Opinion

In recent weeks, Southeast Asia has been rocked by two calamitous natural disasters. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province of China, on May 12, toppling buildings and schools throughout the province and even shaking buildings in Beijing 932 miles away. To date, experts estimate that the earthquake has killed 55,000 people. Meanwhile, just eight days before, a cyclone struck Myanmar, previously known as Burma. Reports have the death toll nearing 134,000.

Although both events have captured world headlines and left thousands homeless or otherwise devastated, the earthquake in China has dominated the news, leaving many people uninformed and ignorant regarding the situation in Burma. While this is largely due to the military junta’s stranglehold on foreign media entering Myanmar, this oppressive dominion over news flow should provide all the more reason for people to try and help in Myanmar.

It’s not unusual for a healthy person to go to a restaurant that serves plenty of tasty, nutritious foods only to order an over-priced plain salad because he or she is “watching their weight.”

As portrayed by all of the latest celebrity blogs and trendy magazines, skinny is definitely in. Going to the gym for hours on end is a must for many young guys and girls of this new, superficial, appearance-driven era. True health has been put on the backburner for fear of increasing the number on the digital scales lying in bathrooms of nearly every American household. What’s ironic is that being “healthy” is often simply an excuse used to justify meager diets.

It’s not unusual for a healthy person to go to a restaurant that serves plenty of tasty, nutritious foods only to order an over-priced plain salad because he or she is “watching their weight.”

As portrayed by all of the latest celebrity blogs and trendy magazines, skinny is definitely in. Going to the gym for hours on end is a must for many young guys and girls of this new, superficial, appearance-driven era. True health has been put on the backburner for fear of increasing the number on the digital scales lying in bathrooms of nearly every American household. What’s ironic is that being “healthy” is often simply an excuse used to justify meager diets.

It’s three in the morning and a teenage girl is quietly reading a book on her bed. This teenage girl is me, Annie Lee. Seriously. I usually don’t have a knack for reading. Okay I’ll be honest. I don’t like to read at all, but this book really had me “edge of the seat” excited: My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

The Summer Olympics and world politics aren’t supposed to mix, but inevitably do. As Beijing prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games and circulates the vaunted Olympic torch around the globe, controversy percolates and protesters strike, as observed in San Francisco where rabid opponents of Chinese foreign policy assembled to express their disapproval of the torch’s significance.

School rallies are often the highlight of a student’s week: the loud music, crazy dances and home-made costumes add some spirit to a stressful time. And yet, SHS rallies don’t always live up to their potential.

Since the rallies are usually held during Friday tutorials, academic conflicts force to skip them because
of academic conflicts to make up tests or labs – or they just need to study.

A police car pulls up outside a well-lit house. Inside, kids are yelling and dancing to loud music. When the cops are spotted, a frantic rush to hide beer bottles and escape the party begins.

These days, however, such a scene is far less common. Saratoga teens have less to fear from sheriff’s, deputies, and local police, some of whom no longer penalize underage drinking at parties. Without the previous repercussions of breaking the law by consuming alcohol, students are often allowed to drive home intoxicated, jeopardizing their safety.

A police car pulls up outside a well-lit house. Inside, kids are yelling and dancing to loud music. When the cops are spotted, a frantic rush to hide beer bottles and escape the party begins.

For as long as many people can remember, California has been suffering a gaping budget crisis. With each year building up more debt, Gov. Schwarzenegger estimates that this year’s deficit has grown to $16 billion. The governor has proposed cuts to different areas to help alleviate the strain. Parents of students enrolled in the University of California school system are gearing up for increased tuitions for the 08-09 school year.