Written by Nate Delzer

With today’s natural whole food markets, there is plenty of variety to obtain and maintain this eating lifestyle. There are also many health benefits. Most vegan and vegetarian foods lack preservatives, little trans fat concentration and are heavily rich in nutrients. I have put together a sample meal plan to prove it’s just as good as any other way of eating.

While this lifestyle is somewhat different, considering most people find it tough to neglect animal products, it is not impossible. Adapting to the lifestyle takes more effort. Some even see this way of living a type of discipline that means strengthening oneself, both physically and mentally.

There are many reasons why a person may select one of these eating regimens, which include food allergy or health issues, animal rights or religious beliefs, or even personal preference or taste.

Written by Chanel Ross

Everyone has their own views on what is perfect or beautiful. Some people believe that a certain hair or eye color is better than another. New technological advances occur daily that open up new possibilities into the scientific realm, especially in the area of gene splicing and designer babies. By definition, a designer baby is one in which the traits of the child have been genetically altered via interventions made into pre-implantation embryos. 

At the present time, in terms of the traits their children are born with, parents get what they get. But the topic of designer babies opens up the questions: What if they had the choice to make that perfect child, a child free of human flaws, undesirable traits, and appalling abnormalities? We design our own homes, our wardrobe, sometimes even our own occupation. As I see it, there is nothing wrong with designing our own children. 

Imagine this: You are a carrier for a disease such as cystic fibrosis and you have a 50 percent chance of passing on the disease through your genes. Scientists may soon be able to go in and remove genes from the DNA strand in the embryo. Designer babies could be the end to all genetic diseases, eliminating the risk of death in newborns or maybe just providing a better life for children. Consider the financial, emotional, and physical relief a family would gain by such a procedure. 

The potential for designer babies would offer expecting parents more of an advantage during this period in their lives which is often full of unknowns. It is human nature for parents to want to protect their children, born and unborn. Most parents strive to mold and influence their children so that they have every possible advantage to succeed in life. What parent doesn’t want their child to be healthy, intelligent, and talented? Since parents are already influencing their children’s development, what could be the harm in having their work accomplished before birth with a little help from gene splicing? 

While technology now enables parents to select the sex of their child, money may be the only obstacle in the future to allow parents the opportunity to select the skin tone, body shape, and eye and hair color for their offspring. One day all children may be the beautiful blonde, blue-eyed super model that seems to have become the ideal to which many aspire. Removing undesirable traits from being passed on may be even more exciting to some. Genes that are responsible for obesity and addictions could be eliminated from the human race, thus creating a more perfect world population. 

A perfect world is within our grasps. Designer babies could be our first step into the future of understanding and controlling human genetics. It could be the end of all terminal diseases, racism, and even body image issues such as weight or height. The future is before us now; reach out and take it. 

It is unethical for parents to be able to interfere with nature. Imagine how genetically altered children would feel later in life if they found out they were supposed to be the opposite sex, but their parents didn’t want them to be. One can only imagine their feelings of confusion, anger, and fear. But would researchers and scientists care? No. The field of science is no longer just an obscure hobby for the Albert Einsteins and Galileos of the world. Science is a career, and those involved in this career make serious money. Ethics go flying out the window as long as they receive their paychecks. 

No action exists without a form of consequence. Researchers found that adding a certain gene to mice made them better at running mazes, but they also became hyper-sensitive to pain. The possibility of similar or worse side effects for humans cannot be ignored. There is no way of knowing for sure until humans themselves are tested. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be their choice, but the choice of the parents of an unborn baby. If experimentation has a nasty side effect, that child would have to live with it for the rest of his or her life. 

What is even scarier is that some genes may be related to personality and IQ. If future parents are able to choose these options for their children, the world will be presented with a serious issue. Variety would soon diminish as “designer” children begin to dominate classrooms. At first, to some it may sound nice. What’s not to like about being one step closer to perfection? The truth is, people cannot live without variety. While opportunities must be equal, abilities should not. Not everyone has the intelligence of a rocket scientist or the charisma of a lawyer – it is simply unrealistic to expect. We cannot allow science to create perfect children. A civilization needs average and below average people as much as it needs intelligent people, especially in terms of our nation’s work force. 

Scientists and parents alike need to become aware of the gene splicing line that should not be crossed. Imperfections make a person unique. Nature must have continued allowance to go its own way. 

An actor in theatre herself, it is no surprise that the Shakespeare unit is one of Ms. Haar’s favorite to teach.

“I love the excitement and the drama of it all,” she explained. “Shakespeare’s not boring; he couldn’t have left all those audience members interested if he was boring.”

Many of Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies are part of the curriculum in English classes and electives throughout high school. And after studying Shakespeare’s works in class and attending last month’s Theatre department production, The Taming of the Shrew, the name Shakespeare and words such as soliloquy, bard, sonnet and minstrel should be as common as household names.

by Adam Tensta

(Tensta, Stockholm, Sweden)

Tensta’s electro and house influenced sound has made it all the way around the world and it can be found on dance floors from Europe, to L.A. and Miami. Socially conscious lyrics are a great plus to the hyped up beats that Tensta delivers. “My Cool” is a friendly jam that will bring a smile and a head bump to anybody; turn it on and you can’t help but move.

“Feel It in My Bones”

by Tiësto ft. Tegan and Sara

(Breda, North Brabant, Nether-lands) & (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

This would be considered a great collaboration if you like techno music and Indie rock. “Feel It in My Bones” has a combination of soft lyrics and a toned down club techno beat. It’s pretty much a slow dance song for a rave. While it keeps the hype away from the extreme, it still keeps the party going.

“Back Then”

by Pegz

(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Grabbing on the heartstrings of someone who misses the old days, “Back Then” is a very good song for reminiscing. It has a different sound with the heavy Australian accent all over the chorus and verses, and it might have a few words that don’t make sense to those of us not “down under.” Pegz is straight-out Australian and everything about him and this song shows that.

“She Moves in Her Own Way”

by The Kooks

(Brighton, East Sussex, England)

The Kooks are a singles based band, which means they get a lot of radio play. “She Moves in Her Own Way” has great lyrics explaining the liking of a person who does her own thing. The Kooks might remind you a bit of The Arctic Monkeys; plus they’ve got that sweet English twang that makes all the girlies scream.

“Vegas”

by Bone Thugs N’ Harmony

(Cleveland, Ohio, United States)

With a much awaited reunion, “Vegas” is probably the most mainstream song BTNH have had since “Tha’ Crossroads.” You can tell that they are testing the current hip-hop style and they do a great job for a club hit. “Vegas” has much less meaningful lyrics than you are used to with a group like BTNH. For an added plus, Bizzy Bone hits his quick lipped verse on the spot to tie the song together near the end. This one is a great must listen for any BTNH fan.

“Those Girls”

by Kinky

(Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico)

With a not-so-socially-accepted name, Kinky makes some songs that are perfect to jam out to. The bass line in this song literally kills me every single time I hear it. The electronic reverberation throughout the song keeps you hyped up throughout the whole thing. Not to forget the cute little accents these boys have, it definitely makes the song worth listening to.

Tom Waits, Editors, Beach House… Most people in the 14-18 age range have no idea who these artists are. In fact, not a whole lot of people know who they are, period. But tune into a local college station and you may find out that Tom Waits, in 2008, had the best reviewed concert tour of the year – a sold out world tour, in fact. The Editors are a Birmingham, UK Indie rock band that have two platinum records, and have sold over 2 million records worldwide. Beach House is a two-member band that crosses over five different genres, and in doing so creates their own very unique sound.

KCFS 94.5, the University of Sioux Falls radio station, sent The Nationalist a “top 10″ list of the most popular music on their radio station. Now, while there are a few popular groups such as The Black Eyed Peas and Lupe Fiasco, the popular music is equally shared with many Indie groups such as Imogen Heap (a British singer/songwriter), Filter (a once very popular, now a more “college” American rock band), and Mika (A flamboyant and fun British singer/songwriter with the voice of Freddy Mercury). All of these groups are highly successful, some with sold-out shows.

I’m sure you’re asking: If these groups are so successful, why haven’t I heard of them? Well, the answer is quite simple. You haven’t heard of them because the current owner of “corporate radio”, Clearchannel, is comprised of people who dictate what goes on popular radio stations such as Hot 104.7 and 103.7 The KRRO. Clearchannel, in a way, has brainwashed the public worldwide into listening to the same songs every two-hours on a rotating schedule for anywhere from six months to a year. College radio, the radio stations that are college/university sponsored, is an outlet away from Clearchannel and their regulations. College radio plays new and original, artistic music like Tom Waits, Editors, and Beach House.

After looking at USF’s top-10 list, it would seem, among college students, there is a respect for nearly every taste in music, from rap and hip-hop, to avant-garde art music. (If Clearchannel would allow smaller Indie groups to be heard on the radio, the country might become more respectful toward everyone’s preferences in music, thereby expanding the tastes of many people’s listening choices. This could make music in general a more successful proposition to be not only a listener, but a performer as well.

Students are expected to produce 24 pieces of artwork throughout the course of the year, twelve breadth pieces that, according to teacher Mrs.. Lisa Vande Vegte, “illustrate a mastery of skills in drawing and a strong understanding of design elements and principles.” These pieces can be in represented in any media or subject.

The remaining twelve pieces require students to show a growth in a theme or focus. This is called the Concentration portion of their portfolio.

“This is more personal and involves a mastery of their technique and risk-taking,” said Vande Vegte.

Portfolios are due by May 6, and they are then submitted to the AP Central Board which is composed of high school teachers and college professors. The artwork is evaluated and scored on the basis of design, composition, and mastery of skills. Completing this course counts as a fine arts elective credit and college credit, depending on the score of the portfolio.

Many students agree that one of the best things about this course is that they are given free reign to create whatever art they want using any possible medium. This makes the requirement of creating twenty four pieces a little easier.

“Having an option of doing whatever I want, having no restrictions, is my favorite part,” stated senior Gretchen Barr. With a wide range of possibilities from painting to drawing, photography to graphics, creativity permeates through the classroom. “We get to experience creativity and we are allowed to experiment,” said junior Korbin Hoffman.

Senior Kelly Schmidt is working on the theme of “distorted fashion” for her concentration.

“I like fashion, and making fashion look artificial when its natural,” she said.

Many of the students enrolled in AP Studio Art are planning on pursuing a career in art.

“I want to do graphic design,” said senior McKenzie Kneip.

This year there are ten students enrolled in AP studio art. These students will participate in a school wide art show held at RHS in April. Anyone is welcome to revel in the amazing artwork done by RHS art students. If you are interested in a career in art, AP Studio Art would be a great elective option for next year.

I came from a family of eight so it was a big family. My mom was more lenient towards it [BMX] and she finally convinced him [Dad] that it was a good sport that was enjoyable. This was back in ‘96 when we were still outcasts or hoodlums. My mom was really supportive of all the broken bones, I guess. She allowed me to continue doing it when I was a kid. I was a spitfire, had a lot of energy, and liked to move around. I was a people person, played a lot of sports and had a lot of friends in different genres. I traveled a lot all the way through high school. I was sponsored when I was 16 years old, so my teachers thought I was kind of a rowdy youngster.

What made you want to get involved in BMX?

When I first started racing, that was back in the day, and pretty much the opportunity to be able to ride in a dirt field all day long when I was a kid and then of course money got into it and once I got sponsored I was like This is cool…you can make money and you ride a bike. Mainly I had just been racing and I loved it so much and my parents approved it so I was able to ride as much as possible.

Did you ever want to do anything else?

Actually, I wanted to be a biological engineer. But kind of a funny thing is I didn’t think I would become famous or I wouldn’t be in a position to make money. It was like a fun hobby and it just kind of fell in my lap, but once I started getting into it, I really enjoyed it. I just became so passionate that I couldn’t think about doing anything else.

What is your favorite trick?

My favorite trick is a superman decade. I still can’t figure that one out yet. As you’re on the bike, if you’re straddling it and you go off the lip, jump off the front, spin around to the front of the bike, and shoot your feet straight out kind of like an opposite superman and somehow get back on.

What was your most dangerous moment?

Probably when I was on the mega ramp and I was trying to land a decade, a 90 ft.. decade. I was going about 53 miles an hour and just scary fly off the ramp or some thing take a digger. When you hit something going that fast you know you’re going to feel it.

What has your greatest career achievement been?

Greatest career achievement would probably be developing programs for the youth out in Henderson, putting together programs and parks and dealing with skateboarding and BMX. Well, if you want to go into my archives of things I achieved as a pro, it would probably be the double back flip. I was the first person to land a double back flip.

What have been some of your accomplishments?

I’ve won the European X-Games in 2000, world champion in ’99. I’ve won bronze or 3rd X-Games United States,4th place. I’ve competed 100–almost 200 times in national events like basketball. I’m a show rider so I do a lot of shows and appearances. I was on the cover of Boys Life and TIME magazine; I’ve done multiple covers of BMX magazines and ride magazines.

What made you want to come to Sioux Falls?

It’s the quality of life. We enjoy people and actually just to save a little money and to regroup and develop some programs. We spend a lot of money doing that and being in the Midwest helps me to travel and move around.

Do you have any advice for aspiring extreme athletes?

Screw your head on tight. I think the biggest thing is just learn about the sport and really enjoy it for what it is. Don’t take advantage of it. Be courteous to people below you, enjoy the sport and just really respect it.

What have you learned from your experience as a professional athlete?

I’ve learned a lot of different things and met a lot of different people. The biggest thing is that I learned a lot about karma and just how to keep yourself organized and fit. We don’t really have team managers, we kind of do it all by ourselves.

The new driver license for minors is vertical, much like the RHS student IDs, and they are colored either green for a restricted permit or red for operator licenses and identification cards. Adults 21 years of age and older still have the original horizontal-style license with a new twist. Anyone with an adult driver license will have a ghost image of their photo that is visible under a black light. Bars can now designate who is underage with this feature, which may help control underage drinking.

These new features make the licenses more expensive. Now, each license costs $5 to produce when before the cost was only $1.58. The cost to renew a license has also changed; this year the price is $12 to renew, up from $8 in 2009.

Applicants applying for the new licenses will need more forms of identification required by law such as passport or birth certificate, proof of Social Security number, and two documents to prove a current address.

Visit the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing Program at www.dps.sd.gov for more information.