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TRANSCRIPT
Friday, December 5th, 2014 No. 22 - No It's Becky.
NO MORE NO SHAVE NOVEMBER
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Trinity's Oldest Continuously Published Newspaper0¢
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HHaass SSoommeeoonnee BBeeeenn TTaallkkiinngg
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TTHHEE NNOO SSHHAAVVEE NNOOVVEEMMBBEERR CCHHRROONNIICCLLEESSBY THAD BEAVER
In the month of November you may have noticed something
different about several of the Senior men. They had facial hair. As
any young male who has ever read the Trinity dress code or can
grow enough facial hair for a faculty member to notice knows,
young men are to be clean shaven at all times. However, our newest
benevolent overlord Mr. Adams, responded to pleas of the senior
boys to not have to shave. However, we did have to agree to a
number of service and specific beard growing guidelines. Luckily for
you, the clearly deeply interested reader, I recorded some of my
thoughts about this great endeavor whilst it occurred, and I will
share them with you now.
November 3rd 7:35 AM- I haven’t shaved in two days, but the beard
needs more time. A lot more time. It’s not ready. At all. But that’s
ok. I have time. It’ll get there.
November 7th 4:30 PM-It’s been seven days and the beard is
coming along. The triangle is the most noticeable part so that’s
somewhat unfortunate. Everyone else’s beards are doing well,
except for the twins. Austin’s beard is doing much better than I
expected. Logan’s is doing pretty well to, which was anticipated but
still, it’s a good thing. Someone has to grow an awesome beard.
November 12th 12:43 PM- The beard isn’t there yet. I’m starting to
doubt that it ever will. But I have to believe. Great beards only
come to those who believe in them. Conti’s beard is becoming
pretty solid, if only he could get the connection between the
mustache and the goatee. Hunter’s needs more time. If he just has
enough time he’ll look like white Jesus.
November 13th 2:05 PM- We got our rules for beard growing today.
They are very…ummm… specific. Also, I found out Josiah hadn’t
shaved all month today. So that was pretty hilarious.
November 17th 10:27 AM- The beard is finally here. It’s actually
pretty good. I do have a fairly large isosceles triangle on my face so
there’s that. Josiah has some peach fuzz. Thomas looks like he’s
shaved every day this month. David has a pretty impressive neck
beard but that’s about it. The sheet Mr. Adams gave us says we
have to shave by the 21st. Four more days of beardedness.
(Continued on page four along with more on No Shave November)
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A T T R I N I T Y
TTRRIINNIITTYY SSHHOOWWEERRSSBY HUNTER DOTSON
At first I did not find the issue of Trinity
not having showers in its gym to be a big
deal, but, over the years, I have noticed that
Trinity is one of the only schools that has
its own gym but lacks showers. Aside from
not having showers, Trinity’s gym could be
considered the nicest gym in the area. The
convenience factor of a shower would be a
game changer for the entire gym. It would
make life for all of the athletes a lot easier,
as everyone would be able to access these
showers before and after games or
practices.
After a friday night competition it is
common to want to go hangout with
friends, however, before you do anything,
the first essential step is to rinse off.
Instead of having to go home and waste
valuable time, one could simply clean off on
campus and leave straight from the game
with friends.
I can remember one account where, after
a basketball game, one of the referees came
in our locker room looking for the showers.
He asked us where our showers were
located and when we told him there were
none his response was, “No showers? This
might be the only gym I have ever
officiated in that doesn't have showers.”
Putting in at least one shower would not be
a difficult task nor would it be expensive.
There is no better time than now to add
this luxury as we begin the process of
building on to the gym.
Eventually, it would also be nice to
include a locker room for the boys and girls
basketball team that includes everyone’s
specific locker where they can keep jerseys,
shoes and whatever else they may need for
a practice or game. The privilege of keeping
all of your basketball stuff in your locker
would eliminate the hassle of having to go
home after school to grab clothes to change
into for practice. I can speak from
experience that it is oftentimes hard to find
time to get in the gym because it seems
there is always someone using it.
Sometimes, the only time that’s an option
for you to workout is in the morning before
school, not having a shower to freshen up
in after your workout can present a
challenge. While it is not a big deal to drive
to the Finley YMCA down the road for this
purpose it certainly would be much nicer to
have one of our own.
Although there are many other things
that Trinity is wishing to build, I strongly
feel that showers should be close to the top
of that list. One last suggestion that I think
would end up saving Trinity a lot of money
is purchasing big tarps that can roll out
across the gym floor in order to protect the
hardwood from scraping or other damage
during large events. The school recently
had the floor refinished, which is not a
cheap task, but, after The Exceptional
Evening, the floor was left dusty and
scratched. Spending money in order to
refinish the floor and failing to protect it is
a waste. There are numerous websites that
offer various floor-cover options. By
purchasing some sort of protector for the
floor, the school would be able to limit the
times the floor is refinished significantly.
OODDEE TTOO PPLLAAYY WWEEEEKKBY JOSEPH DELGROSSO
Ode to a play week
How we thank thee for thee;
You come bearing gifts
Santa Clause you must be.
You begin like any school week
But end with a bang;
Less sounds in the hallway,
Except the bells when they rang.
No tests! No tests!
The students they cheer;
Let us relax and feast
And head to class with no fear!
Now Thursday approaches
Our favorite day of the week;
Not much to be done
Except to jump and to leap.
The clock ticks and ticks
As the minutes go by;
We play games and delight
But with no phones, oh my.
No matinée for us
But still joy we keep;
We have our reward
And that reward is our sleep.
Now the week has concluded
Oh how we’ll miss you;
But now we remember
Spring play is even better than you!
Thank you for your warmness
Your kindness and strength;
But maybe next time
Will you increase in your length?
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A T T R I N I T Y
CCEEMMEETTEERRYY CCLLEEAANNUUPPBY ANNA TWIDDY
Our most loyal Muse readers might
remember a peculiar article written around
two years ago by our former photo
emperor, Andrew Evans. For those of you
who don’t, Andrew, in his woodland
wanderings, one day came across a
disheveled cemetery on Trinity’s property.
Naturally, a Muse article was needed to
explain this strange discovery to the world.
I read it, and was immediately fascinated by
it. “I wonder if I’ll ever get the excuse to go
and see it,” I thought to myself.
That school year ended, and, over the
summer, the time had arrived for me to
come up with an idea for my Girl Scout
Gold Award project. For those of you who
don’t know, the Gold Award is the highest
award a Girl Scout can get, being a rough
equivalent to achieving the status of Eagle
Scout. I had been in Girl Scouts since before
I could tie my own shoes, so it seemed that
I should, of course, tackle this project and
make a difference somewhere. But where?
And whom should I help? The answer soon
became obvious as the memory of the
decrepit Trinity cemetery emerged from its
hiding-place in my brain. “I shall help the
dead!” I exclaimed, internally of course.
“And Trinity! By helping the dead people on
their property!”
I spent the fall of my junior year
crafting out a plan, and gaining the
permission of Trinity to clean up their
cemetery, which was, thankfully, given
quickly. I soon realized I would need the
help of an advisor to get my project off the
ground. I found one in the form of the
chairman for the Raleigh City Cemetery
Preservation Incorporation. She helped me
map out a cleanup plan. I eventually
convinced my local Girl Scout Council to see
the effectiveness of it. All was going
extremely well. “I will surely have this done
by Christmas!” I thought to myself.
Unfortunately, I was sorely mistaken.
Junior year soon struck with a vengeance,
and I was forced to postpone my project till
this summer. Here’s how it all went down:
The Poole-Cope-Crawford family
cemetery lies on Ray Road, immediately
behind Trinity. I had visited it many times,
but this summer was the first time I was
going to study it closely, in order to refine
my plans. It was like a jungle in there: it
had weeds that were almost as tall as I was.
In order to study the tombstones, as I
needed to do, a mowing would be
necessary. Otherwise, the brambles and
ticks would win. With the aid of my sister-
in-law and a push mower, I was able to
finally walk around all the cemetery. I
studied each tombstone closely: there were
Civil War veterans, married couples, and,
most sobering of all, children. That was the
first time I really felt the need to help these
people. They had been forgotten, but I
could help that by cleaning the place up.
I spent the final weeks of my summer
weeding and doing some other
miscellaneous cleaning, but I knew I would
need a team to keep up this work after I left
Trinity. Otherwise, this effort would be all
for naught. I would need the help of the
Beta Club, the main headquarters of service
projects in all of Trinity. They were very
open to the idea: a once-a-semester cleanup
that would keep the cemetery in decent
shape. We had our first cleanup day a few
weeks ago, and now I’m quite sure this
project will persist after I leave.
And now, the time has come for me to
finish this project and explain it to you all.
At the time of writing this article, I am in
the midst of preparing my project for
submission to my local council. They will
decide if I have done everything I needed to
do, and, with luck, I will have. But whatever
happens, I realize it has been such a
pleasure to work on this project. It amazes
me that I was able to help the Trinity
cemetery as I did. But I couldn’t have done
it alone, and I thank everyone who has
helped me along the way, with many of you
being included in that.
If you want to visit the subject of my
project, I highly encourage you. However,
do know that parking is really limited. To
get there, turn right onto Baileywick from
Trinity, take another right on Strickland,
then turn right on Ray. Take the first right
and park at the entrance to the subdivision
(just don’t block the entrance!) . It’s a very
interesting cemetery to visit, with
tombstones from the mid nineteenth
century to the mid twentieth century. If
you ever visit, do pause a moment to think
of those buried there. I certainly did.
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A T T R I N I T Y
SSLLOOWW WWAALLKKEERRSSBY REUBEN RIEDELL
Have any of you ever been late to a
class because you got stuck behind a
clothesline of walkers lethargically
moving down the hallway? Well, I
have, and if I knew that that was going
to happen to me every single day, I’d
have brought my battering ram.
Getting entangled behind this
intriguing specimen is the highlight of
my day—like black Sharpie
permanent marker highlight.
Whenever I’m late to my class because
of a herd of alpacas moving backwards
through a pit of tar and superglue, I’m
mildly bothered. But when this
occurrence happens daily, I turn out to
be extremely irked. Let’s be honest
here: among all of those who go to
school at Trinity, the majority of those
dawdling crab-walkers tend to be
middle school girls. Yes, I know, being
able to talk to someone at your side
during your entire walk down to your
next class is a pleasure, but when four
or five of you link up together in a
chain, it becomes difficult to traverse
the hallways.
What’s worse is when you are about
to get to your classroom and then one
of the people in front of you decides
that it would be a spectacular idea for
them to stop by their locker and have
that chain of followers stand there
when the others don’t even need to
access theirs. If migrating to a single
locker became such an infectious trait
as the girls-going-to-the-bathroom-
with-every-other-girl-they-know-
simply-because-it’s-a-social-event
trait, then we would be in trouble.
When you decide to brave up and
ask if they could move aside so that
those who need to get to their classes
in time can get there, they’re too busy
conversing about some kind of social
media you’ve never heard of to care. If
I weren’t caught up in a stampede of
tortoises as much as I am in the
hallways, then I wouldn’t be writing
this article, now would I? I’ve come up
with a few ways of combatting this
predicament so that you won’t be so
melancholy once you finally make it to
your classroom five minutes after you
were supposed to be there:
1. Don’t bite the hand that restrains
you. Barging your way through the
barricade of teenagers like an unhappy
rhino is not the way to go about
getting past them. Perhaps letting out
an extraordinarily loud sneeze to wake
them up to reality is a tactic of getting
past this traffic jam. Oh, and don’t
forget your megaphone.
2. Don’t use common sense. Trying
to reason with those who impede your
destiny should be dealt with using
alternative methods. The real reason
why each hallway has two sets of
double doors is to solve the problem
that students have when getting to
their classroom. You know the old
saying, “If you can’t go through them,
then waste even more time going
around.”
3. Don’t walk to your next class.
That’s right—sprint. If you can make
it to your next class before getting
caught in this snare, then you’re home
free. The slow walkers take a bit to get
ready before their trek to their lockers,
so make sure you are by your
classrooms door ready to book it when
the bell rings. Don’t get stuck; get
there first.
RREEUUBB RRAANNTTSS !!NOW WITH HIS VERY OWN COLUMN!
November 20th 9: PM- The day has come, the
sheet says I have to shave tonight or there’s
gonna be some sort of “Shaving of the Beard”
which doesn’t sound like a thing I want to do at
school. I will miss you triangle beard. You made
me much more manly.
November 21st 8:15 AM- I am the only person
who shaved. Is this karma? Is this some sort of
retribution for some evil act that I committed? I
don’t remember committing any evil acts. But
hey, you still can’t tell Josiah hasn’t shaved for
three weeks so I guess I've beaten him! No Shave
November is a success!
BBEEAARRDDSS AARREE HHEEAALLTTHHYY!!BY JACOB HOFFER
This month ushered in starts the notorious No
Shave November. At Trinity this meant the
masculine males are finally allowed to show off
their nice fuzzy beards for the first time. I would
like to take this opportunity, then, to argue that
we keep this tradition in future years and maybe
during times other than November, and I have
some pretty sturdy evidence to back me up.
There’s gotta be some actual valid reason for
keeping beards, right? They must have some
health benefits, I think? After all, if your body
wants it there, it has to be good or have a good
reason, I think. (Ladies, this is in no way giving
you a reason to also participate.) After looking
online, I found that beards do have health
benefits, and that No Shave Every Month should
be put in place.
First off, shaving beards can sometimes cause a
stupid rash, called folliculitis barbae. This rash is
caused by a bacteria that infects the skin, making
you look foolish. It is usually brought on by
shaving equipment that we use that carries the
bacteria in it from our noses. Dr. Toni Phillips, my
man from over there at the Destination Skin
Clinic says, “The shaved hair starts to grow again
and forms an ingrown bump which can become
inflamed. During the next shave, these bumps
can be cut or irritated, resulting in infection. Not
only is this an unpleasant medical condition, but
it looks awful.”
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A T T R I N I T Y
Another benefit of not shaving is its
helpfulness with allergies. According to Dr.
Gill Hart, a food intolerance expert, a beard
may help the body become used to
allergens, and not react as harshly as it
usually would. With a beard, some small
amounts of pollens may get caught in it,
and actually “de-sensitize” the immune
system. This means that the body will get
used to the small presence, and be less
likely to react. Although the only person
that can grow a beard thick enough for this
to be the case has graduated, I think you
get my point.
Furthermore, beards are able to help
lower the chances of skin cancer. With hair
covering my face, I would never have to go
through the hassle of putting on stupid
sunscreen and trying to protect my face
from the sun, my lovely beard would just do
it for me. The best example of this hair
being sunblock effectiveness is my legs. My
legs, as some of you may know, are very
hairy. Not once, since I have had trouble
seeing the skin on my legs, have I had to
wear sunscreen on them. And not once
have I gotten sunburn on them. I burn
fairly easily I might add. With a beard to do
the same as my leg hair, I would be an
almost invincible human being, but
understandably, Trinity doesn’t want me to
be this powerful.
As I look at these reasons, and many
more, pointing towards the positives of a
beard, I would like to propose that No
Shave November becomes a tradition and
maybe spreads to the other months so I get
to look like a handsome man, and also
protect myself from the sun, allergies, and
a nasty rash.
AACCTTUUAALLLLYY AAUUSSTTIINN''SSJJOOKKEESS ((MMOOSSTTLLYY)) !!BY AUSTIN BLACKWELL
Mr. Raneiri said I need to make my own
jokes this time around so here I go, sorry
for what you are about to read.
1. What do you call venison in the rain?
A- a.. . a wet deer?
2. What do you call a bill written in the
winter?
A- a SANTA clause!
3. What do you call a reindeer that
interrupts his teachers?
A- RUDE-olph!
4. What’s Benedict Arnolds favorite part of
Christmas
A- The Christmas-treason!
5. Who is Wendy’s™ favorite Christmas
character?
A- FROSTY the Snowman!
6. How do the elderly get around during
Christmas?
A- Candy Canes!
7.What did the shirt say when the elf
called him a sweater?
A- Sweat her? I don’t even know her!
8. What would you call a baker with red
hair?
A- a ginger bread-man!
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
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AALLEEXX FFRROOMM TTAARRGGEETTBY DANA FROM JOURNALISM
To this day I am still shocked by how
some people get famous. Whether it’s by
getting a reality show or becoming an
overnight success from YouTube,
technology seems to have set the bar for
talent these days. Yes, sometimes finding
talent over the internet can be a good thing
(see The Vamps or Shawn Mendes for
results in that area), but other than that it’s
a complete joke.
One of these jokes is Alex from Target
who gained his fame by just being good
looking. He took the world by storm
through Twitter, where thousands of
people (mostly teenage girls) shared a
picture of the attractive teenage boy
working at Target which eventually caused
him to be one of the hottest trends on
Twitter worldwide. Oh, and the fun didn’t
stop there. Now, this new, acclaimed
celebrity has over 700,000 followers on
Twitter and has appeared on the Ellen
DeGeneres show. The best part about all of
this is its fake (what a surprise! )
Apparently, Target set all of this up to get
more promotion which, in my mind,
doesn’t make sense, after all, lots of people
love Target and it seems to be doing pretty
well. Yet, people will do anything to be
famous these days, and so this secret deal
turned into the next big thing. People like
me keep talking about this phenomenon
which just shows how one little spark can
cause a whole flame of frenzy. It’s kind of
scary how our culture can develop a new
household name like this where people
don’t even have to work hard any more to
get where they want to be in life.
It just proves that when you do work
hard you should be proud of what you have
done, so you at least have some proof that
you have actually accomplished something
worth showing off instead of saying that in
one point of your life you were the “it” boy
on Twitter.
WWHHAATT''SS WWRROONNGG WWIITTHHDDLLCCBY MATT CURRIN
Those of you who know me well know
that I am a huge Nintendo gamer. and not
ashamed by it. Recently, Nintendo released
the first of two packs of downloadable
content (DLC) for Mario Kart 8 (a first in
series history), and I played the heck out of
it this weekend, and loved every second of
it. The first pack contained 3 new
characters, including Link, 4 new karts, and
8 new tracks, including tracks based off of
The Legend of Zelda and F-Zero (Captain
Falcon’s series). The tracks were all
brilliantly fun, well designed, and felt like
they had been in the game all along rather
than thrown together for a few quick bucks.
Oh, and the best part is that it was only
$12. Excuse me, that is wrong. It was $12
for the season pass, which gave me both
packs on their respective release dates, as
well as 8 alternate colors for Yoshi and Shy
Guy immediately. The main lure of this
DLC is the tracks, and the combination of
both packs gives you 16 of them added on
to the 32 you already have in game.
This is a massive deal, and I would
recommend you all go buy it, but to my
knowledge, no one else at Trinity owns this
game.. . .the point is that this got me
thinking about how this bargain stacks up
to other DLC’s released for more popular
games. So I Googled what may be the most
popular video game in the USA (for the
time being), Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare, which I love, by the way, but that’s
for another time. What’s important is that
the season pass for that game, which
provides you with 5 new multiplayer maps,
costs $49.99. I’m going to let that sink in
for a moment. That’s only $10.00 less than
the actual game, which already has 12ish
maps. By comparison, that’s insanely
overpriced. The Mario Kart 8 DLC would be
the COD equivalent of getting 6
multiplayer maps, 6 new guns, 8 new
exosuits, and 16 new gun camos for $12.
And it’s not just COD; here’s a list of other
series with DLC prices.
Watch Dogs: $19.99: 3 hour bonus
campaign, a new game mode, and 5ish
outfits
Halo 4: $24.99: 9 maps, two helmets, one
emblem
Infamous Second Son: $15.00: 3 hour
bonus campaign
Killzone Shadow Fall: $20.00: 5 maps and
vehicle skin
Anyone else sensing the same pattern I
am. Compared to the MK8 DLC, these are
all massively overpriced for underwhelming
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
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content in both quality and quantity. The
only recent example I’ve seen of doing DLC
right is GTA V, who has released extra
vehicles, missions, and even a content
creator for free. All of this just goes to show
that companies like Activision and Bungie
are beginning to realize how much money
they can make off of offering additional
content for an unfair price instead of just
putting it in the game in the first place.
However, now that Nintendo has entered
the DLC game, things could change, but, in
reality, players will probably have to end up
paying almost $100 to experience the full
game.
FFUURRYY RREEVVIIEEWWBY JOHN "FROM CLAYTON"HINTON
If you ask a war vet or a movie buff,
most of them would tell you there are
certain movies that are the most accurate
and vivid interpretations of war. Here’s the
list: Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan,
The Hurt Locker, and Lone Survivor. I
declare that the next movie that should be
added to the list is Fury.
Fury stars Brad Pitt, and there’s no
reason to believe from past movies with
Pitt that this movie could possibly be bad.
Pitt plays an experienced, hardened
sergeant nicknamed “Wardaddy.” Although
Wardaddy may be tough, he has a soft side
when he needs it; classic Pitt, or, as his
friends call him, Brad. Shia LaBeouf is there
too! The Transformers kid play an
extremely right-wing Jehovah’s Witness
from Deep South. I am sure you can all
imagine what his character is like. There are
supporting characters like Michael Peña
and Jon Bernthal that add to the movie but
the main protagonist of this film is Logan
Lerman, A.K.A. Percy Jackson from the
Percy Jackson movies. Poseidon’s son
decides to play with the big dogs and star in
his own hardcore war movie.
Logan plays young Norman Elison, a
EELLEECCTTIIOONN FFRRAAUUDDBY BEN REIN
In light of the recent elections, with the
ads, emails and phone calls that we are all
sick of, I have decided to address the issue
of campaigning. We all know that, in some
way shape or form, campaigning is corrupt,
or extremely susceptible to corruption.
How are individuals or corporations
allowed to spend massive amounts of
money on individuals running for office?
It’s mind boggling. If someone gave me a
million dollars that helped me gain a job, I
would definitely feel as if I were in their
debt. What is to stop some oil corporation,
or some outside lobbyist group from
coming in, tampering with the elections
and having the entirety of congress in their
pocket? The answer.. . nothing, because
corporations and individuals are allowed to
give as much as they want.
How do we fix the possibility of
corruption? I would say we can kill two
birds with one stone. Just don’t allow
campaigning. Have the candidates give a
set number of speeches and have a set
amount of debates that are all broadcasted
BBEENN''SS CCOONNSSPPIIRRAACCYY CCOORRNNEERR!!
THE GOVERNMENT CAN'T REIN HIM IN!to general television. This gets rid of
corruption, changes smaller elections from
being based purely on name recognition,
and gets rid of all the stupid ads that cost
millions even billions of dollars sometimes.
With this step taken American politics
would be be uncorrupted for the imminent
future and the populace would not have to
listen to ridiculous ads that just make
everyone angry.
paperboy for the military who is thrown
into Wardaddy’s platoon. He gets mocked
and abused by the rest of the crew, like an
initiation to the guys’ varsity soccer team.
The whole story circles around Norman
going from being a scrawny, little cadet to
becoming a loyal, tough soldier. The
transformation is vividly documented in
the film through extreme, somewhat
gratuitous scenes that Norman must go
through.
Norman is a participant, as well as a
witness to many events that mold him into
a soldier. Executing a captive, taking out
enemy flanks, and losing comrades; these
are all a part of what Norman experiences
as a man of war. Then there is the final
battle. I will try to not give out spoilers, but
really? With an entire armada of angry,
spiteful Nazis, one Nazi decides he gonna
be nice to Norman! Really? Come on David
Ayer, be accurate.
I would put Fury on the list for one of the
best war movies to come out. Fury’s
portraying of vivid, and “hard to watch”
images makes the movie a parallel to Saving
Private Ryan and the emotional and
thought provoking nature of Fury puts in
the same league as The Hurt Locker.
Overall, I give Fury an 8 out of 10.
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
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11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY HUNTER DOTSON
The stunning Taylor Swift has done it again, producing a record
breaking album that has limitless potential. 1989, being her first
ever pop album, has had such soaring reviews it is hard to argue the
talent of this 24 year old. The album is modelled from late eighties
pop music. When referring to why she chose to go with the late
eighties theme she said, "I really love the chances they were taking. I
love how bold it was. I love how ahead of its time it was." If the
predictions are correct by the one week mark of the release of 1989
Swift will hold the record for one-week sales by a female artist,
beating out Britney Spears which sold 1.319 million copies in its
debut week. 1989 may also overtake the 1.322 million copies of The
Eminem Show from 2002. Before Swift’s album was released there
was speculation as to whether or not it
would be a hit. Even though her last
album, Red, sold 1.21 million copies
in its first week people questioned the
ability of Swift. No one knew if she
would be able to produce a successful
album as a pop singer. By the first
couple of days her (cont. on next page)
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY DANA DZIADUL
Taylor Swift has finally (emphasis on the finally) made the long
time coming crossover from country megastar to pop superstar
with her highly anticipated new album “1989.” Being that her
unique album title was the year that she was born, it also adds to
the fact that her new infectious sound adds a bit of 80s pop flare to
a bunch of her songs, which, surprisingly, works for her. “Welcome
to New York”, the first track on the album, is a great example of her
80s vibe where she also expresses her fascination with the big city
that has become her new home.
Even though Swift claims that this album is less about her
personal makeups and breakups, she still looks like a hopeless
romantic as she sings songs out her diary for the world to here.
With songs like “Wildest Dreams” and
“Bad Blood” for instance, you get a real
insight on her ever so confusing love
life.
Her first single and most popular
song off the album so far, “Shake it off”,
expresses her new motto of girlfriends
before boyfriends (cont. on next page)
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY JORDAN PUTHENVEETIL
1989 (MCMLXXIX) was a common
year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian
calendar. It marked the 989th year of
the 2nd Millennium, the 89th year of
the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1980s decade.
It was a historical turning point for the wave of revolutions that
swept the Eastern Bloc. Also in this year, the first Internet service
providers surfaced, the first unofficial text message was sent in
1989, and most importantly, 1989 marked the beginning of the
current Heisei period in Japan, but you already knew that.
In politics, this year was incredibly important. Well, as
important and any other recent year in politics. Meaning the
whole nation focused on a number of important issues, hoping to
make some real changes in several of our polities…but ultimately
got nothing done. People thought about changing gun laws and
gay marriage rights. Instead the government decided to let 2014
take care of it.
The scientific progress in 1989 was really exciting. It marked
the one-year anniversary of the detection of the first extrasolar
planet, Gamma Celphei Ab. How exciting! Other than that…the
Soviet Union was still doing stuff, I guess. I know that’s not really
scientific, but I ran out of scientific facts and I didn’t want this
section of my article to fall short. (cont on next page)
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY ANNA TWIDDY
There are very few people anymore
who are skilled in the art of reviewing
numbers. I know what you’re probably
thinking: how does one review a
number? Are they not simple shorthand for the amount
of.. .things…there are? 1,989? You are hopelessly incorrect, if
you believe that. There’s a lot to read into numbers. They
communicate much more than simply how many something is.
It can evoke raw feeling, and 1,989 is a number especially
intriguing to dissect.
Let’s start by looking at the number as a whole. 1,989.
When you look at it, your mind instantly travels to 2,000. It’s on
the cusp of a very well-recognized number, a bold choice indeed.
But on-the-cusp numbers can be clichéd, at times. We all
recognize 1999, 99, or heaven forbid, 999999. They’re
exhausting to look at, right? Just one step short of a big,
recognizable number. We’ve all seen it before, and there’s really
no need to see it again. But 1989 keeps it fresh and interesting.
It’s close to 2000, yes, but not too close. Therefore, on the
whole, it works extremely well. It’s suspenseful, but not to a
degree where we just get tired.
But how well do its individual components hold up? It
begins with a one, a pretty standard choice. (cont. on next page)
w 9 x
E N T E R T A I N M E N T
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY HUNTER DOTSON
(cont. from last page) haters were silenced, and there was no
doubt that Swift’s new
album would be a sensation. Taylor has proven she is more than
capable of mastering multiple genres of music. When Swift
released her first album at the age of 16 she was solely a country
music star, as the years have gone on she has slowly evolved into
a pop singer. Her 2010 album, Red, was a sort of country-pop
genre and it was clear she was slowly leaving behind her country
roots. This new album signifies her complete switch to the pop
music world.
Regardless of if Taylor Swift beats Spears for most albums
sold by a woman in a week, she will undoubtedly have the first
album of the year to sell a million copies. In a year that has been
somewhat of a let down for the music industry, Swift proves her
consistent ability to produce quality music that attracts a variety
of people. Anticipating this album sells 1 million copies, which it
surely will, Swift will become the first act to sell 1 million copies
in the debut week of three consecutive albums.
Having said all of this I think you should go ahead and
purchase your tickets for Swifts concert on June 9 at the PNC
Arena. Her concert last year was easily the best concert I have
attended, and I expect nothing less from this next one. One
thing is for sure, you will find me there screaming my head off
along side the 20,000 thirteen year old girls in attendance.
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY DANA DZIADUL
(cont. from last page) without letting the haters get in your
way. This song has become a major hit for Taylor, but all of the
songs off the album have so much thought and care into them
that they have potential to be just as successful hits as well.
This transformation for Taylor Swift has definitely paid off,
and it seems that a new queen of pop is enjoying her throne.
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY JORDAN PUTHENVEETIL
(cont from last page) In the world of popular culture,
Ghostbusters II premiered in 1989. A lot of other movies came out
this year too, but I felt like mentioning Ghostbusters II. I mean,
really, when is anyone ever going to mention Ghostbusters II ever
again? It deserves its time in the spotlight…well it probably
doesn’t deserve it, but whatever. Elsewhere, a very popular
musician was born this year. I think we all know whom I am
talking about. You know, the once young and preppy country
singer who has recently made her way into more pop style music.
You guessed it! It’s Jewel Kilcher…wait; actually she was born in
1974. Never mind.
Well there it is, an in-depth review of 1989. Maybe now the
Internet will stop asking about it. Actually I’m really confused
about why everyone is so obsessed with this year. It’s oddly
specific and a little creepy really. I means it’s a great year but…you
know what! It’s not even that. 1989 is kind of a crappy year. Ill
even go as far to say that it was a useless year! If I had a time
machine the first thing that I would do is go back in time and
make sure that 1989 never happen. That’s how time travel works
right? Everyone needs to get checked out. No one should be this
obsessed with a year. I’m actually starting to get really concerned
about your health.
11998899 RREEVVIIEEWWBY ANNA TWIDDY
(cont. from last page) Nothing communicates a beginning
better than a number one. All in all, a standard, easily
understandable place to start, even though it’s been done
before. This basic setup immediately throws the viewer for a
loop, as the next number is a nine, a drastic leap indeed. Nines
communicate a lot, as you can imagine: they often signify the
end. To go straight to a nine from a one is a bold move. It grabs
your attention, yes, but you then must take a few paces back to
allow the viewer to take all of it in. So many numbers make the
mistake of continuing that drastic tone with another nine, but
then the viewer can often not make sense of the thing. On the
other hand, other numbers go too far back, to a two or even
back to a one. This makes the drastic leap pointless. But what
does 1989 do? It moves backward only as far as necessary to
keep the viewer engaged, to an eight. The tone is calmed down
a bit; we move from the very edge of the cliff to a couple feet
back. However, we are still nervous. After all, we were just
flung from a one to a nine! An eight seems safer, but we are
still on edge, and rightfully so, for we are immediately thrown
ahead back to another nine! There, the number ends, on a
cliffhanger of sorts. We are left on the edge of the cliff,
knowing full well that we could be brought back to an eight, or
pushed forward into the abyss.
Thus 1989 is a high-performing number, on both levels.
As a whole, it takes daring measures without being clichéd or
overdone. When the viewer examines its individual parts, they
thrown into a numerical roller coaster; starting completely
safe, being flung into near death, pushed back a bit to ease
tension, only to throw us right back at the edge! 1989, an
engaging number indeed!
w 10x
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Kristi Demski Dana Dziadul Jack Farkas Jacob Hofer
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PPaauull JJuunneeaauu
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Online Editor (Eventually)
OOHH MMYY BBLLAACCKK FFRRIIDDAAYY!!BY JOHN HINTON
There weren’t just riots in Ferguson this past week, but also
riots in the shopping malls for the amazing deals on Black Friday.
Discount items that nobody actually wants but everyone fights
over them because they’re discounted, oh what a wonderful time of
the year. I am not sure how everyone else’s special day goes, but
here’s how mine went down.
I woke at 4 A.M., eager to storm the market for the best deals.
Unfortunately, a lot of people were as eager as I, seeing as how
there was a 2 hour traffic jam to Crabtree Mall.
The struggle didn’t stop, even when we got off the highway.
Parking was like something out ofMission Impossible. No one
wanted to give up their space, as soon as someone does, it would
take 20 minutes for people to stop arguing about who was there
first to take it. It was like watching your cousins fight over who get
the last cookie, or your friends fight over who gets to play the first
round of Call of Duty. Finally, my family and I found a parking
space a parking space at the McDonald’s a block away from
Crabtree. The next battle was inside the stores instead of outside.
The closest store was the Best Buy. Oh, the horror. A sea of
angry shoppers flooded the electronics store. At least one shopper
in every isle was yelling at a sales associate for better deals. All I
wanted to do was check out the computers in the back of the store,
but even that had a 15 minute line to get to. I walked out of Best Buy
with a charger and ringing ear-drums, so overall not a bad run.
Next I aiemd for a store with people who are supposed to calm and
sensible, Barnes and Noble, but I forgot that it was Black Friday. Even
Barnes & Noble could not escape the chaos of the biggest discount
day of the year. I saw two women play a game of tug o’ war with the
last copy of The Fault in Our Stars. There were no chairs available in
Barnes & Noble! Which actually is not anything new, there are never
seats available. My sister couldn’t get the book she wanted, but, more
importantly, there weren’t any good vinyl’s in the music section.
Even the largest free space in Crabtree was out of control, the food
court. People were yelling to each other, “That seat’s taken,” even
though no one was sitting there. Cinnabon was out of, guess what,
cinnabons! I’m almost certain a saw a little kid get thrown across the
room for holding up the line at Which Wich. And to top it all off, I
couldn’t get the Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s I wanted.
But if I had to choose whether to go shopping on Black Friday next
year, I would definitely do it again. The discount prices, the vibrant
life, the chance to leave a black eye; it’s wonderful! I hope that you all
can experience Black Friday the same way I do.