Talisman vol 49 issue 4 jan 17, 2014 (g)

Dickey’s BBQ Pit Food Review

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a student-edited newspaper Sheldon High School

The use of cellphones in class

page 8

shstalisman@gmail.com

2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 49

Issue 4

January 17, 2014

Green Club installs new bike racks After months of planning and fundraising, Green Club benefits the Sheldon campus with new bike racks.

Holly Ford editor-in-chief Recently, the Green Club jumpstarted a program focused on getting Sheldon new bike racks because the old bike racks are hard to use and broken down. The old bike racks also are not effective because not all bike locks can fit into the racks, they can sometimes trip students, and aren’t always safe when locking up bikes. Bikes

can still be taken by detaching the front wheel and taking the rest of the bike. Green Club is aiming to replace the “wheel-bender” racks which can bend the wheels of bikes and fail to be sufficient in protecting students’ bikes.

Junior Isaac Meyer (president of Green Club) said, “It all started with applying for some grants last January.” The new racks will hopefully be put in at the end of January. Green Club has purchased 35 of the proposed 61 bike racks so far.

Meyer added, “We will be doing more fundraising to get the rest of them installed.” Each bike rack holds two bikes.

The road to getting the bike racks, however, wasn’t an easy one. Meyer said, “We got the grant in March. We asked for $2,000, but only got $500. A $500 grant is still a very big gift.” In order to come up with the rest of the money, Green Club put on bake sales and also received most of the needed funds through a crowd sourcing campaign where people donate money online. According to Meyer, crowd sourcing

The old hard to use bike racks are soon to be replaced with easier to use, newer racks. Each bikerack will hold 2 bikes.

Photo by: McKinley Patrick

works by people donating money and only having their credit cards charged if the set “goal” is met. Meyer was even interviewed by a radio station about how crowd sourcing works.

Meyer said, “The delivery date from the shipping com-

“After a couple months of fighting with the Better Business Bureau they finally shipped” Junior Isaac Meyer pany was approximately July 2.” Unfortunately, the bike racks were backordered from their distributor in China (which was unknown to the club) and after awhile, the shipping company didn’t even recall where the racks were being held. “After a couple months of fighting with the Better Business Bureau they finally shipped,” said Meyer.

They finally arrived on Sheldon property on December 2.

Living in the Eugenien community, naturally students at Sheldon try to be more on the “green” side of things.

Green Club works to try and put these ideals into action.

By biking to school, students reduce their carbon footprint and also live a more active life. According to carbonrally. com, “Each gallon of gasoline burned in an average car’s engine blows 19.4 pounds of CO2 out the exhaust and directly into Earth’s atmosphere…When you ride a bicycle or walk someplace instead of driving your car, you are keeping unnecessary greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.”

Green Club members are trying to reach out in the community to other people besides Sheldon students. They target middle school students because of their independence level – they are old enough to understand the concept, but not too old to feign disinterest. Meyer said, “We do things like tree planting, and we’re working on a project partnering with Lane Transit District for middle schools to teach about the importance of alternate transportation.” Green Club members can be seen around the community planting trees and trying to get the people of Eugene to be more proactive with taking care of the environment they live in.

Green Club meets Tuesdays at lunch in Mr. Temple’s room. Students interested in helping out with Green Club’s efforts can join anytime year-round.

Eugene Public Library branches may face closure Local resource for Sheldon students possibly may face closure after city budget cuts.

Kennedy Potts editor-in-chief Both the Bethel and Sheldon branches of the Eugene Public Library are facing closure due to the city’s desire to cut spending. If the city council chooses to adopt this proposal as a budgeting method, the branches could be closed as early as next July.

This could greatly affect community members who utilize the branch, including Sheldon students who can find them in the shopping center just across the street. If the branches were to close, people who use the branch for print resources and internet access would then be forced to do so at the downtown library. This is not possible for everyone and therefore could greatly hinder the Ferry Street Bridge area’s access to information.

The Sheldon library is a great place to find both fiction and non-fiction books and use the internet. Many students make use of this great resource every day. However, at times a stu-

dent may need a book not available in the Sheldon library, or may need to conduct research on weekends. The Eugene Public Library has a much larger selection of books and multiple copies of many as well. For a student, the Sheldon library is not always sufficient to fulfill his or her scholarly needs. This is where the Sheldon branch can be extremely useful. If it were to be closed, many students who may not be able to find transportation to the downtown library would be at a complete loss for internet access and print resources during non-school hours. Junior Gracie Todd said, “I know a lot of people whose families use the library. It would really be too bad if the city council decided to close it.”

Education is an extremely important part to building a strong community and it would be a great academic loss if the branches were closed. Sheldon librarian Ms. Kunz said, “My main concern that there are some high school students who truly don’t have access to internet or books and can’t find transportation downtown, which means they would be limited in resources.” Ms. Kunz explained that kids who have internet access at home or can afford their own books will not be too affected by the closure. It is the students in the Sheldon and Bethel areas without these luxuries that will be negatively impacted.

Another negative effect that would be caused by the closures would be that approximately six full time employees

would be without work. These people who previously were able to make a living through working at the library branches could soon find themselves without a way to pay the bills.

Linda Ague has been part of the effort to save the branches from closure. She and others have been sitting outside the door of the library passing out fliers for hours in the cold weather. She commented on just how much traffic the library actually gets. “We were out here last Friday with 50 fliers thinking that would be enough for our two hour shift. We actually ran out within the first 20 minutes.”

Anyone interested in helping with the effort to save the library branches should attend the Eugene Budget Committee Public Hearing on January 24, 2014 and 5:30 p.m. at Harris Hall and email the budget committee through the online form (more information located in the image to the right).

As Ague said, “We need young voices to show that the support for the library is widespread. When the city proposed to cut the hours, we didn’t think it would actually happen. Then it did…These branch libraries were so hard to get from the city and if we let them go now, we likely won’t ever get them back. This is our one chance.”

2 January 17, 2014

News

the Talisman

Japanese prime minister visits controversial war shrine Shinzo Abe’s bold move provokes firestorm of criticism Noah Jang news editor

Tensions are rising between Japan and its neighbors. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s 30-minute visit to a controversial war shrine on Thursday, December 26, drew sharp rebukes from China and South Korea.

The Yasukuni Shrine is viewed by China, North and South Korea as a symbol of Japan’s aggression during World War II. The shrine commemorates some 2.5 million Japanese war

dead. “But the souls of hundreds of convicted WW2 criminals are also enshrined there. Fourteen so-called Class A criminals - those who were involved in planning the war - are among those honoured,” BBC News said. The military leaders, including Hediki Tojo, led the colonization of Korea and parts of China during the war.

The visit was the first visit made by an incumbent Japanese prime minister since Junichiro Koizumi’s visit seven years ago. After Abe’s visit, the Chinese and South Korean governments responded fiercely, as they have always done with issues that have dealt with Japan’s atrocities inflicted on China and Korea.

According to CNN, the Chinese government expressed “strongest indignation for this act, which heavily offends the Chinese people and people of other Asian

countries that were victims of World War II.” A South Korean spokesman expressed “lamentation and rage.” The U.S. was also surprised by Abe’s visit to the shrine, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo expressed disappointment in his move. According to CNN, the embassy said, “Japan is a valued ally and friend. Nevertheless, the United States is disappointed that Japan’s leadership has taken an action that will exacerbate tensions with Japan’s neighbors.”

Abe said Chinese and Korean criticism was based on misunderstanding. According to The Huffington Post, Abe said, “Unfortunately, a Yasukuni visit has largely turned into a political and diplomatic issue. It is not my intention to hurt the feelings of the Chinese and Korean people.”

photo manipulation by Micah Tamasaka

Deranged Araphoe High School senior shoots his classmate The 18-year-old gunman shoots a student on school campus Taylor Marvel staff writer On December 13, Karl Pierson brought weapons to Arapahoe High School to settle a grudge against the school librarian and debate coach, Tracy Murphy. Unfortunately in the process, he severely injured student Claire Davis, putting her into a coma.

Karl Pierson was a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, who loved speech and debate and he became angry after losing his spot on the debate

team. Co-captain Joe Redmond said that Pierson had been reading The Anarchist Cook book since his sophomore year, a book that contains instructions on making a bomb. Pierson had a written plan to attack five areas of the school on his arm along with the Latin phrase for, “The Die Has Been Cast.” He’d specifically written five letters/numbers on his arm corresponding with the library and classroom near it.

The shooting took place on a Friday at 12:33 p.m. when 18 year old Pierson walked into Arapahoe High School armed with a pump-action shotgun, a machete and a backpack carrying three Molotov cocktails, along with a bandolier of ammunition across his chest. He entered the

school through a propped open door.

He shot student Claire Davis, a random victim, leaving her in critical condition. Pierson couldn’t find the faculty member he had been determined to attack, and ended up taking his own life in the corner of the school library after igniting one of the firebombs. “As parents, we loved our son Karl dearly and we are devastated by what happened Friday. We cannot begin to understand why Karl did what he did,” said Barbara and Mark Pierson, Karl Pierson’s mother and father. “For the entire Arapahoe High School community, as we know your lives are forever changed by this horrific event,” they expressed with sorrow. Claire Davis died eight days after being shot.

Mat Lowe, a senior at Arapahoe who was friends with Pierson said that the memorial he attended for Claire Davis helped ease some of the challenges in moving forward. “I was good friends with Karl,” Lowe said.

“It’s hard to hate him, regardless of the thing he did. He was just in the wrong mind-set,” Lowe said according to CNN. Since the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting there has been an average of one school shooting every week in the U.S. Unexpected tragedies happen every day; a lot of these tragedies are school shootings. For certain reasons, many of these are not presented on the news. Hopefully, over time people will find a way to stop these unfortunate events.

Fake interpreter marrs Mandela’s memorial and confuses many Deaf viewers of the memorial make little sense of the proceedings Jonah Jellesed staff writer

On December 10, 2013, Nelson Mandela’s funeral was held at a stadium in Johannesburg South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa led the fight against apartheid and racism in his early life until he was put in prison on charges of starting an armed resistance to the government. This man made it possible for equality to exist for the people in South Africa. He created equality both socially and in the government, and united a nation that was divided by racism.

At Mandela’s funeral, the man assigned the job of interpreting the words of world leaders using sign language was Thamsanqa Jantjie. The day before the funeral he was offered the job of interpreting for the

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funeral, and he quickly accepted the offer.

Once the funeral began people who understood sign language began to realize quickly that something was wrong. The man on the stage, Thamsanqa Jantjie, was making gestures with his hands that meant nothing in sign language and the deaf people who were watching the ceremony were very upset by the end of the funeral. Every deaf person who watched the funeral couldn’t understand what world leaders were saying because of this interpreter. After it was discovered that the interpreter, in fact, knew no sign language, everyone was in an uproar.

Out of all of the hand gestures that made no sense it was reported that he in fact signed two words correctly: “prawn,” and the phrase “rocking horse.”

Another big point that was made concerning the interpreter was the fact that he shouldn’t have been chosen to be so close to the world’s leaders if he was indeed suffering a schizophrenic attack, as he later claimed.

The overall security at Nelson Mandela’s

funeral was lacking; a reporter even said that he got into the stadium without going through any security.

Sophomore Ethan Ferguson said, “I think that the South African government is responsible.” This is how a lot of people feel about the whole situation because the man with schizophrenia just wanted to make some money to help out his family, and then the South African government just wanting to save some money and was not prepared for the event.

Sophmore Pascal Konyn did not dispute Ethan Ferguson’s opinion, but Konyn added, “I think that Thamsanqa Jantjie was and still is lying about the fact that he had a schizophrenic attack on stage.”

Konyn is not disputing the fact that this man has schizophrenia but the fact that he had an attack while interpreting at Mandela’s funeral. Many people also believe that the interpreter was lying, but the truth will possibly never come to light.

Entertainment

the Talisman

January 17, 2014

What makes a Classic?

What aspects of a movie classify it as a “timeless classic?”

Ethan Hauck sports editor What does the mob-violence of The Godfather have in common with Les Miserable’s French lovers? The only true common trait is that they are considered cinematic classics.

To movie lovers, they are essential to the human experience; their stories define a time period, when these events actually happened, albeit without (as many) theatrics. How can you classify two entirely separate works as classics? Is it their directing, their writing, music, or some unknown “x-factor?”

Some literature is regarded as essential in a truly happy life.

AP English Lit. and Honors Lit. teacher Mr. Cabrera says, “I think it’s important to note that there are some arbitrary parts to what makes a classic [book or movie], such as an important person likes it and writes about it, or produces it, or directs it. It’s a case of right person, right time. A lot of other classics are a definitive; they define an era or genre.”

Junior Jarod Bays thinks that what defines a classic is more about popularity. “[Movies like Silence of the Lambs, The Godfather, or Gone With the Wind] are

considered cult classics, and are generally considered ‘must sees,’ but if a movie is good enough to be considered a ‘must see’, I think that makes it a classic.”

About movies Cabrera says, “It has to appeal to academics and non-academics, in many age groups. Huckleberry Finn is an interesting example because many people tried to make it a classic, while many fought against it being a classic.

It wouldn’t go away. If a work won’t go away, if people can’t make it disappear, it can stay in the public eye forever. That’s what makes a classic, in my opinion.”

Churchill senior Nathan Smith says, “Movies are just as much of an art [form] as painting, writing, or music. What defines a classic in any of those other fields is how skillfully it’s designed and executed. What allows a classic to really come into its legacy, though, is if it’s timeless, if it lasts through time.”

Bays thinks that not all supposed classics are truly what they say they are. “I think a lot of people name their work classics, when they really shouldn’t be a classic. Things like ‘the classic work of high adventure’ or whatever, and it really has to be accepted by a lot of people before it can be considered a classic.”

Which works are classics are, in all reality, in the eyes

3

illustration by Micah Tamasaka

of the beholder. To many, Star Wars is a classic. But to just as many people, it’s a terrible series, which holds nothing to Casa Blanca. Eventually you have to decide for yourself what makes a classic. Is it the story, symbolism, directing, music, or how definitive it is?

A wave of change in late night television Following the Winter Olympics, The Tonight Show and Late Night will inherit two new hosts Ben Ely entertainment editor This February, the Winter Olympics airs on NBC from Sochi, Russia. Amidst this quadrennial international sporting event, however, a switch in late night television will also take place. On February 24 at 11:30 P.M., Jimmy Fallon, former Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member and current host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, will be taking over The Tonight Show, as Jay Leno will become the next NBC Broadcasting Chief. Following the debut of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers (former SNL cast member and writer) will be taking over Late Night (currently hosted by Fallon), which will be dubbed

Late Night with Seth Meyers. This slight shift has many critics and fans wondering just what effects this “switch” will have on late night television.

Fallon landed a spot in the SNL cast as a featured player in 1998 for the 1998-1999 season. He later became a full cast member in the summer of 1999 and stayed on the sketch comedy show until his departure in 2004. In May of 2008, NBC made an official announcement that Fallon would succeed Conan O’Brien and become the next host of Late Night. On May 2, 2009, the first episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon aired and it has been a regularly scheduled show since. It was announced in April of last year that Fallon would be taking over The Tonight Show. Fallon has since reported that it will be the same show as Late Night with a different time slot, higher viewership, and a different studio.

Meyers joined the SNL cast in 2001 and was promoted to head writer for the 2006-2007 season. He is best known for his work on SNL’s “Weekend Update,” a recurring sketch where SNL cast members act as anchors and satirize stories in the news. Much like Meyers, Fallon was a “Weekend

Florida Georgia Line Concert Country pop duo Florida Georgia Line’s Eugene concert is a success Ryan Enos staff writer

On Friday, December 15, I attended a country music concert at the Matthew Knight Arena. The main band was Florida Georgia Line, which was accompanied by opening acts Colt Ford and Dallas Smith. Hundreds of people attended the concert including some Sheldon students. Junior Jeremy Brown said, “I really enjoyed it, especially Colt Ford.”

Junior Colin Walsh said, “I really liked the concert. I never saw any of them in concert before.”

I liked the concert as well. It was fun and loud.

They had a good light show as well as good sound management. If I could change one thing about it I would bring down the prices of drinks and food.

Junior Corbin Huffman said, “I enjoyed the concert a lot;

they had a good show.” I saw a lot of cool things there. The light show was amazing. It had all these flashing colors and patterns. I had a good time because the band was very interactive with the audience. There were a lot of cool things about the concert; it is hard to choose my favorite one. They had smoke machines and steam cannons blasting and I think I would definitely go if they ever return to Eugene.

Update” anchor before leaving the show.

According to Meyers, the Late Night with Seth Meyers studio, which is directly above The Tonight Show, is still being built and the show’s format is yet to be determined. The show’s producers have not yet decided whether there will be a house band (like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’s The Roots) or whether there’ll be a show announcer. Meyers and producer Mike Shoemaker do have a good idea, however, of the type of guests they want on the show. According to Entertainment Weekly, there is talk of booking “more authors, politicians, and explainers.” There is also rumors of former SNL colleague, Amy Poehler, being the first guest on the show. Regarding the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a recent promo released by NBC suggests that the transition from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon will be smooth and that the “tradition” of The Tonight Show will continue.

Talisman Staff Editors-in-Chief

Holly Ford Kennedy Potts

Frontpage Editor News Editor Entertainment Editor Features Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Backpage Editor Graphics Designer Copy Editors

Holly Ford Noah Jang Ben Ely Kennedy Potts Jarred Rogers Ethan Hauck Micah Tamasaka Micah Tamasaka Ayla Bussel Sam Fox

Staff Writers Katelynn Allen Ryan Enos Jonah Jellesed Taylor Marvel McKinley Patrick Brooklyn Spencer

Austyn Cassano Jack Forrest Dylan Malpass Tanner Mitchell Noah Savage Trisdon Zepeda

Staff Adviser

Greg Cantwell

A message from the Talisman

photo illustration by Ben Ely

The Talisman is run by students for students. The views expressed in the Talisman are not necessarily those of the Talisman staff, those of Sheldon High School, or those of the Sheldon community. If you have any letters to the editor, please e-mail the Talisman at shstalisman@gmail.com, or drop a letter in our box located in the office. We kindly reserve the right to edit all stories we print.

Features Don’t sweat it because of the credit Mckinley Patrick photographer staff writer Students have varying opinions on the question of whether school sports should count for physical education credit at Sheldon. While sports teach team work, camaraderie, physical fitness, and encourage a healthy lifestyle, some still believe that it still is not the equivalent of the knowledge gained from a physical education class.

Students responded to this issue in various ways.

Senior Brianne Rickets said, “I think that sports teach more about physical fitness than PE.” Rickets also stated, “PE has taught me how to play different sports, such as tennis, and is also a fun class.”

Rickets believes that even though sports teach her more about physical fitness, PE classes open up the opportunity to try sports you wouldn’t normally.

Senior and cheer captain Grace Dwyer had a similar opinion and said, “I learn more about fitness through my sport because my coach teaches us about what we should be eating, and stretches to do, whereas PE doesn’t teach much about a nutritious lifestyle.” Dwyer wished that doing cheer for Sheldon would count for a PE credit because it keeps her healthy, teaches about

a healthy lifestyle, and is a big time commitment. Doing cheer has given Dwyer great leadership skills and taught her the importance of being an active individual.

Sophomore and water polo athlete and volleyball player Ally Crisp said that she too gained more from doing sports than being in a PE class. “Sports are more interactive, physically demanding, focused on performance, and the health benefits.” Even though Crisp wished her sport counted for some credit she said that she would still choose to be in a PE class because it gives her good practice and has taught her how to avoid sports-related injuries.

Sports and PE are each very valuable in teaching the importance of a fit lifestyle throughout the school week. While sports and PE both inform students of similar basic healthy habits, in the end they have different goals and outcomes.

Features Cupcake Club Katelynn Allen staff writer

Which do you enjoy more: making cupcakes or eating them?

Cupcake Club is a fun and interactive club at Sheldon High School for many reasons.

One important reason is that the students in Cupcake Club meet once a week to organize to sell the cupcakes they have made the previous night at home. The money earned from selling the cupcakes goes towards different types of charities and also to pay for the ingredients.

Sophomore Leilani Offet said, “It’s really giving back to the community! And the cupcakes are a bonus.”

Another reason why Cupcake Club is fun and interactive is because you get to try the flavors before anyone else gets to eat them. Sophomore Vyvian Le said, “The best part about Cupcake Club is being able to test try the batches every Tuesday because most of them are all really good!” Le later added, “My favorite flavors are Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Chocolate.”

The cupcake flavors of Cupcake Club change every week. There are always two flavors a week that you can choose from. Cupcake Club meets every Tuesday in Mr. Hahn’s room (room C10). So if you like making and eating cupcakes, check out this fun club. Anyone is accepted!

Recipes: Peanut butter cookies Jarred Rogers opinions editor

As a man of science, I can honestly say there are few things as exciting as being on the verge of a technological breakthrough. Researchers have recently begun developing amazing new things, like virtual reality simulators and, more recently, a collar that may allow communication with dogs. Sounds fascinating, right?

Well, this isn’t actually about any of those things, because apparently someone thought it would be a good idea for me to teach you how to make cookies. I’m not thrilled either, but hey, who doesn’t like cookies- specifically those of the peanut variety? Except maybe people with allergies, but who cares about them, anyway. Now, this recipe has long since been passed down through my family, ever since the days of the mighty Roman Empire.

By that I mean I stole it from a guy who stole it from a guy who stole it from a cooking show, but whatever.

Normally I would bake these cookies using the fires of the mighty dragon Alduin, but since you probably aren’t as awesome as I am, you’ll want to start by preheating your oven to 350. If you like to live dangerously, you could even try 349 or...wait for it... 351.

While that’s going, take a bowl, and mix the butter and sugar together. After that you want to mix in the vanilla and the egg. Once that’s done, it’s time to stir in the peanut butter. Now, it’s very important you keep this order. If you don’t, you must immediately say the words, “Klaatu verrata nicto” and start all over.

If you have followed the order so far, I commend you on being able to read and follow instructions on the most basic of levels. Now, grab another bowl, and mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry contents to the wet contents, and mix that up. Once you’re done mixing, add the peanut butter chips, and mix it again.

Okay, now you need a tea spoon and a cookie sheet.

You have two options here - you can either grease the cookie sheet using Crisco or something like that, or you can use parcel paper.

Personally I recommend the latter. Anyway, take the spoon, and start scooping out the dough onto the cookie sheet. Be sure to space evenly.

Once that’s done, flatten out the cookies- they won’t flatten out during baking. All that’s left is to take some peanuts, crush them up, and sprinkle them on top of the cookies. Now, put them in the oven for about ten minutes. If, while baking the cookies, you noticed a portal has opened in your back yard, and deadites have begun to crawl out of it, don’t worry, this is normal. Just ignore it and go watch Memento or something.

Once the cookies have started to brown on the edges, they’re done. They might feel a bit soft, but that’s okay, just let them sit for a while. And that’s really all there is to it - this recipe should make you around two dozen cookies.

Now try not to choke while you eat all of them by yourself.

“Dubbed” the best choir in Eugene Brooklyn Spencer staff writer

The Dublinaires are Sheldon’s elite choir. They compete in competitions as far away as southern California and even have competitions for soloists.

The Dubs practice every other school day and have about three performances a day during the winter season. At one point, they had seven in one day. The Dubs mostly travel around Oregon but in January they take a trip to Disneyland to compete. The Dubs usually place in the top three in their competitions.

All high school students are able to audition for the Dubs, but it’s hard to make Dubs as a freshman. Being a senior is a big deal in the Dubs. Seniors mainly get key solos, and there’s only about five solos in Dubs. The solo most people aim for is the “Silent Night” solo which shows off vocal ability. It is possible for anyone to get solos, but since it’s the seniors last year in high school, they mainly get them.

“The busyness of the holiday season can affect your grades, though. You’re constantly having to leave class to go to performances,” said Cameron Ritchey, a senior in the dubs, “As long as you stay on top of everything, you’ll be fine, though.”

“The dubs practice hard, but it’s all worth it once you win,” says Makila Spencer, a junior in Dubs. “We all have a lot of fun, though; even the practices are enjoyable.”

From all the things these Dubs have to say, it’s easy to assume that if you love to sing in choirs and maybe even sing solos and you’re looking for an extra curricular activity, then the Dubs are a good choice for you.

The Dubs perform some holiday songs during lunch

Photo by: Kennedy Potts

Reviews: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

Here’s what you’ll need: 1/2 cup of unsalted butter 1/2 cup of sugar 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 1/2 cups of flour 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1/2 cup of peanut butter (smooth) 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips Peanuts

Photo by: Holly Ford

Nick Hetrick contributing writer Barbecue is one of the best food groups out there; just go watch some Barbecue Pitmasters and you will know what I mean. I like barbecue so much that last year I received my certification to become a barbecue judge (CBJ) through the Kansas City Barbecue Society, so I knew what to look for when I went to Dickey’s Barbecue, and they delivered.

Located just north of Dairy Queen on Coburg, Dickey’s offers a wide variety of delicious meats such as ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, turkey, and ham. My favorite meat is the pulled pork, which has been smoked for twelve hours, but is still moist and full of flavor. For barbecue you want the meat to be cooked perfectly and Dickey’s is spot on, not tough, mushy, or dry. The flavor is a great combination of smoke and rub, as well as the flavor of the meat. The brisket is also very good; it is very tender but not overcooked. The tenderness on brisket is supposed to be where you can pick up the piece of brisket and it has some resistance if you pull it apart that is well cooked brisket. Dickey’s does it right.

The ribs are very good, and the ham and turkey are great. Every day at Dickey’s they have a special,

photo by Nick Hetrick

where you get a sandwich or a meat selection, with two sides, a roll, and a large drink, for $8.99.

This is a great price for barbecue, which can run you as much as $15 a plate for the same amount of food.

Dickey’s has a variety of sides, beans (barbecue and jalapeno), mac and cheese, waffle fries, onion tanglers, and more. Dickey’s offers three sauces to compliment their meats, spice, sweet, and original sauce. My favorite is the original, which offers a nice balance between sweet and heat. In addition to your purchase, Dickey’s offers free ice cream.

They have cones and vanilla ice cream for dessert or you can get creative and make a root beer float after your barbecue.

Dickey’s is also offering a student special for $5 in which you get a sandwich, side, soda, and Ice Cream.

The staff at Dickey’s is very nice, and is very helpful in explaining about their meats and sides. The restaurant is very clean and has a good atmosphere.

Dickey’s Pit Barbecue is the best restaurant option for Sheldon students looking for a big meal that is full of delicious flavor. I highly recommend that everyone at Sheldon go and try Dickey’s.

Chris Hughes contributing writer Of all the food choices available to Sheldon students during lunch, good barbecue was not one of them, until now. Dickey’s Barbeque Pit recently moved into the mini mall across the street from Buddies Diner. They offer a wide variety of meat plates, sandwiches, and delicious sides. I believe they offer the best barbeque in town, and they are conveniently located. They offer daily specials along with a student special. My personal favorite is their Wednesday special; a pulled pork and polish sausage, Westerner sandwich.

Their meats include pulled pork, beef brisket, turkey breast, barbecue honey ham, spicy cheddar sausage, polish sausage, and finally, ribs. To go along side of their delicious meats, they have a wide array of sides that anyone would love. They also offer baked potatoes and salads. Another cool feature is that they offer free soft serve ice cream for the end of your meal.

The atmosphere is very fitting to the cuisine, and the staff is very friendly. Their prices are reasonable, and the student special is perfect for a high school student. Over all, Dickey’s Barbeque is an excellent addition to the lunch options for the Sheldon student, and by far my favorite. the Sheldon student, and by far my favorite.

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Opinions

January 17, 2014

Will the new Amazon.com flying drone project be able to deliver?

The new amazon drones are a highly ambitious idea that are giving many a case of cognitive dissonance Micah Tamasaka backpage editor With every company out in the world having to deal with the inevitable downfall of its company, Amazon has decided to try and continue being one of the major contenders in the global shipping market with its new invention, the Amazon Drone. This past year they have introduced the Amazon Drone, which is a small machine that can carry packages of five pounds from the packaging center to the consumer.

Amazon has always been at the forefront of delivering packages and other items of value, and with its resent advances in produce they are now able to ship food right to consumers’ doors, fresh and green as though it had just been picked from the farm where it was grown. And with this amazing advancement the CEO of Amazon is striving to make electronic drones that are capable of delivering small to medium items to you more quickly and safely than through delivery trucks. Senor Chris Dunphy informed me: “I

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think that the drones will make the delivering of packages a lot faster, but it will also provide a lot of theft because if the drone delivers your package when you’re not home then someone could just walk up to the front door and take it. The drone can only go in one direction so it can hit a multitude of different objects as it flies, it will also be really easy for the packages to be lost or damaged since it can hit so many different things.

However, I think that this is a good idea.”

These small Drones will be able to take packages right from the packaging to your door step via GPS and satellite imaging. The drones can fly for about ten miles on rechargeable batteries. Junior Alan Long said, “I think that a lot of people are going to buy a lot of BB guns to shoot them down.” Not only is it green, but it’s also made from recycled materials. If one goes down it’s made of bio degradable materials. However, they also have a live tracking device so that they will be able to monitor and track the shipment through the shipping process.

The people running the Amazon Drone project want to be able to deliver packaged goods within thirty minutes of its order. You might be seeing this little project delivering your packages as late as 2019; they promise a thirty minute delivery from time you order to delivery. Senior Daniel Kemp informed me of some serious problems saying, “Theft is going to go way up and people are going to die.” Amazon is planning on implementing the new regulations that the Federal Aviation Administration just passed regarding unmanned aircraft. They plan on abiding by these new rules by 2015.

In my opinion this is a great way to stay ahead of the competition and a great and ecofriendly thing they are doing. However, implementing this in our society might be little difficult. With all of the large power lines and high skyscrapers not to mention the trees that it could crash into it raises the question if this is a reliable product, or if it’s just a waste of resources and time.

“...people are going to die.”

- senior Daniel Kemp

YouTube copyright infringement policies are getting way out of hand YouTube is beginning to crack down on those breaking copyright laws - or are they?

Trisdon Zepeda staff writer The new YouTube copyright system has been causing quite a stir recently, now claiming that an uploader must own one hundred percent of a video’s content for it to not be flagged for copyright infringement. Under this new rule, someone who does reviews for movies or video games or someone who creates “let’s plays” (video walkthroughs of video games with commentary over them) can now have their accounts removed for copyright infringement. The folks over at Google, the owners of YouTube, have apparently never heard of copyright law section 107, the documentation of fair use.

With this new copyright rule YouTube has made a huge change to their

copyright filter. It is now overly sensitive and will now pick up on the slightest anything and flag a video. An example of just how ridiculous the filter is now is when a YouTube user by the name of Gopher had a video of him playing the video game Fallout 3 flagged because the song “Crazy He Calls Me” (1949) can be barely heard for three seconds on a static radio in the background while being muffled by gunshots and Gopher’s voice commentating.

The new system is incredibly frustrating for people who make a livelihood off of making content for YouTube. All ad revenue made by YouTube content that has been flagged will all go directly to Google instead of sending the majority of the profit to the creators, the people who have built up the website for years and have been making Google millions if not billions of dollars.

It is sickening how a company can screw over their community like this just to make even more money than they already do. Hopefully in the future YouTube will remove this unfair copyright rule, but YouTube has never been known to take constructive criticism well, following the motto “If it’s broken, you should break it some more.”

graphic by Micah Tamasaka

The marginalization of teen slang What do you think when you hear the word “gay” in the hallways?

Ayla Bussel copy editor Your teacher just gave you a 1000 word essay that’s due in two days.

“That’s so gay,” says the kid next to you. It seems that every other word out of teens’ mouths today is either a cuss word or a derogatory term. The n-word, which was once considered a horrendous term used to describe an African American person, now seems to be used freely among young people. The word ‘gay’ is no longer used to express happiness, but has morphed into a synonym for stupid, dumb, or lame. Unfortunately, in the halls of Sheldon, these cruel words are used all too frequently. Sheldon students have differing opinions on the subject at hand. However, it seems that some agree with one idea: “It’s just a joke with my friends.”

Eduardo Munhoz, a senior originally from Brazil, was very honest and said, “I say [gay] and [n*****] all the time! Everybody says it,” he admitted. “In my country, I feel like people don’t take as much offense to those kinds of words as they do here [in the U.S.A].”

“If you were to say [the n-word] I think a lot of people would turn around and notice it more than they would in Brazil.” When asked

if he would consider not using derogatory phrases such as “that’s so gay” when he’s around people that are gay, Munhoz replied, “I would probably consider not saying that if there were gays around because it hurts their feelings.” Munhoz also said that he has a lot of friends that are African American and he says the n-word around them and they don’t seem to care. But is that really true?

Deep down do we really know that people “don’t care” when this kind of language is used?

Since we’re living in a society that is frequently changing so much I feel that it’s very important that as teenagers we stick together and support each other. When we say these kinds of hurtful things, although we may just say “it’s a joke” or “I just say it to my friends and they don’t care” – it really is hurtful to some people. And while it may not seem like a big deal to some, you never know who hears what you’re saying nor do you know the level that it impacts some people who might be too afraid to speak up.

Seniors Misha Ruiz and Grace Dwyer both said that it irritates them when they hear teens using words such as ‘retarded’ or ‘n*****’. Ruiz said, “It can be very hurtful to people who actually have a mental illness” for them to hear kids using the word retarded in a negative way. I feel like society has accepted this kind of language and we’re surrounded by it in movies, music, and the media. People think it’s no big deal.”

Dwyer added, “It’s very discriminative and people associate words like gay with negative connotations.” Ruiz mentioned that she has one friend who says things like ‘n*****’ and ‘Ha gaaay’ a lot but she feels that, “If I say anything [regarding their use of these words] to my friend, they will just brush it off. In their mind, it’s not as bad as it is in mine.” When asked if they thought it mattered whether you’re African American and use the n-word versus if you’re white and use it, both Ruiz and Dwyer agreed, “It means the same thing, but when white people use it some people take offense to it, and when African American people use it, it’s considered funny [by some teens].” Ruiz added that in 7th grade, she used to use the word retarded all the time, but she has since stopped because she realized how “rude and ridiculous” it is to use these kinds of words.

It frustrates me that some people can be so insensitive to think that no one cares when you say things like, “that’s gay.” How do you know that the kid walking down the hall next to you doesn’t walk a little faster because they in fact are gay and heard you say that and got scared?

It’s important that teens realize that words like “gay”, “n****”, or “fag” do in fact make a difference in other teens lives.

Sports

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Sports injuries and how to prevent them Sheldon’s athletic trainer speaks about sports-related injuries Jack Forrest staff writer Sheldon High School is known statewide for having one of the best sports programs in Oregon. However, playing sports often comes with consequences ranging from simply a sprain, to serious issues like broken bones, concussions, and serious muscle tears. Schools are always looking for ways to prevent these injuries before they happen, and to prevent these injuries from becoming even more severe.

Many injured students at Sheldon go to see Athletic Trainer, Laura Baker, when they are injured. They can see her for any type of injury, or even pains they feel while playing their sport. When asked what injury she sees the most, Baker replied, “The injury I see most at Sheldon is the sprained ankle; however, people come and see me most often when they are feeling pain because those pains often lead to an actual injury.” Baker also said that the best way to prevent injuries from happening is to come and evaluate your pains as soon as they occur because it’s too late once you are already hurt.

There is a way to prevent injuries from happening in even further advance by stretching and preparing your body for the sport you play before you play it. In Baker’s opinion, the league does not award coaches enough time to work with their athletes in preparation for the upcoming season. Along with that, coaches can’t work with the students individually to help build strength in weak areas to be kept safe while playing their sports. On the other hand, Sheldon has done exceptionally well preventing injuries. Baker explains why: “Our coaches at Sheldon have always done an excellent job at warming up their teams and putting time into finding out the best ways to warm

them up, things like dynamic stretching.

Also the athletes at Sheldon are never lazy and are always working to get stronger at what they do. Sheldon’s injury rate’s very low compared to other Eugene schools.”

However, Sheldon also has their share of severe injuries. Baker estimates that there are somewhere around five season ending ACL tears a year (which is relatively good compared to the amount of students involved in Sheldon athletics). There are many concussions as well. These types of injuries don’t come with a warning in the disguise of pain, like other injuries do, but they happen suddenly and they are why it is necessary to give an accurate report of the injury to a doctor or athletic trainer.

“You only hurt yourself when you try to play your injury off as nothing, trying to continue to play a sport,” said Baker.

Someday technology will advance and it will be possible to receive a more accurate diagnosis of an injury in a faster time.

Until then it is crucial that student athletes continue to work on their weaknesses and to report to Athletic Trainer, Laura Baker, in case of injuries or pains.

“You only hurt yourself when you play your injury off as nothing, trying to continue to play a sport.”

- Laura Baker

U of O snowball fight

January 17, 2014

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Army vs. Navy Football The old rivals clash again Dylan Malpass staff writer The Army-Navy football game is a tradition that has been carried out between the two military service academies for decades. On December 14, the Naval Academy Midshipmen and the West Point Cadets went to war on the football field for the 114th time. With a final score of thirty four to seven, the Midshipmen took home the win for the twelfth year in a row, marking the longest winning streak in the game’s history. When questioned about the outcome of the game, senior Nick Hetrick stated, “I am very happy about Navy’s win! I’d like to see them win every year!”

Although the tradition may just seem like another college football game, the Army-Navy game tends to have a more significant impact than others. When asked about the significance of the game, senior Russel Geiger said, “It means a little more because our servicemen are playing.”

Over the course of the game’s history, the Army-Naval football game has been coined “America’s Game.” When asked whether or not he agreed with this name, Hetrick said, “I feel that is an appropriate name. The military academies serve the country, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be called America’s Game.”

“It means a little more because our servicemen are playing.”

- senior Russel Geiger

The Army-Navy football game has represented the United States, and the U.S. Military since 1890. Since then, one-hundred-fourteen games have been played, with fifty-eight wins for Navy, forty-nine wins for Army, and seven ties. The tradition will be carried out for years to come, and will continue to prove itself as “America’s Game.”

Alamo bowl: Ducks win 30-7 The Ducks are victorious once again against Texas

Tanner Mitchell staff writer

Football players punished, unable to play Austyn Cassano staff writer The snowball fight that occurred at the University of Oregon campus during the large snowstorm this past December was all over the internet and local news. YouTube and Facebook were two big providers of the video. A few students that were a part of the enormous snowball fight reported seeing some of the University’s student athletes, specifically football players, engaging in the fight. On the YouTube video, tight end Pharoah Brown was seen dumping snow out of a bucket onto a man who got out of a car that was stopped by students and pelted with snowballs. The innocent man who had snow dumped all over him happened to be a professor at the school. All of the football players involved had to apologize for their actions and as consequence, Brown and his fellow teammates sat out the Ducks

next game, the Alamo Bowl in Texas.

Senior Nick Perches said, “I don’t think any of the students meant to hurt or offend anyone. They wanted to have a fun snow day and it just got way out of hand. I’m not sure that sitting them all out for the last game was a great idea, but I guess that it was the only punishment available at the time.”

Sophomore Carter Johnson said, “I think that the student athletes were abusing their popularity and started something that was inappropriate and extremely rude. That makes the University of Oregon look really bad.”

Sophomore Kyle Weixelman said, “I honestly don’t look at it as a big deal. It was a bunch of foolish kids that made a mistake.

The professor probably wasn’t even that upset about the whole thing, because in the video he seemed to take it all really well.”

There was much anticipation surrounding the Alamo Bowl. Oregon was set to play against Texas. With much controversy surrounding both teams, including Oregon’s 2-2 slide in their last four games, and Mack Brown’s final game as the head football coach at Texas, it was an anticipated game. Many Oregon fans were disappointed that the Ducks missed going to a fifth consecutive BCS bowl game. Texas fans have mixed feelings about Mack Brown stepping down as the head coach.

Going into the game, there were a number of things that could have happened.

Oregon fell short of reaching a fifth consecutive BCS bowl game. The Ducks were held out of the BCS by way of a Michigan State victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State was sent to the Orange Bowl, which is the game that Oregon would have played in if Ohio State had won the Big Ten championship game.

Junior Parker Knight said, “I didn’t really have expectations for the game.”

Oregon defeated Texas 30-7, scoring on two interceptions returned for touchdowns, Marcus Mariota’s shovel pass to Josh Huff, and three of Matt Wogan’s field goals. Mariota gained 386 yards of total offense, including 133 yards gained rushing, showing off how healthy his right knee really was, just to have a left hamstring cramp in the third quarter. After the game, Mariota said that he was out of shape after not having played full-speed in over a month. Texas had one touchdown drive that took sixteen plays and seven minutes to complete. The first half was dominated by Mariota’s rushing ability, and Oregon’s defense. Oregon’s defense dominated the second half as well, including a turnover on downs when Texas threatened to score in the fourth quarter.

Junior Thomas Long said, “I thought the game was awesome. I want the DVD.” Staff member Travis Tubbs said, “The game was well played.” The Alamo Bowl sort of answered some questions fans had entering the game.

Backpage Sleeping habits of the youthfully blissful With many people staying up thoughout the night, some people are starting to wonder why students have such poor sleeping habits Sam Fox copy editor

It’s widely known that a common problem with teenagers is sleep, or the lack thereof; however, for some teenagers, sleep is not an issue. They lie down at night and fall asleep almost immediately, but for other people falling asleep is a task that is harder than any other task they have faced earlier in the day. For some, falling asleep becomes so difficult that they find the idea to be useless and instead find themselves staying up all night, unable to sleep.

For some people, sleep is something that is almost impossible. This may be caused by things such as insomnia or ADHD, and for others it is the simple internal will to not sleep. Sophomore Kayla WilburBash said, “I get a full night’s sleep m a y b e once a week.

Not often enough.” She later added, “I stay up thinking about the day, worrying about the next day, and homework, and stuff.”

With a lack of sleep usually comes a lack of enthusiasm at school. Sophomore Sammi Schoppe said, “At night, if I don’t sleep, I can’t focus at school!

Then, I don’t know how to do the homework.”

Teenagers are known for their ability to stay up all night, but what they don’t think about is the effect it might have on them the next day at school.

In order to avoid exhaustion, some people have or used to have an enforced bed time. Sophomore Carter Johnson said, “ [ M y

bedtime was] nine when I was in elementary and ten when I was in middle school, v and my mom enforced it.”

The reason for a lack of sleep is not always inexcusable, however. For some people, there are distractions and noises that keep them up until late at night, such as babies screaming or people yelling in the street. Wilbur-Bash said, “Sometimes [I am kept up,] yes. Mostly, the distractions are just my thoughts, but sometimes if I have homework or something I stay up late or get up early to do it.”

Some make up for the lack of sleep by substituting things for sleep to create new energy. People eat healthy foods, drink coffee, and sneak in energy shots or drinks throughout the day to help themselves when they lack sleep. Schoppe said, “Chai is like the best thing ever! I know it’s not great for me, but it keeps me going.” She later added, “As long as I have my chai tea in the mornings, I’m good.”

Having cell phones in class: is it a good thing?

Photo by Dylan Malpass

Is having cell phones in classs as problematic as some make it out to be?

Amanda Perkins contributing writer If you are a teenager of this century, you probably have a cell phone of some sort. If you’re anything like me, you’re a little bit attached to it, and maybe even addicted. It’s difficult for me to go even an hour without texting or checking Tumblr or Instagram. Although Sheldon technically has a policy against cell phones in its classrooms, they have become commonplace despite their potential to distract from learning. As French teacher Angela Barley put it, cell phones in class can be an issue, but she doesn’t think it stops there. “It’s a social problem,” Barley said, explaining that she feels people actually have a legitimate addiction to the devices.

Students are of a split opinion. Junior Jonathan Kim says that he thinks texting in class is generally okay, “as long as it isn’t extremely distracting and causing a disruption to the class as a whole.” Senior Mina Schaaf, on the other hand, doesn’t think texting in class is the best choice, but does point out that the Internet access that many phones have provide a positive contribution to learning. Spanish teacher Lisa Albrich has even had her students record themselves speaking using their iPhones, proving that cell phone usage in the classroom isn’t always negative.

I know that leaving your phone behind’s easier said than done, but after some teasing from my teachers (cough, cough Ms. Tierney), I’ve come up with a strategy for those days when I really shouldn’t be texting: I leave my phone in the car.

Seriously, it’s easier when I don’t have it, and sometimes I manage to forget it’s gone and even (gasp) learn something.

Some TV shows we loved are cancelled just as quickly as they came on Many shows came to our televisions last year, but just as many have left, or been cancelled.

Noah Savage staff writer Each year there are new TV shows, some not as popular as others.

Usually the unpopular shows get cancelled. Have you ever had a favorite show of yours get canceled?

Do you think it shouldn’t have been?

Sophomore Josh Harris has watched a lot of TV in his lifetime but hasn’t seen many shows get canceled.

Harris said, “Breaking Bad shouldn’t have ended yet.” Some shows don’t get canceled; they just run out of money to fund the show. Harris said, “I only watch TV about two or three hours a day.” Others watch TV for longer and neglect their social lives and spend their time watching TV. Harris has many favorite TV shows, “The Walking Dead, South Park, and Adventure Time are some of my favorite shows.”

“The Walking Dead, South Park, and Adventure Time are some of my favorite shows.”

-sophomore Josh Harris There are some TV shows that get canceled in the middle of the season and then a few years later come back on air. Harris stated, “Zombies, good drama, and great endings make shows popular.”

Show popularity depends on many factors such as a good producer, great story line and talented actors. Some shows on the air have been going on for years and some people think they should be canceled; Harris had something to say, “I think Glee should be canceled.” Many companies go

through a lot to get their shows more popular, Harris said, “Companies need to promote their shows a lot.”

Sophomore Davis Glazebrook said he only watches TV “once a week.” When he does, he watches “Lie To Me. [It] is one of my favorite shows.” Glazebrook also has some reasons why shows are more popular than others: “Good actors, good plot line, and special effects.”

Sophomore Chris Alben said, “I

don’t watch TV very often.” Alben has a couple of favorite shows and watches them as much as he can.

“I like Modern Marvels and Lock and Load.” There are some shows that seem to be popular but end up getting canceled, Alben, knows that feeling. “My favorite show Lock and Load got canceled.” People have different opinions on why they like certain shows; Alben has his reasons: “Explosions and good actors make a good show.” A lot of great TV shows never get seen and are not popular enough and end up getting canceled.