Monthly Archives: March 2012

“Glee”: Guest Star Disaster

“Glee”, a popular show on Fox is currently on its mid-season break but they have already stirred up a buzz about who will be a guest star on upcoming episodes. At the end of the season they are thinking of bringing Lindsay Lohan on the show as a judge at Nationals. But the question that is traveling around fast is whether or not Lohan is setting a good example for anyone who watches the show. Her reputation has plummeted and will forever be in her shadow. Even though she claims to be on the right track again there is still the fact that she has been in rehab so many times.

By having Lohan be a celebrity guest I don’t think it is setting a very good image for “Glee” to have her on the show. According to CNN Holly Holiday who is played by Gwyneth Paltrow already bashed Lindsay by saying, “How many times has Lindsay been in rehab?”. Young viewers may also start to think that if a well known icon (such as Lohan) has the ability to star on a hit show like “Glee” even though she has made terrible choices in her life then they as well can make those choices and still be successful. This sends a bad message to viewers and therefore I think Lindsay Lohan should not be a guest on any upcoming episodes.

~Hannah Hackett

Then There were Four

The Final Fight, for glory, for the ring, for the crown, for the trophy… for the NCAA Basketball National Championship. Today is March 28th, 2012 and in three days crowds will be jumping, colleges will be cheering, and blood sweat and tears will be spilled on the court, because on March 31st, 2012 the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four will tip off in New Orleans with Kentucky playing Louisville for the first spot in the National Championship game. Quickly after that game, Ohio State will attempt to upset Kansas for the final spot in the National Championship game. Winner of those two games will play each other in the NCAA Division I National Championship game on April 2nd. After the Men’s Championship Game, the Women’s  Final Four will begin. First strong hearted Baylor will attempt to knockout Stanford and get their chance at the title. Then Uconn Huskies are taking on the Fighting Irish in what is predicted to be a fight to the finish.

The University of California has the most NCAA Basketball Division I Men’s championship trophies, even though they haven’t made the tournament in the last 3 years. Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee has the most wins in a regular season as a coach, and the most National Championship wins for the NCAA Division I women’s basketball. Local favorite Uconn, has won 8 total National championships, the women winning  6, and the men winning 2. Lets hope that the women win it all again this year! Have a nice day! And be sure to watch the rest of the Final four!

~Alec Fowler

Trayvon Martin- Killed Without Reason

On February 26th, everyone in the state of Florida was doing everything that they normally did. This also goes for Trayvon Martin, a young 17-year old boy. Trayvon was into sports. His favorites were basketball and football. But that day, Martin would be forever blockaded from playing sports again. Who was the one who stopped this boy’s life, you ask? George Zimmerman. This is how the event played out. Trayvon had just gone to the convenience store and was now coming back to his father’s fiancee’s house. He had his hood up and his hands in his pockets. Zimmerman was following Martin while talking to police dispatcher after calling 911. Soon after, a fight broke out between them. A gunshot sounded and an innocent 17-year old boy was murdered. And George Zimmerman wasn’t even charged.

When you think of Florida you think of  a happy, sunny place with Cinderella’s Castle rising up into the sky. Well as you can see from the details of Trayvon Martin’s death, it’s not.. Florida’s “stand your ground” laws, which allows citizens to shoot and kill anyone anywhere if they feel threatened. In other words, if someone was walking on the street and they look “threatening”, anyone would have the right to walk up to that person and shoot them. After the murder of Martin, the “stand your ground” laws are sparking commotion and unrest, as they should. The number of homicides in Florida has gone from 12 to 33 a year, which is nearly triple. This isn’t another terrorist attack or a war; these unjustifiable killings are going on in our own country. The United States of America must rise up against these “self-defense” laws and obliterate them, so that those guilty of murder, such as George Zimmerman, may be corrected. And so that Trayvon Martin, and other innocent victims, may rest in peace.

~Nazar Chowdhury

My Parents did it Different

Over the 20 some odd years between your birth and your parents birth, there has been major changes in the lifestyles of kids today. Some parents will fight with their child over it, and it can be a problem in many households. Some parents believe that a 16 or 17 year old going to a party is going to be tempted with drugs or alcohol and won’t allow them to go. Sometimes, this may be the case, but drugs or alcohol always at a party is stereotyping. Often kids need time to just hang out or be crazy with friends after a long week at school.

Another change is cell phones. When parents were kids, cell phones were like unicorns. They always heard about them and yet never saw them. Today, most of my 9 year old brother’s friends have cell phones. Some parents are cautious about getting their kids phones. Some think they are way too young to have them because the parents got them in their twenties. Often a sit down talk with your parents about how times have changed can help them. They are just being cautious because they care about you.

~Andrew Mahan

Massacre of Afghan Civilians

In the early days of March, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales slips away from his guard duty and kills 16 Afghan civilians.  Investigators say that it was because of his brain injury. He was put on three tours of duty when this happened. The Taliban swore revenge on the killings that happened on March 11th. He is now being charged on 16 counts of murder and six counts of assault. Investigators also say that he does not remember anything from the night of the murders. Does this have to do with the brain damage and the three tours of duty? This is what everyone wants to know.

On the evening of March 11th, Staff Sergeant Bales kills 16 Afghan civilians. Before his third tour of duty, the Army knows he has a brain injury that could result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and still sends him on another tour of duty! This means the U.S. Army is knowing that this Staff Sergeant could have a brain disorder while on duty. The U.S. Army should have limited the number of tours that this man could go on. Now, learning this mistake, the U.S. Army will know better on what to do with troops with Brain disorders.

~Trai Gozzi

Peyton Leaves Indianapolis?

On March 9, 2012 Peyton Manning was signed by the Denver Broncos.  He played in Indianapolis for every year of his career (14 years), but Manning was cut from the team due to his neck injury last year.  Peyton could not play last year and his his team finished with a record of 1-15 (1 win, 15 losses).   Many people worry he won’t be able to play this year, and sources say Manning has not been throwing as hard as he used to, but he has been told he will be able to fully recover by three different doctors.  Doctors say he will be able to play if he continues to strengthen his back.  I am certain he will work very hard to strengthen his back because he is a great football player, and I bet he wants to get back in the game.  Manning had 54,828 passing yards and 399 touchdowns through his career as a Colt, and hopes to continue to improve his stats while a Bronco.

The Denver Broncos are in the rebuilding process.  They signed Manning because they believe he will be the “winning card.”  Denver has struggled with recent quarterbacks and they believe Manning is the perfect fit for the team.  Denver prefers a quarterback who stay in the pocket and have a strong arm.  Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos quarterback last year) was the opposite of what they wanted, he would scramble out of the pocket and he did not have a great arm.  The Owners of the Denver Broncos are also trying to sign Jeff Saturday (Center) and Jacob Tamme (Tight End).  Manning has chemistry with both these players as they all played in Indianapolis together.  Saturday knows where Manning likes his snaps and Tamme knows what Manning likes to throw in 3rd and 10 situations.  I feel these three players can really help the Denver Broncos turn their team into a championship-caliber team, especially Peyton Manning.

~Ryan Gallagher

Trayvon Martin murder: Was Race a Factor?

On February 26, 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. The killing has since then blown up to the national stage, with millions of people speaking out against the murder of Trayvon. People are outraged because the shooter, Zimmerman, has not been arrested yet or detained by police and his excuse was that he did it in self defence. But, people are questioning this statement and whether or not Trayvon’s race had something to do with it.

On that day, Trayvon was walking back to his house in the neighborhood. Zimmerman spotted him and made a 911 call and said that Trayvon looked “suspicious”, and possibly using a racial slur and saying that “these ******* always get away”. He then chased Trayvon after Trayvon started to run away, even though Zimmerman was advised not to by the operator. Then there was a scuffle and a scream for help (apparently Trayvon) and then gunshots, the ones that killed Trayvon. Apparently, Trayvon was “suspicious” because he had a hoodie on low. But, many say it was because of that and the fact that he was an African American. He was stereotyped by George Zimmerman to be up to no good, even though he was unarmed and all he had was a pack of skittles and ice tea. The African-American community has spoken out and believe that this was a racial killing, and because that Zimmerman was white/hispanic, the cops and law enforcement let him go. To protest this, there will be a 1 million hoodie march in honor of Trayvon and to bring justice to the innocent teen.

~Ben Fei

Dodd Drama Club Presents: Aladdin Jr.

This past weekend, the Dodd Drama club performed the musical Aladdin Jr. Aladdin Jr. is a musical that is about an Arabian princess named Jasmine that is arranged to marry a prince in the next day. Of course she is unhappy about this, and is reluctant to choose from the three rich princes her father has approved of. The day before she must choose she runs away to the marketplace of Agrabah and meets a  poor “street-rat” named Aladdin and begins to fall in love with him. When he gets arrested and thrown in a cave, he discovers a genie in a lamp, that begins to turn Aladdin’s world upside down.

The cast, that has been working hard at rehearsals everyday for over three months, was a big hit in their three shows on Friday, March 23rd and Saturday, March 24th. Julia Torok, who played Jasmine said “The turnout was so overwhelming, to be honest, I was really nervous.” Which seemed to be what all of the performers moods were that weekend. Wishing luck to the performers in their futures, and thanks for tuning in!
~Leah Kaczmarek

Kony 2012: Is It a Scam?

If you have a Facebook account, you’ve probably heard of the massive campaign involving The Invisible Children and “Kony 2012”. Along with all of this, was a 30-minute
long video informing people about the horrible world of Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the guerilla army, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has allegedly kidnapped over 30,000 children from their homes and supplied them with weapons. The children are forced to murder their own parents by Kony’s orders, and slaughter others, as well. The boys are turned into rebel soldiers and the girls into slaves. The video features Jacob, a Ugandan young man who was in the LRA but managed to escape Kony’s grasp.

Jason Russell is a filmmaker who has been actively involved in raising awareness of Kony for almost a decade, when he met twelve-year-old Jacob who, at the time, had just escaped the LRA camp. Jacob informed him he, “would rather be dead than on this earth” (under Kony’s control). Jacob asked Russell to help him put an end to Kony’s madness. Ever since then, Russell has been raising awareness and contacting the U.S. government to help the Ugandan children and arrest Kony. The U.S. government has sent troops to Uganda to track down Kony, but to no avail. Recently, an informative video documentary was released all over media websites like Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube; even having it’s own website, Kony2012.com. On the website, you can not only watch the video, but buy a “kit”, which includes two Kony 2012 bracelets, posters, and pins. Young people are urged to watch this video and take action.

The question is: is it a scam? Is buying this $30 kit and making donations really helping the children in Uganda? Studies show that Jason Russell donates 32% of the profit to the cause, but pockets 68%. Although Russell denies this, many people are skeptical of where their money is going. Since the Lord’s Resistance Army has been kidnapping and murdering children for over twenty-six years, many critics wonder why the U.S. is just now taking action. Many people have boycotted the Kony 2012 campaign, even going as far to call it “fake” or a “scam”. Could this be true? Could the money we donate be turning into mere profit for Jason Russell? Regardless, Joseph Kony is alive (though it is rumored he died)  and still abusing helpless children in the central African country of Uganda. It is your choice whether or not to take action.

~Julia Champagne

Kony 2012

Many people don’t know who Joseph Kony is but many other people do, including me and we pledged to spread the word about him. Kony is a single man in Uganda who kidnaps children in their sleep, forces them to kill their parents, and makes some of them sex slaves. And that’s all just for power. And this isn’t just a couple kids,  it is over 30,000, all forced against their will into his rebel group the LRA. Kony is #1 on the top most wanted for arrest internationally. There is only one way to arrest him but he keeps moving, so people donate a few dollars a month to give the Ugandan army to buy and upgrade their technology to faster arrest him. Millions of people have seen the online video and have donated money, but that’s not enough so that’s why we pledged to spread the word and that’s why I’m blogging about it now: so if you didn’t already know, you do now.

Back to the horrors of what Kony has done, the army of kids (mainly boys) each has their own gun and ammunition. They each received it at the moment of being kidnapped and on the spot they would be forced to kill their very own parents. How would that feel, to kill your own parents? And the one forcing you to is a complete stranger. I thought so. Now to stop that from happening all you have to do is donate a couple of dollars and no more kids will have to go through the excruciating horror of killing strangers and their beloved parents. Thank you for your time and I hope you join me and millions of other people in stopping this crime.

~Larry Fritz