controversial zero-tolerance policy, established in the 1990s.

Originally created to provide gun-free schools, many states have since added on to the policy by suspending or expelling students carrying almost anything that could be considered a weapon, as well as illegal, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

By NATHAN A.
WINGERT

One of the best times of our young lives is turning “sweet 16.�? For most people, turning 16 and driving represent a coming-of-age. However, there are drivers on the road who are immature and rude, contradicting the whole coming-of-age thing.

Your driver’s license is, in essence, a written contract to the state telling them that you promise to uphold and obey all state laws and even the etiquette of the road. Here’s a list of some of the biggest complaints drivers have and how to avoid them:

Obey the speed limit. For obvious reasons, the speed limit was set, and it should be followed. You’re allowed a 10 mph break both ways, and you shouldn’t be doing more than that.

By JAKE MOKRIS

Even though global warming is not currently one of the nation’s big issues, it has had ample media coverage recently. On May 7, the article “The politics of ‘sound science’�? was in the York Sunday News. The article dealt with the idea that government officials and businesses have been putting forth weak scientific research in order to halt government regulation in issues like global warming. The Baltimore Sun on May 13 contained the article “Vital bay grass can’t take heat�? on the current state of eelgrass in the Chesapeake Bay. The grass hasn’t been doing too well because of hot summers, and the article cited global warming as the cause.

By Nathan Aaron Wingert

This past week, the major soda distributors have decided to drop non-diet soda sales to schools across the country. My reaction: How dare they? How dare they limit my right to drink what soda I want!

I understand that obesity is the biggest concern in the United States because I wrote an article for my high school newspaper about obesity, using JFK’s inaugural address as a parody. If you’re fat, you need to take responsibility for your actions. Exercise - and eat right. This is a perfect example of the 10 percent of the obese people ruining the right to drink whatever soda for 90 percent of the population.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

A few years ago, I started jogging for exercise. I’m not on any high school team, but I have been participating in something else: local races.

I’m a member of the York Road Runners Club, an organization of runners who sponsor and run in races (many of which are for charity). You do not have to be a member of the club to run in races. The races are not for serious runners only, nor do the races consist solely of a three- to six-mile run. Nearly all of them have 1-mile fun-run/walk events. Right now, I’m running in the Hanover Toyota Cup series of races; this is the third year I’ve participated in the series. The series includes five races this year, and three are left. This is what a typical race is like:

By JAKE
MOKRIS

Summer is almost here. Well, actually, it’s not even May, but summer is almost here for me: I’ll be done with my junior year of high school next week.

Ah, summer. The time when teens can rest and be free. No homework to turn in, and no tests to take. I propose that teens take advantage of this peaceful season — by wrecking it: Attend a pre-college program.

By JAKE MOKRIS

Fred Phelps makes me very aggravated. Mr. Phelps is a Baptist minister who preaches hatred toward homosexuals. He and his church stage protests at soldiers’ funerals, celebrating the soldiers’ deaths as God’s judgment on society for tolerance of homosexuality. Because they call themselves Christians (I’m not sure that they are), they give all Christians a bad name, and they dishonor Christ.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

The past few weeks have been rather riotous. College students in France rioted, and there were riots in the southwestern U.S. over the new immigration bill.

Though I am interested in the issues surrounding these riots, I’m concerned about something else: As I watched news coverage of the immigration riots, the channel I was watching played footage of school students participating in the riots. The students were marching through a street — a very busy street. They walked right in front of cars, meandered through the traffic, and crossed the street as if no cars were there at all.

By DANIEL LANNON
Susquehannock High School

Well, that’s it. March Madness is over! All the nail-biting, same-jersey-wearing, bracket mania is over. It’s finally time to count up all your winnings from the NCAA tourney — but that’s exactly the problem.

Gambling has become the norm in the U.S. Everyone seems to bet on anything in his or her sight. The NCAA tournament has, for years, drawn huge attention to bracket making. And what has come out of it? Gambling on a fan’s favorite team. Trouble is, teens are caught up in the midst of this gambling problem.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

In a speech against the original version of the new immigration bill, Sen. Hillary Clinton completely surprised me. She said that the bill would incriminate “probably even Jesus himself.�?

I do not claim to know why she said that. The first thing that came into my mind was the statement’s irony: Sen. Clinton violated the “separation of church and state.�? I laughed when I heard her appeal to religion to support her argument. I don’t think the potential Democratic candidate for president should get away with that.

But there is a greater issue: The role of religion in politics. Does the Constitution allow Sen. Clinton and other politicians to mention religion and use religious arguments in politics?

By JAKE
MOKRIS

Here’s an easy question: What symbol captures the essence of the American spirit and identity? The easy answer is, of course, the American flag.

The flag represents just about everything American: the war for independence, the Constitution, our freedoms, our government, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have died to defend our country, various definitions of “the American dream.�?

You would think that we would take good care of such a symbol.

And many people do.

But the exceptions are disturbing: I have seen dingy flags, ripped flags, faded flags, frayed flags, flags hung from clotheslines. My mom saw a flag in a flowerpot.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

Homer. Marge. Bart and Lisa. Maggie. Mr. Flanders. Moe. Smithers. I have not watched “The Simpsons�? for a long time, but I am able to remember the names of some of the characters (though it took me a while to remember Mr. Burns). Unfortunately, many Americans know more about “The Simpsons�? than they do about the Constitution, according to a recent poll.

This is not good. Americans ought to know their own Constitution. There is nothing wrong with knowing all about a TV show; I know a disproportionate amount of information about “Star Trek.�? But television ranks far lower than the Constitution in importance, for the Constitution –– not Homer –– says how our government is to function. Yet the issue is far beyond that: American society is in danger if its people are not informed on the Constitution.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

When I took the PSAT last year, I filled in the “yes�? oval in response to a question similar to this: “Would you like the College Board to provide your PSAT scores, your home address and your e-mail address to colleges?�?

As a result, I get a lot of mail from colleges.

Most of the mail says the exact same thing: “Dear Jacob, we would like you to know about our university. Our students have a great experience and are well prepared for their future. Put the enclosed card in the mail if you want to know more.�?

By JESSICA GRIMM

On Feb. 16, Mr. Mark Stickel was found dead in his classroom at my high school. It’s now a week later, the school is trying to return back to normal, but some things are still causing controversy within West York Area High School.

Why did Mrs. May, the principal, and Dr. Lonardi, the superintendent, not tell the students what was going on? I understand that the administration had a lot to deal with, but keeping the students in a “Code Blue Lockdown,‿ ignorant of the day’s events, probably wasn’t the best solution.

Counselors have been at the school to help students cope with grief.

It has been decided, however, that one of the most therapeutic things for many students has been somewhat banned. The banned method: writing.

Poems that express students’ feelings about the suicide cannot be published in The Inkwell, a literary magazine in the school.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

On Feb. 12, many churches in the United States held an Evolution Sunday, stating that Christianity and evolution are compatible. But that belief is not theologically sound.

The Bible gives two points that relate to this issue: First, since God created the universe and gave us the Bible, facts about the universe will not contradict the Bible’s teaching. God cannot tell us one thing in the universe, and lie to us about the same thing in what he says in the Bible. That is impossible, for God is perfect.

By JAKE
MOKRIS

If an average person had accidentally shot his hunting partner, the person’s companions would scold him, he would pay his partner’s medical bill, and the issue would probably be over.

But if Vice President Cheney accidentally shoots his hunting partner, the accident somehow embodies the alleged faults of the Bush administration.

Reporters piled questions on White House spokesman Scott McClellan, from inquiries on the speed of information release to whether the vice president would resign. The reporters turned the accident into a political debate. They could not have been more insensitive.

By JAKE MOKRIS
Teen Takeover staff

I am a homeschooled student, so I doubt that anyone would be surprised if I said that homeschooling is better than attending public school. But in one point, public schools clearly top homeschooling: the prizes.

Recently, some schools have started to give prizes to students who attain perfect attendance. Ranging from small cash prizes to cars, these awards are supposed to give students an incentive to come to school and do well. But while such prizes certainly motivate students to come to school, the giving of awards only partially addresses schools’ problems.

By JAKE MOKRIS
Teen Takeover staff

The controversy over the words “under God�? in the Pledge of Allegiance is an important political debate. But the Pledge of Allegiance presents another, perhaps unheard-of issue. The real problem has to do with the pledge itself.

What is the Pledge of Allegiance? This is not a silly question; the Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge of allegiance. When we say the pledge, we are pledging our loyalty to the federal government.

By JAKE MOKRIS
Teen Takeover staff

With the relatively recent advent of online movie rental programs, the movie-renting business has moved into the 21st century. Through these rental programs, families can rent movies at home and potentially never go to a rental store again.

By OLIVIA FRANK
Teen Takeover staff

A little over a week ago, televangelist Pat Robertson made some controversial statements about Israeli leader Ariel Sharon’s health. He stated that Sharon’s stroke was “punishment for dividing God’s land.�? I am not a religious person, but I believe that I would be just as offended even if I were.

By Jake Mokris
Teen Takeover staff

In my experience, dogs are not always man’s best friends. I have had more than one bad encounter with dogs: Since I jog around my neighborhood, dogs frequently bark at me and sometimes chase me. Recently, I started running on a different course because of the dogs that live at certain houses along one road. I do not have a fear of dogs in and of themselves, but I do have to be wary of dogs while I run.

A family might think that its dog is gentle and restrained, but that cannot be completely ascertained. Even if it is well behaved indoors, the family dog has the potential to become aggressive when a stranger runs by on the sidewalk.

By Jake Mokris
Teen Takeover staff

Joe Paterno is 79. He has been coaching football for 40 years. His team just won the Orange Bowl, finishing the season as third in the country. Coach Paterno has been rather cranky lately, and he made some crude comments on Florida State player A. J. Nicholson’s alleged sexual misconduct.

Because of all this, many people claim that Joe Paterno should retire. But are these good reasons for him to retire?

By Nathan A. Wingert
Teen Takeover staff

First, he said Dover would have a catastrophe because of the intelligent design case. Then, he said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was God's wrath for “dividing the Holy land.�? He is Pat Robertson, the infamous televangelist. What’s next, Pat? Every high-schooler who fails is failing because it’s God’s wrath?

By JAKE MOKRIS
Teen Takeover staff

To many people, the presidency is a sort of dream job. The job does have a certain allure: The president occupies the highest office in the United States, and he is one of the most important and most famous people in the country. His salary is relatively large. Almost every time elementary school students are assigned an essay on their choice for their future occupations, one of the students wants to be the president. Much commotion and discussion surrounds the election of new presidents, and the president is highly honored by all Americans.

Actually, that last sentence is not entirely true.

By ANTONIA HERNANDEZ
Teen Takeover staff

For the past four years, President George Walker Bush has enacted the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. Though many are not aware of what this act does, it has affected many of us, without our knowing.

DAN LANNON
YDR Teen Takeover staff

Oh, there’s nothing like the hustle and bustle of the holidays. From the parties, cooking and baking, to gift-wrapping, it seems the list never ends.

But the biggest production is the traveling that many do over the holidays.

By JAKE MOKRIS
YDR Teen Takeover staff

It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, and teenagers are not exempt. If you can’t think of any resolutions, I have a suggestion: Read a book.

By JAKE MOKRIS
Teen Takeover staff

Finally, the Dover trial, the climax of a series of events that started more than a year ago, is over. But fortunately, that trial is not the final word on the issue of the origin of life.

I have a problem with the entire concept of a trial on intelligent design. Courts are not qualified to judge scientific matters; that is the scientist’s job. But though scientists are supposed to evaluate intelligent design, many have not, because they automatically dismiss intelligent design as false for its inclusion of a supernatural agent. Such a move comes from bad reasoning.

By STEPHANIE BROTHERS
Teen Takeover staff

Last week on the radio, I heard a very catchy advertisement. It was set to the tune of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.�? I couldn’t tell what company it was for until the end, and even when it was over I wasn’t sure if it was put on the air as a joke. It was a commercial for Wal-Mart Watch.

By ALY OWEN
Teen Takeover staff

Houses sparkle along the streets with only the help of indoor lamps. Lawns glisten with green, and occasionally, the rare scattered lawn gnome. The only things decorated in malls and stores are the various racks of clothing or make-up counters.

By Jake Mokris
Homeschooled

The holiday season has begun. Houses are illuminated with decorations, Christmas trees shine through windows, and unfortunately, snow already covers the ground.

By Urja Dave, West York Area High School

America: the country that millions dream about for asylum and opportunity. The country whose liberties and freedoms are summed up in one symbol — the American flag. There’s no doubt the United States is probably the freest country in the world; however, why hasn’t there been a leader who hasn’t been white, male, heterosexual and of a popular creed?

By Stephanie Brothers,
Senior, Red Land High School

One of the biggest privileges of being a senior at Red Land High School is to park in the upper parking lot. As a junior, you are only allowed to park in the lower lot (which is quite a long walk to the building, especially on cold, snowy days). This school year, only some seniors are able to park in the upper lot. ...

By Nathan Wingert - York Daily Record Teen Takeover staff

Every September, all you have to do is drive down Pennsylvania, Richland or Carlisle avenues and you can smell french fries and funnel cake, see rides and games, or hear fantastic concerts. You know what I’m talking about — the grand York Fair. The York Fair is America’s oldest fair, dating back to 1765 — making it exactly 240 years old. It represents York County’s heritage as an agricultural community. ...