lpahomov

Album Revview: ‘V’ by Wavves

December 10, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan Williams, staff writer

Wavves, the musical project of Nathan Williams, the lead vocalist, is one of the more interesting bands out there today. Having started off as a Lo-Fi indie punk band back in the late 2000’s, they quickly evolved as they picked up traction, and have adopted much more of a pop-punk feel. The quality of the sound has improved, with much tighter instrumentation, and a solid studio sound. However, the music seems to have flatlined.

The band’s most recent release, the album ‘V’, was generally well received. With solid, full songs. Though it may not be the band’s best work, it is well respected, and is far from the worst. However solid the songs are, though, it seems as though they’ve become flat, without rock and roll’s signature crescendo. Beginning at a midrange tempo, which carries through the entire song with minimal ups and downs. The album is exciting to listen to a few times, but as you listen to the songs more, they lose the initial rush.

That doesn’t mean it is a bad album, however. In fact, I believe it is one of their better albums. Prior to the release, there was a bit of controversy as Nathan Williams uploaded a few of the songs early, without the record label, Warner Bros., permission. A small fight ensued, before Warner Bros. finally caved, and allowed Nathan to upload more music. The few tracks Nathan uploaded were very good, solid songs that successfully got listeners hyped for the album, and it became clear very quickly that, while different from the band’s original style, it was a great collection of the band’s work.
By the time the album was released, a good number of songs had been available for a fair amount of time. However, the rest of the album was surprising good, and purchasing the album is worth the money. ‘V’ is a good piece of work from a great band, and I look forward to their future projects.

Editorial: Our Place in the Refugee Crisis

December 5, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” This is the quote inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. This, along with Lady Liberty’s torch stretched to the sky, has welcomed immigrants and refugees for over a century. This quote is the embodiment of what America originally was: a place where everyone is free to express themselves, free to be successful, free to be accepted on a level deeper than face value. Unfortunately, we have continuously failed at protecting that freedom for immigrant groups. First with African Americans and Catholics, then the Irish, Jews, Italians, then the Chinese and Japanese. Now, the issue is Syrians and other people from the Middle East fleeing their war torn homes.

In the wake of their civil war, millions of people have fled Syria, looking for a safe place to settle and raise families. Most of them have gone to Europe. But even the most welcoming of European countries, like Germany, have their limit. It would seem almost instinctual for the people of the United States to welcome these refugees, since the majority of us are descendants of refugees and immigrants. But for the most part, we are not opening our borders and it is time to question why.

Since 9/11, America has become a paranoid country. We fear different people and cultures, especially if those people and cultures are Islamic. The majority of the country now associates Islam with evil, but they are not the same thing. To quote former President George W. Bush, “That’s not what Islam. Islam is peaceful.” His sentiment has not convinced the masses, and we have allowed this fear to rule us. We increased security exponentially. Since 9/11, we’ve spent over $655 billion on Homeland Security and close to 2 trillion dollars on war. We have also increased the standards and restrictions for people who want to obtain refugee status in the United States. To apply for refugee status in the United States, you must be located outside of the United States, is of special humanitarian concern to the United States, demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, is not firmly resettled in another country, and is admissible to the United States.

This is just the beginning of the process. To get into the country, you must get a referral, extensive background checks, several health checks, and the real kicker is, you have to pay for a lot of it yourself. It cost $680 to apply for naturalization alone, not counting all of fees for heal checks and travel to the US. And most of the refugees don’t have access to much, if any, to their money. There is an incredible amount of paperwork that needs to be done to just get into the country. Then, and only then, you can apply for a green card and work permit. Finally, you get to start the process and paperwork over again, and that’s if you don’t have a family. If you do have a family, the amount of work and money increases with each family member. Unfortunately there is always the chance that one of your family members won’t be able to come over for one reason or another.

The question we need to address as a country is, how can we change this? We are supposed to be the country that welcomes everyone, yet it is almost impossible to gain entry into America. These refugees could do a lot for this country. The vast majority of them are bilingual and that is a skill we need with the growing amount of Arab-speaking Americans. They are also willing to do the jobs most Americans are too proud to take. More people means new jobs and new money. We are, in many ways, morally obligated to help these people because The United States played a part in creating the problem that forced them from their homes. The War on Terror and invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan created immense amounts of resentment for America in the Middle East. We played a part in created the extremists who destroyed their lives. The least we can do is welcome them into ours. We need to force a change in the system. We can’t keep denying innocent and persecuted people access to our country because they don’t have the time, money, or skills to fill out the proper paperwork. We thrust these people into a bureaucratic black hole while they are trying to keep their families safe. This system needs a change for the better, and soon.

Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the SLAMedia editorial board.

Principal Boyle Develops New SLA Middle School

December 5, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By: Isabel Medlock

Guest Writer

A SLA middle school is set to open for the fifth grade next September. It’s based of off the SLA high schools and will be an inquiry and project based school. The SLA middle school has partnerships with Drexel University, Powel Elementary, and Inquiry Schools. There will be 90 students per grade.

“SLA-MS will have the same core values, dedication to inquiry driven, project based, technology infused education [and] advisory program [as SLA high schools],” said Tim Boyle, the founding principal of the new SLA middle school. “The philosophy of SLA and SLA-MS will be one and the same.”

Similarly to the SLA high schools, students will have to do benchmarks. To make the process of benchmarks more doable for the younger students the benchmarks will be more structured than the high school level benchmarks. As the students get older the benchmarks will become less structured. The middle school will also be using the same grading system of 95, 85, 75, 65, and 55.

Use of technology will also be an important facet of the middle school. The middle school students will have the same access to technology as the high school students do although younger students will not be able to take laptops home.

Unlike the SLA high schools, the middle school will be a neighborhood school so there will be no academic criteria or interview needed to be admitted. If there are unfilled seats students from other parts of the city will be selected through a lottery. Preference will be given to students who live in Mantua and students living in the 19104 zip code will be given preference in the lottery.

There will be no official preference for SLA middle school students applying to SLA high schools but according to Boyle they will be more prepared for SLA high schools and will be better able to demonstrate this ability than students from other middle schools.

To develop the SLA middle school, Boyle has been working with the faculty and principals of both SLA high schools. He attends professional development and any major school events, such as Back to School Night and Summer Institute.

“Everyone has been more than accommodating and it has been a real joy,” said Boyle.

Drexel University will be providing the funding for a new building that would house both the SLA middle school and Powel Elementary.

“We’re [..] hoping to be able to build the actual school that the middle school and the elementary school would be in so we purchased the University City high school site and we’re working very hard to identify the finances that would allow us to build a building,” said Lucy Kerman, vice provost for University and Community Partnerships at Drexel.

Drexel has been involved with Powel for several years. When Drexel heard that SLA was hoping to open a middle school they wanted to get involved as well.

“Drexel has been involved with our local elementary school, Powel School, which is a school that teaches Kindergarten through fourth grade,” said Kerman. “We thought that the partnership with Chris and SLA was a perfect fit for Drexel and a perfect fit for Powel.”

Penn Alexander, another school created through partnership between the school district and a university, receives a stipend per student from Penn. Drexel will not be providing a stipend to the SLA middle school.

“The university is not a wealthy university[…] and we’re not in a position to provide an operating subsidy,” said Kerman.

Drexel will be providing teacher support and will assist with curriculum development through its School of Education. Drexel is also hoping to provide after-school programming and mini courses.

“I think what’s really important is that this is a school that everybody would feel comfortable sending their children to,” said Kerman. “It’s high quality, it’s a neighborhood school, it should be for a diverse community, and whether it’s a administrator or a long time resident or a family living in the shelters this is a school to support families in this neighborhood. It is our intention that it be a school that attracts everybody and provides all children with an education.”

NFL Mock Draft 2016 First Edition Into December 2015

December 4, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

USA Today Sports, Getty Images. From ESPN — USA Today Sports, Getty Images.
From ESPN

***This mock draft does not include the outcome of the MNF game between Baltimore and Cleveland. Also will not include Week 13 Packers and Lions game.

It’s that time of year again. Where NFL fans have hopes, but others have seen their team’s’ fate as they turn towards the NFL Draft. The NFL Draft, where teams based on winning percentages pick players to fill spots on their teams. All of the names we revere today were once selected. With the order being more clear with the losing trends of the Browns and Philadelphia’s own Eagles, we can picture what could come this spring.

Every team has a need. You have 53 players, 22 which are starters and seven assigned picks based on the standings unless trades occur or teams forfeit or are rewarded a draft pick. North of 250 NFL hopefuls will be selected this May and they will have their chance to find a home in the NFL.

Round 1

Round 1 Pick 1: Tennessee Titans (2-9) DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State

Defensive End Joey Bosa is exactly what the Tennessee Titans could want. The Titans are in the cellar of the NFL, sitting at (2-9) with little hope of getting out. Last year, they took Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and he appears to be their quarterback of the future. Bosa hasn’t had as good this year as he was his sophomore campaign but that shouldn’t worry teams, his five sacks are just a preview of his potential. His ability to disrupt the line of scrimmage with absolute power make him attractive to any NFL team need a franchise pass rusher. Joey Bosa has had character issues off the field, he was arrested prior to this season but not charged. A Jurrell Casey and Joey Bosa combination is too good to pass up on. When division rival Texans have J.J. Watt, why wouldn’t you want your own J.J Watt.

Round 1 Pick 2: Cleveland Browns (2-8) QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis

With all of the struggles we see from quarterback Johnny Manziel on and off the field, we continue the yearly tradition of selecting a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns since their renewal as a franchise in 1999 have yet to get a quarterback that can lead them to legitimacy. Paxton Lynch, who stands at 6’6’’ has great vision and can make plays happen from the pocket. He is a true passer who can make plays with his feet as well. His size and abilities had him flying up board in 2015. There is no reason he wouldn’t be worth an early pick to a needy team in 2016.

Round 1 Pick 3: San Diego Chargers (3-8) OT Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss

Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil might be the best prospect in the draft. The big left tackle has done everything in the SEC to be worth a top pick. San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers deserves better. He needs help from someone and Tunsil could be the guy. The Chargers defense ranks low statistically across the board but they need to know to take the best non quarterback available, and Tunsil is just that.

Round 1 Pick 4: Dallas Cowboys (3-8) OLB Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame

Easily one of the most snake bitten teams this season, the highly regarded Dallas Cowboys now sit at 3-8. Tony Romo’s injuries have led to their demise and Philadelphia natives couldn’t be happier. Linebacker Jaylon Smith comes in to save their defense. If teams are looking for the next Luke Kuechly, they should look no further than Smith. He has all five tools a linebacker needs to be successful in the NFL. Ability to tackle, rush the passer, drop back in coverage, spy the quarterback and speed.. Coach Brian Kelly said NFL scouts have been “drooling” over him and this shows that there is a demand for Jaylon Smith in the NFL.

Round 1 Pick 5: San Francisco 49ers (3-8) QB Jared Goff, California

The San Francisco 49ers traded quarterback Alex Smith away because believed that quarterback Colin Kaepernick could be their future. Now that the Kaepernick experiment is over and they must start fresh and look to the draft. Goff is a pure shotgun passer who hits his receivers. He is capable of making every throw an NFL quarterback needs to be successful and he has the ability to read defenses well. He has franchise quarterback written all over him but the 49ers must develop him. He isn’t ready to be thrown in the fire and they would be smart to coach him into their QB.

Round 1 Pick 6: Baltimore Ravens (3-7) CB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State

The Baltimore Ravens are in the bottom fourth of passing defense, and with the injury to Matt Elam, a pick like this could drive that secondary up. Receivers won’t like a Jimmy Smith and Jalen Ramsey combination. They may need some or any kind of offensive playmaker for Joe Flacco, but keep in mind that their first round pick from last year, wide receiver Breshad Perriman has yet to play and they haven’t given up on him. A top defensive back like Ramsey can make any secondary better.

Round 1 Pick 7: Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) OT Ronnie Stanley Jr, Notre Dame

What? No quarterback? No defensive back? No wide receiver? Yes I turned to perhaps the Philadelphia Eagles’ biggest need, the offensive line. Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are good, but Peters is running out of time. Stanley has elite left tackle potential and could protect the undetermined quarterback of the future. Ronnie Stanley has been a consistent player for the Irish his whole career. Laquon Treadwell would also be a great pick but any QB would be a reach and recent history shows reaching at the QB position has been unsuccessful.

Round 1 Pick 8: Miami Dolphins (4-7) CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida

Miami Dophins cornerback Brent Grimes can’t be a premier player forever. He’s about to be 33 and their other cornerback, Jamar Taylor is a number two cornerback at best. Vernon Hargreaves has received the same praise as elite cornerbacks like Darrelle Revis and Deion Sanders because of his elite coverage ability. He got noticed early his freshman year and has dominated the SEC. Every year we get good cornerback prospects but he is the best since Patrick Peterson.

Round 1 Pick 9: New Orleans Saints (4-7) DT Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss

Nkemdiche was once the consensus top high school recruit and he has lived up to those expectations. The 6’3’’ 300 pound defensive lineman makes trouble where there should be none on offensive lines. The New Orleans Saints have the worst defense in the NFL, except for maybe the Giants. The 3-4 defense they run needs elite talent, and Nkemdiche is the most impactful defender left. Cameron Jordan and Robert Nkemdiche could be a lethal duo.

Round 1 Pick 10: Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) OT Taylor Decker, Ohio State

The Jacksonville Jaguars have their long-term investment in quarterback Blake Bortles. Protecting him should be the priority. This offense found its tailback and its wonderful wide receivers. Games are won at the line of scrimmage. It’s time for them to move Joeckel over so Decker can be the next left tackle.

Round 1 Pick 11: St. Louis Rams (4-7) WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss

Round 1 Pick 12: Detroit Lions (4-7) DT A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 13: New York Giants (5-6) CB Mackensie Alexander, Clemson

*Round 1 Pick 14: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson

Round 1 Pick 15: Oakland Raiders (5-6) CB Tre’Davious White, LSU

*Round 1 Pick 16: Buffalo Bills (5-6) ILB Reggie Ragland, Alabama

The Buffalo Bills miss what they lost in Kiko Alonso. He was great fit in Buffalo but LeSean McCoy has been worth it. They must replace him. Reggie Ragland is a true defensive leader amongst the best college football defense of the past decade. C.J. Mosley was the previous inside linebacker from the Tide and he has been nothing short of stellar. Ragland has impact potential.

Round 1 Pick 17: Chicago Bears (5-6) OT Jack Conklin, Michigan State

Round 1 Pick 18: Atlanta Falcons (6-5) OLB Myles Jack, UCLA

Round 1 Pick 19: New York Jets (6-5) OLB Leonard Floyd, Georgia

*Round 1 Pick 20: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) CB Eli Apple, Ohio State

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a good defense everywhere but the secondary. The Steelers secondary ranks 30th amongst 32 teams. Antwon Blake may be the worst starting cornerback in the NFL. The Steelers haven’t drafted a defensive back since 2003, Troy Polamalu. Last cornerback taken in the first round was in 1997. If the Steelers want to contend they need a premiere cornerback.

Round 1 Pick 21: Washington Redskins (5-6) DT Andrew Billings, Baylor

Round 1 Pick 22: Houston Texans (6-5) QB Connor Cook, Michigan State

Round 1 Pick 23: Seattle Seahawks (6-5) DT Kenny Clark, UCLA

Round 1 Pick 24: Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) OT Germain Ifedi, Texas A&M

Round 1 Pick 25: Indianapolis Colts (6-5) CB Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech

Round 1 Pick 26: Green Bay Packers (7-4) OLB Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State

Round 1 Pick 27: Minnesota Vikings (8-3) DE Jonathan Allen, Alabama

*Round 1 Pick 28: Denver Broncos (9-2) RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State

Round 1 Pick 29: Cincinnati Bengals (9-2) WR Tyler Boyd, Pitt

Round 1 Pick 30: Arizona Cardinals (9-2) DT Adolphus Washington, Ohio State

Round 1 Pick 31: Carolina Panthers (11-0) SS Jayron Kearse, Clemson

The Carolina Panthers are shocking everyone with the undefeated record they have. The team has needs but great coaching from Ron Rivera has led them to greener pastures. Roman Harper and Charles “Peanut” Tillman are pretty much on their last legs and Jayron Kearse gets around the field and could pair well with Kurt Coleman.

*Patriots forfeited their pick due to Deflategate.

Teams are in desperation mode to appease their fans and hunger for a championship. There are many great players for 32 teams to consider. Let’s hope mine and your’s make the pick that sets them up for success.

Jessica Jones: Intense, Mature, and Purple.

November 30, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Dylan McKeon

Staff Writer

Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has made some of the biggest movies of this decade. Their success has forced inspired DC to come up with their own movie universe, introduced a new generation to their comics, and made the Guardians of the Galaxy popular. Despite this success, critics were divided as to whether they could repeat their superhero team up formula on Netflix with 5 series focused on gritter street level heroes.

The first of these series, Daredevil, was released last April and holds a high rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% favorable rating.. This set the bar even higher for Jessica Jones, the next show in the series. However, now that it’s out on Netflix, it’s clear Jessica Jones succeeds to bring a story just as good, if not better, than Daredevil, using its characters to look at a different kind of hero with a noir tone. The show has also been noted for tackling the subjects of rape, trust addiction and more in a mature and thoughtful way.

The plot of Jessica Jones follows the titular heroine (played by Krysten Ritter) as she works as a private detective discovering that an enemy from her past Kilgrave (David Tennant), is alive. While Jessica has super strength, she’s helpless against Kilgrave, who has the power to make people do whatever he tells them to. Additionally, Jessica needs Kilgrave to make a confession, forcing her to find a way to not only to capture him but to get the information needed.

Jessica proves to be a great character as well. She unlike almost every other hero in the universe so far. While she does have super-strength, she mostly uses it in her job as a P.I. to intimidate people- she’s not into saving people, she’s just trying to make a living. When she decides to go after Kilgrave, it’s not because she wants to be a hero, but a darker combination of fear, justice, and revenge.

Kilgrave is without a doubt one of the MCU’s greatest villains, due to how his abilities are explored. He tends be less than moral given that his powers gave him the ability to get anything he wanted from the age of ten. Because of this, he very often doesn’t see any problem with how he’s using his powers and can compel people to murder or torture themselves and it comes so natural for him to control others to the point where he has trouble talking to others when he doesn’t use his powers. One of his most often commands is simply to have people smile for him, showing how sad and deprived he is.

For the most part, Jessica is an example of an average person with powers who doesn’t try to be a hero,and the show’s structure reflects that. The show has fewer fight scenes then the other Cinematic Universe shows and uses this space to focus on the characters.

The show is very mature, and has some points where the violence seems a bit too excessive, but this hardly takes away from the series. It’s adult themes transcend the superhero genre and make it something bold, new and vastly original.The mature theme add the the realism of the world and makes Kilgrave one of the most terrifying villains on the small screen, due to his complete control over others.

In conclusion, the show reaches great success with great use of characters and intense moments. The finale in particular is perfect, bringing in Clare Temple ( Rosario Dawson) from Daredevil in a excellent moment that helps connect the two series. It has yet to be determined if their will be a second season but if there is it will likely happen after The Defenders miniseries which will be released around 2017.