IP Cop Strikes again
Annie Wigley
Many students wonder why our school’s internet server has a content blocker. I too was curious as to why such a liberal community like Vashon would have such conservative restrictions on a resource that is available in almost any home. The answer to this question lies much shallower than I had anticipated.
It is always frustrating when working on a project for school and the picture or the website needed is blocked for no apparent reason. The ominous “WHOOPS We thought that website might have content that is inappropriate for a public school setting. If you think we made a mistake, and that you need access to this website, ask your teacher to contact the Tech Department. Thanks!” message will without fail pop up a handful of times during every VHS student’s academic career here, often in response to perfectly appropriate and education-relevant websites .
In 2001, a federal law was passed called the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which requires schools and libraries to put in place certain restrictions on the internet connections they provide. Such limitations were set to protect the youth from pornographic and inappropriate content that they might come across while surfing the internet.
Most schools take their content blocking to the next level, furthering their limitations on the connection. The reasons behind these restrictions vary according to the community and the school district’s wishes. Compared to other schools’ level of blocking, Vashon is fairly liberally applied. Many IP Cops prevent access of email services and YouTube as well as the standard blocks on Facebook, Myspace, Urban Dictionary, and others.
PDA: Let’s make it PRIVATE Display of Affection
Phaedra Powell-Zecher
Have you ever been in class, just sitting there minding your own business, trying to learn the subject at hand, and all of sudden the couple next to you begins making out? Well, I can assure you ladies and gentlemen, I have. And frankly, I am not impressed.
PDA stands for Public Display of Affection. This does not mean you need to publicly display your hookup. I understand that this phenomenon is normal, especially for high school teenagers, but it becomes really annoying. It’s really very disgusting and especially rude. Just because you like to kiss your significant other does not mean that the rest of us want to see your tongues interlocking.
PDA can be very distracting to learning as well. How am I supposed to focus on today’s lesson, when a couple is making out directly behind me? The two just do not mix. Public Display of Affection in the middle of a classroom with all of your peers only intensifies the awkward factor by about 10.
I do not mean to disregard all PDA, however. Holding hands, hugging, and light pecks are all very acceptable acts for a couple in a public place. It is possible to be affectionate with your boyfriend or girlfriend without disgusting everyone else.
The thing that annoys me the most about PDA, is the fact that people are so inconsiderate; they don’t even care that they might be making things awkward for others. I am not trying to offend anyone who practices too much PDA. I am simply trying to point out how the rest of us feel. You may think that we all want to see your little love session, but trust us, no one cares.
Nothing is private anymore, including our own intimacy. Couples have the capacity to make a public place, such as a restaurant or a park, into their own personal bedroom. If you are one of these couples, all I ask is this: Can you not even control yourself for one whole day?
Eating for pleasure v. Eating for health
Annie Wigley and Marja Haflinger
A FIGHT FOR HAPPINESS!
Atkins. Gluten-free. Vegan. Vegetarian. Sugar-free. Anti-inflammatory. South Beach. Blood type. So many eating styles and diets, so many limitations and rationings of foods. Why is it that our culture stresses the calorie-count and the serving sizes, but not the way we use them?
America is a country of substance. From our national defense program to our serving sizes, the term “the bigger the better” almost universally applies. That is why it comes to me as a surprise when I hear about all of these excessively minimalist diets that cut all but what is strictly necessary to survive from the menu. Not only are employers of these diets ignoring the American tradition of “all you can eat”, but they are making their lives more difficult than they need to be.
The typical aim of a diet is to lose weight or to keep weight off. If you ask any decent doctor, they will tell you that the best solution for losing weight is to exercise more and eat a little less. For the average pudgy fellow, this is a fairly straightforward fix. No excessive dieting needed, no struggles with cravings because he is fulfilling them. In the words of Terence, a Roman playwright, “All things in moderation.” This quote has guided me without fail through the scary jungle of diets and helped me to realize that a diet is not always the solution. Feel free to chow down on a Twinkie or two, as long as you realize that every action has a consequence.
Like carbon offset, I prefer to think of eating habits in a give-and-take sense; the Twinkie offset. If you are not concerned about your kidneys or heart health, feel free to dig in to a creamy-filled bundle of delight, but don’t expect those extra calories to just disappear.
I am tired of hearing thin people complain that the food in this day and age is too fatty. Balancing exercise with any diet improves not only general health, but can allow even the most indulgent dieter to get bumped a size down. Being lazy is possible too, but take into account that most metabolisms cannot handle a standard diet without any outlet for those unneeded calories.
Dieting is all about what you want out of your food. Some people don’t mind what they eat, just so long as it benefits their physique. Others care more about their taste buds than their lack of love handles. But with the proper amount of exercise, any eating habits can be accommodated.
Staff Editorial
Senior English classes not as advertised
Students from the Class of 2010 have gone in two vastly different ways when choosing their high school schedules for the last time. As seniors, some have taken on the challenge of dabbling with a cutthroat, three-trimester class containing an array of novels. Then, there are those who chose the other route by signing up for a class that hardly fits the bill of being a college prep course. These two classes, respectively, are AP English and CP English, and they could not be bigger polar opposites.
Students who enrolled in AP English are confronted with the full plate one expects from an AP course. Reading such novels as We and Invisible Man, while at the same time diving into the world of studying grammar and writing habits. This is what an AP class should, and in this case, does entail.
The curriculum for CP English involves making posters, keeping a daily journal worth well over 100 points when it’s turned in, and doing other mundane tasks that are comparable to middle school classes. As for those who chose the CP path, there is a mixed review as to the amount of difficulty the class offers. Some are thrilled by the lack of complexity they experience throughout the class, while others feel unchallenged and let at a stand still.
“Sometimes I debate with myself whether I made the right decision taking CP. Sure it’s really easy and not that hard, but at times I wish I was more challenged,” said senior student Kyle York.
Eerily, some of the content in the CP English class is as simple as what students did in previous years.
“It’s fair to say that freshman English was more difficult than CP. Some days all we do it receive a packet, get told to take basic notes, then do it in complete silence,” said CP student Caitlin Clements.
Music void of talent…or message
Annie Wigley
Last week I flicked on the radio and found myself surrounded by music, none of which met the low standards that I hold radio’s music to. Among these songs were “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, “Buy You A Drank” by T-Pain, and “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus. To be honest, the majority of what tops the mainstream charts now reminds me of an annoying cat asking to be let out. It claims to be music, but I can’t wade through the mess to find a beat or discern any lyrics from the synthetic nonsense.
I suspect that many people find that kind of racket appealing, but I don’t. How can something so easy like distorting a voice be such a big part of the creative sound track for life today? The artists who rely so heavily on effects and technology for their “sound” I no longer consider musicians. They do not have the ability to do what they do without a professional in the recording studio to mix their voices into something remotely desirable, something that could never come naturally to human vocals. At least Britney Spears knew how to dance when she shamelessly lip synced across stage after stage, but today’s mainstream “talent” in my eyes lacks appeal of any kind in their performances.
Lumber sign causes rumble among islanders
Hanna Ferguson
I
Standing tall and proud on Bank Road, flashing information about different sales and store merchandise in bright yellow characters is Island Lumber’s new sign.
When I first heard about the new sign, all I heard from people was that it was an eyesore and it did not fit into the setting of Vashon Island. I followed the editorials in the Beachcomber and was amazed at the things people were saying. One Island citizen said it was distracting and the sign should be taken down. Others are having a positive response and are complimenting the sign and the owner’s decision to install it.
Earl van Buskirk, owner of Island Lumber, said that installing the sign “was a way to show the items that store has on sale or that we handle.” Van Buskirk also said that he chose this type of sign because it was the “newest and most modern way to advertise using a reader board.”
Is Vashon actually safe?
Kirstie Edwards
Islanders think that they are free of threats present in the city, but Vashon has many of theses same issues.
Vashon has the reputation of being a safe house. It is a place that I know I’ll be under the watch of the closely tied community, but there comes a time when residents need to be aware that Vashon is just like any other place. And just like any other place it has its own darker side.
On Monday, January 4, a suspected methamphetamine lab exploded off of Wax Orchard road. Neighbors had reported suspicious activities for years, but even after the incident, authorities couldn’t prove it was a drug operation because most of the evidence was incinerated. The question of drug usage has not been completely ignored on Vashon, but this recent occurrence is just another reminder that the community is like others. Vashon’s not entirely a safe haven, but it’s also not constantly dangerous either.
Political Correctness can suck it!
Phaedra Powell-Zecher
Attempts to be P.C. create the reverse effect.
Everyday we use political correctness to hide many of the prejudices that exist within us. Discrimination in this day and age has supposedly been eradicated because of political correctness. The sad truth is that behaving and speaking in a politically correct manner simply masks discrimination, rather than eradicating it.
This cultural phenomenon began to occur in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, when there were many concerns of offending people. For instance, the use of the word “black” was changed to “African American” because it was thought to be more accurate and less offensive.
Because of the very controversial history from different cultures, people tend to tread carefully around this subject. When referring to someone of a different ethnic origin, one usually chooses a safe route of names in order to be appropriate. We try so hard not to be seen as prejudiced against anyone who is seen as different than ‘normal’.
Staff Editorial
Green tide shouldn’t be forced to clean up
The sparkling sea of green and gold roars with pride as the Pirates enter the gym for another victory. This year the Green Tide is larger than ever, growing at each game as more supporters come to show their spirit.
Known for their rowdiness and booming voices, Tiders show up not only to watch the game, but also to get involved yelling out their favorite cheers. A typical game brings in over 100 students covered from head to toe in anything green or gold they can find. With hats, face paint, jewelry and more, the Green Tide never ceases to outdo itself.
There are a number of popular cheers that have carried on throughout the years, many of which are popular beyond Vashon High. During an opponents free throws, the Green Tide usually murmurs and hushes as a distraction to the shooter. This cheer caught the attention of the administration and they now urge us to stop.
“These aren’t new rules,” said VHS Principal Susan Hanson. “We were just more lenient last year, these rules have been around since the beginning of the Green Tide.”
During the state championships last year the Green Tide encountered many other fanatic fan groups, some of which would even start screaming when a Pirate was taking a free throw.
Age requirements questioned
Staff Editorial
The required age for those serving in the American Military is 18. The drinking age in the United States is 21. I have often wondered why the age requirements of these two important choices are so different and why a person can be asked to defend their nation, but not be legally permitted to drink.
There is more of a chance of injury, both mental and physical, when you go to war than when you are sitting at a bar. There is no question that drinking poses serious health hazards and can easily ruin a life, be it through alcoholism, a car wreck, brain or liver damage, or a DWI; however when compared to the potential damage that war poses, they are minor and avoidable risks.
In a war, there is a real chance that soldiers will come back physically injured, with drastic changes in their mental health including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or not at all.
According to MSNBC Health, “The Army’s first study of the mental health of troops who fought in Iraq found that about one in eight reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.”
According to an article from Psychiatric News, “Thirty five percent of troops who served in Iraq used mental health services in their first year home, although only one-third of them had received a mental health diagnosis…”
Seventy-one percent of Iraq veterans with PTSD and 26% of veterans without PTSD reported serious sleeping problems upon their return home. Not only is there a likelihood of being mentally injured by war, but also physical trauma is a possibility.
Going to war is a serious choice to make with potentially serious consequences, and not one that anyone should decide on instantly.