Bears top Warren Blue Devils Friday night

The Lake Zurich Bears had a big third quarter comeback after being down the entire first half, securing a win against Warren 33-14 on Friday.

After Warren scored two touchdowns in their first six plays of the game, senior Mike Leiva kicked for two field goals and a point in the first half after senior  Zach Till ran in a touchdown from 8 yards out. The Bears came out strong in the second half to hold Warren to the 14 points they scored in the first half.

Lake Zurich’s special teams lived up to its name, scoring 19 of the Bears’ 33 points.  They carried out a key play for another touchdown, including both a punt return for a touchdown and a blocked punt. Leiva contributed to the second half score with two more field goals. Two of his four successful field goals were kicked from the 39 and 40 yard lines.

Other highlights from the game were a late 54 yard punt return for touchdown by senior wide receiver John Orlando and a recovered fumble in the Lake Zurich end zone by senior Mike Shield.

Lake Zurich’s defense improved as the game progressed and was successful in the second half, shutting Warren out after the first quarter.

The Lake Zurich student section was covered in red, white, and blue commemorating the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.  Linebacker Shield carried an American flag as the team took the field at the beginning of the game.

The win leaves the Bears at 2-1 with a home game next week against Lakes Community High School.

[Show as slideshow]

123►

Cheerleading State Champions

How professional sports teams impact the economy

Jerseys with players’ names on the back, endorsements from large companies to professional athletes, and professional sports arenas named after corporations are common in marketing a sport.

“Sports and the economy is a symbiotic system,” Darren Rothermel, Sports and Entertainment Marketing teacher, said. “If the economy is down, then businesses don’t make as much money on sporting goods. Sporting events get affected as well when there’s a down trend, because people won’t have surplus money to spend on going to expensive games where you can easily spend over $100.”

Not only do big sporting goods businesses make big money on sports, but sport-themed restaurants, such as Buffalo Wild Wings, can prosper on game days.

“Businesses like Buffalo Wild Wings get their money by advertising for sporting events. You could walk in anywhere and sit right down for a haircut during a big game, but restaurants that advertise for game days will be packed because you get both the game and the food,” Rothermel said.

Sports also play a big deal in advertising. During almost every commercial break, there’s a commercial with a sports good, player, or team in it. One of the pages on ESPN’s website bolsters a list of the top commercial from each of the last 25 years, picked by a panel from ESPN, and another list voted on by ESPN viewers.

Whether it’s selling jerseys, gaining profit off of commercials, or having a place to go for food and the game, businesses rely on sports doing well.

Anti-texting and walking bill should not be passed

Texting while driving is illegal for everyone, but texting while walking is not. At least, not yet.

Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, wants the state to pass the anti- texting while walking bill. While there are plenty of people who make bad choices, the state should not pass this law because people need to take responsibility for themselves and not rely on the government to tell them texting and walking is stupid.

People should already know that texting while crossing the street or walking in crowded areas is a bad idea and should not allow themselves to get distracted by texting if they do not want to get hurt. About 1000 people injured themselves texting while walking in 2008, according to Business Insider, but there are many other distractions that can get them injured or killed the same way.

Texting is a distraction, but so is talking on the phone, listening to music, reading a book, and the thousands of activities people do in their everyday life. The government cannot ban every little distraction or activity that can result in someone getting hurt.

The bill requires anyone who is caught texting while walking to pay a $25 fine for the crime, according to National Public Radio. Making texting while walking illegal could help lower the amount of visible texters on the streets, but if the government passes the bill, then lawmakers will be encouraged to pass additional, less necessary, laws. If texting while walking is made illegal, then using any electronic device or distraction, like listening to music or reading the newspaper, while walking could be made illegal, too.

In Philadelphia, a woman was texting while walking in a mall fell into a fountain, according to the IT Newsletter, Network World, and now wants to sue because there are videos of the incident everywhere exploiting her mishap. No one knew who the woman was until she told the public and then decided to sue for public humility, when it was all her fault anyways.

“I text while walking, definitely. I’ve probably hurt myself before, too, but never badly; I know how to pay attention when I have to. [The woman who fell into the fountain] should not sue for her own stupidity. [The government] should not make [texting while walking] illegal. That’s just ridiculous,” Will Rychlik, senior, said

Thanks to this woman’s mistake of not paying attention to where she was going, the State of Illinois, and other states as well, want to pass the law prohibiting people from texting while walking. People should not need to have the government tell them when they are doing something stupid, but should learn for themselves the consequences and dangers of texting while walking. People should make the right decisions on their own, without needing the government’s help.

Padded light posts for distracted texters are being tested in London. Illinois should accommodate people’s stupidity and not try to cure it. Stupidity is not a disease, it cannot be cured. So instead, the government should try to do more to protect the people, like padding light posts.

If people are unable to text and walk at the same time, then they should not do it in the first place. Instead of asking for a law to fine people who text while walking, people should take responsibility into their own hands, instead of giving the leash to the government.

Trying to text while walking could be dangerous and distracting, but there should not be a law prohibiting it. People need to learn for themselves the danger of their own stupidity, not be fined for it.

Americans need to appreciate, advocate freedom

American people are fortunate to live in a country where their freedoms are guaranteed in a constitution that has been enforced since 1788.  Unfortunately, people all around the world are not as lucky to have freedoms we often take for granted.  Americans must be grateful for what they have, as well as advocate freedom around the world.

We enjoy freedoms that millions of people could only hope to have.  The First Amendment alone grants us the freedoms of religion, speech, press, and to peaceably assemble and petition the government.  In countries around the world, people can be jailed or killed for opposing the government.

“[During the Egyptian Revolution] we were afraid our newspaper would be closed because we were with the rebels and said exactly what was happening and were insisting that Mubarak should leave,” Aliaa Hamed, journalist for the Shorouk Newspaper in Egypt, said.

In the Middle East, people in various countries are demanding human rights and freedom.  These people do not have freedom, and in the 21^st century they are just beginning to find the courage to fight for the freedoms that American citizens have had since 1778.

“The Revolution [in Egypt] really was about freedom and [the Egyptian people] really wanting more freedom, the kind of freedom we’re used to in the states: freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom to vote,” Elizabeth Colton, spokesperson for the United States embassy in Egypt, said.

Egyptian people fought for their freedom by peacefully protesting for 18 days, forcing their oppressive leader Hosni Mubarak to step down.

“They stood their ground for those 18 days and continued pressing for it in a non-violent way so what has happened in Egypt, this people’s revolution, is truly remarkable,” Colton said.

We are fortunate to live in a country that does not cover up mistakes it has made or prevent people from learning about events going on in our world.  Knowledge is power, and we are very lucky to live in a country that supports freedom of information.

In Libya, peaceful protesters have been demanding freedom from a harsh dictator who has been in power for 42 years.  The government wants to crush the revolt, and will use force, and even kill their own people to keep their dictator in power according to CNN.

Some have called this fight for freedom a civil war, as opposition forces continue to clash with pro-government forces.  The number of casualties so far is unknown; however some are estimating the number to be in the thousands.

People should not fear their own government, which is supposed to protect its people.  Although there have been occasions where force has been applied in American protests, the majority of people feel protected by our government.

Americans should feel blessed to have a military that protects its borders and vows to keep its people safe rather than a military that kills its own people to keep an oppressive leader in power.

“I say to my global issues students sometimes, ‘be happy that you live where you live, when you live, we’re very lucky,’” Libby Reimann, global issues teacher, said.

Americans must realize how truly lucky we are to enjoy the freedoms democracy brings us, and we should help spread these freedoms around the world.  But while our nation preaches about the benefits of democracy, we do not support democracy as much as we should.

“Philosophically we like the idea of democracy, so when we get together with [other nations’] leaders we say, ‘You really should have democracy, you should respect human rights,’ but on the other hand, we want all the cheap stuff that China makes,” Reimann said.

China is a communist country that represses freedom and human rights, and the United States should condemn them, but we are too focused on saving money rather than spending the time fighting for freedom.

Our nation’s leaders have continued to ignore opportunities to advocate freedom and human rights.

Regarding the violence in Libya, the Obama administration has condemned the violence, but that is not enough.  As a country that was founded because of the desire for freedom, we need to be doing much more to help these victims.

Although the Middle East is on the other side of the world, Americans can help.  We can voice our opinions to government officials through letters and demand more action.  Americans can also write the United Nations and urge them to help the people suffering from oppression.

“We hope that [the American people] can help us with [reaching the American levels of democracy and freedom] by using the freedom of expression that you have got and your votes to force your leadership to stand by our side,” Hamed said.

The American people often take freedom for granted because we are used to it and have not lived any other way.  We need to appreciate how fortunate we are to have these freedoms, while helping people around the world obtain freedom.

Teens need to form own opinions, make own decisions

Teens these days are too easily persuaded, whether it be forming political ideas or deciding to try something we may not want to, we walk blindly into decisions based on what we hear from other sources around us rather than think for ourselves.

Although teen decision making isn’t as good as an adults, there is a reason for this. Compared to the adult brain, which thinks more rationally, the teen brain is very underdeveloped. The part of the brain which controls the teenage mind is called the amygdala, an almond shaped part of the brain that controls decision making.

“The brain is mostly developing during the teenage years,” Chhavria Abria, neurologist, said. “Usually the human brain is not fully developed until we reach the age of 25.”

With underdeveloped brains, we are also much more impressionable than adults, meaning we are more apt to make a decision blindly from outside influences, than from what we actually know.

“The structure of the brain is almost like a computer with different circuits and connections. Decisions are made with the connections from one part of the brain to the other, and an underdeveloped teen brain lacks these connections, so the information can’t be processed,” Abria said. “Because of this, teens react on the influences around them, such as mood or other people.”

Despite this setback, there is nothing that says teens are unable to slow down for a second and try and think a bit more rationally.  We must learn take a second and let our brains process information, as opposed to rushing and making a blind opinion or decision.

For example, many high school students for blind opinions about politics and come to class with certain political views that represent their parents, and then once they go off to college and become more knowledgeable about politics, their political views completely change.

Rushing into decisions or opinions blindly only can lead to negative consequences. Teenagers need to take the time to educate themselves and form their own opinions about certain topics, as well as take time to make rational decisions.

Young adults, teens need to get more involved in politics

Americans who do not vote are idiots. Literally. The word idiot originates from the Greek word idiotes, which referred to citizens who did not vote or were not involved in public life.

Today’s society should have a similar view of non-voters, who, statistics show, are mostly young adults. Young voters should be more involved in politics because they need to support their beliefs in elections. They will be more content with government decisions if they exercise their right to vote.

In the 2010 election, voter turnout for people over the age of 65 increased 16 percent. In contrast, voter turnout for youth decreased 55 percent, according to Project Vote’s website, dedicated to election and voting information.

Americans, especially young voters, need to go to the polls and vote for what they believe in. If young people do not cast their vote, their opinions and their political party’s opinions will get overlooked and disregarded. If young people want change, they need to vote for it, as the majority of older people are currently doing.

“I’d say [older people vote more] because you start to understand politics a little better. You see how it directly relates to every aspect of your life, your paycheck, your taxes,” Chris Lagioia, government teacher, said. “It kind of hits you more as you get older; you own a home and pay a mortgage, there are things you want to purchase, and you see how the laws affect you more and more.”

Although older people have more experiences relating to how the government affects them, younger people should be more involved in politics and care about what happens at the elections, too. Everyone in this country is affected by the government and the decisions it makes. Everyone should want to have a hand in deciding who will be making the decisions.

The overall voter turnout was at an all-time low for the 2010 election: 66 percent of eligible voters did not vote at all. One possible explanation for this is that the election was an “off-year election,” one that does not include a presidential election, according to Project Vote’s website.

“A lot of times there are difficult elections to vote in – they might not like either candidate – but I think it’s better to vote and have an opinion in a democracy versus not voting at all and then complaining about the decisions that the government makes later,” Lagioia said.

If young people do not vote, they will continue to complain about how the country is being run without actually doing anything about their disapproval. People would feel that their voices are being heard if they voted. People who vote can help support their beliefs through candidates’ platforms.

Although there are possible explanations for the 2010 voter turnout, the statistics for the 2008 presidential election show similar facts about voter turnout for the younger age group.

Voters ages 18-29 make up 21 percent of the eligible voting population, but in the 2008 presidential election, they made up only 17 percent of the actual voting population. Also, less than half, 49 percent, of 18 year olds are registered to vote, according to Project Vote’s website.

The initiative toward wide-spread voting starts with high-school students. Students who are approaching the voting age should tune in to political current events to get informed. Government decisions affect all people, no matter if they are of voting age or not. Also, sooner or later, all students will be of voting age, and then it is their duty to vote.

In the long run, the goal is for more of the populous to actually vote, but at the same time the voters should be making informed and intelligent choices.

“I think ultimately, regardless of age, we want to see people who are informed [and have] done their research, make an educated vote. I think the key is younger or older, they should be voting, but do the research and try to vote as an educated citizen,” Lagioia said. “The person needs to do their research, they need to find out the political stances of the candidates on multiple issues, and use multiple sources.”

Non-voters of all ages have no right to complain about how the country is being run because they have the right to vote, but it’s up to them to exercise their right. Involvement in politics is a must for citizens who want to be content with their life and country.

E-readers make reading convenient

Welcome to the 21^st century, where cars place phone calls, cell phones find directions, and there’s an app for just about everything.

Electronic books are becoming the future of reading. Frequently called e-readers, these devices are prevalent among those serious readers who want to keep up with the latest in technology. They are similar in idea to MP3 players, but for books instead of music. An e-reader can hold hundreds of books, downloaded for a price from the provider of the technology.

The sentiment of many is fear; they are afraid of losing the quality and feel of holding a traditional book in their hands. However, the benefits of reading electronically far outweigh any feelings of nostalgia for the bulky feel of those hardcover books lining the shelf.

Kelly Doherty, junior, discovered the convenience of e-readers after receiving a Nook for Christmas this year.

“I don’t belong to a library anymore because we moved. If I want a book, I don’t have to go to the store because you can just get them [online],” Doherty said. “It’s a lot easier to get books instead of going to the store, buying a book, then having it forever and not reading it again.”

Reading a traditional book requires effort that e-readers can easily eliminate from an already busy life. E-readers can increase the amount of people willing to pick up a book because of the simplicity of the ‘point and click.’ In the Internet age, fewer and fewer kids or adults are willing to take the time to go pick out a book from the library, take it home, and have to read it within a certain time limit. An owner of an e-reader can simply take a few moments to peruse the titles online, make their selection, and then own the book forever at a fraction of the cost of buying a book from the book store.

With the new ability of PDF readers, electronic books offer such conveniences as highlighting favorite passages, making notes in the margins, and flipping the pages in the same manner as a physical book.

The most convenient part of the e-readers is their compact size, making trips easier for those who bring a few books along with them. Instead of multiple heavy books taking up space in a suitcase or bag, a single e-reader can carry a variety of books and genres, allowing more choices given the reader’s mood. Mary Ann Eiserman, English teacher, compared her Kindle to roughly the size and weight of the school’s student handbooks.

“With the Kindle, while I travel, it is so easy just to take that and not have to worry about the weight of a couple of books,” Eiserman said.

Supporters of the e-readers applaud their ‘green’ qualities. E-readers save the natural resources that book manufacturing would use to print hundreds of thousands of pages. In 2003, publishing companies came out with about 175,000 new book titles. Being able to publish and distribute many of those books could eradicate the waste created when one purchases a book from the book store, reads it once, or even twice, and leaves it to collect dust on the shelves.

Sitting down at home – or the train, the hair salon, the hotel balcony – with an electronic book can offer just the same experience as holding a physical book. A devoted reader can browse through the limitless covers contained within the device, carry all of one’s favorite reads in one compact place, and flip a page on an easy-to-read computer screen. The future of reading is bright.

E-readers detract from the aesthetic, sentimental value of books

Thomas Jefferson once said, “I cannot live without books.” If his idea is to be followed, there will be lots of dead people in the next couple years as a result of e-readers.

E-readers are the newest addition to the digital age, but while iPods effectively replaced walkmans and tape players, e-readers are not replacement for actual books and should not be used as such. A book is more than the words on the page, and an e-reader eliminates all the aesthetic and sentimental value of an actual book.

Selecting a book to read begins with the physical book itself and the front cover. Potential readers glance at the front, examine the cover art, turn through the pages, and decide whether or not to move on to a different choice. An e-reader eliminates the ability to do such things.

“I like turning pages, and seeing what’s on the cover, and being able to dog-ear the pages, all those little things,” Hayley Hinsberger, junior, said.

Hinsberger reads two to three books per week, and said she would miss the visual and physical value of books, what with all their pages bound together under a bright cover. An e-reader is merely a computer screen. E-readers also eliminate certain nuances of reading a book.

“With a real book, if you think something’s interesting, you fold the page with your finger and then flip back to it…[If] you know a certain character said something on one page, you can flip straight back to that page. You don’t have to do a ‘search term’ or something to find that spot,” Hinsberger said.

E-readers also make sharing books with a friend or family member much more difficult. Because the book is a file, there is no way to simply hand it off to a friend for a week, then take it back once that friend has finished reading. The other person has to have an e-reader as well.

“Say you want to share your book with a friend, you finish it, you’re like ‘Oh wow, this is a great book, I’ll just lend it to my friend.’ But with an E-reader, that’s kind of difficult because it’s a digital copy of a book, and it’s like with music where you can’t just give them a copy. You have to copy it, probably illegally, and try and give it to them,” Hinsberger said.

Beyond even the aesthetic value of books and the impracticality of sharing digital copies, books also contain pure sentimental value. Every book at a library has a history, someone who picked it up and read it somewhere and at some point in time. They may have liked it or hated it, but by checking it out, they added a piece of that book’s history for every future reader to be a part of.

E-readers use digital copies of books; there is no shared history with past readers, no sentimental value attached. The book is a digital file floating around in cyberspace with no meaning attached beyond the words on the screen.

Picking up a book promises new adventures, excitement, and stories to savor and tell friends about. E-readers and their digital copies are no replacement for the feeling of opening a book and feeling the pages full of words begging to tell a story. While iPods and new computers have been a great success at replacing their counterparts, the digital age has found a technology in e-readers that should never replace its counterpart: books.

Wisconsin budget bill will limit teachers’ rights

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has finally been successful in limiting collective bargaining (or union representation) rights of many public employees, on the pretense of fixing the budget.  This is a dangerous and partisan bill that is already spreading its misguided ideas to other states.

The bill was originally part of Walker’s budget proposal, which also called for public employees, like teachers and prison guards, to contribute more money to their pensions and health care plans.

Walker separated the collective bargaining portion from the budget proposal to get around the absence of Democratic state senators, who were hiding in Illinois to prevent its passage.

The passed bill eliminates collective bargaining rights for teachers and other public employees in every case but salary, according to Madison’s Channel 3000.  This means they cannot argue any changes to their pensions, health care, working hours, or anything else.  These are important rights workers have worked years to get.

“In 30 minutes, 18 state senators undid 50 years of civil rights in Wisconsin,” Mark Miller, Democratic Wisconsin senator, said in a statement. “Their disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights is an outrage that will never be forgotten.”

This bill is was never really about the budget.  Walker could have achieved his budget goals without taking such drastic steps, as public unions have agreed to his pension reforms, and he continues to advocate for deficit-worsening tax breaks.

“When our new governor took office, he had a projected fiscal surplus for the year,” Marshall Johnson, sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, said.  “He granted benefits to his wealthy supporters, which created a deficit, which Wisconsin law says he has to fix.”

Walker’s real intention has long been to eradicate Wisconsin’s unions, as he proved by forcing his collective bargaining bill through the senate separate from the budget.

“This is a coordinated attack.  Other governors have made similar announcements [limiting collective bargaining] in Tennessee and Ohio,” Johnson said.  “The governor’s point of view is not about the money, it’s about breaking unions.”

Unions are not perfect by any means, but they are necessary as a representative of workers.  So few political organizations support workers anymore that eliminating union rights would throw the balance of power strongly to employers.

“The union busting is for a purpose, a further shift in power to the wealthiest one percent in this country,” Johnson said.

Teachers and other public employees are right to protest this bill.  Wisconsin senate Republicans have allowed a severe limitation to be put on employees’ rights as workers and as citizens.

Even worse, this will give a go ahead for other states like Illinois to take the same path, until America is no longer truly free for its educators.

Next Page »