Thoughts of a Teenage Mind Winter 2006

Out LOUD
T
HOUGHTS
OF
A
T
EENAGE
M
IND
Issue 1 / Volume 3 / Winter 2006
Out LOUD
Out LOUD
Thou ght s o f a
Te enag e M ind
Tho ug ht s o f a Teena g e Mind
is a collaboration of:
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA
ISSUE 1, VOLUME 3
WIN TER 2006
Table of Contents
3
Teen Depression
4
Sleep Deprivation
5
Job Interview Tips
6
Black. White. Brown.
Created by young people
7
for young people
8
Poetry Place
OUT LOUD
9
From the Kitchen
Dear Oakland
ED I TORIAL BOARD
11 Magazine Review
Ankitha Bharadwaj
Yulanda Do
D’arby Harlow-James
12
Music Reviews
14
Book Review
Megan Huey
21 Acknowledgements
Avani Jariwala
Precious Neil
The ZINE Team
Anjuli Sastry
Natasha Walls
Jasmine Walls
Kathleen Zheng
Out Loud students att end
the f ollowing schools:
Alameda High School
Bay Area School of Enterprise
Encinal High School
Oakland School for the Arts
The opinions expressed in
this publication are those
of the authors and are not
necessarily the opinions
of the sponsors.
The ZINE Team— First Row - left to right; Yolanda Do, Natasha Walls, Avani Jariwala,
Anjuli Sastry Second Row -left to right; Ankitha Bharadwaj, D’arby Harlow-James, Kathleen Zheng, Jasmine Walls, Precious Neil, Megan Huey
2
Teen Depression
T
een depression rates have
gone up since 1996 by
63% and can be triggered
by a number of things. Four main
risk factors for depression are a
family history of depression, a
long-term illness or disability
(physically or mentally), experiencing trauma or loss which can be
connected with abuse, divorce,
death of a loved one or a break-up,
and difficulty at home, school or
with friends.
Another factor for depression
which is mentioned frequently is
pressure. Most pressure teenagers
feel is from their parents, peers,
teachers and even themselves to
figure out what they want to do
with their lives.
Symptoms of depression can appear in many ways and last for
many months or even years if left
untreated. If you’re depressed you
can feel sad and cry a lot uncontrollably and it doesn’t go away.
You can feel guilty for no apparent
reason, which can then lead to
lower self esteem and loss of confidence. The inability to enjoy activities or other things that used to
make you happy and the increased level of irritability, anger
or anxiety are also signs of depression. Another indication is a
considerable change in sleeping
patterns. Feeling aches and pains
even if there is nothing physically wrong with you is also a
sign, as is significant weight loss
or gain. One of the worst symptoms of depression is thoughts of
suicide and death.
I myself cannot say that I have
ever experienced true depression,
but I have experienced pressure
which can cause depression. The
pressure was coming from myself
and only myself. I was stressing
about how I felt like I was going
around in circles getting nowhere
with my education. I felt like
everyone else knows somewhat
what they’re going to do with
their lives and what they’re going
to major in when they get to college or at least has some direction
in their educational life. Not me.
I was interested in journalism,
but then got interested in the
study of diseases, DNA and science and then all of a sudden I
wanted to study design and be a
designer for clothes. I don’t know
that I’m good enough to make it
in any of those studies. My
classes for the next three years
should reflect what I want to
study in college, and so far, I’ve
gotten nowhere. I found myself
rambling about how I couldn’t be
a doctor because I’m squeamish
of blood and how I can’t be a lawyer because I’d probably burst
into tears with all the screaming
and how I can’t be a novelist because I’d need to be one heck of a
good writer and I’d need to come
out with a Harry Potter-superselling-kind-of book and how I
can’t be a designer because I can’t
sew and measure correctly for my
life. This in itself made me wonder, am I depressed? Turns out
I’m not. In any case it was a
frightening experience to even
think that I was.
If you’ve noticed most of the
symptoms in you or any one of
your friends or peers, then talk to
a trusted adult, teacher or call a
hotline for help. You’re not alone.
Teen depression affects more
teens than you realize. Get help,
and get help now.
You are NOT alone, make the
right choice; call now.
Crisis Support Services of
Alameda County
24 Hour Crisis Hotline
1-800-309-2131
By Megan Huey
3
Teen Sleep Deprivation
By D’arby Ha rlo w- James
focus, difficulty to perform or
Do you ever feel really tired in
complete tasks or assignments,
school, and you’re just struggling
and an inability to process inforto keep your eyes open in the
mation.
morning? Is your lack of sleep
greatly affecting your ability to
16-year-old Lily Bry asks,
focus in class? Does it ever feel
“What can I do to get more
like you have a
sleep?” Plan out
ton of homework
your homework
already half way
agenda, making
through the day?
sure that you
Or when you get
have enough
home, you flip
time for yourself
through your
by the end of the
planner to see
day. Even try to
Courtesy of cincinattichildren.org
your homework,
set a daily schedule
and it’s like the homework is eatfor yourself so by the time you’re
ing you alive?
ready for bed, your body will be
Well, you’re not alone. Statistics show that the average teenager’s body doesn’t naturally get
tired and ready to sleep until 11
pm, and generally struggles to
wake up before eight am. And
according to statistics, 20% of
students fall asleep during school.
17-year-old KJ North, a current
student in Encinal High School
shares, “Yeah, I barely get any
sleep, at least six to seven hours
because of my homework.” Additional statistics point out that
every teenager should be getting
at least nine hours of sleep per
night. A lack of sleep can contribute to anxiety, depression, lack of
ready to rest too. Make sure to go
to bed by 11 pm. Try to ease off
the caffeine and sugars an hour or
two before you go to bed. Avoid
exercising after dinner (because
your dinner needs to digest and
settle in). And remember, even if
you have a big test the next day,
don’t try to pull an all-nighter,
since this will just cause more
tiredness and anxiety on your test
the next day.
In 1997-1998, Minneapolis
Public Schools started to start
school times forty minutes later
than they used to, moving from
7:40am to 8:20am. Researchers
found that the grades slightly
4
increased and those who got no
sleep, received C’s and D’s, but
those who got more sleep received A’s and B’s. Irene Parez,
a junior in Encinal High School
said, “I have to get up so early
and I’m always so tired that by
the time I get to class, I’m already
falling asleep.” Sixteen-year-old
Irene isn’t alone. And neither are
you. Some kids have to rely on
transportation which sometimes is
the cause for them having to get
up earlier. More schools have
changed the school starting times
later because of their students
lack of sleep.
So remember, get some rest
and eat healthy!
Courtesy ofpge.ca/sleep4teens.html
Top Ten Tips for a Successful Job Interview
By Precious Neil
H
ave you ever been on
a job interview and a
few days later, you
wonder what is taking
them so long to call you back?
This delay is because they either
found someone else or they feel
your performance was not impressionable. Here are some tips
to help you get that job!
Tip One: The night before, make
sure you have everything you
will need for the interview. You
don’t want to get up in the morning to find that you don’t have an
idea where your resume is or
your pens ran out of ink or you
don’t have any idea where the
interview is located.
Tip Two: Make sure your attire
is business-like, because you are
going to an interview. You will
not make a positive impression if
you going in there wearing jeans
and a T-shirt, and sneakers.
Make sure you wear something
that will give the impression that
"I am the person to hire." Always
make sure that the night before,
your attire is ready to go for the
morning. Your pants or your
skirt should be ironed and ready
to go. Shirts should be crisp and
clean. Your shoes should be
comfortable. You might be in
there for a while.
Tip Three: Make sure you get a
good night’s rest because you do
not want to go into any interview
looking like you’ve been up all
night with bags under your eyes.
Beauty secret: make up!!!
Managers are looking for people who had a good night’s
sleep and are ready to work in
the morning. They don’t want
you tired and not working to the
best of your ability because you
are thinking of sleep. If after
you did all that I have said, and
you still look like you are not
the morning person, make sure
you have enough time to make
a stop to Starbucks or Peets.
Also, make sure you have
mints, because you don’t want
to have coffee breath!
Tip Four: Make sure you are
there maybe 15-20 minutes
early. They may have some paperwork for you to fill out. It
also shows the interviewer your
professionalism. Arriving early
lets them know that you are
ready to get down to business.
Tip Five: When entering the
conference room or where they
are interviewing you, take a
deep breath and clear your
throat because you don’t want
to go in there speaking when
your wind pipes are clogged up.
Tip Six: Make sure you greet
them and their colleagues (if any)
in the room. One of the rules of
professional courtesy is to speak
to everyone. Don’t be rude.
Tip Seven: One thing that managers don’t like is when the person
comes into the room, sits down
and slouches. That is not professional. That gives the manager the
impression that you don’t have the
ability to be "professional." Sit
5
straight up and if necessary, cross
your legs, and please, if you wear a
skirt, make sure it is long enough
for you to cross your legs. Do not, I
repeat, do not cross your arms.
That is not professional. Intertwine
your fingers.
Tip Eight: If asked a question,
make sure you speak clearly and
give examples. Please don’t use
"like the time" or "when." It
doesn’t sound professional. Use
terms like "for instance" or "for
example." Bring your best. It
gives the interviewer a broader
picture of what you are saying.
Make sure when you are speaking, in some cases, to keep the
answers brief. If you keep talking, the interviewer won’t be
able to continue the interview. It
also lets them know that you
don’t know how to stop talking
and just listen.
Tip Nine: When the interview
is almost over and they ask if
you have any questions, make
sure you already have questions
prepared a head of time. After
the interview, thank them for
their time and ask when you can
expect to hear from them. Shake
their hand firmly. Walk out
standing straight up with your
head held up high.
Tip Ten: After you leave the
building, treat yourself to something nice. Then, get to work on
a letter thanking them for their
time and sharing how excited
you are about the job.
Black. White. Brown.
By Natasha Walls
I
I
AM BLACK, BUT NOT BLACK.
AM WHITE , BUT NOT WHITE . I
AM MIXED OF TWO RACES , BUT
FIT COMFORTABLY IN NEITHER .
This was the main theme running through the half-day conference for mixed race youth,
teens, and families appropriately named In the Mix. This
half-day conference began with
coffee (of course), juice and tea
along with some techno/dance
music to get everyone pumped
up, awake and moving.
The program began with a youth
panel that spoke and shared personal stories on what it was like to
be of mixed race. This discussion
hit close to home with many of the
people in the audience who were
either of mixed race or had mixed
race children, spouses, etc.
I was one of those youth panelists
and here is a part of my story that
many of the participants felt they
connected with: I was shopping
one day in an outdoor market looking around at things while my
mother shopped somewhere close
by. I felt someone tap me on the
shoulder so I looked up and smiled
at the lady who was excitedly talking to me in Spanish.
Now before I continue with my
story, let me explain that I am not
of Hispanic or Latino descent or
anything like that. I am Belgian/
African American, but because of
the color of my skin and the mixed
characteristics inherited from both
my parents I am often mistaken as
someone of Cuban, Mexican, even
Brazilian descent.
As this lady continued to chat
lively with me she soon realized
that I was not responding to anything she said. All I was doing
was looking uncomfortably
around for my mom and smiling
politely up at her. Finally, she
stopped talking and cocking her
head to the side she asked me if I
spoke Spanish, well more like an
accusation. She said “ Don’t you
speak Spanish?” to which surprised I shook my head no. She
huffed and looked down upon me
and said in a haughty voice “Oh,
that’s too bad”. This is one of the
many situations I often found myself in when people simply judged
me to be in whatever category that
fit their way of thinking.
Next came the adult panel where
similar stories were shared. Then
came lunch and a fantastic video
called “My people are…” made
by the teens who perform in the
Destiny Arts group in Oakland.
This movie hit many topics that
were discussed in the panels and
showed in very creative ways
about people who are mixed and
how they are/ were fitted into one
category that was to define what
race they belong to.
After the movie the youth and
adults broke up into several breakout groups that consisted of either
just youths and a facilitator or just
adults with a facilitator.
In my group, as probably with
all other groups, there was some
tension with being in a group
with people you didn’t know and
being expected to open up and
share our personal ideas and sto6
ries. However, in the end everyone relaxed enough to hold a
meaningful discussion. Some of
the topics we covered were: How
we were treated when seen with
one group of friends as opposed
to another group of friends, why
did people want to know what
our race was and would we tell
them, and being followed around
stores due to stereotypes. These
were only several of the topics
discussed in our group.
After the break-out we all came
back together to learn what the
other groups had discussed.
There were some over laps, but
relatively there was –plenty of
new things to ponder and question. Like what was up with not
having mixed hair products?!
In the end this half-day conference
was awesome and I felt many people walked away with something to
think about, both the negative and
positive sides of being mixed race.
Often when faced with challenges
of being mixed race hits you hard
it’s even harder to look at the
positive side. This conference
enlightened me to see not just the
negatives but the positives of being mixed race and to quote one
of the other youth panelists on a
positive that most people agreed
with, “Ah, yes the food. There is
always the food!”.
For more information on mixed
race issues visit these websites:
www.swirlinc.org
www.ipride.org
www.mixedfolks.com
DEAR
OAKLAND
BY: JASMINE WALLS
Dear Oakland,
Why all the violence?
I mean, wouldn’t you rather hear
Can’t you see the silence
Angels singing, instead of helpless screaming?
You are causing?
Why is it normal
So many hopeful voices
To dress up all formal
Lay quiet because of bad
choices
And go to a friend’s funeral?
Be it their own or someone
else’s.
Since when was it okay
To shoot a man a day
What happened to the love
In order to stay alive?
After shooting down the dove
What is left pure
Of warm-hearted kindness?
When bullets became the cure
Is there anything you choose
not to settle
To everyday problems?
With cold words and colder
metal
Will this again b a day
From your knives and guns?
On which another death is waved
away
All I see is so much rage
As a statistic?
So much I can’t even fit it on
this page
How can people fly
When they’ve lost their ability
to try?
And all I can do is ask why.
Why do we have to fear?
And all I can do is ask why.
7
Poetry Corner
Holiday Blues
A Leap of Faith
Turn Back Time
By an Alameda High School Student
By Megan Huey
By an Alameda High School Student
Love is burning in my heart
and mind.
Oh, it’s just so hard to leave
you behind.
Hate, breaking my heart and spirit.
It’s just so hard to bear it.
Pain, feeling it is so hard.
I can’t seem to let down my guard.
I can’t seem to let him in.
So let me start to tell my tale in
I take a leap of faith.
And pray to God I don’t fall.
I take a leap of faith.
And hope that this makes me
feel free.
I take a leap of faith.
And I hope that you’ll catch me.
I take a leap of faith.
this way to begin.
And hope that you’ll begin
to start
I pushed him away.
To understand what I mean.
I didn’t expect him to stay.
After what I did to him
He left, in the most painful way.
Now, it seems my life is dark
I take a leap of faith, blindly and
with all my emotion.
And hope that you don’t accidentally break my heart.
and dim.
Don’t do it, don’t go.
Now I see you,
And wish I could turn back time,
Did you ever wish that you could
turn back time?
So you could go back and change
your mind?
And did you ever wish that you
could have a second chance?
I missed out on what could have
been true love.
But when you asked me to dance,
I said no, defying my heart.
So I guess this is where I
should start.
I liked you.
I never thought I’d miss him the
And you liked me.
way I do now.
I wished you to be my knight-inshining-armor.
I’ll never know how.
This is what I’m saying and it’s
Thinking we could be so happy.
honestly true,
Then you made your move.
And now I’ve got the holiday blues.
I thought that when you did it,
You did it so smooth.
My heart was telling me to go and
take a chance.
But my mind was telling me no,
Just so that I could change
my mind.
8
* ~ A Delicious Holiday Treat ~ *
CHEWY CHOCOLATEY CHRISTMAS BARS
By: K. Z.
Ingredients:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the honey and
3/4 cup honey
peanut butter together and bring to a boil. Stir in the choco-
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
About 1 cup peanuts (optional)
Courtesy of deviantart.com
late chips and marshmallows until smooth. Add cereal and
peanuts. Blend well and remove from heat. Pour into a
lightly greased 9x13 inch pan and pat down firmly with spatula. Let it cool slightly and cut into bars before it hardens.
Variations:
•
Cut into seasonal shapes such as Christmas trees.
•
Use icing or chocolate sauce to draw designs.
•
Before it completely hardens, press some candy covered chocolate pieces (like M&Ms) on the surface.
•
Mix in ½ cup granola for extra crunchiness.
MANGOES GONE MAD!
By Anjuli Sastry
A
R ECIPE
F O R
You Will Need:
•
•
•
•
•
•
M A NGO
P IE
Steps for making the pie:
Step 1: Heat the required amount of water (in this
case, 3 cups). Mix together well in a bowl the hot
water, gelatin, and sugar.
3 Graham Cracker Pie Crusts
1 large sized can of mango pulp
16 oz of sour cream
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Bar
(leave the cream cheese on the counter to
thaw for sometime)
1 box of unflavored gelatin
(Knox brand- use 3 out of 4 boxes)
1 cup of sugar
Step 2: In a separate bowl put in cream cheese, sour
cream, and mango pulp.
Step 3: Mix the ingredients from both bowls all together with a hand blender (making sure there are no
lumps of cream cheese).
Step 4: Take the final mixture from the hand blender
and put it into each pie crust accordingly.
Step 5: Finally, refrigerate the 3 pie crusts for three
to four hours before serving.
This product will make at least 3 pies. So, if you
don’t need so much, change the measurements according to your liking.
ENJOY!!
9
Paula’s Lemon Cake
Ingredients
To make the cake:
Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon wedge, for garnish
Mint sprig, for garnish
Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy.
Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8
minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after
each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to
creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.
Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level
batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches
above counter, then dropping flat onto counter. Do
this several times to release air bubbles and assure
you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes
or until golden brown. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes.
Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white
corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
To make the frosting:
Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler.
Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute.
Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling
water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Beat
constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7
minutes. Beat in vanilla.
Filling:
8 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 lemons, zest grated and juiced
To make the filling:
Place the ingredients in the double boiler over boiling water. Don't let top pan touch the water. Cook
and stir until mixture begins to gel or thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3
(9-inch) cake pans.
To assemble:
Add 1 tablespoon of filling to the cake pedestal.
Run hands along the side of the cake to remove
excess crumbs. Place the cake layers on the pedestal, spreading filling between the layers and on
top. Spread the sides and top of the cake with the
remaining filling. Frost top and sides of cake with
frosting. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig
of mint.
10
Recognizing Teens Each Month
By Anjuli Sa stry
T
her e are an innu merable amo unt of t een
mag azines o ut t here for t eens
to pour o ver each day, lo oking fo r t he lat est st yles, celebr it y go ssip, reviews,
t ip s on schoo l and co lleg e, advice, games,
et c. But how many
mag azines o ut t here for
t eens are act ually wr it t en by t eens? Not many.
But one magaz ine t hat
has been arou nd for t he
past 17 year s and is st ill
st anding st ro ng is t he Teen
Ink Magazine. No t only has
it been pub lished exclusively wit h t een inp ut and
wo rk for o ver a decade, it
has been cr it ically acclaimed
and won awards for being
t he o nly magazine feat ur ing
real t eens and t heir work.
T een I nk was fo u nd ed in
1 98 9 b y T he Yo u ng Aut ho r s
Fo u nd at io n I nc. , a no n
p r o fit o r g aniz at io n cr eat ed
t o he lp br ing o ut t he vo ic es
an d o p in io ns o f t eens, a nd
he lp t o enha nc e t he ir r e adin g a nd wr it ing sk i l ls. Becau s e o f t he co u nt le ss nu mber o f ar t ic le s t hat co me in
ev er y d a y, a T e en I nk bo o k
ser ie s h as e v e n bee n cr e-
at ed w it h a l l k in d s o f st o r ie s a bo u t is sue s t hat a ffect t eens e ver y d a y. Being a no np r o fit o r g an iz at io n a s
Co u r t es y o f www. ma g a z i n es . c o m
we l l, a l l t he pr o ceed s fr o m
t he T een I n k su b scr ip t io n s
and var io u s r e ve n u e s g o t o
he lp k id s ar o und t he co u nt r y w it h r ead in g , wr it in g
and wo r k in s c ho o l.
The magazine feat ures
poems o f d ifferent k inds,
no n- fict io n and fict io n st o r ies, art , reviews (o f music,
mo vies, bo oks, et c.), informat io n o n co lleges and
11
ot her scho ols, int erviews
wit h celebr it ies, perso nal
o pinio ns, co nt est s, spo rt s,
and mu ch more. The magazine has widely var ied t he
p ieces inside, but t he d ifference o f t his fro m any o t her
mag azine is t hat mo st
ever y sing le p iece is wr it t en by you ng adu lt s in
middle scho o l, high
schoo l, and co llege. It is
a uniqu e way fo r t eens t o
express t heir mind s,
feelings, and st o ries and
have it pu blished fo r a
wide audience. Many
o f us co mp la in t hese
days t hat we are no t
able t o express o urselves, but Teen Ink
is g iving yo ut h a
chance to make t hat happen.
T een I n k is so met h in g
d if fer e nt fr o m t he u su a l
m ix o f magaz i n es o u t
t her e. It is a ne w t ast e and
yo u c a n se e t he h ar d wo r k
t hat each t ee n p u t s int o
g et t in g t he ir in d iv id u a l
p ie ce pu bl is hed. Fo r mo r e
in fo r mat io n o n ho w t o su bscr ib e t o t he mag a z in e,
v is it t he ir we bs it e at
www. t eenin k . co m.
An Album That’s Sure to Rock Your Socks
EMPIRE by Kasabian
Review by Ankitha Bharadwaj
A
mongst the recent resurgence
of Brit rock bands comes
Kasabian with their sophomore
album “EMPIRE.” Despite the
stiff competition from fellow
Britons such as The Arctic
Monkeys, Muse, and Kaiser
Chiefs - who have new releases
of their own - members of Kasabian have maintained their
prize-winning mix of electronica
and amazing guitar work to produce an album stuffed with
snazzy tracks.
In 2004, Kasabian, named after
Linda Kasabian, a member of
the infamous Charles Manson
cult, debuted with their selftitled album and gained minimal
popularity and
seemed to be destined to fade away
with a one-hitwonder, “Club
Foot.” But Tom
Meighan, Sergio
Pizzorno, Chris
Edwards and Chris
Karloff - members
of Kasabian made a triumphant
return with their
latest release. Regardless of Chris
Karloff’s resignation, who
was an integral member of the
quartet, Kasabian pushed forward without Karloff and released “EMPIRE.”
The album opens with the
title track, “EMPIRE,” strutting right away their spectacular skills and dynamic
chord progressions. Not only
does this number set the tone
for most of the album, but
it’s also quite the toe-tapper.
Then the album transitions
into “Shoot the Runner,” a
track that demands the public’s attention with mindblowing guitar riffs and scintillating drumming. “Shoot
the Runner” is also the second
single released and was recently
made into a music video themed
like the i-Pod commercials.
As the tracks move along,
“EMPIRE” transforms from a
quick-paced style to a more relaxed, almost rock-ballad-esque
tone. The album ends with
“British Legion” and then a Spanish infused track, “The Doberman,” leaving the listener eager
for more Kasabian.
“EMPIRE” is an overall brilliant
endeavor by the boys of Kasabian
that really hits home with the
healthy blend of rock, electronica
and just plain awesomeness.
Kasabian
will start
their European tour in
December.
The band will
also make a
presence in
Japan to
please their
Asian fans.
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Plain White T’s: Every Second Counts
Music Review byYulanda Do
T
he first major label album of
Plain White T’s, entitled Every
Second Counts came out on September 12, providing fans and listeners with catchy tunes along the
lines of their last album, All That
We Needed. The band started in the
fall of 1997 and after losing and
gaining band members, became
stronger and more popular. Plain
White T’s lead singer, Tom Higgenson, started to recruit band
members in high school after realizing his future belonged on the
stage. Over the years Higgenson
has acquired his own style of singing with great amounts of energy,
to the alluring pop-punk music.
Their debut album, a self-released
album entitled Stop, came out in
2002 and after selling thousands of
copies, was discovered by Fearless
Records. Since then the band has
been traveling the world and spreading their enthusiasm of music on
stage. Fans are enraptured by the
band’s energy and charisma.
Whether they are playing in the
Warped Tour to hundreds of fans or
in a small venue, it is apparent, as
Higgenson says, that they are
“gonna sweat the same.” This is best
shown in the song “Sing My Best”
on All That We Needed. The lyrics
“Tonight, I’ll get up on that stage
and I will sing my best for you tonight,” is true as all their energy is
put into their performances. The
liveliness is apparent in the beat of
their lyrics and is unmistakable
when they are live and on stage. The
sprightly tunes of Every Second
Counts are a head-bopper.
The beat of the album Every Second Counts is lighter than that of
their previous album. The rhythm
is not as deep and the drums,
played by De’Mar Hamilton, are
not as prominent in their newest
album. The songs on this album
are more electric and hyper,
unlike the pulses of the songs
“All That We Needed” and
“Revenge.” The first song, “Our
Time Now,” begins with the
drums and a chorus that croons
“uh oh oh oh oh.” Their lead single “Hate (I Really Don’t like
You)” attains the tone of someone who is irritated and bitter.
These lyrics are along the lines of
their song “Revenge:” “I’m
gonna tell the whole world how
you really are. So go ahead and
get mad never talk to me again. I
don’t even care cause I got my
revenge.” In the chorus of “Hate
(I Really Don’t Like You)” it
sings, “Now that it’s over you
can’t bring me down. Hate is a
strong word but I really, really,
really don’t like you.” Both songs
depict hostility and venom.
Higgenson’s song “Hey There Delilah,” on the other hand, adds a soft
and romantic touch different than
the pop-punk melody of the rest of
the album. The passionate song,
played solely with an acoustic guitar, has beautiful lyrics that show
the emotions involved. “What’s it
like in New York City? I’m a thou13
sand miles away but girl tonight you
look so pretty. Time Square can’t
shine as bright as you,” and “A thousand miles seems pretty far, but
they’ve got planes and trains and cars.
I’d walk to you if I had no other way.”
In Every Second Counts, “Write You
a Song” is parallel to Plain White T’s
original song “Hey There Delilah”
and sounds like a bad imitation.
Throughout the album, Plain White
T’s sing of the emotional rollercoaster of relationships and the
bumpy rides in between. A preeminent example is the lyrics to
“Friends Don’t Let Friends Dial
Drunk,” which tells of a girl who
wanted nothing to do with Higgenson while she was sober. Once
she was drunk, however, her perspectives would change: “You say
all these beautiful things but they
don’t mean nothing no they don’t
mean a thing, gotta back it up, but
you keep backing down. Tell me
how this ends.” The upbeat tracks
like “Our Time Now” and “Come
back to Me” carry a deeper emotional depth than “Friends Don’t Let
Friends Dial Drunk.” Plain White
T’s is making every second count,
as titled in their album, as they tour
the world, and enjoy the experience.
Love With a Vampire…
“Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer
Dying to be Perfect
PERFECT
Book Review by K. Z.
BY NATASHA FRIEND
17
Hey you book worms out there! Looking for an excit-
-year-old Bella’s life takes a differ-
ing new book to read? Well, you’ve turned to the right
ent turn when she moves from her
page because I’m here to tell you about a fairly new
sunny home in Arizona to live with her dad in
book called Perfect by Natasha Friend. This book fol-
Forks, a dreary and dull city in Washington
lows a teenage girl named Isabelle who’s been having
with constant rain. Soon, things start getting
some issues in her life. Her father had died, leaving
more interesting as
her mother in grief; her annoying little sister, April,
she discovers that
will never leave her alone; she’s not a perfect student;
Edward Cullen, a
and she is insecure.
boy from her
school, is actually
Her solution to her problems: bulimia. That was her
a vampire who
dirty little secret until April finds out and spills the
lives with his four
beans. Now Isabelle faces a new problem: the “Eating
vampire brothers
Disorder and Body Image
and sisters. Dr.
Therapy Group.” There she
Carlisle Cullen and
meets the most popular girl
his wife had
in the school, Ashley Bar-
adopted them all. They choose to stay at
num, who helps her realize
Forks because they have certain secrets to
her true problems and that
hide that would be otherwise too noticeable in
real beauty is on the inside.
other places. Edward and Bella soon fall in
Conquering her disorder is
love and form a very close bond. But Bella is
only half the battle.
suddenly put in danger when a group of
Now, I’m trying really hard to not spoil the ending,
tracker vampires decide to hunt her, forcing
but I can say that many teens out there can relate to
Edward and his family to do everything they
Isabelle and have faced many of the same problems
can to protect her. This exciting novel draws
she has. The book teaches you some great lessons
you inside its very realistic world and you’ll
about self-respect and confidence. So readers, head to
feel as if you’re actually there. This is ro-
your nearest book store or library and get your hands
mance, fantasy, and suspenseful action all
on this book!
mixed into one.
Review By: Avani Jariwala
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PLEDGE FOR A HATE-FREE ALAMEDA
Ending hate and prejudice must start within ourselves and our circles of influence: our families, friends,
schools, clubs, workplaces and places of worship and governance.
To Respect Self and Others
To respect my heritage, culture and traditions, to respect the heritage, culture and traditions of others, to value
our differences, and to avoid stereotyping, name-calling and hateful words and gestures.
To Communicate Better
To share our feelings honestly, to look for positive ways to express our curiosity and discuss our differences,
and to work at solving problems peacefully.
To Listen
To listen carefully to one another, especially those whose lives we know little about, to open ourselves to others’ life stories, and to hear the commonality of human experience in the telling of those stories.
To Practice Goodwill and Understanding
To welcome newcomers into our community and our homes, to provide opportunities for learning and sharing,
and to promote civility in community, neighborhood and personal conversation.
To Play Creatively
To select entertainment and toys that support our hate-free community values and to avoid entertainment that
makes hate and bias look exciting, funny or acceptable.
To Be Courageous
To challenge hate and prejudice in all its forms whenever we encounter it, whether at home, at school, at work
or in the community, and to stand with others who are treated unfairly.
“Eliminating hate one person at a time, starting with me.”
Alamedans Together Against Hate (ATAH)
510-749-5800
16
1522 Park Street
(Cross Street: Webb)
Alameda, CA 94501
510-522-0070 Fax: 510-522-0073
www.alamedabicycle.com
17
•
Free Adjustments Forever
•
Guaranteed For Life
•
Knowledgeable Staff
•
Total Price Protection
•
Kid’s Trade-Up Program
DECLARING THE CITY OF ALAMEDA
A HATE-FREE CITY
CITY OF ALAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. 12944
WHERE AS, hat e vio lence has beco me a d aily o ccurrence and is incr easing at ep idemic rat es
acro ss t he nat io n; and
WHERE AS, hist or y has t ragically t aug ht us what happ ens when peo ple st and by and allo w
act s of vio lence and hat red to o ccur; and
WHERE AS, peop le oft en feel iso lat ed, wit ho ut hope and helpless t o do anyt hing ind iv idually t o end hat e vio lence; and
WHERE AS, t he people o f Ala meda, California find hat e vio lence t o be co ward ly, appalling
and u nwant ed; and
WHERE AS, civic and religious o rganizat io ns t hro ugho ut t he Bay Area have co ndemned
hat e vio lence; and
WHERE AS, t he Alameda So cial Ser vice Hu man Relat ions Board has beco me in v olved in
lead ing t he discu ssio n about whet her o ur co mmu nit y is vu lnerable t o a climat e o f hat e and
lear ning t o prevent hat e act ivit y when it appears in Ala meda; and
WHERE AS, in light of specific incident s in Ala meda, t he So cial Ser vice Hu man Relat io ns
Bo ard urges t he Cit y Counc il t o ado pt t his Reso lut io n.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED t hat t he Cit y Co uncil o f t he Cit y o f Alamed a
hereby, in keeping wit h t he pr inc ip le o f equal civil r ight s for all, unequ ivo cally oppo ses
any manifest at io n of hat red and prejud ice towards any gro up or ind iv idual; and
BE I T FURT HE R RE S O LVE D t hat t he C it y Co u nc i l o f t he C it y o f Ala me d a he r eb y jo i n
w it h t ho u sa nd s o f o t her ne ig h bo r s t o say w it h o ne vo ice “No t in Ala med a” b y d ec lar in g
Ala med a t o be a “Hat e- Fr ee C it y” a nd r eso lv in g t o st and t o g et her w it h a l l p eo p le o f
g o o d fa it h acr o s s t he co unt r y a nd su pp o rt t his nat io na l e ffo r t t o p u sh bac k t he r is in g
t id e o f hat e vio le nce by in vo lv ing t he d iver se Ala me da co mmu n it ie s in a n e f fo r t t o ad d r es s hat e v io le n c e.
* * * * * * *
18
Follow the voice of your spirit
Remember to Dream.
Listen to the Wisdom of your Soul
Dance to the Music of your Heart.
Author Unknown
This publication is made possible
by the generous support of our
advertisers. If you would like to
place an advertisement in our next
issue please contact the
Zine Team at 510-749-5816
or by email to:
[email protected]
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Stories, Poems, Thoughts of your own...
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Stories, Poems, Thoughts of your own...
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Acknowledgements
A special thank you to the following people who helped support this issue
Diana and Patrick Kenney, Susan Fuller, Eric Kos and Julia Park
A Very Special Thank you to :
Girls Inc. of the Island City – Computer Lab
A talented group of energetic and creative students from local high schools have come together
as the Zine Team to create a magazine by teens - for teens. Out Loud is written, edited, and
designed by members of the Zine Team. Out Loud is a collaborative project of the Alameda
Collaborative for Children, Youth & Their Families in partnership with the HOME Project and
Girls Inc. of the Island City.
Please Support Our Advertisers
This publication is made possible by the generous support of our advertisers. If you would like to
place an advertisement in our next issue or would like to offer support in any way, please contact
the Zine Team at 510-749-5816 or by email to: [email protected]
Want more copies or to get involved?
Contact: Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth & Their Families (ACCYF) at
510-749-5816 or by email to: [email protected]
Visit the Teen Scene and Sound Off!
The Youth Collaborative’s website (www.alamedayouth.org) has a new Teen Scene section. It includes the Youth Yellow Pages, Student Guide to the Community Service Requirement, Afterschool Service Corps for middle & high school students, cool teen sites,
and past issues of Out Loud!
Teens can make their opinions known in the Teen Voices section where they can respond
to the question of the month and share their ideas and opinions with others.
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