November 2005 - Taft Union High School

Oildorado
wrap-up,
Page 3
Homecoming
Week
photo essay,
Page 4
Hanging with
Derrick Hood,
Features,
Page 6
Powder
Puff
coverage,
Page 7
Vol. 93, No. 2
The Gusher
Taft Union High School, 701 Seventh Street, Taft, Calif. 93268
Personnel
changes
keep staff
energized
Continued on page 6
By Lacey Chappelear
Staff Writer
Top Cats: Students with a GPA of 4.0 or above were honored at the Renaissance Rally. From left,
Jacqueline Tacza, Megan Chappelear (partially obscured), Josh Webb (rear), Michelle Perales, Gianna
Hampton, Jennifer Gonzales, David Hunter, Keri Rushing, Amanda Houston, Jeremiah Twisselman,
Kayla Hillygus, Wes Eiland, and Allen Hickernell. Not present: Beatriz Aguilar and Selene Frausto.
Students ride wave of success at
beachin’ Fall Renaissance Rally
By Josh Webb
Staff Writer
On Wednesday, November
9, the beach scene surfed its way to
Taft High on a “wave of success.”
The Renaissance Rally
opened with the national anthem,
sung by Carey Tuamalemalo, after
which, the new renaissance advisor
Regina Bench enthusiastically
kicked off the festivities.
Following a few hints as to
the Classified Staff Member of the
Year and a Renaissance clap, the first
game was started. The object of the
game was to dig through confetti in
Legislature votes to ban
soda, limit junk food at
high school campuses
By Markie Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
Legislation recently
signed into law by Gov.
Schwarzenegger hopes to pull the
sweet tooth of California’s increasingly obese youth. The bill,
which will take effect in July 2007,
severely restricts the availability
of junk food and soda on California high school campuses.
As teens in California
gain more weight, medical experts and educators have begun
to view soda as a major contributor to this hefty problem.
According to the UCLA
Center for Health Policy Research,
Kern County youth consume
more carbonated beverages than
any other county in the state. The
Bakersfield Californian recently reported that, on average, a California teen consumes 32 ounces of
“sugar water” a day, while Kern
County’s teens knock back 44
ounces.
Many researchers and
health experts believe that the excessive amount of soda consumed
by teens is a leading cause of the
obesity epidemic. The legislature
has responded by enacting this
November 18, 2005
Wasco
principal
apologizes
for locker
room theft
By Cherokee Ingram
News Editor
You may have noticed
some familiar faces in different
places around campus recently.
That’s because some staff changes
have taken place.
Charlot Frakes has moved
from the attendance office to the
position of Athletic Director’s Secretary. She decided to move to a
new position for a change of pace.
She enjoys her new job because
she’s busy all the time and there is
never a dull moment.
“I miss seeing the kids all
the time because there is not much
interaction in my new job,” explains
Frakes.
Kelly Federoff has moved
to the LRC after being an instructional aide. She decided to change
positions because she wanted a fulltime position. She likes her new job
because she gets to work with a
variety of students, rather than
strictly those in the RSP program.
Still, she misses the kids she worked
with and whom she has grown
close to.
Sarah Mitchell is a new addition to the Taft High staff. She
joined us after leaving The Driller
and now works as the principal’s
secretary. She decided to apply for
a position at TUHS because she
knew it was an outstanding place
to work. She enjoys her new job
because it is fast-paced, the day
The Voice of the Wildcats
Since 1912
law, under which sodas will no
longer be available in vending
machines and cafeterias.
“We need to work on providing better environments for
kids to make their food choice decisions and encourage them to
choose healthier options,” Susan
Babey, co-author of the UCLA
study, told the Californian.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the American Beverage
Association had proposed a solution; it would completely remove
soda from elementary schools, allow middle-schoolers access only
after school, and provide more
calorie-conscious choices in high
school vending machines.
“If you have to cut calories, why not start with the sugar
water,” Dr. Carlos Camargo, associate professor of medicine at
Harvard University told The Times.
Legislators and school officials
appear to agree with Camargo,
and despite the soft drink companies’ meager attempt at limiting
their product, sodas will no longer
be available on school campuses
starting with the 2007-2008 school
year.
a child’s wading pool, searching
for the letters to spell out “Wildcats.” After an intense battle, the
staff beat out all of the student
classes.
After a few more hints
about the identity of the Staff
Member of the Year, the second
game began.
The object this time was to
dress one member of the team in
beach attire and run across the
gymnasium, then dress the other
member and “crab” walk across
the gymnasium to the finish line.
Again, the staff beat out the student classes.
Shortly after the second
game, the Top Cats, those who
earned a 4.0 G.P.A. or higher, were
recognized for their achievement
and received TUHS towels.
Finally, the Staff Member of
the Year, and Most Improved Student of the Year were announced.
The winners were Donald
Thornsberry and Staci Taylor, respectively.
Thornsberry has always
been favored by many students as
a great bus driver. Taylor won for
improving her G.P.A. from 2.5 to
3.5. The families of both were there
to congratulate them on their
achievements.
Thornsberry named Staff
Member of the Year at rally
By Joie Reyes
Staff Writer
Taft High mechanic and
daily bus driver Donald
Thornsberry was named Classified Employee of the Year at the
November 8 Renaissance Rally.
Obviously surprised to
hear his name called, Thornsberry
walked down from the bleachers
to accept the award from M.C.
Regina Bench. When his wife and
children walked out, he was very
excited.
It was an awakening experience for him to realize how
much he is recognized around the
campus.
“I appreciate all the students that voted and didn’t vote
for me,” Thornsberry said.
He received a bag of gifts
filled with gift certificates for local restaurants and for a makeover, mini-facial, brow wax and
spray tan.
He says he can’t wait for
the spray tan and brow wax, but
the rest he is giving to his wife.
Thornsberry and his wife
have been married for 15 and a half
years. They have two children,
Mackenzie, 9, who is attending
Roosevelt Elementary, and Dalton,
12, who is attending Lincoln Junior High. Thornsberry graduated
from Maricopa High School.
Thornsberry enjoys working at TUHS as the bus driver
mainly because of the students.
“I love being around the
kids, taking them on field trips and
games, just being there,” he said.
The kids keep it entertaining for him by singing at the back
of the bus and just being themselves. Thornsberry tries to enjoy
his trips with the students, just
hanging out and getting to know
them personally.
“It is all about the kids and
not about the staff,” he observed.
That attitude is what has
earned him the title of Classified
Staff Member of the Year.
Most Improved Student
Staci Taylor -- see page 3
After a victorious doubleovertime game at Wasco on November 4, Taft’s varsity football
team returned to the locker room to
find it in shambles. Sometime during the second half of the game, the
unlocked doors to the locker room
provided easy access for one or
more thieves to pillage valuables
from the lockers.
The theft was widespread,
affecting most of the team. Wallets
containing cash, driver’s licenses,
credit and bank cards were stolen,
as were other valuable items.
Watches, cell phones, iPods, shoes
and clothing were reported missing. The value of the stolen goods
is estimated at $6,000 dollars.
The TUHS administration
lodged a complaint with the Wasco
Union High School District last
week, seeking reimbursement.
Wasco High principal Joseph
Elwood sent a letter of apology to
Principal Marilyn Brown on November 7.
“While nothing can be
done to reduce the shock and distress your players experienced on
returning to the locker room after
their hard-fought victory, I want to
assure you we are pursuing all
available avenues to identify and
punish the individuals responsible
for this inexcusable and criminal
action,” wrote Elwood.
TUHS staff and members
of the community have offered to
help in compensating the athletes
for their losses. The players, while
disheartened, can expect reimbursement either from Wasco or another source.
The troubling issue is the
fact that the locker room doors were
left unlocked. When the Wildcats
returned to the locker room at halftime, they found the doors unlocked. Campus supervisor Kim
Fields attempted to rectify the problem by speaking to Wasco employees. Yet the doors remained unlocked during the second half, making the theft possible.
This was not the first time
teams from Taft and Wasco have
clashed. Last spring six girls were
suspended from the varsity basketball team after inappropriate behavior during a game at Wasco.
Some Lady Cats took Wasco jerseys
from the Lady Tigers’ locker room
and had to return them the next
day. While both sides were involved in the taunting, the Taft administration suspended the girls,
resulting in the forfeiture of the rest
of the season.
“Procedures are being reviewed and steps will be taken to
insure this does not happen again
at any event hosted by this school,”
Elwood promised Brown. Some
TUHS students have commented
that the steps toward extra security
measures should have been taken
last spring, when the positions were
reversed.
NEWS & OPINION
Page 2
Editorial
Students, not
state, responsible
for avoiding soda,
junk food
High school students
are expected to be able to make
reasonable decisions, yet when
a problem arises among them
the responsibility is not laid in
their hands. I write this in defense of the soda.
It is not soda that is to
blame for so many obese adolescents; it is the adolescents.
They obviously don’t see their
weight or health as a top priority, and after they graduate
high school they will continue
to grow, outwardly that is.
Hiding “problem causers” like
soda can only slow down an
epidemic for so long.
Hefty high school students need to learn to make
healthier decisions themselves. Schools benefit from
the profit from the sale of soda.
Taft High’s soda machines produce revenue for the
sports programs. It isn’t fair to
take away the benefits of allowing soda to be sold on campus because some students are
looking for an excuse for their
gluttony.
Nobody is forcing
them to drink sugar-water day
after day. If sodas are truly
such a significant part of the
weight epidemic, students
themselves should make the
choice to not drink them.
Colen named
Central Cal’s
outstanding
art teacher
By Courtney Glendening
Features Editor
Art teacher Mike Colen
received the Douc Langur Award
for “Outstanding Art Teacher for
Central California”at the California
Art Education Association’s awards
banquet in Sacramento over Veterans’ Day weekend.
The award is given to three
teachers from different regions at
the statewide conference each year.
A colleague in Bakersfield
nominated Colen without telling
him. He received a letter in the mail
from the California Art Education
Association, and sent it back with
an explanation of his philosophy of
art education.
“I didn’t know what
chance I had of getting it,” Colen
explained.
A short time later he
learned he had been selected.
“I was very honored,”
Colen said.
Halloween blood
drive drains 46
students
The Houchin Blood Bank
held a blood drive at TUHS on October 31. Any students and staff
who met the requirements could
donate blood. The drive was a success but it didn’t reach the Key
Club’s goal.
A total of 46 pints of blood
was donated.
Last year, 84 donors at Taft
High gave blood, and 273 lives
were touched, earning Taft High the
award for most blood donors in the
Small Schools division. Donors
were given gift certificates to
Chipotle.
At this years blood drive,
57 students and staff volunteered to
donate blood and 46 of them were
actually able to give blood to save
lives.
-- Courtney Glendening
November 18, 2005
Entertaining City Conquest production motivates
teens to work on goals and character development
By Jennifer Gonzales
Staff Writer
The assembly on October
17 was unlike any assembly Taft
High has ever seen. Master’s Commission USA’s City Conquest came
to deliver a positive message of
hope to the students while holding
their attention with their energy
and humor.
Few could ignore their upbeat step-dancing routines or their
high-energy skits about being yourself.
Sophomore Jozie Steward
enjoyed the assembly immensely
“It was funny. I loved the
way they set up serious situations,
but kept them humorous,” she said.
Most students could relate
to the performers, who are only a
few years out of high school. Most
older performers can’t make the
same connection with a younger
crowd.
Senior Sergio Hallenbeck
feels the same way.
“It’s nice to have speakers
closer to our age inspire us to keep
going. Plus I liked how they didn’t
over-exaggerate their message,” he
says.
Master’s Commission USA
is a religion-based group which also
does school-friendly assemblies
under the name City Conquest. Although they are not allowed to use
the name Jesus at public school assemblies, they still get their message across without offending anyone.
Sophomore Christian
Ramirez enjoyed the school assembly as much as the religious MCUSA assembly he attended.
“I thought the assembly
was really tight, and the [basketball] nets really helped them get
their message across,” he admits.
The nets symbolized your goals or dreams. One the
goal is achieved, you can cut down
your net as a sign of completion.
City Conquest lived up to
their reputation by giving an impressive performance assembly
that TUHS students won’t soon forget.
City Conquest member demonstrates the power of mind
over matter by breaking a stack of concrete blocks with
his bare hands at recent assembly.
Jefferson lives! Radio
host Clay Jenkinson
channels third president
By Lacey Chappelear
Staff Writer
Kayla Brown’s market steer, “Ojoe,” was FFA Reserve Champion Shorthorn at the 2005 Kern County Fair. Under the guidance of advisor Teresa
Taylor, several Taft FFA students came home with awards.
FFA members make big
impression with stellar
performance at KC Fair
By Morgan Blair
Staff Writer
FFA members performed
well at the 2005 Kern County Fair.
All of Taft’s competitors sold their
market steers and lambs.
“I was very proud of
them,” said Teresa Taylor, FFA advisor.
Four students were champions and several won first place
awards. Katie Thompson won FFA
champion in the beef division. Her
Heifer “Fancy” won FFA champion
for Commercial-Bred Heifer.
Thompson placed seventh in FFA
Beef Showmanship.
In the Sheep Division,
Miranda Mayfield took home the
FFA championship with Speckled
Face (wool/meat crossbred).
“That was the most satisfying part of the fair,” says
Mayfield.
Mayfield also placed third
with her Suffolk Heavyweight Market lamb, took third place with her
Mini Rex Doe “Sal”, third place
with her Mini Rex Fir and third
with her Mini Rex Doe. Mayfield
also finished second in FFA Rabbit
Showmanship and third in Open
Rabbit Showmanship.
“Waking up and being on
time was the most challenging
part,” Mayfield notes.
Ashley Aldredge placed
first in class in the FFA Heavyweight Hampshire Market lamb
category. John Mark Mitchell
placed third in the Heavyweight
Hampshire Market lamb, while
Tonya Lewis placed sixth with her
FFA Lightweight Hampshire Market lamb.
Kayla Brown’s market
steer “Ojoe” was the FFA Reserve
Champion Shorthorn. Brown also
won Best Breed in the Poultry Division with her Americana and Jersey Giant roosters. Her Americana
hen won first place in her class. Her
Brahma, Delaware and Jersey Giant
hens, as well as her Brahma rooster,
placed second in their classes.
Brown placed eighth in
Open Senior Rabbit Showmanship
and third in FFA Rabbit Showmanship. Justin Baggs placed fifth in the
FFA Open Commercial Heifer class
with his yearling crossbred Heifer.
Meggan Strosnider’s Rabbit “Jimmy” was declared the second place Holland Lop Doe in the
Rabbit Division, and in the Poultry
Division her Americana rooster
placed second in class.
“I plan on using the money
I make for college,” she says.
“FFA is not only for nerds
like me. Everyone can do it,” observed Strosnider.
Sierra Sutherland and
Sandra Lewis placed second and
third with their Medium Weight
Suffolk Lambs. In the Medium
Weight Crossbred Market Lamb
Class, Colton Vernon finished second, and in the Rabbit Division
Tonya Lewis’ Holland Lop Buck
“Floppy” placed third in class.
Lewis was also included in
the Ag Mechanic exhibitors, as her
rabbit pen placed first. Andrew
Ward placed first with his hay
hooks and Kayla Brown placed second with her saddle rack.
Intellectuals gathered on
Wednesday, November 2 to listen
to Thomas Jefferson speak. Impossible, you say. Clay Jenkinson, host
of “The Thomas Jefferson Hour” on
public radio, appeared at the East
Bakersfield High School auditorium on November 2 in the guise
of Jefferson himself.
Jenkinson assumes
the role of Jefferson,
taking on his beliefs, characteristics
and even his appearance when
speaking in front of
groups.
Those in
attendance
included
several
teachers and Mr.
Kopp’s AP U.S.
History class. They
were there to listen
to and learn from one of America’s
greatest presidents.
“Jenkinson presented
Jefferson as a real human being
rather than an icon,” commented
government
teacher
Paul
Ackermann. “He brings history to
life and gives an appreciation of the
struggles of the time and the humanity of our forefathers.”
“It was an amazing opportunity to receive wisdom from one
of the greatest Americans who has
ever lived,” remarked history
teacher John Kopp.
Jenkinson’s performance
was divided into three sections: a
speech given by our third president,
a question-and-answer segment
and a short speech given by
Jenkinson himself about Jefferson.
Jenkinson/Jefferson spoke
about a wide variety of topics: the
writing of the Declaration of Independence with
John Adams, the
Revolutionary
War, his friendship with George
Washington, his
fierce rivalry with
A l e x a n d e r
Hamilton, his experience living in
Paris, the moral
aspects of slavery,
his obsession with
letter writing and
book collecting and his life as a Virginia farmer. He held the audience
of several hundred spellbound for
two hours.
“It was such a pleasure to
listen to a man who speaks so well,”
commented English teacher Bill
Wolfe. “In a sound-bite world, it’s
nice to hear someone who can
speak in entire paragraphs.
Jenkinson is so intelligent and charismatic you don’t realize how much
you learn when you listen to him.”
The Gusher
Taft Union High School
701 Seventh Street
Taft, CA 93268
(661) 763-2300
The Gusher is a monthly publication of the Journalism class at
TUHS. It is an open forum for students and faculty. Letters to the
editor are encouraged. Member NSPA, Columbia Scholastic Press
Association, and Quill & Scroll. First Place, American
Scholastic Press Association, Spring 2005
Editor-in-Chief
Markie Johnson
Layout Assistant
Joie Reyes
Photo Editor
Cristina Gonzales
Staff Writers
Morgan Blair
Lacey Chappelear
Baily Elder
Lillie Gervacio
Jennifer Gonzales
Joie Reyes
Josh Webb
News Editor
Cherokee Ingram
Features Editors
Megan Chappelear
Courtney Glendening
Sports Editor
Jennifer Garner
Adviser
Bill Wolfe
FEATURES
November 18, 2005
Page 3
Oildorado festival
honors Taft history
By Courtney Glendening
Features Editor
Plane fly-ins, dodgeball tournaments, a demolition derby, melodramas and a queen pageant. These are only a few of the many events
from this year’s exciting 95th Oildorado.
It seemed everyone had a good time at the events they attended.
There was a big turnout for each event; however, there were a few activities, such as the “bull riding & rodeo roping” held at the Foundry, that
didn’t attract as many people as anticipated.
The Demolition Derby on October 14, for example, brought out a
large crowd.
“It was a lot of fun, even though it was short, it was worth watching, “ says senior Cherokee Ingram.
The Aircraft Exhibit and Fly-in on Oct. 22 wasn’t as elaborate as
some may have hoped, but was still entertaining to watch.
“It was a lot smaller than usual, but for our small airport it was
still decent,” observed junior Josh Webb.
At the Pageant, senior Kayla Hillygus was chosen Oildorado
Queen for 2005.
The two weeks of festivities went by quickly during Taft’s
“Oildorado Days.” Now all that is left are the memories of the many events
and the familiar sounds of the gunshots from the Hoosegow.
Wild West melodrama an
entertaining tradition
By Megan Chappelear
Features Editor
In honor of the 2005
Oildorado festival, the townsfolk or
Taft performed a melodrama in the
TUHS auditorium called “The
Wild, Wild, Wildest West” or “How
The West Was Dun.”
A melodrama is a type of
play with elaborate but oversimplified plots, exaggerated emotions
and unoriginal characters.
This melodrama was about
a small town with a greedy banker,
an admirable sheriff and a bankrupt
family in need of help. The Cracker
family had a contract with the
banker, Richard Coldheart, which
required them to pay their debts or
have a Cracker daughter marry
him.
Meanwhile, villains were
robbing banks and giving the sheriff a hard time. In the end, the sher-
iff saved the day, the Cracker family was happy and the villains gave
up their lives of crime and became
law-abiding citizens.
Four TUHS students performed in the melodrama. Ryan
Coulter starred as the part of the
admirable sheriff, Sheriff Wayne
John. Alexcia Perales performed as
the humorous part of Prunella
Cracker. Alana Wenzel played the
sweet Polly Wanda Cracker and
Mellissa Woods acted the part of a
saloon girl.
The actors performed this
overdramatic, western-style play
superbly. Krista Long, who played
Calamity Jane, and Billy Long, who
took the part of Schizophrenic Kid,
stood out among the actors. They
brought charisma to the stage and
made the performance even more
enjoyable.
The melodrama was a
huge success and the acting was
remarkable.
Fly-in air show just one of
many Oildorado highlights
By Josh Webb
Staff Writer
As the B-25J “Mitchell”
comes to a halt next to the runway,
its engines stop and a crowd of
people gathers to greet the pilots.
This is the routine of Taft’s
Oildorado fly-in. Every Oildorado
ends with the fly-in at Taft Airport,
which normally features upwards
of eight airplanes, usually from
World War II.
The highlights of this
year’s fly-in were two B-25’s named
“Executive Suite” and “Heavenly
Body” and piloted by George
“Crafty” Hullet and John Garlinger,
respectively. Along with the B-25’s
came a slew of trainer planes, including a BT-13 named “Private
Lessons,” an AT-6 and two SNJ’s,
the naval version of an AT-6.
The two B-25’s were built
shortly after the war and both participated in the re-enactment of the
Doolittle Raid, better known as the
firebombing of Tokyo. After this the
bombers accomplished a different
kind of “firebombing” by putting
out forest fires throughout the state.
Finally, just before becoming privately owned, “Executive Suite”
was featured in the film Catch-22.
Hullet, pilot of “Executive
Suite,” has flown B-25’s for 20 years
and has had plenty of experience
with airplane enthusiasts. “My biggest enjoyment while flying the
bomber is answering the questions
of people who are actually informed.”
With all of the devoted airplane aficionados in Taft showing
up to ask their questions, he was not
disappointed.
Staci Taylor chosen as Most
Improved Student at Ren Rally
By Markie Johnson
and Joie Reyes
Senior Staci Taylor was
named Most Improved Student of
the year at the November 9 Renaissance Rally.
Though standout students,
such as the Top Cats, were presented with awards for their outstanding grades, they were not the
only stars of the show.
Taylor has brought her
GPA of 2.5 up to a distinguished 3.5
since January of last year.
Though she had not expected to be chosen, Taylor sus-
pected she was a candidate.
“I saw my parents five
minutes before the rally so I knew
something was up,” she said.
Taylor says there was no
particular reason for the improvement in her GPA, but noted that her
athletic tutorial class helped her
stay caught up in her work.
“I felt like I needed to try
harder,” she said.
Taylor says she was embarrassed to have the attention of the
whole school on her when she was
given her gift bag, filled with gift
certificates from Trends and Rejuv.
Oildorado Queen pageant contestants perform at the TUHS auditorium for an appreciative crowd of supporters. Photo by Cristina Gonzales
Hillygus named 2005 Oildorado Queen
By Cristina Gonzales
Photo Editor
Kayla Hillygus was
crowned 2005’s Oildorado Queen
at the pageant on October 18.
Twelve contestants went
through grueling preparation for
the pageant. Taft citizens packed
the Taft High auditorium and
cheered for their favorites.
The contest included three
segments: talent, bathing suit and
question. The judges graded each
contestant on a scale from one to ten
based on their performances and
their presentation of themselves.
The pageant started out
with all contestants performing a
choreographed dance to Jessica
Simpson’s “These Boots Are Made
For Walkin’.” The girls did an outstanding job, but a select few stood
out.
During the talent portion
of the evening, Elizabeth Crum,
playing guitar, busted out with her
revised version of Van Halen’s
“Eruption,” and the crowd went
Senior Kayla Hillygus glows as
the crowd cheers the new Queen.
Photo by Cristina Gonzales
crazy hearing such a big sound
from a little gal.
Ashley Giggy-Noerr also
won the crowd’s affection by lipsynching Tina Turner ’s “Proud
Mary,” dressing the part as well.
Hillygus experienced a
slip-up during her gymnastics routine but quickly recovered from her
fall. During the question segment
she incorporated “eating it” on her
gymnastics routine into her answer,
poking fun at herself.
The contestants had already seen the list of possible questions and had time to rehearse their
answers. They had to choose their
question in a random drawing and
then present their answer to the
judges, who evaluated the contestants on the quality of their answer,
their presence and their poise.
The girls then danced one
last time for fun before the winner
was crowned. The girls voted
Ashley Giggy-Noerr “Miss Congeniality,” and Brittney Wilhelm was
crowned 2nd runner up.
It was quite a month for
Hillygus, who was named Homecoming Queen 10 days later.
Governor signs new laws teens need to know
By Cherokee Ingram
News Editor
California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger recently signed
into law 729 of the 961 bills sent to
him this year. Here is a summary
of new laws that may be of interest
to our readers.
Body Piercings - Anyone
who pierces the body of someone
under the age of 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian will
receive a $250 fine.
Prescriptions - Pharmacists are required to fill prescriptions even if they have moral
objections(for example the “morning after pill”).
Video Games - Must be 18
or older to buy violent video games
and imposes a $1,000 fine on a retailer who sells to a miner.
School Junk Food - Bans
the sale of sodas in high school.
Also sets fat, sugar and calorie standards for all food sold in public
schools.
Dietary Supplements Prohibits high school athletes from
using performance-enhancing dietary supplements that are banned
in college and Olympic sports. Also,
coaches are required to take a
course in the harmful health effects
of such substances.
Doctorates - Allows the
California State University system
to issue the doctor of education degree.
Incest - People
who sexually assault family member younger than
14 are treated the same as
those who assault children who are strangers.
Prior to this law taking effect, child molesters were
permitted to avoid prison
time if their victim was a
family member.
Paparazzi - Anyone who commits assault
in an attempt to take a
photograph or video is liable to pay triple damages
and give up the profits
from the photo or video.
Pesticides - Prohibits the use of pesticides with conditional, experimental, interim, canceled or suspended state registration on school grounds.
“Phishing” - Imposes penalties of up to $2,500 per violation
for using e-mail to deceive consumers into releasing personal information like credit card numbers that
can be used to defraud the customer.
Pocket Bikes - Bans the use
of pocket bikes on highways, sidewalks, bike paths, hiking trails and
public lands open to off-highway
vehicles.
Police Pursuits - One year
jail time for police evasion and up
to 10 years in prison for a chase that
causes death.
Sex Crimes - Extends the
10-year statute of limitations for
prosecution of sex crimes to allow
people who were victimized as children to seek prosecution until their
28th birthday.
Tracking Devices - Allows
the state and counties to track criminals on parole and probation with
global positioning system devices.
Vicious Dogs - Allows cities and countries to pass ordinances
about the breeding, spaying and
neutering of specific breeds of dogs
such as pit bulls.
PHOTO ESSAY
Page 4
November 18, 2005
HOMECOMING WEEK
The Homecoming Court before the announcement of King and Queen.
Kayla Hillygus is crowned Homecoming Queen by 2004 Queen
Elizabeth Crum as King Elijah LeClair looks on.
Mallory Wagner and Audrey Bramlet just
“mousing around’ on Famous Couples Day.
Tyler Sevedge and Aaron Payne “cowboy
up” on Cowboy/Hillbilly Day.
Librarian Kathy McLaughlin and LRC supervisor Kelly Fedoroff are
just two of the boys on Opposite Sex Day. Photo by Bill Wolfe
Ben Estill and Jesus Romo show off their
masculinity on Blue & Gold Day.
Jeff Solberg joins in to provide harmonies as Marcus Spell
sings lead on “Hotel California” during karaoke. Photo
by Bill Wolfe
Nicole Owen decides to stick around.
Senior Jackie Parker flashes her
collection of postage stickers.
PHOTOS BY
CRISTINA
GONZALES
except where
indicated.
Mallory Wagner applies war paint to
Mia Easley prior to the Powder Puff
game.
Keith Jones and Derrick Hood try to get organized during the Thursday
jam session, as Craig Bosworth and Robert Atteberry provide support.
November 18, 2005
PHOTO ESSAY
Page 5
RENAISSANCE RALLY
Classified Staff Member of the Year Donald Thornsberry, daugher Mackenzie and wife
Melissa enjoy Don’s moment of popular acclaim. Photo courtesy of The Derrick
The cheerleaders help stir up the crowd’s Wildcat spirit. From left: Jessyca
Espinoza, Sam Malone, Christina Rubadeau, Kelsey Burch, Kirsten Buford,
Breanna McCauley, Roia Liljeroos and Courtney Glendening.
A surprised Staci Taylor makes her way down from the stands after being named
Most Improved Student. Mr. Kopp (upper left), Markie Johnson, Mark
Christensen, Josh Medel, Emily Pittman and others applaud her selection.
Students and staff cheer as senior Staci Taylor walks to
center court to receive her reward for her determined
academic efforts.
Seniors work like maniacs as thtey dig through confetti to find the letters
needed to spell out “Wildcats” in one of the class games.
P.E. teacher Arley Hill needs
some help putting on his hula
skirt.
Sophomore Matt Griffing tries to figure out
how to wear the coconuts prior to game #2.
Senior Jayme Abston pushes her hula-skirt wearing wheelbarrow (aka
senior David Rivera) in the second game.
Staci Taylor’s parents, David and JoAnne Taylor, show their pride in their
daughter’s accomplishments, as Renaissance advisor Regina Bench looks on.
TEEN LIFESTYLES
Page 6
November 18, 2005
Tattoo removal:
painful to patient
and his pocketbook
By Jennifer Garner
Sports Editor
Senior Derrick Hood enjoys are a rare relaxing moment in the middle of another crazy day.
Photo by Cristina Gonzales
Never a dull moment in
eccentric Derrick’s ’hood
By Cherokee Ingram
News Editor
Have you ever seen the
guy around campus who always
has a smile on his face? No, not Kim
Fields, The Campus Supervisor. I’m
talking about Derrick Hood.
Hood has befriended just
about everyone around campus,
students and staff alike. He always
has an attitude and is very involved
in school activities.
“He brings life to school. If
it weren’t for him it’d be boring,”
explains senior Kayla Redfield.
“He makes me laugh every
single day, and I love him for that,”
adds his girlfriend, Sarah Cook.
Hood has changed so
much from that chubby boy with
bleached blonde hair in seventh
grade. He has always been an attention-getter and has always loved
making people laugh and have fun
when they are around him.
“He has a really outgoing
personality. He always knows how
to make people happy or make
them laugh. There’s never a dull
moment around him,” observes senior Sergio Hallenbeck.
Hood is part of the KTHN
Channel 11 News and loves participating in Mock Rock. He and Scott
Guerrero also host a TV show titled
“The Semi-Early Kinda-Late
Show.”
He recently participated in
the karaoke held in the quad, singing a song by Journey. Keith Jones,
Robert Atteberry and Hood sang
songs during the extended lunch on
October 27. Most students know
Hood from some of the outrageous
stunts he has done around campus.
He’s very hard to miss.
Hood has a variety of inter-
ests. He enjoys reading poetry to
feed his sensitive side, he likes chick
flicks and he enjoys making people
smile. His favorite show is “The
OC.” He also likes music and loves
spending time with his beautiful
girlfriend.
Hood has high hopes for
his future and plans to make something of himself. He wants to be
involved in music somehow and
would like to open a music and
skate shop.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to
see Derrick on television later on,”
commented English Teacher
Caroline Schoneweis.
“I don’t want to be remembered as just another kid,” says
Hood. “I want to be remembered
for all the stupid things I’ve done,
like my Arnold Schwarzenegger
voices, my cop outfit and being
seen with my lovely girlfriend.”
ATV’s prove more dangerous
than many riders think
By Josh Webb
Staff Writer
While increasingly popular, ATVs are also incredibly dangerous in irresponsible hands.
Many objects can be dangerous in
the wrong hands; however, adding
in 300-400 pounds of machine capable of doing 50 miles per hour
on dirt roads makes for a cocktail
of potential disasters.
In 2004 ATV’s caused the
deaths of 130 people under the age
of 16. That is minute, however,
compared to the 44,700 serious injuries requiring immediate medical
attention and a stay in the hospital.
This has sent a red flag racing through several organizations,
including the Consumer Product
Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The solution sought by these organizations is the immediate ban of the
sale of adult-sized ATVs for use by
children.
The thought of banning
the sale of these recreational vehicles has outraged many parents
and teens who believe that it is their
choice whether or not they ride an
ATV.
“If I choose to ride an ATV
and my parents don’t have a problem letting me then I should be able
too,” says one outraged teen from
Taft. “The government shouldn’t
be able to tell me what I can and
can’t do,” he continued.
The truth is, however, that
the injuries due to ATV accidents
are on the rise, and something has
to be done. The only alternatives to
Many people get tattoos at
a young age because it’s “the thing
to do” and they think that it makes
them look cool. In the real world it
is held to their disadvantage because visible tattoos are not permitted in most job environments.
There are many processes,
however, that allow you to erase
that mistake you made all those
years ago. According to the BUPA
website on health conditions, the
most successful and least painful
process is laser treatment. The tattoo is removed by passing the laser
beam through the skin, absorbing
all the ink. This causes the ink to
break down so that it can be removed by the body’s lymphatic
system. Although laser treatment
will achieve a reduction in the appearance of the tattoo, the evidence
of a tattoo may remain even after
the scar is healed.
Some other methods are
dermabrasion, which rubs the tattooed skin away over a series of
treatments. If the tattoo is too large
for the wound to be closed, it is always an option to have another
piece of skin from your body
grafted onto the area of the tattoo.
20 years ago, tattoo removal wasn’t
so simple. You had three possibilities you could choose from; you
could either get the tattoo surgically
removed, sliced off with a scalpel,
or burned off with acid.
Tattoo removal can be
painful and does have possible side
effects. Laser removal is considered
to be safe. For this process, the patient is numbed and there shouldn’t
be any pain. The dermabrasion process, however, requires an anesthetic and the patient is put to sleep
during the removal. The possible
side effects of dermabrasion are infection and bleeding, nausea, vomiting, a drop in blood pressure and/
or thrombosis (clot) in the leg veins.
According to the 2004 Harris Interactive Poll, 16% of American adults have at least one tattoo.
The same poll says that 17% of
Americans regret getting their tattoos.
The tattoo industry is a
money-making business. The real
money-makers, however, are the
ones who erase others’ mistakes.
The newest thing in tattoo removing technology is the short-pulse
“ND: YAG” laser that leaves little
to no scarring. The results are good
but the price is steep. Removing a
tattoo with this process costs
around $100,000.
Fun and strategy mix in
Chess and Gamers Clubs
By Courtney Glendening
Features Editor
Every Wednesday during
lunch, a group of 10 to 20 students
comes together to share their greatest passion, video games. They discuss and plan what games and systems they want to play the following Friday when they play games
after school from 3-5 p.m.
The ratings of games are
limited from Everyone to Teen.
“We don’t play violent
games,” science teacher Ryan
Hickman, advisor of the Gamers
Club, says.
Hickman decided to start
the club after recognizing the number of students who expressed interest in a club fully devoted to
playing video games.
“There are tons of people
on campus that like games and that
want to just hang out and play
them,” says Hickman.
Gamers are fanatical about
their hobby.
“I have an unbridled obsession for video games,” enthuses
sophomore Joseph Pittman, the
club’s president.
“We get to play games for
free,” the members all agree.
Sophomore Tom Mora, the
vice president, explains his favorite part of the club is “discussing
video game matters and challenging others to games.”
Secretary Chris Spell, a
freshman, admits his day consists
far too much of playing games. “I
usually fall asleep doing it,” he confesses.
Another intellectual club,
the Chess Club, is advised by English teacher Kevin Hughes and is
getting their group up and running.
The officers include president David Hunter, vice president
Jessica Morris, secretary and treasurer Samantha Woodward and
ASB representative Keri Rushing.
During the meeting on Fridays, they have inner-club tournaments and work on improving their
skills. They are planning tournaments against schools in Bakersfield in the near future.
Staff changes: faces in new places
Continued from page 1
This is what can happen when an inexperienced or reckless rider confronts the power of an ATV.
banning the sale to minors are mandatory training in the proper handling of ATVs or requiring all riders to be licensed.
There is one other way;
parents could take it into their own
hands to insure their children are
aware of the dangers and to teach
their children how to ride without
getting hurt. Lack of parental involvement, accompanied with inexperienced riders, accounts for a
majority of ATV accidents.
As riders strive to be better, they are likely to ride with those
who are much more experienced,
and in doing so, they tend to be ride
above their heads. This is when
most accidents occur. Instead of accepting that they are not as experienced as the people they are riding
with, people attempt to keep up,
and tend to lose control of their ATV
and injure themselves.
At the Westside Urgent
Care Center, an average of five to
10 people come in with semi-serious injuries due to, as Donna
Warnock, the administrator at the
Urgent Care Center, put it, “Improper supervision and a lack of
proper gear.”
Considering the fact that
she runs the first-aid station at the
motocross track on Honolulu Hill,
she has better insight into the world
of ATVs than many others.
“People need to respect the
equipment and need to be trained
to use them properly while wearing protective gear,” she said.
The truth is, ATVs are very
dangerous machines when not
used properly, and injuries are very
common among people under 18
years old. In light of this fact, it is
only a matter of time before stricter
rules are put in place.
never drags and it has growth potential.
Jodi Jackson has moved
from the LRC to Computer Services. She decided to change positions because of better opportunities and increased pay. She loves her
new job, but misses working with
the students all day. She really enjoys the company of the wonderful
people she works with.
Merrie Bazzell is once
again back in the attendance office
from her previous job as the
principal’s secretary. She feels that
working in the attendance office is
a better fit for her. She likes it because she sees more students, and
definitely doesn’t miss coming to
work at 6.
Darcy Perez has left Taft
High and is currently teaching at
Buena Vista High School. She likes
teaching English there and enjoys
the classes. She misses seeing old
friends and socializing with teachers.
LRC staffer Kelly Fedoroff
Shawn Cummins has also
left Taft High and moved to BVHS.
He views his new job as a “change
in scenery.” He enjoys the individual work with students, but he
misses being around large groups
of people and seeing the athletes.
All of the employees enjoy
their new jobs and appear to be
playing key parts in the TUHS/
BVHS scheme.
SPORTS
November 18, 2005
Page 7
Blue narrowly beats
Gold again in rough
Powder Puff game
By Megan Chappelear
Features Editor
Courtney Madsen (57) follows blocker Cherokee Ingram (76) through the Gold defender, including Holly
Pittman (31). Photo courtesy of The Derrick
Wildcats finish league, enter playoffs
By Jennifer Garner
Sports Editor
The Wildcats backed into
the playoffs with a 30-23 loss to
Arvin at home on November 11.
Although the outcome of the game
was a stinging disappointment to
the players and coaches, the prospect of playing Woodlake in the
first round of the playoffs on November 18 kept them focused on
the future.
Before they move on to the
playoffs, let’s take a moment to review the past month of games to
see how the Wildcats got where
they are.
The Wildcats took a beating when they traveled to West on
October 7 to take on the Vikings.
The boys played hard but were
unable to contain a faster team, losing 46-19. The boys now had a 2-3
record, while West went to 4-1.
“We just didn’t match up
with their foot speed,” said Head
Coach Steve Sprague.
The Wildcats redeemed
themselves the following Friday
when they defeated the Golden
Valley Bulldogs 35-21.
The Wildcats wasted little
time in scoring. After three running
plays to get to the Golden Valley
16, Nick Ortlieb ran in for a touchdown.
Early in the second, Dalton
Botts flipped the ball to Estill, who
found Bryan Payne Jr. for a 69-yard
pass play. Three plays later, Estill
scored on a 1-yard run. Toward the
end of the half, after starting at their
own 1-yard line, Ortlieb ran 41
yards to the Golden Valley 41. Six
plays later Botts threw an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Tony Savaii.
Taft’s lead was cut in the
third when Bryson Hodges ran for
a touchdown. The Cats, however,
were not done putting points on the
board. Estill came back firing and
ran 81 yards for a touchdown.
Later, Estill capitalized on
a Golden Valley fumble and ran
eight yards for a touchdown, giving Taft a 35-7 lead.
Although GUHS scored
twice in the fourth, The Wildcats
held on to win easily, 35-21.
Taft’s next trip was to chilly
Tehachapi to play the Warriors. The
teams were evenly matched and the
score reflected that. The Cats, however, did not bring home a win due
to several injuries. The Tehachapi
Warriors narrowly won 30-29.
“The guys played hard but
didn’t win,” said coach Steve
Sprague.
Homecoming night, the
Wildcats put up a fight against the
Shafter Generals. Although they
struggled throughout the first half,
the guys came back strong. With the
victory, Taft improved to 4-4 and 21 in the SSL.
Taft started the game off
well with Estill and Andrew Miller
combining a series of five plays to
get to the Generals 2-yard line. Estill
finished with a touchdown. Shafter
responded by scoring twice.
After a pair of runs from
Estill, quarterback Dalton Botts
found Andrew Carter for a 13-yard
touchdown pass.
Estill later returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown, putting the Wildcats in the lead again.
Taft increased their lead
late in the third quarter when Botts
scrambled 11 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was good
and Taft led the Generals 27-19.
Carter gave Taft another
chance to score at the end of the
Cross-country
team races into
Valley meet
Derek Bailey and Ryan Sexton do a double dig. Photo courtesy of
The Derrick
Blue outlasts Gold in
Tough Guy volleyball
By Cherokee Ingram ,
News Editor
and
Jennifer Garner,
Sports Editor
During
Homecoming
week, things get switched around
a bit. The senior girls play a grueling football game against each other
and the guys play, or at least try to
play, a game of volleyball.
Despite the stress of who
was going to make the Homecoming court and who was going to win
Powder Puff, the boys in blue set
all that aside and took the title for
the second year in a row.
It’s safe to say that the boys
on the Blue team were determined
to win. This was easily accomplished with standout players such
as Derek Bailey, Ryan Sexton and
Brian Ramirez. The Gold team,
however, operated in a more comical atmosphere, with players such
as Jeremy Tofte and Mike Bryant
cracking jokes left and right.
Blue took the first game
with a score of 25-18. Gold redeemed themselves the next time
around when they defeated Blue in
the second game 26-24. Richie
Brown dominated with his serves.
When it came down to the
final game, anticipation increased
because the score was tied 1-1. Blue
team finished Gold off when Alan
Miller scored the final point, making the score 25-21.
“It felt good to win,” said
Blue player Ryan Sexton.
“We still dominated the
Blue. Even though we didn’t win
on the scoreboard, we won at
heart,” explained Gold player Mike
Bryant.
Lady Cats finish 23-9, beat Kingsburg,
then lose to Exeter in second round
By Morgan Blair
Staff Writer
By Lillie Gervacio
and Baily Elder
Staff Writers
With a time like the 17:05
in 3.1 miles posted by Jonas
Guzman, it’s no wonder Taft’s
cross-country team has ended their
regular season with flying colors.
As the season ended, the
boys beat Arvin and finished 5th in
the league, while the girls ended up
4th in the league. The boys finished
13th in the Valley and qualified for
the Masters meet in Fresno on November 17.
Melinda Magee finished
fifth at the Valley meet on November 10 with a time of 21:15 and
qualified for the state meet.
“Our top runner would
have to be Jonas Guzman,” commented boys’ coach Harold Heiter.
third when he intercepted a pass on
the fifth play of Shafter’s next drive.
Estill capitalized on the play when
he carried the ball 34 yards, before
running 16 yards for a touchdown
on the next play.
Taft finalized the score at
the 9:17 mark when they recovered
a fumble. Estill ran 12 yards for the
touchdown to make the score 41-19.
On November 4, the boys
traveled for a game that turned out
to be a thriller. Taft defeated the Tigers 41-38 in double OT, improving
to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in SSL.
Taft scored for the first time
in the second quarter when they
recovered a fumble at the Wasco 25yard line. Estill followed up with
four runs, finally running in for the
touchdown.
Taft’s defense came
through later on when they got the
ball back at their 31-yard line. On
the first play, Estill ran 69 yards for
a touchdown. Botts then scored on
a two-point conversion.
Taft was not through. Estill
and Botts put their heads together
to get to the Wasco 11-yard line,
where Botts connected with Bryan
Payne Jr. for a touchdown, giving
Taft a 21-7 lead.
Botts later connected on a
32-yard pass play to Derek Bailey.
He rolled out to find Bailey in the
end zone for a touchdown, sending
the game into overtime.
Taft scored first when Estill
ran in for a touchdown. Wasco fired
back with a 13-yard scoring pass
play to send the game into overtime
again. Wasco started off with the
ball but had to settle for a field goal.
The Wildcats scored on the first
play of the next drive when Botts
scrambled into the end zone to win
the game, 41-38
On October 26, as part of
Homecoming week, the bleachers
filled with fans and the senior girls
took the field to play in the traditional Blue versus Gold Powder
Puff football game.
Since most girls don’t play
football on a daily basis, both teams
struggled in the first half of the
game. The teams moved the ball
back and forth across the field without much action and no scoring.
The game heated up in the
second half. In the third quarter,
Blue quarterback Courtney
Needham threw a touchdown pass
to Stephanie Carlton that gave the
Blue team a 6-0 lead.
Gold, on the other hand,
continued to struggle through the
rest of the game, but became competitive in the fourth quarter. They
managed some good pass plays but
failed to score.
The final score was 6-0
Blue. Needham was named Most
Valuable Player.
Most of the girls had a fantastic time playing in the game.
“I had such a great time,”
says senior Amanda Houston. “But
I think it should have lasted
longer.”
Many senior girls agreed
with Houston, but playing wasn’t
the only fun part in many of the
girls’ opinions.
“It was fun just being
down on the field and yelling at the
coaches,” says senior Lacey
Blankenbeker. “The [Blue] team
also had a dance-off with the cheerleaders, and that was amusing.”
Giovanni Flores outruns a Golden
Valley competitor in a recent meet.
“Running is not a physical
sport,” said Guzman. “It’s all mental.”
The runners have been serious about their running and
proved it at the Valley meet. Although they weren’t the best, they
showed commitment.
Guzman finished 41st with
a time of 18:13, followed by Daniel
Lopez (52nd, 19:02), Francisco
Topete (82nd, 19:53) and Giovanni
Flores (84th, 19:54). Jesus Lopez,
Janne Eho and John Erdel finished
the race just behind them.
“We have come a long way
since the conflicts at the Wasco
game,” says varsity middle blocker
Kelsee Melton.
The Wasco game was one
in which former JV weak side hitter Barbara Eveland was moved up
to the varsity level to fill the position of missing players Ari
Mathews and Kayla Hillygus, who
had some difficulties arriving on
time to the game because of
Oildorado commitments.
The girls finished league
play with a record of 6-4 and 23-9
overall, good enough to qualify for
the SSL playoffs.
“Our biggest competition
is definitely Chowchilla,” agreed
some of the girls on the team.
“If we don’t come together
then we won’t make it,” Mia Easley,
strong side hitter, said before their
playoff game against Kingsburg on
November 8.
The girls pull together,
dominating at Kingsburg. They
won the first two games, had a tight
third game and lost, but they came
back in the third game to win their
first game of playoffs.
“ I feel that we are a better
team than last year ’s, but we
haven’t yet shown our full potential,” explained Mathews.
The girls are taking four
former JV players to the playoffs
with them: Emily Graves, Jayme
Lund, Carey Tuuamalemalo and
Morgan Blair.
JV
coach
Adeana
McDaniel-Furman is filling in for
varsity coach Tammy Sutherland,
who is on maternity leave, but the
girls do not seem worried.
“I think that because there
is not that much age difference that
we click better with McDanielFurman,” says Easley.
The girls have worked
hard and shown great intensity on
the courts.
“So no matter what happens, rock on dudes,” Carlton exclaims.
The Lady Cats won their
first playoff game at home against
Kingsburg on November 10.
The girls played their second playoff game at Exeter. They
lost the first game 25-9, the second
game 25-19, and the third game 2523. Although the girls lost to Exeter,
one can see by the scores that they
didn’t give up and, in fact, played
better in each game. But the loss to
Exeter means that the season is over
for these girls.
ENTERTAINMENT
Page 8
November 18, 2005
Sound Advice
“Extraordinary” CDs take listeners on range of audio journeys
Fiona Apple
Extraordinary
Machine
Fiona Apple has returned
after a three-year absence with her
third album in six years and shows
major growth as an artist. Although
Apple’s CD “Extraordinary Machine” was completed in 2003, it
was shelved because many Sony
executives believed it was not commercial enough. Brion, the producer of “Tidal” and “When the
Pawn...,” was booted and Sony
brought in Mike Elizondo to supervise. Elizondo, who’s worked with
50 Cent and Dr. Dre gave Apple’s
distinctive sound some hip-hop
edge.
While Apple worked on
“Machine” with Elizondo the previous versions leaked onto the web
and savvy Apple fans grabbed it as
fast as they could. With her longawaited and obstacle-filled journey
with “Machine,” she has evolved
from the scared and hurt 18-yearold on “Tidal” to the mature 28year-old she is on her new album.
Apple was a whiny, depressed, skinny girl whom it was
have to like. But with this album she
has learned to better construct her
lyrics. The first song, “Extraordinary Machine,” is the most lyrically
impressive. “Be kind to me or treat
me mean/I’ll make the most of it/
I’m an extraordinary machine”, she
croons. This track demonstrates the
piano and orchestration some from
the sessions with Brion.
“Tymps” shows off the
new hip-hop/piano-rock perfectly
and is by far the catchiest song on
the CD. “Window” stands out with
its clever lyrics about not being able
to see clearly. “So I had to break the
window/It just had to be.” This
song has a jungle vibe with an upbeat tone.
With her closing song,
“Waltz,” left untouched from the
original, Apple closes with the same
blend of piano and orchestra as the
opening title track. She proclaims,
“Everyone else’s goal is to get bigheaded/Why should I
follow that beat...”
“Extraordinary Machine”
surpasses Apple’s earlier albums.
She’s brought her piano and her
whiny self to the next level with
“Machine.”
-- Cristina Gonzales
her husband, country star Tim
McGraw. The couple has been
known to blend their styles to create beautiful love songs. This time
the track is “Like We Never Loved
at All;” a heartbreaking love song.
This CD is yet another fantastic example of today’s country.
Fireflies’ dazzling vocals, meaningful lyrics, and incredible score
makes this CD a must-have for listeners everywhere.
-- Lacey Chappelear
The classically beautiful
country singer Faith Hill has another hit on her hands.
The title track carries the
image of the joys of childhood in
“fairyland.” The CD also has several songs that describe a perfect
summer and good ol’ country roots.
Many songs in this collection concern various aspects of love.
At one end of the spectrum, there
is love in “The Lucky One” and “I
Want You,”to marriage in “Dearly
Beloved,” to forgiveness in “If You
Ask.”
At the other end there is
leaving in “I Ain’t Gonna Take It
Anymore,” and a broken love in
“Like We Never Loved At All.”
Once more, Hill combines
her stunning vocals with those of
Indie band The Concretes’
new album can sing you to sleep
one song and have you up and
dancing the next.
The self-titled sophomore
album offers a calm and down-toearth sound, similar to that of
Mazzy Star. Despite their softness,
they variety of instruments is always very apparent.
Many of the songs have
unique sounds, with instruments
like horns, organs and violins emphasized in the mix.
All the songs on the album
are fairly quiet, but in no way are
they boring. They range from
slightly fractured, too completely
flowing. The album is very well recorded and produced.
The lyrics are a victory on
their own. They are obscure and
vague, but completely work and fit
their sound. They are all cleverly indirect, though they are cliché in the
way they single-mindedly speak of
love and relationships.
-- Markie Johnson
Please Stop Laughing at Me tells
of suffering caused by bullying
By Lillie Gervacio
Staff Writer
Please Stop Laughing at Me,
by Jodee Blanco, is the true story of
the author ’s calamitous school
years.
Blanco’s story starts in the
parking lot of a
Hilton hotel on
the night of her
high school reunion. Although
she is a successful
and confident
public relations
consultant, as she
sits in her car, her
painful memories
start to unravel.
She remembers being
neglected, ignored
and verbally and
physically abused
by her classmates.
She would cry
herself to sleep
every night, all
while her bullies
never really thought about her being hurt. After a while words
started to hurt her more than the
bullies’ actions. She was forced to
switch schools several times, but
she was rejected at every school,
making her parents worry that
there was something wrong with
her. This led them to take her to a
naïve psychiatrist, who thought
Blanco was just melodramatic and
put her on medication.
All of these events led
Blanco to suffer from low self-esteem, loneliness and rage. She became so angry that she even tried
to cut her face,so desperate was she
to make the pain stop. She goes
through school being hated by everyone and only feeling relief on the
last day on
school. Sadly,
her last high
school memory
is of her crush
insulting her.
After sitting in her car
for a while she
decides to go
into the reception and finds
that the bullies
are truly sorry
for hurting her.
Some thought
that they were
just kids being
kids. She even
came to find
that the boy she
had a crush on for so long had liked
her but was afraid to admit it because he thought his friends would
hate him for it. After all the apologies and friend requests, she finally
forgives the bullies and finds liberation from all the memories that had
haunted her for all those years.
This is the type of book
you’d want to read if you’re into
books like A Child Called It, Go Ask
Alice and Cut. This is an awesome
book, definitely worth reading.
-- Josh Webb
Porcupine Tree
Deadwing
The Concretes
The Concretes
Faith Hill
Fireflies
rather broad audience. However,
until experienced it is difficult to
pass judgment. My recommendation is to try “Deadwing” for yourself; everyone should find a song
they like.
A blend of spacey synthesizers, 70’s heavy metal, and progrock with post-grunge gloomy lyrics. This is the most accurate way to
describe the British underground
rock quartet, Porcupine Tree, led by
guitarist/vocalist Steven Wilson.
The band has a metallic-industrial
sound like that of Nine Inch Nails
mixed with an artsy, mellow approach like Radiohead.
The only true way to understand the unique sound of PT, however, is to actually sit down and listen to several of the band’s songs.
The majority of the songs on their
new CD, “Deadwing,” take 2002’s
“In Absentia” to a new level of hardrock with songs like “Open Car”
with its chugging guitar or “Halo”
with its dark synth and effects-laden
drums.
On the other hand, a few of
the songs stay true to the band’s
light, airy sound, with soft drums
and guitar, and feathery synth, such
as “Lazarus” and “Mellotron
Scratch.” Even with major shifts in
sound throughout the CD, it is still
obvious that this is a Porcupine Tree
album.
Long-time fans of PT may
be disappointed with “Deadwing,”
as it does deviate from PT’s earlier
albums. This change should be considered a way to breathe new life
into their music father than a sellout of original fans.
With the new sound, as
well as the drastic changes in tone
between
individual
songs,
“Deadwing” should appeal to a
Silverstein
Discovering the
Waterfront
When one first hears any
song by Silverstein, they may think,
“What is he saying?”But
Silverstein’s latest CD, Discovering
the Waterfront, the band’s second album, is a must-have for his fans and
those who love emo/screamo.
The CD includes “Smile In
Your Sleep,” “Call It Karma,” and
the title track, along with eight
other songs. Shane Told’s singing
is intense and emotional and the
lyrics blend with all that is emo. The
music is passionate and depressing,
for those with a sensitive heart or a
deep understanding of the lyrics.
Discovering The Waterfront
is a great addition to When Broken
is Easily Fixed, their first album,
which sold over 200,000 copies
worldwide.
The only discouraging
thing is that those who know little
about the band may need lyrics to
comprehend the screaming and
singing. Discovering The Waterfront
is a great CD for those seeking emotional screaming mixed with intense singing, as well as powerful
backdrops.
-- Baily Elder
Rich-kid wallflower finds her true
self amidst L.A. scene in A-List
By Cristina Gonzales
Photo
Bayside drummer
John Holohan dies
in car accident
By Cristina Gonzales
Photo Editor
On October 31 Victory
Records recording artists
Bayside were traveling to their
concert in Salt Lake City, for
their “Never Sleep Again” Tour
when their van hit a patch of ice
outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Drummer John “Beatz”
Holohan, 31, was killed. Bassist
Nick Ghanbarian was severely
injured and is still hospitalized.
Band mates Anthony
Raneri and Jack O’Shea were released from the hospital.
Several of the bands
crewmembers were injured and
remain hospitalized.
Fans who wish to send
a PayPal donation to help the
John Holohan Bayside Memorial Fund may do so by going to
www.baysiderocks.com.
decides it’s time for the new Anna
Percy to come to life.
Her world is turned upside
Anna Percy is a Miss down when Cammie, Sam and Dee,
Goody-Two-Shoes who never does the rich brat royalty, decide to make
anything out of the ordinary.
her life a living hell.
She is ahead in school (she
Anna soon rethinks her
leaves New York to become an in- decision when the supposed boy of
tern to replace
her
dreams
her senior year),
leaves
her
and her best
stranded, but
friend is a sex
she decides it’s
symbol
who
time to follow in
lives on the edge
her best friend’s
and encourages
footsteps and let
Anna to be more
the three A-List
spontaneous.
girls know that
Anna is
she is not a pushthe epitome of an
over, but a girl
overachieving
who is dramarich kid. But
free and witty.
when she deThis book
cides to live with
is perfect for
her father in
people who love
Beverly Hills for
watching “The
her internship,
OC” or “Laguna
she ends up
Beach.” If the
meeting the boy
world of drama,
of her dreams on
sex, drugs and
the plane.
beautiful
During
people is enterIt’s a perfect view into a
the flight Bentaining to you,
life you dream of having
jamin Birnbaum
I recommend
rescues her from
this book.
but would never truly
the chatty man
It’s a perwant.
sitting next to
fect view into a
her. Ben is a tall,
life you dream
dark and handof having but
some young man whom she imme- would never truly want. The A-List
diately falls for.
is a charming book about a reserved
When he invites her to join girl who learns to let loose and enhim at a rock star’s wedding, she joy the rest of her adolescence.