One thing many people experience in their lifetime is airport security. It has changed a lot since 9/11. Some people think more profiling and racial discrimination occurs now, and others feel safe because so many precautions are taken, but where is the line drawn? When is it too much?

Although I am very thankful that the airport security is tight, I find it bothersome that certain races are more overlooked than others. Any person, no matter their race, gender or age, could be a terrorist. I feel that all people who choose to fly should be put through the same security and looked upon as equals.

It also concerns me of the variation between countries “No Flight List”. If a man or women was a threat or burden in one country, he or she is most likely the same in another. Although it might be a very hard task, countries should communicate and inform each other. It’s possible that attacks on airplanes would not occur if this were to happen.

Many people vote out of flying these days. Due to the patience needed and the fear of their life being put in danger are pretty big turn offs. Flying was once a common, easy way to travel, but now it seems far more of a burden and risk compared to driving to your destination.

“That’s MY toaster oven lady!”

“No, I saw it first, back off!”

“AHHH!” (Lady grabs toaster oven and runs off)

“GET BACK HERE YOU OLD WITCH!” (Women chases the lady with the toaster oven)

These are the wonderful adventures on Black Friday. Stores are full of anxious shoppers every year, on “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving). The arguments and the aggressive sides that are exposed during this long, awaited day are unbelievable.

There are a couple different theories of where the title “Black Friday” came from. A possible reasoning is because of the black tire marks left from all the heavy traffic on the roads. Another idea is because of the black ink used to show profit income, increases during this time. Throughout the year, stores use red ink to show that they have not yet made profit on their goods. It’s said that around Thanksgiving and Christmas, stores finally begin to make an income and they use black ink to show it. (Link) Since the holidays are around the corner, people are out shopping.

According to The Wall Street Journal, there was a rise in shoppers this year. A rough estimate of 195 million consumers roamed the stores this Black Friday, compared to 172 million people in 2008. Although there were more buyers, there was less buying per person. According to the National Retail Federation, the average amount of money spent by each person lowered to $343.31. Last Black Friday, the average was $372.57 per a person. However, because more consumers are shopping, more money was spent. During the four-day weekend, there was a total of 41.2 billion dollars made by stores, close to the 41 billion spent last year. (Link)

Online shopping rates went up. On Thanksgiving, purchases went up 10 percent, and on Black Friday it went up 11 percent.

Some stores were worried about their income rate this Black Friday due to the economy. Because of this issue, stores bought less goods and filled their shelves with cheaper purchases, hoping everyone would find what he or she was looking for. Unfortunately, not all stores had systems that worked out to the customers pleasing. Chelsea Gourley, a junior said, “Many stores could have improved on their lines and could have had more people working the cash registers.” Target was one store that had the line weaving in and out of the isles with one person at the front of the line directing which register a costumer should go to. The line lasted from one and a half hours to two. I stood in line at Target from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. because the lines were weaving in and out of the isles, it was hard for the shoppers to shop. My mom told the manager that the system was not a very good one and he responded by saying, “Well it works for us.” Which gave off the impression that they did not care about their customer’s satisfaction.

Another problem I experienced at Target was in the electronic department. My grandma was looking for the $88 cameras advertised and asked the man behind the counter for assistance. He explained to her that they were all out and apologized; the camera was for me, therefore, I walked around the area looking for another cheap sale. A couple minutes later, a woman walked up and asked the same gentlemen for the $88 camera. He told her they were all out, but she could have the display camera. My grandma heard this conversation and confronted the man about the issue; he then opened the cupboard and found four more of the $88 cameras (we bought two).

Not all people are fans of Black Friday. There are groups that organize a “Buy Nothing Day” on Black Friday. They protest the level of consumerism in the United States and in Canada. They literally buy nothing on this day and persuade others to do the same. Personally, I do not agree with this organization. Black Friday is an exciting day, and since it is a day full of sales, it is a great time to shop!

The event was held at Pinehurst Fields from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Companies from all of CU “adopted” a pumpkin, decorated it and took turns launching them off the catapult provided by Acme Catapult, Inc.  Their goal was to launch one about 1200 feet long, 600 feet high at 350 mph! East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trade Council took home the victory in the farthest pumpkin launch. They used donated high-tech machinery to determine the winner. Before launching, local media celebrities judges the pumpkins and decided which company looked the best. Along with the pumpkin decorating and launching, they also held a seed spitting competition.

The launchers consisted of:

ABC News Channel 15

Beckett and Webber

Carpenters Local #44

Christopher’s Fine Jewelry Design

Cozad Asset Management

Curtis Orchard

East Central Illinois Buildimg & Construction Council

EPTCO

Frogs and Fairies

Kirby Foods, Inc.

Lincolnshire Country Club

Merrill Lynch

MTD

News Gazette

Nally, Bauer, Feinen & Mann, P.C.

Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 149

Precision Graphics

Shelby Motors

Smith Burgett Architects

The Atkins Group

Wampler Property Management, LLC

WBWS/WHMS

WIXY

Holstein and Company

Wolfram Research

Gail Rost said, “The money that is made at the event is going to support the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation which is here to support k – 12 public education in Champaign and Urbana public schools”

The event was free. Bobos BBQ, KettleKorn, t-shirts and 60/40 tickets were available to purchase.

Rost also said that “…the News Gazette reported 1,000″ people attending and they hope to host this fun event in the future.

Do you want a good scare for Halloween? Do you not know where to go? Well, I’m here to help!

Luckily, we are surrounded with many different Haunted Houses.

In Sidney, there is a haunted trail where you walk through with “dead” people jumping out at you the whole time.

Two Haunted House’s that are commonly known of are the Fear Factory and the Pet Shop in Rantoul. Another one is the haunted pool in Mahomet. Be sure to check those out!

If you are looking for something that is scary but not as “jumpy”, then you should check out the Pesotum haunted house. It was created by a church in St. Joe and is actually in a Church, across from a grave yard.

Heads up: the Haunted House (in Champaign), at the old ACE hardware store has been closed. It had a Jason at the end of most of the haunted houses. He carries a chainsaw and wears a white mask..DO NOT RUN! – he will chase you!

Also, if you do not like clowns, people in your face or flashing lights (strobe lights), then haunted houses are not for you.

Happy Halloween and stay safe!

Stacey Panenhanouvong explained how they want to “change things up” this year. Along with the events that occur during the school year, they are researching our school’s history and paying a visit to Urbana High School’s fourth floor, which is claimed to be “haunted”.

One thing that Stacey discovered about UHS’s history is that we used to hold a “Ms. Rosemary”. “Ms. Rosemary” was similar to Mr. Urbana but for females. “I think that if we were to hold a Ms. Rosemary now-a-days, it would be more of a popularity contest and girls would get too competitive,” McKenzie Kirby said.
Chelsea Gourley agreed with Kirby’s statement.

You may think Yearbook is all fun and games, but a few of the staff members said that there are difficult tasks. “A challenging factor is working around our schedule and deadlines,” Panenhanouvong said. “Everyone in yearbook has so much going on that it’s hard to get interviews and pictures done in time.”
Mr. Lehr said that his students are expected to research the past 100 years, to interview clubs, take photos and interview students.

Mariah Burgess is the editor-in-chief this year and Morgan Cooper, along with Meghan Houk are 2009 editors. Their responsibilities consist of designing layouts, sports, interviewing and taking photos. Morgan Cooper expresses her enjoyment in being a part of yearbook. “My favorite thing about yearbook is making something that people can pull out and show their kids and grandkids one day.”

You can buy the yearbooks online at jostensyearbooks.com. If you buy it before winter break, you get $10 off!

Have you ever sat at home in the mood for that “special food” that you have not had in awhile, but can’t quite think of what it is? Or where to go?

If you’re in the mood for something cheap and filling, I’d recommend El Toro. It’s fast and very laid back. You can wear your sweats in there, get a $1.89 cheese quesadilla, and be home in 45 minutes. El Toro is well known for their chips and salsa, but don’t forget the cheese dip. This is also a wonderful family environment.

Maybe you’re wanting to take him or her out on a special date and don’t mind spending some cash. Ko Fusion is an excellent choice for you! Although it can get pretty expensive, it’ll sure give you a good impression. The atmosphere is very laid back and romantic; you would want to wear one of your nicer outfits here. They have a very diverse choice in their menu. It includes chicken, steak, salads, rice, berry desert and, on Sundays and Mondays, one dollar sushi.

Luckily, volleyball still has a few weeks to go.

The UHS varsity volleyball team finished our season by attending the Eureka tournament this weekend. We went 4-1, winning second place. We played Eureka in the Championship game, taking them to 3.

We are going into our first regional game with a 19-14 record. UHS volleyball has not had a winning record in many years, and have not been anywhere close to reaching the 20 win mark. We were placed in the top 10, representing seed 9, right in front of Central High School.

Our regional game is on Thursday, October 29th, at Mt.Zion against Mt.Zion.
We were seeded 2nd, right below Centennial, ahead of Eisenhower, Macarthur, and Mt.Zion. We were predicted to lose to Centennial in the game before sectionals. Hopefully we prove those people wrong!

He told me how people that are into motocross also want to be in shape because it affects the way the bike jumps over the mounds and how fast your bike can go. Another thing you need it good balance. I am sure it is very difficult to keep balance turning the corners going too fast and landing the jumps with equal weight.

I was really curious about this so I went home, pulled out my brothers dirt bike, and hit our “home-made” track. Unfortunately, I was too scared to go as fast as needed, and was not ready to literally jump the jumps. So I went and got my brother and told him what I was trying to do. He ran around the track for about 30 minutes and then explained to me what he discovered. He told me how when he went slowly over the hills his balance was off and difficult to maintain. Also, the same thing occurred when he went slowly around the curves. Then he explained that when he put all his weight on the bike, it went slower then when he stood on the pedals or put one knee on the seat.

We cheerleaders have to run and stay in shape just like in any other sport! Practices can be really tough… 5x of each jump-toe-touch,left hurdler, right hurdler, left herkie, right herkie, left pike, right pike, and double toe. On top of that, WE LIFT PEOPLE! And the people that we lift have to learn how to do all kinds of crazy things (which take months to perfect). Many other sports don’t take hours and hours to perfect one trick. Not only do we have to be prepared for games, but also competitions. You are expected to have supurb form, high jumps (with excellent form in the air), strong stunts, loud cheers, and “on-rythm” dancing.

I use to think similar to many of the other people… that cheerleading could never be hard and should not be considered a “sport”, but then I tried it. I don’t think anyone should express that cheerleaders and not athletes until they actually try to live a day in the life of a cheerleader… you might be surpirsed.

Stay tuned.