December 2005 - Lincoln East High School - Lincoln Public Schools

I heart iPods
2005 Year
Another year, another
iPod. With fi ve new iPods in 2005
alone (the One More Thing fi fth
generation, the special Harry Potter
iPod, the Shuffle, the Nano, and
the iPod with video) it seems that as
soon as you’ve bought your brand
new iPod there is already another
out. But give Apple credit. Most of
the time there really is a cool new
feature that sets the latest one
apart from the old ones… smaller
size, more songs, or even a video
player. You can always count on
iPod to be at the forefront in mp3
player technology.
Reality check
Reality TV has been the oxymoron of
the entertainment world since “The Real
World” debuted in 1992. While many reality
shows have come and gone such as “Joe
Millionaire” and more recently “The Simple
Life”, others seem to have staying power.
“American Idol”, “The Apprentice” and seasons
11 and 12 of “Survivor” are scheduled
to air next year, while season 17 of “The Real
World” is also due.
Even scripted reality shows like “Laguna
Beach” capture huge audiences. Many celebrities
exploit their lives as springboards to go
further than a reality show. Even
though “Newlyweds” and
the marriage are over,
Nick Lachey will star
in a WB newlywed
sitcom. Reality shows
have paved the way
for creating network
dramas such as ‘Lost’ and
“Desperate Housewives”. Such dramas have
shone bright in this year’s TV ratings.
Zac Taylor photo by Ted Kirk - courtesy of the
Lincoln Journal Star.
Compiled by Jake Meador, Kayla Knott, Tina
Zheng, Jessica Lane, and Sammy Wang.
Photos by Tina Zheng, Jessica Lane, Susanna
Webb, Shuqiao Song, and Erin Brown.
14/Focus December 23, 2005
On Oct. 25, the 2,000 th U.S. soldier died in Iraq. The death count has forged a political rift, causing
many to question the war. The situation even brought U.S. Congressman John Murtha—a Vietnam
veteran and once a hawk about the Iraqi confl ict—from the political shadows into the limelight where
he openly denounced the U.S.’s current role in the Mideast. As a result of the deaths and mounting
nonpartisan criticism, President Bush’s approval rating has plummeted to 34 percent. In fact, 61 percent
of U.S. citizens polled want immediate withdrawal from Iraq.Indeed, there is nothing casual about the
military’s Iraqi-war casualties.
Nebraska soldiers photo courtesy of Gary Baker.
Page design by Sammy Wang.
Going green
SUV lovers are fi nally starting to feel the burn of high gas prices. As
2005 closes, trends show the fall of these infamous gas-guzzlers and the
rise of hybrid and more fuel-effi cient cars, dubbed green vehicles. Honda
has released the revolutionary hydrogen-powered FCX to the Spallinos of
California, the fi rst hydrogen family. These clean machines threaten big
US car manufacturers, like GM and Ford, setting them up for a rollover if
they don’t reform. However, SUV and fuel-effi ciency don’t have to contradict
anymore. Ford’s Hybrid Escape and Toyota’s Hybrid Highlander
have both been released to appease the concerned buyers.
The darker side
of “duh”
Blonde bombshells have had too much fun. Celebrities
such as Renee Zellwegger, Ashlee Simpson, Mary
Kate Olsen, Reese Witherspoon, and Brittany Murphy
decided to throw off their Goldilocks image and try life
on the dark side. And the rage is not predicted to cease
any time soon. The ever-growing list of celebs going dark
is rubbing off on the girls who idolize them. It seems that
many girls were just waiting for someone to lead, for they
are quickly shedding their surfer girl blonde locks for the
deeper, maple look, which is bringing a dark end to the
blonde era that has dominated the heads of many girls
and women for…oh, like a really, really super long time,
probably like more years than I could ever like count on
my fi ngers and toes, like, combined!