My Homeless Friend By: Maddie Allen
This fall break my family and I went on a trip to New York City. There was a lot to do and a lot to see, but my favorite part was my friend Frank. The day I met Frank we took the E train from Lexington and 53rd street all the way down to West Village. While we were in West Village we had planned to eat at a local Italian restaurant and visit NYU because it is a college that I am interested in. After we ate we started walking to the college campus and in the middle of the campus, there is a park. We decided to look around the park because they were filming a commercial with Mario Lopez and I thought, “Wow, I can’t believe I just saw a superstar!” but when I turned around, I saw the real superstar. Frank. When I first looked back all I saw was a huge flock of pigeons; the pigeons got spooked and flew away and there was Frank. My first thoughts were, “How long did it take to grow that mustache?” and “Why does he look like my old bus driver?”. I asked my stepmom for a dollar so I could give it to Frank but instead, she gave me a five dollar bill. When I walked up to him I said hello and
he did the same and introduced himself as Frank. I gave him the five dollar bill and he shouted, “GOD BLESS YOU YOUNG LADY!” and then handed me a handful of bird seed. As soon as he put the bird seed in my hand at least 5 pigeons landed on me. There was one on my head, two on my shoulders, and one on each of my arms. He told me some facts about pigeons that I had never heard before, such as their feet are 105 degrees Fahrenheit and that’s why they don’t have to migrate during the winter. He asked me if I could feel their feet about 10 times after that and each time I said, “Yeah Frank, they are kinda walking on me right now.” My little sister walked over to Frank and I to talk to me about something and Frank rudely interrupted and asked my sister if she wanted some bird seed to feed the pigeons. She said that she didn’t want to hold the pigeons and that upset Frank. Shortly after that Frank started throwing bird seed at my little sister and started calling her a “pigeon hater”. We left after that. P.s. his name is actually Paul. I looked him up on the internet and he is kinda a famous bird man. I’m shook.
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The Top 10 Halloween Costumes this Year I’m a self-proclaimed Halloween queen, and I want to share my Halloween spirit. These are the top 10 most popular Halloween costumes this year. 10- Mermaid With the rise of mermaid hair and mermaid leggings this isn’t a shock. Lyst states that more than 1.4 million saves on Pinterest for “Mermaid leggings” since July. 9- Unicorn Again, not a surprise with the Unicorn Frappuccino and unicorn pool floats. Lyst says that searches for “Unicorn” are up 130% since May. 8- Hippie Everyone’s favorite last-minute costume is making its comeback. There has been a 150% increase in patterned flares since June. 7- The Cast of Baywatch For a movie that made $177.9 million it makes sense that it would make the list. There was a 240% increase in searches for “red onepiece swimsuit” 6- The Cast of Game of Thrones I mean obviously. For a show that has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score it would be crazy if it wasn’t on this list. There were an insane 4,000 searches a day for black and grey fur stoles.
5- Wonder Woman Again, not surprising. A movie with a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and made $412.1 million. Red corsets are up 115% this year and chunky gold cuffs are up 15% since June. 4- Giraffe I don’t know, I don’t make the rules. Saves on Pinterest for giraffe makeup and costume are up 1200% from this time last year. 3- Belle from Beauty and the Beast A classic Beauty and the Beast and with a new movie that made $1.263 and got a 71% Rotten Tomatoes score. Pinterest has a 680% increase in Beauty and the Beast pins. 2- The Kids from Stranger Things For a show with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score it makes the list. With a 40% increase in Pinterest saves for “Stranger Things images” as well as increased searches for trucker hats and 80s tees. 1- Pennywise from It Last but certainly not least It. With an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score and making $291.1 million. With Pinterest saves for clown makeup are up 941%. So, were your unique Halloween costumes as unique as you thought?
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A Series of Haiku: of Life and Death 1. People see Death’s time Life fights Death in the village. In the Longing void. 2. Life uses a staff. And death has a steely scythe. It shakes the earth more. 3. Life fights forever But death will win in the end ever holding us 4. Death laughs at us all For our lives will be shorter With each day passing 5. Life will never win For she is too frail to keep And death never falls 6. Life’s many parts keep But the soul will go to death For he will keep us 7. We should not fear Our own demise will be swift But she will come back 8. Life will come to us After death has taken us She makes us again.
Star t f r o m yo ur bo tto m lash, mak e yo ur wing,and the n c o me up and do the line o n the to p o f yo ur lid . - He r adv ic e o n winge d e ye line r
Intervie w With Ms. Darnell on The Topic of Makeup Q: Wh at is th e b es t p rime r t o u se f or dr y vs. oi ly sk in ? A: For dry sk in th e b es t i s, Be cc a Lu min ou s Ba ck lig h t P rime r a nd f or oi ly it is Smashbox Ph oto finis h Pr imer . Q: Wh at is th e b es t f ul l c ov era ge f ou nd ati on ? A: Estee Laud er Dou ble Wea r . Q: Wh at is yo ur fa vo ri te co nc eal er ? Sh ape tape b y Tar te. A: S Q: Wh at is th e b es t s ett in g p o w d er? A: Ben Nye Ban an a Po wd er or Lau ra Mer ci er Tr an slu ce nt Sett ing P o w de r . Q: Do you pre fe r c re am o r p o w d er co nto ur ? A: Po wder . Q: Wh at is th e mos t po pp in’ hi gh lig h t? A: Becca Ch a mp ag ne Po p. Wh at are y ou r fa vor it e f al sie s? Q: W A: Ardell Wis pi es. Q: Best masca ra f or le ng th vs. v ol ume? A: For length it wo ul d be Bett er Th an Sex an d al so Bett er Th an Sex f or volume. Q: Wh at are s ome tip s for a pp ly ing w in ge d e ye lin er ? from ou r b ot tom l as h, ma ke yo ur w in g, an d the n co me up a nd d o t he A: Start fr om y our line on the to p o f yo ur lid . Q: Wh at is th e b es t e ye sh a d o w pa le tte fo r fa ll? A: The Modern R en ai ss an ce Pa le tte or t he Na ke d Pa let te. Q: Wh at are y ou r fa vor it e l ips ti ck co lor s an d br an ds fo r fal l? A: Lolita Two by K at Von D an d Sp ic y b y An as ta sia . Q: Wh at is th e b es t e ye bro w pe nc il? A: Precise Br o w by Ma ybe ll ine.
Spooky Short Story By: Maddie Allen
My basement always creeped me out. I really don’t like to go down there, even if i’m with someone else. I’m almost 100% sure that it is haunted. Every time I walk past the door I get this weird feeling, almost like I can’t breathe. I always keep it locked because I have an irrational fear that something is going to come up from the basement and into the house. Every morning before I leave for school I check to see if it is locked and if it isn’t then I lock it. One day I had just got home from school and as I walked through the door my dogs greeted me like they normally do, but this time something was off. They were acting kind of strange, almost as if someone else was just there. If that makes any sense? They were kind of skittish and they wouldn’t go past the main hallway in my house. When you first walk in there is a dining room to your left and an office to the right, and a little further down and to the right is the basement door. After standing there for a minute, I started to get that feeling I get when I walk past the basement door, but this time it was all over. No matter where I went the feeling followed, it was like a shadow. I was freaked out and a little suspicious so I cautiously started walking towards the basement door. Like I said, I ALWAYS keep it locked, but it was open. The door was wide open but the lock was still turned and all the lights were on in the basement. My first thought was to check and see if anyone was home so I walked around the basement and through the kitchen to the garage. All three cars were gone. I was alone. Cautiously, I walked back through the kitchen to the basement door. As I turned the corner, I saw that all the lights had been turned off and the door was shut and locked like nothing had ever happened.
Top 5 Student Cars: 1.) Cassidy Bolton- GMC Jimmy Cassidy’s Jimmy came in first place because who doesn’t love a car that’s called a Jimmy?!?! Plus it has ABSOLUTELY NO CONS!! 2.) Tanner Tribble- Acura Tsx Tanner’s Tsx came in second place because it’s pretty clean. It has coilovers and aftermarket wheels. The only downside is that it’s an automatic:( 3.) Clayton Carter- Red Prelude This Prelude came in third place because it’s the best model of a Prelude and just because it’s a Honda. It could use some wheels and more low though. 4.) Jacob Gott- Silver Honda Accord Coming in fourth place is this honda accord. It’s a cute car, plus the rack gives it like 5+ extra horsepower. This honda could also use some wheels a little low. 5.) Madison Mann- Silver Infiniti G35 Last but not least, the G35 coming in fifth place because it has about 280 horsepower, and it’s stick shift. A con this car has is crappy gas mileage:)
‘Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” -Mary Davis
October Bops Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol I Put a Spell on You - Annie Lennox The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen Lullaby - The Cure Asleep - The Smiths Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac Purple Rain- Prince Losing My Religion - R.E.M. Under the Milky Way - The Church There is a Light That Never Goes Out- The Smiths Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac Creep- RadioHead You Can Do Magic- America Long Cool Woman (in a black dress) - The Hollies Magic Man - Heart Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths Reptile - The Church Handle with Care - Traveling Wilburys The Only Living Boy in New York- Simon and Garfunkel Zombie- The Cranberries Mad World - Tears for Fears Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie Starman - David Bowie Lazarus- David Bowie Life on Mars - David Bowie Scary Monsters and Super Creeps - David Bowie
Stayin’ Freaky Fresh on Halloween Cassidy Bolton
I consider myself a Halloween expert. I have never gone a single year without dressing up, trick-or-treating, and acquiring pounds of candy. I, Cassidy Bolton, am a professional Halloweener so you should listen to me. I have got some insane advice for this year’s Halloween and it will blow. Your. Mind. Step one for Halloween is pretty obvious: pick a swagalicious costume. It’s gotta be the most eye-catching costume you’ve ever seen. By eye-catching, I mean poppin’. And by poppin’, I mean just whatever you feel like will express yourself. Oh yeah, your costume also has to be expressive and meaningful to you. The best part about a costume is that you can either buy one or make one. Making a costume should always be your first choice if your goal is to be expressive. You can really customize a homemade costume and make it the exact way you want it to look. Isn’t that amazing?! Gosh, I just love it when people use Halloween to be themselves. WOW. The second step of preparing yourself for a great Halloween is to load your brain with Halloween films and Horror films. It’ll really get you in the spooky spirit. You could even learn how to make your Halloween even better from movies such as Halloweentown, Hocus Pocus, and The Nightmare before Christmas. I mean personally, I didn’t have anything to learn because I was born with all Halloween knowledge but I’m sure the movies can help all of you less experienced Halloweeners. My third and final tip to improve your Halloween is to watch out for bad people handing out things, and by things - I mean tricks INSTEAD of treats. You really need to watch out for them for several reasons but mostly because they’re at their house instead of being out trick or treating (@mccord). Other reasons to watch out for them is because some of them like to include little tricks with their treats. What I mean by that is some like to sneak in maybe some drugs or blades. It’s unfortunate but true. Just make sure to be safe and take all of my advice to heart this Halloween. If you don’t, your Halloween will be unsuccessful and you will have wasted a very important night of your life.
Ranking of Teacher Cars Sara Shaffer- Black Lexus Shannon Wilbanks- Miata Lydia McCord- Sonata Mark Pickering- Ford Freestar Leah Darnell- Blue Accord Jay Conkin – Chevy Silverado Crystal Hood – Nissan suv Antonia Adinolfi –Honda Accord Brandon Lewis – Red Truck next to Conkin Shanna Hensley – Acura MDX Christie Pierce – Toyota Highlander Robin Kerkhoff – Toyota Sequoia Vicky Livesay – Hamster Car Sybil Trent - Buick Amanda Dunham – Blue Honda Crv Erica Gardner – Nissan Sentra Samantha McCord – Ford Focus Hatchback
Stranger Things The Magicians The phenomenal netflix Sci-Fi draBased on the trilogy of novels ma, (starring award winning actress, written by Lev Grossman, the show Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers) set in a follows the brilliant but troubled small Indiana town circa 1983‌.the Quentin Coldwater, who is secretly show is made to mirror the classic 80s still obsessed with his favorite childthrillers and science fiction that cap- hood novel, Fillory and Further. He tured audiences back then. Stranger is soon discovers, upon his arrival at Things most certainly has captured the prestigious school of magic Brakeattention of its many viewers. It focus- bills, that the series he has so long es on 12 year old Will Byers, who goes held dear, rings true on many levels. missing, and his three friends in their Hunted and sought after by mysvigorous search to find him. Arriving terious entity, The Beast, Quentin on the scene, a potentially dangerous and his newfound friends journey girl called Eleven who has telekinetic through learning magic and seekpowers...as to why or how, that’s up to ing answers to the oddly strange you to find out! As of last week, hype world the live in. The show is sort was stirred up on behalf of the secof like college-age Harry Potter on ond season being released. Dedicated steroids. While it is science fiction/ viewers, like myself, have long awaited fantasy, it has a lot of drama, roits return and have welcomed its new mance, and action. Also, lots of cool monsters and mysteries with open magic tricks. I highly recommend it, arms. and the first season is on netflix!
Josh Mears is a fellow student at D-B EXCEL. He is known to be quite the creative lad. Josh is recognized for his phtography and his YouTube channel where he documents what he does “just on a regular day� (the one and only Josh Mears, obviously). You can find his photography on Instagram @josh_mears14 and you can subscribe to his YouTube channel at tinyurl.com/JoshMears. tinyurl.com/JoshMears
instagram.com/josh_mears14
twitter.com/joshamears
tinyurl.com/JoshMearsPics
EV - EL Two of our esteemed staff members, EV and EL, are always game for a constructive debate. Contraries, or contrasting opinions are a natural part of our culture. In many ways a healthy debate, where two people are open to change but well-founded in their own belief, can create a productive conversation that leads to a mental expansion or an opening of new avenues of thought. The following are the responses of two of our thinkers. Q1: What are your thoughts on Capital Punishment? EL Response – Personally, I haven’t decided, but we talked about it last year in government. Honestly, the horror of the acts and the result of these actions is difficult to ponder for long periods of time, and I am now deciding to stop thinking about this… Quick Reaction: I don’t think it really solves anything. EV Response - I am on the fence, because if you are on the side of the person who committed the crime, than obviously you are going to rethink the policy. As in anything, if you empathize with somebody on either side of the argument – the family of the victim or the individual waiting on the sentence, it is harder to have assured conviction. Quick Reaction: The actions of the past should hold sway future. If a human takes another human's life and that’s considered wrong - why is right to for human to take that humans life? Hypocritical. Q2: What are your thoughts on the use of the Atom Bomb? EL Response – War is not something that I agree with, so I do not think that that is cool. I am going to listen to John Lennon Now. EV Response – While the act was extremely violent, the overall casualty would have been worse, if the action was not made. This was a technology that was coming, and as a country, we knew that control over the market meant getting there first, and using it was a calculated decision. But, I do not support the use of nuclear weapons.
Q3: What are your thoughts on Welfare? EL Response – Personally, I think that welfare is pretty helpful, I think that people should help each other out, people should be compelled to help; sometimes I think that we use the argument that people should be off drugs to use welfare, but these decisions would impact dependents, and kids can’t help that situation. EV Response – Another 50/50 … I cannot be for or against because rarely are the statistics indicative of humanity. But, in my opinion, some people actually do need this – We don’t always know the full story. Q4: Do you think Apollo 11 was real? EL Response – That’s not real – it’s just cold war propaganda. EV Response - Everybody says it didn’t happen, but I think that it did. One could say that it didn’t happen, but people seem to always try to explain epic events, tragic or heroic, with conspiracy theories… There could be wind. Q5: What are your thoughts on Tattoos? EL Response – I love them, I want a million. EV Response – Everyone loves them, I like them, but I wonder what it looks like as a person ages. I don’t think I’d like that about a tattoo. Tattoos and piercings are looked down upon in a professional setting, because many of the higher ups are from an older time with different associations. This will change as time progresses.
Important Dates to Remember Thanksgiving Break - November 22 - 24 End of Course Exams History - Nov 29, Dec 5 English - Nov 30, Dec 6
Winter Break - December 22 - January 5