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April 2007

 

Editorials

Manufactured Tele

Vision

By: Ryan Weiss

    Ah, MTV… It’s the most popular place to watch new music videos, wherever, whenever. Right?

     Well, that statement was accurate in 1981.

     Nowadays, there are many reality shows on the channel, which rarely relate to music. It seems that MTV has become self-defeating in the sense that it does not live up to its original purpose: music television. So, how did this come about?

         Since its launch in 1981, MTV has been a cultural phenomenon. It showed music videos non-stop and was the place for artists to promote their videos. It also created the VJ (video jockey).

     Over the years, however, MTV has begun to exploit artists’ music because MTV beats every song that is popular at the moment to death. The music then becomes unbearable to watch and listen to anymore. Also, MTV shows unoriginal, cliché bands/artists that thrive off their singles.

     Example: The Fray and Fergie. They churn out hits, but their albums receive mediocre reviews from critics. And as one famous quote says, “it’s not quantity, it’s quality.”

     Another failing of MTV is that most of the shows are reality shows, most of which aren’t even related to music. Furthermore, these “reality” shows are staged.

     Example: those really cheesy dating shows, like Parental Control, Next, and Date My Mom are the same basic package with small twists in characters. When the people on these shows go out to eat, it shows them eating and talking. But after they are done with their meal, there’s still a table full of food, as if it was never touched. Can you say “scripted”?

     But perhaps I could forgive the bad music and reality shows if MTV did not give itself over to censorship. Sure, censoring out curse words is fine. Censoring out little things in music videos, however, is ignorant.

     Example: when the Sum 41 video of “Still Waiting” came out, MTV censored out the word “drop dead,” in the line, “drop dead with bullets in my head.” The song is about the War in Iraq and President Bush’s decisions. They are saying that line metaphorically, not literally.

     I guess what I’m trying to say here is that MTV has just gotten foolish and unbearable to watch. Anyone else want to change the channel?

Because I’m a Second-Semester Senior, That’s Why!

Senioritis: the first symptom of graduation

By: Wandalyn Savala

     Seniors, does this sound familiar?

     Second semester rolled around, and as you reveled in your college acceptances, you feigned an interest in your classes, but still maintained your grades. From January to March, you anticipated Spring Break when you knew the charade would be up and you could sport your Senioritis with pride.

     Of course, teachers aren’t exactly pleased with the wave of apathy that sweeps through their classes at the start of fourth quarter. Often they (rightfully) associate their seniors’ attitude with ignorance of the fact that they have to first complete high school (you know, pass their classes) before they enter that dream world that is college. While Senioritis can easily be viewed as throwing in the towel, is that really the case?

     Some seniors, like Taylor Speech, scoff at the idea of Senioritis – not so much because it does not exist, but because he views it as a euphemism for laziness.

     While many seniors are loathe to admit to laziness, some view it as a condition that has existed for the past four years. Like Devin Woodson, they “can’t have Senioritis because [they’ve] had it since freshman year.”

     But surely Senioritis is more than being lazy or not turning in work? As Andy Victor observes, “It's not that seniors don't care, but we're ready to move on and our work now doesn't seem necessary, especially the amount.”

     After Spring Break, this holds especially true when seniors are forced to face the fact that in a short few weeks, high school – and a chapter in their lives – will come to a close.

     Sophie Lawson puts this reality into perspective best: “We are realizing what we care about most. We want to have fun and make memories instead of getting stressed out by small, pointless things.”

     Good or bad, right or wrong, Senioritis exists. But what are the consequences of writing off the last few weeks as “unnecessary” or “pointless?”

     Ms. Cummings, Senior AP English teacher, points out, “Fourth quarter grades are top heavy. If seniors don’t recover from Senioritis by the second week after Spring Break, then the rest of their fourth quarter will be a nightmare.”

     But are teachers’ expectations realistic? Does the fact that they pile on more work towards the end make Senioritis worse?

     Gladys Barrientos feels that, “[Teachers] forget what senior year was like. The pressure to keep grades up, applying for colleges, getting acceptance letters, filling out scholarship applications. At times it feels like you just run out of gas, and you want to give up.”

     With that said, teachers can’t do much to rectify Senioritis, but they can warn students of the dire effects (i.e., that dream financial aid package being rescinded on account of low second semester grades).

     But at the same time, aren’t seniors justified in their last-leg lethargy? After a ridiculously stressful year, is it not normal to just want to kick back and relax with friends for the last few weeks they have together? And with events like Spring Break, prom, and college visits, how can anyone blame them?

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team.

     But by no means do they lack talent.

     The majority of the team goes to state. Coach Hopkins, who took over the team three years ago, is enthusiastic about the team. “I facilitated all the entries for the meets and became the contact for the coaches hosting the meets we entered,” she says.

     Their competitive drive began at Farmer’s Branch and St. Mark’s tournaments. Since then, they have gone on to compete in power house tournaments such as the New Year’s Classic which hosts some of the biggest names in swimming from both public and private schools.

     Coach Hopkins gave an overview of the talent on her team:

     “The team consists of team members Monica Gully (senior), Quinn Heimburger (senior), Levi May (junior) and Teresa Gully (freshman).  Monica, Levi, and Teresa are all members of a club swim team.

     Heimburger competes in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events. Monica Gully has qualified for State all three years in the 500 yard freestyle and the 200 yard backstroke.

     May has also qualified for State three years in the 200 yard freestyle and the 200 yard breaststroke.

     Teresa Gully qualified as an alternate this year in the 200 IM and the 500 yard freestyle.”

     How often do you hear these numbers in other BD sports?

     At the collegiate level, Austin College in Sherman, Texas has shown an interest in Monica Gully, and would like her to swim for them in college.

     The biggest hurdle for this team to overcome is the lack of interest amongst the student body. There are undoubtedly more competitive swimmers at Bishop Dunne, and additions to this team can only help to improve this already successful sport to the point where they could become perennial contenders for state.

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Florida had too much of the total package as they beat Georgetown to get into the championship game.

     It seems now that there is another school rivalry between Florida and Ohio State as the basketball championship mirrored the football national championship.

     Florida again proved to be too much for Ohio State. Even though Greg Oden played better than expected, it was not enough to overcome the rebounding of Noah and Horford. Humphrey and Brewer were a big combination beyond the arc, which is where Ohio State lost that game in their inability to score from beyond the arc. As a result, Florida repeated for the first time since Duke in the early 90s, and for good reason. Billy Donnovan created one of the best team atmospheres among one of the most talent-filled teams people have seen in a while. But the real question is: will they repeat again?

     Tune in next season to find out.