In the simplest terms, “both bills are aimed at foreign websites that infringe copyrighted material. The bills are commonly associated with media piracy, but may also apply to counterfeit consumer goods and medication” (pcworld.com).  Though this rigid attempt to abolish the illegal sharing and distribution of music files, movies, faux designer products, and drugs through foreign criminals, can be universally agreed is a noble cause, it seems as if the whole internet is in opposition to SOPA and PIPA.

The main source of this intense disdain comes from the ambiguity of the language of the bills (quite similar to the vagueness of NDAA).  Outrage is fueled by the belief by many that the can government so choose to interpret the bills in a way in which it is essentially censoring the Internet.  Reddit.com gives a simple example of how the government can use the loose wording of SOPA to its advantage: “‘Facilitation’ can often be argued as simply teaching or demonstrating how to do something. Under this definition, a site could be targeted for something as simple as describing how to rip a Blu-Ray. This language also makes it clear that the legislation is not solely targeting sites ‘dedicated to theft.’”  In addition, the government can order a website to remove and/or censor all links to a certain domain, even if the links were posted by forum users and even if the links themselves do not contain infringement content.

Clearly, the bills have been generating much controversy, dispute, and protest ever since their conceptions in May 2011 (PIPA) and October 2011 (SOPA).  The most notable, influential protest occurred on January 18th, in which numerous well-known websites, including Google, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Wired, Reddit, and Boing Boing participated in a 24-hr “blackout.”   During this time period, any attempt at access to the sites was met with a page encouraging people to sign internet petitions against SOPA and PIPA, listing phone numbers of local senators, or simply providing more information to educate the public.  The “blackout” proved to be successful; millions of people utilized social networking sites to share articles and links to petitions, and it was confirmed that at the end of the day, over 4.5 billion people had signed Google’s online petition.

Currently, SOPA has been delayed on account of President Obama’s statement that he would not support a bill which threatened freedom of speech and internet security. Yet those in opposition should not be celebrating just yet; the bill has already been scheduled for review and debate in February.  Furthermore, the Senate plans to vote on PIPA on January 24th.

As the library filled up, the presenters took to the stage to talk about the specifics of greener technology. Min Su (11) presented a greener world where people donated their electrical appliances to reduce the number of toxic hazards at landfills and save the environment. In addition, Eunice Park (11) presented a piece on how to save energy by hanging clothes instead of just tossing the clothes into the dryer. The event lasted two hours as the various ideas were presented to the audience. Lynn Dinh (11), a curious spectator stated, “We walked around… and looked at posters.” The exhibits showcased bits and pieces of various innovative ideas to save the planet. Everything from ‘floating’ maglev trains to tips on how to save every watt of electricity was presented to the audience.

As the audience awed at the photos and diagrams that the Sustainable Society class had set up, there was an underlying urgent message. The one idea that was woven throughout the presentation was that of improvement in our country. Many of the projects that would have been considered innovative and even crazy have already become commonplace in many parts of the world. As the Sustainable Society students pointed out, “there is a dire need for change.” The tone of the entire presentation was directed at inspiring action and hope for a better future.

   A nationally-known, professional youth speaker, Salazar employs many tools in his presentations including tasteful humor, empowering insights, potent skits, and relatable connections in order to inspire and motivate thousands of teens acrossAmerica. Speaking at over 150 events a year, Salazar is well-recognized and respected as being a dynamic speaker. During the assembly, Salazar began with talking about his childhood, telling personal anecdotes that had everyone in the audience laughing. Then, he transitioned into the hardships of his past, specifically about his “wanting to fit in”, gang life, shoplifting, financial struggles, a sister addicted to meth, and a runaway father. When asked about what fueled his desire for public speaking, he answered, “I think it was something that was just always wired in me. Ever since I was little, whenever I wanted to do something, I wanted to do it out loud. Whether it was playing basketball or riding bikes with my friends, I wanted to do it in the best possible way. [My friends and I] always searched for ways to be creative. While biking, we’d think up crazy ideas like, ‘Why don’t we design a crazy ramp or something?’ We generally just always looked for ways to do things differently. So when I got into public speaking, the motives remained the same. I wanted to find ways to communicate my presentations to kids in a creative way I knew they’d understand. That’s why we involved the humor, skits, and incorporated information in a relatable manner. So that’s what I really enjoy doing – just being creative and just shocking kids, because what makes kids excited is when you’re excited. You can’t take people to a place you’ve never been.” Salazar always finds some type of way to connect with the audience in a way they will understand and benefit.

   When asked about his empowering skit Dennis, which featured a physically disabled boy named Dennis and highlighted the theme of friendship and dreams, and from where he received his inspiration from, he replied, “My little sister Gaby, who has Fragile X and a little boy named Scotty Barnett who was one of my students. It was originally written by a group of guys called the Skit Guys, and I was able to adapt it and make it into my own thing. So I really have to give the credit to them for coming up with it. But I try to do it in a very respectful way, and if you don’t hear my story about my sister or hear the story about Scotty, it could be taken very offensively. But that’s the beauty of being able to speak through it and say ‘We’re going to honor them through this.’ The messages of diversity and ‘no-excuses’ in the skit are very powerful and essentially, that’s the true beauty of it.”

   Salazar cites his family as his biggest inspirations stating, “My wife and kids are my biggest motivators.” He changes up the topics he presents at each school he visits stating, “Each school is different. They each go through different things, maybe a school is having problems with bullying or drugs, or a school recently experienced a tragedy such as a death or suicide; therefore, I try to adapt my program to what exactly that school is feeling. To be there and to feel the audience is amazing. The message is almost a living thing.”

   Salazar’s book, Born on Accident, Living with Purpose comes out this year and the most important thing he wants readers to get out of it is that “no one is born on accident, everyone has a purpose, and it’s just a matter of getting out there and finding your purpose.” Salazar’s speeches embody a special message – one of hope, determination, hard work, and courage.

Undoubtedly, Zheng was not the only one pleased with the results of Saturday’s tournament.  With the tournament beginning at 7:30AM and ending at 6:15PM, the days are long and tiresome for West High Debaters.  Even so, tournaments are always events to look forward to, not only because of the chance to compete and demonstrate skills, but also because “it’s always fun to see your friends there and hang out” explained Hsiao.  It is clear that even though a good portion of their Saturdays are not spent at home relaxing or going out, the West High Debate members can still enjoy the competitions and succeed simultaneously.

On Monday, students wore Winter Gear, appropriate for the season, while Tuesday ‘s theme suggested students to dress up in all-white, a preview for Winterfresh on the following Friday. Wacky Wednesday called for students to employ their creativity to dress as crazy as possible. On Thursday, many students showcased their ugliest Holiday Sweaters, a humorous attempt to get students acquainted with the holiday season. Finally, Flannel Friday garnered numerous students displaying their most favorite winter flannels.

Many students participated in Spirit Week’s festivities, including Devin Smith (10), who wore a colorful flannel for Friday, and stated “The week’s events were enjoyable; I liked them because they encouraged students to think outside the box.” Sagar Mittal (11) added, “Winter Week was an ultimate success and it really  highlighted our school’s overall spirit”.

The comical themes turned out to amuse not only the students, but the staff and faculty. For example, Mr. Phelps sported a dark flannel, Ms. Charlin showcased her humorous toe socks on Wacky Wednesday and Principal Mr. Ben Egan went with Tuesday’s all white theme.

Overall, Winter Spirit Week was a success this year, with many students dressing up each day. Secretary of Spirit Alisa Wang (12) enthusiastically stated, “The turnout was great. The events were exciting resulting in many of them dressing up.”

Essentially, the week threw many West High students into a festive holiday mood.

At the beginning of the rally, students were amused by a brief, comical performance from the Powder Puff “cheerleaders” showcasing stunts such as pyramids, lifts, and tumbles. Shortly after, the Powder Puff teams: The Dream Team and The Nightmares were introduced, all giving students a glimpse of what to expect at the upcoming Powder Puff Football Game on December 9th.

A performance from Advanced Dance also gave students a preview of the proximal Winter Dance Show. Their hip-hop performance was met with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

Next, two class competitions were held, one which had two class teams frantically attempting to get the most trash to the opponent’s side and a relay which required the two different teams to race get milk and cookies to Santa as fast as possible. The freshmen class claimed victory during the trash “snowball fight”, while the seniors came out ahead during the milk and cookie battle.

Winterfresh Court nominees, reserved for only freshmen and sophomores, an attempt to bring out more school spirit from the underclassmen, were announced following the class competitions. The Freshmen Class Court Prince Nominees were: Andrew Chiu, Chris Guillen, Mason Shortland, Dylan Tomita, and Tony Yi and the Freshmen Class Court Princess Nominees were: Savannah Caceres, Connie Chung, Rachel Mak, Jherish Moanany, and Judy Shin. For Sophomore Class Court, the King Nominees were Craig Knaus, Yeasong Lee, Ginwoo Pak, Josh Peterson, and Dane Sullivan, whereas the Queen Nominees were: Belle Jiyarom, Linda Kim, Lynn Leng, Gerone Navarro, and Courtney Shoda.

After the rally, some students voiced negative opinions. Amel Kebir (11) stated “The rally was alright, but I did not like how the juniors cheated – it made us look bad.” Cynthia Otieno (11) admitted, “I thought it was dead, I couldn’t hear the band because the sophomores were really distracting.”

Despite negative feedback from several students, the rally served its purpose: to entertain and instill spirit. This week is Winter Spirit Week, where each day is designated with a specific dress theme, all leading up to Friday’s exciting Powder Puff football game and STAR Appreciation Lunch.

   Emcees, Amy Romano (12) and Garrett Miller (11), kept the crowd pumped up as each band performed their songs. When Short Temper! played, the crowd supported the loud bass and vocals as each song was thrilling. However, the band started to play an extra song which caused an uproar in the audience. Coordinator Mrs. Jensen came down to the stage and unplugged the speakers, causing the band to stop playing and sit down. This ultimately cost Short Temper! the chance to win as they were automatically disqualified. Inifinite Sun picked up the excitement as they performed their original songs “Morning” and “Golden Haze”. Infinite Sun performs each month at Bomball Open Mic Night, so none of them were new to the stage. Bass guitarist and vocalist Ariana Evans (12) commented, “I really enjoy being in the band because we all love to sing for fun. Even though it takes up time, I don’t mind because we are all committed to sounding good.”

   Each band tried their best in hopes to win first place After intermission, the emcees announced the awards which were received with cheers and smiles. Third place was Licensed Fools, second place was Russian Bleu, and first place was West Swell. West Swell continued their legacy as they racked up their third consecutive win. Although Raquel DeJesus (12) believes that “West Swell is really good,” she is “[getting] kind of tired seeing them win all the time. It’s hard to judge bands, because all of them are so good.

  Battle of the Bands was not a night to forget. Family and friends were gathered around each band as they showed love and support for all those who participated.

  When you arrive, the first thing you will notice is the long line that awaits you as it extends past the door. The line moves forward at a painfully slow rate which makes you doubt whether or not it is worth the wait.  After making your way inside, you can see the menus on the walls along with Lady Liberty riding on top of a motorcycle hanging from the ceiling. Music is playing at a loud enough volume where you bop to the beat as you wait to order. The playlist tends to consist of rock music to go along with their edgy “hipster” look.

  When you finally reach the front you are so hungry you contemplate ordering the “Super Monster” sized burrito, but hopefully decide against it. There are at least five people working behind the counter who are a little slow, and are still getting used to how the process works. You are bombarded with options of rice, meat, vegetables, and sauces. After your burrito is carefully wrapped to perfection in the shiny silver foil you are tempted by the “pot” brownies (named for the container in which they are found in) and chocolate chip cookies. Then when it is time to pay you find that the prices are reasonable. 

  When it is at last time to eat your delectable burrito, taco, nachos, or salad– you will be pleasantly surprised. The food is wonderful. It is fresh and tastes delicious. It truly is a great restaurant. It appeals to the younger generation with its current style, but is great for people of all ages.

Address: 1509 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA90277

Phone: 310-214-4850.