100 million. It’s a pretty big number. I struggle to believe that 100 million children around the globe lack basic access to books and libraries, yet the statistic rings true.

Though I wouldn’t exactly label myself a politics junkie, I anticipated the Iowa caucus for weeks and thoroughly enjoyed watching the results on television last night. I was thrilled when Barack Obama placed first on the Democrats side and hope that this win will give him momentum for the upcoming primaries across the nation. 

I like Obama. He’s a man that, whenever he addresses the American public, I trust and believe and have faith in to do the right thing.

After the candidate’s speeches aired, I met up at Starbucks with a friend, where the conversation inevitably turned to the caucus results of the night and thoughts for the future. He explained that, although Obama is clearly a moral and good guy, candidates like Hilary Clinton, who come off as being slightly dry and even manipulative or power-hungry, have the stuff to actually run a country. He didn’t have a whole lot of faith in Hilary to be honest with the country and represent an image that the American people like, but thought that she would do what’s necessary, even if it meant compromising the truth or what’s right, to meet such ends.

Though Obama is obviously less experienced in the world of politics and foreign affairs, I feel like it’s fair for the American to vote for a candidate that exhibits a certain charisma and image that comforts us while simultaneously proposing ideas for change. Maybe that’s idealistic thinking, but for me, Obama is the whole package. He will lead the country in a positive direction and help us a regain a positive reputation grounded in American morals. 

It’s about time I think.

~ Sarah Henningsen

I hope it rains a lot over winter break so that I have a good excuse to spend some time in the theaters watching the many movies on my list—Charlie Wilson’s War, Golden Compass, Walk Hard, PS I Love You, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, it goes on and on. Also, I’m definitely going to see Kite Runner a second time. If you’ve already read the bestselling book by Khaled Hosseini (do that first), it’s time to head out to Pleasant Hill to catch the screen adaptation. Though the movie can’t necessarily compare to the original book, it’s still  a must-see for everyone. The portrayal of Kabul is vivid, the storyline gut-wrenching yet inspiring, and the global significance apparent. Although the movie fails in capturing the many subtle layers and textures of human emotion, viewers are guaranteed to walk away heartwarmed. So give yourself an early gift with tickets to Kite Runner—you’ll love it.  Happy Holidays everyone.

~ Sarah Henningsen 

He may look like an 12 year old still waiting for his voice to mature but Tay Zonday is in his mid-twenties and can produce one of the lowest, strangest, and most revolutionary voices our generation has seen. The YouTube video sharing phenomenon has catapulted him to fame across the nation within the last few months. Rarely do we get to experience singers with such distinct and unique voices. Zonday is not only a talented vocalist, but an accomplished lyricist and keyboardist who single-handedly writes all compositions. If you haven’t already heard the memorable tune “Chocolate Rain”, which was recently recorded in a Dr. Pepper commercial for their new Cherry Chocolate drink, look up Zonday’s ballad “Someday” on YouTube or download the free MP3 on his website.

~ Sarah Henningsen

This week in my government class we started a month-long project called “Create Your Own Campaign”, in which students work together to develop political ideology and platforms, speeches, fund-raising techniques, and commercials. Although we’ve only just begun the huge assignment, I have a good feeling about it—the project involves creative hands-on and interactive learning that I wish all of my classes emphasized. For me, and guaranteeably for the rest of my class, the project is designed in a way that truly forces you to think about your own opinions and discover exactly where you stand on the political spectrum. It’s so much better than simply reading the textbook and being taught what to think—now, we have to think for and teach ourselves, what education and learning should really be about in the first place.

~ Sarah Henningsen

For the first time in my life, I decided to brave the streets of Union Square for Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. I was prepared for crowds and what not, but not complete chaos. Policeman had to patrol the streets with whistles, the wait at Jamba Juice was 45 minutes, and it was nearly impossible to fit in the elevators. It was overwhelmingly chaotic. And there were hardly any sales! I always thought sale prices were the prime reasons shopping is so popular the day after Thanksgiving, but in reality there were about as many sales as usual and bargain Black seemed pretty much a myth. A big bummer. Seeing that just made me realize how much our culture is grounded in consumerism, especially when it comes to Christmas. The start of the holiday season wasn’t about Christmas carols or decorating the new tree, but about more STUFF. I think I’ll stick to stuffing leftovers for now myself.

~ Sarah Henningsen

I was astounded to find out today that I am the only person in my entire history class, including my teacher, who knows what the Huffington Post is. The online news and blogging site is one of the fastest growing sources of information, especially electronic journalism, in the nation. The creator, Arianna Huffington, is featured as a guest source on numerous television and radio broadcasts. You can’t really forget her greek accent. Yet nobody knows about one of the best information sources, just a click away.

As part of an Media analysis project, I monitored the content and overall style of the Huffington Post over a week-long period. Although the site has slightly liberal undercurrents and maybe even twinges of bias here and there, the main thing I found most intriguing is the emphasis on idea sharing, political discussion, and opinion. True, news sources should be completely neutral (that’s “good” journalism) but at the same time I appreciate the intelligent discussion that is coupled with basic facts about certain stories. It makes reading the news a much more mentally stimulating activity. You don’t just absorb the information, you think critically about the new ideas and question the opinions of blogger X.

Also, the website allows readers to comment on blogs and general articles, furthering the importance of pointed discussion about the news that affects us daily. To be honest, I’m over the whole neutral journalistic style: it gets dull and boring. As long as you are aware of bias and personal opinions of the news, as in the Huffington Post for example, and decide to come to your own conclusions, slightly biased news is potentially good in a sense. It gets you thinking, acting, and questioning.

So check out the Huffington Post when you can. Though I love the Contra Costa Times and all, the Huffington Post ain’t a bad paper either.

My taste in music has definitely changed over the years. As a perky tween, my favorite band was the Spice Girls and I loved every minute of their concert, even though I was in the back row on the grass lawn. Needless to say, my music preferences have evolved drastically since those elementary school days. This weekend, I’m seeing Billy Joel live at Oracle Arena in Oakland. It’ll be nice to watch a real musician and artist.

My friends often make fun of my music taste, as most of my favorite artists are from the older generation (though still living I want to point out!). Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Bruce Hornsby, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp top my iTunes list. Though you don’t necessarily hear these guys on the radio or MTV, for me they embody what it means to be a musician.

They are triple threats of the music industry: for the most part, they write their own lyrics, compose their own music, and perform on top of all that. Talk about an endless source of creativity and inspiration. Yet somehow, Britney Spear’s new album gets a bunch of attention simply because she’s a media train wreck, something that sadly entertains us Americans. This state of our musical conscience is quite disturbing.

Whether you love or hate him, you have to give Billy Joel credit for producing dozens of hits and albums over the years that are still popular today. The guy is in his sixties and can still punch out some amazing concerts, where things like synthesized/computerized singing is far from the case. His song really are “All About Soul” instead of trashy, sexed up fluff certain people try to classify as “music”.

I love Billy Joel and all those other musical greats, though still unheralded by my own generation. It’s about time.

But who knows, maybe I’ll look into tickets for the Spice Girls (reunited!) concert on December 4th. It might make for some nostalgic fun. Just for kicks, but not for their so-called “music”. I’ll hear some actual quality music tomorrow night at the Billy Joel concert.

~ Sarah Henningsen

I’m finally done with my first two college applications! They’ve been sealed, stamped, and sent off to my early action schools—such a nice weight off my shoulders.

As any high school senior already knows, college applications are stressful and a total nuisance. Although filling in all the stupid spaces and writing a resume are annoying little tasks, the most difficult part of the application process for me (thus far anyway) has been writing the personal essay.

Though I’m clearly not advocating more things to do for each application, I found that writing a comprehensive personal essay, one that creates a distinct picture of who I am, is literally impossible without rambling on into a million new subjects. It’s extremely hard to accept the fact that college admissions officers will only receive a small glimpse of me.

There’s no chance I’d willingly write four more essays just so that admissions officers might get a clearer picture of my personality, my interests, and what I have to offer a certain university. At the same time however, the consequence and inherent fear is a college rejection letter. But I guess that is the challenge—being able to identify oneself in a cohesive and succinct manner without undermining the fullness of who we are. I think it’s impossible, what about you?

Who can sum themselves up in roughly 700 words or less? It’s simply not enough to constitute what makes each individual special, unique, or interesting. Too bad these stupid college essays determine where we go to school and potentially what happens in our lives.

~ Sarah Henningsen

I just arrived home after one of the most brutal weeks of my life. At several moments during the past five days, including right now as I attempt to write a somewhat meaningful blog post, giving up seemed like the best option.

Thankfully I didn’t.

My three main activities—choir, tennis, and the school newspaper—all clashed miserably during the week and eventually culminated simultaneously on Thursday. I spent the entire school day at a choir festival in Orinda, left the rehearsals early to play in my last varsity tennis match against Miramonte, before immediately racing to my journalism classroom to do one last-minute check of our second issue of La Puma, until finally leaving school to perform in my choir concert.

Though an extremely hellish day, everything worked out in the end and I went to bed late Thursday night feeling elated and very proud of the day’s accomplishments. Somehow, my team had managed to beat the undefeated, formidable Miramonte players in a thrilling match. My two choirs gave moving performances of the nine songs we had been working on all year. My school newspaper went to press looking polished and engaging.

My day at school was a completely different scenario. My classmates, and even more disappointing, my friends hardly blinked an eye and couldn’t seem to understand my happiness regarding yesterday. Like nothing special or of any importance had happened when, in reality, it had been an amazingly successful day.

During seventh period, I found an issue of La Puma thrown carelessly into the trash. Seeing that newspaper—representative of all my endless hard work, 6 AM layout sessions, and late nights of editing—just about killed me. The image made me feel like all the time I put into something for the sake of my peers and community went by unappreciated and unnoticed. I do things because I love them. At the same time though, a small token of gratitude or acknolwegement is always nice once in a while.

Maybe it’s pointless to expect recognition from other people who can’t comprehend the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of creating a newspaper or perfecting a piece of music. Maybe people are just ignorant about the things they haven’t experiences. It’s too bad. Why can’t we all just support our peers and congratulate one another on certain accomplishment instead of either remaining indifferent or becoming overall critical as a defense mechanism for one’s own sense of inadequacy?

I arrived home with a completely strained voice from singing all day, our team ribbons in my hair and a celebratory “Stomps the Mats” t-shit, and black newspaper ink all over my fingers. Three little visuals that show how much each activity means to me. Usually, I hate drawing attention to myself or my accomplishments, but for one it would be nice to received even the slightest recognition for what I do. Even appreciation or simply opinions, opposed to the apathetic indifference, that I’m so accustomed to.