The quantity of money listeners paying isn’t proportional to the quality of the music. Adolescents just blindly accept this trash as good music simply because it is played on the radio.

So why have we not noticed this earlier? A lot of teenagers started listening to music during Phase 2. So what are these phases?
I’ll divide the time periods into 3 phases.

Phase 1: Around late ’90s and before. This was the time when a lot hip-hop albums were sugar. You could lick the album all the way around and there wouldn’t be track that was left uncoated; ranging from the jazzy cool A Tribe Called Quest to politically controversial Public Enemy.

Phase 2: This time period is best put as middle school. We were too young to think about what was really going on. The well-marketed iPod increased listeners for its portability and simplicity—it became easier to listen to massively streamed music. Technology slowly seeped in and before you knew it everyone was poisoned by the pollution of mass produced “music.” Artists rely too much on technological advantages like auto tune, a voice correction tool now abused by music producers to produce an artificial voice. Individual artists seek their musical philosophy but producers shut them out-they believed that this generation did not need them anymore.

Phase 3: Now and beyond. Are we going to keep accepting this poor music? Is the “sex” ever going to get old? Who’s going to stand up to it?

Mainstream music overflows with repetitive, catchy and manufactured sounds and underground is the dense, qualitative and powerful music. In the ’90s, the majority of hip-hop music was held to a higher standard. From the beats to the lyrics, everything was original and meaningful. But today’s rap music is just compiled plastic. Music industries treat money as a higher priority than the songs. There’s no real talent under all that futuristic make-up.

What we listen to is not music anymore, it’s just sounds. It’s just vibrations that strike the eardrums. Producers simply need to let the creativity of the artists flow. So who’s going to listen to music?

This article originally appeared in print on March 2, 2010. It has been modified to correct style and grammatical errors.

Early March: Ask out a date or decide which friends you will go with. Once you have this decided, you and your friends can start thinking about splitting the limousine costs. If you’re going with a date, then you two can decide the color scheme of the tie and dress.

“Go with all the people you want to share that night with. Be safe, stay hydrated, have fun, enjoy the food and dance your face off!” senior Nikita Gurnani said.

If you are planning to ride a limousine to and from prom, have the limousine arranged by early March. Limousines get booked really quickly, and you want to make sure you get a limo that is in good condition. Also you may be get better rates if you reserve early.

Mid-March: Ask out a date or decide which friends you will go with. Once you have this decided, you and your friends can start thinking about splitting the limousine costs. If you’re going with a date, then you two can decide the color scheme of the tie and dress.

March 27: Enjoy and make the best out of this memorable day! Don’t forget to bring a personal camera to take pictures.

You hear it at school and on the streets. It’s seen on TV, it’s seen in the movies. It’s heard on the radio, and it’s read in books.

The word “retarded” was meant to describe people with the conditions Webster lists; however, it seems to have lost its meaning. Now for anything that can be described as ridiculous or unpleasant, we label it as “retarded.”

Although it might not seem like much, since it is used constantly, this is merely a gateway for the evolution of hateful speech, not to mention the insensitivity towards those who are mentally impaired.

The word “retard” has even spawned many spin-offs such as “celebutard” (famous stupid person), “debutard” (famous rich person who can’t handle money) and “e-tard” (someone not familiar with computers or technology).

Most people know individuals who are challenged. They may have a mental or physical illness. They may be injured, or they suffer from the many different problems of today. We should do our best to help them and not mock them.

“I think the word ‘retard’ should be used to emphasize a point, but people use it too leisurely,” senior Alfonso Bonilla said.

The word “retard” completely undermines the efforts made to prevent discrimination against those who suffer from mental illnesses. This word has such a strong negative connotation, that it gives a poor impression to those mentally disabled, who have little to no control over the situation.

Very few would actually use the word “retard” to label someone with a handicap. It’s unfitting as a noun and seems to be more of a term used betwixt friends. Try to remove this expression from your daily use, and be conscious of who you might offend.

To get a balanced and well-rounded schedule, make your requirements a priority. The difficulty of your required classes, whether it is a college prep, honors or AP course, should be chosen while taking into consideration how much you can handle. Picking several hard classes and doing poorly in them will not be beneficial to you.
A common misconception with some of the perceived to be easy classes is that students feel as though they do not need to try as hard as they should. They may not be as willing to do the work, and they may assume they will do well anyway. It can’t be said that people only choose the easy classes because they don’t want to do anything; easy classes can be relaxing in balance with more stressful ones. So taking an easy class or two isn’t bad.

By choosing a class that you actually find interesting, whether it’s the subject matter or something you’ve always wanted to try, you will be more inclined to try to do well. This doesn’t mean that you won’t do as well in a class that you don’t like as much, but with your interest sparked, you will find the class more enjoyable. When it comes to selecting a foreign language class, choose one that appeals to you most. For your fine art, choose whatever sparks your interest most, but choose one that you find fits your best. Try to not be influenced by your friends, because what they might like and want to take could be different from your choice.
A teacher can also make a lot of difference in how much you enjoy a class. No one wants to be in the same room with someone who doesn’t want to be there. I’m not saying that the teachers here are like that, but from personal experience, classes are always more enjoyable when the teacher is enthusiastic about what they are teaching. In addition your enjoyment in a class also increases when you make an obvious effort. If you don’t even want to try, then complaining about the class is not going to get you anywhere.

You are going to have the same schedule for the entire school year, so choosing wisely is key. It’s not easy for students to all the classes they want, so thinking thoroughly about what you want to take now will limit your difficulty later.

Of the 425 schools across the United States who submitted entries, 26 received the highest award, 81 Superior, 207 Excellent and 48 Above Average.

This program is open to all high school and junior high schools throughout the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands and to American schools aboard.

Once submitted for judging by experienced reviewers in Washington, D.C., the magazine is judged on four criteria: content, content variation, graphics and organization.

“We hope younger students will maintain [such accomplishments] in the future,” Scrivener editor senior Cindy Wang said.

Seniors Seth Neumann, Emily Khuc and John Rasure took second, third and fourth places, respectively. Senior Kokei Otosi of Fremont Christian School took first place. She was the only other competitor present. Although Washington could have sent more speakers, they did not want to overload Fremont Christian, who was planning on bringing two students, one of which was unable to attend the event.

Both Neumann and Khuc have participated in the speech contest in the past.

“I really wanted to win this year. I haven’t been able to place first in this contest in previous years and it was my last chance before I graduated,” Neumann said.

Traditionally, only WHS and Fremont Christian School are invited to this event. Both schools are in the Niles Rotary Club. The competitors were to present a speech corresponding to the idea of “the future of Rotary in your hands.” The event was judged by three Rotary members. Otosi, the event winner, will move on to the area level of the competition.

The speech contest is named after Fremont resident Richard D. King. He was the president of Rotary International from 2001 to 2002. He has been involved in the Niles Rotary Club since 1968.

The Rotary is an international community service organization. Every year, the group takes on an international project to aid a third-world country. They also work with students to help gain leadership experience in their communities through the organization’s off-shoot, Interact and events such as the speech contest.

This article originally appeared in print on March 2, 2010. It has been modified to correct style and grammatical errors.

“There is a little advertisement on the bus, but it doesn’t give directions on how to get one,” junior Amber Yao said.

The TransLink Card is a plastic card personalized with the student’s picture and name. It can be loaded with e-cash or a 31-day youth pass. To qualify for a Youth TransLink Card the rider must be 5 to 17 years old and show proof of name and age.

Ebojo says that the cards should be more efficient and reliable.

“If you bend [the paper passes] or place it near a magnet then when you go to swipe it, the machine can’t register it. The cards will help a lot,” sophomore Katie Majumdar said.

TransLink Cards cannot get demagnetized. There are multiple ways of loading them and can be easily replaced.

“In our test runs we have found that tagging a TransLink Card can result in faster boarding times compared to paying with cash or paper magnetic strip passes,” Ebojo said.

TransLink cards are normally $5, but AC Transit will be waiving the fee until June of this year.

This article originally appeared in print on March 2, 2010. It has been modified to correct style and grammatical errors.

03/05/10  @ College Park (Pleasant Hill)   W (3-0)

03/06/10  @ Antioch (Antioch)   W (12-4)

03/09/10  @ Campolindo (Moraga)

James Logan Tounament
03/06/10  v. Freedom (Oakley)
03/13/10  v. Galena (Reno, NV)

03/17/10  @ San Ramon Valley (Danville)

03/19/10  @ Amador Valley (Pleasanton)

03/24/10  v. Mission San Jose (Fremont)

03/26/10  v. American (Fremont)

03/31/10  @ Irvington (Fremont)

04/02/10  v. Newark Memorial (Newark)

04/14/10  @ Kennedy (Fremont)

04/16/10  @ James Logan (Union City)

04/23/10  @ Mission San Jose (Fremont)

04/28/10  @ American (Fremont)

04/30/10  v. Irvington (Fremont)

05/05/10  @ Newark Memorial (Fremont)

05/07/10  v. Kennedy (Fremont)

05/12/10  v. James Logan (Union City)