Regular Flu Vaccine Problem

By Dennis Mandudzo, Contributing Writer

With most of the attention focused on H1N1, or Swine Flu, in the United States, the yearly flu vaccine shots have ran low on supply. Many people have been complaining about not getting flu vaccinations because of their local clinic being shut down. Dr. Ralph K. Messo Jr. who practices in both Staten Island and Colts Neck, New Jersey quoted, “We had patients scheduled; we had to cancel the patients.” Dr. Messo only received 150 out of the 1,000 flu vaccinations he ordered. “They keep giving us a shipment date, and then they don’t deliver,” he said. This shortage of shots was nothing compared to the severe dilemma in 2004 for where people had to wait for hours to get a shot.

Starting at September 26 physicians had administered four times as much doses than a regular flu vaccination last year, according to the SDI Health. “I was just horrified to that no one was discussing it,” said Dr. Symra A. Cohn. Because of this of the many deaths each year, people and physicians say this issue needs more attention.

Parsa Community Foundation Annual Awards

By Donya Sheikhrezai, Contributing Writer

This weekend I attended a PARSA event in Redwood Shores. Parsa is a foundation that wants to put young Persian Americans in the spotlight to show everyone what they have accomplished. They show the changes they have made in their community with volunteer work. Yara Shahidi, a young actress who stared in "Imagine That", came to ask the young teens about their volunteer work. I spoke about my donation to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a foundation that creates wigs for children and adults with cancer that causes them to lose their hair. Some of the teens that spoke had helped around in their area to clean it up. Others helped with the presidential election to win votes and some helped with raising money for other foundations. This foundation gives grants to small foundations run by Persian Americans. These grants are an important part of helping Persian Americans to do their best to make a change in this world.

Twin Day at Menlo

Out of the ordinary
Came a set of two
Dressed alike
From head to shoe

Here comes a visitor without a clue
He strolled into the quad
And saw not one
But two

So he thought to himself,
“Oh! What should I do?”
He sat on the ground
And frowned with a headache,
And said
“Wait, did I come late?”

By Renee Girard & Emma Brady

Yankees are In; World Series Matchup with Phillies

By Mia McConnell, Staff Writer

Finally, the Yankees have made it to the World Series! The Yankees beat the Angles 5-2 in game six to end the stressful series. They ran into a clump yelling with joy the second Marino struck out the batter. The Yankees celebrated with champagne in the clubhouse. The amazing CC Sabathia won the MVP for the series. This will be the first World Series appearance since 2003. The team must feel happy since last year they didn’t even make it to the playoffs. It’s also Alex Rodriguez’s first World Series. But the Yankees have to take on the defending champions, the Philadelphia Phillies in the series. It will be a very interesting World Series for sure!

Menlo 6th Grade Flag Football

By Davis Rich, Contributing Writer

Week 6: Vs. Woodside Priory 7th grade
Playing up vs. the 7th grade team, Menlo wasn’t fazed as they rolled over Priory, 21-6. Looking to seek revenge after the Knight’s loss to the 6th grade team, the victory was even sweeter. Faraz Abbasi recorded a safety, Jeffery Herr intercepted 2 passes and Tench Coxe added another in a game dominated by defense. Their 8-quarter scoreless streak was snapped in the 4th quarter on a long touchdown run for the Priory back. The game vs. Crystal Springs will decide the 6th grade championship.

Week 7: VS. Crystal Springs.
In a big game vs. a rival to decide the championship, Menlo came out of the gate slow, but after an injury to the Gryphon’s nose tackle, the Knights scored on a scramble by Tench Coxe. Menlo’s special offense scored more points than the normal offense due to a great job at QB by James Adler. The defense held stout with a Herr interception and rolled over Crystal, 26-0.

Faraz Abbasi: Has had a huge season blocking and on defense. Even has 2 receptions.
James Adler: As the starting center, has not made a mistake since the second game.
Andrew Arnold: Is an amazing running back and wide receiver
William Bleicher: Caught 2 TDs and plays gritty TE.
Mason Brady: Battled through injury to play great at safety.
Andrew Cardozo: Did a great job at left guard and as a leader.
Kevin Cardozo: Had a productive season at WR and safety.
Will Chisholm: Was always around the ball and was the best linebacker vs. the pass.
Julian Christensen: At defensive end, made numerous big plays and was amazing vs. the run.
Wells Costello: A real team leader is tough and gritty.
Tench Coxe: Played great at QB and made the team go around.
Will Crouch: Improved dramatically at guard and DT.
Jeff Herr. Led the team in interceptions and could have been the QB, but is the best CB.
William Hsieh: Played gritty linebacker and intercepted a pass.
Matt Joss: Was a great player at wide receiver and funny in the huddle.
Jack Lambert: Was the Gold WR and blocked very well.
Lucas Loaiza: Funniest player on the team. Made you laugh on the line.
Marco Papadoyannis: Played starting right guard and made you smile.
Rory Plewman: Small but fierce, played RB and DT.
Davis Rich: Got the job at QB halfway through the year and played well.
Jep Sedgwick: Was the team’s best D lineman and was in on every sack and TFL.
Michael Shames: Played great at right cornerback, and broke up numerous passes.
Ryan Shanley: Was a great blocking TE, and a ferocious DT. Made lots of catches.
Noah Shermis: ‘Shermy’ played good defensive tackle and made people laugh.
Keaton Shiveley: Keaton rushed for numerous TDs and had some slick moves.
Will Thabit: Caught 3 TDs and was in on almost every sack.

Goodreads

Kenzie Mullin, Contributing Writer

Goodreads is an online website where you can add books to your virtual bookshelf, rate books, create groups and clubs, share books, and compare books. You can get an account and have “friends,” you also update your books. On Goodreads you can create discussions about books and some other topics then you send updates to your friends to ask them to join discussions. A fun activity is to write stories and post them.
If you would like to join, there is going to be a Menlo School group on Goodreads. Here is how you can sign up;
First go to http://www.goodreads.com/
Second you look in the top right corner for the register button
Third click on the button and sign up with your school email
Next go to http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/25676.Menlo_School to join the discussion
Goodreads is lots of fun, please join!

Coaches on the Hot Seat

By Joe Klein, Staff Writer

DALLAS COWBOYS- Wade Phillips
With the Dallas Cowboys franchise expectations set high, 9-7 seasons are not going to do it for Jerry Jones. The Cowboys started 3-2, and Phillips is entering the final year of his contract. He might be finished after this year.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS-Jim Zorn
Where to start; Lost to the winless Lions and Chiefs, especially with former coaches like Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher lurking, his time with Washington go be ended.

BUFFALO BILLS-Dick Jauron
Under Jauron, the Bills have been terrible, especially this year starting 2-4. He showed he was in trouble when he fired his offensive coordinator 10 days before the season, and this is probably his final year.

HOUSTON TEXANS-Gary Kubiak
Everybody in Houston expects that first ever postseason birth. The media and owner expect it. They’re 3-3 right now. If Matt Schaub turns the season around, maybe Kubiak keeps his job.

OAKLAND RAIDERS-Tom Cable
The Raiders are always terrible, so coaches have always been on the hot seat. Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, and now Tom Cable. The Raiders are 2-4, and this could be it for Tom Cable.

Thorium: The New Green Energy

By Christopher M. Cassidy, Science Editor

Everyone knows the facts about uranium fission- it creates 1000 times the energy per pound as coal, and is radiotoxic for millennia after it is used in a reactor. As the world nears an end of fresh uranium, a new source of energy is growing in promise: thorium fission. Thorium and uranium are separated by only one element, protactinium, and they have very different fissionable chain reactions. Uranium (isotope 235) or plutonium (isotope 239) are very unstable, and explode into a volatile chain reaction, but thorium just quietly sizzles and creates more useable energy. Another advantage of thorium is that it is very common and is not environmentally obtrusive to mine. While uranium is typically mined by either the very expensive and difficult underground massive tunnel mining or by the environmentally horrendous open pit mining, thorium can be harvested from sand around the world by dredge mining, a widely agreed to be not as environmentally obtrusive. Thorium is also radiotoxic for only a few decades, not millennia. Overall, this more controllable reaction, ease of collection, and safety as waste makes thorium a very promising new source of energy.

Crabtree Will Play

By Joe Klein, Staff Writer

Yes, the Michael Crabtree. After getting drafted 10th overall in the draft, he held out from signing for about 7 months, wanting more money. Yet, he actually signed. He is set to make his debut October 25 when the 49ers will host the Houston Texans, who are an okay pass defense. Recently, Crabtree signed a 6 year, $32 million dollar contract. The 49ers are expected to use Crabtree as a 3^rd receiver lining up in the slot, because the 49ers can’t just expect him to learn the whole playbook in two weeks. If he makes a big impact on the pass offense, then the 49ers, who are 3-2, could go far, especially when running back Frank Gore returns to the offense.

The Swine Flu Affects Everyone

Cassidy Kornfeld and Paige Pietrofesa, Contributing Writers

Many college athletes are becoming sick and unable to play. Thirty-eight of Tulane’s football players and six of Tulane’s volleyball players have the swine flu or symptoms like it.
But it’s not just Tulane’s athletes that are becoming ill with the swine flu, other colleges such as Duke, Texas Christian, and University of Alabama have also complained about athletes having symptoms of the swine flu.
Experts have proven that it is not unusual for this age to be infected with the flu because their immune system isn’t completely developed yet. It’s also easy for the flu to spread with this age group because they live in dorms together and pretty much share everything, making it easy for many people to catch the virus if one person does. But in order reduce the chances of catching the flu, everyone is being extremely careful about not sharing belongings.
Colleges themselves had to decide if they wanted to cancel the season, or just play with whom they have and wait for the players to recover.
The swine flu is not only invading our personal lives but the virus could stop more than just one team from playing but could stop multiple and maybe even could stop a season from happening. The virus could stop public entertainment. Celebrities could get sick and have to stop rehearsing for a TV show, movie, or play and not be able to perform.
But this also could affect the economy, because without sports games they won’t be able to receive money from purchased tickets. Without actors/actresses there will be fewer TV shows that will provide money for TV companies.
Hopefully this year, the swine flu won’t have a major effect on the economy or on people’s personal lives.

Information based off of: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/sports/ncaafootball/29swine.html?_r=1&ref=ncaabasketball

Joe and Joseph

by Lauren Smith, Staff Writer

Yankees vs. Angles

By Mia McConnell, Staff Writer

The Yankees vs the Angles will sure be a huge series. The Yanks swept the Twins and the Angles did the same to the Red Sox. Both teams are doing amazing and have a great offense. It will be close for sure. The Yankees won 103 games and the Angles have won 97. The Yankees have had 915 runs and the Angles with 883. Yankees have Jeter, Matsui, Swisher, Rodriguez, and Texiera who have all been hitting great. The Angles also have a strong lineup. Both have a strong rotation including CC Sabathia on the Yankees. The Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced, “Our goal is to try to win a championship. Its very difficult to do. This is the second step for us and hopefully we have two more.” The Yankees have beaten the Angles twice in the postseason. But the Angles have beaten the Yankees in the World Series too. The Yankees and Angles series is starting this Friday. It is sure going to be a tight one.

Amazing Surf Photos

By Maddie Stewart, Contributing Writer, and Frances Ho, Contributing Writer

If you want to see some awesome surf photos, Clark Little is the guy for you. He started his career in 2007 when his wife wanted some nice artwork for the wall. Clark was up for the job and jumped in to take some pictures. Mr. Little enjoys taking pictures of Hawaiian waves the best. He takes snaps pictures of the waves beautifully, capturing the sight of nature. Here are some pictures below. All of these photos are available at: http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/gallery

Taylor Swift's Cullen Makeover

by Lauren Smith, Contributing Writer
If you would like to be turned into a Vampire, send your picture to
lauren.smith@menloschool.org

After

Before
Before picture link-
http://www.celebritynewsbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/taylor-swift1.jpg

College Football Season Through Week Four

By Jack Katzman, Sports Editor

1. Florida

Tennessee came close to making a scare at the Swamp in week three, but Tim Tebow and the Gators were too much for Lane Kiffin and his Vols in a big upset possibility. In week one and two they held off Charleston Southern and Troy without breaking a sweat. Star quarterback Tim Tebow has been solid, but I’m not sure about the Heisman this year. Florida shouldn’t see too many obstacles besides #18 Florida State, and they’ll probably see Alabama again this year in the SEC Championship Game.

2. Texas

With Colt McCoy back for his senior season, he hasn’t been off the charts quite yet, but he’s led the Longhorns to a 3-0 record so far with decent numbers in 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Texas has won all 3 games so far, including a win vs. Texas Tech. The only 2 games that stand in their way so far are both Oklahoma schools, and if Oklahoma State stays healthy as they are now it will be a tough game for a young Longhorns team. Also, with Sam Bradford back, the Red River Shootout might be a tough one too.

3. Alabama

Standing at #3 as of now, the young Crimson Tide have looked close to perfect this year. The week 1 game vs. Virginia Tech was big, especially because it was interesting to see which underclassmen would step up and lead the way. Junior quarterback Greg McElroy and sophomore receiver Julio Jones have been connecting well, and the #1 defense in the country led by Preseason 1st Team All-American Linebacker Rolando McClain has been extremely solid so far. Alabama has #4 Ole Miss in week 6, and if they win that and beat LSU in week 9 they should have a rematch with #1 Florida in the SEC Championship game.

4. LSU

The Tigers are now back up near the top, and sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson has done a superb job running Les Miles’ offense with Charles Scott in the backfield. They’re 4-0 after victories over Washington, Vanderbilt, Louisiana-Lafayette and Mississippi State. They have Georgia and #1 Florida in their next two games.

5. Boise State

After a big win at home vs. Oregon in week 1, they have won all 3 vs. Miami Ohio, Fresno State, and Bowling Green. They don’t have much of a threat until they play Hawaii in a few weeks. Quarterback Kellen Moore already has 10 touchdown passes in the Bronco’s spread offense.

Interviewing Mrs. Mason

By Dennis Mandudzo, Contributing Writer
I thought I could interview Ms. Mason since she would only be here for the semester teaching Spanish for the 7th and 8th graders. If you have not met Ms. Mason she is a nice and kind teacher.

Me: What is your favorite thing about Menlo School?
Ms. Mason: How nice my students are.
Me: Did you find anything surprising when you arrived at Menlo?
Ms. Mason: How cold it is during the morning.
Me: What is your favorite movie?
Ms. Mason: My favorite movie is the Princess Bride.
Me: What is your favorite animal?
Ms. Mason: Sloth
Me: Do you have a favorite sport team? If so, which team is it and what sport do they play?
Ms. Mason: I don’t have favorite sport team or watch sports, but when I do watch sports I watch tennis.
Me: What do you like about teaching Spanish class at Menlo School?
Ms. Mason: Two things. One: I like to see my students learning. Two: I like to play games.

A Planned Crash Landing

By Lucas Loiaza, Contributing Writer

Is NASA mad? No, far from it. The purpose of this kamikaze landing? To inspect the debris that the ship will blast into the air. After the recent discovery of a small film of water on the crust of the moon, they want to see if anything is deeper, and anything else there might be in the surface. To see live footage, wake up at 4:25 am on Friday the 9^th and turn on the tv. Flick through the channels until you find one having to do with NASA. Once you do, stick with it, for at 4:30 am pacific time, they will broadcast live footage of the crash landing.

A Good Beginning in the Bronx

By Mia McConnell, Staff Writer

The Yankees started the playoffs with a big win. They beat the Twins 7-2 at their home field. CC Sabathia helped the Yankees hold the Twins from scoring too many runs. Sabathia said “ This is what you come here for – to have a chance to win and pitching in the postseason, playing in October.” The first pitcher too win a game in a playoff game in the new stadium continued, “It was electric tonight. It felt good. I had a lot of fun out there.” Sabathia struck out eight and walked none in the 6 innings he played. The amazing Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui hit two-run homers to help the Yankees win. The Twins came ahead by two runs but the Yankees jumped back into the game to win it. Jeter’s homer was his 18^th career postseason home run to tie with Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle for third on baseball’s all-time list behind Manny Ramirez and Bernie Williams. Girardi said, “Its just Jeter’s time of year. This might just be Yankees year!

Fall Fun!

App Games Review

Lucas Loaiza, Contributing Writer

Sims 3: $6.99
Pros:
Good Gameplay
Good Graphics
Lot's of jobs
Cons:
Boring after a couple of hours
No Wi-Fi multiplayer connection

Dungeon and Hero: 99 cents/ $1.99
Pros:
3 different classes
Multiple towns and maps
Different skills and abilities / stats
Cons:
Bad graphics
2 1/2 Dimension
Over powered computers

Blades of Fury: $5.99
Pros:
Great gameplay
Incredible graphics
Multiple Playable Characters
Cons:
Gets old after a bit

Hero of Sparta: $4.99
Pros:
3d
Good Gameplay
Multiple Maps
Different Computers
Cons:
After beating is boring

Ponyo Review

Lucas Loaiza, Contributing Writer


The movie ponyo is all about a boy named Sosuke and a magical goldfish thing named Ponyo. Her name wasn’t Ponyo until Sosuke rescued her from a glass jar. When Ponyos father, Fujimoto, the keeper of the ocean, supposed to keep the ocean in balance, comes back to “rescue” her. This movie is a Disney anime, and is very good. However if it seems a little weird, I think that’s just how they do it. This movie receive 5/5 stars.


Image from c2.api.ning.com

Clinched

By Mia McConnell, Contributing Writer

The Yankees have clinched their division and home field advantage. The Yankees celebrated with champagne in the clubhouse after the 4-2 win verse the Boston Red Sox. Team captain said, “This is the fun part,” Derek Jeter said. “We’re celebrating a long year. Everything starts in the middle of February so there’s a lot of work that goes into it, so this is a lot of fun.” Any Petite pitched allowing two runs and seven hits in six innings. He commented, “Everything is clicking right now,” winning pitcher Andy Pettitte said. “When you miss out, it makes you a little more hungry to get back there.” Melky Cabrera homered in the third inning and Matsui hit a single of Takashi Saito with two outs, to give the Yankees and 3-2 lead. Mark Teixeira hit his 38^th homer off Daniel Bard to make the score 4-2. Mariano Rivera finished the big game against the Boston Red Sox, to clinch their division.