Staffers identify supreme hotspots for March Madness

By Miles Rosen and Julie Canon

Now that the NCAA Tournament is down to just 16 teams, each game becomes increasingly more important as the Final Four draws near. If you want to enjoy the action of the remaining games but don’t want to sit at home, take a trip to some different restaurants in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The establishments below cater well to game day excitement, and each has its own unique atmosphere that can make the tournament exhilarating for any fan. 

Athlete culture infiltrates East fashion

By Sam Schanfarber

Every day, thousands of high school students face various struggles when it comes to dressing both practically and stylishly.  There is, after all, nothing more frustrating than not being appropriately layered for classroom weather, or when people don’t immediately recognize that your socks are Nike brand. But thanks to athlete-inspired fashion trends, even those outside of the sports world can now wear outfits that serve multiple purposes.

East theatre department explores community, tradition in ‘Fiddler’

By Michael Darken

The entire cast and crew of Fiddler. Photo by Averyl Edwards

“You might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof,” the protagonist Tevye, portrayed by senior Omri Hashmonay, stated in the prologue of East’s recent production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

This line expresses the show’s primary theme. “Fiddler” deals with the dissolution of community in czarist Russia and examines the struggle to retain cultural identity in the face of changing times. As director Hope Hynes-Love hoped to convey, this same struggle is experienced in our own time by those, especially immigrants, forced to assimilate into American culture.

Sleep deprivation pervades East’s academic culture

By Morganne Staring

For many high school students, sleep is dangerously overlooked and indeed eclipsed by homework, extracurriculars, and social plans. Unfortunately, this “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” philosophy could have adverse health effects serious enough to bring that dying day closer than expected.

Studies have shown that while teenagers need at least nine hours of sleep per night, most get fewer than seven. With all of the 21st century’s medical advances, how has this nightmare become a reality? Over time, cultural values among Americans have shifted, pushing those with extensive academic or financial accomplishments to the top of the societal heap, where they are showered with respect. In such competitive schools as East, this system of judgment takes place on a smaller scale when students base their opinions of themselves and others on certain stats, like the number of AP classes taken, involvement in clubs and extracurricular activities, grades, SAT scores, and GPAs. 

March Madness: Music Edition

By Christine Rheem

March 8: Lupe Fiasco, Lasers

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: “Lasers” is not nearly on “The Cool’s” level.

The world has been waiting for Lupe’s newest release since 2007, contributing to why this album may have fallen so short of expectations. There’s no denying that “Lasers” is good music—come on, it’s Lupe Fiasco—but after the drama and struggles that accompanied its release, it was destined to fall flat.  The album is a product of well over two years of feuding between Lupe and his label, Atlantic Records.

“I don’t like the process behind ‘Lasers,’” Lupe said in a Feb. 28 interview with Complex. “The music is dope but I just don’t like the process.”

Tech consumers left in the dust

By Miles Rosen

Back in the day, you bought the latest, greatest, most modern piece of technology on the market, and you were able to maintain the position of owning the coolest thing on Earth for a few, if not many, years. Today, however, it seems like you can’t own the newest gadget for more than a few nanoseconds at best. Electronics companies in the current age manufacture products for the public that we only fantasized about in the 20th century. Many people don’t think twice about the fact that some of the most sophisticated pieces of machinery that have ever existed are now readily available to the public. But as these devices become even more futuristic, the average consumer begins to struggle to keep up with the incessant advancement. The continual release of replacement models, manufacturing of less durable products and even the marketing of items that may not yet exist help modern technology outrun the average consumer.