7th Volume of the Wide World of the Walrus

"Never settle for anything less that the truth."

- The Walrus
 

Participation: A Forgotten Word

      Ask yourself this: do you or any of your friends have a clue about the key issues of the upcoming Presidential election? What about at school? Do you know anything about your freedom as a student, and the operations of your school and school district? 

      I find it sad that kids today, generally, give no thought to things like this. As long as they have fun, and have no major problems, who cares. Well for your information, you should care. Participation, whether in your school, community, etc., is a right and a privilege that every young person should and needs to exercise. Too few young people realize the power they possess. Think about all the money we spend on food, clothes, music, movies, whatever. Young people in both this country and across the world have an enormous amount of power, yet it is rarely exercised. For example, let’s say kids were getting sick of the high pricing of movie tickets. Imagine if we all simply stopped going to the movies, entirely. This would take a huge effort on our part, but the reward for the sacrifice would be a drop in the price of movie tickets, to say, four or five dollars possibly. This power, however, is only accessed through participation. Participation can come in many ways. It can come in writing for a school paper (like this one), running for ASB (which is basically a joke as in the type of change you can affect, but it's definitely a good start), actively going to board meetings, joining a student rights organization or council, or setting up a club in which real issues are talked about. The possibilities are endless. An unfortunate trend in American culture, not just among young adults, but all Americans, is the failure to participate.

      This problem of not really exercising one’s right to participate transcends to the rest of the country as well. Imagine if everyone eligible to vote actually did. We would possibly have respectable politicians in office (not like daddy’s favorite little son). That of course could go in the opposite direction, because most people out there are not that well informed, or are just truly dumb. 

      My plea to you is this: be active in whatever way possible. Take up opinions on issues, know what is going on (not like who’s going out with who, but with real issues), and participate. Why is it that students don’t have an equal say in their education? After all it’s OUR education. Why is it that the school administration decides on proper school code, and not students as well? Just because someone is older doesn’t necessarily mean that they are wise and correct. These are things to think about. So think. Be informed. Be active. Question the world around you, or you’ll just be another puppet, indulging in the strings of bliss.

Types of Friends

When you think about it, there are 6 types of friends. 

1. Best friends - a best friend is someone who you will never count out, a person who is always in your mind. A best friend is never out of place with you, and is welcome in any scenario. This person also is someone you have known well for a long time, and probably will for the rest of your life.

2. Good friends - a good friend is somebody you're around frequently, can always talk with, but isn't exactly a family member like a best friend. There are of course exceptions to that latter rule, but normally it applies. A good friend is somebody who you're friends with for a good amount of time, like high school or college, but afterwards you normally drift apart.

3. Common friends - a common friend is someone you know through someone else, say a person's sibling. These are people you will be with from time to time, to modestly frequently. They are usually likable, or you wouldn't consider them a friend. 

4. Circumstantial friends - a circumstantial friend is someone who you only are with from time to time, say at school or on a sports team. You can talk with them, confide in them, but after the circumstance you see them for is over, your seeing each other is as well. 

5. Friendly friends - a "friendly" friend takes a circumstantial friend to the extreme. These are people who you only see from time to time, like at school. The difference between a circumstantial and a "friendly" is that a friendly is a last resort friend. If their or your normal friends are available, you will not see each other. But of course if there is nothing to do, then you two will meet up. 

6. A "I know you" friend - an "I know you" friend is just that: you know that person in a favorable way. There is a specific word to use here, but I unfortunately forgot how to spell it. These are people you will see and say hello, and that is about it.

      Well there are your six types of friends. You can go ahead and start labeling the people you know now. Hell, I have.

P.S. Trust your inner walrus

The New Sensation of Poker

      What used to be a game played by old and smoky men in the back of a saloon, poker has become the new thing to do. Since the introduction of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on the Travel Channel, and the televising of the World Series of Poker on ESPN, poker has become a main stay of the young male culture. Yes, girls also play poker, but the game has found popular standing for guys between the ages of 13 and 25. The game, which for some provides a fun way of either winning or losing money, has caught on because of the popularity of suck poker stars as the millionaire amateur Chris Moneymaker, the urban poker master Phil Ivey, the "Professor" Howard Lederer, and countless more. These people are now talked about like sports stars, in their mastery of the game. Games are usually played with 5 to 20 dollar buy ins, and tournaments are held as well. A new male bond has been found in poker, such as playing basketball or video games. There are several styles of poker, and the most popular, hands down, is Texas Hold Em’ in which two cards are dealt face down, and then five community cards face up, for all players to use. In fact the trend has become so popular, ESPN ran a story on the dangers on teenage gambling, specifically with poker. Just look at how many people play at Beverly, and the administration's response to the game (as usual, with more rules against it of course). I would assume the trend will fade in the next few years, but now on Saturday nights in your friend’s dining room, poker reigns supreme.