Issue #4 January 2010 - Plainfield Public Schools

PLAINFIELD HIGH
SCHOOL’S STUDENT
NEWSPAPER
Editor in Chief—
Chief—Marcus Tichenor
The Panther Advocate
JANUARY 2010
Are You a Morning (Announcement) Person?
Article by: Shawn Thomas
Our Plainfield High School
morning
announcements are aired every
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
morning at nine o’clock to present information about upcoming events, assemSCHOOL NEWS
2-7
blies, opportunities and what is going on
around our school in general. So is it
right that some teachers don’t even have
the decency to present the morning anSENIOR
8+9
nouncements to their classes? I don’t
SPOTLIGHT
think it is. The morning announcement
crew puts a lot of their time and effort
TEACHER
10
into making announcements as helpful as
INTERVIEW
possible. To not give students the opportunity to see what is going on around our school is wrong. After talking to Mr. Melchior about this issue, I
CURRENT EVENTS
11-13
have come to the conclusion that if someone is preventing students from getting information that they
need about our school and its events, then that person is very inconsiderate and the issue needs to be resolved.
SPORTS
14-20
There have been all of these complaints about students not having a clue about what is going on
in our school. For example, the school dances. We have already had to cancel one dance because students
just don’t buy tickets. Some of these students might be interested in going, but due to the lack of anWORD SEARCH
nouncements being shown, they are being deprived of that chance. Thinking back on the four years that I
23
have been in high school, I can think of at least two classes a year that I’ve been in that did not present the
morning announcements. I am just one student. I can just imagine how many other teachers completely
ignore the fact that students need to know what is going on around our school.
ENTERTAINMENT
21-32
When asked about this problem that we are having with the morning announcement, Mr. Worth
said, “It should not be happening. There is important information on the announcements and they should
be shown to every class. If a teacher is having technical issues with their equipment, they need to contact
me, because the announcements should be shown.” Words straight from the principal should not be taken
S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F lightly. I am actually in class with two students that are heavily involved in the morning announcements,
INTEREST:
Kim Caouette and Adam Main. When asked about teachers not showing morning announcements to
classes, they both had the same response, “It is complete garbage.” If I were them I would be upset too.
• Changes to the High School!
These two put forth a stellar effort to make the announcements fun and exciting every day. From airplane
Page 3
pilots to samurai swords, they are forever seeking new ways to make the announcements better. It is almost a wasted effort if teachers are not showing the morning announcements.
• Why School Dances Are AtroI didn’t write this article without doing my research. I took two days out of this week and walked
cious! Page 4
around the school during the morning announcements. I counted a few classrooms not playing the an• Visit to NFA! Page 6
nouncements including tech education classes, science classes and others as well. One of the biggest
classes with a problem would be the second block gym class. With the amount of students in a gym class,
• Snowboarding Pages 18 + 19 you would think it would be more important to present the announcements. In the gym there is no over
head projector or any way of seeing the announcements so maybe that is something that administration
• Lady Ga Ga Page 21
needs to look into. Another room in our school that morning announcements are not shown is the library.
Walking by this morning I noticed at least two classes in the library during the announcements, and they
• Avatar—page 27
were not playing anywhere. The students were on their computers and doing their work while there was
• Jersey Shore Page 28
important information being offered through the announcements. This just goes to show that it is a problem and it needs to be resolved. The early morning announcements are great for our school and it should
be aired every morning in every classroom.
If anyone has any suggestions or comments on how to make our morning show better, please
contact Mr. Worth or Mr. Melchior.
School News
Are We The Perfect Ten?
Commentary and Picture by: Kayla Charlwood
Here at Plainfield High School, the seniors feel like they are very
under appreciated. The senior class of 2010 is a very intelligent and outgoing
class that has a lot to offer for Plainfield. Our principal, Mr. Worth, said
“You earn what you deserve.” Looking back at past classes you would see
them as more athletic and school spirited. “We’re a lot less school spirited
than last year’s class or other previous classes. Well, some of the class anyway,” stated Chelsea Frechette. Maybe we have less school spirit because we
http://www.party411.com/photo-op-127.jpg
don’t feel like part of the school. If administrators took more pride in what
the class brings to the table then maybe we would be proud to go to Plainfield High School. At this point I don’t want anyone to know
that I go to this school and I am sure other people feel the same way.
Looking back at the Thanksgiving pep rally makes the juniors look like they are the seniors. It is usually tradition that the seniors win all the activities. This year the juniors ended up winning the activities, breaking the tradition of the seniors’ winning streak.
Are the juniors more mature and school spirited? Is that why they are more liked by the school? Should they be the senior class this
year? According to Mr. Worth, he believes the juniors are a bit more mature than the senior class.
“There is a large group of students in our class that care about school, but there are also a select few that don’t care at all. I
feel like the administrators generalize us all in the same group, and that isn’t fair. The past few years’
administrators have threatened to take away senior activities such as senior privilege or rent a senior day.
“I don’t think it is
I feel like if they helped make school more enjoyable, then a large portion of our class would be graduating early, and maybe we would be less apathetic,” said senior Kayla Barber. I feel the seniors are very
fair to say that our
uncaring and it isn’t going to go away unless we are recognized for our accomplishments. Do you think
whole class is a
something will be done
‘bad class.’ This
about the seniors being
neglected? I suppose we
year’s senior class
will find out before the
is full of a lot of
class of 2010 graduates.
productive people
Going to last
and unfortunately
years graduation puts the
icing on the cake for our
sometimes it
senior class. At the end of
seems like the bad
the graduation, last year’s
weighs out the
Principal, Mr. Arcarese,
stated that the class of
good.”
2009 was the best class
- Paras Pirzada
he has ever had. Talk
about favoritism. He was
unsure at the time if he was getting a new job or not.
We all knew if he came back we would go through
hell.
Mr. Worth has followed the class of 2010
through all four years of their journey through high
school. Is he going to be proud to say that at graduation? We accomplished our goals as a class and as individuals. Will that be enough to be recognized? Let’s go
to graduation and wait for the speech that says we are phenomenal class and we made a difference for Plainfield High School.
Seniors: Eliut Santiago, Justine Lane, Mariah Larue, Brannon Wright, Skylar
Whiteley, Hayden Beausoleil, Katie Jacobs, and Lauren Bedard
School News
Page 3
Panther Advocate Sounds Off — Positive Changes
By: Kayla Charlwood
What is one positive change that we need to make for this school?
“Basically everything in Plainfield High School could be
“The school would be better if there were more fun activi-
improved. One thing that I think could be changed is that
we should be able to use our phones and iPods during
ties going on. Not like dances, but things that we are interested in. take polls and see what we like to do. For exam-
lunch. There is no reason why they aren’t allowed, it’s not
like we are doing anything academic where we need to
ple, we have lock-ins, rent-a-senior day, and hall decorating. However, we need more things like this throughout
pay attention. It’s a lame rule that needs to change.”
the year.”
“I would like to change the list of class options in
our school. We barely have a variety of classes to
choose from and we have to take certain classes
in order to graduate. We also don’t have enough
planning for out futures.”
“A positive change for the school would be to let
“Better computers! Faster Networks! If cell
students go to Subway for lunch; even if it means
extending time for lunch.”
phone’s were allowed during lunch! If back
packs were allowed in the halls!”
“Something that could make the school better…
I’m not really sure anymore. I’ve thought of many
ideas that have been shot down, but I guess I
would have like faculty to be more involved with
the students. I mean some of the administrators
can’t even pronounce our names correctly. Don’t
worry about it. I would have loved to have a
closer relationship between the senior class and
the faculty. Try again next senior class!”
“I think our school needs more freedom and free-
“I wish the guidance counselors were more will-
dom to express.”
ing to switch our classes with no questions
“One thing that is most important for
this school is computers. Technology is very important to keep up to date and learn new things.
The computers we currently have are horrible, to
be honest. They are freezing, out of date, and very
slow. New computers are a necessity.”
“We need more school spirit. We could try and have more
“Give Mr. Greene a raise so that he stays at this school. It
pep rallies, and the teachers could be apart of it too. We
need to get people to the dances, and to be proud to say
doesn’t really pertain to me though, since I’m graduating,
but think of the future generations of PHS students who
they are from Plainfield High because as far as I’m concerned this school blows.”
won’t be able to benefit from Mr. Greene and his obsession
with Lady Gaga.”
Pictures from: http://www.picturesof.net/
http://www.eteamz.com http://nitetech.com/__image.255163613_std.png
School News
I find no reason to go to dances
when all I am going to see is girls
The Panther Advocate Sounds Off About School Dances
humping guys’ legs like a sixmonth-old puppy on a stranger.
By: Lauren Curley
Dances are just a way of allowing
I think that the reason why purchases are not made on dance tickets is due to the
girls to look even more trashy
than usual and I find it extremely
fact that no one knows about the upcoming dance. More posters and banners would
pointless. Loud obnoxious music
probably get students’ attention. Also, telling students that there is a dance a few
and girls in short dresses. I think
weeks beforehand would be a major help. Another reason for the lack of sale in tickets could be to the fact that school dances are boring. They are not fun whatsoever.
that dances are just a reason for
girls to dance in the most disgusting ways and guys feeling like
The school administration needs to find out what students want in their dances, what
pimps. I’d rather sit at home and
type of music they should play, and so on. Why would students want to go to school
watch a lame television show
at night to stand around and listen to lame music? Spice things up a bit and then,
maybe, students will consider going. There should be a vote before every dance so
that people can chose what they want. The idea of having themes would also make
things cooler. Put these things into action and maybe you will see more tickets being
sold. Think about it.
THE
SCHOOL
DANCES
ARE JUST
ANOTHER
CHEAP WAY
FOR THE
SCHOOL TO
MAKE
MONEY
AND OUR
STUDENTS
TO SEE
RIGHT
THROUGH
IT.
School Dances: The epitome of boring, or
at least in my opinion. Why would we
pay anywhere from five to ten dollars on
a ticket to stand around in our cafeteria.
I can’t dance, so why would I awkwardly
want to stand around IN A DRESS and
listen to music. HELLO AWKWARDNESS. I could dance and sing my little
heart out on my own in my bedroom, and
in my pajamas. Where no one can criticize my dancing inability. No offense,
I’m already tired of the place by the
time I go home at the end of the day. I
have no intentions of going back if I
don’t have to. And I think the student
body feels relatively the same way.
I think all these random
dances are a waste of
time, with homecoming
being my favorite, no
other dance catches my
interest. Dances are
lame!!!
The dances here at PHS are really
not reliable I mean they are canceled
all the time or sometimes they are
rescheduled and you can’t do anything about it! I hate that! I don’t
go to the dances at all because the
time is so unreliable that I don’t
bother and then you don’t know who
is going. If I knew when exactly the
dance was and I knew for positive
that it was then maybe I might go. I
don’t want to take a chance of getting all excited or dressing up just to
find out that the dance is cancelled
or delayed for another week that I
might not be able to go.
than witness girls get names for
themselves.
I think that the school dances are
fun to be at but they haven’t been
advertised well enough in the past.
I think that the cancellation that
happened was due to kids just not
knowing about the dance going on.
If the dances were more hyped up,
I think that more students would
attend.
The dances that our
school throws are
corny, and have poor
advertising. People
don’t want to waste
their Saturday nights in
a school building with
limited possibilities
when they can go out
with their friends, listen to music, and dance
all they want. The only
important dances in our
school are homecoming
and proms.. Homecoming
and Proms are only
cool because kings and
queens are chosen, it’s
a great chance to dress
up as nice as possible,
and take beautiful pictures. Also, with Homecoming and proms people throw memorable
after parties!
The last time I ever attended a school dance was back in the seventh grade. To put it shortly, school dances are terrible! There
are so many supporting factors, but it’s because I don’t want to
spend more time on top of the seven hours I spend with you
drama llamas. No one dances, they just sit around. Some will
plant themselves in a corner and talk to their friends, while the
older ones look like their about to have sex with their boyfriends/
girlfriends. I can go party with my friends at someone’s house
and have no regulation on what I can and cannot do. I may not
even waste my time on our formal dances either. Really, I could
go on and on about what’s wrong, but it would become a New
York Times best seller. I just tend to avoid dances altogether.
something to do on a
weekend night in which
you come back to the
school and watch a bunch
of people jump around
and/or grind on each
other. Sometimes it can be
fun to be part of the crowd,
but often, it just gets old
being cramped into the
school cafeteria for three
hours, listening to over-
School dances
have no point
The school dances really fail miserably. The only
to them. On a
ones that students actually care about are
Friday and Sat-
homecoming and prom. It’s partly because other
urday night no
dances are lame, and completely unmemorable
one wants to
School dances can be
rated dance music.
When I went to the Homecoming dance all I saw was girls and
guys grinding each other and
and unexciting. Most students couldn’t care less
turning into sweaty messes and
the school. We
about coming back to the school they dislike so
moving to the beat of some very
are older now
much for such a lame event. Juuuust sayin.
suggestive songs. As fun as go-
hang out at
ing to a school dance doesn’t
and have better things to
I don’t really like the dances that much. I
do. Dances are
went to one and it totally sucked. Within
for middle
schoolers
fifteen minutes after getting inside, I left
that have no
because there was nothing to do.
lives. Basi-
School dances just don’t really appeal to people; it’s
the same thing every time. I could find 1,000 things
that would be incredibly cooler than standing awkwardly in our school cafeteria, listening to lame music
and watching people grind on one another. No
thanks.
cally school
dances are
pointless.
I really am not a big fan of our
sound, people still do it, or they
just don’t feel like spending five
bucks when they could just do
that at home without chaperones and teachers watching
their every move. Pointless is
what they are, pointless and a
waste of money. In my opinion
they should only have Homecoming and Prom, the only
dances people make an effort
for. Other than those two
dances, they shouldn’t even
bother for extra dances like the
I think that the school dances could have a lot more
school’s dances. I went to one as a
Winter Ball. So, maybe they
potential than they do. They play crappy music that
should just forget about it, no
freshman, and it wasn’t very fun.
all sounds the same, and no one ends up going. Sure,
one cares and no one will.
They aren’t very well put together,
homecoming turns out ok, but then after that dances
have no activities beyond dancing,
are empty. They keep the lights on, on all the sides of
the cafeteria. The tickets are too much, and the
and are basically on the same level
dances don’t run long enough. Basically, I would go to
as middle school dances. If the
more of the dances, if they played better music, more
dances were more like the lock-in,
where there are multiple activities,
I believe more people would actually go!
people went, they weren’t so expensive, and they had
a really good dj.
School News - Norwich Free Academy Visit
A Walk on the Wild Side
Article by: Pookie
Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to attend a school other than Plainfield
High School, just for a change? Well I got the chance to make that wonder become a reality.
On December 21, 2009, I had the opportunity to shadow my best friend Jazmin Santiago at
her school, Norwich Free Academy. To say the least, my day at NFA was a very eventful
one, and definitely a change from little old PHS.
To start out the day, we woke up at five o’clock on the dot. I’m used to the usual:
www.norwichf
reea
cademy.com/
hear alarm go off, slowly roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, jump in the car at 6:55. We
slept in Plainfield the night before so we had a long, anxious ride to this huge school. Her mom decided to blast some sweet
Christmas tunes with the volume on high all the way there. So by the time we arrived, we were wide awake and ready to exit those large
mini van doors. We hurried out; what a change already. All I am able to see is traffic, about thirty to forty hideous yellow school buses with
Norwich Free Academy printed on the sides, and what seemed, millions of kids. Big, small, fast, slow, you name it. Such a different selection of people than I have ever been used to. “Hurry!” Jazmin grabs my arm and lunges me forward. We had to beat all this traffic to get to
her first class on time. This... didn’t happen. Great first impression Mariah, really. Today was Jazmin’s birthday, so left and right all you see
is friends running up to her with wide open arms, balloons, cards, screaming “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” The bell rings, we are still outside. In
the slush and snow and negative three thousand degree weather, we rush into her first class. We finally open the doors and plop down into
our chairs. Our noses red like Rudolph and my hair, mind you, looks spectacular from all the wind outside earlier. Luckily, at NFA hats are
allowed to be worn. I was starting to love this school already. Not even two seconds later the teacher says “Bye! Have a nice day!” Huh? At
NFA, they have homerooms first thing in the morning for five minutes. What are we, back in middle school again? We leave the room.
“What class are we going to now?” I asked Jazmin. She says biology. Cool. “Where is that at?” I wonder. “The other side of campus,” she replied. Five short minutes to get there, for the record. Even cooler. We trudge again through the snow, my teeth chattering, I’m
freezing. BEEP. There’s the bell, and look who is not in biology, definitely not me and Jazmin. She says that this teacher will most likely
give her a detention because she is late just about every single day, so I’m a little nervous to enter the class. We slink into our seats once
again; the teacher doesn’t say much except for ask me who I am. I explain that I’m
shadowing her, and there are no problems. They didn’t have much on the schedule
for today, except present Power Point projects that the class had just finished. The
teacher calls up Jazmin to present hers and she is not thrilled. She looks like she’s
having a great time up there in front of everyone talking about thallium and ways it
Me and Jazmin at NF
can kill you. She finishes and I start clapping as loud as possible while the entire
group of kids in the class look at me and give me really cute stare downs. Two
more kids presented and then the bell rang. Are you kidding me? It’s only been
forty five minutes, class is over? This is so great.
A, duh.
“Now we’re going to Bradlaw.” I hear Jazmin say. I’m not confused or
anything. “Uh, is that your class?” “No it’s a building. We’re going to my support
class which is like my study hall.” We throw on our coats and off we go. We are
determined to get to this class on time. As it turns out, we were even later for this
class than the first. We weren’t even walking slowly, I promise. We walk through
the library into this extremely tiny area that I guess they called a classroom. “Jaz!
I’d give you a detention but I’ll let you off easy today because it’s your birthday,”
the teacher says. We squeeze ourselves in between a maze of chairs and tables and
sit. “Now this is a study hall kids, I know it is the holidays but there is work to do.”
She handed me a cross word puzzle and I started it. There is a very awkward silence and Jazmin and I start giggling. The teacher starts yelling to someone in the
class and says “Out of the classroom, go sit in the library!” No one says anything.
She says, “Jaz, I’m talking to you.” “Seriously? I wasn’t even talking,” said Jazmin. But the teacher made her leave anyway. Let me tell you,
it was really awkward sitting in a classroom full of kids you don’t know staring at you for thirty minutes. Finally, time to leave. I make my
way through and meet Jazmin outside the door; time for history.
School News
Continued from previous page...
Six minutes later, we walk into the class. Everyone says “Who’s your friend?” She introduces me, but I didn’t get very
many welcoming smiles. An easy day for this class, just an extremely boring history movie to watch. The only entertaining part of
this class seemed to be the girl in front of Jazmin turning back constantly calling her “kitty” and asking to hold her hand. I guess everyone is a little different… Headed to geometry now that this class is over and boy could this class go by any slower? I don’t think
so. I love staring at triangles with so many lines in them that I get a headache. Who doesn’t? Lunch occurred halfway through this
class which was a life saver. After, we took a lightening speed pit stop to take some pictures together. We didn’t come back to the
classroom ten minutes after lunch was suppose to be over or anything. Leaving this class was probably the best feeling all day. Just
one more left, English, and that won’t be bad. Other than showing up late yet again, the class was a good way to end this experience.
The bell rings for the last time and everyone darts for the door, including Jazmin and me. No time to waste; the buses leave ASAP.
We made it. Not a long ride home but a kind of bitter-sweet one. This day with my best friend was a great one and I now know much
more about NFA. It’s a wonderful school; just maybe there should be a little more time in between classes. The day reminded me
most of how school used to be with her everyday, from 5th grade to sophomore year. My day might have ended in tears, but at least
we had birthday cake before I went home.
Home of The Fist Bump Fireworks
Article by: D-Dawg
Have you ever wondered what it is like to work at McDonalds? Well, I am going to let you
know. When I walk in McDonalds dressed in my corny uniform (blue polo shirt and black pants, with
a lame hat), all I smell is the wonderful aroma of fatty burgers and delicious fries. You may think
smelling that smell is awesome, but after eight months of this place, it is quite appalling. It is the
same routine every day: I clock in, walk in the door, say hey to the two million managers and go to
work.
I go into the grill section of the kitchen and start making the occasional double cheese burger (two all beef patties, two slices of all American cheese, two pickles and some onions on a bun). Then somebody will come in
and order twenty cheese burgers all of a sudden you are way behind on orders, honestly it gets overwhelming and stressful. Lucky
for me though I work meats and fried products a lot. That job is a job itself, constantly running, hauling bricks on a greasy floor to go
and put stuff down so we don’t run out.
My all-time favorite job within McDonalds is handing food out the window to the customers. A lot of people are so rude, I
love it. I give them a smile that makes them shut up, but the customer is always right! So we can only be rude in a polite manner.
When people complain about how slow we can be getting their food to them, I feel like saying, hey dude, there is a Wendy’s right
down the street! In today’s economy though, chasing away business may chase away my job.
If the people don’t grind your gears, I am sure making “Mcfries” will. Constantly putting your hand underneath that heat
lamp, it starts to hurt after a while, and then all the salt everywhere, it is just a mess. It starts to burn but that is just part of the magic
that happens down here at McDonalds.
If you are thinking you may want a job at McDonalds, apply online on the McDonalds website. I would say that there are
about twenty plus high school kids working at the Plainfield McDonalds. Everyone else is either a high school dropout or kids working their way through college. With all that said, McDonalds is great. As for me though, I prefer part time hours. I would never work
here my whole life but it is a good experience that can open your eyes and begin to expose you to the real world.
Senior Spotlight
Mustafalopolis
Page 8
Interview by Eneriko Ferraj
Sasha Mustafa is a nice, respectable young lady who is in her senior year of high school. I met her last year in Spanish 2 and it was
a great class (even though I failed it). Sasha is a cool person and a good friend. She is the older sister I never had and deserves her
own spotlight.
Hey Sasha, how are you today?
I feel particularly nice.
The school’s treated me nicely over the last few years, it’s
been kind of long but yeah it’s good.
What were your most favorite moment and least favorite
moment at Plainfield High School?
My favorite moments were rent a senior day 2008 and 2009
and the Johnson & Whales field trip. My least favorite was
when Marcus Tichenor put pen ink in my seat while wearing
white pants in Mr. Smith’s class sophomore year.
What was your most memorable moment and why?
When I made an Alice in Wonderland pottery box sculpture
because I put a lot of time and effort into it.
What was your favorite class and why?
Mr. Greene’s freshman English class because the best people ever were in there: Tara, Amber, Matt, Danny and Jake.
Which teacher did you like the best and why?
I have to say it would be a tie between Ms. Sumner and Mr. Greene. Ms. Sumner has always been there and has helped me with anything I needed. Mr. Greene is full of wisdom, greatness, and has enlightened me for four years. I also liked Mr. Emmi too.
Do you have any pets?
Yes: a cat, guppies, an iguana, and a dog Brutus.
What is your favorite food and why?
I love Dipps N Dots mint chocolate ice cream; it literally melts in your mouth, tastes delicious, and makes your tummy giggle.
What are your plans for after high school?
My real plans are to get a job and car but I don’t see me pulling those out of thin air.
Are you looking forward to a career?
Yeah I want to become a dental hygienist and roll in those big bucks!
Do you do any activities and if so how is it?
Oh I do a lot of activities, last year Kace, Tara, Kristin, and I went extreme sledding
in two feet of snow and plan on doing it again.
What college do you plan on going to if any?
I’d like to go to Three Rivers for two years then get into an intern program and then
go to the University of Hartford.
What has been your favorite thing about Plainfield?
All my friends.
What will you miss the most about your days here at school?
What I will miss the most will have to be all the friends and just being in school and
having fun.
Is there anything you would like to say to Plainfield High?
For the underclassmen, get your work done, do everything that the teachers ask you
because once you’re done, it feels good to be done with all your work and achieve
something for yourself. Then you can throw all of that in the teachers’ face and in
the sense of graduating early, you beat school.
Picture’s taken by Amber Taylor
So how have your four years here been?
Senior Spotlight
What Is There To Know About Greg Lehto?
Interview and picture by: “The Opportunity”
Greg Lehto is a seventeen year old senior here at Plainfield High School. He is “the senior class.” Mostly everybody
knows Greg. He was voted as the senior spotlight for the month of January by the journalism class. Greg is “amazing” and
definitely an individual. If you have never talked to Greg before, then I would recommend striking up a conversation with him
some time. He is very brainy.
What do you enjoy most about Plainfield?
I like living in Plainfield because Plainfield is a rural area.
Are you going to miss anyone after graduation?
What activities are you involved in?
I’m going to try out for baseball, and play intramural basketball, that’s about it.
What is your favorite subject?
What college do you want to attend and why?
I want to go to the University of Central Florida because it’s
warm…and babes.
Why?
Mohammad
Probably history.
I like being able to know the past to better predict the future.
If you could have anything right now what would it be?
Have you decided what your major will be?
I’d like to major in political science or chemistry.
What is your favorite color?
Blue, no doubt, I like blue.
A house in Finland.
What is your favorite food?
Steak
What classes do you take now?
AP chemistry, AP calculus, AP history, and gym.
What are your hobbies?
Are they hard?
Nah, hah, it’s easy.
Any last words you want to say to your peers before you graduate
this year?
Playing baseball, good past time, I love it, and golf.
Recognize the universe’s energy so one could do all that is possible.
Who’s your favorite teacher?
I like Mr. Wilcox; he’s an all around great guy, no doubt.
What has been your best memory here at PHS?
The complete sophomore year was pretty good.
What do you plan on for the future?
Be President.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Racing motocross.
What is your New Year’s resolution?
To get into college.
SCHOOL NEWS
Teacher Interview
Watcha Cooking Good Looking?
Interview by: Kimberly Caouette
Mrs. Salo grew up in Woodstock, and went to high school at Woodstock Academy. Before she went into teaching she worked
at Frito Lay for eighteen years in quality control. She went to college at Saint Joseph College. But, I wanted to know more...
How long have you been teaching?
Ten , no, eleven years I think.
If you could be doing anything other than teaching,
what would you do?
I’m pretty sure I would continue teaching, I’m not sure if
I would continue teaching this.
What would you like to teach?
I would love to teach quilting.
Is it true the kids keep getting worse as the years go
on?
I’m not so sure it’s era (time period) related. I think it’s
individual related. You know what, there were challenging personalities when I was a kid as well.
What’s your favorite color?
I don’t really feel for things like that. What does that have to do with anything?
No, they’re just random questions..
What’s your favorite thing about being in the kitchen all day?
Oh, it’s a creative outlet. Definitely definitely.
Who is your favorite singer/band?
Elton John and Billy Joel.. piano players.
What made you decide to become a home economics type teacher?
I like doing these kinds of things. Like cooking, and sewing kinds of things. When I was a kid I was always doing them.
What’s your favorite holiday?
I think Halloween. Or Christmas.
What do you often eat for breakfast?
I like non traditional things. I think apple crisp makes a wonderful breakfast. Pumpkin pie makes for a wonderful breakfast. I
don’t normally do a desert, so really what’s the difference in ingredients between pumpkin pie, and a pastry.
Can you tell me about one of your worst habits?
One of my worst habits? I have a very hard time asking for help. I think that people should have the initiative to pitch in to help
without being told. I know I have a hard time whether it be here, or at home.
If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?
Here or at home?
At home..
Oh good lord. Probably, a lot of condiments in the door that don’t get used that I can’t get rid of. I know I have a few different
kinds of cheeses going on in there...
Is it all health food?
No, no, no, not at all. I’ve got some Snickers bars laying around. I also enjoy eating peanut butter M&Ms.
Where would you go, if you had a time machine?
A time machine? I wouldn’t. If I could go anywhere I would go to China, but I would go in present day. Yes, I want to go to
China, after I pay for all those damn college payments.
Current Events
Save The Babies – Kill The Doctors?
Article By: Mary Dixon
It’s nothing new to society that many people don’t believe in abortions, the topic has always come packed with controversy.
Strong believers and non-believers of abortions have never seen eye to eye and the tension between the two groups continues to
grow. However, as time passes, are affairs involving abortion being taken too far?
Most clinics do not allow an abortion to be performed after the
twenty first week of pregnancy. Dr. Tiller’s Women’s Health Care Services
clinic is just one of three in the nation that allow late term abortions. Tiller
started his services in 1973 and since then it has been a constant battle of
attacks and protestors. In 1985, his clinic was bombed. 1991 was the Summer of Mercy protests that drew thousands of anti-abortion activist to Wichita, Kansas. During the protests of 1991, Dr. Tiller was protected by federal
marshals. After the protests Tiller remained mostly in his heavily guarded
clinic which consists of bullet-proof windows and a private security team.
The controversy continued to worsen and in front of his clinic on August, 19,
1993, Tiller was shot by a protester in both of his arms. He survived, underwent surgery and returned to work the next day. He did not seem to be giving up and things did not seem to be settling down.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/abortion-6.jpg
Dr. George Tiller was born in Wichita, Kansas. He was in the middle of an internship for the Navy when a small plane crash
killed both of his parents, his sister and brother in-law. After this, Tiller returned to Wichita and began studying his father’s medical practice. Tiller
quickly became one of the nations few providers for late term abortions and
a new target for anti-abortion believers.
A short time after he was shot in 1993, another abortion provider was killed. While investigating the case, investigators
found an assassination list. The list contained many names; most of them abortionists, and one of them was Dr. Tiller. After the list
was discovered, Tiller was kept under constant protection which continued from 1994 to 1998. Issues from back in 1973 continued
to escalade and after vandalism was done to his clinic, in early May, Tiller asked the FBI to begin investigating. The vandalism consisted of cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof. After years of threats and attacks things took a turn for the worse
on May, 31, 2009. While serving as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, a man entered the church and
opened fire; Dr. Tiller was shot and killed. Tiller had been constantly wearing body armor since 1998 but the gunman shot Dr. Tiller
at blank point range in the head.
http://www.stickergiant.com/Merchant2/imgs/125/
b0022_125.gif
The gunman fled the scene and suspects were immediately taken in for questioning. About three hours after the shooting,
cops stopped the alleged shooter, Scott Roeder’s car on Interstate 35. Roeder has pleaded not guilty to all charges which are one
count of first-degree murder in Tiller's death and two counts of aggravated assault. The two counts of aggravated assault comes into
play because, he allegedly threatened two ushers who tried to stop him during the shooting. During an interview with the Associated
Press, held over the phone from jail, Roeder clearly states, “Because of the fact preborn children's lives were in imminent danger this
was the action I chose. ... I want to make sure that the focus is, of course, obviously on the
preborn children and the necessity to defend them.” He continued to say, "Defending innocent life — that is what prompted me. I mean, it is pretty simple." The interview was over a
half an hour, and not once did he apologize for what he did or even show any regret and
sympathy. The jury selection for Scott Roeder’s trial is scheduled to begin on Wednesday,
January, 13, 2010. The date for when the trials will begin has not been determined however,
it is predicted numerous times, that from when the jury first sits down and the trials begin
they will probably last just two weeks.
Dr. George Tiller was a sixty seven year old man who devoted his entire life to
offering women a choice. He helped women of all ages under all different circumstances.
Tiller was a husband, father, and grandfather but one man had to take that away. An innoA popular pin that supports propro-choice.
cent man is dead and for what? Nothing, ten years from now people will still be for and
against abortions. I do not see the issues involving this topic ever becoming resolved. Tiller
was the go-to guy when your world was falling apart and whether or Scott Roeder supported what he did does not give him the right
to take his life away. Abortion will always be a topic that not everyone agrees upon however I strongly support the fact that everyone
is entitled to making his or her own decisions.
Current Events
Page 12
The Holidays Are Over But You Can Still Make A Difference
Article By: Mary Dixon
The holidays are over and 2010 has officially begun, but some families are still experiencing heartache. Americans thrive on
hearing about the horrible things going on in the world instead of sometimes focusing on the positive. There are some good people
out there doing extraordinary things. Even if they don’t make it on the news channel broadcast night after night, they deserve to be
recognized. It’s nothing new that military families suffer from deployment, a loved one coming home but being completely different,
and more often than not families suffer with the loss of someone truly close to their hearts. To help military families and veterans,
many programs and organizations are pulling together to collect donations and improve their lives day after day.
Some organizations don’t just have programs around the holidays or at times of need; quite a few show continuous efforts
and run year round. In March of 2009, two war veterans started an organization called No Veteran
Left Behind. This specific organization helps veterans with the cost of education. With the money
they receive through donations, they help their fellow veterans by providing money to go towards
their veterans’ student loan accounts. This organization requires that the veterans, after receiving
help, are to give back 100 hours of community service. Through December, Sears ran a program
called “Heroes At Home” aiming to help improve the lives of military families. Along with Sears,
Target has also joined with organizations to help raise awareness for helping troops.
For the past twenty-one years, the National Veterans Foundation has been helping veterans with numerous things such as rehabilitating and making the transition back to a normal life easier for American Veterans. When statistics from the war in Afghanistan are looked at closely, the facts begin to
unravel. For instance, on January 4, 2010, the article 2009: The Year of the Soldier Suicide was
http://www.thenovetleftbehind.org/images/rotateplaced on the website PSLweb.org. The author of this specific article is a former marine sergeant and
in the first paragraph he states “According to a Congressional Quarterly compilation in late November 2009, 334 active-duty military
service men and women have taken their own lives in 2009 alone. These numbers, as horrible as they are, come as no surprise given
that many of us are now serving in our fourth, fifth or even sixth combat deployment. More service members lost their lives due to
suicide than in battle in Afghanistan, where 312 perished in the war's deadliest year.”
The Trees for Troops Program has been collecting real Christmas trees for
a couple of years now. These trees are donated are distributed to troops and their
families stationed around the world. The Trees for Troops program is part of the
Christmas Spirit Foundation whose main objective is keeping the Christmas spirit
alive. The days that the trees were collected were not in week spans at a time. In
fact, it was one single weekend from December 4 to December 6. Although the
numbers from 2008 were higher, in 2009 the program still collected an astonishing
16,651 Christmas trees.
http://www.asmbastar.com/wcms/Editor/assets/
GrantRec/ourMilKids.png
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is becoming more common throughout all military branches. When not taken care
of, situations will only get worse. Did you know that recent studies show that
twelve percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and six percent returning from Afghanistan suffer from PTSD? On the website Help4PTSD.org there are numerous
links soldiers can go to and numbers they can call for help with this disorder.
Through this website alone you can clearly tell that people are trying to raise
awareness and attempting to reach out a helping hand.
When deployment crosses someone’s mind, most of the time he or she immediately begins to think about a soldier and what
they will encounter while deployed. However, sometimes people forget about what they are leaving at home. Founded in 2004, Our
Military Kids is an organization that offers support to the children of members in the National Guard and Reserve. They have blogs
that allow children to express their feelings freely and websites that offer a variety of games to relieve stress. This program raises
money that they put into grants and give to military families for their sacrifices. These grants ensure that children will be able to participate in sports, fine arts and tutoring programs. At the end of 2008, Our Military Kids generously dispersed over $2 million among
6,000 kids.
In younger grades at most schools, some teachers have their students write letters to soldiers showing their appreciation
with a cute illustration. It doesn’t have to stop there; the generous thoughts and donations can continue. America Supports You is a
nationwide program that allows people to send messages and support to members in the military whether they are at home or away
for deployment. Sometimes even just saying “thank you for all that you’ve done” puts a smile on an exhausted soldier’s face and
really makes him or her feel appreciated. With hundreds of organizations helping soldiers and their families there are more opportunities than ever to help troops. Even though we don’t always notice it, materialistic things aren’t always what are needed to help
troops. It doesn’t have to be a huge donation or even cost a lot of money, something as simple as a letter can make a difference!
Current Events
Article By: Christine Byars
Top Ten New Years Resolutions
5, 4, 3, 2, 1!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Alright, who wants more champagne, no the bath1. Spending more Time with
rooms to the left…yes…oh god, out of my way I’m gonna puke!
family
Oh what a joy to celebrate coming into a new year, going to a friend’s house to watch the
ball drop in New York and stuff yourself with goodies and intoxicate yourself with cheap wine and 2. Fit in Fitness
overbearing jello shots. Alright, celebrating the New Year isn’t always like that. Some people
watch the ball drop at home, drinking their heart out because they’re so lonely. Some people with
3. Tame the Bulge
children keep their drinking a secret as their kids struggle to stay awake to watch the colorful ball
4. Quit Smoking
drop, signaling a beginning of a whole New Year. Maybe their New Year’s resolution should to
stop their drinking, or handling it better and that’ll go on the list of ‘Failed to Do Resolutions’ along
5. Enjoy Life More
with going to the gym and not eating junk food.
So, maybe New Years isn’t all about drinking, but some like to think that anyways. Ac6. Quit Drinking
cording to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), deaths from drinking and driving spike
7. Get out of Debt
around the holidays, with alcohol being blamed for about 52 percent of fatal collisions on Christmas and 57 percent on New Years compared to a rate of 41 percent for the entire year.
8. Learn Something New
According to zope.net-Here are more statistics on the matter of drinking during New Years :
• By the time our country finished ringing in the year 2008 (the latest year for which data are
9. Help Others
available), 59 people had died in alcohol-related traffic crashes in the 12-hour span between
10. Get Organized
6:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 5:59 a.m. the next morning. Two weeks later, on the same
night of the week, the death toll dropped to 13.
• In 2007, 1,293 people were killed in drunken driving accidents between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day
• This year, 1,200 people will lose their lives during the holiday season as a result of alcohol-related traffic accidents. The United
States Department of Transportation reported that from 2001 to 2005, an average of 45 people died each day during the holiday
season, with the largest number of drunken driving fatalities occurring during Thanksgiving.
New Years isn’t all about drinking, don’t get me wrong. It really is a gracious holiday; you get the day off and a holiday
bonus usually. And then there’s the resolution that you make which you usually don’t keep because you were either too drunk to
remember it, or it was a too difficult task that you don’t feel like doing because it doesn’t fit into your daily life. Are you going to go
through with your New Years resolution? It could be life changing to say in the least, something as small as spending more time at
the gym to completely changing your ways – as in giving yourself a budget or getting yourself organized.
So, once you’ve sobered up on that holiday, what’s your resolution for the New Year?
School News
Exam Anxiety
Article by: Lauren Curley
With the end of the semester drawing near, stress is lurking around the corner. Most teachers
use end-of-semester exams in order to judge how much their students really know.
Mrs. Brooks, whose exams I’ve always dreaded, gave me some advice on how to study for
your language exams. She suggested using flash cards for things like vocabulary and verb conjugation, and making quizzes for yourself to try and anticipate the material on the test. Nothing can help
you prepare for your foreign language exam more than using the language in your life; if you can effectively speak and understand the language, then you probably understand the concepts.
For history classes, review major themes and try to anticipate essay questions. Organize your
notes into sections and go over points that were stressed in class. To remember dates, try connecting
dates to words that relate to the event. For example: In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
Math exams are multiple choice, more often than not, so the best way to pass is by using deductive reasoning. If you can eliminate the obviously wrong answers, then you’ll have a much better
chance of choosing the right answer, even if you have to guess. Organize important information from
word problems so it’s easier to make equations. Always write out all of your work and double-check your answers.
Nothing helps you pass exams more than being prepared. Cramming the night before your test will leave you tired, nervous,
and less likely to remember information than if you’d studied in advance. Good luck PHS, and have a good second semester.
This information is from the Pittsburgh section from www.about.com
Party Like it’s 1999
Page 13
Sports
Page 14
Let’s Make it to States
Article By: Nate Bedard
Mr. Arremony has been the head coach for the Plainfield High School boys’ basketball team for the last twenty-nine years.
In those twenty-nine years he has brought Plainfield to the state tournament twenty-six times, which is very impressive. He is an excellent coach and should be respected for all the time he has put into this program. He had this to say about the team, “I think we
have a good team this year, we have been working hard, and hopefully it will pay off.” To see what is going on with the team I was
able to talk to sophomore Jon Lorange and junior Dustin Yaworski.
Q. How does the team look this year?
Jon: Our Defense is the anchor to our success, and our offense is just a bonus.
Dustin: We are looking good so far, working hard and improving every practice.
Q. Do you think that the team is better than last year’s?
Jon: I think we are better because we are willing to do anything to get a win, and we
are a close group.
Dustin: Well we have the three returning starters that provide some experience and I
feel that we have better attitudes than last year’s team.
Q. Did the team lose any key seniors from last year?
Jon: We did lose a lot of seniors but the juniors and seniors that we have this year
have stepped up so far this season.
Dustin: We lost two important ones, Matt Rioux and Dave Ertel, but we should be
fine.
Picture taken by: Norwich Bulletin
Q. Speaking of the season, how are you guys doing this year?
Jon: We have won four out of the first six games because of our defense, and our team concept.
Dustin: So far we are 4-2 in our young season.
Q. How has the fan support been at the games?
Jon: I would say there has been a decent amount of fans, and I appreciate how they give us everything they have.
Dustin: We’ve only had one home game so far but the support was good and we have a lot of dedicated fans.
Q. Have you been able to “scout” some of the competition in your league?
Jon: Yeah we are in a competitive and impressive league, seeing as how we are in the medium division this year.
Dustin: Personally no, but our coach’s are constantly scouting the other teams.
Q. Do you think you guys will be able to make states this year?
Jon: Since our defense is solid and our determination is even better, we have a great chance of making states if we continue to work
hard.
Dustin: Barring a complete breakdown, we should be able to. We only have to win four out of the next fourteen games.
Q. Now the most important question, will you guys be able to bring a state title to Plainfield?
Jon: Well our first goal is to make the state tournament. After we get in anything can happen.
Dustin: Well, I think the team wants to win a state game first.
Page 15
Sports
Panthers Prowling For Pray
Article by: Hailey Griffin
A basketball coach knows what to expect when putting athletes on the roster who had just
played a whole different sport all together in the off season. He will take in volleyball and soccer players
and attempt to remodel them into basketball players who will be well functioning robust contenders in
their division. The volleyball player will now be able to catch the ball, play inside a larger perimeter,
pass the ball more than a total of three times, but now only having five teammates and one target at a
chance to score. The soccer player will now trade in her cleats for a pair of custom made orange and
black sneaks and forget about any contact being made between her feet and the ball. Her playing grounds
will be relocated from an open field to a dry gymnasium floor where her body’s heat will be captured
inside its tight brick walls. These jocks will need to strengthen certain muscles that weren’t necessary for
their sport. The soccer player will need to reestablish the muscles in her arms and the volleyball player
must strengthen her body’s cardio. It is not an impossible task but does take time and patience to accomplish.
Mr. Wilcox has returned for another year to guide his very young team to win more games than
the previous year with a 9-11 record. His plans also include building chemistry within his players which
will better his teams chances in the future seasons. As a coach he had been blessed with six AAU players, height, and both aggressive and competitive players. He had lost a very talented player, Alexa Lehto
in the graduation process, but has taken in two very skilled freshmen, Morgan Griffin and Haley Beausoleil. Captains Mindy Parker and Denise Vergato has sooner than expected shown elements of leadership that has already rendered to the success the team has had thus far. His starting five consists of Denise Vergato, Hailey Griffin, Heather Evans, Kim Bouten, and Morgan Griffin.
The Plainfield High School’s girl’s basketball team has been promoted to the Medium Division
in the ECC due to the demotion of Griswold to the Small Division. Some may have decided that Plainfield is getting too ahead of themselves being in the Medium Division after seeing Plainfield lose their
first two games to Montville and Windham. Except their crystal gazing was proven misguided when
Plainfield ended their two game losing streak with a six game winning streak. Plainfield has outplayed
Killingly, Woodstock, Wheeler, New London, Tourtellotte, and Griswold. Plainfield now only requires
two more wins to make it into the ECC Tournament and states.
The team has plenty of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The team has a great coach, bundles
of new sporting gear, and a mindset to go for gold. The only thing the team goes on without this year is a
senior game, senior gifts, and graduating seniors. The girls team is young but demonstrates both promise
for the impending years and yearning to become an intimidating and prominently better team. Come
support the Lady Panthers as they take on their challenging schedule into the ECC tournament.
January /February Schedule
Jan. 22—Ledyard | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Away
Jan. 26—Lyman Memorial | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Home
Jan. 29—Stonington | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Home
Feb. 5— St. Bernard | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Away
Feb. 10—Stonington | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Away
Feb. 12—Bacon Academy | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Away
Feb. 15—Wheeler | JV-5:30 | V-7:00 | Home
All pictures taken by Norwich Bulletin
Sports
Inspirtation
Article by: The Princess of Paramus
“It’s to my advantage. They think they’re going to have an easy game and just whip
on some one handed kid. But I’ve surprised a couple of people out there,” says Kevin Laue.
Laue not only inspires those with physical defects but people who want the same opportunities
he had been given. When Laue was born the umbilical chord had been wrapped around his
neck twice. The only thing that had kept him from choking to death was his left forearm that
was pinned between his neck and the umbilical chord. However, in return for his life he had to
give up his left arm. The umbilical chord had cut off all circulation in his left arm, which
called for immediate removal. Today, this boy stands 6 foot 10 inches, is an astounding athlete, and had done great academically all through high
school. Surprisingly, he had accomplished all of this
without the extra weight of a left arm. Apart from all
of his proficiency both on the court and classroom, he had carried out a desire of all die hard
athletes. Kevin Laue received a scholarship to a D1 college to play basketball, mind you,
without his left arm!
Kevin Laue was born in 1990 in Pleasanton, California. “Nub”, the name of his arm
that ends shortly under his left elbow appears to have not held him back from being an average boy. Throughout his childhood his parents attempted to persuade him to play soccer, a
sport that does not require hands what so ever. However, Laue did not show interest in soccer
and refused to participate. He also shunned the idea of using a prosthetic arm. Unlike soccer
Laue enjoyed basketball. This little red head, similar to the other children in his youth, had
difficulty playing basketball. In Laue’s 7th grade year he had been cut from the team. This
only made him want to work harder, which is a reaction that others should follow rather than
giving up. By 8th grade he had made the school team, had hit his growths spurt, and managed
th
to palm the ball. By 8 grade he was also capable of dunking. He made his “nub” useful by using it to pin the ball on received
passes; the rest of the game he uses his enormous hands to palm the ball. Laue attended Amador Valley High school, making the
varsity basketball team his junior year. Kevin Laue was given the title of team’s star, playing 23 minutes a game. Laue averaged 4
points, 5 blocks, and 6 rebounds per game in his high school career. In a 2007 Sports Illustrated, he was labeled as the “most exciting player in basketball.” However, his luck ran short in his senior year when he broke his leg. He has proved that basketball does
not require two hands, but only one leg is a challenge that he could not master.
Bouncing back from his leg injury he was accepted as a post graduate at
Fork Union Military Academy in the year of 2008-2009. At FUMA he averaged 6.9
points and 7.4 rebounds per game. In the December of 2009 he was advertised in the
New York Times where he was noticed by a man by the name of Brother Thomas
Scalan, Manhattan’s College president. He took the article to Manhattan’s D1 basketball coach Barry Rohrssen and told him to contemplate recruiting him. Manhattan
was not the only D1 College after Laue; Colgate and Wofford gave Laue many offers but did not supply Laue with as much additional benefits as Manhattan had.
Laue was given the Jasper’s jersey number 44 and assigned the position of Manhattan team’s center. “He possesses certain skills as a basketball player that are very
good and he demonstrates qualities that will make him successful off the court in
terms of in the locker room, on campus and in the classroom.” Rohrssen defends why he gave Laue a spot on his team. The Jaspers
ended the year with a 16-14 record and a 9-9 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Kevin Laue not only lived out a strong ambition of his but also gave people all over the world hope. Already, since December, Laue has been messaged by about 100 people with almost identical disabilities. Most memorable message was from a couple
with a newborn daughter who had a condition similar to Laue’s. This couple had informed Laue that he was their source of hope.
Because of the restriction of Laue’s prenatal blood circulation in his arm he is considered a hero to those who face challenges related
to Laue’s. His physical defect not holding him back can be viewed as a greater feat than a 360 dunk or the most points ever made in
one game. “Maybe me playing with one hand inspires others to try to work harder toward their goals. Or their dreams…I hope it
does inspire them. I hope I can help them in any way I can.”
INFORMATION TAKEN FROM: google.com
pictures taken from: nypost.com, espn.go.com and nydailynews.com
Sports
Page 17
Tradition Never Graduates
Article and Interview by: Dean Roussel
The common student thinks to himself, “Track should be easy: it’s easy as left foot, right
foot, left foot, right foot, running the whole time. At most, throwing weights far would be a
minor challenge.” Sorry, dude, you are gravely mistaken. Spend a day as a trackie- whether
you are a sprinter, distance runner, or thrower- and you will be sweating with the rest of us.
It is an exerting everyday workout for anyone.
Long-distance runs consist of either running neighborhoods in Plainfield, Moosup,
or Central Village, or speed workouts on which we work on special events. Those events
consist of runs anywhere from 600 meters to 3200 meters. Sprinters practice shorter distances such as the 55 meter dash, as well as runs from 100 meters to 600 meters. They practice different events every day of the week. Throwers do throw weights; however the
The girls distance runners keep
weights are twenty pounds for girls, twenty-five pounds for boys. Twirling an excess of
twenty pounds over your head is not an easy feat. They also throw shot put. Of course,
their speed in check.
nothing would be complete without a mile run to begin practice, a bunch of stretching and
abdominal work. Does it still sound so easy? I think not.
Although the runners and throwers are the ones doing the footwork and arm work, our success in track would be possible without the motivation of our coaches, Mr. Bowne and Mr. Parkinson. Since most of our team graduated last year, they let
everyone know tradition never graduates. We came in as a championship team, and we plan on winning it all again. Parkinson is
known for saying, “We have the same gun, but different bullets.” But, if you plan on being a blank shot, and don’t have motivation, you can do the team a favor and quit because we don’t need quitters. I interviewed Mr. Parkinson and Mr. Bowne for more
insight.
How does the track team’s history as a championship team affect this year’s track team?
Parkinson: It affects the expectations because every year our expectations are to win championships and we prepare for that by
training all season and building up towards championship season.
Bowne: It gives us something to shoot for every year, it’s something to strive for. A lot of people come in and work really hard
and set that precedent. We expect future athletes to keep that going.
What do you bring to the track team? How will this help the track team stay on top?
Parkinson: More importantly than anything, we both have a love for the sport. And we try to push that upon our athletes, and
make sure they do enjoy what they’re doing, that they do love and respect the sport, and at the same time expectations are a big
thing and we do expect excellence, and as a result athletes eventually learn to expect the
same thing.
Bowne: We also bring good looks and, a wide range of knowledge.
Parkinson: And… Coach Bowne is a fantastic violin player, also.
Bowne: I also bring a wide knowledge of music and movies. Coach Parkinson brings knitting skills.
Parkinson: I make sweaters. I also write haikus.
Do you think this group needs motivation to stay on top?
Bowne: Do they need motivation? Certainly. They need motivation from each other, they
need motivation from themselves, and they need motivation from the coaches. They should
always want to do their best, and that’s what they need.
Parkinson: Running is a place where you want motivation from inside and outside, because
you know, sometimes it is painful and sometimes you practice for weeks on end without
necessarily getting to run in a meet, and you haven’t seen the result of your hard work yet,
so it does require you to be extremely motivated … just person in general and whether you
motivate yourself or a coach motivates you or a teammate motivates you it’s good.
What are your expectations of the team this year?
Bowne: Same expectations we have every year.
Parkinson: Yup, we’re in it to win it.
If you want to come out and support the team, you can check out athletic.net/TrackAndField/School.aspx?SchoolID=14722 for
the schedule. For any results you may need, you can check plattsys.com.
Pictures by: Mr. Bowne
Sports
Page 18
Thursday Nights Spent On Chilly Ski Lifts
http://covers.magazine-agent.com/
http://eastcoastboarders.com/wp-
Commentary by: Danny Tan-ner
The following is a summary of my four years’ experience being involved in Snowboarding Club, enjoy. ={D
We, my cousin Robin and I, arrive at school on this crisp Thursday morning, probably late but here nonetheless. I am ready
for the 2009-10 snowboarding season. We unload our snowboards off my new Yakima roof rack on my Subaru, nicknamed Scoob,
and make our way with our ninety bags of equipment to a closet where all the snowboarding club kids store all of their boards and
whatnot. Once unloaded, we part ways and truck on to first block. The urge to grab our boards and ditch class emerges after only a
half an hour into the school day, and the feeling stays until the bell chimes freedom at two o’clock. We rush from Sumner’s class
over to the closet where all of our gear has been sitting, waiting, and sprint off to the bus where we will spend the next hour. Yeah,
it’s Thursday and snowboarding club has met for it’s first day.
Snowboarding Club used to be advised by a teacher here at PHS, Mrs. Rogers, but is currently led by Myra Ambrogi of the
Plainfield Recreation Center. The club goes every Thursday, for six weeks, beginning the first week that we come back from winter
break. The cost all depends on the options you choose (whether or not you rent equipment, lessons, etc.), but it is extremely
affordable compared to going six times on your own. There are usually around twenty students that join the club, ranging from
freshman all the way to seniors. We take a bus from the school all the
way to Wachusett Mtn. in Princeton, MA., which takes about forty five
minutes to an hour (don’t worry, the bus ride is usually fun).
Snowboarding club started, for me, my freshman year. I
wanted to join a club and try something new, so why not join the
snowboarding club, I thought. At the time, I had no experience or
equipment, but I had wanted to learn for a couple of years. I grabbed an
info packet in the main office, and made my parents
drive me to Nassiff’s For Sports (RIP, Nassiff’s: now
“I ended up
closed) in downtown Willimantic to buy a board. I
ended up with a pretty nice Ride Fleetwood board and
pressed up
Burton bindings. Anyways, I had everything I needed
against the huge
to prepare myself for the most painful first year of
window...facing
snowboarding.
My first time down the bunny hill was awful. the lift operator
I laugh at it now, but I remember when I could barely
who happened to
even stay off the ground. I’d come home with bruises and ice burn on my hands, but I knew I couldn’t stop. I grew
with the sport as I often wanted to give up, but I didn’t. I would catch an edge on my board and face plant in the
have resembled
snow all night but I didn’t care. Your face gets to know the surface of the mountain quickly your first year. I knew I
Jesus.”
had to start somewhere. Eventually, I gained balance and learned to carve my way down the summit, falling a few
times still, but progressing each and every Thursday night.
I’ve had my fair share of wipe outs, but they haven’t stopped me. Last year, I was just taking my time and relaxing as I went
down Conifer Connection, and suddenly decided to speed up. Towards the end of the
trail, I got a little air off a small jump and caught an edge on my board when I landed,
sending me face planting for a short distance. I looked up and saw a little blood in the
snow, it was then that I realized that my glasses lens had popped out of the frame and
cut my nose. That was a pretty cute sight. I also remember my sophomore year,
Meagan Marriott (graduated with the class of 2008) pushed me off the ski lift when we
where getting off, sending me in the direction of the ski lift operator booth. I ended up
pressed up against the huge window (slowly sliding down into the snow), facing the lift
operator who happened to have resembled Jesus. That was a good time.
There is this camaraderie among Snowboarding Club that makes it one of the
best clubs to join at PHS. I made friends through the club who graduated years ago, but
still stay connected through the good times we shared at Wachusett. I can gladly say
that throughout my four years involved in the Snowboarding Club, I have gained life
long friends, a better work ethic (trust me, you’ll want to give up, but the pain will
eventually go away), and the ability to fall down the mountain without a single bruise.
Hopefully I don’t end up in a cast this year!
It’s about 19° Fahrenheit and my face feels like it fell off about the third time up the
lift. My DC boa boots strapped into my beaten Burton Cartel bindings, I make my way
to the right of the Minuteman Express lift to a trail I’ve grown so familiar with, the
Hitchcock Trail. I pull my bandana up over my nose in hopes that it might not become
frostbitten and fall off, and shuffle down to the trail entrance. The strong aroma of
chocolate covered waffles causes me to enter euphoria as I carve down the trail. The
silent sound of snow being kicked up as I’m just killing it (or biting it, depends on the day) has a symphonic sound that rivals that of
Dolby or Bose. Nothing competes with the feeling as nightfall blankets Wachusett Mountain.
Sports
Page 19
Best Bang For the Buck Bindings!
Review by: Danny Tan-ner
One man’s quest to find light, responsive, best bang for the buck snowboard bindings...
I had just left the Wachusett swap meet with my new (slightly used 09’ model K2) board, and my mind was racing with the
multiple snowboard binding choices I could go with. For those who don’t know what bindings are, they are the device that keeps
your boots and you connected to your board. I wanted something a bit more responsive than my older Burton Cartels, which felt a bit
stiff, but I also wanted them to be much lighter as well. I searched through pages of
bindings on dogfunk.com and zumiez.com trying to find what I was looking for. I finally came across a binding that had gotten great reviews and had exactly what I was
looking for, the 2010 Ride EX model. I drove down to Zumiez that day and found that
they only had one my size left in stock. Boxed up and paid for, I headed home to throw
them on my board. A few key features on the EX model are:
NEW! Foundation Chassis System w/ Adjustable Heelcup
•
NEW! ComfortFlex Highback
•
NEW! Comfort Ankle Strap w/ Tool-Less Center Adjust
•
NEW! Convertible Grip™ Toe Strap
•
Quick-Draw Comfort Ratchets
•
NEW! Wedgie 1.5 Footbed
•
Forged Aluminum Response Disc
http://www.sierrasnowboard.com/
•
I was finally able to try them out on December 21st when I had some free time
away from Big Y. I was impressed with the responsiveness of these bindings. They
were much more adjustable than my Cartels, and the ComfortFlex Highback seemed
much more supportive as well. The straps tightened up snug with ease, and also released quickly. The straps felt much more durable
than my Cartels, but they were a bit stiff (probably because they were so new, they needed to be worn in). I was able to adjust each
strap just right and felt in control the entire time. They felt really lightweight and well balanced for all mountain use.
Through bumps and the most thrashed up trails, I enjoyed these bindings. With my old bindings, which felt a bit stiff and
dull, I would be all over the place on a choppy trail. But, the EX’s have more give and allowed me to glide down the mountain. Even
though they have more give and flex than my Cartels, they remained solid the entire night. They felt right on target when I was able
to carve up a freshly groomed trail as well. I was impressed with the responsiveness and the way I felt a bit more “connected” with
my board.
New for the 2010 model is the 1.5 wedgie footbed. I noticed the difference as compared to my Burtons. They seemed a bit
more supportive and comfortable. In a review done on sierrasnowboard.com, Ray Moyer goes on to say “The custom angle of the
Wedge 1.5 lets the rider gain more control over their board while
giving him the leverage he needs to press and pop his board with
minimal effort; all while keeping a more comfortable, natural
stance.” I can vouch for that statement, my feet were in no pain at
the end of the night.
Visit Ridesnowboards.com for more info!
All info taken from:
ridesnowboards.com/bindings/ex
sierrasnowboard.com/
http://www.snowrev.com/
Coming with a $160 price tag, I would say these are
great bindings. Plenty of flex for all mountain use make these an
all around balanced choice for the intermediate rider. On Ride’s
webpage, they describe the EX as having been “Designed around
the needs of the advancing intermediate Rider…” and that “the
EX features Ride’s the Foundation Chassis to provide allmountain midflex performance.” Solid construction, versatility,
and a lightweight design make these bindings worth your hard
earned cash!
Sports
Page 20
By Dan trombley
The final lap is near. Deagan falls back and Pastrana pulls ahead, he has first place and
does a backflip across the finish line. Oh my gosh, what a finish. Motocross is growing more and
more popular every year. Motocross originated in 1924, originally known as “Scrambles,” which
was held in Camberley Surry, which is in England. Scrambles had become the craziest sport
around.
After ten years, the bikes were changing, getting better for the terrain. By 1950, the
swing arm suspension was invented, which held the back rim and took a lot of shock out of the
landing. This was a huge invention that lead motocross to the way it is today. Jumping suddenly got a lot easier on your joints and motocross racing took off.
By 1970, Suzuki would claim the first world championship in the 250cc event. The world championships were predominately
held in Europe. They used a two stroke motor, which was equivalent in power to the 500 cc four stroke. Dirt bikes started getting a lot
lighter and easier to maneuver. In 1975, the 125cc two stroke world championship was now here. Motocross was growing at an alarming
rate. The United Stated didn’t win any championships until 1980. After that championship, we did progress our name in the motocross
history. In 1980, Japan invented the mono shock rear suspension device (a gas propelled device pumped with air and took more impact on
landings). Also, the engines were now being water cooled, which meant longer riding and less overheating.
In the last ten years, motocross has transformed into something colossal. Before freestyle motocross, motocross was just racing
around a track with a couple no footers over the winning lap. While the racing of dirt bikes is definitely still in place, freestyle motocross
is new to this millennium. Rather than the traditional style, now people are in fourth gear pinned around a corner and shift into fifth gear
and do back flips 50 feet in the air. The first back flip was landed by Carey Hart at the 2000 gravity games competition. Somebody always
has to one up somebody in this sport. Travis Pastrana (everybody knows Travis Pastrana) landed the first ever double back flip in the X–
Games XII on August 4, 2006. In the 2004 X-Games, Brian Deegan did the first ever 360. He named it the Mullisha twist because that is
his company. If you think this is all crazy and think there is no trick that could possibly even top these, well how about we combine the
two. The first ever 360 back flip was landed by Travis Pastrana at the X Games IX earlier last year. The first front flip attempt was really
recent. Jim DeChamp tried it at the X-Games and got so close but he just couldn’t pull the trick and had a terrible fall.
Motocross is certainly huge and it is one of the coolest things to watch. Who in his or her right mind actually wants to back flip a
100 foot double? Certainly not most of the world. But to see it on TV is pretty amazing. If you think you could really get into this, FUEL
TV shows it a good part of the day so tune on in. Freestyle motocross is the most epic sport in action sports.
http://hollywoodstuffs.com/
Motocross
Ballet... In Space?
Commentary by: Dean Roussel
When I’m in flight, sometimes the airlines are nice enough to play
music. This music belongs in an elevator. Well boring music has been taken
to brand new heights- literally, because it seems as if airline corporation
Virgin Galactic has signed 1980s sappy-love band Spandau Ballet to perform live in concert in the confines of a rocket ship. While in space, they
will have time to perform one—count it, one song. This song will be the hit
that would hoist them to fame forever— 1983s ”True” which you probably
hear at every wedding and anniversary in history. You know, that one song
that never leaves the sap zone and goes like huh-huh-huh-huh-huuuuh-huh.
Such a “love opera” is not fit to match the adrenaline of launching in space,
nor does the $200,000 price tag or the fact that you will be in space for a
total of five minutes.
http://www.hilavitkutin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/
Surely no one would want to take this fateful ride and whoever
virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-feather-1.jpg
does needs their head examined worse than a rocket launch can rattle. Sir
Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Galactic, pays money out the wazoo to some 80s band so one lucky fan per ride can experience being in space. Yup– you heard it right, sorry to all girlfriends, fiancées and wives out there– due to the small space in SpaceShipTwo, the only people who can fit in the aircraft are two pilots, the five members of Spandau Ballet, and passenger number eight,
also known as the fool who became $200,000 lighter in the money department. Then, there’s the fact that there’s so many more people who can fit the outer space theme better than Spandau Ballet. David Bowie, anyone? Until Virgin Galactic sends Rick Astley up
in the air with “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and I’ll even be willing to compromise with the Trashmen in a spaceship singing
“Surfin’ Bird” (though that will cause more heart attacks than anything), I’m all set on spending hundreds of thousand grand on a
floating oldies artist. And I know this much is true.
http://www.luxurylaunches.com/entry_images/0108/24/
Virgin_Galactic_Spaceship_1-thumb-450x317.jpg
Music News
Page 21
Entertainment
Gaga For Gaga
Article by: K-Pop
mier of her first album The Fame in August 2008. This album pulled out quite a few chart toppers including: “Just Dance”, “Poker face”, “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi.” She landed herself six
Grammy nominations with her first album. By the end of 2009, Gaga came out with her second
album The Fame Monster. This is just a run off of the first album, with some added new songs
including: “Bad Romance.” Lady Gaga is not only a singer/ song writer; she is also a fashion
designer, pianist and performance artist. But how did Gaga get so famous so fast?
Lady Gaga, otherwise known by her real name, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta,
was born New York City, New York. She had been playing piano since the age of four. Gaga,
was supposed to go to Julliard School in Manhattan, but ended up attending Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Roman Catholic
school. In 2005, Gaga signed with Def Jam records, but after three
months she was dropped. No recordings came out of the agreement.
Soon after she began taking drugs and performing at burlesque shows.
stanford.wellsphere.com
Music producer Rob Fusari helped her write some of her earlier
songs, He nicknamed her Gaga, after the Queen Song "Radio Ga Ga.”
She began to use it as her stage name and was known thereafter as
Lady Gaga.
In 2007, she teamed up with performer Lady Starlight, who
helped her create on stage fashions. Gaga started writing songs for
other artists such as, Britney Spears, and Pussycat Dolls. “I did this
the way you are supposed to. I played every club in New York City
and I bombed in every club and then killed it in every club and I
Lady Ga Ga—before and after her fame...
found myself as an artist. I learned how to survive as an artist, get
real, and how to fail and then figure out who I was as singer and per-
former. And, I worked hard,” stated by Gaga herself. While singing a song for a reference vocal, she was over heard by artist Akon.
He then signed her to his label Kon Live Distribution. From there she was released in 2008 with her first album, and she blew up.
http://static.gigwise.com/gallery/4148702_LadyGaga--1.jpg
Gaga now has sky rocketed having recreation Barbie dolls that look like her. “… It’s not just about the music. It’s about the performance, the attitude, the look; it’s everything. And, that is
where I live as an artist and that is what I want to accomplish,” states Gaga. Now, with her new album out, and her
new single “Bad Romance” everyone is excited to see what
she is going to come out with next. “And, now, I’m just
trying to change the world one sequin at a time,” Gaga declares.
Lady Ga Ga’s January 18th show at the Mohegan
Sun was postponed due to illness and is going to
be rescheduled. Tickets for the January 18th show
will be honored on the new date.
Information taken: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga
thejosevilson.com
How do you wake up Lady Gaga? Poke her face! You know that you have become
pretty famous when people are coming up with corny jokes to match the names of your Billboard
top 100 hit songs. Lady Gaga has become a household name in less than two years with the pre-
Entertainment
A Falling Star In Hollywood
Article by: Beth Carlton
Clueless and 8 Mile was thirty-two years old. She collapsed in the bathroom of her Beverly Hills home
where she went into full cardiac arrest. She was then
taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
but could not be revived by paramedics. She was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
The cause of death is said to “appear natural” stated
by the spokesman for the L.A. County Coroner’s Office, but could be
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/12/20/2009-12
Famous starlet Brittany Murphy died on the
night of Sunday, December 20, 2009. The star of
linked to an eating
www.buzznet.com/.../?id=68144211
disorder and/or drug
use. Experts say that
it’s unlikely that
there was anything
“natural” about her
death though nothing is certain. On Monday, December 28, Murphy’s Death Certificate was
released with the cause of her death as “deferred.” An autopsy was done her body on December 21, and it may take six to eight weeks for toxicology, histological and neurological test
results to become available. Reports also say that it is possible that she was a diabetic and that
she had heart problems since she was a child. It
is also possible that with the mixture of her condition along with the medications she was taking
including forms of Vicodin and OxyContin
have caused her to go into cardiac arrest. It is
also reported that she was sick with “flu like symptoms” days before her death. A
friend of Murphy stated "Brittany has been living life on the edge. She definitely
had a drug problem and we have all begged her to seek help. Sadly our words fell
on deaf ears."
Murphy’s death isn’t the only one that’s been turning people’s heads toward Hollywood lately. Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, the drummer and backup
singer for heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, was found unresponsive in his
California home in Huntington Beach. He was found on December 28; his cause
of death also being inconclusive. The “best friend and brother” of the band and
songwriter of A Little Piece of Heaven was twenty-eight years old. Johnson &
Johnson heiress Casey Johnson was found dead in her California home, just days
after Sullivan, on January 4, with the cause of death, once again, inconclusive. She
was also at a young age of thirty. All of these tragic deaths are still under police investigation, and all the bodies have been
though toxicology tests with results still pending. Many other deaths have occurred in this area in just a short period of time, and
almost all of them are related to some sort of prescription medication problem that went wrong. Lets hope that investigators see
a connection in these sad deaths and try to do something about this issue before more tragic events occur. As we wait for results,
may all of these shining stars rest in piece.
http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/casey-johnson
which were found in her home, together could
Entertainment
Word Search of Wonder
Do you think it’s hard to find teachers’ classrooms? Well now you can find their last names in this complex word search...
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Music News
Page 23
Articles By : Nick D’Amico
Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Ears Are About to Bleed
Around the world, so many girls are in love with young and talented pop singer, Miley
Cyrus. Her songs are spectacular like “The Climb”, and “Party in the U.S.A.” She is one of the
youngest, most talented stars in the history of man. Now all of a sudden, her career is going to go
down the drain. 1980s hair band, Poison, is teaming up with Miley to do a cover song of “Every
Rose Has It’s Thorn.” In my opinion, it sounds like 2012 is going to come a little early. As if the
world doesn’t suck enough, they’re going to do this. Should we listen to this song when it goes on
the radio? I warn you now people, this will make your ears bleed.
I went online to see if I could get some other opinions on this disaster. Yahoo! Buzz has
some awesome people talking about it. User, mixster102, says “ Miley Cyrus covering Poison
has dire consequences. It could open a giant black hole of suck that will draw acts such as the
Jonas Brothers, Britney Spears, and every American Idol contestant into a swirling vortex of aqua
net, spandex, lip syncing, and shameless marketing.” Sir, I totally agree with you. Even fans of Miley are going to fall away
from her, their faces melting, cars crashing with drivers hearing the atrocious song. Buildings will crumble. Obama will have
to have to address a state of emergency for the whole country. It will bring…oh... sorry. I think I might have taken this a little
too far. I mean, there were other artists who did do good cover songs. There was the “Land of Confusion” cover by Disturbed, “Crank That” screamo cover by I Set My Friends On Fire, “Holy Diver” by Killswitch Engage, “In The Air Tonight”
by Nonpoint, the list keeps going on. Miley can feel accomplished by adding herself to this list of cover songs, but it won’t
make it into the ones that bring the house down.
Radiohead is Back!
www.jeffgothelf.com
Animated Leppard
Old hair band Def Leppard might get their own cartoon series. The
British ‘80s band has a deal with music publishing company, Primary Wave, to
make a cartoon series featuring the band as superheroes fighting crime using the
power of hair-raising metal. The cartoon will feature songs like “Rocket,”
“Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” Primary wave is
also developing a videogame, somehow, and cell phone apps. Since the band is
free agent, they can do whatever they want since their contract with Universal
Music was done with. Their last album with Universal, Songs From the Sparkle
Lounge, was a huge hit on the Billboard 200 taking No. 5 in the standings in
May 2008. The debut date for the cartoon though, is still unknown.
www.onlineticketsusa.com
Immense alternative rock band Radiohead is back in the studio. After two years of
disappearance, since their album in 2007, In Rainbows, the band is starting to make
new material. Guitarist Ed O’Brien wrote on radiohead.com, saying that “The vibe in
the camp is fantastic as present. I am also genuinely excited on what we’re doing, but
for obvious reasons, I cant divulge anything more.” This is an amazing sign that these
boys are back. Over the course of those silent two years, frontman Thom Yorke played
some solo shows with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and drummer Joey Waronker.
Now that he’s done with that, he can focus on the real thing. The album is said
to be released by early 2010 with a tour
as well. No information has been given
for that tour yet.
Music News
Page 25
By: Tan Jovi
Steven Tyler in Rehab…Shocker!
www.exposay.com
Well boys and girls, it looks like lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler is in rehab…
again. The chick look-alike was clean for years until the band worked on their new album. He
must had have said to himself, “Gee, now that back together, I can get back with my long-time
girlfriend, Pam Painkiller.” Yes people, Tyler is back in to deal with his addiction to painkillers.
At least he didn’t get back with the other girl, Hillary Heroin. Tyler told 10th Street Entertainment that he would go into rehab for the safety of himself the loved one around him, including
his fans. Tyler said “With the help of my family and team of medical professionals, I am taking
responsibility for the management of my pain and am eager to be back on the stage and in the
recording studio with my band mates Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford.
I
love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the
support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of.” The symptoms of this rupture started at a concert in Sturgis, South Dakota back in August 2009 when
Steve fell off stage which brought an untimely end to the tour with ZZ Top. Hopefully, we can all hope Tyler can overcome his addictions and try to clean for the rest of his life.
The Return of a Musical Garden
www.100xr.com
Amazing alternative rock band, Soundgarden, will return in 2010 for a
reunion tour. Frontman Chris Cornell posted on Twitter a website for fans,
Soundgardenworld.com, to show them that they are back in business. The Seattle
group has not played since their break-up in the spring of 1997! The band has
not released any information on tour dates; Billboard sources say that they might
be developing U.S dates and international festivals. Matt Cameron, drummer for
Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, has announced their first North American Tour 2010
dates though. It will run from April 29 to May 2. The band is also playing tug-owar with releasing a box set of their best songs of the decade such as
“Spoonman”, “Black Hole Sun” and “Jesus Christ Pose.” It will also include rare
studio material. News of a new album are still hanging.
He’s Back!
Finnish hard rock band, HIM, has announced they are coming out with there seventh studio album, Screamworks: Love in
Theory and Practice. Frontman, Ville Valo, said to Billboard he might not raise his glass to the celebration. Valo has been known
to be an alcoholic. He says, “I quit drinking— not for good but for awhile—about two and half years ago. This is the first album I
wrote fully sober, and I wanted to put all the energy I put into hanging out in pubs into working on the music. So it was pretty insane, working eighteen hour days for the past year, year and a half. We really went for all those details and didn't leave any stone
unturned. Hopefully it shows.” Screamworks will be out on Feb. 9 this year. Tour dates are a work in progress. HIM will start
touring in the middle of February with dates starting in Europe then the Soundwave Tour in Australia with Jane’s Addiction and
Faith No More. Then it’s on to the U.K. and finally North America in late March.
Entertainment
Page 26
Eye Opening!
Photo courtesy of fandango.com
Review by: Ron Benoit
Main Cast:
Quinton Aaron
Sandra Bullock
Tim McGraw
Kathy Bates
Director:
John Lee Hancock
Producers:
Broderick Johnson
Andrew Kosove
Gil Netter
Writers:
John Lee Hancock
Michael Lewis (book)
MPAA:
PG-13
-Brief Violence
-Drug References
Runtime:
128 minutes
Budget:
$29 million
Gross Revenue: $210 million
Information taken from wikipedia.org
The Blind Side brings us on the emotional journey of Michael Oher,
a homeless youngster from a broken home, who is taken in by the affluent
Touhy family, hoping to help him fulfill his potential. Living in this very different atmosphere, Oher faces challenges he needs to overcome. As a football
player and student, Oher works hard and with the help of his new family, becomes an American offensive left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Blind Side is that emotional story that looks too good to be true,
but in this film, it’s a phenomenal film that just so happens to be based on a
true story. Many people going to this film, including myself, were unaware it
was based on a true story; the trailer did all the work at pulling me in and
from the looks of it, many others as well. After seeing this film, its best notated that this is the performance Sandra Bullock’s career. What Bullock
brought to The Blind Side is similar to Julia Roberts offered to Erin Brockovich. Yes, the performance was that awesome.
Michael Oher is an over-sized, high school kid from Memphis with
no academics and a crack addict for a mother. When a football coach recognizes his potential, he is accepted into a local Christian school. When he first
started at Wingate Christian High School, Oher is depicted as intimidating,
mainly due to the white community. After their youngest son—of Leigh Anne
and Sean Tuohy—befriends Oher, they stumble on Oher roaming the streets
avoiding the crime-ridden projects. They welcome him into their home to
sleep on their sofa for a night, a week, then ultimately becomes a legal adoption. Scene by scene, the audience is taken through the journey of Oher’s upbringing, which is not pretty, but very eye-opening. The film’s several touching moments such as when the Tuohy's drop Oher off at college or when the
real mother is confronted makes the movie astounding.
And to be quite honest, Sandra Bullock was only one part of a phenomenal cast. The entire cast put a very believable effort into the film, which
is rarely ever seen. Even some of the best movies, like The Dark Knight, had
its cast flaws. Bullock embodied her role completely and doesn’t take the
thunder from the other cast members. That's why it’s good movie; the portrayed characters are so realistic, you don’t even really notice that they’re
actors.
But with all films, flaws occur. You can tell when something bad is
going to happen in the movie. That’s the only thing I was hoping the director
could have made it less obvious to predict what was going to happen. On top
of that, there were a few slow moments in the film that could have easily been
edited around to shorten the film. At two hours long, it is a pretty long film.
Overall, these minor issues didn't keep this from being an enjoyable movie,
but did help keep it from getting 5 stars.
Now, you’re probably wondering why you should go and see this
movie, aren’t you? The moving story, strong cast, and realistic portrayal of
that story are just a few. What else could you ask for? This movie is not limited to anyone, its directed to all audiences. It’s just one of those films that
warms your heart to see such a close-knit family bring one more addition to
their home.
You may think you have seen the typical football formula in a film
again, but you’re wrong. Movies like this haven’t been made in a long time;
it’s an uplifting, tearjerker that will score a winning touchdown in your heart.
Entertainment
Page 27
Pocahontas Revisited in a New Dimension
Review by: Ron Benoit
Main Cast:
Sam Worthington
Zoe Saldana
Sigourney Weaver
Director:
James Cameron
Writer:
James Cameron
MPAA:
PG-13
-Intense epic battle sequences
-Sensuality
-Language
Runtime:
162 minutes
Budget:
$280 million (Production)
$200 million (Marketing)
Gross Revenue: $375 million (Domestic)
$750 million (Foreign)
When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic marine, Jake Sully takes
his place in a mission on the world of Pandora. While inhabiting the world of Pandora, he learns about the real intentions of corporate bigwig, Parker Selfridge. He
is trying to drive the native Na’vi away from their “Home Tree” to mine for precious materials scattered throughout their vast landscape. In exchange for the surgery that will fix his legs, Jake’s job is to gather information for the military unit
while attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity.
But, when Jake starts to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with
the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless
extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand and fight back in an epic
battle for the fate of Pandora.
James Cameron didn’t fail to deliver with Titanic and the same can be
said about Avatar. Thankfully, he dives into the latter with a lust for cinematic
glory and with so much money in his budget that he can end world hunger. He
took his vision of a planet called Pandora in the year 2154 as something of a real
wonder. If only his big ideas weren't, for the most part, cribbed from other movies
and story archetypes. I would be reminded of Joseph Campbell's myth-buster formula that so many have taken to heart in adventure movies, but Cameron's formula would appear to come second to his attention to visual detail. This has its
pros and cons, some more or some less depending on what viewer sees/hears in it
all.
The movie is quite expensive and it all shows up on the big screen. Avatar’s special effects absorb your attention. The three dimensional experience
brings movie effects to a new level. All the time and money spent into the alien
species, the Na'vi, pays off in the respect that the visual effects team worked
their butts off to make it appear surreal. While watching the film, the green
surroundings and environment are so vivid. And when you see the Na'Vi in
close-ups, the detail in their faces is phenomenal. I forgot, if only for a few
moments at a time, that they were animated and done in motion-capture. If part
of a filmmaker's job, in a situation like a super-mega-sci-fi epic is to make us
believe in another world and place (even if it's familiar), then Cameron has
done his job very admirably.
Unfortunately, the story is extremely lacking. If you refer back to Pocahontas, you’ll notice the same predictable, story here. The Na’vi on planet
Pandora are furious with the humans. Why? Because we want to destroy the
planet of Pandora, their home, for a mineral. The humans are trying to move
them out and take them elsewhere, which is why Jake Sully is sent on the project. The Na’vi tune in with nature, so when daughter of the chief, Neytiri —its
easier to call her Pocahontas—gets the job of teaching Jake the way of the
Na’vi, while Jake gets on the good side of the Na’vi.
Its tough to say whether or not I want more films to be based on Avatar. CGI-driven movies could progress thanks to the prowess displayed here,
but it does need to be done with the right frame of attitude towards the story.
Even if such story is formulaic as this one, a filmmaker does need to try and
push the technology a little further while also not forgetting about the human
element. Cameron comes close and goes over the cliff of doing style over substance, but for this case, and just this one case from an otherwise masterful blockbuster director, it's satisfying.
Over Tanned Tantrums
Article by: Zak “The Juice Box” Nadeau
Snooki after the punch; everyone trying to help.
MTV has recently released its new version of mental toxin
popularly known by its street name “Jersey Shore.” The show premiered on December 3, 2009, and has become very popular with
the teen society. The show tells the story of seven young Italians
(DJ Pauly D, Vinny, Mike, Ronnie, JWoww, Snooki, and Sammi)
looking for a good time in New Jersey. The subject of the show is
to follow the young Italians through their life in New Jersey as they
work at a T-Shirt store to keep their house in Seaside Heights.
Since the show has started, there have been three fights.
The first fight was a shock to everyone watching. While out partying at the bar, Mike bought shots for everyone. Dan Ferro, a
drunken Queens High school gym teacher, decided the shots are for him and took one. Snooki tried to stop Ferro and got him angry,
causing him to punch her right in the face. Ferro was soon arrested, and paramedics arrived to help Snooki, who had a busted lip and
was bleeding from the mouth. The gang gathered around Snooki letting her know that they all cared. The guys were “heated” and
wanted to beat the man up, but the cops held them back. The next day the man was released on bail leaving a damaged Snooki fearing her safety. The video of the punch soon became a viral across the internet leading to Ferro’s leave form teaching. He has been
moved out of class and into the Teacher Reassignment program. Many news websites report that he has even last his job.
http://www.mtv.com/onair/jersey_shore/images/episodes/104/flipbook/10.jpg
Page 28
Television
During episode six, Mike and Pauly D called up some girls to try and hook up. When Mike’s girl came to the house, she
brought a posse. Mike asked Snooki to tell the posse to leave so Mike can have his date to himself. The girls were offended and
started arguing with Snooki. Soon, a fight brakes out and Snooki is punched in the face yet again. Only a few minutes after the fight
started, police arrived. The girls were pulled off one another and the posse is sent home. Snooki recalled the moment one of the girls
charged her and said, “The hippo came at me.” Hopefully the girls
don’t watch the show.
The same night as Snooki’s fight on the sixth episode. It was
Ronnie’s turn to get in on the action. On January 4th,Ronnie was arguing with a man who had followed him from the bar. He had been
trying to keep his temper under control, but Sammi antagonizing the
man did not help. Ronnie tried to get Sammi to stop talking and
pushed her, which later led to and argument between the two. Soon
after Sammi walked away, the man attempted to swing at Ronnie and
a fight broke out. Ronnie knocked the man down and punched him
several times in the head. The cops came and broke the fight up, later
arresting Ronnie. Ronnie was released on a $600 bail. After his release he stated “I definitely felt out of place, it’s definitely a place I
never want to go back to again.” He went on to say, “I regret getting
arrested, but I don’t regret having the fight.” The fight was aired on
the episode unlike the situation that happened with Snooki.
It is beginning to seem that fighting will be a common event
during episodes of Jersey Shore. When the show first aired it appeared
Dan Ferro, after being arrested.
to be just another normal reality show, but as the characters started
showing their true colors it was plain to see, fighting was in their
blood. Some say the fighting is a turn off and may decrease the
amount of viewers, although more and more people have been tuning into to see the feisty Italians duke it out. Who knows when the
next fight will come, or who will be in it. Judging by the history it is safe to say, there will be more to come.
http://imagecache03.pixsy.com/12-10-2009/76/76092338-3206-4e68-a715-edbc92ed0713.jpg
Only a few days after the Snooki incident, the roommates went out for a night at the club. JWoww heard someone calling
her and Snooki fat. It was the last straw. JWoww punch the girl right in the head then started pulling her hair. The girl was screaming
and soon there was a crowd, which was quickly broken up by the bouncers. No one was arrested however it was the second confrontation of the show since it aired only four days earlier.
Television
Page 29
Nostalgia FTW
How much do you remember of your childhood? Do you remember
what you got for Christmas, or what your parents dressed you as on Halloween?
Probably not, but do you remember your favorite cartoons? When you turn on the
television what do you see little Spanish girls who shouldn’t be leaving their
houses alone; got some parental supervision in that backpack Dora? Didn’t think
so. Here’s where the nostalgia sets in.
Do you remember waking up in the early hours just to watch your favorite cartoons, or maybe even sneakily staying up a little past bedtime? The 90s
definitely started a carton revolution. If I asked, how many of you could name me
all of the babies from The Rugrats? I bet more than three fourths of this student
body could. How many of you remember Henry and June? Just to refresh in case
you forgot, KaBLaM! How could you forget the line-up of Sniz & Fondue, Action League Now!, Prometheus and Bob, and Life with Loopy, and The Off-Beats
which occasionally filled in for Life with Loopy. These original cartoons were
replaced over the seasons with Jetcat, Race Rabbit, The Adventures of Patchhead.
Could you believe that the Rugrats is the longest running show on Nickelodeon? It made its debut in 1991 and had its final
show aired on June 8, 2004. Who could forget the babies? You had Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, and the twins, Phil and Lillian
“Lil” Deville. But that wasn’t the whole clan. You had Tommy’s three-year old cousin Angelica Pickles, and the neighbor Suzie
Carmichael. The two toddlers not only could communicate with the babies but with the adults as well. In the movie, The Rugrats
Movie, which made its premier in 1998, welcomed the introduction of a new character, baby Dil Pickles. Get it? DILL PICKLES?
Then in 2000, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, yet again we obtain a new character, Kimi Finster. She’s Chuckie Finster’s new stepsister. Not only is Chuckie given a step-sister, but a new mommy named Kira who marries his father, Chas Finster.
How about Doug Funnie? Who moved into his new town Bluffington from Bloastburg. Doug and his dog porkchop, his
bestfriend, Skeeter Valentine, and the girl he is ever-so lusting after, Patti Mayonnaise. Did I say lusting after? I mean “in love” with.
Because twelve year olds don’t think about that kind of thing until they hit
puberty. And could we forget Doug’s favorite band The Beets? With their
mimicking sound of bands as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, The
Beets had a number of hit which you might remember. Let it beet, Killer
Tofu, I Need Mo’Allowance, Where’s My Sock, and You Gotta Shout Your
Lungs Out. In Later 1996, Disney took over the rights to Doug and separated The Beets, having them split their separate ways,. The most notable
thing I think we can all agree on about Doug was everyone’s skin color.
Doug was white, Skeeter was blue, Patti was orange, Beebe is purple and
Roger Klutz was green. Haven’t you always wondered why? Creator Jim
Jenkins stated in an interview that “skin tone shouldn't make a difference.”
Are you reminiscing? The years have gone by, but those weren’t
the only cartoons. Do you remember Rocko’s Modern Life? Spunkie and
Philbert the turtle. And my personal favorite Heffer the cow. Who was
raised by wolves. Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Hey Arnold! Our favorite football head. The Angry Beavers, Daggit and Norbert. Oh Yeah! Cartoons.
The Wild Thornberry’s. Eliza Thornberry, the girl who could talk to animals. CatDog, Rocket Power, and SpongeBob Squarepants. These are all
shows that aired on Nickelodeon from 1991-1999.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB
SQUAREPANTS. The only cartoon still running on Nickelodeon that was
aired during the 90s. Sure, the late 90s but it’s been on for almost eleven
years. We all know SpongeBob and his pet snail, Gary. I don’t know about
you, but I still watch SpongeBob. Creator Stephen Hillenburg construed the idea for SpongeBob while studying marine biology. All
that time wasted doodling cartoons finally paid off.
http://kara.allthingsd.com/files/2007/10/300px-rugrats.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nGDD3NlbcD4/SswM3JpV18I/AAAAAAAACA8/RlM8Qc7GzjA/s400/537E0A_2.jpg
Article by: Ashleigh Daigle
Video Game News
Page 30
Gamer of The Year—Man Marries “Love Plus” Character
Article by: The Dark Adonis
The ceremony was complete with a DJ, MC, and even a religious priest. There were over
3,000 connections and 7,000 comments made online, and the people who showed up in person at the ceremony also offered their congratulations. The celebration kicked off with a
slide show documenting how the two met and highlighting some of the special moments the
two shared together. The groom’s best friend gave a speech and then the bride’s friend
Rinko, who is also a character in the game, said a few words as well. The marriage, however, is not a legal union.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/
Horizons/2009/1202/man-marries-video-game-
She is the perfect woman: luscious, lovely, devoted and entirely portable. These reasons
are why SAL says he loves Nene Anegasaki, a character in the game “Love Plus” for the
Nintendo DS. SAL, who goes by his virtual name SAL9000, started playing “Love Plus”
since its release in September. The more you play, the more the characters demand your
attention. SAL nurtured his relationship and took her literally everywhere; from nights out
on the town and even a vacation to a beach in Guam. In November, he decided to marry her
on a live webcast to thousands of attendees both virtual and real via Japanese video sharing
site NicoNico Douga.
When asked if SAL could love a machine, he said that he “loves this character, not a machine.” SAL says he does not want a real
girlfriend. “I only want Nene right now, she’s better than a human girl.” When asked if Nene is his dream woman, Sal replied, "Yes,
she is. Her character changes to my liking as we talk and travel to different places." During an interview with CNN, SAL9000 was
asked if he’s addicted to the game. He said, "If addiction is playing this every single day, then you might call me addicted."
This may sound like something out of the blue for many of you, but apparently there is a petition circling the internet seeking the
right to marry 2D girls. There are currently just over 3,500 signatures. To see it for yourself, check out this link: <http://
Article by: Garrus Vakarian
With golden disc finished and on the mass production line, the “dark second chapter” of Bioware’s smash hit Mass Effect Trilogy is only weeks away from shipping. Mass Effect 2 begins in
2183, not long after the events of Mass Effect. While on patrol for Geth, Commander Shepard’s
ship, the Normandy, comes under attack by an unknown assailant. The ship suffers extensive damage, forcing the crew to evacuate in escape pods. Shepard is the last to escape the ship before it is
destroyed completely, but eventually asphyxiates and dies while drifting through space. Cerberus, a
pro-human paramilitary organization, retrieves Shepard's corpse and works to revive the Commander through the Lazarus Project. Two years later, in 2185, Shepard is awakened aboard a Cerberus space station that is under attack. He aids Cerberus agents Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor
in escaping. Shepard is taken to Cerberus' headquarters and granted an audience with the Illusive
Man, who explains that Shepard was "upgraded" and asks for the Commander's help in combating a
new threat which has been abducting entire human colonies. Shepard and his team are dispatched to the recently attacked colony of
Freedom's Progress in the Terminus Systems to investigate. There, the group encounters Tali’Zorah nar Rayya, one of Shepard's
former squad members in the first game, and discovers that the mysterious insect-like “Collectors” were behind the attack. Shepard
reports this to the Illusive Man, who then reveals what Shepard's previous squad members are up to. After receiving command of
the Normandy SR-2, Shepard decides to begin recruiting a new team to discover the Collectors' plan.
Unlike Mass Effect, in which there were four weapon types, there are now nineteen different weapons and the pistol has been broken up into the heavy pistol and the machine pistol. The grenades from the first game do not make a reappearance, but have been
replaced by the new heavy weapons. SMGs are shown to be another new weapon class added to the game. Characters are now able
to use any weapon their class is trained for at full effect, meaning the player is no longer required to or able to invest in weapon
skills. Armor skills have also been removed, and there are no longer class restrictions on armor.
Mass Effect 2 also features regenerating health as its primary health mechanic instead of being able to heal with "medi-gel" as in
the first game. In addition, the overheat system for weapons has been replaced with collectible heat sinks. It has recently been announced that rather than the old overheating system of Mass Effect there will instead be heat sinks that must be ejected and replaced
in order to cool down your weapon. This system is functionally identical to the ammunition systems in other third-person shooters,
but instead of having different ammunition types for different weapons, the heat sinks are universal across all standard weapons.
Bioware is keeping in the dark how previous saved games can be imported to Mass Effect 2. The only thing confirmed has been
the decisions the character’s Shepard has made, from the deaths of Kaidan or Ashley to the adoring fan in the Citadel. Whether or
not weapons, credits, armor, or stats will also be transferred has yet to be seen. gamers can expect Mass Effect 2 to be hitting retail
shelves on Tuesday, January 26, 2010.
http://www.xboxinsider.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Mass-Effect-2-
Mass Effect 2:The Foil of Faux News
Page 31
Becky’s World
Watch Out I’m Backing Up!
http://www.nataliedee.com/040908/chicken-dinner.jpg
Article by: The Opportunity
I failed my first driving test. I procrastinated for so long until I actually
got my permit in July. My birthday is in February, but whatever, I'm in no rush. I
waited to sign up for driving classes with my friend Robin, and I'm glad I did because the classes were really fun. Every Monday and Wednesday night from six
o'clock to eight fifteen we sat in class with a bunch of cool kids cracking jokes
and learning; it wasn't boring at all. The table I sat at included Robin, Tyler, and
Will; we were always the best team when it came to games and work. (Winners
every time!) During our fifteen minute break every class, we would buy food and
drinks, and stand outside and just talk and fool around. The day of our last class
was awesome because the teacher bought a million pizzas. Actually that wasn't
my last class, I had to make one up from when I had my "Appendo" removed.
Anyway...all of that is beside the point. In the days leading up to my
driving test, I practiced a lot with my dad. About two hours a night, driving and
parking. I swear I had everything down solid: it was gold baby.
The final day prior to my test was spent on the road, a three hour drive to the small and artistic sea-side city of Portland,
Maine, where we would return my sister Lindsey back to college. On the way we stopped and shopped where I got a rain jacket and
some new shirts. It was a random stop though. We drove around for a while, and I'm not sure of the name but one town had a church
about every half mile. Of course I just over-exaggerated, but there were definitely a ton of churches. Then we stopped to eat at Famous Davis BBQ. I love that place, it is decorated so unique, and it was clean. I ordered BBQ chicken dinner, and they give me so
much food; it's hard to handle. Most of their foods also had a jalapeno kick added to spice them up. Let me tell you, I was full for the
longest time. We arrived in Portland about fifteen minutes after eating; unloaded Lindsey's belonging's into her dorm, said our goodbyes and left for home. We were driving along yet again, as I was studying the roads while I thought about my driving test that
would take place in less than twenty-five hours. As soon as
I was sleeping well, not worried at all, until about
three o'clock in the morning when my cat woke me up. She
kept me up for practically the rest of the morning trying to
sleep on me, and petting my face and whatnot. Then I finally
got up for good at 6:30 and got ready to take my test for eight.
I ate a bowl of peaches and cream oatmeal and waited for my
brother, who eventually came and took me to my test.
http://www.driversedguru.com/wpcontent/gallery/jamie-gallery/parallelparking-residential-street.jpg
we got back to Connecticut, I drove home, and once I got
home I went to sleep.
I was the third person in line to drive. I wasn't nervous still; I sat in the waiting room and chatted with some people. The two
people before me came back with positive reactions because they had passed their tests. Then I went out to take mine. The inspector
had white hair consuming his face with dark sunglasses. He also wore his big DMV jacket, he thought he was so tough. I feel like he
wasn’t even paying any attention to me. He had his seat bushed back, and he was kind of just chilling there. Then we had a conversation about cell phones, and how I hate all phones. It was really awkward. I was driving along doing fine (at least I thought so) when
the inspector told me to turn. I almost missed the road, to be honest the turn was a little sharp, but it was fine. Down the road I did a
glorious three-point turn, and kept driving along. Then we did the backing test, I backed in correctly and straight; I was just on the
line. When we got back to the beginning of the test route and parked, he just started writing on his little notepad. He moved his pen
towards the “pass” box and paused, then slowly moved it toward the “fail” box and checked it. Then he tried to make a joke about
how I failed, and I didn’t understand him and left the car. Anyways, that's all there is to know, you don't need many details. Just
know that I failed, and it's ok to fail. I wasn't upset; after all I did get to miss school that day. I just wonder if I’m the only person to
fail the test that day. So I will most likely be getting my license in the beginning of February now, which is no big deal. I'll still be
getting my license sooner than a lot of people who are taking their tests through another driver's education program, so that's a win!
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http://photogallery.filmofilia.com/data/media/11/
http://www.topnews.in/
This has
been
Eneriko
and
that’s
about it.
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Who is Zoe Saldana? Well for starters she was born
in New Jersey, she is 31, she’s Dominican and
Puerto Rican, she was involved in many hit movies
such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek, and
everyone's favorite, Avatar, as Neytiri! The 5 foot 7
inch actress started her career in the flick Center
Stage, But before perusing an acting career, she was
into ballet. Her first on screen appearance was for
an episode of Law & Order which aired in 1999.
She did a couple of films from then until 2003 when
she appeared in her first major film, Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl and later
on in 2009 she was in the box office hit, Avatar.
Other than her acting career, she owns her own
fashion line and most of her work is influenced by
her heritage. She is definitely a rising star and you
should expect to see more of her in future films.