The Eye of the Gale

By Sarah Morton

While the media jumps board on sex scandal cases like that of Jodi Arias, it is to be wondered why cases concerning monsters like that of Dr. Kermit Gosnell are not broadcasted.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor, has been accused of performing abortions on women past the 24 week mark during their pregnancy by a number of former clinic employees.

However, Gosnell only faces execution charges on the crime of killing three newborn babies out of the womb, along with a first degree murder charge. Gosnell gave Karnamaya Mongar of Woodbridge, Va., a Bhutanese immigrant, multiple doses of Demarol, along with a number of other sedative drugs. These drugs were meant to induce labor. She overdosed.

According to former clinic employees, Gonsell would deliver still breathing or moving infants, and snip their spines with the help of his medical assistants.

Described as a “house of horrors” Dr. Gosnell’s clinic was found to have fetuses in jars and the feet of infants, coupled with grisly, grimy tools scattered throughout in a 2010 drug raid.

One would think that such disgusting crimes would have been known nationally by now. However, due to the lack of media coverage, individuals are only recently finding out.

Upon closer observation of this situation, it is to be wondered why the media withheld so much on purpose. The case concerns a hot topic issue. Perhaps the media did not want to “offend” liberals or women’s rights activists with this case. Discussing the event may seem like as though they are advocating pro-life values.

Pro-choice and pro-life opinions should not matter in a monstrous crime such as this. What should matter is the sanctity of life.

By Emily Matheney

Now that summer vacation is coming close, people can be spending time in a lot of different ways.

During summer vacation people can spend it with friends and family. Others can spend it just relaxing, going on vacation, or playing sports during the summer days.

There are a lot of popular vacation spots that people go during the summer such as: the beach, Florida, California, and many more places. There are also some people who have a budget that can go to the zoo or even the city pool just for day.

Some people will be playing sports for travel teams and others might have conditioning for their school teams which takes up time during the summer. They could hang out with friends when they do not have games or just relax lying out in the sun.

“During the summer I am going to be running in the morning and in June going on vacation to Hawaii,” Trent Lindsey, a sophomore at Lancaster High School said.

During the summer it is also a great time to do things that people have wanted to do since they have a lot of free time. They could be trying new things, going to new places, making new friends, and tons more.

Summer is the time that is taken off from school where students can just relax and get ready for the new school year. This is the time when everyone deserves a little bit of a break.

By Sarah Morton

When it comes to concerts featuring bigger name bands, the price for tickets is generally upped slightly. However, CD102.5 always defies this every year.

Every spring, CD102.5, the local Columbus alternative and indie rock station, hosts two major concerts. These concerts feature four to five bands per show.

Most of these bands are well-known to fellow CD102.5 listeners. However, admission prices are extremely cheap: five dollars each.

The “First Dose” featured Alt-J, Little Green Cars, Family of the Year, and The Virginmarys. While the three other bands have recently acclaimed higher status, Alt-J is a critically praised band, having been presented The Mercury Prize. The Mercury Prize is a prestigious award awarded in Britain, equivalent to The Grammys’ Album of the Year.

Second Dose featured The Joy Formidable, The Neighborhood, Guards, and San Cisco. These bands have also reached recent popularity in the indie world.

“Some friends and I went to both doses,” said local concert-goer Brianna Keil. “Definitely blasts attend to and see for yourself.”

Unfortunately due to the cheap prices of the tickets, they sell quickly, and a good chunk of people miss out on a great concert experience. Or those who could not go…better luck next year!

By Jacob Williams

After almost seven years of anticipation and false rumors, the day has almost come. Daft Punk is set to release their forthcoming studio album.

Random Access Memories is the title of the new album that will be up for sale on May 20, in the UK that is so you Daft Punk fans in the U.S. will have to wait until the 21 to get your hands on a copy.

Honestly it will be worth the extra one day wait for new Daft Punk. After all they’re kind of the best French House group out there.

All of this anticipation that has accumulated over the years has brought up one huge question for lovers of house music everywhere. Will this new material be accompanied with a tour of some sort?

The one thing we do know about these “androids” that hide their true appearance with leather suites and futuristic robot helmets is that they are entertainers. They have come to be known for the stellar live performances that they put on.

The set up that they use during live performances is truly a thing of beauty. A massive pyramid covered in LED lights towers over the stage as the two grind away at their controllers, mixers, etc.

“I’m a long time Daft Punk fan and I love the music,” said Austin Barnett.

By Emily Matheney

Now as the days and weeks go by the weather outside has slowly increased in temperature and it feels great.

When the weather gets warmer people can find more things outside to do like going for a walk, jog, riding a bike, going to the park, hanging out with friends, or just laying outside watching the clouds go by.

Some students may be in sports and with the weather like this it is much better than it being less than 40 degrees and having to wear layers of clothing just to stay warm for the game.

“The weather is at a comfortable range, not too hot and it is not too cold,” said Kelly Sparkman, a sophomore at Lancaster High School.

The flowers and the plants are starting to blossom and the trees are starting to get there leaves back. This is where everyone can see what is so unique about the world.

Instead of staying inside all day watching television, surfing the internet, and watching those adorable videos of cats. People can go outside and enjoy life while they have it. People can always stay inside, but when the weather is like this go outside and make your own the adventure out there.

Hopefully as the temperature tends to raise maybe people will see what is outside and go out and look for a while and experience something real.

By Sarah Morton

There appears to be a trend with traveling among the Lancaster High School Arts. The Drama Club went to State Conference this year; the Band of Gold goes to Florida every few years. And this year, the LHS choirs went to New York City.

While it is not a required trip, a majority of the students involved in the Cantari, Women’s Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, Chamber singers, and Singing Gales participated.

The choirs will be performed in a cathedral located in the city. They performed each of their individual choir pieces, as well as pieces combined together.

But performing was the smallest part of the trip. Sight-seeing, shopping, and even watching a Broadway show were the events the choir participated in.

While the students are stressed out taking their quizzes and tests early and getting their homework in advance, the trip was nonetheless worth it.

The choirs will de departed Wednesday night the 17^th, and arrived in New York the following morning. They left Saturday night the 20^th.

By Josie Dupler

Have you ever thought about having to walk through metal detectors to get into school? State Representative Bill Patmon has proposed a bill to make it happen.

Ever since the Sandy Hook shooting took place, school safety has been in the limelight across the United States. Putting metal detectors in place is just one of the many ways the government is working to improve safety in Ohio’s schools.

If Patmon’s proposed bill passes, metal detectors will be available to any Ohio public school that wants one in their building.

“I love the idea! I’ve even discussed with my family how having metal detectors at our school would make me feel so much safer than I ever have before,” said Taylor Heath.

While Ohioans support improving the safety of their children, many are worried about the cost. To pay for the metal detectors, Patmon plans to use money from homeland security rather than education funds.

A few parents and educators are against this form of improving school safety, worrying that having children walk throw a metal detector every morning will be a negative way to start their day.

“Metal detectors would be a great addition to safety, but schools would have to have a plan in place with someone to monitor the metal detectors as students come in and be prepared to confiscate items detected,” said Deputy Dixon.

While parents, educators, and students would have to adjust to having metal detectors in schools, we can only hope that this will improve the safety of all.

By Josie Dupler

On February 25^th, Gahanna’s Columbus Academy welcomed Kim Phuc as a speaker, part of the 2012 Currier lecture series. While many people see Kim Phuc as the Vietnam War poster child, Phuc works to be seen as hope for war victims across the world by telling her story.

Kim Phuc was born and raised in Trang Bang, Vietnam, where she and her family lived a life of luxury and happiness. However, this all changed on June 8, 1972, when the place her family was hiding at for safety was bombed by the American military, which was told the village had been cleared of civilians. During the bombing, Phuc lost two of her cousins and was covered in napalm gas, burning her skin at 1200 degrees Celsius. When miraculously running out of the fire, Phuc was photographed by Nick Ut. Little did they know, that photograph would change both of their lives forever.

Ut rushed Phuc to the nearest hospital, where she began her long recovery. After spending two years in different hospitals, enduring seventeen surgeries, Phuc was finally able to return to her village. She was thrilled to be back in school and catch up with her classmates, but the Vietnamese government had a different plan for her. The picture that Ut had taken of her was all across the world, on every news stand and in many homes. The horrid image broke the hearts of people everywhere, filling them with anger.

“My dream was to study medicine and give back what was given to me, but my country didn’t allow freedom like that to happen,” said Kim Phuc to her audience at Columbus Academy.

Instead of being able to return to her studies, Phuc was forced to become a symbol of war for her country. The Vietnamese government had her under 24 hour surveillance, not allowing her to be free to study and live as she pleased. After years of being her government’s government, she was finally able to escape to Canada and begin a family with her husband.

“We all take for granted the freedom that we have and don’t take enough time to consider what has happened in the past that gave us the freedom we have,” said Meredith Hood. “War victims, like Kim, make us realize how lucky we are to live where we live.”

Phuc’s new life in Canada gave her a chance to tell her story the want she wanted it told, not the way the Vietnamese government did. She started traveling the world, sharing how blessed she is to be alive and how encourage people everywhere to work together to make peace so that less people become victims of war, like she was.

“I believe that every person can make a difference and create harmony,” said Kim Phuc.

She also has traveled the world to seek forgiveness for herself and the Vietnam veterans that attacked her village. At Columbus Academy, she was able to reconcile with two Vietnam veterans that live in Lancaster area.

“I always wondered what had happened to the girl in the picture, now I’m at peace knowing that she is alive and working to make our world a better place,” said Vietnam veteran Jim Lutz.

Phuc now has her own non-profit foundation that works to provide medical and psychological help for war victims and needy children in many different countries. She is also a UNESCO Ambassador for a Culture of Peace and has received four doctorate degrees. Phuc is a living symbol of peace, forgiveness, and freedom for people all across the globe.

“When terrible things happen, we must learn from the experience and use it to make us stronger. We all were put on this Earth for a purpose and each of us have a chance to speak up for what’s right and work to create change,” said Kim Phuc.

By Alek LaVeck

Andrew Ng is a Co-founder of Coursera and a Computer Science faculty member at Stanford. He is also the Director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab, the main AI research organization at Stanford. Ng also teaches an online Machine Learning course through Stanford.

By Alek LaVeck

By Alek LaVeck

By Hannah Edwards

On Saturday, February 2^nd is the annual Coming Home dance that is held at Lancaster High School.

“The dance was a lot of fun, seeing everyone and spending time with friends made the night memorable,” said KayCee Giesy.

Saturday, the dance started at 7:30 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m. This is for students that attend LHS, and their preapproved guests.

Each grade voted on a male attendant to represent their class at the basketball game, and at the Coming Home dance. The senior class has multiple attendants, and the winner was announced at the dance.

Brandon Marcum won the title as Coming Home King, while he was escorted by Kelli Landis.

“Dances are always something to look forward to in the year, and the cafeteria was really well decorated. It definitely a great time,” concluded Giesy.

The dance slowly came to an end, and everyone shuffled out the door. It was a great night had by all.

By Taylor Conrad

Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day about cards, roses, and chocolate. Like all holidays, there is history behind it and there are many different legends of how Valentine’s Day came about.

One legend says that third century Rome, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men because they made better soldiers if they weren’t married, but a priest, St. Valentine, continued to marry young couples in secret. Valentine was eventually caught and sentenced to death.

Another legend says that Valentine was imprisoned for trying to help Christians escape harsh Roman imprisonment. While in prison he fell in love with a young girl, and before his death wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression we use today.

Regardless of which legend is true, Valentine’s Day is celebrated by 62% of adults in the United States. There are 150 million Valentine’s Day cards and gifts sent each year. Men spend around $150 a year on average, while women spend $74 on average.

“I love buying gifts on Valentine’s Day, not only for my boyfriend, but for my friends to. I like to show them that I appreciate them,” said senior Alex Shaw.

Some people are not so fond of the holiday though.

“Valentine’s Day is a waste of money, I don’t need to buy people things to show how much I care about them,” said senior Kim Deal.

People will always have different opinions about Valentines Day, but we should all try to get along on the holiday, for St. Valentines sake.