Fall Semester Reflections

1. Why should you join the Laureate? It's a relaxed, fun environment that enables you to contribute to an award-winning publication. You can learn how to write in a journalistic format (which is quite different from writing essays!) as well as lots of stuff about functional design. You also have an excuse to stand at the front of the school and shove papers into random strangers' arms. That's always fun.

2. Well, I hate to break it to you, but this isn't really a newspaper. That's all a front. Oh, sure, the editors do produce a newspaper every month or so, and the staff writers submit articles, but it's all to keep up the appearance. In reality, we're a secret base for covert operations in the service of an unnamed rebel group. When the staff writers randomly leave the room (don't try to stop us) we aren't just going to get food or use the restroom. We're going to an extremely secret device that essentially deconstructs the particles that make us up and rearranges them elsewhere such that the principles of conservation of matter-- never mind. You probably wouldn't understand it either. Each destination that we tell you is a codename for a particular activity. If we're going to "get lunch" we're actually stockpiling food for the rebel base in preparation for future activities of theirs. A trip to the vending machines is actually to a shady deal with a middle eastern arms dealer. And don't even ask about what those going "to the bathroom" are doing. You're replacing our previous administrator, who has gone to aid their cause... since he'll still be sending us orders, your job is really quite simple: explain things to the school as necessary, and keep a first-aid kit on hand. And never tell anyone what is actually happening unless you want an ominous knock on your front door from a guy wearing a red North Face knockoff and a gorilla mask.

3. I'm reasonably good at news and editorials (I certainly have opinions on things!), so I prefer to write those, but I can make myself write a feature sometimes. However, interviews are not my thing. I don't know the slightest thing about sports, I don't think I'm particularly funny, and since I'm more interested in Korean pop culture than that of America, I don't think A&E is my section either. I also happen to be an artist which gives me an aesthetic perspective on design. Having studied basic points of graphic design (and design of graphs) I think I would be strong in design, but since I'm not an editor and I don't really know how to use our main program - though I've tried - I haven't really had a chance to try that out. I might be able to help more with design in the future.

First Issue of the Newspaper!

     We're planning to have the first issue of the Laureate out in September so we can have something to show when we visit Georgia (it's apparently an annual field trip)! That means it's really time to be busy writing. We each have at least two articles - one or two that we chose from the list to be published, and one that's an Onion-style satire. My "list" article is about the female punk band in Russia that was recently imprisoned, but it isn't news, it's an editorial. I'm planning on taking a good look at it from the side of the Russian government, and then moving to "free speech" and if that's really what we have in America. For example, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to cuss a lot and loudly in public (it certainly is against the rules on the bus), but isn't that technically free speech? Where do we draw the line?
     The other article I'm writing is the Onion one. That one I'm not too sure about. I've been awfully busy, so I haven't had much time to think about it. Perhaps it'll be something about sleep and students not getting enough? I don't really know; as I said, I haven't been thinking about it much. Heck, I'd write it about the Hallyu wave if I could find a way to relate it! I just don't think very many people would be interested in the spread of Korean pop culture. Although Gangnam Style in particular (by PSY) is becoming quite widespread (it was played at a football game, and after making a frankly amazing touchdown at a separate football game a Ravens player did the horse-riding dance from the music video) it's not quite such a big deal here. Though a friend of mine who goes to River Ridge is planning to do the aforementioned dance at her homecoming.
     Well I really ought to go do homework now because I have an awful lot of it, though I do happen to be free of an AP World History reading tonight. It's funny; yesterday I got up really early to do some homework, and a part of it was on this website called ChemThink. Apparently the teachers can see when you turn in your homework on that website, so I walked into Chemistry and my teacher eyed me suspiciously and asked, "What were you doing at 4:30?". Um, my homework? Hopefully I won't have to get up at 4:30 anymore though, if I can finish it tonight. Toodles!