Some of you social conservatives, like congressman Lamar Smith (who proposed the bill), are saying things like “I don’t care if you rot in prison! You stole some one’s hard work!”  (note–this is not an actual quote. It’s shockingly difficult to find a public statement that Smith made about the bill that he introduced).   Sure, I see your problem with that, I’m not saying that piracy is a good thing!

My problem with SOPA is the amount of control it would give the government over a thing that should be available for free to all people. Imagine this, I upload nine pirated movies to Facebook. I haven’t done anything illegal, but Facebook has. Next thing you know Rostrum Records and YMCMB are filing suit against Facebook. What will I do without that form of social media? I know, Tweet my pirated music! No more Twitter. What I’m saying is that if this bill passes in it’s current revision there could potentially be a forced black-out of all social media sites.

While this may be a slippery slope argument, it is one that my friends at Wikipedia, Reddit, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and a whole mess of other Internet giants agree on. Those companies see that a forced black-out of social media websites could stem from this bill, so to raise awareness of the dangers of SOPA they have considered the possibility of staging a black out. The thought was this- what if a site that gets a million hits a day takes down their content and instead puts up an informative advertisement against SOPA? You have a million torch-bearing-outraged  people  that can’t access their website.  The only place they have to send their anger?  Towards their congressmen.

Senior Jennifer Grimm and Sophomore Nick Barrs both take a socially liberal (and intelligent) view of SOPA saying logical things such as, “I feel that protecting copyrighted contet is a worthy goal, and knowing how many people illegally download and view content I see why large companies are pushing for this bill. However, the way that SOPA is written actively promotes censorship.” and “Simply put, SOPA infringes on the sole purpose of the internet’s creation–the sharing of information. It blatantly violates the First Amendment, and heavily restricts most forms of self-expression and file-sharing in an exaggerated attempt to ‘stop piracy.’”

Fortunately for the future of the Internet, most of today’s youth is liberal enough to see that this sort of censorship is a bad thing. What can you do help? Simple, follow the appropriate links to sign petitions or contact your congressman directly. Any other time you can simply visit http://www.stopthewall.us and talk to your congressman about censorship.

A necessary virtue teachers must have is the ability to be patient: to withhold internal feelings and endure the rowdy, immature, and sometimes nonsensical students causing disruption.

An anonymous junior here at North Augusta High School reflects back on the couple of times when a specific teacher confronted him, “She talks down to me as if I’m completely unintelligent.” He also mentions that, “She picks favorites.” An example of bullying is the situation in which a teacher has an obvious favorite. Contrary to those less fortunate, she gives that lucky duck a higher grade. A biased teacher isn’t a good one. He mentions that, “One time I let a friend copy my homework. She graded both papers, yet somehow he ended up with a passing grade while mine was failing.” This perhaps accidental mistake raises this boy’s suspicion of a personal underlying hatred that this teachers has for him. “She would always pass over me when going around the classroom checking homework so I got a zero but she always checked the homework of my peers.”

For a few at this school the heat from an increasing temper is too unbearable to fully manage. Sometimes, the inability to keep control causes a ticking time bomb to explode within the professional environment- one with a little bit of etiquette and self- preservation. This could prove to result in a sudden outburst or lashing out on easy targets. Treatment from a mean teacher can bring down the student. Junior Jennifer Price says, “One of my teachers likes to call us out and use us as examples to the class if we ask anything that seems stupid to them. It’s humiliating when you’re pretty much being talked down to in front of the entire class for one little thing.”

Besides personal conflict between the student and teachers, the previously interviewed anon says his teacher would, “randomly rant about her disrespectful students with a sarcastic, wide smile on her face. It creeped me out.” Does this peculiar smile create a spiteful persona for the teacher? Junior Ramsey Whitley says that her teacher would, “talk to a student for a long amount of time and completely forget about the rest of us then randomly in the middle of that persons sentence, she would scream at them to shut up. If they would say ‘but wait… I was just…’ she would sit a chair in the front of the room and make the student sit there for the remainder of class and not be allowed to take the few notes she gave.”

Keep calm and carry on, teachers. There’s no need for the hate-filled melodrama.

A Working Laser Gun :  I know I know.  I thought this was silly to.  But really, for just over two grand, you or one of your loved ones could be the proud owner of a brand-new laser rifle, just like Han Solo.  Though the rifles are intended for “laboratory use” we all know their real purpose.  All you need is a credit card and a desire to shoot hot lasers at anything and everything that moves.  A quote from the page:  “When used with a lens system, the air will actually explode at the focus point.”  You read that correctly.  This laser rifle can destroy the air itself.  Get yours today!

Dangerous Wild Animals:  Yep.  You can legally own Lions, Tigers and Bears (OH MY!) in 9 states.  It is worth noting that South Carolina IS ONE OF THOSE STATES.  That’s right.  You could own a bear just like these people here.  Think of all the benefits.  Who needs an alarm system when you have a bear?  And why stop there?  You can buy 10 piranhas here for a mere $80.  Dig a moat and throw those suckers in.  Your house will never be ransacked again.  Burglars will flee in terror. Unfortunately, these Piranhas are only legal in 26 of the 50 states, South Carolina not included.  But really, who’s going to arrest the guy with a moat full of piranhas and a bear?  No one, that’s who.

Dangerous Modern Weaponry:  Statistically, Call of Duty has sold more copies than the total world population combined.  This means, statistically, you are likely to have some desire to own dangerous weaponry like M4s or grenade launchers.  Well you’re in luck.  With the enough money and the right licenses you can own nearly any weapon you can imagine.  Want a grenade launcher?  Jump through enough hoops (including a thorough background check, product registration, and a $200 tax) and you could own a grenade launcher tomorrow.  Another $200 tax and you can use 40mm buckshot rounds for your brand new grenade launcher.  Those blow things up if you didn’t know.  LEGALLY.

Flamethrowers:  All right, I know what you’re thinking.  Anyone can make a flamethrower.  All you need is a Super Soaker with some lighter fluid and a flame.  We’ve all done it.  But that’s not what I mean.  40 of the 50 states have absolutely no laws whatsoever regulating the use of a device that sprays fire everywhere.  Don’t know how to work your new flamethrower?  Want to build one yourself?  Don’t worry.  Ragnar Benson’s Breath Of The Dragon: Homebuilt Flamethrowers has got you covered.  You’ll probably want to pick that up.  The investment seems paltry when you realize that this book will teach you how to properly control your streaming mass of flames without murdering everyone in sight (unless that is your intention).

OK.  If you know someone that has a laser rifle, a bear, piranhas, a grenade launcher and a flamethrower, don’t bother getting them anything for the holidays.  They are already too much of a danger to society.  Chances are, they may need to be locked up.  Merry Christmas!

*Note: Links and premise inspired by Cracked.com

One common double standard in relationships is when a boy is walking with his girlfriend while looking at other girls. Then the guy gets mad when the girl makes a comment about a good looking celebrity or does the same thing and look at another boy. Why do guys get mad at their girl for doing the same thing they do? It’s again one of the rules in the  unwritten book. When asked would he get mad at his girlfriend, junior Kris Hall says “Yes, I would get mad.”

Another sticky situation that is still being debated is whether or not the male should pay even if the female made the first move. In most conditions where the male makes the move on the female and ask her on the date, he pays. On the other hand in rare cases when the woman asks the man out on a date, the man is still looked at to pay or at lease offer to pay. Jennifer Reese, a sophomore, says “Yes the guy should still pay if the girl ask.” If someone asks ‘why’ it all comes back to that unwritten rule. Most people would respond ‘well that’s what a man should do.’ The emphasis is placed on the words “should do.” That comes down to the gender stereotype on what men and women are expected of in relationships.

The typical feminine stereotype role is to marry and have kids. Therefore, women are looked at to be vulnerable, nurturing and caring. The male stereotype role is to provide for his family and to have the more dominant role over the female.

Double standards in relationships are most known to end with domestic violence. People believe that 95% of domestic violence come from the male abusing the female. With only 5% comes from the woman abusing the male. Since people rarely hear about that woman who abuses her man, when the case does happen, it’s easily blamed on “self-defense.” Even if the woman does get punished for domestic violence would she be punished as badly as a man?  Sophomore Deon Baldwin says “It depends on what started it for it to be self-defense.” Most of the time women are the victims in these situations.

For the people who still believe in good ole  “traditional”  gender roles for males and females are keeping the double standards alive and kickin’.  Having two sets of rules for men and women also come from the home. Since birth, everyone has been raised on gender stereotypes (recall that when kids are born, boys wear blue, girls wear pink).

Parents also have two different standards for their children. If they have an older girl they may treat her with stricter rules than if they have a younger boy. Why is the younger boy not getting as punished as severely as his older sister? It is most likely because he is a boy, and for some reason parents are less strict on boys than girls no matter the age. If a boy brings his older girlfriend home to his parents its looked at as normal for some parents. On the other hand if a girl brings home her older boyfriend, her parents look at her as being rebellious.

There are tons of different double standards other than in relationships. The most common reason for that is insecurities. No one should suffer consequences so just suck it up. You should have a mutual relationship so neither one has to feel better than the other.There is no need for separate standards in any relationship whether it’s work or  in society. Do you think so?

Here is a simple guide to reduce your stress and introduce you to the best ways to allocate your resources in the most selfless and selfish ways possible.

For Your Sweet Mum

What hasn’t your mom done for you? From the moment she brought you into this world she’s been cleaning up your messes, keeping you out of trouble, and doing her best to make sure you’re the best person you can be. For mom I recommend homemades. Homemade gifts are cheap, easy to make, and there are literally thousands of ideas available online (like these). While these homemade gifts like ornaments, picture frames, or refrigerator magnets offer you little of an immediate return, they do a very nice job of scoring you brownie points, which could lead to endless positive possibilities down the road.

If you’re like me and don’t have the time (or creative initiative) to deal with making a macaroni frame with your handprint traced on the back, buying Mom flowers, jewelry (such as Pandora charms, or a cute, “Best Mom Ever” necklace), or a shimmery gift card to Macy’s can all put you high up on Mom’s “Favorites List” this holiday season.

For Dear Old Dad

Dad, like Mom, has been there since day one. Unfortunately, he might not warm up to your homemade trickery like Mom will. A surefire gift for Dad is a nice, shiny set of grilling tools -I’m talking brushes, prongs, and a new meat thermometer… the whole shebang. He’ll be so excited to try them out you’ll surely be eating filet mignon for dinner Christmas night.

Other gift ideas for Dad include lawn tools (dangerous if he makes you do yard work), tickets to a sporting event (include one for yourself if you want to go, but only enough for him and a friend if you want the house to yourself for a night), or an old vinyl album (purchased for $6.00 at 2nd and Charles) that will take him back to “the good ol’ days… before marriage and children…”

Dear old Dad doesn’t like to grill or landscape? Then he must be a man of technology or books. Again, a quick trip to 2nd and Charles can keep him entertained with movies, games, or a bit of light reading that won’t break your nonexistent cash flow.

For Your Best Friends (and Other People You Want to Owe You a Favor)

Giving gifts to friends can be sticky. Planning to give them a gift under the assumption that you’re getting a gift in return often leads to the awkward silence you’ll both have to endure before they sputter out something about not knowing “that we were exchanging gifts this year…” However, if you can bear to watch your friend blush, shove their hands in their pockets, and slink off into the depths of shame, tail between their legs, you will definitely make your way onto that “IOU” list.

If you’re a girl, get your girlfriends make up, nail polish, kick boxing gloves, a chick flick with popcorn and candy, or something else you can enjoy together.

If you’re a guy, get your boys disc golf discs, a new football, or a cheap video game. Friend gifts are allowed to be less about what they can do for you with the gifts, but what you can do together with the gifts.

For Your Significant Other (Boo-Bear, Pookums, Sugar-Muffin, ect)

WARNING: You can either score huge here or get tossed in the dog house in a matter of seconds. There is a fine line between sweet and stupid or cute and inappropriate, and it’s a line you want to toe with extreme caution.

For your Boyfriend – Boys are simple. Buy him a gift card to your favorite restaurant. That way you get what you want for dinner and he gets to keep his man points intact. Other great gifts include tickets to an event you want to attend, like a show or a sporting event, a DVD you’ve wanted to watch, or, if you want him out of your hair for a few days (or weeks… or months), Modern Warfare 3.

For your Girlfriend – I cannot stress the need for you to tread with the utmost care here. If you screw this up you will literally never hear the end of it. Even if you break up, the rumor of the Christmas you bought her a loofah will haunt your love life until the day you die.

Guys, unless you know you have a few get-out-of-the-doghouse-free cards saved up, you might want to just stick with jewelry, chocolate, dinner, movies, and other cliché (safe) gift options. Yet, some men will always push the bill (like yours truly). This year you might not feel like dropping a few hundred bucks on Christmas. If you’re man enough, buy her oven mitts and brownie mix, kick back, and turn on the game. There’s a ninety percent chance she’ll leave your house and key your car on her way home, but in my eyes that means a ten percent chance you’ll get brownies, which is good enough for me.

No matter what you do this holiday season, remember: think of yourself first, loved ones second, and then yourself again. I wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, a splendid New Year, and good luck in your shopping endeavors. Oh, and should I not see you over the holidays to hear about how well those brownies tasted and how perfectly the oven mitts matched her apron, I hope you enjoy all the gifts you give to their fullest potential.

There has been much debate on whether or not the education system should allow faculty and staff to have firearms with them on campus and in the buildings. The arguments are that the school system would have too much liability along with them, or what if a student stole the firearm that is in the classroom or office?

There was recent debate on a local radio station about whether or not firearms should be allowed in the school system. Everybody that called in brought up the point that teachers are not qualified and they would use firearms at the wrong time.  Olivia Chalmers, a senior, echos the point saying ”Teachers should not have guns in the classroom because it is way too dangerous, such as if they pull it at the wrong time.”

Mr. Bornscheuer says that by having firearms in the classrooms for teachers to use would take intense training that would last too long. He says that “if we want our school to be more safe, then I would hire more officers around the school, but teachers having firearms would require them to go through training that is not necessary.”

Law Enforcement officers go through intense training for learning how to shoot a firearm the correct way, and are put in different situations to get that type of certification. It could take months for Law Enforcement to get a license for a firearm after being trained to use it.

Logan Woodward, a junior, think that “guns should be allowed in the school system only if they an unloaded. After Ft. Hood and Virginia Tech shootings, it just shows how much firearms in an area could have been needed.” He also said that teachers should be qualified to use a firearm first by going through training.

South Carolina is a “shall issue” state for concealed carry. It is unlawful for people to carry a weapon into any public or private school unless they are licensed to do so. In September of 2010 a freshman at Socastee High School, South Carolina, pulled a gun on campus at an officer and had a pipe bomb with him, threatening to use it. This tragedy marked how South Carolina has become a “shall issue” state.

The fourth deadliest school shooting was at Columbine High School in Colorado, on April 20, 1999. Two students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting rampage and killed twelve students and one teacher. They injured almost twenty students and comitted suicide afterwards. This school shooting caused an uprise in debates on firearms in the classroom for teachers but in result the school only elevated their security with police officers on every hallway.

What are people supposed to do in that type of situation to keep the students safe? This issue can go on for days, because each side has a point and it is a touchy subject. Whether it is the training faculty issue, or liability, school’s need to keep students safe in whatever way they can. Most staff at Virginia Tech are wishing that they had taken the proper precautions so that the shooting could have been prevented.

Beginning in November, North Augusta High School announced that in the classroom students are only allowed to have clear, screw-top bottles, specifically made for water. While  most students refer to this as the new water bottle policy, assistant principal Mrs. Johnston pointed out that this policy is actually not a new policy at all. In the school handbook it states that students are required to refrain from, “Eating or drinking in the classroom, halls, or main building courtyards”. Many students are surprised by this. Jake Nelson confessed, “I thought it was a ‘whatever the teacher would tolerate’ kind of thing”.  This is a valid since teachers are inconsistent on what to consider “school-approved”.

Another common misconception is that the policy is being enforced because of students bringing concealed alcohol to school. This is a big part of it, but a larger portion comes from students having any other type of drinks other than water. Students spilling these types of drinks can lead sticky floors and class disruptions. Still, not all students think this that big of a deal. Jonathan Gunn said, “I have seen drinks get spilled in the classrooms, but the teachers had stuff to clean it up with, and the students responsible were willing to take care of it”. So maybe another solution to this could be to require teachers to have cleaning materials. Of course, not everyone believes the “power of Lysol” is enough to withstand the power of a messy high school student.  Mr. Bornscheuer says, “We have had problems with garbage and spilled sugar drinks attracting roaches and the pest control folks have asked that we take a more active stance”.

It is clear that a lot of students don’t like this policy, but students should remember that this policy is just as annoying for the coffee-sipping teacher who has to enforce it. It’s true that this policy is unfortunate, but unless students are dropping in the hallways from dehydration, this policy is, overall, reasonable and here to stay. Already, groups like the Environmental Club are working to improve the effects by working to create “refill stations”, which is more environmentally friendly than students who don’t recycle their water bottles. In the end, students and teachers can work together to improve the quality of our school by keeping it clean.

As a devout Apple customer, I had a tough past week. Yes, last Tuesday Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S and I watched the video with my jaw dropped in awe of what my favorite company was doing. The newest technology involved–including an 8 megapixel camera, Siri voice command and many other features–blew me away and I cursed myself for not waiting another few weeks to update to the iPhone 4S rather than the 4 that I got a month and a half prior to this release (however, I do love my iPhone 4 and I’d highly recommend it to anyone!). Despite the new technology, all the features and apps in the world couldn’t have prepared me for what came on Wednesday evening: Apple announced the passing of co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs.

Jobs had health issues for many years, ultimately suffering from pancreatic cancer. He took three extended leaves of absence before finally resigning as his position of CEO on August 25. Current CEO Tim Cook replaced him.

For the past two years or so, I’ve aspired to have the slightest resemblance of a career that Jobs did. Coming from absolutely nothing (seriously, he was an adopted college drop-out), he transformed the known technological world and then some. He co-founded the company Apple alongside Steve Wozniak, briefly served as CEO of Pixar after breaking it off of a graphics branch at Lucasfilms, and even had a place on Disney’s board of directors, but Jobs ultimately had his focus on Apple. Unveiling the first Apple II desktop in the late 1970s, he continued to pave the way for technological success for many, many years to come.

So what does this mean for Apple now? After being on top for so long under Steve Jobs’s reins, where does the company go? On October 6, about 17 hours after learning that Jobs passed away, I saw a tweet claiming that Jobs left blueprints for the next four years of Apple technology (check out the article here). So yes, Apple may be down, but Jobs made sure they wouldn’t be out.

Whether you’re a Mac or a PC, no one can doubt the size of the footprint that Jobs left on technology. Even President Obama commented that “The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than that much of the world learned about his passing on a device he invented.” Senior Jennifer Grimm also stated, “I own more Windows products. However, from a business standpoint it’s amazing how he was able to expand that company the way he did in just a few short years to be a technological leader across the world.”

I’m still waiting for my iPhone to update its software so I can see what Apple has in store for me (not to mention the other millions of users who are anxious to update their iPhones, iPod touches and iPads as well!), and I’m excited. Yes, Jobs is gone and it’s terrifically sad, but I have faith in Apple as they readjust and conquer. Perhaps you’re reading this on the screen of a MacBook or an iMac, or even an iPad or iPhone. You probably own an iPod and if all else fails, you’re probably using a mouse. Perchance you’re the most anti-Apple advocate there is (although I doubt you would make it through this article if you were such a person) and you’re laughing at me as I proclaim my faith in a company that you scoff at (again, I doubt you would have read the entire thing), but either way Steve left us with wonderful advice a few months before his death. He tweeted on February 24, “Innovation distinguishes between a tweeter and a follower.” We know which one Jobs was; perhaps he’s inspired you to be the next person to rock the known technological world.

One of the changes that most users are upset about is the new ticker feature that takes stalking to a new level.  The ticker allows you to be nosy on your friends without them knowing. You can actively see what your friends do on Facebook right at this exact moment. Yeah that’s not creepy at all. So you’ll know when your friend adds Justin Bieber and  Britney Spears on their favorites, or when your ex is single again. Some website have advice to ways you can “kill” the ticker. By that they mean to make it disappear but that doesn’t always work out.

Another change you may or may not have noticed is your news feed, which is now called ” Top news “, is a mix of the old “Top-News” and “Most Recent.” If you don’t check your page frequently, it keeps you up to date with what Facebook “guesses” you would be interested in, from the last time you were on. When asked about the new changes, Junior Bradley Moody replied ” I wasn’t upset, but I don’t like it.”  Some users are more willing to move on than others. Senior Tate Conrad said, ” I don’t like the new changes but I’m going to stick with Facebook unless they  start charging.”  The same users that are complaining now are probably the same ones that were complaining about the past changes and the changes before that. Just like the past Facebook changes, users will either move on and forget about in two weeks or delete their account.

Well, the new changes are for their benefit. Now users don’t have  to do much unnecessary clicking because there are less places to click and most of everything is in the same place. Facebook is trying to make things easier for its users and steal back its users lost to Google+ and other social media websites.

Along with the classy new facelift comes rumors and chain letters.  People are making the assumption that if Facebook is changing then they will start charging users for their service.  Another thing that you may have noticed (if you have more than 50 friends) is that Facebook will be charging its users the next morning according to what people said on your news feed- hat’definitely not the most reliable source to believe. Yet another urban legend parents tell their kids to scare them into not getting on Facebook? I think so.  Even though it clearly says it on the homepage ” Free and always will be “,  some people still fell for the ” IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOU WALL BEFORE MIDNIGHT YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. ”  or even the more famous  threat ” PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED.”

Even though it is obvious that Facebook is the king of the social media at the moment, it still has to compete with Twitter and Google+ for respect.  They are trying to maintain their top-tier status by constantly changing but is that pushing more users away or back to MySpace? Sophomore Ryan Baileay replied ” If they left it alone no one would be upset.” With all the changes Facebook is doing, it may be in danger to losing some of its users to Google+ and other social media websites.