The Review

The ReviewThe Review

the review M a g a z i n e t h e w i n t e r e d i t i o n

CookiesforSanta

Peanut butter cookies1 cup Shortning; 1 cup Peanut Butter; 1 cup Sugar; 1 cup Brown Sugar; 2 Eggs; 1 tlb Milk; 2 cups Flour; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Baking SodaWith Mixer, mix first 6 ingredients; Mix last 3 ingredients; Mix Step 3 into Step 2; You can double or triple this recipe without problems; You can add chocolate chips to recipe with great results; Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.

Double chocolate chip1 cup margarine, softened; 1 cup white sugar; 1 cup brown sugar; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-pur-pose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the margarine, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place them one inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon cookies1 cup butter, softened; 1 1/2 cups white sugar; 1 egg; 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses; 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda; 1 tablespoon groundPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in egg and molasses, blend-ing well. Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Ginger Snaps2 3/4 cups self-rising flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 tea-spoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon

ginger; 1/4 teaspoon cloves; 1 cup brown sugar, packed; 3/4 cup margarine or butter,

softened; 1 egg; 1/4 cup light molassesCombine flour, soda, and spices in a bowl and set aside. Cream sugar and margarine. Beat in egg and molasses until light and fluffy. Stir in flour mix-ture just until blended. Chill for 2 hours or more. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place on lightly greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes, until set.

Classic Sugar2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tea-spoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup butter, softened; 1 1/2 cups white sugar; 1 egg; 1 tea-spoon vanilla extract1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir to-gether flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. 3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Chip1 cup butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tea-spoon baking soda 2 teaspoons hot water 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnutsPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dis-solve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto un-greased pans. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

The Creators of The Review

Jordan D. Jordan D. is currently a student at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy high school. She en-joys math and art, but is not in any extra curricular activities, as she would prefer to watch TV when she gets home(some of her favorites are Degrassi and the ABC movie marathons). She hopes to at-tend the McCallum school of Fine Arts next year, and is in the process of applying. Some of Jordan’s favorite Ezineactivities were using InDesign and creating the blogs.She contributed to this maga-zine “Teaching the Basics”, “Have Movies Lost Their Touch?”, and “Cookies for Santa”

Amber Mangalindan is currently a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She is very outgoing and enjoys reading, acting, and hanging out with her friends. Amber has been involved in Yearbook for three years and Newspaper for four years. This is her first time creating an electronic magazine, but she is very excited and hopes you’ll enjoy it. Articles contributed by her were “White Col-lar”, “New Moon”, “Blame the Parents”, and “ Netboooks vs. PCs”

Amber M.

Danielle D.

Nikita P. Nikita P. is a 15-year-old girl that loves movies. She would marry movies one day if she could. She is a very energetic, happy girl who always wears a smile on her face. She loves to listen to all kind of mu-sic, play piano, make music, and visit various new places.She wants to be a surgeon when she grows so she can help save peoples’ lives. She dislikes people who are not outgoing and pessimistic. She con-tributed to this magazine “No More Summer?”, “The New “‘Toy’” and the “Horoscopes” and “Christmas in a Nutshell.”

Danielle D is a 14 year-old student at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy who loves music and dance. She plays violin and cello and hopes to one day also learn to play the piano. Although Danielle is not a very sporty person, she does enjoy play-ing volleyball and tennis when she gets the time. She, like group member Nikita P., also aspires to be a doctor in the upcoming years, either a veterinarian or cardiologist. Her favorite school subjects are English and Latin. Danielle says, “The thing I liked most about Ezine was being able to show other people how to use it. Computers are not my specialty, so it felt nice to be able to show my friends something for a change. Danielle contributed to this magazine “A Deeper Meaning”, “Twilight: Serious Saga or Air-Headed Attempt?”, and “How Well Do You Know Michael Jackson?”

the review M a g a z i n e t h e w i n t e r e d i t i o n

Table of Contents

IN EVERY ISSUE

04-05 Meet the Staff

Entertainment30 Horoscopes

Culinary arts 02-03 Cookies for

Santa

31 Chirstmas In a Nutshell

20 How well do you know Michael Jackson?

14 Twilight Saga: New Moon08 White Collar

EntertainmentCont.

Reviews

22

3824

2610

16

12

A Deeper Meaning

Blame the Parents

The New “Toy”

Have Movies Lost their Touch?

No More Summer?

Twilight Obsession

Teaching the Bassics

Neal Caffrey has a charming and childish personality and not to mention, incredible wit. Peter Burke is an old-school style FBI agent with everything Caffrey dreams of having, a loving wife, a successful job and a welcom-ing home. When Caffrey escapes from prison just four months away from his release in order to track down his girlfriend who has mysteriously disap-peared, he is captured by Burke. Caffrey still hooked on his dream of “true love,” strikes up a bargain: in exchange for his eventual freedom, he will wear a tracking device around his ankle while helping the FBI catch other white-collar criminals like himself. USA Network’s new series “White Collar” pre-miered on Friday, Oct. 23. The story revolves around criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) and FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). The un-likely partnering of the two adversaries creates an interesting comedy. Jeff Eastin created and execu-tive produces “White Collar” with a creative mix of Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can” and CBS’s TV show, “The Mentalist.” The hour-and-a-half pi-

lot episode of the series like most, drags a bit but sets up the plot quite nicely and allowed a great deal of character development, which seems to lead into a promising first season. Matt Bomer has also starred in ABC’s “Traveler” and New Line’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.” Tim DeKay also starred in “Carnivále” and “Tell Me You Love Me.” Co-Star Tiffani Thiessen plays Peter Burke’s wife Elizabeth and has also starred in “Beverly Hills 90210,” and “Hollywood Ending.” Co-Star Wil-lie Garson who has appeared in over 250 TV episodes and starred in “Sex and the City” plays Mozzie, Neal Caf-frey’s friend and ally who supplies him with connections in the criminal world. Eastin pulled together the perfect cast. The actors capture the emotions of their characters exceedingly well and match the personalities completely. Between the mystery, comi-cal drama and action, “White Collar” will most likely become USA Net-work’s next hit show. “White Col-lar” is an absolute must see and keeps its viewers on their toes.

WHITECOLLAR

by: Amber M.

8 the review

Have Movies Lost Their Touch?

n 1977, Titanic earned

$600,788,188 in its opening

weekend and a total of

$1,848,813,795 while it

was being shown in theaters.

Within months after it was no

longer shown at the

theaters, we could rent

it at Blockbuster or Hollywood

Video for $4 dollars. Why do people go

to the movies and pay $30 when you

can wait a month and rent it? There

is current trend of movie theaters

not making money like they used to.

I believe it is because the

Renting a DVD allows you to

watch it multiple times or even

watch the movie over multiple days

if needed.

convenience and cheaper cost of DVD

rentals. Renting or purchasing a DVD gives

you the convenience to watch it when you

want. And renting or purchasing a DVD is

much cheaper than going to a movie theatre.

Many people would prefer to rent a DVD

because it is cheaper

and you can watch

it at home in bed.

Also, when you don’t like a

movie, you can run it back

to blockbuster and trade it

out for FREE. You can rent

and return movies using

the mail also. Now I can I

IDecember 200910 the review

rent a movie on

demand and, I can

go to netflix.com

and watch a wide

selection of movies.

While watching a

DVD, if something

comes up, you can

start and stop a

movie at your own

convenience. If

you don’t like the

movie you see at

the theater you

can’t get a refund,

and you can’t exchange it for another movie. If you

want to see a movie at a theatre then you have to

see it at a time when it is showing. The times aren’t

well spaced and it could be hard to get over to the

theater in time. It is also inconvenient to drive to

the theater and find parking. Then if you are late,

you may not be able to sit with the friends you are

going with. And perhaps the most inconvenient

part of going to a theater is that you have to

watch 20 minutes of previews and commercials.

The convenience of renting and watching a

movie out weighs the inconvenience of going to

a theatre by a landslide. This is one reason that

theaters are not making money like they used to.

People say that they go to the movies for

the environment. But what’s so great about the

environment? Is it the overly buttered popcorn

can make you feel sick for days afterwards? Or

is it the nachos, with that weirdly colored cheese

that has probably been sitting out for days? Not

to mention the candy that has probably already

expired. And today, many people have home

theaters that equal the movie watching experience

in the theater. Systems have surround sound so

you get the same sound experience as in the

theater. But you don’t get the people talking or

babies crying that come with theater watching.

There are some acceptable theaters like

the Alamo Drafthouse where you can see a

movie with entertainment and food added. The

food is great and so is the service. At the Alamo

they show box office movies and older movies

with a twist. A good example is the midnight

double feature of the rocky horror picture show.

I believe that people are starting to realize

that theaters are old fashioned and inconvenient.

More and more people rent DVD’s everyday, and

we just have to face the fact that Blockbuster and

Netflix are going to run theaters out of business.

by: Jordan D.

11

S

The Twilight Obsession: Serious Saga or Air-Headed Attempt?

Shocked expressions followed by intense

grimaces. This is the reaction you’ll get these

days if you tell a person you don’t like Twilight.

It seems as if every time you look around

more and more people are trying to make

books and films with similar plot lines as those

of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, New Moon,

Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. For example: The

CW’s newest horror show, based off the 1990’s

novel series recently republished early last

year, The Vampire Diaries, just aired this past

September. The basic theme of the program is

a human girl who gets stuck in a love triangle

between two vampire brothers. HBO also has

a fairly recent program called True Blood,

which aired in 2008, that takes place a future

where everyone is aware that vampires exist.

After reading a summary of the major

ideas in the novels by L.J. Smith, I see drastic

similarities between them and Twilight.

Comparing this to Stephanie Meyer’s bizarre

write-up on http://www.stephaniemeyer.com

December 2009 12 the review

of how she came up with the idea for Twilight,

makes me pretty suspicious. I don’t think

I would be going to far of a stretch to say

she ‘borrowed’ a few ideas from authors and

filmmakers past (Interview with a Vampire, The

Vampire Diaries). It’s hard to be very original

with the idea in the first place, seeing as it’s

hard to make anything bloodsucking seem

sweet other than by making them fall in love.

I also think that people held too high

of expectations for the movie. A movie based

off of a book will never be exactly the same.

I understand people like the fact that it’s a

romance, mystery, and adventure novel all rolled

into one, but when trying to fit it all into a movie, it

makes the story line complicated to understand,

and rather cheesy. The writing of Twilight was

gender-geared

and poor to begin

with, so people

should give the

directors a break.

Twilight is

becoming over-

rated and I think

it takes away from

some of the better novels in this world. It gets

harder and harder each time one of the new

movies or books is released to find something

more suited to my tastes, because books like

it are all teens these days want to read. This

is causing authors to decide whether they

want to write a book that will be read and well

liked, or to write about something they feel

more passionately about, even though they

don’t think it will get that much recognition.

by: Danielle D.

13

STARRINGRobert Pattin-son, Kristin Stewart, Taylor LautnerDIRECTED BYChris Weitz

rom the swooning girls in the back of the theater, to their frustrated grunting boyfriends it was clear the audience

wasn’t there to enjoy the actual movie. The Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on Nov. 20, starring Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) and Kristin Stewart (Bella Swan). The story begins with a nightmare and a bloody birthday scene, leading to the break-up between Bella and Edward. After several boring and pointless scenes of Bella alone and depressed, she notices she is able to hear Edward’s voice in life threatening situations. She begins hanging out with 16-year-old Jacob, who just happens to be turning into a werewolf. After a few chaotic events and a handful of shirtless scenes, which sent all the girls cheering, Edward thinks Bella had

suddenly committed suicide and travels to Italy to provoke the Volturi, the powerful vampire coven that enforces the vampire law of secrecy, into killing him also. Chris Weitz, who had also directed The Golden Compass, replaced the Twilight Saga’s first director, Catherine Hardwicke. New Moon also beat Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and now holds the record for the biggest midnight opening in the domestic box office history. The awesome special effects and the frightening scenes with the Volturi added action and a fast tempo to the otherwise dark and depressing movie. Other than this, the movie was slow paced and nothing special. It is a good movie and deserves to be seen at least once, but it is not interesting enough to be obsessing over or seen repeatedly.

FNEW MOON by Amber M.

the review

December 2009 14 the review

12

Top 5 Box Office Movies 1. Titanic

2. The Dark Knight 3. Star Wars 4. Shrek 2

5. E.T. Extra TerrestrialVisit our blog to hear our views on these

movies

December 2009

The New “Toy” Every year, kids all around the world anxiously wait for the “New Toy.” This year it happens be the

Zune HD.

By Nikita P.

A crisp wind blows through Austin on a Saturday afternoon, clouds scattered through the sky. Instead of enjoying the rarity of the cool weather, teens flood into Best Buy and Fry’s for the

release of the Zune HD. Teens pour over the display, their faces pressed against the glass case exhibiting the Zune HD, begging their parents to own the newest “toy.” The Zune HD, a MP3 player from Microsoft Corporation, was released in stores on September 15, 2009. It’s the first of all the MP3s to have an OLED screen, or organic light emitting diode. This new technology in the Zune HD gives people a look at the new level in MP3.

There are two options available for the Zune HD, the 16GB or the 32 GB MP3. According to Zune HD by Microsoft, 32 GB can hold up to 10 hours of HD video, 8000 songs or 25000 pictures. The 16GB Zune can hold up to 5 hours of HD video, 4000 songs or 25000 pictures. Wi-Fi is available through the Zune, allowing people to purchase and play music and surf the web. Through Wi-Fi you can access the Zune Marketplace, which allows you to download games, music, TV shows and podcasts on to the Zune. The Zune can also connect to an HD television where you can watch movies at 720 p. The most popular feature in the Zune is the HD radio that allows you to tune into countless number of FM stations

December 200916 the review

and other local radio stations with a crystal-clear sound. “If I had to buy a Zune HD, it would be for the HD radio,” Fry’s Electronics employee Chuck Coffman said. With this radio, you can tune into HD2/HD3 channels, stations that give a clear sound. You can tune into hundreds of free stations across the nation, giving you more choices. In addition, you won’t be loosing any stations. With the Zune, it is possible to have both analog and HD radio stations so you can keep the stations you like but also have many more to choose from. Another great feature of the Zune is the OLED screen that gives incredible picture quality. “OLED is one of the plus points of the Zune HD that makes it a quality product,” Coffman says. According to “OLED-Display.NET”, OLED is a brand new technology using organic materials, or carbon based substances such as wood or sugar found in a majority of plastic material. OLED provides great picture quality, and blazing fast responses. There are two types of OLED, small molecule OLED or polymer OLED.

rganic material is place in between two conductors that is placed in between two pieces of glass, one on the bottom and one on the top. When an electric current is passes through the conductors a bright,

luminescent light. Red, blue and green pixels are produced from this light. The organic layer thickness is modified to adjust the concentration of each pixel. Then to produce the final clear color, the pixels pass through a filter. “I think because of the new touch screen, HD radio, and the amazing picture quality because of the OLED, people are buying the Zune,” says Coffman. The main consumer of the Zune HD is the younger population. Not only do the specs of the MP3 appeal to the people, but the price is also affordable. Prices range from around 219 to 289 dollars depending on which type of Zune you get. Comparing that to the iTouch, which prices start and 199 and go all the way up to 399, the Zune is pretty cheap. “The Zune is best sold at value price, making the product really good,” says Nathan Lanford, another employee at Fry’s Electronics. Some may claim that Microsoft bumped MP3 entertainment to the next level, but in a few more months, teens all over the country will probably be begging their parents to own the newest “toy.”

O

17

When did Michael Jackson die?

Who was Michael Jackson’s first wife?

What was Michael Jackson’s abest selling album?

how well do you know michael jackson?

a. 1943, New York City, New Yorkb. 1958, Gary, Indianac. 1967, Austin, Texas

A. ThrillerB. FameC. Carousel

A. Uma Thurman B. Lisa Marie PresleyC. Angelina Jolie

A. 1978B. 2009C. 2003

when and where was Michael Jackson born?

What are michael jackson’s three kids named?

A. Samantha, Thomas, and Jeffrey B. Paris, Prince Michael I, and Prince Michael IIC. Eliza, Kevin, and William

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.answers:1. 1958, Gary, indiana2. Lisa Marie Presley3. Thriller4. Paris, Prince Michael 1, and prince Michael 115. 2009

the review18 December 2009

answers:1. 1958, Gary, indiana2. Lisa Marie Presley3. Thriller4. Paris, Prince Michael 1, and prince Michael 115. 2009

The electronics section of Best Buy was the

noisiest part of the store. Employees rattled

facts off the top of their heads, persuading

customers to buy a computer. Teens played

with the lines of laptops on display hoping for

one to be theirs. Parents squinted at prices,

their eyebrows knitted together

and mouths set in a line on their

faces reviewing their options.

Netbooks are the fastest growing

computer category. Many people buy

a netbook, also called mini laptops,

subnotebooks or ultraportables,

because of the cheaper prices,

but they don’t know the actual

differences between a netbook and

a laptop. In an interview with Fox

Business, NPD group vice president

Stephen Baker explained the

market was partly at fault for this.

According to CEO Vipin Jain of

Retrevo, a product search engine,

students want longer battery

life, smaller size and a lighter

laptop. 58 percent of them plan

on spending less than $750, and

only 18 percent have a budget over

$1,000. While most laptops begin

around $400 to $500, netbooks

typically cost $250 to $500 and up.

“Probably the most dominant reason

people are buying netbooks, is the

cost,” LASA Freshman Cali Dorsch

said. “Parents don’t want to spend a

lot of money on a machine their kids

will use mostly for email and games.”

Netbooks aren’t meant to be a

main computer, the way a laptop

can be. According to “Netbook

or Ultraportable: Which Is Best

for the Job?” by James A. Martin,

Pricey Laptop or

TOPNetbook Market Share

ACER 38.3%

ASUS 30.3%

HP 5.8%

MSI 5.7%

DELL 2.8%

OLPC (One Laptop Per Child)

2.3%

Medion 2.3%

Kohjinsha 1.0%

Intel 1.0%

Lenovo 0.7%

Toshiba 0.5%

All Others 9.1%

by: Amber M.

20 the review December 2009

“the keyboard of a netbook is often

92 percent of the size of a standard

laptop’s. They aren’t as powerful as

laptops and they lack an optical disc

drive (CD or DVD drive) although, most

come with USB drives. Netbooks are also

limited by processing power, battery

size and storage space. Most netbooks

currently run on Windows XP and have

a 2 GB ceiling memory. Really, they are

designed for Web browsing, e-mail and

“basic office productivity tasks.” Also, a

netbook usually weighs less than three

pounds and has a smaller screen that is

seven to ten inches says netbooks.com.

“I’m very happy with my laptop, it’s

only slightly bigger and better in

so many ways,” Dorsch says. “I’ve

compared it [my laptop] to a friend’s

netbook and the first thing I

thought was ‘Wow, mine can do

that function a 100 times faster.’”

In the end whether it is a pricey,

slightly faster laptop or a smaller,

more affordable version with

fewer programs, the decision

of which to buy depends on

what the buyer will be using it

for and the buyer’s price range.

Cheaper Netbook

”I’m very happy with my laptop, it’s only slightly bigger and better in so

many ways-Cali Dorsch

21

No More Summer?

By Nikita P.

T

“It’s summer!” kids scream as they pour out of the school doors to head home and start there days of gazing at the sun and hanging out with friends. They go to places all over the world and some stay at home doing really nothing. I am one of the several kids who do absolutely nothing all

summer, and I say three months is way too long of a time to spend doing nothing.

he school system we have today was based on the agrarian society, time for harvesting. Farmers needed their kids to help them tend the fields and give a helping hand around the farm.

Summer was a time set-aside from school for kids to be able to give that helping hand. But as Arne Duncan the Education Secretary says “not too many of our kids are working the fields today.” President Obama and Arne Duncan are prosing to add time to the present school year and splitting up summer into many breaks that would be spread out throughout the entire year. Mean-ing he will make the school year all year long, with longer breaks at multiple intervals. I agree with this because as weird as this seems, sum-mer vacation makes me miss out on so much. This plan will be beneficial for several

reasons. During the summer season, air tick-ets cost a fortune, making it harder for middle class families to take foreign vacations. When I travel to India in the summer, the tickets are about twice the cost that they would be during other parts of the year. According to Delta Air-lines, tickets to India now would cost about 900 dollars, and during the summer season, tickets cost a minimum of 1500 dollars. With the holi-days spread out during the year, you would be able to avoid the summer rush and prices. It will be easier to spend time with distant families at weddings, or birthdays or other types of celebrations. These things can wait a few days but not months. The majority of my family lives in Mumbai, India. I have missed many important family events like a few weddings and new births into the family. I always have to wait until sum-


mer comes to be able to go to India and see all of my family. I miss out on getting to know all my cousins, but the breaks that President Obama is planning to add will make it a lot easier to go to India frequently and see all of my relatives. With the breaks in between you will be able to relax and rejuvenate. At school, especially high school, students are pushed to the extreme, with tests and quizzes and all sorts of deadlines every week, and it is necessary to take breaks in be-tween. The weekend really isn’t a break consider-ing the fact that most kids spend time inside doing homework. Students need at least a week off so they can unwind before another vicious six weeks. The fact that there will be a continuity of school throughout the entire school year will help a lot of kids improve. The lapse of 3 months causes kids to forget what they learned during the school year. This is even worse for poorer kids who cannot afford to go to places like Kumon or Sylvan to refine the skills they had learned dur-ing the year. “Disadvantaged kids, on the whole, make no progress in the summer. Some studies suggest they actually fall back. Wealthier kids have parents who read to them, have strong language skills and go to great lengths to give them learning opportunities such as comput-ers, summer camp, vacations, music lessons, or

playing on sports teams,” says Karl Alexander, a sociology professor at John Hopkins University. This plan has some big drawbacks though. To get this plan into play will cost a lot of mon-ey. The travel industry will be dramatically af-fected. According to Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, this new plan will dry up the in-dustry’s labor source, consisting of mainly high school and college students, radically effect-ing the hotel and resorts around the nation.Joe McInerney is right. The industry will definitely loose money, but if the holidays are spread out throughout the year, people will be more willing to take vacations or just spend time with their families. This means there will be a flow of money through-out the entire year, rather than in just one season. To help make this proposition a reality there are a few things that people can do. Write to your local senator and tell them why it is a good idea. Also people can spread the word about the ben-efits of the plan and explain how they could bring about the change. Tell them that this plan will give students more time to relax and wind down. It will be easier to have vacations that you normally could only have during the summer. With all these benefits, there really should be no debate at all.

December 2009 23

ver 155 million kids of the world’s children are either obese or overweight. There are over 1 billion overweight adults in the world; according to Medical News Today (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8277.php), at least 300 million of them are obese. Nearly two out of every three Americans are overweight or obese. America is one of the top overweight countries today. I believe that many

kids are becoming obese not only because lack of exercise, but because of their eating habits that start in their homes. These eating habits consist of things like the amount of food they consume each day and what they eat as compared to what they should be eating. Fast food and junk food are advertised everywhere with children as their goal, for it is the children of today who are buying these products O

Blame the Parents


and convincing parents to buy junk food rather then taking the time to cook a nutritional meal at home. Kids today are being spoiled to the point that parents don’t even know how to say “no” to their kids anymore. So they are giving into their child’s demand for more money and more junk food. Mean while, kids are consuming larger proportions and are living in an unhealthy environment. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website, (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/obe/obe_causes.html), as you get older, you need to either reduce your calorie intake, or suffer from weight gain, which can lead to diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and Syndrome X. In this economy, parents are working later to keep up with the everyday expenses of a large family. As a result, they are cooking less and giving in to their cravings of a quick meal of cheap grease and sugar. Out of adults mouths and even some kids, I hear that it is kids’ fault America is overweight. It is the kids’ fault for America being one of the top over weight countries in the world, because “they are the ones who are eating it everyday for each meals,” “they are the

ones who are too lazy to make themselves a meal” and “they are the ones who are spoiled to the point that all they eat is junk food.” Now while I can agree with some of these arguments, it is really the parents’ fault because, where are unemployed kids’ getting the money to buy these food products? Who is spoiling the kids? And who is at fault because they cannot control their child’s desires? All of these answers can be summed up with one word, parents. This is eventually passed down to the next generation, which is passed down to the next generation, etc. and becomes an endless chain, causing the world to eventually become overweight and obese, and causing unhealthy conditions like diabetes. Bad eating habits caused by parents are continuing on to future generations and kids are getting less nutrition, forming a long chain that will eventually lead to the overweight, obese population and a world full of disease.

1. Nauru 94.5 2. Federated States of Micronesia 91.1 3. Cook Islands 90.9 4. Tonga 90.8 5. Niue 81.7 6. Samoa 80.4 7. Palau 78.4 8. Kuwait 74.2 9. United States 74.1 10. Kiribati 73.6

Top 10 Overweight Countries

http://www.healthkicker.com/705819375/most-overweight-and-healthiest-nation-in-the-world/

by: Amber M.

23

Teaching the BassicsMichael Scaccia is in a band, “Ryan Beaver,” ranked #31 in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas and sometimes Tennessee and Alabama. Michael Scaccia has been the bass player for the band for about a year and a half, although he has

been in many bands before “Ryan Beaver.”

“Bass is the absolute baddest ass instrument,” says quirky LASA English teacher Michael Scaccia. He has asked his students to be on the lookout for cool items like couch-es, and posters to place around the classroom to help make his students more comfortable. He wants them to come af-ter school to help paint his room. He makes jokes in class frequently, and has an extension class during LASA students advisory period called, “That’s what she said.” Most students tend to think their teach-ers don’t have a life out-side of school, but LASA English teacher Michael Scaccia certainly does. Michael Scaccia is in a band, “Ryan Beaver,” ranked #31 in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas and some-times Tennessee and Ala-bama. Michael Scaccia

Michael Scaccia playing bass at The Longhorn Saloon in

Fortworth, TX December 2009

has been the bass player for the band for about a year and a half, although he has been in many bands before “Ryan Beaver.” The band plays two to three shows weekly, and has played al-most 200 shows throughout its history. “[Ryan] steals the sunshine,” says Scaccia. This is the cause of many of the bands fights, but when it finally comes down to it, the band would do anything for the others.“All of our band members would take a bullet for any of the others,” says scac-cia. Another cause is how often the band is together, although they never prac-tice, they do so many shows that they are normally in touch or near each other. “I was referred to Ryan by a friend of mine,” based on previous work he had done other bands, says Scaccia. After college, Scaccia was so moved by his muses, that he needed to express himself so he decided to join a band, and has been a member in many bands including Drew Kennedy, The spoken work project, The Austin civic orchestra, Teague, and Love County. The band’s most popular song is “Under the Neons” and was ranked #18 in the national charts. Scac-cia says it has the “best response.”“Bass is the instrument you feel, I touch a string lightly and I move air like thun-der,” described Scaccia. He loves playing bass, and goes through many obstacles to be able to balance it and teaching. For instance, during the first week of school, Scaccia went to the LASA road show Wednesday night and got home at ten o’clock, and taught Thursday from eight to two. Thursday night he went to Den-ton and played a show from ten o’clock to eleven thirty o’clock, got home around four o’clock AM and only slept two and half hours. Then taught Friday from eight to

Michael Scac-cia teaching

his 3rd period class at LBJ highschool

by:Jordan D.

twelve and then drove to Pittsburg, he came home Saturday morning. Another instance is a couple of weeks after when he played a show in college station on Wednesday, and taught Thursday, after teaching he drove to Tyler Texas and drove there and back and taught Friday. Scaccia says, “Its a lot of work,” and causes him to suffer from sleep deprivation. “I would like to get students to be-come intimate with books,” this is one of Scaccia’s main goals with teaching. He loves reading and he hopes that he can share his enthusiasm with his students. “I try to do everything possible with my life,” Scaccia says. He is still on his quest to complete everything he can while he is young and alive. “Ryan Beaver” will continue to do shows across Texas, and beyond. Hopefully the band will rise even higher in rat-ings and be very successful. Scaccia will continue to try and share his en-thusiasm of reading with his students, and help them be successful later on in their high school and college careers.

26

HERE’S A REASON students come to this

school-to get one of the best educations

in Austin in order to prepare them for the

top universities. Everyone is looking for a

way to make his or her applications stand out.

One of those ways: volunteering. It shows that

students are compassionate and involved in the

community.

“There’s a lot of stuff to do-studying for

AP tests, signing up for SAT tests and SAT prep

classes, attending college visits here and abroad,

and researching colleges that specialize in my

major,” says Desiree Waugh, a junior here at the

Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She knew how

A Deeper Meaning

A member of LBJ Cares helps clean-up an Austin park.

It has been said that volunteering is good. It helps build character, gets you involved with the community, and looks great on a college appli-cation. Desiree Waugh explains what she likes best about her volunteering experiences.

T

December 2009

In addition, she also volunteers for

LBJ Cares, an organization run by Charles

Yu here at LASA working to help out local

Austinites. It was established back in 2007

and focuses primarily on environmental

projects, participating in things such as

park clean-ups, Blue Santa, feeding the

homeless, and this year, the Yellow Bike

Project. They also take part in The Trail

Foundation’s Annual Trail Clean Up, It’s My

Park Day, and helping set up for the Trail of

Lights and even have an annual Lake Clean

up where they go and kayak on Ladybird

Lake to clean up the shoreline.

When Desiree was asked what her

advice is to young teens today looking for a

good place to volunteer she answers,

“My advice is to look for something

you’re interested in. Just type in ‘non-profit

organization’ in Austin and a ton of things

pop-up.”

highly colleges and universities regard seeing

volunteer work on an application, so she got to

work.

It was through a friend during her

sophomore year Desiree found out about Ten

Thousand Villages, a non-profit organization

that sells handmade gifts, blankets, and

jewelry from third world countries. Desiree

has been volunteering there for almost a year

now, usually once a month, sometimes twice a

month in the summer. Things she does to help

the organization vary from assisting customers

and cleaning up the shop, to recruiting more

volunteers. What’s her favorite part though

about volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages?

“Personally, I like to be in charge of

the cash register. You get to meet so many

interesting new people. They tell you their

stories,” Desiree said. “It always pleases me to

learn about another person’s culture. It makes

you feel more involved in the world. ”

HE ORGANIZATION has come far since

it first began opening company stores

back in 1997. Its total sales for fiscal

year 2007 was $23,488,000, and in 2008, it was

even named one of the “World’s Most Ethical

Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute and

Forbes Magazine. There is a whopping more

than eighty-one stores nationwide. The people

that give their time at Ten Thousand Villages

have worked hard to help artisan families back

in third world countries, as Desiree stands for

all in her message about what she hopes to

accomplish this year:

“I guess the biggest thing I hope to

accomplish this year is higher sales. That way

the organization earns more money to help

send back to the people and their families. ”

by: Danielle D.

A Ten Thousand Villages

T


Chrismas in a Nutshell

Taurus April 20-May 20Things are undoubtedly confusing, more so than they have to be. What

you need right now -- and it’s easy to come by -- is a shift in perspective. See things as a friend does -- or as an alien might!

Leo July 23- Aug. 22Make sure that you listen to every word you’re being told today -- it all counts, and details really matter! You almost certainly need to deal with someone who’s less patient than they need to be.

Cancer June 22- July 22Though you are still reading people quite accurately, you may

find that the opposite isn’t true. See if you can get them to take a step back if they get upset over something you didn’t say.

Gemini May 21-June 21Today is all about trial and error - youalmost certainly need to get your people to recognize what’s going on at a deeper level.

Sagittarius Nov. 22- Dec. 21 Even if you’re well off and feeling like a splurge, now is a good t ime to hold back on spending. Whether you need to invest that spare change or just hide it in the mattress for later, hang on to it.

Scorpio Oct. 24-Nov. 21Your plans depend on someone else’s mood -- and they follow through in a big way! Sometimes

you’ve got to take a chance in order to get what you really want, and you can tell that things are really swinging your way.

Virgo Aug 23.- Sept. 22Try to move forward with some new plan or project that needs a lot of op-

timism -- your good energy should provide all you need! Your ambition may inspire others to join up with you.

Capricorn Dec. 22- Jan. 19You’ve got to deal with someone who’s most interested in what you’ve done,

not who you are or what you look like. That should only work to your advantage, so don’t be shy about bragging on yourself!

Aquarius Jan. 20- Feb. 18You are having the hardest time trying to figure out what’s really going on around you -- and,

maybe more importantly, why. Now is not the time to ask big questions, though. You need to get busy!

Pisces Feb. 19- March 20You may not be a manager -- or your authority

might not be what you need -- but you can tell that your group (family, business or other) needs a shot in the arm. Give it whatever you can!

Libra Sept. 23- Oct. 23Old memories are coming down on you in a big way today -- though you’d rather they go harass someone else! It may just be one of those days when you have to relive the past rather than plan for the future.

Aries March 21- April 19Take a breather -- you’ve been moving fast for a long time, and you can see that you’ve got some intense work ahead of you. If you slow down the pace a bit, you a re sure to find that things are easier.

HoroscopesBy Nikita Prasad

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