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The Bolt !   The Edison Charger Newspaper November 2014

Body Love or Unhealthy Craze? A closer look into the “era of the big booty.” Delwen MacArthur The year of 2014 has ushered in the dawn of the “Big Booty era,” featuring butt anthems, surgically enhanced derrières, and racy music videos. Pop icons including Iggy Azalea, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicki Minaj have all

 embraced, or perhaps catalyzed, this new cultural fixation. While some are referring to this as a rally for body acceptance, this new craze is anything but empowering.

American society’s growing obsession is inherently problematic, not because it focuses on butts, but because it represents yet another unrealistic body standard for women. No matter how you look at it, any body trends are dangerous. While of course there is nothing wrong with having a large behind and embracing it, this trend is representative of a much bigger problem in our society, the idea of the “perfect” size. The emergence of the trend itself is an emblem of the continuing rigidity of the ideal female body shape. Take for example, Nicki Minaj’s explicit single “Anaconda,” when she says “F*** those skinny b****** in the club.” These lewd lyrics represent an increasing trend in songs where larger framed and overweight women deem smaller women “skinny” (derogatory word). This negativity towards smaller body types only serves to increase the confidence of one group at the price of the self-esteem of another. Negativity plus negativity just equates to more negativity. Despite the fact that skinny women make up the majority of modern media, this should not justify or make it socially acceptable to turn them the scapegoats of songs that should be encouraging all women to embrace their body instead of sexualizing curvaceous women and putting down those who are fit.

By focusing solely on the posterior, this trend places an unhealthy emphasis upon the (cont. on page 3)  

C o l l e g e T u I t I o n S p I k e Elizabeth Hong A few weeks ago, universities in Germany began offering free college tuition for all students, available even to Americans and all other international students. Although such a decision would be unheard of in the United States, the move isn’t really a surprise in Germany. For years, the standard tuition was priced at just $630 for a semester, and before 2006, college education was free. (cont. on page 3)

More inside… • “Wired: Technology Linked to our Lives” – Richie

Chu - Perspective on our tech obsessions! (pg. 2)

• “Consider the Corollary” – Brett Austin - Are you being as productive as possible? (pg. 4)

• “Club Spotlight: Red Cross” – Emi Yasuda - Learn more about Madison’s club! (pg. 5)

• “The Truth About My Insanity Part II: Dark Touch” – Davis Lindsey - Find out what happens to Elijah! (pg. 6)

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Wired : Technology L inked to our L ives Richie Chu

Technology just within our grasp has benefited society with fast efficient means of getting what we need done almost instantaneously. Shopping is completed in the comfort of our own homes; research for school projects is done with a quick Google search; and finding dates has condensed down to a single online profile. But as the technological era reigned, dependence upon these efficient means became embedded so deeply into our lives, that before we knew it, an era without technology was nothing more than a distant past. Yes, the active progression of technology no doubt came with improvements in making life more efficient and the world more connected, but it also came at the cost of hindering the social value of human interactions and technological independence.   Technology has hindered opportunities for face-to-face communications as social interactions move to the virtual world. Take the dinner table as an example. Before the advent of televisions and cell phones, dinner was a time for the family to bond and get together. Today, inventions limit these interactions. Instead of engaging in dialogue, the television captivates family members’ attention while simultaneously, children are constantly on their cell phones playing games or chatting with friends, restraining the progression of these relationships. These disadvantages to social interaction extend beyond the dinner table. Hangouts with friends are consumed by time checking Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Technology has directed our attention to screens rather than the person sitting across  from us. This routine without face-to-face interaction has become so comfortable that it is effortless to not interact with others, causing us to miss out on the benefits these interactions can provide. When was the last time you actually had a full on conservation with your family at dinner table?

Believe it or not, there was a time before the internet when children actually went outside and activities could be accomplished even being deprived of the aid technology provides. Without notice, technology has ingrained itself into our everyday lives. Now, it seems as though without technology, living everyday life is no longer possible. Google Maps is required to get from one place to another. Waking up requires an alarm clock. Communication happens through text or emails. Keeping connected with our friends occurs through social media. Research for school projects occurs on the internet. Microwaves are needed to make our everyday food. With technology now a critical part of our existence, we are at risk of mass devastation if one day our technological infrastructure collapses.

Nevertheless, some may argue that technology provides our lives with the means to accomplish our goals more efficiently than ever. The internet has evolved from dial-up, to broadband, to Google Fiber. From the telegraph, to the telephone, and finally to the cell phone. Impatient people like me would suffer from the absence of a fast internet connection or a fast phone. Regardless, we have to ask ourselves again, at what expense does technology bring these benefits?

A life unwired seems so distant and the gap between an unplugged world and the technological world continues to expand. Though technology has quickened the pace of  2

   

   

life, the sacrifices we have made are far greater. It has rendered us incapable of depending on ourselves for survival. Thus, as technology continues expanding, it also brings the death of human interaction, independence, and safety. ⧫  

(MacArthur, page 1) appearance of a single body part. This fixation encourages women who are not already physically endowed to go out and seek means to become conform, whether through a rigid exercise regimen, diet plan, or cosmetic surgery. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, rates for buttock lifts have increased a whopping 80% since 2000. This represents growing cultural dissatisfaction due to a new emphasis on the appearance of women’s hindsides.

The “era of booty,” also makes women focus on another standard set by men. Meghan Trainor’s “All About that Bass,” a song intended to encourage body love, unfortunately only establishes a marginal line for body acceptance based on male desires. The song opens with these lines:

“Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two

But I can shake it, shake it

Like I’m supposed to do

Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase

And all the right junk in all the right places”

The song essentially tells girls not to accept their body on the terms of their own satisfaction, but rather to accept their body because it fits the standards imposed by men. The song also implies that women lacking “that boom boom” are both undesirable, and are not doing what they are “supposed to do.” I think it’s time we call an end, not just to the “era of big booty,” but to the era of judging women based on arbitrary physical ideals for. Let’s usher in a new age. Not an age of toned arms, or slim thighs, or whatever else the media can construct, but instead an age where all body types are encouraged and embraced. ⧫

(Hong, page 1) and tuition at public colleges have increased by 73% within the past ten years. In Germany, college tuition fees are viewed as unjust because they “discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background” from attaining a high quality education; however, what’s really strange is that this corresponds to exactly what President Obama said in his State of the Union Address in 2012, “Higher education shouldn’t be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” The general consensus is the same in Germany and America. A college degree is an essential that almost all millennials should have. If so, then why isn’t college free or at least affordable to everyone in the United States?

Surprisingly, the answer is really simple, in that it is just a matter of the principle of supply and demand. Colleges don’t really have an incentive to be cost-efficient or to reduce their tuition fees. The mantra that a bachelor’s degree will make you more successful or far better off financially has been constantly ingrained in everyone. As a result, the number of people pursuing higher education has inflated and will continue to grow even though the amount of universities really isn’t changing to accommodate that influx. If a college degree is a necessity or an “imperative” for everyone in America, universities are well aware of that and so, tuition prices will continue to increase to meet that demand. ⧫

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Consider the Corollary Brett Austin

Do we humans value efficiency as much as we seem to assert? We accept 1,200,000-plus road traffic deaths each year because the mobility and expediency of the car is evidently worth that high price. Let’s talk about sacrifice, the inevitability of sacrifice — either of (a) some portion of our lifespan, or (b) our potential aptitude as a species.

If we are, in fact, intent on being about the things we appear to be, we must alter our living style—and factor pleasure out of the equation. Because, as it stands we’re expected to lead a virtuous, fulfilling life based upon contradictory principles. Because unlike new discoveries, unlike new knowledge, your pleasure dies right along with you. In this sense, it’s got no lasting utility. When you go, so does it. And so it goes. Yet some people still choose to waste years of life stimulating their erogenous zones. I propose that we ought to sleep four to six hours a night, and stop wasting time on asinine games, hobbies, and fruitless copulation. I bet you that the better students in this classroom already sleep four to six hours anyway. From there it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to abandon all your leisure time.

Sure, getting less sleep and nixing entertainment would cut decades off of your life, but so what? Shakespeare said it himself, “Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more…” Now, oscillating between dead, alive, dead, alive in the period of an hour would be unwise at this point, seeing as we wouldn't have enough time to pass seed into egg. And then there's the forty week gestation period... but regardless we can try to get closer to Shakespeare’s “life in an hour model.”

Just as well sleeping less means working more. Sure, it’d be well and good to get a glamorous eight hours, but isn't that selfish when you consider there's nothing at stake besides your lifespan and “mental health?” Besides, aren't the most well-known geniuses thoroughly insane as it is? Think: Beethoven, Archimedes, Van Gogh, Kafka, Erdős, Newton and so on.

As Homo Sapiens, we waste monstrous amounts of time concerning ourselves with love, compassion for another, comradery, &c., &c. Admit it: I have seen many of you laughing during class when you should have been working. Some of you even hold palaver, idle chit chat, and side conversations for minutes on end regarding your feelings towards the world and those around you. Consider this a moment: Goethe says, “If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”

So why aren’t we doing everything in our power to increase our work-rate and output? Well— there’s no denying that the all-too-often hedonistic/“thoughtless” conduct of others isn’t exactly conducive to an ideal work ethic. But, with law enforcement issuing government mandated financial and physical penalties to those who deviate from a standardized code of effective behavior, we might finally start working at our maximum capacity. ⧫  

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Club Spotlight: Red Cross Emi Yasuda What do board games, charity drives, foreign cultures, and honors students all have in common? They are all related to clubs at Edison! Starting with this issue of the Bolt, we are going to be interviewing club presidents to see what they have to share about their club’s history, upcoming events, and advice on getting involved at Edison! In this issue, we’ll be taking a closer look at one of the most active clubs on the campus, Red Cross! What follows is an interview between myself and Red Cross president, Madison Feldman. E: To start off, can you give a general overview of what Red Cross club is about? M: So this year, our motivation is to try to help other clubs, instead of just the Red Cross, because we’re affiliated with the Red Cross. We run blood drives, and we collect donations for the Children’s Safety Event, which is an event we are going to be doing soon. We’re going to be face-painting there, and then collect toys for them. If there’s any kind of natural disaster we collect money, and we’ll give to organizations that need money. Whatever the Red Cross is doing, the real Red Cross is doing, we try to help through our Red Cross club. My goal this year is to be like a Red Cross for other organizations, so if they need volunteers, we’re going to help out, like with Helping Hand, and the Festive Friends Club. E: What are some of the major charities you support? M: We like to give to all charities. Being the Red Cross club, Red Cross is our main charity, but we like to seek out our own charities to give to. Not necessarily in terms of money but more so like service, like this year we have a soup kitchen that every Saturday we’re trying to get people to help out at. E: Can you tell me a bit about the history of the club? M: Actually, yes. So, I think I joined two years after the club was created. The president at the time was Alison. She was a senior when I was a freshman. And so she was the president since when she created it in sophomore year. She really wanted to get involved with Red Cross, and she knew about it, so she went to the Red Cross chapter and asked them how she could create a club at Edison. So from then on, it was a club. I joined freshmen year, then I knew her for two years, then she said I would be a good president, so that’s what happened. There’s not too much history since it’s a pretty recent club. E: That’s awesome, since it seems like it’s been around for a long time. What’s one of the most memorable events you’ve participated in? M: Well I personally love car washes; I think that car washes are a fun way to raise money and interact with other people. And we also raise a lot of money. Last time we donated it to a hurricane that happened, they needed lots of support so we donated it there. Although I really like car washes, on a deeper level, I liked when we did the Child Safety Event. We got to see all the little toys and give them to the kids; it was really fun! E: Is that one of the things you’d say your most proud of the club accomplishing? M: Yeah- We raised a lot of money and gave a lot of toys to the kids. 5

   

   

E: What is one of the best things you’ve learned from being a part of Red Cross? M: Well, in freshman year I joined like all the clubs, so I chose Red Cross since it seemed like one of the clubs that actually does stuff. I joined other clubs and they really didn’t do that much, but after joining red cross with Alison as president, she had lots of events and I was able to volunteer in lots of different things and I felt like Red Cross was involved more so than other clubs so that’s why Red Cross is different. E: What advice would you have for a student looking for a club to join? M: Well, since I’ve done so many and I’ve experimented with so many different clubs, from that I’ve learned what the most effective beneficial clubs are. This is just based off what I’ve thought, my personal preference. I think obviously Red Cross, because I’m in Red Cross, NHS (National Honor Society) because if you have time they sometimes try to help little kids learn how to read, and CSF (California Scholarship Federation), and Best Buddies. I think Best Buddies is a great club for anyone. I think Best Buddies is good for every single person; everyone is welcome at Best Buddies. And CSF and NHS are great if you want to be academic. And if you want to volunteer, if you are that kind of person, you’ll want to go to Lend a Helping Hand, and Red Cross which is our club! E: What advice do you have for people kind of on the fence about getting out there and getting involved? M: Do it! Like freshman year, literally no one did any clubs with me. I did it all by myself. I knew I wanted to be involved in school, and I couldn’t play a sport ’cause I had just had knee surgery, and I was like, “I need to do something!” And so club rush day, I literally signed up for almost every single club and I went to every single meeting I signed up for. I wasn’t just the kind of person that signs up and doesn’t show up. I went to every meeting. I went to like three meetings, four meetings a day. And I met so many people that way, and I think doing clubs definitely helps you meet people. So I think it’s very social. Even if you’re scared, I think you just gotta show up and smile at people, and you won’t be scared. E: I think that’s a good idea! M: Just smile. Be nice and smile at people and you can make friends.

Red Cross certainly sounds like a great choice for anyone looking to become more involved at Edison. If you are interested in joining Red Cross, they meet every Tuesday at lunch in Mr. Coupé’s room, 136!

Just for fun

E: What would you bring on a deserted island?

M: Well actually, someone told me that the best thing to bring on a deserted island would be chocolate, ’cause chocolate has antioxidants and all the nutrients that you need.

E: I’ve never heard that before! What is your favorite food that the school sells?

M: Before I was vegan, I really liked the cookies, but now that I’m vegan I like the . . . grapes.

E: Cat person or dog person?

M: Definitely dog person. ⧫

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The Truth About My Insanity (Part II: Dark Touch)

Davis Lindsey

Dark as the heart of Elijah Yearth as he sits in his cell. This planet is very undeveloped and sad. And here a shooting star jets toward the planet at speeds that astound the racers of Earth! Here, a shooting star falls for the surface of the planet. But it's not, is it? No, no...

It's a wonderful ship, aye! A ship sent from the second largest planet, Geonosian. Here the ship goes at intense speeds! Poor luck to whoever wields the wheel I s’ppose!

“Thomas! What’s going on?” Elijah shouted. His heart was racing with more speed than that of a gun, and he was sweating intensely. From every nerve in his body a war arose. Never, in the hundreds of years of Elijah’s life, had he ever been more focused, more intent on one thing. He was piloting the ship that was gifted to him on Titanus.

The way things went in the asteroid belt that passed in-between Geonosian and the Binary planets. They had barely made it out alive. And when I say barely, I use it in description of their ship, which is barely working, barely functioning, and barely there.

The control room was a red light that was constantly flashing, like the alarms in Elijah’s head. Everything was going at once, complete helter-skelter. He wasn’t sure why his sword was summoned, instinct, most likely. Though, it only made matters worse, only having one hand to control things.

“The wing, Eli! The bloody wing just...no pun intended…” Thomas actually uttered a small laugh at this.”...flew off.” “Thomas! Do you think this is anytime for horseplay? We need to fix it! How close are we to Tahn?” Elijah asked. Thomas looked down at a rectangular electronic object in his hands. After swiping a few times, his eyes lit up when it

looked as though he saw what he was looking for. “We are a few thousand miles! Look! Over yonder!” Thomas shouted over the sirens.

He sprinted to a blue lever that was positioned by Elijah’s right arm. He switched it down and pushed the red button next to it. Suddenly there was a screeching noise and the metal flaps which protected the front windows folded back, revealing a black void covered in little specks of light, as if someone had taken giant scissors and cut holes in space.

In the middle of the void a sphere stood. It was a brilliant green color with small splotches of blue that looked like oceans. Small swirly clouds were noticeable as well. And on top of all of that, mayhaps the crowning jewel of the planet, the navy blue ring which covered it.

“Is it close enough? Can we make it?” Elijah shouted. Thomas was about to respond when a large figure tumbled in the room. He looked slightly hung over to Elijah. His

beard as unkempt as his hair. And his shirt, half tucked in, half hanging out in the front. He was missing a shoe on his left foot, and oddly enough, a sock on his right.

“Nice of you to join us, Patrick.” Elijah shouted at him. “Have a nice nap? I bet ye did yah idiot! I s’ppose now you’ll want to go eat some breakfast, and then oh! some reading done? How say you Patrick? Want to get some bloody reading done?” Patrick threw the book he was holding at Elijah. It hit him square in the face. Elijah became instantly furious.

“Would ye get off my back? How was I s’ppose to know we would be bloody crashing in the morning? I can’t see all, yah know!” Patrick called.

“Quiet to all! Hold yer tongues!” Thomas shouted. “We can’t get anything done if ye keep arguing as ye've been! Why, we only have six minutes and twenty four seconds!”

Six minutes and twenty four seconds. Seems so small, such little time, am I wrong? Why, of course I'm wrong. For Elijah, ten seconds is all it takes for him to get everyone safe. The question was how.

Time stopped. There Patrick stood, red faced, with his glare at Elijah. Thomas had both his hands in the air and was staring at Patrick. The red light on the wall did not move. At that moment to Elijah, nothing moved, nothing breathed or lived. Elijah was in an extreme form of limbo.

Thoughts. Raw thoughts rushed to his head, the basics if you will, as in ‘die’ and ‘live.’ Those two stood there, and from those, more possibilities stranded off. To die? Easy. One option: do nothing. Sit there at the helm and stare at your buddies while the glass most likely broke and the sweet kiss of space seeped in.

But...something’s not right. Something is definitely off to Elijah. He can sense it with his sixth sense. And boom! as fast as a rocket jaguar if you will, the answer splits into his brain like a bullet. ⧫

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Song Picks of the Month

“Let’s Dance” – David Bowie “Back to the Shack” – Weezer

“Every Other Freckle”- Alt-J “Take Me to Church”- Hozier

 

Movie Pick of the Month

Nightcrawler (2014)

Director: Dan Gilroy Thriller, Drama

A Los Angeles man named Lou Bloom is desperate to find work. His search leads him to

discover the world of freelance crime journalism, filming crashes, fires, murders, and other mayhem.

Alongside his film crew, Bloom delves into the dangerous realm of “nightcrawling” in search of

finding raw footage to reveal the truth. Notable Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill

Paxton  

Book Pick of the Month

Paper Towns (2008)

By John Green Young Adult

Margo and Quentin are two best friends who have grown up together and have spent their adolescent

lives being adventurous. One day while in high school, Quentin finds out that Margo has runaway. However, Quentin soon finds clues leading to the

mystery of her disappearance. The closer he gets to finding her, he begins to see less of the girl he

thought he knew.

 

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Want to write about what interests you?

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The Bolt Executive Staff 2014-2015

Meghan Jacinto Secretary

Emi Yasuda Editor-in-Chief

Brett Austin Financial Representative

Joaquin Dorantes Site Coordinator

Leslie Young Layout Manager

SUDOKU!

Elizabeth Hong Assistant Editor