Despite having to be 13- years- old to have a MySpace account, there are many elementary students that have accounts.

 The problem with these young elementary students having these MySpace, Facebook and Twitter accounts, is that the average age of MySpace users is thirty -five- years old, according to wiki.answers.com, and 68% of all users are twenty- five and older.

 Kylee McGeary 11 thinks that online relationships aren’t worth the time because they never work. 

“You can’t have the part of the relationship that keeps it going. You would have to have a lot of trust for the person, because you really never know what they are doing,” McGeary said.

The Facts

 According to Google.com online, only about 14% of people who meet online will get married. It is possible to get married when you meet online, but it is improbable and hardly ever lasts that long.

 Only 40% of these types of marriages last. In just the past year twenty million people registered on EHarmony, which cost $59.99 a month, almost $60 to meet people online.

To no surprise, 20% of new divorce cases contain the word “Facebook” in their divorce papers. 30% of “singles” on online dating sites aren’t singletons.

Malinda Peine, a teacher here at RAL in occupational classes, says that online dating is like the country singer Brad Paisley’s song “I’m So Much Cooler Online.” You never know who you are really talking to.

“It’s hard to meet people in our society. Many people don’t really get out as much as they use to, so it’s hard to meet someone just around town,” Peine said.

The Shady Side

29,000 is the number of convicted sex-offenders found on MySpace when they first found out these sex-offenders were logging on.

Police originally thought there were about 7,000 but they found 29,000 instead.

According to techcrunch.com, today that number has grown from the 29,000 to 90,000 sex-offenders on a MySpace that anyone could be on including your younger sister or brother , and are probably using everyday.

Kylee McGeary was completely shocked that there were that many people online with that kind of a title.

 “That is the creepiest thing ever!” McGeary said.

Also, 40% of the people that get on these online dating sites are already married and probably have families.

If people get onto a site, and meet someone, they could have a wife or husband.

The Good Side

A positive thing about online dating is that 33% of all the conversations that happen on the dating sites lead to a date.

However, more men than women use the sites. Therefore, it would be harder for a man to get a match, since there aren’t as many women online.

“It’s not safe to date online. You never know if they [who you are talking to] are really who they say they are,” McGeary said.

Peine agrees that it’s unsafe, and that the expectations are unreal and too picky.

“You can just throw out a request if you don’t like the look of it, and it might be a really great person,” Peine said.

Communicating with technology is now part of our daily lives. Having a conversation with someone from any where is easy.

Using technology for relationships is rapidly increasing all over the world, but is it becoming a danger? Or is technology perfect for relationships?

Cell phones are used to call or text anyone, anywhere, any time. It can be used just to have a conversation, or in case of an emergency.

Today, texting is the number one use of the cell phone and is mostly used by teens, but some people say that teens are losing the ability to talk.

William Yordy 12 states that using technology for relationships is a benefit to most people.

“It’s easy to communicate with others and just be yourself, but some people loose the ability to talk face to face. It gets pretty irritating, ”Yordy said.

Cell phones may have the ability to really communicate face to face, but can it impair your driving too?

According to a mobile-spy.com survey, 67% of teens admitted to texting while driving.

Because of this, it has become a secondary offense if someone was pulled over and was seen texting and driving, meaning he or she will be given a citation by the local police.

Cell phones aren’t the only piece of technology use for relationships though. The computer makes it easy to talk, meet new friends, or even to try to find a date at the comfort of your home.

In 2009, 20 million people use a dating site at least once a month. Online Dating Magazine stated that more than 120,000 couples are married each year who have met online.

“Computers will make contacting my family easy when I go away to college,” Yordy said

Social sites like MySpace are made to keep in touch with friends and family.

There are over 130 million users currently on MySpace according to securityfocus.com, but some people take advantage of that fact that you only have to be 13 to be able to join the site.

According to techcrunch.com, MySpace alone has over 90,000 registered sex offenders right now as members, but in 2005, MySpace paired up with Sentinel Tech Holding to build a national database of convicted sex offenders and have been kicking sex offenders off the site.

“The creation of the first-of-a-kind real-time searchable database technology is a significant step to keep our members as safe as possible,” Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer for MySpace said.

Using technology for relationships has and will continue to advance, but is it for the good or for the bad?

There are seven Starbucks’ in the Longview/Kelso area. There are even more local independent drive through and sit in coffee shops. While they all serve tea and blended drinks, the attraction for most customers is coffee.

“I go to Starbucks a few times a week,” Kenzie Fine 10 said, “It’s good!”

Coffee, originally developed by the Ethiopians and grown in Arabia, was a carefully guarded secret for many years. However, some plants were smuggled to the Netherlands, and the Dutch colonies began growing it. Now coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world.

Fifty percent of the world’s coffee is currently grown in South America, where the tropical climate is ideal for the coffee trees to grow. The trees can grow 15-30 feet in height, and can produce coffee berries for 10-20 years.

Coffee berries, or coffee cherries, generally have two coffee beans inside them. The fruit is hand picked, and then is either soaked to get rid of residue and dried in commercial dryers, or is just laid to dry in the sun for two to three weeks. The dried pulp is then removed so the bean can be processed.

So how does it get in your coffee cup? The beans are roasted, sorted and bagged. The bags are shipped to locales around the world, where the beans are ground up and brewed to preference. Beans can either be ground and brewed at home, or can be bought in a drinkable form from a coffee shop. Mr. Weber brews some coffee in his classroom every day.

“My mom makes it every morning, but I know how to make it too,” Chelsea Trefren 12 said, “I like using my travel mugs.”

The main drug in coffee, and the main reason for its consumption, is caffeine. A coffee bean has approximately 0.8-2.5% caffeine. Scientific studies have conflicting reports on whether coffee consumption has harmful or beneficial side effects.

Changing the type of filter used when brewing coffee can resolve some of the variations. Paper filters get rid of oily components associated with heart disease, while metal filters do not get rid of these components.

There are also different reports based on how much coffee is consumed. Moderate amounts of coffee have been shown to reduce risks of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, some forms of diabetes, and the antioxidants in coffee can prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.

On the other hand, too much caffeine can cause hyperglycemia, troubled breathing, and an increased risk of acid reflux disease.

Overall, Harvard School of Public Health has decided that the long term benefits of coffeeoutweigh the risks.  Also, coffee consumption has been shown to have no impact at all on the creation of cancerous tumors.

Socially, coffee was first used in religious ceremonies in the Middle East. That is quite contradictory to some modern religious doctrines, including the Mormon doctrine, which prohibit drinking coffee and other caffeinated drinks.

Coffeehouses themselves have existed for over 500 years. They originated in Mecca, Damascus, and Cairo; the first European coffee house was built in Venice, Italy, and the first coffeehouse in England still stands today.

The first American coffee houses were in Italian American immigrant communities, and became more wide spread as the 1960s developed. Before Starbucks mainstreamed the coffeehouse model, the Pacific Northwest already had a thriving cultural coffeehouse scene.

While some still go to coffeehouses to socialize, they do not order a latte or mocha.

“I don’t drink coffee,” Miranda Wilson 12 said, “I usually get a peppermint hot cocoa or half passion tea and half green tea [when I go to Starbucks].”

Coffee has proven to be a cultural phenomenon. Whether one is paying four dollars for a cappuccino or brewing at home, almost everyone is drinking it.

Although often considered a “new” or “trendy” alternative to coffee or soda, tea is actually the World’s most commonly consumed beverage after water.   The four most common types of tea found on the market are black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea. All of these teas can be made from the same bushes but are processed differently, and, in the case of white tea, grown differently.

One would think that making tea involves hot water and a good hard tea bagging. However, to make an excellent tea, one must use almost surgical precision.

 The two primary factors in creating great tea are water temperature and brewing. First, In order for the tea flavoring and chemicals to be released into the water, it needs to be activated by near boiling water, but it is different for different teas.

Most teas need to have water be introduced at around 210 degrees Fahrenheit in order to be released, and the most common mistake in brewing tea is having too cool of water temperature.

A good way to keep water hot while brewing tea is to pour some boiling water in the container you plan on brewing in and swirl it around, then dump it out.  This makes the container warm, thus better maintaining the water temperature while brewing.

Brewing proves to be the most difficult part of the procedure due to the diversity of tea leaves.  The longer the tea is brewed, the more bitter it becomes, so it gets hard to find the balance between flavor and bitterness.  For example, black tea experts say anywhere between 30 seconds and five minutes is the optimum time for brewing.

Green and white tea is unique in the fact that due to the fragility of the leaves, water must not be boiling, but approximately 185 degrees Fahrenheit, to keep them from burning and making an acrid, bitter taste. The best way to make green tea is in a warmed mug, gradually mixing boiling water with cold water, and tasting after every time water is added.

       So whether you’re sipping your hot tea on the Great Wall of China with a two foot fumanchu, or on a cattle ranch in North Dakota, good tea can be enjoyed by all.

Imagine the satisfaction of helping build a home for someone else or for yourself and your family. 

According to Len Lelevich, a member of Cowlitz County Habitat for Humanity. In the Longview-Kelso area, Habitat is finishing house number 13 this month. Their plan is to build three more next year, and build a house in one week this summer if they can gather enough support from local contractors and donors.

 In order for a low-income family to qualify for a home, the family must fall under a 60-25% area median income, which is based on income and number of members, be a Cowlitz County resident for at least a year, and be willing to work 500 hours minimum on the house, though “some families put in twice that amount,” said Lelevich.

Though the qualifications for getting the home are based mainly on income, helping to build the homes is not. About 90% of the workers are community members choosing to volunteer.

The money for the houses and organization is either fundraised or donated. ReStore was also opened, and sells building materials, appliances, and furniture. The items sold in the store are donated either to the public or used in the construction of the Habitat homes. The funds are used to supports the efforts of building the affordable homes throughout Cowlitz County.

 The mortgage payments differ from buying a house from a major retail company. Habitat owns their own mortgage, and to keep the house in a cost range that the family is able to pay, there is a 0% interest.

In the most recent home built, at 800 N. Pacific (Kelso), the monthly payments were about $300, though the amount paid depends on the family’s income bracket. This will be the third home built in Kelso.

Normally, the total time to build a home is about nine months from when Habitat starts developing plans for the house. The length of time is partly because they usually just work on Sat, but they’re hoping to speed the process by working one additional day.

If you have questions, you can call the Longview location at (360) 425-6177, or visit www.cowlitzhabitat.org/index.html.

OUTSTANDING. That’s just one word to describe the experience of the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership camp. It’s also one of the many cheers those who attend HOBY will participate in throughout the session.

“HOBY taught me a lot about friendships and leadership skills,” said Tug Harris 11 of MMHS who attended HOBY last Spring.

Actor Hugh O’Brian was inspired to begin the camp in 1958 after spending a summer in Africa working with missionary and humanitarian, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Today, approximately 9,000 students worldwide attend HOBY seminars each year.

“It was probably the single most amazing thing in my life, I still keep in touch with the people I met there and it really opened my eyes to poverty in the world,” said Hannah Morgan 12, who attended HOBY in Spring 2008.

Ambassadors are chosen from high schools around the world to attend their local HOBY seminar. In Washington, sophomores from around the state stay at Gonzaga University for three days making friends and being a little more crazy than they might feel comfortable being at home.

But HOBY is more than exciting cheers and learning how to “rip up your cool card” and be yourself. Ambassadors will participate in leadership exercises, listen to speakers, and spend time working on a service project—all in order to learn the importance of volunteering in the community and world.

“I volunteered at an Old Folk’s Home. You learn people skills and it teaches you how fun helping people can be,” said Colin Cardwell 12 who also attended HOBY in Spring 2008.

This year, RAL sophomores planning to attend HOBY are Jessica Johanson-Kubin and Alison Kolberg.

In many high schools, prospective ambassadors must apply for a chance to attend HOBY, but because the school board is unable to pay the fees for HOBY, it has become first-come, first-serve. The HOBY dates for the WA seminar this upcoming spring are June 6-8.

“We used to help fund that [HOBY] but it became so expensive,” said Mrs. Cochis, of the counseling department.

RAL Juniors Bill Davenport and Allison Schneider attended the seminar last Spring and are planning on returning as Team Alumni (TA) this year. TAs help to make the seminar run smoothly. To be a TA, you must have completed at least 100 volunteer hours the year after you attend HOBY as a sophomore.

“It’s really motivated me to do a lot of volunteer work in the community. I have over 150 hours since the school year started,” said Harris.

Being a HOBY alumni looks fantastic on college and job applications and provides students with leadership skills and an appreciation for volunteering that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

“It [Teen Mentoring] makes me feel good to help the kids, who deserve fun and support,” Ashley Wingate 11 said of her volunteer experience with the Teen Mentor Program.

The Teen Mentor Program pairs local high school age volunteers with elementary school students who have been identified by their teachers as needing a mentor due to an unbalanced home life or difficulty making friends.

Not only do the mentees benefit from the emotional support, the mentors benefit from the increased leadership confidence and constructive relationship with their mentee.

“It feels good to give back to the community, to kids that need help,” Brandon Mathews 12 said.

The mentors travel once a week to the school of their mentee and meet in a designated spot, like the playground, the library, or the guidance office, to do activities. Depending on the school, activities can be board games, making friendship bracelets, coloring, or tossing around a football outside. All supplies are provided by the Teen Mentor Program, unless the mentor wants to bring something extra.

Teen Mentor Program is funded by the Cowlitz Substance Abuse Coalition (CSAC), which was created in 1989 to combine agencies resources and ideas to prevent substance abuse in our community. CSAC is funded by private and government grants.

The Teen Mentor Program also hosts group activities. During Christmas time there is the annual gingerbread house making, and during Easter time there is an egg hunt and party. Last year, because of some extra grant money, all of the mentors and mentees were able to go to the zoo together.

“I’m looking forward to making the gingerbread houses,” said Averie Bogner 12, “I’ve heard how much fun they are!”

Each high school also hosts monthly lunches to talk about progress with the mentees and to prepare activities for them. RAL currently supplies the most mentors [35] to the program, in comparison with Kelso and MM, a source of great pride for our high school coordinator Mrs. Opgrande.

“I’m super proud of our mentors in general at RAL. They are all around fantastic kids and role models. RAL doesn’t always get positive representation, but this really does reflect positively on our school,” Mrs. Opgrande said.

For those who are interested in becoming a part of this program, see Mrs. Opgrande or Ms. Kochis in the Guidance Office. You must be a sophomore or older, and there will be an application and interview process.

Since 1986, the Senior Project posters have lined the upper library hall of RAL showing the signs of students hard at work.

Every year, students (jun. and sen.) in the Senior Seminar class, previously known as English Four, show their skills to the community by producing a project that is related to a job path or activity of their choice.

The project consists of making a poster, writing a research paper, performing at least 14 hours involved in the topic, and at least one hour of community service related to the project.

 “I’m really glad I chose to do my senior project this year. I like being involved with my topic and at the end, I’m looking forward to doing my community service,” Elliott Scroggins 11 said.

Scroggins has chosen to do her project on Catering and is completing her project hours by job shadowing her mentor and learning the way to prepare and deliver food. Along with learning about catering, Scroggins is planning to provide a catered meal to the Community House or Women’s Shelter for her community service. She plans to work with her mentor to produce this meal but hasn’t decided yet if she will personally serve it at the shelter that she chooses.

“The part I’m most nervous about is the community service but I know it will be fine and people are always glad to be given help, in whatever way it can come. I think it’s cool in general that RAL students get to go out and interact with their community, it’s showing what RAL is about,” Scroggins said.

 A few other community service projects RAL students are participating in are coaching a basketball team, holding a booth at information health fairs, playing or demonstrating objects made during their project, volunteering at shelters, or performing informational presentations ranging for all ages.

“My community service is going to be really fun and I am really excited for it! I’m getting to teach little ones about martial arts and how to perform them. Just imagine a bunch of kids trying to do kicks and do punches, it should be fun,” said Nick Bartolus 12.

Bartolus is producing his project on martial arts and is completing his hours by participating in the art its self. The way he is most involved is by learning many different techniques of the art and performing them. Then he is going to teach lessons on what he has learned for his community service.

 “RAL is filled with fantastic young people that are going to do great things with their lives and great things inside the school. Community service, giving back with nothing expected in return, is a great character builder and a way to show RAL’s appreciation of the community,” Mr. Reeves, RAL principal, said.

Students may think the senior project is a burden, but by the end of their projects most students’ minds have changed to a positive aspect. As long as the senior project stays at RAL, it continues to encourage students to step out of the easy path and take on extraordinary topics. RAL is building and strengthening their relationships with community businesses and community members as well as preparing their students for the future.

In this age of modern technology, voicemail is quickly becoming a thing of the past. With the rise of texting, people want instant communication, and playing phone tag just leads to extreme frustration. IMing will get you the message sooner.

uReach Technologies, which operates voice messaging systems, estimates that 20% of all messages left are never listened to. That is because of the seven step process to retrieve it, not including the hassle to write down the number and respond.

In contrast, texting or email is a one step process with instant gratification. Email and texting also make it easy to save new contacts and be able to refer back to information with ease.

“Well, voicemails are like lectures… Really boring,” said Bill Davenport 11, “I don’t really like to answer my phone at all, and I usually just delete my voicemails without listening to them.”

The New York Times recently reported on the anti-voicemail phenomenon, and came back with some telling statistics. 91% of people under 30 respond to text messages within the hour, and are 4 times more likely to respond to texts than voicemail within minutes of receiving the message. As seen in the past, young people are the driving force behind this new trend.

Some companies have latched on to consumer frustration and come out with products that make voicemails easier to listen to and respond. For example, on the iPhone, Apple developed a software program that allows you to visually pick whose message you want to listen to and in what order. A British company named Spinvox will translate voicemail into email or text message and send it directly to your phone or computer. 

However, despite all the fuss, some people still have no problem with voicemail, seeing it as a more personal form of communication.

“I like voicemail, personally,” said J. T. Leeper 11, “It’s a convenience in case people can’t text. I like people to know I can call them and talk to them.”

So while voicemail may not be going extinct, it’s fast on its way to becoming an endangered species.

 While the original text-ins may have been simply about speed, later qualifying rounds were not. 21 finalists texted in New York while running on treadmills, being heckled, and even blind-folded. All phones had to be LG, and iPhones were not allowed.

Crowd spirit was intense, with past champions getting the crowd riled up. After 5 rounds, only two girls were left, a 14 year old and 15 year old.

The final round consisted of a head to head speed texting of this modified Zippity-do-dah chorus:

“Zippity Dooo Dahh Zippity Ayy…MY oh MY, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine Comin’ my way….Zippitty Do Dah Zippity Aay! WondeRful Feeling Wonderful day!”

Kate Moore, of Des Moines, Idaho, pressed send first to beat out her younger competitor for the prize. Her mom called, not texted, her dad back home with the good news.