News

New and improved nutrition labels

May 31, 2016 Jacob Rossell Leave a comment

On May 20th, First Lady, and health advocate, Michelle Obama unveiled the new nutrition labels that will be used on every day food packaging. The new label does look a lot like the old one, as it keeps the same black and white two column structure and highlights many of the same categories. Designers have praised this look over the years for its simplicity and easy to understand nutritional information. While the label does not appear to be much different, some categories are now emphasized more than others, and the way some numbers are calculated has changed.

With increase in disease and illness caused by unhealthy diet choices in the U.S., the updated nutrition labels represent a loss for the food industry which has fought against updating the labels as they are partly responsible for over large amount of added sugar and calories that are in our foods.

Among the changes that are taking place, the most significant one to note is the bold and enlarging of the calories and serving sizes. This is the most controversial change made on the labels, as they now represent how much people currently should eat, rather than how much the food companies deems reasonable to eat. “The intention is not to tell consumers what to eat, but rather to make sure they have the tools and accurate information they need to choose foods that are right for themselves and their families,” Susan Mayne, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a conference call with reporters.

Other important changes to note are the new added sugars tab, updated daily values, changes in nutrients and percentage amounts, and a new footnote added at the bottom of the label. These changes are expected to cost the food companies millions of dollars, as they will have to adjust the new criteria and reformulate portions of their recipes.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Perfume in school

May 31, 2016 MiaDoa 2 Comments

Walking out into the hallway from my classroom, someone always has to spray a ton of perfume into the air. I get that people want to smell good but they should be more considerate of other people around them.

People can get headaches, asthma or even allergic reactions to the smell of perfume. For the safety of students, the school should do something to control the use of perfumes. If not banning them, then limit the amount that a student can use.

On November 19, 2010, an article was posted about a mother wanting a school to ban perfume because her son had had several severe allergic reactions. Her son even needed an ambulance to get to the nearest hospital.

To avoid situations like these, people should not spray perfume into the air in the middle of the hallway. Do it in the bathroom, or where people aren’t, so no one gets affected by the smell. People don’t even need that much perfume that is sprayed in the air.

For people who don’t know where you’re supposed to spray your perfume, spray where your pulse points are. Most people spray perfume on their wrists, behind their ears, and behind their knees. Hopefully, people become more considerate and stop spraying perfume into mid air.

Clubs and Activities, School Life

Rent a senior day

May 31, 2016 karla598 Leave a comment

What’s rent a senior day?

Rent a senior day is when any underclass student such as juniors, sophomores, or freshman rent a senior for the whole day.

What happens during this day is the senior may do anything you ask, but it has to be reasonable and they have to be okay with it. Like, for example, carrying your backpack, or bringing you food before school, or even dressing up with a silly costume.

The reason we do this is because we get to spend a whole day with a friend or a sister or brother who’s a senior and is almost leaving school and heading to college.

I think it’s a great thing because you get to talk to someone maybe you haven’t talked to in a long time, or you’re going to miss them, and they get to see what you do during the day. Also, it’s a great way to get to know people, like maybe your link leaders and all.

That’s what renting a senior is all about.

Entertainment, Movies/TV/Theaters

Beyonce concert

May 31, 2016 katiedarwitz Leave a comment

Beyonce came to Minneapolis on Monday, May 23rd, to perform for the Formation World Tour at TCF Bank Stadium. The concert was scheduled to start at 7:00pm, but doors opened at 5:30pm. There was a delay though because of lightning and rain. The stadium was filled! Everyone had to evacuate TCF Stadium and go under nearby shelter. The thunderstorm didn’t stop the show though! Because of the delay, the go-ahead wasn’t announced until 9:00 pm.

Beyonce put on a great concert. She sang a mixture of old songs that everyone could sing along to, and some of her newer songs from her album Lemonade. Wiz Khalifa and other popular artists opened up for her. She also did a Prince tribute, that had everyone there feeling a little emotional, she covered one of his songs and had the whole stage lit up with purple lights.

Her performance was said to be the most satisfying Twin Cities concert ever. This concert was said to be, fierce, personal, and satisfying. There were pictures of her daughter and husband, Jay Z, pictures of her as a child and a teenager throughout the show. The show gave everyone a look into her personal life and her personality. The concert lasted for about 2 hours, the show ended with fireworks, ended with her hit song “Halo” and she was dancing in water.

Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11) and many other Highland Park students attended the concert on Monday night.

“Was the concert worth the waiting?” I asked Keshya.

“Yes! It was a lot of fun and worth the price of her tickets too. It did suck having to leave my seats and having to wait during the evacuation when I was already waiting all day though,” she answered.

“Did you like the mixture of her old songs and her new songs?”

“Yes, because I know so many of her old songs and I still listen to them and enjoy them today,” she said.

“What was your favorite part of the concert?” was my next question.

“The finale. She sang her new song “Freedom” and she was dancing in a pool of water and it looked so cool,” was her answer.

Overall, the concert seemed like it was a lot of fun.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Fields of Hair

May 31, 2016 aatiq001 Leave a comment

Fields of hair is a beauty/barbershop located in St. Paul, on Minnehaha and Hamlin. It’s a beauty shop and barbershop combined into one, and was started by a women named Marcie S. Fields. She runs the hairstyle department, and was joined by her loved one. Together, they made a simple building into a succesful shop that they can gladly call their own.

I asked Marcie some questions based on how things are going, and the methods she uses to keep the success going. The questions I asked her were to help me get a better understanding on how she created a fascinating business, and ways she kept it stable. Some of the questions I asked her were:

What is “Fields of hair?”
What are some business techniques you used to keep the business going?
What made you want to start your own hair company?
What are some advantages and disadvantages about your company.

“Being on time, that’s the biggest thing” says Marcie. She keeps things in order and keeps her appointments and calls in order. Another answer from Marci about what techniques she uses to keep the business going is: “You have to be able to be dependent on time. Customer service skills are important especially making your customers happy. Customer service skills, make your clients happy which falls under the category “customer service skills”. When the customer lets you know what they want, that’s when the listening comes in. You need to get a visualization on what they want and you can’t get that if you’re not listening.” Her response about the customers relates to the saying “The customer is always right”.

One thing she cherishes the most about her shop and how she started her company is the freedom, which to her means that anyone is welcome.

Some advantages and disadvantages I asked her about her shop and the way things are set are listed below:

Advantages

Being my own person makes the moments stronger.
Spending time with my family matters the most, so I can make my own schedule when I work and when I don’t.

Disadvantages

No paid vacation since I set my own schedules. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.

My experience at Field Of Hair was nothing but sensational, positive, and well-mannered. The service was great, and the job was finished in a matter of time. I feel as though she listens and focuses on what the customer wants. She keeps things flowing, and gets people in and out with no hassle. I am satisfied every time I walk in there, and I hope to continue visiting such a pleasant shop.