Category: opinion
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Who cares if Christmas comes early?
After October 31, malls and stores bring out the Christmas lights, songs and decorations. Then follows the constant grumbling that the holidays have been over run with consumerism. With commercials claiming to have the…
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Play Review: Ira David Wood III’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ 40th Anniversary
The 40th performance of Ira David Wood III’s “A Christmas Carol” opened Wednesday, December 10, at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Downtown Raleigh. Wood is the founder and Executive Director of…
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Why ‘Theory of Everything’ could take home an Oscar
As the Academy Awards race begins to heat up, more movies will be released well into the end of the month. Last week, the latest potential picture of the year, Theory of Everything, came…
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Students are not pies
High school and education isn’t about comparing yourself to others. The classes we take should help us excel in the fields of study that we are interested in. Students should enjoy the classes they…
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Leesville’s courtyard amenity neglected, underused
Perhaps the most unique aspects of Leesville’s campus lie enclosed within the main building, two natural escapes from the rows of monotonous classrooms that surround them. The courtyards of Leesville were clearly designed as…
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Reasons not to vote
A preface: I do not vote and am a staunch advocate of voter abstention. My “voter apathy” does not arise from passive apathy, but active removal, springing from two riverheads. One is that voting…
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New grading scale isn’t a problem, but it is inequitable
Recently, the North Carolina Department of Public Education approved the change to a 10 point grading scale for public high schools. This came as a result of many attempts by the Mecklenburg and Wake…
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Don’t judge a meal by its garnish: Garland review
Though Garland is situated among many of Raleigh’s best restaurants and bars, it is easily lost in the crowd. Much like the name implies, Garland’s overwhelming motif is decoration–the restaurant’s decor, decorative garnishes, elaborate…
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Fried chicken in Downtown Raleigh
One block downtown, one dish, three restaurants, three ways: fried chicken has been a staple of the South since the beginning, and the progressive side of Raleigh is shaking it up. The Raleigh…
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Voter apathy
Only forty-four percent of the registered North Carolina voters filled out a ballot for the midterm election.The United States fought long and hard for democracy, but those numbers show we are not taking advantage…
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$5 date ideas
Many students are dating on a budget. It’s hard to balance a budget while paying for school and other vitals. In order to make budgeting easier, we have thought of several $5.00 date ideas…
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Book Review: My Abandonment
My Abandonment, by Peter Rock, is a novel about a young homeless girl named Caroline living in a national park with her father. They are discovered, causing policemen and wildlife officers apprehend them and…
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Pink Floyd releases final album: a review
On November 7, 2014, Pink Floyd released what will likely be the last album the group ever puts on the shelves, The Endless River. The band has swapped out, fired, and made up with…
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Mockingjay catches fire
The new movie The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 has taken over the box office, earning over $123 million after playing in theaters for less than three days. There is no doubt that…
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The importance of summer camp
Dear Parents, I am writing this open letter to parents to encourage you all to sign your children up for summer camp once they come of age. My parents sent my siblings and me…
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Dance Ensemble concert review
On Thursday, Nov 13, friends and family of the Dance Ensemble (DE) filled the auditorium to watch them perform one of their dance concerts. The hour-long concert was filled with beautiful dances choreographed by…
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Small Treasures
The North Carolina Museum of Art is holding a unique and interesting exhibit, Small Treasures. The exhibit attracts many art enthusiasts from all over the state to view these small paintings.The exhibit shows off…
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Supernatural is back in action for season 10
Supernatural, a horror based television show played on the CW channel, is moving on to its tenth season. The show follows two brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), who travel across…
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Keep Halloween an innocent holiday
For generations, Halloween has been about more than passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. From teenagers to adults, most people see Halloween as a time to be anything other than themselves. But does that…
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American food intrigues Gausch
In Europe, Americans have a “fast food” reputation. A reputation of having lost the art of cuisine, of good food. Their reputation seems to be one of always eating at fast food restaurants. For…
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Modern Family Review
Every Wednesday, I was always excited to watch Modern Family to see what comical conundrum the family would get themselves into. This past week was no different. The episode 5 that aired on October…
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Another child star resurfaces
2013 and 2014 have held a notable reputation for reintroducing Disney child stars to their former relevance. Last year, it was Miley Cyrus with “We Can’t Stop,” and now it’s Nick Jonas with “Jealous.”…
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Solo Cinema: Big Hero 6
Sitting in a movie theatre alone at 10 p.m. on a Friday night can be quite cathartic. Surrounded by a total of six other people who, for some reason, seemed to repel each other…
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All hail Macbeth: Shakespeare’s greatest
“Saying the most possible in the fewest words”: only one definition of poetry has ever stuck with me so acutely. It gave me a greater appreciation for a poem’s every word. It explained the…
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Taylor Swift fights to please fans
Taylor Swift released her fifth album, 1989, on Monday October 27. This is Swift’s first all pop album. Swift’s past work has been mostly country with little pop. Because 1989 is a new sound,…
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Saving the grade
With the end of first quarter officially finished, it brought on an excessive, unwanted amount of stress to pull up final grades to achieve something acceptable to show to parents. What if there was…
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Things we learn from music: Part II
Although older generations tend to frown upon the loss of meaning in our generation’s music, and they are arguably correct, there are still some songs of our day that have a solid message. Found…
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Are Millennials really selfish?
Sitting around the dinner table, it’s common for my over fifty-years-old parents to make comments about how ‘my’ generation does not like hard labor, and my response is, “and your generation did?” Yes, there…
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Much ado about space, and how we could make SMART lunch less painful for all of us
A student’s lunch is his or her precious time to recharge and take care of business. Smart Lunch, so far, has come across as a marvelously executed idea. I have accomplished much during my…
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Backyard Burgers Review
Backyard Burgers is a semi-fast food restaurant on the corner of Leesville Road and Strickland Road. The menu at Backyard Burgers is filled with a variety of burgers as well as hot dogs, chicken…
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“The Outsiders” Review
The interesting thing about old literature is the tendency of the seas of time to wash away the drab selections from our memories, leaving only the beautiful and polished gems. A book as good…
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Gmail adding new service
Gmail is easily one of the most popular free-email clients in the world. This success is largely in-part due to Google championing motto of simplicity and connectedness. For the first time in ten years,…
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What’s so great about streaming music?
Whether we listen to it while we do our homework or to help us fall asleep at night, music is undoubtedly a very prominent part of our daily lives. The only downside to this…
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American Horror Story returns with “Freak Show”
A murder house, an insane asylum, a boarding school of witches and now, a circus of freaks. “American Horror Story” is back and better than ever. After a highly successful season last year, FX…
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1989: pop’s newest guilty pleasure
For many jaded millennials and older adults alike, the release of Taylor Swift’s fifth album, 1989, on Monday has become just another 13-track album full of hardly insightful glimpses into the world of a…
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New Politics thrills enthusiasts
On Wednesday, Oct 15, the band New Politics took over Cat’s Cradle. People began lining up at the door before 3:30 even though people could not enter the show until 6:30. The band consists…
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More Than a Score (Part 1)
As a student, I have spent approximately 250 hours on standardized tests. Every year since first grade, we would sit at our desks and take a test to tell us what we may already…
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Luhan leaves EXO and other K-Pop news for the first half of October
After the big blowout with EXO’s Kris deciding to leave the group and the resulting outrage (from both the remaining members and netizens), tensions simmered down and the boys fell into their roles as…
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Alt-J lulls listeners
Alt-J, British indie-rock band, released their second album This is All Yours on September 22. Although the album is their first ever without bassist Gwil Sainsbury, several pre-released singles including “Left Hand Free” and…
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Phantom of the Opera at DPAC
The Phantom of the Opera is showing at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) from October 8 to October 19. This infamous musical was originally adapted by Andrew Lloyd Weber from a novel by…
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Bright Future For Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne, at age 32, is considered a part of the new invasion of English actors, the list also including vampire heartthrob Robert Pattinson. Starting in theater, Redmayne was first brought to the Hollywood…
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Gone Girl shoots to the top
On Friday, October 3, the movie adaptation of the novel Gone Girl premiered. The movie shot to the top of the box office earning over $37.5 million opening weekend. The story follows Nick Dunne,…
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Phantom returns bigger and better
The bright chandelier shimmers over the first five rows of the audience. The rich reds of the curtain and subtle gold lighting creates a dramatic tone. The auctioneer utters one of the most famous…
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Scotland’s Great Decision
On September 18, 2014 Scotland voted no to declaring independence. The 84% turnout at Scottish polls was pretty evenly split, with 55% voting no to secession. This decision was incredibly smart, giving Scotland the…
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Umstead State Park review
Umstead is a beautiful 5,579 acre park. Many people go to Umstead to horseback ride, bicycle and run on the soft gravel or dirt trails, but there is a much larger draw. Umstead offers…
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The Maze Runner movie confuses
The movie The Maze Runner, based off of the book by James Dashner, came to theaters on September 19. The movie received mixed reviews from critics, most of them low, but most moviegoers are…
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Raising the minimum
Across the nation, minimum wage workers are all fighting for a raise. Today, there are over 28 million citizens working for minimum wage. Many of these workers are protesting for a raise from the…
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It’s time to get off your apps
From the moment I open my eyes until the moment I close them, I am constantly surrounded by smartphones. I was ecstatic when I received one of my own, because I was finally going…
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Teacher “pay raise” not a raise for many
At this point in time, everyone has heard the phrase “Red for Ed,” an educational advocacy group. Leesville’s teachers have been a huge part of this fight, working towards better working conditions for teachers.…
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Smart lunch: killing club life
Smart Lunch is easily the most radical, controversial change administration has introduced this year, if not in all of Leesville history. The new program has had a paradigm shift on what students do during…