Where Owls get their news February MENCIA cont d, back page. L to R: Mark Kashanian, Joel Heyne, and Joe Bilios.

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1 Everett Middle School San Francisco, California [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] Volume 04, No. 01 Where Owls get their news February 2007 Inside the Mind of Mencia by Jesus Alvarez Carlos Mencia, the star of Comedy Central s Mind of Mencia is famous for his jokes and racial comments. But do some people ever take him too seriously? The Straight-Up News spoke to Mencia about this, his background, and what inspired him to become a comedian. He also revealed he will star in a new movie with Ben Stiller and will have another season of Mind of Mencia in The History of Everett Middle School by Victor Molina / por Victor Molina Everyone at Everett knows a little something about the history of Everett, but do they really know all of our historical background? Do students know about very old rumors and things that happened in the school a long time ago? For example, did you know that Everett Middle School was built on a cornfield? A man named Edward Everett in the 1920s founded the school. It has already been more than eighty years since the foundation and construction of Everett and it spans a Edward Rueda image courtesy of Denise Rueda whopping 4.2 acres! The school itself has a very long history dating to the 1920s, which were also HISTORY cont d, page 11 IN THIS ISSUE: News... 1 Sports Reviews & Features Polls... 7 Editorials... 8 Science... 9 MENCIA cont d, back page Everett Under Construction by Bill Mak L to R: Mark Kashanian, Joel Heyne, and Joe Bilios. Bill Mak - SUN Choosing a high school can affect the student s future opportunities because if they do not choose the right high school, they will end up in the wrong school for them. What high schools do Everett Students plan to attend? The Everett Middle School counselors, Ms. Adrienne Smith and Mr. J.J. Cortez, have a lot of information about high schools and what students need to do to get into them. When asked which high school is best for the Everett students Ms. Smith answered, John O Connell, Lowell, and Washington. Mr. Cortez said, There really isn t a best high school, it depends on the interests from the student. Depending on the students interests, we could recommend the best high school for them. For example, if a student wants to learn a technical skill, then he or she should probably go to John O Connell High School of Technology. One way that Mr. Cortez believes students can decide on a high school is by researching the different types of programs that different high schools offer and also to visit those high schools. Have you ever wondered why the third floor now has a dead end? Or how come bungalows are on the Everett Middle School playground? Everett is being renovated. Relocated sixth graders have already started using the bungalows on the north side of the schoolyard for class. The girls gym is also there. Currently fire safety is the most important reason for The project will fix bathrooms, fire alarms, sprinkler systems, replace countertops, and make the school more accessible to disabled people. renovating the school but they are updating other things as well. This does not impede PE for students. The Everett Middle School Modernization Project is part of a government project that involves our school district. The project affects several other schools. Francisco Duran, Principal CONSTRUCTION cont d, page 11 High School Decisions for Everett Students Decisiones de High School para Alumnos de Everett by Rowel Factor / por Rowel Factor Image courtesy of Comedy Central Escoger la escuela secundaria puede afectar el futuro de los estudiantes si escogen la escuela incorrecta. Al aplicar a la escuela secundaria durante el octavo grado, algunos estudiantes consideran las clases electivas que ofrecen las escuelas. También piensan sobre la ubicación, la cantidad de estudiantes, si sus amigos atenderán, etc. Algunos estudiantes escogen una escuela secundaria basándose en como les ayudará para entrar en la universidad. En otras palabras, si atender una buena universidad le es importante, una escuela secundaria con altos estándares les ayudará en alcanzar esa meta. Ciertos maestros serán más estrictos en escuelas secundarias más difíciles porque tienen expectativas más altas. Cuales son las escuelas secundarias que los alumnos de Everett esperan atender? John O Connel, Lowell, y Washington, dijo la Srta. Smith, consejera de Everett. Smith y Cortez, otro consejero, tienen mucha información sobre las escuelas secundarias y como los alumnos pueden entrar en ellas. DECISIONS cont d, page 10 DECISIONES cont, pagina 10 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] 1

2 Sports Mexican Soccer Preview: Cruz Azul by Arturo Cabrera Mexican soccer is cool because it has players from different countries. It has players from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay and more! One of the most international teams in the Mexican League is Cruz Azul. One of the most favorite Mexican soccer teams is Cruz Azul. The team is based in the northwestern part of Mexico City in the Noche Buena neighborhood. What people like about Cruz Azul is that it is one of the best teams in the Mexican Soccer League, and it is one of the four most popular teams in the league. In one of my interviews with an anonymous soccer fan, I asked what do people think about Cruz Azul and they said It s a good team that plays each game like it was a championship match. Cruz Azul has won eight league championships and five CONCACAF championships. One reason Cruz Azul has won so many championships is because their goalie is one of the best in the league. The goalie s name is Oscar El Conejo Perez. What makes Oscar Perez a good goalie is that even though he is not that tall he jumps very high so the rival team does not score. What makes forward Cesar Delgado good is that when he has the ball he breaks down the defense and scores. What makes midfielder Richard Nuñez a good player is that he is a good free kick shooter and knows how to make it in the goal. What makes forward Miguel Sabah a good player is that he makes good passes to other players so they can score, or he scores when teammates pass him the ball. Right now the best players are Cesar El Chelito Delgado, Super Richard Nuñes, and Miguel Sabah. I asked one of my anonymous interviewees if Cruz Azul needs the former players Francisco Fonseca, Caniza, and Osorio and the person said, Yes, because they played better with them, and also because Caniza and Osorio were the best defense they ever had. Also, because Francisco Fonseca was the player who made the goals. What some fans like about Cruz Azul is their style of play. Cruz Azul has a good offense because they play with a lot of passes. Also it has a good offense because Cesar Delgado breaks down most of the defense and is left all by Image courtesy of Cruz Azul himself with the goalie to score. At press time, Cruz Azul is in first place among eight other teams. Based on how they are playing it looks like Cruz Azul will advance to the semifinals and might have a chance to go to the championship and win it. I asked one of my interviewees if Cruz Azul was going to pass to the semi finals and he said, Maybe because if they keep playing like they are now they might make it someday. The other interviewee said, No because they are going to face a good team. Cruz Azul is still waiting for their rival to face to see they pass on to the next round. Right now, Cruz Azul is getting a lot of rest before facing their rival, Chivas in the quarterfinals. Then we will see who is going to pass to the semi finals. Cruz Azul is going to face Chivas twice. First in Chivas stadium and then the final game will be played at Cruz Azul s stadium. A New Beginning for the Everett Middle School Soccer Team Empezando de Nuevo con el Equipo de Fútbol de Everett Middle School In English A new season of Everett Middle School soccer is here. The players, both new and returning, are preparing to face a tough schedule. With help from the new coach Mr. De Santis, the team is focusing on some new strategies to improve the Owls record. Mr. De Santis has some pointers for the new players who are joining the team. Straight-Up News: How long have you been teaching here? Mr. De Santis: For 2 years. SUN: What can the students who want to join the team do to get prepared? DS: The first and most important thing to do is to make sure your grades are good. Also, I want to make sure that my players are going to work well with each other, so make sure you bring to the team a good attitude, that starts with good behavior in the classroom. Finally, make sure you are ready by eating well. Since the players are running up and down the field, we need lots of energy out there. SUN: When are the try-outs? DS: The try-outs are the first week of November. SUN: How many players can be on the team? DS: Well, in order for us to be prepared we need to have between 15 and 20 players. SUN: Mr. De Santis do you have a favorite coach that has given you inspiration? DS: Bob Paisley is my favorite coach. SUN: Who is he? DS: He was a famous English football [soccer] player, who became the coach of the great Liverpool Club in England. You heard it here first, Owls! If you want to be part of the soccer team you need to be prepared. We have a great new coach who is joining the team. We have a good chance for improving our record from 5-3. Good luck to all the players and coaches. Of course, all you other Owls out there who are not on the team come out and give your support. Who knows? Maybe you will get inspired to tryout for next season s team. by Alejandro Guzmán / por Alejandro Guzmán Will Barry Bonds stay with the Giants? For the first time since 2001 Barry Bonds will be a free agent. This means that he can he can stop playing for the Giants and sign on to another team. If Bonds leaves, fans wonder if he will make another team famous and successful. What will the Giants do without Bonds? Barry Bonds started playing in the National League for the Giants in En Español La nueva temporada para el equipo de fútbol de Everett Middle School ha llegado. Los futbolistas, nuevos y veteranos, se están preparando para un arduo calendario. De acuerdo con Oscar Martínez, un exestudiante y ex-jugador defensivo del equipo de Everett Middle School por dos años, los encuentros más emocionantes de los búhos serán contra Horace Mann y Herbert Hoover Middle School. Esos fueron [mis] partidos favoritos; [yo] siempre esperaba mucha acción en el campo, dijo Martínez. Con la ayuda del nuevo entrenador, Sr. De Santis, el equipo se está enfocando en nuevas estrategias para mejorar el récord de los Búhos. El Sr. De Santis tiene algunos consejos para los nuevos jugadores que van a ser parte del equipo. Platicando con el Sr. De Santis presentí que los Búhos tendrán oportunidad de mejorar. Me senté y platiqué con De Santis un día durante el almuerzo. SUN: Cuanto hace que enseña aquí? De Santis: Por 2 años. For many years he played left field and swatted homeruns into the San Francisco Bay. Recently, however, Bonds career has been plagued by a series of problems. He has been accused of using steroids as a performance-enhancing drug. He is currently under investigation by a federal grand jury for not paying enough taxes. Bonds also suffered a knee injury that required surgery and cost him fourteen games in the 2005 season. SUN: Qué pueden hacer los estudiantes que quieren ser parte del equipo para prepararse? DS: Lo primero y más importante, deben de asegurarse de tener buenas calificaciones. Además, quiero estar seguro que mis jugadores se lleven bien entre ellos mismos, entonces es importante que tengan una buena aptitud. Eso empieza con comportarse bien en clase. Y finalmente, tienes que prepararte con buena alimentación. Ya que los jugadores corren de arriba para abajo en el campo, necesitamos mucha energía. SUN: Cuantos jugadores pueden estar en el equipo? DS: Bueno, para que podamos estar bien preparados, necesitamos entre 15 y 20 jugadores. SUN: Tiene un entrenador favorito que le haya inspirado? DS: Bob Paisley es mi entrenador favorito. SUN: Quien es él? DS: Eran un famoso jugador británico, que se volvió el entrenador de gran equipo de Liverpool en Inglaterra. SUN: Gracias, Sr. De Santis, por tomar el tiempo para contestar mis preguntas. Will the Giants be Giant Without Barry? by Salvador Patiño What will the Giants look like in the 2007 season if Barry Bonds, their star for so many years, stops shining for the team? Will they be less of an offensive threat? Will they lose corporate sponsorship? Bonds was paid ninety million dollars for his five-year contract that expired in In the years to come, how will the Giants spend the money they would have paid Bonds if he were not to re-sign? I interviewed Everett Baseball Photo Credit: Image courtesy of the Baseball Hall of Fame BARRY cont d, page 10 2 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS]

3 Sports February 2007 High Hopes for Girls Basketball by Malena Osborne Reggie Bush: by Jessica Urbina Girls basketball has always been one of the strongest sports here at Everett Middle School, but last year after capturing three division championships in a row the team only won three games, and one of these games was a forfeit. This year the team s goal was to make it to the playoffs. Each game they got out there and did their best and tried not to think they were going to lose. What was good about this year s team is that they worked together to build each other s confidence. If any one of the teammates got mad at something/someone; one of them would always try to calm the other down. The team practices were great. The way they practiced was the way they played in games which is why all of their hard work paid off. There were a lot of reasons why the girl s basketball team this year was so special. When they had home games a lot of people came and supported them. It is amazing how many people would show up. Sometimes support was all they needed to win a game. Everett s team is special because most people on the team have known each other for a while. The Everett Owls girls basketball team is special because they treat each other like family. Most of the time the starting five players were eighth graders Malena Osborne, Sharmila Kittrell, and Cora Robertson, and seventh graders Janesa Luie, and Aloha McElory. You would be surprised how well the seventh graders played. Janesa Luie was a very important player. She averaged thirteen points per game, and was a great defender. Another important player was Sharmila Kittrell. Early on she showed a lot of potential to do well, and averaged ten points per game. She is five feet four inches tall and played forward. The Lady Owls The Lady Owls softball team did not make it to the playoffs this year, but they were very close. Last year the Lady Owls sat at a one and seven game loss. The team had only nine girls and sometimes had to forfeit because they did not have enough girls to play. It has been two years since the Lady Owls went to the playoffs, but this year many had faith that they would make it to the championship. OWLS cont d, page 10 Image courtesy of Ruben Urbina By the end of the season, the Lady Owls played eight games, ending up with a 6-2 winloss record. However, they lost in the play-offs by seven points against Alice Fong Yu Alternative after halftime. Even though they lost, the team worked hard and played their best. The team definitely has a shot at winning the playoffs next year. Bay Area sports: are they hot? I live in the Bay Area and it is cool to be a fan here. The 49ers are on their way to the National Football Council championship and if they win it will be great because all their fans will be happy. The fans will celebrate by setting off fireworks to commemorate the victory. The city will be proud of the 49ers for winning the championship and everyone will know they are hot. Do you want to know what else is hot or not in sports? Read my list to find out. The Saint of Football? by Lamonte Player Is Reggie Bush the best football player today? I was watching the Sunday night football game, eating my popcorn and chicken and drinking Sprite, when Reggie Bush made a touchdown by shaking two people. It felt like it was just for me. Here are a few reasons why I think Reggie Bush is the best: Image courtesy of Reggie Bush He is a leader He scored 18 touchdowns last year He won the Heisman Trophy, the seventh USC player to receive it He gets good grades His team lost only one game (after he d hurt his ankle) He is like me Sports Hot and Not List Lo Bueno y Malo en Deportes by Christián García / por Christián García Deportes del Área de la Bahía: están calientes? Yo vivo en el Área de la Bahía y es buen lugar para los aficionados. Los 49ers están en camino para el campeonato del NFC y sí salen triunfantes será muy bueno porque alegrará a los aficionados. Los aficionados celebrarán quemando fuegos artificiales para conmemorar el triunfo. La ciudad estará orgullosa de los 49ers por haber ganado y todos sabrán que son buenos. Sabes las otras cosas buenas y malas en los deportes? Lee mi lista para aprender. HOT The 49ers are HOT because they win some of their key games. They demonstrate good sportsmanship because they don t use bad words. The Barcelona soccer team is HOT because of their excellent goalie. They have good kickers like Ronaldinho and Saviola. Their jerseys are blood red and dark blue. The Giants Baseball team is HOT because they are my hometown team and it is important to support them. Despite the steroids controversy Barry Bonds is still the best homerun hitter ever. BUENO Los 49ers son un buen equipo porque ganan muchos de sus partidos. Tienen buen deportivismo; por ejemplo, no usan malas palabras. El equipo de fútbol de Barcelona está bueno porque su portero es excelente en parar tiros de gol. Tienen buenos delanteros como Ronaldinho y Saviola. Sus camisetas son de rojo sangre y azul. En béisbol los Giants es un buen equipo porque son el equipo de mi ciudad y es importante darles apoyo. A pesar de la controversia sobre los esteroides, Barry Bonds todavía es el mejor bateador de home runs. Image courtesy of Ruben Urbina SPORTS cont d, back page DEPORTES cont. en contraportada [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] 3

4 Top Five Funny Movies by Erika Aguilar Have you ever wondered which funny movies people are talking about? Well, the current top five favorites are Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek (1 and 2), and Click. Ice Age 2 is about the three returning friends (Manny, Sid, and Diego) in another incredible adventure. The three friends are enjoying their new and melting world, when suddenly Manny, Sid, and Diego realize that the melting icebergs will create a flooded valley. The three friends race against time to warn everyone and to find a way to escape the flood. This movie came out in theaters on March 31,2006. This movie is hilarious, said seven-yearold Andrea Qinsay, I love the ending when Sid brought back to life the squirrel thing. The movie was a huge hit with the public viewers, especially the children. Another movie people are talking about is Nacho Libre. This movie is about a man named Ignacio. He grew up as an orphan in a Mexican monastery and now he is the monastery s cook. He cooks for the other orphans and cares for them, but he does not fit in and he cooks terribly. He realizes that the ingredients are what make the food terrible. Now he must find a way to make money to buy better food and also to capture the heart of sister Encarnacion. He decides to earn money as a Lucha Libre wrestler when he finds that he has a talent for wrestling. As it turns out, Lucha is forbidden and Ignacio is forced to lead a double life. This movie came out on DVD on October 24, This movie go dumb said ten-year-old Santiago Lopez, It s so funny I would go see it again and again. Another funny movie is Napoleon Dynamite; the directors of Nacho Libre also made this movie. This movie is about an ordinary teenage boy who has to deal with his life at home as well as in school, where he is trying to help his friend win a class president election. This movie is awesome! said Cassia Andersen, an eighth grader from Westlake. When I saw this movie I had to get all the stuff from Napoleon Dynamite! This movie was a hit for most middle and high schoolers. Both the original and the sequel to Shrek keep people laughing. Shrek is an ogre who lives in a swamp along with other magical creatures. The entire kingdom is afraid of the ogre and wants the reward for killing him, but then the King sends the magical creatures to the swamp where Shrek lives. Shrek goes to find the King so he can make the magical creatures leave. Then he finds himself on a quest to save a princess, Fiona. Will he complete his mission and save the princess for the King or will he fall in love with her? I love this movie! said Letty Gaspar, a twelfth grader from Los Angeles. The donkey is so annoying and funny. The sequel of Shrek is Shrek 2. This sequel is even funnier than the original. This movie starts about the happy newlyweds on their honeymoon. But when they are invited to Fiona s home where her parents live, an evil godmother FUNNY cont d, back page Age of Mythology: the Titans is a strategy video game. You can play it over the Internet and at home with your friends. It is about ancient Romans, Egyptians, and their gods. To play, first you have to choose a god. You have 10 people with you, and with them you have to cut down trees, kill animals, find fruits, and build buildings. Some animals are too powerful, so you better be careful. There are charts that show if you have enough materials, and you have to be clean or else your people will have a Black Death, a sickness that was in Rome. The game takes a Features Upcoming 2006 Holiday Movies Películas de la Temporada Festiva del 2006 by Christián Vásquez by Chingun Ganzorig Every summer, moviegoers get excited about big action films and comedies. In the last few years, people have lined up to see Superman, X-Men, and The Fast and the Furious. But this winter, there are also some cool movies. Here are some that look good: Flushed Away Release date: Nov. 3 What it s about: A spoiled mouse named Roddy (Hugh Jackman) gets kicked out of his penthouse and has to live in the sewers of London. He meets a rat named Rita (Kate Winslet), and they try to get out of the sewers. They have to escape two rats and a frog hit man hired by Toad (Ian McKellen), the villain. Prediction: This animated comedy looks good because the same people who made Wallace and Gromit made it. Night at the Museum Release date: Dec. 22 What it s about: A security guard (Ben Stiller) in the Museum of Natural History in New York City, discovers that statues of Mayans, cowboys and gladiators in the museum come alive at night and fight each other. The biggest thing that comes to life is the skeleton of a T-Rex that tries to eat him. Prediction: This looks funny because Ben Stiller and Robin Williams are in it. Rocky Balboa Release date: Dec. 22 What it s about: In the sixth Rocky movie, retired boxer Rocky Balboa wants to get back into the ring after he sees a computer-generated movie that shows him fighting current champ Mason The Line Dixon. But first, he must convince his promoters that he is strong enough to compete. Titleholder Antonio Tarver plays Dixon. Prediction: All of the earlier Rocky films were good so this one should be good too. Eragon Release date: Dec. 15 What it s about: A relationship between an 18-year-old boy named Eragon and female dragon named Saphira. Together they try to bring down an evil king played by John Malkovich. There are 3,000 special effects in the movie. Prediction: It looks like a good action movie because it has swords and dragons. En Español Cada verano, los aficionados del cine se emocionan con las películas de acción y comedias. Durante los últimos años, el público se ha esperado en cola para ver Superman, X-Men, y The Fast and the Furious. Pero durante el invierno, también hay buenas películas. Enseguida se encuentran algunas películas que parecen ser buenas y que yo recomiendo. Flushed Away Fecha de estreno: 3 de noviembre De qué se trata?: Un ratón mimado llamado Roddy (Hugh Jackman) lo sacan de su apartamento de penthouse y tiene que vivir en las alcantarillas de London. Conoce una rata con el nombre de Rita (Kate Winslet), y tratan de escaparse de las alcantarillas. Tienen que escaparse de asesinos, dos ratas y un sapo, contratados por el villano Toad (Ian McKellen). Predicción: Esta comedia animada parece ser buena porque fue hecha por las mismas Image courtesy of Microsoft long time to win because you have to do a lot of things. There are some cheats, but if you play with them it will not be interesting. The point of the game is to summon the god. In order to do that you will have to build the god s statue and make all the people worship it. Then, the statue will break down and the god will come out of the sky or from underground. There are tsunamis, eruptions, tornados, and lightening. If you get a lot of animals, the giant panda will get your people, and if you eat a lot of fruit, the giant tree will crush them. The players can get some powers from the personas que hicieron Wallace and Gromit. Night at the Museum Fecha de estreno: 22 de diciembre De qué se trata?: Un guardián (Ben Stiller) en el Museo de Historia Natural en Nueva York, descubre que las estatuas de Mayas, vaqueros y gladiadores en el museo toman vida en las noches y pelean entre ellas. La cosa más grande que toma vida es un esqueleto de T-Rex, que trata de devorarlo. Predicción: Parece ser chistosa porque Ben Stiller y Robin Williams actúan en ella. Rocky Balboa Fecha de estreno: 22 de diciembre De que se trata?: En la sexta película de Rocky, el boxeador retirado Rocky Balboa quiere regresar al cuadrilátero después de ver una película generada por computador que lo muestra peleando contra el campeón actual, Mason The Line Dixon. Pero antes, tiene que convencer a sus promotores que tiene la fuerza suficiente para competir. El campeón Antonio Tarver hace el pápel de Dixon. Predicción: Todas las películas anteriores de Rocky fueron buenas, entonces esta debe de ser buena también. Eragon Fecha de estreno: 15 de diciembre De que se trata?: La relación entre un muchacho de 18 años llamado Aragon y una dragón llamada Saphira. Juntos, tratan de derrotar a un rey malvado representado por John Malkovich. Hay 3,000 efectos especiales en esta película. Predicción: Parece ser una buena película de acción porque tiene espadas y dragones. Entonces estas son las películas que parecen estar buenas para el invierno. Hay muchas interesantes para escoger, pero estas son las que deben de ver. god that let the players create tornados and earthquakes, and can call zombies to protect the player s place. The god is also known as the Titan. When the god comes out, there will be a big letter T on the screen; when it has been summoned you will have to destroy everything your opponent has. In an interview with Mission High School student Chinggis Ganchimeg, he talked about what made the game special. It is just that this game is difficult, and it is just like real life. Also, I can learn about Ancient Rome. I lost, but it was still interesting. When asked further in the interview why it was still interesting when he lost, he said Everything was so real. Arturo Cabrera, a seventh grader at Everett, commented, This game was so enjoyable. It takes a long time to win I played it for a whole week. Cabrera agreed with Chinggis, saying (the game) could help you study about ancient Rome. Age of Mythology: the Titans, is the best strategy game in America today. The game was made by Microsoft Game Studios and was released in September You should play it and learn more about ancient Rome, and see what everyone is talking about. 4 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS]

5 Features February 2007 The History of Manga You want action? You want comedy? Manga has all this and more when a reader picks up the book and begins to read. But everything has a beginning, and in looking at the history of manga, we can begin to see how manga and these styles are now a part of modern Japanese and even American culture. In looking at the history of manga, we first have to understand that it came from ancient Japanese times. When it was first made, it was carved out on wood. As time passed, it eventually changed from woodcarvings, to Ukyo-e to modern comic/manga form. Naruto by Scout Parker by Mark Baucox Manga Fan Q & A with Terry Yu Mark Baucox: How did you get started in Manga? Terry Yu: I first watched anime on TV and then I went online. Once online I found that there was more than just anime and there were books called manga as well. So I went to find my first manga [book] from one my local comic shops. MB: Why did you get started in manga? TY: I think it is more interesting than anime and it tells more of the storyline that anime sometimes leaves out. MB: Why did you choose to research manga? TY: Because I found manga interesting when I first read it, and I felt I wanted to find out how it was made, and the history of how it came about. In this way, I discovered perhaps I wanted to be a mangaka [manga artist]. Through my research, I found it very interesting and continued to learn more about it. MB: How did you find out so much about manga? TY: I found out a lot about manga because I took a lot of time researching online and talking to people that shared my interest in anime and manga. MB: Do you like manga? TY: Yes, of course I like manga because it is a unique art style and a way of telling a story rather than traditional literature. MB: What manga do you like? TY: The genres I mainly follow are: action, horror/suspense, romance, and various ones. All of these vary in their length and style of art, but they each bring something different. Inuyasha by Karen Tran Naruto is a popular Manga series for teenage boys. The television series premiered in Japan in August 2003, and is the second most popular ongoing Manga right behind One Piece. On September 10, 2005 Naruto had its hour-long premier in the U.S. on Cartoon Network s Toonami. The show has a rating of PG. The series length and popularity is comparable to that of Akira Toriyamas Dragon Ball. The author of Naruto is Mashashi Kishimoto, an artist for the weekly Shonen Jump magazine, born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. After spending time in Art College, he won the Hop Step Award for best new Manga artist with his story, Karakuri. Image courtesy of Studio Pierrot Kishimoto decided to base his next story on traditional Japanese culture. His first version of Naruto was drawn in 1997; it was a one-shot story about fox spirits. His final version, which debuted in Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja Manga in Japan. Naruto, the main character of his series, is an underachiever at the ninja academy. Naruto roams the village hidden in the Leaves, causing mischief and countless pranks. He also enjoys a good bowl of ramen. His life-long dreams are to become Hokage, the village chief, and to become the greatest ninja of all time. Naruto also holds a secret that only he knows, that the Nine-Tailed Fox that wreaked havoc on his village is sealed inside his body. He has special fighting techniques called Clone Jiutsu and the Multi- Shadow Clone Jiutsu. Naruto s best friend in the Tree Village is Sasuke, a Genin level ninja. Sasuke is the natural genius offspring of the once powerful Uchiha Clan. Sakura s main strengths are her intelligence and great chakra control. Kakashi is a Jonin level ninja, which is a very high ninja. He is the leader of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. In the beginning of the series, Iruka Sensei starts to train Naruto. While they are training together a guy comes out of nowhere and starts to fight Iruka Sensei. Iruka gets hurt and Naruto gets really mad and does the Shadow Clone Jiutsu. After the fight, Naruto s sensei promotes Naruto to a Genin ninja and they go out for some ramen, Naruto s favorite food. Then the Hokage places Naruto in the same group as Sasuke and Sakura and they get a new sensei. His name is Kakashi and will train Naruto so he can become Hokage, the supreme leader of the tribe. After Naruto becomes a Genin level ninja, he gets a new leader. His name is Kakashi and he has to help train Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. After a little bit of training they all have to go to the Chinin exams because that will make them a Chinin level ninja if they can pass three tests. The first test is a written exam, and towards the end Naruto gets really nervous because he does not know any of the answers. Then the leader of the written test says that there is only one question left in the test and if you choose to accept the last question you will pass the test, but if you get the question wrong you will have to stay at a Genin level rank. Naruto accepts the question and the leader of the written test says that everybody who accepted the question passes the written test. After the written exam is the survival test. In the survival test the characters have to get two scrolls. Naruto and his teammates almost do not pass the test because other people keep attacking them, wanting to get their scrolls. In the end, they pass the survival test. Then they have to go to the third test but the Hokage says that there were too many people so they had to make a preliminary exam to get rid of some people. In the preliminary matches none of Naruto s teammates got eliminated but some of his friends did, so that was bad. That is what has happened on the show so far. Now that you are caught up on the show, you can watch Naruto Monday through Thursday at 9:00 PM and on Saturday at midnight on Cartoon Network. Inuyasha, a Feudal era Fairy Tale, is a popular manga series or Japanese illustrated comic book, read by teenagers. In its beginning, Kagome Higurashi, a modern Japanese high school girl, lives in a household crammed with mystical talismans. Everything around her seems to have a legend attached to it. A large centipede suddenly pulls Kagome into the world of feudal Japan. She discovers that her life was linked to the events of hundreds of years past by the mystical Shikon Jewel. She must collect all the shards of the powerful Jewel to prevent the evil lord Naraku from using the gem to become immortal. To do this, Kagome teams up with a doglike half-demon called Inuyasha along with their companions Miroku, a monk who wants to defeat the demon lord Naraku, and Sango, a demon slayer who is looking for revenge after her brother was killed and village was destroyed. Last but not least, they meet the orphan fox demon Shippo. This popular series was adapted into an anime series in Japan that ran for 167 episodes from 2000 to In summer of 2002, Cartoon Network s late night program, [adult swim], picked up the series Inuyasha, where it currently airs today. Inuyasha is one of the most popular programs on cable amongst year-olds. The name comes from the show s main character, and roughly translates to dog demon. Another spin off of the manga series are video games for the Playstation, Playstation 2 and other consoles. Since March of 2003, DVDs of the show have sold more than 800,000 copies. The creator of the series, Rumiko Takahashi, first published in Shonen Sunday in Takahashi s serial titles include Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, One-Pound Gospel, Mansion Ikkoku, and Inuyasha. Additionally, she has drawn many short stories, which have been published in America under the title Rumic Theater, and several installments of a saga known as her Mermaid series. While in college, Takahashi enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a school for Manga founded by the famous artist Kazuo Koike, creator of the series Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. In 1975, while studying under Koike, Takahashi started publishing her first doujinshi comics; these titles included Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Takahashi believes in the importance of interesting characters in one s series. Her fascinating characters can be linked to lessons she learned during her training with Koike. Inuyasha was Takahashi s fourth major series. The show was more like her dark Mermaid Saga than the ro- INUYASHA cont d, back page [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] 5

6 February 2007 Features Shoe Fashions At Everett Middle School by Nina Wong A round the hallways of Everett Middle School, students wear all type of shoes: K-Swiss, Converse, Air Jordan, and Air Force. This wide variety of shoes has teachers, administrators, parents, and students talking. Since 2005, a dress code policy has required students to wear black, white, or gray. But teachers have noticed shoes of various colors, designs and brands, both acceptable and unacceptable. Are shoes at Everett a way to show individuality, or are the differing fashions a distraction or even a danger to students at Everett? Ruben Urbina, after school coordinator of Everett, has been with the school for 23 years. He has noticed shoe fashions come and go, since the dress code was implemented. Converse was the number one shoe in the 50s and 60s, when Urbina was in middle school, the coordinator says. [The] Chuck Taylor style was worn by basketball players. In the 70s and 80s, Urbina noticed the students at Everett Middle School began wearing shoes with different colors. He also says the reason for the dress code is a problem with gangs, and students wearing blue and red colors. Because of the dress code, students cannot wear different colored clothes, but can wear different color shoes except for red and blue. Librarian Keisa Williams says that she does not pay attention to what students shoes look like. She also says that she has a pair of K-Swiss at home. Students back in the 70s and 80s wore a lot of puffy paint on their shoes, she adds. John Diaz, sales associate at the Serramonte Footlocker confirms this, adding that other Nike brand shoes are popular with teenagers. Often it s parents who buy the shoes for their kids. Thirteen year-old, Christian Martinez says that he has owned a pair of Jordans for almost 5 years. His parents say that if his shoes are expensive, he has to take care of them. But if they are for soccer it is OK if he gets them dirty. Another thirteen year-old, Javier Lopez, also wears Nikes which he has had since school started. He says he already had a pair of black Air Forces, so he bought a pair of white ones. Sharmila Kitrell, an Everett eighth grader, says she got herself a pair of Jordans because she says they are cool and are the in shoes. She also told us that she had had them for a month and that she had bought them herself. Jessica Urbina, another Everett eighth grader, says that shoes are not that important to students these days. My parents don t really care about what shoes I wear. As far as what shoes students themselves are trying to get their hands on, Nike Air Forces are the in shoes. However, Everett eighth grader Alejandro Nina Wong - SUN SHOE cont d, page 10 Everett Fashion My name is Rupinder Kaur. I come from India. My father s name is Gwaharan Singh. My mother s name is Balvir Kaur. My favorite teachers are: Mr. Algones, English, and Ms. Cantrell, Social Studies. They help me everyday. Mr Algones makes English fun because he plays bingo with vocabulary words. Ms Cantrell, she helps me understand American History with Draw Picture. Next year I am going to high school. I will miss my teachers Mr. Algones and Ms. Cantrell. I love my teachers. by Tara San E ver wonder what people are saying about Everett s fashion sense? I interviewed three people on this particular topic. 13-year-old Erika Alejandra Aguilar, an eighth grader at Everett says that she thinks the clothes that people wear here are not fashionable because some people s clothes might not match. Aguilar also says that you can tell a lot about people s personalities from the clothes they wear; if they are sloppy or neat. Aguilar finds her own personal style from magazines that deal with the latest fashions. She notes that the current trends that are seen around Everett are black jeans or sweats, white polo shirts, black/white/gray shoes, and a black/gray/white sweater or jacket. But no logos! This is a part of our uniform at Everett. 16-year-old Rothany San, a former student at Everett says that it is stylish to match. He likes Jordan, Air Forces, Fila, and sometimes Converse shoes, and thinks that VANS skate shoes are out of style. San thinks that fashions for girls are girl accessories, girl pants, girl shirts, and clothes that come from South Pole or J Lo. San likes accessories like wristbands or headbands, boy pants, boy shirts, and clothes by Makaveli, South Pole, and Marithe Francois Girbaud pants. Holly Enrile an employee at Forever 21, sells accessories such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Forever 21 sells clothes for teenagers and young women. Well, we do not sell things to certain people, it just happens, whatever they want to buy, they will pay for it, said 18-year-old Enrile. They sell these items downtown and lots of people go there to buy accessories and clothing. They sell clothes that people from Everett would like, like scarves, pants, shirts, and jackets. You can tell about other people s personalities if you look at their style. Some people at Everett Middle School know how to match and some students do not. Some students at Everett knows how to create fashion and some of them do not. So what do you think about fashion? Hollah when you have something to say about fashion. San Francisco Pizza Feature Photos Courtesy of NAME It stinks to get dumped by your girlfriend. It Stinks but It s Cool by César Linares P izza is a popular form of fast food. The creation of pizza century after century evolved in to what we know pizza to be today. Many people like pizza. To find out some of the best pizza places I asked Liberty Star Velez about her thoughts on pizza. It s fast and good especially when you are in a hur- 6 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] ry. She reccomended Marcello s Pizza located in the Castro. Other good places she recommeded to get pizza were: Domino s, Mr. Pizza Man, and Déja Vu. The pizza at Mr. Pizza Man is fast and cheap. Domino s is good and has a lot of grease. The pizza slices at Déja Vu are like buying two slices for the price of one. by Alejandro Guzman Aguirre It stinks to get your feelings hurt. It stinks to see her with another friend. It stinks it stinks it stinks to be alone. It stinks but its cool. It s cool when it stinks. It s cool to be alone too. It s cool when you find someone else that s cool. It s cool to have fun with friends. It s just cool.

7 Features February 2007 Everett Poll: The Great Big Mall by Cynteria Ragler Have you checked out the new mall in town? The new mall is called the Westfield San Francisco Centre, but most people at Everett call it Bloomingdales, because of the large store inside. The stores in the mall range from Claire s (a girl s jewelry store), Border s Books and Music, to Footlocker. The Mall also features a Century movie theatre, a fancy food court, and a Burke Williams spa. In the middle of the mall is a very big dome that has been there for many years. Here are what some students in the Everett community thought about the new mall: Cynteria Ragler, 7th grade Zuri Seniga, 7 th grade Nelson Vasquez, 7 th grade Mayra Ayala, 8 th grade Lamonte Player, 7 th grade SUN: What do you think of the new mall? CR: I think it s big, and has lots of cool stores. SUN: What are your favorite and least favorite stores? CR: My favorite store is Claire s, because I like jewelry, and my least favorite store is Victoria s Secret, because I don t like the smell. SUN: Which movie theatre do you like more, the new one or the Metreon? CR: The Metreon because it has more movies than the Century. SUN: What is your favorite restaurant in the food court? CR: I like Panda Express because I like Chinese food. SUN: Do you like the way the new mall was built? CR: Yes, cause they built it so big to the point where there are lots of stores. SUN: What do you think of the new mall? ZS: I think that the new mall is fun and very big. SUN: What are your favorite and least favorite stores? ZS: My favorite store is Claire s because I love jewelry. I don t have a least favorite store. SUN: Which movie theatre do you like more, the new one or the Metreon: ZS: I like the Metreon because it s better and has more movies. SUN: What is your favorite restaurant in the food court? ZS: My favorite place from the food court is Mrs. Fields, the cookie place. SUN: Do you like the way the new mall was built? ZS: Yes, I do because it has a lot of stores. SUN: What do you think of the new mall? NV: I think that the mall is big and exciting. SUN: What are your favorite and least favorite stores? NV: My least favorite store is Bloomingdales because it s boring. SUN: Which movie theatre do you like more, the new one or the Metreon? NV: I like the Metreon because the movies are better. SUN: What is your favorite restaurant in the food court? NV: My favorite restaurant is the pizza place. SUN: Do you like the way the new mall was built? NV: Yes, I do because it s big. SUN: What do you think of the new mall? MA: I think that the mall is like every other mall except that it s bigger then most malls. SUN: What are your favorite and least favorite stores? MA: My favorite store is Claire s. SUN: Which movie theatre do you like more, the new one or the Metreon? MA: I like the Century because all their stuff is new. SUN: What is your favorite restaurant in the food court? MA: My favorite places are Jamba Juice and Starbucks. SUN: Do you like the way the new mall was built? MA: Yes I do like the way it was built because it s built well. SUN: What do you think of the new mall? LP: I think that it is nice it has a lot of stuff and its fun. SUN: What is your most favorite least favorite store? LP: My favorite store is Footlocker because I like shoes. SUN: Which movie theatre do you like more, the new one or the Metreon: LP: I like the Century. SUN: What is your favorite restaurant in the food court? LP: I like Panda Express. SUN: Do you like the way the new mall was built? LP: Yes I do because it s big. As you can see everybody at Everett has something to say about the new mall. The most popular store from this poll is Claire s. The restaurant people most like going to is Panda Express. When it comes to the movie theaters people were divided about which they liked more. The one thing every one I interviewed has in common is that they all like how many stores there are and how big the new mall is. One thing is clear: students at Everett have a new place to hang out at the new mall. Pets: An Everett Poll by Tania Moreno Everett Student Poll: Music Styles Have you ever wondered what kind of pets students and staff here at Everett Middle School have? I did and I sure found a lot of interesting results. Besides the common pets like cats and dogs, I ve found out about other pets and magnificent stories. I asked people about the pets they had, and the majority said cats and dogs but three of these people had something else to say: Janette Arevalo, 7 th Grade What do students at Everett think about music? Students at Everett think that all music is cool, especially hip-hop and R&B. They like the themes, the lyrics, and the beats of hip-hop and R&B music and listen to them on their ipods, MP3 players, CD players and cell phones, according to some Everett students. I spoke to several students and asked them about their favorite type of music, favorite artist, favorite song, the artist they admire most, and the one they would most like to hang out with. Janesa Nesa Luie, seventh grade: My favorite type of music is R&B and hip-hop. My favorite artist is Chris Brown. My favorite song is Shorty Like Mine. I admire Alicia Keys. If I had one chance to hang out with one artist it would be Alicia Keys. Lamonte Boomer Player, seventh grade: My favorite types of music are hip-hop and rap. My favorite artist is Usher. My favorite song is Riding Dirty. I admire Usher. If I had a chance to hang out with one artist it would be Beyonce. Luis Hernandez, an after school program teacher SUN: What kind of pet do you have? LH: I have a cat named Oreo. SUN: In the past have you had pets? LH: Yeah I did. I used to have a dog and a small lizard. SUN: What games do you play with your pets? LH: What I like to do best with my cat is play with a string, which my cat really enjoys. SUN: Why do you have a pet? LH: I have a pet because I think they re fun, they re cute, and because the cat I have needed a home. SUN: Do you think it s hard having a pet here in the city? If yes, why? LH: Well, I think that having a pet isn t really hard. Everything depends on you. If you do what you re supposed to do everyday and grow accustomed to it won t be so difficult. SUN: What kind of pets do you have? JA: I have many pets on my father s land in Honduras. I have cows, horses, and dogs. SUN: Have you had any pets in the past? JA: In the past I ve had a dog and a spider monkey. SUN: What are a few of the things you enjoy doing with your pets? JA: With my dogs I like to play fetch and with my horses I like to race. I have pets because they re interesting and because they keep me busy. SUN: Why did you decide to have a pet? JA: I decided to have a pet because it keeps me company. SUN: Do you think it s hard having a pet here in the city and why? JA: I don t think it s hard having a pet in the city but I don t have pets in the city. They are all in Honduras. PETS cont d, page 11 My favorite type of music is R&B and hip-hop. My favorite artist is 112. My favorite song is Cupid, by 112. I admire Mary J. Blige. If I had one chance to hang out with one artist it would be Bow Wow. Maria Li l Laughter Garcia, seventh grade Letter from the SUN Editor to the EMS Teachers: My favorite type of music is hip-hop. My favorite artist is Beyonce. My favorite song is We Fly High. I admire Beyonce. If I had one chance to hang out with one artist it would be Bow Wow. Zuri Ze Ze Seniga seventh grade My favorite type of music is hip-hop. My favorite artist is Mary J. Blige. My favorite song is Walk it out. I admire TLC. If I had one chance to hang out with one artist it would be Chris Brown. Ayonna Aonna Currington, seventh grade If any of your students have good writing material, we could really use it in our newspaper! It would be really great if you could send me any writing assignments you feel other studentsshould read. (You can put the pieces in the 826 mailbox in the main office.) Thank you for your time. [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] 7

8 Arnold Schwarzenegger was just reelected as Governor of California. I think he stinks out loud. He needs to use his money to buy a big box of Tag and Axe body spray. He stinks so much that I want to kick his bottom dollar and fifty cents. Here are three reasons why I think he is messing up California with his new policies, and why I think he should not be Governor: What he has done to our schools He has cut funds for schools, which is cutting education, which is why California test scores are way low. According to No- Arnold.com, he made a deal with the California Teacher s Association to decrease K- 12 funding, and they got $2 billion dollars, half of which is in unconstitutional funds. California s per pupil funds are $6,500, compare that to New York which provides nearly $11,000 for each student. Many people have problems. Often the answers are right under their noses and they just need a little guidance. As a good observer, I decided to try an advice experiment. This will be the first in a series of Everett advice columns. I asked my mom, Evarista Morales, if she had any problems in her life and she said, Yes I do, son. And then I asked her what was wrong? She answered, Well, I have a lot bills to pay and I am really stressed out. What can I do? (She played along like if I would give her real advice.) I said to try to relax and do one bill at a time. She actually listened to me! My mom actually took my advice. After this, she was more relaxed about paying her bills and is doing okay. After my mom s advice session worked, I asked my sister about her problems, but she just thwacked me on the head. Instead, I asked my cousin who I knew had a lot of problems and who would probably be willing to talk to me. He had problems with his girlfriend and he thought he did not spend enough time with her, so he was scared she might dump him. I told him to ask her if he thinks they spend enough time together. He told me that she said, Yeah. But try to hang out more with me than your friends. Seeing that this advice stuff really works, I checked out Dear Abby s website which helps people who need more advice than I can give, because I am only a beginner at advice. I would recommend that if you want to get advice from a professional, like Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby), dearabby.com is a good source. My advice for all you guys out there is Opinion Why Arnold Stinks His views on immigration (racism) He wants everyone to speak English, even though he could not when he first came here. He is trying to change the law to only allow English speakers to take the driver s license exam. I think that he is being racist by not letting people from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba, and Asia become drivers. Just because he was forced to learn English we should not have to. His intolerance He does not let people who love each other of the same sex get married, he vetoed a gay-marriage bill. Just because he is straight does not mean everyone else has to be. He wants everybody to be exactly the same, so it is illegal for a man to marry another man or a woman to marry another woman. What is next? Taking out the Castro from San Francisco, California? Alberto Garcia Advice Everett Advice to try not to break up with your girlfriends by not fighting with them, and taking good care of them. Talk to them, and most of all do not get on their bad side trust me, you do not want to! OK girls, here is some relationship advice for you. Here are some signals that your boyfriend does not like you anymore: Signal #1: He might try to run or turn away from you in the hallways or when you are with your friends. Signal #2: He might be talking to another girl and you don t really see it. They could just be friends, or are they Signal #3: If he has your phone number and he s not calling you like usual, well that means he is mad at you or you did something to upset him that day. But, it might also mean that he wants to break up with you. Signal #4: Your boyfriend might not be answering your calls when he knows you are calling. Well, I do not have any advice for that kind of problem, but you could talk to him privately. If he is not into you anymore just break up, he was not the right guy for you anyway and there s plenty more out there. If you need any more advice come up to me in the halls or at lunch, because I really want to help you people with your problems. I have had a lot of problems and have worked through them, so that is why I think I can help you out. Till the next issue Rock your problems out! Peace. Eduardo Saul Guzmán Morales The ABC s of PE by Jose Olivares Rodriguez Why is Physical Education class (PE) important? PE is important because students need to be in a good shape. If they are in good shape, they stay a healthy weight and can run fast and play sports. If you are healthy you can stretch well and are more flexible. When asked why students have to take PE. Terry Yu, an Everett seventh grader responded, So they can learn how to play more sports. When asked why PE is important Terry said, [You need it] for your physical education and so you can be in good shape. Students at Everett take PE one hour each day. Students go to the yard for PE where they play soccer, basketball, kickball, baseball, and softball. If it is raining the students have to go into the gym for PE Also, if the students have to take the Pacer test that students take in PE they are not outside, but in the gym. When the students take the Pacer the teacher puts a CD into the radio and when the students hear a pip noise they have to run to the other side of the gym. They continue by Ochir Ganzorig People have many opinions about what cars should be like. They also drive many different types of vehicles. Kate, a 31-year-old nurse, owns a 2000 Toyota Camry. She thinks cars should be safe, and have a nice color. She prefers SUVs to other cars. According to her, older cars had bad shapes and were not strong. She says that if she could design her own car it would be eco-friendly, and it would have a good audio player and air conditioner. Kevin Lee owns a 2004 Audi A4. He said that his car is very fast, but uses a lot of gas. He thinks cars should be comfortable, but should also be safe. Kevin said that cars have changed a lot from when he was a child, Cars [now] use much less gas, and they became smaller, and some technical stuff. There are navigation systems and people use them for remembering places and not getting lost. Some navigation systems have voice recognition and it tells when or where to turn. Lee said, If I had a chance to make a car, it would have lots of space because I have a big by Terry Yu Street racing is very popular in Tokyo, Japan. It s talked about in the movie, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Racing should take place on a racing track because it is not as dangerous as it is on the street. If an accident happens on the track, there are people there to help the racer. The police are involved in street racing, too, because they try to stop the people from racing. In an interview, Everett Middle School student seventh grader Chingun Ganzorig talked about a street race he saw outside of his bedroom window in thefillmore District. When asked where he thought street racing should take place, he answered: Where there are no cars or people. Ganzorig said many Dream Cars Street Racing running back and forth until the teacher says to stop. Our PE classes usually happen outside though, where there is no grass in the yard, only concrete. Sometimes students fall on the concrete and get hurt. When asking Eduardo Guzman an Everett seventh grader, if he thinks we run too much, and is it hard, he answered, Yes, we run too much and it is very hard. When asked if he feels safe in PE he responded, Yes, I just don t like it because they never give us free time. When asked if he could change one thing about PE he answered, more free time. Chingun Ganzorig, another Everett seventh grader thinks we need PE Because we need to work out a lot we need to be in a good shape. Does he think PE is important when we go to high school? Not if you were good at it in middle school. Everyone has to take PE here at Everett. Try to have a good time and have fun. PE is one of the most important subjects in school because students need to be in good shape. family. It would use less gas, and it would have a DVD player and a TV for my kids to watch cartoons. Seventh grader Mark Baucox s parents drive a black Volkswagen. They have owned the car for six years. According to Baucox, it is very strong and it has very good mileage. If Mark had a chance to make his own car it would be a hover car with a tank body, painted blue with a giant white strip right in the middle. Inside, it would have a TV, comfortable seats, and an ice maker. Mark says that he hopes cars in the future will all hover and turn in to suit cases, just like the Jetsons. Police cars, Mark added would have blaster guns inside them. The way cars are made right now, the environment is suffering. Our cars still have a way to go before they are perfected. Perhaps in the future cars will be more eco-friendly and have another fuel source. In the future, maybe there will be faster cars and more free roads for speed, but for now cars will stay this way until they are improved. people showed up for the race. When asked if he thinks street racing is cool for people, he answered: No, because they might die and hurt themselves. And they may block the highway. In street racing, racers push the gas hardest they can and they race someone. The problem is street racing is illegal. Some people think street racing is cool or exciting, but they need to remember that street racing is illegal. It is dangerous and could lead to life-threatening accidents. Maybe the city could build a track for the people who want to race? We could change street racing to track racing. This could stop the dangerous parts of street racing and then everyone could enjoy racing. 8 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS]

9 Your Horoscope: Do You Believe Everything You Read? by Elizabeth Jeronimo and Mayra Ayala How many Everett students go to MySpace, the Internet, or even their cell phones each day to check their horoscopes? Do you read your friends horoscopes? Do you wonder who you re compatible with? Do you always believe what you read? To answer these questions and more, the SUN interviewed a professional astrologer, Jessica Murray, to find out what she thinks about the horoscopes we all read. Real astrologers don t think much of those columns, she said. When someone says, I m a Libra, it is like drawing a stick figure of a person and calling it a portrait. To really understand a person through astrology, you first must know the exact time and exact place of birth to determine that person s chart. Jessica checks an Ephemeris ( like a calendar of the sky ) to see how and where the planets lined up, and at what longitude and latitude were present when you were born. Based on that information, the astrologer casts a birth chart or a horoscope decodes the patterns of that person s life. Astrologers use the planets to calculate where they were in the sky when you were born. This wheel is called a birth chart. The The classroom lesson given by Ranger Trina and her assistants was so much fun! We learned about different kinds of rocks and they gave us candy that was like the rocks we learned about. We learned about the three main rocks at the Marin Headlands, which are the Pillow Basalt, the Radiolarian Chert, and the Graywacke Sandstone. We also learned about divergent, serpentine, subduction, and convergent movement. The candies we ate were so good because we had a jolly rancher, a gumdrop, and a jellybean. The jellybean is like Pillow Basalt because its color can be grey, black, or green. The texture is shiny and smooth. When the jellybean gets weathered it starts to rust and when it rusts, it gets crumbly and rough. The jolly rancher is like the Radiolarian Chert because it is blocky. The texture is smooth and hard. The jolly rancher has many colors and it does not weather. The gumdrop is like the Graywacke Sandstone. The texture is gritty and rough because Image courtesy of Google of the sugar. It is grey even though it comes in other colors. When the Graywacke Sandstone weathers, it gets rusty just like the Pillow Basalt. When we went hiking for two hours, I learned which rock was which. We really did not get to touch them because it was muddy and wet. A rock we passed by was broken. I think it was a Graywacke Sandstone or a Radiolarian Chert. It was like half of it broke off and made a landslide. I also learned when you go to Point Bonita and you see half of the ground has no rocks and the other half does, the little rocks were from a landslide that happened in the past. We also did an activity with Oreo cookies that was so exciting because we were playing with them. We were talking about how the oceanic plate and the continental plate converged. The oceanic plate was the one with the most icing. The continental plate was the one with the least icing. To demonstrate the oceanic plate and the continental plate converging, we were scooping some icing birth chart shows what signs were in what parts of the sky and where their longitudes and latitudes were located the minute you were born. Each of the symbols in this wheel means something and these symbols represent a part of the self. The Moon represents the feelings, Saturn represents potential fear, Mars represents will, and Jupiter represents aspirations. Then the astrologer looks at the angle. Planets can be 180 degrees or opposed, which means that they are in a tug of war. Jessica Murray was introduced to astrology 35 years ago in a café at 16 th street and Sanchez. There, a man intro duced her to an ancient system of symbols, like hieroglyphics, and the symbols meant a lot of different things. Some astrologers say that they tell the future, said Jessica Murray. [But]I believe that the future is being created at every moment. As an astrologer I m interested in helping people understand their impulses. Though many people don t check their birth chart for details like where their signs were when they were born, they do check what their basic horoscopes are or who they are compatible with. Although, astrologers may not be able to tell your future exactly, horoscopes can be entertaining and even give you a vision of what may happen next. Trip to Point Bonita by Tiana Madayag on the continental plate from the oceanic plate. After a few minutes talking about it, we ate the Oreo cookies. They were so delicious. The field trip to Point Bonita was so fun. I think it was worth it because you can learn from it and it is part of your education. I was so scared to go in the tunnel. It was dark. The tunnel was short though so that means that I was less scared. When I went to cross the bridge to the Point Bonita Lighthouse, I was so scared because the bridge was rocking side-to-side and to me, it felt like it was about to fall. I felt safe when I was done crossing the bridge. I saw the Pillow Basalt rock. It really looked like pillows. We took some pictures. I was so cold there. I was mad because I wanted to see San Francisco, but I could not because of the fog. The view was cool because you could see the ocean splash on the rocks. This field trip was one of my favorite field trips at school in my whole entire life. I would love to go again with my class. Jessica Murray is an astrologer and a writer. Her most recent book is called Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer s View of America. Recently, she sat down for an interview with Straight-Up News reporters Elizabeth Jeronimo and Mayra Ayala and she also answered their questions by . SUN: What is astrology? JM: Astrology works by the ancient principle of Hermetic Law*: As above, so below. This means that there are cycles in the sky that are mirrored by cycles down here on Earth. This implies that all of existence is connected. So by looking at one part of the universe, you can infer meaning about another part of the universe. The reason this works is not because of cause-and-effect; it is because of synchronicity. The planets don t cause things to happen; they just provide the symbolism so that we can see what a particular time period means. Their positions are used like a great big clock. SUN: Is astrology an art or a science? JM: Though many people mean different things by the two words, I ll apply my definitions here to say that astrology is a science in the sense that it is a system of techniques that seeks to explain human and natural phenomena. It is an art in the sense that the results get interpreted by a reader -- the astrologer-- in a way that allows for the mystery of inspiration. SUN: Why are so many people interested in astrology? JM: I think because people realize, in their hearts, that the universe is an interconnected whole, and astrology is based on that. People intuitively know that their lives have meaning, and that s the whole thing astrology emphasizes. Also, modern religions have lost their credibility for a lot of people. So the ancient truths fill a gap. Science Trip to Point Bonita by Jessica Hernandez Classroom Lesson: Ranger Trina came to our classroom to give us a lesson. She told us that we were going to have a field trip on Thursday. She said that we would see three kinds of rocks at Point Bonita. The three were Radiolarian Chert, Graywacke Sandstone, and Pillow Basalt. She said we would see them at Point Bonita. She made us look at some rocks and try to figure out what their names were. Oreo Activity: At the field trip we were talking about how mountains are formed. As an example we used the Oreo cookies the Ranger gave us for the activity. We had to split the cookie so all the cream would be on one side. The side with all the cream represented the Continental Plate. The Ranger said that when the Oceanic Plate rubs against the Continental Plate they form mountains in the edges of the continents. SUN Staff: Erika Aguilar Mayra Ayala Mark Baucox Arturo Cabrera Ochir Ganzorig Alberto Garcia Maria Garcia Chingun Gonzorig Eduardo Guzman Morales Elizabeth Jeronimo Bill Mak Tania Moreno Jose Olivares Malena Osborne Scout Parker Lamonte Player Cynteria Ragler Tara San Karen Tran SUN: What signs are compatible with other signs and why is that? JM: By this I assume you mean Sun signs. It is a popular misconception that a person s chart can be reduced to a single sign, but (when you read your horoscope in the newspaper) this is just shorthand, not real astrology. Astrologers take into account what each of (at least) ten planets (the Sun and Moon count here) were doing at the time of birth. We calculate what sign each one of them was in. A person may have a Sun in Cancer (which is what people mean when they say I m a Cancer ) but five other planets in Gemini. That makes a difference in how they come across and what their life purpose is. SUN: What would you recommend for a couple that seems to get along, but are incompatible astrologically? JM: It s very complicated, involving a breakdown of all the different planets in the two charts -- not just the Sun -- all the different houses those planets are in, and all the different aspects (geometrical angles) between those planets. Astrologers can look at two charts and see a lot of things that don t show on the surface. All couples have certain parts of the relationship that are smooth and other parts that aren t smooth. Astrology believes that they were drawn to each other for a very specific set of karmic reasons -- not necessarily the reasons the people think. *Hermetic Law can be defined as a set of religious and philosophical beliefs that go back to the early centuries of the first millennium. At the Lighthouse: When we got to the lighthouse we had to cross a bridge. It was a small but scary bridge. When Sarah and I were crossing we were scared because we looked down and saw the water crashing into the rocks below us. When we got to the other side we started searching for a rock. When we found it the Ranger said we were correct. Was it worth it? This field trip was worth it because I learned about three different rocks. It was a beautiful view over there. The breeze of the water hitting my face was nice. We saw some animals on the way there. When we were done with the trip we ate our lunch in the visitors center. It was warm and I liked it. Terry Yu Alejandro Guzman Cesar Linares Christián García Cristián Vásquez Jessica Urbina Nina Wong Rowel Factor Salvador Patiño Victor Molina Rupinder Kaur Jesus Alvarez Tiana Madayag Jessica Hernandez [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] 9

10 OWLS BARRY Cont d from page 3 Cont d from front page This season the team won four out of seven games; this improvement can be credited to the girls experience with the sport. Most of the members had been playing for two or three years. Working with fourteen girls, the Lady Owls never had to forfeit a single game this year. When asked what she likes about the team, Sharmila Kitterell, eighth grader, and co-captain of the Lady Owls, said, I liked the team this year because softball is one of the best sports and I enjoy playing it. The team had a good attitude toward enjoying the game. It helps them become confident and have good sportsmanship. Kitterell added, SHOE Cont d from page 6 Guzman tells us that shoe brand and style matter to the students at Everett. He affirms that Jordans are the most popular shoes at Everett. He spent about $200 for his Air Jordans #4 although his mom expressed concern they were too expensive. His dad also wants him to wear black shoes, but Guzman prefers I think the star players are Malena Osborne and myself. The Lady Owls won a victory against the top schools in the division, Marina and Francisco Middle Schools. Last year when Everett played these teams the Owls were not the best and they lost by many points. This year they tried their best and finally began to work as a team. In order to make it to the playoffs Everett needed to win two more games. Kitterell said, I think we should ve won the games against Claire Lilienthal and Roosevelt, because they were kind of easy games to win, Claire Lilienthal Alternative School and Roosevelt Middle School were at the bottom of the division. many different colors and designs and styles of shoes. Today he wore a pair of green and black skater-style FILA shoes. He says that at Everett, basketball shoes are more popular than skater shoes. Overall, students say that their parents mostly do not care what shoes they wear as long as they are In practice, the team should have focused more on catching and swinging the softball. They made mistakes that should not have been made. Maybe we could have worked on more catching and a little more hitting, said Kitterell. During the first two games, the team did not work together because of the lack of communication: they did not know each other, but as time drew on they began to work as the Lady Owls. This year the team was good, but there is definitely room for improvement. Even though the team did not make it to the championship this year, the vast change in the stats from past seasons have given the team hope for upcoming years. not too expensive. But students differ on whether or not shoes matter to them. Students avoid blue and red by wearing predominantly black and white Nikes that are the in shoes right now. Because the dress code is restrictive, many students wear different kinds of shoes to express themselves. Coach David Speidel, avid Giants fan, about what he thought the Giants might be like without Barry Bonds. It depends on who stays with the Giants, Speidel said. The Giants have eleven other free agents, he explained, and they are all good players. If these players sign on to other teams, the Giants may be in trouble. They will be less of an offensive threat, Speidel added. When asked what would happen to corporate sponsorship if Bonds leaves, Speidel noted, Most sponsorships will stay Image courtesy of the Baseball Hall of Fame because they are associated with the Giants and the park. improve their defensive game and acquisitions of pitching talent could He added, I think some of the balance out the loss of Bonds. With sponsorship will go away. out the attention of the media on If Bonds does not play for Barry Bonds, the Giants can focus the Giants in the 2007 season, the better on baseball than before. Giants will have more money to The season of 2007 will be a spend on other players. This could mystery for the Giants because help the team. For example, they nobody knows if Barry Bonds will might improve their pitching staff stay. What will the Giants look by resigning Jason Schmidt. Such like? Time will decide. DECISIONS Cont d from front page Students can also prepare for high school in a few different ways. They can get good grades, do their assignments, work on extra credit projects, and get involved with after school activities. Ms. Smith also gives another suggestion to help students prepare for high school. She says, By studying, [and] asking questions about the high school they want to choose, [and learning] about the high school entry and exit requirements. Location is an important part of choosing a high school. For instance, George Washington High School is out in the Sunset District, Lowell Alternative High School is by There really isn t a best high school, it depends on the interests from the student. Mr. J. J. Cortez, Everett Middle School counselor San Francisco State, and John O Connell High School of Technology is in the Mission District. The location is something to consider as far as transportation goes when deciding on a school because it has an effect on the time it takes to arrive. It would effect their transportation depending that the students either use one or more Muni lines or to take the BART train, which might increase their commute. Everett s counselors are familiar with San Francisco s high schools, because they have worked at some before coming to Everett. Ms. Smith worked at the International Studies Academy (ISA) for a year, she thought that ISA was OK because a lot of the students have already have their minds made up as to whether they were going to pass or fail. She learned that the newest and most challenging thing in high school is the exit exam, the high schools expect students to be independent and to have self help skills. Mr. Cortez on the other hand, taught in students freshmen year English, and he also taught ELD students. He also mentioned the high school application deadlines were coming up, so that students should start selecting what three high schools they would like to attend. We are at the stages where students should start researching and meeting with their counselor. The eighth grade Parents Night [was on] November 8 th, and the reason I m giving that date is because [that s when] students and their parents [should have] information about the high school selection process and application, noted Mr. Cortez. DECISIONES Cont. del frente Escoger la mejor escuela para cada alumno de Everett depende en los intereses del alumno. En realidad no exista tal cosa como la mejor escuela secundaria, dijo Cortez. Depende en los intereses del estudiante. Basándonos en esos intereses, podemos recomendar la mejor escuela secundaria para ellos. Por ejemplo, si un alumno quiere obtener habilidades técnicas, entonces él ó ella puede probablemente atender John O Connell High School porque es una escuela técnica. El Sr. Cortez dijo que los estudiantes pueden decidirse en una escuela secundaria con investigar los diferentes tipos de programas que ofrecen las diferentes escuelas secundarias y también visitando esas escuelas secundarias. Alumnos también pueden prepararse para la escuela secundaria en varias maneras. Pueden tener buenas calificaciones, terminar sus tareas, trabajar en proyectos de crédito extra e involucrarse en actividades de después-de-escuela. Al estudiar (y) hacer preguntas sobre la escuela secundaria que quieren escoger, dijo Smith, [ellos] aprenden sobre los requisitos de entrada y salida de escuela secundaria. Otra parte del proceso de decisión que deben de considerar es la ubicación de la escuela porque afecta el tiempo que se toma en llegar. Washington se encuentra en el distrito Sunset, Lowell está por San Francisco State, y John O Connell está en el distrito de la Mission. Los alumnos utilizan una ó más de las líneas de Muni ó toman BART para llegar a sus escuelas secundarias. Algunos consejeros de Everett también fueron parte del personal en las escuelas secundarias. La Srta. Smith trabajó en la escuela secundaria ISA por un año. Ella dijo que la escuela estaba bien porque la mayoría de los estudiantes ya habían decidido si iban a pasar ó no. Ella aprendió que uno de los aspectos nuevos y más difíciles en la escuela secundaria es el examen de salida, además de que se espera que los estudiantes de secundaria sean independientes y puedan ayudarse a sí mismos. En contraste, el Sr. Cortez ha enseñado ELD y clases de primer año de inglés. También mencionó que las fechas de cierre para las aplicaciones de escuela secundaria se estaban acercando, entonces estudiantes deben de empezar a escoger las tres escuelas a las que quieran atender. Estamos en la etapa en la que alumnos deben de empezar a investigar y tener citas...con sus consejeros. Thank you to the following Everett staff and Straight-Up News volunteers for making this issue such a success! Mr. Bilios Ms. Brown Ms. Cantrell Ms. Case Mr. Cortez Mr. De Santis Mr. Duran Ms. Estrella Ms. Ginsburg Ms. Romero Ms. Rueda Ms. Schaadt Ms. Smith Mr. Speidel Mr. Urbina Michele Ayala Jenny Argueta Jo Ann Brothers Todd Chapman Mark de la Viña Darren Dieguez Linda Gebroe Pam Grisman Dylan Houle Emily Jocson Eugenie Howard Johnston Felipe Motta Luke Lambert Vinnie Linares Lindsey Pace Terry Pan Ryan Purdy Nancy Stait Jennifer Tanguay Chris Tillisch Liberty Velez Amethyst Ware Dan Weiss 10 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS]

11 HISTORY Cont d from front page / Cont. del frente called The Roaring 20s. The founder of this school, who was he? He was Mr. Edward Everett, who was known as a really great speaker. The most famous and prominent fact about Mr. Everett was that he was the main speaker at President Lincoln s famous Gettysburg Address back in November of It was more than a hundred years ago that he decided to found this school. Mr. Dunsmore, a retired Everett teacher, was a student here at Everett. Then he became a teacher and taught here for ten years as a gardener on the school grounds. Because he has worked here for so long, he knows a lot of the history of this school. Mr. Dunsmore mentioned several stories about the school, including a rumor about a girl that died in a swimming pool. This pool was supposedly here in Everett, but it was actually at Mission Pool, which is located between 19 th Street and Valencia Street. It is said that the rumor originated at Everett, but then the rumor was transferred to the Mission Pool. In 1958, Edward Rueda, the father of Denise Rueda the current Everett Parent Liaison, was a teacher and then Vice Principal of Everett Middle School. Both her mother and father were students here at Everett a long time ago. Her father started working here at Everett as a custodian. Edward Rueda was also a track coach in his time here at Everett Middle School. One of his students was the infamous OJ Simpson. He was a student at Everett Middle School a long time ago and was in Mr. Rueda s class. Denise Rueda also said that even Al Cowlings, OJ Simpson s alleged accomplice was also here and studied at this school. There is more than just these few stories in the history of Everett. There is more than just this information if one looks for it. The history of Everett doesn t stop with Mr. Everett, Mr. Dunsmore, or Mr. Rueda, it continues on and will as long as the school thrives with each generation. En Español Todos los que atienden a esta escuela saben algo sobre la historia de Everett, pero de veras saben toda la historia? Saben los alumnos sobre rumores muy antiguos y cosas que ocurrieron en la escuela hace mucho tiempo? En este artículo todos podrán ver y leer algunos interesantes detalles sobre la historia de esta escuela y entenderán un poco más a esta escuela. Sabían que Everett Middle School se construyó sobre un campo de maíz? Han pasado ya más de 80 años desde la fundación y construcción de esta escuela y cubre un tanto de 4.2 acres. La escuela misma tiene una historia muy larga que se data allá por los 1920s, que se conocen también como los los locos años veinte. Quién fue el fundador de esta escuela? Ese fue el Sr. Edward Everett, quien se conocía como un gran declamador cuando estaba vivo. El hecho más prominente y famoso acerca del Sr. Everett es que fue el declamador principal durante la famos Declamación de Gettysburg del Presidente Lincoln en noviembre de Fue hace más de 100 años atrás que decidió fundar esta escuela. El Sr. Dunsmore fue un alumno de Everett. Después se volvió maestro y enseñó aquí por diez años antes de retirarse. Hoy en día, él trabaja como jardinero en la escuela. Porque ha trabajado aquí por tanto tiempo, él conoce mucha de la historia de esta escuela. Durante una entrevista, el Sr. Dunsmore empezó a hablar sobre una niña que murió en una piscina. Desafortunadamente este es un rumor muy antiguo y en actualidad Everett nunca tuvo una piscina. Esa piscina se dice que estaba aquí en Everett, pero en actualidad es la Piscina Mission, que se encuentra entre la 19 Avenida y Valencia. En 1958, el Sr. Edward Rueda, padre de Denise Rueda, quien trabaja en la Aula de Padres, era maestro, entrenador de atletismo, y subdirector de Everett Middle School. Ambos, la mamá y papá de Denise fueron estudiantes de Everett hace mucho tiempo. Su papá empezó a trabajar aquí en Everett en el departamento de custodia. Se puede encontrar más información sobre la familia Rueda y hasta sobre la historia de la escuela. Uno de los estudiantes del Sr. Rueda fue el muy conocido O.J. Simpson. Denise Rueda dice que Al Cowlings, el alegado cómplice de O.J. Simpson, también estudió en esta escuela. Esto es sólo una pequeña pieza de todo lo que se investigó. Hay mucha más información si uno quiere encontrarla. La historia de Everett Middle School no para con el Sr. Everett ó con el Sr. Dunsmore. Continuará en cuanto la escuela siga en conjunto con cada generación. La historia de Everett Middle School continuará a crecer con el paso de los años y con cada uno de sus alumnos y miembros de la facultad. CONSTRUCTION PETS Cont d from front page Cont d from page 7 Maria de Jesus Garcia, 7 th Grade 3 rd floor boys bathroom Everett Library construction According to Principal Francisco Duran, The project will fix bathrooms, fire alarms, sprinkler systems, replace countertops, and make the school more accessible to disabled people. The school will also receive improved flooring, doors and other things to increase the school s appeal. In an interview with a student at Everett, he believed that the bungalows take up too much space and reduce the amount of play space. The noise of installing systems into the building disturbs this student s focus during class. Principal Francisco Duran himself prefers the school building, but is glad to be able to use bungalows. Some of the work has already started, such as the third floor renovations and the addition of the bungalows. The bungalows are for students from the third floor classrooms. When they finish renovating the third floor they will begin on the second floor. We may not be able to see some results until next year. The school layout will not change with the renovation. Principal Duran has stated that he will try to minimize any problems and inconveniences that may result from this temporary switch. The choices of the renovation will be a long-term investment. However the change, we will need to make adjustments. For our present time however, we will need to use the bungalows and will wait for the changes to happen. SUN: What kind of pet do you have? MG: I have a dog that s a Chihuahua and a miniature pincher mix. SUN: Have you had any pets in the past? MG: I had two fish, two hamsters, and a cat. SUN: What things do you like to do with your pet? MG: I like to play tug of war. I also like to take him to the park and see him run around. SUN: Why did you decide to have a pet? MG: I decided to have a pet because I like animals. My favorite animal is a dog. SUN: Do you think it s hard having a pet in the city? Why? MG: Yes because in the city it s more likely that a car will hit them if you let them loose. John Flanagan, substitute teacher SUN: What kind of pet do you have? MF: I have a cat named Suki. SUN: Have you had any pets in the past? MF: I ve had a couple of dogs, some cats, two fish, a turtle, a hamster, and a mouse. SUN: What activities do you do with your pet? MF: In the dark she chases the light of the flashlight. She also enjoys playing with string and the caps of drinks. SUN: Why do you have a pet? MF: It came with my girlfriend, but I love animals. SUN: Is it difficult to have a pet in the city and why? MF: Sometimes it makes traveling difficult. Generally, cats are easy to take care of. The SUN gets a special tour of the construction with the general contractors and project managers Images courtesy of Bill Mak Everett is teeming with people who have pets. It just takes a little bit of time to find out what those pets are. I, for one, had a great time hearing about the people who have pets. Once in a while some people get bored without a pet to cuddle or play with, so they start asking their caretakers if they can have one. Everett is a place you could think of as a forest or a jungle because of the variety of pets people have here. [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS] 11

12 MENCIA Cont d from front page / Cont. del frente SUN: Does anyone take your jokes too seriously? CM: I don t think a lot of people take me too seriously because I really don t get that much hate mail. But the people that take it seriously take it way too seriously. In the end, I am a comedian on a comedy show on a comedy network telling jokes. If you re going to take anybody seriously, it should be the president of the United States or Osama bin Laden. Don t take me seriously. I m just a glorified court jester. SUN: Was there any point where you thought you were going to be in a gang? CM: No, I never ever thought that I was going to be in a gang. That just was never an option for me. First of all, my parents never would have allowed that to happen, and secondly, I wanted to make something with my life. No matter what, I always had hope. If there is anything I can do to keep hope alive in young kids growing up in disadvantaged neighborhoods, that s it just the hope that they can be as successful or more successful than me. For me, that is [the] really, really relevant part of what I do out there. Just the fact that I m successful, I hope that shines the light on hope. I had that growing up. I always knew that I would get out of the ghetto. I always knew that I would own a nice house, whether it was by getting straight A s in school and becoming an engineer or by doing what I do. I truly don t believe your will to accomplish involves anybody else but yourself. You have to believe you will make it happen. Every success story is filled with I knew this was going to happen. I think people that don t think that way allow the intrusion of negativity to stop them. And then you end up not doing it. I think that champions always know that they re going to be champions. You can tell when you re watching a Super Bowl which team really believes it s going to win it. It s that thought process, that feeling, that gut thing. I think you need to have that. SUN: What inspired you to be a comedian? CM: My friends. I was a straight-a student. I was getting good grades, going to college. I always thought that was my way out. I never thought I was funny. My friends would always laugh at my comments. But the funny thing was I would get mad because I was like, Dude, I m not trying to be funny. And they d say, I know, that s why it s so funny, man. Your face! You should see your face! I tried it because of my friends. It has nothing to do with me. I never thought I would be a comedian. I never thought of telling jokes. I never thought that would be an avenue that I would ever want to pursue. It wasn t glamorous to me. It wasn t anything. I didn t even know what stand-up comedy was until my friends were like, Dude, you need to be a comedian. I was like What s that? They were the ones that did it for me. There was a time when I flew a Cesna 806 (airplane) and I was going to be a pilot. And all that went away the minute I went on stage. En Español SUN: Hay gente que toma tus chistes muy en serio? CM: No creo que mucha gente me tome muy en serio porque en realidad no recibo muchas cartas de odio. Pero la gente que lo toma en serio lo toma muy en serio. Al final de todo, yo soy un comediante en un programa de comedia en un canal de comedia contando chistes. Si vas a tomar alguien en serio, debe de ser el presidente de los Estados Unidos ó Osama bin Laden. No me tomes en serio. Solamente soy un juglar de corte glorificado. SUN: Hubo alguna ocasión en que creíste que ibas a ser parte de una pandilla? CM: No, yo nunca creí que iba ser miembro de una pandilla. Esa simplemente nunca fue una opción para mí. Antes que todo, mis padres nunca hubieran permitido que eso pasara, y por segundo, yo quería hacer algo con mi vida. Fuera lo que fuera, yo siempre tuve esperanza. Si hay alguna cosa que pueda hacer para mantener la esperanza viva en niños que crecen en vecindarios de bajos recursos, eso es solamente la esperanza que pueden triunfar como yo ó ser más triunfantes que yo. Para mí, esa es verdaderamente la parte más relevante de lo que yo hago. Solamente el hecho de que he I think that champions always know that they re going to be champions. Carlos Mencia, Comedian triunfado, espero que eso de luz a la esperanza. Yo tenía eso al crecer. Yo siempre creí que iba a salir del ghetto. Siempre supe que iba ser dueño de una casa bonita, sea por obtener puras As en la escuela y hacerme un ingeniero ó haciendo lo que hago, siempre supe que pasaría. Yo de veras no creo que tu voluntad en hacer algo involucra cualquier otra persona. Tienes que creer que lo harás. Todas historias de éxito están llenas de yo sabía que iba a pasar. Yo creo que las personas que no piensan así permiten que la intromisión de negatividad los detenga. Y después paras sin hacer nada. Yo creo que campeones siempre saben que van a ser campeones. Puedes darte cuenta cuando miras el Super Bowl que equipo de veras cree que va ganarlo. Es ese proceso de pensar, ese sentimiento, esa cosa que sientes adentro. Yo creo que debes de tener eso. SUN: Que te inspiró a ser comediante? CM: Mis amigos. Yo era un estudiante con puras As. Tenía buenas calificaciones, atendía la universidad. Siempre creí que ese era mi escape. Nunca creí que era chistoso. Mis amigos siempre se reían de mis comentarios. Pero lo chistoso es que yo me enojaba porque decía, Pero mira, no estoy tratando de ser chistoso. Y ellos decían, Yo sé, pero por eso da risa, hombre. Tú cara! Deberías de ver tu cara! Y lo probé debido a mis amigos. No tenía que ver nada conmigo. Nunca creí que iba a ser comediante. Nunca se me ocurrió contar chistes. Nunca creí que ese fuera un camino que yo quisiera seguir. No me era atractivo. No era nada. No sabía ni que era ser cómico hasta que mis amigos estaban con eso de, Hombre, necesitas ser un cómico. Y dije Que es eso. Ellos fueron quienes lo hicieron por mi. Hubo un tiempo en que yo volé un Cesna 806 (aeroplano) y iba a ser piloto. Y todo eso se fue la primera vez que me paré en el escenario. INUYASHA Cont d from page 5 FUNNY Cont d from page 4 SPORTS / DEPORTES Cont d from page 3 / Cont. de pagina 3 mantic comedies she had been writing. The television series, Inuyasha debuted in 2000 and ended in 2004, the TV series consisted of 167 episodes and spawned major films. Unfortunately, the anime ended before the manga did. Rumiko recently stated that the series would continue to be at least 500 chapters, or 50 volumes, making it her longest work since Takahashi s professional career began in Takahashi is the best selling female comic artist in history. More than 100 million copies of works have been sold. Because of this, she is often called the Princess of Manga. Today Inuyasha is arguably her most popular work with both male and female readers, in Japan and in the United States. Fans of the manga series can find the show Inuyasha on the Cartoon Network (ch 54) Tuesday through Friday at 12:30 and 4:00 am. and her son destroy their nice visit. Her son wants to break up Shrek and Fiona so he can have a chance with her. The funniest part of Shrek 2 is when the gingerbread man falls in the water, Said Scout Parker, a seventh grader at Everett. The last funny movie on the top five list is Click. This movie is about a workaholic architect, played by Adam Sandler. He finds a universal remote that can rewind or fast-forward his life. But then the remote turns on him and tries to overrule his choices. This movie is sort of funny but I still like it. I like the part where he fast-forwards the fight he has with his wife, said Emerald Dan, an eighth grader at Westlake. In conclusion, these movies are all funny. Many people have different opinions, but I think we can all agree that these movies make you laugh at least once. In English NOT The Raiders are NOT hot because they have lost too many games this season, which puts them at the bottom of their league National Football Council (NFC). They have butterfingers and cannot hold on to the ball. They do not run fast enough to avoid getting tackled. The soccer team, Chivaz (from Mexico), are NOT hot because they constantly miss the goals. The other teams steal the ball from them all the time. They do not past the ball to their teammates and a team cannot win with only one player and the coach gets mad. The Oakland A s are NOT hot because they are the Giants rivals. They sometimes play well but they play poorly more often. En Español MALO Los Raiders no están buenos porque han perdido muchos partidos esta temporada, colocándolos en los últimos lugares de su liga, el NFC. No pueden sostener la pelota, es como si tuvieran grasa en las manos. No corren lo suficientemente rápido para evitar ser atacados. Me siento mal por ellos. El equipo de fútbol mexicano las Chivas es malo porque constantemente falla en sus goles. No le pasan la pelota a sus compañeros. Un equipo no puede ganar con un sólo jugador y el entrenador se enoja. Los Oakland As no están buenos porque son los rivales de los Giants. A veces juegan bien, pero la mayoría del tiempo juegan mal. 12 [STRAIGHT-UP NEWS]