FINALLY! Over .500 and postseason play

Building Bridges
Page 2
Gross or Genius?
Page 4 Football Season
Page 11
the
HAMPTONIAN
Hampton High School’s Student-Run Newspaper
Volume 72, Issue 1
Fall 2013
FINALLY! Over .500 and postseason play
Many Pittsburghers will always remember where they
were on September 9, 2013. This
was the day the Pittsburgh Pirates finally ended their streak
of 20 consecutive losing seasons . No current student
at Hampton would be old
enough to have been alive for
1992 when the Pirates last were
winners. Twenty years of losing
largely put the Pirates out of the
general interest, but after two
straight years of contention until September, the Pirates kicked
down the door and not only put
up a winning season, but made
it to the NLDS first time since
1992. More and more people
have donned Pirates shirts this
year so far and are proud to be
supporting a winner at PNC Park
at last. After a heart-breaking
loss to the Cardinals in game
five, many fans will spend the
winter dreaming of a World Series run next year.
October 14, 1992: The Pittsburgh Pirates versus the Atlanta
Braves in Game 7 of the National
League Championship Series.
The winner would go on to play
in the World Series. It was the
third straight year the Pirates
had gone to the NLCS and they
were looking for their first appearance in the World Series
since 1979. Pittsburgh lead 2-0
going into the bottom of the
ber 7, 2009. On a rainy and dull
Labor Day, the Pirates lost 4-2 to
the Chicago Cubs to clinch their
17th consecutive losing season,
a new North American record. It
was easily one of the most depressing days as a Pirates fan.
By the end of 2010, it
seemed like things could only go
up from there after a dismal 105
loss season. In 2011, the Pirates
were on a roll until losing a
game against the Braves on July
26 on a blown call at the plate in
the 19th inning. The season suddenly spiraled out of control.
Last year, the Pirates were battling for the division lead and
won a 19 inning game on August
19, this time against the St. Louis
Cardinals, but posted a record of
12-29 afterwards. Second half
A view of PNC Park as seen on September 21st during the Pirates game against the Reds
collapses were becoming all too
ninth inning after ace Doug Dra- the runner at second base, Sid
After “The Slide,” Barry
common in Pittsburgh.
bek had thrown eight scoreless Bream, was hobbling around
Bonds and Doug Drabek both
Everyone knows what has
innings, but quickly loaded up
third as left fielder Barry Bonds left in free agency. In 1993, the
happened this year, but they
the bases in the ninth. Stan
scooped up the ball and delivPirates missed the playoffs and might not know where all the
Belinda replaced him and gave
ered a throw to catcher Mike
finished at 75-87. In 1994, the
players were acquired. Let’s
up a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1,
Lavalliere. The throw was poor Pirates might have been able to take a brief look at how this
but got the important first out. and towards the first base side
have a winning season, but after 2013 Pirates team was assemAfter walking the next batter to of home plate and Lavalliere just 114 games, the rest of the regu- bled. Andrew McCutchen, the
load the bases again, Braves
missed making the tag on
lar season and postseason were face of the franchise, All Star,
manager sent a second straight Bream. “When Bream scored, I cancelled due to a player’s strike and gold glove winning centerpinch hitter, Francisco Cabrera, felt like I had been kicked in the and the Bucs finished at 53-61.
fielder was selected 11th in the
to the plate with two outs and a stomach,” said economics
The closest team in the 90’s or
first round of the 2005 draft and
chance to tie the game or take
teacher Mr. Fischer, “I don’t
2000’s to reach .500 were the
made his long awaited debut in
the lead. The Pirates outfielders know if I’ve ever felt worse
1997 “Freak Show” Pirates with 2009. After a stellar 2012 where
were fairly far back playing in a about a sporting event.” It was 79 wins. Miraculously, only two he was hitting .362 at the All
no-doubles defense when the 2- a crushing loss, but no one could Pirates teams during The Streak Star Break, he slumped a bit in
1 pitch was dumped into short
have predicted it would make
lost 100 or more games (2001,
the second half and ended up
left field. The runner at third
baseball irrelevant to so many in 2010). Perhaps the lowest point with a .327 average.
base, David Justice, scored and Pittsburgh for the next 20 years. of the streak came on SeptemSee BUCS pg. 10
Photo by Lauren Mullarkey-Williams
By Joel Norman
Hamptonian Sports Editor
Student travels: Spending the summer abroad
By Emily Stitt
Hamptonian Features Editor
One of the greatest accomplishments of twenty-first century society is the expansive
varieties of cultures all over the
world. Exploring new cultures
can be intriguing, eye-opening,
and incredibly enjoyable. Many
of Hampton’s students had the
opportunity to travel to foreign
countries over the summer, discovering new languages, music,
customs, and worlds.
Jessica Mattson, a senior,
went overseas to Spain during
the summer. The difference that
immediately struck her was the
trademark kiss on the cheek as a
greeting, which is standard in
many European countries. Jessica also particularly enjoyed the
routine of visiting a cafe for
lunch, and she found that she
loved Spain’s peach juice. When
asked where else she would
travel if given the chance, Jessica explained that she would
love to go back to Spain.
“There’s just so much there I
haven’t seen.”
Rachael Harrison, a junior,
travelled to Panama over the
summer for a brief foreign exchange program. While attending a school there, she found
she loved the general intimacy
with which the people treated
her: “It made things more personal and friendly.” She remarked on the more relaxed
pace of life in Panama, particularly describing relationships
between parents and children as
more friend-to-friend.
Similarly to Jessica, Rachael
noted differences in food cultur-
ally. People in Panama generally
eat much later than North
Americans, and the dinner meal
is far smaller. She’s found that
she loved studying Spanish and
learning Latin American culture,
and hopes to make a trip to
Spain to study abroad in college.
Brenna Friday, also a junior,
went to Ireland for a family reunion. Friday highlights her trip,
saying, “For me personally, my
favorite part was just meeting
my whole family and experiencing new culture, and understanding there's more to the
world than just the Hampton
bubble.” But, Brenna also
noted similarities across cul-
tures: “Even though we live on
opposite sides of the Atlantic,
they're the same kind of people
as us, with the same dislikes and
wants.”
All three students emphasized how enjoyable they found
their experiences and discoveries. The bottom line? Traveling
to foreign countries is rewarding, in a way that allows one to
appreciate cultures from all
over.
Mad about Yoga Pants?
Full coverage and student
poll on pgs. 4 & 5
2
News
Talbots celebrate return of bridge
Middle Road bridge construction
By Deanna Word
Hamptonian Staff
busses because they had to
take the detour as well.
Though its reconstruction
The trip to school became a was much smaller in scope, the
lot easier for students, faculty Duncan Avenue Bridge near the
and staff when the new Middle intersection of Route 8 has also
Road Bridge opened for traffic recently just ended.
on Friday, October 4th.
During the closures, late
The bridge, which carries
arrivals were initially treated
Middle Road over the Pennsyl- leniently; however, school offivania Turnpike has been out of cials expected student drivers
commission since March 11th
to quickly find alternate routes
for reconstruction, leaving
and get to school on time.
many Township residents
Getting across the township
searching for alternate routes. is now as easy as it was before
The closure also affected the
the construction.
Workers prepare to pour concrete during the Middle Road Bridge construction this summer.
LLS Light the
Night Walk held
October 10th
By Megan Mann
Hamptonian Staff
and cancer patients everywhere, I formed a team for the
Leukemia and Lymphoma SociIn February 2013, my mom
ety's walk, Light the Night.
revealed something unexplainThe Leukemia and Lymable; I could not fathom how
phoma Society advocates lifesomething so terrible could
saving treatments for blood
happen to her. The words "I
cancers, offers support serhave cancer" are unforgettavices, and does the most promble. I was devastated, clueless, ising cancer research anyand worried. She was diagwhere. This event is a night
nosed with indolent lymfilled with inspiration. Men,
phoma, which is a slow growwomen, and children join toing type of cancer in an individ- gether, taking steps to end
ual's lymphatic system. She
blood cancers. The walkers
soon began radiation after her truly do light the night through
diagnosis, and she is currently illuminated balloons. Red balcancer free. I could not be hap- loons represent supporters,
pier to say that my mom is a
white is for survivors, and gold
cancer survivor, but after she
is for those walking in memory
was diagnosed I started to real- of a fighter. My team, Doroize the number of individuals
thy's Dancers, raised funds for
who are survivors, currently
this incredible cause, and the
enduring the disease, or lost
Hampton Dance Team had a
their battles to the disease.
cupcake sale at the Talbot TailAfter grasping a new undergate. Contributing to the Leustanding of the number of indi- kemia and Lymphoma Society
viduals affected by cancer, I
could save a life.
decided to aid in making a difference. In honor of my mom
Karissa’s Army raises awareness
By Hannah Hart
Hamptonian Staff
January 2012—The body of
Karissa Kunco was found in the
Mount Washington area after
the twenty-one-year-old was
brutally killed by her exboyfriend, twenty-two-year-old
Jordan Clemons. Though the
tragedy occurred over a year
ago, the agonizing grief of their
loss continues to haunt the family members and friends of Ms.
Kunco.
According to the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, those who knew
her regard Karissa as having
been an exceptionally optimistic young woman whose lovely
smile and kind aura lit up a
room; she attracted friends almost magnetically. However,
Karissa’s sweetness could also
be matched by her moxy. Despite the fact that she stood at
a mere five feet tall, she was
one of only two female freshmen who succeeded in joining
Brashear High School’s Varsity
basketball team.
In addition to basketball,
Karissa, an avid sports fan, enjoyed participating on the
school’s softball team as well.
On a graver note, the aforementioned source depicts the
toxicity of Karissa and Jordan’s
relationship. Always having
been something of a daddy’s
girl, she resisted informing her
father of the serious threat
Clemons posed to her wellbeing. Mr. Paul Kunco now recognizes that his daughter was
attempting to “shelter” him
from the pain of her personal
problems.
Karissa’s close friend Jamie
Brown recalls numerous instances during which Jordan
threatened to become violent
with her, particularly when he
was under the influence of alcohol. Though Brown herself was
never personally witness to
such acts, Karissa sought treatment at the St. Clair Hospital,
on December 18 of 2012, for a
concussion and severe bruising
which were the result of an attack from her beau while at his
Mount Washington home. Subsequently, the young woman
obtained a protection from
abuse order; unfortunately
though, the Post-Gazette reports that the perpetrator could
not be located in order to be
served the notice. In the words
of Karissa herself, as written in
her appeal for legal protection,
“I fear for my safety.”
Tragically for Ms. Kunco and
her loved ones, her desperate
plea, though granted by a
judge, proved inadequate in
ultimately saving her life.
Karissa was a principled, hardworking individual with aspirations of becoming a pharmacist
and helping others, and not
even four weeks after she
reached out for help, her vibrant existence was ended in
the most devastating way possible. If only Karissa and those
close to her had been educated
in terms of the methods used to
recognize the early red flags of
an abusive relationship, this
needless outcome could have
been avoided.
Clemons, though once a
talented high school football
player and ironically, the son of
a minister, was clearly not stable, in spite of the illusion of his
idyllic life. In fact, Karissa was so
mortified by her ex-boyfriend
that she requested co-workers
to accompany her to her vehicle
after work for fear that he
would be waiting to assault her
in the parking lot. Even prior to
this situation, Karissa realized
the unhealthy nature of her
relationship but, always attempting to find the good in
people and again manipulated
by Jordan’s superficial charm,
she permitted him back into her
life.
From the unbiased perspective of a third party, it becomes
apparent that Clemons was a
controlling partner with major
anger management issues, but
from Karissa’s perspective, he
was merely a melancholy and
misunderstood man who, with
the right amount of love and
nurturing, could be “fixed.” In
this case, Ms. Kunco’s famous
optimism worked against her
best interest, but although
Karissa was taken from us prematurely, we together can
strive to preserve her memory
as well as to prevent other
young women from meeting
the same fate she did.
See KARISSA pg. 10
News&Features
3
Stickney
Hampton’s unsung locales:
in new
A photo essay
position
Chloe McGinley and Maddie Fiehrer
Hamptonian Photographers
Simon’s
Farm
Market
Elizabeth Harper
Hamptonian Staff
Mr. Stickney has worn
many different hats in his 16
years as a teacher at Hampton. He has taught more than
15 classes in three departments, including Latin, Journalism, and Creative Writing,
and sponsored clubs such as
Newspaper, Latin Club and
On-Location. He has a wide
educational background, and
most recently has completed
the requirements for a Ph.D.
in Latin and Roman studies.
His most recent hat, however, is that of the new enrichment coordinator. The
former enrichment coordinator, Mrs. Ellena-Wygonik, was
well-known by most of the
student body for her dedication, as well as for pulling
students out of class to discuss enrichment activities.
Mr. Stickney has big plans
for communicating enrichment programming to the
student body. There will be a
wikispace for those interested in hearing about enrichment activities. Some
have suggested that he use
the acronym SMS for his
communications: “Stickney
Message Service.”
While many elements of
enrichment activities will be
similar, some changes are
being made. There are some
additional enrichment activities this year, including two
groups focusing on critical
reading, as well as the usual
activities like Lunch and
Learns, which will change
slightly. “The goal for Lunch
and Learns is that they’ll be
more tied to a class,” Mr.
Stickney explained, “not just
rogue Lunch and Learns.”
Mr. Stickney recently
worked with Ms. Heranic to
bring in a speaker who addressed French students
about his experiences in
Haiti.
With Mr. Stickney’s enthusiasm, enrichment activities this year are sure to be
fun and interesting.
4312
Middle
Road
Crouse
Run
Nature
Reserve
Wildwood
Road
Soup
Du Jour
Gourmet
Market
2228
W. Hardies
Road
4
Editorial&Opinion
The undoing of the licentious derriere
Hope Kay & Nalini Ramanathan
Hamptonian Staff
Hamptonian
Hampton High School
2929 McCully Road
Allison Park, PA 15101
Editor-in-Chief
Lauren Mullarkey-Williams
Graphics Editor
Bethany Lueers
Features Editor
Emily Stitt
Sports Editor
Joel Norman
——
Staff
Mollie Beardsley
Jon Chantz
Lauren Caridi
Mary Anna Ebbert
Maddie Fiehrer
Elizabeth Harper
Hannah Hart
Megan Hull
Hope Kay
Victoria Lee
April Lu
Chloe McGinley
Megan Mann
Jimmy Perkins
Nalini Ramanathan
Deanna Word
In a world with no order,
many high school administrations have chosen to neglect
important issues such as the
dress code in favor of insignificant topics such as updating
textbooks and raising their students’ AP scores. Harlots and
floozies have been allowed to
roam free in clothing fit for a
femme fatale, while they defile
the virtuous minds of male
youth. They strut the halls of
schools around the nation with
their derrieres on display, only
sheathed in a spandex and polyester blend, referred to by today’s wanton youth as “yoga
pants,” as if young women
should even consider participating in such suggestive activities.
The mere idea is utterly upsetting, as if these “young ladies” have the right to decide
how to adorn their own bodies.These tramps-in-training are
clearly unaware that in a patriarchal society, like ours, all female
bodies are public battlegrounds
Advisor
————
The ideas and opinions
expressed on the Editorial & Opinion pages
are not necessarily
those of The Hamptonian or of The Hampton Township School
District.
when their bodies are uncovered, are the epitome of sin.
And as we know we have a
theocratic government and as a
public school, scripture must be
followed as law and thus, it is a
requirement that female students cover their sinful bodies.
We, the refined products of
the Hampton bubble, are even
more rewarded with these new
See YOGA pg. 10
A proud defense of Miley Cyrus
David Hermenau
Op/Ed
Disclaimer:
tors, lawyers, engineers,
and politicians to female
has even become equal,
breaking the treasured
longtime American tradition of a male dominated
workforce! Thankfully,
Hampton’s administration
has seen it fit to save
these young boys from
such atrocities and save
these girls from lives of
certain promiscuity.
According to one
account, many young
males have cried tears of
joy in response to this
measure. “It’s just so
hard,” says one innocent
sophomore, “to be a
young, white male in this
society. It is a relief that the females in this school will no
longer stand between me and
my scholarship to Harvard with
their bodacious bottoms.”
The inherent sinfulness of
the female body has plagued
our society from the beginning
of time, as in Genesis when Eve
seduces Adam into betraying
God; all of humanity was
warned that women, especially
Pop Culture Commentary:
————
The Hamptonian staff
encourages students
and staff to write letters to the editor.
Each letter’s authenticity will be confirmed.
The staff reserves the
right to edit letters for
spelling and mechanics
and reserves the right
to refuse letters that
are believed to contain
libelous or inappropriate content.
Please
email all letters to
[email protected]
with “letter to the editor” in the subject line.
for debates on politics, religion,
and just general decency.
As these young women
adorn themselves with such
clothes, it suggests that they
have a right to do what they
want with their own body, a
preposterous proposition. Instead of having their fathers
finding them suitors from
neighboring villages, a practice
of any honorable society, young
ladies will dare to marry husbands of their own accord.
From there even more radical
behavior will ensue, after marriage, women will no longer stay
at home to fulfill their only duty
as housewives and mothers.
They will pursue their careers
further, working alongside men,
leaving the home to work like
poor people and prostitutes.
Furthermore, as a result of
this lewd display of the female
hindquarters, heterosexual
males have lost their chance to
pursue higher education. These
young harlots have adulterated
our young boys’ minds, forcing
them to look not upon derivatives, but derrieres. As a result,
the gender balance of male doc-
Victoria Lee
Hamptonian Staff
There comes a point in
every celebrity’s life where he or
she experiences a serious meltdown. Think about Charlie
Sheen’s “tiger blood/winning”
phase, Lindsay Lohan’s constant
publicized rehabs, Britney
Spears in 2007, and my personal
favourite meltdown – Amanda
Bynes (where are the dancing
lobsters now?). Now, is it Miley
Cyrus’ turn? Her Draco Malfoy
haircut, her recent stint at the
VMAs, and her raunchy music
video have caused a lot of people to raise an eyebrow and
question her sanity. It’s a completely genius move and I love
2013 Miley Cyrus.
Miley started off with a TV
show; she was just another teen
star acting as Hannah Montana,
back when Disney Channel actually had substantially entertaining shows. However, as the
show ended and her acting ventures ended, she began focusing
on her music and she transformed into a new Miley. This
new Miley gave up her blonde
wig and her southern belle persona and picked up a pair of
Beetle Juice leggings as well as a
trademark twerk and a tongue
that just does not seem to want
to stay in her mouth. This
change of style and the whole
ambience she carries may be a
big of a shock to the people,
who fell in love with her during
the Hannah Montana days, but
she’s twenty and she’s growing
up.
Are you the same awkward
12 year old you were in the sixth
grade? No. As much as you pine
for the Backstreet Boys or the
Spice Girls to come back, it
won’t happen because people
grow up and move on from
their first chapter. It’s just the
way life is – people change, people make bad decisions, and
people move on. We don’t live
in Walt Disney’s head, and we’re
not a bunch of lost boys and
girls who never grow up – we
are humans. It’s hypocritical to
point out and mourn over the
change when it’s just another
fact of life.
I was never a fan of the
“old” Miley, mainly because she
epitomized the conventional,
“playing it safe” type of deal.
However, with this new era of
Miley, the public sees the nonconventional, certainly controversial side of humanity. She
does things outside of the
norm, and nobody can predict
what is going to happen next.
She doesn't follow the general
stereotype of teen queens, but
instead she does things on her
own terms, which is so rare to
find these days.
Compare her to Taylor
Swift, someone who plays it
safe despite having a new boyfriend every time she sneezes.
Almost everyone can predict
that Taylor Swift’s next move is
going to be to create an album
about some new male who
broke her heart, and when she
wins an award she’ll be sure to
have that same fake expression
on her face. Miley, however, is
unpredictable, always causing
people to think of what she is
going to do next. It causes her
to remain relevant and always
talked about in the news. Sure,
Miley may be more raunchy and
more “ratchet” in terms of the
public eye, but she certainly is
more memorable.
Her VMA incident was genius; one of those things that as
much as you tried, you could
not look away from. The awards
were not remembered, the
other performances were forgotten, and the outfits are now
deemed trivial. Despite the
fleeting memory, one thing
sticks out of that night – Miley
Cyrus’ performance.
Everyone who watched can
recall the foam finger, the
creepy teddy bears, and the
outfit that made her bottom
look like the bottom of a raw
chicken. Every person who
watched could explain the
whole scene, the audience’s
reaction and the whole per-
formance in detail, but anything
else? They couldn’t. The whole
incident was captivating enough
to make it on the front page of
CNN, on top of the news of
Syria! Not one person or group
got as much publicity as Miley
did on that night, whether it
was positive or negative. It was
a genius publicity stunt. Nobody
had to support it.
Soon after her VMA incident, Miley released her music
video, “Wrecking ball,” which
seemed to wreck havoc on
every social media site. The music video was raunchy, something that a lot of people could
not wrap their mind around .
This music video was enough to
break the vevo record of the
most viewed in a day, bringing
in 19 million in the first few
hours it was released. As much
as people were turned off by it,
they still shared it with their
friends, just bringing more
popularity to the pop princess.
Wrecking Ball was a song that
had people shake their heads
and take a step back, asking
themselves, “what?!” It showed
a completely new side of Miley,
even more different than her
We Can’t Stop video. As soon as
it came out, the public called her
ratchet, completely ridiculous,
messed up, etc. However, she’s
a publicity genius, knowing
what to do to cause people to
react in a certain manner that
will only get her further engrained in their heads.
See MILEY pg. 10
Editorial&Opinion
Student Poll: How
do you feel about the
new “yoga pants ban”?
Support
Bethany Lueers
Graphics Editor
The Hamptonian recently
polled the students of Hampton High School to elicit their
opinions on the recent ban of
yoga pants enforced at the
beginning of this school year.
According to our informal
poll, 82% reported that they
were opposed to it, 9% said
they were supportive of it, and
9% reported they did not care
about the new rule either way.
Neutral
Oppose
Some students who were
against it still understood because of the many students
who wear translucent attire.
Other male students believe
that the new outlaw is
“harmful to our society,” and
should be changed immediately.
It is important to note that
the term “Yoga Pants” appears
nowhere in the student dress
guidelines, an excerpt of which
is printed below.
HHS Dress Guidelines,
ARTICLE IX:
“Leggings tights and other spandex
pant wear are considered undergarments, therefore they must be worn
with an appropriate length top and/or
skirt, shorts, or skort that extends to
the mid-thigh/fingertip length.”
5
The government is spying on us,
and nobody is surprised
April Lu
Hamptonian Staff
ing on places like Petrobras, the
biggest oil company in Brazil.
While this may not seem as exI’d call myself a conspiracy
treme as the other leaks, it
theorist, but we heard it from
shows that the NSA completely
the government itself.
contradicts its stated focus to
Earlier this year, former NSA investigate national security.
agent Edward Snowden used
My favorite part is where
his high degree of authorized
the organization spends milaccess to sneak out secret gov- lions of dollars each year to
ernment documents on a USB
probe its own employees for
flash drive. These documents
insider threats, and yet it didn’t
revealed that the NSA, in claim- catch Snowden copying highly
ing to be protecting our nation classified documents from diffrom terroristic threats, are col- ferent parts of the NSA netlecting massive amounts of
works.
data in all forms from nearly
So why doesn’t anybody
everybody in the country, recare? A good portion of the
gardless of if they are susinternet does, that’s for sure,
pected of wrongdoing.
but as of yet there has been no
The first of these leaks reunified
backvealed that Verizon, which
serves millions of customers
and is one of the nation’s
largest phone providers,
is under a court order to
give the NSA information on all telephone
calls in its systems.
The NSA was also
revealed to have
obtained direct
access to internet
giants such as Facebook, Google, Youtube, Skype, etc.
with the ability to
freely access and
seize user activity including search history,
emails, IMs, and more.
PowerPoint slides leaked
from the NSA refer to this as
the PRISM program, and prolash
vide examples of how the NSA against these actions from the
could perform “extensive, ingeneral public itself. A lot of
depth surveillance on live com- people say that they’re not surmunications and stored inforprised as leak after leak is remation” on nearly anything
vealed, and leave it at that.
they wanted to.
While it shouldn’t be surprising
It didn’t end there though.
at this point, the general passivMore documents revealed that ity with which this news has
foreign officials participating in been received points to two
the 2009 G20 summit meetings issues: the knowledge hasn’t
in London had their phones and diffused through the population
computers monitored with key- to reach everybody to begin
logging software and penetrat- with, and/or the people that do
ing security on delegates’ Black- know don’t consider it enough
Berrys. A Hong Kong fiber-optic of a problem to be concerned.
network operator called Pacnet
The solution to the first
was hacked by the NSA in 2009 problem is simple: pass the
as well, although as of today
knowledge around. The topic
this operation has been shut
doesn’t exactly make for good
down.
dinner conversation, but people
The NSA is hacking into Chi- can’t react to something if they
nese mobile phone companies don’t know what it is. Unfortuto inspect SMS data on millions nately, the second problem is a
of text messages. They spy on
lot more complex. Some people
the European Union embassy in are going to have no problem
Washington by using bugs in
with the government viewing
communication gear and taptheir emails and tapping their
ping into cables to harvest
phone lines because they have
transmissions. A program called nothing to hide, and thus nothXKeyscore allows NSA person- ing to fear. They are willing to
nel to search through anyone’s trade their freedom of privacy
online history after completing to the government in exchange
a simple online form. The NSA
for protection against terrorstarted Project Bullrun in 2010, ists, which is the same
which is a (relatively successful) (unconscious) thought that
program that aims to decrypt
most of us have when we give
popular types of internet enup our freedom to murder peocryption. The NSA is even spyple for protection against being
murdered.
I understand and can empathize with that argument, but I
worry that the government’s
interests may shift from protection of the people to protection
of the state, in which case many
people will definitely have
things to hide. As Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn, a Russian novelist,
declared, “Everyone is guilty of
something or has something to
conceal. All one has to do is
look hard enough to find what
it is." 1984 is the obvious parallel
to make, where all forms of
communication are monitored
and scrutinized for any hints of
dissident thought, and people
are completely under surveillance down to their facial expressions and heart rate. People in the novel have to be
careful to control their
every move, for something as innocuous as a
facial twitch could be
cherry picked and
interpreted as a
sign of struggle,
leading to arrest
and presumed
execution. A realworld example of
the negative effect
of lack of privacy
can be found in the
post-election Iranian
uprising of 2008. People tried to organize
mass protests and demonstrations over social media
sites like Twitter and Facebook;
however, because the government had such a hand in monitoring all communications in the
country, the movement was
crushed. Riot police and militia
were showing up at the proposed demonstration locations
in advance, and all signs of dissent were punished.
I don’t mean to argue that
we’re going to turn into a police
state. It’s important to acknowledge the possibility though, as
the lesson to take from these
incidents is that in the absence
of privacy, the government can
have full control and influence
over the people.
As for what we as individual
citizens can do, I don’t think
that the standard cry of “call or
write your representatives” will
be enough. Our country’s political system is, for lack of a better
word, rather dysfunctional, and
will not respond until the number of calls is impossible to ignore. With how many of us that
are apathetic, complacent, or
unaware of these problems
though, the number of people
that are properly educated outside of the mainstream media
has to go up before any real
change can happen. We should
be the ones influencing the government, and not the other way
around.
6
Opinion&Features
US weighs intervention options in Syria
Mollie Beardsley
Hamptonian Staff
protests, both violent and nonviolent, in Arab countries), government corruption, and the
Dominating news channels
lack of protection of civil rights.
and articles across the globe has The government of Syria, with
been the events that are curthe help of police, responded to
rently taking place in Syria. A
these uprisings through brutalcivil war has been dominating
ity, violence, imprisonment, and
this region for years, but once
even torture. However, the prothe US had gotten word that
tests were not ceasing. Assad,
chemical weapons were possithe president of Syria, began to
bly being used, a flood of ques- launch military attacks upon
tions hit the media; whether or protesters resulting in the
not we should get involved,
deaths of thousands of civilians.
what the consequences of inter- As military personnel were orvening are, and who are we
dered to open fire on civilians,
even supporting? The course of some soldiers actually began to
events in Syria change on not
defend the protesters. Many
only a daily but an hourly bases. protesters began to take up
With contradicting headlines
arms to defend themselves
and cryptic new reports, anyone against tyranny. A civil war had
can get misinformed as to what begun.
exactly is going on.
As the war escalated, the
On March 15th of 2011, the
world, including the US, stood
streets of Syria were flooded by by. On March 19th of 2013, the
citizens protesting due to the
first signs of chemical weapons
recent movement of the Arab
being used was announced.
Spring (a revolutionary wave of Both sides accused the other of
initiating the attack, but upon
further inspection, it was ruled
that the rebels were to blame.
On August 21 of 2013, the worst
of the chemical attacks left
nearly 2,000 Syrians dead. This
incident is referred to as the
Ghouta Chemical Attacks. Like
March of that year, either side
would admit to initiation, and
the evidence is still unclear.
Since that point, the use of
chemical weapons, cluster
bombing, and missile attacks
have all been becoming more
frequent. And to add to all of
the confusion and destruction,
the vast majority of the rebel
groups have close ties with alQaeda and other terrorist
groups.
America has recently announced that the only intervention we will be engaging in is an
organized missile strike to military significant areas without
sending our troops in. The Russian Prime, Vladimir Putin, has
Megan’s Corner: afterschool treats
asked the US to stand down if
Syria Gives up it’s vast store of
chemical weaponry. Syria has
agreed to this, but any further
action has yet to be seen. Some
fear that the Syrian government
is using this as a stalling method
to become better armed for the
coming conflict.
As for interests, the US,
Saudi Arabia, and Israel all want
to see the regime fall, while Russia, China, and Iran wish to see
the area stabilized and Assad
stay in power. In any case, every
country has a reason to get involved with the recent happening, but we must remember that
an unstable country with massive and terrifying capabilities
stands at the other side and
could be preparing for total war.
Dear Abby
make than banana bread, these
are addictive either hot or cold,
for breakfast or dessert
Pat of butter
One banana, thinly
sliced
Handful chocolate chips
Two flour tortillas
Powdered sugar for
dusting (optional)
Melt butter in nonstick pan.
Arrange banana slices over one
tortilla and mash them in very
lightly with a fork. Dot with
chocolate chips and place second tortilla on top. Slide into
Megan Hull
frying pan and cook for a few
Hamptonian Staff
Fruit n’ Dip
minutes on each side, until
This tangy-sweet dip could be
brown and golden at the edges.
Are you always hungry when used for any number of fruits or Let cool for a minute or two,
you get home, but when you
berries, and the cherry stems
then slice into wedges and
open up the fridge there is abmake dipping extra fun.
serve dusted with powdered
solutely nothing good to eat?
sugar, if desired
We’ve put together a simple list
Hopefully these healthy and
1/4 cup sour cream
of easy fixes perfect for after
easy choices have your mouth
1 tablespoon brown
school.
watering just thinking about
sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon them. Stop back for more in
Cherries with stems at- next month’s issue of The
Quick pizza
Hamptonian.
tached
Drizzle tomato sauce and
sprinkle low-fat mozzarella
Stir sour cream, brown sugar
cheese on a whole-grain English and cinnamon together in a
muffin half. Sprinkle with seabowl. Rinse cherries and arsonings, such as oregano and
range them for dipping
garlic. Heat in the toaster oven
until the cheese melts.
Extras: Use yogurt instead of
sour cream, use apple or pear
Mexican treat
slices, strawberries or other
Take a corn tortilla and sprinkle berries if they're in season
with low-fat, grated Monterey
Jack cheese. Fold it in half and
American Crepes
then microwave for 20 seconds. If you obsessed with chocolateTop with mild salsa.
covered frozen bananas, you’ll
love my healthy approach to
this delicious duo.. Easier to
Dear Abby,
Dear Desperate Lover,
I really wanted to go to
homecoming this year, and I
have been talking to one guy a
lot; however, my frienemy
found out I wanted to go with
him and asked him to go with
her. He said no, but now he is
having a fling with a freshmen.
He is always talking to her, and
I saw that they were best
friends on Snapchat.
I brought up the subject of
homecoming which was a big
mistake because now he won't
answer me! We never talk in
person even though we have
classes together. I guess it's
just too awkward. I think he
knows that I like him, and I
really want to go our with him
…HELP!
Sadly to say, there is nothing you can do to change his
feelings for someone; however, you can always talk to
him in person and see if there is
any "spark." You will know if
there is or is not.
If there is, great! But if there
is not, just find a close friend
who you will have fun with and
ask him to go to homecoming
with you! I hope this helps, and
I hope things work out the way
they planned!
Signed,
Desperate Lover
Good Luck,
Abby
Creative Corner
7
...from the mind of Jon Chantz
Mole people are real and live among us
Jon Chantz
Hamptonian Staff
Ask anyone on the street if
they believe in sasquatch, and
you will get mixed answers of
yes, no, and get out of here
weirdo. I'm just trying to do my
job and raise awareness for
those who do not have a voice
for themselves. For my most
recent project, I did some digging and research around the
school and have found that we
are not the only ones to inhabit
these school grounds. No, there
are others! Most of you will
never see them, but there are
definitely signs proving their
existence. Yes, I am referring to
the clan of mole people who
claim the earth beneath Hampton High School as their home.
Oh, you haven’t heard of them?
Yes, I suppose they are pretty
underground. If you have managed to read this far, that
proves that I have your undivided attention, and you have
enough common sense to understand that it is totally possible and totally true that mole
people are living just a few feet
below where you stand now.
The average mole male
stands at an average height of
three feet and four inches, but
he is adapted to crawling on his
belly which is perfect for traveling through tight tunnels and
crawling through the crowded
crevices that the mole people
call home. Rare sightings of
mole people describe them as
having thin, grey-blue fur that
cover their stocky bodies. Similar to moles, the mole people
are specialized in digging with
their broad, flat hands that work
great for moving dirt and rocks
around to assist navigation.
Their hind limbs are also considerably reduced in length in comparison to their forearms. A
Mole person’s sense of smell
and hearing are far superior to
humans and rival your dogs'
capabilities for sniffing out
food and traveling through
the lightless environment
that surrounds them. Mole
people are also nearly blind, but
there is not much to see when
you live where light from the
sun cannot reach. Differentiating from moles, the mole people
are very social creatures and
depend on large families and
tribes for food and protection.
Natural selection has made it
possible for the mole people to
survive endless generations living just below the surface under
HHS.
At first glance it is easy to
see how maybe school grounds
are not the best habitat for mole
people or for any people for
that matter. From all the noise
above ground, such as the re-
cent construction at Hampton
High, a parking lot full of cars,
the sounds of students talking
and the clockwork pattern of
feet scuffling above, this might
seem like an unlikely place for
mole people to settle in, but
there are many advantages to
living under a school. First off,
for those of you who do not
know, the grounds the school
sits on are rich in nutrients and
grub life. To my understanding,
based on previous encounters
with the mole people, I have
determined that the high school
has also been sacred grounds
for the mole people for generations.
I have reasons to believe
that a great
battle happened
under the
grounds
that the
high school
currently rests
on over five centuries
ago. Geographic and anthropological evidence supports that
approximately in the year one
thousand five hundred and sixty
-nine a nine week war occurred
between various tribal rebels
and the Molegolian Empire, that
at the time was under the rule
of King Moledred IV. The war
took the lives of an overall estimate of thirteen thousand mole
people. The rebel tribes lost
about six thousand mole people
which was nearly half of their
population, a truly devastating
war for the scattered tribes.
However, in the end, they were
united under rebel leader James
Molelock at this very spot to rise
up and remove the Molegolian
Empire forever. The same way
Independence Hall is important
to the American people, the
land underneath HHS is just as
significant to the mole people's
freedom from the tyrant rule of
the Molegolian Empire.
There are reasons beyond
the mole people’s independence for choosing the earth
beneath HHS.
person has snatched it. Anything that plays music is a highly
desired item for the mole people, and they will take their
chances to try to make off with
some headphones or speakers.
As previously mentioned, the
mole people’s ears are extra
sensitive and heightened when
listening to music and more specifically to their favorite artist,
Bill Withers. The mole people do
not stop there; no, they are also
at fault for the theft of priceless
locker snacks. I personally have
been the victim of the mole people thievery when my highly
prized Oreos were being lifted
one by one from their packaging, but I can't blame them. It
can't be enjoyable eating insects
all your life so what scraps they
can gather above are served as
delicacies for the mole people
below.
Fellow senior
and mole enthusiast Quinn Jordan tells me
about his troubles
with mole
people
bur-
glary.
“I was just eating my
There lunch, and it was pasta day so I
are
a lot of suphad to get my breadsticks” replies the mole people can
cited Quinn “and I left to go get
scrounge from the area in and
some napkins and a fork and
around the school. Every now
when I came back to my seat my
and then you hear word about
breadsticks were gone without
someone losing an iPod or simi- a trace.” During the interview, I
lar object, and no evidence leads could tell that Mr. Jordan was
to any of the students which
getting emotional about his
means only one thing, a mole
sticks, and his facial features
suggested he was on the verge
of tears as he continued, “My
beloved bread was gone forever. No matter how many more
breadsticks I bought they just
couldn't fill the void my first
breadsticks did.” A truly heartbreaking story but just one of
many instances where the mole
people are at fault for unexplainable thefts.
Food and music are not the
only targets of mole people pillaging. The mole people also
have a curiosity for learning
mathematics and, oddly
enough, Spanish. I cannot begin
to report on all the missing math
homework claims that occur in
school, but I assure you that it is
no coincidence. Senior student
Devin Gerber has one chilling
story unlike most.: “It was just
like any other math class. Teach
said to take out your homework
and pass it in for points, ‘No biggie’ I told myself. I totally did the
work the day before in study
hall and knew I had it done but
when I went to look for it in my
folder, it was gone.” Once again
the mole people are to blame.
Yes, the thought of mole people
taking your homework might
send shivers up your spine, but
how mad can we get? I mean
they took Mr. Gerber's homework to gain precious knowledge from it but as students we
cannot hinder another beings
education, mole person or not.
This is not the first encounter
that Devin Gerber had with the
mole people, last year he had
the same problem but in his
Spanish class. “It didn't happen
every day. Maybe once or twice
every few weeks,” explained
Devin. It turns out that mole
people were targeting him and
his Spanish homework. “I just
couldn't understand how this
was happening,” said Devin,
“But knowing that it was mole
people just trying to learn some
espanol takes a weight off my
chest.”
Now its unlikely that any of
you readers will come across a
mole person stealing your
homework or personal cookies,
but I would like you all to keep
an open mind about them. They
are only interested in the thirst
for knowledge and the occasional breadstick to snack on.
The mole people have deep
historic and sentimental roots
in these school grounds, and we
should think of them less as
thieving creatures and more as
our underground neighbors, just
finding their place on this rock
we call Earth.
8
Book Reviews
The Mortal Instruments
Book 1: City of Bones
strange sightings of things that
other people are totally clueless
about, not to mention the fact
that she knows only that somebody is trying to keep it hidden
from her. What she doesn't
know is just how messed up the
world really is and how deeply
she and her family are tied into
it. Welcome to Novel Novels;
your passport into the land between the lines, and your visa to
visit the world of unspoken
words.
The Mortal Instruments series
is the brainchild of American
author Judith Rumelt, better
known by her pen name, Cassandra Clare, and it is due to
become a major motion picture
series, provided the ticket sales
on the first movie do well. Cassandra is currently publishing
the Infernal Devices sister series
to the popular Mortal Instruments, and co-wrote The Runaway Queen, alongside fellow
author Maureen Johnson in May
of 2013. The City of Bones, the
Jimmy Perkins
Simon, and the occasional argu- book up for review today, was
Hamptonian Staff
ment with her mother Jocelyn. the first book in the Mortal InBut a single trip to a Brooklyn
struments series, described by
Welcome to a world where
nightclub was all it took to tomany as the perfect “kick-start”
nothing is ever as it seems. Sim- tally invert this average city girl's for this promising new series.
ple Clary Fray never thought
knowledge of life when she wit- Taking the response literally,
that her life would ever be more nesses a murder committed by Clare has published four more
than summer art classes, video- mysterious, invisible, assassins. for the series in the space of just
games with her best friend
Now, her whole life is filled with six years, the time since the first
was published. Her book has
been praised for "Excellent plot
and character development."
and being "A world that I love to
immerse myself in." Both quotes
are by reputable authors, Eoin
a book centered on the often
overdone myths supplementing
the supernatural, particularly
demons, vampires, werewolves,
fairies, and warlocks, all which
find themselves deeply twined
into the plot-line. However, to
all of you book skeptics out
there, I can personally assure
“It has everyyou that this book does a very
thing you could
good job at de-romanticizing
any action in the book, while
want in a book,
leaving the classic emotional
adventure, accomponents independent, so
both classes of readers, those in
tion, comedy, rothe mood for some soft romance, and the
mance and the other among you
looking for action and thrill, will
ability to address
be please equally. It has everyreal-life political
thing you could want in a book,
adventure, action, comedy, roand social issues”
mance, and the ability to address real-life political and social
Colfer (Artemis Fowl), and Steissues, giving the common
phenie Meyer (Twilight).
reader and not-so-common
The world surrounding The
reader alike a far better footing
City of Bones revolves around
where relating the book to
the popular urban fantasy of
themselves and real life is conother, more “magical” races
cerned. I am a firm believer that
intertwined with the regular
any book has potential as an
world which we know and love, amazing read, but this book and
all tied down with a coverup
it's posterity absolutely blew me
worthy of J.K. Rowling's Harry
away, leaving me and anybody
Potter saga. I, being of the mas- else that I have recommended it
culine class myself, can very well to straining to get more, no matanticipate some of your reacter how many we read or how
tions to the idea of picking up a many times we reread them.
volume publicly reviewed to be
The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
Lauren Mullarkey-Williams
Editor-in-Chief
As one can tell from the colossal success of The Hunger
Games, dystopian literature is a
popular genre to read for teens
and young adults. In Beatrice
Prior’s futuristic Chicago, society
is organized into five factions,
each of which centers around an
important virtue.
The Candor believe that honesty is the best policy, and all
members live their lives through
the truth. Clothed in all grey, the
Abnegation are selfless individuals who spend their time doing
good for others. Members of
the Erudite faction focus on acquiring as much knowledge as
humanly possible. The Amity
oppose all conflict and emphasize maintaining peace and harmony within all the factions.
Last but not least, the daredevils, aka Dauntless, thrive off of
the fear and exhilaration they
feel when facing intense danger
and difficulties.
Although the five factions
are incredibly diverse, they must
put their strengths together to
ensure stability in their societies.
As Beatrice reaches sixteen
years of age, she and all of her
peers must attend the coming
of age ceremony where they
take a test to decipher which
faction they belong in. Most of
the teenagers fit into the category where they were raised;
however, a select few, Beatrice
included, have to make the difficult decision between staying
with their loved ones or embarking on a journey to another faction where they must spend the
rest of their lives.
After choosing her fate, Beatrice struggles through an initiation where she faces obstacles
to which many teenagers can
relate. Friendships are put to the
tests and her love interest
causes expected drama, but
when she discovers secrets
about herself and society, Beatrice’s whole world is turned
upside down. As the life or
death conflict grows, Beatrice
comes between a rock and a
hard place. What can a young
girl do when she must decide
between saving her loved ones
or destroying herself? Read the
Divergent Trilogy to find out!
Game&Film Reviews
9
An in-depth look at the design of Bioshock Infinite
April Lu
Hamptonian Staff
Disclaimer: This review contains
potential plot spoilers, proceed
with caution.
Six years ago, BioShock, a
first-person game about exploring an underwater city, was released with critical acclaim, with
many praising its moralitycentral storyline. It raised questions about whether or not people are truly in control of the
choices they make. Its spiritual
successor, Bioshock Infinite, carries the torch by exploring
whether or not the choices people make have any true impact. In this review, which was
inspired by the upcoming release of Bioshock Infinite: Burial
at Sea, I wanted to not only outline what makes Infinite a great
game, but how its design leads
it to become one.
From the moment Booker
DeWitt—controlled by the
player—steps into the majestic
flying city of Columbia, the
game is already showing off
many thematic aspects. From
the towering statues of the
Founding Fathers (who are worshipped much like gods), to the
authentic 1920’s architecture,
Columbia is a worthy representation of 1912 Americana
blended with science fiction.
Propaganda plastered everywhere displays the nation’s racist and extremely patriotic beliefs. A player exploring the city
(and they will feel drawn to explore) will quickly gain an accurate impression of the type of
country Columbia is in a few
minutes as they read propaganda posters while overhearing unsettlingly happy NPCs
make conversation, all set to the
tune of a vintage cover of a
Tears For Fears or Beach Boys
song piping out from a nearby
shop’s window. The setting is
wonderfully dense, with great
attention paid to detail and
something for the attentive
player to take in every few
steps.
Just like the setting is established through atmospheric details and sensory information,
the game’s main plot also follows the principle of “show,
don’t tell.” While character dialogue does lay the foundation
for the main story, it raises a
countless number of questions.
The player must put together
the answers themselves, drawing conclusions from voice recordings, or “voxophones,” that
they find and pick up as they
progress. While I think that this
allows the messages in the story
to have greater impact, as the
player figures them out on their
own rather than being told directly, it raises the possibility
that players could miss out on
crucial plot details simply by not
finding the voxophones. To
counter this, the designers
placed the voxophones in fairly
obvious locations, but with a
total of 80 to find, a few are
bound to slip through the
cracks.
Moving on to the bulk of the
Insidious:
Chapter 2
Mary Anna Ebbert
Hamptonian Staff
turns in the plotline that keep
the eyes of the audience locked
on the screen.
Are you looking for the next
Not only does it contain a
fantastic thriller to kick off your highly captivating storyline, but
Halloween season? If you are,
it is a great scare that will have
Insidious: Chapter 2 is just the
the audience members on the
movie for you.
edge of their seats. Whether
The writers tremendously
you go see it in theatres or wait
combine suspense, fear, and a until it comes out on DVD,
sprinkle of comedy into the
make sure to see this boxperfect blend that is Insidious: office favorite; you won’t want
Chapter 2. There are so many
to miss out!
brilliant unexpected twists and
game, the combat: The Bioshock
series is, at its core, a firstcombat game, and Infinite is no
different. By the end of the
game, Booker wields a combination of two weapons he can cycle through, and a selection of
vigors that give him powers that
let him do things like possess
enemies, electrocute them,
summon crows to devour them
alive, etc. However, the game
introduces these systems and
vigors at a pace that allows players to understand and master
using each concept before introducing a new one. The game
gives the player some time to
get used to those weapons,
then provides them with their
first vigor, which is followed by
an area where they have to use
it to pass. As the game progresses, so does the complexity
of the fights, until the player
finds themselves zipping around
skylines to move from one area
to another, sniping stragglers on
top of buildings or platforms,
while holding back massive mechanical “Handymen” somewhat resembling steampunk
gorillas. The game does a good
job guiding its players to learn,
although by the end the volume
of enemies is a bit high, which
can make experimentation with
different vigor combinations
and such harder to pull off.
Throughout combat, Elizabeth, Booker’s companion and
escortee, is never a hindrance as
her AI directs her to find a safe
hiding spot at the beginning of
each fight so that the player
doesn’t have to worry about
protecting her (she also has no
hitbox so it’s impossible for her
to take damage anyway), and
she almost telepathically tosses
the player weapons or health
packs as they find themselves in
need. The developers designed
her like this certainly to improve
player satisfaction and fun, but
also to emphasize the bond between Booker and Elizabeth, an
important plot device. In the
portions of the game where
Booker fights without her, both
he and the player miss her presence; the former because of the
(platonic) relationship that has
developed, and the latter be-
cause now they have to pay
more attention to managing
their weapons and health on
their own. Even though the reasons for the emotion are different, the player can more easily
identify with Booker as a result,
which draws them into the
storyline more effectively.
Level design is another aspect I particularly liked about
this game; the aforementioned
attention to detail aside, they
are also deceptively linear. While
there are no traditional “levels,”
there are several distinct districts and locations the player
must explore. In the actual process of exploration, the player
has many paths they can take;
for example, in the Hall of Heroes, the player has the choice
of which order they choose to
go through the exhibits. However, the only flag for story progression is completion of all of
them- the order is not even considered. Similarly, the many
buildings that players will find
themselves transversing all have
many branching rooms and hall
See BIOSHOCK pg. 10
10
Continued
Bucs finish big in ‘13
Karissa’s army
...continued from pg. 1
This year he started a bit slow in
April hitting .247, but he has not
hit lower than .303 in a month
since and is hitting .327 overall
as of September 19. Another
high draft pick, selected 2nd
overall in 2008, third baseman
Pedro Alvarez has been a
strong bat in the Pirates order.
Despite being a streak hitter
and an ok-at-best fielder, Alvarez still leads the National
League in homers with 33. Starling Marte was found in the Dominican Republic and has been
turned into a very solid leadoff
man to get on base for the middle of the order. Gerrit Cole and
his 100 mph fastball were selected by the Pirates first overall in the 2011 draft and he made
his debut this past June and has
an earned run average of 1.35 in
September through three
starts, all wins. While the price
...continued from pg. 2
If you are interested in aiding
this cause, you can visit the
facebook page of Karissa’s
ARMY, where information is
posted regarding upcoming
fundraisers and events which
are held to honor her memory
and to raise awareness of domestic violence. We cannot
alter the past, but we can affect the present by joining
Karissa’s army and acting as
soldiers in defense of other
innocent young women. Thus,
if you or someone you know is
being victimized by an abusive
partner, you are obligated to
notify someone, whether it be
a police officer, a school faculty
member, a parent, or another
trusted adult. Do not underestimate the severity of the situation, and speak up for yourself,
your friend, or your family
member before it is too late.
You are not alone in this fight.
have done well at drafting under the management of Neal
Huntington, they also did an
excellent job at picking up free
agents this offseason. Russell
Martin (thrown out an N.L. best
36 base runners) and Francisco
Liriano (2.92 ERA) were under
the radar players that few
teams wanted. Mark Melancon,
Justin Morneau, and Marlon
Byrd all came to Pittsburgh
from trades and have all seen
success.
Headed into the postseason,
the question was how far the
Bucs could go. “The strength of
the team all season long has
been the starting pitching and
the bullpen,” says Fischer, “I
like our chances if Liriano, Burnett, and Morton and/or Cole
are pitching well.” The Pirates
pitching staff had the second
best ERA in baseball at 3.28,
held batters to a .238 average,
and also allowed only 503
earned runs, pretty impressive
considering the league average
is 588. The problem for the Pirates was getting consistent
offense. Their .245 team average is 24th of 30 teams and
from September 1-18 they
scored more than 4 runs in a
game just 4 times, but they won
3 of those 4 games. The Buccos
were 54-9 in games this year
through September 19 when
they scored 5 or more runs in a
game, so offense would be crucial.
With a big win in the wild
card game in front of a raucous
crowd, the Pirates had momentum headed into the NLDS. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were
just too strong for the Bucs.
Nonetheless, fans are still celebrating a long awaited winning
season.
For more information or assistance concerning this matter,
you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1800-799-SAFE (7223) or at TTY 1
-800-787-3224; its website is
thehotline.org. The other following websites may also be of
use: wcspittsburgh.org, if you
or another is interested in contacting the Women’s Center
and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, helpguide.org, which
describes the signs of an
abuser, and domesticviolence.org, which chronicles the
steps that can be taken toward
escaping abuse as well as other
topics related to achieving the
safety of victims.
This article is dedicated to the
memory of Karissa, whose precious life is dearly missed but
whose extraordinary love continues to be felt. We will never
forget.
Bioshock Ultimate Miley Cyrus has fan at HHS
Yoga
pants
...continued from pg. 4
progressive restrictions to
our dress code. Hampton's
tradition of excellence will
not be soiled by the inherent
sinfulness of the female body.
We will ensure that our promising male students’ dreams
of successful futures are not
crushed by the distractions of
the female physique.
Clearly, leggings, jeggings,
yoga pants and other revealing clothing on female students are a toxin in our otherwise perfect school ecosystem, and those who challenge these new rules are
delusional feminazis.
For those of you that haven’t played the game and were
looking for a more objective
review, here’s the summary:
The combat is fluid and fastpaced, the controls are smooth
on both keyboard and gamepad (although I had some problems with mouse sensitivity
being too high), the atmosphere is fantastically captivating, and the story is one that
will make you tremble at the
edge of your seat. Bioshock
Infinite is a game that will captivate both veterans of the series and new players, and it
certainly lives up to its predecessor, if not surpassing it.
...continued from pg. 4
Now, you could say that
you hate Miley Cyrus and that
you missed when she danced
around belting “Nobody’s Perfect,” just like the rest of society is thinking. However, you,
along with the rest of society,
are still going to be the people
that sing along and bob your
head when her songs play on
the radio in your car or in your
house. Unless you’re a hipster
that despises mainstream music, you’re going to know most
of the words to her songs, and
when her album drops in Octo-
ber, you’ll probably pick it up.
Surely she’s breaking Billy
Ray’s achy breaky heart, but in
the end, Miley’s just being
Miley. In the wise words of
Chris Crocker, only he supported Britney in her meltdown, “Leave Miley alone!”
There’s a reason for everything she’s doing, and by criticizing her, she’s getting exactly what she wanted – the
attention! If Britney Spears can
get past 2007, I’m sure Miley’s
stunt won’t last forever. It’s a
phase, she’ll grow out of it,
but till then let her make her
own decisions and learn from
them. Just chill out, sit back
and enjoy her music. 2013
Miley is the only Miley Cyrus I
can stand because she remains
unconventional from the expected way of the music industry and personally, she’s a
source of entertainment, especially with Amanda Bynes
gone.
Side note: I don’t recommend
you try to mimic her stunts as
she is a trained melodramatic
celebrity bound to face a meltdown and you are not.
Fall Varsity
Sports
Records as of
October 25th:
Football: 4-4
Golf: 15-3
Boys Soccer:
8-8
Girls Soccer:
10-8
Volleyball: 6-12
Girls Tennis: 14-5
Cross Country:
Nate Sloan &
Gina Alm go to
States!
The Hampton Talbots
Girls Soccer team in
action on Monday,
September 9th at
Martorelli Stadium in
North Hills School
District. The Talbots
beat the Indians 5-1.
Photo by Megan Hull
...continued from pg. 9
ways to explore, but no matter
where they go, there is still
only one exit that leads to the
same place. In a generation
where open-world games like
Saints Row and Skyrim are becoming popular, it seems counterintuitive to praise locations
for only having one entrance,
one exit, and a predetermined
order in which to travel
through them; however, this is
a good design choice because it
mirror’s the game’s overarching theme of “the choices you
make don’t matter.” Booker
has the ability to make small
choices, but in the end his fate
and story has been sealed from
the beginning.
Sports
11
Football team hoping for winning season
Joel Norman
Sports Editor
After falling in it's first two
games of the season, the football team captured it's first win
Friday, September 13th at a
packed and patriotic Fridley
Field. With students wearing
red, white, and blue in the
stands, the Talbots defeated
Greensburg-Salem 30-9. Senior
wide receiver Eddie Edwards
caught two touchdown
catches, and running back C.J.
Arch rushed for two touchdowns as well. Hampton held a
20-0 lead at half and got lots of
big stops on defense to claim
the win. With the victory, the
Talbots raise their record to 1-2.
The Talbots had a long drive
on September 20th, approximately an hour and a half, to
Laurel-Highlands to face the 0-3
Mustangs. The drive didn’t
phase the Talbots as they pummeled the Mustangs 47-o.
The winning streak extended to three with a win on
the road against Knoch. Unfortunately, the Talbots could not
pull off a win in front of a
homecoming crowd on October 4th. The lost the heartbreaker to Hollidaysburg 17-13.
With a 58-13 win at home
against Derry and a 33-12 loss
on the road at Franklin Regional, the Talbots stand
at .500 for the season and are
hoping for a win against Mars
as this paper goes to press.
Coach Dematteo said he
expects “outstanding effort”
and “preparation” to help get
the Talbots to the playoffs despite a tough start to the season and added that “our goal is
to somehow make it into the
playoffs each year."
Student section rallies behind football team
Lauren Mullarkey-Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Friday night football is back,
and as you can see on various
social media networks, the
Hampton Dog Pound is working
hard to have the best student
section around! The first home
game on August twenty-ninth
turned out to be a success as
students from all four grades
showed up decked out in all of
their blue Hampton gear. Two
weeks later, the student section
stuck again, this time proudly
commemorating the anniversary
of 9/11 by dressing in red, white
and blue. Due to an exciting escapade with cornstarch, Hampton’s spirited crowd gained major publicity both online and
around other school districts.
This week I had an opportunity
to talk with Senior Class President Brian Hamlin, and he was
happy to share some of the behind the scenes secrets regarding how the organized fan support all comes together. When
asked ,“Who comes up with the
themes for each home game?”
Brian responded, “It’s a general
consensus from the senior class
about what we find appropriate
for the game.”
Not only do the themes
boost game attendance rates,
but they also bring the student
body together as a whole to
communicate ideas and share in
the process. It seems to be a
win-win situation as the football
team gains more encourage-
ment and individuals are all able
to be part of these memorable
events. There has talk about
future ideas for the next two
home games; the student section twitter account
@_beAthletic will have more
information to follow. Best of
luck to the Talbots as they continue their season, and all of
HHS is looking forward to seeing
what the Dog Pound has in
store for the next two home
games.
12
Pirates
Times have changed since the last winning season
Price of Gas
Price of Gas
In 1992, gas
prices topped
out at only
$1.15.
In 2013, gas
prices have
risen to near
$3.50.
U.S. President
U.S. President
In 1992, George H.W.
Bush was the nation’s
41st President.
In 2013, Barack H.
Obama was the nation’s 44th President.
Pop Star
In 1992, Whitney
Huston’s “I will always love you” was
burning up the air
waves.
Popular Film
Popular Film
In 1992, Disney’s Aladdin did very well at the
box office.
In 2013, Marvel’s Iron
Man 3 wowed audiences with its action
and special effects.
Pop Star
In 2013, Miley Cyrus’s
“Wrecking Ball” was
being download at a
record pace.