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march 27, 2009 [email protected] LSHS alhallaVolume 81, Issue 7 Artistic students paint over discrimination Snow, and junior Catherine Heather Zebroski Straume. v Senior Scottia Snow is the Opinion Editor artist that painted a huge eye During the third week of on the car. This eye included February, Cascade and Lake two hands that were grabbing Stevens competed in a car the pupil, which represented painting competition spon- the world. Her part of the sored by Rodland Toyota. The car also had people standing Cascade kids won, earning around this pupil world in them the $500 prize which is different colors of the rain- put towards their art curricu- bow in many layers. “We were lum. amazing. [Our car had] bold Art teacher Ms. Panama- colors and I think that all the roff was the person to choose people that did it were amaz- the students that would paint ing painters,” Snow said. the car and try for the prize. Junior Catherine Straume “I picked [students] that I ended up painting an idea of thought were of quality and another student because hers talented. They came together was too complicated and hard as a team. It was so unified; to do. “I painted a cross in they would ask each other wood and it had the elements for their opinions. They went [on it], but I changed it from above: the side of the van in its final, decorated state around the car and made sure a sun into a moon and then left: students work together to create a masterpiece photos by Tia Snow it looked spectacular,” Pana- fire, water, and a storm. Then The theme “united by di- idea. They had a great time,” directly. The dealership put a maroff said. The three stu- I wrote ‘co-exist.’ I thought versity” in not a rare one. “I Panamoaroff said. layer of plastic over the sur- dents she chose were senior that really showed how we think that at this day and age, The winner was decided face, which protected the cars Ruben Trujillo, senior Scottia come together as one.” with Obama and his ideals, it by a community vote. The two from the tempera paint. Pana- fits who America is,” Pana- cars (Cascade and Lake Ste- maroff was hoping that our maroff said. Both Snow and vens) sat at the Everett mall car would be allowed to sit Straume agree that this theme for one week. People passing at our school. “We suggested had some kind of relation by had the opportunity to de- that they bring them to Lake with President Obama. cide which car they liked best Stevens High School, but it’s Although LSHS has been and put a ballot in for which- tempera paint so if they drive involved in activities similar to ever one they chose. All of them here and [we have bad this in the past, the car paint- western Washington had the weather,] it might not be a ing competition is a first. “It opportunity to vote. By only lasting paint job.” The dealer- just happened this year. It was 15 votes, Cascade high school ship has decided not do any- an idea of Mike Massy, he’s won $500 toward their art thing with the cars and are a Rodland Toyota car sales- fund, while Lake Stevens came keeping them. man. They did [this competi- in second, winning $250. tion] back East and he called Though this competition up and I thought it would be was about painted cars, the great and the kids loved the cars were not actually painted In this Issue: Should Is Internet Obama- military commu- recruit- mania on nity fad the ers be al- lowed in sweeps the decline? nation Staff and teachers pg. 5 school? bring down the hammer pg. 8 pg. 13 on cell phone use pg. 2 volume 81, issue 7 page 1 news LSHS march 27, 2009 valhalla New campaign aims to end music piracy realization that their controversial method hadn’t de- Kaila Alford terred illegal downloaders, the RIAA announced they S t a f f R e p o r t e r were ending their lawsuit campaign in December 2008. But illegal downloaders shouldn’t be breathing a sigh of relief just yet. Instead of slapping pirators with Since September 2003, nearly 35,000 people have fines, the RIAA will begin to work with internet ser- faced lawsuits from the Recording Industry Asso- vice providers to send cease and desist notices, and in ciation of America (RIAA) for pirating music online. extreme cases, shut off downloaders’ internet connec- Although the RIAA have recently ended their harsh tions altogether. Junior Kasiah Butler believes the law lawsuit campaign, illegal downloaders could still find will not have any effect on the number of people who themselves in hot water. download illegally. During the campaign’s five-year run, thousands “I don’t think [the new law] will be effective,” said of people were penalized with fines from the RIAA Butler. “It’s ridiculous to shut down somebody’s inter- for illegally downloading and sharing music on the in- net altogether.” ternet. Using programs such as Limewire and online “I can understand the law because it’s taking mon- torrents, 40 billion songs were illegally downloaded in ey away from the artists,” said senior Kirsten Schmuck, 2008 alone. Some of those 40 billion songs were down- who admits to illegally downloading music as often as loaded by junior Griffin Harris. three times a week. “About 95 percent of the music on my iPod was The RIAA blames illegal downloading for the 23% illegally downloaded,” said Harris. Harris, along with worldwide decline of CD sales between 2000 and 2006. millions of other internet users, was luckily able to re- The Institute for Policy Innovation says that global main undetected by the RIAA. “There’s no way they music piracy causes an estimated $12.5 billion dollars can monitor all of the people who do it,” he said. of economic losses every year. Harris is right. It is impossible for the RIAA to These figures haven’t stopped people from illegal- many students use the Internet for less than legal keep tabs on millions of people. After coming to the ly sharing files online. As of 2008, 95% of all down- purposes loaded music was illegal. “Most of my music is from my friends, who prob- photo by Catherine Straume ably illegally downloaded the songs,” said Butler. “[Illegal downloading] gave my computer a mas- Teens in particular are more likely to illegally sive virus that made it freeze up often,” said Morgan. download music, due in large part to their limited bud- AmazonMp3 and iTunes offer virus-free music gets. In a survey conducted last year, it was found that that will not disable your computer. Illegal file sharing 61% of teens in the U.S. download music illegally. programs cannot promise the same thing. Although many teens are aware of the strain il- “Limewire killed my last computer,” said senior legally downloading has on the music industry, they Greg Duncan. are more aware of the strain buying songs has on their One thing seems to be echoed unanimously wallet. “Nobody has 14 bucks to go out and buy a CD throughout the illegal downloading world is that the where you like one or two songs on it,” said Butler. threat of a severed internet connection will not stop With the average online song costing 99 cents, students who want to obtain free music. teens would be spending thousands of dollars on their “I’m going to keep downloading music,” said Dun- portable music collection. Many people refuse to invest can. so much money, especially when iPod and Zune thefts Every time a teen downloads an illegal music file, are a common occurrence at school. they assume the risks that millions of other people as- However, there are those out there who obtain sume every single day. their tunes legally. Sophomore Jarydd Morgan is one “People will always find a way around it,” said of them. Schmuck. The stimulus package: economics for dummies economy, and give it the boost it needs because they would supposedly create term plans already. Blaine Bowman to reverse the current economic down- more jobs and be more effective in its “It’s similar to the idea of FDR and turn. revised form, but with a smaller price ‘priming the pump,’” CAI teacher Mr. A&E Editor Technically, the economic stimulus tag. With a total cost of around $787 Jason Billingsley said, referring to Pres- package is called the American Recov- billion dollars, the final bill is still much ident Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” which ery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and larger than the Economic Stimulus Act helped turn the country around during The economy is in trouble. Vacant, President Obama signed it into law on of 2008, which former President Bush the Great Depression using similar tac- boarded-up houses and businesses dot February 17. It was largely an initiative signed around the same time last year, tics. “Put a little money back in people’s our streets, the number of unemployed of his own making, but it went through and cost approximately $152 billion dol- pockets, so they will go and spend it in and homeless Americans is rising, and significant revisions before it was ap- lars. stores and… the economy will go up.” the balance in our checking accounts is proved. Several aspects of the bill were While the Bush economic package Essentially, the hope is that when falling even faster.