No Flex Zone Magazine Spring 2015

SPRING 2015

Are You Help End

The Water

CRISIS The Problem

With Girl

FIGHTS

THE JOGGERS

TYPE?

How Much

DO YOU

KNOW ABOUT

ISIS?

LETTER FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

Students,

I am so excited about the great work that you have been doing as you created this awesome magazine. Your hard work inspires us all to greatness. Thanks for allowing me to play a small role in your production. I look forward to your continued great work in the spring.

Sauda Porter

CONTENTS WHAT’S HAPPENING 6: WATER CRISIS BY BRITTANY ALEXANDER 7: MISSISSIPPI HANGING BY JAMAL 8: THE CHASE FOR ISIS BY EDWARD PORTER 9: CHUY GARCIA BY DYLAN JOHNSON 10: WHERE IS THE OIL? BY ARMANI JACKSON 11: GIRL FIGHTS BY MARLEE MOORE

THE FUTURE 12: ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY BY STEPHON SMITH 14: JACKSEPTICON BY AMON LEE 15: KINGDOM HEARTS 3 BY LORENZO BROWN

POP OUT 16: WE’VE GOT THE BLUES 20: JOGGERS BY ZARI WISEMAN 21: FAST & FURIOUS 7 BY JALEN NEWMAN

CULTURE 22: FACE DRAWING BY BRITTANY ALEXANDER

PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON PERSPECTIVES MAGAZINE CONTACT US: TRUESTARJR@TRUESTARMAGAZINE.COM TRUESTARIS.COM TO DONATE TO TRUE STAR FOUNDATION, VISIT TRUESTARFOUNDATION.ORG

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS DEANNA MCLEARY & NA-TAE’ THOMPSON MANAGING EDITOR MARTI PARHAM EDITORIAL COORDINATOR SERENA BOLDEN ART DIRECTION DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION ANGEL D’AMICO-BAUER PHOTO COORDINATOR DESHAUN ADAMS

CONTRIBUTORS

Jamal Phillips

Armani Jackson

Jalen N

ewman

Zari Wiseman

ohnson

Dylan J

Lorenzo Bro

wn

Brittany Alexander

Shayla Barker

Charlee M

not pictured: Vestro Sylvestre Qamar Key

oore

WHAT’S HAPPENING

The Water Crisis

BY BRITTANY ALEXANDER

W

hat is the water Crisis?

The water crisis is one of the earliest 20-21th first century calamities affecting billions of people.

Not being able to access the water when it is in the area is a big cause of the water crisis.

Water shortages and overpopulation are also a few mainsprings of water scarcity. According to Water.org, “750 million people around the world lack access to safe water.” This is “approximately one in nine people.” Lastly, open defecation practices and poor sanitation cause water contamination – another leading cause. The U.N. estimates “that there are 2.5 billion people who still do not use an improved sanitation facility and a little over 1 billion practicing open defecation.”

Where is it?

In every continent the water crisis is prevalent.

Even the U.S. is suffering from water shortages and contamination. Recent statistics show that California is “facing one of the most severe droughts on record.”--- According to the Californian government. Many plans and calls to action have been made, but there is little time and little support. The drought is so extreme that there are now mandatory water restrictions.

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It may seem as though with the water you see when you go to the pool, school, work, or even at home that the water is plentiful; but that is not really the case. The U.S. as a whole, is running low on freshwater. Every day, Americans misuse and overuse the water provided by public water suppliers. According to the American Water Works Foundation (AWWA), “Average daily U.S. domestic water use (including outdoor) is 27.4 billion gallons.” Tasks we find ourselves doing routinely are using gallons and gallons of water. Just taking a shower for 10 minutes can use up to 10 gallons, and add up to almost 635 gallons a month!

What can we do?

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

The three Rs for going green don’t just apply to trash. We can reduce the amount of water we use by taking shorter showers or filling the tub at a smaller amount. We can reuse and recycle water by saving water used for baths and watering plants. And you can donate to organizations that provide water sources in places that are drought-ridden and have little to no sanitation. Our call of action is simple, but can impact millions of lives, including own own.

Black Man Found

HANGING In Mississippi

BY JAMAL PHILLIPS

O

tis Byrd, 54, was missing since March 2 and reported missing March 8. Authorities found his body hanging from a tree in the woods behind his residence in Claiborne County, Mississippi on March 19, according to USA Today. It is unclear if it is a suicide, or if the man was killed by someone. The family strongly believes that Byrd did not commit suicide. There are two investigations with authorities from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation on the scene.

Byrd’s body was found hanging from a bed sheet.

CNN reported that Willie Shorter, Byrd’s father, was told of his son’s death by a local pastor. “I was mad,” Shorter said, describing the emotions he felt. “How would you feel if it was your child hanging from a tree?” He said that he’s not visiting the site and has been trying to cope.

His friends say they dropped him off at a casino in Vicksburg on March 2. Before going to print, the family was still demanding answers and authorities were still trying to find forensic evidence to prove if Byrd was killed.

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ISIS Facts

BY VESTRO SYLVESTRE

I

SIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and is a terrorist group. It was formed in April 2013 with members from Al-Qaeda. The leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and little is known about him. They run about 1/3 of Iraq and are looking to take over more territories. They are heavily funded but not universally accepted, even Al-Qaeda does not claim any affiliation with them. Here are some more facts about ISIS:

• ISIS HAS KILLED OVER 9,000 PEOPLE; MOST OF THEM ARE CIVILIANS. • THE PEOPLE OF ISIS HAVE LAUNCHED VARIOUS OFFENSIVE ATTACKS LIKE SLAUGHTERING CHILDREN IN IRAQ IN OCTOBER 2014.

• THE TERRORIST GROUP TOOK TIKRIT UNDER CONTROL. • ISIS KILLED DOZENS OF PEOPLE IN CHURCHES. SYRIAN OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SAID THE DEAD INCLUDED 37 CIVILIANS WHO WERE EITHER SHOT DEAD, BURNED OR STABBED BY ISIS. • THE GROUP BEHEADED JEWISH JOURNALIST STEVEN SOTLOFF AND DELIVERED A DEVASTATING MESSAGE TO AMERICA. • WE NEED TO FIGHT BACK BY BLOCKING THE FINANCIAL NETWORK. SO THAT WE CAN STOP THEM FROM BUYING DANGEROUS WEAPONS LIKE SNIPERS , AK-12 , BAZOOKAS , ETC. 8 PERSPECTIVES

Who is

Chuy Garcia?

BY DYLAN JOHNSON

C

huy Garcia was born April 12, 1956, and is currently 58 years old. He is a cook county commissioner and the man who ran against Rahm Emmanuel for mayor of Chicago. He only decided to run for mayor after Chicago Teachers Union leader, Karen Lewis, declined to run after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. The Teachers Union has clashed sharply with current mayor Rahm Emmanuel for the last four years.

A former alderman and deputy water commissioner in the 1980s, Garcia has been in and out of politics over the years. He’s not really a newcomer, but not a career politician either.

“Chuy” is a common Mexican nickname for people named Jesus. Garcia was born in Mexico and moved to Chicago as a kid. The name “Chuy” was all over campaign signage and his mustache was all over his campaign buttons.

“Don’t blame me, I just haven’t shaved since I was 14” he joked while campaigning.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Garcia gave a negative assessment of President Obama’s record on income inequality and other economic concerns. “It’s disappointing” Garcia said of Obama. “I don’t think he has signaled a clear direction or demonstrated enough empathy for how much people have suffered.” But Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), he said, “has been more forthcoming on talking about it thus far.”

During his concession speech following the mayoral run-off Garcia instilled hope in the next generation of young people. “To all the little boys and girls watching, we didn’t lose today.

We tried today,” García said. “We fought hard for what we believed in. You don’t succeed at this or anything unless you try. So, keep trying. Keep standing up for yourself and what you believe in and one day, one of you will be standing here where I am tonight.”

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Where is the OIL?

BY ARMANI JACKSON

U

.S. oil exploration and development occurs by permitting companies to tap oil off the coast. Without allowing this, the U.S. will become increasingly dependent on oil imports from other countries, namely the countries in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or “OPEC.” This energy dependence hurts U.S. military dominance, or “hegemony,” because it means that our ability to project power around the world will be determined by other countries.

America has the strongest military, most active economy, and most wide-reaching culture of any country in the world. There’s no logical reason that oil dependence would change all of these things. In particular, it is in the best interest of 10 PERSPECTIVES

other countries to sustain U.S. leadership. Even the states are in a better position than the federal government to explore and develop the oceans.

They have greater experience, they’ve devoted many resources to ocean policy in the past few years, and their ability to analyze data trumps the federal government’s knowledge.

Opponents say the government’s use of the Army Corps of Engineers will ruin the environment and run up costs of doing the plan and preventing it from solving the harms. We declined; no one is close enough to U.S. military power to challenge U.S. hegemony. Only the federal government has the legal right to drill for oil; states are only able to regulate oil drilling. The counterplan could not drill for oil.

Girl FIGHTS

BY CHARLEE MOORE

G

irl fights can start many ways. Some of those ways include talking about someone, insulting another person or threatening another person. I have been in a girl fight and I didn’t like the consequences. I have now decided to inspire girls not to fight, so they can stay in school and learn to succeed in life. If you’re suspended and have to stay at home because you fought someone, you’re not learning anything.

Girl fights and/or arguing is not good for your health either because you will get very weak; it happened to me before. I didn’t feel good about myself, my peers or anything. I just had an

attitude because of my argument with the girl I fought and it ruined the rest of my day.

Girl fights are just plain stupid because you’re arguing, then you’re physically fighting and you’re not doing anything but hurting yourself.

Girl fights might lead to a lot things that you might not want to happen. They can sometimes lead to violence and possibly even death. Keep it safe if you have drama with a girl. Make an agreement to just not talk to each other, and if for some reason you have to speak to the person you don’t see eye to eye with, do it in a respectful way.

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THE FUTURE

Robotic Technology: Walking Robot HECTOR

BY LORENZO BROWN

A

year ago, researchers at Bielefeld University showed that their software enabled the walking robot Hector with a simple form of aliveness. Their new research goes a step further: They have now created a software architecture that could have Hector to see himself as others see him. “With this, he would have reflexive consciousness,” explains Prof. Dr. Holk Cruse, professor at the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) at 12 PERSPECTIVES

Bielefeld University. The architecture is based on artificial brain networks. Together with his colleague Dr. Malte Schilling, Cruse wrote this new study in the online collection Open MIND, a section from the Mind-Group, which is a group of philosophers and other scientists studying the mind and consciousness. Both biologists are involved in further developing and enhancing Hector’s software. The robot is modeled after a stick insect.

How Hector walks and deals with obstacles in its path were first demonstrated at the end of 2014.

Next, Hector’s extended software will be tested using a computer simulation. “What works in the computer simulation must then, in a second phase, be transferred over to the robot and tested on it,” says Cruse.

Until now, Hector has been a reactive system.

It reacts to stimuli in its surroundings. Thanks to the software program “Walknet,” Hector can walk like an insect, and another program called “Navinet” may enable the robot to find a path to a distant target.

In their past research, both CITEC researchers had already thought that Hector’s control system could adopt a number of higher-level

mental states. “Intentions, for instance, can be found in the system,” explains Schilling. For example, the people can direct the robot to a certain location.

The researchers have also identified how properties of emotions may show up in the system. “Emotions can be read from behavior. For example, a person who is happy takes more risks and makes decisions faster than someone who is anxious,” says Cruse. They are even researching how to make the robot respond to what he thinks his handler wants. Cruse explains further, “the robot may then be able to ‘think’: What does this subject expect from me? And then it can orient its actions accordingly.”

Source: Science Daily PERSPECTIVES 13

Facts about

Jacksepticeye

BY AMON LEE

*Famous Irish gaming YouTuber with almost 4 million subscribers *Real Name: Sean William McClaughlin *Born: February 7, 1990 *Has a billion YouTube page views *Most famous for series: “Happy Wheels,” “The Escapists” or “Kerbal Space Program” *Most popular video: Grand Theft Auto V / FUN WITH MOON GRAVITY / MAKING CARS FLY! which has 6,245,217 views *Refers to his fans as bosses and to himself as the superior boss *Watching him playing videogames is entertaining

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Kingdom Hearts 3

Expected By Year’s End

BY LORENZO BROWN

H

ave you ever heard of Kingdom Hearts? The game where you can meet Disney characters as an anime character? There are more installments to this series, such as Birth by Sleep, Coded, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Dream Drop Distance, but I am not talking about those installments. I am talking about the newest one, Kingdom Hearts 3, the newest addition to the KH family.

wielders, in an attempt to stop Master Xehanort’s plan to balance the light and darkness, which may ultimately lead to the final showdown between Sora and Master Xehanort.

It is rumored to have the new characters from Frozen. Personally, I’m excited for when it comes out in December 2015. It will have online multiplayer and there will be new playable characters. Some of you KH fans already know Sora will be the main character. The game will also see the return of Riku, Donald Duck, Goofy, and King Mickey, as well as the inclusion of familiar Disney characters. Continuing from Dream Drop Distance, Sora, Donald and Goofy will attempt to search for seven guardians of light and the “Key to Return Hearts,” while King Mickey and Riku search for previous Keyblade

The game will feature new and familiar worlds based on Disney properties, and will serve as the final chapter of the “Dark Seeker” saga.

Creator Tetsuya Nomura revealed that the plot of the game will pick up “immediately after the events of Dream Drop Distance.” He also added that the plot will examine the seven lights and 13 darknesses coming together for the final battle, but that everyone that is expected to fulfill these roles may not. Honestly, I hope that this is not the final chapter in this series. I hope there will be more installments to this fantastic video game series.

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POP OUT

We’ve GOT

THE

Blues Make-up Artist: Shekayah Wallace

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POP OUT

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JOGGERS Fashion

BY ZARI WISEMAN

J

oggers were made famous in London in 2010 by Publish creative brand manager Alex James.

He wore the Marc Jacobs cinch bottoms pants, and decided to make them in different colors and put pictures on them. Then Ronnie Fieg put elastic cuffs at the bottom of his pants and they became even more popular. Their popularity is due to being able to wear sneakers with them and showcase them.

HERE ARE SOME JOGGERS OUTFITS THAT I THINK ARE ON FLEEK.

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Furious 7

Pays Tribute To PAUL WALKER

BY JALEN NEWMAN

S

ince the death of Paul Walker the filming process has been hard on some people in Furious 7. For example, Ludacris found it especially hard. Ludacris and Paul Walker grew very close while they were making the Fast & Furious series. According to Daily Mail, “The two had become very close after years of filming the action thrillers together, with Ludacris adding: ‘Our birthdays were just one day apart. Of all the cast members, we just really got along.’”

Paul Walker’s brother stepped in for him in Furious 7. According to E! News, Cody admitted that he was initially doubtful of joining the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious franchise after his brother was killed as a passenger in a single car crash in November 2013.

Cody has no acting experience, which made filming hard for him. The hard work made the crew grow closer together. They used digital effects along with Cody to fill in the gaps left by Walkers death. At the end of the movie they pay tribute to him while “retiring” his character.

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CULTURE

Tips For Drawing Heads & Faces

BY BRITTANY ALEXANDER

Heads: To start it off (I’m right handed), I find a place to draw the head (my starting point), then I go down from there making a curved line, then I make an upside down “hill,” then go up again.

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Most artists will recommend drawing lines that go up, down and across the face. I don’t use it, but it is very effective. You can use a ruler to make sure it’s straight, and make sure you draw them light.

Nose: Next is the nose. First I draw two dots with a small space between them. After that, I draw a “loop” to connect the two dots. Finally I draw two “commas” on either side of the dots.

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(Sometimes I draw a line for the slope of the nose but not often.)

Eyes: Just like many anime styles I tend to draw the usual big eyes; thin eyebrows for girls and small, slanted eyes; thick eyebrows for boys. For both eyes I draw either a frown or regular line to start off the eyes. (If you drew lines on the face you might want to put these millimeters above the horizontal lines.)

Next I draw circles, or rounded rectangles under the line. There’s also an inner circle in the eye that represent the light reflecting in the eye. Then to make the eyes look bigger which is something common in almost all anime styles, and even in makeup, add an extra layer on top of the line or “frown” you drew.

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or

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There are tons of ways to draw eyes! I choose to show you the most common and my favorite type.

Mouth: For the lips, the first part I draw reminds me of small waves. After the “waves” draw a small smile under them, and an even smaller one on top. The thickness or thinness of the lips depend on how far apart you place them.

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Any type of mouth is fine really, there isn’t one specific and required type of mouth drawn for anime.

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End Result:

Hair and coloring is up to you! For hair you can draw straight, wavy, curly, or spiky. And for coloring, I like to use markers with pastels. But color pencils are still great and easy to use.

Drawing Tips: To draw the best drawings put yourself in a good mood. being in a good mood helps you to be more creative when drawing. i tend to give up on drawings when I’m upset. it’s important to rest your hands. Try not to draw for a long period of time without taking a break. CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) can occur. it is a numbness and tingling in the hand and arm caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist. it happened to me once last year; terrible.

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