September 25, 2009

September 25, 2009

Volume 50, No. 1

Inside

1515 Greenbriar Blvd. Boulder, CO 80305

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Health care generates debates for politicians, public Greg Wahl Staff Reporter

A plethora of new faces join the teaching faculty.

See Meet, 5

Are the Rockies better than they were in 2007? For point, counter-point

See Rocktober, 11

Hailing from Europe to Brazil, exchange students experience America.

See Foreign, 6,7

ing half of all US bankruptcies.

President Obama’s plan for health care reform, introduced in 2008, involves countless reforms such as improving the overall quality of US patient care, and establishing a government run “public option” affordable health care system with guaranteed eligibility for all Americans.

In the past few months, Congress has been working on reforming health care in a way that satisfies both Republicans and Democrats.

However, Congress thus far has been unsuccessful in passing a reform bill.

WASHINGTON- Faced with growing problems with the US health care system, people across the nation are looking to Congress and the White House to reform the health care sysSee Health care, 2 tem.

The system is currently plagued with issues such as skyrocketing health insurance premiums - nearly 4.5 million Americans being uninsured, almost 100,000 Americans dying each year from hospital errors, and medical bills caus- Residents of Boulder crowd Whole Foods to voice their concerns and raise questions regarding health care reform to Boulder-born Congressman Jared Polis (on far right) held one of several local town hall meetings (Photo: Ge).

Swine flu becomes growing concern Justin Song and Stan Whitcomb Staff Reporters Short film written by Castle’s own a favorite at local film fest.

See LaRue, 9

Student absences have skyrocketed. First detected in the U.S. in the spring, and declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) early this summer, it was only a matter a time before FHS would be hit by

Luke Barba’s Honda chills out in the senior lot with its gold rims. This baby doesn’t even have a radio! (Photo: Davids).

the new influenza A virus.

Swine flu, also known as H1N1, has arrived much earlier on in the year than normal for the flu season.

In only the second full week of school - the first of September, student absences hit 525, with 158 to 180 missing school per day.

The school is yet to qualify for a visit by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). “If the student absence rate is above 7.5% for five consecutive days, the CDC will inspect our school and evaluate the risk level,” said Don Stensrud, school principal.

H1N1’s symptoms are like any other flu symptoms, with more respiratory irritation. These include: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, body aches, chills and fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.

See Swine, 2

The Facts & What You Can Do: wH1N1 is transmitted from human to human (One cannot contract it from eating pork)

wInfections

result from touching surfaces with flu viruses on them. Viruses can survive for 2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface

wPeople who had the

virus can infect others 5-7 days or longer after they have recovered

wOnly

alcohol based anti-bacterial gels like Purell, Germ-X, Avant, and GermOut kill the influenza virus. Gels should be rubbed into hands until they are dry

wGet at least of sleep Photos from www.cdc.gov and rigmaroleout.blogspot.com.

8 hours

2

News

Health care generates debate for politicians, public Greg Wahl Staff Reporter

Cont’d

from

Cover

Obama is now pushing hard for Congress to pass a health care reform bill. In a speech to Congress on Sep. 9, Obama outlined exactly what he wants to have included in a health care bill and touched on key issues in the health care debate. The purpose of the speech was to reassure Congress of the potential benefits of public option health care, and to pressure Congress to pass a reform bill as soon as possible.

“The time for bickering is over,” says Obama, “Now is the season for action.”

“Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close. Nothing else,” he said.

Obama’s speech triggered both applause and jeering from Congressmen on either side of the issue. When Obama assured Congress that his health care plan would not provide insurance for illegal immigrants, Rep. Joe Wilson, of South Carolina, shouted,

“You lie,” interrupting the speech. Wilson later issued an apology for his comment.

Among the public, the conflict between supporters and detractors of the health care system has escalated to a point where some say the true issues are becoming lost. During Congress’s month off, outraged citizens bombarded politicians with angry comments both for and against the notion of socialized health care. In an interview with Fox News, Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey said people at town hall meetings “would just shout and jeer and not necessarily express much in the way of new ideas.”

People across the country, including in Boulder, are holding candlelight vigils in hopes that Congress will pass a reform bill. Most protests have been peaceful; however, one turned violent on Sep. 2 in Thousand Oaks, Calif, when an angry protestor bit off a man’s finger in a fight between protestors on either side of the issue.

“All the issues are lost,” said Karoli Kuns, a participant in the vigil. “All we’re hearing about is this kind of insanity.”

Sept. 25, 2009 Vol. 50, No. 1 Editor: Dize Hacioglu

Banner Snapshot

Fairview cross country member passes Boulder runner at Pat Patten course around Viele Lake for the first season’s meet (Photo: Ge).

Vigil participants in Boulder, Colo. hold candles, signs in support of health care reform (Photo: www.lasvegasun. com).

Swine flu becomes growing concern Justin Song and Stan Whitcomb Staff Reporters

Cont’d

from

Cover

“Most students had similar symptoms,” said Jannet Moskovics, the Fairview Health Advisor. “There were a lot of bad colds, high fevers, and nausea.”

Swine flu is transmitted through human-

to-human contact. At school, the most effective ways to avoid infection include: not touching people who may or may not be infected, wiping off the computer keyboard before you use a public computer, and using the hand sanitizers provided around the school. The last of these prevention methods is more of a token practice than an actual combatant, as hand sanitizers cannot kill viruses like H1N1, the

most common viral type of Swine Flu. “We are working hard to provide a clean school environment,” said Principal Stensrud. “Custodians are disinfecting common use items, such as desks, pencil sharpeners, water fountains, keyboards, or any other items that are used more than once by the students. We don’t know if it will work, but we have to try.”

Swine flu is the fastest growing public

health concern in the nation today. It can be deadly if the infected person has a prior condition, and doctors are only beginning to develop an inoculation that is available on a large scale.

Currently, our school is not experiencing Swine Flu epidemic, but that could change at any moment. Our administration has not declared us in a state of emergency, but it could happen at any time.

Op/Ed

Sept, 25, 2009 Vol. 50, No. 1 Editor: Mae Jacobson

3

IS THE ATTENDANCE POLICY PRACTICAL OR PROBLEMATIC?

Point...

09-10 Staff Editorial Board

Co-Editor-In-Chief Connie Ge Co-Editor-In-Chief Courtney Stafford

Rachel Joyce Staff Reporter

Section Editors

News Dize Hacioglu Opinions Mae Jacobson Features Nellie Quinn Entertainment Christian Allen Sports Neal Ghosh In-Depth Rani Kumar

Photography

Photo Editor Brea Cerny Photo Editor Eric Davids

Staff Writers

Eli Boonin-Vail, Nate Forman, Sam Goldner, Tristan Hill, Rachel Joyce, Caroline Kruger, Jordan Myres, Alec Pronk, Justin Song, Matt Sparkman, Greg Wahl, Stan Whitcomb

Business

Business and Advertising Manager Chandler Highfill Adviser Sarah M. Zerwin For Subscriptions: Send $25 to Royal Banner, Fairview High School, Room 814, 1515 Greenbriar Blvd, Boulder, Colorado 80305, call 720-5613259 or send them to Chanhigh@yahoo.com

Advertising

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The Banner is written primarily for the approximately 2000 students attending Fairview High School and is distributed free of charge to all members of the school community.

Letters to the Editor: The Royal Banner encourages reader response and will print all signed, non-libelous letters. All letters must be signed at the time of arrival. All letters are subject to revision for spelling, grammar, paragraphing and length.

This publication is an open forum and encourages all readers to contribute their opinions. We ask that letters be between 200 and 300 words. Send letters to: The Royal Banner, Fairview High School, 1515 Greenbriar Blvd., Boulder, CO 80305 or e-mail us at: royalbanner10@gmail.com Accurate reporting of fact is the goal of the staff. Commentaries, opinion columns and letters to the editor are the expressed opinion of the author and not of The Royal Banner and its Editorial Board or its adviser. *Disclaimer: Under Colorado law, no expression made by students in the exercise of free speech or freedom of the press shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy. No school district, employee, legal guardian or official of such a district shall be held liable in any criminal action for any expression made or published by a student. The Royal Banner sells advertisements for publicity and to pay for printing costs. We reserve the right to refuse to run any advertisement deemed inappropriate to the Fairview community.

The Royal Banner would like to remind our readers that your opinions are welcome. If you would like to see a topic discussed or disagree with any content in the paper, please do not hesitate to write a well thought-out letter to the editor of at least 300 words and e-mail it to

royalbanner10@gmail.com.

The second hand on the clock is standing still. It’s sunny outside and the only thing on your mind is when you can leave school for the day. Oh, and it’s Saturday. No one wants to go to school on weekends.

This year, Saturday school is one of the new punishments in Fairview’s attendance policy that cracks down on students who fail to arrive to class on time — or at all.

“Our attendance policy has not changed from last year; we are just enforcing it differently. By adding interventions, such as detention and Saturday school, we are hoping to keep students in class more,” explains James Hill, Dean of Students.

Last year at Fairview, students were not severely punished when they decided to skip a class.

Since the punishments were overall weak and ineffective, ditching was common among students.

“Last year, our administration team saw a large increase in the number of unexcused absences,” says Dean of Students Erin Hinkle. “This was a great concern for us, since research shows the attendance has a direct effect on how a student performs in school.”

While students may think they have better things to do than attend class, failing to show up is antithetical to the purposes of school, against school rules, and illegal by state law. Students are only short changing themselves, although they may not see it that way.

This year, students will be given an unexcused absence if they fail to show up to class or are tardy more than five minutes.

“First, you will receive a warning, then detention, then Saturday school. Saturday school may also be assigned in disciplinary situations, as determined by administration,” says Hinkle.

These escalating rules may seem harsh, but to an administration compelled to help students learn they are necessary and they make a reasonable amount of sense.

The truth is students have a choice. We can attend class with our friends and learn from the teacher, or we can learn on our own time.State law requires a certain number of hours of instruction to graduate from high school. So by creating detention and Saturday school the administration is providing students with an alternative option for acquiring those hours.

Students and administration share the common goal of ensuring students graduate. We can choose to spend time in class with our friends or to spend that sacred Saturday afternoon in class. Personally, I attend class on weekdays. But good news: the choice is up to you.

...vs.

Eli Boonin-Vail Staff Reporter

According to a new policy listed in page nine of your planner, “If a student is 5 minutes late for a class, this will be marked as an unexcused absence. Students are still expected to attend the class as they will receive information for their academic progress.”

First of all, as a word-freak, I have issues with this.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines absence as “Being away from, withdrawn, or not present (at a place),” not “Being present, but not as soon as people expected you to be.” However, I digress, there are far more absurd things in this policy than simple semantics.

My concern arises from the assumption that students will be motivated by the policy to turn up for class even if they’re late. If students already show apathy towards their studies, what makes our superiors think students will suddenly care about the subject if they’re told they will “receive information for their academic progress”?

The only students won over by this policy are those who weren’t seriously ditching in the first place, not the students to whom ditching is a real problem. While it is important to deter as many kids as possible from ditching, the ones who do it frequently are the ones we need to help, not the kids who do it once every quarter or so.

Here’s what’s wrong with the new policy: it fights fire with gasoline. While ditching is a serious issue, it’s only going to be fueled by simple punishments like detentions and Saturday school. This is because punishments rest on the idea that punishment will make people feel bad for what they’ve done. In reality, students who ditch don’t care about school, and thus won’t feel guilty, but agitated.

What our school needs to do in order to stop kids from skipping class is make skipping class less fun.

If we convince kids that staying in school is more fun than leaving it, we won’t have to waste our time and money with detentions.

Ditching will remain a problem at our school as long as our policy makers insist upon seeing the issue as a statistic. In order to truly combat ditching, we need to look at the reasons why people ditch rather than assume it can be straightened out by harsher punishment.

Fairview’s superiors need to study the issue from more angles than just from above.

Counterpoint

Op/Ed

4 Tristan Hill Staff Reporter

Sept, 25, 2009 Vol. 50, No. 1

Teacher Negotiations You may have noticed a recent headline in the Daily Camera: “Talks run BVSD over $27K”.

The article states that the recent negotiations between the BVSD and the Teacher’s Union has cost the BVSD a total of $27,473.50 in various expenses. Some examples of the expenses are 1,000 dollars to hire a mediator after negotiations broke down, and 300 dollars on a “mediation room”.

Am I the only one who sees the problem here?

In case you’re new to the school district, or somehow managed to miss the picketing teachers next to the drop off zone last year, I should probably establish the context of the issue. The BVSD has been in a negotiation deadlock with the Teacher’s Union for quite some time now in regards to the issue of pay raises for educators-in short, the Union wants them, and the BVSD doesn’t. Negotiations broke down totally, but have recently begun again-hence the mediator.

My question is, if the BVSD has the money to finance the $27K it has taken to drag out these talks for as long as they have, why can’t they scrounge up enough to pay their teachers what they deserve? Surely someone in the administration has noticed the irony of using such a large sum of money as part of an attempt to avoid spending a large sum of money?

Admittedly, raising teacher salaries would cost considerably more than $27K, and the BVSD is undeniably pressed for funding in the current economic situation. With an almost criminally low budget, the administration is going to have to be very careful with what it does with its funding. But, shouldn’t the livelihood of the teachers be one of, if not the highest priority? After all, the first priority of a school is to teach-and the first and best tool of teaching is the teacher.

If you’re the type of person who would read an opinion piece on healthcare, you’re probably already overly informed about the debate raging in and out of congress, and so I won’t bore you with the details.

Instead, I offer a relevant anecdote from a relative living in Hong Kong, China-a country that takes a drastically different approach to health care, and in this case shows drastically different results.

The incident began when the relative in question, my stepmother woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever, vomited a mixture of bile and blood, and collapsed. My father, understandably in a panic, called the local hospital. The hospital dispatched an ambulance, which arrived in minutes.

Several days of testing and treatment followed, involving the usage of medical devices and machines the size of small cars. It was eventually determined that her illness was cured, and she was discharged from the hospital-leaving only the small matter of the bill remaining. According to my father, he literally almost fainted when he learned what he would be charged: 250 Hong Kong dollars, the rough equivalent of 35.50 in US currency.

The contrast should be immediately obvious. In the United States, hospital bills are cripplingly expensive. A medical emergency can be financially devastating to a middle class family. A recent speech by president Obama referenced a man in Illinois who lost his health care coverage in the middle of a chemotherapy treatment, and died as a result of his operation being delayed.

It is worth noting that Hong Kong offers both public and private options for Health Care. Citizens are able to either take advantage of governmentally run hospitals, or to use private practitioners and businesses. Hospitals are almost always equipped with state of the art materials, and a governmental organization ensures that all hospitals are kept up to a standard of safety.

I’m not going to pretend to have the answers to the problems that our system is facing, but it seems clear that, compared to the government in Hong Kong, we are doing something horrifically wrong. It would do us well to study how they have handled their system, and to do our best to learn from it.

How Does International Healthcare compare?

Tristan Hill Staff Reporter

Gone with the bagels Stan Whitcomb Staff Reporter

Out with the bagels and out with satisfying customer’s hunger. Gatorade, Lays Baked Chips, Rice Crispy Treatts and the aforementioned bagels are but a few of the foods that our cafeteria staff has had to cut this year, as codes get stricter.

In the ongoing struggle against the BVSD health regulations, our bagel delivery is the newest casualty. The assorted bagels have been removed from the menu of the school much to the chagrin of any student in a rush. Among other things, most of the snack food that the cafeteria once sold is now no longer out on the shelves. Woohoo.

I myself have been a user of the cafeteria for a quick lunch for all my years here at Fairview. This year, when I heard that the bagels were gone, I was more than dismayed. I was angry.

I understand that people are striving to help kids eat healthier at school and solve our nations obesity problem. I understand that parents are tired of their children stuffing their faces with food that is not accepted at home, but bagels? Really?

Someone needs to draw a line here. But instead of ranting about what is not there (quite a lot), lets focus on what is there. This year our lunch program is serving a whopping three snacks to go along with the lunches. White Cheddar Popcorn, Sun chips, and Z-Cliff bars. Choices, choices, choices.

But if you want to get one of these snacks early, avoid long lunch lines and all that. think again. Our lunch staff can no longer serve anything except the breakfast of the day until 10 A.M. BVSD policies never cease to amaze me.

As if we didn’t have enough wrong with our school in the first place. The heating and cooling is spotty (in Dr. Carter’s class last year, we were running the AC through most of the winter months), there are no windows except in the new wing, and parking is, to put it lightly, frustrating. Now we have to add food to the list?

So if you are looking to get a quick bite, better hope mom packed something tasty. Because our lunch line no longer serves the “quick fix” foods we all have come to rely on for those mornings where life is just too overwhelming.

5

Features

Sept. 25, 2009 Vol. 50, No. 1 Editor: Nellie Quinn

Meet the new faculty: A first look Previously teaching here at Fairview

Prior to teaching, new English teacher

seven years ago, Rebecca Roetto returns

Tracy Pearce used to be a reporter at a

to teach Science. The last two years she

Chicago newspaper covering an education

spent time teaching surfing and yoga in

beat and later decided that she needed to

Costa Rica.

teach. In addition, she enjoys writing short stories and hiking with her dog.

Bringing over twenty years of being a computer program-

Energy,

mer and systems analyst and five years experience of being

enthusi-

asm and kindness

a Computer Science teacher, new business teacher Tony

are three things that

Jiron will share his intelligence with Fairview. As well as

new French teacher

his computer skills, Jiron enjoys teaching his nephews and

Cindy Merlin will

nieces how to use technology. Like how to text message

bring to Fairview.

inconspicuously during pre-school.

Outside of school she enjoys gardening, going out with her boyfriend, reading and staying at home.

"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss is" - Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This is a piece of advice that new Social Studies teacher Odette Mitchell-Servilio will give to a high school student.

New English teacher Emily Cosmos likes

New counselor Sonja Gifford look

to get into the mountains and go hiking in

forward to working with kids and about all

the summer and cross-country skiing in the

the different issues going on. In addition to being a counselor, Gifford enjoys hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing. She is also very involved with her church.

winter. She believes that everyone should be

Previously teaching two years at

themselves, express yourself honestly and with

Lavedo Middle School in the Cherry

dignity and to treat your friends kindly.

Creek School District, new Spanish teacher Thomas Oviatt enjoys music, yoga, hiking, reading and just hanging out watching movies and stuffing

New Victoria

Chinese Gao

teacher

wants

her

students to master 90% of Chinese language usage in four years. In addition she likes to travel, cook, sew and hang out with her friends on

Previously teaching at Palo Alto HS, in

his face.

California for one year, Monarch HS and Louisville CO for four years new Science teacher John Stillian comes to Fairview to bring his 25 years experience as a research chemist in industry.

Being a teacher in West Africa for the past two years in a rural village in the country of The Gambia, new Science teacher Kristy Campbell will now have a new adventure being a Knight. Campbell plays the mandolin and a little bit of guitar and really enjoys hiking, camping and live music.

the weekends.

Also new to Fairview this year: Sara Huth (Consumer and Family Studies), Frederique Pesin (French), Maureen Richards (German)

Previously teaching in the east coast at NYU, new choir teacher Rochelle Gallup

From Hazen High School, Reuton, Washington, to University of Illinois,

makes her way to Fairview to teach Excalibur,

to Boulder High, to CU Boulder, new Science teacher Paul Strode finally

Enchantment Broadway, Intro to Theater, and

makes his way to Fairview to bring fresh ideas, rigor and a sense of humor.

Written by Caroline Kruger (Staff Reporters). Photos by Caroline Kruger, Matt Sparkman (Staff Reporters).

Dance. In her free time she takes care of her three year-old twin girls.

8

Entertainment September 25, 2009 Vol. 50, No. 1 Editor: Christian Allen

LaRue directs film festival favorite

Brea Cerny Staff Reporter

Constantly threatened by the neighborhood dogs and their racist owners, a young Filipina deals with discrimination is Mr. LaRue’s dark comedy Adobo. Actress Rae Toledo plays Delia the main character, whose inspiration comes from Mr. LaRue’s wife herself. Based on a true story, and written entirely by Mr.LaRue and directed by his only son, this short movie conveys the viciousness of everyday racism.

BC: How long did you work on this film?

BL: It took three days to shoot and only ended up being 12 minutes and 47 seconds long, me and my son worked very efficiently to get it to be just the way we wanted. The director of photography was astounded we finished so fast. My son’s experience made all the difference.

BC: What was the film’s message?

BL: The film is supposed to show cultural conflicts and to show how one woman deals with cultural conflict.

BC: Who’s the target audience?

BL: The target audience is the American immigrant community.

Especially Asians because Adobo is a Filipino style dish. The film was originally made for the Asian Film

Festival. It actually won best script writing at the Asian Film Festival.

BC: Where did the film debut?

BL: It appeared at the Boulder International Film Festival and the Boulder Asian Film Festival in February of this year.

BC: Is it still being shown anywhere?

BL: There’s a screening at Estes Park on the 13th of this month and on October 9 it will be shown at the Asian Pacific American Film Festival in Washington D.C. BC: Rumor has it that you’ve filmed at Fairview for one of your movies in the past, is that true?

BL: One of my earlier films was filmed completely on the Fairview stage. The movie’s title was Loaded and it’s a four minute short on magic.

BC: What can we expect in the future from your movies?

BL: I’m currently working with people in miscellaneous ways. I’m currently working lights and sounds for 5 movies. There are two projects I’m currently the assistant director for, for some local independent groups. Also I’m currently directing a 5-6 minute film for the Asian Film Festival.

Rae Toledo (pictured above) plays Delia, a young Filipina character inspired by Mr. LaRue’s wife. (Photo: LaRue).

Fall Television Preview Glee: A group of high school misfits band together to form a glee club with the help of their teacher, Mr. Schuester, a former glee club star. Composed of seven teenagers, all from different social groups, the glee club becomes a mockery to the school while they try to sing and dance their way to glee club nationals. With songs ranging from past to present (“Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Gold Digger”), this show is not a remake of “High School Musical.” Premiered September 9th on Fox.

Modern Family: This mockumentary follows three vastly different families as they go through their average lives. A man suffering a mid-life crisis, a dad who knows all the dance moves from HSM, and two men with a Vietnamese baby are all a part of this tonguein-cheek comedy. Through all the sadness, laughter, and embarrassment, this show pokes fun at what it is to be a family in the 21st century. Premiered September 23 on ABC. Photo: Fox Broadcasting Company

Photo: CW

Vampire Diaries: Following in the footsteps of “True Blood” and “Twilight,” “Vampire Diaries” is a new TV show based on the best-selling series by L.J. Smith. Grieving over her parent’s recent death, Elena Gilbert finds it hard to cope without writing in her journal. She meets a handsome newcomer, Stefan Salvatore, and they are instantly interested in one another. What Elena doesn’t know is that Stefan is a vampire with a terribly dangerous family. Premiered September 10 on the CW.

Photo: ABC

V: From the creators of “Lost,” “V” is a remake of the old 80’s TV movie and series by the same name. It is about a group of aliens who come to earth promoting peace and vowing to help the human race. Sadly, the humans find out that the good intentions of the newcomers aren’t genuine when their new alliance tries to destroy them. Starring “Lost”s Elizabeth Mitchell. Premieres November 3 on ABC. Photo: ABC

Summer Entertainment Recap

Movies

Last May, Shady came back with an album titled “Relapse.” With 20 hot tracks and hit singles such as “Beautiful” and “Old Time’s Sake,” Relapse upon release became the hottest album on the planet. It was the #1 album on Billboard 200 with 608,000 copies sold within the first week. Rolling Stone called it a “more painful, honest and vital record,” putting it as a same level as his album The Eminem Show. He was successful in his comeback, and Relapse gives long-waiting Hip-Hop fans a heck of a ride. Yes, it is true. The “Real Slim Shady,” the angry white boy rapper is officially back. > Justin Song (Staff Reporter) Photo: Universal Studios

When District 9 (August 14) got a preview at Comic-Con in San Diego last July, it was deemed as the sci-fi movie for intellectuals. Directed by Neill Blomkamp, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell and produced by Peter Jackson, District 9 is a story chronicling the existence of alien life forms in Johannesburg, South Africa after their spaceship was stalled twenty-eight years ago. The private interest group Multi-National United (MNU) attempts to learn how alien weaponry can be activated and are sanctioning the removal of the 1.8 million “prawns” (a derogatory term used for the aliens) from District 9 and moving Photo: Sony Studios them into a new area, District 10. Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an MNU field operative put in change of the relocation, hastily goes into District 9 to begin the move when he is infected with an alien virus from some fuel. Uniquely enough, District 9 is based on a true story. In 1966, the government made District Six, an inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa, a “whites only” area during apartheid. As a result, 60,000 people were forcibly relocated to an area known as Cape Flats. Sci-fi thrillers now have to live up to intellectual pictures like District 9, and with the added themes of racism and xenophobia, this film is a fantastic exception to the overproduced “invasion” pictures. > Nate Forman (Staff Reporter)

500 Days of Summer

Photo: Mr. Doubtfire

Appropriately titled, Octahedron (June 23) consists of eight epic tracks that shock and confuse, anger and mystify, and elicit feelings of horror and awe within its listeners. Disappointingly, the band seems to have abandoned their proud Hispanic roots which made their project unique, for a Spanish song has not appeared on a Volta album since their third release, Amputechture. Nonetheless, it seems as though the band is close to recovery, and their tenacity to experiment and manipulate has clearly remains alive and well. > Nate Forman (Staff Reporter)

Dead Weather - Horehound Jack White has taken on yet another project: The Dead Weather. Taking his place behind the drum kit, White has recruited the help of several familiar musicians; Alison Mosshart of The Kills handles vocals, while Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age shreds on lead guitar and Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs handles bass duties. White is surprisingly adept at drumming, showing a looseness that brings the whole band’s sound together. Their album, Horehound (July 14), has a murky, bluesy sound that finds a perfect balance between the member’s different styles, and stands out as a highlight of the summer. > Sam Goldner (Staff Reporter)

Meese - Broadcast

Photo: Fox Searchlight

Photo: Interscope Records

The Mars Volta - Octahedron

District 9

Unless you’ve been living under a rock all summer long, you’ve probably at least heard about the indie-sensation 500 Days of Summer (August 17). The movie follows the beginning, middle and end of a single relationship, though not necessarily in that order. In fact, the movie jumps around so much chronologically that one might think the movie would feel jumbled or confusing, but in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. On the contrary, 500 Days of Summer is a cohesive, well-scripted, and expertly directed tale about the process of falling in (and out of) love that is both enjoyable and heart-wrenchingly relatable. It’s still in theaters; what are you waiting for? > Christian Allen (Entertainment Editor)

Albums i

Eminem - Relapse

Inglourious Basterds

With Inglourious Basterds (August 21) Quentin Tarantino has shown what a penchant he has for blowing you away. Basterds revolves around a group of Jewish-American soldiers trudging though Nazi-occupied France and hunting down Germans whenever they get the chance. Brad Pitt stars as Lieutenant Aldo Raine, a Tennessee-born Jew with a thing for Nazi scalps, and delivers constant laughs in whatever scene he’s in. The film marries elements from all of Tarantino’s previous work to create a perfect example of what Tarantino does. The captivating tense dialogue, slow steady buildups, and brief but appalling episodes of violence all make the film a delightfully twisted pleasure to watch. > Sam Goldner (Staff Reporter)

p

Photo: Crash Records

Whoever thinks that the good old days of bright and catchy pop rock songs are over clearly hasn’t heard of Meese. Hailing from our very-own Denver, Colorado, the band that used to be regarded as a younger version of The Fray have now, with the June release of their major-label debut album, established themselves as the rightful carriers of the next front-range fever. The album, Broadcast (June 30), is a funky and energetic collection of Photo: Atlantic Records pop rock chock full of hits sure to appeal to any faithful modern rock listener. Meese will be hosting a special $10 Halloween concert and costume party at the Gothic Theater; it will certainly be a fun-filled night. > Christian Allen (Entertainment Editor)

10

Sports

Sept. 25, 2009 Vol. 50, No. 1 Editor: Neal Ghosh

College football hits home Jordan Myres Staff Reporter

Hey football fans, college football has returned once again, promising another exciting season. Many teams around the country have improved their rosters by adding veteran experience or talented new players to show off in 2009.

The BCS rankings have changed from what they were in the preseason, and some rankings are no surprise, while others were rather surprising. The top ranked team in the nation is Florida of the SEC, who won the BCS Championship game last year with the help of star quarterback Tim Tebow.

The Gators were lucky to have him return this season, as Tebow was contemplating whether to go to the NFL or return to Florida.

Coming in at the #2 spot is the Texas

Longhorns of the Big 12 conference. Lead by potential Heisman candidate quarterback Colt McCoy, the Horns look to bounce back after falling short of their goal, the BCS Championship game. However, they were able to win the 2008 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. Many people believe they are the sleeper team that will win it all this year.

Finally, in the #3 spot is USC. Thanks to a recent win over the Buckeyes, the Trojans have moved up many spots in the BCS and are proving to be quite a threat to other topranked teams. Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley has come up from being a no-name to a surprisingly recognizable player, with his great performances against San Jose State and Ohio State.

Half-time only half interesting

Stan Whitcomb Staff Reporter

The halftime show was a dreary affair. After the FHS Poms finished their routine at Friday’s football game on September 4th. The hole left by the FHS Marching Knights absence was conspicuous.

Our Poms delivered a rallying performance at the half time show, dancing to not one, not two, but seven different songs throughout the routine.

Despite the faulty sound equipment, they danced with perfect continuity through each segment of each song.

But even they couldn’t seem to fill up the 15-minute halftime period with dancing and the famous F-H-S pompom thing. The disappearance of the FHS Marching Knights left the entertainment in short supply.

This begs the question: just why weren’t the Marching Knights playing at our opening football game?

“We aren’t playing tonight because we can’t get a bus to take us to the game,” says Junior Joseph Kleinkopf.

There you have it. They couldn’t swing a ride to play during halftime. A half lame excuse, but any legitimate excuse is half-lame anyway. No Bailey Adams, Chelsea Clampert, and marching band says that it has to go fight a bunch Catlin Gleason of Poms pose after of Canadian bears trying to steal children instead their halftime performance (Photo: Hacioglu). of playing at their high school football game.

Perhaps the best part of half time was getting time to sit down. Throughout the game Fairview’s fans stand and cheer , even if the game is far out of reach. At least there is no doubt that Fairview has spirit.

Though the eight-minute period of inactivity was a pleasant time to talk to friends and mull over the game’s events, like star Kenny Bell getting injured in the first quarter, the fact that we were up 17-0 could not be hidden.

Perhaps our Marching Knights will get a bus ride down to our next home game, and we can all sit back and relax while watching our team take on Horizon with some between-play entertainment.

As for CU, there are mixed opinions about how they are going to fare this year.

The Buffs have quarterback Cody Hawkins, son of Head coach Dan Hawkins, to try and push them towards a winning season.

ESPN sports analysts have said it won’t be a thrilling season, and CU is definitely showing that so far. Dan Hawkins predicted they would win 10 games, which seems a bit far out of reach.

There are many conferences this year that have many ranked teams within them. The Big 12 conference is one of the strongest with ranked teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Kansas.

Another strong conference is the SEC, with Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and LSU. It will be interesting to see if these confer-

ences live up to their expectations and what other conferences will step up to the spotlight.

Some players to watch this season that aren’t particularly famous are Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame quarterback), Dexter McClluster (Mississippi receiver) and Kevin Prince (UCLA quarterback). Look for these players to make plays all season long.

The 2009 college football season has already started, and many teams are proving they are much more than what the record books and fans might say.

If you are a football fan to any extent, the 2009 college football season will not disappoint. There is no doubt that as the season wraps up, there will be an exciting climax.

Sidelines do not disappoint

Nate Forman Staff Reporter

The excitement on the sidelines at the Loveland v. Fairview game was incredibly high right from the beginning. Although the grassy area behind the end-zone farthest from the school was under construction, spectators still had a great time.

There was a Caterpillar® and yellow “caution” tape around the dirt hills, and the ground was torn up beyond belief. Before the game, the official tested out the sound speakers and multiple speakers rang out at 6:45.

Coach Zadigan was talking with Mrs. Hicks on the sidelines before the game, and our Poms and Cheer did their separate things during the game. There were red, black, and white star balloons on the stairs on the Fairview side. Coach Vandepol was talking on his cell phone trying to locate someone on the field before the game, and then it started. The Lance had at least three reporters on the track, which was one over the maximum number allowed. Coach McCartney was shouting out to players for line changes and motivation.

When we scored the first touchdown, most of the players on the sidelines were in hysterics. Some were pumping up their teammates, using that energy to get the rest of the team fired up.

While Cheers were busy doing chants (“V-I-C-T-O-R-Y”, “Go, let’s go Knights”), the crowd was doing chants of its own (“Let’s go, Fairview”, “Fairview”).

There were a couple of little kids in cheerleader outfits on the sidelines running around in the back. The coaches were stressing toughness in the second half, and the players needed water all the time from the girls who brought out the water. There was a ball boy on the sidelines running around as well as various Fairview coaches. The players began to talk amongst themselves about being strong on defense and getting a shutout. Bell, who had broken his collarbone earlier in the game, came back in bandages on the sidelines.

A Fairview victory was a great cure to an otherwise stressful night. The team shook The football team sings Fairview’s fight hands with Loveland, sung the “Fight” song after a victory against Loveland song, raised their helmets, and went off of High School (Photo: Ge). the field.

Sports Roctober all over again

2009: World series or bust 2007: No fluke here Matt Sparkman Staff Reporter

On May 29, 2009, the Colorado Rockies fired Clint Hurdle as their manager.

The club had a record of 19-28 and was in last place in the NL west race. A month later on June 29th, interim manager Jim Tracy had led his team to a 40-36 record.

As of September 10, the Rockies have a four and a half game lead on the San Francisco Giants in the Wild Card and carry a record of 81-60. This shows a period of three months where the team has played solid, playoffworthy baseball.

Hurdle led the team to the World Series in 2007; they played an amazing stretch of baseball, lasting five weeks, consisting of a run where they won 17 out of 18 games to go to the World Series. This, while being a historically amazing run, was illegitimate. The Rockies preyed on a historically weak National League, sweeping the pitching deprived Philadelphia Phillies and the young Arizona Diamondbacks. This showed when the Boston Red Sox swept them in four games.

The 2009 edition of the Rockies, however, are perfectly legitimate. Solid, consistent managing from Tracy and a quality pitching staff, lead by Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Marquis, are the keys to the Rockies’ success.

This isn’t the Colorado Rockies circa. 1995. This team won’t outslug you in the thin air in Denver; hitting is down from the 2007 season and understandably so. The loss of leftfielder Matt Holliday has made the lineup much less formidable. Third Baseman Garrett Atkins has had a poor season, losing his starting job to Ian Stewart, a powerful but strikeout prone player.

However, solid contributions from rookies Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez and outstanding seasons from veterans Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, and Troy Tulowitzki have effectively taken the sting out of losing Holliday.

Many people will make the argument that the 2007 team was better simply because of two reasons: they went to the World Series and they had Holliday.

It is a position that on the surface seems to make sense, but those who take that stance often leave out a few important details. The offseason addition of Jason Marquis and the removal of Clint Hurdle as manager have made a world of difference for this Rockies team.

The Rockies don’t possess an American League-style lineup, where there isn’t a break for the opposing pitcher. They don’t have a big name leading the pitching staff. They don’t have Joe Torre or Tony La Russa in the dugout, and they don’t have a $200 million payroll. General Manager Dan O’Dowd doesn’t have a ton of money to work with, but he makes solid acquisitions and has improved what was already a decent team that got lucky in 2007 to a playoff caliber team in 2009.

Eric Davids Staff Reporter

On September 16, 2007, the hometown hero Todd Helton stepped up to the plate and sent a blast over the right field wall. Rounding first with his arm raised high in the air, the Rockies’ faithful dared to hope. Could this be the year?

In 2007, from September 16 to October 24, the Rockies were untouchable, losing only one game in their miraculous climb to the World Series. The late season surge from the Rockies’ young lineup completely turned around the direction of the franchise.

The Rockies had finished ten games below .500 in 2006, and after the team lost eight in a row in June, the prospect of a playoff berth was about as far off as the likelihood of the Cubs winning the World Series.

However the Rockies persevered, and behind the bats of Matt Holliday and rookie phenom Troy Tulowitzki, they overcame insurmountable odds and fought their way back into the playoff race. By late September they essentially needed to win every game in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they did just that.

Todd Helton’s 300th home run could not have come at a better time. It sparked a rally that ignited “Rocktober.” The city was excited about baseball for the first time since the Blake Street Bombers first arrived in Denver. Crowds rose from less than 20,000 fans on the night Helton hit his home run up to over 48,000 in a span of two weeks.

Although the Rockies were unable to win the coveted World Series Trophy, they still took home the National League Pennant brought the town to life in a way that will never be recaptured.

This year, the Rockies are looking to imitate the magic of “Rocktober” 2007.

They can make it to the playoffs and even win the World Series, but it still will not be as awe inspiring as the team’s run in 2007. Unlike this year, in which the Rockies’ front office is bringing in the likes of Jason Giambi and Jose Contreras to bolster our lineup and rotation, the Rockies of 2007 worked their magic with our own homegrown, hometown heroes.

The Rockies’ one glaring hole this year is their lack of a superstar hitter in the middle of the lineup. Matt Holliday filled that void in 2007. Giambi, Helton, and Brad Hawpe are good, but their individual potentials are incomparable to the ability of former Rockies left fielder Holliday. With Holliday leading a potent Cardinals lineup into the playoffs this year, I would dread having to face him in a close playoff series if I were a Rockies pitcher.

One will always be able to speculate which Rockies’ team is better, and we will see in October which lineup and rotation fares better in a playoff environment.

To this day though, we salute Helton, Holliday, Tulowitzki, and the others who put Colorado Baseball on the map back in 2007.

Sports

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Bell ponders college options after injury Matt Sparkman Staff Reporter

Kenny Bell gets carted off the field after breaking his collarbone. (Photo: Sarah M. Zerwin

Kenny Bell’s season started out with a bang. A 98 yard return on the opening kick for a touchdown on the first play of the game to put Fairview up 7-0 over Loveland. Bell would have scripted it no differently. However, the rest of the night did not go according to plan for the Knights star running back.

Loveland’s Kyle Klein takcled Bell, into the track

on what appeared to be a late hit. Bell transported to a local hospital by ambulance, where it was discovered that he broke his collarbone. Bell had surgery on September 6th to speed up his recovery.

Bell has been offered scholarships by several schools, including out of state powerhouse schools such as Texas Tech and Minnesota. Bell also has offers to scholarships by in-state powers Colorado and Colorado State.

“Bell has versatility, speed, and athleticism,” said Adam Munsterteiger, the publisher of the Colorado high school section of rivals.com, a website that scouts the best high school athletes in the country. “He also plays a variety of different roles and that is attractive to college recruiters.”

There is some question as to what position Bell will play at the collegiate level. “Most colleges are looking at Bell as a cornerback,” said Munsterteiger. “He might also get a chance to return kicks at the next level.”

According to Munsterteiger, Bell was in attendance at Colorado State’s victory over Colorado

on September 6th. Bell started for Fairview at Tailback on offense, and at Cornerback on defense, though he also spent brief time at the Safety position.

Unfortunately Bell’s injury was worse than originally percieved. Instead of just fracturing the collarbone, the bone splintered and will take more time to heal. Bell had a six inch metal plate implanted in his bone with ten screws. Bell needed 60 stitches and glue to seal the wound.

“Kenny is a huge part of the team, but we still have a great team with great recievers to step up in place of Kenny,” comments senior quarterback Ben Schumacher about the outlook on the season without Bell.

“Even though it’s Kenny, one player should not make a huge difference, we play as a team, not individuals,” .

Bell plans to rehab intensively and hopes to return by October 30 against in-city rival Boulder. This might be an arduous task, but don’t count Bell out.

With his determination and drive,w don’t be surprised if Bell is healthy and ready to go by state playoffs.

Chris Molina hopes to broaden his bright horizons Alec Pronk Staff Reporter

Chris Molina, Fairview’s star kicker and punter, hopes to kick his way into a Division I college and a scholarship.

Molina didn’t start his kicking career until his freshman year but now has the opportunity to take his career to new heights. His talent stems from years of training on the soccer field before the start of his football career. He played soccer for eight years, including his freshman year at Fairview, which made the transition to becoming a kicker an easier one.

Molina, a senior, can potentially play football for a Division I college next season.

Colorado College and the University of Wyoming have shown the most interest in Molina, but he also received letters from Stanford, California, Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado and Colorado State.

When asked what it feels like to receive a letter from a BCS Division I school, he said, “A lot of kids get letters, but when I went to Stanford to check out the campus, it was really exciting to get interest from such a big college.”

Molina feels that a scholarship offer is the most important factor in choosing a college.

After the season ends, he hopes to receive a scholarship from a Division I college.

He believes the ways to take his kicking game to the next level are to practice every day and get plenty of repetition to improve his form and technique.

His coach Tom McCartney believes that his versatility and power are some of the skills that make him a special kicker.

Also, Coach McCartney said that Molina has the most important quality necessary to a good kicker, “Chris is calm and cool under pressure.”

Being cool and collected is crucial in taking the next step to becoming an elite kicker worthy of receiving a Division I scholarship. This is what separates Molina from opponent kickers in high school.

In last Friday’s game, Molina showed off his skills by converting one field goal and all three of his extra point attempts. This helped Fairview defeat their foe Loveland 24-2.

Fairview has had another successful kicker in recent years. Justin Zaitz graduated from Fairview and attended Northern Colorado from 2003-2005 after transferring from CU. Zaitz is seventh in Northern Colorado’s all-time points and ranks fifth in all-time field goals.

The future is looking bright for Fairview’s Chris Molina, but he must maintain his stellar play on the field to earn a scholarship to a Division I school.