FHSTheFlash The Flash Volume 46, Issue 1 October 2005 | Page 3

Opinion

October 2005

3

From your Editor... Let’s take a step out of the box
Nicole Hinchman 06’
“Time flies when you’re
having fun” may just be the
most over-used, and highly
overrated phrase I’ve encountered. Personally, I
have no objection to “having fun,” but is it really
necessary for time to fly?
As my senior year at FHS
has just begun, it’s difficult
to not get nostalgic. I can hardly grasp the idea that just
over three years ago, I was inexperienced with the high
school scene, and was often caught roaming the hallways,
admiring the seniors of 2003. As I progressed to my
sophomore year, I was overwhelmed with the soothing
sensation that I could no longer be teased for being a
freshman, and I was one step closer to my senior year.
By junior year, I had ultimately decided that waking up
before sunrise was utterly painful, homework was not
my forte, and that I just wanted out of high school. But
it’s really amusing to realize that the second I walked
into FHS this year, I was more than happy to be back. I
no longer had to idolize previous graduating classes; it
was time for the class of 2006 to take charge.
Although it’s easy to get caught up in the “senior hype,”
it’s just as easy not too. In all honesty, who wants to spend
extra time writing senior composition papers, attending
meetings about graduation, and filling out college applications? The truth is, all of these tasks are the beginning
of the end.
With the end approaching for the class of 2006, a substantial amount of self-evaluation should arise. A new
life will soon be started with college, career choices, and
new relationships. But while all this may seem exciting,
time is drastically speeding up. I feel as though we are
no longer living in the moment, but obsessing over the
future.
As my second year of Editor-in-Chief of the Flash, I
found it crucial to write this editorial in hopes to make a
connection with all grades. The continuous cycle of
graduating classes is all too familiar, but completely unavoidable. In approximately 8 months, the class of 2006
will embark on a new journey. There will be no more
spirit week activities, formal dances, or sporting events
for the class of 2006. Embrace your years at FHS. Your
time is limited. Savor it.

By Kyle Snarski 08’
Flash Reporter

In lieu of the ever-falling
economy, the constant
damage being inflicted into
the earth’s ozone, and the
ferociously increasing price
of crude oil. Doesn’t it seem
about time that somebody
considers alternative fuel
sources? Something that is
cheap to the consumer, clean
to the environment, creating
a practical stepping-stone for
a better tomorrow. In the
aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina several oil refineries
have been shut down and gas
prices are skyrocketing to
prices at near $2.99 a gallon
due to the shortage, it’s now
becoming more and more of
hassle to avoid the situation.
If this is where we need to
start heading what are our
options and how do they stack
up against one another? Many
concepts have been conjured
throughout the past 20 years
but only a few are being
seriously considered in the
battle to eliminate the
dependency on foreign oil.
Another solution, which
just may have been our first
foot in the direction of ecofriendliness, is the Electric
Car. At this point major auto
companies have began to run
their version of the hybrid
Electric/Gas powered cars
which allow the driver to
switch from using gasoline to
the power of electricity at
speeds of 60mph and over.
These crazy fan-dangled
hybrids are even known to get
20-30 more mpg than the
average automobile. But the

main goal in electric car
manufacturers
is
to
eventually invent one that
will subtract the use of fossil
fuel completely. This has
been attempted many times
yet none of the completed
prototype electric cars have
been able to compete qualitywise with an average car,
making if very difficult for
the electric car to even leave
the conceptual driveway.
What about an alternative
car that avoids the use of
crude oil that has an infinite
fuel supply? That would be
able to provide an
automobile with traveling
distances of nearly tripling
the miles per gallon of your
everyday car or S.U.V. With
an exhaust that’s so clean that
humans can even consume it.
Well wait no longer amigos
because the Hydrogen
automobile has arrived.
Hydrogen is the most
abundant element in the
universe and it can be found
nearly anywhere on earth so
harvesting it as a fuel source
would show no difficulty
whatsoever. In comparison to
the average car, which can
range from 16 mpg to 24
mpg, the Hydrogen powered
automobile can get mileage
that ranges from 85-99 miles
per gallon! To further
contrast the vehicles of today
the Hydrogen car releases
water as a fuel emission. This
happens after the combustion
stage of fuel use when the
Hydrogen mixes with two
parts of Oxygen to create
none other than H20.
So why hasn’t this fantastic
creation become a household

name? It’s not easy to point
a finger in any single
direction, so I believe it’s
time to point fingers at all of
them.
Well let’s start things off
with a little story called
American businesses are
afraid of change and refuse
to until it because they’re
afraid of failure. German
auto giant BMW has had a
fully operational Hydrogen/
fuel cell car since 1998. After
several crash tests it has been
proven safer, and its fuel
economy has been proven to
be drastically better. Now
seven years later General
Motors
has
finally
announced they have joined
the “Hydrogen Club”.
According to about half
dozen conspiracies there has
been an on-going deal
between The Big 3 and the
“Oil Kings” to prevent
building of cars that would
eliminate the use of crude oil
for a large sum of cash. All
of this is meant to be taken
with a grain of salt of course,
considering that the same
people are convinced we did
not land on the moon,
Bigfoot exists, and that Elvis
lives in the same trailer park
as your aunt Peggy. Well I’ve
given the facts, the fiction,
and pointed the fingers so
that you leave a more
informed person, chose to
use it and you’ll be fine.
Chose to ignore it and
prepare to suffer the horrors
of a greenhouse, gas
guzzlin’, and emptied wallet
future for your hometown.

TONGUE UNTIED: KANYE WEST

By Robb Druzynski ’06
Flash Columnist
Recent actions from rapper Kanye West have solidified my theory that he really
is arrogant with a smaller
brain than the average human. It basically started on
September 2 when NBC
tried to run a clean, helpful
telethon for Hurricane

Katrina relief. When some
presenters, well just Kanye,
couldn’t grasp the concept
of working together to help
those in need, worthless
words were spoken. He put
his deep thought process
into action and decided it
was important for him to
ignore his script during his
segment and aimlessly
ramble about how racist
America is. The media is
racist, the aid is racist, and
most importantly, our own
President is racist, according to the genius rapper with
an inquisitive mind.
“George Bush doesn’t
care about black people,” he
claimed at the end of his

clumsy rant.
What a wonderfully, wonderfully clever statement that
was, Mr. West. I can’t, however, help but point out your
fairly obvious jump at an opportunity to take a stab at
President George W. Bush.
As thousands of people suffer, it seems as though some
people, the uneducated ones,
still feel it’s significant to turn
the tragic situation into a political one. It’s truly brilliant
considering pointing fingers
always made things easier.
Instead of helping these
poor people that he claimed
to feel so much for, Kanye
only hurt them. It was sharp
timing on his part; Americans

who were offended didn’t
send their support based on
his ignorance. Even NBC
was embarrassed by his
childish outburst.
“It would be most
unfortunate if the efforts of
the artists who participated
tonight and the generosity of
millions of Americans who
are helping those in need are
overshadowed by one
person’s opinion,” said an
NBC representative. The
irony here is so sweet.
It’s also funny to me that
his sophomore album hit
stores the week after the
incident. There is no way
that what Kanye’s actions
were not a publicity stunt to

promote his sad excuse for
an LP. And sure enough, it
ended up debuting number
one on Billboard’s Top 100
chart. Congratulations,
attention whore, it worked.
When it comes down to it,
the more Kanye West tried
not to be racist, the more
racist he actually became.
His comments were put in
the spotlight yet again for the
world to see and he sadly
can’t hide from it this time.
Of course he could always
act like the mature adult that
he is and publicly apologize
for his irresponsible
behavior. Well, maybe not,
it may be too much to ask
from him.