The Pancake Pantry is the perfect place to head for

“A Very Harry Christmas”
Read-a-thon takes the cynic
out of the senior
Growing up I was never much of a reader. I would read when the
teacher presented a book for us to read and annotate but other
than that my reading interests were no active.
When I got into high school I noticed that my love for TV and
the internet were dropping but my love for reading was
increasing. Not until this year, my senior year, did I decide
that I wanted to read the beloved series, Harry Potter by J.K.
Rowling.
Almost everyone and their moms have heard of Harry Potter,
whether it’s through the young readers book series or the
fantastic movies. I grew up watching the magical movies but
never thought of reading the books for myself.
At least, I never thought about reading the book series until
I started working at a book store.
So many of my co-workers thought it was appalling that I
worked in a bookstore and had not read Harry Potter. “What
kind of American was I?” My coworkers all claim the series is
either their favorite or one of their favorite books and said
that I MUST read Harry Potter.
for some reason, I was very skeptical. I thought I had missed
the window of opportunity to read a series so many people read
when they were so much younger. When it came to reading the
young reader series who the bookstore sells so many books to
the 8-12 year range, I really had a cynical outlook on how I
as a 18 year old senior in high school could find any
relevance in the series, however, I knew I wanted conquer the
series once and for all if for no other reason than to stop
the looks of disbelief.
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The perfect opportunity came when my job decided to have a
“Very Harry Christmas” read-a-thon this last December. I
started the first book not long after the challenge started
and was pleasantly surprised at how much I was enjoying the
book!
While reading I was thrust into the wizarding world of
Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling really is such an amazing author.
Her enchanting details that are etched in the imaginary world
are so alive in my imagination now that it is easy to
understand the love our customers have for the series.
Each of the books follows Harry’s adventures, his childhood
– manhood “coming of age” life experiences,
at Hogwarts and
in the wizard world giving the reader an opportunity to relate
his or her own experiences to his through the magic of getting
lost in a book.
My good friend, Olivia King, was ecstatic to see that I was
reading the series she loved so much growing up. We would sit
down and chat about all of her favorite parts and she decided
she just had to reread her favorite book in the series, the
final book. She told me, “The last Harry Potter book is my
favorite. The series has changed my life by taking me to a
different world while I read. I could read it over and over
again and never get tired.”
As I binged through the series, I noticed how fast I was
reading the novels and how wrapped up I was in Harry’s life. I
found myself irritating teachers because I could not focus in
class, because I was reading. When I got to the last two books
I decided to make the books last as long as I could, for the
purpose of enjoying beautifully crafted books.
When I finally finished the series, I was very sad and wanted
even more! To my surprise, a week or two after finishing Harry
Potter, all Harry Potter fans got the pleasant surprise that
there was to be an eighth book!
The “eight book” is named Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
and is a play and a book written by Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling,
and Jack Thorne. The play and book both take place in the
wizarding world with Harry now being an adult and an employee
of the Ministry of Magic. The story involves Harry and his
family and the struggles his one son, Albus, is encountering.
I am ecstatic to be brought another Harry Potter story that I
can relish and add to my Harry collection.
This series is truly amazing and something I believe everyone
should read. If you are skeptical about the series, I say you
should put aside all of your thoughts that are pushing you
away from the books. I guarantee the series is really worth
all the hype and a must-read book for all to read.
Turkey’s President Erdogan
seizes largest free press
newspaper in homeland
Weekly Editorial
The government in Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan in its recent crack down on the free press, shocked
the Middle East when he
seized the country’s largest
newspaper, Zaman, and charged two journalists with treason.
This move strained already conflicted relations between United
States and Turkey, who are NATO members attending the Nuclear
Security Summit held in Washington, D. C. earlier this month.
I am a junior reporter for the Bobcat Beat who lives in
Tennessee, attends Overton High School, but I am
originally from an area near Turkey. My family legally
immigrated to leave behind a country that condemns you for
thinking freely. We believe all people should be free to
think; to have freedom of the press and freedom of religion.
This kind of hypocrisy is why we left that country.
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the twoday Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. our US
capital.
Ankara, Turkey and Washington at this time are
having a critical breakdown in communication.
I have lived in both areas of the world and I can now see the
problems when a society does not have free press. As a
reporter for my school newspaper, who reports on events
happening in Iraq, Turkey and Syria, I believe now more than
ever, these countries must have newspapers and journalists who
can freely report what is happening there to the rest of the
world if we are ever to have world peace.
It is necessary to have a free exchange of information, like
we do we when use the Associated Press service, to be informed
without bias.
However, when the information is control and one sided, like
in Turkey right now, the information is as biased as it could
be. The Turkish people may think they are freely thinking, but
they are not, because they do not have all the information. I
know people there who think they are getting unbiased news –
but now I know they are not.
Disagreements between two key NATO allies, Turkey and the
U.S., have been increasing amid growing as the differences on
policies towards Syria, some
rebel Kurdish factions and
Turkey’s clampdown on the free press.
The citizens of Nashville who have immigrated
from
these countries are following this closely how both presidents
handle the growing conflict.
I am glad to have the information from a free press as I do
and I appreciated the unbiased news even more now than ever.
I better understand now, how important it is to report on the
news to my community and friends who are Syriaan, Turkish,
Iraq, Kurdish, and Persian because they often rely on news
from overseas, and I now know that the free press that they
read from there may be gone soon. The news they read from
there will be biased news, and that is very disappointing.
More on the Nuclear Security Summit
World leaders from more than 50 countries and four
international organizations focused on preventing nuclear
terrorism throughout the globe will gather for the 2016
Nuclear Security Summit (NSS 2016) from Thursday, March 31Friday, April 1 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Keeping free press should be as important as rooting out
the Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq and,
Erdogan has appeared more keen to topple Syrian strongman
Bashar al-Assad, democracy effort in that region may be doomed
because he has cracked down so heavily on journalists
To its end of fighting IS, the US has developed ties with the
Democratic Union Party (PYD) rebels in Syria, who have proven
to be reliable partners in combat.
“The relationship between the US and Turkey is strained
generally because of the differing priorities of the two
allies in Syria and more specifically due to their perceptions
of the PYD,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara Office Director
of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Nashville, Tennessee has one of the fastest growing foreignborn populations of any major US city.
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform,
“The 2000 data showed an increase of 210.1 percent in the
immigrant population since 1990, which compared with a 6.5
percent increase in the native-born population (which includes
children born to immigrants) over the same period.
With the increase in diversity, at my high school alone,
I believe I have a duty as a journalist to report the news
of international events without bias, and even though that is
sometimes difficult, but I know it is my duty.
As a
of a
have
news
student journalist for the Bobcat Beat, and as a member
the very highly regarded Associated Press, I believe I
a great opportunity to serve my community by sharing the
of the Middle East.
1/2 a Bird is Wholly Hot!
Check out Hattie B’s
Live Link to Hattie B’s
If you are looking to fulfill a craving to wholly fill up a
fierce,
fiery, hankering
for a hatch of hot chicken
then travel to Hattie B’ at 5209 Charlotte Pike and order a
1/2 a chicken to wholly satisfied.
Hattie B’s has a
menu
of
wings,
chicken tenders, and
even a “1/2 Bird”.
The Beat Food Review
Squad pulled into
Hattie B’s parking
lot just as they
opened at 11:00 am
and there were already a couple cars parked outside with
people waiting for the restaurant to open. At 10:45 we
realized that people were starting to get out of their cars
and line up at the door.
They opened at 11:00 so we decided to join the line. This had
to be a sign – a really good sign. We were 5 th in line in a
line of about 30 people. As a Food Squad we decided that the
chicken was for sure going to be fresh, and hot. At 11:00 the
doors were unlocked and it felt like it Thanksgiving rush
right before a sale. It definitely added to the excitement of
the moment.
Once inside, we immediately felt at home with greetings and
service that was friendly and welcoming. We ordered and in 10
minutes our fiery desires were being fulfilled. Everyone’s
face lit up, the heat rush was in the belly and the flames on
the tongue were well, splendid. Digging in left a hole on our
plates and left our souls whole.
Our recommendations
Tender Plate (1 Medium and 2 Mild)
Price: $9.83
3/5 Chickens
Takeaway: We were expecting bigger pieces of chicken for a
hungry group of teens. You
know – teens want to eat! It was very good, and the sides
helped fill in the gaps.
3 whole wings and fries
Price:$9.83
4/5 Chickens
Takeaway: A better value for the price. The food was good and
tasty. A three piece medium is perfect. The baked beans were a
nice cooling alternative to the heat.
Price: 9.83
Feeling ‘Alive’ and showing
their ‘Gold’ , Trevor Moran &
Ricky Dillon bring pop mania
to town
“
Now let’s go, now you know this is how we steal the show”
Trevor Moran and Ricky Dillon kicked it at Rocketown Monday
night for a double bill of Pop music mania to a crowd of
nearly 300 young YouTube savvy Nashvillians.
Ricky Dillon sings Gold, March 7,
2016(photo by Joshua Stinson)
The show consisted of an alternate sets and began with Moran’s
synth tracks and hip swinging dance moves. Later Dillon sang
his youthful lyrics backed by a full band. The show closed
with a duet by the two, titled “Steal the Show,” a track
focused on them being the life of the party. “Everywhere they
hearin’ us and everywhere they feelin’ us, Now let’s go, now
you know this is how we steal the show,” is what the song
proclaims as the crowd goes wild.
“Steal The Show” by Ricky Dillon (feat. Trevor Moran) from the
album “Gold”
The highlight of the night was Moran’s surprise performance of
his new upcoming single that drops this summer titled “Get Me
Through the Night.” The crowd reacted in awe as he sang the
newest track to his collection.
Trevor Moran on stage during the
Alive and Gold tour, March 7, 2016
(photo Joshua Stinson)
The show was a major success. The crowd cheered and screamed
for the boys as they left the stage.
The next shows are in St. Louis, Missouri (March 8),
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (March 9), Chicago, Illinois (March 11),
Minneapolis, Minnesota (March 12).
The first leg of the tour ended successfully on Saturday,
March 12, 2016.