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Junior Year and the SATs

February 8, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Chiara Nemati

Staff Writer

SAT

If you want to get through Junior year stress-free, you have to be one of two types of people: a genius or be extremely good at prioritizing and organizing.

Unfortunately, I am neither.

I started this year with one goal: to study for the SATs at least once a week. Not too much to ask, right? Well yes, it was. After taking the PSATs, studying went on the backburner. Soon after that it was benchmark season.

I thought I was doing pretty well, I had an idea of which schools I wanted to apply to. but until December I didn’t look at the requirements. Those of you who have not reached Junior year may not know this, but just taking the SATs is not enough for most schools. I knew this but I just lost so much track of time because I couldn’t take the SATs until March. Instead of taking advantage of that time to take subject exams like Biology and Spanish, I slacked off and am now freaking out over the little amount of time I have left.

Over winter break, I signed up for the Bio subject SATs, now I have a little under 2 weeks to study for this test. Because of this time crunch, I have been the most productive I’ve ever been all year with the SATs. I’m studying almost every day just to finish the book, since I’ve forgotten a lot of the things I learned in freshman and sophomore year. A little tip for those sophomores thinking about taking bio or chem subjects: take them in June at the end of your sophomore year.

Now it’s the end of the second quarter, and benchmark season is upon us once again. But this benchmark season is different. On top of all the other projects I have, I am forced to split my time between school and my future. I have to continue to study and I have to finish these projects to the best of my ability. With only 3 testing months left, I only have time to take my bio subjects and hope they go well, take my SATs in March. Leaving me with June where I will probably retake the SATs.

When thinking about the long term process I realize that I have to get back into it. Study as much as I can and do the best I can with the time I’ve got. The college process requires the students to be the most organized they have ever been. Requires them to plan ahead. Requires them to find a balance between school, their future, and other activities.

I have a whole bunch of SAT prep things sitting on my desk. I look at them every night and think “Tomorrow I will study.”

Matchups That Will Decide the Winner of the Super Bowl

February 7, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

The infamous Super Bowl is going to be played on Sunday, and the Carolina Panthers will clash with the Denver Broncos for the right to be called champions. This game showcases both the past and the future of football in Denver’s Peyton Manning and Carolina’s Cam Newton respectively.

Cam Newton will be playing in his first Super Bowl to Manning’s fourth. Peyton Manning is one for three in his previous appearances, two with the Indianapolis Colts and one with the Broncos. However, the Super Bowl isn’t won on history, the big one is won with good play and favorable matchups. Here are some key matchups that you should look out for.

Getty Images

Panthers TE Greg Olsen vs. LB Danny Trevathan/LB Brandon Marshall

Greg Olsen has been Cam Newton’s favorite target in his career. Greg Olsen is known for being a matchup nightmare and he could be the difference maker in this game. However, on the other side, the Broncos have the best defense in the league and their ability to make star players out of anyone is remarkable. Brandon Marshall was a 5th round pick for Jacksonville in 2012 who was later cut and signed by Denver. Trevathan was a 6th round pick in 2012 by Denver.

Marshall seems to be the best cover linebacker they have. Trevathan also has good coverage ability and he could very be covering multiple receivers sunday. Marshall self proclaimed he was the best coverage linebacker in football and in 2014 he was rated as the best linebacker out of the box.

Panthers MLB Luke Kuechly vs. RB C.J. Anderson/RB Ronnie Hillman

Streeter Lecka, Getty Images

Luke Kuechly has become one of the league’s best players. Kuechly had two interceptions returned to the end zone in the playoffs and don’t be shocked if he pulls one off again. Kuechly makes every play and makes all completes his assignments we’ll. While the Broncos don’t have a true elite runner, they have two very good ones to say the least. C.J. Anderson is known for making plays when they have to be made. Hillman has been more consistent and has seven scores this season. Luke Kuechly will have to play his very best to stop that run attack if the Broncos properly utilize their running back combo.

Panthers DT Star Lotulelei and DT Kawann Short vs. OG Louis Vasquez, OG Evan Mathis

Bob Donna, USA Today

The Panthers and Broncos boast great talent in the trenches, which means the offensive and defensive lines. Every football fan knows the game is won and lost in the trenches. In 2013, everyone had mock drafts handing the Panthers a defensive tackle. With defensive tackle Dwan Edwards not living up to expectations they needed talent fast. If it were Lotulelei, Sharrif Floyd, Sheldon Richardson or someone else everyone knew their intentions. So they went all in on spending their first two picks on the position. It has worked out. Lotulelei is a perennial pro bowler and Short was an All-Pro. Kawann Short is known for his ability to pressure on a quarterback from the 4-3 defensive tackle position. For a player like Manning, this is very concerning.

Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez have both been named all pros before. Mathis, a former Philadelphia Eagle was released by Chip Kelly this past offseason before finding a home in Denver and is still playing at a high level. Vasquez is a top tier guard in all of football in defending the pass and that shouldn’t change sunday. This may be the most important matchup when Denver has the ball.

Panthers QB Cam Newton vs. Broncos’ Secondary

Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Cam Newton, the league MVP and poster child has now reached elite status but hasn’t seen any defense like the Broncos this season. The Broncos secondary was number one in yards allowed and many other statistical categories. With five studs in Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr, Bradley Roby, Darian Stewart and T.J. Ward, this game will not be easy for Cam.

Cam Newton will have to rely on mismatches the entire game, and many may not come, as it seems Harris Jr. will shadow Ginn Jr. and Talib will shadow the rookie Devin Funchess. Look for his fullback, big man Mike Tolbert to be a checkdown throughout the game. I think the Broncos defense is favored here.

Panthers WR Ted Ginn Jr. vs Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr.

AP, Paul Sancya

Ted Ginn Jr., former top 10 pick by the Miami Dolphins who has bounced around the league being labeled a notorious draft bust, now he’s slowly begun to rid himself of that name. He had 739 yards receiving in 2016 amongst a new set of faces for Cam Newton to throw to. Chris Harris Jr. is another guy who overcame long odds. Making a team as an undrafted free agent? Chances are slim. Being a starter? Slimmer. Becoming an all pro cornerback? Pretty much him. He has true elite cover skills and has hung with every receiver allowing two touchdowns since the winter of 2013, both to Steelers receiver Antonio Brown. That was his one weak game in over 40 career starts.

This matchup will be won if Ginn can overcome his weakness as an outside threat and beat out Harris. Ted Ginn and Chris Harris can both become champions by defying the doubters and hoisting the glorious Lombardi trophy.

This game will be a great one. I hope. The Super Bowl gets over 100 million viewers and the brand of football never has been more popular. The Panthers and Broncos have an opportunity to be remembered; if they go out and win. People say it’s a Peyton and Newton matchup but this game will be won in the trenches. Whoever protects their side of the field better will win.

Trying to End Girl on Girl Hate!

February 4, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Vilma Martinez

Staff Writer

“First Depression now Derealization girl please”

“omg, talk too much, nothing new, here anymore, whatever else are u gonna do on u r channel, it is ALL BEEN DONE , REGURGITATED, CHEWED ON,OVER AND OVER , AND OVER. STOP BEING A PARASITE, BECOME SOMEWHAT USEFUL IN THIS SOCIETY., LEARN SOMETHING, GET EDUCATION.REAL JOB.JOB.”

Women and teenage girls alike have always had a reputation for hating one another. However, this phenomenon has been especially prominent online, on almost all social media platforms.

In an effort to combat this trend, vloggers such as Jaclyn Hill a beauty vlogger who posts many makeup tutorials and Lilly Singh a comedian who enjoys doing beauty every once in awhile, have addressed this fact.

In a video posted on December 20th, 2015 Jaclyn Hill addressing recent comments in which girls have been name calling one another and attacking each other’s personal lives. Not only that, but she also addresses hate she has received, not your “typical hate”, but hate that has gone from “your ugly” to people attacking her family and her own mental stability.

“I feel like a lot of people forget that I have blood in my veins, I cry when I’m sad, I bleed when I get cut”.

Many people would go as far as to say that she is begging for attention, “pinche chillona RIDICULA” said a girl in the video, this translates to “freaking cry baby”, but then she goes ahead to say “I am in no way wanting anyone to feel sorry for me because I live a very blessed life and I am very happy to do everything that I do on youtube off youtube I love my life I do I am very appreciative for it so I’m not asking anyone to feel sorry for me”.

It is a shame that women have to address things like this in order for them to understand that people are not asking for pity or attention. Instead she makes the video about everyone watching, “But this is not about me necessarily this about everything and everyone going on recently, I know I can’t change the world, I know I can’t bring world peace, I know I’m not God…but I just want so badly to try to encourage you guys to just find happiness and put your energy towards the greater good and I know that is so much easier said than done”.

She has so far had to disable the comment section on 2 of her videos due to the amount of girl on girl hate going on and most of the hate does not even include the content of the video, but women just hating one another.

Lilly Singh also created a video addressing the issue. “This is my Youtube channel. It has over 7.4 million subscribers, of which 84% are female, which means that over 6 million girls around the planet regularly watch my videos…This holiday season I decided to use that reach to speak up against an issue I’d love to see go away and that is girl on girl hate. So I decided to ask for some help from my girlfriends”. From there the girls in the video go on to point out things to love about one another. They also talk about things to love about being a woman and being around other women.

“I think women are strong, beautiful, empowered goddesses” says Shay Mitchell, a woman involved in the video.

Has YouTube made this kind of hatred worse? After all, back in the day there was no such thing as anonymous commenting. If a girl had something nasty to say about another girl, she couldn’t do it to her face and hide her own identity. In my opinion Youtube has become a nasty place where people are open to say the worst things to other people. The hatred has not gotten worse, I believe people have always been like that, Youtube just allows people to put their hatred out there.

I talked with Amanda Bolli, a close friend who understands what girls are capable of and here is what she had to says towards the matter.

“I feel disgusted by all the negativity that these girls are giving everyone. My mom always told me if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all and walk away. I think it is a good thing that they are creating these videos because it shows the viewers that say the negative things that they are there reading each comment. I think if everyone not only in the beauty world heard about girlongirl then it would stop. I still feel disgusted that girls are doing this to other girls. If you don’t like it then watch someone else or do something else because it isn’t about you. It’s about the broadcaster and how they feel. Don’t say something you will regret when they are getting better at what they want to do, while you’re sitting on your phone or iPad or laptop hating because you don’t have that. Instead of hating on that maybe you should actually try it. It’s not as easy as it looks”

As for my opinion, it is the same as many of the other ladies that have addressed the issue. I not only wanted to show people the impact it has on other people, but the opinions of others also. This is an issue where many are affected and it good to have the opinion of those who are involved in the situations. Girl on Girl hate can be stopped, trust and believe that there will be women putting one another down, but we can prevent from going farther than what it already has. It takes a bigger community to do it.

New Shows Airing in 2016!

February 2, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Arielle Moore

Staff Writer

It’s the New Year! Along with a new set of digits in our millennium, we’re also given a bunch more new things to consume: New media, new trends, and maybe the most exciting of all, new shows! Being a week or so into 2016, we’ve been flooded with a plethora of amazing new broadcast and internet programs. The most popular genres include drama, comedy, sci-fi, and even more recently, fantasy.

One highly anticipated fantasy show, airing on Freeform (the new name for ABC Family) is called Shadowhunters. Based off of a popular teen novel, the program is about warriors (the “shadowhunters”) that protect this world from the demon world. It includes many intricate and upbeat plotlines, such as the main character Clara Flay discovering that she is the descendant of “shadowhunters” and must which keeps viewers engaged. Many young adults are excited for this show because of how it appeals to their audience especially well.

In the crime genre, the new series Shades of Blue has gotten top publicity. Airing on NBC starting January 14th, it’s about an NYPD officer having her loyalty tested once caught by the FBI. The lead is played by Jennifer Lopez, a single mother who must balance her career and the challenges of being a parent, as well as trying to uphold her reputation as one of the few female officers in her department. This is a huge leap for the network and for tv as a whole by choosing a woman of color to play the leading role which is already receiving positive responses from viewers despite its untraditional theme. Shades of Blue is “a gem” raves The Wrap writer Heidi Patalano. “[The series] gets better and better as it goes.”

So far, 2016 is off to a great start in the television department. Other shows that are getting great reviews are Angie Tribeca (Fox) , Blindspot (NBC), Angel From Hell (CBS), and the Shannara Chronicles (MTV). Many highly anticipated internet-exclusive programs are The Get Down, Master of None, Daredevil, and season 4 of Netflix’s biggest hit: Orange is the New Black. Which shows are you personally looking forward to?

Sesame Street: Do you know the way?

February 2, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Chuckie Copeland

Staff Writer

These are strange days in television. There’s a rising tide of discontent towards Hollywood for not being diverse enough when casting, and a growing number of kids shows attempting to deviate from their original course of classic, well-done video making. In the midst of this, one new development has now hit the screen.

A few weeks ago, I was watching The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when he brought up the fact that Sesame Street is now moving to HBO from their longstanding distribution by PBS.

My first reaction when hearing the news was, What is going on? Are the producers of Sesame Street crazy? Now, I did not grow up watching Sesame Street but I know a great deal of people who did, young and old. Moving a quite popular kids show from a respectable network television distributor to HBO–the network that brings us Game of Thrones and Entourage–seems a bit kooky. How would would the makers of Sesame Street send it to a subscription viewing service (attracting less viewers), that is know for it’s not so family style programming (I’ll refrain from examples) and expect to succeed?

According to The Children’s Workshop, the producers of the show, the switch was made because the earnings on PBS were on a downward trend. From a business standpoint, I guess I can stomach the fact that money is a deal maker. However, my main rub lies with the changes and consequences of switching to a cable distributor like HBO.

GIven that Sesame Street appeals to people of all socioeconomic classes, and the viewers do not have to pay for PBS, the most notable difference will be a drop in viewership by families and people who cannot afford subscriptions to HBO for $160 year. Many families who cannot send their child to preschool and other child developmental systems use Sesame Street to educate their children. Now with the subscription charge, poorer families will be without a way to give their children at least some form of learning.

The network switch is not the only change coming to the show. Originally, Sesame Street was more of a generalized show, that covered numerous topics and ideas throughout 1 hour of programming. Not only will the show get cut in half (which mind you, will seriously hamper the ability to get programming across) but the show will get a specific theme for each airing. Whether from critical thinking, to numbers, to people skills, the idea is that if you them the show, the ideas will be more succinct in children’s minds than if the show was more generalized.

The new Sesame Street neighborhood is also going to have almost a complete overhaul. Cookie Monster will be fighting a villain, Big Bird is moving to a nest, Bert and Ernie are being relegated to guest stars, and Oscar the grouch will have some sort of interconnection between different trash, compost, and recycling cans, and Wifi will be installed! Seriously: why do you need wifi on Sesame Street? Are the human guest stars unable to live without internet? Why all of now does Big Bird need to move to a nest? I guess my point is here, that the show’s complete overhaul will lose some important aspects and make people who watched the original show nostalgic for the past.

Since the move, Sesame Street producers have come under fire for their complete revamp of the show and from my point of view, justly so. The change of so many classic Sesame Street things all at once will eventually destroy the shows viewer base. I disapprove of the move and feel that just because you need money, means that you should completely refigure a perfectly good thing.