Valentine’s Day brings mixed feelings

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.

Super Bowl commercials bring disappointment

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.

Teenagers turning to DIY remedies for acne and skincare

Every teen goes through blemishes and acne at least once in their teen years, and for most it is an everyday occurrence, but there are many different ways to prevent blemishes from forming.

Acne can occur from almost anything including stress all the way to genetics, and there are often multiple ways to treat different forms. Different forms of acne include whiteheads, blackheads, nodules and cysts, all of which are caused by multiple reasons, and there are both natural ways and hacks to get rid of it or reduce it in a short amount of time.

The easiest way to prevent acne is to take care of both the body and mind, meaning washing the face with mild soap or face wash regularly, eating right and drinking plenty of water. By doing these things it naturally reduces the buildup of toxins in the body and lets the body get rid of waste naturally without breaking out the skin.  

If the acne comes from another reason, such as a hormonal imbalance, it may be best to meet with a doctor and speak about the possibility of medications that would work better than a face wash and healthy living.

Many different face washes out there offer the same thing: clear skin and a happy body, but they are not for everyone and work for different body and skin types. For example, the X-Out seen on TV will not work for everyone as everyone is different and each body requires different strengths and ingredients that the skin will react and work best with.

Many people who struggle with acne often turn to “skin hacks” to treat and manage acne. Hundreds of different hacks can be found simply by typing it into Google. These hacks range from very simple tricks that require one or two ingredients to DIY face washes that can be made almost like a cake in a kitchen. Simple hacks may include placing ice, lemon, toothpaste, and even honey onto the affected blemish and holding it there for anywhere from a few seconds to overnight according to lifehack.org.

Do it yourself acnes treatments often have simple ingredients that are available in the household or at the local stores, and often can be cheaper, more effective alternatives to store bought washes and scrubs. Natural remedies are also very popular in the day and age as people now are concerned about what goes in their bodies.

A face wash that is both DIY and natural, according to stylecraze.com, has cinnamon powder, honey, turmeric, and lemon and is applied in the paste form onto the face for fifteen to twenty minutes.

There are many different ways to treat acne, and the best way to find a treatment that works is to try many different kinds. It is a good thing people have six years of teen-hood to find the perfect match.

Lady Bulldogs set to play Youngstown in playoffs

Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl seem to control the major chunk of attention for the month of February, but when that is all said and done, all eyes will be focused in on the Lady Bulldogs basketball team as they steamroll into the playoffs.

The Bulldogs held on to a 7-10 record going into the official drawing for playoff seeds and scheduling. With a substantial record, Stow was able to grab a fourth seed in the OHSAA Division I bracket. Canfield clinched the first seed, followed by Austintown Fitch and Boardman with the second and third seeds respectively.

Bracket play filled out to have the Bulldogs square up against Youngstown East at home on Feb. 13. If all goes as planned, and they come out with a victory, Akron East will be next in line, also at home on Feb. 18.

Stow’s season has been highlighted with wins over Twinsburg and Hudson, along with leadership and strength on the court from captains senior Jessie Stout and juniors Kelly Fenwick and Chrissy DeMarino.

With a seemingly easy path to the championship due to a fortunate draw, it is a very real possibility for the Bulldogs to seize a district title. With that said, all pistons must be firing, and the discipline to take the path one game at a time must be strong.

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