Piercing Truth Edition 4 - City of Greater Geelong

What’s inside:
Hosted by
Lara
Secondary
College!
issue #4 spring/summer 09
written by young people for young people
>>Money saving tips
>>>Free Headspace Sticker
>>Cyber bullying
>>Yummy fudge recipe
Take me
I’m FREE

editorial
1
Once again the Piercing Truth is proud to showcase the
opinions and issues the young people of Geelong want to
share with other young people and the community.
Thank you to the students from Lara Secondary College for
their fantastic articles for this edition and thanks also to
Cr. Jan Farrell for her continued support of this magazine.
If you would like to contribute articles, photos or have an
idea for the magazine you can contact us at :youthcan@
geelongcity.vic.gov.au.
Happy reading, from the Editorial Committee
Editorial Committee Kim Sinnott, Van Nguyen,
Tess Goding, Helen Grogan, Allistair McGibbon, Sue and
Mardi
Photograpy-contributions from lots of people
Front cover and back cover illustrations - Annalise Mayer
Proof Reading Helen Grogan, Eve Fischer
and the Youth Development team
Writers Van Nguyen, Marija Kocovski, Kim Sinnott,
Sophie Boustead, Annemeike Oakes, Alastair
McGibbon, Melissa Mclean, Jessica Hobbs,
Matt Haigh, Jasmine Spiller, Emma Wilmott,
Dayle Grixti
Design and Print – Adcell Group
Privacy Notice if you choose to enter or partake in any competitions,
surveys, or offers in this featured issue of Piercing Truth, then you are
required to provide some personal details about yourself to us. In case you
do, they will not be used or given to third parties, unless contacting you in
regard to said promotions.
Who do you think is the hottest
celebrity and why?
David Boreanaz because he plays
the sort of characters you fall in
love with.
Clare Bellhouse
Welcome
to the fourth
edition of the
Piercing Truth!
Sam at the 3rd Birthday Party for Lara Drop-In, showing
his fake tattoo
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the young people writing the articles
and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the city of Greater Geelong

MONEY SAVING TIPS
• Don’t waste money at school canteens (it won’t kill
you to make your own lunch for a week)
• Buy the things you need, not what you want
• Try and save at least a half or more of what you
earn
• Go shopping less
• Don’t get something just to be with the “in crowd”
or to fit in
• Don’t get things you are going to look at once then
toss into the corner
• Get things with multi uses like a dress; you can
wear it as a long top (if it is above knees) or as a
normal dress
• Don’t buy books (borrow a book from a library)
• Don’t waste money on alcohol, drugs or smokes –
you’ll thank yourself in the future
• Don’t get ripped off – if you know what you’re
buying isn’t worth the price on the tag don’t get it
• Do some research – see if you can get a better
price somewhere else
• Borrow something instead of buying it (borrow
clothing or CD, etc, from family or friends)
• Have a limit of how much money you are allowed
to spend a day/ week/ year
• Negotiate a better price with the sales person (for
the more expensive items like a car or a house or a
laptop, etc)
• Wait for a sale
• Don’t get the item you want as soon as possible
if it is a new model and just came out – it gets
cheaper over time
• Don’t waste money on beauty products and
cosmetics, you don’t need make up to look pretty
By Marija Kocovski, Lara
Secondary College, Year 10
Has your wallet been feeling a little thin
lately? Does this leave you wanting even
more money than usual? We have all
been through stages when we feel like
we need more money in our pockets,
especially now when the prices of things
we want have been sky-rocketing.
Here are some easy tips on how to save
some money:
WHAT TO SPEND MONEY ON
• Treats every now and then
• Food (when you are out and about)
• Clothes
• Lingerie
• Shoes
• Stationery items for school or at home
• Sunglasses – not only are they a cool accessory, they
protect your eyes
*Note: It is up to you on how you spend your money, try to
think twice and say to yourself, do I really need this or will I
even use/ wear/ see this again?
TIP: Have an aim that each time you get your pay you will
save, for example 30% of the amount.
What I spend my money on is; clothing I need, not want,
new shoes that I need, treats every now and then, CDs I
must have, food and some accessories. I also like to get
mum a treat when we go out, to say thank you for everything
she has done for me. I don’t waste my money at the school
canteen – doesn’t kill me to pack my own lunch.
Who do you think is
the hottest celebrity
and why?
Brad Pitt- general
concensus and people
with cool eyes
Emily Parratt
2

3
CYBER BULLYING:
Gone are the days wherein the typical
schoolyard bully stood over their cowering victim
initiating the haunting pain that would ruin their
childhood.
We now live in a time of rapid technological
advancement yet it is with this development
that new and possibly even more dangerous
problems concerning teenage bullying have
arisen. So where have the typical bullies gone?
They, instead of facing their victims, are now
merely able to sit behind their computer desk,
orchestrate spiteful, hurtful and unnecessary
pain all the while taking a break from doing their
algebra homework.
This is called cyber bullying.
According to acclaimed website http://
au.reachout.com, Cyber bullying is a form of
bullying which is carried out through an internet
service such as email, chat room, discussion
group, online social networking, instant
messaging or web pages. It can also include
bullying through mobile phone technologies
such as SMS. Spreading rumours online can also
be an extension of this form of bullying.
Cyber bullying is the new way to scrutinise
people and for the perpetrator, the benefits
are obvious. Without seeing a their face,
people are able to escape any feelings of guilt
over spreading rumours about a person. By
way of typed words, which cannot be taken
back, bullies make themselves feel safe while
terrifying and hurting others. The act of bullying,
and especially of cyber bullying is wrong and is
cowardly.
This ugly phenomenon has left victims with
no safe place to hide. Now, not only are
victims being tormented at school or at social
gatherings but are also facing this horrible
reality when they are at home.
Incidents are rapidly rising in numbers, that
is, cyber bullying is steadily becoming a big
problem for youth in Geelong. Police at the
cyber bullying is steadily becoming
a big problem for youth in Geelong.
moment, have started to realise just how
ridiculous this problem has become, forcing
them to raise the issue among young people.
Many schools in the Geelong area have already
been talked to, at both big formal school
assemblies and at more intimate levels in order
to get the main message across: cyber-bullying
is dangerous.
So what happens when this relentless bullying
of an unfortunate victim continues?
Firstly, it is not uncommon for youth to become
depressed or anxious regarding this great issue.
Ongoing bullying could lead to devastating
results. People have been ostracised from
their groups of friends, are gossiped about by
people who don’t even know who they are and
sometimes result to extreme measures when
their depression becomes too hard to handle.

ANOTHER PROBLEM FOR YOUTH
There are a couple of ways to deal with cyber
bullying.
• It may sound easy enough to say, but the trick
is to not let anything hurtful get to you. By
pushing it out of your mind, you are unable to
give the bully what they want.
• Make sure that before you put something
online, it will not come back to haunt you
• There are many people who can help
including your parents, a school teacher or
councillor
It is important to remember that cyber bullying is
merely cowardly and while it may seem harmless
enough to laugh at a new rumour, in actual fact
there is someone suffering.
By Kim Sinnott, Geelong High Year 12
For more information try
www.beyondblue.org.au or
www.reachout.com
if you need to talk to someone you
could call Lifeline 131114 or
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
4

5
What came first,
the music or the
misery? “Did
I listen to music because I was miserable?
Or was I miserable because I listened to music?
Do all those records turn you into a melancholy
person? People worry about kids playing with
guns , and teenagers watching violent videos;
we are scared that some sort of culture of
violence will take them over. Nobody worries
about kids listening to thousands – literally
thousands – of songs about broken hearts and
rejection and pain and misery and loss.”
From the novel High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Recently, Triple J conducted the Hottest 100 of
all time. According to the votes, angst-ridden
anthem “Smells like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana is
the hottest song of all time. Other songs in the
top ten included “Killing in the Name” by Rage
Against the Machine, “Hallelujah” covered by
Jeff Buckley, “Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley
and “Love will tear us apart” by Joy Division.
These songs are about anger, heartbreak,
loneliness and violence. So why do we like
these songs? Do we like being unhappy? Well,
yes, sometimes.
People listen to music because they connect
with it. It conjures memories in a way that
film, books and art are unable to. But why
do we choose to listen to singers sing about
all the horrible things that have happened to
them? Do we want to revel in the knowledge
that it has not happened to us? Of course not,
because it has happened to us. Consider, for
example, the REM song “Everybody hurts”.
Songs can remind us of certain people and
events in time that somehow touched us
emotionally, whether happy or sad. In my
opinion, as a songwriter, I believe that a
songwriter writes well when they are able to
have some element of ambiguity in their lyrics.
This allows their audience to take their song
and apply it to their own life experiences and
hence feel something from their song, even if
it has nothing to do with what the songwriter
was intending to write about.
This, however, does not the question as to why
we seem to want to feel pain. Why do we want
to be reminded of a break up or a death? Are
we sick? Masochistic? Maybe. Humans enjoy
being self absorbed and thinking that their
problems are bigger than everyone else’s. It
makes us feel important. So by listening to
depressing music, we are given the chance to
get wrapped up in our own emotions in our
own world and think, Wow, that was brutal. I’m
never going to be the same again. Of course,
it doesn’t help that songwriters have the
tendency to be melodramatic and in reality,
that guy or girl who you think ruined your life
could well be forgotten in two or three years
when you’re absorbed in your next depressingsong-fuelled
“quarter life crisis”.
Sadness is interesting. It gives us something
to think about. To solve. When you’re happy
there’s nowhere to go, no problem to solve
or plot to resolve. You need to be unhappy
to become happy, have a problem to solve
before you solve the problem. Consider the
classic formula of a book or film: beginning
– introduction, middle – conflict, end –
resolution. Without the conflict we’d get bored.
The movie would have nowhere to go and
we probably wouldn’t want to watch it. The
conflict is what makes it exciting and this is
the same in music. It makes us feel important
and interesting.
Depressing music gives us a chance to vent,
without requiring us to do anything. We
usually feel better by the end of the song, as
someone else understands what we have been
through and knows exactly how to express our
feelings. Even when we are happy, depressing
music may stir emotions that we forgot existed
inside of us and sometimes it may be healthy
to get rid of these feelings before they build up
into something more serious.
So there is no doubting the power of music.
Songwriters have an amazing ability to make
us feel an infinite range of emotions, some of
which we did not even know existed. Some
of my all-time favourite artists include Bright
Eyes, Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, Something
for Kate, The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie and
Radiohead. Are these artists depressing? Hell
yes, but they are also brilliant. Their lyrics are
beautifully crafted and most of all they make
you feel something – and that is the most
important thing.
By Sophie Boustead
Kardinia International College, Year 11
Who do you think is the
hottest celebrity and why?
Heath Ledger, damn what a
good looking guy, shame he
is no longer alive.
Jess Casey
6

7
Are you aged 12-25 years old? Get your
work published in the next edition of
Write an article! Take a picture! Draw a comic! Come
up with a competition! Do a fashion page! Write the
star signs! We will consider most things! Just don’t
make them racist, sexist, homophobic etc
Get your story or picture published in The
Piercing Truth and have it in 1,000 copies
delivered to all Secondary Schools in Geelong,
plus downloadable at www.youthcan.vic.gov.au!
How do I do that? – Email articles in Microsoft
Word format (no hard copies accepted) or
pictures taken with a camera 5 megapixels or
more (no hard copies accepted) to
youthcan@geelongcity.vic.gov.au
What happens then? Our editorial committee has
a look and may choose it for the next issue or for
the website www.youthcan.vic.gov.au and you’ll
also receive a copy of The Piercing Truth if your
article/photo is printed.
Can I join the Editorial Committee? YES! What
do they do? They get together every few weeks
to decide what kind of things should be in
The Piercing Truth, they read the articles/
pictures submitted, they also go and visit other
magazines, do reviews and occassionally write
and photograph things for The Piercing Truth as
well as organise distribution and a launch party
each issue! Want to know more, or join? Just
email youthcan@geelongcity.vic.gov.au or call
52270699 and have a chat.

A RANT....
Van’s rant in this edition is an attack on the
ever-so-so-annoying, inconvenience and timeconsuming
writer’s block.
For anyone who doesn’t understand this term,
to put it simply it’s the brick wall that’s being
put between you and your brain. No ideas can
get through this wall, not even one molecule of
an idea or a tiny fragment of creativity can get
passed. Therefore I’m left here sitting on a laptop
typing an article that isn’t worth being printed on
the back of homebrand toilet paper.
I blame several things for my writer’s block, such
as financial pressure. While not writing this article
I’m usually trying to find ways to make a quick
dollar or two. Stealing money out of wishing wells
and pawning off other people’s possessions are
several ideas which I have considered. Anyone
interested in buying a preloved silver Ipod Nano
worth 4 GB in excellent condition with few – little
scratches? No? No one?
Another thing I blame is the lack of sleep I’m
getting. For every time I close my eyes ready
to drift off to dream land my brain sends me a
terrible and horrible image that causes the sleepy
drowsy feeling I had to instantly evaporate and
instead replaced by fear and paranoia. What is it
you may ask? The memories I attempt to repress
every night but to no great success? The scenes
from Sacha Baron Cohen’s new “comedy” Bruno,
that’s what.
Also my annoyance with people and animals is a
contributing factor to my current writer’s block.
Yes, that’s right I’m annoyed at everyone. I hate
the people who leave their gum on the streets,
P-platers who honk their horns at me as I’m
walking innocently along the streets, elderly folks
who condescend the younger generation, the
Optus ad with gangster penguins, the creators
of the Optus penguin ads, dogs who bark at 3am
for no good reason, Sydney for being too cold
in more ways than one, the “musicians” in the
Black Eyed Peas, Harry Potter director for making
a terrible 6th movie, boys who create trouble in
relationships, girls who talk constantly about
these troubles to me, and most of all, the French
for their sexy accents along with the English,
Scottish and Spanish. Pathetic that jealousy is
only a human fault.
But the thing that contributes most for my writer’s
block and stopping the creative process from
occurring is the enormous pressure to write you
readers something humorous, witty and clever
worthy of being read and labelled interesting by
a human being… then again it doesn’t take much
does it? I mean, look at the Twilight Series.
By Van Nguyen, Kardinia International , Year 11
Who do you think is
the hottest celebrity
and why?
David Tenant:
because he is man
in sex form
Joseph Marriott 8

Helpful numbers
Barwon Centre Against
Sexual Assault
5222 4802
Time for Youth
(accommodation)
5223 2966
24 Hour
Crisis
Support
Barwon Health Drug
Treatment Services
5222 1700
Barwon Health
Swanston Centre
5226 7410
GASP- Same Sex Attracted
Support
5227 0977
www.youthcan.vic.gov.au
www.latrobe.edu.au/ssay/
Clockwork Young People’s
Health Service
5222 6690
Direct Line
(drug and alcohol)
1800 888 236
Child Protection
(after hours)
131 278

Jigsaw Young Person’s
Health Service
5279 2754
Youth Development Unit,
City of Greater Geelong
5272 4699
www.youthcan.vic.gov.au
Geelong Community
Legal Services
5221 4744
Gay and Lesbian
Switchboard
1800 184 527
Emergency
(fire police ambulance)
000
Headspace (Barwon at Clockwork
Young Persons Health Service)
5222 6690
www.headspace.org.au
Victoria Legal Aid
5226 5666
or 1800 196 200
Kids Helpline
1800 551 800
Youth Substance
Abuse Service
1800 014 446
Headspace (Barwon at Jigaw
Young Persons Service)
5279 2754
Lifeline
131 114
Sexual Assault
Crisis Line
1800 806 292

11
PART TIME JOBS
Want to get a part-time job but don’t know how or
where to start? Here are some simple rules to getting a
part-time job.
Create a resume with all of the important
information about yourself, including:
• Your full name
• If you go to school, where and what year level
you’re in
• A reference (to show that you are a great
person). It has to be a non-related person
• What subjects you take at school
• Achievements that you have had
• Your strengths, qualities and skills
• An address (home)
• Contacts, both home and mobile
1
Note: these things on the list aren’t listed in any
particular order.
Hand your resume out to the places you are
interested in working at.
2 3
4
5
6
You should get a call from the manager or boss if
they are interested in you working for them
You’ll end up organising an appointment for a job
interview where you meet the boss/manager in
person. TIP: make a good impression of yourself
as the first impression always lasts forever.
You will get told if you have the job after the
interview, a day later, a week or a month,
depending on where you applied.
If you have the job, congratulations, it is the
start to many new things you will either enjoy or
despise. Also your boss/ manager will tell you
your working hours that you will expected to
attend to on time.
Now that you have a job, you will have to try to fit it into
your schedule. At your work place you should have a
roster that will have your working hours recorded so
you know when to expect to work.
TIP: be early to work by five minutes to leave a good
impression that you are committed to your work.
By Marija Kocovski,
Lara Secondary College, Year 10
What to do and what not to do
In the interview:
Dos
• Dress smartly according to the job you are going for
• Be prepared, do some research beforehand so you
know what you are talking about as well as having a
folio of work to present (if needed)
• Be polite and on time, or be early, to leave a good
impression
• Smile , everyone loves an bright and happy person
(just don’t overdo it, you don’t want to look like you
just had Botox)
Don’ts
• Lie about yourself to make you look better
• Be rude
• Slouch and have bad body language
• Be immature – the employer will see that the job
isn’t for you
• Backchat, you are not speaking to your friends here
At work
Dos
• Be on time or even early
• Polite to the boss/ employer, co-workers and
customers
• Do what you are told and obey the rules
• Try your best to get the job done in top quality and
good time
• Even if you come across a rude customer, still be as
polite as possible (if you cannot handle them get
help from a co-worker or your boss)
Don’ts
• Turn up really late
• Have bad body language
• Alter the work uniform in any way (if you have one)
• Cause commotions on purpose
• Be rude or swear
• Sneeze, cough, spit into food (if you work in the
food industry)
• Damage products on purpose
I went around asking people what do they think of their jobs and if they like work or not? I ended up receiving a
whole mixed bag of replies, with “I love work” to “sometimes not”. It is true that jobs do have their upsides and
downsides, but you just have to make the most of it. Try to get a job that interests you and be the best you can at
work. If you don’t like that job you might as well quit that job and look for something better.

Example Resume
NAME: George Henderson
ADDRESS: 345 Sweet St, Lollypop, Sydney 4126
PHONE: (03) 2784 5903
MOBILE: 0498 127 630
DATE OF BIRTH: 9/8/1991
Career Objective
To gain casual employment whilst attending school.
Education & Qualifications
Attends to Lollypop Secondary School and studies these subjects:
• English • Math • ICT
• Music • Health • Science
• Food Technology • Art
Skills
• Good communication skills
• Great at handling money
• Good computer skills
• Fast at completing tasks etc...
Employment History
13/ 12/06 – 25/3/08 Wendy’s
15/5/08 – 1/7/09 Safeway
(or if you have never had a job before, just simply leave this space out of you resume)
Personal Attributes
• Hard worker
• Enthusiastic
• Fast learner
• Persistent etc...
Interests
• Swimming
• Cricket
• Listening to music etc...
Referees
George Henderson is a great student, a hard worker and is very polite. I highly
recommend you to employ George as you will have no regrets afterwards.
Signed Mr. Peterson
(Remember this part is to be filled out by a teacher, principal, ex employer, not by you or
any member of your family or friends)
Who do you think is the
hottest celebrity and why?
I don’t find celebrities hot
because I don’t know them
well enough.
Morris Cohen
12

13
Star Signs
Aries MArch 21 - April 19
Your relationships become much closer
and more involved as your friend
inexplicably discover that you are a
great source of warmth in the winter. Of
course, it’s now summer. So expect to be
given a cold shoulder when your friends
give you the flick for the ice-cream man.
TAUrUs April 21 - MAY 21
You’ve fallen into chocolate. Seeing
isn’t believing. Don’t spread rumours
and don’t tell your friends. Talk to the
person. You maybe winning but I’d bet
your bottom dollar that when someone
does it to you you’ll be suffering for your
earnings.
GeMiNi MAY 22 - JUNe 21
Twins aren’t the best of fun. Find one
thing and you will find the doorway to
another.
cANcer JUNe 22 - JUlY 23
You’ll find that being nice is a healthy
reward!
leO JUlY 24 - AUG 23
Cool your jets. The spotlight is a
dangerous place to be. Don’t overreact
to certain people and snide comments
are a definite no-no. You may just lose a
friend but gain a few in the process.
VirGO AUG 24 - sepT 23
You’ll find yourself in an awkward
conversation with a friend – particularly
in relation to sex.
liBrA sepT 24 - OcT 23
You’ll find yourself wrapped in tampons.
Don’t overdo it.
scOrpiO OcT 24 - NOV 22
Keep your pincers to yourself.
sAGiTTAriUs NOV 23 - Dec 22
You’ll find yourself in a serious
relationship. (This one is for Mardi ha ha
ha)
cApricOrN Dec 23 - JAN 20
You will be gullible enough to believe
a horoscope you read in a magazine.
Towards the month’s end you will suffer
great disappointment as you realise the
prediction does not actually come true.
Aww… go buy a handkerchief.
AQUAriUs JAN 21 - FeB 19
Something will happen this month. Don’t
know what yet. Expect a surprise. Or
not…
pisces FeB 20 - MAr 20
You feel trapped as you suddenly find
your world restricted to a small glass
tank. You will adopt a new diet of small
processed flakes and microscopic
organisms. We wish you luck with this
endeavour.
By Annemeike Oakes and Dayle Grixti
Lara Secondary College

Coffee
Circle
Locked away on Little Malop Street in Geelong; a part of town that
has became more and more deserted in the last few months, stands
a small café by the name of Coffee Circle. In among a variety of
other small cafes that are locally owned, its comfortable couches
and classical music offers a relaxing atmosphere to anybody who’s
looking for a good feed.
Coffee Circle is owned by a couple who are always up for a friendly
chat, whether it’s during the week or a Saturday afternoon. They offer
a range of interesting dishes that the average person wouldn’t have
heard of, but this is what stands them out from the rest of the café.
They also have a collection of homemade cakes, so you’ll know you
will get a good meal at a reasonable price if you decide to go there.
Mind you, I don’t go to any of the other cafes. My personal favourite
thing to eat at Coffee Circle is a piece of sticky date pudding at 9am
in the morning, especially on a Monday morning, or perhaps a bottle
of coke if I need to wake myself up to get ready for a big day.
When it’s freezing outside and it’s blowing a gale, you wish you can
stay there forever. It’s so warm and cosy. You sometimes find yourself
dozing off to sleep, but you soon wake up when the owners tap you
on the shoulder.
There’s always an opportunity to learn more when some of the
regulars like myself catch up for coffee whenever we can. We always
try to save the problems of the world, but weirdly enough, we hardly
ever succeed in doing this. We speak about almost every subject,
from overseas countries to world politics. We always have different
opinions and we sometimes challenge each other, but we’re all
friends when it’s time to head off to work for the day.
The cafe sells Italian coffee. It’s smooth and it melts in your mouth.
Coffee Circle is an awesome place to go if you want a good coffee,
meal, even a snack, or maybe just for a good chat with friendly
people who will listen.
By Thomas Banks
Who do you think is the
hottest celebrity and why?
John Francis Daley from Bones
because his cute and makes
me want to hug him
Sophie Hantz
14

15
CD REVIEW
THE BLACK EYED PEAS
THE E.N.D
By Marija Kocovski, Lara Secondary College, Year 10
They are back and are even better than what they were
before. Prepare to be blown away with the rockin’ beats
the Peas are dropping now. With songs like Boom boom
pow and I gotta feeling, they’ll have you dancing and
singing along in no time. If you love rapping, electro
and pop, you’ll love this album, I know I do, I can’t stop
listening to it. Be quick and get the limited edition CD with
Five years ago, the world experienced the politicallycharged
phenomenon that was Green Day’s American
Idiot. Sales skyrocketed all over the world, renewing
Green Day’s then fading popularity. After a lengthy
absence from the airwaves, Green Day unleashed their
new album 21st Century Breakdown. After the huge
success of American Idiot, many people (including this
reviewer) were sceptical as to whether or not they could
better an album that charted in 26 countries and topped
19 of them. I can now say that yes, it is possible to top
something that good. 21st Century Breakdown takes the
rock-opera theme (yes, it does work) of American Idiot and
improves upon it, adding more depth, variety and general
awesomeness. The album’s lyrics tell the story of two
lovers, Christian and Gloria living in the post-George Bush
America. Taking a different approach to previous albums,
21st Century Breakdown is split into 3 “acts” – “Heroes
and Cons”, “Charlatans and Saints” and “Horseshoes
and Handgrenades”. The album is a passionate blend of
a bonus four new songs and six remixed songs. That is
a total of twenty-five songs and all of them go for longer
than three and a half minutes. I give this album five out of
five stars.
Rating:
21st Century Breakdown
Green Day
by Allistair McGibbon, Belmont High School, Year 12
The Hannah
Montana movie is
about Miley going
back to Tennessee
for her grandma’s birthday. During her stay
there she falls in love with a childhood friend,
does a concert as Hannah Montana, reveals
her secret to the world and so much more. We
won’t tell you anything else because we don’t
want to spoil this fantastic new movie.
politically driven pop-punk, alternative rock and love story,
and contains some genre-blending epics, like the title
track and ‘American Eulogy’. However, it is tracks like the
annoyingly repetitive ‘Know Your Enemy’ that will be sure
to receive plenty of airtime on radio stations like Fox and
Nova. Personally, I think this is probably Green Day’s most
daring, epic and innovative record yet. I would recommend
it to anyone with a remote interest in pop/rock/punk.
A solid album, and (hopefully) sets the bar for the next
album. Overall, a great album, but a few small faults need
to be corrected.
The Breakdown - (pardon the pun)
Sound: 9.5/10
Lyrics: 8/10
Impression: 9/10
Overall rating:
MOVIE REVIEW
Out of five we give Hannah Montana the movie 4 stars.
There are a lot of new songs, although sometimes there
was too much singing. That’s the only downside. We were
really impressed and I recommend this to everyone, of
any age.
This is a movie jam-packed with comedy, romance and a
little drama. It’s a showstopper!
Rating:
By Melissa Mclean and
Caitlyn Vose. Year 7 Lara S.C

TEEN DEPRESSION
By Matt Haigh, Year 9, Lara Secondary College
Teen depression is not something you hear on the news
very often, if at all, for that matter. It is something that must
be taken more seriously, as it seems to be a bigger problem
than ever before.
Bullying is one of the biggest problems facing young
people and can easily lead to depression. Bullies have
more ways to get into peoples heads and it is prevalent
among teenagers. Bullies can now do whatever they want,
where ever they want. With the internet being a daily thing
for teens, it becomes a part of their lifestyle. People are
able to post comments on social networking sites such as
MySpace and Facebook, people can easy get a hard time
about photos they’ve uploaded, or a comment on their main
page for everyone else to read and see. With more social
networking sites becoming bigger, with more users, there
are more chances for a bully to harass someone with all of
these internet portals.
Even on the video sites like YouTube people are getting
bullied; it is not surprising that bullying can lead to
depression and then possibly suicide, something that we’ve
seen in the media a lot recently.
Another big issue that can affect teenagers is the state of
the economy. This is something that teens can be worried
about, particularly where their parent’s employment is
concerned. They may worry about what their parents can
Beaten Up By
These days, fighting is getting out of control with teenagers
and most of them think it is all right to fight others.
Teenagers go out into the city not to see their friends and
have a good time but to pick fights and beat up others.
It is sad to see teenagers acting this way, and this
behaviour is being replicated by younger children who
think it is an okay thing to do.
When teenagers fight, they don’t just throw a few punches.
They fight with such aggression and violence that people
often end up in hospital.
Now some teenagers are scared to go out, or even go to
school, because they don’t know whether or not they are
going to be bashed.
What is making it worse is that teenagers are videotaping
these fights for their enjoyment and posting them on
YouTube.
How can these videos be uploaded on YouTube and not be
taken off because of inappropriate behaviour, when you
can’t put anything rude on the website?
To stop this violence people are saying that we need more
police but police can’t be everywhere all the time. The real
and can’t afford, or perhaps their parents’ relationship is
at risk.
I’ve talked to people before about their experiences with
depression, and even suicide. Its a hard subject to talk
about with some of your close friends. I have several
friends who have had bouts of depression and it can be
really hard for them to deal with. Some people I know are
also bullied. Often people think it’s ok to tease their friends
but sometimes they can take it too far. Even those actions
can upset a person severely. Obviously this is not the same
as the malicious bullying we see in the media. That is often
so bad, people kill themselves. It is such a tragedy and
waste of a young life.
All these things, as well as the usual troubles associated
with simply growing up, can make young people feel really
bad, all the time. It can cause trauma and tragedy and is
something that should be taken a lot more seriously.
It is important to always talk to someone if you are feeling
down-there are places and people who can help you when
you want to talk.
Try to speak to your student welfare counsellor, teacher,
parents or friends that you trust about what is going on or
contact these services-Lifeline13 1114, Kidshelpline 1800
551 800 or Headspace at Clockwork Young Peoples Health
Service 5222 6690 .
Jessica Hobbs, Lara Secondary College, Year 10
solution needs to start with teenagers. How much brain
damage and death is needed before young people start
taking control of their actions?
Hopefully one day this fighting will be brought back to a
minimum and that teenagers will come to their senses and
know that fighting is not the answer.
Violence is never ever acceptable in any form. Always
report acts of violence to Victoria Police OOO
Who do you think
is the hottest
celebrity and why?
Daniel Craig
Taylen Furness
16

17
Lara Secondary College having fun on the New Zealand ski trip,
Tasmania Camp, fishing trip, rock-climbing trip and
Lara Drop In 3rd Birthday Party.
This is usually the Headspace page. Unfortunately Headspace didn’t
make copy deadline this issue but hopes to be back next issue with
more great stuff. Meanwhile enjoy our free sticker attached.

The Ugly Truth SEXTING
By Jasmine Spiller and Emma Wilmott, Lara Secondary College Yr10
IS TODAY’S girl going too far with boys, too early?
Why do today’s teens think they will win more friends,
be more popular and even get the hottest guys around
if they let boys have their way with them?
Honestly girls you cannot be this stupid. You MUST
know you’re being used, just so the boy can get what
he wants. In the long run though, boys go for the sweet
girls who are confident, adventurous and exciting and
play hard to get.
And, playing hard to get is NOT sending intimate photos
of yourself to your latest crush. This week you may want
to spend your life with someone, yet next week they
could be a person you detest. You DO NOT need them
owning photos of you in your finest Cotton On Body
apparel.
We all know what “sexting” means. If you don’t, here is
the breakdown. Sexting includes sending naughty texts,
showing yourself over webcam and sending pictures
of your body. Thanks to technology, you have no idea
where your photos end up.
Before you press send just think. What would your
parents say? What would your friends say? What would
the guy’s friends say????? The person you’re sending
it to may say they love you, but once they have private
photos they could easily find ruining your reputation far
more fun than making out on your parents couch.
Vanilla Fudge
By Marija Kocovski, Lara Secondary College, Year 10
Want to know how make a mouth watering dessert
that came down from heaven? It’s easy just follow this
simple recipe and make a treat for yourself or someone
special.
VANILLA FUDGE
Ingredients:
• 3 cups of white sugar
• 1/2 a cup of corn syrup
• 1 1 /4¼ of a condensed milk
• 1 /4 of a pound of butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Cooking utensils:
• Saucepan
• Plate
• Tray
• Grease proof paper
• Wooden spoon
And to make it worse, by the time you dump your guys
for being a pig, it’s too late. Other guys don’t want to
date a girl they have already seen naked through the
grapevine.
Just think before you act ladies.
Method:
1. Place greaseproof paper onto a deep tray
2. Combine the white sugar, syrup, condensed milk and
butter together in the saucepan
3. Cook on a medium level of heat on the stove and
bring to boil, stir it constantly (so it doesn’t burn)
and cook for five minutes after it reaches boiling
point
4. Remove the fudge from the heat and beat
in the vanilla extract
5. Pour the fudge onto the tray and leave to cool
6. Once cooled down and has set cut it up
7. Enjoy!
18

Michael Jackson, King of Pop, August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009
Illustrations by Annalise Mayer
The Piercing Truth is proudly supported by the City of Greater Geelong Youth Development Unit. Design and Printed by Adcell Group.
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