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2011-08-29T14:52:00.001-07:00

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Kobe Bryant Fined 100K For Using Homophobic Slur

2011-04-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

By Alec Sullivan, Senior Staff Writer

In Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, star Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for using a homophobic slur towards the referee, Bennie Adams. This wild episode began when Bryant received a technical foul and while making his way to the bench, he violently slammed his chair and threw down his towel yelling “Bennie, “ the name of the official and then saying the slur under his breath.

During a recent radio interview with Bryant, he explained that the slur was no way intended to harm or hurt anybody and that it was just in the heat of the moment. Later on the talk show, he explained that he would be appealing this fine, and that it is simply “protocol” to do so.

Commissioner of the NBA, David Stern, has recently been praised by many Gay and Lesbian organizations for his actions of acting swiftly and not letting these comments go without punishment. Recently, Stern has released a statement saying, “While I’m fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. Accordingly, I have fined Kobe $100,000. Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society.”

Being an athlete myself, I can definitely understand the frustration of Kobe and the anger behind receiving a bad call in a big game, but as David Stern said, a comment such as this PARTICULAR one that is highly offensive towards many people is absolutely unacceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated not only in the NBA, but also in our society.

March Madness at Menlo

2011-04-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

By Rory Plewman, Staff Writer

March Madness. What a wonderful time of the year. Money changes hands quicker than you can say Kansas State. Brackets are filled out and fretful students glance over them hoping to succeed in all of their picks. It was these fretful Menlo students that crashed the Moodle server on Monday March 21, 2011. This happened because Menlo students, feverish to stream live videos of March Madness games, clogged up the system with to much data being routed to one server. The week of videos and constant checking of brackets was a “New data bandwidth high for us” said Eric DeStefano in an informatory email to the whole school. He promises that this will not happen again, so March Madness fans, you will still be able to watch videos of your favorite teams in peace.

Book Review (I am number 4)

2011-04-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

By Rory Plewman, Staff Writer

I am number 4 was an exciting and thrilling tale of a teenage Martian who's planet has been destroyed by the ruthless Mogadorians. This was a story of unbreakable bonds of love between two different species of people, an alien and a human. There is something different about this story though; it is not a soppy love story. This story is a game of cat and mouse, the cat being the Mogadorians, infinitely stronger and well equipped with deadly weapons. The mouse being the #4 and his guide Henri. The mouse being weak but very agile, the mouse can do nothing but run. This was true until #4's legacies developed. Legacies are the super powers these Aliens develop when they mature. These Legacies are beginning to develop in #4; just in time without these he and most probably the earth would have been killed. In short this book was thrilling, punchy and different perspective about a very controversial subject, aliens.

Anime Review

2010-11-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

By Elaine Wong, Staff Writer

Anime Review: Bishojo Senshi Sera Mun (English: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon)
(aka Sera Mun/Sailor Moon) (Season 1)
The facts:
Episodes: 46 (watch on youtube or animecrazy.net)
Genre: Comedy, magical heroines, romance, action, crime fighting, fiction
The plot:
Sailor Moon is about a girl named Usagi Tsukino, a girl growing up in Tokyo. She starts out as a normal 14 year old girl in eighth grade (with… to put it nicely… failing grades…) One day, she finds a mysterious cat named Luna, who can talk. Luna gives Usagi a beautiful transforming brooch to turn her into her Sailor Moon form. On the hunt for the Moon Princess, Neo Princess (later Queen) Serenity, Sailor Moon joins with other sailor warriors to fight monsters sent by Queen Beryl to find the all powerful silver crystal.
The review:
This was the first anime I watched, and I must admit the beginning episodes (up ‘til about 30 with a couple good episodes in between, so you still gotta watch it all) are very boring. I watched about five episodes and got seriously bored of the plot. Monster here trying to capture energy from humans, transforming there, another monster, more transforming, with a new sailor senshi (English for soldier) comes a long, a couple new powers… The basic magic heroine plot. BORING. But for some unknown reason, I was not able to stop watching. I think it was because Sailor Moon is the most well known anime in the world, so there must be something good. My perseverance was awarded around episodes 20-30. Even then, it’s still not very exciting… BUT. BUT BUT BUT BUT. STICK WITH ME HERE. From episode 43, things get epic. As the sailor senshi launch themselves towards Queen Beryl’s base, they go into a magnificent battle of epic proportions. But you gotta watch it to find out. And seriously. It was like epic. I would recommend this anime to people who like the basic magic heroine plot, patient people, and in the end, for both guys and girls.
Warnings:
… I guess a seizure warning? I don’t know… But parts in the end might make you cry, especially in Sailor Moon R (same Japanese title except with “aru” at the end… duh) (season 2, I’m almost done watching it… I’m on episode 86 out of 89). But other than that I think it’s a really good anime. And as usual… SUBS.

Halladay’s No-No

2010-11-11T11:55:00.002-08:00

By Davis Rich, Senior Staff Writer

Roy Halladay made history on October 6th, when he threw the second no-hitter in playoff history, beating the Reds in Game 1, 4-0. This was his second no-hitter of the season, also throwing a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29. Halladay is in strong Cy Young contention with a 21-10 record, a 2.44 ERA, and 219 strikeouts, good for 2nd in the NL behind the back to back Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. On Thursday, he threw 9 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts and 1 walk. Halladay basically dominated, with only a few great defensive plays coming, like in any no-hitter. This year’s playoffs have been dominated by fantastic pitching performances, from Halladay’s gem to Lincecum’s 14 strikeout performance, to Cliff Lee’s 1.13 ERA in two games. The NLCS should have some of the best pitching matchups in a while, with Lincecum-Halladay, Cole Hamels-Matt Cain, and Roy Oswalt-Jonathan Sanchez.

5 Football Thoughts

2010-11-11T11:55:00.001-08:00

Joe Klein, Senior Editor

1. Randy Moss was traded to Vikings, so now Brett Favre has somebody to throw to. Once Sidney Rice returns, the Vikes will have one of the best receiving corps: Rice, Moss, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe. ** Update: Moss waived by Vikings!

2. The Bills situation is going from bad to worse; They cut Trent Edwards, and traded Marshawn Lynch, so now its time for CJ Spiller to arise. Ryan Fitzpatrick won’t cut it, so look for Buffalo to draft a QB come April.

3. Like the Bills, the Cardinals are looking even worse. They cut Matt Leinart, benched Derek Anderson, and are starting Max Hall, an undrafted free agent out of BYU. There defense is really struggling, but anything can happen in the NFC West.

4. Houston was 2-0, and looked invincible going to play Dallas. Dallas crushed them, so you never know what you are get from Dallas. Tony Romo looked bad in his first two games, but then got back on track against Houston. Look for the Cowboys to bounce back in Week 5.

5. The Patriots have made their first attempt to replace Randy Moss; Deion Branch. Branch had a good start of the year with the Seahawks, but this could really jump start Branch with Tom Brady throwing to him.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 8

2010-11-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

By Joe Klein and Jack Marren

Quarterbacks
Josh Freeman: For those trying to cope with the loss of Tony Romo, Freeman is a solid option. The Bucs are starting to rejuvenate their run game with LeGarette Blount, so Freeman is worth a pickup.
Carson Palmer: The Bengals are comfortable having Palmer air the ball out, especially with TO and Ochocinco as his wideouts. Palmer is worth the pickup, for a bye week or Romo.
Running backs (not named LeGarette Blount)
Brandon Jackson: The Pack are starting to give Jackson some carries, especially with John Kuhn slumping, and the Pack receivers depleting. Give Jackson a chance at flex this week against Dallas.
Darren Sproles: Sproles is becoming the main back again in San Diego. Last week against Tennessee, Sproles had 41 yards on the ground, but added 30 yards receiving with a score. Sproles is a big part of the passing game with Malcom Floyd and Vincent Jackson out, so look to play him against Houston.
Wide Recievers
Danny Amendola: Amendola is the only reliable receiver for rookie QB Sam Bradford since Mark Clayton went down. Amendola has scored in two straight weeks, and is definitely worth a look in PPR.
Steve Breaston: Breaston is the best fantasy receiver for Arizona because everybody is covering Fitz. Breaston, in his first game back, had 147 yards with 10 yards on the ground and is a must pickup in all leagues.
Tight End
I hope you guys all have good tight end, because there is a major drop off these days. Some possibilities to replace Vernon Davis and Antonio Gates are Todd Heap, Jermaine Gresham, Kellen Winslow, and maybe Anthony Fasano.
Defense/Special Teams
Titans D/ST: How is it that the top defense rated defense is only 74 percent owned? The Titans are a gritty group of guys, and they are a new defense to consider.
Raiders D/ST: I love the Raiders D. They are starting to really step it up. When projected -1 against Denver, and 1 against Seattle, they put up 17 in each week. They are worth a look each week, no matter the match up.
Kickers
Don’t stress the kickers. They don’t matter to much. If you really stress kickers, get Dan Carpenter of the Dolphins, currently 22.5 owned. He has kicked 10 field goals in two weeks.

Warriors Win Opener

2010-11-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

By Alec Sullivan, Senior Staff Writer

This past Wednesday the Golden State Warriors opened their season with a close win against the Houston Rockets. With a new coach Keith Smart I think that the Warriors looked very fluid and their newest addition in David Lee looks to be a good investment. During the offseason the Warriors made many big moves including a change of ownership and a change of the head coach by firing Don Nelson and appointing former assistant Keith Smart to head coach. Being at this game the Warriors appeared to be very focused on their goal and look like they are ready to play basketball this season. Expect the Warriors to make a good run this year, also expect them to have a record over 500.

Broken Paddles, Broken Hearts

2010-11-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

By Danny Weiss, Contributing Writer

On Wednesday, October 23rd, the Menlo Middle School teachers gaped openmouthed at the atrocity before them. Ping-pong paddles lay strewn all over the ground, their handles snapped and broken, lying there on the black top. As they surveyed the scene, some students came up to the teachers, presenting their evidence. After school, some older students, maybe even visitors, were seen throwing the ping-pong paddles in question at one another. They were described as violent, and they should be avoided. The teachers are now patrolling after school, and no one wants to have another incident. Later that week on Friday, October 25th the teachers once again surveyed a divesting scene, where the ping-pong paddles were once again the victims of this serial offender. 12 days later, a few students discovered the new paddles broken. These criminals need to be found, and fast. The fate of our ping-pong tables rests in your hands.

Community Street Jam

2010-11-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

By Danny Weiss, Contributing Writer

Whether you like to dance ballet, jazz, salsa, smooth, hip-hop or break dance, Community Street Jam is open for you. Community Street Jam is located on 849 Veterans Boulevard, in Redwood City. The dance classes are great, for an affordable price. The manager, Barbra, could set you up on any day of the week in a class of your choice. The studios are large with massive mirrors on most sides. They also have a magnificent weight room. Community Street Jam is conviently located to the Old Port Lobster Shack, and the in and out, depending on your tastes. Rumor has it, the hip hop and break-dance teacher is the most wanted in the country. You don’t even need any experience to start. So come and join the crew at Community Street Jam.

The Social Network

2010-11-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Senior Editor

Most of your have heard of the new movie, The Social Network. While most of you are familiar with the pointless and dangerous distraction that is Facebook, its history is shady and mostly unknown.
This movie presents the complex and shady history of the ubiquitous icon, in a significantly biased light. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is painted as a weasel-like cheat, although the movie is based entirely on fact.
It is set in the courtrooms as Zuckerberg is being sued by two entities from his college who helped create Facebook, and goes to long flashbacks of what happened in college.
While this may sound like a boring legal movie, this was actually a very interesting story detailing the shady origins of the corporation that now knows the life stories of ½ the population of the US. I recommend this movie to all.

Inception Review

2010-11-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Senior Editor

Have you ever gotten that feeling that something is too good to fully enjoy? Inception was one of those to me.
Most of us (including me) are sick of lame stories with cool graphics. Inception is a fantastic break from these monotonous collections of violence.
Inception’s story is not rooted in a war or a simple conflict. Don Cobb and his associates are mercenaries in the high-risk world of corporate espionage. The story is based on the unique ability of Cobb and a few others to invade someone’s mind while they’re asleep. The so-called “extractors” raid someone’s mind while they are dreaming.
However, Cobb is accused of using this technology to murder his wife, and is on the run around the world. Mr. Saito offers Cobb the opportunity of his life: re-admission to the US, the ability to see his family. At one cost: he must perform inception.
While extraction is just stealing, inception is the planting of this idea. As the culmination of his career, Cobb puts out his very best.
This is a non-stop, suspenseful thriller with cool science-fiction twists and creative incorporation of action with actual merit. This is possibly the best movie I have ever seen, and this is more of a must see than Avatar in my mind.

What a way to make a living!

2010-11-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

By Denna Nazem, Staff Writer

Did you know that sixty percent of U.S. Presidents have been lawyers? And 45% of U.S. Congress is made up of attorneys? Government is one career path that a lawyer can choose and some government jobs are very special, like Supreme Court Justice: interpret the U.S. Constitution, have the last judicial word in the land and keep your job for life!
A more attainable job, though still hard to land, is state attorney general. And this year, the California race for AG is between district attorneys of two major cities: Steve Cooley of LA and Kamala Harris of San Francisco. If elected, the 45-year old Kamala, will be the first woman AG and the first AG of African and Indian descent in California.
I met her recently and learned about her “smart on crime” efforts. The book she wrote on the topic argues that the current criminal justice system is not working since two thirds of people released from prison commit another crime within two years. She suggests that rather than take a generic stance for everyone, we should be tough on violent criminals on one side, and prevent crime through innovative, re-entry programs for others. She has increased the felony conviction rates to their highest in 15 years and has lowered recidivism rate dramatically. (Can you say recidivism ten times while blowing a bubble gum?)
Harris’s 63-year old opponent started his career as a police officer in LAPD (how cool is that?) and has been a prosecutor for 27 years. His office is the leader in the state for “Three Strikes” and death penalty convictions. Not that Facebook stats mean anything but Cooly’s 1,311 supporters are dwarfed by Harris’ 26,576. Cooley has raised $250,000 more than Harris and the polls show them neck and neck. With voters going to the polls today, there’s no telling what could happen.
If all this sounds too stressful for a career choice, there is always the more relaxing underwater basket-weaving and unicycle repair.

M-BEST Launch 2010

2010-11-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

By Julia Wu, Senior Staff Writer

M-BEST is a program designed specifically for girls to enhance their talents and interests in STEM learning. STEM learning stands for science, technology, engineering and math. M-BEST stands for Menlo’s Bridge to engineering, science, and technology for girls. On August 30th Martin Hall was packed with girls and their parents from grades 7 to 12. First, there were activities outside, such as building the tallest structure out of marshmallows and toothpicks, puzzles, and making structures using a note-card to support textbooks. Next, we went into Martin Hall and listened to Dr. Yvonne Cagle, a NASA astronaut. Her speech was phenomenal and we learned about her amazing experience in space. Then we learned from Ms. Limaye and Ms. Joanie Banks Hunt what M-BEST is about and if we think we it would be a good program for us to join.
The first workshop was called Outside Our Orbit. It was held on September 25th, 2010. Our first activity was a balloon activity. A string was attached to the ceiling and the string was looped through a straw. Different sized balloons where then taped onto the straw; once the balloon was released from our hands the force of air from the balloon was pushing the balloon towards the ceiling. Gravity was pushing the balloon down. Since the balloon went up, that showed the force of the air was stronger than gravity. We recorded out data to analyze which shaped balloon had the strongest force. We had two great speakers, Dr. Godfrey, a Menlo student’s father and Dr. Jessica Marquez who works at NASA. Dr. Godfrey talked about Newton’s second law, which is if you have two forces pushing against each other; the greater force will cause one of the objects to accelerate in the other direction. Dr. Jessica Marquez talked about what happens to your body when you are in space. Finally, we headed out to the lawn in front of Stent Hall where Mr. Maine, the 8th grade science teacher, taught us how to put together a rocket and launch it. Overall this was a great workshop that included many styles of learning including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. It’s important to include all the learning styles so everyone remembers the material and experience well.

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!

2010-11-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

By Jack Katzman, Senior Editor

Can anyone say “wow?” You must be kidding me. The San Francisco Giants, that’s right, the San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions after a 3-1 win in Game 5 last night
How could that be? Well, thanks to the ridiculous pitching of 21-year old rookie Madison Bumgarner, and ace Tim Lincecum, the Giants have revved-up the people of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area as well.
The Giants shut out the powerful Texas Rangers lineup twice in four games, which really shows how strong their staff is. Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner straight up put away batter after batter.
Juan Uribe continued to have a hot bat, and Aubrey Huff was the star at the plate in Game 3. Edgar Renteria brought the World Series to San Francisco with a three-run home run late in last night’s game.
The Giants are something to be proud of this year, and look out for Buster Posey as the National League MVP as well.

The Great Race 2010: Whitman vs. Brown

2010-11-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

By Joe Klein, Senior Editor

Well here we are, ready for a new California governor to be elected to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger. This year’s race is just like any other governor race- one Republican candidate (Meg Whitman) and one Democratic candidate (Jerry Brown). Here’s a little background information to see where these candidates are coming from.
Meg Whitman- Earlier in Whitman’s life, she held executive positions at some well-known companies- Hasbro, Disney, and Stride Rite. Whitman than saw some opportunities at a then growing EBay Company, so she found a job there and started steering the company. While Whitman worked there, EBay’s revenue grew from $4.7 million to nearly $8 billion. Whitman was the CEO, and retired in 2008.
Jerry Brown- Brown was an Attorney General earlier in his career; meaning he was the main legal advisor to the government, in this case the advisor to the governor of California. According to his website, jerrybrown.org, Brown has rightfully arrested 6,000 criminals, recovered 5,800 guns, closed 400 amphetamine labs, and cut the Attorney General’s operating budget by nearly 10%. Brown served as California’s governor in the 1970’s.
These are just some of the basic facts about the two candidates. I am still in the process of getting an interview with Mr. Brown and Mrs. Whitman, so stay tuned for interviews in the next edition!

Salt Review

2010-10-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Senior Editor

If Inception or Avatar was a fancy French banquet, then Salt was a giant chocolate bar. It was basically a running gunfight; fast, intense, and easily burned and digested.
But who doesn’t like chocolate bars? Designer chocolate bars (James Bond) have made it to the finest restaurants all around the world.
Unfortunately, Salt was just a Hershey’s bar.
In the beginning of the movie Evelyn Salt is rescued from a North Korean prison, shown bloodied, haggard, and dead looking, while begging innocence to the North Koreans. Evelyn Salt actually works for the FBI.
Early in the movie, a Russian defector is brought in, claiming that a Russian agent will travel to Washington to kill the president of Russia. Stop. Problem there. Since when are the Russians the bad guys? I know that Russian super-villains have killer accents, but since when are we enemies with Russia?
Oh well. I’m probably the only one who cares. Moving on.
The early stages of the movie are shot with an incredible bias from the director, trying to make Evelyn Salt look innocent. This just made me extremely uncomfortable, wanting to hate Salt but being pushed to like her. I was waiting for a Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde twist to emerge, but Evelyn Salt remained the unstoppable (and unremarkable) secret Russian “G12” agent (despite the fact that Russia’s CIA equivalent is the GIU).
Story aside, the movie was somewhat entertaining. The chases were entertaining, but the martial arts were disappointing, to say the least. Angelina Jolie might be as her name says, but she can’t fight for her life. Replace her with Jackie Chan, and THEN you have something good coming, but what they got done was repetitive and un-creative. Salt would take down the pathetic one guard who stupidly happened to have the key to the room that was just sealed off, and then was entered by Salt.
Summed up, the movie was an entertaining action film, but was so lacking in substance that I do not recommend it. Film aficionados, stay away, but have fun Bond fans.

Planner and Notebook Art

2010-10-14T12:05:00.001-07:00

By Cameron Kay, Contributing Writer

As I have been walking around the campus from class to class I have noticed how creatively kids have been decorating their school supplies. There are the people with a sticker obsession and others, like having the family photos. You can learn so much about kids just by looking at journals or planners. There are many great things about decorating planners such as it is harder to lose because nobodies looks the same. It will also stand out in a lost and found bin if it should end up there. I’m not the most organized person in the world. Even when decorated for me to keep track of my planner it could require a siren and neon lights. I have some pictures below showing some crazy notebooks and planners.

The Arts and Crafts Club

2010-10-14T12:02:00.001-07:00

By Cameron Kay, Contributing Writer

The arts and crafts club is a new and exciting addition to Menlo School’s clubs. From my email interview with Ms. Silver, she decided that kids might want to learn some of the art technique that is not taught in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade classes. Ms. Silver is teaching technique that will most likely take more than just one period of clubs to complete. She has been teaching at Menlo for eighteen years and before that she helped write and organize the Art in Action Program at Phillips Brooks School.
The first thing this club did was making string art and discs woven with string. All of the student’s projects will be arranged into a large 3D project that the students will take home. Ms. Silver will be teaching other clubs this year in acrylic, mosaics, texture, and pattern, though this club will not be offered again. Feel free to drop in and make some cool artwork!

The Good and the Bad of FFL

2010-10-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

By Alec Sullivan, Sports Editor

This season for fantasy football you are all probably banking on your Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson type guy. During this article I am going to tell you guys all about what to expect during this season from sleepers to guys completely falling of the charts. There are many keys to winning your league but I’m going to give you 3 things that will definitely help you win your league

1) Go for guys going into their 2^nd through 4^th years. Try to avoid aging running backs because you never know when they drop off the shelf like running backs often do.

2) Make sure you’re not left in the dark when it comes to the Tight End position because of the lack of depth at this position.

3) Try to avoid players that share time like Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams from Carolina because they aren’t going to always be consistent for you because of the fact that they share time.

If you have a solid team and you make sure you do this. You’ll most likely have a great fantasy season

The Last Song

2010-10-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

By Georgia Anderson and Tatum Tai, Contributing Writers

In the movie The Last Song, a sassy teenager, moves from her hometown, to live with her troubled father for the summer. While she is there she has a very dramatic summer. She becomes friends with Blaze, ( Carly Chaikin) , the daring, young girlfriend of the fire juggler, Marcus, ( Nick Lashaway.) Over time she falls hard for Will Blakelee, aka the richest man in town’s boy played by Liam Hemsworth. This riveting story ends with an unexpected twist. Hope you enjoy this new hit!

Director: Julie Ann Robinson

Released: March 31^st , 2010

An Interview with Norm Colb

2010-10-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

By Justin Kasser, Contributing Writer

JUSTIN KASSER: We have now celebrated the opening of the new athletics center a few days ago, and how are you feeling about the new building?

NORM COLB: I feel wonderful that the building has finally been created. One of happiest days of my career at Menlo was watching the community enjoy the new, beautiful facility, and I think that with this move the school just got it right… they nailed it.

JUSTIN KASSER: And you were one of the first people to be up there, on the new floor of the Athletics Center, speaking about it. What did you feel when explaining to the crowd about the new gym?

NORM COLB: Well, when you are speaking in front of twelve thousand people, it is never so easy, I actually enjoyed myself up there tremendously, celebrating with the community about what it will accomplish for the Menlo students. Before the sixth graders arrived, the gym was way across the campus, shared with the college, and what that meant was that we didn’t have a ready way to support our athletics for students here. And because it is now very easy to access, I think it will now be very helpful for the health and wellness of our students here at Menlo. So to answer your question, I was glad to have the honor of presenting that information to the community.

JUSTIN KASSER: So going a little off topic, what are you looking forward to in the 2010- 2011 school year at Menlo?

NORM COLB: I want to make sure that students, especially those new to the sixth grade and ninth grade have an outstanding year and get off to a wonderful start. I wish also that the teachers in the middle school and high school have an outstanding as well. We are also putting the finishing touches on the design of the new Creative Arts Center for the high school, which will be part of the challenge Menlo program, also. That building, which will be done by about the summer of 2012, will have as much as an impact in learning for the high school as the athletics center did for the middle school.

JUSTIN KASSER: Well, thank you for being interviewed for the Scribbler, and I am sure this will turn out as a great article for the paper. And hopefully we can get even more articles for the Scribbler.

Gumming Up Your Day

2010-09-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

By Danny Weiss, Contributing Writer

It’s here, it’s there it’s everywhere, under tables, on the bottom of your shoes, in the turf and grass, lying in the hallways. Gum is now officially a school wide epidemic, making appearances in the sixth grade quad, and the seventh grade halls. Teachers all over the school are making announcements about this nuisance during class time and before lunch, taking up our valuable eating time. Stop the madness and throw away your gum. It’s not allowed here.

Also, cell phones. A new school rule prohibits cell phone use during school hours, so remember to keep your cell phones in your locker until the final bell rings.
Another thing, if you see papers lying around, pick them up and throw them away if they don’t belong to someone. Even though we have cleaning staff, they can’t be everywhere at once and it’s good to help them out once and awhile.

The new sports center is clean and pristine, but it won’t be for long unless we clean up some of the lockers. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean you have to trash it.

Menlo Athletic Center: A New Future

2010-09-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

By Justin Kasser, Contributing Writer

The future of the Menlo School just took another huge step forward when the ribbon was cut to the new Menlo Athletics Center.
This amazing building, part of the Challenge Menlo program, will be the new middle school and high school gym. The Athletics Center was opened the 24th of August, and will mark a Menlo historic occasion. The day it was opened, a huge celebration was hosted by Menlo, serving mini hot dogs, free ice cream, and cupcakes. It was the day before Menlo would start classes, too.
As everyone filed into the new athletics center, the Menlo band was playing and the ceremony began. It started by all the sports players from all the different sports walking down the new gym floor, holding a banner with the sports name on it. Norm Colb, headmaster of Menlo school, then began his speech on the new gym. Many other individuals made speeches, too, and finally the ribbon was going to be cut.
Student council presidents Andreas Katsis and Jessica Juan cut the ribbon and the new Menlo school Athletics Center was open, one step closer to a better Menlo future.

Welcome to year 2010-2011

2010-09-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

By Joe Klein, Senior Editor

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year! We have changed the way the Scribbler works to fit the new club schedule. We are going to start trying to get more issues published this year; our goal is going to be getting an issue out every three weeks. Christopher Cassidy and I are going to be the editors this year, and we can always use more writers. Scribbler club is on Thursday, but you can always drop in on Tuesdays and write. We need all types of articles, including world politics, around Menlo, pop culture, and any things else that you want to write about. We look forward to see you in room 607!

September in Major League Baseball

2010-09-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

By Davis Rich, Senior Staff Writer

This September, there are at least 3 races still open. In the NL, the West and
East division crowns are up for grabs. In the AL, the Rays and Yankees are fighting for
the wild card and the East crown. (As of September 14, 2010)

Locks: Texas will run away with the AL West, unless Oakland can make up 7 games in
25 days. But with Cliff Lee and Josh Hamilton injured, hope is still alive in the East Bay.
Minnesota has yet to completely take over the AL Central, but they are looking very
strong, and should take the Central. The Rays and Yankees should both get playoff
spots.

NL West: The Giants tied the Padres on top of the NL West after taking three of
four from the Padres in San Diego. The Padres snapped a 10 game streak, but
with Tim Lincecum pitching like an All-Star again, the Giants are in good shape.

NL Wild Card: The Braves recently fell out of first place, leaving the door open for the
Phillies, but they look like they will still win the Wild Card.

The Rockies had their 10 game winning streak snapped, but they had pulled within ½
game of the Giants and Padres.

Review of Iron Man 2

2010-05-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

by Christopher Cassidy

I think that all I can say is that Iron Man 2 is among the best movies I have ever seen. To begin, Iron Man 2 has a spectacular plot. In the very beginning of the film, the US government tries to take Iron Man away from Tony Stark in the name of public security, but Tony resists, saying that any weapon like it is far from existence. The villain, a certain Ivan Vanko, is the son of Anton Vanko, a rival of Howard Stark in the development of the ‘arc generator’. Vanko builds his own arc-generator powered suit, and nearly kills Tony Stark with it in the beginning of the film. Tony scrambles into Iron Man and survives, but people’s comfort in the safety he brings becomes the leading conflict on the media. The arrival of Vanko’s weapon gets government pressure on Tony involved. Vanko then is sprung from jail by Hammer Industries, a shady rival of Stark. Justin Hammer, the CEO, hires Vanko to build suits for him, but is ultimately tricked by Vanko, who uses Hammer’s resources to build his own weapon. Vanko quickly builds a number of cheap drones, but is held by Hammer, as Hammer leaves to show off Vanko’s creations. To add to the suspense, Tony’s heart implant is hurting his body. SHEATH Department Director Nick Fury brings a new dimension to the film by offering Tony hidden information left by his father for him. This information could save Tony by making his chest-implanted arc-generator safe forever, and by perfecting the arc-generator technology. There is a great suspense scene as Tony works out how to fabricate a new element for the arc generator. Just as he solves the problem of his generator, a bigger one surfaces. Hammer is showing off Vanko’s robots at an expo. Vanko then hacks the drones and a Hammer-modified suit, (piloted by Stark’s friend Rhody) and uses them to try to destroy Iron Man. The climax comes as SHEATH operatives infiltrate the Hammer building and de-hack Rhody’s suit. SHEATH continues the fight for the building, as Stark and Rhody have one of the best climax battles I have ever seen. There’s an aerial chase/battle and a reasonably savory hero scene at the end, as Stark and Rhody fight off Vanko/Hammer’s drones and Vanko’s super-suit. To sum it up, the plot is sweet and complex, and the action is just the right length and intensity. The characters are well acted and are the best kinds of villains and mostly likeable heroes.

Giants Preview 2010

2010-05-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

by Davis Rich, Staff writer

Giants April Review

By Davis Rich, Staff Writer

After being in the wild card race for the majority of 2009, the San Francisco Giants are in the hunt for a title in a weak NL West. They added utility player Mark DeRosa and first baseman Aubrey Huff. They really need to improve their hitting in order to contend for a title. Pablo Sandoval needs to hit 30 homers to help the Giants.

Projected Batting Order (According to ESPN)

Aaron Rowand CF
Freddy Sanchez 2B
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Aubrey Huff 1B
Mark DeRosa LF
Bengie Molina C
Edgar Renteria SS
Nate Schierholtz RF

But in April, Sanchez injured his elbow, Vincente Padilla hit Rowand in the face, and Juan Uribe, a key sub, hurt his elbow and is currently day-to-day. Huff, John Bowker, and Eugenio Velez are slumping. So the order from the Phillies-Giants game on April 26, 2010 looked like this.

Andres Torres CF
Edgar Renteria SS
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Aubrey Huff 1B
Mark DeRosa 2B
Nate Schierholtz RF
John Bowker LF
Eli Whiteside C (is Jonathan Sanchez’s personal catcher, would have been Bengie Molina)

The brightest side has been the pitching. The top four pitchers, (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez) have ERAs of 1.49, 1.70, 2.48, and 2.84. Through May 6, 2010, the Giants staff has struck out 221 batters. Tim Lincecum leads the league with 56 strikeouts and Barry Zito is 5-0. Pitching is what will carry the Giants, but the hitting needs to get better.

Top iTunes

2010-05-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

by Mia McConnell

TOP TEN ITUNES SONGS

Not Afraid by Eminem – Hip Hop/Rap
OMG by Usher (feat. Will.i.am) – R&B/Soul
Airplanes by B.o.B (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) – Hip Hop/Rap
Alejandro by Lady GaGa - Pop
My first Kiss by 3OH!3 (feat. Ke$ha) - Alternative
California Gurls by Katy Perry (feat. Snoop Dogg) - Pop
Your love is my drug by Ke$ha - Pop
Young Forever by Jay-Z (feat. Mr.Hudson) – Hip Hop/Rap
Break your Heart by Taio Cruz (feat. Ludacris) - Pop
Hey Soul Sister by Train - Pop

Taylor Swift Fearless Review

2010-04-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

By Kate Huneke, Senior Editor

The pure love and enthusiasm of Taylor Swift’s legions of fans seemed to burn away the clouds that filled the sky on April 11 at the HP Pavilion. Swift shines, from the brass buttons on her opening bandleader outfit to the brilliant facets tacked onto her signature acoustic guitar. Her opening number, the hit single “You Belong With Me,” satisfied the adolescent, adoring fans, and corresponded with the perfect pitch of the recorded version.

Swift's performed songs alternate between adolescent love stories and tales of relationships gone wrong at the hands of uninterested or dishonest boys. Her singing voice was clear and on pitch, and in response to the skeptical, clearly not lip-synced. Her vocal range is limited and she plays it safe for the most part, sticking closely to her recorded performances, but when she's in her comfort zone, her voice has a sweet, airy tone that works nicely to support the music she writes.

Every second of the show was scripted. Even moments intended to appear spontaneous gave themselves away when interspersed with video clips. What made it work was that Swift, her band and her dancers were fully committed to the performance and that they all seemed to genuinely appreciate the wild enthusiasm of the audience.

The musicians were solid, versatile and did a good job of preserving the spirit of the songs in an arena setting. Some of the more popular material suffered for lack of the polished production of the studio releases, most notably "Fearless," "Our Song" and "Love Story," but for the most part the band delivered, as did Swift.

The night was structured in three acts. The show opened with a dazzling production of the misfit anthem "You Belong With Me," satisfying the many fans who came dressed as the nerdy protagonist from the video. A set of full band hits followed, then, after a brief pause, Swift appeared in the middle of the crowd for a more intimate acoustic set.

Over the course of four songs, she worked her way through the audience and back to the stage, mingling with her adoring and awestruck fans, and finished with a solo rendition of "White Horse." The band returned for an impressively theatrical "Love Story," in which the visuals overshadowed the music. The set closed with Swift drifting through some of her weaker material, ending with a forgettable rendition of "Picture to Burn."

The encore brought the crowd fully back to life with a heart-shaped confetti-drenched rendition of the new single "Today Was a Fairytale," which Swift sang dressed in a San Jose Sharks jersey. The final encore, "Should've Said No," featured a fierce drum battle between Swift and one of her backup singers and ended with Swift singing while being drenched with sheets of rain that somehow spelled out key lyrics to the chorus of the song.

Swift uses her hair more than her voice for emotional emphasis, a move that wore thin as the night went on until, toward the end of the evening, it bordered on silly. The pained ballad "You're Not Sorry" climaxed with Swift tossing her head wildly in all directions as she sat at the piano, in a way that was both trite and contrived.

That said, she is young, gorgeous and has a lot of raw talent and the means to partner with songwriters and producers who can help her take the next step.

The most memorable part of the evening was not the high-production technology or the energetic performances, but rather the small slot of time when Swift stood on stage, marinating in the worship and affection of her fans’ roaring applause.

Clash of the Titans Review

2010-04-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Clash of the Titans (?)

By Christopher M. Cassidy, Staff Writer

Clash of the Titans, remake of the 1981 film bearing the same name, is close to the worst real movie I have ever seen. The director, Louis Leterrier says he is “a huge fan of the original film. It was my first magic movie, and I was wowed by it.” And that he “jumped at the chance to make his own version.” To begin, why remake something that you loved? You remake things that are rubbish, things that have potential to go somewhere with; to improve, not something you love. Anyways, the script is terrible. They repeat themselves a million times and the language is simple and not particularly interesting. The title is completely inaccurate (there are no titans involved in the movie whatsoever), and the acting is completely wooden. Perseus acts like he knows that the director is going to save him, and seems to not have any fear at all. Io tries to take the Obi-Wan Kenobi position of the powerful, wise, and mysterious master by doing some weird and unexplained magic thing to prepare “already prepared” Perseus for a fight with Medusa, but ends up looking like a fool. The sort of fake, not-really-there I’ll go so far as to call it a romantic element is so boring and impalpable that you don’t even want to try to figure it out. The interaction between human characters is completely without merit. The director kills off most of the grand army of 20 people (also lame), so only the main, main, main characters actually matter. The characters themselves are not loveable at all: Zeus is so stuck up that you don’t like him, Hades is downright evil, Perseus (improperly labeled as the son of Zeus) is an unintelligent, rash brute who only lives because of movie luck, and Io (supposedly a nymph turned into a cow and sent to Egypt but a person in the movie) is just plain pathetic; always needing the hero to save her, etc. What you’re left with is wiz-o special effects and a series of set pieces that leave you thinking Is this one any better than the last? If you’re an 8-year-old boy and you want to see giant scorpions charging around, have fun. But I just can’t stand sitting around in a theater watching some dribblesome bore waltz around in a Greek battle skirt showing off his muscles swinging around a plastic sword in the most ridiculous form for troops living off of crackers. So, you stretch, you lean back, you yawn, take a sip of water, and you feel the rest of your lower body start to go numb, and you decide that your money was wasted, and see the kraken. To begin, they got the monster all wrong, giving it a torso and arms and claws and a head, etc, but also, there’s nothing new that you haven’t seen in the trailer. Is it not odd that they show you the monster?! There’s another thing too. After the success of things like Avatar, we are told that everything has to be in 3-D. Now, it’s one thing to have James Cameron design and shoot with 72 cameras for 3-D, but to shoot in 2-D, put it through a computer process that bungles around with it and turns it into 3-D and then charge you extra for the privilege of seeing something transformed into 3-D is completely BANANAS! The director said that he “designed many of the shots with this visual style in mind; stepping INTO new worlds and having big creatures coming AT you.” That means you want to design it with depth… But unless you’re directing a kindergarten show where everyone is a cardboard figure on a stick, EVERY MOVIE HAS DEPTH! That’s the DUMBEST reason for 3-Dification that I’ve ever heard! If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the movie, just without the headache-inducing spectacle of watching a movie shot in 2-D and then turned into 3-D with some big monsters that through the miracle of 3-Dification are made to look SMALLER, sitting there thinking Oh for goodness’ sake can we just STOP THIS NOW?!

-Some elements of this article were inspired by my beloved film critic Mark Kermode

Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-26T11:53:00.001-08:00

By Kate Huneke, Senior Editor

One of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, Haiti in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, severe environmental degradation and an annual barrage of hurricanes, which killed an estimated 800 people and caused vast damage in 2008. On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, reducing much of its capital to rubble. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years, with as many as 50,000 feared dead. The devastation created serious obstacles to those attempting to deliver promised foreign aid. The country is, by a significant margin, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with four out of five people living in poverty and more than half in abject poverty. Deforestation and over-farming have left much of Haiti eroded and barren, undermining subsistence farming efforts, driving up food prices and leaving the country even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its long history of political instability and corruption has added to the turmoil.
Now that a week has gone by since the devastating earthquake in Haiti and aid is finally reaching those who need it, more groups and nonprofits have mobilized to continue to raise money for recovery as relief efforts continue. The list below is still the most comprehensive resource of organizations helping in Haiti. This update contains several new groups and fundraisers that make it easy to give:
-Music For Relief is offering a compilation of unreleased music, available for free download on MusicForRelief.org. The site encourages donations, which will be divided equally among the United Nations Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band's BAMA Works Haitian relief program.
-National Nurses United already has 10,000 nurses volunteering to go to Haiti, but they need to raise money to send them there. Every dollar donated to NNU will be spent directly on sending a professional nurse to Haiti.
-Artists For Peace and Justice is a relatively new organization with an advisory board of prominent celebrity activists, including Maria Bello, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Oliver Stone and Josh Brolin. Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, the group originally sought to help build functional schools in impoverished regions in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they've directed all of their funds to recovery efforts, with a focus on helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and orphanages.
-K.I.D.S., or Kids In Distressed Situations, is delivering clothes, diapers, and water and is asking for cash donations as well as product gifts. To inquire about necessary items you can give, contact K.I.D.S. president Janice Weinman at 212-279-5493 x207.
-Healing The Children has firm commitments from numerous pediatric hospitals throughout the U.S. to provide medical care for over 50 children injured in the Haiti earthquake. They will organize and navigate the medical system for the children and provide a host family to offer the children the love and security they need during their treatment

My Shadow

2010-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

by Lauren Smith, staff writer

There is a little dark thing that follows me around,
But sometimes I forget he’s there because he doesn’t make a sound.

Sometimes he’s ten times taller than me when the sun is low
But when there’s not much light at all he doesn’t even show!

Sometimes he leads me to where I’m going, sometimes he trails behind.
We get there and we act the same- we’re both either mean or kind.

My shadow is my very best friend, I’ll always count on him.
He cheers me up by mirroring me when I’m feeling grim.

I tell him he’s a copycat, he’s silent in reply.
I guess he’s trying to stop a fight. He’s a pretty good guy.

My shadow is my buddy, my shadow is my friend.
But I’m afraid my shadow’s out to bug me ‘till the end.

The Service Work of Tim Strong

2010-01-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

By Julia Wu, Staff Writer

Tim Strong, a brave and generous man, took his skills to help people in Africa. He has traveled and had many adventures in Sub-Saharan Africa, but also in parts of East and Equatorial West Africa. Over the past five years, he has worked in Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa. In particular, he has most enjoyed Malawi and Ethiopia because of the friendships he has made there. He has switched around with different programs, projects, and organizations. Primarily, he worked with Christian non-profits, but eventually started working in the United States Peace Corps, and several Micro-finance programs. Tim is currently working for the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. The majority of his work has been Agricultural Development and Forestry Protection, but now has a project manager positions for Infrastructure Development. One of his crazy experiences was working with hippos and elephants. Tim’s first task was called, " The Elephant Conflict.” He had to make a solution so that forest reserve's elephants stayed out of farmers' fields. Tim had many different approaches, one of which was electric fences, although they weren’t successful because elephants would promptly turn around backwards and kick them over. Finally they subsidized firecrackers, which the farmers would throw at the elephants at night. He noted that it wasn’t his favorite solution, but it was successful and the farmers could continue harvesting their crops without disturbance. His current project is installing water and sanitation measures at a school in Ghana. Tim has been able to install septic systems, showers, sinks and toilets! It seems pretty silly from our perspective, but Ghana really lacks clean water. If you were to put on their shoes, walking in the streets and seeing open sewer systems, you would certainly agree! Tim has also been offered a job for next year coordinating the development of all the health clinics in Machinga District in Malawi. Tim stated The Clinton Foundation has a memorandum of understanding with the Malawian Ministry of Health to renovate all their clinics as well as installing facilities for treating HIV/AIDS. It’s a huge commitment, and he is honored to do so. As Tim travels around different environments, he finds that the living style changes with each culture. With the Peace Corps Tim lived in a grass and mud hut and ate what he grew. Now, things are a little more up-scale, sometimes electricity is available. He normally has running water and lives in relatively urban environments. Because of this, his work demands are a lot higher, and he doesn’t get to live life in the village anymore. In the Peace Corps the majority of the time he rode a bike or hitchhiked. He did learn sometimes it felt a lot safer in a stranger's car than in a rickety mini bus that pumps exhaust into the car and makes your eyes sting. He also enjoyed walking. Adding to his wild adventures in Africa he has eaten flies, termites, and mice! Tim lived in a very rural area. It was about a two-hour bike ride through the mountains from the road-to-road beyond the trading center where they had electricity. Tim had a small solar charger for his phone and radio, but if he got tired of eating corn and soy all the time, he could bike in to that trading center to buy supplies like soap, rice, and even some fresh goat meat! Tim has changed lives in Africa solving problems such as the elephants, giving them access to water, or being a good friend.

Sun Bowl Wrap-up

2010-01-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

By Michael Shames, Contributing Writer

Oklahoma 31 Stanford 27

It was a very close game. There were 5 lead changes. No one had more than a 10 point lead. Landry Jones, the Sooner’s QB was the clear MVP of the game. He was 30-51 for 418 yards and 3 touchdowns. That’s pretty good for a guy who was supposed to play behind a Heisman Trophy Winner all year. The opposing Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard was 8 for 19 for 117 yards with 2 interceptions. You can’t really blame him though. He was behind Andrew Luck the whole year and when he actually played, Toby Gerhart would get the ball. In the Sun Bowl Gerhart had 132 yards on 32 carries. Stanford exceeded their expectations for the year by ending the year ranked and getting into a bowl game. Oklahoma can be proud with their win against the #21 Stanford Cardinal.

Boise’s Shot at History

2010-01-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

By Joe Klein, Senior Staff Writer

Boise St. is at it’s best a couple weeks after a 17-10 upset victory in the Fiesta Bowl over #3 TCU. Led by Sophmore QB Kellen Moore, the Broncos went 14-0 and ended 4th in the BCS and AP Rankings. The Broncos averaged 460 yards and 27 ppg, and showed some defense in victories over TCU and Pac-10 Champion Oregon. They will return 21 of 22 starters (they will only miss a CB) and they should go unbeaten. Reported by ESPN, if the Broncos end in the top 2, they will go to the BCS National Championship. Originally, Boise St. was a stop for young coaches who went on to coach BCS caliber teams. Now, all that has changed. Coach Chris Petersen has signed a 5 year extension with the Broncos, with an option for 2016. That said, the Broncos will play Oregon St, and will also play Virginia Tech. Here is their 2010 schedule as of right now;
Week 1 vs. Toledo; Week 2 at Wyoming; Week 3 vs. Oregon St.; Week 4 vs. Virginia Tech
Expect a National Championship appearance.

A Replicator Onboard the ISS

2010-01-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Science Editor

As the cost of transporting just a small screw into space is incredible and rapidly increasing, more permanent measures have taken place, in form of a mini-replicator (not quite as good as the one in Star Trek, but the fact that they have it is pretty incredible). Though it doesn’t work like the energy→matter synthesizer on the Enterprise, it still makes us feel a step closer to having that ability. You’re probably dying to know what I’m talking about now. It works like a 3-D printer, just not as much inkjet as a real 3-D printer. In the new sort-of replicator, an electron beam melts a feed stick (this can be any meltable material; whatever you want to make something out of) and it lays down the falling liquid in a precise, computer-oriented pattern that eventually turns into any part the computer is programmed to make. This way, you don’t have to ferry up random parts in an expensive shuttle flight. This puts us closer to the more efficient raw-matter replication process, and will make space exploration much cheaper and provide more conveniences for astronauts.

Our Future of Energy: The Way the Universe Does It

2010-01-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Science Editor

Another Earth-friendly power source that appears in science fiction is coming closer to reality: nuclear fusion. While the benefits are well known, the problems are daunting. Fusion reactors (if/when made) have 1000 times more output than uranium reactors, and do not create any radioactive waste, only non-polluting helium. Now, to fuse two hydrogen isotopes, they need to be held together for one second at 40 million degrees Kelvin and contained to harness the energy. How to contain this massive reaction, (1000 atomic bombs worth of energy) is a difficult task. Currently, magnetic fields are under research, but haven’t been able to contain the reaction. The world’s most powerful laser is going to be used to fuse the nuclei together, annihilating a neutron in the process. While a power source is the most practical aspect of this project, scientists also would like to observe the fusion process, being the source of energy in the sun. A “star on Earth” is being planned for fusion research.

CO2 to Fuel-With a Negative Carbon Footprint

2009-12-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Science Editor

An environmentalist’s dream. An oil executive’s nightmare. If it doesn’t end up saving the world, it will at least put off its destruction for a good while. This sounds like a fantasy: a solar-powered way to turn carbon dioxide into fuel. And interestingly enough, particle physics and quantum science have nothing to do with it. Just simple chemistry. A large disk (maybe 6 feet wide) focuses sunlight into a 2-inch hole. Inside the hole, there is a set of rotating cobalt ferrite disks. As they are heated, some of their electrons are excited beyond the containment of the nucleus, and the disks lose an electron. When these charged disks contact carbon dioxide, they steal an electron from the carbon dioxide and the carbon dioxide molecules lose the covalent charge strength, and the CO2 loses an oxygen atom. The resulting carbon monoxide can be sold as an important industrial chemical or converted into fuel. Another project has used nano-tubes of titanium dioxide and solar UV radiation to turn a mixture of carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and propane.

MLB Standings

2009-11-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

By Michael Shames, Contributing Writer

#30- Washington Nationals
Need Some Veteran Players to add to their last year players and rookies.
Key Player: Ryan Zimmerman

#29- Pirates
Have decent pitching mediocre hitting but good potential.
Key Player: Andrew McCutchen

#28- Royals
Have great pitching and defense need power in their lineup.
Key Player: Zach Greinke

#27- Orioles
Horrible pitching but maybe a spark of relief pitching and average hitting.
Key Player: Nick Markakis

#26- Athletics
Good, young pitchers absolutely no hitting like Nationals need some middle aged veterans like Kurt Suzuki.
Key Player: Rajai Davis

#25- Indians
Traded away pretty much whole team, and coach. Cabrera could be their only hope for the upcoming seasons.
Key Player: Absdurbal Cabrera

#24- Mets
Always have a great first half of the season but tire out later in the season. Carlos Delgado is looking for an injure-free final few years of his career. Not very likely.
Key Player: David Wright

#23- Diamondbacks
With their year done they have been working their young players and rookies like Brandon Allen and Gerardo Parra.
Key Player: Dan Haren

#22- Padres
If they want to make the playoffs next year, they have to get a good bullpen pitcher like George Sherrill
Key Player: Adrian Gonzalez

#21- Reds
Have good rising stars like Votto and Drew Stubbs
Key Player: Joey Votto

#20- Brewers
If you asked a Brewers fan about the year they would say that the Brewers were “below expectations” and I agree.
Key Player: Prince Fielder

#19- Blue Jays
Adam Lind had a breakout season for them leading their team in average (.305), home runs (36), RBI (114), and OPS (.932).
Key Player: Roy Halladay

#18- Astros
Disappointing season at 74-88, second to last in the NL Central.
Key Player: Miguel Tejada

#17- White Sox
Buehrle had a perfect game, could have been only good pitching performance on their team.
Key Player: Mark Buehrle

#16- Mariners
Weren’t supposed to have a good year but if they get power they have a slim chance next year.
Key Player: Ichiro Suzuki

#15- Twins
Got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs but they have a good future for next year. It would help their chances even more if they had a decent starter.
Key Player: Joe Mauer

#14- Cubs
If Lou Pinella can hold his temper and not get ejected they will outcoach other teams.
Key Player: Derek Lee

#13- Braves
Bobby Cox has the same problem as Pinella but it won’t be as much of a factor in their playoff chances as it is for the Cubs. Jair Jurjjens
Key Player: Adam Laroche

#12- Marlins
Not too good pitching but young hitting talent will get them close to the playoffs in 2010
Key Player: Hanley Ramirez

#11- Rays
Carlos Pena had an injury at the end of the year, I don’t know if he can have an injury-free year in 2010, could hurt Rays
Key Player: Evan Longoria

#10- Giants
If Garko and Sanchez have bad hitting years, they’ll need another trade for a hittr
Key Player: Tim Lincencum

#9- Rockies
Marquis and Jimenez had up years for the Rockies. Expect them to make an appearance in the playoffs next year
Key Player: Troy Tulowitzki

#8- Rangers
Hamilton came from a Comeback Of the Year award in 2008. Everyone had high expectations of him he didn’t meet them. if he doesn’t have a decent year, he’ll end up in a Royals uniform.
Key Player: Josh Hamilton

#7- Tigers
Didn’t quite make the playoffs but they had a great year offensively. They’ll be in the playoffs next year for sure.
Key Player: Curtis Granderson

#6- Dodgers
Had a very good year with all their young power hitters George Sherrill had a tremendous half-year with the Dodgers only mistake was acquiring Jim Thome
Key Player: Andre Ethier

#5- Angels
Guerrero and Hunter didn’t have their best years so they need to help their team next year if they want a chance
Key Player: Torii Hunter

#4- Cardinals
Should have won it all but pitching let them down Carpenter had a great year coming back from an injury
Key Player: Albert Pujols

#3- - Phillies
Consecutive World Series appearances. Howard and Utley had great years but not enough to win World Series they could have made it with better relief pitching
Key Player: Chase Utley

#2- Red Sox
First full year without Manny and Ortiz took a while to get in a groove somehow it all came together in the end and got to the ALCS
Key Player: Josh Beckett

#1- Yankees
WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS Mariano Rivera had yet another great year and A-Rod’s was a wild one kudos to Joe Girardi
Key Player: Alex Rodriguez

Week 10-11 Waiver Gems

2009-11-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

By Joe Klein, Senior Staff Writer

JOSH FREEMAN- Buccaneers QB (6% owned)
If you need depth in a big league (10+), Freeman will give you depth. With matchups against Miami, Carolina, and Atlanta in the next few weeks, he will have some big games. Tampa Bay also plays from behind a lot, so that means more passing.
LADELL BETTS- Redskins RB (11% owned)
Clinton Portis has a concussion, so it’s Betts’ turn to shine. Even if Portis plays, he will have lots of work to do. If Portis sits, and you have a really big league, Rock Cathwright, who backs up Betts, will be a valuable addition, but only in 16+ leagues.
DARREN MCFADDEN, JUSTIN FARGAS- Raiders RB (59% owned)
When Jamarcus Russell is your QB, you will have to run the ball. McFadden is coming back in Week 10, and will split time with Fargas. Fargas has been consistently good (I have him on my team), and is worth a spot start here and there. I also have McFadden, and he was good when he wasn’t injured.
CHRIS CHAMBERS- Chiefs WR (16% owned)
Chambers was a fail in San Diego this year, but last week, with a 3 catch, 70 yard, 2TD performance against Jacksonville, he has become a force in KC. Now, with WR’s Bobby Engram and Bobby Wade struggling, Chambers will get the ball regularly.
BRANDON PETTIGREW- Lions TE (10% owned)
Pettigrew would be best serving for an injury or as a backup on your team. He is Matthew Stafford’s target, and a convincing game in week 9 might be another reason to add him.
CINCINNATI- Bengals DEF (49% owned)
The Bengals are valuable for a couple starts if your defense is wearing down. With matchups like Oakland, Cleveland, and Detroit, the Bengals are a good pick-up.

8th DC Trip November 19, 2009

2009-11-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

Written by Averi Westerman (with a little help from her friends)

Photos by Peter Bouret

This morning we woke to the ding of the alarm clock in our ears at 6:15 in the morning and trudged down to the breakfast room. We munched on bacon, eggs, sausage and the other treats that the hotel had provided for us. After breakfast, kids filed into the lobby as Starbucks employees frantically grabbed overflowing cups of hot chocolate to lighten the dark circles under our eyes.

Our day began at the Library of Congress where we were treated to a special audio tour by a docent who helped us appreciate the amazing architecture and function of this remarkable building. Trying to block out the outside world, we turned off our addicting electronics which allowed us to figure out something about this magnificent library that was significant to each individual. For me, I noticed that there were many paintings and figures of women. Not usually appreciated in memorials, or other monuments in D.C., these images were both powerful and strong.

Here are some of the other highlights of our day: an educational tour of The Supreme Court, a veritable smorgasbord of lunchtime offerings at Union Station, inspiring visits to the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, reverent walks past the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, and a trip to the American History Museum where we got to see the ruby red slippers Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz, the actual flag that flew over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner,” and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat!

For dinner, we went to the Pentagon Mall, which was filled with yummy places to eat and some great shops. With full stomachs and tired legs, we boarded our buses and rode back to the hotel in anticipation of a pool party but with the threat of lightning in the area, the pool was closed. Boooooohooooo!!!! So we went to our separate floors; girls to the second and boys to the third and prepared for the day ahead.

8th DC Trip November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Greetings from D.C. We’ve just returned to our hotel after an incredible day which included a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello, a scrumptious, country style meal at Historic Michie’s Restaurant which is just a stone’s throw from the Jefferson house, and an exciting basketball game between the Washington Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But right now, it’s a bit late for details. So we hope you’ll understand our decision to go straight to bed with the promise to fill you in with the highlights of both Wednesday and Thursday when we go to press tomorrow night. Thanks!

8th DC Trip November 17, 2009

2009-11-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Written by Kate Huneke

Photos by Peter Bouret

The second day of the eighth graders’ adventure in Washington D.C. was packed with new experiences and tons of fun. First, we woke up at a startling seven A.M. to get ready for the day that was expecting us, and first on our crowded list was Arlington Cemetery.

When we arrived at the cemetery, the mood suddenly shifted. We went from excited and carefree to serious and respectful. All of us knew that it was a time to be reverent and quiet; several funerals took place during the short time of the visit. After a small time of gaping at the rolling hills that were dotted with small, white government-issued headstones, we made our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we got to witness the changing of the guards, as well as the Wreath Laying Ceremony which was executed by four of Menlo School’s very own—Jasmin Gutierrez, Paul Wat, Lillian Siegel, and Travis Chambers. Afterwards, we visited the burial sites of the Kennedy brothers—John, Robert and the most recently deceased Edward.

Because our stomachs were rumbling and growling, we made our way over to the National Gallery of Art where we enjoyed a scrumptious meal provided by the pristine food court. Once satisfied, everyone headed over towards the International Spy Museum—a fun, mysterious, interactive place to learn about the history of spies.

With a sudden alteration of the setting, we found ourselves inside of the beautifully detailed National Cathedral. We were in awe of the carefully crafted elements of the ancient structure (including a moon rock that is inside of a stained-glass window and a carving of Darth Vader as one of the grotesques on the outside of the church). Unfortunately, our time at the Cathedral was short but, being hungry once again, we headed towards Armand’s for delicious pizza, passing by Embassy Row on the way there. After dinner, we had a short stop at the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial, where we all paid our respects to the soldiers who fought for our freedom. Tomorrow, we start the day with a long bus ride to Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello and finish it with an evening of basketball, watching the Washington Wizards take on Lebron and Shaq’s Cleveland Cavs.

A Gibberish Poem

2009-11-17T12:13:00.001-08:00

Lucas Loaiza, Staff writer

As the chig entered the hall,
He heard a certain call,
From the evil kog,
Which did quite appall,
It lood above the innocent chig,
While glowering and giving a victorious shieck,
Another chig came from the deep.
And quite viscously did attack,
The kog and gave him a smack.
The innocent chig gave the hero a thousand thardons,
And gave him his cloak of indestructible miton,
And this thrilling fory comes to an end,
But always remember,
In any way, shape, or form,
Fun will never stend.

A Cristmas Carol Movie Review

2009-11-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

By Mittie Golding, Senior Editor

What is spooky, funny and magical at the same time? It’s a new animated version of the Charles Dickens classic holiday story, A Christmas Carol. This movie is the latest remake of Dickens’ classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable miser who on Christmas Eve is taken on a life-changing adventure by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. When I review a movie I evaluate three things: the characters, the special effects, and the story. Regarding characters, I feel that Jim Carrey did a brilliant job of playing, through the marvel of animation, a total of 8 characters including Scrooge, as well as all three of the Ghosts. Gary Oldman also did a great job as Bob, Tiny Tim, and Marley. Although it is not really the actors’ fault, the characters are hard to connect to because of the animation. As a result, I can only give four stars to the acting in spite of fantastic performances. With regard to special effects, the 3D animation required viewers to don special glasses, and the effect was quite remarkable. The most realistic effect of 3D was the snow falling; I felt as though I could just reach out my hand, and grab a flake. Overall, I give the special effects my highest rating of five stars. Regarding the plot, I felt it was a poor adaptation of Dickens’ original story. I felt that at the end of the movie, there were still many questions that were left unanswered. I was most bothered by the scenes featuring the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. The Ghost of Christmas Present came across as very weird at first with a crazy laugh that wouldn’t end, and later he became very dark and spooky. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come was portrayed as the Grim Reaper, which I though was inappropriately scary for a family movie. As a result of these many problems, I give the plot only two stars. Taking everything into account, I give A Christmas Carol an overall rating of three stars, and can recommend it as an exciting holiday movie for most families with kids older than 8 years of age. Younger children may find some of the scenes too disturbing and confusing.

Staying Healthy Throughout the Flu Season

2009-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

By Renee Girard, Staff Writer

Even though the flu season just started, sniffles and coughs are filling up the classrooms. As more and more kids go home, the chain of sickness just keeps on going. We all know that we should wash our hands, cover our mouths, and stay home if you have a fever, but are there any other things we can do? Inside we have all been thinking about this one thought, “I really don’t want to get sick!” To help this thought not come true, we decided to ask Ms. Barada, the school nurse, if she could give us some information about these spreading illnesses.

Renee: “What do you think about all of the students getting sick here at Menlo?”

Ms. Barada: “ First of all, I hate to hear of anyone getting sick, but we are doing well this year as the number of students out sick at any given time is not more than we have seen in any other year.”

Renee: “Why do you think everyone is getting sick? What is the main illness going around?”

Ms. Barada: “Some people think H1N1 is the main illness going around right now, but without cultures being taken, I am not sure that that is what is making students sick. It is likely, but without a positive culture it is not certain. In addition, I am seeing signs of ‘colds’ in both the Upper and Middle Schools, and students with respiratory symptoms without fever.”

Renee: “Do you have any other advice for not getting sick besides washing your hands, staying home with a fever, and covering your mouth with your elbow when we cough?”

Ms. Barada: “The best prevention is washing your hands frequently, eating healthy, and getting enough rest.”

Renee: “What are the exact rules about staying home when you feel sick?”

Ms. Barada: “This is in the handbook, (on page 72) but the most important rule right now is to be fever free for 24 hours, without a fever reducing medicine. (like Tylenol)”

Renee: “About how many kids, on average, are going home each day?”

Ms. Barada: “We are sending about 4-5 kids home each week in both of the middle school and upper school, and there are approximately 20 kids home each week in both of the schools.”

Renee: “Do you believe that these illnesses will get better, or worse?”

Ms. Barada: “I am worried that as the cold weather continues more students will get sick, and therefore that it will get worse, but I am hopeful it will get better”

Turkey Poem

2009-11-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

Lucas Loaiza, Staff Writer

Brown, red, yellow and black,
You would probably be able to fit one in a shack,
The holiday to eat one is coming near,
Sit around the table,
While spreading some cheer.
Just a bit bigger than a giant chicken,
These guys provide some really good pickens.
If you haven’t guessed the animal I’m implying at,
It’s a big, fat, plump, turkey wearing a top hat.

Fall Wonderland

2009-11-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

By Renée Girard, Staff Writer

A proud step on a crunchy leaf,
hearing it crumble and crack under your stomping feet.

Looking up into the grumbling clouds,
you quickly turn your head,
and there,
spying on you,
is a deer,
acknowledging you with a short pout.

A loud crow caws,
angry at his mate,
disgusted by a past decision he did make.

A small leaf falls,
whizzing across the road,
then a small cry calls,
echoing from a lonely toad.

your eyes fall on a house,
the dimply faces,
the quiet squeak of a mouse.

The thorny roses,
with their sharpened blades,
strike quick poses,
as you quickly turn away.

Iced windows
whipped by the cold,
draw you in,
for the cozy warmth of the bold.

8th DC Trip November 16, 2009

2009-11-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

written by Paul Wat and Carter Burgess

Today was the first official full day of the 8^th graders D.C. trip. Our blaring alarms woke us up at 7:00 in the morning and we started preparing for the full day ahead. We ate an early breakfast at 8:00 consisting of eggs, cereal, juice, sausage, and waffles. Our buses rumbled in around 9:00 to take us to the famous Billy Goat Trail. The arduous hike presented many many challenges, such as the treacherous rocks and steep cliff faces.

, After a well-deserved lunch at the Old Country Buffet, (which had delectable ice cream), we went to the Newseum. The entire 8^th grade sat down with eager anticipation to watch the 4-D movie. 15 minutes later we walked out of the theater with a new perspective on media. In an exhibition of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, we gasped at gruesome heart wrenching pictures while learning about the history involved. We also played interactive games and felt what it was like to become a journalist.

At 5 pm, we left the Newseum hoping we could come back again. Driving along, we stopped at the Washington Monument and gaped at its godliness. It seemed as if it descended from heaven. We went out to dinner shortly afterwards at Sizzling Express, yet another buffet. Every food imaginable lay on its vast counters. Later we arrived at the World War II

Memorial. The fountain was like a bubbling, exploding volcano, surrounded by 54 pillars. Inscribed within the stone of each pillar was the name of a state or territory. Each star, (of which there were 4,000), represented the deaths of 1,000 soldiers during this battle.

As our bus rolled into the Marriott hotel, our teachers announced we would be having a treat. We received scrumptious cake, to celebrate three of our classmates’ birthdays. We heartily gobbled up the treat, before heading up to bed after a long, exciting day. Tune in tomorrow to hear about our trip to Arlington Cemetery.

See the Scribbler in COLOR!

2009-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Ms. Fortman for posting the Menlo Scribbler onto her website where you can see the original color versions! These are posted in pdf format and are downloadable and printable.

Volume 5, Number 1: October 5, 2009
Volume 5, Number 2: October 30, 2009

Ochocinco Report

2009-11-10T13:53:00.001-08:00

By Joe Klein, Senior Staff Writer

Chad Ochocinco is a funny, funny guy. If you haven’t heard of him, he plays wide-receiver on the Cincinnati Bengals. He has done many things during his career; he has played nine years, is the all-time Bengals receiving leader (656 receptions, 9544 yards, 58 TDS). He has also been to the Pro-Bowl 5 times. But that’s not what he’s known for; he’s the most outspoken guy in football. He changed his name from Chad Johnson to Chad Ochocinco, meaning “8, 5”, which represents his number, 85. He has played kicker (kicked a game winning PAT against the Patriots). But he is most known for his tweeting antics. Ochocinco could not live without Twitter; he likes to tweet during games and there have been articles written called “Best of Ochocinco on Twitter." Now he installed the “OCNN”, or the “Ochocinco News Network” where he posts news from around the NFL. He was the one who told us that Bengals first round pick Andre Smith was ending his holdout. But that’s not the real reason this article is being written. The real reason is because in a game against Baltimore on November 8, Ochocinco caught a TD pass that was overturned by refs. He took a couple dollars out of his back pocket and offered to the ref, but of course was turned down. Why would anybody bribe a ref? is the question I’m asking myself.

Running with the Pac

2009-11-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

By Davis Rich, Staff Writer

As the season goes into November, the Pac-10 race is still close. Though Oregon rolled over USC 47-20, the Arizona Wildcats (3-1 in Pac-10) are only 1 game behind the Ducks (5-0). Oregon has two big games coming up, at No. 18 Arizona, and VS. Oregon St. Arizona, in 2^nd place, has No. 23 Cal in Berkeley on November 14, with No. 8 Oregon and No. 12 USC still looming. Expect the Wildcats to lose two or three more Pac-10 games. In the three position, Stanford (4-2), has four big games coming up, with three games against the big three, Cal, USC, and Oregon. Also throw Notre Dame in there, and Stanford won’t win another game. Tied for fourth in the conference are USC and Cal. No. 12 USC was crushed by LaMichael James and Oregon, so expect the Trojans to be out for blood the rest of the season. In the Pete Carroll era, the Trojans has never lost in November, so USC should win out and go to the Holiday Bowl. Cal has a tough 3 games vs. Arizona, and @ Stanford and Washington. Cal needs to go at least 3-1 to get into the Sun or Las Vegas Bowl. After a big home loss vs. Oregon St., Cal also lost their star running back, Jahvid Best. He sustained a severe concussion when he leaped over a Beaver defender towards the end zone. As he was in the air, Cameron Collins hit him on the back and he landed on his head after a five-foot fall. He was down for 15 minutes, as Cal and Oregon St. players prayed for him. He was finally carted off the field. Oregon St. has new life after a 31-14 road win over Cal, and needs to beat Oregon to go to a marquee bowl game.

Update: Oregon falls on the road to Stanford, 51-42. Stanford goes to 5-2 and Oregon falls to 5-1 in the Pac-10.

Bowl Predictions:

Oregon: Rose Bowl

Arizona: Sun Bowl

USC: Holiday Bowl

Stanford: Las Vegas

Oregon St.: Pointsetta

Cal: Emerald

Sugar Shack: a Refuge for all Students

2009-11-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

By Natasha Lasky, Staff Writer

Many Menlo students have a refuge. Somewhere they can go after having one too many pop quizzes, or running endless numbers of laps in P.E. And for many, that refuge is the Sugar Shack. The endless wall of candy, the perfect cellophane bags, the ability to mix and match. The sugar. The promise of a bag of candy is sometimes all you need to get to the end of a tough day.

“The Sugar Shack is awesome,” says Lauren, a 6^th grader.

“The Sugar Shack is a magical place where children can go after a hard day to brighten up their day with candy and bright colors,” says Sydney, a 7^th grader.

Even though a lot of us could spend hours there, many students don’t know much about its history. The owner of the Sugar Shack is Suzie Tinsley, a middle aged woman with blond short hair who greets you with a warm smile when you walk in the door. You can tell she loves what she does. She is one of those rare people who get to do what they always dreamed of. When she was a little kid, she wanted to own a candy store. Later, when she was 12, she worked at a candy shop, which made her really realize this was her calling.

She doesn’t make the candy herself. She imports candy: a whole lot of it. One reason that the Shack might be successful is its incredible location. “We are located walking distance from seven schools,” Suzie notes. Even though the Shack is very popular at Menlo, her biggest student customers come from Hillview.

Is it the Clodhoppers, Chocolate Fudge, or Peachy Penguins that are the most popular? According to Suzie, sour belts and sour watermelons and the ever victorious gummi bears are current favorites. But candies go through fads and cycles. In the current health craze, chocolate has made a strong come-back for its medicinal purposes. Uh huh. But Suzie is the expert and her favorites are Swedish fish and malt balls. According to her the nastiest candy is appropriately called “Toxic Waste.” So if you’re feeling macho, go ahead and try the Toxic Waste. Even Ms. Brigham likes the Sugar Shack.

She says, “Whenever I walk in the Sugar Shack I feel happy, because it’s so brightly decorated, and it feels old fashioned, from the 1950s. I love gummi bears, you have to take them away from me, or I’ll eat them all. It’s kind of disturbing,” she adds.

As Suzie says, “Everyone loves candy, whether you’re 2 or 102.”

Ethiopian Rift

2009-11-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

By Mittie Golding, Staff Writer

In a desert in Ethiopia, there is a 35-mile rift, which will eventually become a new ocean. The crack opened in 2005, and wasn’t well studied at the time. A new study shows that the processes creating the rift are almost identical to what is at the bottom of the oceans. The same rift is also parting the Red Sea. This rift was created by an eruption of the volcano Dabbahu, which pushed magma through the middle of the rift, and extended it farther. Results of the latest test show that highly active volcanic boundaries along the edges of the tectonic ocean plates may suddenly break apart in large sections. The Red Sea would most likely flow into the rift, which would create the new ocean.

6th Girls Soccer off to Winning Start

2009-11-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

By Emma Brady, Contributing Writer

In the first game for the 6^th grade girls soccer team, Menlo won 1-0 over Castilleja. Left mid fielder, Renee Girard, scored the first goal of the season. With an amazing cross from Daria Sprague the ball was cleanly kicked into the goal by Renee Girard. With the help from the 6^th grade girls team, the first game of the season was a victory.

Yankees Win it All

2009-11-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

By Mia McConnell, Staff Writer

The New York Yankees have won their 27^th World Series! The Yankees beat the Phillies 7-3 to win the series four games to two. Hideki Matsui won the MVP player award for the series and tied the record with six RBIs in one game. Andy Pettitte won on short rest for the Yankees. On the podium Alex Rodriguez said, “My teammates, coaches, and the organization stood by me and now we stand here as world champions!” He continued, “We’re going to enjoy it, and we’re going to party!” Ryan Howard’s late homerun in the sixth-inning was not enough to beat the Yankees and take it to another game. The Phillies pitchers were not strong enough to control the Yankees hot lineup. The Yankees celebrated with joy after a long season.

Photo from wsbt.com

Stanford Football Season Review

2009-11-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

By Jack Katzman, Senior Staff Writer

The 2009 Stanford Cardinal finally have a winning record past the halfway mark of the season and are in fourth in the Pac-10 with a 4-2 conference record and they stand at 5-3 overall. Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck has 9 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions so far this year, and has been solid under center all year. However, the star for the Cardinal this year is senior running back Toby Gerhart, who has 994 yards on 195 carries this year. Locals hope that he can bring the Heisman back to Palo Alto to be the second Heisman winner, the first being Jim Plunkett in 1970. Gerhart already has 13 touchdowns, and is looking like the top back in the Pac-10 so far. The leading receiver is Ryan Whalen with 39 catches for 647 yards and 3 touchdowns. Also, 4 of Chris Owusu’s 26 catches are for touchdowns. The hard-nosed defense led by middle linebacker Clinton Snyder and strong safety Bo McNally have been strong, but they need to really get it together this week because the #8 Oregon Ducks are coming to Palo Alto coming off a rout of USC last week in Eugene. The Cardinal will need all the help they can get because Jaremiah Masoli and the Ducks have the potential to embarrass Stanford this weekend.

Photo from dailycal.org

The Next Generation of Biofuels

2009-11-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Science Editor

As the world nears its end of easily accessible carbon resources (like oil and coal), the formerly frowned upon idea of biofuel is rising as a new alternative to conventional fossil-fuel resources for carbon. Living trees are the most plentiful source of cellulose on the planet, and the ability to convert dead plants into fuel without having to wait several million years for them to turn into oil is a monumental advance that will enable us to utilize the currently wasted cellulose from indigestible agricultural wastes. This project, undertaken by 7th grader Alice’s father’s company, Codexis, is improving the process by using super-computer-evolved man-made biological enzymes modeled after the enzymes in termites, which eat dead trees. These enzymes will be able to convert unusable cellulose into carbon bases for fuel. The improvement is that these complex, biologically produced (DNA code for the enzyme is inserted into a yeast cell) enzymes are much more environmentally friendly than the other carbon-high method of turning cellulose into glucose and fermenting that into ethanol alcohol which is burnable as fuel. The computers create 1 million mutations, and then the mutations are tested in yeast, and the mutated production code that makes the most efficient are put back into the computer and mutated again. This computerized process of natural selection without the requirement of natural equilibrium will definitely revolutionize the production of biofuels.

Teen Violence in Illinois

2009-11-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

By Kate Huneke, Senior Editor

Being a junior in high school, on the honor roll, and an exceedingly outgoing young man, sixteen-year-old Derrion Albert was an ideal son.
When he was fatally beaten one month ago by a mob after school, his parents struggled to understand how their honor roll student’s life could have ended in such violence.
The teenager’s family is lost in a wake of sadness that followed a brutal, uncalled for beating. Monique Bond, who is the Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman, said Derrion, “basically was walking along unprovoked, and unbeknownst to him he was about to walk into this conflict. I don’t think he even saw them coming.”
The Chicago public school system is the nation’s third-largest school district and has been plagued by violence in recent years. During the 2007-2008 school year, at least twenty students were killed, including eighteen by gunfire. The year before, more than thirty students were killed, again most by gun violence.
The leaders of our country—many of whom pose as heroes to the young—have emitted the idea that school is one of the safest places to be, while the message that has been taught to us for years is slowly forming into an ugly, despicable new idea that will plague our society.

Micheal Crabtree- Finally

2009-11-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

By James Adler, Contributing Writer

49er’s first round draft pick wide receiver Michael Crabtree has waited for a long time to see the NFL. Crabtree was a red shirt freshman (meaning he did not play as a freshman but he could play as a senior) at Texas-Tech. He played two years at Texas-Tech and became the star receiver in his third year against Texas. The game was tied with just seconds left in the game. The Texas-Tech quarter back through one to Crabtree who broke one tackle and scored to beat the number one ranked Texas long horns. When the draft came around Crabtree was picked tenth in the first round. Crabtree then noticing that the Raiders first round pick Darius Hey-ward Bay (who was picked after Crabtree) was getting a bigger salary then himself. Crabtree then refused to play until he got more money. Crabtree has just signed with the Niners after finally getting paid what he wanted. Crabtree however will not play until week 7 of the regular season against the Houston Texans. Crabtree did end up playing and had 5 receptions for 56 yards. The 49ers fans could finally feel good until during the game Shaun Hill was benched. Alex Smith came in and scored 21 points though in the second half. The 49ers still ended up losing the game 21-24.

For Real?

2009-11-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Joe Klein, Staff Writer

So far, a great football season, especially for the Denver Broncos. During the off season, they fired coach Mike Shanahan, and brought in Josh McDaniels, former Patriots offensive coordinator. They also added Mike Nolan; former 49ers head coach, as their defensive coordinator. Then, franchise QB Jay Cutler was traded to the Bears for a package that included QB Kyle Orton. Star receiver Brandon Marshall was unhappy with the organization, and a couple weeks preceding opening day, he “had not known enough of the playbook.” Recipe for disaster? Nope. The Broncos have showed they deserve respect in this league. They are currently 5-0, have allowed about a touchdown per game, and have beaten teams including Dallas and New England. How, you may ask? First, McDaniels installed a new offense, replacing Shanahan’s west coast. He added many 3-receiver sets, with Eddie Royal or Brandon Stokley in the slot, and Jabar Gaffney and Marshall out wide. They have a great o-line, and a new running back in Knowshon Moreno. On the defensive side, Nolan has switched the Broncos from a 4-3 team to a 3-4 with 3 lineman and 4 linebackers. There are only four returning starters (Champ Bailey, DJ Williams noticeably). They also picked up former Eagle and pro bowler Brian Dawkins, the hard hitting free safety. Don’t count them in yet, as they still have 2 meetings with the Chargers, and games with Baltimore, NY Giants, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. Other than that, expect the Broncos to dash to the playoffs.
The Broncos are not the only team shaking up the standings; don’t forget about the New Orleans Saints, who have the leading MVP candidate at QB. Drew Brees tied the NFL record for passing touchdowns in a game, after recording 6 during their game vs. struggling Detroit. The 4-0 Saints have plenty of options for Brees, including Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, and even BA (bad attidude) TE Jeremy Shockey has contributed. They also have found a new running back in 3rd year Pierre Thomas. Against Buffalo in week three, Thomas posted career best 126 yards and two touchdowns. If the Saints have that type of balance, then expect Saints and Coach Sean Payton to march to the playoffs. Their offense isn’t the only improvement, though. The Saints D, under new coordinator, Gregg Williams, have surged. During the off-season, they were busy making trades and signing free agents, such as safety Darren Sharper, CB’s Malcolm Jenkins and Randall Gay, and all-world linebacker Jonathan Vilma. There has not been major changes to their scheme, but the talent level has “risen”. Their defense made huge plays during the Saints week 4 victory over the unbeaten at that time Jets. During that game, the Saints D recorded 3 picks, one for a TD, a fumble recovery in the end zone, and four sacks on rookie QB Mark Sanchez. To the Saints, both sides of the football win football games. They will play in my must watch game, hosting the unbeaten NY Giants at 10 am on Sunday. Other than that game, and a game versus the Patriots, 2 games against the Falcons, and a date with the Cowboys, the Saints look unstoppable.

Goodbye Ms. Limaye!

2009-11-05T11:52:00.001-08:00

By Renée Girard, Contributing Writer

Since Ms. Limaye is leaving us after teaching an awesome quarter of Science, we decided to do a quick interview with her to get some information on how she looks back on her time doing 6th grade Science. Ms. Limaye, thank you so much for all you have done, we’ll miss you!

Renée: What has been your favorite part of teaching science this quarter?
Ms. Limaye: The crazy experiments with very enthusiastic, curious, and smart 6th graders.”

Renée: What will you miss?
Ms. Limaye: I will miss the kids, my colleagues and the cookies in the cafeteria!

Renée: What progress have you seen us make as students?
Ms. Limaye: You have become better observers of the world around you, better recorders, and better writers about the phenomenon you are seeing.

Renée: What will you do now?
Ms. Limaye: I will play with my kids, swim, visit, read a lot, and bake cookies!

Renée: Will we still see you around campus?
Ms. Limaye: Yes! You can’t get rid of me, I love this place!

Youtube Faves

2009-11-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

By Lauren Smith, Staff Writer

Some of us may know him as Nigahiga, Harry Potter, Edward Cullen, and lots of other things. His name is Ryan Higa, and he is a hilarious actor who enjoys making YouTube videos. Most of them are spoofs of movies, but others are ads. For example, he made a video that is an ad for Carl’s Jr’s Portabello Mushroom Burger. He talks extremely fast to try to fit it all in, and includes that he did not speed up his voice at all. In fact, a movie caster saw some of their videos and asked them if they wanted to be in a movie. They said yes, then “Ryan and Shaun’s Not So Excellent Adventure,” was made. To find some of Ryan Higa and Shaun Fujiyoshi’s hilarious YouTube videos, search “nigahiga” in the YouTube search bar. My personal favorite is the Harry Potter spoof. You are bound to have tons of fun watching him!

Michael Jackson

2009-11-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Lucas Loaiza, Staff Writer

We all know him. We all remember him. We all loved him. Then on June 25th, 2009, at 2:26 PT, at UCLA Medical Center, he was pronounced dead, according to his brother Jermaine Jackson, after collapsing at his home in Holmby Hills, California. At 50 years old, the greatest pop singer, of all time, OF ALL TIME, I’m just saying, died of a cardiac arrest.

Now, the album Michael Jackson was working on called: This is It, is out everywhere, even in iTunes. There is a movie on it in just about every theatre you can think of. The late King of Pop will be honored posthumously at the forthcoming 2009 Soul Train Awards. Michael Jackson’s contributions to music will be recognized with a special “Entertainer of the Year” award during the show, scheduled for November 3rd in Atlanta.

I found a very nice poem on Michael Jackson’s website, which
truly shows how much people miss him. You can find the poem through a link on our blog, menloscribbler.blogspot.com.

The poem is at: http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/special-honors-michael-jackson-2009-soul-train-awards

Earthquake Drill

2009-11-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

By Paige Pietrofesa and Cassidy Kornfeld, Contributing Writers

On October 15, 2009 almost everyone in California participated in the shakeout earthquake drill. Every year the earthquake drill takes place every year but this year 6.9 californians participated in this drill making it the largest earthquake drill ever.
The purpose of this drill is to have all Californian citizens be prepared in case a real earthquake occurred. This drill took place not only in schools but at people’s work, and also at many homes.
In the bay area we live right on the San Andreas falt. Because we live on this fault if there is 63% percent that we will suffer an earthquake that’s 6.7 or larger coming in the next thirty years.
If a massive earthquake occurs, which scientists expect, it will cause the plate to move, making the ground shake and could damage work buildings and homes. It might leave people without any homes and won’t be able to receive the money from their work.
In the bay area water and energy are transport through lifelines. But if an earthquake occurs, then its possible that they can be destroyed so we should be prepared for anything to happen.
We decided to interview Ms. Brigham because Menlo did not participate in this earthquake drill. We wanted to know if Menlo would have a different earthquake drill take place. These are the questions we asked Ms. Brigham:

P&C: We heard that there was a huge earthquake drill in California and many people in California participated. Not only did the earthquake drill take place in schools but it also took place at work and in some personal households. Many schools did participate in this earthquake drill and we were wondering why Menlo didn’t.
Ms. Brigham: We are in the process of organizing a huge earthquake drill using our safety committee and the city and state supports it. In the earthquake drill that will take place, we are doing pretty much the same things that we would do in the State drill. We wanted to do it a separate time so that teachers would know what to do in case an earthquake happened.
P&C: Do you think any damage would happen to Menlo if an earthquake does occur?
Ms. Brigham: It depends on how big the earthquake is. If it is a large earthquake then I think damage might be done to the buildings but we will do all we can to prevent any injuries.
P&C: Do you plan on Participating in the earthquake dirll next year?
Ms. Brigham: I don’t know. It’s up to our safety committee to make those decisions. But a request could be made to the safety committee.

Regular Flu Vaccine Problem

2009-10-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:33:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

by Lauren Smith, Staff Writer

Yankees vs. Angles

2009-10-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T10:16:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-08T22:19:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-10-06T15:21:00.001-07:00

App Games Review

2009-10-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Interviewing Mr. Taylor

2009-09-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

By Dennis Mandudzo, Contributing Writer

I thought I could interview Mr. Taylor since he is a new teacher at Menlo School. He is a kind teacher and if you have not had the chance, please visit him.

Me: What is your favorite thing about Menlo?
Mr. Taylor: All of the wonderful people I have met.
Me: What was it like back home? (Washington D.C.)
Mr. Taylor: It was comfortable.
Me: Was there anything surprising when you came to Menlo?
Mr. Taylor: I was surprised at how many dogs there were on campus.
Me: Do you have any favorite foods? If so, what is it?
Mr. Taylor: Whatever my grandmother makes.
Me: What do you miss from Washington D.C.?
Mr. Taylor: I miss my family and the thunderstorms.
Me: What is your favorite movie?
Mr. Taylor: My favorite movie is The God Father Part 2.
Me: Do you plan to be a Menlo coach in sports? If so, what will it be?
Mr. Taylor: Probably I would like to become either a basketball coach or a soccer coach.

Baseball Predictions

2009-09-29T12:00:00.001-07:00

By Joe Klein, Staff Writer

Playoff
NL
WEST- Los Angeles Dodgers
CENTRAL- St. Louis Cardinals
EAST- Philadelphia Phillies
WILD CARD- Colorado Rockies

NLDS
Dodgers vs. Phillies
Dodgers win 3-1
The Dodgers will win this series with hitting and pitching. If the Phillies go with the rotation I think they will go with (Lee, Blanton, Hamels), Lee will win the first game, but the Dodgers will pound Lee in his second start. The Dodgers will most likely go with a rotation that features Randy Wolf, Jon Garland, and Clayton Kershaw if he is healthy. Otherwise, they will start Vicente Padilla or Hiroki Kuroda.

Cardinals vs. Rockies
Cardinals win 3-1
The Cardinals have the timely hitting, and the best 1-2 punch (Carpenter and Wainwright) and Pineiro is good enough, although he will get beat by De La Rosa.

NLCS
Cardinals win 4-2
The Cardinals have the pitching to win key games, and with a middle of the lineup that features DeRosa, Pujols and Holliday, they should be able to score enough runs.

AL
WEST- LOS ANGELES ANGELS
CENTRAL- MINNESOTA TWINS
EAST- NEW YORK YANKEES
WILD CARD- BOSTON RED SOX

ALDS
Twins vs. Yankees
Yankees win 3-0
Twins don’t have experienced pitching (Pavano, Blackburn, Baker) and the Yankees have a dominating lineup that will take them far into October.

Red Sox vs. Angels
Angels win 3-2
Best division series of the year, and the Angels are just a little bit better. Jered Weaver has been good and Joe Saunders is coming around, but they’re hitting is one of or the best hitting. The Red Sox have better pitching, but they’re hitting has been inconsistent.
ALCS
Angels win 4-3
Close series, but the Angels have the Yankees. Such a good series, but the Angels have more consistent hitting, and they should beat the Yankees.

WS
Cardinals win 4-2
Wainwright and Carpenter have been too dominant, Pujols, Holliday, Ludwick, and Schumaker should be able to hit the Cardinals to victory. The Angels have too many young players who don’t have playoff experience.

ROY-
AL Rick Porcello (Tigers pitcher)
NL Chris Coghlan (Marlins Outfielder)

Cy Young-
AL Zack Greinke (Royals)
NL Chirs Carpenter (Cardinals)

MVP-
AL Joe Mauer (Twins Catcher)
NL Albert Pujols (Cardinals first-baseman)

Relief Award-

AL Joe Nathan (Twins Pitcher)

NL Ryan Franklin (Cardinals)

College Football Rundown

2009-09-29T11:56:00.001-07:00

By Davis Rich, Contributing Writer

Florida: Survived scare vs. Tennessee, but will go to the national championship.

Texas: Didn’t look dominant vs. Texas Tech, so they won’t go to the BCS championship.

USC: OH MY GOD. If they can’t beat Washington, they won’t win the Pac-10

Mississippi: Could go far if they repeat over Florida.

Penn State: Will win the Big Ten and go to the Sugar Bowl.

Cal: If they beat USC, they will go to the Rose Bowl. Could go undefeated.

Oklahoma: Can dominate until Texas. Then they will have trouble.

Boise St: Undefeated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Orange Bowl!

Miami (FL): Will get crushed by Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. Bye-Bye.

Oklahoma St: Can do well if they can hold.

The Words of a Sixie

2009-09-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

by Lauren Smith, Contributing Writer

What’s wrong with the summer? It goes by too fast.
Doesn’t everybody wish it would last?

I know that I do, but this year I don’t
‘Cause I’m a sixie at Menlo, and hate school? I won’t.

I make all these friends, and it’s ever so simple.
We’re all different, with freckles and braces and dimples.

The classes? Yes, the classes. They’re totally cool.
We draw maps and do problems and make racers with spools!

The teachers are like you, and just like best friends.
They chat with you, help you and have a hand you can lend.

These words are from a sixie, they are so true.
Menlo School is awesome, and if you’re here, so are you.

“Public” Land?

2009-09-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

Christopher Cassidy, Co-Science Editor

The wide west, right? Vast green grasslands, deserts of Joshua trees, pronghorns and prairie dogs jumping around, right? Not anymore. After King George II of the U.S.A. came to power, that all went away. In the years before his reign, less than 1200 gas drilling permits were leased, but at the height of his reign, 6,368 permits were leased. This nefarious movement was met with outrage from the Midwest citizens, but has continued to grow. Only 7,343 miles of Utah (of 84,899) are “off limits” for gas drilling (less than one twelfth). As gas drilling encroaches on the last of Midwestern wilderness, a new threat looms: the fake hope of oil shale. The idea of oil shale involves taking immense amount of energy to “melt” oil shale rocks, and turn them into carbon bases for plastics and petroleum. I hope that the new administration can reverse this destructive movement, and restore our public lands.

Remembering Woodstock

2009-09-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

By Kate Huneke

President Nixon being inaugurated. America taking the first steps on the moon, the Vietnam War just beginning-all historic events that happened in 1969. However, the most famous event to take place in the significant year could very well be the Woodstock Festival. From August 15^th through August 19^th, more than half a million people gathered in the small, upstate New York town of Bethel (a town near Woodstock, N.Y.

) for four days of rain, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. The music festival, billed as “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music,” was captured in the successful 1970 documentary movie Woodstock, an accompanying soundtrack album, Joni Mitchell’s song “Woodstock” which commemorated the event, and the new 2009 film titled Taking Woodstock. Why is this hippie event still famous even after a long thirty years, you ask? Famous bands at the time, such as Santana, Grateful Dead, Sly & The Family Stone, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix (The Gypsy Sun & Rainbows Band), played at the festival. After the concert ended, Max Yasgur, who owned the site of the event, saw it as a victory of peace and love. He spoke of how nearly half a million people filled with possibilities of disaster, riot, looting, and catastrophe spent three days with music and peace on their minds. He states that, “If we join them, we can turn those

adversities that are the problems of America today into a hope for a brighter future.

Jeter the Legend

2009-09-22T11:56:00.001-07:00

By Mia McConnell, Contributing Writer

He has done it!! Jeter has tied Lou Gehrig’s record. He started the memorable night by hitting a surprising bunt single. He tied the famous record of 2,271 of Lou Gehrig, in the seventh-inning with a single of the rookie, Jeff Niemann. He had a chance to break the record in the eighth but the reliever Grant Balfour walked him. Jeter said, “I’m happy that I was able to do it here at home. We had so many special moments across the street. Hopefully this is the first of many memorable moments here at the new stadium.” Jeter is sure one amazing hitter, shortstop, and team captain.

Telescopes to the Unknown

2009-09-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

By Christopher Cassidy, Co-Science Editor

As the next step in our search for extra-terrestrial life and Earth-like exo-planets, a new kind of long-range telescope has met the challenge of searching for these new worlds. There are currently two telescope programs working on this project, a Swiss one and an American called the Kepler project. The old method of finding exo-planets involves detecting a wobble in a star’s light because of a large planet’s gravity influencing its position. This is a somewhat fail-safe method, but the technology is not good enough to pick up distant planets anywhere close to Earth-size. The solution is an extremely sensitive photometer satellite that picks up slight changes in the light emitted from the star. This slight change would be caused by a planet or other body passing between the star and Earth. This method is much more responsive to small Earth-size planets, and can detect them at any distance from the star. With this new technology, we will soon be able to identify planets for possible research or, more futuristically, colonization.

McDonald's in Missouri

2009-09-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

by Lauren Smith, Contributing Writer

Rubio Skips NBA, Stays in Spain

2009-09-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

By Alec Sullivan, Contributing Writer

Recently Minnesota Timberwolves 5th overall pick in the 2009-2010 draft, star point guard Ricky Rubio has decided to play with his team in Barcelona for two seasons until his contract with them is up. the 18-year-old Rubio entered the draft saying that he was only going to play for certain teams otherwise he wouldn’t play. Many teams thought that he was bluffing just to get on a good team. In my opinion this decision is ultimately going to hurt or greatly help Rubio. This can be great for Rubio because he can develop a little more in Barcelona, which is going to help him when he goes to the NBA. There are many ways this decision can hurt Rubio though. One way is if he gets injured, the next way this is certainly going to hurt him is his years with the NBA. This decision is also going to slightly hurt the T-Wolves only because Rubio is a 6’5” point guard with great passing skills. This would hurt the T-Wolves way more than it is right now if it wasn’t for their other star point guard that they drafted right behind Rubio, Johnny Flynn out of Syracuse. Overall I think that this decision can greatly help to improve Rubio or it can be the worst decision in he’s going to make in his entire life.

Photo: blogs.eveningsun.com

Looking Back at 6th Grade

2009-09-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

By Julia Weingart, Donia Soheili and Julia Wu, Contributing Writers

Recently we have been looking back at being a sixie, running around in the quad, going to the bookstore every day, getting lost between classes and meeting new people. Now that I am in seventh grade, it has changed a lot. On the 1st day of school we almost walked to the 6th grade quad. The homework has expanded and there has been an increase in class work, and now we are required to take class notes.

Coming into 7th grade was very nerve-racking. Previous seventh graders told us there is a bigger workload. The rules are more precise and it seems harder to get to classes on time. As 7th graders we feel older and more mature looking into the 6th grade quad with the new sixies.

In addition to more effort towards classes, the athletic program for 7th graders and 8th graders has become more competitive. 6th grade physical education is a lot different than 7 & 8 grade physical education because there are bigger classes and more intense.

Overall 6th grade has been a lot different than 7th grade. Moving up into 7th grade was weird, different and strange.