Events

Events





























Friday, January 31, 2014

2/3: 8th Grade Parent Night @ 6:30pm

2/4&2/5: CAHSEE Testing for ELA 2/13: Prom Fashion Fundraiser @ 7pm 2/13&2/14: Minimum Days (8am-11:30am) 2/17-2/21: President’s Week Break Prospect High School Panther Prints Staff Editors-In-Chief Aida Avdagic Alex Ruby Tisha Harnlasiri Raphael Santa Maria Content Editors Brian Nicholson Larry Nguyen Megan Lynch Natalie Nelson Copy Editors Alex Cavanaugh Owen Gilles Layout Editor Raphael Santa Maria Assistant Layout Editor Brian Nicholson Layout Designers Angel Ayala Alex Cavanaugh Madison Tara Reporters Courtney Conlan Robert Delfino Cesar Garcia Eric Garcia Demian Ibarra-Lopez Clara Mbumba Amara Miranda Kaileigh Otsuka Angelo Patti Mirna Shehata Liam Simon Madison Tara Advisor Gina Campanella Mission Statement Prospect Panther Prints pledges to provide a forum for publishing news, opinions of students and faculty, administration activities, interests, and policies. Our Staff will also maintain high ethical standards with regards to fairness, personal and legal rights, accuracy, and truth. We strive for a high level of competency in the technical aspects of writing, including grammar, spelling, clarity, and precision. Lastly, we welcome diversity by increasing the scope and depth of our coverage throughout our school and local communities.

Arsonist Sets San Jose Ablaze

By: Alex Ruby

For the past month, an arsonist has been running around setting at least a dozen fires in San Jose's downtown area between Santa Clara Street and William Street and between 17th Street and 33rd Street. Between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., multiple fires were lit over a few nights but thankfully no one was injured. The San Jose police report stated "these fires were very serious in nature and had the potential to cause serious injury or loss of life to both residents and firefighters" (Source: CNN). It was also reported that there were residents inside of most of the intentionally lit houses. The city of San Jose is doing everything it can in preventing these fires and protecting its citizens from harm. A $10,000 reward is being offered for any and all information relating to the arrest and conviction of this arsonist. On Wednesday, January 15th, San Jose police announced the arrest of the man suspected to be responsible for these fires. He will be booked into the Santa Clara County Jail. The police have identified the arsonist as San Jose local Patrick William Brennan. A man by the name of Patrick Brennan was also arrested in 1999 for setting fires in the Santa Clara County foothills and in Grand Canyon National Park four or five years earlier. These two men could be the same person or relatives, but we don’t know for sure. The streets of San Jose are now safe from this serial arsonist.

The Bald Eagle Endures

By: Liam Simon For years the majestic bald eagle has served as the symbol of

our country and is recognized worldwide. For this reason it is disturbing to hear of a string of deaths amongst these creatures. Over 27 bald eagles have been found dead in Utah. I bet you are wondering, “Who would do such a thing?” the question isn’t who but what. The answer is the West Nile Virus. For those who don’t know, the West Nile Virus is a deadly disease that is normally spread by being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus. Since mosquitoes are not normally active at this time of the year, scientists were initially baffled at all the corpses that kept turning up with positive results for the disease. Now only one more question remains:. If it wasn’t the mosquitoes giving the great birds this horrible plague, then how did they get it? As it turns out, during the time before this event there had been a considerable number of deaths of birds called grebes. They died of the same virus that currently plagues the bald eagles. Apparently what happened was that the eagles were eating the corpses of the dead grebes which transferred the virus from one bird to the other. That is at least what veterinarians think happened, but it is a good enough explanation for the time being. As for the number of deaths from this outbreak, I can safely assure you of a couple of things at least.

Setting A Standard By: Alex Cavanaugh

First of all, 27 eagle deaths, as tragic as they may be, is hardly a significant number among the thousands of other Eagles that are alive and well. No significant damage has been caused to the population of eagles currently in existence and they are expected recover the numbers quickly. Second, this outbreak has little to no chance of spreading to humans until the mosquitoes return, so you and your families and friends are safe for the time being, but should still take precautions when the summer months arrive. That being said, it is still unadvisable to handle dead bird corpses with your bare hands. If you must move the corpse for some reason, be sure to wear gloves while doing so, but in any other case, just leave it as you found it. This should give you something to think about if you ever get a chance to see one of these majestic birds soar through the skies. These birds have been through so much and this was another brush with death for them. Nevertheless, it will serve as a reminder of how these creatures can endure hardship. Maybe we can learn from that example. But whether you look at it that way or just as something interesting that happened to them recently, there is no doubt that our eternal respect for our feathered friends will rise, even the tiniest bit more.

1:20

By: Alex Cavanaugh Edward Snowden, the NSA employee that leaked confidential information back in June of 2013, has again been brought A lot can happen in one minute and twenty seconds. In one minback into the national spotlight. There has been a spark of controversy ute, you can confess your love for your significant other, you can meet a new recently over the statement made by NSA official Rick Ledgett that he is puppy, you can be happy, you can be sad. For a teenager in Colorado, it only willing to have a conversation with Snowden about potentially granting took one minute for her to be fatally shot by a crazed gunman. him amnesty for his crime if Snowden returns the information he has not On December 13, 2013, Karl Pierson entered Arapahoe High School yet leaked to the public. through the north doorway, which should have been locked, but Pierson entered If granted amnesty, Snowden would be able to return to the unobstructed. Carrying a shotgun, he looked for the closest victim. He found U.S. without being prosecuted for his crimes. If he is not granted amnes- Claire Davis. He shot her in the head. She was in the wrong place at the wrong ty, it’s possible that he’ll have to stay on the run his entire life, going from time, and did not survive her wound. Pierson went on to throw a molotov cockasylum to asylum, never being able to return to his homeland. Currently, tail, a type of bomb that creates fires, in the school library. Thankfully, no one he’s hiding out in Russia, but he’s applied for asylum in countries ranging was hurt by the ensuing fire. After that, Pierson shot himself point blank with from India to Poland. his shotgun, and killed himself. The current debate going on about potentially giving Snowden Karl Pierson was an eighteen-year-old student who was attending amnesty brings up a question of standards. Yes, it’s important to get back Arapahoe High. Before the shooting, he wrote a series of numbers on his arm, the confidential information that Snowden has. The question is, however, which were believed to have corresponded to classrooms that Pierson was is it worth setting the standard that: as long as you have information to re- targeting. In addition to the numbers, the Latin words “Alea iacta est” were also turn, you can escape punishment for leaking important information? The found on his arm. They translate to, “the die has been cast.” last thing the US wants is a string of leakers that worm their way back Officials say that Pierson’s attack lasted one minute and twenty into the country by taking two sets of information, one to leak, and one to seconds. His preparation, however, lasted longer. A week before he murdered bargain with. Claire Davis, Pierson legally bought a shotgun, and started stocking up on So the debate continues, and it isn’t looking good for Snowden ammunition. During the attack, Pierson asked other students where to find the supporters, however, as stated by the director of the NSA, the White teacher responsible for the school debate team, which Pierson was recently House doesn’t believe Snowden deserves amnesty. Only time will show kicked off of. He never made it to the teacher, and when the police arrived, he us the fate of Edward Snowden, and when a verdict is reached, the U.S. killed himself. will have set a precedent for every case of leakage to come. In a sad twist of fate, the shooting happened within fifteen miles of Columbine

The Modern Carrier Pigeon

High School, which also witnessed a horrible shooting years ago.

By: Megan Lynch Recently, on the CBS show, 60 Minutes, Amazon unmasked their newest challenge of developing a device known as the drone, or ‘Oc-

tocopter’. Designed by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, this piece of equipment, taking the form of a black box with tentacles, has been designed to transport packages to residential homes, through air travel. The drones would be sent from Amazon headquarters to homes within a relatively close perimeter, and drop specific orders on the average person’s front door step. The order would be prepackaged in a standard container that the drone would hold with its tentacles while flying through the air. However, this new technological advancement has not been introduced without heavy criticism. President Obama is working with the NDAA to ban the implementation of drones, as he believes they would be a threat to our nation’s safety and privacy. The Amazon designers are aware of this concern, and as of now, are working with the FAA to get approval. This is likely to be a challenge, as society hasn’t seen anything to this extent just yet. People working on this project expect to launch this new device in approximately four to five years, if all goes well. The idea of computers flying through the air along with planes and birds, to deliver personal packages seems unreal now, but is likely to be the standard in the next ten years. Of course, there will be limitations such as weight and size which will constrict the abilities of the drone, yet Amazon is confident what they are calling “Prime Air”, will become the next big thing within a few years.

Features

2

“Bridgegate”

Friday, January 31, 2014

By: Owen Gilles

Last September, the greater New York City area’s traffic conditions worsened on the Hudson River, between the city and Fort Lee, New Jersey. Travellers on the George Washington Bridge, which links the city of Fort Lee to upper Manhattan, experienced a major traffic jam on the dates of September 9th through 13th. The cause of the conundrum was a series of toll lane closures, in which the number of usable lanes was decreased from three to one, significantly reducing the rate at which the tolls were able to handle cars as they crossed the bridge. This mess was blamed for many other issues that occurred in the city of Fort Lee that day, including school bus delays, slow police responses, and the death of a 91 year-old woman as the ambulance that transported her faced heavy traffic-related delays. By the 13th of September, the lanes on the bridge had been reopened and the situation seemingly resolved. By early October of last year, the New Jersey Assembly Transportation Committee had announced an investigation into the lane closures, which there had been no apparent reason for. By December, there were many reports and cries that the traffic incident on the bridge had political motivations. The belief was that several staff members under Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had orchestrated the closures as a form of political revenge against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who did not endorse Chris Christie in the recent election. On January 9, all doubts that were held over this situation being politically motivated were erased. In a press conference, the governor admitted his disappointment in his aides and staff over the September incident. In addition, he fired his Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, for her involvement in the scandal, which has now garnered the nickname “Bridgegate”, in reference to the Nixon Administration’s Watergate scandal. Kelly joined another official in Christie’s Administration, Bill Baroni, who had resigned in the wake of the investigation in December. The investigation over this incident, being led by Democratic New Jersey State Assemblyman John Wisniewski, will look into all the evidence there is available, evidence which includes text messages and emails amongst Christie’s staff members and the Port Authority. Many questions remain in this case that will potentially be answered by the investigative panel’s efforts. Perhaps the biggest question about this case is whether or not Chris Christie knew of this scandal before news of it became public. A presidential hopeful, involvement in George Washington Bridge incident of any degree could wind up very damaging to Christie’s political career. News of Christie’s Administration’s scandal breaks amongst a trend of other scandals involving other well-known politicians such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Anthony Weiner. At this moment, it is not known whether or not Chris Christie had a direct role in encouraging or ignoring his staff’s efforts, but it is clear that it will continue to stain his record, at least until a resolution is found in this case. It is clear, however, that this news is disappointing no matter what opinion one holds of Chris Christie. Such scandals are never encouraging to see coming from important government figures.

Syrian Aircraft

Civil Unrest in China’s Xinjiang Region

By: Angelo Patti The Syrian conflict has been a huge predicament since March 2011 and maybe now it

has reached even bigger distress. Ever since the conflict has started, Syrian rebels have tried to find safe places to reside from their distorted government control. On December 7, 2013 Syrian rebels were located in north-east part of Syria in the city of Raqqa. This is the only city in Syria that has been totally taken over by the opposition to the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad. With rebels located all over in this city, Bashar sent seven air strikes in total and killed at least twelve people including five children and four women. Not only that, but many were among the wounded after the strikes that brought misery to the rebels. If that was not enough, the week prior to these strikes, in the city of Aleppo there is also an area controlled by the Syrian rebels. Assad sent two helicopters to attack this small area in Aleppo controlled by rebels, and these attacks killed 50 people! Assad’s control of the Syrian skies is twisted and it minimizes the rebel’s efforts to hold on to territory they capture and administer it with any efficiency. Another fight located in western Syria is between government troops and Islamist rebels. The rebels control a city called Nabek where these government troops are trying to invade and regain control of the city. This heavy battle closed off the main north-south highway located right next to the city of Nabek. The Syrian conflict that started mostly as peaceful protests against Assad’s rule about two years ago has turned into a fully waged civil war. In the times of this civil war, about 120,000 innocent people have been killed with the use of air strikes and chemical weapons. No one really knows the method to Assad’s madness but one thing is for sure, someone has to put a stop to it.

Recycling Plant Fire



By: Raphael Santa Maria In the midst of high ethnic tension in China's Xinjiang region between Uighur Muslims and

the Han majority, 16 people have been killed, including two police officers, in what China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is calling an attack orchestrated by a "violent terrorist gang" who promote autonomy of the region by waging a holy war. In December, police officers were trying to contain a riot in Shufu County when they were pursued by assailants wielding knives and explosives. The officers shot back, killing 14 of the alleged "terrorists", while losing two of their own. Other individuals were detained amidst the gunfire. According to a report by the local government's news outlet, Tianshan Net, a police investigation concluded that the attack was the premeditated work of a "terrorist gang" led by an individual by the name of Aishansimayi. The December attack was not the first incident of civil unrest in China. According to the Oriental Outlook Magazine, there have been an estimated 190 "terror" attacks in Xinjiang in 2012, which include a June attack in which Chinese security forces opened fire on a group of Uighurs after they attacked a police building, which resulted in the deaths of 35 people, including 11 rioters. The Uighurs make up roughly 46% of Xinjiang's 20 million residents, and although the government claims to offer broad freedoms for the Turkic-speaking Muslims, the Uighurs say their language, religion and culture is being restricted. And the civil unrest will carry on so long as they feel dissatisfied with the Chinese Communist Party's takeover of their economy and historic homeland.

By: Natalie Nelson Back in December, a fire broke out at a recycling plant nearby. Some of you may remember hearing

a school wide announcement telling students and teachers to stay inside during lunch because of the condition of the air. That’s because a pile of metal debris exploded and started a fire on Tuesday, December 17. It happened at the Sims Metal Management in Redwood City. Unfortunately, it was actually the second fire to break out at that factory in five weeks. It caused havoc for no one knew what effect it had on the air quality, keeping people inside shelter until further notice. It was reported that a pile of “light iron” metal started this unfortunate two-alarm fire at 1am early Tuesday morning. Later that morning, embers caused a few more spot fires, which were controlled at 6am. However smoke still continued to fill the air up to 16 miles away. The fire could be smelled from Redwood City all the way to Sunnyvale. A warning was sent out to the residents to seek shelter if they smelled any hint of the fire. They also sent a warning out to the Santa Clara Unified School District, which is why everyone attending Prospect had to stay inside, away from the harmful smoke.

Unfortunately, on November 10, only about five weeks before the second fire, another fire broke out at the same factory. The smoke settled miles away, being reported in downtown Menlo Park as well. A health warning was issued for this fire, proving to harm the air with pollutants as well. They sent the warning to San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda County. The fire started because of old cars burning outside the factory, spreading even more polluted smoke into the air. This unfortunate series of events is seriously harming our planet. The Sims Metal Management stated that they made improvements to help prevent the fire after the first occurrence. However, it did not seem to be as effective as they had hoped. They began reducing stockpile size, separating light iron from auto bodies, improving fire breaks, and monitoring stockpiles. Hopefully, after this second fire, they are taking even more precautions at this factory. The last thing our world needs is yet another source of pollution.

New Year, New You By: Mirna Shehata

I

t's very easy to make New Year's resolutions in the heat of enthusiasm and glowing joy, but most of us are more familiar with the difficulty of sticking to the resolutions! Procrastination and many different factors always lead us to forget about a commitment we once took easily. Eventually after New Year’s many people will forget or give up on a resolution they once had. Yet, it is possible to stick and keep ourselves committed to that resolution. It might seem impossible but its not, everything is possible but it does take focus, planning, and determination to stick with the resolutions for the same amount of time it takes to change a habit, so that the resolutions also turn into new habits. It will sometimes take ages to complete the task you have set for yourself, depending on what the task. But don't give up or get frustrated easily, not because something is not happening now or tomorrow doesn't mean that it will never happen. As you begin thinking of your New Years resolution you may take some of those tips into consideration: 1. Pick an Area: Help yourself realize the fact that New Year's is just another day yet, one in which you can begin with a fresh and new start. While it's a convenient time because it's a new year and therefore it feels like a new beginning. Pick an area in your life that is needed to change or improve the most. 2. Be Clear and Specific: As you think about your resolution, be very clear and specific to what it will be. It will be helpful to quantify the desired outcome needed or even trying to break down your goal into different tasks so it doesn't get overwhelming. 3. Measurable Resolution: Make a resolution that is doable for your conditions. Don't begin with something tough or it will cause you to be overwhelmed and tired easily. Begin with something small and then easily build on to it. 4. Your Values: Make sure your goal is something that revolves around you and beneficial to you and not others. Normally when people are setting resolutions for others desires or in order to please others, we are doomed to fail. Think of something that is beneficial to you and will be satisfying. 5. Achieving or Avoiding Goals: Make sure to stick to a positive goal. Be sure to stick to achievement focused goals they help give us motivation, inspiration and energize us. Rather than negative goals, which everyone should try to avoid because they will continuously depress us. 6. Learn Something New: Now is the time to step out of your comfort zone. Always try finding ways to improve your goals. For example, if your goal is to exercise multiple times a week, take a risk and enroll in a fitness class or gym. 7. Surround yourself With Supporters: Tell a friend or your loved ones whom you trust about your resolution. They will provide you with support and keep you focused on your goal. They will always be right by your side helping you out with great support which will give you motivation to keep on going and prove everything is possible to them. 8. Review Progress: Continuously look back at what you have achieved in the overall stages of your resolution. Look after a couple weeks or month and try to adjust anything needed to be fixed. It’s never terrible to learn from your mistakes. But it will be helpful as moving on it will lead you to not repeat what you have done before and rather do the better. 9. Build On: After checking your progress and realizing you have been doing well, try building on to your resolution. As you are realizing you have been doing well, it will encourage you to build on to your resolution and challenge yourself. 10. Reward & Celebration: After reaching a satisfying point don't forget to celebrate your progress, but make sure your celebration doesn't go against your resolution. After rewarding yourself don't stop or back up. Keep on going, why stop at the end when you very done so well all along. Extend your timeline of your resolution and work on it and it will become part of your everyday routine. This will encourage you by the next year to challenge yourself even more.

This Month In History... By: Demian Ibarra-Lopez

Jan. 1, 1958 Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash is born in Bridgetown, Barbados. Jan. 2, 1979 Sid Vicious, bassist and singer for the Sex Pistols, begins the trial for his recently deceased girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Jan 3, John Paul Jones, bassist and one of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, is born in London, England. Jan 4, 1968 Jimi Hendrix spends a night in a Swedish jail after trashing his hotel room after an alleged fight with his bandmate Noel Redding. Jan 5, 1997 Johnny Cash guest stars on The Simpsons as Coyote, Homer’s imaginary guru. Jan 6, 1957 Elvis Presley appears on the Ed Sullivan Show for the third and final time, performing seven songs including Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel. Jan 7, 1980 Led Zeppelin’s last album with drummer John Bonham, In Through the Out Door, is certified platinum. Jan. 8, 1935 Elvis Aaron Presley is born in Tupelo, Mississippi Jan. 9, 1945 James Patrick Page, aka Jimmy Page, founder of Led Zeppelin is born in Heston, London Jan. 10, 1997 James Brown is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jan. 11, 1964 The Whiskey-a-Go-Go opens on Sunset Boulevard and quickly becomes a venue for young acts such as The Animals, The Doors, and Otis Redding Jan. 12, 1993 The eighth annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induct Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors and Etta James amongst others. Jan. 13, 1970 Rage Against the Machine frontman, Zach De La Rocha, is born in Long Beach, California. Jan. 14, 1969 David Eric Grohl, drummer of Nirvana and frontman of Foo Fighters, is born in Warren, Ohio. Jan. 15, 1967 Unlike Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger obeys the producers of the Ed Sullivan Show and changes his lyrics from “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “Let’s Spend Some Time Together,” whilst performing the line Jagger can be seen rolling his eyes Jan. 16, 1980 Paul McCartney includes half a pound of cannabis in his luggage to Tokyo, evidently earning himself 10 days in a Tokyo jail, claiming “This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet, so I thought I’d take it with me.” Jan. 17, 1993 Bill Clinton’s inauguration includes a free outdoor concert from artist Arethra Franklin, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and many others. Jan. 18, 1969 The Beatles’ album Yellow Submarine enters the charts. Jan. 19, 1943 Janis Lyn Joplin is born in Port Arthur, Texas Jan. 20, 1982 Ozzy Osbourne gets a rabies shot after accidentally biting the head off of a bat. Jan. 21, 1987 Second annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Arethra Franklin, Muddy Waters, BB King, Bill Haley and Marvin Gaye amongst others. Jan. 22, 1965 Original Guns n’ Roses drummer, Steven Adler, is born in Cleveland, Ohio. Jan. 23, 1977 Carole King’s Tapestry sets a record; 302 weeks on the Billboard chart, 5 other albums have beat that record, the Dark Side of The Moon holds the record; 741 weeks. Jan. 24, 1982 Diana Ross sings the national anthem at Superbowl XVI Jan. 25, 1981 Alicia Augello Cook, better known as Alicia Keys, is born in Manhattan. Jan. 26, 1986 Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, Allen Collins, is paralyzed in an automobile accident that killed his girlfriend. Jan. 27, 1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born. Jan. 28, 1985 “We Are the World” is recorded with various artist ranging from Ray Charles to Willie Nelson Jan. 29, 1967 Jimi Hendrix and The Who headline a London concert. Jan. 30, 1973 Kiss performs their first concert in Queens, New York. Jan. 31, 1971 The Jackson 5 are given the key to the city of their hometown in Gary, Illinois.

3

.08’s The Limit

By: Demian Ibarra-Lopez

We’re all knowledgeable of

the consequences that come from drunk driving. Whether you’ve experienced it first hand, heard it from a friend or family member, or even just seen it on the television, we’re all aware of the repercussions of driving while intoxicated. Ethan Couch is one of the many drunken drivers who have had the misfortune of taking a person’s life, but what makes his case so special? On the fateful night of June 15th, Ethan Couch and seven other friends drove around in his father’s Ford F-350 breaking laws and not thinking twice about their actions. Surveillance videos show him stealing beer from a store and driving 30 mph past the speed limit, all while intoxicated three times over the legal limit for adults, keep in mind Ehtan is a 16 year old. Ethan crashed his car into Hollie and Shelby Boyles, who had left their house to help Breanna Mitchell, who had a flat tire on her SUV. Brian Jennings, a youth pastor, had been driving home but stopped to help Breanna also fell victim to Couch’s drunken debauchery. Two of Ethan’s passengers were critically injured, one of them is paralyzed from the neck down and his only form of communication is blinking, the other suffered internal injuries and broken bones.

Signed Off To Death By: Alex Cavanaugh

January 31, 2013

After months of anticipation the Judge finally sentenced Couch to ten years… of probation. Go ahead read that sentence one more time. Ethan’s defense claimed that he was a victim of affluenza. An illness created by one’s social status. His defense said that his parents are also to blame for they never gave him any restrictions and always gave him what he wanted. To sum up his sentence and their reasoning, this irresponsible, rich delinquent got away with four different cases of manslaughter because of his progenitor’s terrible parenting. The “affluenza” excuse means that Ethan didn’t understand how grave the situation was at the moment of the incident due to his privileged upbringing. So basically because a broke kid has seen the misfortunes of life at a younger age they are more liable for the death of a person than a rich kid who is blinded by his parents’ wealth and ignorance. Ethan doesn’t deserve only 10 years probation, if anything he deserves 10 years incarcerated. Regardless if he got off with a warning or a life sentence it’ll never fill the void that consumes the victim’s friends and families. The injustices in this case reveal an extreme bias towards the wealthy and ignorant and if this is how justice is achieved nationwide I see little hope in America’s future.

Everybody knows that sports involve physical contact. If you say the word “sport” to someone, you can expect that they’re going to visualize huge guys in helmets running into each other, two dudes grappling each other in an arena, or something of the sort. Naturally, you’d expect this level of physical contact to bring about some unwanted health problems. Injuries are expected in sports nowadays, and it’s a rare occurrence when a game of football passes without someone breaking a limb or having to sit out. Direct contact with another player isn’t the only form of contact in sports though. Whether it be sliding onto a base, sprinting across a court, or swinging a heavy racket, athletes are constantly putting themselves in situations with a lot of force acting on their bodies. Doing these actions for hours at a time during both practices and games has incredibly adverse long term effects on an athlete’s body. It is not uncommon to see a retired athlete suffer from joint issues, however recently a much more serious trend has started to appear. A disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also referred to as CTE, has recently started showing up more in athletes. CTE is a disease that builds up over time, and is caused by constant head injuries. It is of no surprise then, that many athletes have been diagnosed with CTE. In the past, it’s been diagnosed almost exclusively in boxing, football, and other contact sports. CTE’s symptoms include memory loss, aggression, and depression. Many players whom have had it have ended up committing suicide due to the effects it has on the brain. An easy solution to this problem would be to start watching and treating players who are diagnosed with CTE, don’t you think? It isn’t quite that simple, as CTE can only be diagnosed by examining the brain tissue of someone who is already dead. This makes CTE incredibly hard to track, and is usually only identified as the cause of an athlete’s problems after it’s too late. Not only is CTE hard to track, but it’s spreading. CTE isn’t a contagious disease, however it was originally only found in very contact heavy sports. Recently, the late MLB player Ryan Freel was diagnosed with CTE after he killed himself in December 2012. Freel’s death has brought up many controversial topics in the MLB, and it’s likely that we will start seeing an emphasis on concussions and their health risks pop up in sport leagues. For now, however, the true dangers lie on the field. People of all ages play these sports, and it’s important that we start paying more attention to safety precautions and tightening regulations. It’s unfair to tell the nation to stop playing sports entirely, but it isn’t fair to the players to let them play a game that will result in grotesque suicide. So, the next time you’re watching a game of football and your family cheers when two players collide head to head, remember that at the end of the day, those players have to go home and try to live with their destroyed bodies.

Moon Walkin’ By: Angel Ayala

No, Michael Jackson has not risen from the dead. However, the Chinese have landed on the moon. No, Gru did not fly up there for them, they sent a drone. Chang’e-3, the unmanned spacecraft carrying Jade Rabbit, the unmanned rover that will be rolling around the moon for the next three months, landed on Saturday December 14. This is the first ever “Soft-Landing” in Chinese history. Eventually the Chinese hope to put a Chinese astronaut on the moon. Chang’e-3 is named after the Chinese goddess of the moon. The probe, Jade Rabbit, is named after the goddess’s pet rabbit that myth and legend tell of. Unlike the rabbit of lore, this rabbit will depart from its holder and explore for three months on the moon. In China, a computer-generated image of the Chang’e-3 lander’s path was aired on state-run China Central Television. The most difficult part of this endeavor is the descent on the moon. Being that the moon has no atmosphere, parachutes are pointless. The only way to land is with the use of rocket propulsion. The tricky thing is coming down at the right speed and angle so that the lander does not land on a rock or in a deep crater. This marks a new era in space exploration. Could it be a new space race? The Chinese have thrown down a gauntlet, the question is, who will pick it up?

Spycraft II: Infringing on Liberty By: Liam Simon

For those of you that enjoy a nice multiplayer game, I write this to you as a warning. The NSA has taken another step in their spying. They have infiltrated popular games such as World of Warcraft and other games such as a game known as Second Life for the same reason as other spying missions they have done. Also for the Xbox Live users out there, be warned that there are spies there too. The NSA somehow got it in their heads that terrorists could be using the games to coordinate attacks or other criminal activities. As possible as that is, it is highly unlikely that that could happen. I do, however, see how they could get such a paranoid idea. also it is not just the NSA doing this, the British intelligence agency also got the same paranoid notion in their heads. they have created avatars in these games and are going around the fantasy worlds gathering information and informers. As if that was not enough to get gamers’ blood boiling with rage, they are also collecting data from communications of players and doing all this without consent from the companies that run the games. Thanks to Edward Snowden, this once secret information is now open for all to see. And the more that see it the better. As understandable as the idea is, it has not even done its job as a counterterrorism action, thus making all the efforts a waste of time. Even players who knew about the spying have called it a waste of time. game companies and former CIA agents have even questioned this action because the companies keep track of everything a player does and thus making it very ineffective to coordinate crimes over these methods. With this said, I warn all you gamers who read this to be careful. The agencies who are collecting layer information are still doing so. Even the slightest thing could set them off. If they are paranoid enough to search games that have proven to be ineffective methods for what they are trying to prevent, then who know where they will target next. An even better question would be where they will draw the line. They have the means to do things like this and get away with it and no one is stopping them. Is there nowhere we are safe from spying? Honestly this is getting kind of ridiculous. Why can’t our government trust its own people anymore? If Congress ever intends to work on the issue of spying then it better do something soon. We have gone from spying on countries we knew to be our allies to spying on our own people and others through video games when the bulk of the ones who play are children. I ask you to think about this when you get on your computer or Xbox. Again I also send this warning to the gamers. Be careful on your games.

3 January 31, 2013

5 Dictate, Dominate! By Angelo Patti

For Mr. Henebry and the wrestlers it’s just another season of hard work and perseverance that they try to strive for perfection every year. Wrestling is a sport that you must put a lot of dedication into if you want to become great. For senior Kevin Li, it’s his first season as a wrestler but the mandatory dedication and hard work is already familiar to him. Kevin has already put a lot of effort into his high school career and has decided it was time to put that effort into a sport. Conditioning was tough, but it got the wrestlers prepared for the long season ahead of them. Wrestling has many people coming back and surprisingly, a lot of new faces, such as Kevin. With both the familiar and new faces, there will be an amazing amount of hard work and sweat accumulated. Now that the season has started, a tournament and a meet have both already occurred with plenty more to come. The first Saturday tournament was a great start to the season because of how much promise and potential the players showed. It also gave each player a taste of what the whole season will consist of. Since the sport is arranged by weight, each player is placed in a different weight class that will consist of others in their same weight class. So people who weigh 120 pounds will have to go against people who also weigh around that much. That makes it crucial for wrestlers to watch their weight during the season or else they will face players much bigger than them. The wrestlers had their first home meet against Piedmont Hills. This was a very close match up, and in the end, each wrestler had their share of wins and losses. Some got pinned early while others took control of their match and won. Points are given for pins and in the end, it was a close score as Prospect eventually won 40-37. The next meet was not as much of a challenge as Prospect had an away meet at San Jose High. Prospect did not let up as every individual did great and Prospect eventually won 59-18. Starting the year off strong is the best way to start, and Mr. Henebry and the wrestlers are ready to “dictate, dominate!”

NHL Dreams

By Demian Ibarra-Lopez

On the Rebound By Tisha Harnlasiri The Lady Panthers are back on the court, and ready to win. With Coach Bobby Joe Stewart and Coach Jacob Jackson heading the girls basketball teams this season, the players are working hard at practice to fire up their ball game for a chance at CCS in February. Varsity, though having endured a tough start with the loss of last year’s top-scorers Stephanie Tandun and Alyah Sablan, are joined by talented newcomers, including freshmen Gabbi Tsukimoto and Kyla Reinhart. The two basketball stars on-the-rising have earned spots as starters alongside captains Kaleigh Otsuka and Sarah Miller who are both Varsity returners. "My goal every year has been to be the best player that I can be. I want to leave

a legacy for the future players so they can also take pride in being a part of the girls basketball team,” says Miller. Her positive attitude is a trait that the team embodies in order to get out on the court and give it their all - even if the result be a win or loss at the end of the day. While Varsity has faced struggles early on, the JV girls are off to a fairly good start under the guidance of Coach Jackson. They have accumulated more wins than losses in the tournament and non-conference games combined, and even handed Scott Valley’s formidable JV girls a heartbreaking defeat. With the basketball season underway, Prospect wishes the Lady Panthers good luck!

Get Buckets By Madison Tara

It’s that time of year again, basketball is here and the Panthers are ready for an amazing season. Last year, the boys took 4th in league and made it to CCS but unfortunately, lost in the second round. The captains this year are Jalen Benitez, Bryce Ogata, Christian Neilson, and Ifeanyi Ekechukwu. “It is going to be a very exciting season because the starting five players can dunk,” says Ifeanyi. They all agree that the season is going to be great and they are excited to play and be on the court again. The team has high expectations for this season. They are expecting to make it to CCS and go farther this year than last year. In an interview, the Panthers were asked if it will be difficult without the former seniors. “The new seniors are just going to have to take the leading role,” Bryce says. They also had sophomores brought up from JV to play with varsity who have great potential to take the team far. The Panthers are very pumped and can’t wait to beast it up on the court and impress all their fans. Come watch the boys play, the next game is February 5th.

As kids many of us dream about working with our idols. Maybe you were hosting the Oscars alongside Anne Hathaway, or perhaps you were singing a duet with Christina Aguilera. For NHL rookies Tomas Hertl and Vladimir Tarasenko their dream of playing next to their idols has become a reality. And for Vladimir the dream just keeps getting better. Tomas Hertl is a Czech forward for the San Jose Sharks, he was ranked fifth by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau among European skaters before the 2012 NHL Draft. The Sharks signed Hertl to a three year contract on June 3rd, 2013. Due to a knee injury Raffi Torres left Tomas Hertl to fill in a gap in a lineup that included veterans like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dan Boyle. In the regular season the 19-year-old aptly dubbed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Hertl” was the first teenager to play in a Shark’s season opener since Marc-Eduard Vlasic in 2006. He scored his first two goals in his second game against the Phoenix Coyotes, becoming the youngest Sharks player to score two goals in one game since March 17, 1999 when teammate and role model Patrick Marleau was also 19. On the 5th of October Tomas Hertl gave one of the greatest rookie presentations in NHL history leading the team with four goals against the New York Rangers topping off his hat trick with an in-between-the-legs goal leaving the announcers speechless and the goalie looking the opposite way. He is the youngest player to score four goals in a game since Owen Nolan March 30, 1988. Unfortunately for the 20 year old his rookie success was cut short after a collision with the captain of both the U.S. Olympic Hockey team and the oh so pleasant L.A. Kings, Dustin Brown. Hertl suffered a knee injury but underwent successful surgery less than a month after the incident. Fans speculate the “accident” claiming it was avoidable and due to Brown’s history with dirty hits they believe the impact was premeditated. The injury left a speed bump in Hertl’s promising career in the NHL and even worse deprived him of an opportunity to represent his home country, the Czech Republic, in February during the Sochi Olympics in Russia. A talented, young man and a dedicated hockey player Tomas Hertl has much more to prove in future seasons and as Sharks fans we can only wish Hertl a quick recovery and pray that the injury isn’t the beginning of an unfortunate loss of talent. Much like the misfortune of Derrick Rose. On a brighter note Vladimir Tarasenko a Russian forward who plays for the St. Louis Blues has achieved an accomplishment of a lifetime. At the young age of 22 Vladimir will soon play alongside his childhood heroes including Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Ovechkin, and, hockey wizard Pavel Datsyuk in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The road to the Olympics hasn’t been a primrose path for the 22 year old. At the beginning of his NHL career he struggled with adapting to the American culture and with insecurities in relation to his accent and lack of knowledge about the English language. Teammates like Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart took on the role of a big brother for Tarasenko and encouraged him to speak confidently. Shattenkirk can relate to Vladimir for he played in Finland during the 2012-13 NHL Lockout and also struggled trying to adapt to a new culture and language. More than a dream come true, Tarasenko’s appearance in the Sochi Olympics is a chance to prove himself, not only amongst his idols but also amongst the greatest hockey players of modern times. As hockey fans we wish Tarasenko a successful future and congratulate him on an accomplishment achieved by few. Much like many other dream aspiring stories Hertl and Tarasenko still provide a glimpse of hope for our future actors, politicians, athletes, and artist that roam the halls of Prospect High. In the words or Ian Bavitz, “You can dream a little dream or you can live a little dream, I’d rather live it, because dreamers always chase, but never live it.” Keep dreaming Prospect.

6 Girls Varsity Soccer

Obama Chooses Delegaytes By Courtney Conlan





By Courtney Conlan

This February, the

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will begin in Russia. This will certainly prove to be an interesting Olympics, and not just because of the ski jumps and speed skating we’re bound to see. Already under scrutiny because of the antigay laws currently in effect, several countries considered boycotting the Olympics this year. President Obama decided earlier this year to compete anyway. He does not think it would be fair to the athletes who have been training so hard for so long, and he hopes that a few gay athletes will win medals. That would certainly be a small victory in a country where gay propaganda can lead to jail time. As a way to show our country’s diversity and support of the LGBT community, Obama has selected two openly gay athletes to represent America in the opening and closing ceremonies. America wants to make a point of our disapproval of the Russian laws. These delegates, Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow, are both deeply honored to be representing our country and the LGBT community. The U.S. Olympic Committee did not say anything concerning the sexual orientation of the selected delegates. They have recently adjusted their non-discrimination policy to include orientation. The International Olympic Committee has said that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has claimed that gays present will not be discriminated. However, it is unsure of what will happen to athletes who have propaganda (illegal by the anti-gay law). Obama himself, will not be attending the Olympics as a way to showcase our disapproval with Russia’s human rights laws and some foreign policies. Neither will Michelle Obama or the Vice President, the first time since 2000 that none of these people will attend. The president claims that his schedule does not allow for him to go, however he omits to say what he will be busy doing. Other countries, including France and Germany, will not be sending their presidents to the games either.

What makes a good soccer

team? Is it the dedication, the chemistry of the athletes, or the determination to win? Most of the time, it’s all of the above. The girls’ varsity soccer team certainly knows what it’s doing. So far this year, the team has gone 4-2. However, in league, they have won both of the games they’ve played. Prospect competes in BVAL (Blossom Valley Athletic League) for all the sports we compete in. The league competitions are the ones that really matter for progressing further along towards CCS. Our team is definitely off to a good start! The eighteen girls are made up of a combination of all grades, including five freshmen. Since soccer is a very competitive sport, this is quite the accomplishment. Of course, the goal of the team is to get to CCS, but they would also like to surpass last year’s second place at BVAL and win first place. This will be a challenge, but the team is confident in their abilities. Coach Potmesil hopes to lead the team to victory. The captains are yet to be announced, but possible candidates include Jamie Ikeda, Ashley Shen, Heidy Robledo, and Mirella Matadamas. Being a captain takes commitment, loyalty, and leadership- qualities all of these girls have. The girls’ games are every Tuesday and Thursday, normally starting at 3:15. Go out and show your support for our Prospect girls.

Peyton Manning: Sportsman of the Year

By Tisha Harnlasiri

Leading the Denver Broncos to a winning season and a berth in

the Super Bowl, quarterback Peyton Manning has made a remarkable comeback from what many believed was a time of unbeatable odds. Four neck surgeries, a playoff defeat in 2012, and an idle year of rehabilitation from nerve damage and spinal fusion, were forewarning signs of a declining career for the 37-year-old. Manning, however, did beat the odds; he not only put the The United States subtle message with Obama’s chosen delegates Broncos at the helm of the AFC West but has given them a strong chance at a and lack of (i.e. himself) will give the world our opinion on the human rights pertaining to LGBT. Slowly the world is establishing more and more equalities Super Bowl victory. between minorities and majorities. Although a small step in the big scheme of This return surely hasn’t gone unnoticed. In mid-December, Sports things, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Illustrated named the quarterback as its choice of Sportsman of the Year for 2013. Major League Baseball players Mariano Rivera (recently retired) and This is one Super Bowl David Ortiz were among the favorites beaten out by Manning, who is only the eighth in the NFL to receive the award. By Brian Nicholson The athlete has accepted the title, though he says he’s not Following a disappointing loss at quite sure if he’s completely deserving of it. “I really accept this Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, the San award on behalf of a lot of people that have helped me," Manning Francisco 49er’s Quest for Six came said. "I realized that being injured and coming back from an injury to a halt. The Seattle Seahawks, after and playing is probably a large reason why I received this award.” beating the Niners 23-17 and winning He humbly thanked his coaches for helping him to overcome his the NFC Championship, are scheduled to deteriorating physical dexterity and to man an offensive system that play the Denver Broncos on February 2 few are able of fully comprehending. for Superbowl XLVIII. We can all expect While Manning is hardly a “bad” choice, many argue that a great game from this matchup, with the there are several athletes far more deserving of Sport Illustrated’s Seahawk’s nearly impenetrable defense annual award. For these people, Manning has great on-field pinned against Peyton Manning’s arm performance, but lacks in off-field contribution and cultural relevance and the Broncos’ offense. Manning will have to watch out for trash-talking corner, in today’s society. Despite these oppositions, Manning has certainly Richard Sherman, out on the field. Although he talks a lot of smack, he is still able had a wowing year that quarterbacks would be dying for. to deliver, and is known for blocking the ball. In the end, I predict the Broncos will be crowned champions of Superbowl XLVIII. But what is a Superbowl without commercials. Companies pay top-dollar for a commercial spot that will be watched by almost everyone in America. The commercials are well thought out and super funny to watch. In fact, some people only watch the Superbowl for the commercials! Also to look forward to is a halftime show featuring Bruno Mars. Whatever your reasons are for watching the game, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy the time together with your friends and family. Eat more food than you can handle. Watch the commercials. And most importantly, enjoy yourself. Go Broncos!!!

Pop Culture 4.6 Million! By: Cesar Garcia

With technology being part of our

daily lives, how do we protect our personal information from being taken and exposed to the public? Many social networks and apps require basic personal information to create an account. Some common personal information to create an account is your name, email, birthday and phone number. While all companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram claim they have a good security system to protect this information, any company is still vulnerable to an attack. Snapchat, a very popular messaging app that allows photos and videos to be shared with an individual of your choice for a short period of time was compromised. On January 2, 2014, an anonymous group of hackers were able to obtain 4.6 million personal user names and phone numbers from the Snapchat data base, and published the information on a website. The website has been taken down, but that doesn’t mean the 4.6 million victims are safe as their information was exposed for a short period of time. “Our motivation behind the release was to raise the public awareness around the issue, and also put public pressure on Snapchat to get this exploit fixed.” This statement was provided by anonymous hackers said their goal wasn’t to harm, but to inform the public of the dangers of the World Wide Web. They also wanted to remind companies of the importance of security. Snapchat seems to be putting security on the back burner as the hackers made another statement explaining that the exploit they used could have been fixed a while back, if the company put in effort. The hackers also described that when snapchat did impose new security measures to prevent breaches, the hackers found little obstacles that were easy to maneuver around. Again, the hackers wanted to cause no harm; they just wanted a company like Snapchat to provide good security to their loyal users that enjoy the service they provide. If a company can’t protect your information, take it into your own hands with these tips. • Check your privacy settings • Accept only individuals that you know • Don’t post information that you wouldn’t want a stranger to have • Use a complex password and change it often With these simple tips you will be able to protect yourself from the dangers that lurk within the online world.

Local Concerts By: Natalie Nelson

7

American Hustle Review Aside from all the usual family traditions and fun, the 2013 holiday season was a big success in the film industry. Throughout the month of December, many well-received movies were released, including “The Wolf of Wall Street”, “Saving Mr. Banks”, and “American Hustle”. In fact, all three of these films have been nominated for various prestigious film awards. According to the aggregate source, “Rotten Tomatoes”, the highest rated film this season is “American Hustle”, directed by Silver Lining Playbook’s David O. Russell, an accolade that I can agree with. From start to finish, “American Hustle” provides the viewer with an enthralling, high-quality viewing experience. Set during the year 1978, the movie loosely follows the Abscam Operation, an FBI sting operation designed to weed out crooked federal and localized politicians, an investigation that ended up in the corruption conviction of eight U.S. congressmen, as well as several politicians from smaller lawmaking bodies. A drama, the movie focuses specifically on two con artists who are recruited by the FBI to aid them in their sting operation, as well as the agent that leads the operation, and one of the conartists’ wife. The cons are played by “Dark Knight Rises” star, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, who recently appeared in “Man of Steel.” Playing the role of FBI agent Richard DiMasio is Bradley Cooper, who starred in “The Hangover.” Christian Bale’s character`s wife in the movie was played by the ever-popular Jennifer Lawrence. Other popular faces appeared in the film, such as comedian Louis C.K. As expected, the cast performed excellently, even receiving Golden Globe nominations for their roles. Another excellent component of “American Hustle” is the quality of the setting. Taking place in the late 1970s, the movie did a great job of following late 70s culture from dress styles to automobiles. Perhaps the best detail, in my opinion, was the soundtrack, which featured plenty of artists who were popular in the era such as America and the Electric Light Orchestra. The soundtrack added another level of depth to the atmosphere, and provided a nostalgic listen for one that enjoys movie soundtracks. The overall plot and scripting was excellent; there were funny moments, and everything flowed smoothly. Perhaps most importantly, the movie did a great job of presenting the information relating to the ABSCAM Operation as the movie progressed, ensuring that viewers understood everything that occurred. Personally, I think that “American Hustle” was one of the better movies that I have seen recently. Everything from the casting, to the scripting and costume design was well-done. It was clear that this project was one that the director, David O. Russell, as well as his whole cast and crew, put good effort into. I would give this film a five out of five, and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in watching a good film.

With a new year come new concerts. We are fortunate enough to be placed close to Oakland and San Francisco, which are both known for holding concerts. With countless venues strewn across the Bay Area, one could potentially attend a concert every night. There are events for every kind of music taste, ranging from underground rap to classic rock. Concert tickets are arguably one of the best things you can spend money on, so hopefully some upcoming local concerts will stand out to you. For those with an alternative music taste, there are great upcoming concerts in the Bay Area. Band of Horses will be coming to the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, on Valentine’s Day nonetheless. If you and someone special are into the rich, mellow rock sounds of this band, it would be a perfect way to spend February 14th. More locally, the Pixies are coming to the City National Civic Auditorium (formerly the San Jose Civic Auditorium) on Saturday, February 22nd. This classic rock band is gong to be supported by Best Coast, an LA-formed surf rock duo. Finally, Kings of Leon will be returning to the Bay in March. They will be coming to the SAP Center with supporting act Local Natives on Tuesday, March 25th. These are only a few of the talented rock artists coming to the Bay area, though; there are going to be plenty more shows in the upcoming months.

Kind of a Big Deal By: Angel Ayala

By: Owen Gilles

EDM has a significantly different concert scene, especially in the Bay Area. In February, Skrillex is taking over San Francisco. He will be having six consecutive shows, starting February 3rd. It will be held at a different venue every night, all in San Francisco with the exception of February 7th, being held at the Fox Theater in Oakland. Skrillex is arguably the biggest name in EDM, so it is exciting that he chose to hold one of his four takeovers in San Francisco. One huge downfall, however, is that all of his shows will be 18+. But if you’re looking for more age-friendly shows, there are a few summer concerts that will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Journey will be coming to Mountain View on July 16th, along with Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power. These classic rock bands will undoubtedly put on a great show for everyone attending, regardless of age. Finally, indie rock band Arcade Fire will be having a show at Shoreline as well on July 30th. Having just released a new album, they will be getting their music out there in a great way. They have one requirement for their shows, however. They ask everyone to dress up in formal wear or costume. Although it is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged. Hopefully a few of these concerts will appeal to you and you will be able to attend one or more of these amazing shows.

“Do you know how it feels to bite into a marble ashtray thinking it’s a fresh toaster waffle?” Ron Burgundy does. In Will Ferrell’s latest comedy, and long awaited addition to the “Anchorman” series, the legendary news anchor comes back. This time, however, the comedy is more of a team effort. Brick Tamland, played by Steve Carrell, contributes to the madness with his out-of-leftfield actions. Brian Fantana, played by Paul Rudd, offers a more serious tone to the movie, helping move the story along. Champ Kind, played by David Koechner is there to keep the feel of the original Anchorman alive. In the beginning, Ron and Veronica Corningstone (his wife) have made the big time, anchoring for a big-time news station in New York. However, when Veronica is given the chance to be the lead anchor without Ron, he goes back to San Diego (pronounced Deeah-go), and tries to regain a spot in the limelight. So, after a brief stint at Sea World, Ron realizes that his life is nowhere near what he wanted and tries to commit suicide. After the botched suicide attempt, Ron discovers that “Suicide makes you hungry; I don’t care what anybody says.” Soon after, he is offered an anchor job at the first ever 24-hour news station: GNN. The only way to for GNN to have Ron anchor is if the rest of his team is there with him: Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland, and Champ Kind. The ensuing madness is simply too good to be recounted in a small school newspaper article. The laughs come at you like shots from a full-auto AK47 assault rifle with the constant innuendos, random antics, and consistent cultural satire. If you want a movie to see where you will have your heart touched, mind boggled, and ribs sore from laughter, then this is the movie to see. Definitely a 3.5 star movie.

Pop Culture

8

The Wolf of Wall Street Review

Beyoncé

Jordan Belfort, the main character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street”, doesn’t really think much of the audience watching his story unfold on the big screen. He frequently talks to the audience in order to try and explain the complicated and highly illegal financial dealings that he has made to make him insanely wealthy, but he regularly gives up and mockingly speaks in a language that everyone can understand which is money. After all, Jordan has plenty of it, and it is disturbingly fun to watch him chaotically spend it on drugs, prostitutes, bribes, and all manners of debauchery. Jordan protects his conscience with proclamations about the American Dream and ideals of being the main man of Wall Street but the truth is that he is as money and power hungry as they come. Because of the protagonist’s truly terrible personality, if the movie made any kind of effort to get the audience to sympathize with the lead it would have gone down in flames, but Scorsese is too smart a filmmaker for that. In “The Wolf of Wall Street” he recognized a story of insanity, ridiculousness, greed, and incredible entertainment value, and that’s exactly what he has brought to the screen. “The Wolf of Wall Street” examines Jordan’s rise from being a 22-year-old novice on Wall Street to one of the most powerful individuals in the American economy. He is armed with an amazing gift of making sales and a monstrously illegal strategy that allows him to earn huge commissions on fake stocks. He made millions upon millions back in the 90s, leading to a life of absurd excess. This all becomes threatened when the federal government begins to find out about who he really is but Jordan doesn’t let his dream die without a fight. While DiCaprio’s performance alone is worth the price of admission, that shouldn’t undervalue the movie’s perfect and outstanding supporting cast. As Jordan blazes his trail through the world of high finance, he regularly encounters new and ridiculous characters that leave a lasting impression both on the protagonist and the audience. Matthew McConaughey is Jordan’s chest-thumping, coke snorting early, Margot Robbie is his wife, and Rob Reiner is his hot headed father all properly add to the madness that is Wolf of Wall Street, but if there’s anyone who really comes close to stealing DiCaprio’s spotlight, it’s Jonah Hill. The actor is given gold to work with and he played one of the most unusual roles this year. When watching “The Wolf of Wall Street”, it’s incredibly hard not to be reminded of Scorsese’s brilliant 90s gangster film Goodfellas. Both titles tell epic stories of an individual’s quest for that great mythological American Dream and how quickly that path can be corrupted. Both are uniquely excellent. I would give this movie four and half stars out of five. Now that the genius filmmaker is 71 years old, the truth is that there likely won’t be many more of his movies coming in the future, but if he can continue producing films on the level of “The Wolf of Wall Street”, it will be impossible to let him go.

Two years since her album release of 4, Queen Bey is back and in command of her throne on the music charts. Giving not the slightest bit of sneak-peak to her studio work, Beyoncé dropped her surprise fifth album (self-titled “Beyoncé”) that left fans stunned and raving over her latest pieces. With no released singles (meaning that the work must be bought in the full) and with seventeen videos accompanying fourteen songs, calling her “visual album” a surprise is an understatement. If fans expected conventional, they were most likely shocked to discover how honest and uncensored Beyoncé truly is. And that’s what makes it so great. While it’s a huge change from her usual, lightmood pop style, critics and listeners have praised her for her authenticity and theme of self-empowerment. Steadily climbing the charts, “Drunk in Love,” in which she openly sings about having sex with her husband Jay-Z, accentuates her fearlessness in defying female stereotypes and embracing her sexuality. As uncensored and risqué as her music video is, it aims to empower women to be proud of their sensuality and feminism. “Pretty Hurts” shows off Beyoncé’s vocals as she chastises society’s focus on perfection and outer beauty. Her lyrics “it’s the soul that needs the surgery” hits spot on, reflecting how “plastic smiles and denial” can only do so much to deal with the pressure from social expectations. The ballad “XO” is a winner with a mid-tempo pop style that also embodies love and affection. But well beyond Beyoncé’s stunning vocals and fierce image of female sexuality and confidence, it is her profound exploration that makes the album so bold. She reveals to us who she truly is: the wife of Jay-Z, the loving mother of Blue Ivy, a feminist prepared to take charge, but also a woman with fears and insecurities. “Mine”, for example, delves deeply into Beyoncé’s struggles with postpartum depression and doubts about her marriage. Her understanding and interpretation of music is even more inspiring. “It’s more than just what I hear. When I’m connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they’re all connected to the music,” she said. This bold outlook and candidness has made her work a celebration of songwriting that truly shows the beauty of music as expressive art. Beyoncé is undoubtedly every bit worthy of its surprise.

By: Rob Delfino

By: Tisha Harnlasiri

The Dawn of a New “Broken Age” By: Alex Ruby

Double Fine Productions has been around for a long time, developing quirky

indie adventure games right here in the Bay Area since 2000. Their notable games include the psychic platformer “Psychonauts”, the bizarre hack ’n’ slash “Brütal Legend”, and most recently, the point-and-click adventure now known as “Broken Age.” The game features old school, point-and-click adventure game mechanics, beautiful backgrounds, and a robust story centered around a boy who lives alone on a spaceship and a girl who is trying to avoid being sacrificed to a monster in her village. It even features Elijah Wood, Jennifer Hale, and Jack Black as voice actors.However, the most interesting feature of this game is that it was almost entirely funded by the players. Back in February 2012, Double Fine Productions’ founder Tim Schafer realized that his newest project would never come into fruition due to pesky publisher interference and due to their lack of finances. To remedy this, Schafer (along with Double Fine and another production company called 2 Player Games) decided to crowdfund the project on Kickstarter. They called the project “Double Fine Adventure” and relied on the fans to fund the game. In just 9 hours after the announcement, the funding surpassed the original $400,000 goal and in 24 hours it had reached $1 million. The Kickstarter closed in March, reaching $3.3 million from over 87,000 backers. However,

in July of 2013, Double Fine announced that the game would be split into 2 parts with the first part being available on Steam Early Access and the second part being entirely funded from the money made on the first part of the game. This delay and need for more funds might change how people see Kickstarter as a viable funding platform yet again. As a whole though, the entire crowd-funding campaign still challenges big publishers like EA or Ubisoft that have the majority of the funding and creative control over most of the developers in the industry. In recent years, these publishers have forced unreasonable deadlines, unoriginal gameplay mechanics, and unfeasible budgets on to their developers leading to subpar games and low review scores. Instead, crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo allow for independent developers to create the game they wanted to make and for gamers to play the games they wanted to play. By relying on their fans, developers can now create more unique and original games without intrusion from publishers and make their audiences happy. This will surely affect how games are made and funded in the future. Act I of “Broken Age” will release this January on Steam Early Access and Act II will be released in the Spring of this year for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, Ouya, and iOS platforms.

Ride Along

By: Kaileigh Otsuka

Just out on January 14th, “Ride Along” starring the comedian Kevin Hart, and Ice Cube has hit the theaters! Ben (Kevin Hart) is in love with his girlfriend Angela, but in order to marry her he must get the blessing of her tough detective brother James (Ice Cube). Ben is a talkative and cocky high school security guard, but is soon in the big leagues when James takes Ben to patrol Atlanta. On patrol James takes Ben to the toughest parts of Atlanta, where they meet a well-renowned criminal. At this point the movie really started to get interesting. Between Kevin Hart’s girly screams and all the action, I can’t decide which was better. This movie has great action, and will make you laugh. Kevin Hart and Ice Cube make a great acting pair and Hart has definitely started making a name for himself as more that just a comedian. All in all 3 out of 5 stars!

Pop Culture

9

Avril Lavigne By:Courtney Conlan

Avril Lavigne’s new album, “Avril Lavigne”, came out in November following her hit single “Here’s to Never Growing Up.” Following her 2011 album “Goodbye Lullaby”, which had a slower beat, Avril has returned to her more pop and upbeat music. She’s been singing since she was a teenager, and released her first album at the age of only 17. Avril Lavigne, her fifth album, has 14 songs and is just under an hour long. A punk-pop artist, Avril’s upbeat music is good for a party or even just rocking out in your room alone. However many of her songs have deeper meaning. The song “Let Me Go”, which features her husband and Nickelback’s singer, Chad Kroeger, is piano-driven with a more soothing tone. It is about a past love gone wrong, but then opens up to be more about the journey of love. Avril has always been known for her sassier and sometimes rebellious music (ironic because of her deeply religious parents). This album kept up that tradition, with her song “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.” With lyrics like “A first taste like honey, you were so yum”, the intended message is pretty clear. I recommend this album to anyone who’s in the mood for pop, a bit of indie, or punk rock. Although I wouldn’t consider it her best album (I personally prefer the first two Let Go and Under My Skin), this is a CD I’ll be sure to import onto my iPod.

Not So Strong After All By: Madison Tara

We all know the ancient Greek story of Hercules, the son of Zeus who grows up to be a hero. Disney made their animated version in 1997 and this year, the live action version came out, “The Legend of Hercules,” starring Kellen Lutz. Unfortunately, this movie was not as good as expected. Most of the movie was shown in the commercials and trailers. Hercules’ kingdom clashes with the neighboring kingdom and the kingdoms prepare for battle before he was born. After winning the battle, Zeus goes and visits a queen and there they create a baby boy, Hercules. Pretty much the whole movie is a love story between Hercules and he has a few duels in between. IMDb gave this movie 3.9 out of 10 stars. I give it the same, it was terrible and I do not recommend this movie. Although Kellen is very easy on the eyes, he cannot act and should stick to being a background vampire on “Twilight.”

iStream By: Cesar Garcia

Intelligence Premiere By: Eric Garcia

Intelligence is an interesting show, providing the viewer with suspense and action, while explaining the main plot and character’s stories. This new show is about humans inventing a microchip that can be implanted in a person’s brain, and allows them to access anything from the internet. I liked this idea because this kind of technology is possible in the near future, and concept is unique; it makes Intelligence a new kind of cop show. The show starts off a little bit confusing because of the changing scenes, but after about ten minutes it pieces together. It starts off with action that grabbed my attention, and then brought it down to explain what exactly is going on. This was a different kind of premiere, but I liked it. What bothered me was some of the effects that were used in the show. In the beginning the main character jumps into a lake and it looked cheesy, but the fighting was well done, so it worked out. The plot twists started early, but I enjoyed it because it made kept me guessing about each character. The character development is better than most shows I’ve watched. From the beginning of the show, you start the see the main character’s back-story and the reason why he does what he does. I’d definitely watch more of this show; it’s done very well and has an interesting plot. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, because they could have done better with the effects and action scenes, trying to make the effects look more realistic. Airs on CBS Mondays at 10 p.m.

April 28, 2003 was a great stepping stone for Apple, as they launched iTunes to the public. It was a great success, with iTunes selling over a million songs the first week! Over the years, iTunes has grown, and the number of purchase songs has increased until 2013. However, iTunes sales dropped from 1.34 billion in 2012, to 1.26 billion in 2013, a huge 6 percent drop. People are blaming major streaming sites for the drop of sales. Services and sites like Pandora, Spotify, and iTunes Radio provide streamed music for free with the cost of having advertisements included. This brings up the question, why do you need to buy music when you can just stream the music for free? Pros of streaming • Free music to listen to • Songs don’t take up storage • Many stations with familiar songs • Access to different artists which you many have never noticed before. Cons of streaming • Advertisements • Services pick the songs you listen to • You don’t own the song/ you can’t download the songs/ Play it whenever you like With streaming growing in popularity, song sales are going to decrease, but with streaming websites, which advertise a large amount of music, this can lead to new sales of music. So as of now, streaming websites may look like a negative, but in the future, I think it will be a very good aspect of advertising new music.

Lone Survivor By: Eric Garcia

People say that you learn something new every day, and that’s exactly what this movie did for me. “Lone Survivor” is a movie based on a true story about four marines sent on a mission in Afghanistan. Suddenly, things start spiraling out of control, and the movie tells the story of what happened. The movie really showed that marines’ values on the battlefield are protecting one another, having each other’s back, loyalty, and trust. In one scene, the group finds itself stuck between rocks and the Taliban, a vicious terrorist group that dominates the area. During the battle, most of the marines’ actions help each other move away from the barrage of bullets and do everything they can to protect their comrades instead of just protecting themselves. “When I’m shooting my gun I’m not doing it to protect myself, I’m doing it to protect you.” My personal favorite line from both the trailer and the movie, as it really depicts the bonds that they have for one another. At the end of the film they showed the pictures of the real marines that died and depicted their lives through pictures, honoring the memories of the fallen. Director Peter Berg and actors did an amazing job bringing this story to life. I saw how much dedication they had in making this film. Mark Walhberg, Taylor Kitsch, and Emile Hirsch did everything they could to bring out the spirit of the warrior in each marine they played. During the movie, Mark Walhberg falls off a mountain and after I finished the movie I researched and found out that he didn’t have a stunt double take the fall, he did it himself. I thought that the movie was one of the best movies I’ve seen because of all the meaning and effort they put in the film. I’d rate the movie 5 out of 5 stars because of how it taught me many important lessons such as having your friends’ back no matter what.

Too Young for Fame? By: Eric Garcia

Don’t you remember when you watched The Disney Channel as a kid? Seeing Miley Cyrus hide her singing potential in Hannah Montana, or watching Dylan Sprouse mess around in “The Suite life of Zach and Cody” or sing along with Vanessa Hudgens in “High School Musical.” Well, now they’ve grown up and seem like different people. Is fame a cause of what has happened to these stars? Miley Cyrus, star of the famous Disney show “Hannah Montana”, used to be an ordinary teenager, but now she has cut and dyed her hair blonde and displayed an overtly sexual dance performance at the VMA’s. If she hadn’t been introduced to fame would she have changed like she has? If she wasn’t exposed to fame early she wouldn’t feel the need to throw away her Disney image of Hannah Montana. If she wasn’t famous, I don’t think she would’ve changed like she has now. Another famous child actor is Dylan Sprouse, who’s known for acting in “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody” with his twin brother Cole. However nudes of him were released and posted all over the internet by his angry ex-girlfriend. Although he didn’t go and do something stupid after they were posted, and instead he laughed it off and moved past it. Vanessa Hudgens also had nudes put on the internet by her boyfriend Zach Effron. She also starred in the movie Spring Breakers which included sexual content. With all these changes in Disney stars I think that they just want to break out of the “Disney Image” and show people that they aren’t just Disney kids, but adults. If Miley, Vanessa, and Dylan weren’t such big hits on Disney channel would they have to manage or change their image as much as they have? The paparazzi does everything they can to get the juicy secrets of stars and celebrities, I think that this is the main reason why these young actors/actresses are morphing so dramatically. They feel like they need to change so the world can see that they aren’t just kids, if they were just regular high school kids the change probably wouldn’t have been so remarkable.

Panther Life

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What’s this? New Classes?

A Bad Case of Senioritis By: Natalie Nelson

By: Larry Nguyen



For all of you juniors, sophomores and freshmen, programming is coming. This

is the time when you register for your classes next year. Of course you have to choose your mandatory classes: English, Math, Science, and History. However, if you are in the need of a different class Psychology and Sociology (one semester of each) will be a new addition to the courses available for selection. Psychology is the “study of behavior and the examples of areas to be studied including learning and intelligence, problem solving, emotions, motivation, perception, sensation, personality development, and the ethics and methods of research” (CUHSD Course Catalog 42). This is a brand new class that has not been available at Prospect before, and the future upperclassmen are lucky to have this choice for their classes. A further description of this class says that students will learn more about the research done behind psychology and more psychological facts about the different subfields of this subject. I would imagine that future seniors and juniors would take this class who are looking for the credits. At a first glance, it may seem daunting but psychology is a very interesting subject and I would recommend taking this class to any who are looking to learn something new. The other half of the class is Sociology. This is the “study of human behavior social groups, and society” (41). Another different branch of science, sociology examines society as implied in its name. Again this class is new, and has never been available at Prospect. I would say that it is the same type of class as Psychology, studying the nuances of this science. Programming is a very fun, and important time of the year. I advise to carefully choose your classes because it is difficult to drop classes here. However, the new classes offered should spice up the selection available at Prospect. Future juniors and seniors are incredibly fortunate to have these new classes and I suggest all of you to take advantage of this offer and learn something that has never been offered here before.

Make a Wish

By: Mirna Shehata

As second semester begins, we seniors start to see the light at the end of the tunnel: graduation. We have already endured first semester, which seemed to have flown by. Now, we are faced with the final months of our whole high school experience. As the days drag on, motivation is at an all time low. Unfortunately, senioritis is striking hard. Even writing notes seems like too much of a task to handle. I’m barely gathering up the motivation I need to write this article, and it’s only January. Luckily, there are some remedies to this problem. One cure for this unfortunate “sickness” is to plan ahead. Know what you have to get done, and give yourself plenty of time to do it. If you have a math test coming up, use a few study halls before the test day to study. That way you don’t have to study outside of school, yet you’re still preparing yourself. It seems as if grades do not really matter this close to graduation, but they can actually determine whether or not you go to college. If you fail a class that you were responsible for taking, colleges will reconsider your application. So use your time before any big test days wisely. Another tip is not to stress. This sounds unreasonable because it is hard not to have something to stress over almost every minute of the day. But stressing over any situation does more bad than good. Stress can take a toll on a person and the work that they are doing. So maybe instead of procrastinating so much again this semester, take these final months seriously and give it your best. Senioritis sounds like a very hypothetical concept. However, we seniors know that it is about as real as it gets. No one wants to do any work, they just want to be out of high school. Graduation is so close that it seems almost as if we shouldn’t have to do anything these next few months. That, ultimately, leads to us putting ourselves in a mindset in which we don’t find school important anymore. Even though we are practically done, we should not blow off every class. We still

have a whole semester to go through, so let’s try not to let carelessness turn our final days into stress.

Valentine’s Day By: Aida Avdagic

From year to year, students excitingly await the Make a Wish Rally, hoping that

While some of us are looking forward to Valentine’s Day others of us, well, not so much. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and it’s better to be prepared than not to have any plans. When we were in elementary school we would pass out candy and hand out written cards, and in High School we give out Valentine’s Day grams, go out on dates with our significant others, or just lounge around and watch movies while eating chocolate. But Valentine’s Day is not just for those who are in a relationship; it’s for all of us. We all have friends, family, pets, boyfriends, and girlfriends that we all care about and we all like to be shown love. Some ideas to help you out are to take your loved ones out to a nice dinner. It doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, just simple. We all like to be treated special once in a while and on top of that who doesn’t like food? Another great idea is to go to the beach. It’s not that far to drive, there’s not a lot of preparation that needs to go into it and nothing can beat a beautiful sunset. Treating yourself to a spa outing is another great way to spend your day. We all deal with stress and it’s always nice, not to mention helpful to have a mental relaxation day. Going out isn’t always everyone’s favorite thing to do. So for those of you who prefer to stay at home, having a movie marathon is the way to go. Snacks are always welcome and it gives you time to catch up. Honestly, it’s the time you spend with your loved ones that truly counts at the end of the day. We all know what to expect on Valentine’s Day: chocolate, red roses, expensive dinner and jewelry but you know what, who cares? Give Valentine’s Day a new meaning.

their wish will come true. As the school year kicks off, teachers distribute cards for students to write down something they wish to have or are unable to afford. Immediately after the wish is written down, they are collected and taken to the ASB office where several students are chosen out of the school to have their wish granted. The Make a Wish Foundation is supported by many contributors and sponsors from families, the Associated Study Body, and the Parent Teacher Student Association who make donations to help support this foundation and continue its success from one year to the next. On behalf of PHS and the Make a Wish foundation, we would like to thank those families and donors who donated cash: the JeBlancs, the Felts, the Jostens, the Grissoms, the Schirles, the Andos, the Igels, the Jevens, Merry Sequeira, Thomas Giffin, PTSA, Recycled Bookstore West, Costco, and Buffalo Wild Wings. We would also like to take some time to thank the organizations and people who donated items: Westgate Church, Whole Body Salon & Spa, Mark Fisher, Dennis & Kristina Kornabiak, Michele Paolini, MerySequeira, Bruno Carnovale, Adeline Nilsen, Trader Joe’s, and LiesbethVisscher who helped grant some of the wishes for students from bikes, laptops, AP tests, and Prom Packages. This year, about 150 gifts were granted to students and even teachers. Some of the gifts are granted during the week before while students are in class, which builds up for the Make a Wish assembly, where larger gifts are presented in front of the entire school. Many students are doubtful that they will never receive something, but it never hurts to try. So if you are a freshman, sophomore, or junior, don’t hesitate to try next year, because who knows what may happen. I know that I myself never expected to receive the laptop that I wished for, and I was completely surprised and exceptionally grateful when my name was called! Make a Wish Foundation and ASB couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support; PHS would like to thank the hard work, effort, and dedication of the head activities director Miss Salazar for all the planning and support she has given. PHS is thankful for all the gifts, and a great MakeWish-Assembly.

Teacher Bio: Mr. Romero

DidBy:You Hear? Megan Lynch

This year, a special new addition to Prospect’s wide variety of clubs is choir. The club meets on B-days during study hall and is currently comprised of about twenty students. Mr. Ancheta is the faculty advisor and holds the club meetings in the music room. This past semester, Mr. Ancheta worked with the students in preparing for various events, most recently, the winter concert. Next year, choir will be offered as an actual class, and students will have the opportunity to choose this as one of their electives. Choir, like drama, art, or band, gives people the ability to utilize their artistic talents, exposing the unique diversity of the many students at Prospect. It is important that we show our support for this growing aspect of Panther life. The goal is to include choir in the master schedule for next year, along with band and orchestra. Mr. Ancheta would like to especially thank Truesten Tautolo, Alec Luttrell, Joey Sanchez, Theo Strawa, Bighton Peake, Odilia Barr and Jody Chen for putting in their time to help launch this growing aspect of Prospect life. Choir is excited to represent Prospect in a new, expressive way. For any that might be interested in joining choir, check in with Mr. Ancheta in room 42!

By: Larry Nguyen

We welcome Mr. Romero to Prospect as the substitute

government/econ teacher. Taking the place of Mrs. Colclough, Mr. Romero is definitely qualified to be teaching this subject. Hailing from Hayward with a degree in political science from UC San Diego, Mr. Romero has had experience teaching in a middle school and Alameda Juvenile Hall. When he’s not working, Mr. Romero loves to be with his wife and kids. He also spends time out of school to grade stacks upon stacks of papers. When asked about what he has noticed so far about Prospect he observed that the “students are motivated and respectful, but seem to use their smart phones for non-academic purposes too often”. A bittersweet remark, but it is sound criticism. Looking forward, Mr. Romero wants to see the seniors graduate and know that he played a part in their education, a heartwarming experience for every teacher. A fun fact about Mr. Romero is that his favorite superhero is Batman. His respect stems from the fact that Batman has no powers, compared to the other marvelous heroes. Also Batman does not kill, which is another admirable aspect. Mr. Romero’s dream is to be a principal of a school and finally to start a small business. We hope you have a great rest of the school year Mr. Romero!

New Year, Same Trends By: Amara Miranda

If your new year’s resolution was to be noticed and make a change, then there is no better way to start than by changing how you dress. The new year always brings in new fashion trends and crazy new variety, but the classics never go out of style. If you’re looking to spice up your wardrobe or just to express yourself, you can’t forget to dress accordingly for the seasons. Fashion trends of this new year include knee high boots being paired with long skirts. You can always add a pop of color to this look by choosing bright tights to wear, and long, warm socks. This year’s winter trends are all about layers. Don’t be afraid to mix prints, colors, or textures when you’re getting dressed, go for bold. Remember that your style is an expression of who you are, and that you should always dress to convey yourself. Don’t just follow the new style; try to make it your own. Then you can post about your #OOTD for all your friends to see and even be inspired to try for themselves. This year’s spring style includes floral print, the one design you will always see in spring as the actual flowers start to bloom. This year, pastels are also making a comeback. For the past couple of years you could always count on neon to make an appearance but this year’s trends for spring aren’t as loud. If you need help looking for your own style, you can always ask a friend or look around to see what feels natural to you. Remember that trends will come and go, but you should always go out in what best represents your own style. Since it is still too early in the year to distinguish a very popular trend keep an eye out for any new trends that you want to try. Remember to make your own style, your own new year trend.

Panther Life

11

It’s Your Time

Looking Forward in 2014

A clean slate and a fresh start, the new year is finally here; a chance to redeem yourself. Many of us have resolutions, goals, and new mindsets going into the new year. This is the time where we step back and truly think about the changes we want to see happening. With the new year comes a new attitude for many individuals. It allows people to let go of all the negatives in their life and start over. A more positive attitude is in the air and it gives us that extra push to get through the obstacles standing in our way. In addition new year’s resolutions are in the air. Whether it’s to lose 15 pounds, meet new people, or to stop procrastinating, the new year is yours to conquer. Make it what you want it to be. If you want something, such as going sky diving or scuba diving, this new positive attitude of yours allows you to step out of your comfort zone and take those kinds of risks. For students, the new year brings the second semester. Second semester is a blessing and a fresh start. It gives students the chance to finally prove what they’re made of. It’s their chance to achieve the grades they desire, make new friends and join a sports team. Second semester is your time to shine. The new year is a clean slate that gives individuals the courage to start over. It paves the way to make change happen rather than just wait for it to happen.

Starting the new year is like pressing the reset button. We experience each season, holiday, and birthday once again, excited to see what the year has in store for us. I went around school and asked what exactly each person was looking forward to in 2014. Here are the what some of the Prospect students shared. 1. Superbowl XLVIII (48th) Whoever you’re rooting for this year, or if you just watch the Superbowl for the commercials, this is an unofficial holiday that the US loves to celebrate. 2. Doctor Who (Season 8) Who doesn’t love some BBC? (British Television) Say goodbye to the old Doctor (Matt Smith) and hello to Peter Capaldi! Don’t forget your Sonic Screwdriver! 3. Prom Well, who isn’t excited! The night you will always remember, spent with friends or dates, Prom makes every girl feel like a princess. 4. Graduation Seniors! Don’t you feel like you’ve been ready to graduate since you got here 4 years ago? Finally as graduation approaches, as you leave high school and go on to bigger, better things. 5. Birthdays Whip out your birthday suit and let’s party! There may be many things in 2014 to look forward to, but don’t just hope 2014 will be greattake action and shape your own future!

By: Aida Avdagic

Grinds My Gears

By: Raphael Santa Maria and Angelo Patti

Being a senior is really tough. And with senior projects as well as the infamous “Seniorits,” the struggle can get real very quickly. These things drive us to notice all the subtleties of life that annoy the living crap out of us. You don’t need to be a senior to relate to these things that grind our gears. Angelo: Sports bandwagoners. Imagine a Raiders fan. They go 4-1 at the start of the season. But in a sudden twist of fate, they end up 4-12. All of a sudden, these former Raiders fans are finding themselves at Sports Fever, buying a Colin Kaepernick jersey. Raphael: One time, I got 52 likes for an Instagram post, the most I’ve ever received in my Insta-career. But the funny thing was, half my supposed “followers” who liked it don’t even talk to me in real life. If Instagram doesn’t make me new friends, I’m totes going to delete my account. #realtalk Angelo: I walk into my local 7-11 and as I grab my snacks and walk up to the cashier, there’s a lady ahead of me who keeps me waiting with her complaints. Then I finally realized what she was complaining about, and I was pretty upset. She couldn’t use her EBT card to buy a bottle of liquor. And the worst part is, her kids were with her. It’s amazing how ungrateful people can be. Raphael: There’s a problem with Facebook that I think Mark Zuckerberg needs to take a look at. Whenever I’m having a really interesting conversation with someone on chat, they always end in me sending the last message, and them not responding when it clearly shows that they saw the message. They’re obviously receiving a blank message. That’s why they never respond, because they don’t know what to say back. This Facebook glitch needs to be fixed right away. Angelo: I remember watching Hannah Montana with my sister back when I was still 11 or 12. At the time, Miley Cyrus seemed like one of the most innocent Disney stars who wouldn’t end up like Vanessa Anne Hudgens or Lindsey Lohan. I was horribly wrong, so wrong that I can’t even explain. All these young Disney stars have become monsters now! My gears are like those in a manual car given to a 15 year old. Raphael: When the peas in my Cup Noodles are not cooked to perfection. My hot and tasty meal of noodles a la cup gets ruined whenever I bite into those tough green pellets. Angelo: When a new item comes out, they are never cheap. Even if they’re new, a lot of these items go on sale at one point or another. I go to the store and I find a game that I really want, and best of all… it’s on sale for 30 dollars when most games cost $60! I’m so excited, but then to my despair, I look at the spot where the item should be stocked… empty. And that truly grinds my gears. Raphael: When the same music plays during lunch. I appreciate the effort being put into having nice “slaps” playing during lunch, but songs from two years ago aren’t considered vintage. Angelo: One of my favorite movies by far would have to be Step Brothers, which came out back in 2008. I was expecting to maybe see a sequel to this hilarious first installment, but to no avail. It’s now 2014, and no sequel. Same with many other awesome movies, but this really grinds my gears because I would love to see sequels to a lot of comedies and I know a lot of people would agree with this statement.

New Years Traditions By: Kaileigh Otsuka

Everyone has their own superstition for bring in a lucky and prosperous new year. In the U.S. we count down with Times Square, pop bottles of champagne, and kiss our closest friends to bring a happy new year. In Hogmanay, Scotland they sing a special new year’s song called “Auld Lang Syne” to welcome the year. Neighbors visit one another, bringing gifts of coal, or shortbread. If you’re extremely lucky on New Years, the first person to enter your house will be a tall, dark haired, handsome man, who is considered to be especially lucky. In Asia, many people also give gifts, especially to children. In Japan and China children are given envelopes of money, or “oshitamas” in Japanese. In Chinese culture odds are considered bad luck, and tangerines are often given in even numbers. Firecrackers, noisemakers, and people in a long dragon costume is used to ward of evil spirits. Japanese culture is quite similar, also lighting fireworks, noisemakers, and hosting parties to let go of the past and be ready for the future. Unlike Chinese culture, in Japan odd numbers are lucky; everything is eaten in three’s as well as gifted in three’s. In Spain and La Paz, different colored fireworks light up the sky! Wearing a certain color of underwear in La Paz will also show what the person wants to find in the upcoming year. Red means you’re looking for love, yellow means you want to find wealth, and so on. Food also plays a role in the new year’s tradition, supposedly consuming twelve grapes at the beginning of the year will mean twelve happy months. Whatever the new year’s tradition, everyone wants a happy new year, and have created some very fun and interesting new year’s traditions!

By: Kaileigh Otsuka

The College Applicant of the 21st Century By: Alex Ruby

First semester senior year is arguably the most stressful time in high school, but no one actually wants to admit it. It’s the time for taking that last SAT or ACT and improving your score. It’s the time to make sure your GPA is the highest it can be. Most importantly, it’s the time to apply to college. All of these deadlines, tests, grades, and essays make for one very distraught senior, but it doesn’t pay off until you get that acceptance letter. But what if you don’t get accepted? Why couldn’t you get into the college you knew you could get into? The answer is pretty simple: getting into college is now more difficult than it ever was before. Colleges nowadays look for the most unique and special person in the country; so if you aren’t that person, they won’t accept you. Are a suburban white kid with average scores and a comparable essay about your childhood? Sorry you won’t be getting in. Are you an orphaned half-Inuit with a 4.5 GPA, 2400 SAT score, and an essay about ice fishing with your grandfather? Congratulations! You have a chance! Not to mention extra-curricular activities and volunteer or work experience, which most colleges specifically look for in student applications. It’s also a matter if you are able to add to the world cultures at a school. I had several applications asking me how I’m able to the cultural experience at their universities. Colleges across the country look for very specific people to add into their freshman and class and fill their quota.This becomes stressful for seniors when they’re filling out the applications because they have to ask themselves if they’re good enough for the school, and not if the school is good enough for them. Not only is it becoming increasingly harder to get into college, but it’s also getting harder to pay for college. Paying for your education varies from school to school, ranging from $12,000 to almost $80,000 per year. Community college might be the easiest option but it still costs almost $20,000 when adding up registration fees, supplies, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses. On the other side, private and out-of-state schools can cost between $40,000 and $80,000 per year because most states don’t offer citizenship and because the private schools aren’t run by the state. Then, if you apply for financial aid, you still have to pay off student loans once you’re done with college ending up in even more debt. It’s tough out there for the typical college applicant living in 2013. We take into account our grades, SAT/ACT scores, extra-curricular activities, work experience, personal essays, and family finances and still somehow manage to get rejected from half of the colleges on our list. Eventually we’ll get into college. Eventually we’ll graduate and pass our final exams. Eventually we’ll find a job. Eventually we’ll pay off student loans. Eventually we’ll be the next leaders in the United States. But until then, we have to work hard, try to be more unique, and dream big.

Waiting on Colleges: Financial Aid and Acceptance Letters By: Brian Nicholson

Seniors- Now that we have submitted all of our college applications and financial aid forms, it’s time to take a break and wait for colleges to reply. This does not mean, however, that we should stop doing our work altogether. It is important to remember that colleges can still change their minds and rescind their offer. We all need to keep our grades up and try as hard as we can to avoid senioritis. As college letters start trickling in, remember to stay positive. If you don’t get accepted to your dream college, it’s not the end of the world. The admission officers know how to match students to their college. So if you do get rejected, don’t worry. You will end up in the college that is right for you. The deadline for the final decision is May 1. This means that after receiving all of our letters, along with the financial aid information, we have until this day to decide which college we will attend for the next 2 to 5 years. It is always a good thing to have options. One college might offer more financial aid than another, which could influence your decision. Ultimately, the final choice is yours. Whatever our futures may hold, let’s enjoy our last semester of high school together. There are still plenty of memories to be made before the end of the year. Stay strong, seniors. Only four more months until graduation!

Food and Fitness 99 By: work out. 99 minutes Amara Miranda



If your New Years resolution was to stay in better shape, but you quickly get bored with

home work out or hate the gym, you should give this work out a try. It’s called the 99 work out and if you haven’t yet heard of it, it is structured into 9 sets. This is a great cardio, exercise for leg and arm work out. This was created by Julien T who creates work outs that are meant for quick intense work outs. I was curious to try this drill and it took me about an hour to complete, it does get tiring after a while but after I finished; I felt accomplished because this is the best all around work out I have ever tried. And while yes, it does seems like a lot and takes a while, so grab a friend and remember that if you want to stick to your resolution you have to start somewhere but you don’t have to start alone.

Set one: 99 jumping jacks 99 crunches 99 second wall sits 99 knee lifts 9 push ups

Set two: 88 jumping jacks 88 crunches 88 second wall sits 88 knee lifts 8 push ups

set three: 77 jumping jacks 77 crunches 77 second wall sits 77 knee lifts 7 push ups

Let’sBy:AllAmara GoMiranda to Mo’s

Set four: 66 jumping jacks 66 crunches 66 second wall sits 66 knee lifts 6 push ups …Continue the pattern for eight sets, and finish the last set by running for 11 minutes

TheBy: Perfect Valentine’s Snack Megan Lynch

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If you’re looking for a quick appetizer or fun Valentine’s snack, try this one out! It doesn’t take long and is full of rich, savory flavors that will satisfy any craving. Don’t let the elegant name fool you; it’s basically fancy toast!

Ingredients: 1 French baguette cut into 3/4 inch slices
 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 can (14.5 oz each) petite diced tomatoes, drained
 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
 2 teaspoons minced garlic
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the bread with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly toasted. 2. Combine the drained tomatoes, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. 3.Take the baguette slices out of the oven. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the toasted bread. Serve and enjoy!



If you haven’t already been to Mo’s you should give it a try. Located in the heart of downtown Campbell, Mo’s is a breakfast & burger place that is perfect for hitting up around brunch time. My experience at Mo’s was good. When you walk in you tell them your name and party number, they ask you for your phone number. They send you a text message with a link, that shows you the wait list and how far away you are. I found that feature to be modern and unique as I have never been to a restaurant that has this feature. The atmosphere is very welcoming and is perfect for families going out to get a bite. I especially love that Mo’s is proud to serve hormone free meat, which means that the burgers and chicken they serve come from animals that have not been injected with any substances. That fact alone made me like the restaurant even more. The food portions are standard size, but the burgers are big. Mo’s is definitely not afraid to try something new with every plate they make, turning the ordinary into something more than expected. The food there is very filling and the price is reasonable for one person the total cost comes out to be around 13 dollars. 1. The chicken n waffles were the perfect brunch meal. The fried chicken was on the sweet side, which complimented the buttermilk waffle perfectly. Their BLT is served with a delicious salad, topped with a rich dressing that could very well be it’s own meal. The chefs at Mo’s took ordinary meals and made them not so average by adding their own special take on each plate. I highly recommend this restaurant. While the food is good, the service was a little lacking, but that was to be expected since the place was full and there were a limited number of waiters. I highly recommend you all try Mo’s I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Mo’s is located at 278 E Campbell Ave, Campbell, CA 95008

New Year’s Total Body Workout By: Larry Nguyen

Looking for a workout to fulfill your New Year’s resolution to get healthy? If you want to build muscle and work out your entire body, then this workout is just for you. Chest, abs, arms, legs, and your core will be put to the test with this routine. All you need are just some dumbbells that you are comfortable with, water, a towel and some space.

-Pushups: 30 sec Your basic exercise that works your core and arms. These are great for anyone and are necessary in a workout to build muscle and get a sweat going. Make sure your form is good: hands directly under your shoulders and shoulder width apart. Your body must be flat to engage your core. Breathe in when going down and out when pushing up. Pace yourself while doing this. -Bent over rows: 30 sec You’ll need your dumbbells for this. Slightly bend your knees so they’re behind your toes, stick your butt out, back straight and put your weight on your heels to avoid any injuries . With the dumbbells horizontal you pull up using your back and arm muscles. It helps if you imagine someone pulling your elbows to the ceilings and to squeeze your back. Don’t hunch your back either. Nothing else should move. This engages your arms and back. -Upright rows: 30 sec Standing up the dumbbells should be horizontal. Pull up as if someone is pulling your elbows to the ceiling. Always have the elbows up when pulling. This works your back, shoulders, and the trap muscle. -Squat and Press: 30 sec Feet shoulder width apart, dumbbells lightly touching your shoulders, squat, come up and press the dumbbells to the air. I cannot stress how your form needs to be perfect for this exercise to avoid injuries. If done incorrectly you can experience knee pain as well as back pain. A perfect squat should always have the knees behind the toes, butt moving back as you go down, head up, chest out, shoulders back, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent into a stable position, back slightly arched, and hamstrings

parallel to the floor at the lowest point. This blasts your legs and arms. If you need help just look up a video on squats, there are many helpful videos to help with the form. -Curls: 30 sec This is your basic bicep curl. Shoulders back and tight, and elbows should be glued to your sides. This isolates your biceps to get the most out of the movement. Do these slowly up and down to maximize the burn and to work your muscles more. Remember to keep your wrist straight to further isolate the biceps. -Close Grip Pushups: 30 sec Basically the same as a regular pushup but your arms are closer together. Remember to keep your back straight, hands below the shoulders and to keep breathing. This is to work the triceps. -Mountain Climbers: 30 sec Assume the pushup position and alternatively bring your knees to your chest. Keep your abs tight to tone them. This works out the core and includes cardio into this workout as well. Relatively simple but remember to keep your back straight. -Toe Touchers: 30 sec Lying down, bring your legs up to a 90 degree angle to your body and try to keep them straight during the exercise. Start with your back flat and reach for your toes. Use your abs, and try not to strain your neck. If it helps try to push your lower back into the ground and engage your abs. You don’t want to wake up to a sore neck. This is just straight up abs. Make sure to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated. Also rest if you need it since this is a very intensive workout, but try to keep the resting at a minimum. Repeat each exercise at 30 seconds each in four rounds. From a personal experience this is hard, but it will work your entire body and you’ll feel great afterwards. Keep the dumbbells at a comfortable weight, and try to make sure your form is good. You’ll accomplish your resolution at no time. Work hard! Source: Mike Chang on Youtube. Check out his channel at Mike Chang’s Six Pack Shortcuts