Archive for the General Talk Category
Written on January 7, 2011 by Kaila Cauthorn
Filed Under: General Talk
This post wasn’t written by me, but by another member. It’s a little outdated but I’ll post it anyway because it’s still pretty useful insight.
About a month or so ago, I heard something that mad me quite angry as well as disturbed. A Christian pastor in Florida said that he was going to have a Qu’ran book burning. For those of you who don’t know what the Qu’ran is, it is the holy book for Muslims. In this pastor’s opinion, Islam is a violent religion. Even though I am a hardcore Atheist, I believe that what this pastor wanted to do was so hateful and embarrassing that I didn’t know what to say at first. Not only was it an insensitive decision but it is also completely impractical. For one thing, it would incite rage and hatred in the Middle East and endanger American military troops in that area. Why he would do something like this is beyond my comprehension.
How could somebody be so insensitive toward another religion like that? It really boggles my mind; isn’t this country supposed to have freedom of religion, a right that is supposed to be protected under the Constitution? It’s infuriating that people hate Islam when the majority of them hardly know anything about the religion in the first place. There is this mindset that Islam is anti-American, but in fact it is just our ignorance that makes us think this way. Most likely, the September 11th attack on America has skewed many people’s view of the Islamic religion and those who follow it. Islam, however, is no more violent than any other religion out there. Even this pastor’s own religion, Christianity, has a past tarnished by the violent Crusades and every instance thereafter of Christians trying to force their beliefs on “heathens.” Moreover, both of these religions only became as violent as they did because people interpreted and practiced them in ways that they were most likely not originally intended to be, so that those people might reap the benefit themselves.
Written on January 7, 2011 by theboneshavespoken
Filed Under: General Talk
You know it. I know it. We all know it. Classics dominate English classes. Thoroughout all of high school, you’re bombarded with almost nothing but classics. The Catcher in the Rye. To Kill a Mockingbird. Three Sisters. Candide. The Dubliners. Fahrenheit 451. You name it, you read it. And if they’re not shoving some antique book down your throat, they’re making you decipher The Road Not Taken for the fifth year in a row.
This is not to say that all classics are bad. But neither are all classics good. Let’s try on Waiting for Godot for size. After the second day of reading this book, I went up to our teacher and asked, half-jokingly, “Is there any plot in this?!” – to which he replied, “No.” He was grinning, but serious. And he was right. Insomniacs, this is the book for you! It sure helped me sleep, anyway.
There are some really good, thought-provoking classics out there. Fahrenheit 451 is the best book I ever had to read for school. The writing style isn’t difficult to understand, and the story flows well. The plot is, well, existent for starters, and it goes a step further by being interesting. F 451 is all about censorship – the word that every teen’s ear catches, because you know that if something’s censored, you’re not supposed to know about it, and that just goes against teenage dignity. If you ever have a chance, take a gander at the list of Banned Books. Most of what you’ve read in school is probably on there. http://www.banned-books.com/bblist.html
There are always going to be classics you just can’t stand. Look at me – I never finished Waiting for Godot, and I was one fancy side-step away from tossing The Great Gatsby into the shredder! (Please note that I am not advocating the destruction of books. If I had self-restraint, too can have it too.) My suggestion is not to shun all classics altogether just because the books you read in school are classics, and you didn’t like them. There are two reasons for this: for one, I’m pretty sure it’s a law that there has to be at least one book each year that someone hates. For the second, if you cut yourself off from things you might not like, you’re losing the chance to find something you love. I used to think all classics would be dry, wordy and difficult to understand without a teacher’s guidance. After buying The Jungle Books on a whim, I discovered how wrong I was. (Best $6 I ever spent.)
I’m not trying to encourage you to go to the nearest Barnes and Noble to buy a random classic, but I think that if you give a classic a shot, you might like it. And classics are more diverse than you might imagine. Dracula is a vampire story, and who in this age doesn’t like vampires?
Written on January 7, 2011 by nanamecedo
Filed Under: General Talk
You’ve either been there, or you’re there. And to those of you who have been there, I’m sorry if this article seems a year or two too late. 
But to those of you who are there, if you’re anything like me, you’ve been everywhere looking for tips and tricks to help you get into college — but some things seem just too good to be true, right? It’s OK if I get a C? What? So sometimes we’re reluctant to believe what those college recruiters or application advisors have to say, because there’s NO WAY they could be telling the truth. Obviously, they’ve got some kind of baseless vendetta against YOU and YOU alone, and they’re trying to screw you over while they give your peers all the hack codes to get automatic acceptance into the college of their choice.
Well this article is giving a point to the recruiters — they’re right!! And some of the things I mention might seem similar to (if not exactly the same as) what you’ve probably heard millions of times — but believe me, it’s much more convincing getting it from someone who actually used these methods to get into college than from someone who is just trying to get you into their college.
Misconception #1: Universities don’t look at grades from before your junior year.
WRONG. Universities look at the entirety of your high school transcript — why? When you send in your application to most universities, you haven’t even finished your first semester of your senior year! Universities need to look at your entire academic resume to see what kind of a student you are — are you consistent? Are your classes challenging?
Yes, it’s true that your freshman grades and maybe your sophomore grades probably won’t be as significant as your junior or senior year grades — but do not fool yourself into believing that universities will completely ignore this half of your transcript!
But don’t let that discourage you…
Misconception #2: I need straight A’s and nothing less than a 4.0 to get into college
Wrong again! In fact, I know many people who DID have straight A’s and 4.5’s who were actually rejected from their top choice universities. Universities recognize that you don’t have to be intelligent to get an A and you don’t have to get an A to be intelligent. It definitely helps to have good grades and a high GPA, but don’t assume that alone will get you into whatever university you want!!
Misconception #3: I’m not going to get in because I’m white/I’m a shoe-in because I’m a minority
Sorry to burst your bubbles, kids, but Affirmative Action is no longer in effect. My research tells me that yes, universities can still look at your ethnic/racial background as a criteria for admittance — but it is not a determining factor!! Universities are interested in your race so that they can look at you in context. But I’ll get into that later.
Misconception #4: The only thing that matters is what’s on my transcript
Actually, kids, it’s not the end of the world if you slip up here and there. Speaking from experience, I had a C and a couple of B’s on my transcript. Don’t get discouraged if some of your classes are harder than you anticipated, or if you just didn’t take that history class seriously enough. By no means am I saying that you should slack off and not feel guilty about it — do you best!! But don’t think it’s the end of the world if you don’t get straight A’s.
While it’s true that universities take your high school academic performance largely into consideration, they tend to be forgiving so long as it’s within reason. Below average grades in school are probably most definitely hurting your chances of getting into a university, but less-than-perfect scores are jeopardizing your chances too much.
Misconception #5: CLUBSCLUBSCLUBSCLUBSCLUBS
We’re all told at some point or another that colleges look for “well-rounded” students. But to clear the air, I think you should all be told that a “well-rounded” student is not someone who joins every club in existence. Quite the opposite, you can be well-rounded even if you’re only in one club!
Misconception #6: I’m from __________ so I won’t get accepted
The fact that you’re from a poor school, a small town, or a city with a bad reputation does not hurt your chances when it comes to colleges! In fact, this factor could actually be an advantage for you!
Written on January 3, 2011 by moe2love
Filed Under: General Talk
This information is NOT just for Seniors!
By the time a high school student graduates, he or she has probably put more than 17,640 hours of effort into school (including time spent in school, homework, extracurriculars, etc). That’s 735 days, or a little over 2 years. You will have spent a full 2 years devoted to school, and probably more depending on how active you are. But what was all this for? What is the purpose of all your effort?
Well, most likely you went through all this trouble so you can go to college. High school is the transition to college; the skills you’ve learned in high school will be very important in high education institutes. Many high school students want to go to college; some have no worries about whether or not they will go, but most have some obstacles they must overcome before they can go to college.
One of these obstacles is money. The cost for colleges are ENORMOUS, especially with some of the colleges increasing tuition. And it’s not just tuition; books, housing, clothes, and everyday expenses can take its toll on your parents’ bank account as well. Some colleges may even have you pay up to $35,000 and higher for yearly tuition or fees! But don’t let these daunting numbers scare you. Money should not be an obstacle to getting the college education you want.
The best way to overcome these obstacles are to get scholarships. Scholarships are, well, FREE money. You don’t have to pay ANY of it back. There are many organizations out there who are offering aid to students that fit their criteria requirements. Look for and apply to as many scholarships as you can; you’ll be surprised at how many you get.
Start Looking For Scholarships Early
The more scholarships you apply to, the more you will get. Don’t make the mistake I did and start at the end of your first semester during senior year. Start as early as FRESHMAN year if possible, and look around for scholarships that you can apply for. Most likely your skill level won’t be high enough to rake in scholarships during freshman year, but the experience you get from applying will help you to understand what scholarship organizations are looking for, and by the time you are a senior, you’ll be raking in scholarships. You may even be one of those geniuses who get enough scholarships to pay off all the tuition costs.
Looking for Scholarships
The most important part is knowing where to find scholarships. There are many good sites like FastWeb that will find scholarships for you and tell you which ones you are eligible for. However, the important thing to remember is that these online scholarships have the most competition. The internet is the largest network ever created, and so reaches out to the most amount of people. That’s not saying that you shouldn’t apply to scholarships you ARE eligible for – just be smart about which ones you apply to. If you do apply for a scholarship, put your all into it – don’t worry about winning or losing it, because even if you lose you will definitely learn something that you can use in the next scholarship you apply for.
Why Shouldn’t I Just Take Out Loans?
Loans are great and useful, but paying off the loans after you graduate can be a huge pain in the butt. Some students even spend the first two years of their working lives paying off all the college loans before they’re free of that burden.
Written on November 5, 2010 by Kaila Cauthorn
Filed Under: General Talk
This article was not written by me, but by Chelsea Oanes of Armijo High School’s Teen Publish Club.
Paranormal Activity II, a movie marketed under the horror/suspense genre, is the sequel to the first Paranormal Activity movie. I went to see it with a couple of friends hoping that it would be a lot better than the first one which had failed to meet my expectations. I can say one thing: it was better than the first movie, since I didn’t almost fall asleep waiting for something to happen. However, it wasn’t a lot better.
The plot of Paranormal Activity II was focused on the sister of the original movie’s protagonist, on her family and, more specifically, on her son Hunter. This story is presented from two different points of view, one in which the members of the family are actively filming and another from the perspective of the security cameras set up within the house. The movie is presented in a documentary style reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project.
Written on October 11, 2010 by Kaila Cauthorn
Filed Under: General Talk
America today seems to have become more liberal in regards to the adornment of people’s bodies with piercings
and tattoos, if only slightly. Originally they were only viewed to be the brand of criminal life or the mark of a rebellious delinquent. While these stereotypes may still be maintained by much of the older demographic, however, piercings and tattoos have become more common among people we see every day. They seem to be sported in one area of the body or another by every person you see, from those that you pass on the sidewalk to colleagues in the workplace to fellow students. While it’s not very common for students to have piercings (other than in their ears) at the middle school stage, quite a few can be found among high school students, and even some tattoos as well.
Is it true that this corporal decoration is really as uncouth as our parents and grandparents insist that they are? I presented the topic to Armijo High School Teen Read More
Written on August 25, 2010 by moe2love
Filed Under: General Talk
Although I just graduated from Armijo, one of my good friends Kaila Cauthorn is going to be holding a meeting in the school so she can start her own Teen Publish Club. I’m planning on making a lot of changes to this site, and getting it hopefully much more active (assuming I’m not going to be a lazy ass).
If you’re reading this, I hope you come to the meeting. It will be really worth it, because writing to help others can be a rewarding experience and this will be reaching out to as many people as possible.
Thank you,
Moe2love
Written on July 4, 2010 by TeenPublish Dude
Filed Under: General Talk
I hope everyone has a fantastic Fourth of July, and remember not to get too crazy setting off fireworks.
Written on June 30, 2010 by stayingwithit
Filed Under: General Talk
Well, this is embarrassing - my first post of significance and already late. Sorry, but I hope the interesting topics in this article will make up for it
iPhone 4 – good or bad?
Apple sold and incredible 1.7 million iPhone 4’s between Thursday and Saturday. For a span of three days, the iPhone is doing very well. But is it actually worth it? Apple added quite a bit to this new generation. The camera is now 5
The iPhone 4, in all it's glory
megapixels along with high resolution recording capabilities (HD, or 720p for you technical folk out there), a faster CPU (which essentially means the ability to use better iPhone apps, and games, and does everything the previous iPhone could, but a lot faster), and VIDEO chatting, which is quite amazing in itself. Also, the display of the iPhone is brilliant and unrivaled, even under the sun. It is also thinner than the iPhone 3GS
But there are some problems that you have to watch out for too. Apple is known for the durability of its products, but in the iPhone 4’s case Apple’s reputation is at stake. If dropped, you may find a broken back piece, which has already happened to quite a few people in their first three days of ownage. If the iPhone is held incorrectly, it has poor reception, and the screen may have some strange yellow blotches that are supposed to disappear. The battery life is also Read More
Tags: 4 ,Apple ,Camera ,closes ,HD ,iPhone ,Of ,oil ,result ,Review ,Seafood ,shrimp ,spill ,store
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Written on June 28, 2010 by stayingwithit
Filed Under: General Talk
Hello all,
At least once a week, I’m going to be posting an article about events that are going on right now. If you want, check back every Tuesday and see what I have to say. If you miss one of my articles and want to read about some past events, you can always click my name and read all my past articles.
If there’s something going on that YOU want to post about, then feel free to do so. Teen Publish is always welcoming posters, and we could use all the writers that we can get.
That being said, I hope to see you all on Tuesday =)
StayingWithIt
Written on June 21, 2010 by moe2love
Filed Under: Current Events, General Talk
I’m not one to spend a lot of time cynically complaining about our government, but its agencies have been quite active
All who consume will live a cursed, immortal life
lately working hard on making things right with this world. For example, lately they have been trying to stop the sales of “unicorn” meat – an April Fool’s Joke that ThinkGeek started this year. Yes, that’s right – ThinkGeek, a company that specializes in producing, well, geeky products, has been given a cease-and-desist order by the National Pork Board (heard of this before? It was founded by the Pork Act) on their production of Unicorn meat. Apparently, their slogan – “The New White Meat” will result in consumers confusing Unicorn meat with “Pork: The Other White Meat”. Interestingly enough, that slogan is going to be changed soon anyways, so could we list this as another example of an agency using its power just because it can? Yeah, we probably could.
Here’s another benevolent act a government agency has committed for the betterment of American society. A while ago, a shipment of toy airsoft guns were confiscated because apparently they can be converted into machine guns… REAL ones. Every gun expert has denied that this has true, and that there’s no way that “anyone with knowledge of guns” can turn a toy airsoft gun into a machine gun – for one thing, the bullet rounds just wouldn’t fit. Feel free to watch and decide what you think: 
Tags: Airsoft ,American ,April ,ATF ,Betterment ,Efficieny ,Fool's ,government ,Guns ,Joke ,Meat ,Of ,Our ,Society ,stupid ,ThinkGeek ,Unicorn
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Written on May 17, 2010 by moe2love
Filed Under: General Talk
As the safety checkers made sure we were strapped in, my feet tingled with anticipation as if it knew the stress and pain it was about to go through again. As it was my third time riding Flight Deck (previously known as Top Gun), I had lost
This ride was even better at night
all notions of fear and instead was preparing to have adrenaline course through my veins, bolstered even more so by the fact that I was sitting in the very front seat.
The “flight attendant” (really just the guy handling the controls) counted down… and as soon as he reached one the roller coaster jerked forward and began climbing, making the scary rickety noise that tends to scare people into thinking it’s weakly constructed. This, of course, prompted everyone to make the same jokes about Final Destination that we’ve heard all day. The coaster slowly travelled to the top, and once we travelled beyond the platform our legs were dangling above a wide open space of at least 100 feet. Then the coaster reached the top, and it stayed there for just a moment. Then all of a sudden, it dropped! The acceleration of the roller coaster felt like it was going at superhuman speed, and I was travelling with it. As I went through the loop de loop and a nicely made Zero G Roll, the blood rushed to and away from my feet, repeatedly making it seem as if my feet were going to explode off my legs (brutal description, I know, but it really wasn’t a very good experience for my feet. The adrenaline that had finally reached my brain, however, made it a very good experience for me).
But then all of a sudden, the coaster headed toward the water. Panic entered me. I didn’t remember this part of the ride, and I was sure that I was going to make painful high speed contact with the water. My heart skipped a beat as I was about to touch the water when all of a sudden the ride yanked me away from the death throes into another insane loop-de-loop. I would’ve sighed with relief if I didn’t have the involuntary reaction of yelling for the rest of the ride. No wonder I was forgetting things about the ride so easily. I didn’t have time to concentrate on any one portion of the ride. Even on the third time of riding fight deck, the thrilling ride still managed to surprise me and instill within me with a strong dose of adrenaline (although the ride finally began to follow a pattern of lethargy by the seventh ride).
That was just one of the numerous enjoyable moments I had a couple nights ago during senior trip at California’s Great Adventure. We also went on many other exciting attractions, and after dinner even played an intense game of volleyball for 2 hours. The great thing about this trip was that we were given a great number of side perks that were well worth the money we paid. We were given free drinks all day, ten bucks for lunch (courtesy of the Senior class), dancing after dinner, and we got to ride all the attractions as much as we wanted after 6, the normal park closing time. This way we basically didn’t even have to wait in line any more.
Deciding to go on senior trip was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made this year, and I’m glad I got the money together to go. The experience was well worth it, and I truly enjoyed spending time with the other seniors only three weeks before graduation. If you ever have the choice between choosing to go to Senior Trip and not, I hope you choose yes.
Written on May 10, 2010 by myspi
Filed Under: Advice, General Talk
This is in response to an earlier article about making choices. It really hit home, especially since I’m a senior, and I just wanted to elaborate on a subject along the same lines.
One of the major problems with making decisions is… hesitation.
The girl considers entering the mysterious waters...
Hesitation.
It should be one of the deadly sins. Maybe more dangerous than lust, pride, sloth, greed, envy, gluttony, and wrath put all together. (Ok, I may be exaggerating a bit there.) Hesitation is the cause of many regrets and failures, as evidenced through numerous clichés in literature and media.
Because in that moment, before making a decision or taking an action, the consequences of what follows may lead to the remaining sins. And I don’t mean that Read More
Written on April 22, 2010 by flacanda
Filed Under: General Talk
Mission Solano is a well-known name for community service and help in Solano County. Partially fueled by volunteers and by donations, it thrives in more ways than most people know. I volunteered in a Mission Solano Event through my school’s KEY club earlier this month. When I first went, I didn’t really know what to expect. Sure, I’ve gone to a bunch of volunteer events, but all any of us knew was: we were going to feed people – that’s it! What I didn’t know was that Mission Solano had this HUGE (not to mention amazing, great, fantastic, and other redundantly positive synonyms) site to help phase the homeless out of, well, homelessness.
Praying for those who need the help
This Mission Solano site currently has some construction and beautification projects in the works, but it was still effective in its purpose. It houses single women with their children and whole families; but it did more than that. It enforced a positive feeling for those living there, and it’s lively optimism made me feel energetic and diligent. When we had the tour, we saw that the rooms for the kids had bunk beds and were all neatly made. The family units reminded me of a dorm and hotel room combination- everything was clean but at the same time was well fitted.
So I showed up on that breezy afternoon with a salad and numerous varieties of salad dressings in tow. I walked in and was greeted by over a dozen people living on the site. They were all walking in or sitting, chatting with each other, while the volunteers that showed up were scrambling to get the food organized. A man whose name I cannot remember announced that we should say Grace for the wonderful food before digging in. Out of 16 teen volunteers, we had enough food to feed the people at the site over the next days! I think that for all of us, it was empowering to know that sure, we’re “just” teenagers, but we still helped people right here in our own community. People…who are finding their way back into their own homes again, people who we never would have met otherwise. These people were grown adults and growing kids who relished the homemade spicy Indian soup, the Mexican enchilada casseroles, and the señorita breads that us teens pulled together for them. And it was a great time enjoying their company – even helping clean up felt more satisfying than cleaning up after my family during dinnertime.
This experience with helping Mission Solano was a prodigious one, and I would never pass up a future opportunity to help them if it comes.
Written on March 24, 2010 by supa_latina515
Filed Under: General Talk
Okay question…. Why in the heck would our government decide to cut back on our schools?! Because, quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of hearing that our schools are on the bottom of the food chain and only caring about their rich lives and spending our money on useless garbage like new roads. I’ve lived where there has been construction for over a year and, as far as I’m concerned, we don’t need them. Our government needs to save more money for our schools (hear that: SCHOOLS) than hide it and be greedy. Yeah that’s Arnold I’m looking at you about that. In my opinion, he was a much better actor than he was a governor!
That’s why when I get older I’m moving somewhere that A) has an IB Program for my kids, and B) has a state government who actually cares about their schools. You know what happens when we kids aren’t able to get an education? We grow up, get into politics, and we’re not unable to run things, because our government was illiterate and decided that schools and education were less important than things like roads and highways (which, granted, are ALSO) important but not as important as education. It’s almost as if the government plans . See then imbalance there? And we’re only seeing the beginning of protests. There are most definitely gonna be a lot more. I hope the government pulls through on that. not even kidding. Well, bottom line our education is spiraling down… FAST. Our future might be in jeopardy because of this. That is what I think. And our school district is not helping either.
