lpahomov

Rolling With Rifah: Carlos Bakery

November 18, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Rifah Islam

Guest Writer

“Sweetness in a Box”

There are many sources of happiness in the world. A good movie, hanging out with loved ones and even passing that quiz in Spanish will always bring a smile. One thing that never fails to make me happy is a good old cupcake. That’s exactly what Carlos’s Bakery has to offer. It’s happiness at it’s best. They have everything from classic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes to eclairs and cannoli. Each looks more delicious than the next which made it so hard to choose what to get! The staff was extremely kind to my friend and I and even joked around about how they still can’t pick out which is best. We finally decided on one caramel and one Oreo cupcake. The first bite promised us that we were not going to ever go back to a generic packaged cupcake again. Even though the icing put a spotlight on caramel and Oreo, those flavors never overpowered the actual cupcakes. It was almost like they delicately weaved in those bold flavors while bringing out the best in the cupcake as well. With that being said, they were a tad bit too sweet. Sweetness is key in a cupcake but it can work against it when there is too much. Overall, our taste buds had an amazing time and we will definitely be stopping by again in the near future. You should too!

Taste: 4.5/5

Presentation: 5/5

Overall Experience: 4.5/5

Address: 2101 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Graffiti in the Girl’s Restroom

November 16, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Kali Taylor

Staff Writer

Starting in the beginning of the year, graffiti started to slowly approach in the stalls of the girls’ restroom–on all floors, but more prominently on the second and third floors. It started off with inspirational quotes that resonated with people for the rest of their day. Since September, however, the graffiti dramatically increased and changed in nature. Instead of just inspirational messages, new subjects have appeared, such as art work, or random thoughts. From there, the wall art became gradually more inappropriate and obscene.

Art teacher Ms. Hull had some strong feelings on the topic.

“It makes me angry that community members would treat the building that way,” she said.

As for the question of artistic expression, “Being an art teacher does not include breaking the law. It is against the law to deface public property. The writing on the wall was not an artistic statement or some awesome graffiti that someone spent a ton of time learning how to do. This was some junky handwriting about things that go better in a journal or poem.”

Does her opinion change when there’s a well-crafted work of art?

“Yes, of course it does. Art is art and deserves a place, but a bathroom in a public school is not a good space for any kind of artistic statement.”

Ms. Hull isn’t the only member of the SLA community with an opinion about the rapid growth of graffiti in the stalls.

“People who participate in that are dirty and they don’t respect our environment,” said Sophomore Nadia Green. “This is our home and it doesn’t matter how artistic something is, it shouldn’t be on the bathroom walls. If you want to put something up, use sticky notes.”

Another sophomore, Joseph Lee, hasn’t seen the graffiti directly, but he watches various Snapchat stories that highlight SLA’s girl’s restroom.

“A lot of the quotes are funny and inspiring. I think it’s interesting when there’s extra commentary on a picture; it’s like a personal blog post that’s exclusive only to the SLA community.”

So, what’s the school policy about the graffiti? Although there is no specific rule against it, the practice goes against the guideline of “respect SLA as a place of learning.”

Ms. Hull feels that consequences are necessary for students who are caught defacing the walls. “Yes. There should be a punishment, one that fits the offense. This is not a suspension by any means,” she stated.

Other teachers feel some disrespect from the graffiti.

“If a student draws on my desk, they’re only in my classroom for an hour, but I’m there all day,” Ms. Pahomov said. “Same with the public spaces. Eventually students will graduate, but the staff will keep working here after you are all gone. I know students don’t think about it this way–but would I come to your house and draw on your walls and furniture?”

My take on it is: a lot of people do not feel as if their voice is heard. There’s no way of ignoring their quotes are pictures. It probably gives them a sense of permanency. But, on the other hand we have to respect our community and defacing property should not happen.

Suburra: A Thrilling Crime Drama and Netflix’s Upcoming First Italian TV Series

November 13, 2015 by lpahomov 1 Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

“The politics of House of Cards with the mob building of Boardwalk Empire” is the description by our own Mr. Herman that solidified my interest in the Italian film Suburra.

The film takes place in the city of Rome and its surrounding cities, and is about an interlocking tale of crime in which several mobsters want to turn the waterfront of Rome into the las vegas of Europe. However, peace does not last long after a favor from a corrupt politician goes awry. Explaining too much more would spoil the film, but it is an interesting plot that manages to get you sucked into the web of intrigue.

Reviewing the film wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the pitch- perfect cinematography and visuals. From the lighting, the very pink neon outside of one restaurant particularly strikes me, to the useage of rain and storms; which that combines with their impending theme of an apocalypse. In addition with their costuming and character designs- the film became a visual treat that, with an interesting plot make it very difficult to take your eyes off the screen, much less have a want to take them off. Theres one mustached character, Sebastiano,who has a nicely dapper sense of style, which this reviewer personally always appreciates, as well as the several handsome men in the film, and other characters like the criminal “Number 8” and his girlfriend, a Gypsy mobster and politician Filippo Malgradi all have interesting styles and tastes that reflect their character.

The actors all do a good job across the board, I might have liked to see a bit more power exerted from the well known and feared gangster known as “Samurai”, but this is a small complaint. I liked the soundtrack, which was mostly done with songs from the band m83, by itself although I question some of the placement within the movie. For some, it might be viewed as too “artsy,” especially in combination with some of its more stylized cinematography. However, I didn’t mind this and appreciated a different take on a crime story. Sometimes the stereotype holds that the more “gritty and edgy” crime dramas can wear on you down or the more “artsy aesthetic” films can be boring- this film manages to be both gritty and artsy but with none of the curses that come with it.

The movie is currently streaming on Netflix in the United States, and will be made into Netflix’s first Italian language tv series. Whether the series will become a is meant to be a retelling, an entirely different set of characters, or a (most likely) continuation of the film’s ending (which, from what is gathered is most likely) is not entirely clear, but either scenario leaves me interested in how it continue. And I can add on that it has the cinematography of “Drive” to it as well.
Overall, I would highly recommend this film to anyone who would be interested in this story. Since the story will continue, it will be a fascinating world and pleasant viewing experience to return to.

Get It Off Of Your Chest

November 12, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Staff Writer

Vilma Martinez

App Review: Vent

Do you ever feel like you just have something to say, but no one to say it to?

Recently as I was scrolling through the app store to look for something interesting to download, I saw an app that caught my eye: Vent.

When I read the name, the first thought that came into my mind was that this was going to be an app where teenagers could go to get things off of their chest. I was correct about that. After downloading the app and signing up, right away you can tell that this was an app meant for people who did not have somebody to talk to.

Right after signing up you are taken to a page where all of your feed is. “Your Feed” includes vents from people you decided to listen to and vents of your own. If you slide to the left there will be a tab named “Latest Vents” which is made up of the most recent vents from anyone on the app. Right next to the feed icon there will be a search icon which is where you get to search up users on the app. Underneath that search bar there are two tabs. One of which is a “Most Discussed” tab. This tab contains vents which people have interacted with the most and the next tab is the “On The Rise” tab which has vents that are being interacted with frequently, but not enough that they are in the “Most Discussed” tab. Now the icon next to the search icon is your notifications center. This is where you find out who has been interacting with your vents and who has decided to listen to you. Listeners are like followers, but the difference between the two is that listeners are there to hear what you have to say rather than liking anything you have posted the way Twitter or Instagram is used. The final icon is your profile. You can of course make your profile completely anonymous or make it your same profile as one you would have on Twitter or any other app where everyone you know, knows you.

Now one you have to keep in mind is that although this app is meant to be anonymous and private, it really isn’t. Yea you could try to to hide who really are as much as possible, but the makers of Vent have the ability to take your email address and do what they have to do in order to keep their community safe, which includes exposing someone who is saying what they should not be saying. Now I am not trying to scare you, of course they will not share your private info to anyone, but if you are taking things to extreme measures they will in order to protect everyone. Another thing about Vent is that when you are using the app you are making things public to everyone on the app. Of course you can make your account private, but when you interact with other people’s vents they are out there for everyone to see. Despite all of this, the app is still a good way to express yourself.

This app is a good and helpful way of letting teens know that they are not alone and that there are many people out there that are willing to listen to them without judging them. I know, I know what you are thinking. “Why would I want to sign up for that?” Well let me tell you that many people do not have someone to comfort them when they are battling depression, or are suffering because of all the stress school puts them through along with many other issues.

Now, I am not saying that you need to sign up for this app, but let’s just say that there are moments in your life where you just wanna put your feelings out there, but you don’t wanna tell someone you know because they might think you are weird. This app is not just meant to put your bad feelings out there, but your good ones as well.

When writing a vent you have 7 feelings to choose from (Fear, Surprise, Sadness, Anger, Affection, Happiness, Feelings). Within these 7 feelings there are more specific feelings ( Fear – Anxious, Insecure, etc. Surprise – Shocked, Confused, etc. Sadness – Heartbroken, Lonely, etc. Anger – Frustrated, Jealous, etc. Affection – Loving, Supportive, etc. Happiness – Proud, Calm, etc. Feelings – Hungry, Lazy, etc) and once you have chosen a feeling, you write your vent. It is a simple app and many people actually enjoy using it.

Now as someone who has dealt with things I decided to take a moment and vent. Right after a few seconds of posting people were supporting and kind to what I had to say. The teens that use this app are sincere and know that everyone has issues that they deal with and try their best relieve the pressure that is being put on them.

Now I am not saying that you should go out of your way to download the app, but if you do, go right ahead. Trust and believe when I say that you are going to enjoy this app, you will. The community is sweet and supportive, and they will listen to you no matter what.

Moving Forward by Losing Control. The Future of Self-Driving Cars.

November 12, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Staff Writer Dylan McKeon

Many high school students are excited for the day they earn their driver’s licence and hit the road to drive far away from their parents. But might that rite of passage become a thing of the past?
Given the recent strides in self-driving cars, it is becoming likely that drivers licences and driving itself could become obsolete. But don’t throw away your driver’s manual just yet–there are many concerns over the lack of control the passengers will have over the vehicle.
The dream of the self-driving car can be traced back to the 1930s, where ideas were planned for freeways to have lanes that worked like train tracks. This would keep the cars moving on a set road until the exit where the driver would retake control of the car. However, this was never implemented due to safety concerns and costs.
Now several companies are beginning to finalise their plans for self driving cars. Google has been testing driverless cars since 2009, with the cars traveling almost two million miles. Meanwhile, Tesla plans to introduce an autopilot system for several of their electric cars, and Uber has began to work with Carnegie Mellon to develop their own autonomous cars. With many more companies planning some form of driverless car, it’s clear that this is likely to become the future of driving.
However, the biggest issue with many of the early concepts of a self driving car was that it could not react to all of the possible situations that would require a human reaction. The most common example is if a child runs out into the street and the car is unable to stop, should the car hit the child or swerve and hit the vehicle next to it.
So, how do SLA students feel about this future of cars that are in charge?
“I am a little afraid of them,” said senior Mitchell Betzen-Stotz. “I feel control is an important aspect of the car and drivers would be able to make better decisions when it comes to situations like this.”
Ethical questions such as this highlight the question that these cars might be controversial due to the lack of control or responsibility the driver has over them. After all, if against all odds a self-driving car hits a pedestrian because of it’s code, the driver can’t be held responsible.
“I understand the need for self driving cars,” says Senior Alex Wroblewski, “but at the same time, I feel that I would prefer to have some control over the car just in case.”
These concerns are natural, but they don’t measure up to the potential benefits. After all, more than 90% of all car accidents are caused by human error. Additionally, the cars are able to identify driver’s patterns that might cause a collision and inform it how to avoid such accidents. Through six years of Google’s test drives, their have been about a dozen minor accidents each of which came from human drivers rather than the autonomous system.
Some students are comfortable with this change. “I think that this new technology would be very helpful” said senior Jordan Meriweather, “It would improve safety a lot and make life a lot simpler.”
While it is yet be seen how these cars will end up being implemented in daily life, it will be interesting to see how people will react to a car that they have no control over other than the destination.

For more information:
https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/
http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/where-to-a-history-of-autonomous-vehicles/
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/every-single-time-a-google-self-driving-car-crashed-a-human-was-to-blame/395183/
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/539731/how-to-help-self-driving-cars-make-ethical-decisions/