T H E

VOLUME 52 ISSUE 18 1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

Tie Dye Guru, page 4

An ideal school lunch for most adolescents includes greasy pizza, salty chips and a soda to top it all off. But with all the changes made to school meals in the last few years, it’s impossible to think these bloat-inducing foods will ever make a comeback in public schools.

The trend is definitely turning toward healthier op-tions. For instance, most foods offered for lunch are now made with whole wheat. This makes the food a little less delicious, but is a healthier option. Although many schools have made the change to whole wheat foods, lunches are still not as healthy and fulfilling as they should be.

The Cedar Falls school district will be hiring a new superintendent and food service director in the com-ing year. With these new

people comes hope for better, healthier school lunches.

First of all, look at all the healthy improvements made so far to lunches in the last few years. LaVonne Arndt, the Cedar Falls School District’s food service supervisor, has played a large role in these changes.

“Cedar Falls has been serving whole grains over the last few years. We have tried to approach this change gradually. Whole grain taste is something students were not used to. We currently use whole grain buns, bread, cookies, pasta, rice, etc. We have increased the amount of fruits and vegetables offered each day along with different ones that not all students have experienced before. Also, we have added more legumes to the menu,” Arndt said.

The legislators are cur-rently working on new rules for school lunches. They are

pushing for a separate starches “group” such as potatoes, corn and peas, which schools would be limited from serving too many times. Fruits and veggies would be based on color so more red vegetables and leafy greens would need to be served. The amount of these fruits and veggies offered would almost double. What would this mean exactly for Cedar Falls?

“The biggest change our students will notice will be the amount of fruits and veg-etables offered, and a number of them will be dark green or orange,” Arndt said.

It is not a stretch to say that many students will wel-come these changes to their school meals. Eating healthy is a lifestyle, and if school lunches can cater to these nu-tritious habits, more students may invest in a hot lunch.

An incredible school lunch success story comes from

not too far down the road. Kelly Crossley, formerly the Independence School District food service director, single-handedly changed the entire meal system around. She increased the amount of fruits and veggies and found healthy substitutes to everyday favor-ites. At the time of her leaving the district, the Independence food service program had a surplus of $20,000, no easy feat.

“My motivation for these changes was on a more personal level. I eat healthy, and I didn’t like how much processed food was being served in Independence when I started,” Crossley said. “There was also not enough produce being served. My cooks didn’t like it either and were willing to start doing more from scratch. They were all good cooks, but weren’t being asked to cook like they wanted to.”

The process of making these drastic improvements took place over the course of two to three years. Making better “homecooked” meals for an entire district takes a lot more than a good cook. Crossley notes that translating a recipe from 10 servings to 300 is tricky, so a lot of trial and error occurred. After she had the backing of food staff, Crossley wanted to make sure the students and teachers were on board.

“We had to take steps to introduce new vegetables and fruit to kids, like sampling the new items in the classroom. We asked the teachers to talk about the menu in their class-rooms, so the kids would be prepared when they saw the new item at lunch. With the local food that we served, we put signs out that let everyone know the food was local and the name of the farm/farmer

More changes coming to school lunch Lindsey Davis

Staff Writer

The definition of a library is slowly expanding with the edition of digital books. With a huge fan base hooked on Kindles, libraries are expanding their collections in response to the enormous demand for e-books. Usu-ally one must buy a book to download onto an e-reader, but just like libraries do with paper copies of books, many are now offering books to check out for a certain period of time.

Cedar Falls Public Library and the high school’s library have teamed up to provide these services to students. Librarian Kim Traw explained how this works:

“The high school does not really have a ‘digital library’ like the public library does. You can ‘borrow’ e-books to

download to your own device from the public library. The high school does not offer that service (yet). You can borrow Kindles from our library. We have purchased digital edi-tions of books and download-ed them onto the library’s six Kindles,” Traw said.

So far, each of the Kindles has around 25 books installed. They can be checked out for three weeks at a time, just like a book. Students should beware, though, for overdue fines still exist at 10 cents a day.

Tried and true readers may become wary of the creation of these digital books. Many worry that print is going out of style. Digital books reduce the magic of lying back and flipping through the pages of a classic. But have no fear, librarian Kristi Anhalt has no concern that books will go out

of print.“There are too many archi-

val libraries with documents that have not even been cata-loged yet, let alone digitized.”

The only real concern with digital libraries are equity is-sues. Anyone can check out a book, but to check out a digi-tal book one must own a de-vice on which to read it. The positive effects of e-books outweigh any negatives.

“A digital library provides reading material that is always available. You can download the books from your home or any computer with Internet access. I suspect convenience is the most positive effect,” Traw said.

“The digital library offers better customer service since titles are available within min-utes of a request if we have a Kindle available for check out,” Anhalt said.

Lindsey DavisStaff Writer

Digital libraries paving way to future

Senior Danielle Lilleskov uses one of the new E-books now available in the library. The E-books have become part of the digital craze with their easy access and portability.

Continued Page 2

Erin Keiser photo

NewsFeb. 7, 2012 hiline.co.nr

The high school is cur-rently hosting a supply drive to support the veterans home in Marshalltown through Feb. 16 in honor of the fifth anni-versary of the death of CFHS graduate Travis Vaughn.

Vaughn graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 1999. In 2005, he married Heather Reinertson, who had their three-year-old son named Taylin. February 2007, Vaughn died in a Chinook plane crash in Afghanistan.

The crash, caused by engine problems, killed eight special ops personnel; seven Army soldiers, including Army specialist Vaughn; and one Air Force member. Over half of those on the plane, 14 people, survived. Vaughn was 26 years old.

Social studies teacher Robert Schmidt remembers having Vaughn in one of his sophomore classes. Schmidt said, “He was a very quiet, dignified young man. I knew the military was something he wanted to do. It was very tough what happened to him.”

Family and consumer science teacher Gayle Bruene also has fond memories of Vaughn. Bruene said, “Nice student. I had him in foods classes. He really enjoyed cooking. He was very person-able.”

Secretary Jane Carter said that participating in this drive goes beyond remembering Travis Vaughn. “I think [it’s important] not only because Travis was an alumni but so we support our troops and veterans who support our country. It’s a small thing to do for what they do for us,” Carter said.

The drive is sponsered by the nonprofit organization, Kandie’s Kidz, founded by Vaughn’s stepmother, Kandie Vaughn. Kandie’s Kidz col-lects items and money for

veterans, soldiers and the families of the deployed that VA Affairs cannot help.

As well as money, those wishing to help can donate new, unused personal and food items in their origi-nal packaging to the Vet-eran’s home in Marshalltown through this drive. Suggested items include combs, non-alcoholic mouthwash, playing cards and soap.

For further information regarding Travis Vaughn and helping Iowa veterans, see travisvaughn.webs.com.

Veteran honored by drive

Katherine MayhewStaff Writer

Speech team awaits All State resultsThe CFHS speech team

competed at the state large group competition at Dubuque Senior High School on Saturday, Feb. 4. The groups that earned Division I ratings from all three judges might be chosen to compete again at the All State competition in Ames. Due to the weather-related issues of other schools on the western side of Iowa, if the Iowa High School Speech Association chooses anyone

from Cedar Falls High School to go to All State, they will not know until Feb. 12 or later.

Junior Jillian Ross went to All-State with her large group ensemble act last year. “It’s huge. It’s really crazy and fun. All-State is such a big event, different than State and Districts. It’s on a completely different scale,” Ross said.

Sophomore Noah Miller, whose ensemble Fifteen Minute Hamlet earned three Division I ratings, has a

chance of moving on to All-State. “I think we have a lot of All-State worthy acts, and I watched individuals All-State last year, so I hope I make it to State in group this year. I can’t wait for All-State results,” Miller said.

The bus left CFHS at 5:45 a.m. Saturday morning, but those going to competi-tion had to arrive at the high school at 5:30 a.m. Senior Michaela Oehler said, “Tired? Tired? What is that? It’s completely worth it. Tired?”

while curled up on top of a desk in the French room.Be-cause of the jazz band concert later in the day, the speech team requested having all of their performances early. The team’s last performance was around noon, and returned to Cedar Falls around 3 p.m.

Not everyone who came to State competition was involved with speech team. Among others, sophomore Maddie Andreassen went to CFHS at 5:30 in her words: “To support our school, and

they did amazing. I plan to join speech team next year,” Andreassen said.

Speech team coach Rebec-ca Kauten said she was happy with how the morning turned out. “I think our team was well represented. We had a number of very fantastic per-formances that ran the gamut of styles and performances that a team can perform at contest and every person who performed today from CFHS has several reasons to be proud,” Kauten said.

who grew it,” Crossley said.

Crossley points out that healthier food items can’t be an instant suc-cess. She learned to be persistent and take suc-cess a little at a time.

Having a delicious and nutritious lunch every day carries one major problem: money. Most food programs are run on extremely tight budgets because they are inde-pendent of the school’s budget and must provide for themselves.

The freshest of produce is not cheap, therefore many schools can’t provide this. With the hard work of Crossley, Independence was able to turn their food system around which allowed for money to be spent on fresh produce and other healthy foods.

If schools can budget so that they could allow for locally grown foods, not only would lunches be much more fulfilling, but the community’s well-being would be boosted.

“I think that more effort should be made by all of us to purchase our produce locally, when-ever we can. It just makes

sense. The produce is better tasting and higher in nutrients because it is picked when it’s ripe. The money we spend stays in our community and there is less of a carbon footprint since the food travels such a short dis-tance to get to us. We are sustaining the livelihood of someone in our own community,” Crossley said.

So what is holding so many schools back from buying locally? Again, it’s the money issue. But Crossley shows that it is possible to entirely shift a food program around.

The changes she helped make in Indepen-dence are truly incredible. Cedar Falls now has the opportunity to hire a new food service director who could bring about great improvements to school lunches.

Crossley suggests students should have the largest voices over this issue, since they are the ones eating the food five days a week. School meals are complained about constantly, but with new ideas and persistent directors, they can change for the better.

School lunchKatherine Mayhew

Staff Writer

CFHS graduate Travis Vaughn served as an army spe-cialist in Afghanistan and was killed in action at age 26.

Continued from page 1

Opinion: Don’t stress on sports

Athleteof

the Week

Tigers in Action

Sportshiline.co.nr

Sam DagitWrestling

Feb. 7, 2012

1. How has the season been going?Really well. We have Districts in two weeks.

2. How is the team preparing for Districts?

We are working really hard in practice. Trying to keep our weight down and our strength up.

3.What are your expectations for the post season?I want to go to State and place.

CFHS wrestlers are ready-ing for the district wrestling meet in Waverly on Saturday, Feb. 11. Cedar Falls will be competing against Decorah, Linn-Marr, Marion, Waterloo East, Waterloo West, Waverly-Shell Rock and Xavier.

With the season winding down, senior Sam Dagit said, “It has gone a lot better than expected, and we won some great duals because we put forth a group effort.”

After beating some of the better teams this season, Cedar Falls has a better dual record this year than it had last year, with a record of 17-10. “We've had a pretty good season as a team so far. We have beat some good teams even though our team was not at full strength for most of the year,” senior David Langley said.

“We have prepared all year to get the conditioning that we will need at Districts, and now our practices won't be so intense, but we are focusing on the little things that we can fine tune before we go to Districts,” Langley said.

Even though they prepare for Districts from day one of wrestling practice, every day wrestlers fix things they have done wrong in previous matches. Sophomore Devon Davis said, “Some of the things I’ve been doing to pre-pare myself for Districts are practice every day and watch film with coaches to learn from some of the things I did wrong in the past.”

Being the only girl on the wrestling team, sophomore Cassy Herkelman has shown her ability to the entire state. “Last year, being the only girl was kind of different, but this year I feel that I am a lot clos-er to the guys that I thought never wanted anything to do with me,” Herkelman said. She’s preparing herself just like all the guys, “Districts is going to be tough just like it was last year. I just have to wrestle smart and be ready for everything.”

Last year at State, Cedar Falls High School was represented by three wres-tlers, Cassy Herkelman, KC Grooms and Zach Rahnavardi. “We hope we could send all or at least as many as we can to State this year,” Dagit said.

Hannah RoethlerStaff Writer

Wrestlers prepare for district meet

MEN’S & WOMEN’S BOWLING- Feb. 7 vs Waterloo West 3:45WOMEN’S BASKETBALL- Feb. 7 vs. Washington 7:30 p.m.MEN’S BASKETBALL Feb. 7 @ CR Washing-ton, 7:30 p.m.WRESTLING DIS-TRICTS- Feb. 8 @ Waverly 7 p.m.MEN’S & WOMEN’SBASKETBALL DOU-BLEHEADER- Feb. 10 vs Waterloo West 6 p.m.MEN’S STATE SWIM-MING @ Marshalltown noon

School sports and other activities are always a great way for students to get involved and expand their resumes for colleges. Not only that but they are also a great way to bond with other students and form great friendships. Stu-dents can develop positive relationship with coaches as well that allow them to have even another positive influence on their lives.

As we all know, teenagers lives get more and more hectic as we get older. Speaking for myself, I would love to do more things in school to get in-volved, such as sports, but

time is not on my side. While working 20 plus hours a week and being involved in classes that require outside of school time, I find myself at a loss of time for sports.

There’re also plenty of us out there with hours of home-work to do each night. I feel if I can’t give something my full attention, there’s no point in doing it.

If school sports were not so demanding I feel that more people would go out for them and enjoy it even more. Students should not feel pres-sured when it comes to sports. Sports are suppose to be fun and enjoyable; otherwise, what’s the point?

There are few expectations like those who signed on Feb. 1 to their designated college for the sport of their choice. They have worked hard to get where they are today and deserve every bit of it.

But let’s be honest; we aren’t all as lucky. Those who aren’t as lucky should enjoy sports for the fun and bonding aspects. Don’t stress about sports when they aren’t going to be a part of your life forever.

Chandal GeerdesNews Editor

Above left corner: Junior Emily Neff dribbles past a Wahlert player.Bottom left corner: Juniors Rachel Nurse and Spencer Gray watch the game in awe.Center: Players huddle up before the game.To the right: Senior Allie Wirth pivots to pass a Wahlert player.

Women’s basketball takes on Wahlert

Photos by Tori Brandhorst

FeatureFeb. 7, 2012hiline.co.nr

Staff Writer Report

A 5500-year-old-civilization

Transportation

PersianPortal As Americans, we take for

granted the rights we have in this country and the laws that keep us safe. Recently Iran’s government announced they are holding an American tour-ist in prison with the intent to put him to death because they believe he is a spy. It led me to question how the lives of people in Iran differ from those in the United States? Beyond the differences in government, society and cul-ture, I wondered what sounds and sights Iranians experience day to day.

Before I had the oppor-tunity to interview various citizens of Iran, they made it very clear that their names could not appear anywhere on this publication. Because Iranians do not have the same freedom of speech that we do in America, it is necessary to keep them anonymous. I will refer to them as either Partici-pant X, Y or Z.

In some ways, our two countries are incomparable; the United States is such a new and modern country while Iran is a 5,500-year-old civilization. Participant X sat across from me at a wooden table and a transla-tor sat between us. “For the U.S., everything was established based on a group of educated people. Iran was and is a third world country, and a very old civilization,” X said. He tells the story of how developments have been added inconsistently to Iran throughout the years, but in no way are they comparable to the program-establishing,

goal-oriented way as in the United States. Iran’s street structure and city blueprint are nothing like the United States. “It is mostly based on narrow streets and tall buildings, in a curvy, hap-hazard structure that has been continued since the old days,” X said. The cit-ies’ designs were purposeful; they were used to confuse the enemy so that they could not enter the heart of the city. This building style has continued into the modern era. “Only recently, in major cities, are there the wider streets and skyscrapers, similar to a west-ernized city,” X said. Another western influence, malls have sprung up in a few big cities throughout Iran including Tehran, Shiraz, Tabriz and Isfahan.

Transportation in these cities is just as complicated as their structure. Tehran, Iran’s capital, is a busy and congest-ed city with mass transporta-tion buses, subways and taxis. “There is barely room for the people and the cars, buses and motorcycles. Vehicles and people are all competing for the same space,” Participant Y said. Sitting face to face, atop high bar stools, he reveals to me that his own mother fell in the road once when a bus was coming. “It wasn’t going to stop for her. Luckily, a man picked her up just in time, or she would have been gone,” Y said. In order to reduce the overcrowding and the pollution, during main hours of the day, private cars are not permitted to drive in the center of big cities. “Even so, the amount of pollution is still extremely high in a city like Tehran,” X said. “Recently,

The people of Iran want help from the U.S. in some

way, but not war ... The Iranian public very much

likes Americans and views them as very straight-forward, honest, hard-

working and law-abiding people.

“

”

A window into life in Iran

FeatureFeb. 7, 2012 hiline.co.nr

College

A Different Culture

Medical Care

Bazaars

Role of Government

because of high rates of un-employment, people are using their private cars as taxis as a source of income.” Unfortu-nately, there have been cases of passengers getting into unmarked taxis and being killed. Traffic laws in Iran are not enforced as they are in the United States. “I always feel that I am taking my life into my own hands just simply walking on a sidewalk because a motorcycle will go down the sidewalk to avoid the traffic on the road,” Y said. X told me that the traffic violation ticket was raised to an incredulous amount in the last month, but still nobody follows the laws.

X asked me how old I am and what I want to go into in college. In Iran, the liberty does not exist to choose a major. “In Iran you take an entrance exam. The major you get into is dependent on the score you get, not necessarily what you like or want. After graduation many cannot find jobs,” X said. Even the indi-viduals who do acquire a job are not paid enough to cover a low rent in an impoverished area. At the poverty level, the government intervenes. “The government has a plan to pay a monthly aid for each mem-ber of the family under a cer-tain income level. But at the same time they raise the rate for water and electricity to the point where the family cannot afford to have more than a single lamp on,” X said. Most people in Iran end up working a few jobs. For example, a teacher would teach during the day, which pays a low salary, and in the afternoon drive a taxi until late at night.

“People are stressed because there is high inflation and the prices on everything seem to go up on a daily basis. Most people work two or three jobs and are always looking for side business deals to be able to survive,” Y said.

See Iran, page 7

A window into life in Iran

A cultural difference I noted is that in Iran most people have their extended family involved in their day to day lives and decision making. Generations live together, and a middle-aged woman will often be taking care of her mom and children in the same household. Grown children live with their parents until marriage.

The marriage rate in Iran has gone down significantly in relation to the increas-ing unemployment rate. The expectations for a male who is eligible to marry are that he has a job, steady income, a house and a car. “There is a high rate of young women who cannot find men their age to marry. In very wrong ways, they are married to older men who are rich. These girls are being used and mainly subjected to prostitution based on their financial needs. This is definitely not the norm, but compared to what Iran used to be, it has increased signifi-cantly,” X told me.

Lacking a job and money may leave one single in Iran, but a more life-threatening matter is medical care. In Iran the hospital’s first priority is payment; after that they will help the patient. “Even if you come to the hospital by ambu-lance, before anything is done and before you can be admit-

ted, there is a down payment you must pay in cash,” X said. Only the people with the lowest income have insurance, but they have to use govern-ment hospitals, and even then, major procedures aren’t cov-ered by the insurance. In the case of an emergency, there is a small payment (in cash) at registration, which covers the emergency room. Then, based on the doctor’s assessment, the bill will be approximated and all of it is paid before leaving the emergency room. In cases that do not require the emergency room, at the time of admission into the hospital, 50 percent to 60 percent of the total bill is paid. Before discharge, 100 percent of the bill is collected. There is no mailing of bills, and there are no credit cards.

The easiest and most lively discussion was about the bazaars, the central market-places in Iran. “People are busy and always seem to be running from one thing to another. Also, just feeding yourself or your family isn’t as easy as just going to the grocery store,” Y said. At the bazaar there are grains, fresh fruits and vegetables for sale. There is also the bread bakery and the butcher shops. “If you don’t know the butcher, you get the worst cuts of meat,” Y said. At the crowded bazaar there is a line for everything including shoes and cloth-ing. “Every line has a special smell,” X said.

Although people see each other in passing, whether on a train or in line at the bazaar, the conversations they have in public are not a true depiction of what is going on in their lives. “Right now in Iran, the

environment is not good. You don’t want to talk to people you do not know because maybe they are government,” Participant Z said. Friends do not talk about politics out loud in Iran, not unless they are in the privacy of their own homes. On the trains it is easy to overhear people talking about Iran’s oil, houses get-ting expensive and inflation. “I am not scared because I’m not talking about politics. I show I’m religious. I’m good. I’ve done nothing wrong,” Z said. In Iran, I am told, citi-zens have to be careful about what they say and who hears them. “Like in the U.S., with friends and family that think alike, you openly discuss government wrongdoings. But you don’t have the same lib-erty of freely discussing your views with people you don’t know,” Y said. “The concern being they could be govern-ment officials that could cause you harm. We don’t have free speech. The idea is more of a western idea.” For the major-ity of people in Iran, there is a huge difference in what can be said publicly and privately. “Most people are frightened even to say anything about the high cost of living or the high rate of unemployment because it indirectly insults the regime. They refrain from anything that might get them into trouble,” X said.

I wear my dark brown hair loose and wavy down my back and have been twirling a section of it throughout the interview. Women in Iran wear the roosari which covers all of their hair. Before the shah left the country, women could pick if they wanted to cover up their hair or not — they had the freedom to choose. Now it is the law that

all women must cover up or be put in jail. “For me it doesn’t make a differ-ence. It shows respect to the country. It is a problem for some people, but they have to wear it. Iran is an Islamic country,” Z said. “In the U.S. you have the freedom to not cover your hair, but every country has some rule like this, like drugs. But in Iran it is the clothes.”

The government in Iran also controls the media. “The main source of government news is the Islamic Republic broadcast by the regime, which also controls all other televi-sion and radio stations. Even the newspapers and magazines are heavily monitored,” X said. Phone calls are not monitored, however. Often the margin of truth found in the government propaganda is limited. “The government [has been known] to put a political spin on a certain situation and use it as a pawn for further negotia-tions to fit their agenda,” Z said. The Internet access in Iran is slow and in many places nonexistent; nothing compared to the high speed access we have in America on our phones, iPods and other handheld devices. “Any young Iranians who have been able to hack into computer systems or es-tablish websites to acquire news have been easily detected and been taken to jail by

for an end to the conflict in Syria. Russia and China, who both support Assad, rejected the resolution with their veto power as permanent members of the Security Council. In recent days, more than 200 people have been killed in the strategic city of Homs, which has been under heavy attack by the Syrian military. Civilians call the international community inactive, claiming that it is doing nothing to end

ricade Syrian towns against government soldiers. Since early 2011, they have been the resistance to the brutal and unjustified mass killings of thousands of innocent and unarmed people by the Syrian military.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president and head of a dynas-tic and dictatorial govern-ment, refuses to step aside from power. His father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled the country for almost 30 years before his death in 2000.

Public demonstrations against Assad and the Syrian military, such as flag and

portrait burnings, are per-vasive among the rebellious population.

The fighting between the Syrian military and opposi-tion has led to a complete collapse of public security. Civilians cannot cross streets

Contact the Tiger Hi-Line

The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journal-ism classes of Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division St., Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.co.nr. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Tuesdays to read in their free time.

Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Hi-Line or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial staff view is presented weekly in the editorial labeled as Our View.

Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to the Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Thursday for publication the following Tuesday. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limita-tions. Include address and phone number for verification.

Editorial StaffEditors-in-Chief: Sara Gabriele, Ellen Gustavson, Meg Lane

News Editors: Maya Amjadi, Sara Gabriele, Chandal Geerdes

Opinion Editors: Meg Lane, Karl SadkowskiSports Editor: Jared Hylton

Feature Editors: Ellen Gustavson, Sandra Omari-BoatengEntertainment Editor: Lucas Hamilton

Hi-Line Online Editor: Martha HallStaff Writers: Sarah Church, Lindsey Davis, Chase Eremieff, Mikayla Foland, Isabelle Hayes, Trevor Johnson, Kathrine

Mayhew, Diamond Spann, Rhydian Talbot

our view

As high school students, we can be a little negative sometimes (OK, maybe more than a little). Scolding our fellow classmates for ignoring the winter formal, scolding our teachers for changing the name of said formal, cynically questioning the true meaning of Christmas, complaining about bad parking jobs ... it’s time we give some credit to those who deserve it.

The speech team recently earned all Division 1 ratings at their state large group competition. The groups will not know if they made it all the way to All State until after all other schools compete because the weather inhibited traveling for many this weekend. The speech team worked hard, and it payed off. Hopefully, they are able to take many of their acts to All State.

The jazz bands also took top ratings at the state jazz competition last Saturday, Jan. 28. Both Jazz I and Jazz Too! received Division 1 ratings, with Jazz I receiving perfect ballots from two judges and merely losing one point from the third.

Congratulations are also to staff writer Rhydian Talbot, recipient of the Silver Key award in the state divi-sion of the national Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Talbot submitted a portfolio of writing encompass-ing poetry, editorials, humor-based essays and personal reflections, and the submission was critiqued against hundreds of student writers in Iowa. Silver Keys are awarded to the top 10 percent of all entries.

Latest from the Arab Spring:Ongoing mass killings in Syria kindling for civil war

OpinionFeb. 7, 2012 hiline.nr.co

Karl SadkowskiOpinion Editor

Syria is in danger of civil war. After the prolonged strip-ping of human and civil rights for nearly five decades, Syr-ians demand political reform in protest to a violent military crackdown. Protests began in March last year.

2011’s monumental Arab Spring movement in North Africa and the Middle East brought the successful end to several longstanding dictators. Many Syrians are continuing this crusade for human rights and freedoms in their own country.

Opposition forces led by military defectors and other rebellious militias bar-

without the threat of sniper fire. Helicopters are capable of massacring large groups of people from above.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a net-work of opposition activists, states that more than 7,300 people have died since the military crackdown began. Thousands more are crossing Syria’s northern border into Turkey, where government-provided tents create tempo-rary homes for refugees.

Western governments urge Assad to step down from presidency. Assad, who claims he is not in charge of

the military, calls the crackdown an effort to remove anti-government terrorist groups throughout the country. While the truth be-hind who leads the military

remains unclear, mili-tary officials fearful of losing their power continue to attack civilians in the hope of quell-ing the unending uprising.

On Saturday, the UN Security Council failed to pass a draft resolution calling

“Civilians cannot cross streets without the threat of sniper fire. Helicopters are capable

of massacring large groups of people from above.

”

the killings.Political pressure, econom-

ic sanctions and otherwise total isolation of the Syrian government appear the best solutions to a conflict gravitat-ing toward civil war. If these options fail and innocent civil-ians continue to die as opposi-tion forces in Syria weaken, foreign intervention—such as Arab League military forces—to the conflict in Syria may become necessary.

Congratulations to CFHS students

satisfying about sinking my teeth into a forkful of concentrated protein, my salivary glands working so hard that it literally causes me pain. If it didn’t really annoy the people I ate with, I’d give a commentary on every single salty bite as it progresses from plate to fork to mouth to heart. My stomach’s so consumed in meat-lust that it tunes out any part of my brain that might protest the ethics of the act.

Guilt about consuming cuddly barnyard animals is easily swallowed with heaping bites of logic. Primar-ily: if Nature never intended for humans to eat animals, then why did it make them out of meat? Heck, you could make an argument for animal consumption out of bacon alone. Seriously, bacon is the meat candy of the pig platter, the hidden treasure in a tossed salad, the FDA-certified strip of heaven that sends comedians like Jim Gaffigan into paroxysms of delight.

Honestly, Nature wanted us to eat meat. At one point in human ances-try, we lived as nomads, shipping our homes from pasture to pasture to follow herds of buffalo and other four-legged delicacies. One tender animal provided more nutrition and expended less energy than if an entire tribe set out picking grass roots and herbs as a food source. Civilization might have expired nomadic tendencies, but homo sapiens still retain a set of chomp-ers filled with sharp canine teeth and bone-crushing molars, Nature’s per-sonal set of cutlery created for tearing and grinding blissful bites of animal. Honestly, I appreciate Nature’s gift. As a vegetarian thanks Nature for provid-

Vegetarianism: a big ‘missed steak’

OpinionFeb. 7, 2011 hiline.co.nr

Rhydian TalbotStaff Writer

I love animals, truly I do—but I love eating them more.

Admitting this generates a collec-tive gasp from Vegheads — rotten tomatoes aimed squarely at my fore-head—but I cannot hold my tongue (which, currently, is salivating at the mere thought of meat) any longer.

In a disconcerting trend, the carnivorous lifestyle has gained a bad rap over the past few years, what with science suggesting E. coli-this and diminished life-expectancy that. “Meat” became a new four-letter word when a 2009 study by the National Institute of Health claimed consum-ing red meat leads to a higher risk of cancer and heart disease. Pair that with further links to increased cholesterol and your friend’s story about that one time he contracted food poisoning, and the juiciest slice of the food pyramid seems to shrivel up in disgust. Dr. Barry Popkin, nutrition epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, went so far as to suggest mortal peril if a consumer enjoys one too many slabs of prime rib, maintaining “a lot of deaths would be prevented by cutting your overall meat intake.”

I hear you, Barry, I really do, but no. Just. No.

Cutting meat from my diet sounds almost as enticing as shoving vegetarian-approved cucumbers up my nose (read: not at all). Ham hocks, lamb chops, brisket, crab legs, drum-sticks, spareribs—you name it, I’ll eat it. There’s just something so innately

ing a bounty of leafy greens, I thank it by sampling all the fine quadrupeds this earth has to offer.

As for health risks, I say bring it on. I fully accept the toll indulg-ing in such heavenly protein takes on my cholesterol. As my arteries clog with each meaty morsel I con-sume, my heart, in its compromised state, painstakingly pumps out its appreciation.“THANK you, THANK you,” it chokes, slowly dying a sated

death. And as my liver shuts down from excess fatty tissue, my taste buds continue to party as they celebrate the epic flavor sensation that is meat.

Vegetarians can nibble on relish sticks to their heart’s content, turning up their noses at the consumption of animals and the ensuing health risks. I, however, can’t deny my meaty crav-ings. If they demand a turkey leg the size of my face, so be it. Bar-b-que to the people, I say! Let them eat steak.

the government where they are punished severely,” X said. Movies and music have to be approved by the Islamic Regime before the public can watch or listen to them. Also, the government enforces that women are not allowed to sing or participate in any form of art or musical activity. I think about the song I was singing along to on the way to this interview — “The Last of the American Girls.” In Iran I would be put in jail. Elections are in April for Iran’s Majless, similar to the House of Representatives in the United States. However, new elections do not bring hope to Iran’s citizens as the caucus process does here. “It is all rigged,” Z said.

America and IranThe American public has miscon-

ceptions about Iran and the Iranian government. However, before trying to understand Iran’s government and its problems, X wants Americans to understand their own government and what it is capable of doing. “The U.S. has had ulterior motives to go into third world countries. As a very recent and obvious example ... the Taliban are the most terrible regime who could ever rule a country. They have killed women and burned down schools just because they were for females. They are the biggest drug cartel in the Middle East. Yet now the U.S. is talking about negotiating with them

and recognizing them as an official government,” X said. “These are the worst criminals you can possibly think of. They are not even in the spectrum of democracy, and they never will be.”

As far as the relationship between Iran and the United States goes, it will heavily depend on the political choices each nation’s government makes in the coming months. “The people of Iran want help from the U.S. in some way, but not war,” Z said. “The biggest concern would be they could possibly end up at war, but likely it won’t happen. I think the U.S. will bomb nuclear facilities if Iran was to make a nuclear bomb,” Y said. Another factor in the relationship is the oil Iran has. “The relationship has

always been and always will be based on our rich oil-producing country. Always we have been kept behind in technology and everything else. The U.S. will always be using Iran for its oil,” X said. However the Iranian people think of Americans differently than their government. “The Iranian public very much likes Americans and views them as very straightforward, honest, hard-working and law-abiding people,” X said. I wish I could have told X that Americans view his people in a positive way, and separate from the Iranian government. Being aware that the average citizens in the United States and Iran are more alike than dif-ferent may ultimately save both of our nations from war.

IranContinued from page 5

Rhydian Talbot responds to articles on the merits of vegetarianism.Sara Gabriele photo

FeatureFeb. 7, 2012 hiline.co.nr

Chandal GeerdesNews Editor

Do you know anyone that has 22 tie dye shirts, two tie dye bras, one tie dye underwear, five pairs of tie dye socks, two tie dye sweatshirts, one tie dye bed sheet, one pair of tie dye sunglasses and two tie dye blankets? Well, meet, junior Talia Sturm, the guru of tie dye. Sturm has been tie dying with friends since the summer of 2011 and hasn’t stopped since.

“In the summer I tie dyed at least every two weeks to once a month, but now I don’t as much be-cause already tie dyed all of the white shirts that I own,” Sturm said. “It started as just a fun activity for my friends and I to do. Then I just loved it so much, I kept on tie dying.”

Sturm loves to tie die because of the patterns and colors. She gets her ideas like hearts and peace signs from the Internet but otherwise they are spur of the moment.

“[Tie dye] is a way to express myself through clothes. That’s just my

style,” Sturm said. Just like any other form

of art and expression, skills develop with practice.

“My first tie dyes weren’t the best that I’ve done, but not bad. They were very light because I did not put enough dye on them,” Sturm said.

Sturm tie dyes not only for herself but others as well. She has even used her art of tie dying to make Christmas pres-ents for friends. Sturm said that anyone who ever wants to give her something to tie dye, she’ll do it for them.

Although Sturm loves to make tie dye, buying it can be equally satisfying.

“Making it is more fun, but it’s such an adventure to search for tie dye things. Some tie dye things you find in stores you can’t really make at home with such vibrant colors. I’d say it’s half and half,” Sturm said.

There was a rumor that Sturm was going to stop wear-ing her tie dye every day at the end of the first semester. This obviously was not true seeing that she still wears it daily.

“I was thinking about not wearing it every day because some of my shirts had been beginning to sort of wear out,

but not bad, and I have so many other shirts that I don’t even wear anymore. I thought I should start wearing them again. I changed my mind because it was just weird not wearing tie dye. It’s a part of me, and people know me by

it,” Sturm said. Through tie dye Sturm has

had many fun experiences. One she remembers quite fondly.

“My friend and I were tie dying one day in the summer, and we accidentally dyed part

of her picnic table, and we were barefoot so the bottom of our feet were very color-ful,” Sturm said.

One of her favorite pieces she has tie dyed were a pair of shoes. She said they turned out awesome.

To Dye For

Lindsey DavisStaff Writer

Imagine getting a jump start on your career as a high school senior. By the time you graduated college, you’d be more than prepared to take on this career full time. Hannah Riebkes, a Cedar Falls High School senior, has already started to live her dream.

Instead of working at a fast food chain for her part time job, she works at the Cedar Valley Veterinary Center. The center boards dogs and cats

so Riebkes’ main job is to feed them, let them outside and clean their runs every morning. If it is a week day, she also helps bathe dogs for the groomers. Along with all these duties, she also helps with appointments, selling supplies and answering the phone. Doing all this only helps prepare Riebkes for her future hopefully as a vet.

“I want to be a vet simply because I love being around animals and love to help them. I would really like to be a

large animal vet, specifically horses,” she said.

Not only does she help out with grooming the animals, she has watched surgeries and helped with X-rays. Although she loves working with dogs, Riebkes has realized being a small animal vet is not what she wants to be but notes that working for the vet gives her an idea of what it’s like being a vet every day.

“Working at a small animal clinic has also helped me to decide that I want to be

a large animal vet. I love dogs and cats, but not lizards and rats,” Riebkes said.

Her plans for the future are to attend William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., after graduation this year. She is going to major in Eques-trian Science with a minor in Equestrian Administration.

“I decided not to go to vet school right out of high school because it is really expensive and very competitive. I am hoping that going to William Woods will give me experi-

ence so that I can attend vet school,” Riebkes said.

Riebkes said it’s possible she may not even get into vet school. If not, she will still have a degree that allows her to work with a vet and do many things with horses.

“I have loved horses since I can remember, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. You know how every little girl is obsessed with horses? Well, that never grew out of me,” Riebkes said.

Senior explores career as vet

Junior’s flair for tie dyed clothes dominates her daily fashions

Displaying just a small proportion from her dozens of handmade tie dye cloth-ing options is junior Talia Sturm.