The LEAF is Nissan’s five-door hatchback that runs entirely on a battery. The LEAF is great for the environment because it does not produce any tail-pipe emitions, lessening its dependence on oil. Besides being great for the environment, the LEAF is the first electric vehicle to be reasonably priced for middle-class ownership.

Hybrid vehicles have become common since the advent of the Toyota Prius worldwide in 2001. Most people who own hybrids believe they are helping the environment, but because they run on more than one energy source at a time, hybrids still emit fumes back into our air. Until recently, however, lack of sufficiently advanced battery technology has stifled efforts to mass-produce cost-effective electric vehicles.

Because of this, In the past the electric vehicle market has been dominated by luxury companies like Tesla Motors. The Tesla Roadster is awesome—it’s sleek, sexy, and can do zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds. Unfortunately, at a starting cost of $110,000, the average Joe cannot realistically afford to own one. The Nissan Leaf partially solves these problems.

Starting at $32,000, the Leaf is the first mass-produced five-door hatchback electric vehicle. Paul Scott, a founder and board member of the EV advocacy group Plug-In America said the Nissan Leaf was “created to be owned by anyone.”

The Leaf is also very simple to charge. Just as you would charge a cellular phone, a cord comes with the Leaf that connects to the car similar to how a gas pump would. From a regular American 110-volt outlet, the Leaf can be fully charged in 16 hours. It also contains capabilities for 480-volt high-speed industrial charging, which allows a charge to 80-percent capacity in 30 minutes.

Furthermore, driving the LEAF is cheap. As of May 19, Seattle gas prices were sitting at $3.04, and will likely rise with rebounding economy. Mile for mile, driving the LEAF is about four times cheaper after factoring in electrical costs.

Entirely electric vehicles still have their problems, including the LEAF. Besides the Tesla Roadster, most electric vehicles cannot go faster then 80 mph—same goes for the Nissan Leaf, which has an estimated top speed of 87 mph.

The case remains that the largest obstacle holding back mass proliferation of electric vehicles is battery technology. Also, electric cars are ran on HUGE lithium batteries, which are expensive. Although the lithium-ion batteries used in the LEAF are a huge step up from the lead-acid batteries that were the only option until recently, they currently account for about half the cost of the LEAF. Yet for the most part, the Nissan Leaf is a step in the right direction.

“You’re gaining a bit of weight.” Do not EVER tell a young lady this, in any way, shape or form. I am yet to meet a person who has told a female this in any way that has just walked away from it without an argument. No young lady, and even a few guys would rather not hear about their physical flaws. The best way to get this message across with as little argument as possible is to go work out yourself, and ask your partner if he or she would like to join you. While they think it’s a nice gesture to spend time, you know what it REALLY means.

“When is your birthday?” Anyone who is in a serious relationship should NEVER forget their partners birthdays. With parents, siblings, cousins and friends, all which have birthdays, it can become a little hard to store all the dates. Be especially careful to remember who exactly the birth date belongs to. Avoiding this is quite easy, SAVE THE DATE. Most phones have calenders; utilize them! Save your partner’s birthday in your phone along with a notification about three days before. Gives you time to plan something and lessens your odds of looking like a fool on the special day.

“I will call you back … ” … but you never call back. Most people who do not call back usually never had any intention of calling back, to be completely honest. In this case, honesty is the best policy. Tell your partner you are on the phone, playing video games, doing homework or whatever it is that holds you from sitting on the phone. At least if you do not call back, they know what you were doing .

“Your mom has a nice … ” Please stop right there. It is very true that mothers are becoming quite hot, but if you are interested in someone you don’t want to show interest in anyone else, especially not their parents. If you would like to compliment the parents, let it be something you can say in their presence. If it cannot be said in their presence, it probably should not be said at all. In the words of John Reilly from the movie “Step Brothers,” Why have the old bull if you can have the young calf?

“Yup.” People hate to hear this word on the phone, in person, even in texts. By using the word “yup,” you’re knowingly, or unknowingly ending conversation. Usually when people say, “yup,” it’s because they aren’t paying attention. If this is the case, I would suggest acting as if you know what is going on before answering with this.

“Who’s your friend?” If you do not already know “the friend,” then do not ask about the friend. When this question comes up people automatically think that you may be attracted to that person. You could really only be wondering who this person is that is with your partner. What seems to be a harmless question could easily turn into a whole lot of unnecessary arguing.

“You are picking up the check right?” Everybody enjoys a free meal. The only thing better then food itself is actually, food for free. Whenever I go on a date, I am prepared to pay for my date’s meal, movie, putter for mini golf or whatever we end up doing. But there is nothing more awkward then sitting at a table wondering who is going to pay. Always have money or plastic on hand during a date. You think you’re dating Steve Jobs? Your date could be more like MC Hammer.

I have personally seen great dates turn disastrous due to the wrong thing being said. In a lot of cases it is better to just bite our tongues and go with the flow. Anything important should expressed, sometimes you just have to watch how you express it.

Good morning texts

I have not met a person who does not like waking up to a good morning text. Picture it: It’s 7 in the morning, your phone begins ringing and buzzing, telling you it is time for school, you check your phone, and you see a special text from a special someone which says, “Good morning,” or “Have a great day cutie.” When someone takes the initiative to show interest in how someone’s day is going, it helps the person receiving the text try that much harder to have a good day; it is also a great way to show care.

Hallmark ’Em

Hallmarking is when someone gives another person a card, for no particular reason. Companies like Hallmark make a card for almost everything, so it isn’t very hard to find one to give on the humbug. If you can’t find a card that sends the message you want, buy a blank one and write something in it. Better yet, MAKE a card. Taking the time to write something special for someone will always win you points.

Spend lunch together

At Garfield, we do not have the longest lunch period (pause). But it is the time we have to spend away from the class. Instead of going to King Deli with the boys or your “girlfriends,” take the 30 minutes and chill with that special someone. Ask about how class has been treating them and what they have going on the rest of the day. I repeat: you only have 30 minutes to chit-chat, not a lot of time at all. But in the end, it’s the small things that count, right?

Goodnight calls

Just as important as good morning texts. Sometimes, people who are dating do not get to speak to their partners for an entire day. Just to show that person was on your mind, just call them, ask how their day went, and say, “I just wanted to tell you goodnight before you fell asleep.” This is a good way to end the night, and nobody wakes up with bad blood.

Everyone has their own separate agendas, but when you are dating someone or in a relationship, there is an unwritten rule that says you must budget time for that special person. There are times when our schedules can get crazy and the time to spend with that special person becomes non-existent. Yet even when you are away, you can make that person feel special.

Of all the different abilities Formspring offers, the one used most is the anonymous box. This allows people to ask the person who the Formspring belongs to any question. The website does not censor any questions and only people who have Formsprings have the option to keep themselves anonymous or reveal their names. If a person asking questions does not have a Formspring, their identity is hidden indefinitely.

Another option the anonymous box offers is a revealed answer option. This option allows the person who is being asked questions to show the question and answer on Facebook, MySpace, Tumblr, Twitter and a number of other social networking sites along with a link to the persons Formspring. sounds pretty innocent right? Not at all.

A lot of high school students have used FormSpring to ask their peers questions they would not ask in person. Some even choose to write statements, usually to recall a prior situation or just say whatever is on their mind. A lot of the questions on Formspring are sex-driven. Questions like, “How many people have you slept with?” or “Is it true that you and this person did…?” are two of the more frequently asked questions.

Since the answers the owner of the Formspring posts are posted on other social networking sites, goings-on that you wish to be confidential are now painted over the internet for the world to see. Many students have had their names and reputations slandered and feelings hurt because of Formspring. We cannot solely blame the person asking the questions though; some of the responsibility must come from the Formsprings user.

Senior Viche Thomas says, “If the person was asked a question that could possibly ruin their reputation, they should have skipped it, FormSpring gives you the option to answer only the questions you want.”

This is true; when a student is asked a question on FormSpring they are allowed to dismiss the question, refuse to answer it, or not have it be shown on their profile. But since Formspring does not have a filter, vulgar language and profanity are welcome, and before you can deny answering a question, the person still has to read it.

When people are given the chance to be anonymous, their true feelings and the things they really want to say come out. Formspring has given students the lane to expose, learn and manipulate our little dark secrets. Formspring does have its good uses, but for the most part, this site should go to the same place MySpace and Black Planet were sent. Remember this: people become a lot bolder when their identities are secret.

The commercial begins with the camera focusing on a large group of bystanders at what seems to be a sporting event. The group being focused on is completely black, excluding the one Caucasian male sitting in the middle of the group. The seem to be having a good time; they are dancing and being lively. The motions and facial expressions of the one white male imply that he is annoyed by this.

He then says, “When you’re in an awkward situation …” and pulls a bucket of fried chicken from under his seat and raises it above his head. All the black people around him frantically grab a piece of chicken and sit quietly back in their seats. As they enjoy their chicken,  the man then says, “Too easy,” and he introduces the newest product that Kentucky Fried Chicken has.

Before I could diagnose this commercial as racist I had to look at the messages. Message #1: Black people love chicken. They like it so much they would take some from a complete stranger. Message #2: When someone is in an “awkward situation” with a group of black people, chicken makes the situation less awkward. And message #3: It is “too easy” to make a person of color quiet when there’s chicken.

This is obviously racist. After viewing the commercial I began to think about the message KFC was trying to get across, and if this demeaning way of bringing in customers has been used before. Though it is the fault of the company to making such a commercial, it also reflects how much attention is not paid to many of the things we view.

Targeting the crowd of color has been going on for a while. For example, since McDonalds started serving coffee, they have enlisted neo-soul singer Dwele to sing to an entirely black audience in their commercials. Since Micky Ds has introduced their Mac Wrap, their commercial says, “It’s the swagged out way to enjoy a Big Mac.” To know where most of your companies money is coming from and attacking that group in a way interesting to them is perfectly fine, but to publicize a stereotype to sell a product is wrong. If someone created a commercial that insisted people of Asian descent went crazy for rice or that Spanish people would do anything for a taco, it would be just as wrong.

Most people automatically connect fried chicken to black people. This fact is of our own creation. Many places that serve fried chicken are owned or operated by people of black or African descent. As many black people as there are that enjoy their chicken fried, there are just as many that do not eat chicken. Personally, I do not enjoy fried chicken as much as I am expected to because of how unhealthy it is. In all honesty, I could name many other ways I would like my chicken prepared before fried. In the end I do enjoy it, but not enough to look away from a commercial that’s making chicken look as if it is a “black persons delicacy.”

Every race has something that is associated with them, but never should that place or item be used as as one race’s weakness, something they can not live without. Due to commercials similar to the Kentucky Fried Chicken one, people do have this false idea to blacks in relation to chicken. The moral is that not all black people love  chicken, and bringing a bucket of it to a sporting event does not ensure a better experience.

First and foremost, try to study! Tests are a lot easier when you know the material. About three to four days prior to the tests, gradually reintroduce yourself to everything you have learned thus far. Most people forget that mid-terms exercise your knowledge on everything learned since the beginning of the school year. Surprises on a test can not only lower your score, but also lower your confidence throughout the rest of the test.

Instead of studying, many students revert to “cramming,” something you should NEVER do. Jennifer Carson, Wellness Prevention Specialist and Stress Management Educator for McKinley Health Center, says depending on the individual, cramming can be harmful to a student’s health if practiced over long periods of time.

“Giving yourself necessities while preparing for an exam makes you feel relaxed,” Carson says, “It refreshes your mind and body.” This explains why Ms. Carson has heard some students becoming hyper and dizzy during exams due to cramming.

Another way to be on top of your game for a test is by getting a good night’s rest. Seven to eight hours is an ideal amount of sleep, as reported by Daniel Kripke of the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in California. Studies show that both too much and too little sleep cause the student to become sluggish, making concentration is a lot more difficult. Hit the sack early if you want to run that test with ease!

Finally, the step that’s probably most important is making sure to eat breakfast and to take a snack to school. Breakfast foods are quite high in proteins that will give you the energy to take those tests head on. Since most students get hungry before lunchtime, bring something to school you can replenish your energy with. Hunger will then be one less thing to taunt you as you take your exam.

An exercised mind, a rested body, and a full tummy are all it takes to ace an exam. Do not put yourself in a situation to battle hunger, sleepiness, and dizziness as you take on a test. Instead, allow your mind and body to work with you, so you can take down that midterm, and deceive mom and pop into thinking you actually did work the whole year!

Fruit Cake

If you REALLY want to ruin a friendship, than this is the perfect gift. Fruit cake is the only thing during the holiday season nobody ever eats. Where do you buy these things?

When the holidays come to mind, I think about Hershey’s Kisses, candy canes, gingerbread men, etc. Never do I think about fruit cake. Especially as a gift.

Socks

We can buy our own damn socks! Nothing says “I’m so cheap that I picked up your gift from Rite-Aid.” than socks. They can be striped, plaid, glow in the dark, sing or light up, nobody wants to open a box and see a bunch of tissue paper around a pair of M&M long stockings.

Savings Bond

Yes, it is the thought that counts, and the idea of investing in someone’s future is quite thoughtful. But as a teenager, a savings bond means as much as the wrapping paper. It’s like money that hangs over your head, waiting the day were old enough to take it. So we can cut the crap, cut the amount you’d give in savings bond in half and put it in my hand. All parties come out happy.

Picture Frames

Another Rite-Aid/Walgreens gift. The only way that gift could be any worse is if you put your picture in it. Then someone could assume this wasn’t a gift, but instead you wrapped up a family portrait and gave it to them. Save the pictures we took in the matching outfits for Valentine’s Day.

There are plenty of gifts that could screw up someone’s Christmas. Anything that is thoughtless or came from your local corner store is definitely a bad gift. If your intentions are to ruin a person’s holiday, than buy a fruit cake value pack! I assure you, you’ll have one less friend. But if that’s not the case than take the time to get your loved-ones a thoughtful gift. If all else fails, give cards with money. Everyone knows green is the color of happiness.

“Lemonade” — Gucci Mane
Not much to say, but the song is about everything yellow. Lemons, lemonade, and yellow diamonds are all referenced repeatedly on this 808 heavy track. Gucci of course lays down his signature flow and adlibs to complete this hit.

“Panty Droppa” — Trey Songz
THis song is just a taste of the sex-driven amazingness that lives inside Trey Songz latest album, Ready. Only 30 seconds long, this intro could easily become fans’ favorite songs from the the album. Trigga definitely outdid himself with this one. Yuuuuup!

“Life Under the Scope” — Curren$y
A very inspirational song that also speaks on trials and tribulations of being famous. The chorus is very catchy; anyone who writes poetry or music could become inspired in seconds of listening to this song.

“Hyyerr (Ft. Chip Tha Ripper)” Kid Cudi
Another oath to the frosty leaves that many of us love to indulge in. Cudi introduces one of his artists Chip, who immaculately takes control of the song with his mid-west style of rapping. THe beat pretty much holds its own as the sample sings to you, while Cudi sings to you. A great song to lean back in your La-Z-Boy to.

“Lights Please” — J. Cole
All I can say is this: what a deep song. In a nutshell it’s about J. Cole wanting more from a young lady than she is willing to give. Instead he submits to what she wants and forgets about any further relationship. All of this is done over a catchy chorus.

“Pretty Girls” — Wale (Ft. Gucci Mane)
A very odd collaboration that is actually one of Wale’s better songs. In the song, obviously about pretty girls, Wale raps about high-class women as Gucci sneaks up on you and explains how the ladies fall in love with his diamonds.

Since the release of “Tha Carter II” (Lil’ Wayne’s fifth studio album), Wayne has been pushing to solidify himself as the best rapper alive. In many cases he was very well on his way, as he became well known for taking beats from other popular songs and laying verses that were better than the originals. Though he has definitely ripped up beats like Beyonce’s “Upgrade U” and Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater,” he’s also created a lot of hot trash.

Hot trash is stuff that is surrounded by hype, but just plain sucks. “Prom Queen,” “Hot Revolver,” and the entire “Tha Carter III” all definitely count as hot trash. Wayne’s rock career is as big a joke as Vin Diesel’s acting career. “C III,” Wayne’s bestselling album, was also his worst album made. Many critics from websites like AllHipHop.com felt that the Wayne they’d grown to love was losing it. Still, even though the quality wasn’t present within the music, it definitely sold and everyone was nodding their heads to it. Unfortunately.

Let’s fast-forward to the present. It’s been six years and Lil’ Wayne is still the biggest fish in the sea. This man has even brought amazing new talent such as Toronto’s own Drake, also known as Degrassi’s Jimmy, into his school. Wayne has also brought New York native Nicki Minaj into his circle, a female MC that the ladies have grown to love. Seems like a step in the right direction, right? Not at all. Indeed many people have voiced frustration with how the artists have changed under Lil’ Wayne’s influence.

Comeback Season, Drake’s second mixtape, made without Lil’ Wayne’s influence, could be considered one of the best mixtapes EVER made. It’s become a treasure to those who own it. And as for Nicki, when she first entered the music scene she quickly became known as a chick who could humiliate any man on their own song. But since these two stars landed themselves on Wayne’s very own imprint, Young Money Entertainment, it seems as if their subject matter has begun to change drastically. One may think that Drizzy’s presence may be over saturating at times. Others may feel Nicki Minaj sounds WAY too much like Wayne. They both still make pretty good music, but pretty good isn’t enough when you’re used to great music.

Don’t get me wrong, Young Money has had a few hits. Songs like “Bedrock” and “Every Girl,” both of which include a majority of the Young Money cast and not just the notable stars, have been pretty good. Still, the hits aren’t enough to cover up so many misses.

In the end, Lil’ Wayne’s absence from the industry could have a positive effect. Drake and Nicki Minaj may return to their original styles. New artists like J. Cole may be able to squeeze in while Wayne is on vacation and exercise their ability. So many artists have been overlooked since Wayne is the main focus. If Mr. Carter worked at the same level he did when he was surrounded by past label-mates like Juvenile or Curren$y, the love and support he’s receiving would be earned. Yet he isn’t. Yes, he has created good material, but that doesn’t disguise the fact he’s made plenty hot trash.

In his absence while he’s learning his lesson in the penitentiary, we’ll see how the music industry fares. Someone might step up to the plate and fill the void, or the industry may mourn ’til Wayne’s return. Let’s not mourn.

Last year, a study was conducted between GHS and Nathan Hale High School (NHHS). The study showed that not only did NHHS students spend five minutes less in every period, but they also had 32 more short days than Garfield students. NHHS even schedules 100 minutes of mandatory reading per week, in class.

All in all, Bulldogs spend about 23 more hours in the Doghouse than the Raiders spend in the Cave. The evaluation raised one question: Are Garfield students getting something from extended class time? Or is the extra time worth nothing at all?

In the Seattle School District, it’s mandatory that each academic class has 150 hours of calculated academic activities per year. Occasionally, schools ask the district to waive the requirements for specific classes. Technically, NHHS passes the minimum time spent in class. Still some parents feel that more time should be spent in the classroom.

Kevin Lorensen, a GHS parent, said “It’s reasonable to assume that a student who gets more hours in a given year is going to get more out of their education.” However, Kathe Taylor, policy direc-tor at the State Board of Education says, “If one school district can do in two hours what it takes another six to do, and the students achieve equally, well, then you have to ask what difference does it make.” And as surprising as it may be, Nathan Hale’s student achieve-ments and test scores exceed district and state averages. Compared to Garfield students, Nathan Hale students supposedly receive more attention from instructors due to their average student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1. The student-to-teacher ratio at Garfield stands at 22:1.

To see how the time within the classroom affected Garfield students, a few were asked if they’d prefer to have shorter class periods. Nine out of 10 students answered yes. One student surveyed, Associated Student Body President Najee Siu-Chang said, “I agree class should be shorter and use the leftover time to promote innovative ways of thinking.” Siu-Chang didn’t elaborate on how GHS should promote such thinking.

“We [the students] don’t learn the same way our parents did, [and] since we learn differently we have to be taught differently.” said senior Kenny Nguyen. Due to this change, many schools have adapted different ways to educate their students. For example, Franklin High School breaks their students into one of four academies that specialize in concepts like humanities, engineering, finance, or public service. Not only do these academies focus more on specific subjects, they may also call for the students to break away from the classroom environment to accomplish a goal set within the academy.

School is a place of learning. Yet as times change schools must offer more than the necessary core classes and electives necessary to graduate. Every student has a small spark of interest inside them that the learning environment should help expand. If the right information is given to students their spark of interest can evolve to a flame. Garfield has the time to invest; so much could be done if it was utilized.

Or perhaps, in this economic climate, it may be time to shorten the day.