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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2009)
14 Entertainment February Dear Ani and Maggie offers excellent advice Dear Ani and Maggie, I have a problem. I have been having a hard time dealing with my stress. I'm frustrated with all of the work being piled on at once! How can I deal with it before I go crazy? Stressed Out Student Dear Stressed, Plenty from of people can relate to this problem! High school means a lot of 9 work fo r s t u d e n t s , and the best advice we can offer is to try to figure out how to get things done based on your schedule and when you feel more productive. Try to set a schedule for yourself; if you're not using your planner now, it could help to start. Figure out what your extracurricular commitments are and plan around them for homework time. If you know you have to work one night, try to complete your homework beforehand rather than putting it off until you're too tired. For big projects, spread out the work so you're not doing it all last minute. Time management is key with all the work, so this is a big step toward reducing stress. Additionally, if you feel yourself getting really stressed out, take a step back and try to cool down. If you remain calm, you're more likely to get things done c ç^ ldoice: Ani and Maggie and eventually reduce your stress. Good luck! Ani and Maggie Dear Ani and Maggie, I want to ask my mother for birth control, but I don't know how. I think she'll be mad and call me names. She doesn't like my boyfriend at all and I'm worried she'll think we're having inappropriate relations, but really I just have a really heavy period and want some relief! Help? Heavy and Heavy Hearted Dear Heavy Hearted, This is a difficult situation because these kinds of topics can be really hard to talk to parents about. If your mom already knows about your period struggles, it could be easier to start the conversation though. If she doesn't know, that might be a good place to start. As hard as it sounds, you should really try talking to her about it, but be ready to compromise. Ask her if you can set up a doctor's appointment, and see if she'll come with you so you can both learn about the options you have to help with your period. Maybe birth control isn't the only option that can help, and you can avoid that awkward situation. If you think you might want birth control for the future, though, it might be good to bite the bullet and tell your " mom. It could be really PvLAN LoiSPbiCH ___________ Staff Reporter The newest, most exciting technology to date, is a car that has the ability to turn into an airplane with the press of a button. Those who designed it call it a roadable aircraft. It has 10-foot wide wings that fold for flying and four wheels for driving. There is a propeller on the back of the car and it has an extra pair of wings you can tow behind it that will fold out and be completely automatic. The car also has remote control doors and wing openers. The designers did run into problems having to make the car a certain weight so that it could fly. This car will be cheap but sustainable according to the makers and is being made into a hybrid. The idea 0f this vehicle isn't that if there is traffic that the driver should open the car wings and fly out of it. To make the car fly, it is necessary to have ar\ open area and gain a lot of speed to take off into the air. Also, there shouldn't be any power lines that it could run into. A pilot's license will be needed to fly the roadable airplane. This car is still being worked on in order to be perfected. It will be able to fly 460 miles on the currently installed gas tank. This car will require more gasoline than most of the cars on the road today, mostly because it will be flying and when something is flying it takes more gasoline than a car on the ground. The plane will also use electricity so that it can move its wings If you need help with a problem and would like to receive help, please write a letter and place it in the "Advice Box located in the library. All letters received will remain anonymous. " “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button " spreads wonder, satisfies audience DYLAN LOTSPEICH Staff Reporter "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a dramatic and romance based film with some mild action that highlights the most intense scenes. Still in theaters, this box office blockbuster has already been accredited with five Golden Globe nominations and received Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay from the National Board of Review. The cast includes Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Jason Flemyng, Taraji P. Henson and Julia Ormond. Pitt was excellent playing Benjamin Button, doing a good job of conveying the difficulty and problems of a man who ages backward. The screenplay was written by Eric Roth who also wrote "Forrest Gump." The storyline was very original, one that I have never seen used before. The film was directed by David Fincher who is known for directing movies such as Reality of flying car looms in future m awkward and difficult, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Ani and Maggie and all of the controls on the plane. Anything that moves when the car is in the air runs on electricity. The only thing that isn't run by electricity is the back propeller. The side mirrors on the car are dynamic nightmares. They throw the car off balance and will make the car turn when it isn't supposed to. Some concerns that have been raised about the practicality of the car are questions such as what will happen if the plane is in the air and the gas tank is low? Are there going to be emergency landing areas? How will air traffic be controlled? The roadable aircraft promises to be an amazing invention, if and when the designers address these questions. the end of World War I in 1918. Benjamin Button was born under "unusual circumstances," right when the war ends. He starts out as a baby in what appears to be his 80's and ages backwards. Benjamin's mom died in childbirth and his father abandons him, disgusted bv his odd appearance, on the steps of a retirement home. Along the way, Benjamin meets a variety of people, including the tugboat captain. He serves under Captain Mike, who gives him good advice and is covered with tattoos that he ’ made himself, and Elizabeth Abbot, the first woman he falls in love with. The special effects were great, specifically in the war scenes and the carefully carried out makeup which caused Pitt to look like an old man. This is to be expected; the movie's budget was about $150,000,000, one of the most expensive films ever made. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is still playing in Portland area theaters. Tickets range from $6.50-10.50. Catch it while you can in the theater, it's worth seeing on the big screen. m "Fight Club," which Pitt also starred in. The movie which is rated PG-13, has a run time of 2 hrs. 47 min., which is a bit overlong. There are many scenes that become tedious because they are filled with a lot of dialogue and not much action. One of the saddest movies I have ever seen, the emotion also made the movie worth seeing. The movie begins at
