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Teenagers important for upcoming election season

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With the 2016 presidential election growing closer and closer everyday, many Americans are becoming excited to exercise their rights. Those turning 18 before the general election may be missing important information; they are allowed to vote in the primaries and caucuses as 17-year-olds if they turn 18 before the voting day.

17-year-olds can vote in primaries and caucuses in large number of states, including Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Although that may seem like a large number of states, less than half allow 17-year-olds to participate in state primaries and caucuses.

Also, in Alaska, Kansa, North Dakota, and Washington, 17-year-old Democrats are able to participate in their party’s caucus, but Republicans may not.

Allowing 17-year-olds the right to participate in primaries and caucuses encourages them to engage in voting and form a habit of it at a younger age; which is vitally important due to the country’s extremely low voter turnout on Election Day. Political parties also benefit from this as well. If a teen votes for a certain party when they are young, their chances of voting for that party throughout their life is very high.

Opening up the primaries and caucuses to teens is opening up whole new door in politics as well. Candidates must strive to appeal to the younger voters now as well. In 2008, four million 17-year-olds were eligible to vote, but many young voters (18-29) do not turn out on Election Day because they are not prepared. Allowing 17-year-olds to participate early in the primaries and caucuses with increase their likelihood of voting each year after.

“I’m excited to be able to make a difference and voice my opinion in this election,” Hudson junior Anne Kennedy said.

To register to vote, one must visit the state online registry website. The form can be mailed in to the county’s board of elections, or physically taken into the office by Feb. 15 to participate in the Ohio primary election.

Mr. Moyer has registry forms in his room for student to encourage all of his students to exercise the right to vote.

Entertainment, Front/Home

Powerpuff Girls return in 2016

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Sugar, spice and everything nice with a little dash of Chemical-X are not the only ingredients in the new series of “The PowerPuff Girls.”

A modern take on the old classic has many nostalgic fans excited while also intriguing young children of this era for a little taste of the childhood many students had.

While the same storyline, villains and graceful butt-kicking will be recovered in the new show, the original voice actresses and theme song have been altered.

The starting women, Cathy Cavadini as Blossom, Tara Strong as Bubbles and Elizabeth Daily as Buttercup, have all been replaced by other, youthful voices; however, Tom Kenny’s role as the mayor and narrator has remained intact.

According to the LA Times, “‘The Powerpuff Girls’ will feature the voice talents of Amanda Leighton as team leader Blossom, Kristen Li as the bright and friendly Bubbles and Natalie Palamides as the tough-as-nails Buttercup.

Fresh talent does not seem to pose as an issue for many people as the recent ladies are sure to sound close to not if exactly like the traditional, tiny but spunky voices of the three super girls.

On the other hand, the improved theme song and intro are very different from 1998.

The new song is a punk-pop mixture titled “Who’s Got The Power?” by Tacocat, according to Comics Alliance.

Also, the style of the cartoon will be altered from the original. More of a crisp, 3-D illusion and more vibrant colors will be present in the updated version. Cartoon Network will be matching the look of the girls to some of their current shows like Steven Universe, Teen Titans Go and Adventure Time.

All changes put aside, this take on the original PPG is sure to revive many memories of the past and easily make new ones for young children.

The revamped version of the old classic is proposed to air sometime in April. Surely, if the cartoon disappoints and there is still a craving for animated, crime-fighting super girls, then one can turn to Netflix to watch the original series.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Lifestyle

Valentine’s Day brings mixed feelings

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The aftermath of Valentine’s Day can have some people questioning their relationship status.

While some people are out on dates, getting each other stuffed animals, chocolates, roses or balloons, others are sitting at home by themselves playing video games, snacking, watching TV or hanging out with their own friends.

“While everyone else is out doing things and having plans, I just end up sitting at home playing video games in my room all day,” senior David Hall said.

Some of the people who do not go on a date with a significant other can sometimes feel left out.

“Valentine’s Day does make make feel left out a little bit, but I have gotten used to it,” Hall said.

Feeling left out on Valentine’s Day may be due to the constant advertisement in stores, on TV or in schools on around and on holiday. Commercials, posters and propaganda are everywhere telling people they need to go on a date or find a date with someone.

“What makes me feel left out the most on Valentine’s Day is the necessity that exists in our culture today of having a boyfriend or girlfriend,” Hall said.

This constant advertisement of the holiday may leave some people questioning their status and if they really should find a significant other they can call theirs.

Other people find the holiday annoying and tacky. Some couples decide to just stay home and order pizza because they don’t find Valentine’s Day amusing.

One may find himself wondering if Valentine’s Day is really a day to celebrate love or to point out he does not have a significant other yet.

“I don’t feel left out [on Valentine’s Day] because, personally, I don’t need anyone to make me happy,” senior Kayla Esterle said.

While some people are feeling left out on Valentine’s Day, other may feel like the opposite. They might think they do not need anyone to make them happy as they are happy with themselves.

Front/Home

Super Bowl commercials bring disappointment

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The Super Bowl is the time of the year almost all Americans gather together to watch one program. Some people watch solely because their team is the one playing in the game, but most seem to watch for the broadcasted commercials and the halftime performance.

Normally, the commercials consist unusually funny or heart-warming elements with the best advertisements debuting in the first half of the game. This year, I thought the advertisements were lacking in both departments right out of the gate.

Majority of commercials seemed to be appealing to an older generation with focuses on mortgages and automobiles, and directors did not use any abnormal aspects or situations during their advertisement that would set them apart from commercials seen during a regular television show.

Even my parents, who would be a part of the generation advertisers were seemingly targeting, found the commercials to be boring and confusing as figuring out what product was being endorsed in some ads took more time than should be necessary.

My family and I found ourselves rating the advertisements using a typical grading and giving most of the commercials a “C” with very few “B’s” and “A’s” throughout. Amongst the few “A’s” were the kind of advertisements we were looking for with abstract elements we were not used to seeing on a day-to-day basis.

The Doritos commercial featuring the pregnant woman undergoing an ultrasound while her husband teases the unborn baby with Doritos was on our list along with the Mountain Dew advertisement including the part puppy, monkey and baby dancing around a group of men.

Steve Harvey making fun of his own actions during the Miss Universe pageant in 2015 in a commercial supporting T-Mobile was the last ad on our list.

Following the first half of advertisements was the highly anticipated halftime show that included artists Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyonce. Coldplay sang a medley of their popular songs before backing out of the limelight and allowing Bruno Mars to sing his hit song “Uptown Funk.” During the middle of the song, Beyonce came out onto the stage with a group of girls and proceeded to have a dance off while singing the remaining lyrics of Mars’ song.

A dance off was a different approach than I had ever seen during a Super Bowl performance, and I found this to be the most exciting aspect of the game when compared to the bland commercials.

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