Why do they say that?
Many of use clichéd sayings daily, but have no idea where they came from or what they really mean. Here are some of their histories.
Balls to the wall. This is actually not from male anatomy. When flying a plane, the throttle controls are topped with ball hand grips. When you push them towards the walls of the cabin, you are going at top speed. Therefore, ‘balls to the walls’ means to go all out.
Breaking the ice. When everyone had to get their water from a well in winter, the person who broke the ice on top of the well allowed everyone else to get a drink, as no one wanted to do it themselves.
Cold turkey. When drug addicts are quitting their addiction, their skin turns pale and they have goose bumps, making them resemble a frozen, plucked turkey.
Feeding frenzy. This is in reference to the ravenous feeding habits of sharks.
Crossed Fingers. Crossing one’s fingers is a way of creating a cross with ones hands easily and shields the user from bad luck, supposedly.
Gung-ho. In Chinese, gung-ho means to work together. It now has come to mean competitive or aggressive.
Sleep tight. Before they had box springs, they supported mattresses with ropes, and if you didn’t tighten the ropes, the mattress would sag. Therefore you should tighten the mattress, or, sleep tight.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Teen Relationships
Teen Relationships- Column
How often is the word ‘love’ tossed around? It’s used enough in today’s society to devalue the word. Teens love their friends, their parents (sometimes), and then they love their boyfriend or girlfriend.
However, many teen relationships last no longer than a month or two. There are exceptions, but the majority are short, fleeting, and almost meaningless, so one might think. How can a relationship that lasts only for two weeks going to affect the rest of your life?
It can. Dating is how we test the waters to see which type of girls or guys we like, and which types we are most compatible with. A person who you date for a short amount of time can make you realize that you don’t want to date someone who is such a perfectionist, per se, or maybe you realize that the person you thought you loved isn’t really the type of person you want to be around.
These small things can influence the people you choose to associate with, and can put you on the path to finding a person who you can be happy with the rest of your life. I’m not saying, and I’m not not saying that there is a ‘soul mate’ out there for everyone, but I am saying that you can learn, by dating, what types of people you can be happy with.
So, don’t make fun of someone who dates nearly every guy or girl in the school, or even the person who seems so picky that they never really date anyone. They are both playing the dating game, and learning from every toss of the dice.
How often is the word ‘love’ tossed around? It’s used enough in today’s society to devalue the word. Teens love their friends, their parents (sometimes), and then they love their boyfriend or girlfriend.
However, many teen relationships last no longer than a month or two. There are exceptions, but the majority are short, fleeting, and almost meaningless, so one might think. How can a relationship that lasts only for two weeks going to affect the rest of your life?
It can. Dating is how we test the waters to see which type of girls or guys we like, and which types we are most compatible with. A person who you date for a short amount of time can make you realize that you don’t want to date someone who is such a perfectionist, per se, or maybe you realize that the person you thought you loved isn’t really the type of person you want to be around.
These small things can influence the people you choose to associate with, and can put you on the path to finding a person who you can be happy with the rest of your life. I’m not saying, and I’m not not saying that there is a ‘soul mate’ out there for everyone, but I am saying that you can learn, by dating, what types of people you can be happy with.
So, don’t make fun of someone who dates nearly every guy or girl in the school, or even the person who seems so picky that they never really date anyone. They are both playing the dating game, and learning from every toss of the dice.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Restaurant Review (EDITED)
Have you been searching for a good local restaurant to eat at without having to worry about high costs? Looking for a great place to take your girlfriend out to eat without breaking the bank? Try one of these restaurants for quality food at a reasonable price.
Christy’s Wings-N-Things- 7 out of 10 stars
Christy’s is a quaint little restaurant located on the corner of Cesery and Merril, next to the Salvation Army. It has a warm welcoming atmosphere, with friendly staff and country-inspired décor. I ordered their most popular meal, the all you can eat honey barbecue wings, and was impressed with the flavor and sheer amount of food offered. Each all you can eat meal comes with fries and a drink, and are well worth their price. It costs $11.95 for a single meal, $21.95 for a couple, and $5.95 for children under ten. The first basket comes with anywhere from a dozen to eighteen wings. Unfortunately, you cannot share the wings with another person, and you can’t take home any wings from your meal if you decide to get a second basket. However, the food is filling and delicious, with a wait time of about fifteen minutes.
Nero’s Café Italian Cuisine and Pizza- 10 out of 10 stars
If you want a great place to go on a date without spending a lot of money, Nero’s Café is the place to go. Nero’s is an Italian restaurant that has a friendly staff, quick service, and low-priced food. The setting is lit by hanging lamps, and the center holds a bubbling fountain. The interior is slightly dark, but it gives the booths a more private feel. I ordered their pasta combination plate, which included ravioli, lasagna, meatball, manicotti, spaghetti, garlic bread, and a salad for $11.95. Service was immediate for my salad and bread, with a total wait of twenty minutes for my meal. The food was well seasoned, very cheesy, and very filling. I did manage to save room for their homemade canole, a dessert with a hard shell and filled with a sweet and creamy mix of ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. Despite the odd use of ricotta in a dessert, it was quite tasty. My entire meal cost $17.71. Also, for those of you wanting to take your girlfriend or boyfriend on a classy date, Nero’s has a meal for two special for only $19.95.
Christy’s Wings-N-Things- 7 out of 10 stars
Christy’s is a quaint little restaurant located on the corner of Cesery and Merril, next to the Salvation Army. It has a warm welcoming atmosphere, with friendly staff and country-inspired décor. I ordered their most popular meal, the all you can eat honey barbecue wings, and was impressed with the flavor and sheer amount of food offered. Each all you can eat meal comes with fries and a drink, and are well worth their price. It costs $11.95 for a single meal, $21.95 for a couple, and $5.95 for children under ten. The first basket comes with anywhere from a dozen to eighteen wings. Unfortunately, you cannot share the wings with another person, and you can’t take home any wings from your meal if you decide to get a second basket. However, the food is filling and delicious, with a wait time of about fifteen minutes.
Nero’s Café Italian Cuisine and Pizza- 10 out of 10 stars
If you want a great place to go on a date without spending a lot of money, Nero’s Café is the place to go. Nero’s is an Italian restaurant that has a friendly staff, quick service, and low-priced food. The setting is lit by hanging lamps, and the center holds a bubbling fountain. The interior is slightly dark, but it gives the booths a more private feel. I ordered their pasta combination plate, which included ravioli, lasagna, meatball, manicotti, spaghetti, garlic bread, and a salad for $11.95. Service was immediate for my salad and bread, with a total wait of twenty minutes for my meal. The food was well seasoned, very cheesy, and very filling. I did manage to save room for their homemade canole, a dessert with a hard shell and filled with a sweet and creamy mix of ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. Despite the odd use of ricotta in a dessert, it was quite tasty. My entire meal cost $17.71. Also, for those of you wanting to take your girlfriend or boyfriend on a classy date, Nero’s has a meal for two special for only $19.95.
Depression (EDITED)
Depression. It’s a very real problem many teens suffer from. In 2000 alone, approximately three million teens seriously thought about suicide, and about 37 percent of those three million attempted to kill themselves. Nearly all of these teens were suffering from undiagnosed or untreated clinical depression.
Being a teen is stressful. A teen has to deal with school, as well as their hormones which cause their moods to fluctuate rapidly between joy and sorrow. Teens may feel that they aren’t good enough; that they aren’t good enough to make the team, that they aren’t capable of passing a test, that they aren’t attractive enough to get a boyfriend or girlfriend. Also, many teens are finally old enough to fully understand and feel the sharp blow of death. All of these can lead a teen down the road of depression.
Depression is the most common health disorder amongst teens and adults in the United States, according to teendepression.org. They also say that 20 percent of teens will experience some kind of depression, with the average episode lasting eight months. So, depression has become not something merely read about in books, but it has surrounded the teen population and settled in.
Depression is a disorder that is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, causing low levels of ‘happy’ chemicals, such as serotonin, which can cause the person to feel down, to cause feelings of inadequacy, and to make them lose interest in things that used to capture their attention, such as sports, games, or even friends. Clinical depression is any depression that lasts longer than two weeks, and severely interferes with daily lifestyle.
Many teens who go through depression are undiagnosed and untreated, which is unfortunate. Many people with depression respond well to therapy and medication. Untreated depression can lead to a person developing another mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, due to the amount of time that they are suffering from the chemical imbalance.
Teens who are or think they are suffering from depression should let someone know - a parent, guardian, doctor, or teacher - so they can get on track for appropriate treatment, whether it involves therapy or medication.
Being a teen is stressful. A teen has to deal with school, as well as their hormones which cause their moods to fluctuate rapidly between joy and sorrow. Teens may feel that they aren’t good enough; that they aren’t good enough to make the team, that they aren’t capable of passing a test, that they aren’t attractive enough to get a boyfriend or girlfriend. Also, many teens are finally old enough to fully understand and feel the sharp blow of death. All of these can lead a teen down the road of depression.
Depression is the most common health disorder amongst teens and adults in the United States, according to teendepression.org. They also say that 20 percent of teens will experience some kind of depression, with the average episode lasting eight months. So, depression has become not something merely read about in books, but it has surrounded the teen population and settled in.
Depression is a disorder that is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, causing low levels of ‘happy’ chemicals, such as serotonin, which can cause the person to feel down, to cause feelings of inadequacy, and to make them lose interest in things that used to capture their attention, such as sports, games, or even friends. Clinical depression is any depression that lasts longer than two weeks, and severely interferes with daily lifestyle.
Many teens who go through depression are undiagnosed and untreated, which is unfortunate. Many people with depression respond well to therapy and medication. Untreated depression can lead to a person developing another mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, due to the amount of time that they are suffering from the chemical imbalance.
Teens who are or think they are suffering from depression should let someone know - a parent, guardian, doctor, or teacher - so they can get on track for appropriate treatment, whether it involves therapy or medication.
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