307 years later and Scotland is still a member of the United Kingdom in the company of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as decided by the Thursday’s referendum vote. On a day that is sure to cause heartbreak for many Scots who dreamed of witnessing their independence, the results came to 55% in favor of staying as a Union.

Scotland formally joined the union in 1707 following serious conflicts between British and Scottish parliaments in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution (1688-1689). Being a part of the union ensured economic benefits for Scotland in exchange for extra laborers and resources. However, many Scots soon disliked being subjects to British lawmakers and maintained cultural independence, leading many to insist on political separation as well. In modern times, Scotland has grown increasingly resentful of Parliament’s habit of ignoring their woes and the issue of independence was thus thrust into play once again.

The Situation:

Scottish residents age sixteen and over who registered were eligible to vote, so long as they are British, Eu, or Commonwealth citizens that are currently living in Scotland. The Scottish parliament, dominated by the Scottish National Party and led by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, worked since the 2011 elections to arrange the mandate to vote. On the opposing side, British Prime Minister David Cameron strongly urged voters to remain members of the United Kingdom along with the vast majority of Brits.

Pros for Independence:

1. Up to 90% of the oil in the North Sea region is found in Scotland. Salmond proposed the unshared profits that would come from sole ownership of the resources would be put towards infrastructure reforms including social welfare programs and education.
2. If independence is granted there will be a massive party with free booze guaranteed.
3. Independent government can focus on issues in Scotland that the British Parliament did not listen to.

Economic Considerations:

1. Although Salmond advocates for continuing using the British pound as currency, most of the U.K.’s political parties will not oblige to a shared currency if independence is granted. Further, the Bank of England will not be in a position to bail Scottish banks out if they run into economic turmoil.
2. If or when the oil reserves run out of their major source of income, the Scottish economy could likely plummet so long as they “put all their eggs in one basket”
3. Several prominent union businesses expressed the interest to withdraw from Scotland, which would mean significant job losses

Though in the months leading up to the referendum the union-supporters lead by a comfortable margin in the polls, in the past few weeks public opinion seemed to have shifted and Better Together came in danger of falling apart. Salmond, who resigned on Friday after the painful loss, blames the over 55 age voters for, “actually [impeding] progress for the next generation,” as those voters tended to decide against independence.

As for the future of the United Kingdom and Scottish devolution, Cameron promises, “a new and fair settlement that [applies] to all parts of the UK”.

Emily Abrishamkar is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.

It’s early autumn and as with every other year Apple has just released its latest iteration of its widely popular iPhone. Already, both the 4.7 in. screen iPhone 6 and the 5.5 in. iPhone 6 Plus have started dominating tech news with drop tests, side-by-side Android comparisons, and price analyses – articles that we’d all expect from a new smartphone release.

However, just days after consumers were able to finally get their hands on one a video surfaced on YouTube under the title of “iPhone 6 Plus Bend Test,” where user “Unbox Therapy” used his hands to bend an iPhone 6 Plus wholly out of shape. With nearly 45 million views on YouTube, the video has helped spark controversy. Under the Twitter hashtag of #bendgate, iPhone users have argued that the soft aluminum bodies of the new phones are not strong enough to withstand the pressures of daily use, with consumers reporting that the phones placed in the front pockets of tight jeans have been morphing to better fit the contours of their thighs.

But how much truth is there behind these allegations? Ever since the iPhone 5 was first released over two years ago there have been isolated reports of bent phones. However, since the movement never gained any traction Apple denied any manufacturing defects on their side. Even now, Apple refuses to acknowledge such claims. They state that since launch, the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have only had nine reported instances of bending and that, “[Our phones] feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry,” with normal use, iPhone contortion is “extremely rare.”

To verify these claims however, Consumer Reports conducted a study where they subjected both iPhones and many of their most popular competitors to a series of stress tests and recorded the highest pressures they could withstand before permanently taking a new shape. Using the same testing equipment as Apple and other smartphone manufacturers, Consumer Reports found that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were actually no more likely to bend than their competitors. The iPhone 6 took 70 lbs before deformation – exactly the same as the HTC One M8 – and the iPhone 6 Plus took a hefty 90 lbs before bending. Though neither of the phones were able to really compete with the massive 150 lbs the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was able to take or even the 130 lbs their predecessor, the iPhone 5, both phones preformed reasonably well in the amount of force they could withstand.

But what about people whose phone have already bent despite Apple’s reassurances? Though it has denied any designs flaws, Apple is still willing to replace your phone if it fits under certain parameters, the chief of which is passing a “Visual Mechanical Inspection” administered by a certified Genius at a retail Apple store. Should the genius decide that the phone is indeed a product of normal wear and tear and not of the “catastrophic  damage caused by abuse” stated in a leaked 2012 guide, the phone would be covered under warranty and replaced free of charge.

Despite the many complaints and controversies surrounding #bendgate, it seems like the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are in no real danger of changing shape, so take heart iPhone lovers and rest assured that your beloved smartphones are safe from your terrifying pants.

Brian Chekal is the editor-in-chief of Pulse Magazine.

Walking onto a campus as a five foot freshman, brown paper bag in hand, surrounded by grown men with 5 o’clock shadows is a horrifying experience. A flash flood of freshmen rolls in from their parent’s cars. They’re dropped off in the student parking lot and disperse into the quad of CCA. The Nest becomes a barricade between the seemingly giant seniors and prepubescent freshmen, but at some point in the year, they will encounter each other. Shaking in fear, the freshman will scurry past a senior, accidentally nudging him or her with their rolling backpack. Eyes filled with rage shoot daggers at the child whimpering before them. This is how it is: this is high school.

Here at Canyon Crest Academy, we live in a world of acceptance and respect—a social utopia with the rarity of a unicorn. As a high school, there is undoubtedly a small amount of hierarchy due to the fact that we are teenagers forced to interact with each other on a daily basis. Despite this inevitability, the boundaries between classes here at CCA are slightly less apparent. Freshmen and seniors are tolerant of each other, including the sophomores and juniors in between. Surrounding high schools have adopted a sense of senior superiority and a distorted social ladder that presents itself as a normality of high school. There is always a part of the student body that will foster a superior and hierarchical mentality that places them above the younger classes, but it seems as though this is nearly nonexistent among CCA students.

Other environments may adopt a hierarchical society within its high school walls; however, Canyon Crest Academy is breaking those boundaries one day at a time. Hugs and cookies may not be distributed by seniors to freshmen on a daily basis, but there is certainly a higher sense of respect in the air at this school. A warm smile or casual “hey” can often be exchanged between classes, without the fear of disrupting social norms.

Sports teams have also managed to rebuild relationships between older and younger teammates at CCA. Incorporating novice and junior varsity teams into varsity rituals proves to be a learning experience for younger players, and enhances the “team player” character in each individual. The CCA Women’s Volleyball coach, Ariel Haas, has created a new program that integrates all three teams into one. Spending lunch together on game day and feeding off each other’s knowledge and experience, younger players are able to gain a substantial amount of insight through their older counterparts. This gives them a chance to build relationships with all participants of the volleyball program, rather than the select team they belong to. Little sisters on Junior Varsity and Novice paired with big sisters on Varsity create mentors for the younger players, and provide equal support for all of the girls.

The theater program at CCA is also a relevant source of equality among classes. When it comes to auditioning for a role, the only difference between a mature senior and puny 14 year old is merely their age. Casting is based purely on the talents and skills of the actor, disregarding seniority. As an actor goes into an audition, age is but a number and has no effect on the actor’s chance of getting the role. The Les Miserable production of 2014 casted two sophomores for the main characters, similar to the Bat Boy show with a freshman lead. Downtime also becomes an opportunity to intermingle between age groups and resist exposing oneself to the perils of exclusion.

Canyon Crest Academy is significantly different in the way that its students interact with each other, and we remain proud in the stance against class superiority and subjection to social norms. Existing in one big, accepting environment, every person here at CCA supports and accepts their fellow Ravens without exceptions, which is more than you can say about most high schools.

Skylar Binney in a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.

The winners of 2014’s Nobel Prizes were announced recently. The prestigious prize is awarded each year for exceptional contributions to the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Literatures, and Peace. Another medal, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel is also considered a Nobel Prize, though not one established by Alfred Nobel himself.

Physics

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was shared by Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources” (Nobel Foundation). Their contributions lead to the development of LED lights found in the screens of smartphones, computers, and other technologies. Amano and Akasaki are both associated with Nagoya University in Japan. Nakamura is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara; making him the 6^th Nobel Prize laureate of the faculty.

Chemistry

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell, and William Moerner for “the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy”. The three are associated with Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, and Stanford University, respectively. Their contributions have allowed optical microscopes to “peer into the nanoworld.”

Physiology or Medicine

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to John O’Keefe, May-Britt Moser, and Edvard Moser for “their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain”. O’Keefe is associated with University College London and May-Britt and Edvard Moser are both directors of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience.

Literature

This year’s Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to French novelist Patrick Modiano “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the [German] occupation [of France]“. His win was considered a surprise as only a few of his novels had ever been translated in to English.

Peace

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”. Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian children’s rights activist. His work on improving living conditions for children in impoverished areas has also won him many other humanitarian awards including the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ward, and the Wallenberg Medal. Malala Yousafzai made international headlines after she was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt by the local Taliban for her activism in attempting to better education for women in Pakistan.

Economic Sciences

The year’s Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was awarded to French economist, Jean Tirole “for his analysis of market power and regulation”. Tirole is a professor of economics at the Toulouse School of Economics.

The 13 winners of this year’s Nobel Prize join an exclusive group of just under 900 people and organizations to have been awarded the esteemed prize.

Joshua Bi is the online editor of Pulse Magazine.

I would consider myself an avid, devoted film fan. Not only do I love and enjoy the experience of going to the movies, but I also have a lot of respect and appreciation for filmmaking as an art form. Making a movie is hard work, and when that hard work is well executed and pays off, it’s a thrilling and simultaneously bewildering site to behold. One of the best and most exciting aspects of the film industry, though, is all the exciting news and announcements that come out of it and the heated debates and conversations that we film buffs can share regarding certain casting choices/sequel announcements/reboots/developing scripts etc. There’s a plethora of news every week people, and in the film fan community there are always interesting conversations to have. This particular week just so happened to be one of the biggest weeks for film news in recent memory (at least that I can recall). So, let’s get into some news!

The first major story to come out of this week was that, after years (and I mean YEARS) of speculation, as well as persistent reassurance of the film’s eventual existence from Dan Akroyd (and a strange remark from Akroyd regarding the development of a “Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe”…) a Ghostbusters 3 is officially on the way. At first glance, this announcement isn’t all that exciting, since the Ghostbusters Franchise pretty much peaked after the iconic 1984 original. However, Ghostbusters 3 is actually going to be a franchise reboot with a central female cast. Also, the film will be directed by Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig. Personally, I think this was the absolute best way to go about making another Ghostbusters film. Putting a primarily female cast at the head of a huge, franchise comedy that has an equal male to female demographic can only lead to progression regarding women’s reputation in the comedic industry (a genre still dominated by men). Not to mention Paul Feig has been a pioneer for female-driven farces, having worked on two of the most highly regarded comedies starring women of the last few years. No word on any potential cast members yet, but in a recent interview, Bill Murray said that he would love to see Melissa McCarthy (his co-star in the upcoming Indie dramedy St. Vincent) and Kristen Wiig head the picture, which would make sense since they both starred in Feig’s Bridesmaids. Last week, I couldn’t give two sh**s about a 3^rd Ghostbusters film but now I’m very intrigued.

Christian Bale is one of my very favorite actors; I mean the guy is a freakin’ chameleon. From losing 80 pounds (yep, you heard me right), in order to play in an insomniac, bulking up for Batman, losing 40 pounds to play a crack addict, bulking up AGAIN for Batman, and then gaining 40 pounds to play an overweight con man, the guy is one of the most committed and transformative actors around, and it seems that Bale is not only going to be playing a role that requires a dramatic transformation, but one of the most iconic pop culture figures of all time. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Academy-Award winner is in the final stages of negotiation to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming Sony project directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) and written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network, The Newsroom). What’s interesting is that when David Fincher (director of the recent, Gone Girl) was attached to the project, Bale was his first and only choice for the role. He quickly left the film and was replaced by Danny Boyle, who insisted on Leonardo DiCaprio to play the Apple co-founder. As much as I love me some DiCaprio, I am incredibly relieved that he turned down the project, since that’s a role I could never imagine him playing. Personally, I think all biopics should be led by unknowns. Why would you want to cast an actor in a biopic who might have a biopic of his own someday? That’s how I see it. So yes, I would rather see an unfamiliar actor play the tech icon as opposed to Bale. If it’s a film about Mr. Jobs and it’s good, then the film will make its money back so the studio shouldn’t worry about casting a name due to financial reasons. That being said, out of all the great A-list actors in the business, Bale is the absolute best choice for the role, as his versatility is nothing short of remarkable. All in all I am supportive of this choice and am excited to see what Bale brings to the part.

Let’s transition to a topic that generates news and speculation every day: Comic book films. Late last week it was announced that The Avengers 3, which will be released summer 2018, may not include some of Marvel’s heavyweights, particularly Captain America and Thor, and will instead center on Iron Man leading some of the characters to come out in Marvel’s Phase 3 stage such as Ant-Man and Dr. Strange. On Tuesday, it was reported that Robert Downey Jr. was in talks to appear in the third Captain America film, which will come out 2 years before Avengers and may initiate Marvel “Civil War”. That’s a lot to digest, so let’s break it down: Allegedly, there is a Marvel Comics storyline where Captain America and Iron Man form an intense rivalry, forcing individual “Avengers” to pick sides. Marvel is the king of franchise filmmaking, because of this shared universe they’ve created. The events of each standalone or team-up film have repercussions or effects later on, which is very exciting and garners much anticipation from fans. So, while the idea of some of our favorite super powered friends not showing up in the 3^rd Avengers film is a tad disappointing, the idea of a Marvel “Civil War” is nothing short of genius and makes my inner-geek squeal with delight. Think of the great dramatic material potentially created from this new scenario! It also means that the villains and heroes won’t seem so black and white either, and will ultimately fall into some grey areas. That’s awesome. Marvel just can’t do wrong, can they? Poor DC…

WAS WHAT WE THOUGHT! The DC Comics films (owned by Warner Bros.), with the exception of Christopher Nolan’s brilliant Dark Knight trilogy, have been…concerning to say the least. 2011’s Green Lantern was a gargantuan flop from both a critical and financial standpoint, and made it very clear that DC didn’t have a concise, well organized plan like Marvel. When Man of Steel the new rebooted Superman film, came out last year it was rumored to be the franchise jump-starter for a possible DC cinematic universe. However, the film received lukewarm reception and didn’t clarify whether it was the set up for greater things to come. At 2013 San Diego Comic Con,  when Zach Snyder, Man of Steel’s director, announced that the sequel to the superman film was actually going to be a Batman/Superman team-up it became obvious that DC was creating a universe here. What followed were casting announcements for Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman in Batman v Superman, who all just so happen to be members of the Justice League. There has been talk of a Justice League film FOR YEARRRRSSSS. Years. And over the past few months there have been various “scoops” about possible slates of upcoming DC films, though none of them were official and have since been proven false. People were confused on why DC was pussyfooting around and not fessing up, allowing that omnipresent rival, Marvel, to walk all over them as usual.

Until now.

On Wednesday, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara made an official announcement of an upcoming DC film slate. The list reads as follows

• “Batman v Superman,” directed by Zach Snyder (2016)
• “Suicide Squad,” directed by David Ayer (2016)
• “Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot (2017)
• “Justice League Part One,” directed by Zach Snyder, with Ben Affleck, (Batman) Henry Cavill (Superman) and Amy Adams (Lois Lane) reprising their roles (2017)
• “The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller (2018)
• “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa (2018)
• “Shazam” (2019)
• “Justice League Part Two,” directed by Zach Snyder (2019)
• “Cyborg,” starring Ray Fisher (2020)
• “Green Lantern” (2020)

Where to begin?! It’s a colossal relief that to know that DC ACTUALLY HAS A PLAN. First, what the hell is Suicide Squad?? To my knowledge, it’s about a team of villains who are forced to work together as good guys. So basically, it’s Guardians of the Galaxy but with villains and not in space. I love that concept though, and David Ayer (director of End of Watch and the upcoming Fury) is a really cool choice, as his gritty, stripped down style of filmmaking could do wonders for a film like this. Earlier today it was leaked that Warner Bros has approached Will Smith, Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy and Margot Robbie to pay the film’s 4 leads. The probability of these actors being the definitive lineup is highly unlikely, but boy would that be an interesting film to watch. Speaking of casting, the only new bit of casting news from this statement is Ezra Miller as The Flash. Miller, who was excellent in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is an unexpected choice for sure, but an incredibly smart one in my opinion. Miller has incredible versatility and range, and he could bring a lot of fun, heart, and darkness to the character. Not to mention this will be the first time an openly gay actor headlines a superhero pic, which is a HUGE, much needed stepping stone for the genre. It’s also great to see that Green Lantern will officially be rebooted after the horrid debacle that was the 2011 film.

The biggest thing to take away from this though is that we are actually, LEGITAMETLY, getting a Justice League film. It’s happening. No more rumors, no more speculation. Justice League is happening. Marvel may be starting a civil war, but they’re going to have a very real one to deal with come 2016.

Cameron Chang is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.

The word “Ebola” has been appearing on social media, TV, newspapers, and in conversations between students and teachers ever since the news of the West African outbreak and even more so  after the first case was introduced to the United States in late September. For many of us far away from the epicenter of the initial case in the U.S, Ebola has become a novelty word, appearing in jest on social media platforms. For others closer to Texas, Ebola may be a real danger capable of causing brutal bodily harm and destroying families, placing into tight quarantine anyone who had come in contact with a patient. While controversy stirs on methods to handle the disease, one wonders: what exactly is Ebola and how would it affect our lives?

Ebola is a disease caused by the genus of viruses known as Ebolaviruses, which can infect humans and primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees. It was first found in the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976, and outbreaks have appeared on and off in several African countries since then. The symptoms of Ebola, such as fever, headache, diarrhea, muscle pain, vomiting, and hemorrhage can occur around 2 to 21 days after infection, and death is usually due to blood and fluid loss. But there is currently no approved treatment specific to the disease; standard supportive treatments such as rehydration, pain-killers, blood products, and electrolytes are added to the body. Complications such as infections or kidney failure should also be treated immediately.

It sounds scary, but transmission is not easy. The natural reservoir host of the disease is not yet known, but scientists predict that the first transmission was due to a human contact with an infected animal, such as a bat or primate; Transmission can occur between primates or from primates to humans. Between humans, the easiest way to be exposed to the virus is through direct contact with bodily fluids: when an infected person’s blood, semen, saliva, vomit, or other fluids directly touch any of a person’s mucous membranes or broken skin. In terms of exposure risk, those treating or interacting with infected patients, such as healthcare providers, friends and families, have the highest risk of contracting Ebola since they may frequently come in contact with the patient’s body fluids. In hospitals and clinics, many healthcare workers have been infected due to not following proper guidelines regarding protective equipment use and the proper cleaning and disposal of needles and syringes.

To lower these transmission risks, the main things to look out for are prevention and aversion. If you happen to be traveling to or is in an area where an Ebola outbreak occurred, it is vital to practice careful hygiene; washing hands and face with soap and sanitizers frequently. You should avoid handling items that came in contact with a sick person’s body fluids and avoid uncontrolled burials of people who have died from Ebola. After all attempts to avoid areas, animals, patients, and things that potentially touched these patient’s body fluids, you must closely monitor your health for up to 20 days if symptoms began to appear. Early symptoms are usually fever and seem to be nonspecific, but as more serious symptoms build you should seek immediate medical attention.

While all the chaos is happening in West Africa, where almost 10,000 cases have been confirmed and almost 5,000 have died, Americans are scared. A significant percentage of Americans think that there will be a large outbreak in the U.S, and that someone in their family will be infected within the next year. This belief is misaligned with the reality: it will be highly unlikely that a large outbreak occurs due to the resources we have and the relative difficulty in transmission in a first world country. If Ebola cases are found, local and national authorities have immense amounts of resources they can use to treat and quarantine the individuals affected with the disease. Hospitals have more advanced technology compared to smaller local medical centers in West Africa, where regulations are sporadically followed, equipment can be old, and healthcare workers treat more patients. In reality, if you’re not a healthcare worker, it’s difficult to be exposed to the virus since it does not transmit through the air or through objects easily, unless body fluids have clearly been on those objects. As the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization continues to devise solutions and prevention methods for our current international outbreak, Americans shouldn’t be too worried about contracting Ebola, but they should learn the importance of keeping a good hygiene to prevent any disease.

Patrick Lin is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.

On Saturday, October 18, human remains believed to be those of missing University of Virginia student, Hannah Graham, were found in an abandoned property outside of Charlottesville, Graham, who went missing the morning of September 13, is a sophomore at UVA, and was last seen on surveillance footage leaving the Tempo Bar around 2 a.m. followed by 32-year-old Jesse Matthew.

As a senior in high school planning on attending university next year, with my top choice just so happening to be UVA, Hannah’s case has been a regular dinner conversation at my house. With my mom going on and on about how sorry she feels for Hannah’s parents, and my dad trying to get me to take an oath never to leave my dorm without a taser, college seems slightly less fun. Not to excuse underage drinking or say that it is okay, but realistically, drinking in college seems like the norm. Why would Hannah be concerned about someone kidnapping her in a college town, where dozens of other students are drinking? When you think about kidnapping cases, it is easy to reassure yourself that it would never happen to you because you would never leave a door unlocked, walk home alone at night, or accept a ride from a stranger. In Hannah’s case, however, most college students would probably think it is safe to drink in a bar with witnesses.

Emily Abrishamkar is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.

In a stunning change of events the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a lower court’s ruling in four states this Wednesday and approved state bans on same-sex marriage.

The issue of same-sex marriage has long dominated the political sphere and has served as a contentious divider between the Democratic and Republican parties over the past decade. Many politicians, including our current President, ran on platforms that stressed acceptance of same-sex couples and many states have followed suit, currently with 32 states that formally recognize gay marriages. Reflecting what seems to be a general trend towards greater equality, courts in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky struck down same-sex marriage bans.

With this in mind, many expected DeBoer v. Snyder to be another resounding victory for same-sex supporters. However, Judge Jeffrey Sutton and Deborah Cook sided with the opposition. In the formal court opinion written by Sutton he wrote, “Process and structure matter greatly in American government … they may be the most reliable, liberty-assuring guarantees of our system of government.”

“Our Judicial commissions did not come with such a sweeping grant of authority, one that would allow just three of us – just two of us in truth – to make such a vital policy call”

It was ironic in a way because this idea that the judiciary branch should not weigh in so heavily on societal matters was eerily similar to that of the Supreme Court earlier this year, which decided to side-step the issue and leave it to the individual states. That same ideology was present here, though this time against the plaintiffs.

Judge Martha Daughtrey was the dissenting vote in the 2 – 1 decision and she was quoted saying that her colleagues were not “recognizing the plaintiffs as persons, suffering actual harm as a result of being denied the right to marry.”

With this new ruling it is all but certain that the Supreme Court will have to take up the issue once more. The American Civil Liberties Union, which played a large role in the case said it was already preparing to appeal the high court’s decision. Even with the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to take up any more same-sex marriage cases for the 2014 year, this brewing storm is almost certain to capture its attention, especially since it is the first ruling post-US v. Windsor by a federal appeals court to uphold a state’s marriage ban.

With this Supreme Court case potentially on the horizon, America may finally receive a clear answer to the question of same-sex marriages by early May or June. How will the Court decide? That is still uncertain, but one thing is for certain – surprises may always occur.

Brian Chekal is the editor-in-chief of Pulse Magazine.

The European Space Agency made history on November 12th, 2014 when its lander, Philae, became the first ever controlled, man-made object to land on a moving comet.

"We're are on the comet!" #cometlanding https://t.co/c6xIWJp0TR

— ESA (@esa) November 12, 2014

Philae traveled alongside the ESA space probe, Rosetta, for 10 years, 8 months, and 12 days before reaching its final destination, the comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Even if you were to make the most cursory of evaluations, CCA would stand out. We’ve all heard the reports – top 100 in the nation, top 15 in the state, highest API in San Diego – but if you were to ask any CCA student or faculty member what makes us special, they wouldn’t respond with our grades or rankings. Our unique culture here at CCA is one of striking acceptance and inclusion, and for me as a senior, it is one that I have come to love, so when the first day of school arrived and we all started to realize just how large the freshmen class had become, I immediately began to wonder how this would affect our school’s atmosphere.

With school only just beginning its hard to really see any immediate impacts outside of cramped stairways and impossibly long traffic lines, but to predict its effects down the road, we need to first examine the underlying reasons for why this new change was necessary. The freshmen class is the largest CCA has seen to date, sitting at exactly 662 students admitted, and a simple answer as to why this number is so high is demand. The statistics, rankings, and awards that make CCA stand out on paper, coupled with our Envision, Robotics, and Quest programs have all made our school a very desirable place to be in terms of academic rigor, and our rising sports teams have also brought us a sense of credibility in an area Torrey Pines has long dominated. An important thing to note, however, is that all these virtues have been present in some form or another for these past few years and the question still remains: Why now? Why has our district taken this seemingly sudden new approach to the waitlist? After all, according to our administration, in two of the last three years CCA has not accepted ANY of the students on the waitlist, let alone the entire pool.

As a middle-school student I remember anxiously waiting the day our CCA waitlist was announced, and the way I celebrated when the lottery fell in my favor, but in that excitement there was a tinge of regret. I would no longer be able to see the vast majority of my friends at school anymore, many of whom had elected Canyon Crest only to be offered a spot on the waitlist. It seemed so unfair, that kids who could see the school from their backyards would still be unable to attend. Families of these students, and of others who had not been offered spots in the classes of 2015, 2016, and 2017, have for years been raising questions on the equity and overall merit of the CCA lottery system. It is only recently with the recent passage of Prop AA, and its Phase III plans to build another set of classrooms in a proposed B-building behind the counseling office, that the district decided to meet and take another look at CCA’s student capacity. After conducting a study led by our superintendent Mr. Rick Schmitt and discussing its findings, the school board eventually decided to make classroom changes at both SDUHSD academies to maximize efficiency and to accept the entire waitlists at both schools. Principal Mueller states: “Our district has set up a task force [comprised of] members from the northern region of our district, the southern region, teachers, classified staff, students, parents, our feeder schools,” that will make sure that “when decisions are made, they are informed and purposeful.”

Such an action doesn’t necessarily guarantee that our following year will have an equally populous incoming class – Mr. Mueller goes on to say that this decision wasn’t “a rubber stamp that ‘from this day forward all students will get their school of choice'” – but the overall trend seems to favor an ever larger and larger CCA, one that despite the district’s assurances, still feels cramped. I know, I know, this senior’s complaints about crowded staircases during passing period “rush hours” and impossible pick-up/drop-off lines may seem like the angry cane-shaking of a geriatric at the neighborhood children on his lawn, but it’s still a legitimate concern. After all, the proposed Building B is still a long way off, and even with that new structure, ballooning student-to-faculty ratios may continue to make certain classrooms feel like a squeeze, particularly those in the humanities that may not benefit from the many laboratories that are supposed to make up our new building. How about campus safety or even student parking? We only have one amazing Hector to enforce our closed-campus rules for this growing host of students, and the student parking lot is – as Mr. Steinberger’s frantic directing of after-school traffic can attest to – already jam packed.  Though individually they might not seem very pressing, each of these little concerns come together to pose a serious problem for our school in the future.

I’m not going to lie, I was worried.  These concerns reminded me eerily of my procrastination – each little thing would build up and threaten to overwhelm us if things weren’t addressed sometime soon. After interviewing Mr. Mueller, however, I’ve come to realize that many of my fears were unfounded and that the district has already started actively working to address the others. For example, it turns out that with a series of new hires this past year, student-to-faculty ratios are at, or slightly below, those of years past: we are welcoming new teachers in the sciences, world languages, English, and even physical education. What’s more, the district recognizes that not all problems are as easily solved as hiring new teachers. As Mr. Mueller likes to say, “People vote with their feet,” and due to high demand for courses in such fields as engineering and computer science, the district has decided to make some hard decisions, closing some classes to freshmen. Mr. Mueller goes on to say, “It’s not new to this school year – last year there were courses that were only available for 10-12, and that’s just the reality of student interest. With the four-by-four we say to our freshmen ‘you have plenty of opportunities over the next three years and a term to take some of these courses.”

Culture, however, is something the district cannot actively control and the question still remains, how will we adjust to our bigger campus? Many of our bigger sister schools in the district have struggled for years with bullying, cliques, and fighting, and though these problems stem from many different sources, CCA’s small size, coupled with its distinction as a school of choice, has always played a big role in preserving our school’s unique mindset. This inclusiveness sets us apart, and thinking of ways to cultivate it with our newer, bigger composition harkens back to the “Keep CCA Weird” movement that occurred a couple years ago. Seniors in the then graduating class decided to challenge fellow ravens to preserve our CCA “weirdness,” whether that be through being oneself or through accepting one another. This simple reminder of what it meant to be a CCA student helped all of us, whether we were students or faculty, come together and refocus on who we were.

In the same way, I’ve come to realize that regardless of how big our school may seem, we’ll always have to continually remind ourselves why we’re even here, and just like those 2012 seniors, it falls on all of us to decide what CCA is all about, and how it’s going to either stay the same or change accordingly. These things don’t have to be earth shattering; for the first time this year our ASB ran a New Student Orientation Day where incoming freshmen had a full day on campus devoted to getting to know each other – and the school – better. At this particular event, students participated in name games, water balloon tosses, and campus tours, as well as getting to know our faculty better, formally meeting Mr. Mueller, the assistant principals, and our counselors before the school year even started. Katie Simonian, our Senior Class President, played a large role in helping to make that happen, and when asked about the thought processes behind hosting such an event, she states: “[The freshmen class] is a big class, and obviously you can’t know everyone, but we thought it would definitely be cool for all of them to be closer together.”

“That [orientation] was really effective and helpful, and I feel like the freshmen class all got a better feel for CCA before they finally came here.”

Though it may have only lasted a single day, the student orientation has had a lasting impact. It has helped many of our new students feel more welcome and more focused on forming interpersonal connections within their grade. We too, should work to cultivate that sense of unity in our school through our actions, continually welcoming others in the things we do. That doesn’t mean we have to suddenly start packing our gym to the brim with screaming fans whenever our girls volleyball team plays a home game – though having a new, more eager freshmen class may change all of that – but rather, trying to live out the “CCA spirit” in our daily lives.

Though staircases, parking lots, and classrooms can always be built anew, that sense of CCA unity and welcome cannot, and I for one, welcome our new freshmen class to our Raven family.

Brian Chekal is the Editor-in-Chief of Pulse Magazine.

This article originally appeared in Volume 10, Issue 1 of Pulse Magazine.

On August 19, 2014, a YouTube account claiming to belong to a member of the jihadist group calling itself the Islamic State uploaded a video portraying the brutal beheading of missing American journalist, James Wright Foley. YouTube reacted quickly and took the video down, but by then the video had already spread across the internet and the amount of people that had viewed the video had only grown exponentially as copies of the video circulated the internet. Before long, millions of Americans were glued to their screens in horror as they watched the diabolical decapitation of one of their own. By midday, most Americans had heard the news as headlines such as “American journalist beheaded by ISIS” ran across screens around the world and keywords such as ‘foley,’ ‘beheading,’ and ‘ISIS’ skyrocketed to the top of search engines. By the end of the day, one pervasive question remained on the minds of many Americans: What is ISIS?

In a way,

Few names create as intense feelings of excitement and anticipation as filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who has dominated the cinematic landscape of the 21^st century with his complex and deeply impressive body of works. Ever since the release of his 2^nd (and what some consider to be his best) film Memento in 2000, Nolan has been the leading auteur in Hollywood for constructing films that challenge audiences on an intellectual level, with films like aforementioned Memento, the magician drama The Prestige, and the wildly popular Inception, which is easily one of the most talked about films of the last 10 years. But he’s also capable of delivering immensely satisfying blockbuster entertainment that simultaneously plays as rich, Shakespearian level dramas. Of course, I’m referring to Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, namely the 2^nd film in the trilogy, The Dark Knight, which is viewed as the absolute gold standard for comic book films and effortlessly transcended the genre, functioning more as an epic crime saga then a superhero pic. Nolan has made a larger and more lasting footprint within cinematic history in his 9 film career than most filmmakers manage to do with 20+ films.

He continues to challenge himself with every film, not just in terms of storytelling, but mainly in terms of scope and scale. In fact, he’s probably the only director in Hollywood who studios willingly grant a nearly $150 million budget to for an original film, not just his Batman pictures. And people REALLY want to see his movies. The hype that surrounded his last two Batman films and Inception leading up to their releases was downright ridiculous, and the fact that Nolan has consistently delivered finished products that met or exceeded these expectations shows how smart and intuitive he is, and that he wants to make sure that he doesn’t disappoint his outspoken and ever-growing fan base. So, with that background information in mind it’s safe to say that the hype train surrounding Nolan’s latest release Interstellar was vocal, to say the least. Interstellar looked poised to be the biggest and most expansive film of Nolan’s career, as the film deals with traveling through wormholes that transport a crew of astronauts to different galaxies and beyond. The hype was only increased with the release of three electrifying trailers, each one slowly elaborating on the tone and feel of the picture, whilst giving away very little in regard to actual plot and story. As the November 7th release date approached, anticipation rose to an almost unrealistic level, as the last four films Nolan released have similarly achieved. And now that the film has been out for an almost a month now and the hype has subsided we can discuss Nolan’s highly ambitious space epic in a reasonable and fair manner.

Interstellar, as a matter of fact, received the most divisive reactions of Nolan’s career. Interstellar might be the most polarizing film of 2014, some praising the space opera as one of the landmark films in the science fiction genre, others calling it an illogical, self-important mess with an onslaught of over-sentimentality. Whatever your opinions on the film, though, you can’t deny its unparalleled ambition. The movie is by far in a way the biggest thing Nolan has ever done, and there are several sequences where the sheer majesty of the intergalactic images literally take your breath away, especially if you choose to see the film in IMAX or on 35mm film. Nolan continues to push the medium of film with each new entry into his prestigious canon, and Interstellar’s visual effects alone are groundbreaking, as it was revealed many of the gorgeous images of wormholes and black holes were constructed with little to no CGI. While watching the film, you recognize how special a filmmaker Nolan truly is, as he consistently takes his audiences to place we’ve never been, showing us something we’ve never seen before which is what more films nowadays should be doing. Furthermore, in Interstellar (similar to Inception and The Prestige) he trusts the intelligence of his audience and assumes that they will pay attention and understand the complicated plot details he throws their way. And while Interstellar, at times, gets a bit too complicated for its own good, it’s amazing and incredibly rare to see a filmmaker who NEVER dumbs down material for audience, simply assuming that they are as smart as he is. Interstellar has also garnered immense discussion among the movie-going public, and not just Nolan fanboys. This is a film where, the moment it ends, you NEED to talk about. Nolan has never made a film that you can just leave at the theater, and Interstellar might be Nolan’s most debated and discussed film to date because it has so many grand ideas about life, love, loss and sacrifice, all surrounded by a gorgeous and complex sci-fi backdrop. And Interstellar (an original film, keep in mind) is making its money back, let me tell you, which is a good thing since this movie DEMANDS to be seen on the biggest screen possible. It pains to imagine someone trying to watch Interstellar on a smart phone. I positively shudder at the fact.

So even though reaction to the film was indeed mixed, will the studio still give Nolan as a massive amount of money and full creative control on his next project? Absolutely. And will people go and see the film no matter what it’s about? You bet. Nolan is, truthfully, the sole “event” filmmaker of our day and we will continue to support, and should, if he gives coming up with innovative and entertaining to progress the art form that is film.

I just hope that his next film is a little smaller in scale than Interstellar since, well, you can’t really get bigger than space. Maybe a small, intimate romantic comedy with characters that are incredibly optimistic and happy? Probably not, but I am unimaginably curious to see what Nolan does next.

Cameron Chang is a staff writer and Pulse Magazine’s in-house film aficionado.

Any views or opinions presented in this editorial are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Pulse Magazine.

Cheating has existed for hundreds to even thousands of years, sparked especially by the introduction of civil service testing in Asian countries thousands of years ago. Without proper standards or organizations regulating the intellectual properties of scholars, plagiarism existed in every corner of the world. Both unintentional and intentional, divergent forms of academic dishonesty carried over to recent decades when compulsory education was mandated in the United States and secondary education became widely available. In fact, recent research by Rutgers University on 24000 students reveals that 64% of high school students admitted to cheating on a test. And cheating is not limited to sharing information on tests and quizzes, as most people think. Prevalent forms of academic honesty ranges from simple peeks at a neighboring student to complex methods of plagiarism and ghost writing in higher academic settings. Myopic critics of cheating often focus on the immoral aspects of cheating, screaming about how educational systems are breeding and releasing incompetent and unethical individuals into society. Unfortunately, they ignore, misrepresent, or misunderstand many underlying factors that are contaminating students and giving most supposedly honest students a reason to cheat.

First, why exactly is cheating “bad”? And how is cheating justified from a student’s standpoint? Obviously, cheating is unfair. While the cheaters are receiving disproportionately higher scores, other honest students may be getting crushed by the test’s difficulty, which probably warranted the cheaters to cheat in the first place. Furthermore, the high scores can also disrupt a test curve and push other students even further into the sea of lower scores. The immorality in cheating is the fact that you are circumventing an established educational system, receiving a grade not representative of your actual abilities, and ultimately graduating under false conditions. Cheating on a test is both cheating yourself, the school, and society. To artificially augment your own work with others, on tests or essays, means that you are not learning or producing the material and sometimes essentially taking credit for other people’s work.

These previous points of argument are probably well elaborated by educators already, and students beginning in primary school years probably have also been battered by them. As a high school student, I recognize the merit in these guidelines but also realize that the educational system has evolved over the years. In a perfect world, educational systems strive to catalyze the personal growth of each student. Students supposedly learn to problem solve and think critically, speak and write well, become lifelong learners, and to compete and survive in a globally connected society. In fact, ever since elementary school, students have been taught to be morally uptight and to be respectful of their teachers and peers. Unfortunately, these goals have become fantasies and delusions for many middle schools, high schools, and colleges.

In your average high school, learning has largely become a process of memorization and regurgitation; teachers that actually teach the concepts of application are becoming rarer by the moment. Many math teachers now project notes or powerpoint slides onto the board and say a few words about the mathematical concepts, while students struggle to quickly copy down the contents on the board. Only those who are proactive enough to ask the teacher or spend extra hours googling the math could grasp those concepts. English classes have been reduced to vocabulary tests and constant essay writing, while intelligent and critical skills and other crucial essay writing skills are not emphasized. For many academic classes, students are expected or assumed to have prior knowledge of curricula content. The proficiency difference generated by these expectations and poor inventory and assessment of students compromises the academic infrastructure since in any given class, slower students may fall even more behind and brighter students cannot display or utilize their full potential.

In terms of standardized testing, such as AP or SATs, there have still been cases of proctors improperly securing the electronic devices students. During break times, those students can simply walk to the bathroom, into a stall, and Google away what they want. Later, if they are sitting towards the back, they can discreetly flip to previous test sections and fill them in. Since students’ SAT, ACT, and AP test scores may be crucial to determining college entrance, the whole college applications process may be called into question. Unfortunately, for those types of tests and others, many times it is the bright and elite student cheating. Contrary to popular beliefs, students that give themselves high standards or are pressured by their parents cannot accept low grades, so they do whatever they can to maintain their high grade even when they have the ability to achieve it honestly. They do it because they are under so much stress that they don’t have time to study; they do it to ensure an A+; they do it because they are forced to.

So how do we solve this problem? In terms of behavior modification, to simply stop the behavior of cheating, teachers must start being more vigilant. They should keep a constant eye in the classroom or even patrol around the desks. Test forms should be unique, unrecycled, and varied in form. Teachers should make it clear that cheating is not tolerable and students who violate the academic honesty rule will be severely punished. Meanwhile, pop quizzes can also be given to keep students aware and on track. If those methods don’t work, it’s time to change the school, change the root of this epidemic. Classes should not only teach the information, but catalyze academic utility by explaining the relevance, purpose, and application of concepts taught. As many educators elaborated already, tests and quizzes should not test the regurgitation of information, but the application of information and critical thinking and reasoning using the information. Even though it’s hard to, schools should attempt to reduce competitiveness and emphasis on grades. By being more flexible and more responsive to students’ needs, teachers show that students are more than just a grade or GPA.

It’s not only the students’ fault; it’s time that everyone starts changing.

Patrick Lin is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.

Pulse Magazine is the student-run news magazine of Canyon Crest Academy. Although we are a high school publication, we hold ourselves to the same journalistic standards as any professional publication or news organization would. In our last issue, we failed to meet these standards and as such, it is our responsibility to correct what is wrong.

Our most recent issue features a story with alleged quotes from Claire Goldman, a senior at Canyon Crest Academy. It has been brought to the attention of the magazine’s editorial staff that these quotes were fabricated by one of our reporters and are not those of Miss Goldman, as she declined to comment for the story that was published.  Pulse Magazine would like to emphasize that no statements attached to Claire Goldman’s name that appear in the magazine are her words nor her personal beliefs.

Pulse Magazine would like to sincerely apologize to Miss Goldman and her family for the conduct of our reporter and assure our CCA community that this is not the standard to which we hold ourselves. This is an unfortunate event that we feel does not accurately represent our character as a magazine. As a staff, we will continue to strive to deliver the truth to our school community.   

As members of an academic community, we believe that there is an opportunity to glean something positive from lessons learned through this unfortunate incident.  We are working with site administration to coordinate experiences on campus to learn about ethical journalism and respectful and purposeful dialogue.

Sincerely,

The staff of Pulse Magazine.

On December 12^th, 2014, a group of students from Canyon Crest Academy walked out of their 4^th period classes in protest of the shooting deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, and Tamir Rice. Students visited classrooms across campus wearing duct-tape over their mouths and carrying signs labeled “THIS IS WHAT SILENCE IS LIKE”. While the group started with only 6 students from a single class period, other students joined along as the demonstration proceeded. According to one organizer, “the group hit almost 100 people at its height.”

Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, and Tamir Rice were all African-American males shot and killed by white police officers in separate incidents. Widespread protest broke out across the country in response to the four deaths. Tensions were only only exacerbated when separate juries failed to indict any of the officers involved in three of the four incidents.

Michael Brown was shot on August 9^th, 2014 by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown reportedly stole cigars from a convenience store before the shooting. Officer Wilson confronted him in the street and fired 12 shots at Brown after a physical altercation. Brown died at the scene.

Eric Garner died on July 17^th, 2014 after a physical confrontation with police at Staten Island, New York. Garner was illegally selling cigarettes when Officer Justin Damico confronted him. After Garner broke the grip of the arresting officer, Officer Daniel Pantaleo put his arm around Garner’s neck and held him in what many allege was a chokehold that violated NYPD policy. Garner can be heard saying “I can’t breathe” multiple times. Garner died of a heart attack caused by the chokehold on his way to Richmond University Medical Center.

John Crawford III was killed by police on August 5^th, 2014 at an Ohio Walmart after a 911 caller reported that he was brandishing a weapon. The weapon turned out to be a toy gun capable of only shooting BBs and pellets.

Twelve-year-old, Tamir Rice, was shot and killed on November 22^nd, 2014 in Cleveland Ohio. A passerby called 911 after seeing Rice wield an Airsoft gun at a local park. The caller clarified that the gun was “probably fake” in the initial report. Officers Leohmann and Garmback arrived at the park and ordered Rice to hold up his hands. Rice reached for his waistband which caused Leohmann to fire at and kill him. It was later revealed that Leohmann was deemed unfit for duty and was “in the process of being fired” on the date of the incident.

The walkout protest at Canyon Crest Academy was organized and led by seniors, Estevão Macário and Jared Gaurano.  “We got six of us from econ class had duct tape and signs and basically protested the non-indictments of [the officers who killed] Michael Brown and Eric Garner and also the deaths of Tamir Rice and John Crawford. All [were] black men who died at the hands of white police officers,” said Gaurano.

“[We tried] to raise awareness because I feel like our school doesn’t have a culture of protesting and needs a more activist side,” Macário added. “[It was] scary at first. People didn’t know how to react. People didn’t know how to react when we entered classroom with signs and duct tape. [Most of the times we were treated with] applause. Some teacher locked us out of a room but you gotta stick to your guns, not everyone is going to agree with your opinion so you just gotta stick through it”

The organizers of the protest did not seek approval from the school administration. “Before the protest I went up to Principal Mueller. I didn’t ask him for his approval; I warned him we were going to do it whether or not he would approve of it. He complimented that I didn’t ask him. He was cool about it,” said Gaurano.

“I was really satisfied [with the outcome]—I was really surprised with the amount of support we got,” concluded  Macário. “We didn’t expect it at all. I felt that CCA proved that things that happen outside of our Carmel Valley sphere do matter and that we should take part and raise our voices.”

Joshua Bi is the Online Editor-in-Chief of Pulse Magazine.

18.1 percent of the United States adult population suffers from anxiety disorder. It is among the most common mental illnesses in America and continues to effect approximately 40 million Americans. Girls are more at risk of developing anxiety and mood disorders as opposed to boys. This issue takes place in many areas of one’s life, affecting each individual differently. Many students can attest to experiencing some form of anxiety, whether it occurred during a test, game, or otherwise hazardous or fearful situation. In the way that nearly all people are allergic to grass to some degree, most people have experienced moderate to intense anxiety at some point.

Anxiety is usually first noticeable or prominent in children at the age of six, and can affect a person throughout their entire life. The disorder is hereditary and can be diagnosed without knowledge of a specific cause. Approximately one third of those facing anxiety disorders receive medical treatment for it due to the under reaction of symptoms and disregard for anxiety as daily stress. Behavioral therapy and medication have been prescribed to victims of the disorder in order to lessen the impact on one’s life, however, most people deal with the issue on their own due to a lack of knowledge about the subject.

There are four common types of anxiety: panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias. Panic attacks are a familiar occurrence in the life of a person diagnosed with panic disorder, and are difficult to be dealt with. Panic disorder is twice as likely to affect women as it is men, and is often paired with depression. Many symptoms are present during a panic attack and vary for each individual. A lack of breathe, dizziness, fatigue, racing heartbeat, sweating, nausea, shaking, and numb or tingling limbs may affect the victim in a series of combinations. The physical detriments are not the only weakening compartment, as the mental aspect of a panic attack also takes a large toll on the victim. The fear leaving one’s body during a panic attack is significant and radiates terror at the strike of the first symptom. As reactions differ from person to person, the subject is likely to face the inability to move or uncontrollable muscle spasms. The unpredictability of a panic attack can be the most frightening aspect because of its appearance without warning.

Anxiety is also paired with many types of disorders, and can sometimes occur as a side effect of a larger problem. Anxiety and depression go hand in hand, overcoming the same victims as a result of one of the two’s presence. The stress of constantly worrying for no reason can lead one to become anxious, panicked, and paranoid, and consumes the victim on a daily basis despite resistance. Social anxiety stands as the fear from socializing with other human beings. This may stimulate depression because of a lack of human interaction and the feeling of loneliness. Phobias often develop from certain traumatic events that are created through an association between fear or anxiety and a specific subject. People effected by a phobia instantly react to this fear through anxiety and panicking, and in some cases, it may consume their life.

As a mental illness, it is difficult to distinguish the difference between daily stress and a diagnosis of anxiety. One must be aware of their problems when dealing with their mental health because of the gravity of the disorder. The symptoms of anxiety are often taken too lightly, which leads to a deficiency in medical and mental care. Although most people have experienced small forms of anxiety throughout points in their life, it is a very serious issue and should not be dealt with alone.

Skylar Binney is a Staff Writer for Pulse Magazine.

I’m sure that you’re all well aware about the wave of controversy surrounding the 2014 comedy The Interview, starring current raunch-com titan Seth Rogen and the prolific James Franco. The Interview is about Tabloid TV show host Dave Skylark (Franco), and his producer/best friend Aaron Rappaport (Rogen), who travel to North Korea to interview the country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, after finding out that Un is a huge fan of the show. The CIA gets in contact with Skylark and Rappaport and asks them to assassinate Un while in North Korea. Naturally, you can understand why this has turned into one of the most controversial films of all time. Thanks to an unfortunate Sony hack, a bevy of juicy information regarding the makings of certain films, the not so kind feelings certain producers feel towards certain actors, and other upsetting stories have been revealed to the public. However, the most notable event of the Sony debacle was when the hackers (the self named Guardians of Peace or the GOP) threatened 9/11-style terrorist attacks on any theater that dare screen The Interview to audiences. Shortly after the GOP released these unsettling remarks, Sony pictures issued a statement saying that they were still going to release the film on Christmas day as planned, but theater chains who were weary of the the hacker threats were allowed to pull the film from it’s scheduled releases. AMC, Cinemark, Regal and other major cinematic chains revealed that they would all refuse to screen The Interview, which eventually led Sony to the decision to not release the film at all. Not in theaters, not on VOD or online. The Interview was not going to be seen by anyone. Naturally, many Americans (particularly in the Hollywood community) were outraged by this controversial decision, calling it an unsettling attack on free speech that proved the U.S would succumb to censorship. Sony’s decision was unprecedented, and I can’t recall an event of this magnitude ever happening to a film, especially a silly satire written and directed by the kings of stoner comedy (Rogen and long time writing partner Evan Goldberg). Even President Obama criticized Sony for not releasing the film. Jeez. Thankfully, Sony made the conscious and, ultimately, quite brave decision to release The Interview online (through platforms such as YouTube and Google Play) and in a number of select theaters that were initially willing to screen it, even when Sony gave them the option not to. So millions of people have indeed seen the film, and the response has been divisive, as expected. It’s hard to review this film without keeping the controversy and insane turn of events in mind, but I am going to try to do that best I can. So without further ado, let’s review the most talked about film of 2014, The Interview.

There’s one thing about this film that no one, no matter what you thought of it, can deny. This movie’s got major balls. The fact that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wanted to make a comedy about assassinating the real life dictator of a modern totalitarian regime is pretty f*cking nuts, and I applaud the two wholeheartedly. The Interview is by no means the funniest film this talented duo has concocted, but it’s the most ambitious, the most outrageous, and the most interesting. The film is not a full on satire on the government of North Korea or dictatorships in general, but this is a comedy that will demand conversation about these topics because of the sly ways Rogen and Goldberg discuss issues of this nature. It’s also a biting commentary on the media, and how today’s pop culture audiences will eat up almost anything surrounding modern day celebrity. But let’s look at The Interview for what it is and always has been: a comedy. This is from the guys who brought us Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express and This is the End among others, so at this point you should probably know what to expect. And is the film funny? Damn right it is. The first hour of this film crackles with hilariously raunchy dialogue, which greatly benefits from the outstanding chemistry between Franco and Rogen. James Franco specifically a  comedic actor, since he explores all types of genres constantly, but he absolutely kills it here, giving the funniest performance of his career. He’s over the top, crass, and shamelessly idiotic and it’s evident how much fun Franco’s having in every scene he’s in. The always reliable Rogen plays his usual straight-man self, and it works wonderfully, as he has many showcase scenes reminding us just how funny this man really is. Rogen also directed the film with Evan Goldberg and their direction might just be the highlight of this entire film. Not only do they know how to direct comedy in terms of timing, editing and camera work, but they also know how to capture shots with beauty and precision. I kid you not when I say this is the most gorgeously shot comedy I have ever seen. Many of the shots in North Korea are simply breathtaking, and are framed and lit with great care by cinematographer Brandon Trost. There’s a certain montage scene in this film that is so well edited, so well shot (with maybe the best use of music in a film all year) that it made me giddy in anticipation for what the duo might do next.

We certainly can’t go on without mentioning the insanely fantastic work of Randall Park, the man who actually accepted the role of Kim Jong Un. Park not only played a real guy who’s still alive, but a real guy who also happens to be the dictator of North freakin’ Korea. Park is hilarious, with many of his deliveries having me in laughter for minutes on end, but he also creates a surprisingly layered character as Un, making him simultaneously misunderstood and even lovable, but also intimidating and unsettling. This isn’t just a great comedic performance, it’s a great performance, period.

Despite the amount of praise I’ve given the film thus far, it’s by no means perfect. While Rogen and Goldberg have proven extremely competent behind the camera, the Interview suffers from so pacing issues and lulls during the middle act. Also, the screenplay piques after the first hour, with the rest of the film focused on Un and the development of characters. Of course, character development is a necessary thing in films, but it seemed like the laughs were not nearly as consistent as before. Also, while the final 30 minutes are certainly entertaining and BATSH*T INSANE, it relies too much on gratuitous violence and shock value instead of genuine laughs. If anyone is questioning the controversy surrounding the film, watch the last 30 minutes. You will understand why.

Overall, The Interview is a funny, ballsy, and different comedy from Rogen and Goldberg, one that will (obviously) be remembered for years to come. If you’re a fan of Rogen and Goldberg’s previous films, that then you should definitely enjoy this film. If you’re not a fan of their previous films, I suggest you run like the plague.

I give the film a solid B.

Cameron Chang is a Staff Writer for Pulse Magazine.

On December 28th, AirAsia Flight QZ8501 left Surabaya, Indonesia on a seemingly mundane  route to Singapore. Exactly 38 minutes into the flight, it disappeared in a what appeared to be a mysterious – yet eerily familiar – vanishing act.

The international media was quick to respond, and many began to draw automatic connections to the Malaysian Airlines flight that had similarly gone missing only a few months before. However, despite severe weather hindering search and rescue operations in days immediately following the disappearance, it quickly became apparent that the plane had indeed crashed somewhere in the Java Sea and a variety of international teams, including those from the US, were able to recover 34 bodies out of the 162 passengers on board.

That number has quickly risen, and though the weather has still remained poor, much has been done in terms of gathering evidence. By mid-January, divers had been able to not only recover one of the airliner’s two regulation black boxes, but were also able to identify large pieces of debris believed to be critical components of the wreckage, including what appears to be the cockpit as well as portions of the wing and fuselage. The victim count currently stands at 51, with the vast majority of the remaining 111 bodies believed to be trapped within the main fuselage. According to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency chief, Henry Bambang Soelistyo, rescuers are currently planning to raise the fuselage, either by balloons or tugboat cranes.

Despite their best efforts however, many questions still remain unanswered. What caused this airliner to crash and what events directly contributed to this tragedy? Could this have been prevented? Who is at fault?

With the critical flight and plane data stored on our recently recovered black box, many of those questions will soon be answered. Was is certain however, is that regardless of the new information, AirAsia will have a lot to answer for. After all, the Surabaya-Singapore route that the doomed plane had been flying had not been authorized to fly on December 28th; the route had been reserved only for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays – not Sundays.  It is not surprising that any requests made by the plane’s pilots to gain altitude were rebuffed by air traffic controllers because that airspace was already reserved for other, regulation-abiding airliners. By flying in a time and space not approved by traffic controllers, AirAsia forced its pilots to guide the plane straight through the heart of a vicious storm, one that many believe caused sleet to form in the engines and ultimately led to the flight’s crash.

As an airline, AirAsia has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its flight crew, pilots, and passengers, not only by providing regular servicing for its planes, but also, puling data on weather patterns and canceling flights that go through particularly dangerous areas. By going against regulations, this company betrayed the public’s trust and though it has already made efforts to compensate the families of each victim, it will have a long way to go before it can truly make any sort of amends.

Mardjono Siswosuwarno, a senior official with Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee recently announced that a preliminary report will be released by the 28th of January. For families, the public, and other airliners, all that remains is a tense waiting game.

Brian Chekal is the Editor-in-Chief of Pulse Magazine.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams has announced that he would take a temporary leave of absence from his position anchoring NBC Nightly News. This move followed harsh criticism after it was revealed that a story he told about being in a helicopter that was shot down over Iraq in 2003 was false. “I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,” he said in a statement. “I want to apologize. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft.”

His claim was first made on January 30^th, 2015 on a broadcast of NBC Nightly News, in which he said, “The story actually started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq, when the helicopter we were travelling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG. Our travelling NBC news team was rescued and kept alive by an Armored Mechanized Platoon from the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry.”

His validity of his claim was first challenged by troops present during the events. “Sorry dude, I don’t remember you being on my aircraft. I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened,” wrote flight engineer Lance Reynolds in a Facebook post.

Williams responded via Facebook, “You are absolutely right and I was wrong. In fact, I spent much of the weekend thinking I’d gone crazy. I feel terrible about making this mistake, especially since I found my OWN WRITING about the incident from back in ’08, and I was indeed on the Chinook behind the bird that took the RPG in the tail housing just above the ramp. Because I have no desire to fictionalize my experience (we all saw it happened the first time) and no need to dramatize events as they actually happened, I think the constant viewing of the video showing us inspecting the impact area — and the fog of memory over 12 years — made me conflate the two, and I apologize.”

NBC News is reportedly investigating the situation. “We have a team dedicated to gathering the facts to help us make sense of all that has happened,” said NBC News President Deborah Turness in a memo.

This incident was not the first time that the popular NBC anchor has faced scrutiny over a statement that he has made. In a 2006 interview, he claimed to have seen a body float by on a flooded street during Hurricane Katrina from his hotel window. However, there was little flooding in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the location of where the hotel he was staying at was located.

Joshua Bi is the Online Editor-in-Chief of Pulse Magazine.