Society & US
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The 19th of February is well known for being Presidents Day, it’s a day meant to honor past presidents. Which was originally not the intention for the day. Despite being called President’s Day now, it had originally started off as George Washington’s birthday. He was the only president that had his own holiday, there’s Lincoln day, John Adam’s day, or anybody else’s day. In all honesty, we shouldn’t even have a President’s Day. Sure the break for students is nice and all, but considering some bad things that our presidents have done, there really shouldn’t be too much of a celebration of it. Many have argued that the presidents are just people and that they’re bound to make mistakes, so why not just highlight the good things about them. I’m all for a three day weekend as much as the next guy, but February 19th is supposed to be a day of celebration for George Washington. Although he was the first president, I still find it random to celebrate his birthday. I read an article containing people’s opinions about the topic and a person commented saying, “there shouldn’t be a president’s day because it will lead to people wanting to skip more days at work, announcing that they want Obama day or some sort”. I understand what he means, and I agree with it. Despite how great it would be to have a break whenever it’s a president’s birthday, there still isn’t really a reason to be celebrating. However, that point is irrelevant as the break is now meant to remember the deeds that the presidents have done. Everybody remembers the good things that some presidents have done; Abraham Lincoln ended slavery, George Washington founded a nation, etc. Yet some presidents have committed terrible deeds. Such as; Andrew Jackson’s Indian removal policy, James K. Polk starting a war, etc, which led to consequences for the nation. Their greatest achievements are what they are remembered for, and it seems as if no one remembers all the terrible things they did.. Yes, they’re presidents, but they’re still human, they have all done something wrong in their past. Whenever we’re celebrating how one man had created a nation or ended slavery, we are simultaneously celebrating a man who had started a war or created an act that led many people to their death. Whether people decide to celebrate it or not, it should not be considered a national holiday. Keeping it as Washington’s birthday would make more sense as that was the original intent of the day. The rest of the forty-four presidents shouldn’t have anything to do with it. Unless it was changed to celebrate the forty-five presidents. Which would mean we’re only looking at the positives and not some of the atrocities some had committed. James Tran
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by Paul Barrientos Getting your driver's license is as easy as saying one-two-three, but not as quick. In order to get your driver's license in California, you need to obtain your driving permit first. The best time to start getting your driver’s license is when you are 15 and a half because this is the minimum age required to get your permit. Then you have to get your driver’s license by going to the DMV and taking a test behind the wheel. I would recommend getting your permit as soon as possible because you can get more driving experience, and it is extremely easy to get your license. From my own experience, I wish I had gotten my permit earlier. I was scared that it was going to be too hard to pass the test, when in reality, it was the easiest test I ever took in my life. The permit may seem like a huge obstacle, but it really is a simple task. Find an online training school such as DriversEdToGo.com. This is the same one that I used; while it may cost a little more than other classes, it makes it easier to get your certificate. Once this is done, you need to make an appointment with the DMV to get your permit. Next, you need to take the written exam, which is forty-six questions, and you need to get at least thirty-eight questions correct in order to pass. After this, you need to take a picture, give your fingerprint, and pay the $35 fee. Then you are allowed to drive with a parent, guardian, spouse, or adult that is 25 years or older and has a valid California driver’s license. When you do this, you need to start your behind-the-wheel hours with a certified driving school. Following the completion of your first lesson, you can get your first hour signed off to certify your permit. Once you complete all six hours of your training, you will be eligible to take your driver’s license test. After holding a permit for 6 months, you can go to the DMV and take your driver’s license test. For your driver’s test, you need to be able to make left and right turns, stop at controlled and uncontrolled intersections, handle straight line backing, lane changes, driving in regular street traffic, and (in some cases) driving on the freeway. When you pass the driver’s test, you can get your driver’s license. Once you get your driver’s license, you cannot drive with anyone less than 20 years old or drive between 11 pm and 5 am for the first 12 months. You can drive with a parent, guardian, spouse, or adult that is aged 25 years or older and has a valid California driver’s license. If you pass the test and are over 18 years old, then you do not have any restrictions on when or who you drive. I talked to Yosief Gebre, a senior at Kipp: San Jose Collegiate, and he talked to me about his experience to get his driver’s license. Yosief said, “I got my permit when I was in my sophomore year of high school, so I was around 15 years old. I have always wanted to drive since I was younger. I knew that the permit test was going to be easy because I studied hard before the test. Once I got to the DMV, I passed the test and didn’t miss any questions. I waited six months and got my driving hours to take my driver’s license test when I was 16. I passed the first time because I had been practicing whenever I had the chance. I waited until my license came in the mail, but had no car to drive so I had to wait until this year to finally buy my car”. From Yosief’s experience, the lesson to be learned is that the earlier you get your permit and driver’s license, the better. I also talked to another high school senior at Kipp: San Jose Collegiate that has a driver’s license: Chris Phan. Chris said, “I began getting my driver’s license when I was 15 and a half. I went to go take my permit test and passed on the first time. Once I completed everything I had to, I took my driver’s license test. I failed the test on my first try because I turned left on a red light from a one way street to another one way street. The second I took the driver’s test I passed and waited to get my driver’s license in the mail. I was lucky enough to have my parents give me their car as soon as I got my driver’s license”. In this case for Chris it was not as easy to pass the driver’s test, but he eventually got to pass the test because he was able to fix his mistake. Yet again, he is another individual who got his license before he was 18, which shows that is best time to get your license, not only for experience but also to get jobs. Getting your license helps you get a job because compared to other applicant being reliable for showing up to work is one of the best ways to get a job. To summarize, it is better to get your license before you turn 18 because you can get more driving experience and be a better candidate for jobs. The steps to getting a driver’s license is passing your permit test and then the behind the wheel test. Once you pass both of these tests, you will get your license and play a bigger part in society. California is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, let alone in the United States. People all over the country come to California for vacations and trips to see it’s most famous tourist spots, like the Golden Gate Bridge or Pier 39. My love for the bay is growing day by day as I find new places to explore. The bay has many things to do and see. From North Bay, San Francisco to South Bay San Jose, the possibilities are endless. There are so many picture perfect places to go, great places to eat, and great places to shop. Most people visiting the Bay go to the Golden Gate Bridge, as it as our most picture perfect place, but there are so many other places that are unique to the Bay and less crowded. An example of this would be Palace of Fine Arts, located in San Francisco Marina District. It is a perfect place to take pictures, a hot spot for prom pictures, and other photo shoots. It is one of my favorite places to visit because of its pretty scenery. A famous landmark from the 1915 Panama-Explosion in 1915; it’s natural, rustic, and roman sense brings in people from all over California for its beautiful sight. “I love this place. It is one of the newer popular places to take prom pictures. The garden is my favorite place to take pictures.” Christine Nguyen said to me. Personally, I love coming here to take pictures; my friend asked me to take their prom pictures here, and it was a great adventure. The area has a variety of places to take pictures at, so you don’t only get one background. Still in San Francisco but a little hungry? Pier 39 is one of the best places to eat in the North Bay. It doubles as both a sight-seeing must and a great place to eat. One of the most famous places to eat is Boundin Bakery Cafe, the Instagram perfect place with the bread bowl and clam chowder. Not feeling hot soup? There is a variety of fresh seafood in so many different forms. You will find a variety of styles, from sushi, boiled, fried, or cajun style. After a full meal, you would have to get some sweets in order to have that full satisfactory. You can buy cookies, chocolate, ice cream, or candy. You name it, Pier 39 has everything! Another must stop spot is Billy Goat Hill on Castro St. It is a great small trail to go on if you are not that athletic. The small hike leads to an amazing view of San Francisco. Well known as a popular Instagram part, the swing with the beautiful San Francisco sky and vintage residential area is beautiful. It’s a great stop if you want to do some hiking but hate the outdoors. Once you arrive at the top, you have an amazing view of the the vintage residential area of San Francisco. The different shades and different colors popping up in the background while you take a picture on the swing on Billy Goat Hill are stunning. It’s one of my favorite spots in the bay to take cute pictures and take my mind off things. The Bay Area has a vast number of places to go. The South Bay Area mostly consists of San Jose, where we have hundreds of things to do, with so many different cultures intermingling. The Bay Area has so many places to eat and luckily its many types of food can be found in a short distance of each other. One example being SoFA Market in Downtown San Jose. Within Downtown San Jose, there are so many other places to eat, but when I first came here I instantly fell in love. The market has food ranging from salad bars, pizza, burgers, ice cream and other endless options. Not only is there a wide variety of choices to eat from, there are also weekly events that happen here. Many people come to watch a Sharks game or a Warriors game over some great food and drinks with great company. There are also a lot of cafes. There are many people who go there to study or get a cute latte. “I love to come here to study since it’s in downtown near San Jose State. It has great vibes and food for a great study date.” Sally Nguyen told me. It really brings the culture and vibes of San Jose to one spot any day of the week. The Bay Area is an area that has endless possibilities of adventure and fun. The amount of food, culture, and picture perfect moments does not end. The experiences are always bringing you back and they leave you wanting more from the bay. Mindy Quatch School is over on June 14, just around the corner. We have approximately 5 days until summer and 8 days until the last day of school. Seniors go off to college, everyone goes their separate ways, but a lot of people don’t know what to do between the time period until they start school. Many people have jobs, so they will be doing that, but what is there to do for fun? Summer is a time to relax and be outdoors and enjoy time with your friends and family. Many people take trips and travel the world. Alyssa Becerra, a student at KIPP, said she's going to Mexico during the summer with friends. Alondra Ureno said she was going to spend her whole summer in Los Angeles to spend time with her family. On the other hand, if you’re looking to stay in town or go somewhere local, I have a couple places you can go. If you like to go to amusement parks, you can go to Raging Waters, Great America or Santa Cruz. There is also local trips you can take like San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Pismo beach, Monterey. Road trips with friends and family are the best because you can spend time with them. -Andrea Navarro Bugs are everywhere and the number grows by the second. Some people are freaked out by them and some are not. I am going to tell you which bugs you shouldn't be afraid of because of how friendly they are. Sure, they might be all weird at first because of how many legs they have, but their kindness makes up for that and it is great to just watch them do their thing. The ladybug is a tiny little bug that can fly. It is often found in grassy field just flying about. When you pick them up they are passive and, if scared, they will just fly off. Their main diet is aphids, which are tiny green things found on leaves. They have a red shell with black and white dots on them and are considered to be a beetle rather than a bug. The butterfly is found pretty much anywhere, but not a lot are seen at a time. They have a coat pattern of black and brown with big wings. They start off as hairy worm-like things called caterpillars. The caterpillars eat leaves then attach to something to make a cocoon, which they stay in until they emerge as a butterfly. They are friendly, but not easy to hold. The honey bee is a little fury flying bug. It gathers nectar to make wax and honey. It has a stinger at it’s tail, which is used defensively to stab things to protect itself. They were domesticated during the neolithic revolution for their honey and are still used for that purpose today. They live in hives, which are managed by the beekeeper people. The black ant is a small insect that lives in a large colony with a queen, who lays eggs all the time. They are commonly found in the house, inside the walls, or somewhere else. They lead large trails toward food. If you left food out overnight, it would be swarming with ants. They are friendly and do not hurt people, even if they pick them up. Despite their size, they still dominate all other bugs and insects due to their massive army size. This is why ants, to me, are best compared to the rest.
While people hang outside it is good to know which bugs are good and which you should watch out for. Even while bees have stingers they do not attack unless provoked so it’s best to keep some distance. Although butterflies look cool you don't get to often see them. So just in general keep a positive mind about bugs and just enjoy watching how they live their lives. -Isaiah Hernandez by: Isael Diaz A commencement speech is a type of speech that is given to graduating students, usually at a university. Typically, one that gives the speech is a well recognized person from various industries. The person that is giving the speech is referred as the commencement speaker. The best thing about a commencement speech the speaker initially has the freedom to take his or her speech in the direction that they wish to choose. A speaker has the opportunity to his or her experiences, values, and advice to the graduating class that gives the ones who are graduating motivation and inspiration in whatever desire they wish to endure as they continue to progress on with their own lives. Throughout the years, there have been many wonderful commencement speeches that have the opportunity to be very insightful, motivating, and inspirational that people must hear these glorious speeches. With that said, I’ll be counting down the top five greatest commencement speeches of all time. 5.Barack Obama (2009 Arizona State University) This speech marked Obama’s first commencement speech as president of the United States. His tone in the speech was very congratulating as he gave thanks to those who were involved and gave tons of help with the graduating class. At moments during the speech he made jokes which got the audience to laugh including myself, which is ok to do a college commencement speech in order for the audience to be engaged and not bored. Obama knew that the economy was struggling due to coming off of the 2008 recession and he was admitting the US is in the time of difficulty which is why he wanted to remind the graduates of what is currently going on in the world so that it can give them inspiration to make the necessary change in the world. The line that stood out to me the most in the speech was, “despite having achieved a remarkable milestone in your life, “despite the fact that you and your families are so rightfully proud, you too cannot rest on your laurels.” To me what Obama was trying to say was that despite already graduating there is still work to be done. After finishing college one enters the real world and should be ready for the challenges and obstacles that will face them. 4. Bo Jackson (2009 Auburn University) In college commencement speeches, usually, the speaker that is chosen is usually associated with the particular college. Auburn probably had a couple of names that they wanted to speech at the graduation and choosing the most notable alumni from Auburn was going to make the commencement speech very special to the university’s graduation. Based on Jackson’s speech the main take away that he wanted to graduates to learn is to about stepping out your comfort zone. Bo gave an example about an issue that he had to deal with while he was in college was a speech impediment which resulted him to be shy. He recalled the moment in college when he had troubled with public speaking and participation in the class because he felt that he was going to be judge the wrong way. Stepping out of your comfort zone is such a very important thing to know because in life there is always going to be things that you never see yourself do at all. The line that stood out to me the most was, “Get outside the box. Make things happen, be your own person” because it is connected to the main idea of his speech and it is a very important life lesson to know as one is about to enter the real world. 3.Tom Hanks (2011 Yale University) What made this speech very interesting to me is that Tom Hanks connected the words faith and fear to which at first I had no idea at all but as he continued his speech I was able to get a clear understanding of how the words connect with one another. The way he connected these words to inform the graduates of how they should live their lives, “live your life by having fear at your back and faith in front of you.” I found that very inspiring and as a life lesson that I can go back to if I see that I am having difficulties living out my life. During the speech, Hanks brought some humor to the crowd by doing the things that usually should be done while being at a graduation such as turning off electric devices. I quite didn’t understand why was he trying to be humorous throughout the speech but later on the purpose of his humor would be revealed. The line that stood out to me the most was, “Fear and faith are co-existing, so it's up to you to give chance to which one.” What Hanks was trying to say was that one must have to experience fear and faith in the situation that they think is best fitting for them. 2. Bill Gates ( 2007 Harvard University) When one hears about Bill Gates there is usually two things that come to mind, he is the founder of the first software company in the world and is currently the richest person in the world. However, What some might not know about Gates is that is a college dropout, in the speech it was based mostly on him dropping out of Harvard and making it a joke out of the decision that he decided to. By far the line from the speech that was hilarious was “For my part, I’m just happy that the Crimson has called me “Harvard’s most successful dropout.” I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class … I did the best of everyone who failed. Bill Gates didn’t seem that ashamed at all to embrace that he failed in his laugh and was very aware of the flaw that occurred in his life. What I got out of that line is that it is ok to be aware that you failed at something but, you must learn how to move on with falling and do something that can make up for it. 1. Steve Jobs (2005 Stanford University) After watching this speech about more than 5 times just so I can hear Job’s wonderful inspiring words and life lessons, to me this one of the commencement speeches of all time. This speech is the speech that I recommend you to take some time out of your day and watch this glorious speech as after watching you will feel inspiration and motivation. There are some much wonderful things about this speech that a huge list can make listing of the greatness of the speech however that would take me forever as I won’t want to forget things on the list so I’ll just keep short and straight to the point. This speech had such a tremendous flow, that is needed in order to keep thoughts and ideas in order. Jobs gave the graduates a sum story of his life mentioning about his early life being adopted by parents who had a college education, starting up Apple Inc with Steve Wozniak, being fired by Apple then later coming back to them. What makes this a unique speech that one would assume that he would talk about the message that he wish to give the graduating class of 2005, however he saved that till the end of his speech which makes sense as it saves the best for last. This speech had tons of lines that were inspirational and motivating, the line that stood out to me the most was, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” This was the best way to end of the speech. By: Vincent Back
In high school for a lot of people, there is always that thing that you want to buy so bad whether it be a jersey, a pair of shoes, a car, or a new phone but you can’t because you don’t have any money. You might ask yourself what can I do to make some money to get what I want? Well, the answer is simple; get a job. It's as simple as that. I have created a list of options for jobs or quick money scheme ideas below. Mowing Lawns/Yard Work: Whether it be mowing your neighbor's lawn or picking out their weeds you could make a good amount of money doing these things. Per yard, you could charge about 10-20 dollars and would only have to spend a couple dollars on gas if you have a gas operated lawn mower. Collecting Recycles: If your family drinks a lot of soda, beer, or bottled water you could make an easy 30 to 40 dollars a month. To do this you would simply go around your house and pick up any bottles, or cans from the garbage and put them in separate garbage bags for plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles. And at the end of the month just get somebody to drive you and your recycles to a recyclable center and cash in those bad boys. Box Boy/Girl: If you actually want a job where you will be making minimum wage and will be interacting with lots of people then being a box boy or girl would be a great fit for you! For this job you would be unloading boxes of store products, loading them in the storage room, and then loading them onto the shelves of the stores for the customers to purchase. It's a boring day and you have nothing to do. You want to do something, but you don't know where to go. There is a lot of fun places and spots to hang out in the bay. Let's say you want a place to drink something and hang out with friends. Pekoe is the spot for you. It is located at 3276 S White Rd, San Jose, CA 95148 and is open from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. In Pekoe, they sell a variety of boba drinks and tea. They also sell food such as calamari and popcorn chicken. Pekoe is a fun place to go to hang out or just to get the drink and take it somewhere else. People usually go and chill with their friends inside. It is early in the morning and you have a lot of energy, but you don't know what to do. Well, grab some friends, some water, and head up to mission peak located in Fremont Mission Peak, California 94539 Fremont. Mission Peak is a mountain a lot of people try to climb, but several give up halfway. This is a very famous hike because it's known for the stick located at the very top when you finish your hike. Everyone that completes this hike takes pictures on this stick. It gets very hot, so make sure you take a lot of water. It's very challenging because the mountain is very steep, so your legs will definitely hurt you but it's a good challenge. You and your friends are in a mood to go shopping and walk around nice places. Than Santana Row is the spot for you! Santana Row is not only a very good spot to hang out and relax, but you can also shop there. There are plenty of nice shops there. Although there are a lot of stores, they are quite expensive. There are bars in the middle of Santana Row where you can go get a drink and take it while you walk. There are also ice cream stands. Now, if you want to get out of San Jose with your friends or family, but want to stay pretty close, go to Fisherman's Wharf located in Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA. Fisherman's Wharf is best known for being the location of Pier 39, the Cannery Shopping Center, Ghirardelli Square, and Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. You can walk on the pier while drinking a coffee or eating ice cream. There is a lot of little stores you can visit while being there. - Andrea Navarro
April fools. Some hate it and others love the day because everyone can enjoy a good joke. Right?
Well some of the April Fools jokes that I saw, as well heard, was several entertainment networks had made some adjusts to the scheduling and images within the shows. One good humored joke was the googly eyes that were shown on cartoon network which many people said they were a bit disturbed by on certain media websites. Yet the response was good. Another entertainment network was Adult Swim which had chosen to rerun on Saturday Rick and Morty until midnight. This prank was not so well received just because an old episode Samurai jack had a renewed season and many looked forward to watching this. Many criticized them saying that they should never do this, but hey, it's their network. Though many fans still were in tune for the Rick and Morty episode that was airing at the time. I remembered I had done a joke to my younger brother making him believe that he was the only one in the house. He was crying and whining, though eventually I had to go out to tell him it was okay. The response was multiple kicks and me having to let him eat some sweets to calm him down. This was an okay joke, not gonna say it was the best or most ethical, but it was okay. Though today when you look up some Aprils Fools pranks, they are really quite severe. Usually it involves someone getting hurt or some emotional trauma and its put on a screen for millions enjoyment. It is kinda messed up that nowadays that this is considered some sort of prank when it is ethically and morally tearing to certain individuals. It seems that April Fools pranks are getting to the point where just punching someone is good humor. - Jose Sanchez Well as you can see from this picture you can clearly tell whether I like dogs or cats better. Well if you couldn’t tell I prefer dogs a lot lot lot more than cats.
Now don’t take my own word for it, take it from the amount of people that I had asked. Of the forty people that I asked if they had preferred dogs or cats, of those 23 of them said that they prefer dogs over cats any day. While only 5 preferred cats and another 8 were undecided declaring that they like other animals more. Now this may have not been the most accurate results, mostly because I only asked 40 people, as well as the fact that some of these individuals had allergies to the other animal. When I had asked a senior why they had preferred a dog they stated that they loved the cheerfulness and hyper state that the dog had when they would enter into their own home. They believed that a cat wouldn’t be capable of the same reaction. Which I kinda agreed with, seeing as cats are bland and stuff… Also, I have been raised with dogs for most of my life. Now while asking another senior who had replied differently they had said that they preferred cats because they were like them: a bit lazy, but not so much. Also, they said that their cat was quite interactive in terms that it didn’t lay down all the time it was up and active most of the time, though the cat would almost disappear from time to time. The reason I really dislike cats is because, one time, a cat of an aunt that I know had jumped on me and started digging its claws into my knee. While trusty dogs had never done this to me, unless they are really excited and want to play. Which is why, without a doubt, I prefer dogs and there should be no reason people should not prefer dogs, unless there rabid. - Jose Sanchez |