Car Raid

Having grown up as the eldest of three siblings, 53-year-old Treva Felps has learned to be prepared for anything that may come her way.

"They were a handful," Felps said.  "And while we did get along, it was still helpful to be prepared for anything they might do.  Pranks, tricks, whatever."

This mindset has carried all the way into her adult life.  In her vehicle, a 2014 Ford Taurus, Felps carries things such as a toothbrush, a sweater, pillows and blankets, and spare emergency change.

"I travel...prepared," Felps said.  "You never know, when you go someplace--somebody's house, or a business, or whatever--if it's cold.  I keep a sweater in my car so that I always have one to put on if I need it.  Same thing for the go-bag in my car with the blanket and pillow in it:  If I'm stranded, I'm gonna be comfortable."

This careful preparedness does not only apply to possible emergencies pertaining to everyday life; Felps keeps a table in the back of her car, along with an extra ink cartridge for her work printer.

"[The table in the trunk] is for work," said Felps.  "Because I have different places that I go to, I don't have an office at any of those places.  So I bring a table so I can have a place to set up my laptop and printers."

Along with having a stressful job that spreads all over central Texas, Felps is also a mother and grandmother.  Gum, mints, an extra phone charger, and a stray pink teacup have their places in her car because of the children in her life.

"When [my granddaughters and I] visited the grocery store, she had to take her tea cup with her," said Felps.  "Then she lost it, and we came to realize that it had rolled under the seat where she couldn't see it...The other people in my life definitely have a big impact on what I keep with me at all times."

Felps' head is occupied so largely by her job, family, and friends, that she and the granddaughter are usually more forgetful of the little things.

"You can sit anywhere in my car at any given time and see at least three half-full water bottles from where you may be sitting," said Felps.  "[My granddaughter and I] always bring water bottles into the car, drink a little and then forget about them, or get wherever we're going and don't remember to take them out.  I guess it just adds to always being prepared, even if that one is accidental."

A forgotten teacup sits in the backseat of Treva Felps' car.  Felps' young granddaughter lost it under the front seat weeks ago during a trip to the grocery store with her sisters.

Car Raid Preparation

1.  My subject is my grandmother, Treva Felps.

2.  The weekend of May 21-22.

3.  Some questions based off of the objects of the car--for one, the only thing I remember from her car the last time I saw her is a blanket tucked under the front seat.  Questions about the stories or reasons behind the things sitting in the car, or maybe the scuffs on the inside/outside.

4.  The details of the car--make and model--and things inside of it, the age of the person, general information about the person.

Extra Credit Images

Current Events 6.3

1.  After the first claim was made about the cake with the homophobic slur on it, Whole Foods initially fired back with $100,000 defamation countersuit and surveillance video footage proving that Brown had been fabricating the whole thing.  After Brown apologized profusely for having made these things up, Whole Foods retracted the lawsuit, saying that, after an apology and confession, there was no reason to pursue it.

2.  The bison calf died (had to be euthanized) after Yellowstone tourists put it in their SUV, because its mother had rejected it as a result of the "interference by people."

3.  Geofilters are filters or designs that can be added to a Snapchat photo in order to show the location of a person.

4.  Berkshire, a firm headed by Warren Buffet, bought the stocks of Apple.  Buffet usually doesn't invest in any technology companies because it's too hard to figure out or even estimate which ones will last any long period of time.  Buffet buying the stocks of Apple has heavy implications on what he thinks and the future of Apple.

5.  "Captain America: Civil War" was the top (what else would be?), "The Jungle Book" came second, "Money Monster" came third, "The Darkness" came in fourth, and "Mother's Day" was fifth.

6.  I would "prefer" (understatement) to go to Harry Potter World, for ridiculously obvious reasons.
   The competition for these two places is heating up because Harry Potter World is getting more and more popular, which is cutting into Disney's number of visitors and the amount of money they get each year (particularly the summer).  To heat things up even more, Disney is fighting back by adding things for the Star Wars franchise.
   I don't pay enough attention to Disney to exactly have a favorite character, but I like Aladdin.  There's something about going from poor and parent-less to prince, a story that's much more centered around a guy rather than a princess damsel in distress, that was always much more appealing to me than almost everything else Disney has come up with.
   I've taken the Sorting quiz on Pottermore more times than I'm able to count, and have almost always gotten the result "Slytherin."  Respect.  (I got Ravenclaw once.)

HDR Images

HDR Photography Intro

1.  Shadows are definitely a problem while taking merger photos.  In this picture, the shadow is cut off at the head in one place and another doesn't have one altogether.

2.  Some place that's already in shadow, probably against a wall that has the sun on the other side (the side behind the wall).

3.  Not really.  Maybe tell a story, different expressions or body language in each photo.

4.  Clothes don't really have anything to do with this, unless it pertains to the story of the photo.

Final Exam Planning Warm-Up

The most interesting thing I'm doing this week is seeing Civil War, and I'm not willing to take it any later.

1.  This week or this weekend.

2.  At my house, or in my neighborhood.

3.  Cooking a meal.

4.  A DSLR, things from the grocery store, pans, utensils, blah blah blah.

5.  Some of the video portion will probably be the boiling of something, or the process of something baking.  The pictures will be throughout the shopping portion, most likely, and at the very end.  Since I'm technologically impaired, the narration will probably have to be during the videos.

HDR Photography Intro

1.  HDR images are just images taken at several different exposures and then mashed together--so the only changes to the camera while taking the pictures would be the shutter speed, allowing a different amount of light to be processed for each.

2.  Tripods and DSLRs.

3.  HDRs make images look better and more memorable; the first website describes them as "National Geographic-worthy."  They bring attention to more detail and exaggerate the features of the photo taken, both the highlights and the lowlights.

4.  The differences will be the contrast between the light and dark aspects of the photo.  The lighting will be more obvious, and the different aspects of texture/architecture.

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is a film based off the 2009 hijacking of the cargo ship, Maersk Alabama.  At the start of the film, Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) sets off with his crew on the mission of delivering cargo to Mombasa.  After an alert on the sonar about possible pirate skiffs, he and Shane Murphy (Michael Chernus) tell the rest of the crew.  After sending an email to his wife, Andrea Phillips (Catherine Keener), the ship is taken over by four pirates, leader Abdawali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), Najee (Faysal Ahmed), Elmi (Mahat M. Ali), and a teenaged accomplice.  Throughout the course of the Captain's experiences, the audience learns what it means to be a leader and to be strong in the face of fear.  Due to the lack of cliché themes and a small amount of graphic violence, audiences younger than 13 would not be interested in the film.
     While the beginning is mediocre in the department of keeping the audience's interest, the rest of the film is tense and keeps the audience on edge while inspiring curiosity pertaining to the pirates.  Nine out of ten to Captain Phillips for being realistic and well-scripted, the only problem being the first twenty minutes of exposition.

Current Events 6.2

1.  Nearly 56% of voters rejected Proposition 1.

2.  The provision of the campus gun laws at UT states that a license holder carrying a semi-automatic handgun on campus cannot have a chambered round of ammunition so as to reduce the change of accidental discharge.

3.  El Chapo's new prison is rated very low for inmate conditions.  The site of the prison is also believed to be controlled by cartel.

4.  Petcube is a company that keeps people connected with their pets while away from their place of residence.

5.  Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby yesterday.

6.  I've never used Lyft or Uber to get a ride anywhere.  The fact that I never go anywhere within Austin is probably a reason, but another is that getting in cars with strangers that probably don't have significant background checks isn't very appealing.  I've heard stories of super unfriendly people driving for Uber and Lyft, and that kind of negativity is completely unnecessary, especially if I'm just trying to go the library to get some work done, or something.  Prop 1 is something I probably would've voted for, if I had known what it was at the time when some guy came up to my door asking me to give him my opinion on it.
    Ride sharing is certainly beneficial to a city like Austin, and everyone has their own choice as to whether or not they want to take advantage of it.  Despite my distrust, I can see how it would help out a lot of people - but just because it's an app, or it was started by someone other than the government, doesn't mean it should've still be held to the same safety standards.  It's basically the same concept as taxis (except it's from home, not a building-oriented company), so it should be just as safe, if not more.

Final Exam Preview Assignment

1.  iMovie is a program/application-thing that helps people put videos, still pictures, narration, and other things together into one presentation.  Video clips can be placed anywhere in the presentation.  (This is an unfinished summary to be finished in the very near future.)

2.  I didn't know anything before.

3.  Basically everything--the trimming, the adding of the photos and videos and narration and video effects and yeah pretty much everything.

4.  I'm highly technologically impaired.  My understanding of technology is limited to my phone and the Microsoft Word 2016 on my laptop.  No exaggeration, whatsoever.  So what I'm worried about is being able to understand and navigate iMovie itself without getting so frustrated that I can't function for hours after the attempt at making the assignment.

5.  I'm pretty sure I can get the photos and the videos done quickly, if I can figure out what I'm going to do it on.  That's another thing I'm worried about.

6.  :/

Movie Prep

1.  Richard Phillips, Ali Aden Elmi, Hamac, an unidentified pirate, Abduwali Muse, Captain Larry Aasheim, and Commander Frank Castellano will most likely be main characters in the film.

2.  The crew aboard the Maersk Alabama were transporting cargo when they received warning about possible pirate danger; soon after, pirates invaded the Maersk Alabama and overpowered Captain Phillips and the rest of the crew.
     The crew ended up being able to overpower one of the pirates, but it only results in Captain Phillips being taken hostage.  The pirate ended up being released, but the pirates refused to release Captain Phillips in return.  They left Phillips in a lifeboat with ten days' worth of basic survival supplies.
     People finally responded to the hostage situation, and the subsequent standoff between the pirates and the federal workers started.  Later, Phillips is said to be in immediate danger (as in, an AK47 is pointed directly at his back), and they open fire on the pirates.  Three of them are killed, and the fourth pirate surrendered while being treated for an injury and was taken into custody.

3.  ?

4.  ??



1.  Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener, Faysal Ahmed, Max Martini.

2.  PG-13

3.  Paul Greengrass

4.  Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael de Luca.

5.  Top Ten Films of the Year.

6.  $55 million.

7.  "Smart, powerfully acted, and incredibly intense, Captain Phillips offers filmgoers a Hollywood biopic done right--and offers Tom Hanks a showcase for yet another brilliant performance."  93% Rotten Tomatoes.

8.  7.9/10 IMDB.
The people from the crew sued the movie-makers because Captain Phillips was portrayed like a hero, and the regular crew members were left out.

Current Events 6.1

1.  Harriet Tubman is to replace Andrew Jackson on the twenty-dollar bill.

2.  They're suing because Texas has made a new system where the grading of standardizes tests will be based almost purely off the students' own grades, not improvement or an average of others'.

3.  Eight flood-related deaths have happened in Houston since the bad weather started this week.

4.  The experiment going up into space is testing the different uses and lipid production of algae; the experiment is happening in space and on the earth at the same time.

5.  Changing the pain, changing the layout of the room, providing different lighting, and changing rugs are four easy (painting is not easy, by the way--we just finished my room; I would know) ways to change the look of a room or home.

6.  This sort of thing happening to the citizens of Flint is horrible, and mostly because there was pretty much no reason for it.  I hadn't known about the issue before reading the story, although I don't know much about anything that goes on outside of my books.  The people who potentially knew they were poisoning the people of Flint should mostly definitely be convicted, but I wouldn't be able to tell how or of what--it's not up to me to decide the verdict, and it's better that way.
     If this extends to the governor or even further, they should be held just as accountable.  If someone aids a person in a crime or has this big of a part in it, they should face the consequences they surely knew they would end up having to face.

Free Write #3

Prompt Seventeen

It was, honest-to-the-gods, terrifying.

Tuesdays always seemed to end up worse than the rest of the days in the week; it had always been like that, as long as I could remember.  This particular Tuesday had been mucky, the air so thick with humidity that it could be sliced open with a knife (and then water would pour out of it like a supernatural waterfall).

It would've been normal if it were anywhere but central Texas on a perfectly sunny day.

I should've taken this as an omen, but I didn't, because I had learned the lesson over the years that Tuesdays were just weird.

But, opening the door after walking home from school on a Tuesday afternoon in July, I walked into my house after struggling briefly with the keys.

Nothing was the same.

The house had been constantly changing.  It would progress from states of clean to unclean and back to clean again in ridiculously short amounts of time.  The paint was chipped at the edges of the doorframes, a result of the various man-height projects me and my family had to haul through entrances to small rooms.  The walls had been a pale yellow, rather ugly but still somehow comforting, and there had been thousands of holes in the walls from various works of art.

Memories were embedded in every inch of the house, from the stains in the carpet to the paintings to the shelves of books to the small cracks in one of the den windows from when a fox had once rammed straight into the glass as if it had been drunk.  It was home, and that meant something.

Of course it meant something.

So walking into my house—my home—this odd Tuesday afternoon, only to find that everything had been changed...

"Am I being pranked?"

(I wasn't being pranked.)

"This isn't funny—Stuart, what did you do?"

(My older brother hadn't done anything.)

The walls were a vibrant blue, the carpet was white (it had been brown, before).  The furniture was completely different—instead of a deep, forest green, it was brown.  The bookshelves were gone, leaving bare walls devoid of any holes in its place.  The glass tables were replaced with wood-topped coffee tables, the tiles in the kitchen were four shades darker, there was a new microwave, oven, fridge, and dishwasher.  The piano was gone altogether.

There was a different bed in my room—I had a special relationship with my bed!

After pulling out my phone and frantically calling my mom, she picked up, and eventually the conversation ended in her saying, "Honey, there's no way.  I'll be home in a few hours.  Love you."

Grumbling, I took the phone away from my face, scrolled through my contacts, and tapped on the name "Stuart."  If he had done this...

(He wasn't.)

"Why are you calling me?  Rehearsal starts in two minutes."

"Hello to you, too, my dear brother."

"What."

"The house is different—did you do this?"

"Different, how?"

"The walls are blue!  The furniture is brown, the carpet is white, my bed is two feet shorter and lumpy, all of the posters in your room are gone..."

"Shut up; I don't have time for this."

"Stuart--"

Just as I was about to investigate further, though—the cliché happened, and I woke up.  In my bed.  The same old one, with the memory foam and the permanent water stain in the headboard.  Thank the gods.

Photo Illustrations

Lone Star Dispatch Issue #5

Front Page

"Difficult class choices resolved"

As course contracts approach for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, students usually struggle to make choices regarding next year's classes.  Some just worry about taking the wrong classes, some worry about a potential workload they won't end up being able to handle.  Various teachers suggest to take advice from several people and take it all into account while deciding which classes to take in the upcoming school year.

Who-  freshmen, sophomores, and juniors
What-  course contracts
When-  present/next school year
Where-  Bowie, which can be inferred from the newspaper itself
Why-  Students need to pick their course contracts, but they're struggling due to doubt over which classes they should take.
How- There are ways to make sure an individual to make sure they make the best decision for themselves?

Quoted:  Sophomore Piper Kosper, English teacher Whitney Shumate, social studies department chair Ruth Ann Widner, and counselor Veronica Castillo.

Strongest Quote:  "By challenging themselves in high school, students develop good study habits, effective time management skills, and learn how to be their own advocate," counselor Veronica Castillo said.

The lead sentence didn't want to make me keep reading, but that may be because the thought of course contracts and making almost-permanent decisions for the academic future makes me vaguely sick.

The conclusion was a quote.

Student Life

"Freshman prepares for a school life across the sea"

Freshman Maya Levee is applying to be a foreign exchange student.  She hopes to end up in Spain, but the application process is difficult, and most people don't end up in the system.  She has the support of her friends and family, though, and is looking forward to possibly being able to learn more about the culture of Spain while keeping in contact with the people she's close to.

Who-  Maya Levee
What- applying to be a foreign exchange student
When-  Soon, freshman year.
Where-  She currently goes to Bowie, and is applying for Spain.
Why-  She wants to be fluent in Spanish and learn more about the culture of Spain.
How-  Through the foreign exchange student application process.

Quoted:  Freshman Maya Levee, freshman Sophia Bega, freshman Andrew Chahda, and teacher Jean Frazier.

Strongest Quote:  "I"m used to seeing Maya every single day, especially since she's my neighbor," Maya's best friend freshman Sophia Bega said.  "I know I'll miss her like crazy, but I'll be counting down the days until she gets back."

The first sentence did make me want to read more, which was why I chose it.  The foreign exchange process and system has been interesting to me for a while, now.

The conclusion was a quote.

News

"Seniors receive nostalgia over four-year-old letters"

First of all...seriously?

Summary:  In their freshman year, students were required to write a letter to their senior selves.  A couple of English teachers are given the task of guarding the letter for three-and-a-half years before giving them back to the seniors.  Seniors are able to see how much they've matured over their years in high school, which makes them feel better about themselves going in to college.

Who- the seniors
What-  letters they wrote to themselves in their freshman year
When-  Letters written during freshman year, letters received during senior year (now).
Where-  Bowie High School.
Why-  A look back on how much they've matured is influential during their senior year, and writing the letter usually feels pretty good during their freshman year.
How-  A couple of the English teachers kept them over the years, and were assigned to give them back to their students.

Quoted:  English teacher Shari Blevins, senior Kandice Cox, and senior Angelica Saenz.

Strongest Quote:  "I think the students get to see how mature they have become and I think they get to see how ready for the world they are," Blevins said, "from all the stuff they've learned from high school and all the personal and academic growth they have achieved."

The first sentence most certainly did not make me want to read more; there were grammatical errors everywhere, and the sentence as a whole didn't even make sense.

The conclusion was a statement.

Sports

"Softball team is still undefeated"

The Bowie high school softball team is still, this year, undefeated.  Students seem to have the same general idea of what makes a great team: practice time, determination, team work, friendships.  Their current record is 10-0 and they don't plant on letting the streak die anytime soon.

Who-  The Bowie softball team.
What-  Softball.
When-  This season.
Where-  Bowie High School/the district.
Why-  They've won their ten games they've played so far.
How-  Hard work, determination, teamwork.

Quoted:  Junior Alex McLennan, junior Kaley Farnish, and coach Liz Wissol.

Strongest Quote:  "The girls put in a lot of effort to be successful," coach Liz Wissol said.  "It's their perseverance that has led them to achieve all these wins."

The first sentence did make me want to read more; I'm a "story time!" kind of person.

The conclusion was a quote.

Entertainment

"Band director set to move to a new school at year's end"

Band director Kim Shuttlesworth will be moving to a new school next year, and brand new high school on the outskirts of North Austin.  She has helped her students be the best they can be, and they upset to see her leave Bowie. She's also become close to students by helping them with their personal issues while teaching them to be apart of something bigger than themselves. 

Who-  Kim Shuttlesworth
What-  She's leaving Bowie. 
When-  At the end of the school year. 
Where-  Leaving Bowie to go to a new high school on the outskirts of north Austin. 
Why-  It wasn't stated exactly why she's leaving. 
How-  With a farewell to all the students she's helped grow. 

Quoted:  Director Kim Shuttlesworth, junior Gianna Nuckols, senior Laueen Anderson, and senior Danny Cruz. 

Strongest quote:  "The more successful they became, the harder myself and the staff had to work," Shuttlesworth said. "They make me a better teacher, but more importantly--they make me want to be the best version of myself daily."

The first sentence didn't particularly make me want to read more, but I read it because it's always sad to see a beloved director go. 

The conclusion was a quote. 

Commentary

"Apple refuses to violate privacy of users"

The FBI is struggling to convince Apple to unlock an iPhone that could provide valuable information on the San Bernardo shooting, but would compromise the safety and security of every other iPhone that has been sold.  The case is similar to another in NY, where they're struggling with the same issue but in a completely different circumstance.  The FBI has agreed to try other ways to get around the iPhone, and they recently figuring it out, effectively closing the court case.

Who-  Apple vs. the FBI
What-  A court case involving the cracking open of an iPhone.
When-  For quite a while, now, but the case was closed early last week.
Where-  Basically everywhere.
Why-  Apple is opposing the FBI because of the potential risk to the safety and security of every single iPhone they've sold.
How-  They went to court, and through many courts until the issue was finally resolved.

Quoted:  There's nobody quoted--it's an editorial.

Strongest Quote:  Still no quotes.

The first sentence didn't make me want to read more because the word "teenagers" and "cellphone" in the same sentence never fail to lead to disgusting stereotypes and generalizations about our generation.

The conclusion was a statement.

Photography

1.  My favorite photo in the new issue is the picture taken by Violet Glenewinkel that goes along with the story "The Starlight Theatre Company jumps into Spring with a plethora of shows."
1A.  It looks emotional, and portrays the emotion through the picture.  It's a nice picture, the depth of field is great, and it's generally nice-looking.
1B.  Depth of field is evident in this photo--the people in the background are not distracting from the subject of the photo.

2.  My least favorite photo is the picture taken by Fuaad Ajaz that goes along with the story "PALS mentor elementary students."
2A.  It cuts off the top of one girl's head, but not the other's.  The viewpoint makes the background distracting--the lines going across their backs and behind their heads are uneven, and it's hard not to stare at the janitor supplies in the background because of its vivid yellow color.

3.  I would have loved to have been assigned to the Bowie Idol.  I love taking pictures of people while they're doing things, especially things where they're actively projecting themselves to an audience.

4.  Eight out of ten.  The photography in some places was really good, but the photography in others were iffy and distracted from the general theme of the page or the paper itself.

Adobe Illustrator

This is extremely difficult.

I legitimately don't get what the big deal is about "Damn, Daniel."  SerioUSLY?

Infographic Practice

Harry Potter Theatre Profit by the Movie
Create column charts

Current Events 5.3

1.  The City of Austin and AISD are working together to save money for schools by doing a tax swap--in which certain school services could be taken over and funded by the city.  It'll save each homeowner money, but proposes some concerns for the staff of AISD and the homeowners possibly having to pay higher taxes.

2.  It could take until 2022 in order to get minimum wage in NY  to raise to $15.

3.  Villanova won the NCAA game with 77-74.

4.  Of the ten places, the one I'd want to visit the most is the United Kingdom, purely for the Harry Potter experience.  My little cousin has been to the UK and seen the Harry Potter museums and studio, and I'm extremely jealous.  Also, the history and the beauty and the apparent crappy weather--I love crappy weather, it's fantastic.  Like New York.

5.  It would be cool for Instagram to extend the length of the videos, but not to a whole minute.  Watching the videos would take forever if someone decided to post one that's a minute long--those are the kinds of things that should probably be posted on YouTube for entertainment, not a social media site.

6.  Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are the major candidates left for the Republican party; Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are the major candidates left of the Democratic party.
     I'm not supportive of any of the candidates--I don't like Donald Trump, I don't like Hillary Clinton, I have no inclination toward Ted Cruz or Bernie Sanders.  A while ago, I stopped trying to figure whose side I was on; I can't do anything about it, either way.
     The community of teens has come together in mutual hate for Donald Trump, but I think the US has been more divided--they're arguing over whether Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should win, which I can't even make myself try to understand; neither of them are ideal, or anywhere near ideal.  Ted Cruz is pretty much being ignored, except by the people who are voting for him.  Bernie Sanders is who my very sensical mom's friend is rooting for, which is pretty much all I know about him.
     What concerns me the most--I don't want Clinton or Trump to win.  It's honestly a scary thought--the thought of either of them winning.  America would inevitably go to hell, and every other country would hate us more than they already do.  I don't know what discussions the candidates are having; I would have no idea where to begin.  So, I don't know which ones would be most important to me.
     I'm sick of hearing about the campaign, and I'm ready for it to be over.  People get in arguments over it, and it consumes time--discussing the campaign.  Time could be spent better than talking about whether or not one terrible person or another terrible person should win the election.

Newspaper Page 2

Spring Break

My 2016 Spring Break, in chronological order (along with the abuse of parenthetical asides):

The Saturday after school got out, I had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to get up, dress, and get to Waco in time to meet my grandparents and their friends at a breakfast restaurant by 7:15.  In the morning.  Yeah.  Shortly after, I attended by little sister's birthday party on the other side of Waco (a Hollywood-themed birthday party for my turning-three-year-old sister?); no children attended, which was a relief, and Jocelyn's too young to care, anyway.  I sang Disney songs with my biological mother and read a fiction novel (simultaneously, because I have that kind of talent).
    I went home Sunday after spending the night at my grandparents', did absolutely nothing on Monday, and waited impatiently for most of Tuesday for my older sister to arrive home.  She did, we had dinner for her- and a family friend's birthdays, and went back home.  She convinced me to watch the first episodes of Gilmore Girls (which I had not planned to start until after the English STAAR), and we fell asleep somewhere in the third and woke up with a dead laptop (she had stolen all the covers on the bed we were on, and my fingers had been frozen).  We spent the day doing idle things, and started taping up my empty room in order to get it ready for re-painting.  After we finished that, she went back to her apartment in San Antonio and I went to sleep.
    The next day, I started watching Major Crimes again, and ended up speeding through three seasons of the amazing show while doing absolutely nothing else.  Suddenly, it was Friday, and my mom told me that it was about time to start painting my room, so we put the "Academy Gray" on the crown moldings and let it dry over night.
    On Saturday, I touched everything up (pertaining to the molding and door frames) while watching the last episodes of season three, we went out for brunch at 11:30, and took a Segway tour in downtown Austin (which was a really bad idea, since it was SXSW and there were a lot of people milling around - I swear, it wasn't at my suggestion).  The Segways were cool, I'd say, but I'd never do it again - I had never felt lazier in my life.  I like to walk, and it felt like cheating, somehow.
    We went back home, slept, and then started painting the walls of my room "Wet Pavement," and I'm way too excited to finish everything and get my bed back into my room (which is sitting inside the den, which is where I'm sleeping, which is where everyone in the house spends time, which is where the largest TV happens to reside, which is where NOBODY LEAVES, literally ever).  I purchased season four that morning, watched as much as I could while painting, crammed practicing my viola into the short time my parents were seeing "Allegiant" (which I DID NOT want to see, judging by the first two movies and how terrible they were).  I ate, crammed all my homework into an hour and a half, and then went to sleep.  That was the extent of my Spring Break, in chronological order, along with the abuse of parenthetical asides.

Newspaper Terms

Broadsheet:
The New York Times, the Harrison Daily Times, and Times Standard are broadsheets.

Tabloid:
The Current, The Hawk Eye, and the Cincinnati Requirer are tabloids.

NewsMagazine:
The Bakersfield Californian, La Opinion, and Examiner are newsmagazines.

Headline:  a very brief summary that teases the story that follows.
Subheadlines:  words that come after headlines that provides more insight than the original headline allowed.
Boxes: lines that separate a section of text or a flag from everything else.
Photo: pictures that are placed on the newspaper for appeal, added effect, sympathy, and human impact.
Teaser: a short little something that gives insight into later stories.
Flag:  a statement printed on an issue giving the publication's name, the name of the owner/staff, etc.
Folios: a line of small text across the top of each page.
Caption:  lines of words that go under or close to pictures, giving information on the picture that it both provides and doesn't provide.  Also usually includes who took the picture.
Story:  the news being presented on the newspaper.
Byline:  a printed line of text accompanying a news story that usually gives the writer's name.
Jumps: a story started on a page and continued on a later page.
Story dividers:  horizontal or vertical lines that help distinguish between articles of text.
Screen:  a patter of tiny dots used to create grey areas; to screen a photo is to turn it into a halftone.
Infographic:  a chart or graphic or something else visual that gives information in a simple way.
Masthead:  information giving the staff, publication, etc.

Other High School Newspapers

1.  My favorite newspaper front page is the "B&G," which is near the very top.  The way the picture of the iPhone has text wrapped around it is unique and drew my attention to it immediately.

2.  Um, the reasons stated in number one.

3.  "Twitter takes over" is my favorite headlines because it's not surprising.

4.  There are two stories on the front page of my favorite, and lots of flags and an ad.

5.  They don't all have very much in common.  There's a dominant photo, that's for sure - but a lot of them look like weird magazine covers, instead of the front page of a newspaper.

6.  Their layouts vary, a lot.  A few look more professional than others, a few look more chaotic than others - it's due to either the pictures selected, or the layout designed.  Most of them aren't appealing in any way, but a few of them are nicely done in terms of headlines, photos, sizes of pictures, etc.

7.  Yeah, they're different.  Most of these look more like magazine covers than newspapers.

Front Pages of the World

1.  My favorite newspaper cover is from the New York Times.  It has nice pictures, and it's very clean and organized, rather than chaotic like most of the others.  The colors in the pictures (and text) don't very enough for it to be visually confusing.

2.  My favorite headline is "After the Game, Women on Guard."  Well, I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but it stands out to me.  It's very bold and a different font from the rest of the headlines, and it jumped off the page.

3.  Six stories are on the front page of my favorite.

4.  Each of the front pages had a dominant photo - one bigger than the rest of them.  They all had a few headlines and at least two stories.  Most of them have ads on the front page somewhere near the sides or the bottom.

5.  The designs are different on each of them, and the number of total stories.  Some have a lot of stories, some have only two.  The font sizes vary in terms of headlines, and the level of sophistication in the layout also vary.

Newspaper Page

Magazine Cover Peer Review

Lit Weekly
2- Magazine cover blog post.

3a.  The name of the magazine cover is "Lit Weekly" and the person who  made it is Maya.
3b.  I like how she used the trunk of the tree as a solid background for the words, and, in the picture itself, the pen she's holding really stands out against the colors of the rest of the picture.  I like it, for some reason.
3c.  I'd suggest to change the font sizes of the headlines a little to make the cover a little more varied.
3d.  I chose this magazine cover because of the abbreviated word "lit."  Literary magazine weekly.  Literature appeals to me.
3e.  There's a barcode, and it's in a good place and a decent size.
3f.  I probably wouldn't have picked it up, but that it for personal reasons:  I don't like magazines - at all, really.  I walk by the magazine section all the time in Barnes and Noble, and I never spend any time at all looking at anything on the shelves.
3g.  I wouldn't have been able to tell it was a self-portrait if I hadn't vaguely recognized her from class.

light&day
2- Magazine cover blog post.

3a.  The name of the magazine cover is "light&day," and the person who made it is Max.
3b.  The use of different font sizes is effective, and the font selection itself is an extremely good choice.  I can't really decide why I like the font choice so much, but I do.
3c.  Even though I really like the magazine name, I would suggest choosing a title that had a little more to do with the picture and/or the headlines.
3d.  I chose the magazine cover because the colors are appealing, and so is the font size, and also the simplicity.
3e.  There's a barcode, and it's in a good place and a decent size.
3f.  I will answer this hypothetically - yes, if I were at all interested in magazines, I would probably pick it up and consider it.  It's visually appealing.
3g.  I know who Max is, but otherwise I wouldn't be able to tell.

ShutterFeed
2- Magazine cover blog post.

3a.  The name of the magazine cover is "ShutterFeed," and the person who made it is Joseph.
3b.  I like a lot of things about this magazine - one, it's a unique picture.  It's also a unique way to place the headlines, and the colors of the headlines stand out.
3c.  Yellow and white are colors that stand out very much against black (the background color of the picture), but it hurts the eyes when they're against each other.  IE, the title of the magazine hurts a little to read, but I'm not sure what I would've done instead.
3d.  I chose the magazine cover because holy crap, it's really good.  In comparison to mine and quite a few others, it looks really good.  Appealing, unique.  Honestly, why wouldn't I choose it?
3e.  There's a barcode, and it's a little extensive on the horizontal side, but it doesn't take anything away from the cover itself.
3f.  I wouldn't pick it up, because all I would be able to see from a magazine shelf would be the title of the magazine and it hurts a little to look at.
3g.  I wouldn't be able to tell if I didn't know who Joseph was.

Outside Prompt Shoot

I would love for these to not be submitted.

I hope "Other Childhood Terrors" is up for interpretation:  Being forced into sports, particularly something like football.  Terror-inspiring, in my book.

Childhood Terror.

Current Events 5.1

1.  For the Republican party, Ted Cruz held the lead in Texas with 41.6% of the vote.  For the Democratic party, Hillary Clinton took the lead in Texas with 67% of the vote.

2.  The million-dollar donation has helped 1,080 students graduate high school and continue onto college.

3.  Savara Pharmaceuticals, with their $20 million, has created an antibiotic for Cystic Fibrosis that can be inhaled.

4.  The film I'd see would be "Before We Go," because Chris Evans.  No further explanation needed.  (I'm a huge freaking MARVEL nerd.)  (...And a huge freaking everything else nerd.)

5.  The Kansas Jayhawks beat the UT boys' basketball team, and the Baylor Bears beat the UT women's basketball team.

6.  No, I most certainly do not think Apple should be forced to create a "back door" to information on iPhones.  That's risking the safety of the private information of everyone who has an iPhone.  I'm willing to bet at least 80% of the population of this school alone has an iPhone, and leaving all of that information at risk to anyone smart and determined enough to find their ways around it is not only highly unintelligent, but will cause a lot of people to lose their trust in Apple.
     I wouldn't want anyone rifling through my phone, even my closest of friends.  I don't exactly go keeping extremely private information on it, but it is my phone.  I read stupid fanfiction and lurk on fan sites and social media to find spoilers for shows and upcoming books and read on my Kindle app and take stupid quizzes for my randoms and I do not need anyone to know all of it.  I'm not ashamed, but it's my business, and mine only.  In general, "national security" shouldn't be reason enough for the FBI to carry out anything; they need to have a little bit more than that.  And "national security" is also a problem of Apple's side of things, too.
     My parent's most definitely do not censor my phone, and I'd honestly be horrified if they did - not because I'm doing anything bad, but for all the reasons above.  Gods, it's such an invasion of privacy. I should be able to say what I want to my friends or read what I want on the internet or take whatever quizzes I want on QuizUp without being paranoid that my parents are watching as I do it.  As for if parents should be doing it, it should depend on the child.  If they're truly trustworthy, their children should be awarded with not having all of their actions censored.  If they've proven themselves untrustworthy, as far as decisions and friend-making go, parents should keep an eye on what their children are doing or saying on their phones.
     I was exposed to electronic devices when I was seven (I got my first flip-phone), because I was going to be taking an airplane trip to Georgia by myself to visit my mom.  The phone was for contacting the people back home in Texas without my seven-year-old mind having to memorize phone numbers.  Children can be exposed to electronic devices at a young age if it's necessary, like it was for me.  But any younger than fifth or sixth grade, and it can take away  so many good things from their childhoods.

Magazine Cover

My Portrait and Self-Portrait

Current Events 4.4

1.  Apple is trying to keep from having to unlock a suspect's phone, because it would makes millions of other phones vulnerable to hackers and criminals.

2.  Carnitine is the food supplement that Texas A&M researches have found may help autistic kids.  It's found in red meats and whole milk, and it can be bought as an over-the-counter supplement.

3.  Walmart blames online shopping for its decline in earnings.  They've tried going mobile and internet-friendly (and it has worked), but it's still a struggle.  (Amazon is mentioned, and who doesn't like Amazon?)

4.  They're appealing to UIL because traveling through Austin traffic would result in extra money spent in order to get where the need to be.  They were all denied.

5.  A popular VR device coming to the market soon is the Oculus Rift.

6.  The Court is having to promote someone to being the justice due to the death of the old one (Justice Antonin Scalia), and people aren't really agreeing over things.
     Pressure should be put on congress to deal with this deadlock problem.  Things could end up going downhill fast if things aren't solved relatively soon (although it can be that way with even the most mundane of problems).
     I'm mostly unaware of politics in general, to be honest, so I have no idea what should happen.

Lone Star Dispatch Issue #4

Front Page

"Rewards created for good attendance raises questions"

Texas established a new attendance law, saying that students must attend 90% of a course in order to get credit for it.  Bowie High School came up with incentives to start attending school more, such as exam exemptions and personal parking spaces.  Students were confused, at first, and they knew it had a lot to do with the state obtaining money - but the students should take advantage of the opportunity they're being given to make their school life somewhat easier.

Who:  Bowie High School students.
What:  The new established attendance policies and incentives.
When:  The beginning of the Spring semester.
Where:  The attendance policies were established in all of Texas, but the incentives were for Bowie.
Why:  There was a problem with a lack of attendance in Texas public schools, and more attendance for the Texas means increased state revenue.
How: They're enforcing the attendance policy by coming up with incentives (rewards).

Quoted: Freshman Grace Little, senior Madi Little, junior Mason Kendrick, US History teacher Ruth Widner, and senior Lauryn Kendrick were quoted in the story.

Strongest Quote:  "I know someone who dropped out of high school, got her GED, and directly went into the film business.  But I also know people that have dropped out of high school with no ambition and no concrete support that waste away all their unused potential.

The opening sentence wasn't really interesting enough to make me want to read more.

The conclusion was a quote.

Student Life

"Lyles brigs laughs with her Vines about teenager problems"

Mikaela Lyles makes Vines on Vine.  Some people agree with social media, because it's a way to socialize and keep yourself entertained.  Other people disagree with it, because there are online bullying problems and it disconnects you from your own society.

Who: Mikaela Lyles.
What:  Vine, and social media in general.
When:  Now?
Where:  Here.  I'm guessing.
Why:  Lyles makes Vines to entertain people and herself, because her friends from Florida had always told her, growing up, that she was really funny.
How:  Um.

Quoted:  Junior Mikaela Lyles, senior Bryanna Feamster, junior Sahaj Mann, senior Samantha Jimenez, and English teacher Vicki Herbert were quoted in the story.

Strongest Quote:  "Social media isn't meant for such things.  Social media has even tried to prevent this from happening by adding block options to make sure users can't contact you again or see things that relate to you."

The opening sentence felt kind of cheesy, and I probably wouldn't have continued reading if it weren't for this assignment.

The conclusion was a statement.

News

"Band to compete in nationals"

The Band is going to be competing in the Grand National this year.  It's in Indianapolis this year, and they'll be competing against some of the best marching bands in the nation.  There's a lot of planning involved, pertaining to the trip itself and the money and sustenance, but excitement is high and everyone is very competitive.

Who:  The Bowie band.
What:  They're going to the Grand National.
When:  November 2016.
Where:  The Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Why:  All the excitement and the history mentioned make you assume that they're really good, and that would by why they're going to the Grand Nats.
How:  A lot of time and money and effort.

Quoted:  Sophomore Caroline Garcia, head director Kim Shuttlesworth, freshman Allison Yetter, freshman Maya Webb, and freshman Adam Dinkins were quoted in the story.

Strongest Quote:  "From a travel standpoint, you have to think about how many hotel rooms, how many chaperones, how many kids, how many meals, and what do they not pay for.  From a planning standpoint, you have to make sure that you pick a good show.  That makes all the difference."

The opening sentence made me want to read more.

The conclusion was a quote.

Sports

"Swiftly overcoming obstacles"

Instead of baseball, basketball, or football, two freshman train in parkour.  It's a sport that requires a lot of agility and attention to detail.  It's not something to be done outside of a gym with professionals, because it's dangerous when you don't have someone watching over you.

Who:  Joseph Killeen and Seth Leifheit.
What:  Parkour.
When:  Now.
Where:  They train at BAM Academy and both go to Bowie High School.
Why:  They both think it's interesting and fun, and requires a lot of thinking and challenges.
How:  With a lot of hard work, I would infer.

Quoted:  Freshman Joseph Killeen, freshman Seth Leifheit, and Parkour facilities owner Matthew Willis were quoted in the story.

Strongest quote:  "Once I jumped off a 20-foot wall and tried to do a front flip and land it, but I ended up crashing and almost twisting my ankle."

The opening sentence was sort of in story-mode, and it really did make me want to read more.

The conclusion was a statement.

Entertainment

"In Review:  Star Wars"

People all over the place are still freaking out about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  People, even over a month after the initial release, are still filling up theaters everywhere for their fourth times seeing the movie.  It's been eleven years since the last Star Wars movie, so it was about time that the next one came out.   Although some things about the movie are causing problems among people,  people are still waiting on the edge of their seats for the eighth episode to come out.

Who:  All Star Wars fanatics, and even the people who aren't obsessed and just enjoyed the latest movie.
What:  Star Wars: The Force Awakens
When:  The initial film was released about two months ago, but people are still going crazy over it now.
Where:  Everywhere (at least in the U.S.).
Why:  It's been a long time since the last episode had been released, and this film has become the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, with numbers still rising.
How:  The earlier episodes had pulled everyone in, and there was no way they were missing the latest film.

Quoted:  There were no quotes.

Strongest Quote:  There were still no quotes.

The first sentence made me want to keep reading, along with the second, and the third.

The conclusion was a statement.

Commentary

"Drawbacks of the 'Incentives'"

The incentives for maintaining good attendance are really setbacks for most of the students.  Reserved parking spaces would be frustrating, especially for the people who are unwilling to pay so much money just to buy one.  The exam exemptions are a waste of time, and so many people already have more than three absences this semester, so it's unfair to them.  The off-periods are more of a threat than an incentive.

Who:  The students of Bowie, or the people who are administering the Incentives.
What:  A new attendance law was established, so the people at Bowie decided to give incentives to the students for them to keep up their attendance, but it's really just a huge setback.
When:  Starting the 2016-17 school year officially, and somewhat in the 15-16 fall semester, continuing indefinitely.
Where:  Bowie High School.
Why:  They're a setback for many different reasons - threats, frustration, money, fairness.  (Read summary - I think I mention all of those).
How:  Um.

Quoted:  There are no quotes in this story.

Strongest Quote:  Still no quotes in the story.

I wouldn't say it made me want to read more, but I like how it's started.

The conclusion was a statement.

Main Story

"Tarzan brings STC to new heights"

The STC did an amazing job portraying "Tarzan" through the musical.  A lot of things about just this play can get many students credit for places they plan to go in the future, and people are starting to recognize the people who played the characters in mundane places.  Everyone that worked together on it are extremely proud, from the tech to the performers to the choreographers.

Who:  The Starlight Theatre Company.
What:  Their depiction of "Tarzan" in the form of a musical.
When:  About a week ago, and the shows have been being performed for quite a few weeks.
Where:  Bowie High School.
Why:  Because it's amazing (I've seen it).
How:  How?  Through a long while of hard work, team work, choreography, rehearsals, set-building, and costume-designing.  And some money.

Quoted: Senior Eryn Northcutt, junior Emma Hashcke, junior Jackson Walker, senior Austin Hyde, senior Juliana Davis, and director Betsy Cornwell were quoted in the story.

Strongest Quote:  Almost all of these quotes are pretty strong, but:  "I was stuck in the longest traffic line of my life on the day of that terrible rain storm waiting to see the cast list.  I was getting all these messages on my phone, but I just ignored it and when I finally got to school it was so rewarding.  This is the first tie I have set a long-term goal and achieved it, so it really makes me more confident for the future since Disney has also been a long-time goal.  If you work really hard for something and if you really want it, sometimes the universe conspires for you."

The first sentence was kind of amazing.

The conclusion was a quote.

Photography

1.  My favorite photo in the entire paper is "King of the Jungle."
1A.  It's my favorite because it's really interesting.  There's a dynamic about the action in the picture combined with the viewpoint that makes it really exciting.
1B.  Viewpoint.

2.  My least-favorite picture in the whole paper is "Reaching for the Sky."
2A.  The way her face has a pole coming out of both sides of it, the way the background distracts from the subject, her back leg.  I feel bad for totally roasting this picture, but it really bothers me.

3.  Tarzan, definitely.  It's fun, and the musical is great, and sitting in on either the shows or rehearsals and capturing moments from both seem like fun, and also like they provide lots of opportunities for great pictures.

4.  I'd say it's a 7.  There are quite a few good pictures, but there are also some not-so-good ones.  A lot of the photos have problems with background things going on, or bad focus quality.  The high points always have a good viewpoint and a not-distracting background.