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  ALC students and do not necessarily reflect the views of either the ALC or of ISD #518.

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The Worthington ALC

Insider

Volume 3, Issue 4                          September 30, 2005

Hurricane Rita

 

 By Javier Esqueda

 

    Last week, Hurricane Rita became “the seventeenth named tropical storm, ninth hurricane, fifth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.”  This is the strongest hurricane that has hit the Gulf of Mexico.

 

     Luckily, when it was close to land, the winds dropped down and didn’t do as much damage as Hurricane Katrina did. Katrina kept its force when it hit land and that is why New Orleans was hurt so bad. Rita’s winds hit speeds up to 175 mph. If it would have hit land with this force it would have cleared everything in

 

(Continued à)

 

Hurricane Rita caused flooding in coastal Texas

 

Damage from Hurricane Rita was severe, but nothing compared to Katrina  (AP Photo)

 

Houston, Dallas, Louisiana, and many other cities and towns.

 

     Rita hit land with 120 mph winds causing damage in the Houston area and re-flooding New Orleans. Residents thought that it was going to be the worst hurricane ever to hit this area. Estimated damages are 8 billion dollars and there were 38 fatalities, 6 direct and 32 indirect.

 

    One million people tried to evacuate the area, learning from the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Now people are going back to their houses and kids are going back to school. They are trying to start a new life.

 

     Houses, roads, and stores are getting repaired as fast as possible to reduce suffering.  We as a nation should be thankful that Rita did not do the damage it could have, but still remember that there are Americans suffering who need our help.

 

 


 

The ALC Insider                          September 30, 2005                              page 2

 

Music Review

Success=Sellout?

 

By Shanna Dehning

 

     Money, fame, luxury, music. It seems like the perfect way to spend the rest of your life doesn’t it? It must have seemed that way to a lot of the bands out there today too. Why?  Because they’ve sold out and do whatever the mainstream bids them to do.

 

     You’ve seen it before. A good band turns bad by over-selling their product, writing a catchy tune to get heard on the radio waves, endorsing products to get their faces on the so-coveted TV commercials, making their own fashion lines that they don’t even have a part of – just so that it makes them and their record companies more money.

 

     It’s not that success is a bad thing, but how far is too far?  According to a couple of my comrades, too far is when an underground band comes out with a song on the radio, it’s overplayed, and the people who have never even heard of them (the ones who wouldn’t have liked their music if they didn’t hear it on the radio first) love that song and annoy the heck out of people like me and my fellow fans of rock.

 

     I know how this sounds, but a lot of the time it’s not even the bands’ fault. Needless to say, writing music that doesn’t get heard isn’t exactly the highest paying job out there.

 

(Continued à)

 

 

Green Day – cutting edge or commercial?

 

     Granted, when you need the money, you’ll do anything to earn it – even if the cost of this is writing music that you aren’t so fond about. This is when the big record companies come in. They hire someone to coach you on writing your songs, tell you how to fix them, how they should sound, and Presto! You have a poopy-pop-cultured diddy that is overplayed by the radio broadcasts, and is loved by everyone it shouldn’t be loved by. But, it makes the money and that’s what they care about right?

 

     Now for an example:  Example number 1-- Green Day – a wholesome, lighthearted punk band that sings about partying, sex and the all around good time with the buddies. Their CD’s were nonstop selling during the early 1990’s, and they are still popular today (i.e. Dookie, Nimrod, etc). Well, that’s what they used to be like. 

 

(Continued on page 3)

 


 

The ALC Insider                          September 30, 2005                              page 3

(Continued from page 2)

 

     Sometime last winter they came back with an unexpected bang with their new EP American Idiot, not to mention the two singles (that hit the mainstream immediately)- the title track and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. After hearing this, the songs were okay. Not my style of Green Day, but they were worth giving them a shot. But, after I heard them a few thousand times on the radio, I thought different.

 

     I knew that Green Day had lost their touch. They were dressing differently, sounding more Emo than usual (Emo is a genre of music, usually consisting of a sadder, more somber tone and lyrics. Thus, that is NOT Green Day’s style.) Plus, they were being more outwardly political than they were before, which isn’t a bad thing, because I am as well.  But from what they did before and considering how many political bands are out there, it was just too overdone and fake.

 

(Continued à)

 

 

Green Day’s latest – Punk or pop?

 

    Artistic evolution isn’t something that is bad, but when a band does something so different that they lose their entire sense of talent and artistic originality, then that is bad. But, what can we expect them to do?  Writing music that isn’t “heard” doesn’t exactly make a lot of money, so what can we expect – give up the music that you love and make mucho dinero or keep doing what you love and keeping a 9 to 5 job while doing it?

 

Loons by animationlibrary.com

    In the Land of Loons  

Stupid Laws in the State of Minnesota

 

By Desiree Briskee

 

·                  The land of 10,000 lakes declares mosquitoes a public nuisance.

·                  It is illegal to stand around any building without a good reason to be there.

·                  A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head.

·                  It is illegal to sleep naked.

·                  All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts.

·                  Citizens may not enter Wisconsin with a chicken on their head.

·                  All bathtubs must have feet.

 

 


 

The ALC Insider                          September 30, 2005                              page 4

 

Student Editorial

Cellphones at lunch…

By Sergio Chaparro

 

     Students at the ALC feel that they should be able to use their cell phones at lunch. We do not need the threat of them being taken away. We should be able to use them at lunch because it is our free time to do what we want without getting in trouble (kind of). 

 

     We aren’t in class, we are not being taught anything, and we are eating. What are we missing by being on our phones? 

 

(Continued à)

                   

Animation by www.millan.net

 

      Our lunch is free time from learning and ridicule to some extent. I’m not saying that all the teachers do is ridicule us, but the no-phone-thing doesn’t work. Maybe we need to call work, home, or have some kind of emergency.

 

    Having our phones would keep students out of Cec’s hair. We wouldn’t be in her way asking to use her phone. All I’m saying is we should be able to have our cell phones out at lunch. It’s our free time.

 

Poem by Javier Esqueda       

 


 

The ALC Insider                          September 30, 2005                              page 5

 

Movie Review

The Corpse Bride

 

By Shanna Dehning

 

    I recently saw Tim Burton’s new film, The Corpse Bride. This clay-mated feature is nothing short of amazing for development, but for story and plot it doesn’t score as well.

 

     The story begins with Victor VanDort, a fish marketer’s son who is to marry Victoria EverGlott, a daughter of a woefully impoverished family (notice the monotony in naming). The two not so starred crossed lovers have never even spoken to one another, but are paired by force, their families hoping to become wealthy in the marriage. The plan is foiled once a nervous Victor cannot remember his vows. While being given a day to remember them, a mysterious character by the name of Lord Barkis slithers in to steal Victoria away.

 

(Continued à)

 

 

 

Victor VanDort and Victoria EverGlott struggle

with vows of marriage in The Corpse Bride.

 

     Fumbling with his thoughts about marriage and if he is ready, Victor walks through the woods to sort through these thoughts and remember his vows by heart. Suddenly, he comes before a large withered tree and remembers his vows only to find out that a left-for-dead bride lay under it, awaiting the day that her absent minded lover might return.

 

   Aside from all that, the movie was well put together, because of the genius that is Tim Burton. This I expected. Although I didn’t expect to not be excited, to not be writhing at the end of my seat to see who the killer is, or to not be gut busting with laughter. Needless to say, the movie was disappointing.

 

      But, for the Tim Burton lovers out there, Corpse Bride is a must see. Even if you don’t like it, this film still has Burton’s clay-mated style and his all around love for the dead.

 

The Corpse Bride is Tim Burton’s latest…

 


 

The Insider                              September 20, 2005                                  Page 6

 

Horoscopes by
Miss Lety   

 

Aries (March 21-April 19) Life is not fair.  For you it is worse because you always get in trouble.

 

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Why are you so lazy?  Well, you should go to someone that can really read your future ‘cause I can’t.

 

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Go out and meet new people, even though they think you are annoying and boring. Better yet, just keep your trap shut.

 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) If you listen to what people say about you, you will get depressed.  Even if you don’t listen, you are still boring and depressed.

 

Leo (July 23-Aug 22) You usually do things your way.  The only thing is that today is not your day, so stay away from us you weirdo.

 

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22) Listen to what people say, especially to the people who talk bad about you.  What they say might be true.

 

 

Libra (Sep 23- Oct 22)  Be yourself, but don’t act wild like you usually do.  That can make the people think poorly of you even though you don’t care.

 

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21)  You love to get sick and you love to eat, so eat lots of ice cream and you’ll get two things that you love at the same time.

 

Sagittarius (Nov 22- Dec 21) Eat all you can ‘cause the world might end tomorrow and you’ll starve to death.  You can’t live without food, right? Admit it.

 

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) Make people listen to you.  Bug them all day because you can have some fun, too, don’t you think? Go for it!

 

Aquarius (Jan 20- Feb 18) Don’t stop dreaming even though you know that your dreams will never come true.  Why?  Because you are a BIG LOSER.

 

Pisces (Feb 19-March 20) Go out and show everyone what you can do.  Just don’t even think about coming close to the ALC ‘cause you might freak Mr. Knapp out.

 

 

 

 

This Week’s Separated-at-Birth

 

 


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