Opinion: Thursday is the new black

Aaron Koch
Staff Writer

Thanksgiving is the holiday for all of us to come together. It’s the day where schools and work will give time off so we can gather and be thankful. Many people will get to enjoy the entire four day weekend, but not everyone. The Friday after Thanksgiving is the biggest retail storm of the year and those who work in retail know it’s an important financial day, but now it looks like those same retail workers will not be able to enjoy the holiday, itself. Although, you can’t deny that certain retail workers are getting paid time and a half and should be happy to get the hours, but does the corporate farm need to ruin Thanksgiving?

Apex chorus to perform at Pearl Harbor memorial

Claire Feasey
Staff Writer

The Apex High Chorus will be performing at the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii during December 4-8.The chorus was selected over many other high school choirs. The chorus auditioned with a song from the 2014 Spring Concert, and was chosen to sing for the anniversary at the USS Arizona Memorial. The award winning choir, led by director Heather Copley, has performed around the world, including in London, Rome, and the Bahamas.

Along with fundraising, students had to pay a fee to participate. Once there, the chorus will spend their time singing for the memorial, which includes opening the parade with the national anthem. With a great opportunity like this, a trip to Laniakea (Turtle) Beach, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and a pineapple plantation are a given.

Fire is catching

Grace Fendrick
Features Editor

Mockingjay Part 1 earned only $123 million in the U.S. over opening weekend, far under the previous films which made $158 million* (Catching Fire) and $153 million (The Hunger Games).  Although the numbers were disappointing for the franchise, the film exceeded very high expectations and did achieve the highest box office numbers of the year. Fans of the books will be very pleased due to the fact the movie is split into two parts, enabling more book content than in comparison to the other two films. 

Just after the sabotaged Quarter-Quell, Katniss finds herself stricken with nightmares and medically drugged in the District 13 hospital. Throughout the course of the film, she struggles to acclimate to her life as the symbol of the rebellion. Those around her hold their breath to see what their “mockingjay” becomes.

While the movie is filled with plenty of action, there are definitely more romantic aspects than in the previous films; this time however it is not revolving around the "star crossed lovers of District 12". Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth show great chemistry while playing their characters Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne. Josh Hutcherson’s character, Peeta Mellark is not often seen in the film, but the few scenes he is in are truly powerful. Although she is not covered in over-the-top Capital clothing and makeup, Effie Trinket’s bubbly personality shines through thanks to the talented Elizabeth Banks. Woody Harrelson once again played Haymitch Abernathy, this time sober, flawlessly. Both Lawrence and Sam Claflin do an outstanding job at portraying their character’s confusion and grief from what has happened.

Lionsgate’s Mockingjay Part 1 is an outstanding production and a great movie for date night.

Ferguson decision yields controversy

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

A grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri decided not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson this past Tuesday for his shooting of an unarmed 18 year old man named Michael Brown.  Protests have broken out in the city, with buildings and cars being set ablaze and tear gas being shot at protestors.  The shooting has been a very controversial issue since its occurrence on August 9, 2014.  Wilson, who is white, has been accused of racially discriminating against the African-American Brown.

Cougar mascot sports a new outfit

Alex Sands
Staff Writer

The Apex Cougar mascot was seen at Friday night’s basketball game with a new look, which is more mature with a full grown beard and more prominent bone structure. He was also wearing a new gold and black jersey.

“Coach Phillips decided to get a new and better one [costume] that is lighter. It’s way cooler in the new one,” said senior Eric Grimes, the face behind the mascot. “It’s just something new and fresh.”

Chocolatiers warn of “achocolypse”

Katie Mazanec
Staff Writer

Two of the world’s largest chocolate makers, Mars Inc. and Barry Callebaut, have warned the public to cut down on chocolate consumption or the world will face a severe chocolate shortage.

Many companies have noticed an increase in demand for chocolate over the past years. The world consumed more than 70,000 metric tons more than it produced in 2013. Specifically China and India have had a huge increase in chocolate consumption over the last few years. Also, the price of cocoa jumped 20 percent last year and nearly 10 percent this year. This is a great example of supply and demand; currently the supply is low and the demand has skyrocketed. The surging prices and low yields may result in chocolate becoming a luxury item.

Navy SEAL faces criticism after coming out as Bin Laden's killer

Sarah Ford
Staff Writer

Many current and former special operations members are ridiculing former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill for revealing that he shot and killed Osama bin Laden during the raid on bin Laden’s secret compound in May 2011. Concerns were raised because O’Neill broke The SEAL Code, which states, “I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.” In an interview with the Associated Press, O’Neill said, “The last thing I want to do is endanger anybody. I think the good (of going public) outweighs the bad.”

ISIS beheads U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig

Grace Fendrick
Staff Writer

Early Sunday morning a video was released by the Islamic State (ISIS) claiming the execution of 26 year old U.S. aid worker and former Army Ranger Peter Kassig. The U.S. government confirmed the death shortly after the video was released.

Kassig marks the third American and the fifth Westerner beheaded by ISIS in the past months. This has caused many people to question President Obama’s stance on not sending any U.S. ground troops to the area. The president did comment on the situation saying, “[He] was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity. His life and deeds stand in stark contrast to everything that ISIL[ISIS] represents.” Mike Pense, governor of Kassig’s home state of Indiana also commented saying, The murder of Kassig at the hands of ISIS terrorists is an unspeakable act of barbarism and a tragedy that will be deeply felt by all the people of our state for many years to come.”

Miss Honduras murdered by sister's boyfriend

Mae Turney
Staff Writer

Maria Jose Alvarado, also known as Miss Honduras, was killed just two days before she was scheduled to represent her country in the 2014 Miss World pageant. Alvarado and her sister, Sofia Trinidad, were reported missing on November 13 after not returning home from Trinidad’s boyfriend’s birthday party. Witnesses say they last saw the sisters leaving the party in a vehicle without any license plates. Police began looking for the two girls and initially narrowed the suspects down to four men.  

Religious conflict spurs Jerusalem synagogue attack

Dylan Tastet
Staff Writer

Five were killed and eight more wounded when two Palestinian men stormed a Jerusalem synagogue in an apparent terrorist attack.

The attackers, cousins Uday and Ghassan Abu Jamal, entered the building armed with a pistol and meat cleavers and began attacking orthodox Jews who were praying there. The cousins were then killed in a gunfight as police arrived moments later.

Dinosaurs inhabit North Carolina museum

Nicholas Chupka
News Editor

Feel like exploring this weekend? Take a trip to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit in downtown Raleigh. The exhibit will be on display until April 12, 2015.   

The World’s Largest Dinosaurs focuses on what factors allowed for these massive dinosaurs to exist for over 140 million years. Spread around the museum are a variety of hands-on, interactive workstations where visitors can explore even further into the prehistoric world. In addition a life-sized Mamenchisaurus model serves as the center piece for the exhibit.  

Exhibit curator and chairman of the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Paleontology Mark Norell said in a press release, “This exhibition represents a new era of dinosaur research that leverages recent advances in technology and the expertise of multiple scientific disciplines to understand how the largest animals to ever roam the earth actually lived,” adding, “It demonstrates how our understanding of these enormous creatures continually evolves and changes in response to new science.”

Admission Rates

Members: Free

Adults: $14

Students, Military, Seniors: $12

Children (3 – 12): $8

Scientists seek ways to clone preserved mammoth

Kenison Garratt 
Staff Writer

A well preserved woolly mammoth, named Buttercup, found in Siberia in May of 2013 is being analyzed by scientists to find out if it has enough DNA to be cloned. Buttercup had been well preserved beneath the permafrost, with three legs, most of her body and head, and her trunk remaining intact. In the three days following her discovery, scientists focused on finding out more about her life before they had to freeze her again to prevent rot.

Buttercup lived approximately 40,000 years ago. She often ate dandelions and buttercups, she had eight calves and lost one baby, and died in her mid-50s. It is believed that the woolly mammoth became trapped in a bog and was attacked, most likely by wolves, and eaten alive. When discovered, she oozed a red liquid; the scientists present assumed it to be blood. Dr. Tori Herridge, a paleobiologist at London’s Natural History Museum, says, “As a shorthand, people call it blood, but in reality what you have is a reddish fluid. The researchers didn’t find any intact red blood cells at all, but the red still came from the hemoglobin.”

TED Talks offer informational lectures on a variety of topics

Jessica Stiehm
Staff Writer

TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Talks are stimulating lectures that cover countless subjects. In under twenty minutes, speakers educate their audience on a chosen topic. In the past, topics have included religion, dinosaurs, fear, motivation, biomimicry, and many others. TED talks have been around since the 80s but gained popularity in the 2000s when they were put online.

TED Talks first started in 1984 as an annual conference in Monterey, California. Since then, it has moved locations, accepted speakers with a variety of ideas, and began awarding prizes for the greatest innovations of the year.

Reddit CEO resigns after argument

Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writer

Reddit CEO Yishan Wong resigned from his position after a disagreement between him and lead investor Sam Altman over a new office location and how much money to spend on the lease. The argument was outlined in post on Altman’s own blog. Altman says he and the board did not ask Wong to resign, “To be clear, though, we didn’t ask or suggest that he resign—he decided to when we didn’t approve the new office plan.”

Varsity cheerleaders win states

Alex Sands
Staff Writer

The Apex varsity cheerleading team became state champs this Saturday at the 12^th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association cheerleading championships. The girls took first place in the medium varsity division, where they competed against 21 teams. Apex won with 122 points.

“When they announced us as first place I was speechless. My team has worked so hard this season and this is exactly what we needed,” said coach Courtney May.

Five ways to remix your Thanksgiving leftovers

Rebekah Gould
Staff Writer

After Thanksgiving, there are heaping amounts of leftover food. Rather than making the classic turkey sandwich the next day, try some of these recipes to get creative with leftovers this holiday season.

Thanksgiving Dinner Crescent Ring

Ingredients:

2 tubes Pillsbury Crescents

2 cups mashed potatoes

2 cups chopped cooked turkey

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup green bean casserole

1 cup stuffing

½ cup cranberry sauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large pizza pan. Unroll the crescents and place them in a circle with the crescent points laying over the edge of the pan to create a sun-like ring of crescents. Next, spoon the mashed potatoes, turkey, cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on the wide end on the crescents towards the inside of the circle. Then pull the pointed edges of the crescents up and over the filling and use a knife to tuck the tips underneath the inside of the ring so it’s secure. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until crescents are golden brown.
Source: (http://www.tablespoon.com/)

Turkey-Cranberry Strudel with Maple-roasted Butternut Squash

Step by step process for braiding
the puff pastry

-Ingredients for Butternut Squash:

1 ½ cups peeled and ½ inch cubed butternut squash

½ large sweet onion, sliced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of kosher salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup maple syrup

-Butternut Squash Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place squash and onions in a medium bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread onto greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with maple syrup. Stir to coat and roast for an additional 10 minutes until squash starts getting tender and caramelized. Remove from oven and let cool down. Turn over temperature down to 400 degrees.  

Iggy Azalea leads nominations for American Music Awards

Sarah Kebea
Arts and Entertainment Editor 

The American Music Awards will air live November 23 on ABC and will feature performers such as Fergie, One Direction and Mary J. Blige.  Here are eight of the 22 categories for the fan-voted awards show:

Artist of the Year:

• Iggy Azalea
• Beyoncé
• Luke Bryan
• Eminem
• Imagine Dragons
• John Legend
• Lorde
• One Direction
• Katy Perry
• Pharrell Williams

New Artist of the Year, presented by Kohl’s:

• 5 Seconds of Summer
• Iggy Azalea
• Bastille
• Sam Smith
• Meghan Trainor

Adrian Peterson suspended

Adam Mancini
Sports Editor

The Adrian Peterson saga is finally coming to a close. The star running back of the Minnesota Vikings, and the apple of the NFL’s eye, was arrested in September on felony charges of assault on a child. He would eventually plead no contest to a misdemeanor reckless assault charge. Commissioner Roger Goodell has now suspended the 2012 NFL MVP without pay for the remainder of the 2014 season, and has left the door open for a possible suspension in 2015 as well. Peterson appealed the ruling, but the arbitrator ruled in favor of the NFL.

U.S. and China work together on historic climate deal

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit meeting in Beijing to discuss a new climate plan this past Wednesday.  The United States has vowed to decrease their emissions in 2025 to between 26% and 28% below 2005 levels, which is double the rate of reduction it had previously stated. China is saying that renewable energy will account for 20% of its power by 2030. China is also vowing to use more clean energy sources.

Wake County Animal Shelter nearing carrying capacity

Mae Turney
Staff Writer

The Wake County Animal Shelter is reaching critical capacity, and recently, the shelter director Jennifer Federico announced that they may have to begin euthanizing animals if more aren’t adopted soon. Federico says there is currently enough room for five more animals, and the shelter is offering specials on the pets who have been there for more than 30 days.

Opinion: Former UNC football player sues University

Dylan Tastet
Staff Writer

Former NCAA football player Michael McAdoo is suing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He claims the University broke its promise to provide him “a legitimate education” in exchange for playing football.

McAdoo lost his NCAA eligibility in 2011 when he was accused of receiving too much help from a tutor, who footnoted and created a bibliography for one of his papers. He was also one of the first student-athletes found to be taking part in “paper classes”, or classes for which the only requirement is to write a single paper. McAdoo says that these classes, concentrated mainly in the African-American Studies Department, do not constitute a legitimate education. He also says he was guided toward a major in African-American studies by the UNC football program.

ESA is first to land probe on comet

Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writer

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully landed the space probe Philae on comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The Rosetta space mission began on March 2, 2004 and continues even after its first ever comet landing, which took place on Wednesday, November 12.

There are two parts of the spacecraft used in the mission: the orbiter and the lander. The orbiter moved through space, carrying the lander which successfully laid anchor upon arrival of comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Unfortunately, the ESA lost contact with Philae on November 15. The probe was able to send all recorded scientific data to the ESA. It is possible for Philae to regain power when the comet passes by the sun in August 2015.

The landing is the first time a manmade object has landed on a comet. The probe will stay attached to the comet collecting samples, taking pictures, and monitoring the flight pattern of the comet. The priority for Philae is to collect as much information about the comet as possible.

College Awareness Week: Your teacher’s college experience

Alex Sands
Staff Writer

Last week, Nov. 11-14, was College Awareness Week. Free applications were available on CFNC, teachers wore spirit wear from the schools they attended, and Mr. Wight asked trivia questions on the announcements. In collaboration with this event, we asked five teachers about their college experiences.

Jeff Derda - University of Pittsburgh

“I was originally an undergraduate in biology and then I actually got a dual degree in biology, and ecology and evolution. That is simply the University of Pittsburgh’s way of saying environmental science.”

• Did You Like College: “I loved every minute of it. I ended up going to graduate school there, as well. I got my Master’s Degree from the same place. I met my wife there and I really enjoyed it.”
• Advice to Seniors Going to College: “Just take with you the work ethic and value that you’ve used throughout high school to get into college. If you’ve successfully gotten into college, you must've worked hard enough to be deserving so just keep up with that. The other big one is survive the first semester. You're going to have a ton of freedom. There’s a ton of fun things to do in college. Do some of them, but limit your experiences to be there for four years, not just one semester. A lot of people show up for one semester and don’t make it back. Work hard, stick with it, and do your best.”
• The Craziest Thing You Did in College: “I would probably say playing rugby and all the things that go along with playing rugby. I wanted to do something athletic.”

Get lost with these popular reads

Jessica Stiehm
Staff Writer

Is your mom nagging for you to pick up a book and you don’t know what to read? Try these popular selections:

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Years after Percy Jackson realized his godly heritage in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, a new set of demigods have risen to the cause. Blood of Olympus is the final book in The Heros of Olympus pentalogy. It’s not essential to read the previous books, but it’s recommended. In Blood of Olympus, the demigods aboard the Argo II are once again battling the dangerous Earth mother, Gaea. Can the demigods persevere against impossible odds and save the world once again?

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

Many remember The Princess Bride, the iconic movie that came out in 1987. A delightful array of humor and fairy tale, the movie captivated thousands of people. Now, Cary Elwes, the actor who played Wesley in the film, wrote a first hand account of his experiences behind-the-scenes and shared exclusive information regarding The Princess Bride. Readers should expect to see interviews with Robin Wright (Buttercup), Wallace Shawn (Vizzini), Billy Crystal (Miracle Max), Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya), and many more of the minds behind the film. Photographs and fun stories from the making of the movie are also included. If you loved the Princess Bride you will absolutely love As You Wish.

U.S. Marine returns after 7 months in Mexican prison

Sarah Ford
Staff Writer

United States Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was released on October 31 after spending seven months in a Mexican prison for violating Mexico’s strict gun laws. Sgt. Tahmooressi took a wrong turn towards Mexico with three loaded guns in his car and was unable to turn around before crossing the border on March 31. He was later arrested.

States vote to change drug laws

Aaron Koch
Staff Writer

Seven states had some type of marijuana reform on their ballots on November 4. Residents of Oregon, District of Columbia (D.C.), New Mexico, California, New Jersey, Alaska, and Florida cast ballots on the state policy regarding marijuana. When the voters spoke, reform was passed in every state except Florida. Even Guam, South Portland, and many counties in Michigan have loosened their grip on the prohibition of marijuana.

New look ACC looks strong going into season

Matt Sholtis
Staff Writer

The ACC has had an extreme makeover the past couple of years. One of its founding members, Maryland, left for the Big 10. Then Syracuse and Pittsburgh, both known for their basketball programs, joined the conference. Now Louisville and Notre Dame are joining as well. The ACC was arguably the best basketball conference in the nation before these teams joined. Now it’s no contest, especially since the ACC has four teams in the preseason top ten. Here is how the powerhouse conference will shake out this season.