Pumpkin Spice Latte – To get your taste buds into Fall, try the delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte for only $4 at your local Starbucks.  If pumpkin is not your thing, try the  Salted Caramel Mocha for a salty-sweet treat. http://www.starbucks.com/

The Turkey Trot – On Thanksgiving morning join people of all ages from around the city for the  kids K, the  five-mile run or the one-mile walk starting at the Long Center downtown. Burn off some calories before the big meal. http://thundercloud.com/index.php/trot

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Gather around your T.V. Thanksgiving morning to watch the 85^th annual parade. This year the parade features our own district’s Vandegrift Legacies at 8 a.m. http://social.macys.com/parade2011/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-parade-_-n-_-n#/home

Zilker Tree Lighting– On Dec. 4 at 6 p.m., gather around the famous tree for a timeless Austin tradition. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zilker/zhttree.htm

New Year’s Eve movie – On Dec. 9, celebrate the coming of the New Year with more than 20 internationally-known stars for a movie  that will get you pumped up for 2012. The movie is rated PG-13. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598822/

            Distress seems less relevant to students when the problems are overseas, but many students directly feel repercussions of the problems going on in Libya through their wallets. Some students work more to pay for gas and other things they want to do like senior Haylie Martinez who works two jobs.

“I just got a car and gas is so expensive,” Martinez said. “I drive less than I did before gas was this much.”

            Some students have to find other ways to pay for their gas. Junior Shelby Biggs gets his gas money from his mom.

“It’s $47 to fill my tank up, twice a week,” Biggs said. “It costs my mom $70 to fill up her tank, and she fills up three times a week.”

            After several weeks, gas prices are still going up, with the nationwide average at  being $3.35 a gallon. Though gas prices seem really expensive now, they are expected to continue rising reaching about $4 at the end of May and $5 by the end of summer.

            “Gas prices are so ridiculous,” senior Emma Lynch said. “I feel so awful asking my mother for money to pay for gas.”

There are two types of diabetes: type one and type two. Type one is hereditary, while type two is diagnosed because of an unhealthy lifestyle. But both have the same results.

However, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has been working for more than 40 years to find a cure and provide those with the disease a way to reclaim their lives. And walking for the cure can help them achieve just that.

On Sunday, Oct. 31, students will say ‘BOO’ to diabetes by walking for the cure at Mueller Lake Park at 11:30 a.m.

Last year, participants raised more than $550,000 for the Austin chapter for diabetes research, and this year, it hopes to raise more than $557,000.  

“My goal is to raise $750 for diabetes,” senior Alejandra Chavez said. “I know diabetes has a wide range of effects, and I already think it’s going to a good cause to find a cure for type one and type two.”  

Sophomore Spencer Lane set a $3000 goal, and because he has type one himself, he and his relatives are putting forth as much effort to the cause as possible. 

But walking for the cure isn’t the only way to help.

“You can donate anytime to JDRF on the website and if there is another diabetes walk, there will be a team you can join here,” Lane said. 

The American Diabetes Association reports that one in every 13 children will get diabetes if their parent or parents were diagnosed with type two after the age of 50. However, if the mother has type one, there is a one in 17 chance the child will get diabetes if the child is born before the mother reaches the age of 25.

“A couple of my friends have diabetes, and I think it’s a good cause,” sophomore Alex Skipper said. “It would be a really great thing to stop.”

While diabetes has taken over the lives of millions, there can be a very simple solution.

“Lead a healthy lifestyle,” Lane said. “Just be healthy. It doesn’t take a lot.”

Health insurance will become a requirement. If a person cannot afford insurance, Medicaid may be extended to them, or government subsidies (grants) can be provided. Because of the extension of coverage, 32 million more Americans will be insured, bringing the total coverage up to 94 percent of Americans. Additionally, insurance companies are no longer permitted to deny someone coverage based on their current medical conditions, or drop them based on a new condition. More rebates and coverage for prescription drugs will become available. 

The cost of the enactment of the bill is estimated to total $940 billion. For insurance to be extended to those who can’t afford it, yes, the people that can afford it must pay more taxes. However, these increases will only apply to certain taxes, to people who earn more than $200,000 per year, or couples who earn more than $250,000 per year.  Additionally, people who are not insured and businesses with more than 50 employees, who do not offer insurance to their employees, will be taxed.

Some of the lesser-known aspects of the bill include a 10 percent tax on tanning. The government wants to make a point that tanning with ultraviolet light is harmful. Starting July 1, in an effort to discourage it, when you go tan, instead of paying $10 for 5 minutes, you’ll have to pay a whopping $11.

Restaurant chains will be required to display calorie counts in prominent locations, including menus and drive-thru menus.

Children will be able to remain on their parents’ insurance plan until they are 26-years-old, instead of the current cutoff of 19.

Although doctor’s appointments will cost less, and check-ups and other preventative appointments will not require a co-pay, primary care doctors will be charged a fee for referring patients to a specialist. This means that specialists will receive fewer patients, and therefore, will be paid less.

The job of a primary care doctor is less intense than that of a specialist. Now, primary care doctors will often be paid more than specialists, which could result in less desire for pre-med students to go in to a specialist field.

The increase in coverage will also result in longer waiting times at the doctors’ office. This is upsetting to some, as the economically disadvantaged may receive care sooner than middle and upper-class people.

Some portions of the bill have already gone into effect, while others will not go into effect until 2018. Although there are numerous minor details to it, all in all, the bill essentially makes healthcare a right and not a privilege, which is what all the fuss is about.

 Student leaders helped transform the youth group into a larger, but still tight-knit group, in part due to the amount of students that go to Vista Ridge. In the days leading up to the youth group’s first meeting at their current venue, these student leaders were determined to get as many people to attend as they could.

“[The student leaders] really got the word out about Northpoint, and it sparked a lot of interest,” new Northpoint member, sophomore Dalton Darrow said.           

Northpoint’s youth group meets every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Forest Oaks clubhouse. The night generally starts with mingling and food, followed by singing, a short sermon, and a small, intense discussion group.

“The small groups really personalize things, and makes it seem like everyone is obligated to contribute,” Darrow said.

Because the church is relatively small, members agree that it is very much a comfortable family-like environment, where teens can open up and speak what’s on their minds. 

“Everyone knows everyone, and it’s a really laid-back environment,” student leader and sophomore Emily Hees said.

There is also time for games and Guitar Hero on the projector screen, and time where students can talk, eat and just enjoy each others’ company. A worship band is currently in the works, and live music will soon be a part of the night.

 Even weeks after the growth explosion, new members still come every week, giving the student leaders plenty of work to do.

“I get to meet with people and mentor them, lead small groups, and work in the kids’ community church,” Hees said.

The full church meets on Sundays at 10:45 at Parkside Elementary.  Primarily made up of younger adults, the environment is very appropriate for teens, as it’s often easy to relate to fellow members. 

“The most rewarding part has been being able to help people change and grow closer to God,” Hees said.