Proposed “Stop Online Piracy Act” could alter internet usage

By Thomas Hair Online Blog Editor When the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced to the House of Representatives in late October, it immediately became a subject of intense debate and is already one of the most controversial topics of 2012. SOPA, in addition to its senate counterpart (PIPA), was proposed by Texas Republican Lamar Smith. If passed, it would give the US government power to regulate both piracy of copyrighted materials and sale of counterfeit goods. This piece of legislature would grant the federal government, and copyright holders, the ability to reprimand, black or even destroy offending websites. In short, your favorite website for illegal movies could be gone by February, along with all unauthorized music on…

Keep government, tax away from religion, Hair says

By Thomas Hair Online Copy Editor Whether you are a devout Catholic or an adamant Atheist, it is an undeniable historical fact that the Christian church played a large role in the shaping of the United States and its principles. To this day, centuries later, Christianity’s presence and influence in America remains. The Christian church reaches every corner of America.  Every Sunday, millions of Americans funnel into one of over 400,000 Christian churches across the United States. When coupled with institutions of countless other faiths that have flourished here, churches hold great influence on the masses of followers and represent significant monetary value. Imagine the how much the federal government would profit from levying taxes…

Students honor veterans day through KCBY

By Tanner McCord Staff Writer In honor of Veterans Day, which falls on Friday, a week from today, students will have the opportunity to record personal thank-you videos that will appear on KCBY. Those with friends or relatives who have fought in a war or are fighting in one can show their gratitude towards their loved ones. The deadline for the thank-you videos is November 7 – so students have to act quickly in order to show their thanks via video. Thank-yous are not all that can be said, those who are wanting to participate will also be able to honor veterans lost in the midst of war. This is a very cool opportunity that…

Benefits of space exploration worth the cost, Hair says

By Thomas Hair Staff Writer School is back in session, and as usual, the first day included much discussion of everybody’s summer vacation adventures. All students know the drill. The teacher awkwardly introduces themself to the new class and asks each student to talk about what they did over the break. This year, you probably listened with fading interest as classmates mentioned their stay at a tropical island, or a month long Science Camp. But in the not-so-distant future, students might just come to class on the first day of school bragging about their trip to the Moon or even to Mars. While the notion of space tourism may seem light years away, its roots…

The Pledge of Allegiance: a vital part of American schools

Thomas Hair Staff Writer Every day, students all over America stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. For most of us, the Pledge has been a routine since we started school, and by now we are accustomed to the routine and give it very little thought. We stand up, put our hand on our heart and mindlessly mumble the words. This is quite a shame, and I myself am guilty of this on a daily basis. The Pledge of Allegiance is rooted deep in the history of America and is an integral part of our nation. The American Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and became commonplace in most American…

2010’s most amazing moments in sports!

Thomas Hair Staff Writer As I contemplated the past year during the first days of the New Year, it struck me that 2010 was truly a great year. It was filled with fantastic games and performances, and the most prominent were the amazing moments in sports leaving fans speechless. One thing is for sure: it was an exciting year for sports enthusiasts. All of the usual hype surrounding yearly sports events such as the NFL or NBA was converged with rare occurrences such as the Winter Olympics and the World Cup. This made 2010 the ultimate year in sports, stocked full of amazing moments. Although there were definitely thousands of amazing sporting feats that could…

U.S.A hockey ready to battle Finland

By Andy Tabor The United States hockey team has had a very successful winter Olympics thus far but hope to continue farther in their pursuit of a gold medal when they play Finland 2 pm central.  The Americans look very hot going into this game however the Finland team has many top NHL performers to counter America. Finland has players such as Teemu Selanne and the Koivu brothers whom come from top NHL franchises and are all accustomed to playing with each other.  The Finland team will be a dangerous test for the Americans. America could conceivably come into this game with a cocky “we beat Canada” attitude.  Look for Finland to try and make…

Winter Olympics winding down

By Nathan Reck With the Vancouver Olympics coming to a close on Sunday the American team can look back on a successful Olympic Games and look forward to a bright future four years from now. As of right now the American team holds a six medal lead in the medal count over Germany who has taken the total medal count in the past two winter games. Norway sits in third with 19, while the host country, Canada sits in fourth with 17. As the Olympics wind down though there is still plenty of excitement left due largely to the men’s hockey finals on Sunday. As of right now the U.S. team remains unbeaten and is…

World Cup draw announced today

By Andy Tabor The world cup draw was announced today, as the United States look to go farther than any previous team has gone before.  The groups are below. Group A South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France Group B Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece Group C England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia Group D Germany, Australia, Serbia, and  Ghana   Group E Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon Group F Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia Group G Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, and Portugal Group H Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile